March 6, 2019 by The Emory Wheel

Since 1919

The Emory Wheel

Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Volume 100, Issue 19

Printed Every Wednesday

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Greek life

social justice week

religion

Emory Condemns Methodist Decision

AEPi Shut Down for Hazing

By Caroline Catherman Staff Writer

By Richard Chess Executive Editor

Multiple Emory leaders, including University President Claire E. Sterk, have condemned a controversial decision by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church to uphold the Church’s ban on same-sex marriage and gay clergy members. Emory has roots to the United Methodist Church, as it was founded by Methodists in 1836. The Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church holds the power to confirm and remove Emory trustees. Five representatives of the Church currently serve on Emory’s Board of Trustees, four of which are senior clergy members. Delegates from dozens of countries met in St. Louis from Feb. 23 to 26 for the conference, which ultimately voted for the “Traditionalist Plan” over the “One Church Plan.” The “One Church Plan” would have allowed churches to perform same-sex marriages and

campus, especially favoring previous experience with literature and quantitative methods, Reiss said. Director of the Institute for QTM Clifford Carrubba said professors who teach QTM classes have strong partnerships with the natural and social sciences at Emory. In discussions with Elliott and Reiss, Carruba said the three saw an opportunity to make an investment

The national headquarters of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) has shut down Emory’s chapter for at least two years for violating the anti-hazing policy, according to a Tuesday University statement to the Wheel. The fraternity will be removed from its home at 17 Eagle Row, and the 21 residents will be relocated for the remainder of the Spring 2019 semester. Campus Life will assist in relocating the students, according to the statement. Assistant Vice President of Reputation Management Laura Diamond declined to answer questions about the timeline of moving out or whether all brothers would be provided on-campus housing. “Emory University fully supports the decision from the national headquarters,” the University statement said. “The safety and welfare of our students is a top priority.”

See Committee, Page 5

See AEPi, Page 4

See Sterk, Page 5

Nassem Yousef/Staff

Activist and researcher Raj Patel discusses food sustainability during College Council’s Social Justice Week.

See Raj, Page 5

faculty

English, QTM to Hire Joint Faculty Member By Emma Simpson Senior Staff Writer

The Institute for Quantitative Theory and Methods (QTM) and the English Department have narrowed their search for a joint faculty member to teach about the intersection of data and literature. The position is the first of its kind at Emory. The hiring process started with a committee, composed of two English faculty members, two QTM

faculty members and one graduate student, English Department Chair Benjamin Reiss said. The group has narrowed its selection to four candidates and will send the final candidate to College Dean Michael A. Elliott and Dean of Faculty Carla Freeman for approval. The committee hopes the new hire will start at Emory in Fall 2019. The committee considered the applicants’ backgrounds in the fields when selecting candidates to visit

housing

legislature

SGA Confirms Articles Of Impeachment Maya Foster Appointed Executive VP

Priyam Mazumdar/Contributing

Clifton Tower will open as a residence hall for Atlanta campus sophomores and Oxford continuees beginning in Fall 2019.

Clifton Tower to Open in Fall 2019 By Ninad Kulkarni Staff Writer

Clifton Tower will be renovated and open as a residence hall for rising sophomores in Fall 2019, according to a Feb. 27 University press release. The building is located between the Student Health Center and Woodruff Residential Center on Clifton Road. The renovations include increasing the occupancy capacity of existing suites and ensuring the hall meets building codes. The update will cost under $8

million, according to Vice President for Campus Services Matthew Early. Clifton Tower will be open for rising sophomores from the Atlanta campus and rising juniors from the Oxford campus in the upcoming housing selection process held from April 15 to 18. Sophomores also have the option of living in residence halls Few Hall, Evans Hall, Harris Hall and Woodruff Residential Center. Juniors can live on the Clairmont campus. The suites will have a maximum capacity of six students, Early said. The

suits will be composed of two bathrooms and three bedrooms along with a kitchenette. Emory plans to increase the sizes of doorways and bathrooms to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)’s accessibility requirements. Emory University acquired the Clifton Tower property, formerly the Howard Johnson Hotel, in 1979. Clifton Tower was a residence hall until its closure in 2014. Next year, the renovated residence

NEWS Author Talks

Editorial After

A&E ‘Captain Marvel’ a

Racism in College Campuses, Greek Life ... PAGE 3 P

See building, Page 3

By Tanika Deuskar and Carson Greene Staff Writers The 52nd Student Government Association (SGA) convened on Monday night to confirm Vice President of Diversity and Equity Maya Foster (17Ox, 19C) as the new executive vice president. The legislature also confirmed the impeachment of former SGA president Dwight Ma (17Ox, 19C). SGA

A ffirms A rticles Impeachment

The SGA legislature officially passed the articles of impeachment against Ma, citing abuse of power, although Ma already resigned on Feb. 22. The articles passed with eight votes in favor and one abstention from

Emory Life

Senior Representative Owen Lynch (17Ox, 19C). SGA held a closed-door impeachment hearing. The vote count to impeach Ma on was 10-4. SGA Appoints New Executive VP SGA President John Priddy (17Ox, 19C) presented a bill to nominate Foster for SGA executive vice president, the position Priddy held before Ma was impeached. Foster previously served as vice president of diversity and equity. Priddy said he believes Foster is an “amazing” and qualified candidate for the position. The executive board supports Foster’s appointment to this position, the bill said.

See engage, Page 4

Sports Equestrian One

Professor Talks Caring For Methodist Vote, Emory Must Middling Entry in Marvel Of Emory’s Best Kept niverse ... how D ogs ... Support LGBTQ ... U S S PAGE 9 Back Page PAGE 11 ecrets ... PAGE 6

The Emory Wheel

News

The Emory Wheel

News Roundup Compiled By Calen MacDonald Lipstadt R esigns from Synagogue Over Far-R ight Ties Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot professor of modern Jewish history and Holocaust studies at Emory, resigned her membership in the Young Israel of Toco Hills synagogue due to Young Israel’s associations with Jewish Power, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC). Jewish Power is a far-right extremist group, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which advocates for the expulsion of all Arabs from Israel. A Feb. 25 statement from the National Council of Young Israel, which Young Israel is part of, voiced support for the agreement between Netanyahu and Jewish Power to merge Netanyahu’s Jewish Home party with Jewish Power. Adam Starr, the rabbi of Young Israel of Toco Hills, denounced the agreement. Lipstadt thanked Starr for opposing the agreement but wrote in a Feb. 26 Facebook post that she still needed to distance herself from the “racism, celebration of violence, and immoral policies [of Jewish Power].” E mory for

Wins STEM

AAU Gr ant E ducat ion

Emory University was one of 12 universities to receive a grant from the Association for American Universities (AAU) for undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The University plans to use the grant for a Graduate Teaching

Fellowship Program (GTFP), according to a Feb. 20 University press release. The 10-month program, a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and Laney Graduate School, aims to help graduate teaching assistants develop evidence-based teaching practices and authentic examination methods to better instruct their undergraduate students. The GTFP will accept applications later this semester, according to the press release. One-Button Studio Opens in Robert W. Woodruff Library The One-Button Studio, a video production studio, is now open on the first floor of the Robert W. Woodruff Library. The studio allows students to easily record high definition videos of themselves, with green and blue screen options for students to superimpose backgrounds in post-production. Students who want to use the studio can reserve a time slot using the online Student Digital Life Resource Scheduler. Michael Cohen Bashes Trump Congressional Testimony

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney of President Donald J. Trump, testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on Feb. 27, calling Trump a “racist,” a “con man” and a “cheat,” according to The Washington Post. Cohen accused Trump of lying to Congress about business deals in Russia and on his tax returns, as well as instructing Cohen to lie about pay-

race

Author Talks Racism, Greek Life By Caroline Catherman Contributing Writer

Racism is still prevalent at many American college campuses, especially in Greek life, author Lawrence Ross said at a Feb. 28 event sponsored by the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life (OSFL). Speaking to about 75 students in White Hall, Ross said that though some people on Emory’s campus don’t consider themselves racists, they may be uncomfortable with discussing racism. Ross argued that being “raceaverse” is more prevalent and dangerous than racism itself. “Non-racists … are the most dangerous because they consider themselves to be morally superior to people who do racist things, but they do nothing,” Ross said. He cited a Pew Research Center study that found that 18 percent of white respondents discuss racism “in their everyday lives,” whereas 40 percent of black respondents reported discussing racial inequality “often.” Ross argued that this disparity in racial discourse can cause white students to be unaware of racism on campus. Specifically, Greek life is one of the primary spaces on campus where students of color are treated differently from white students, Ross said. Although Greek life members may believe their organizations are inclusive, these organizations have a history of discrimination that has persisted today. Ross said Greek life has been historically white-dominated: until the 1960s, the Interfraternity Conference (IFC) and National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) had white-only membership clauses. While these clauses no longer exist, this systemic oppression persists today.

Ross gave examples of more than 30 instances of racist behaviors in Greek life, including a Kansas State University student who called herself a “n****r” in 2016 while wearing blackface and later said she was “the least racist [...] person you will ever meet.” Another example Ross provided was of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) at University of Oklahoma chanting, “There will never be a n*****r in SAE” in 2015. Ross said Greek life councils are “race-averse” and do not acknowledge their lack of past or present racial diversity, preventing the problem from being addressed and solved. “If you’re in an IFC or Panhellenic organization, and your organization cannot tell me the racial demographics, and I know they can’t, you’re hiding white supremacy. You’re whitewashing,” Ross said. Ross pointed to recent instances of blackface at fraternities as an example of race-aversion, explaining that although blackface is publicly acknowledged as terrible, white people do not often have in-depth discussions because it is an uncomfortable subject. Instances such as blackface in yearbooks are labeled as terrible relics of the past. At Emory, yearbooks depicting fraternities engaging in racist activities prompted a response from University President Claire E. Sterk last month, the Wheel previously reported. Kappa Alpha Order’s (KA) national headquarters and Emory’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi (Beta) told the Wheel that the old yearbook photos did not reflect their current values. However, Ross praised Greek life organizations that have used their power to speak out against racism,

See Ross, Page 5

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Crime Report

ing hush money to Stormy Daniels. The hearing lasted about seven hours. Trump rebuked Congress in a Feb. 28 press conference for holding the hearing while he was in Vietnam participating in peace talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A New York state court filing on the eve of Cohen’s Feb. 27 testimony revealed that Cohen had been disbarred. Cohen previously pleaded guilty to lying under oath to Congress in November 2018. Cohen is set to serve a three-year prison sentence starting in May for tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. U.S.-North Korea Summit Yields No Resolution Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended on Thursday when the two failed to reach a resolution regarding North Korean nuclear disarmament. Trump requested the complete surrender of North Korea’s nuclear weapons in exchange for an end to American economic sanctions on North Korea, according to the The New York Times. Kim sought a gradual surrender of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal for an immediate lift of economic sanctions. He offered to dismantle North Korea’s largest nuclear facility, the Yongbyon nuclear complex, in exchange for an end to the sanctions, which Trump rejected, according to the Times. — Contact Calen MacDonald at

calen.macdonald@emory.edu

Building Open To Sophomores, Oxford Continuees Continued from Page 1 hall will house up to 146 students and will offer limited parking for residents, according to the Senior Director of Housing Operations Elaine Turner. Five resident advisers (RAs) will work in collaboration with the RAs in the adjacent Woodruff Residential Center. Senior Director of Residence Life Scott Rausch said the University is currently hiring RAs for Clifton Tower and hopes to finish the process after spring break. Turner said the University wanted to renovate Clifton Tower to reduce housing waitlists, as the additional housing would allow sophomores to live on-campus instead of at Clairmont Campus. “We have students who are usually still on the waitlist after we go through housing selection, and more of our students want to be on campus,” Turner said. “With bringing Clifton online in August, we will not have second-year students living on Clairmont Campus.” Renovating Clifton Tower is part of a University initiative to house more students on-campus, according to Early. He added that the tower is in “good structural condition.” “[Administration] see[s] this as an interim measure while they work on a master plan for the future,” Early said. Renovations are set to be complete by mid-August 2019, before Residence Life staff move in. Clifton Tower will have some of the same amenities as other residence halls on-campus, such as study rooms, laundry facilities and a common kitchen.

