February 20, 2019 by The Emory Wheel

Since 1919

The Emory Wheel

Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Volume 100, Issue 17

Printed Every Wednesday

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

athletics

Greek Life

AEPi Under Interim Suspension

campus life

Gelaye Talks Path to Emory

By Richard Chess Executive Editor The Office of Student Conduct placed Emory’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) on interim suspension after an incident involving alcohol and possible hazing, according to a Feb. 18 University statement. Residence Life staff responded to the incident at 17 Eagle Row, the AEPi house, on Feb. 12. AEPi national headquarters placed the chapter on cease and desist the next day, the University statement said. The Office of Student Conduct’s investigation is “separate” but “parallel” to the national headquarters’ investigation. The Student Conduct investigation is reviewing the “health and safety of the students involved,” according to the statement. Interfraternity Council President

See IFC, Page 3

By Richard Chess Executive Editor

teaching mission,” Elliott said. For the 2019-20 academic year, the Economics Department is seeking to fill five positions while the History and Political Science Departments are filling three positions each. The College also plans to hire at least three scholars who specialize in Latino studies, as the Wheel previously

Incoming Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Enku Gelaye has known she wanted to be a academic administrator since she was a college student. Gelaye, who is replacing Interim Vice President of Campus Life Paul Marthers in August, said she asked the dean of students at her alma mater University of Tennessee at Knoxville how to get to that position one day. Years before she obtained her current position as vice chancellor of student affairs and campus life at University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst, Gelaye asked the dean of students, “‘How do I do what you’re doing one day?’ and he recommended I go to law school,” Gelaye said. After graduating from law school

See Elliott, Page 3

See gelaye, Page 2

Courtesy of Emory Athletics

The Emory men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams placed first at the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship for the 21st consecutive year.

See back page

professors

College Ramps Up Faculty Hiring By Calen MacDonald Staff Writer

Emory College of Arts and Sciences plans to hire about 80 new faculty members in the next two years, an increase from the 25 to 30 annual new hires in recent years, according to College Dean Michael A. Elliott. Elliott attributed the planned

increase to a higher rate of retiring faculty recently and the expansion of some existing departments, including economics, history and political science. “There are some key areas where we know that the departments are not as large as we need them to be to fulfill both the undergraduate teaching mission and the research and graduate

president

constitutional council

Sterk Earned $1.1 Million in 2016 By Isaiah Poritz Asst. News Editor

Ayushi Agarwal/Photo Editor

Constitutional Council Associate Justices Jane Wang (22C), Sam Branson (20C) and Matthew Ribel (19C) hear arguments for Cohen vs. Ma.

Council Limits Ma’s Authority By Carson Greene Staff Writer

The Constitutional Council ordered Justin Cohen (20C) be reinstated as Elections Board chair on Sunday after hearing arguments from both Cohen and Student Government Association (SGA) President Dwight Ma (17Ox, 19C). The ruling clarified ambiguities in the Constitution that Ma cited when he fired Cohen on Jan. 4. Ma claimed

that he acted constitutionally in firing Cohen, because the Constitution states that “all non-elected members and officers serve at the pleasure of the President of the SGA.” The Elections Board chair is not an elected position and is appointed by the SGA president. In the ruling, the Constitutional Council wrote that the SGA president may only remove members of the executive board. “It would be impossible for appointed justices or interim legislators to

keep their roles separate from and equal to the executive if they have to serve at the pleasure of the President,” the ruling reads. “Therefore, the Council concludes that the executive authority power to remove non-elected members may only be exercised within the executive branch; in other words, the President may only remove other members of the executive branch.” An hour before the hearing was

NEWS Emory Student

OP-EDs Debating

A&E Rebel Wilson Can’t

Center to Feature GenderNeutral Bathrooms ... PAGE 2 P

See Cohen, Page 2

University President Claire E. Sterk received about $1.1 million in compensation in 2016, which was her first year as president, according to Emory’s 2017 tax filings. Sterk’s was the 57thhighest paid private college executive during that year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s executive compensation report. Sterk’s total compensation adds up A A /P E to about 21 times the average cost of tuition at Emory and about six times Emory’s average faculty salary, according to the report. “The Emory University president’s compensation is consistent with that of other top university presidents in the nation, particularly those who lead major research universities,” a University statement reads. Sterk received $759,167 in base salary, $27,231 in nontaxable pay and $230,550 in other reportable compensation, according to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filing. This compensation only accounts for her tenure as president during the 2016 yushi

garwal

Emory Life Alum

hoto

calendar year, which began on Sept. 1. A total of $120,600 was set aside for deferred compensation. Sterk’s deferred compensation award was not established through negotiations with the University but rather by the Emory Board of Trustees’ Committee on Executive Compensation and Trustees’ Conflict Claire of Interest, accordE. Sterk, ing to the University University statement. President The board annually reviews compensation of senior leadership at the University and receives outside consultation to review Emory’s standing relative to peer institutions. Former Emory President James W. Wagner negotiated with the University to received $2.36 million in deferredcompensation awards during his last full year as president in 2015, the Wheel previously reported. Sterk was the 12th-highest compensated employee in the University. Wagner, who retired in August of 2016, received $1,138,491 in compensation, making him the 11th-highest compensated employee.

ditor

— Contact Isaiah Poritz at isaiah.z.poritz@emory.edu

Sports Swim Teams

Impeachment: Is Dwight Salvage ‘Isn’t it Romantic’ Talks ‘Pride and Prejudice Captures 21st Straight om -C om ... tlanta ’ R ole ... Done? ... R A Back Page PAGE 7 PAGE 9 Championship ... PAGE 5

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Gelaye Talks Value of Greek Life

Continued from Page 1

at the University of Georgia, Gelaye worked at California State University, Long Beach; University of Southern California (USC); University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst. She began working as a conduct affairs officer and later broadened her responsibilities to include more roles in campus life offices. At Emory, Gelaye plans to bring about 20 years of experience working with college C E P students to develop and maintain Campus Life programs. To understand the demands and needs of Emory students, Gelaye said she plans to meet with student groups, student leaders and academic units in the fall. When she visited Emory, she met with students who said expressed wanting a sense of belonging and community at Emory, Gelaye said. However, Gelaye does not yet have any specific programs she hopes to implement. ourtesy of

mory

“I don’t necessarily come with very rigid or defined set of programs that I intend to launch,” Gelaye said. Gelaye said she’s proud of UMass’s UMatter program, an initiative that provides students with resources that explain implicit and explicit bias, alcohol abuse, bullying and other issues of mutual and self-respect Enku that college students Gelaye, face. Incoming Common issues Vice students on university President and Dean campuses face include of Campus the cost of education, Life competition and belonging in the community. On Greek life, Gelaye emphasized the importance of fraternities and sororities serving as a meaningful engagement portal for students, saying that Greek life organizations can engage students in leadership and volunteer programs. A former member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), Gelaye called her sorority experience “transformative.”

hoto

— Contact Richard Chess at rchess@emory.edu

NEWS college council

CC Violates Constitution By Albert Zhang Asst. News Editor

College Council (CC) legislators violated its constitution three times during its Feb. 13 meeting by passing bills to amend CC’s Constitution and Standing Rules without first consulting its Administrative Committee, according to CC co-Chief of Staff Jacob Hicks (18Ox, 20C). Because the bills were passed unconstitutionally, CC will ask its Administrative Committee to review the bills and reintroduce them at CC’s next legislative session, Hicks said. “I think we were complying with the spirit of the rules, [but] not the letter of them,” Hicks said. “We’ve looked at [the Constitution] and we’re just going to re-present [the bills] just to make sure we’re on solid constitutional grounds.” The CC Constitution states that CC’s Administrative Committee must “review and make a recommendation on any and all amendments to the College Council Constitution and Standing Rules prior to their submission to the Legislature.” At the meeting, CC legislators voted on a bill written by CC Sophomore Legislator Lyndsey Garbee (21C) to allow the legislature to offer zerointerest loans to clubs who request additional funding. The bill passed by a vote of 11-0 and one abstention.

Cohen Reinstated as Elections Board Chair Continued from Page 1 scheduled to start on Wednesday, Ma emailed the Constitutional Council to inform it that he had reinstated Cohen to his position. However, the Constitutional Council decided to hold the hearing regardless because Cohen had not withdrawn his challenge and because constitutional questions remained unanswered. During the hearing, Cohen said he believed Ma acted unethically by firing him and that his decisions were based entirely on impulse. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more disrespected by a member of this body or anyone period,” Cohen said. “Dwight [Ma] has shown that he really didn’t think this option through, that he made an impulsive decision and is now trying to go back on that decision.” Cohen argued that his termination was unconstitutional because the Elections Board derives its power from the legislative branch, not the executive. Cohen pointed to a clause in the Constitution which states that the power to oversee elections is given to the Elections Board by the legislature.

During his defense, Ma said he fired Cohen because he thought Cohen set a timeline for the upcoming spring elections without properly receiving consent or discussing the dates from other members of the Elections Board.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more disrespected by a member of this body or anyone period.” — Justin Cohen (20C), Elections Board Chair

“I was informed by Yiyang [Mao], … the elections vice chair, that the consensus had not been reached in the Elections Board or the divisional councils,” Ma said. Cohen told the Constitutional Council that he reached out to as many branches of student government as he could.

The Emory Wheel

“I consulted with almost anyone I could from my board, to SGA, to divisional councils, to the speaker of the legislature, to the Electoral Reforms Commission, all the way to the coding team at the SILT office,” Cohen said. Cohen said he was pleased with the ruling in a Sunday email to the Wheel. “I am happy the Constitutional Council ruled in my favor and has shown that Dwight’s actions were both unconstitutional and an abuse of power.” However, Cohen also wrote that he believed “the damage is irreparable when it comes to this spring’s election.” Ma told the Wheel on Sunday that he is “happy this matter has been resolved.” “Justin did a phenomenal job outside of the timeline so it only made sense to bring him back onboard,” Ma said. “I look forward to a fair and transparent election process.”

— Contact Carson Greene at crgree5@emory.edu

Have a tip for the news team? Contact Isaiah Poritz at isaiah.z.poritz@emory. edu

Garbee’s bill amended CC’s monetary policy, which is a binding component of CC’s Standing Rules and governs how CC disburses funding to clubs. Garbee said she was not aware that the Administrative Committee must review the bill. CC Vice President of Student Affairs Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C) introduced another bill that restructures the organization of CC’s five standing committees and establishes guidelines governing the formation and renewal of temporary committees. The bill modified about 200 lines of the CC Constitution and Standing Rules and was passed unanimously with 12 votes in favor. CC legislators then debated a bill introduced by Hicks, which creates a formal process for passing resolutions to express CC’s formal opinion. The bill passed 10-0 with two abstentions. To take effect, the bills need to be passed twice after they are reintroduced at CC’s next legislative meeting, according to the CC Constitution. Student Leaders Unaware of Constitutional Requirement CC Vice President of Communications Alex Chanen (21C) said nobody on CC was familiar with the constitutional requirement until the Wheel asked about it. “That’s not something that was in our knowledge,” Chanen said. “That’s something that has been out of prac-

tice [for a few years].” Chanen said he applied to serve on Student Government Association (SGA)’s ad hoc Governing Documents Review Committee and would encourage the committee to include CC’s governing documents in their review. CC is a divisional council which falls under SGA’s jurisdiction. CC Vice President of Finance Teresa Wang (20B) said she did not believe Garbee’s bill to amend the monetary policy required Administrative Committee approval because she did not believe the monetary policy fell under CC’s Constitution or Standing Rules. “We’re modifying [CC’s] monetary policy, not [the] Constitution or Standing Rules, so they’re not required to hear the amendments,” Wang said. Hicks said the CC executive board hopes to reform the process of passing amendments to CC’s governing documents. He plans to propose a bill that would require bills that amend CC’s governing documents to be presented to the executive board. “[This] is actually perfect because the executive board meets generally two days before the legislature on any given week,” Hicks said. “That way every person who has a role under the constitution would be there.”

— Contact Albert Zhang at aliang6@emory.edu

construction

ESC Has GenderNeutral Bathrooms By Tanika Deuskar Staff Writer

Before the new Emory Student Center (ESC) finishes construction, the Wheel compiled a list of features students can expect to see in the building. Gender-neutral Bathrooms ESC will be the first building on campus to have gender-neutral bathrooms with more than one stall, according to Director of the University Center Benjamin Perlman (03C). K aldi’s Coffee When the Dobbs University Center was torn down, the campus lost a central coffee location. When the ESC is up and running, students will once again be able to get their caffeine fix at Kaldi’s Coffee without trekking to Kaldi’s at the Depot or the Medical School. Recreational Areas The ESC will offer collaborative spaces to work, but students seeking reprieve and relaxation can also play on the foosball tables and gaming systems. Energy Efficiency The ESC will be the most energy efficient building on campus, Perlman said. The ESC’s renewable sources of energy will include geothermal and solar energy. About 25 to 38 percent of the energy used for heating and cooling the building will be sourced from 65 geothermal wells drilled into McDonough Field. The roof will have 32 solar panels, which are projected to heat about 40 percent of the building’s potable water. The glass on the building’s southand west-facing sides will capture solar heat in the winter, while trellises will shield the building from the summer sun, reducing dependence on artificial heating and cooling. The building will also have a moni-

toring system to control lighting and temperature, which will minimize energy usage. The heating and lighting can be turned to an “unoccupied mode” when there is no one in an area. Student Input Perlman said student input has been key to every stage of the project. During the feasibility study, students were asked about issues with the old Dobbs University Center (DUC). Some of those concerns were addressed in the construction of the ESC. One such goal was to provide students and clubs with larger meeting spaces. “For meetings with less than 30 people, there’s a lot of great classroom spaces available after hours that you can reserve … but there are not a lot of spaces available for between 30 and a 100 people that aren’t fixed-seat lecture halls,” Perlman said. The new multipurpose hall seeks to provide such a space, having a maximum capacity of 1,400 and a dinnerstyle capacity of 800. The hall is considerably larger than Cox Ballroom, which has a maximum capacity of 400 to 500 people. Perlman said that the larger capacity of the multipurpose hall might enable clubs to hold large events on campus. “We know that students use hotel ballrooms around the city because they feel that Cox can’t hold their events. Part of this is about hoping that folks might consider coming back to campus to host their events,” Perlman said. Perlman and his team also consulted students about furniture selection. “We took a bunch of students in a shuttle out to a furniture showroom to kind of show them mock-ups … and help us sort of pick furniture that students will want to use,” Perlman said.