— Contact Ninad Kulkarni at nkulka7@emory.edu

Compiled By Valerie Sandoval On Feb. 21 at 10:46 a.m., Emory Police Department (EPD) responded to Emory Point in reference to someone entering a truck. The complainant, a driver for a distribution company, said he parked his truck in the loading dock next to CVS at about 10:30 a.m. to make a delivery. When he returned about 20 minutes later, he noticed that the rear hinge lock on the truck had been cut and a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon was under the truck. After inspecting the inside of the truck, he discovered two cases of Wild Turkey bourbon and two cases of Canadian Club whiskey missing. The complainant told EPD he would need to conduct an inventory check after finishing his deliveries to determine if more alcohol was missing. The total value of the missing items is $956. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Feb. 21 at 11:20 a.m., EPD received an anonymous report from a campus security authority (CSA) regarding an alleged rape. The case was not assigned to an investigator because the CSA reported the incident to EPD for statistical purposes only. On Feb. 22 at 10:41 a.m., EPD responded to the bike racks in front of the Robert W. Woodruff Library in reference to a theft. The complainant, an Emory professor, said he secured his black and white Retrospec bicycle to the racks with a lock at 7 a.m. but found the bicycle missing when he returned later that day at 10:36 a.m. The bike is valued at $300. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Feb. 22 at 11:45 p.m., EPD responded to Emory Point in reference to a dispute. The complainant, who is unaffiliated with Emory, said she observed a black male assaulting a Hispanic female in the parking lot outside of CVS and trying to force her into a black Dodge Charger. When the officers arrived, they located the car and found two women inside. There was no black man present. The two women told the officers that they are in a relationship and live together. The passenger, who is also unaffiliated with Emory, said she and the other woman had gotten into an argument at Tin Lizzy’s that continued as they walked to their car. The passenger had a scratch on her left cheek

and a small contusion directly above it. The passenger admitted the two had gotten into a physical altercation and that she struck the driver first. The officer noted that the passenger smelled strongly of alcohol. The driver, also unaffiliated with Emory, said the altercation began because the passenger was drunk and did not want to go home. When the driver tried to escort the passenger back to the car to go home, the passenger became upset and hit her in the face. The driver had a scratch on her left cheek. The complainant stated she observed the two in a physical altercation but did not see the beginning of the fight. Because the passenger struck first, the officer arrested her and transported her in DeKalb County Jail. This is the protocol for family violence battery cases regardless of whether the victim wants to press charges, according to EPD. On Feb. 23 at 10:45 p.m., EPD responded to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Emory University Hospital (EUH) Midtown in reference to stolen property. The complainant, an EUH Midtown employee, said she left her credit card in her purse in the ICU locker room on Feb. 20 at 6:50 a.m. When she returned at 5 p.m. the same day, the credit card was missing from her purse. She reported that only employees have access to the locker room, which is usually locked. Later that day at 8:30 p.m., the complainant received a call from her bank notifying her of a suspicious transaction at a local Kroger totaling $405. After the complainant explained the situation, the bank dropped the fraudulent charge from her account and deactivated the card. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Feb. 27 at 8 a.m., EPD received a report of stolen property via telephone. The complainant, an Emory employee, said she left her office with the door open on Feb. 25 at about 12:30 p.m. to get lunch from the office refrigerator. She did not realize until the next day that her laptop bag was missing from the room. The bag contained a Dell laptop charger, miscellaneous work files and a notebook. The total value of the missing items is $75. The case has been assigned to an investigator.

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

The Emory Wheel Volume 100, Number 19 © 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, “Blanco Talks Poetry, Politics” incorrectly states that Valerie Sandoval is a staff writer. In fact, Sandoval is a senior staff writer. • In last week’s issue, “Sadek, Naik to Serve as Next Editors” incorrectly stated that Sadek and Naik would be the Wheel’s first co-editors-inchief. In fact, there were several previous co-editors-in-chief.

NEWS

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

The Emory Wheel policy

University to Update Alcohol Policy By Isaiah Poritz And Evan Brock Asst. News Editor and Contributing Writer

Ayushi Agarwal/Photo Editor

AEPi lost its house on Eagle Row after it violated its anti-hazing policy.

AEPi Suspended for At Least Two Years Continued from Page 1

AEPi national headquarters did not provide a statement by publication time. In January, 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. Emory said on Feb. 18 that Residence Life staff had responded to an incident involving alcohol and possible hazing at the AEPi house. The Office of Student Conduct then placed the chapter on interim suspension, and the national headquarters placed

the chapter on “cease and desist.” Emory and the national headquarters conducted “separate” but “parallel” investigations. The Wheel attempted to speak with 10 brothers, but all refused to comment or provided bogus information. Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Alex Dobosh (20B) said IFC agrees with national headquarters’ decision. “The IFC executive board is fully in support of the decision by AEPi’s national headquarters and Emory University,” Dobosh wrote. Dobosh declined to answer additional questions from the Wheel. In an email last month to Emory fraternity members, Dobosh wrote 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.” John Stark (21B), who served as the acting chapter president, did not respond to the Wheel’s request for comment by publication time.

Carson reporting.

Greene

contributed

— Contact Richard Chess at rchess@emory.edu

Campus Life is planning to update the University’s alcohol and drug abuse policy to simplify the process for serving alcohol at graduate student and faculty events. The policy changes were prompted by the Biennial Review Committee, a task force that reviews the University’s alcohol policy every two years, as required by federal law. Committee co-Chair and Campus Life Senior Director for Community Michael Shutt said the committee is considering removing a mandatory age-verification plan for student organization events that serve alcohol if an event host knows all attendees are over 21. Under the current policy, graduate student and faculty-only events must have age-verification plans, like an EmoryCard reader, which Shutt said was not necessary in most cases. “The majority of graduate and professional student organizations are going to be hosting events with people over 21,” Shutt said. “[The committee] started talking about how we take away some of these extra steps when we know there are going to be 21-yearolds there.” These student organizations are chartered by student government and must obtain approval from the Office of Student Leadership and Service to

purchase the alcohol. Shutt said the committee should also update University policy to reflect a Georgia law that restricts the sale of alcohol on-campus. This law disallows charging a cover fee for a campus event that serves alcohol. Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) Chief of Staff Alys Brown (19L) agrees that the University’s policy needs revision but said she doesn’t currently see much difficulty in planning small events that serve alcohol. “People aren’t sure exactly what needs to be done. I think streamlining it will make it a bit more beneficial to students,” Brown said. “I think the issues that arise are at larger events.” Committee co-Chair and Assistant Professor of Psychology Rohan Palmer said the online version of the policy contains outdated links to external resources for counseling about alcohol and drug abuse that should be updated. Shutt said the committee has been drafting updates to the policy since Fall 2018 and plans to finish the final edits this month. Revisions will be submitted to the Campus Life Executive Leadership Team for approval, Shutt said. If approved, implementation will occur over the summer in preparation for the 2019-20 academic year.

— Contact Isaiah Poritz at isaiah.z.poritz@emory.edu and Evan Brock at evan.brock@emory.edu

W Have a tip for the news team? Contact Isaiah Poritz at iporitz@emory.edu

SGA confirms Vice President of Diversity and Equity Maya Foster (17Ox, 19C) as the new executive vice president.

Deyi Luo/Contributing

Engage to Replace OrgSync After Spring Break Continued from Page 1 Foster said she hopes to continue executing the initiatives that she and Priddy have been working on since she became SGA vice president of diversity and equity, including Elect Us and the free tampon initiative. Elect Us aims to bring more student diversity to SGA. “It would be a short time, however, with my position as vice pres-

ident of diversity and equity, many of the initiatives that John had as vice president — we were collaborating on those initiatives,” Foster said. “In the last two weeks I will be able to carry out both of those tasks as we had been working on them together.” Priddy said he will not be appointing a new vice president for the diversity and equity committee. The legislature unanimously

confirmed Foster as executive vice president. O rg S ync Associate Director of Student Involvement, Leadership, and Transitions (SILT) Natasha Hopkins discussed Engage, the electronic platform that will replace OrgSync after spring break. Hopkins said OrgSync “will go offline” beginning this weekend to

update the software. “When you log into … the current URL [after Spring Break] … you are going to see something shiny, pretty, sexy and new,” Hopkins said. Richard Chess and Christina Yan contributed reporting.

— Contact Tanika Deuskar at tdeuska7@emory.edu and Carson Greene at crgree5@emory.edu

News

The Emory Wheel

Sterk ‘Passionately Disagrees’ With Anti-LGBT Vote Continued from Page 1 gay clergy. The conference is the only meeting where church policy can be changed, so the policy will continue until at least 2020. Sterk wrote that she “passionately disagree[s]” with the vote in a Feb. 26 all-Emory email. “As a woman, as an educator, and as the leader of one of the world’s great academic institutions, I cannot be silent on issues of equality and inclusion,” Sterk wrote. “I ask that together we stand behind all people seeking to better their lives along with those who speak out for equal rights for everyone in our society at large.” Anne Burkholder, Emory associate dean of Methodist studies and professor in the practice of ecclesiology and church leadership, attended the conference with 28 students from the Candler School of Theology. One faculty member and three students were delegates, she said. “While I can’t speak to how people voted, the people I know would have been supportive of removing the [discriminatory] language altogether or would have been supportive of the One Church Plan, which allows for differences of point of view,” Burkholder said. “We would not have been supportive of the Traditionalist Plan.” The New York Times reported that a divide among church members is imminent, and some are deliberating

Ross Illustrates Racism

Continued from Page 1 pointing to the University of Virginia’s SAE chapter that established a commission to examine racism within their own fraternity following the Charlottesville, Va., protests. Ross concluded the talk on an optimistic note by urging college students to fight racism. “Racial justice doesn’t require you to have melanin in the same way that deconstructing misogyny does not require you to be a woman,” Ross said, advocating for white allies to use their “racial superiority” to take action. Zariah Embry (20C), who attended the event and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), agreed with Lawrence, saying that Greek life organizations should leverage their influence on campus to address racial issues. “Our IFC [Interfraternity] and Panhellenic councils have a lot of power on the University’s campus, so they should use that power and that influence, and all their members [...] to make the campus better for everyone, not just celebrate their own organization,” Embry said. NAACP President and Black Student Alliance (BSA) Vice President Timothy Richmond (20C), a member of Phi Beta Sigma, said he found the talk to be relevant to Emory. “Racism is happening on campus,” Richmond said. “We don’t even collaborate with each other. Black organizations are not represented pretty much on Eagle Row at all.”

— Contact Caroline Catherman at cecathe@emory.edu

an alliance among U.S. churches supporting LGBTQ rights. “Major seminaries at universities like Emory and Duke, which have supported their gay, lesbian, and transgender students, risk losing grants and funding from more influential, and conservative, churches,” according to the Times.

“As a woman, as an educator, and as the leader of one of the world’s great academic institutions, I cannot be silent on issues of equality and inclusion.” — Claire E. Sterk, University President

Lisa Garvin, Kevin Crawford and Lynn Pace, Emory’s Methodist heads of spiritual life, published a Feb. 27 open letter on Facebook, saying that they would become “more active forces for justice in the Church.” “We have participated in systematic oppression through our compliance with the Church’s unjust policies, even as we have advocated for a fully inclusive church.” Acting Dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Life Lisa Garvin recom-

mended that students interpret Emory’s religious affiliation in a respectful way that “offers compassion to ALL who are hurting, makes a place at the table for ALL voices and advocates boldly for the inclusion of LGBTQ people.” Director of Emory’s Office of LGBT Life Danielle Bruce-Steele said the University’s association with the Church does not mean Emory also disapproves of LGBTQ marriage policies. “This vote is antithetical to the work and beliefs of our partners in the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life who continuously fight for justice of LGBTQ people and other marginalized voices,” Bruce-Steele said. Katie Bell (20C), a member of the Emory Christian Organization Bread Coffeehouse, supported campus leaders’ criticisms of the vote. “I think Sterk was beyond right to issue her statement,” Bell said. “We may have a history with the Methodist Church, but their politics are separate from our ideals. I feel that Sterk is upholding Christian ideals much more than United Methodist Church [is].” Marc Guasch (20C) said he agrees with campus leaders that the “wrong and retrogressive” vote does not reflect campus values, noting that the student body has an “extremely supporting and caring culture around LGBT issues.”

— Contact Caroline Catherman at cecathe@emory.edu

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Committee Narrows Search for Candidate Continued from Page 1 in the humanities. “It seemed like an opportunity to do two things,” Reiss said. “One is to bring humanities perspectives to bear on the world of data. The second ... is to see how the study of literature and culture could be opened up with tools that data analysis provides.” Carrubba added that the new hire will develop new courses for both the Institute for QTM and the English Department. The Quantitative Sciences (QSS) major currently offers a program in which students can choose to pursue one of 18 disciplinary tracks, including English. The new faculty hire and course offerings could assist students in using literary texts in data analysis, according to Reiss. Reiss noted there may be obstacles when applying quantitative methods to English. “It requires a lot of skills that most English students don’t have,” Reiss said. English faculty members have expressed “strong interest” for a new joint faculty member but some were hesitant, Reiss said. “In the course of this search, we’re all going to be educating ourselves about this emerging approach,” Reiss

said. “I do think there are a lot of my colleagues who are the way I was about a year ago when I got into this … [they] just don’t really understand the possibilities.” Carrubba said there is broad enthusiasm among QTM faculty. “There’s always going to be variation in terms of different people and their different foci,” said Carruba. “There’s definitely been a sense of … enthusiasm for what they’re going to bring to the faculty, to the intellectual environment and to the students.” English Professor Jim Morey echoed Carruba’s enthusiasm. “Almost all of us [in the English Department], we’re not trained with these tools but we’ve become aware of them and the search itself has been educating us,” Morey said. “We’re very enthusiastic. We always want more faculty and colleagues.” Reiss noted the implications of combining the study of literature and data. “Humanities training really has a great deal of relevance to the … way our economy and society are being restructured by these massive flows of data,” Reiss said.

— Contact Emma Simpson at emma.simpson@emory.edu

Raj Patel Discusses Food Sustainability By Grace Morris Contributing Writer

Activist, author and researcher Raj Patel discussed global injustice in food production and sustainability to about 50 students in Cannon Chapel on Feb. 28. Patel was the keynote speaker for College Council (CC)’s “Let’s Get Global” Social Justice Week. Held from Feb. 25 to March 1, the week focused on the theme of global citizenship, with individual events focusing on refugees, health and sanitation access, and world hunger. Patel’s speech covered the food and hunger focus of the week. Patel currently serves as a research professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, where he works with the International Panel of Experts on creating more sustainable food systems. Throughout his talk, Patel discussed the intersection of food production and sustainability. Patel said the current food industry is unsustainable and needs to produce food in a more environmentally conscious manner. “Even when you are incredibly conservative, the food industry’s [environmental damage] footprint is 224 percent of its revenue,” Patel said. “That means that the food industry can’t ever do right by the planet.” Patel also explained his concept of “seven cheap things,” or the “seven things that we take for granted that have really transformed our relationship with the world”: nature, work, care, food, energy, money and lives. The concept argues that, because companies have created mass, cheap products, they have decreased everyone’s quality of life. Using harvesting in Malawi as an example, Patel explained how a country can have an excess of food, yet infants are still malnourished.

Nassem Yousef/Staff

Activist and author Raj Patel was the keynote speaker for Social Justice Week. His speech covered the food and hunger focus of the week. In Malawi, women harvest the food, so many of the women do not have sufficient time to breastfeed their children along with their other household responsibilities, resulting in infant malnutrition. As a solution, social activists created a “recipe day” in Malawi to inspire men to cook, where men compete against each other to make food. As a result of men cooking, women had more time to breastfeed, combatting infant malnutrition. Patel encouraged audience members to participate in active advocacy for change, rather than feel pressure to engage with activism by changing their purchasing habits. “We have been conditioned to feel powerless all our lives, to be able to feel like the only way we’re able to

make change is if we buy organic, or if we shop right. And that’s a lie,” Patel said. “All the changes that have mattered in America, ... no one shopped for that. It involved people taking to the streets and putting their bodies on the line.” In an interview with the Wheel, Patel explained how he began dedicating his life to social activism at just five years old. “My family [was] in India ... and I saw a girl begging on the side of the street in the middle of the night one day as we were leaving the country, and I broke down,” Patel said. “When we got back to England, I rented out my toys for charity to send to a family. So that’s when I started. And I don’t think I’ve stopped since then.” Rochinelle Dongmo (19C) said Patel’s speech helped broaden her

perspective on an industry’s ability to help preserve the planet. “He said a very powerful phrase: ‘There’s no such thing as a sustainable industry,’ and that just made me think about things a lot,” Dongmo said. CC Vice President of Programming Laura Flescher (20C) said she appreciated Patel’s ability to help her think about food and hunger from a different perspective. “It was interesting to hear how in Malawi, the issue of food and hunger was a product of an economic problem related to work distribution between men and women since this was a unique perspective,” Flescher said.

— Contact Grace Morris at gracie.morris@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Opinion

Wednesday, March 6, 2019 | Opinion Editors: Madeline Lutwyche and Isaiah Sirois (madeline.lutwyche@emory.edu and isaiah.sirois@emory.edu)

Editorial

Emory Must Back LGBTQ Rights Amid Methodist Rift

Priyam Mazumdar/Contributing

Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, which opened its doors in October 1931, is a testament to Emory’s Methodist roots.

The last time the Methodist Church split was over slavery in 1844. While the two church that rejects the LGBTQ community. sides eventually reconciled to form the United Methodist Church (UMC), it now faces It’s a promising sign that our University leaders have already denounced the decitension over another pressing issue: LGBTQ rights. sion. Campus Pride, an organization that measures institutional support for LGBTQ Emory University is chartered under UMC, which contentiously voted to prohibit individuals, currently gives Emory 4.5 out of 5 stars. If Emory wants to preserve this same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay ministers. While 53 rating, it should seriously reconsider its relationship with the UMC. percent of all delegates, including international voters, voted for the Rev. Lisa Garvin, acting dean of the Chapel and Spiritual Life, said “Traditional Plan,” 66 percent of American delegates voted in favor of she hopes Emory will influence the church’s decisions on similar matEmory should the more progressive “One Church Plan.” The latter would have offered ters in the future. individual churches room for their own interpretations of scripture. support a split in the She added that “the church has taken an action, but that does not Some believe the outcome of this vote will lead to a split in the UMC, mean it’s the position of all people and clergy who are Methodist.” The UMC and side with with dissenting churches embracing the LGBTQ community and gay Candler School of Theology’s leaders have also responded critically to those advocating for the decision. Dean of the Candler School of Theology Jan Love wrote ministers. Regardless, it’s unclear how the UMC will operate given that some a more inclusive and to Candler students that the school would continue supporting its of its ministers and a significant portion of its congregations identify welcoming church. “LGBTQIA+ sisters and brothers at this time of hardship, grief, and as LGBTQ. suffering” on Feb. 26. Emory was founded as a Methodist university, and it continues to be Associate Dean of Methodist Studies Anne Burkholder maintains affiliated with the church. Currently, five of the 45-member Board of that a united church does not have to be a unanimous church. She Trustees are ordained by the UMC, including its Vice Chair B. Michael Watson. But the said the problem is twofold: traditionalists dogmatically interpret scripture and fail to UMC’s decision clashes with the University’s support of the LGBTQ community. respect each church’s interpretation of the Bible. In a University-wide email, Sterk acknowledged that Emory respects and welcomes It’s unclear how this ideologically divided church would function, but the University people regardless of their sexual orientation. However, the University needs to supple- cannot allow the UMC to erase LGBTQ individuals. ment this internal support with external advocacy to uphold those ideals. Emory should not only continue to support LGBTQ individuals, as Sterk outlined in Emory should support for a split in the UMC and side with those advocating for a her email, but it should also advocate for a split within the church to ensure that LGBTQ more inclusive and welcoming church. The University should not affiliate itself with a humanity cannot be denied.

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

welcomes

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 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 19 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.

Letters to the Editor Submit here: www.emorywheel.com/op-edsubmissions/

The Emory Wheel

OP-ED

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

‘Latino’ is a Colonialist Relic Emory’s Workaholic Omar Obregon-Cuebas Spanish. Hispanic. Latino. Latinx. These are terms that others have used to describe my identity throughout my life. Broadly, the words categorize people from regions that were formerly colonized by “Latin Europe,” specifically France, Portugal and Spain. While many people use these terms as demographic tools, they can also be used to construct a homogenized cultural identity within the U.S. It is harmful to use “Latino” as a cultural marker because it creates a monolith out of a diverse set of peoples. In the present day, “Latino” is mostly used within the U.S. to denote those from Latin America. Yet the term is not a racial category like “black,” “white” or “Asian.” Although the U.S. has used the word for demographic purposes since the 2000 census, using the term as the building block of cultural identity causes more harm than good, as it is rooted in both geography and colonization. It’s an important descriptor of people of Latin American descent in demographic studies like the census, as it explains a common cultural background that race-markers like “white” fail to encompass. “Latino” also explains a shared history of colonialism under “Latin Europe” and pertains to those from Latin countries. This connection harkens back to the brutal genocide of indigenous Americans and the enslavement of West Africans during colonization. Names have significance, and “Latino’” locates our identities with the colonizers, forcing us to relive our colonial history while glorifying it as what ties us together. Yet we should not celebrate colonization or uphold the former colonial masters as our connection; we have enough culture and traditions, separate from Iberia. Under the simple term “Latino,” we risk conflating the vast array of languages, cultures, gastronomies, religious practices, geographies, biomes and people found in the region. The

Caribbean is home to a number of tropical islands, while South America is blessed with stunning jewels of nature such as the Andes and the Amazon. Racial diversity is also prevalent in Latin American history. Black people have been inextricably linked to the region from 1492 through the formation of salsa and reggaeton. There are also dozens of indigenous cultures in the region, such as the Mapuche, Quechua, Inca, Zapotec and others, all of whom carry on their diverse traditions. In Mexico alone, there are 62 confirmed spoken indigenous languages.

Names have significance, and ‘Latino’ locates our identities with the colonizers, forcing us to relive our colonial history while glorifying it as what ties us together.

The use of “Latino” promotes the misconception that all Latin Americans are the same. Because I have Mexican and Puerto Rican roots, I know that the two cultures are as distinct as apples and oranges. For example, Puerto Ricans are generally as averse to spicy food as WASPs, while Mexicans are famous for adding peppers to everything. The music, fashions and dialects are night and day; reggaeton compared to corridos; pozole to pernil; and of course, the rapid cadence of Boricuatalk with dropped “s”s compared to the song-like cadence of Mexican Spanish. Even within Mexico, the idea that a singular Mexican identity exists and encompasses a wide variety of experiences is preposterous. The culture in the state of Jalisco is distinct from the Federal District of Mexico City. Each state and city have

their own foods, songs and slang. Constructing a monolith at the national level is harmful and excludes many traditions, but to do this at the international level is worse — if you compare someone from Guadalajara, Mexico, to someone from San Juan, Puerto Rico, you would find distinct ways of life. To categorize these two people as the same does not make sense. This exemplifies the systematic erasure of identity in the U.S. As someone of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, I do not want to be placed into one small, digestible label. I want to be understood as a complex person with a cultural heritage that spans varying climates, foods and dialects. At Emory, the diversity of those categorized as “Latino” is on full display. Student groups like the Latino Student Organization, Greek Life and various clubs showcase the strength of the diverse “Latino” population. I have met those of Puerto Rican descent to international students from Colombia, first-generation Hondurans, Cuban immigrants, QuestBridge scholars and those with wealthy parents and swanky summer houses. While people categorized as “Latino” often share a common language, it is better to be specific with one’s cultural and ethnic identity, to be patient and to respect the complexities of other identities. Rather than being unimaginative and hurried, we should slow down and learn about each other’s heritage. I have seen immigrants from Latin America, along with their children, form a variety of communities in the U.S. These groups are proof that people from different paths of life and varying cultures can live with one another while celebrating their differences. I am a Puerto Rican Mexican raised in the American South; I am proud to be from three distinct homelands. I will act in solidarity with those from Latin America, but I will not pretend that we have the same experiences. Omar Obregon-Cuebas (20C) is from Greensboro, N.C.