— Contact Tanika Deuskar at tdeuska7@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

News Roundup

Compiled By Michelle Lou A nderosn and Jones Nominated For NAACP Image Awards Two Emory professors were nominated for the 2019 NAACP Image Awards for their literary works. Carol Anderson, who serves as Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies and chair of African American studies, was nominated in the “Outstanding Literary Work — Youth/Teens” category for her book “We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide.” Anderson’s book is the young adult adaptation of her 2016 book “White Rage,” which examines white society’s treatment of African-American progress. Tayari Jones, professor of English and creative writing, was nominated for her novel “An American Marriage” in the category of “Outstanding Literary Work — Fiction.” A New York Times bestseller and a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, “An American Marriage” details how a black man, Roy, and his wife deal with Roy’s wrongful imprisonment. The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in television, music, literature and film, as well as people “who promote social justice through creative endeavors,” according to a Feb. 13 press release. Rollins Foundation Pledges $65 Million to Emory The O. Wayne Rollins Foundation pledged $65 million to construct a third Rollins School of Public Health building at Emory, according to a Feb. 13 University press release. The building will be named the R. Randall Rollins Building and located

IFC President Warns Against Hazing Continued from Page 1

Alex Dobosh (20B) wrote in a Feb. 19 email to Emory fraternity members that hazing would not be tolerated. “I understand the importance of tradition. I understand the importance of building connection around the rituals of our fraternities. However, there is no tradition or bonding activity that should make individuals feel unsafe or degraded,” Dobosh wrote. “ It is unfortunate to see chapters suspended as a result of hazing.” Emory’s anti-hazing policy states that “Emory University prohibits hazing of any kind.” Former AEPi President Michael Silver (20B), who served as the chapter’s president between January and February 2019, declined to comment. Acting AEPi President John Stark (21B) also declined to comment, directing the Wheel to the national headquarters, which did not respond. Last month, former AEPi President Joel Sharpe (20B) was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine. Sharpe received medical amnesty for Emory code of conduct violations because he was seeking medical attention for an intoxicated individual, his attorney previously told the Wheel. Criminal charges against Sharpe are still pending.

— Contact Richard Chess at rchess@emory.edu

next to the existing School of Public Health facilities. The building is in the early stages of planning and more information will be available during Summer 2019. Emory Hospitals R anked A mong Top Hospitals Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown were ranked in the top 2 percent of hospitals nationwide in 2019, according to a Feb. 12 report from Healthgrades. The hospitals were evaluated “on clinical quality outcomes for 32 conditions and procedures,” including heart attack, pneumonia, respiratory failure and more. About 85 percent of patients reported they would “definitely recommend” Emory University Hospital, and about 73 percent of patients said the same of the Midtown location, according to the report. Five Workers Dead Shooting

Illinois

Five workers died in Aurora, Ill., on Feb. 15 after a former employee opened fire on his previous workplace, the Henry Pratt Company’s warehouse, according to The New York Times. The gunman, 45-year-old Gary Martin, died while exchanging gunfire with police officers, injuring five police officers in the process, the Times reported. Martin’s sister told the Times that he had worked at the warehouse for about 20 years before he was recently let go. Martin’s state weapons permit was revoked five years ago due to a felony assault conviction, according to the Times.

News

Tru mp D ecl a r es N ationa l Emergency for Border Wall President Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency on Feb. 15 to obtain funding to build a wall on the United States’ southern border after Congress refused to give him the $5.7 billion he requested. The emergency declaration will allow Trump to use the $3.6 billion allocated to military construction projects for the wall, the Times reported. Trump also plans to divert $2.5 billion from counternarcotics programs and $600 million from a Treasury Department asset forfeiture fund, according to the Times. Congress allocated $1.375 billion toward the border wall. In a Feb. 15 press conference, Trump said, “I expect to be sued … [but] I think we will be very successful in court.” The last time a U.S. president declared a national emergency was after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. E mory, H igh Museum R eceive Grant to Continue Fellowship Emory’s Art History Department, the Michael C. Carlos Museum and the High Museum of Art have received a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to continue the Mellon Object-Centered Curatorial Research Fellowship Program for the next five years, according to an email from a High Museum spokesperson. The program was launched in 2012 and allows Emory art history doctoral candidates to pursue object-based curatorial study. Up to three students are selected annually by a committee of Emory faculty.

— Contact Michelle Lou at michelle.ann.lou@emory.edu

Elliott Cites More Retirees Than Usual

Continued from Page 1 reported. “Increasing the diversity of our faculty and our curriculum … are priorities for us,” Elliott said. While the majority of the newly hired faculty will begin working in Fall 2019, some will join in Spring 2020 and others in Fall 2020. Associate Professor of History Daniel LaChance, who chairs the History Department’s search committee, said he is searching for faculty specializing in the study of race and ethnicity in U.S. history. The History Department chose to search for scholars of race and ethnicity because of cultural relevance, recent faculty departures and student demand, LaChance said. He cited the list of 13 demands by the Black Students of Emory as one reason. The hiring process for all departments typically begins at the end of the previous academic year, when the College approves individual requests to search for specific faculty, LaChance said. The search committee then searches for candidates, screens applications and invites some applicants to campus. While on campus, candidates meet with faculty and students and present their research. The entire department then votes on which candidates to hire after receiving suggestions from the committee. The Political Science Department created two hiring committees: one searching for professors of

international relations, chaired by Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Political Science Dan Reiter, and another searching for professors specializing in Latin countries, chaired by Associate Professor of Political Science Andra Gillespie, according to Department Chair Jeffrey Staton. The committee searching for international relations scholars has already hired Emily Gade, an acting assistant professor from the University of Washington, and Jessica Sun, a doctoral candidate from the University of Michigan. Gade and Sun will begin teaching in Spring 2020 and Fall 2020, respectively. The Economics Department formed three search committees which sought scholars of microeconomics, econometrics and health economics. Associate Professor of Economics Hugo Mialon chaired the microeconomics search committee and told the Wheel in a Feb. 14 email that the committee successfully hired Kyungmin (Teddy) Kim as an associate professor and In-Koo Cho as a chaired professor. Kim is currently an associate professor at the University of Miami, and Cho is currently a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Five of the current faculty searches received approval from the College in the 2017-18 academic year but are still underway, including in the Chemistry, Human Health, Physics, Psychology and Theater Departments.

— Contact Calen MacDonald at calen.c.macdonald@emory.edu

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Crime Report Compiled By Valerie Sandoval On Feb. 8 at 11:16 p.m., Emory Police Department (EPD) responded to a fire alarm at Clairmont Residential Center (CRC). DeKalb County Fire Rescue and Emory Facilities Management were also dispatched to the scene. One officer noticed that a sprinkler head in the hallway of the third floor was broken off and that water was pouring out of a pipe where the sprinkler head was supposed to be. The officer notified Facilities Management personnel, who believed someone hit the sprinkler head, triggering the fire alarm. Facilities Management successfully turned the water off and silenced the fire alarm but were unable to reset the fire alarm system. Facilities Management stated they would conduct a fire watch until the issue was resolved. EPD notified the fire safety coordinator and fire safety director as well as Campus Life about the incident. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Feb. 10 at 9:23 a.m., EPD responded to the Student Activity and Academic Center (SAAC) in reference to a dispute involving a subject who was previously banned from the facility. The complainant, the SAAC supervisor on duty, said the subject entered the SAAC and got into a dispute with one of the patrons playing basketball. The complainant said the front desk staff, who had been instructed to notify EPD if he returned to the facility, did not recognize the subject until after he had already been let inside. When the officer arrived, the subject was requesting the front desk staff refund him for the $10 he had paid to gain entry to the SAAC. The subject claimed he spoke with someone at the SAAC and was allowed to return but did not disclose whom he spoke with. The subject acknowledged the ban but said he wanted a refund before leaving. The officer told the subject the SAAC staff were unable to void his transaction at this time but would attempt to return his money by alternate means. The officer issued the subject a verbal criminal trespass warning, and the subject left the location without incident. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Feb. 10 at 1 p.m., EPD responded to CRC in reference to criminal trespass and property damage. The complainant, an Emory student, reported that someone unlawfully entered his apartment and damaged his property. The complainant and his roommate left their apartment

with the door unlocked on Feb. 9 at 9:30 p.m. The roommate returned on Feb. 10 at about 9:30 a.m. and discovered both the microwave and the door to the air unit outside of the complainant’s bedroom smashed. The complainant’s ukulele and mirror were also damaged, along with parts of the wall and the closet door in his bedroom. The complainant believes his baseball bat was used to cause the destruction because the bat had damage that was not present earlier. The roommate said her bedroom door was unlocked and open, but it did not appear that anyone had been in her bedroom. Campus Life was notified about the incident. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Feb. 13 at 11:15 p.m., EPD responded to Woodruff Residential Center regarding possession of marijuana. The Residence Life staff member on call said he smelled marijuana coming from a dorm room on the second floor. Officers knocked on the door and the subject, an Emory student, said it was OK for them to enter. The subject was with a male Emory student. The officers saw a water pipe and a grinder on the desk and asked the subject if the items and the room were hers, to which she replied yes. When asked if she had any more contraband, the subject retrieved a small plastic bag of marijuana from her drawer. The officers confiscated all of the contraband and cited both students for violation of Atlanta Ordinance 106-182, possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. The officers gave the students a verbal warning for possession of paraphernalia. Campus Life was notified about the incident. On Feb. 13 at 9:40 p.m., EPD responded to the Evans Hall lobby in reference to an intoxicated student. The complainant, a resident adviser (RA) in Evans Hall, said he found a student who appeared to be intoxicated stumbling around the outside of the building and called emergency services. When the officer arrived, the Emory Emergency Medical Services (EEMS) was providing medical attention to the subject. The subject said she had been drinking alcohol earlier on campus but did not need any medical treatment. EEMS determined the subject did not need to be transported to the hospital and canceled DeKalb County Fire Rescue and American Medical Response. Campus Life was notified about the incident.

— Contact Valerie Sandoval at valerie.sandoval@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel Volume 100, Number 17 © 2019 The Emory Wheel Alumni Memorial University Center, Room 401 630 Means Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322 Business (404) 727-6178 Editor-in-Chief Michelle Lou (mlou3@emory.edu) 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.

Corrections

• In last week’s issue writer Aidan Vick was identified as a contributing writer. In fact, Vick is a staff writer.

The Emory Wheel

Opinion

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 | Opinion Editors: Madeline Lutwyche and Isaiah Sirois (madeline.lutwyche@emory.edu and isaiah.sirois@emory.edu)

Editorial

Kemp’s Medicaid Expansion Fails Low-Income Georgians Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp proposed legislation to from convention as it would only allow people who bolster Georgians’ access to health care through a bill fall below the poverty line to receive benefits, while that would give him the executive ability to partially states that have fully expanded Medicaid allow anyone expand Medicaid. Georgia Republicans have spear- who falls within a margin of the poverty line to also headed the campaign to enact the Patients First Act, receive benefits. Few would argue a person with an which gives low-income Georgians access to more annual income of $13,000 — only slightly above the affordable health care. The partial expansion is a step poverty line for adults under 65 — doesn’t deserve to in the right direction to ensure the most vulnerable be covered by Medicaid. This method also incentivizes people in the state receive health care coverage. people to fall below the line to receive benefits. But the bill is a half-hearted attempt to solve the Medicaid expansion is politically popular in health care crisis and fails to take advantage of fed- Georgia, as 71 percent of registered Georgia voters eral funds already set aside for state polled by the University of Georgia Medicaid programs. said they supported expansion. But The proposal falls short in guarit’s questionable whether Kemp’s law The bill is a halfanteeing health care for Georgians would satisfy voters. The bill’s failure hearted attempt to who need it most. Georgia House to expand Medicaid beyond the povsolve the health care erty line limits its ability to resolve Democrats unanimously oppose the bill for a reason: full Medicaid crisis and fails to take Georgia’s rural health care crisis. expansion is the smarter choice. In addition, the law is being proadvantage of federal posed Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Democratic amid a national conversation funds. Georgia gubernatorial candidate, has that strongly favors more drastic called the Republican proposal a “pale overhauls to the American health facsimile” of a plan which gives Kemp care system. A staggering 70 percent significant power in deciding how Medicaid will oper- of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, ate and who will ultimately benefit from the bill — a Democrats and Independents support a single-payer dangerous model considering Kemp strove to disen- “Medicare for all” system. Such a system would abolfranchise poor and minority voters to win the 2018 ish private health insurance, which would be replaced election. by a single provider managed by the federal governWithout full Medicaid expansion, Georgia is also ment and paid for by taxes. losing out on billions of dollars in potential federal Kemp’s proposed Medicaid expansion would benfunding and has to pay more money to cover fewer efit some Georgians but would do little to allevipeople; since Congress passed the Patient Protection ate wider frustrations for those who would still be and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, the federal required to purchase private insurance. America government will match state spending nine-to-one for spends twice as much on health care than almost all states which have fully expanded Medicaid. Georgia is other developed countries while achieving similar or one of only 14 states in the country not taking advan- worse health outcomes, according to a 2018 study tage of that money, a result of fierce opposition by from Harvard University (Mass.). Georgia Republican lawmakers. Though we cannot expect that Kemp will jump The scope of the expansion is also limited by on an Obamacare-esque bandwagon anytime soon, Kemp’s proposed waiver structure, which would pre- Americans are longing for more than Kemp’s partial vent people who are slightly above the poverty line Medicaid expansion. from receiving Medicaid. It would also allow people Although Kemp and Georgia House Republicans who use the Affordable Care Act exchange market have offered a serviceable proposal to partially expand to buy private health insurance, competition which Medicaid in the state, they should follow the lead of the can drive up prices for Medicaid. Kemp’s law departs 36 states which have already fully expanded Medicaid.

The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Zach Ball, Jacob Busch, Ryan Fan, Andrew Kliewer, Madeline Lutwyche, Boris Niyonzima, Omar Obregon-Cuebas, Shreya Pabbaraju, Isaiah Sirois, Madison Stephens and Kimia Tabatabaei.

The Emory Wheel Michelle Lou Editor-in-Chief Richard Chess Executive Editor Alisha Compton Managing Editor Niraj Naik Managing Editor Nicole Sadek Editor-at-Large Christina Yan News Editor Madeline Lutwyche Opinion Editor Isaiah Sirois Opinion Editor Jesse Weiner A&E Editor A lex K lugerman Emory Life Editor Ayushi Agarwal Photo Editor Leigh Schlecht Copy Editor

Madison Bober Copy Editor Isaiah Poritz Asst. News Editor A lbert Zhang Asst. News Editor A desola Thomas Asst. A&E Editor Ryan Callahan Asst. Sports Editor Forrest Martin Asst. Photo Editor Aditya Prakash Associate Editor Devin Bog Associate Editor

Volume 100 | Number 17 Business and Advertising Joshua Papson Business Manager Mileen Meyer Design manager Business/Advertising Email: wheelbusinessmanager@gmail.com

The Emory Wheel welcomes letters and op-ed submissions from the Emory community. Letters should be limited to 300 words and op-eds should be at least 500. Those selected may be shortened to fit allotted space or edited for grammar, punctuation and libelous content. Submissions reflect the opinions of individual writers and not of The Emory Wheel Editorial Board or Emory University. Send emails to michelle.ann.lou@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322.

NFL Profits from White Supremacy Kaepernick’s Collusion Suit Reveals Racism Isaiah Sirois Colin Kaepernick may have settled his collusion suit against the NFL, but he already exposed the organization as a beneficiary of white supremacy. Kaepernick filed his suit after the ex-NFL quarterback felt he was blackballed by league executives for kneeling during the national anthem. He began his protest in August 2016, but he was only noticed after three games, when then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump criticized him. When pressed for comment, the quarterback said he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people.” It didn’t take long for one NFL executive to label him a traitor and for front offices to worsen their rosters just to keep him out of the league. Equating Kaepernick’s decision to kneel with an act of treason is laughable: the quarterback is free to hold any opinion about the United States. On the contrary, the goal of Kaepernick’s protest was to improve the country, not destroy it. While some conservatives complained that Kaepernick’s protest was destructive to race relations, that perspective rests on the assumption that Americans accept the current status of race relations. Activists like Kaepernick have repeatedly demonstrated their discontent with how the burdens of mass incarceration and police brutality fall disproportionately on black Americans. Kaepernick critics demonstrate either that they fail to consider minorities’ grievances or actively support racial inequality. Another conservative response to Kaepernick has been to call him ungrateful. Fox News host Tucker Carlson stated that the quarterback and his supporters “hate and resent the very system that made their prosperity, their success, possible.” But Kaepernick’s success is an exception to the racial bias within society, not a reason to support the status quo. The wealth gap between black and white Americans only grew in recent years, and even black Americans with professional degrees are still paid less than their white counterparts. Despite conservative complaints, national anthem protests resurged in the 2017 season even as Kaepernick went unsigned. NFL executives were quick to respond, spurred by fears of tanking television ratings and Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to walk out of an Oct. 8 game. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened to bench players who “disrespected the flag,” and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called for a series of meetings on the issue. At these meetings, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair called for players to stop their protests, saying “fellas, stop that other business; let’s go out

and do something that really produces positive results.” But the next day at an owners-only meeting, McNair took a different approach. He argued that “we can’t have the inmates running the prison.” Although McNair apologized for the gaffe, his remarks help to illustrate the exploitative undercurrent of the NFL. The league depends on the pipeline of college athletes that enter it every year. These previously-unpaid, primarily black football players are then given relatively cheap contracts that allow teams to replace older veterans for less money. While the average NFL salary is $2.7 million, in 2018, hundreds of players earned the league minimum of $465,000. That’s still good money, but players typically play for fewer than three years and are taxed heavily throughout that period. Few players leave the league as multi-millionaires. Even fewer make it to the NFL in the first place. 2018’s 253 drafted players is a small fraction of the 16,236 draft-eligible individuals — all of whom went unpaid for the entirety of their college careers. Why doesn’t the NCAA compensate its athletes? Some argue that student athletes are compensated with scholarships and education. But research by University of Massachusetts professor Tatishe Nteta and others posits white racial resentment as a structural cause of not paying college athletes. Using data from the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, researchers found that white Americans opposed paying college athletes more frequently when pushed to think about black players than when they thought about white players. With that in mind, McNair’s racist slip should come as no surprise. Neither, then, should Jerry Jones’. A leaked video from 2013 that surfaced mere weeks later showed the Cowboys owner cracking a joke intended for a newlywed bride: “Hey, Jennifer, congratulations on the wedding. Now, you know [the groom is] with a black girl tonight, don’t you?” That McNair and Jones were both heavily involved in the NFL’s governing process shows how far racism penetrates the league. Some may dismiss racist remarks from within the NFL as outliers or inconsequential, but only the most egregious examples get reported. Giving the rest of the NFL a pass because it uses less offensive language while exploiting black youth is unacceptable: doing so merely demonstrates how low the threshold for acceptable white behavior is in contemporary America. If white conservatives want black athletes to stand for the national anthem, they must listen to Kaepernick and make America worth standing for. Isaiah Sirois (19C) is from Nashua, N.H.

The Emory Wheel

OP-ED

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Trump’s Emergency Subverts Separation of Powers Grace Yang

Ever since President Donald J. Trump won the election in 2016, the business mogul’s unconventional methods have continuously shocked Americans. Some are disgusted by his aggressive leadership while others seem pleasantly surprised. Declaring a national emergency to fund his border produced the same polarized responses. Because Congress has been blocking the path to build his wall, Trump decided to simply bypass it by declaring a national emergency. The decision was the most efficient way to get what he wanted, a skillful maneuver in the eyes of any businessman. In hopes of justifying his actions, Trump has stretched the definition of “emergency,” calling illegal immigration a matter of drug cartels and human traf-

fickers “invading our country.” Declaring a national emergency is not unprecedented. In fact, between 1978 and 2018, presidents have used 58 such declarations to temporarily consolidate executive power. The difference, however, between the past 58 times and the one suggested by Trump, is the motive behind the decision: This is the first time an emergency declaration is being used to circumvent Congressional consent so that the executive can pursue a politically unpopular program. In Trump’s case, a national emergency serves solely to work around Congress. Appropriating funds has always been firmly placed in the hands of the legislature, which is why it consists of so many different members and requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass most decisions. By diverting financial resources into his own hands, Trump can get started on building his wall as soon as possible.

Time is of the essence for Trump. In 2020, he will once again have to face the people to whom he had confidently promised a massive wall. During his 2016 presidential campaign, much of his appeal stemmed from the stark contrast between him and other candidates, whose extensive political backgrounds attracted reputations for delivering empty promises. In other words, not being a politician gave him an edge. Yet during Trump’s administration, it’s been politics as usual. Trump likely felt pressured to declare the national emergency because he had made the wall a fundamental part of his campaign. His yet unfulfilled promise may initially appear as just a sign of inefficient government, but underneath the inefficiency lies a fundamental concept that is crucial to the democracy we have today. Checks and balances complicate the implementation process, making it difficult for legislators’ suggestions

to become policy. Numerous sessions are required, and a majority must support the proposed action. Though this tedious process may disappoint the people, it prevents radical or extreme governmental action from taking place. Trump is no exception to this process, and in 2014 he made the same claim for former President Obama. Dealing with the same issue of border control, then-President Obama issued an executive order to prevent the immediate deportation of “DREAMers.” Trump blatantly accused him of “[subverting] the Constitution of the U.S. for his own benefit” because he was “unable to negotiate with Congress.” While Trump may have lived up to his promise to build a border wall, Mexico will not be paying for it. His empty promises and flagrant self-contradictions suggest that holding the presidential office for just over two years might have made a politician out of him after all.

Though Trump may have gotten away with abusing loopholes as a businessman, the nature of the presidency requires different behavior. The executive branch should not be able to hijack the power of the purse, especially if a legislative majority expresses opposition. Without enough legislative support for Trump’s proposed border wall, he must find a different means to increase border security — even if that entails an unfulfilled promise by the 2020 presidential election. The time consuming process of deliberation and debate that Trump is proposing to skip over is how an unbalanced power distribution is prevented. If he repurposes the national emergency declaration to exclude Congress from the policymaking process, he will gain a dangerous amount of unprecedented power. Grace Yang (22C) is from Vancouver, Wash.

DEBATING DWIGHT

SGA Must Impeach Ma After Reckless Decisions Andrew Kliewer During last spring’s Student Government Association (SGA) elections, I was one of the members of the Wheel’s Editorial Board to interview Dwight Ma (17Ox, 19C). Ma impressed me with his detailed and articulate vision, which aimed to bridge gaps between international and domestic students and increase transparency. The effort that Ma put into campaigning was unmatched, and I respected his genuine outreach to students. Putting aside concerns about his relative lack of student government experience and alleged ethical violations, I voted for him. Unfortunately, Ma’s tenure has revealed that vote to be the wrong decision. His promises to run a more accountable SGA fell flat, as he presided over a failed audit and has not offered a solution to an over-allocation of thousands of dollars in student funding. Rather than work with student government to rectify these issues, Ma instead fired those who expressed disagreement, including Chief of Staff Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C) and Elections Board Chair Justin Cohen (20C), whom he reinstated after a invalid dismissal. Finally, SGA Vice President of Communications Tiffany Haas (19C) recently alleged that Ma sent threatening and intimidating messages to her. Individually, each of Ma’s actions is troubling. Collectively, they reveal an individual unfit to hold the SGA presidency and who has committed the “gross unethical behavior, [or] abuse of power” required for impeachment. At the Thursday impeachment hearing, SGA legislators should take the necessary and appropriate action of impeaching Ma. As a president, Ma demonstrates a startling lack of accountability and capability in carrying out SGA’s core function of allocating money to student organizations. His erratic decisions and poor leadership have been notable, including his quickly aborted investigation into College Council’s finances last summer. Ma had neither the authority nor the appropriate evidence to undertake the investigation, and its failure later proved ironic when SGA’s over-allocation of $28,000 in student funds came to light. Ma failed to realize this blunder until January. Additionally, Ma attempted to circumvent the Finance Code by vetoing the budget passed by the previous SGA administration, with the intent of reallocating funds from College Council to BBA Council. When that gambit failed and SGA decided to instead conduct a semester-long audit, Ma was conspicuously absent from informational meetings, allowing BBA Council President Jay Krishnaswamy (16Ox, 19B) to unduly influence the process and likely contributing to the audit’s ultimate failure.

Emory students deserve a president with sufficient knowledge of the Finance Code to ensure that their Student Activities Fee (SAF) is allocated equitably and effectively. The position of SGA president requires a willingness to work with divisional council representatives and SGA officials with divergent viewpoints and interests. Ma lacks this attribute, as demonstrated by his firing of three SGA officers. The firings of, Vice President of Finance Paul Park (17Ox, 19B), Palmer, and Cohen occurred under different circumstances, but all began with simple disagreements that escalated into needlessly heated confrontations. Though SGA Executive Vice President John Priddy (19C) opposed Ma in each case, the firings occurred without consulting the legislature or other members of his executive board. While Ma possesses the right to pick members of his own cabinet, his actions defeat the purpose of the these positions, which exist to provide honest feedback rather than unconditional agreement. The Constitutional Council found that Ma’s firing of Cohen violated the separation of powers laid out in the SGA constitution, which states that the legislature, not Ma, has the power to oversee the Board of Elections. At the Constitutional Council hearing concerning the matter, Ma failed to reasonably explain why a disagreement over the timing of elections warranted Cohen’s firing. Ma’s justification is further belied by his underhanded attempts to install a fourth justice to the court last week and to cancel the hearing by reinstating Cohen just one hour before it began. Similarly, allegations that Ma threatened and intimidated Haas concerning her control over official SGA communications are extremely concerning and deserve a thorough investigation. However, such allegations aren’t surprising, as Ma previously threatened to sue the Wheel for defamation due to its elections coverage. Ma’s decisions create a disturbing pattern: he attacks those charged with holding him accountable instead of accepting responsibility for his mistakes. This norm may prevail in national politics, but it should not in our student government. When Emory’s student body voted for Ma as their president, they voted for a candidate who promised to “create an SGA that is accessible and thus accountable to our student body.” Sadly, Ma’s campaign promises have not translated into realities. While a little over a month remains in Ma’s tenure, we cannot let someone with such an erratic governing style remain in office. SGA is in desperate need of a shift towards openness and accountability, a course correction which cannot take place with Ma at the helm. Andrew Kliewer (20C) is from Dallas.