Culture is Toxic Ryan Fan

Emory is a place of diverse faiths and tradition, but work idolatry seems to dominate the student body. Students are obsessed with prioritizing academics, internships, work and athletics — sometimes at the expense of mental health. The Emory community worships work like fervent Christians worship the gospel, where studying becomes more than just a means to get a good grade, but almost like a religion. In the Emory community, if you’re not constantly studying or being productive, it can feel like you’re failing. In the words of The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson, “rich, college-educated people … are reared from their teenage years to make their passion their career.” Thompson argues that for poor and middle-class Americans, work is simply a necessity. For collegeeducated elite, it is “a kind of religion, promising identity, transcendence and community.” For some of us, the drive to always be at work isn’t motivated by economic reasons. Unless you’re a secondsemester senior anxious about what you’re doing next year, work idolatry is often cultural, even spiritual, and for good reason. Emory wants to be an innovative and productive place; few would argue there’s anything bad about having a strong work ethic. It’s important to note that Emory’s ingroup work culture isn’t too different from most other universities: a 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that, among teens, having an enjoyable job or career is their most important goal. Nationally, work trumps the pre-med dream of “I just want to help people,” and it tops business school aspirations to secure a job with a six-figure starting salary. Work and career are everything for many millennials — more important than friends, family, future relationships and even children. Unlike the rest of the developed world, America offers no paid leave for expecting parents. While most advanced countries guarantee uni-

versal health care, Americans get it from work. And Republicans aren’t the only ones contributing to this toxic culture: in 1996, Bill Clinton signed the “Welfare to Work” bill, replacing welfare system benefits with workbased benefits, making people even more reliant on their employment. For our generation, and especially those of us pursuing postgraduate education, work is everything, and social and economic pressure makes us believe this. Some argue that this work culture is not a bad thing. Ask any graduating senior who has not yet secured a job, and you can see the power of unemployment stigma first-hand. Work, then, is a paradox: we love complaining about how much we have to do, but we feel terrible when we have too much free time. We need work to feel meaningful. There is failure in everything, but there’s a huge distinction between enjoying work and worshipping it. Work idolatry becomes an epidemic when a professional failure leads to an identity overhaul: when your productivity determines your self-worth as a human being. A need becomes an addiction when 87 percent of Americans aren’t engaged with their jobs, largely due to work idolatry, and we need to have a culture change to make sure our identities aren’t dependent on our professional performance. Work, studying and academic performance are not meant to be everything. Success in work is very dependent on the market, and that success is based rapidly changing circumstances. To base your identity in anything so tumultuous will lead to constant disappointment and depression. Working long hours just makes us more stressed, counterintuitively leading to being even less productive. Remember that you navigate your life; your grades, internships or job offers don’t control you. Find the constants in your life that won’t change and you will be happier and — paradoxically — work better because of it. Ryan Fan (19C) is from Stony Brook, N.Y.

‘Green Book’ Exploits Diversity for White Audiences Adesola Thomas Growing up, I rarely saw representations of queer black men onscreen. Further, I seldom, if ever, saw eager audiences waiting to listen to or watch stories about these men’s experiences. Thus, amid the necessary conversations about increased, humanizing media representation — of people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, women and other historically marginalized individuals — I was eager to celebrate “Green Book.” But “Green Book” should not be praised by the Academy just because of its potential for greatness; it should be critiqued for its ineffective delivery. Based on a true story, “Green Book” is a dramedy about a friendship that develops between Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a queer black concert pianist, and Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a bigoted ItalianAmerican ball buster. Set in 1962, Shirley hires Vallelonga as his driver in the deep South and Midwest. The film explores the racial tensions between Shirley and Vallelonga, the internal prejudice Vallelonga learns to reject and Shirley’s experiences in

the South. However, the film has received significant and deserved backlash in light of its recent Oscar win for best picture, due to its rigid portrayal of Shirley and Vallelonga’s friendship, minimal exploration of Shirley’s sexuality, Mortensen’s use of the N-word during a press event and the exclusion of Shirley’s family as consultants during the filmmaking process. I attended the film’s world premiere this fall at the Toronto International Film Festival and positively reviewed the film for the Wheel. I was excited to see hundreds of enthusiastic white faces in the audience watch Shirley’s story — I had not previously seen white exuberance during a film about race. I thought the juxtaposition between white audience members in Georgia and in Canada was about Canada’s comparatively inclusive culture or geographic degrees of separation. Maybe people were more receptive to a scathing critique of racism and homophobia in Toronto. But “Green Book” is not a scathing critique of racism or homophobia. It is a romanticized film adaptation of an interracial friendship that allows white audiences to superimpose themselves onto the figure of a rambunctious and

loveable, albeit ignorant, Italian fella. New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris refers to films like “Green Book” as “racial reconciliation fantasies.” These films take incendiary, complicated issues and use the struggles of black characters to help white characters — and white audiences — feel better about America’s racist past and present. Morris cites “The Help” and the 1990’s Best Picture win, “Driving Miss Daisy” as notable examples. I am not arguing that films about race need to make audiences uncomfortable in order to be effective. Nor do underrepresented characters have to be the leads of every film in which they appear. Rather, underrepresented people deserve to exist on screen and in everyday life as more than teaching tools for their antagonizers, no matter how well-intentioned those antagonizers are. I am not arguing that films about race need to make audiences uncomfortable in order to be effective. Nor do underrepresented characters have to be the leads of every film in which they appear. Rather, underrepresented people deserve to exist on screen and in everyday life as more than teaching tools for their antagonizers, no matter

how well-intentioned those antagonizers are. Having the supportive white peer be the protagonist of “Green Book” forces the threatened black man to act as a foil. Therefore, audiences only indirectly and intermittently interact with Shirley’s ostracization from society. Tense moments of bigotry and racism are posed as forgivable, because Vallelonga isn’t as bad as other more blatantly racist whites. In these scenes, the film fails to do something critical. Not only should Shirley — as Morris also argues — have been the champion and protagonist of this film, “Green Book” should not have aimed to redeem Vallelonga through humor or good intentions. Let him fail; let him be ugly. By asking the audience to forgive Vallelonga’s shortcomings, viewers are not doing the important work of trying to recognize themselves in the bigot onscreen. That’s why “Green Book” didn’t deserve the award for Best Picture at the 76th Golden Globes, nor the 91st Academy Awards. Nor did it deserve the 2018 TIFF People’s Choice Award over “Roma,” “The Hate U Give” or “Monsters & Men.” In the months since watching and

reviewing the film, I internalized the fact that adapting a film about the life of a gay black man is not a laudable feat. Moving from no representation to minimal, botched representation may feel like an improvement. But this is merely an inventive way to commodify the humanity of people who were simply typecast or entirely absent in films before. We cannot reward films that exploit the experiences of the oppressed as gratification tools for white scene partners and audiences. When we do, we implicitly assert that stories about the oppressed are not as important as mainstream white audiences’ efforts to care about them. If we are truly going to push studio executives, producers, writers and actors to prioritize projects that better represent modern America, we must think critically about how willing we are to confront that America onscreen. Finally, critics like myself need to do better than to applaud a film for reaching for excellence. We need to applaud them once, and if, they actually achieve excellence. Adesola Thomas (20C) is from Hampton, Ga.

The Emory Wheel

Ä&#x2014;Ä&#x2122;Ä&#x2DC; Â Â Â Ä&#x201C;Ä&#x2122;Ä&#x160;Ä&#x2014;Ä&#x2122;Ä&#x2020;Ä&#x17D;Ä&#x201C;Ä&#x2019;Ä&#x160;Ä&#x201C;Ä&#x2122; Ä&#x160;Ä&#x2030;Ä&#x201C;Ä&#x160;Ä&#x2DC;Ä&#x2030;Ä&#x2020;Ä&#x17E;ÇĄ Ä&#x2020;Ä&#x2014;Ä&#x2C6;Ä? Í˘ÇĄ Í&#x17E;Í&#x153;Í?ÍĽ Â | Â Arts Â & Â Entertainment Â Editor: Â Jesse Â Weiner Â (jesse.drew.weiner@emory.edu)

MARVEL REVIEW

GAMING

Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022; Â&#x2014;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2013;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x2021; Content Â Balance BY Â BRIAN Â SAVINO Senior Â Staff Â Writer

COURTESY Â OF Â WALT Â DISNEY Â PICTURES

Carol Â Danvers Â (Brie Â Larson) Â goes Â on Â an Â adventure Â with Â Nick Â Fury Â (Samuel Â L. Â Jackson) Â to Â discover Â her Â past Â and Â find Â an Â energy Â core Â in Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â latest, Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Captain Â Marvel.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Captainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â Keeps Â With Â Convention BY Â JESSE Â WEINER A&E Â Editor

Grade: Â B At Â this Â point Â in Â the Â Marvel Â Cinematic Â Universe Â (MCU) Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â after Â 21 Â films Â and Â almost Â three Â phases Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â the Â standard Â has Â been Â raised Â higher Â than Â the Â 93-Âstory Â Avengers Â Tower. Â Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â why Â itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â somewhat Â jarring Â that Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvel,â&#x20AC;? Â the Â latest Â entry, Â is Â so Â average. Â The Â first Â female-Âfronted Â Marvel Â film Â is Â more Â reminiscent Â of Â the Â first Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Americaâ&#x20AC;? Â or Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thorâ&#x20AC;? Â than Â any Â of Â the Â recent Â bombastic Â MCU Â flicks. Â With Â compelling Â characters Â but Â a Â

lackluster Â plot, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â fea-Â tures Â crowd-Âpleasing Â moments Â but, Â overall, Â settles Â as Â a Â middling Â Marvel Â movie. The Â film Â takes Â place Â in Â the Â 1990s Â and Â follows Â Carol Â Danvers Â (Brie Â Larson), Â a Â Kree Â alien Â soldier Â with Â a Â forgotten Â past. Â When Â the Â shape-Âshifting, Â green-Â skinned Â Skrulls, Â led Â by Â Talos Â (Ben Â Mendelsohn), Â begin Â searching Â for Â an Â energy Â core, Â Danvers Â heads Â to Â Earth Â and Â teams Â up Â with Â Nick Â Fury Â (Samuel Â L. Â Jackson) Â to Â secure Â the Â core Â before Â the Â Skrulls Â find Â it. Â Along Â the Â way, Â Danvers Â fills Â in Â the Â details Â of Â her Â past Â and Â realizes Â that Â the Â world Â she Â thought Â she Â knew Â is Â not Â

THRILLER REVIEW

ÇŽ Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;ÇŻ Â&#x192;Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2022; Â&#x2013;Â&#x2018; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021; Â&#x2019; To Â Horror Â Potential

what Â it Â seems. Larson Â makes Â a Â solid Â first Â impres-Â sion Â as Â Danvers, Â acutely Â balancing Â snarkiness Â with Â gravitas. Â Not Â as Â overt-Â ly Â funny Â as Â Chris Â Prattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Star Â Lord, Â yet Â not Â as Â stoic Â as Â Jeremy Â Rennerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Hawkeye, Â Larson Â strikes Â a Â superb Â bal-Â ance Â and Â carries Â the Â film Â on Â her Â back Â with Â gusto. Â Larson Â further Â establishes Â her Â place Â as Â one Â of Â todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â most Â skilled Â actress-Â es, Â coming Â off Â 2015â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Oscar-Ânominated Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Roomâ&#x20AC;? Â and Â 2017â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â delightful Â block-Â buster, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kong: Â Skull Â Island.â&#x20AC;? Â While Â the Â plot Â is Â just Â fine, Â her Â character Â stands Â out;Íž Â it Â will Â be Â inter-Â