Ma’s Mistakes Don’t Warrant Impeachment

case, his action was justified by exceptional circumstances. As such, Ma’s removal of Cohen does not constitute grounds for impeachment. Power-Hungry. Incompetent. Erratic. Ma told the Wheel he fired Paul Park (17Ox, This was how the Wheel Editorial Board, 19B) on Jan. 11 due to reports of “unprofesa board I am part of, described Student sional” behavior. Park’s failure to immediately Government Association (SGA) President inform SGA legislators about overallocating Dwight Ma (17Ox, 19C) in a piece urging his more than $28,000 was, by all means, unproimpeachment. It is an opinion I no longer hold. fessional. While some would argue that Ma Ma faces three allegations of misconduct: should take responsibility for the overallocaviolating the Constitution by firing Elections tion, he could not take responsibility for someBoard Chair Justin Cohen (20C), intimidation thing he was never informed about. Ma even and abuse of power toward Vice President of claimed that he repeatedly asked Park for the Communications Tiffany Haas (19C) and lack information. of oversight over SGA’s spending problem. Faced with difficult circumstances, Ma’s However, none of Ma’s actions are impeach- decision not to quickly resolve SGA’s overalable offenses, and he deserves to finish his term location problem made manifest his strength in office. as a leader. Ma faced pressure from Finance The Rules and Procedures of SGA say rea- Committee members, including Park, Mo sons for impeachment include “gross violations Singhal (22C) and Linda Zhang (17Ox, 20B) to of the Student Constitution slash $45,000 from the Media or bylaws of the SGA, failure Council budget to address the to perform the duty of one’s an inept and dangerous If Ma were as erratic deficit, office, study abroad, violaattack on the arts at Emory, as and power-hungry tion of the applicable school’s argued by WMRE Treasurer Honor or Conduct Codes, Shannon Anderson (20C) in a as others claim, he gross unethical [and] abuse of 6 Wheel op-ed. By tabling probably would have Feb. power.” that discussion, Ma did not A Feb. 13 hearing before fired Haas already, as compromise SGA’s integrity; in the Constitutional Council he did Chief of Staff fact, he protected it. addressed whether Ma violatHaas accused Ma of abuse of Ben Palmer. ed the Constitution by firing power and threatening behavCohen. ior in regards to one particular Ma may not have had the message he sent to her: “if you power to fire Cohen, as the Constitutional continue speak [sic] something that I am not Council declared in their recent ruling, Cohen aware or I’m not informed, it will be a probvs. Ma, which established that Ma crossed lem.” One could interpret the text maliciously, constitutional boundaries in firing Cohen. as Haas has, but the statement itself is vague. However, this decision is the first to formally Ma’s language is sometimes unclear, as establish that the Elections Board Chair is English is not his first language, but intention subject only to the legislative branch, not the is important. Ma maintains that he did not executive branch. mean the text as a threat. If Ma were as erratic Therefore, Ma’s assumption that he could and power-hungry as others claim, he probfire any non-elected member he appointed was ably would have fired Haas already, as he did imprudent, but not wholly unreasonable. The Chief of Staff Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C), Park Constitution does state that “all non-elected and Cohen. members and officers serve at the pleasure of Furthermore, SGA’s decision to hold a the President of the SGA.” closed-door session to vote for Ma’s impeachMa had no way of knowing the limits of ment is an affront to Emory’s transparency and executive authority before those limits were democratic processes. established. Ma was elected democratically by a sigMa took drastic action by firing Cohen, but nificant margin of 977 votes, and his voters and that intervention was necessary. Cohen decid- community should have access to the evidence ed to set the election schedule during winter of the closed-door session if SGA plans to recess, meaning Ma was unable to gather the remove him. legislature to deliberate. Finally, none of Ma’s actions constitute One can see how Cohen’s rushed measures grounds for impeachment. Although his methmay have required a similarly hasty response. ods may not be perfect, Ma genuinely did Cohen vs. Ma states that “the Council will offer what he thought was best, sometimes under no official recommendation on whether Cohen duress. Legislators must allow Ma to finish his should have been removed from a normative presidency. perspective,” noticeably casting no judgment. Ma may have overstepped his role, but in this Ryan Fan (19C) is from Stony Brook, N.Y.

Ryan Fan

The Emory Wheel

ėęĘ ēęĊėęĆĎēĒĊēę ĊĉēĊĘĉĆĞǡ ĊćėĚĆėĞ ͜͞ǡ ͥ͜͞͝ | Arts & Entertainment Editor: Jesse Weiner (jesse.drew.weiner@emory.edu)

ROMANTIC COMEDY

ALBUM REVIEW

‘Thank U, Next’ a Calculated Success BY FRANCES PARENT Contributing Writer

THANK U, NEXT

ARIANA GRANDE (2019)

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Natalie (Rebel Wilson, MIDDLE) is stuck in a romantic comedy with her best friend Josh (Adam Devine, LEFT) and his love interest Isabella (Priyanka Chopra, R IGHT) in ‘Isn’t it Romantic.’

Ǯ ǯ ǯ ǡ BY NOAH WHITFIELD Contributing Writer

The first 30 minutes of “Isn’t It Romantic,” a romantic comedy released on Valentine’s Day, are worth seeing. But don’t expect to be blown away by the rest of it. The film is adequate for date night and recom- mendable for anyone who enjoys meta- comedies with both tween-friendly and overtly mature jokes, but some of the humor is repetitive. The film follows Natalie (Rebel Wilson), a New York architect who struggles with romance. In a twist of events, Natalie is mugged and knocked unconscious. When she wakes, Natalie finds that her life has become a cheesy

romantic comedy, full of convention- ally handsome men who are enam- ored with her. While one might expect Natalie to swoon in a new reality full of adoring adonises, she finds her situ- ation laughable and attempts to escape by falling in love with Blake (Liam Hemsworth), a charming Australian billionaire. “Isn’t It Romantic” is an amusing, albeit bland, presentation of Natalie and Blake’s love story and Natalie’s ulterior desire to escape a lovesick world. Although Natalie wakes up in New York City, it seems everything about the place has changed. The people are friendly and the air smells like flowers. She is a fish-out-of-water in her own home, which leads to comi- cally awkward scenes with people she knows from her original reality. Her

NETFLIX COMMENTARY

ACADEMY AWARDS

Grade: C

rediscovery of the city is entertaining enough to keep the viewer invested during the first 30 minutes. However, its novelty soon fades. Wilson delivers a strong performance in the film, as her comical cyni- cism toward her surroundings makes her the voice of the audience. This is her first leading role and, based on her enjoyable performance, could be the first of many. Despite the wealth of talented comedic actresses, not many are as hilariously crass and shameless as Wilson. In addition, seeing more plus-sized woman taking on leading roles is refreshing, especially those as talented as Wilson. While the film sets up some clev- er antics, several gags become tire-

See WILSON, Page 8

Just six months after the release of her critically acclaimed album, “Sweetener,” Ariana Grande took the world by storm with the announce- ment of her fifth studio album, “Thank U, Next.” The album debuted on Feb. 8, the eve of the Grammys, and became the fastest album in history to reach No. 1 on iTunes, doing so in just five minutes. In fact, in its first week of release, every track on “Thank U, Next” held a spot on the iTunes Top 20 List. These achievements come as no surprise, as they exemplify Grande’s ability to turn tragedy into success. Grande is no stranger to this industry. Less than a month after her engagement with “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson was officially called off, she released the album’s title track and first single, “Thank U, Next.” Grande’s capitalization on the sudden, dramatic media buzz surrounding her breakup demonstrates her unwillingness to personify the media’s image of her as Pete Davidson’s ex-girlfriend rather than an individual. This also began Grande’s strategy of dropping singles as soon as they are finished, a tac- tic typically used by rap and hip-hop artists. She released the album’s second single, “Imagine,” a tribute to her

late boyfriend Mac Miller, on Dec. 14, 2018. And, just a few weeks later, the third and final single, “7 Rings,” was released. The “Thank U, Next” album opens with the track “Imagine” as its first track, which is abnormal for Grande’s albums, as they typically begin with a short ballad or orchestral piece as opposed to a previously released single. This dreamy, lively track sets the tone for the whole album. The song’s harmonies, use of string instruments and synthesized beats illustrate Grande’s willingness to bend the rules of pop music, a genre that typically shies away from blending these types of sounds. The rest of the album incorporates the theme of rebuilding oneself after tragedy, as reflected in the line from “7 Rings,” “Been through some bad s**t, I should be a sad b***h / Who would have thought it’d turn me to a savage?” From the terrorist attack at her Manchester concert in 2017, to the death of Miller, to the end of her engagement with Davidson, Grande uses the album to discuss the trauma she has endured. The album appears to function as a means of catharsis for Grande and her fans alike. While some artists might need to step away from their craft during hardship, Grande rebuilds herself through her music in a calculated and absolutely flawless manner. Stylistically, this album is a major evolution from her previous one. While “Sweetener” draws much of its influence from R&B and pop fusion (much like her very first studio album, “Yours Truly”), “Thank U,

See GRANDE Page 8

ǯ Media a Growing Trend BY ZACK LEVIN Contributing Writer

BY ADITYA PRAKASH Associate Editor The first video game that ever blew my mind was “Chrono Trigger,” Square Enix’s legendary 16-bit Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG), originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). What resonated with me was the pletho- ra of choices I could make through the game’s time-travel mechanic that would significantly impact the story’s trajectory. Through this element of decision-making, I was given a sense of responsibility in the story that made it infinitely more disturbing when my actions led to the death of a main character. Twenty-three years after the original release date of “Chrono Trigger,” Netflix released “Black

See NETFLIX, Page 8

I It’s the time of year when Hollywood’s best and brightest campaign against one another to win the illustrious title of Best Motion Picture of the Year. While I love the Oscars and have memorized the past 90 Best Picture nominees, some of the Academy’s choices are questionable. Though this year’s ceremony has been plagued by a bevy of controver- sies and underwhelming Best Picture nominations (“Bohemian Rhapsody” or, as I call it, the serious version of “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”), it’s looking more and more likely that the Academy will reward the most deserving film nominated, Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.” In honor of Sunday’s Oscar ceremony and the small chance that a mediocre film could win this year, here are five films that should not have won Best Picture and alternative choices that were more deserving of the top prize. “Shakespeare in Love” (1998) There are few cinematic ordeals more arduous to sit through than a bad comedy. This poor excuse for a comedy fol-

lows a horned-up, lazy and plagia- almost documentarian approach, rist version of William Shakespeare which heightens the veracity of each (Joseph Fiennes) as he writes — or scene. Most single out the opening instantly develops — “Romeo and Juliet” while falling in love with Viola Normandy landing scene and its mas- De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), an terclass of war terror and suspense as heiress-turned-aspiring-actress with a the high point of the film, but almost every battle scene should be consid- shoddy British accent. ered the epitome I could discuss at of grand suspense length the mishan- filmmaking. dling of Shakespeare’s While I love the Steven Spielberg’s character, the horribly Oscars and have film is not only a les- contrived romance or the annoyingly “clev- memorized the past son in master mov- iemaking but also er” dialogue, but when 90 Best Picture an exploration of an it comes down to it, nominees, some intriguing parable of the biggest crime of war, valuing the life of “Shakespeare in Love” of the Academy’s one man over another is that it simply isn’t choices are and whether or not the funny. questionable. conflict is worth it in The script alone the end. reads like a satirical portrayal of late “Crash” (2005) ’90s rom-coms and a skewering of Shakespearean tropes. The perennial choice for last place But the director and actors, aside from Judi Dench and Ben Affleck, on almost any Best Picture ranking is play the scenarios and dialogue com- “Crash.” The film’s scattershot approach to pletely straight, with no sense of Los Angeles race relations offers some self-awareness. “Shakespeare in Love” is “a tale compelling ideas to tackle its themes. But ultimately, it’s too sprawling to told by an idiot, full of sound and fury come to any conclusion more compli- signifying nothing.” Should’ve Won: “Saving Private cated than “racism is bad.” At times, “Crash” wades so far into Ryan” revolutionized the war film genre with its man-on-the-ground, melodramatic waters that its efforts to

be compelling become laughable. For instance, Anthony (Ludacris) runs over a Chinese man with his car and steals the victim’s car only to find out that he is a human trafficker and releases the prisoners into the streets of Chinatown. Additionally, the film’s monologues are painful and ineffective. If remade as a mini-series, “Crash” could give due respect to each storyline. But as it stands, we have a film in which Sandra Bullock plays a racist who falls down some stairs and is magically cured of her racism. Should’ve Won: Ang Lee’s unique take on the Western, “Brokeback Mountain,” is one of the most affecting romances of the 21st century. The ill-fated love story of cowboys Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) is a beautifully made, vulnerably acted, dissection of the unrelenting tough- guy persona present in most Westerns. “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989) The cinematic equivalent of dry chicken, “Driving Miss Daisy” is bland, uninspired and hard to get down. This film is an adaptation of the eponymous play, which is evident because all the major drama happens

See SHAPE, Page 8

A&E

Wednesday, Â February Â 20, Â 2019

Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2018;Â? Â?Â&#x2019;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;ÇĄ Â&#x201E;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D;Â? Â&#x192;Â&#x2026;Â?Â&#x2022; Â&#x2014;Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2026;Â&#x2021; Continued Â from Â Page Â 7 some. Â To Â keep Â the Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â PG-Â13 Â rating, Â the Â film Â teases Â the Â audience Â by Â using Â diegetic Â sounds Â to Â interrupt Â Natalie Â whenever Â she Â swears. Â The Â first Â time Â Wilson Â curses, Â the Â sound Â of Â a Â truck Â backing Â up Â mutes Â her, Â catching Â the Â audience Â off Â guard. Â Though Â initially Â amusing, Â the Â pattern Â soon Â becomes Â dull Â because Â it Â lacks Â the Â element Â of Â surprise. Â At Â one Â point Â during Â the Â film Â I Â found Â myself Â thinking, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is Â this Â the Â funniest Â they Â can Â be?â&#x20AC;? Despite Â the Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â intriguing Â prem-Â ise, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â It Â Romanticâ&#x20AC;? Â isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â as Â nuanced Â as Â it Â could Â be. Â It Â follows Â the Â rom-Âcom Â formula Â beat-Âfor-Âbeat, Â which Â is Â ironic Â considering Â that Â the Â film Â is Â a Â critique Â of Â the Â genre. Â Even Â if Â the Â film Â were Â to Â criticize Â through Â imitation, Â the Â dialogue Â lacks Â deliberation Â and Â self-Âawareness Â about Â the Â choice. Â For Â example, Â when Â Natalie Â decides Â to Â pack Â her Â bags Â after Â an Â argu-Â ment Â with Â Blake, Â one Â of Â her Â friends, Â Donny Â (Brandon Â Scott Â Jones), Â appears Â out Â of Â the Â blue Â to Â talk Â her Â out Â of Â it. Â The Â scene Â misses Â its Â mark Â because Â of Â its Â unoriginality. Still, Â Adam Â Devineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â performance Â as Â Josh, Â Natalieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â goofy Â best Â friend, Â is Â hilarious. Â The Â pair Â demonstrate Â phe-Â nomenal Â chemistry Â as Â they Â riff Â off Â one Â another Â in Â creative Â ways, Â harken-Â ing Â back Â to Â their Â work Â together Â on Â the Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pitch Â Perfectâ&#x20AC;? Â trilogy.Josh Â courts Â Isabella Â (Priyanka Â Chopra), Â a Â model Â whom Â Natalie Â soon Â despises Â for Â taking Â

her Â best Â friend. Â Chopra Â is Â the Â woman Â equivalent Â of Â Hemsworthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â character Â and Â probably Â would Â have Â been Â the Â lead Â in Â the Â typical Â rom-Âcom Â that Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â It Â Romanticâ&#x20AC;? Â aims Â to Â mock. Â Isabella Â is Â vain Â and Â controlling, Â but Â not Â loath-Â some Â enough Â to Â spark Â the Â audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â distaste. Â Hence, Â when Â Natalie Â and Â Isabella Â go Â head-Âto-Âhead Â over Â the Â same Â man, Â the Â rivalry Â feels Â rather Â bland. The Â film Â ends Â with Â a Â twist Â that Â is Â half-Âbaked Â and Â less Â than Â ground-Â breaking. Â Though Â the Â film Â attempts Â to Â champion Â the Â importance Â of Â find-Â ing Â fulfillment Â through Â self-Âlove Â by Â dethroning Â romance Â as Â the Â end-Âall-Â be-Âall Â of Â affirmation, Â it Â fails Â to Â effec-Â tively Â communicates Â its Â message. Â Natalieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â final Â epiphany Â feels Â forced Â and Â undeserved. Â Though Â Natalie Â has Â gained Â a Â new Â sense Â of Â self-Âworth, Â she Â becomes Â toxic, Â using Â her Â newfound Â confidence Â to Â disrespect Â her Â coworkers Â in Â various Â unfunny Â ways, Â such Â as Â knocking Â items Â out Â of Â their Â hands. Â A Â final Â stale Â musi-Â cal Â number Â wraps Â up Â the Â irregular Â character Â arc. Where Â rom-Âcoms Â like Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â Big Â Sickâ&#x20AC;? Â and Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Silver Â Linings Â Playbookâ&#x20AC;? Â poke Â fun Â at Â the Â genre Â while Â offer-Â ing Â intriguing Â new Â perspectives, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â It Â Romanticâ&#x20AC;? Â simply Â repeats Â what Â we Â have Â seen Â time Â and Â time Â again. Â Though Â we Â begin Â the Â movie Â laughing Â with Â it, Â we Â end Â laughing Â at Â it.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Noah Â Whitfield Â at Â noah.whitfield@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

ÇŽ Â&#x160;Â&#x192;Â&#x2019;Â&#x2021; Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2021;Â&#x201D;ÇŻ Â&#x192; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2022;Â&#x160;Â&#x203A; Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2026;Â? Continued Â from Â Page Â 7 offscreen. Â A Â synagogue Â is Â bombed Â late Â in Â the Â film, Â but Â because Â it Â happens Â offscreen, Â the Â audience Â barely Â registers Â the Â plot Â point. Â This Â movie Â describes Â the Â growing Â friendship Â between Â the Â elderly Â Daisy Â Werthan Â (Jessica Â Tandy) Â and Â Hoke Â Coburn Â (Morgan Â Freeman) Â so Â flatly Â that Â it Â can Â only Â be Â summed Â up Â with Â a Â resounding Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;meh.â&#x20AC;? Â Shouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Â Won: Â Oliver Â Stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Born Â on Â the Â Fourth Â of Â Julyâ&#x20AC;? Â delivers Â a Â subtle Â rumination Â on Â Ron Â Kovicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â life Â before Â and Â after Â being Â paralyzed Â in Â the Â Vietnam Â War, Â played Â by Â the Â perfectly Â cast Â Tom Â Cruise Â in Â his Â first Â truly Â dra-Â matic Â role. Â The Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â delicate Â portrayal Â of Â Vietnam Â veterans Â who Â come Â home Â to Â little Â to Â no Â aid Â has Â an Â unrelent-Â ing Â power Â not Â found Â it Â most Â post-Âwar Â life Â films Â and Â is Â truly Â a Â testament Â to Â Stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â skill Â as Â a Â director. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â English Â Patientâ&#x20AC;? Â (1996) To Â keep Â an Â audience Â engaged, Â a Â movie Â should Â answer Â a Â single, Â impor-Â tant Â question Â early Â in Â its Â runtime: Â Why Â should Â we Â care? Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â English Â Patientâ&#x20AC;? Â does Â not Â answer Â this Â question Â until Â more Â than Â two-Âand-Âa-Âhalf Â hours Â into Â the Â film. Â Â The Â film Â tries Â to Â justify Â its Â labori-Â ous Â length Â with Â sweeping Â shots Â of Â the Â desert, Â a Â grand Â orchestral Â score Â and Â romantic Â dialogue, Â but Â the Â story Â simply Â doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â warrant Â this Â epic Â presentation. Â The Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â tragic Â affair Â between Â car-Â tographer Â Almasy Â (Ralph Â Fiennes), Â

tasked Â with Â mapping Â Northern Â Africa, Â and Â Katherine Â Clifton Â (Kristin Â Scott Â Thomas) Â could Â cover Â an Â impactful Â 90-Âminute Â film. Â Unfortunately, Â the Â movie Â is Â stretched Â so Â thin Â that Â any Â insight Â or Â deeper Â meaning Â is Â replaced Â by Â the Â clock Â youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Â keep Â checking Â to Â see Â if Â its Â almost Â over. Shouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Â Won: Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fargoâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â a Â film Â noir Â in Â which Â the Â dastardly Â villain Â is Â a Â stuttering Â nincompoop, Â the Â hitmen Â are Â essentially Â a Â dysfunctional Â mar-Â ried Â couple Â with Â poor Â communication Â skills Â and Â the Â hard-Âboiled Â detective Â is Â a Â sweet, Â pregnant, Â Minnesotan Â woman Â who Â tries Â to Â see Â the Â good Â in Â everyone.

From Â its Â painfully Â uncomplicated Â themes Â and Â a Â litany Â of Â plot Â holes Â to Â the Â shoehorned Â sex Â and Â violence, Â [â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â Shape Â of Â Waterâ&#x20AC;?] Â is Â a Â tonal Â and Â structural Â mess. Â The Â Coen Â Brothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â Minnesotan Â masterpiece Â is Â a Â brilliant Â examination Â of Â a Â simple Â mid-ÂWestern Â community Â is Â both Â riddled Â some Â of Â the Â best Â dark Â comedy Â theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Â ever Â written Â as Â well Â as Â a Â sense Â of Â melancholy Â at Â the Â unfortu-Â nate Â state Â of Â the Â world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â Shape Â of Â Waterâ&#x20AC;? Â (2017) â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â Shape Â of Â Waterâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â a Â castle Â built Â on Â a Â marsh. Â

Â&#x2021;Â&#x2013;ĆŞÂ&#x2039;Â&#x161; Â&#x2021;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2022; Â&#x2014;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2026;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022; Â&#x160;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2021; Â&#x160;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2039;Â&#x201D; Â&#x2021;Â&#x161;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2020;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021; Continued Â from Â Page Â 7 Mirror: Â Bandersnatch.â&#x20AC;? Â This Â is Â Netflixâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â newest Â dive Â into Â interactive Â entertain-Â ment Â after Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Puss Â in Â Book: Â Trapped Â in Â an Â Epic Â Taleâ&#x20AC;? Â and Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Minecraft: Â Story Â Mode,â&#x20AC;? Â two Â children-Âoriented Â offer-Â ings Â that Â acted Â as Â first Â tests Â of Â the Â choose-Âyour-Âown-Âadventure Â genre. Â Like Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chrono Â Trigger,â&#x20AC;? Â the Â decisions Â viewers Â make Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bandersnatchâ&#x20AC;? Â sig-Â nificantly Â alter Â the Â storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â outcome. Â The Â main Â character, Â who Â doubles Â as Â the Â viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â avatar Â Stefan Â (Fionn Â Whitehead), Â is Â an Â aspiring Â game Â devel-Â oper Â who Â strikes Â a Â deal Â with Â a Â large Â game Â company. Â Madness Â ensues. Â From Â minor Â deci-Â sions Â like Â what Â cereal Â Stefan Â should Â eat Â to Â more Â impactful Â decisions Â like Â decid-Â ing Â whether Â Stefan Â or Â another Â pro-Â grammer Â should Â jump Â off Â a Â building Â during Â an Â LSD Â trip, Â the Â view Â decides Â every Â choice Â via Â a Â small Â menu Â at Â the Â bottom Â of Â the Â screen. Â Regardless Â of Â whether Â you Â thought Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bandersnatchâ&#x20AC;? Â was Â an Â enjoyable Â experience, Â the Â fact Â that Â TV Â entertain-Â ment Â is Â adopting Â an Â idea Â from Â video Â games Â indicates Â the Â growing Â populari-Â ty Â and Â prevalence Â of Â interactive Â media. Â Netflix Â said Â in Â a Â letter Â to Â its Â investors Â that Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Netflix] Â earns Â consumer Â screen Â time, Â both Â mobile Â and Â television, Â away Â from Â a Â very Â broad Â set Â of Â competitors. Â We Â compete Â with Â (and Â lose Â to) Â Fortnite Â more Â than Â HBO.â&#x20AC;? Â There Â is Â direct Â competition Â between Â video Â game Â companies Â and Â entertainment Â companies Â like Â Netflix: Â competition Â for Â eyes. Â When Â people Â elect Â to Â play Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fortniteâ&#x20AC;? Â rather Â than Â watch Â a Â TV Â show, Â they Â participate Â in Â another Â reality, Â rather Â than Â simply Â consuming Â it. Â It Â is Â up Â to Â the Â player Â to Â build Â a Â tower Â as Â a Â hero Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fortnite.â&#x20AC;? Â

It Â looks Â pretty, Â but Â the Â foundation Â ends Â up Â collapsing Â in Â on Â itself. Â Its Â production Â design Â and Â cinema-Â tography Â are Â truly Â breathtaking, Â with Â a Â gorgeous Â turquoise Â overtone Â through-Â out Â the Â film Â and Â powerful Â perfor-Â mances Â by Â Sally Â Hawkins Â and Â Richard Â Jenkins. Â Their Â acting Â compensates Â for Â a Â lack Â of Â any Â other Â developed Â characters. Â The Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â main Â problem Â is Â that Â it Â tries Â to Â be Â an Â adult Â fairy Â tale, Â but Â is Â completely Â childish Â in Â almost Â every Â way. Â From Â its Â painfully Â uncomplicated Â themes Â and Â a Â litany Â of Â plot Â holes Â to Â the Â shoehorned Â sex Â and Â violence, Â the Â film Â is Â a Â tonal Â and Â structural Â mess. Â Couple Â all Â these Â shortcomings Â with Â a Â twist Â ending Â that Â spits Â in Â the Â face Â of Â the Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â central Â message Â and Â watching Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â Shape Â of Â Waterâ&#x20AC;? Â ends Â up Â feeling Â like Â getting Â hit Â in Â the Â face Â by Â a Â damp Â towel.Shouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Â Won: Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Get Â Outâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â at Â once Â one Â of Â the Â sharpest Â satirical Â films Â of Â the Â decade Â as Â well Â as Â one Â of Â the Â most Â psychologically Â terrifying. Â Jordan Â Peeleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â social Â horror Â tack-Â les Â the Â tried Â topic Â of Â old Â white Â people Â being Â racists Â and Â flipping Â it Â on Â its Â head. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Get Â Outâ&#x20AC;? Â has Â some Â of Â the Â most Â effective Â uses Â of Â foreshadowing Â in Â film Â history Â with Â almost Â every Â line Â and Â action Â in Â the Â first Â half Â setting Â up Â the Â twist Â and Â climax Â for Â it Â to Â achieve Â its Â unrivaled Â emotional Â catharsis. Â To Â top Â it Â all Â off, Â no Â film Â has Â shown Â the Â effectiveness Â of Â TSA Â better Â than Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Get Â Out.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Zack Â Levin Â at Â zack.levin@emory.edu

Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Â&#x192;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013; Â&#x160;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2022; Growth Continued Â from Â Page Â 7

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kingdom Â Hearts Â 3.â&#x20AC;? Â These Â attempts Â are Â examples Â of Â cin-Â ema Â envy: Â the Â emulation Â of Â cinematic Â techniques Â in Â order Â to Â best Â present Â a Â narrative. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bandersnatchâ&#x20AC;? Â and Â the Â choose-Âyour-Âown-Âadventures Â that Â will Â follow Â represent Â game Â envy: Â using Â video Â game Â design Â techniques Â to Â pres-Â ent Â a Â sense Â of Â interactivity. Â As Â Netflix Â invests Â in Â these Â interac-Â tive Â projects, Â we Â can Â expect Â the Â cross-Â over Â between Â games Â and Â TV Â shows Â to Â continue. Â In Â a Â growing Â algorithmic Â world Â that Â yearns Â to Â satisfy Â our Â individuality Â with Â curated Â Spotify Â playlists Â and Â personal-Â ized Â Twitter Â feeds, Â only Â time Â will Â tell Â how Â Netflix Â will Â adapt.