See Â MARVELâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S, Â Page Â 10

As Â technology Â rapidly Â improves, Â it Â has Â become Â easier Â for Â developers Â to Â add Â more Â detail Â to Â their Â video Â games. Â However, Â there Â is Â an Â equilibrium Â that Â contains Â the Â perfect Â amount Â of Â con-Â tent. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Apex Â Legends,â&#x20AC;? Â released Â earlier Â this Â month, Â strikes Â a Â perfect Â balance Â through Â a Â variety Â of Â weapons. Â This Â harmony Â is Â refreshing Â at Â a Â time Â when Â games Â are Â often Â oversaturated Â with Â materials Â or Â offer Â so Â few Â options Â that Â the Â game Â feels Â repetitive. Â The Â development Â process Â of Â a Â video Â game Â focuses Â on Â several Â fac-Â tors Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â including Â graphics, Â plot Â and Â soundtrack Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â but Â one Â that Â develop-Â ers Â continuously Â prioritize Â throughout Â development Â is Â material, Â such Â as Â maps, Â equipment Â and Â abilities. Â Developers Â painstakingly Â tweak Â their Â games Â to Â be Â graphic Â masterpiec-Â es, Â altering Â damage Â rates, Â movement, Â map Â designs Â and Â more, Â to Â appeal Â to Â gamers. Â Online Â multiplayer Â games Â provide Â a Â particular Â challenge, Â as Â developers Â must Â find Â the Â sweet Â spot Â between Â too Â much Â variety Â and Â a Â lack Â of Â content. Â In Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Apex Â Legendsâ&#x20AC;? Â there Â are Â only Â about Â three Â weapons Â per Â category. Â Developer Â Respawn Â Entertainment Â has Â paid Â close Â attention Â to Â diversity;Íž Â while Â the Â R-Â99 Â submachine Â gun Â has Â a Â high Â fire Â rate Â and Â low Â damage, Â the Â Alternator Â submachine Â gun Â has Â a Â low Â fire Â rate Â and Â high Â damage. Â This Â balance Â holds Â for Â every Â weap-Â

on Â and Â makes Â for Â varied Â matches. Â The Â variety Â of Â weapons, Â equipment Â and Â special Â abilities Â encourage Â play-Â ers Â to Â continue Â joining Â matches Â while Â ensuring Â each Â experience Â is Â unique. Â Gamers Â might Â feel Â like Â a Â game Â was Â either Â too Â rushed Â or Â not Â well Â thought Â out Â when Â there Â is Â too Â little Â content. Â This Â was Â the Â case Â for Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Call Â of Â Duty: Â WWII,â&#x20AC;? Â which, Â at Â release, Â embarrass-Â ingly Â gave Â players Â only Â nine Â maps Â to Â choose Â from. Â In Â addition Â to Â the Â overly Â frequent Â appearance Â of Â maps Â in Â rotation, Â devel-Â oper Â Sledgehammer Â Games Â suggests Â that Â players Â must Â pay Â for Â download-Â able Â content Â to Â enjoy Â the Â game Â at Â its Â fullest. Â In Â contrast, Â too Â much Â content Â yields Â components Â that Â are Â unbalanced Â and Â redundant. Â For Â example, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Call Â of Â Duty: Â World Â at Â Warâ&#x20AC;? Â offered Â too Â many Â perks, Â or Â special Â abilities, Â and Â became Â redundant. Â Â Perks Â like Â shades, Â which Â reduces Â flare Â effects, Â and Â greased Â bearings, Â which Â increases Â turret Â rotation Â speed, Â are Â overly Â specific. Â They Â are Â completely Â outclassed Â by Â more Â useful Â perks Â such Â as Â stopping Â power, Â which Â increases Â bullet Â damage, Â and Â steady Â aim, Â which Â improves Â hip-Â fire Â accuracy. Â The Â repetition Â perks Â are Â far Â from Â game-Âbreaking, Â but Â the Â effort Â put Â into Â these Â useless Â additions Â could Â have Â instead Â been Â redirected Â to Â improve Â game Â mechanics Â or Â weapon-Âbalancing.

See Â LESS, Â Page Â 10

THEATER REVIEW

Huppert, Â Moretz Â Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â Salvage Â Hole-Ââ&#x20AC;?Ridden Â Plot BY Â BECCA Â MOSZKA Contributing Â Writer

Grade: Â B-Â There Â is Â something Â distinctly Â frightening Â about Â watching Â the Â sweet-Â est, Â most Â naive Â people Â fall Â for Â dirty Â tricks. Â Neil Â Jordanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â newest Â flick, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Greta,â&#x20AC;? Â plays Â impeccably Â on Â this Â fear. Â However, Â Jordan Â executes Â the Â promis-Â ing Â storyline Â poorly, Â ramping Â up Â ten-Â sion Â only Â to Â disappoint, Â and Â leaving Â holes Â and Â gaps Â throughout. Â The Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â poor Â pacing Â and Â border-Â line Â absurd Â action Â sequences Â make Â it Â more Â of Â a Â collection Â of Â bizarre Â antics Â set Â to Â French Â music Â than Â an Â exciting Â psychological Â thriller. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;? Â starts Â off Â promisingly. Â Frances Â McCullen Â (Chloe Â Grace Â Moretz), Â a Â 20-Âsomething Â girl Â from Â Boston, Â lives Â in Â New Â York Â City Â with Â the Â well-Âmeaning Â but Â sometimes Â insensi-Â tive Â Erica Â Penn Â (Maika Â Monroe). Â Still Â reeling Â from Â her Â motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â death Â the Â previous Â year, Â Frances Â throws Â her-Â

self Â into Â her Â job Â at Â a Â restaurant Â and Â spends Â the Â rest Â of Â her Â time Â grieving Â in Â solitude. Â Enter Â Greta Â Hideg Â (Isabelle Â Huppert), Â a Â kind, Â charming Â French Â woman Â who Â loves Â classical Â music Â and Â playing Â piano. Â When Â Greta Â loses Â her Â bag Â on Â the Â subway, Â Frances Â returns Â it Â to Â her Â and Â a Â new Â friendship Â begins. Â Recently Â widowed, Â Greta Â doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â speak Â to Â her Â daughter;Íž Â meanwhile, Â Frances Â misses Â her Â mother. Â Unfortunately, Â Frances Â does Â not Â realize Â the Â depth Â of Â Gretaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â loneliness, Â nor Â the Â lengths Â she Â will Â go Â in Â order Â to Â keep Â Frances Â in Â her Â life. In Â theory, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;? Â should Â be Â a Â hit. Â It Â has Â all Â the Â elements Â of Â an Â exciting Â and Â suspenseful Â horror Â film: Â exceptional Â characters, Â a Â strong Â storyline Â and Â a Â lingering, Â thinly-Âveiled Â cloud Â of Â uncer-Â tainty Â and Â fear. Â Moretz Â is Â convincing Â as Â the Â innocent Â Bostonian-Âturned-Â New Â Yorker Â constantly Â trying Â to Â do Â the Â

See Â INCONSISTENCIES, Â Page Â 10

COURTESY Â OF Â MATTHEW Â MURPHY

Enjolras Â (Matt Â Shingledecker, Â CENTER) Â leads Â the Â cast Â of Â the Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Les Â Miserablesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â national Â tour Â in Â a Â performance Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Do Â You Â Hear Â the Â People Â Sing?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

ÇŽ Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2022;ÇŻ Â&#x201D;Â&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022; Â&#x2014;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2039;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2026;Â&#x2021; Â&#x192;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2013;Â&#x160;Â&#x2021; Â&#x2018;Â&#x161; BY Â JESSE Â WEINER A&E Â Editor

Grade Â B+ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Miserablesâ&#x20AC;? Â has Â been Â a Â beloved Â theater Â mainstay Â for Â more Â than Â 30 Â years, Â and Â itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â not Â hard Â to Â see Â why. Â The Â iconic Â musical Â has Â all Â the Â components Â of Â a Â successful Â production Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â romance, Â humor, Â drama Â and Â catchy Â music. Â The Â Fox Â Theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â production, Â part Â of Â the Â showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â national Â tour, Â delivers Â all Â the Â joys Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Misâ&#x20AC;? Â to Â Atlanta, Â albeit Â not Â flawlessly. Â For Â fans Â of Â the Â show, Â

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Misâ&#x20AC;? Â at Â the Â Fox Â elegantly Â follows Â the Â beloved Â beats Â and Â provides Â a Â satis-Â factory Â experience. Â Meanwhile, Â newcomers Â can Â appre-Â ciate Â the Â strong Â vocals Â and Â impres-Â sive Â set Â design, Â but Â may Â be Â lost Â by Â the Â showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â fast-Âpaced Â storytelling Â and Â lyrics. The Â musical, Â set Â in Â early Â 1800s Â France, Â tells Â the Â story Â of Â Jean Â Valjean Â (Nick Â Cartell), Â a Â peasant Â sentenced Â to Â 19 Â years Â of Â hard Â labor Â after Â he Â steals Â a Â loaf Â of Â bread. Â The Â authorities Â let Â Valjean Â free, Â but Â Inspector Â Javert Â (Josh Â Davis) Â ruthlessly Â persecutes Â

Valjean. Â In Â an Â attempt Â to Â reinvent Â his Â life, Â Valjean Â adopts Â eight-Âyear-Âold Â orphan Â Cosette Â (Madeleine Â Guilbot) Â after Â her Â mother Â Fantine Â (Mary Â Kate Â Moore) Â passes Â away. Â Nine Â years Â later, Â an Â older Â Cosette Â (Jillian Â Butler) Â falls Â for Â the Â righteous Â Marius Â (Joshua Â Grosso), Â leader Â of Â the Â French Â revolutionary Â movement. Â The Â plot Â begins Â with Â a Â riveting Â prologue Â that Â introduces Â Valjean Â and Â his Â feud Â with Â Javert. Â Unfortunately, Â the Â details Â

See Â TOUR, Â Page Â 10

A&E

Wednesday, Â March Â 6, Â 2019

Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2022; Â&#x192;Â&#x203A; Â&#x2021; Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021; In Â Gaming Â World Continued Â from Â Page Â 9

In Â fact, Â players Â may Â ask Â why Â battle Â royale Â games, Â such Â as Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fortnite Â Battle Â Royale,â&#x20AC;? Â constantly Â vault Â (or Â remove) Â weapons Â and Â equipment Â when Â intro-Â ducing Â new Â ones. Â Simply Â put, Â developer Â Epic Â Games Â understands Â that Â thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â no Â point Â in Â having, Â for Â instance, Â five Â sniper Â variations. Â Rather, Â theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Â vaulted Â the Â semi-Â automatic Â and Â bolt Â snipers, Â and Â opted Â to Â keep Â the Â silenced Â bolt Â sniper, Â heavy Â sniper Â and Â crossbow. Â Keeping Â the Â game Â fresh Â for Â fre-Â quent Â players, Â vaulting Â and Â introduc-Â ing Â weapons Â also Â avoid Â redundancies. Â For Â example, Â the Â regular Â bolt Â sniper Â and Â silenced Â bolt Â sniper Â only Â differ Â by Â a Â suppressor, Â meaning Â there Â would Â Â be Â no Â reason Â to Â include Â both Â in Â the Â game. Â Some Â may Â argue Â against Â this. Â However, Â by Â continuously Â adding Â weapons Â and Â equipment Â without Â removing Â anything, Â the Â game Â becomes Â oversaturated;Íž Â veteran Â players Â and Â newcomers Â alike Â would Â have Â trouble Â choosing Â an Â ideal Â loadout, Â slowing Â the Â gameplay Â and Â making Â looting Â less Â efficient. Â There Â are, Â however, Â rare Â occurrenc-Â es Â in Â which Â the Â amount Â of Â material Â has Â no Â upper Â bound. Â In Â racing Â games Â like Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gran Â Turismo Â Sportâ&#x20AC;? Â and Â sports Â games Â like Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;NBA Â