Nextâ&#x20AC;? Â seemingly Â takes Â inspiration Â from Â contemporary Â trip Â hop Â blended Â with Â operatic-Âlike Â harmonies. Â This Â album Â took Â less Â than Â half Â the Â amount Â of Â time Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sweetenerâ&#x20AC;? Â took Â to Â make, Â yet Â it Â appears Â more Â mature Â in Â its Â musical-Â ity Â and Â lyricism. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank Â U, Â Nextâ&#x20AC;? Â wholly Â exem-Â plifies Â Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â growth Â as Â an Â artist Â and Â a Â person. Â However, Â some Â of Â the Â strongest Â tracks Â on Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank Â U, Â Nextâ&#x20AC;? Â juxtapose Â Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Broadway-Âstyle Â vocals Â against Â synthesized Â beats Â in Â a Â superimposed Â manner Â that Â can Â feel Â disconcerting. Â For Â example, Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Â My Â Head,â&#x20AC;? Â a Â track Â that Â highlights Â Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â unhealthy Â tendency Â to Â build Â false Â ver-Â sions Â of Â people Â in Â her Â mind, Â the Â har-Â monious Â melodies Â of Â her Â vocals Â almost Â mismatch Â the Â synthesized Â instrumen-Â tals, Â simulating Â the Â thematic Â conflict Â for Â her Â listeners Â through Â musical Â clash. Â This Â type Â of Â discord Â is Â uncommon Â for Â pop Â music Â and Â exhibits Â the Â experi-Â mental Â side Â of Â Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â creative Â pro-Â cess. Â Overall, Â Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â newest Â album Â is Â a Â resounding Â success Â for Â her Â career, Â and Â one Â of Â the Â most Â effective Â musical Â endeavors Â of Â 2019 Â thus Â far. Â Grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â evolution Â has Â garnered Â untold Â laud Â from Â fans, Â especially Â from Â long-Âtime Â listeners. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank Â U, Â Nextâ&#x20AC;? Â demon-Â strates Â that Â Grande Â is Â fully Â capable Â of Â single-Âhandedly Â taking Â over Â and Â rewriting Â the Â rules Â of Â the Â pop Â music Â industry.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Aditya Â Prakash Â at Â aditya.prakash@emory.edu

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Frances Â Parent Â at Â frances.parent@emory.edu

COURTESY Â OF Â NETFLIX

Stefan Â Butler Â (Fionn Â Whitehead), Â Colin Â Ritman Â (Will Â Poulter) Â and Â Mohan Â Thakur Â (Asim Â Chaudry) Â test Â Ritmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â new Â game. On Â the Â other Â hand, Â a Â TV Â show Â is Â a Â passive Â viewing Â experience Â that Â does Â not Â accommodate Â the Â will Â of Â the Â viewer, Â in Â favor Â of Â a Â more Â coherent Â narrative. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bandersnatchâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â an Â experiment Â that Â bridges Â the Â gap Â between Â games Â and Â TV Â shows, Â pulling Â off Â a Â cinematic Â narrative Â while Â also Â incorporating Â the Â viewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â decisions. Â Outside Â the Â conceptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â sheer Â nov-Â elty, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bandersnatchâ&#x20AC;? Â fails Â as Â a Â piece Â of Â truly Â interactive Â media. Â The Â decisions Â players Â are Â forced Â to Â make Â initially Â seem Â impactful, Â but Â you Â eventually Â realize Â that Â they Â only Â exist Â as Â a Â form Â of Â metanarrative Â to Â represent Â Stefanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â own Â futility. Â Though Â this Â acts Â as Â a Â good Â criticism Â of Â the Â nature Â of Â identity Â in Â an Â increas-Â ingly Â digitized Â world, Â this Â criticism Â is Â

not Â a Â necessary Â element Â of Â the Â genre Â as Â a Â whole. Â What Â we Â can Â expect Â from Â future Â Netflix Â releases Â is Â something Â more Â similar Â to Â the Â interactive Â movie Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Minecraft: Â Story Â Mode,â&#x20AC;? Â which Â does Â not Â offer Â any Â metacommentary Â on Â the Â genre Â but Â sticks Â to Â giving Â the Â viewer Â decisions. Â Future Â offerings Â would Â likely Â have Â even Â more Â options Â that Â are Â not Â just Â choosing Â between Â A Â and Â B. Â Doing Â so Â is Â a Â draining Â process Â (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bandersnatchâ&#x20AC;? Â took Â 35 Â days Â to Â film), Â but Â certainly Â not Â impossible Â for Â a Â company Â as Â large Â as Â Netflix. Â The Â grey Â area Â between Â TV Â shows Â and Â video Â games Â has Â always Â existed, Â from Â narrative Â heavy-Âwalking Â simula-Â tors Â like Â indie Â game Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dear Â Estherâ&#x20AC;? Â to Â cut-Âscene-Âfilled Â epics Â like Â the Â recent Â

The Emory Wheel

Emory Life

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 | Emory Life Editor: Alex Klugerman (alex.klugerman@emory.edu)

professor spotlight

Professor Helps Craft Civil Rights Legislation

late night

New Bill Increases Accesibility to Records By Greg Kimmerer Contributing Writer Professor of Practice Hank Klibanoff has spent years investigating and writing about cold cases from the civil rights era. It’s no easy task — the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner has had to convince unwilling sources to speak with him and persuade government officials to release records. With the passage of new federal legislation he helped craft, Klibanoff’s work and the work of anyone investigating civil rights cold cases will likely be easier. Last month, President Donald J. Trump signed the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act into law. The act, introduced by Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), establishes a review board that will gather records pertaining to unsolved civil rights era crimes and have the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) make the information available to the public. Klibanoff is the director of the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project, which examines the Jim Crow South through the lens of journalism and history. The College class associated with

the project tasks undergraduates with investigating cold cases by searching for and analyzing primary sources, in order to better understand the era. His work has also spurred a podcast, “Buried Truths,” hosted by Klibanoff and produced by Atlanta-based NPR station WABE. Season 2, which focuses on the case of A.C. Hall, was released earlier this week. Klibanoff’s involvement with the Cold Case Records Collection Act started in 2009, at a meeting with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). Klibanoff called the meeting to discuss how to improve access to documents he and his colleagues used to investigate cases. Lewis signaled support for the initiative. One of the attendees at the meeting was Thomas Blanton from the non-governmental National Security Archive, who suggested Klibanoff replicate the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. To rectify the lack of access to Kennedy’s assassination papers, Congress created an independent review board which ordered every federal agency to turn over any documents relevant to Kennedy’s

See klibanoff, Page 10

Varun Gupta/Contributing

Six signature cocktails, some retailing at more than $15, are served at Tiki Tango, which opened in Midtown last weekend. The bar includes three levels themed to ship decks.

Tiki Tango Misses a Step By Varun Gupts Contributing Writer

Tiki Tango, which opened Feb. 15 to replace the three-story Midtown favorite Lava Lounge, missed the mark on saying “Aloha” to those looking for a hideaway oasis. Although the bar’s thoughtful decor included hand-carved masks made of palm, cedar and cherry wood, the boisterous, incoherent flow of counterservice is a telltale sign that the bar is still in the concept phase.

Located in Midtown, directly adjacent to Foxtrot Liquor Bar, the Tiki concept offers a narrow selection of six specialty cocktails served in Tiki-inspired mugs as well as standard mixed-drinks such as rum-and-coke and non-alcoholic favorites such as Shirley Temples. Eager to check out the spot on opening weekend after reading a few positive reviews online, my friends and I sped over to Tiki Tango on Saturday night, one day after the grand opening bash which featured a world record-

Tiki Tango breaking 55-gallon Mai Tai cocktail. The bar curates slightly different experiences on each of the three party decks: Tango Room located in the basement, Main Deck on street-level and Flamingo Room on the top floor. Upon entering the first of three levels, Main Deck, we were greeted by obnoxiously loud, generic music

See Tallest, Page 10

alumnus Profile

Emory Alumnus Acts in ‘The Originals,’ ‘Bones’ By Caroline Silva Contributing Writer

Though Raney Branch (02C) now boasts roles in television shows such as “The Originals,” “Being Mary Jane” and “Bones,” the Emory alumnus first took to Los Angeles in 2007 with just $800 in her pocket, hoping to make it in acting. Branch graduated with a major in environmental studies and a minor in Arabic. In Fall 2007, despite her lack of industry experience, Branch decided to drive cross-country armed with her acting ambitions. She arrived in Los Angeles a week later to find the Writers Guild of America mid-strike, causing major films and TV shows to postpone shooting. Unable to book roles and with no place to live, Branch’s introduction to Hollywood did not pan out as she originally envisioned. “I didn’t know anyone when I moved to L.A.,” Branch said. “I actually ended up staying on the couch of a guy who also graduated from Emory. I slept on his couch for three weeks [while looking for a job and apartment], and that was my introduction to L.A.” In 2012, while booking commercials, Branch was contacted by an L.A.based manager (who no longer is her manager) whom she had met while waiting tables in New York. “A manager in L.A. [asked me to join his team after seeing my com-

mercials],” Branch said. “And then we started booking [TV shows], and I have been working ever since.” In 2016, she landed her first lead role as Indera in the TV movie “Ringside,” which aired on TV One. Later that same year, she booked a recurring guest star role on the Fox Show “Bones,” and in 2017, she became a recurring guest star on Season 5 of the BET show “Being Mary Jane.” Branch is now filming the movie “Pride and Prejudice in Atlanta” as lead role Jane Bennet. She was asked to audition for the part after working with the Atlanta-based production company Swirls Films on “Ringside.” “Pride and Prejudice in Atlanta” is a modern adaption of Jane Austen’s beloved book, featuring a predominantly African-American cast and set in metro-Atlanta. “‘Pride and Prejudice’ is actually one of my favorite books and favorite film[s] ever,” Branch said. “I have seen every adaptation of [the book]. Any version of ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ anything based on [it], I have seen it.” The actress is also involved with independent digital series “Black Girls Guide to Fertility,” where she recurs as Ava Thomas, a romance writer who documents her struggles with infertility. Though the actress and Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar did not participate in any Emory affiliated theater groups, she was a member of women a capella group The Gathering and

the now defunct EN-ACTE program. EN-ACTE was a theater group that visited low income and underserved communities of color throughout the metro-Atlanta area to teach sex education and promote self-expression through art. Branch also kept busy by kept busy serving as the service chair for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) and retaining membership in the Black Student Alliance (BSA), Indian Cultural Exchange (ICE), Pakistani Student Association (PSA), Arab Cultural Alliance (ACA) and The Office for Racial and Cultural Engagement (RACE). Raney Branch (02C), Film and Television Actress

Courtesy of R aney Branch

“[EN-ACTE produced musicals] … and took them to schools [and community centers] throughout the metroAtlanta region,” Branch said. “[Our target was] high risk student[s] … who looked like us [and] who could identify with us in a safe space.” The group would often “help these kids create their own art so they could better express themselves. We were dealing with sex education, condom negotiation, partner abuse [and] HIV

education.” As part of her work with EN-ACTE, Branch participated in a long-term intervention program in a juvenile detention center, which began with a performance and continued with workshops. The children had many questions about sex education and consent after the show, which provided for many their first opportunity to talk about these issues in a safe space, according to Branch. Then Executive Artistic Director of EN-ACTE Ken Hornbeck recounted how Branch made it a goal to never judge any of the children when the group went to the juvenile detention center. “She was genuine, non-judgmental and very real with them,” Hornbeck said. “She didn’t look down at them at all, she was like ‘You know, everyone has a story’ … which is why I always took her along [to the workshops].” Hornbeck added that Branch stays true to her humble roots. “She doesn’t forget where she is from,” Hornbeck said. “A lot of people that reach a level of success want to leave everything behind, and I don’t think that is true of her.” Apart from film productions, Branch is also working on a virtual reality immersive project that will bring historical experiences of African-Americans beyond slave narratives to larger audiences. She said she hopes the project will give voice to the

African diaspora, so that it is meaningful not only to African American women, but also to Afro-Latin, AfroCaribbean and Afro-Brazilian women. The project is currently in the preproduction phase, as she continues to seek sources of funding, but she hopes to make it public in museums nationwide between 2020 and 2021. Branch’s success has also allowed her to help the homeless community in Atlanta and Los Angeles, through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and Atlanta, L.A. Rescue Mission and Atlanta Mission. “People oftentimes stereotype the homeless as drug addicts or mentally ill, but also today we got a lot of people who are displaced from housing because there is not enough affordable housing in the L.A. city limits,” Branch said. “And that is also the case in Atlanta.” Although Branch has achieved success from her roles in films and TV shows, she said she recognizes that it required hard work and dedication. “There is no such thing as an overnight success,” Branch said. “You have to invest in your dreams [both] financially and emotionally. Your character is way more important than your bank account, and if you find yourself going against your moral code then I implore you ... to do something else.”