2K19,â&#x20AC;? Â players Â welcome Â the Â addition Â of Â as Â many Â cars, Â tracks Â and Â athletes Â as Â possible. Â The Â reason Â for Â this Â is Â simple: Â content Â comes Â straight Â from Â reality. Gamers Â who Â are Â invested Â in Â basketball Â or Â cars Â may Â find Â enthusiasm Â in Â play-Â ing Â as Â James Â Harden Â or Â driving Â their Â favorite Â Aston Â Martin. Â These Â games Â offer Â a Â simulation Â of Â a Â reality Â that Â most Â people Â cannot Â experience. Although Â the Â same Â can Â be Â said Â of Â a Â history Â aficionado Â about Â a Â World Â War Â II Â game, Â in Â online Â shooters, Â item Â balance Â and Â redundancy Â can Â be Â an Â issue. Â In Â a Â public Â online Â racing Â or Â sports Â game, Â rules Â can Â be Â set Â so Â that Â balance Â is Â not Â an Â issue, Â whereas Â online Â shooter Â games Â rarely Â offer Â such Â specific Â set-Â tings Â for Â fear Â of Â diluting Â each Â game Â mode. Â Due Â to Â the Â comparatively Â simple Â formula Â that Â has Â served Â racing Â and Â sports Â games Â for Â years, Â there Â is Â little Â incentive Â for Â developers Â to Â stray Â from Â this Â pattern. Â Online Â game Â developers, Â whether Â battle-Âhardened Â by Â years Â of Â experience Â or Â new Â and Â vulnerable Â to Â gamersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â cha-Â otic Â criticism, Â must Â be Â careful Â to Â stay Â within Â the Â correct Â amount Â of Â material Â or Â risk Â tainting Â their Â game.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Brian Â Savino Â Â at Â brian.savino@emory.edu

Â&#x2018;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D; Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6; ÇŽ Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022; Â&#x2039;Â&#x2022;ÇŻ Â&#x2014;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013; Â&#x160;Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2013; Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2039;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2021; Continued Â from Â Page Â 9 advance Â at Â too Â rapid Â a Â pace, Â rarely Â let-Â ting Â the Â audience Â relax Â or Â take Â in Â the Â swiftly Â moving Â plot Â and Â setting. Â We Â spend Â little Â time Â with Â Valjean Â before Â embarking Â on Â his Â journey Â from Â prison Â to Â church Â to Â Paris. Â Valjeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â strife Â with Â Javert, Â one Â of Â the Â most Â central Â elements Â of Â the Â plot, Â feels Â inorganic. Â Both Â Cartell Â and Â Davis Â have Â remark-Â able Â vocals, Â but Â they Â donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â spend Â much Â time Â together Â on-Âstage Â other Â than Â dur-Â ing Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Confrontation.â&#x20AC;? Â The Â same Â can Â be Â said Â for Â Cosette Â and Â Mariusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â relation-Â ship, Â which Â comes Â across Â as Â sweet Â but Â superficial. Â Both Â of Â these Â problems Â could Â have Â been Â solved Â by Â a Â longer Â runtime. Â This Â character Â underdevelopment Â is Â especially Â evident Â with Â Gavroche Â (Parker Â Weathersbee), Â the Â charming, Â fourth-Âwall Â breaking Â child Â revolution-Â ary Â who Â (spoiler Â alert) Â is Â killed Â off Â after Â being Â shot Â at Â the Â barricade. Â What Â should Â be Â one Â of Â the Â most Â hair-Âraising Â and Â devastating Â moments Â of Â the Â plot Â is Â not Â given Â its Â due, Â as Â Gavroche Â only Â has Â a Â few Â lines Â of Â dia-Â logue Â before Â his Â untimely Â demise. Â Some Â productions Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Misâ&#x20AC;? Â give Â Gavroche Â his Â own Â song, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Little Â People,â&#x20AC;? Â but Â the Â national Â tour Â does Â not, Â unduly Â softening Â the Â blow Â of Â his Â tragic Â death. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Misâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â strongest Â as Â an Â ensemble Â piece, Â as Â the Â show Â allows Â every Â character Â a Â moment Â to Â blow Â the Â crowd Â away Â vocally. Â Fantineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Â Dreamed Â a Â Dream,â&#x20AC;? Â a Â lament Â on Â her Â tragic Â past, Â is Â a Â subtle Â showstopper Â delivered Â with Â grace Â by Â

Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2018;Â?ÇĄ Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2020;Â&#x2021;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2022;Â&#x2018;Â&#x160;Â? Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Â&#x201D;Â&#x203A; ÇŽ Â&#x192;Â&#x2019;Â&#x2013;Â&#x192;Â&#x2039;Â? Â&#x192;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021;Â&#x17D;ÇŻ Continued Â from Â Page Â 9 esting Â to Â see Â her Â rapport Â with Â the Â other Â Avengers Â in Â Aprilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Avengers: Â Endgame.â&#x20AC;? Â The Â best Â and Â most Â surprising Â aspect Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â Mendelsohnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Talos, Â another Â example Â of Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â recent Â trend Â of Â compelling Â antago-Â nists. Â The Â Skrulls Â could Â have Â very Â eas-Â ily Â served Â as Â gimmicks, Â with Â Scooby-Â Doo-Âesque Â reveals Â but Â faceless, Â dull Â aliens Â underneath. Â Yet Â directors Â Anna Â Boden Â and Â Ryan Â Fleck Â astutely Â evade Â this Â pitfall Â by Â hon-Â ing Â in Â on Â their Â leader, Â Talos, Â and Â giving Â the Â role Â to Â the Â brilliant Â Mendelsohn. Â Mendelsohn Â mastered Â the Â role Â of Â Â villain Â with Â his Â roles Â as Â Orson Â Krennic Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rogue Â One: Â A Â Star Â Wars Â Storyâ&#x20AC;? Â Â and Â Nolan Â Sorrento Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ready Â Player Â One.â&#x20AC;? Â Talos Â is Â his Â most Â impressive Â yet, Â although Â the Â actor Â is Â hidden Â beneath Â several Â layers Â of Â green Â makeup. Â When Â a Â villain Â nearly Â brings Â the Â audience Â to Â tears, Â you Â know Â that Â he Â wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â be Â for-Â gotten Â anytime Â soon. What Â sinks Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â most Â prominently Â is Â its Â tragically Â average Â plot. Â The Â pieces Â are Â there Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Larson, Â Jackson Â and Â Mendelsohn Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â but Â the Â plot Â isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â nearly Â as Â interesting Â as Â it Â should Â be. Â Much Â of Â the Â film Â focuses Â on Â Danvers Â overcoming Â her Â amnesia Â and Â discover-Â ing Â her Â past. Â However, Â the Â constant Â montages Â and Â flashbacks Â make Â her Â memory Â loss Â feel Â like Â a Â forced Â method Â of Â telling Â her Â origin Â story. Â It Â feels Â as Â though Â weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Â seen Â this Â exact Â story Â before, Â but Â done Â better Â (case Â in Â point: Â the Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bourneâ&#x20AC;? Â franchise). Â In Â addition Â to Â a Â poor Â plot, Â none Â of Â the Â set Â pieces Â are Â particularly Â memo-Â rable, Â nor Â are Â the Â supporting Â char-Â acters. Â For Â a Â superhero Â film Â to Â rise Â

The Emory Wheel

COURTESY Â OF Â MATTHEW Â MURPHY

Jean Â Valjean Â (Nick Â Cartell) Â sings Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bring Â Him Â Homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â to Â his Â daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â lover Â Marius Â (Joshua Â Grosso) Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Les Â Miserables.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Moore. Â Thenardier Â (J. Â Anthony Â Crane) Â is Â laugh-Âout-Âloud Â funny Â in Â the Â whimsical Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Master Â of Â the Â House,â&#x20AC;? Â and Â Javertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starsâ&#x20AC;? Â adds Â nuance Â to Â the Â playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â vil-Â lain Â by Â revealing Â his Â motivations. Â Even Â Eponine Â (Paige Â Smallwood), Â a Â fairly Â minor Â character, Â gets Â her Â chance Â to Â impress Â with Â a Â stunning Â rendition Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;On Â My Â Own,â&#x20AC;? Â a Â ballad Â about Â her Â impossible Â romance Â with Â Marius. What Â the Â first Â half Â of Â the Â show Â lacks, Â the Â second Â half Â makes Â up Â for Â when Â the Â play Â finally Â slows Â and Â embraces Â its Â emotional Â backbone. Â The Â scenes Â at Â the Â barricade Â are Â brilliant, Â balanc-Â ing Â thrilling Â action Â with Â heartbreak. Â Valjeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bring Â Him Â Home,â&#x20AC;? Â an Â ode Â to Â his Â daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â lover Â Marius, Â is Â a Â beau-Â tiful Â showcase Â of Â Cartellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â vocal Â range Â and Â emotional Â capabilities. Â The Â finale Â is Â a Â surefire Â tearjerker, Â as Â Valjean Â passes Â away Â in Â front Â of Â Cosette Â

COURTESY Â OF Â WALT Â DISNEY Â PICTURES

above Â mediocrity, Â it Â needs Â at Â least Â one Â unforgettable Â fight Â scene. Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â has Â none, Â and Â even Â the Â colossal, Â climactic Â battle Â is Â more Â like Â CGI Â mayhem Â than Â a Â tes-Â tament Â to Â Danversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â supernatural Â abilities. Â As Â for Â the Â secondary Â characters, Â none Â is Â given Â their Â due, Â apart Â from Â Maria Â Rambeau Â (Lashana Â Lynch). Â The Â legendary Â Annette Â Bening Â is Â wasted Â as Â Dr. Â Wendy Â Lawson, Â a Â shad-Â ow Â from Â Danversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â past. Â Gemma Â Chan, Â who Â broke Â out Â in Â last Â yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crazy Â Rich Â Asians,â&#x20AC;? Â is Â criminally Â one-Âdimen-Â sional Â and Â only Â appears Â in Â a Â few Â scenes Â as Â Minn-ÂErva. Â Even Â Clark Â Gregg, Â who Â was Â de-Âaged Â for Â the Â film Â along Â with Â Jackson, Â plays Â an Â insignificant Â role Â in Â his Â reprise Â of Â Phil Â Coulson Â from Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Â Avengers.â&#x20AC;? At Â the Â end Â of Â the Â day, Â Marvel Â knows Â how Â to Â please Â its Â audience, Â and Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â no Â exception. Â Whether Â itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â with Â Goose, Â Danversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â adorable Â inter-Â galactic Â cat, Â or Â an Â unhealthy Â number Â

of Â â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s Â references, Â audiences Â will Â likely Â fall Â for Â at Â least Â some Â parts Â of Â the Â film. Â Wondering Â how Â Nick Â Fury Â lost Â his Â eye? Â Get Â ready Â to Â find Â out. Â Itching Â to Â know Â what Â Ronan Â the Â Accuser Â (Lee Â Pace) Â was Â up Â to Â two Â decades Â before Â clashing Â with Â the Â Guardians Â of Â the Â Galaxy? Â Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Â get Â a Â scene Â or Â two Â of Â insight. Â These Â diversions Â contribute Â a Â few Â laughs Â but Â fail Â to Â save Â the Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â lack-Â luster Â plot. Â In Â another Â universe, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â would Â likely Â be Â a Â standout Â superhero Â flick. Â Although Â the Â film Â boasts Â an Â excel-Â lent Â lead Â and Â a Â heart-Âwrenching Â vil-Â lain, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Captain Â Marvelâ&#x20AC;? Â is Â plagued Â by Â undercooked Â characters Â and Â a Â safe Â plot. Â The Â result Â is Â a Â fine, Â if Â forgettable, Â addition Â to Â the Â Marvel Â lore Â that Â breaks Â gender Â boundaries Â but Â fails Â to Â break Â any Â others.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Jesse Â Weiner Â at Â jweine8@emory.edu

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Jesse Â Weiner Â at Â jweiner8@emory.edu

Inconsistencies Â Plague Â Â&#x2021;Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D; Â&#x2018;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2020;Â&#x192;Â?ÇŻÂ&#x2022; Â&#x160;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2039;Â&#x17D;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x201D; Continued Â from Â Page Â 9

Antagonist Â Talos Â (Ben Â Mendelsohn, Â R IGHT) Â leads Â his Â shape-Â shifting Â Skrull Â army Â in Â â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Captain Â Marvel.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

and Â Marius. For Â those Â who Â havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â been Â immersed Â in Â the Â world Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Misâ&#x20AC;? Â before, Â the Â production Â may Â not Â be Â for Â them. Â In Â fact, Â the Â 2012 Â film Â may Â be Â a Â more Â adequate Â introduction Â into Â the Â world, Â as Â the Â movie Â presents Â the Â characters Â and Â their Â stories Â more Â intimately. Â The Â fast-Âpaced Â production Â is Â hard Â to Â grasp Â for Â a Â newcomer, Â and Â with Â operatic-Âstyle Â performances, Â the Â lyrics Â are Â often Â hard Â to Â understand. Â The Â play, Â however, Â is Â an Â overall Â delight, Â with Â beloved Â songs Â performed Â by Â impressive Â vocalists. Â It Â may Â be Â three Â decades Â since Â the Â showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â premiere, Â but Â at Â the Â end Â of Â the Â day, Â Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Â glad Â that Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Â Misâ&#x20AC;? Â will Â play Â for Â one Â day Â more.