— Contact Caroline Silva at caroline.silva@emory.edu

EMORY LIFE

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Review

Pho 24 Falls Off The Flavor Tracks By Zoe Friedman Contributing Writer

Hidden in a maze of pedestrian-only side streets, Pho 24 is a Vietnamese sit-down chain restaurant that offers an array of authentic lunch and dinner options. The franchise just opened its sixth location at Atlantic Station, a 25-minute Uber ride from Emory’s main campus. The meal was overall disappointing and not up to par to its 3.9 star Google review rating. Despite being typically picky eaters, my friends and I had an easy time picking entrees. The menu is almost four pages long, and is broken up by appetizers (Khai Vi), pho, fried rice (co’m chien), rice dishes (co’m), vermicelli (bun), Vietnamese sandwiches (banh mi) and smoothies and beverages. We ordered fresh shrimp rolls (goi cuon tom), grilled pork chops with a fried egg and steamed rice (com suon trung chien), pho with chicken (pho ga), shrimp fried rice (com chien tom), and a coconut smoothie with tapioca pearls (dua). The shrimp rolls, composed of shrimp, lettuce and bean sprouts wrapped in delicate white rice paper, were a mediocre start to the meal. For $4.25, I felt cheated when I saw the two small rolls with a minimal amount of seafood that came in the order. I also expected the rolls to be cold and crisp, and was disappointed when they arrived slightly warm. Although the components seemed fresh, the bean sprouts fell out of the roll upon my first bite, making it difficult to dip the roll in its accompanying peanut-plum sauce. Though the sauce was sweet and tasty, it didn’t make up for the lack of shrimp in the rolls. Next came the coconut smoothie, which my friend likened to a thick and sugary bubble tea. It was far too sweet for my liking, but my friend enjoyed it. I recommend ordering the smoothie as a dessert, rather than a beverage to wash down your meal. The entrees came about 15 minutes after our initial order. Though the service was fast, the wait staff was not attentive. My friend ordered the pork chops, which arrived charred, dry and too tough to eat with the provided spoon and fork. On the bright side, the fried egg was cooked perfectly, with a slightly runny center, and the rice was

Pho 24 sweet and smoky with just the right touch of salt. My order, pho with chicken, fell short of my expectations. Despite ordering a small, I was pleasantly surprised when the waiter gave me a bowl larger than my head. However, it soon became apparent that the entire bowl consisted of a giant ball of rice noodles with only a few pieces of chicken scattered here and there. Upon my first bite, I was pleased with the umami broth that boasted flavors of chicken, onions and a subtle hint of pepper. However, the saltiness led me to follow each spoonful with a sip of ice water. I left a substantial amount of noodles in the bowl and felt guilty wasting the food after spending almost $13. The shrimp fried rice was probably the tastiest of the entrees. The rice, cooked with soft peas, sweet carrots, caramelized onions, shrimp and cilantro, boasted an addictive flavor. The portion didn’t last long on the plate. I only wish there had been more shrimp and maybe an acidic ingredient, such as lime juice, to cut through the fat of the dish. The overall dining experience suffered from mediocre food but delivered on the warm and friendly atmosphere. From a young girl playing with strands of rice noodles to the college-aged couple laughing over their bowls of pho, every customer appeared happy. A window to the kitchen occasionally flared with flames from the stove, lending excitement to an otherwise calm dining room. Although the interior flaunted modern wooden booths and stand-alone tables, aspects of traditional Vietnamese culture were just as palpable. A mural featuring a small Vietnamese farming community set the tone for an authentic meal. By 7 p.m., customers occupied almost every table in the restaurant. Emory students fit Pho 24’s typical clientele profile, although you should be willing to drop at least $16 to get both an entree and appetizer. If you want to stretch your wallet for some tastier fare, try one of the many other restaurants at Atlantic Station. But if you want some quick, satisfactory sustenance, Pho 24 is the way to go.

— Contact Zoe Friedman at zoe.isidora.friedman @emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Klibanoff Teams Up With Alabama Senator Continued from Page 9 assassination. The board then reviewed documents before release. This bill inspired the structure of the recently passed Cold Case Records Collection Act. After the 2009 meeting, inspired by Blanton’s suggestion, Klibanoff set to work on legislation for Lewis to introduce. To draft the bill, Klibanoff worked with Northeastern University School of Law Professor Margaret Burnham and her law students. However, the initial version of the bill failed to become law, as a similar bill from then-Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was also in contention at the time. “I get a call from Congressman Lewis’s office that says, ‘Are you aware that Sen. Kerry is introducing a bill on this in the Senate?’ ” Klibanoff said. “I said I was not.” Kerry’s bill focused only on the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination. Klibanoff contacted Kerry’s office to ask if they were aware of other similar cases that lack access to necessary documents, and suggested a larger omnibus bill. “[Kerry’s office responded responded], ‘We’re not going to slow down this train in order to add all those [other cases] … I’m sure Sen. Kerry would be amenable to an amendment … but we’re going to introduce this on Monday. And The Boston Globe already has an editorial ready to go,’ ” Klibanoff said. Kerry’s bill ultimately failed to receive a vote after opposition from the King family, and with it went the momentum for Klibanoff’s cold case records legislation — until Jones was elected in Fall 2017. Jones, who prosecuted civil rights cases, reached out to Klibanoff to help draft the cold case records bill, and was pushed to introduce the bill by Hightstown High School (N.J.) teacher Stuart Wexler and his students, who also had a significant hand in writing the bill. Klibanoff said the release of the documents could have a profound effect on the families of victims. “[Having records available] can make an amazing difference,” Klibanoff said. “Most [families] have no idea. They know [for example that] their grandfather was killed under awful circumstances and they might

even know … what he did that violated white norms.” In his work with Emory students and the cold cases project, Klibanoff repeatedly encountered roadblocks accessing documents that should have been easily accessible under the Federal Freedom of Information Act. Researchers on “Buried Truths” ran into multiple roadblocks while obtaining records on the Season 1 subject, Isaiah Nixon, a black man murdered in 1948. Hank Klibanoff, Director Of the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project Courtesy of L arry D. Moore

“Certainly in the case of Nixon … the family knew he was killed for voting,” Klibanoff said. “They were there, they watched it. But even [his daughter didn’t] know that there’s at least 235 pages of records in Washington.” When a colleague tried to access records related to the Nixon case, the FBI told him they had none.

“[Having records available] can make an amazing difference. Most [families] have no idea.” — Hank Klibanoff, Professor of Practice The colleague appealed, and got rejected again. Then Klibanoff appealed twice. The FBI rejected him both times, but he kept searching and eventually found the records at NARA. Klibanoff said that the average citizen would have had greater difficulty accessing the records due to the complicated and lengthy appeal process. Klibanoff blamed two main reasons — one historical, the other contemporary — for the slow pace at which citizens are able to access civil rights cold case documents. “Indifference first [is to blame], but that indifference might have been of a different nature back in the 1940s and ‘50s and ‘60s,” he said. “We’ve inherited the … racial

indifference or indolence of those years. When J. Edgar Hoover was the head of the FBI, none of this meant anything to him. He wasn’t going to get out on any limbs for civil rights, for exposing the FBI’s failure to investigate civil rights cold cases at the time… That indifference continues in the records today.” Today, solving cold cases can amount to a question of the priorities of investigators, Klibanoff said. Often, when FBI agents were tasked in recent years with solving decades old cases, other seemingly more pressing matters took precedence. Investigative reporter for The Clarion-Ledger and adviser for the Cold Cases Records Act Jerry Mitchell believes that Klibanoff’s work is important, particularly for the families of victims. “I think that [Klibanoff] has been doing an excellent job with these [cold] cases that he’s been working on with [Emory] students,” Mitchell said. “The truth is that most of these cases are not going to be prosecuted again, but yet the families have not been able to … find out the whole story. We’re kind of giving a voice to the voiceless.” Mitchell also expressed frustration at the level of redaction and misfiling of cold case records he has had to use in his past investigations. “Sometimes parts that were redacted [in FBI files] aren’t redacted [in NARA files],” Mitchell said. “That’s the other problem with it, that there seems to be no rhyme or reason sometimes [as] to why something is redacted and why it’s not.” Klibanoff said he hopes that the opening of civil rights cold case records helps the general public see how the U.S. has changed, and how the shift occurred. “True stories are powerful stories,” Klibanoff said. “And it really tells us about who we were. It’s our history and we can’t pretend it’s not … If [people] like who we are [now] better than who we were [then], we’ll get to study how we made the transition. Maybe that represents a path.” Editor’s Note: Klibanoff is the Wheel’s faculty adviser. He was not involved in the composition of or editing of this article.

— Contact Greg Kimmerer at greg.kimmerer@emory.edu

Tallest Tiki Bar in Midtown Falls Flat on Opening Continued from Page 9 blaring from the DJ booth. All the tables were taken, but most of the crowd appeared to be up and about, mainly blocking the path to the staircase and concealing my view of a larger-than-life tiki mask. We threaded our way through drunk strangers to reach the Tango Room, only to learn that it had been cordoned off. Slightly dejected, I turned my attention to the Flamingo Room, which boasts positive reception online. While one of my friends reserved a small table, surrounded by patiofurniture, I was immediately drawn to a large ceramic-tiled mural of pink flamingos. At last, I sensed some color and emotions in a rather dull, uninteresting environment. I wandered around to check out any other attractions that I may have missed.

A few Tiki engravings hung from the ceiling, but the lack of light made it difficult to appreciate the artistic details. I met my friends at the bar counter, where they waited on a bartender to place their orders. One of my friends took the advice of a woman at the bar and ordered the Island Retreat, a chilled rum and peach concoction garnished with tamarind, a sprig of mint and a slice of lime. Though light in alcohol, it turned out to be the best drink of the night. My other friend ordered the Beachcomber (light rums, hibiscus, clove and lime), which she described as too sweet for her taste. As a newcomer to the Tiki scene, I went on a limb by ordering a the bar’s self-titled original concoction (rum, passion-fruit, coconut, pineapple, lime and tea), expecting a mature spin on the classic pina colada.

Though I expected sweetness from the pineapple-coconut combo, my first and only sip carried the sharp bitterness of dark rum. I was left wondering how I dropped $17 on a drink, of which I could not stand the taste.

I was left wondering how I dropped $17 on a drink, of which I could not stand the taste.

The bartender offered another drink after hearing my disappointment with the Tiki Tango. Though the bar lacked peach liqueur for an Island Retreat — another red flag of an unprepared bar — the

bartender reluctantly prepared a Mai Tai (rums, orgeat, lime, dry orange curacao and rock candy syrup). For the first time of the night, I was impressed with the bartender’s sophisticated composition of the drink’s tropical ingredients. As he skillfully muddled the aromatic flavors together with an appropriate splash of amber rum, I was ready to give Tiki Tango an opportunity to redeem itself. The sweetness of the orgeat (a sweet sugar syrup made from almonds and rose water) and the acidity of the dry curacao (a naturally flavored rum with orange peels) might have hit the spot had the bartender not topped the drink off with too many ice cubes, diluting the liquor and muting the drink’s colorful aromas to the point of ruin. In truth, Tiki Tango does little to compete with the likes of The S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur, which has long

proved itself a worthy late night hangout. Tiki Tango was neither tropical in design nor reminiscent of any beach vacation that I’ve ever taken. Aside from the custom-designed Tiki carvings and beach-themed drinks, Tiki Tango is highly reminiscent of its past iteration: a nightclub focused loosely on experience and heavily on revenue. The preparation and flavors of the drinks, though arguably the most relevant factors of a counter-service bar, were huge disappointments. Although the bartenders seemed skilled in mixing liquors with complex flavors, the prices broke my wallet, and the bartender refused to provide price details prior to ordering. By the end of the evening, we were ready to leave — and never return to — the wannabe tropical paradise.

— Contact Varun Gupta at varun.gupta@emory.edu

Sports

The Emory Wheel

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 11

Swimmers Women Take Swoop’s Prepare for Home Gold at Meet Scoop Nationals Continued from Back Page

Continued from Back Page recorded a finals time of 44.70 and set a new UAA standard in the preliminary race with a time of 44.30. Kolleck, senior Alex Kohlman, junior Sage Ono and freshman Colin LaFave won the 400-yard freestyle relay (2:59.83). Muir said her team is now preparing for the NCAA Championships. “We practiced racing this weekend in Chicago and now we start working on technical things,” Muir said. “We get excited. We get rested and it’s more focused training leading up to that big meet.”

— Contact Richard Chess at richard.chess@emory.edu

(15.59m), junior Isabel Saridakis in the pole vault (3.35m) and senior Jordan Small in the high jump. On the track, sophomores Michelle Ly and Rebekah Bondi won the 800m run (2:41:14) and the 55m hurdles (8.95), respectively. On the men’s side, four Eagles took first place, with junior Alex Rand winning the 400m dash (53.15), sophomore Zion Kidd in the 200m dash (23.95), freshman Matthew White in the 800m run (2:03.79) and sophomore Jonathan Rosenfeld in the mile (4:33.86). Assistant Coach Jordan Schilit said the meet was the last chance to showcase their skills. “The meet was mostly for people who are not able to go to the conference meet. It was their last chance to shine and show their hard work for the season,” Schilit said. After the results of this meet, the

team’s excitement is at an all-time high going into the UAA Indoor Championships. “Everyone is feeling pretty good. Everyone is getting ready for the next meet,” Rand said. “There is a lot of energy for the team. It’s good that [we] are all supporting each other.” Schilit said the teams are looking forward to the conference competition. “On the men’s side, we have a really young team which can be a blessing and they are ready to mix it up in the conference,” Schilit said. “Our women’s team has larger number of veterans and have done very well in the conference meet in the past. They are prepared to do quite well this year.” The Eagles travel to Boston for the UAA Indoor Championships on Feb. 23 and 24.

— Contact Anirudh Pidugu at anirudh.pidugu@emory.edu

Rowley Players Ace First Two Season Matches Ready for Big Continued from Back Page formed one winning duo, while junior Emma Perelman and freshman Lauren Yoon formed the other. In singles, Emory dominated all their matches. Sophomore Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico won the first singles match in two straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. Taylor prevailed in her matchup 6-4, 6-2. Freshman Jessica Fatemi also emerged victorious in two sets 6-0, 6-2. Perelman and Yoon added to their doubles victory with singles victories of their own, Yoon winning 6-2, 6-2 and Perelman winning 6-0, 6-2. Watson shut out her opponent 6-0, 6-0. Head Coach Amy Bryant praised the team’s performance against SCAD. “I thought it was a good first match and a good start,” she said. The team’s strong performance carried into the game against Brenau. The Eagles started the match with a three-set win in doubles. GonzalezRico and sophomore Defne Olcay

defeated their opponents 8-1. Watson and Fatemi played consistently and gained triumph in a close 8-7 game on court two. Freshman Emma Cartledge and sophomore Katie Chang also secured an 8-5 victory. Once again, the Eagles recorded straight set wins in all six singles matches. Olcay secured an easy 6-1, 6-2 win. Yoon recorded another win, 6-4, 6-4. Fatemi won 6-2, 6-2, and Taylor defeated her opponent 6-3, 6-3. Perelman won with a single set 6-1, as her opponent retired after the first set. Chang won in two straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. While the entire team performed well, Assistant Coach Barbora Krtickova pointed to the freshmen players’ performances. “They have not played much before, and this match is good for them to practice and they did well,” Krtickova said. The Eagles return to action on Feb. 20 when they face Georgia Gwinnett College.

— Contact Richard Wang at xuetao.wang@emory.edu

Weekend

Continued from Back Page the Eagles held the Tartans to just 26 rebounds, 12 assists and only 57 shot attempts compared to their own 69. Carnegie Mellon also committed 14 turnovers that the Eagles were able to capitalize ons, scoring 17 points off turnovers. After the win, the Eagles returned to Emory to prepare for the final game of the regular season. “Coming off a big weekend, we’re looking to take this momentum into the conference championship game this upcoming Saturday,” Rowley said. The Eagles host the University of Rochester (N.Y.) on Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. If Emory wins, they will win the UAA Conference Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

— Contact Harrison Goldfein at harrison.goldfein@emory.edu

Sport

Wednesday

Opponent

Time

W Tennis

@ Georgia Gwinnett

M Swimming & Diving

@ Midwest Invitational

All Day

W Swimming & Diving

@ Midwest Invitational

All Day

Baseball

Washington & Lee

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

Feb. 20

Friday Feb. 22

M Swimming & Diving

@ Midwest Invitational

All Day

W Swimming & Diving

@ Midwest Invitational

All Day

Track & Field

@ UAA Championships

All Day

Saturday Feb. 23

Sunday Feb. 24

Tuesday

Baseball

Washington & Lee

11 a.m. & 2 p.m.

W Tennis

Centre College

12 p.m.

W Basketball

Rochester

2 p.m.

Softball

@ William Peace Triangle Classic

2:30 p.m.

M Basketball

Rochester

4 p.m.

Softball

@ William Peace Triangle Classic

5 p.m.

@ UAA Championships

Track & Field Softball

All Day

@ William Peace Triangle Classic 10 a.m. & 12 p.m.

Baseball

6 p.m.

@ Berry

Feb. 26 *Home Games in Bold

Lindahl Heats Up Against CMU Continued from Back Page

During this run, Lindahl drained three triples while Oldshue contribthe victory. After running into foul uted five points. trouble in the first The win against half, Lindahl found Carnegie Mellon her footing in the “We just ran our brought the Eagles to second half sparking third place in the UAA the 22-4 game sealnormal motion with a chance of tying ing run. offense.” for second. The Eagles’ “I was in foul concluding place in the trouble in the first half,” Lindahl said. — Erin Lindahl, junior UAA depends on the “So in the second guard outcome of their home finale next Saturday, half, when I was able to go back in we just ran our normal Feb. 23, against the University of motion offense, and it was easy for Rochester (N.Y.). me to get into the gaps of the zone so that I could get more wide-open on the — Contact Alex Moskowitz at outside.” apmosko@emory.edu

Eagles Offense Dominates Against Whitworth Continued from Back Page Brodsky, who took over in the ninth inning. The win was the first of Brodsky’s college career. “I think the biggest thing that kept us alive in the first and the third game was [our] amount of energy,” Brodsky said. “As a pitcher, having a team back you up the way mine did this past weekend is an extreme confidence booster, and I hope that this energy level will continue.” On Feb. 15, the Eagles faced off against Pacific Lutheran. The game was evenly played despite the score: Emory had a total of 11 hits with no errors, while Pacific Lutheran had 12 hits and made two errors. Pacific Lutheran was, however, able to capitalize on their opportunities. Emory had a slow start, allowing three runs in the first inning and one run in the second. The Eagles came alive after a home run by senior infielder Bubby Terp in the

bottom of the fifth inning. Terp also hit a double in the bottom of the seventh to bring in sophomore catcher Caleb Shulman. In the bottom of the ninth, Emory was able to load the bases after two singles by Brereton and senior catcher Eric Terry and a hit-by-pitch by Rubenstein. Unfortunately, the Eagles struck out at the plate before they could bring home any runners.Emory bounced back in their game against Whitworth on Feb. 16. They came out strong, scoring three runs in the first inning and four runs in the second. Junior pitcher James Robertson kept it scoreless in the first three innings with four strikeouts, but ended up giving up seven runs to Whitworth in the fourth. The score was tied at seven until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Emory scored an impressive five runs with Rubenstein starting off at bat. Rubenstein hit the ball in between the second baseman and the center fielder to make it to first base. He then stole second while Terp was at bat and made

it to third after Terp hit a single. There was a balk call against the Whitworth pitcher which brought Rubenstein to home. Terp and junior catcher David Shore brought in another two runs. The highlight of the game was a tworun homer by Adelman to cap off the seventh inning. Brodsky and fellow freshman pitcher Bryant Wise were able to keep Whitworth off the board for the last five innings of the game. Brodsky believes that the key to the Eagles’ performances in their three games was their eager and aggressive attitudes. “The entire team was very aggressive at the plate, which is why we scored just about 20 runs in three games,” Brodsky said. “I think as a whole, the team’s pitching staff did an unreal job this weekend. Regardless of the loss, every pitcher was eager to play and threw strikes when their number was called.” Head Coach Mike Twardoski said he was proud of the team’s performance

Priyam Mazumdar/Contributing

Freshman infielder Zeke Diamond awaits a pitch from Whitworth on Feb. 16. in their home openers, while recognizing their need to improve on certain aspects of their game. “We played three good teams, and I am happy to win two of the games,” Twardoski said. “But we have a lot of work to do in order to be more consistent. We have five days before we play our next game. We will use these days to work on some things.”

The Eagles’ game against Christopher Newport University (Va.), which was originally scheduled for Feb. 17, was canceled due to rainy weather. Emory’s next game is on Feb. 22 at Chappell Park against Washington and Lee University (Va.).

— Contact Lynden Fausey at lynden.fausey@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Sports

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 | Assistant Sports Editor: Ryan Callahan (ryan.joseph.callahan@emory.edu)

Baseball

swimming & diving

Eagles Extend UAA Streak to 21 By Richard Chess Executive Editor

Priyam Mazumdar/Contributing

Senior catcher Eric Terry prepares to receive a pitch during a game against Whitworth University (Wash.). The Eagles defeated Whitworth 12-7 on Feb. 16.

Baseball Starts Season Strong

The Emory baseball team opened its 2019 season by facing LaGrange College (Ga.), Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) and Whitworth University (Wash.). The Eagles had a dramatic 2-1 walkoff win over LaGrange, lost a hard fought game to Pacific Lutheran 9-5 and bounced

back to defeat Whitworth in a highscoring, 12-5 game. Emory’s home and season opener against LaGrange on Feb. 13 was a low-scoring affair. The game was quiet until the bottom of the third inning when junior catcher Jacob Greene hit the ball to second to bring in junior pitcher Richard Brereton for the Eagles’ first run. LaGrange then tied the game in the seventh inning, and the score remained even until

track & Field

men’s basketball

By Lynden Fausey Contributing Writer

the bottom of the ninth inning when sophomore outfielder Jack Rubenstein smacked a ball to deep short. LaGrange made an error in the outfield, which allowed junior infielder Ryan Adelman to come in from third base and score the winning run. Brereton pitched eight innings and struck out eight batters, but the win went to freshman pitcher Jack

See Eagles, Page 11

The Emory men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams prevailed in the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship for the 21st consecutive year at a four-day meet held at the University of Chicago from Feb. 13 to 16. The men’s team received 1,848 total points and the women’s team received 1,943 points. They placed 393 and 458 points above second place, respectively. Freshman diver Lucas Bumgarner (22C) won the UAA Diver of the Year award. The last time an Emory diver won the title was in 2011. “Coming in, freshman year … I was just trying to go out there and do my best,” Bumgarner said. “It ended up going really well and I really couldn’t have asked for anything else.” Senior swimmer Fiona Muir was named UAA Swimmer of the Year and set a UAA record for her 100-yard freestyle time of 50.12. Muir is the first UAA female athlete to win the 100-yard freestyle at the championship meet for four consecu-

Runners Men Advance to UAA Championship Impress at Sewanee Invitational By Harrison Goldfein Contributing Writer

By Anirudh Pidugu Staff Writer The Emory track and field team impressed at the Sewanee Indoor Invitational at the University of the South (Tenn.). The women took home gold with a team score of 126 while the men placed second with 106 points, three points behind first place Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.). On the women’s side, the Eagles won a total of five events. Among the firstplace winners on the field were senior Paris Wagner in the weight throw

See women, Page 11

The Emory men’s basketball team bounced back from last week’s loss against the University of Chicago, defeating Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) 83-71 on Feb. 15 and Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) 89-74 on Feb. 17. In the win over the Case Western Reserve Spartans, sophomore forward Lawrence Rowley and senior guard Gebereal Baitey led Emory by scoring 17 points each. Additionally, sophomore guard Nick Stuck, sophomore guard Romin Williams and sophomore guard Matthew Schner each scored in double figures, leading the team to a stellar 18-5 record, 9-3 in the University Athletic Association (UAA). Offensively, the Eagles shot a solid 46.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. Throughout the game, the Eagles

maintained an aggressive tempo, scoring 36 points in the paint, collecting 45 rebounds and making 17 of 23 free throws. Additionally, the Eagles distributed 14 assists and scored six fast break points. “Our team really prides ourselves on our fast-pace offense, and Coach Z does a great job of giving us the confidence to shoot and push the ball in transition,” Rowley said. “Our team has so many offensive weapons that you never know who might have a big game.” While Case Western converted 42.9 percent from the three-point line, the Eagles limited the Spartans to only 41.3 percent from the field, 13 attempts from the charity stripe, 30 rebounds, 20 points in the paint and just two fast break points. The Eagles also forced 16 turnovers while the Spartans only dished 11 assists. After the win over Case Western,

tive years. She was also a part of four relay teams that won titles: the 400-yard medley (3:44.97), 200-yard freestyle (1:33.04), 800-yard freestyle (7:27.54) and 400-yard freestyle (3:23.27). Head Coach Jon Howell and his staff were named UAA’s Coaching Staff of the Year. This year marks the fifth time Howell has received the award for the men’s team and 11th time for the women’s team. Swimmers are still awaiting results from other conferences to determine who will advance to the NCAA Championships on March 20 to 23 in Greensboro, N.C. At least 12 male swimmers will advance to the Championships, senior swimmer Trey Kolleck said. Divers will compete in the NCAA Region Two Diving Championships on March 1 to 2 at Grinnell College (Iowa). On the men’s side, Kolleck was the only male Emory swimmer to earn a first-place finish in an individual race. In the 100-yard freestyle, he

See Swimmers, Page 11

Women’s tennis

Tennis Serves Up Wins

the Eagles snagged an 89-74 win over the Carnegie Mellon Tartans, improving their record to 19-5, 10-3 in the UAA. During the game, many Eagles had impressive outings, including sophomore forward Matt Davet, who led the Eagles in scoring with 23 points off the bench. Additionally, Schner impacted the game on both ends, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. Although the Eagles only shot 28.6 percent from the three-point line, they still managed to demonstrate tremendous offensive performance. Emory shot 50.7 percent from the field, converted 50 points in the paint, scored 23 second-chance points, dished 14 assists and retrieved 43 rebounds. While the Tartans shot a respectable 49.1 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc,

The Emory women’s tennis team secured sweeping victories against Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Atlanta and Brenau University (Ga.) on Feb. 15. The Eagles defeated SCAD Atlanta 8-1 and swept Brenau 9-0. In doubles, the Eagles obtained two resounding 8-1 wins against SCAD Atlanta. Sophomore Stephanie Taylor and freshman Christina Watson

See Rowley, Page 11

See players, Page 11

By Richard Wang Contributing Writer

women’s basketball

Women’s Streak Comes to a Halt at Case Western By Alex Moskowitz Staff Writer

The Emory women’s basketball team snapped its seven-game winning streak after a tough five-point loss at Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) on Feb. 15. However, the Eagles overcame the setback on Feb. 17, trouncing Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) 57-46 to rise to 18-6 overall

and 9-4 in the University Athletic Association (UAA). Against the Case Western Spartans, senior center Ashley Oldshue posted 14 points and 11 rebounds, earning the 18th double-double of her career. Junior guards Allison Chernow and Erin Lindahl also scored in double figures. Lindahl, a three-point specialist, knocked down two three-pointers, extending her streak to 18 games with

at least one triple and tying the sixth longest mark in program history. Though Lindahl’s score brought the Eagles ahead three points with 6:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, Case Western tightened their defense, holding the Eagles scoreless for the next four minutes and turning Emory’s three-point lead into a five-point deficit. The Eagles tried to claw their way

back into the game, tying the game at 56 with 1:28 left. However, down the stretch, the Spartans’ clutch free throw shots kept the Eagles at bay and ultimately brought Case Western a hardfought five-point win. Despite their difficult Feb. 15 loss, the Eagles bounced back on Sunday, coasting to an 11-point win over Carnegie Mellon. Lindahl once again showed her three-point marksman-

ship, making five three-pointers and scoring a season-high 21 points, with 14 of those points coming in the second half. Chernow and Oldshue also scored in double figures. Though the Eagles led by only two points at the end of the third quarter, a 22-4 run put them up 20 points with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter, sealing

See Lindahl, Page 11