right Â thing. Â Huppert Â scares Â as Â Greta, Â a Â woman Â whose Â overly Â sweet Â disposition Â and Â saccharine Â smile Â make Â you Â sus-Â pect Â a Â much Â darker Â personality. Â The Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â tension Â is Â palpable: Â Francesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â unabashed Â fear Â is Â anxiety-Âinducing Â and Â the Â ever-Âpresent Â French Â music Â offers Â a Â horrifying Â contrast Â between Â the Â perfect Â world Â Greta Â wants Â to Â live Â in Â and Â the Â awful Â one Â she Â forces Â Frances Â to Â endure. Even Â so, Â the Â pieces Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;? Â that Â could Â make Â the Â film Â successful Â are Â not Â enough Â to Â account Â for Â the Â poor Â pacing Â and Â glaring Â plot Â holes. Â The Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â first Â half Â builds Â the Â ten-Â sion Â between Â Frances Â and Â Greta. Â It Â establishes Â Greta Â as Â a Â villainous Â char-Â acter, Â yet Â takes Â so Â long Â to Â do Â so Â that Â one Â begins Â to Â wonder Â when Â (or Â if) Â anything Â terrible Â will Â actually Â happen Â to Â Frances. Â This Â buildup Â makes Â the Â second Â half Â of Â the Â movie Â feel Â rushed Â and Â unrealis-Â tic, Â as Â if Â the Â director Â was Â trying Â to Â push Â the Â boundaries Â of Â what Â atrocities Â Greta Â could Â do Â to Â Frances Â in Â 90 Â minutes. Â He Â failed Â miserably. Â The Â ending Â was Â so Â hurried Â that Â charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â actions Â were Â nearly Â laughable, Â greatly Â detracting Â from Â the Â thriller Â the Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â begin-Â ning Â promised. Â The Â audience Â knows Â early Â on Â that Â Greta Â is Â not Â just Â a Â nice, Â lonely Â woman. Â Why Â waste Â so Â much Â time Â building Â the Â storyline Â just Â to Â have Â it Â crumble Â so Â messily Â at Â the Â end? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â buildup Â of Â tension Â leads Â to Â loose Â ends, Â ranging Â from Â the Â truth Â behind Â Gretaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â relationship Â with Â her Â

daughter Â to Â Gretaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â strange Â obsession Â with Â French Â culture. Â The Â film Â pro-Â vides Â little Â background Â for Â her: Â we Â donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Â know Â the Â impetus Â behind Â Gretaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â obsession Â with Â France, Â nor Â do Â we Â learn Â about Â Gretaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â strange Â relationship Â with Â her Â daughter, Â leading Â viewers Â to Â a Â rath-Â er Â unfulfilling Â ending. Â In Â spite Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â inconsisten-Â cies, Â I Â would Â be Â remiss Â not Â to Â men-Â tion Â Francesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Â and Â Ericaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â intelligence Â throughout Â the Â film. Â Unlike Â the Â typical Â damsel Â in Â dis-Â tress Â trope, Â Frances Â is Â on Â her Â toes Â and Â intelligent Â throughout Â the Â film. Â She Â tells Â Greta Â off, Â calls Â the Â police Â and Â takes Â measures Â to Â protect Â herself Â and Â her Â friend, Â though Â these Â measures Â inevitably Â fail. Â Erica, Â meanwhile, Â is Â not Â just Â a Â comedic Â sidekick, Â but Â is Â also Â a Â hero Â â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â dauntless, Â bold Â and Â quick-Âwitted. Â Her Â quips Â are Â hilarious, Â and Â her Â unswerv-Â ing Â loyalty Â an Â inspiration. Â You Â rare-Â ly Â see Â such Â a Â true, Â powerful Â friend-Â ship Â portrayed Â in Â horror Â films;Íž Â if Â for Â nothing Â else, Â watch Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;? Â for Â this Â friendship. While Â the Â filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â awkward Â pacing Â and Â plot Â holes Â are Â difficult Â hurdles Â to Â jump, Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;? Â may Â still Â be Â worth Â the Â watch. Â Huppert, Â Monroe Â and Â Moretz Â all Â come Â to Â life Â as Â their Â characters, Â and Â the Â friendship Â between Â Frances Â and Â Erica Â is Â admirable. Â These Â elements Â alone Â save Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gretaâ&#x20AC;? Â from Â becoming Â nothing Â more Â than Â a Â lengthy Â episode Â of Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Criminal Â Minds,â&#x20AC;? Â and Â are Â reason Â enough Â to Â give Â the Â film Â a Â try.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Â Contact Â Becca Â Moszka Â at Â becca.moszka@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Emory Life

Wednesday, March 6, 2019 | Emory Life Editor: Alex Klugerman (alex.klugerman@emory.edu)

CHINESE LANTERNS

REFLECTIONS

Outgoing Editor Leaves Legacy By Alex Klugerman Emory Life Editor

Priyam Mazumdar/Contributing

The Emory Chinese Student Association hosts a Riddle Night in Raoul Hall on March 4 in honor of the recent spring lantern festival held. The event features make-your-own candied fruit sticks, a traditional Chinese snack.

SCHOLARSHIP

Seniors Earn Bobby Jones Scholarship

Outgoing Editor-in-Chief Michelle Lou (pronounced ‘low,’ like the Flo Rida song) (18C) took a somewhat circuitous route throughout her Emory career. The Goizueta Business School dropout wrapped up her political science major and East Asian studies minor last semester. Lou currently serves as a digital news intern at CNN by day while overseeing the Wheel by night. During her time at Emory, Lou won the Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest for “Best Investigative News Article” and

See GETTING, Page 12

PROFILE

Four Recipients to Spend Year at St. Andrews By Calen MacDonald Contributing Writer Emory seniors Farah Al-Chammas (19C), Claire Barnes (19C), John Priddy (19C) and Camila Reed-Guevara (19C) were awarded 2019 Bobby Jones Scholarships, which fund a year of graduate study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The scholarship supports an exchange program wherein four Emory students and four St. Andrews students complete a year of graduate study abroad. John Priddy (19C), SGA President

Courtesy of John Priddy

Fiona Blackwood, Libbi Carruthers, Iain Millar and Iain Smith will attend Emory in the Fall 2019 semester as Bobby Jones scholars from St. Andrews. The scholarship was founded in 1976 to honor the legacy of Emory alumnus Robert T. Jones Jr. (29G), a renowned golfer. The scholarship is granted to students who have “excelled academically and who will benefit from graduate academic experience at the University of St Andrews,” according to the scholarship’s website. Al Chammas, a refugee from Syria, is an anthropology and human biology and interdisciplinary studies double

major. She plans to complete study a self-designed program that combines management and psychology courses at St. Andrews. At Emory, Al Chammas founded the club Refugee Revive, which aims to empower local refugees to access better education and become entrepreneurs, according to her Linkedin profile. She is also a member of the Interdisciplinary Exploration and Scholarship (IDEAS) Fellowship that promotes interdisciplinary study oncampus and has conducted biomedical research at the University of Texas. Barnes is majoring in religion and philosophy and minoring in sustainability. On campus, she restarted Emory’s branch of Slow Food, an organization that encourages locally sourcing food and traditional cooking, participated in the IDEAS Fellowship and has served as a Resident Adviser (RA) and Sophomore Adviser (SA). “This year the applicant pool was amazing,” Barnes said. “[I think I stood out because] I connected really well with the committee. In my interviews it felt more like a conversation than it did an interview.” Barnes intends to pursue a master’s degree in literature and international political theory at the School of International Relations at St. Andrews. Barnes said she would ultimately like to pursue a doctorate and become involved in ambassadorial work. Priddy is the Student Government Association (SGA) president, an RA in Raoul Hall, senior diversity initiatives fellow in the Office of Undergraduate Admission and serves as a captain for

Emory’s mock trial team. He is double majoring in political science and history and is completing an honors thesis in political science. He plans to earn a masters of letters in legal and constitutional studies at St. Andrews. “I think [I earned the scholarship for] a combination of my passion and love for Emory and my willingness to go and be an ambassador for Emory at the University of St. Andrews,” Priddy said. Reed-Guevarra is a classics and philosophy double major. She founded the Claire Barnes (19C), Slow Food President

Courtesy of Emory A lumni A ssociation

classics journal “Tesserae,” debated for the Barkley Forum and participated in the Atlanta Urban Debate League, according to a University press release. Reed-Guevarra did not respond to the Wheel’s request for an interview. Jordan Chapman (19C) and Leigh Schlecht (19C) were chosen as alternates in case any of the four winners are unable to attend St. Andrews. Editor’s Note: Leigh Schlecht is a copy editor for the Wheel and was not involved in the composition or editing of this article.

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

Courtesy of Roy L . Simpson

Assistant dean at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Roy L. Simpson has raised two Westminster grand champion dogs in a lifetime of keeping wire fox terriers as pets.

Nursing Assistant Dean Finds Passion in Pooches By Alisha Compton Managing Editor

Roy L. Simpson, an assistant dean at Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, was walking the streets of Provincetown, Mass., when he ran into two of the most beautiful wire fox terriers he had ever seen. Simpson and his partner owned two wire fox terriers at the time and, when their dogs passed away about a year later, Simpson asked his partner if he knew how to contact the owner

of the dogs they had seen. Luckily, his partner had saved the owner’s business card and the owner introduced them to show dog breeder Torie Steele. Fifteen years since that Massachusetts run-in, Simpson has owned two Westminster grand champion canines. Simpson’s dogs are not only a source of happiness for him, but also act as his confidants and help him connect with fellow dog lovers. Simpson’s Southern drawl gaway

See SIMPSON, Page 12

EMORY LIFE

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Getting the Lowdown With Lou: Editor Reflects on Tenure Continued from Page 11

Courtesy of Roy L . Simpson

One of Simpson’s champion dogs, nicknamed Marilyn Monroe, recently gave birth to a litter of six puppies, who have already begun to compete in dog shows nationwide.

interned at the HuffPost and USA Today. The Wheel sat down with Lou to reflect on her time as an Eagle before she transitions into a Blue Devil at Duke University School of Law (N.C.). This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Michelle Lou (18C), Outgoing Editor-inChief

Simpson Finds Common Ground in Canines

Continued from Page 11 his South Carolina upbringing. Although he didn’t begin owning show dogs until he met Steele, Simpson has had wire fox terriers and goldfinch birds since he was born. And his father and grandfather owned wire fox terriers before him. He and his childhood dogs grew up in a time of tumultuous social change. The nursing program at Grady Memorial Hospital was the only one in Georgia that was willing to accept a male applicant like himself, Simpson said. The same year he joined, the nursing school had just desegregated and gay men were facing an AIDS epidemic. Growing up in these turbulent times, Simpson said he found that part of negotiating any issue in life is finding common ground. And sometimes that common ground is at the Westminster dog show. “[The dog shows] don’t care whether I’m gay or straight-looking or not goodlooking,” Simpson said. “Is my dog’s confirmation perfect? And it is, so by God we’re going to win.” Confirmation refers to how closely the dog fits the standards of a breed. In shows, dogs are judged on their confirmation and grooming. Simpson said that for his partner, the dog shows come with the relationship; the hobby is so financially demanding that it takes the support of one’s significant other. Simpson currently owns two “high-energy” wire fox terriers. One is named JJ and the other Starlet, lovingly dubbed Marilyn Monroe because of the black dot on her face. His dogs fly under the seat in first class, receive full-time care and enjoy a toy box they can open themselves filled with carefully selected, safe toys. Marilyn Monroe recently gave birth to her second litter, six live puppies who are already competing nationwide. That’s unsurprising, given that the puppies were fathered by former

Westminster Champion Davis. Owners like Simpson spend up to $200,000 to put their show dogs on a circuit and gain recognition, appearing in magazines and other public spheres. These public tours lead to invitations to shows like Westminster. Once the dog has been invited to the show, some owners will handle the dog themselves, but others, like Simpson, often hire a professional handler. Like the dogs’ toys and travel, Simpson carefully tailors their diets to their breed. Rather than luring wire fox terriers like JJ and Marilyn Monroe with typical dog snacks, handlers entice them with hot dogs during competitions. Originally, Steele gave Simpson and his partner their dog JJ and a dog named Diva. However, Diva unexpectedly passed away when a vet overdosed her with anesthetics during a surgical procedure. As a nurse, Simpson said it was clear they had treated Diva like any dog who might have aggressive tendencies, as opposed to wire fox terriers which have been bred to be docile and don’t require nearly as much anesthesia. Simpson said his nursing training not only helped him understand that loss, but also allows him to better care for his dogs on a day-to-day basis. He pays close attention to signs of sickness, which is important because the canines cannot directly tell him when something is wrong. After Simpson graduated from Grady’s nursing program, he joined the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in 1979, where he worked as a nurse and with information systems technology. He stayed in the nursing field until he decided to go back to school for his doctorate in nursing practice, graduating from American Sentinel University (Colo.) in 2012 at the age of 63. Simpson came out as a gay man amid the AIDS crisis, when information on the disease was scarce — he served on former U.S. President

Ronald Reagan’s AIDS Commission Subcommittee under renowned health care professional Colleen C. Welch while at HCA and had one of his own partners die of the disease. Although advocating for gay rights has never been his core driving force, Simpson said he marched with other members of the LGBTQ community in the ’80s and was even shot at and beaten up for his sexuality. Simpson married a woman, who is still one of his best friends, before coming out to his family in 1978. “I am the first to tell you that if I had not been economically advantaged and highly educated, I probably would be dead from AIDS,” Simpson said. Regardless of his sexuality, Simpson said his parents were always supportive of him. “The component of guilt and condemnation were never part of my parents’ faith,” Simpson said. “I remember even when my parents were asked about my being gay by a minister, my mother was very clear with him that she had read the literature as well as he had and she could not see why there was an issue.” Simpson said he’s not sure you can be a nurse without having some understanding of faith — whatever that faith may be. Today, when he’s not caring for his dogs, Simpson teaches a course on data informatics at the Nursing School and supports information, educational and clinical simulation learning initiatives as the school’s assistant dean of technology. Susan Swanson, a former student of Simpson who now co-teaches the data informatics with him at the Nursing School, has been showing dogs her whole life and also breeds dobermans. Dogs can come and go, but the people you meet through your dogs, like Simpson, often remain in your life, she said.

— Contact Alisha Compton at acompt2@emory.edu

Ayushi Agarwal/Photo Editor

Alex Klugerman, the Emory Wheel: What is one lesson you’ll take away from your time at the Wheel? Michelle Lou: You can’t do everything by yourself, and when you work with other people you can produce really great things. Student journalism is important at Emory and any college campus. TEW: What are your best production night survival tips? ML: Place your order in #tuesdaytakeout early, take a 30-minute nap earlier in the day and get your articles through to me earlier in the week. TEW: Where are the best places in Atlanta to get takeout? ML: Golden Buddha, Cafe Bombay, Thaicoon. TEW: What is your most unexpected Emory memory, good or bad? ML: I enrolled in the Business School my first semester of my sophomore year, and I thought I was going to get a BBA, but then I decided not to. My B-school adviser [Former Director of Academic Advising] Valerie [Molyneaux] said she wasn’t surprised. I went crawling back to the College to finish my political science major and accidentally minored in East Asian studies. TEW: Who would play you in the movie of your life? ML: Definitely Awkwafina. TEW: You’re headed to law school in the Fall. Who is your favorite fictional lawyer? ML: Atticus Finch because [“To Kill a Mockingbird”] is a good book and he fought for what he thought was right. TEW: Where is the coolest place you’ve ever traveled? ML: Costa Rica last fall break. It was during a government strike and

I got stranded on the highway for two hours in the dark. I also saw a sloth and multiple sharks while I was snorkeling. TEW: Are you excited for the Jonas Brothers comeback? ML: Yes, I think “Sucker” is a great start for what will be a beautiful feature ahead for them. TEW: If you weren’t on the Wheel, what would you have done at Emory? ML: I would’ve taken the scuba and diving P.E. class and gotten my certificate in [scuba] and started my own snorkeling and scuba diving club. TEW: OK, it’s time for some favorites. Favorite show to binge? ML: I really like “Schitt’s Creek.” Or “Friends.” Always a classic. TEW: Favorite movie? ML: “Spotlight.” I have the poster hanging in my office at the Wheel. TEW: Favorite video game? ML: Stardew Valley on the Nintendo Switch. TEW: Favorite class and professor you’ve had at Emory? ML: It was Contemporary Chinese Politics with [Goodrich C. White Professor Emeritus] Thomas Remington. I learned a lot about the country that my parents grew up in, and I’m really interested in Chinese politics, which is why I accidentally minored in East Asian studies. I took the class right when Trump was starting his presidency, and there were a lot of interesting parallels between China and his administration at the time. TEW: Favorite article you’ve ever written? ML: It’s either the feature I wrote on [Emory University President Claire E.] Sterk’s husband Kirk Elifson, because he was really fun to talk to, and I feel like a lot of undergrads don’t know about him, or the recent one I wrote about racist photos in Emory’s yearbook. I got to do some archival research and talk to a lot of alumni about their experiences back in the day. TEW: Any final parting words of wisdom? ML: I hope every student finds something that they’re as passionate about on campus as I did with the Wheel. Even if you’re not into journalism, the Wheel can teach you a lot about writing, communication and collaboration, and I think it’s a really great organization.

— Contact Alex Klugerman at alex.klugerman@emory.edu

Fashion. Features. Food. Fun. Write for Emory Life. Contact alex.klugerman@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

CROSSWORD

Compiled by Aditya Prakash and Isaiah Sirois

ACROSS

DOWN

1. As fast as you can. 5. Gen Z victory pose. 8. Connoting weblike structure. 9. Closest residence hall to Cox Hall. 13. Linkin Park: “In the ___, it doesn’t even matter.” 14. Real. 16. Related to the mouth. 17. Gator, power, lemon. 18. Looking good in fancy clothes. 21. Annoying male seating behavior. 22. Shiba, Akita. 23. Bad vibe. 24. Retreat of waves. 26. Enemy of 101ml vials. 27. Slimy, exuding liquid. 28. Record a phone conversation. 30. Aquatic mammal. 32. In the Pokemon series, first form of Garchomp. 34. “Joyeux ___” — French Merry Christmas. 35. Bottled pasta and pizza sauce. 38. Yahoo’s messaging service. 39. To give an asset. 41. Second earliest application deadline. 42. Team Kakashi’s fourth member, Japanese blunted weapon. 43. Organizing text by indenting paragraphs. 47. Power obsessed person. 48. Acronym used to express one’s beliefs. 50. Supportive cells in the nervous system. 51. British TV. 52. “Dr. Pavel, I’m ___”; featured in “Homeland,”, “The Blacklist” and “Jack Ryan.” 53. Revered sustainability rating. 54. Fruct___, galact___, cellul___; implies sugar-like properties. 55. Micro, Type-C, Type-A. 56. Suffix that connotes spatial information. 57. They read your emails.

1. As fas1. To have reduced the extent of something. 2. Whimsical doctor. 3. ____, ____ Yorick! 4. Capital of Sicily. 5. The Art of the ____. 6. Most common conjunction. 7. Millenial term for quiet confidence. 9. Plant science. 10. Yankees Hall of Famer. 11. Sushi roll. 12. _ ____ of coke, _ ____ of symmetry, _ ____ of best fit. 14. Ticket for an individual. 15. Actor of the one who knocks. 19. ____ Nuts; 2016 presidential candidate. 20. Intersex-inclusive sexual diversity acronym. 25. Clubbed by Canadian hunters. 29. Quality of bendiness. 31. Mexican street corn. 32. World record-keepers; stout beer. 33. Discharge. 35. Adding bullets to an empty barrel. 36. A, C, D#. 37. 1,000,000,000,000 kilograms. 40. Short, stunted movements like with a finger or a tail. 44. Used to roll hay. 45. Predator opponent. 46. A ____ _ minute. 47. U.S.’s strongest non-nuclear bomb. 48. You might end up here after a trip to the ER. 49. Prefix denoting wrongness.

The Emory Wheel

Sports

The Emory Wheel

Equestrian Club a Hidden Gem in Emory Sports Continued from Back Page “It’s like hours and hours of waiting, followed by minutes of sheer terror,” Oquindo said. But despite the nerve-wracking environment of horse shows, Oquindo, who is mildly allergic to horses, firmly believes, “you don’t choose this sport. It chooses you.” Emory Equestrian is part of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). IHSA requires riders to pull a horse’s name out of a hat during trainings and shows to make it fair for those who cannot afford to train with a personal horse. After the riders arrive at Chastain and find the horses they’ve been matched with for the day, they groom and place the saddle and other equipment, such as the bridle and girth, on the horse, a process known as “tacking up.” Riders spend approximately 20 minutes tacking up, ensuring that every piece of equipment is secured and comfortable. The most difficult part of the process involves putting a bit into the horse’s mouth, as horses often fuss around during this step. “Each horse is a new challenge,” Oquindo said as she groomed Dakota, one of Chastain’s horses. “Dakota is spunky. She’s got a tiny stride but a whole lot of power. She’s like a Fiat.”

After their horses are ready, the riders then enter the ring, where they practice the walk, trot and canter — the three basic movements in equestrian — before advancing to jumps. Although physical exercise outside of riding is not required, competitive horseback riding is anything but easy. Riders must pay attention not only to their own posture but also to the horse’s pace and footwork to lift their bodies up from the saddle at the correct times. Body positioning differs for each of the basic movements as riders control the horses by applying pressure to their bellies and holding the reins at specific lengths. “Essentially, you want to look like you’re doing nothing,” Lee said. On top of that, riders must be aware of everything happening around them to avoid any collisions while multiple riders train simultaneously. And because riders must control both their own bodies and their horse’s bodies, injuries are common. Oquindo, who has been riding onand-off for about a decade, expressed her frustrations in the horseback riding community, including a lack of diversity in middle and high school programs. Since joining Emory’s team earlier this year, however, she has experienced a newfound sense of

Baggetta Focused On Improvement Continued from Back Page stalwart through six innings, limiting DePauw to four runs. Junior pitcher Sami Feller shut down any possibility of a Tigers’ comeback in the seventh inning, allowing Emory to pick up their first win of the season, 9-5. Baca was proud of the Eagles’ response in the second game of the series after starting the season with an 0-2 record. “We had two options,” Baca said. “[We] could have let [the slow start] continue, or [we could] bounce back. [The second game] proved the team has some fight.” The series rubber match fittingly proved the closest of the three games. A comparatively low-scoring game saw DePauw take a narrow 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning. Sophomore pitcher Madison Schaefer had a strong outing, allowing only four hits and one earned run, but DePauw contained Emory’s offense similarly up until this point. In the bottom of the fifth, Emory took a commanding 6-3 lead thanks

to a four-run inning led by a two-RBI double from junior second baseman Sarah Katz. In the top of the sixth, DePauw answered with two runs to make it a one-run game. An Emory insurance run in the bottom half of the sixth sent Miller to the mound in the seventh with a 7-5 lead. Miller blanked the Tigers in the last inning, earning a save and securing the series win for the Eagles. Although the last two victories proved exciting for the team, Head Coach Adrianna Baggetta remains more concerned with the team’s growth than with their results at this stage in the season. “Our focus is to continue to grow,” Baggetta said. “Softball is a repetition sport and [we want to] get into a good rhythm.” Emory goes on the road next week to face Maryville College (Tenn.) for a March 10 doubleheader before hosting the Emory Invitational from March 11 to 15.

— Contact Charlie Scruton at charlie.scruton@emory.edu

belonging. “This is the most amount of people of color I’ve ever ridden with in my life,” she said. Although not all team members train at the same time, they have built a solid community through long, nerve-wracking competition weekends, which occur about eight times a year, and other activities at Chastain. In addition to weekly training sessions, members of Emory Equestrian must complete 10 hours of community service per year with Chastain’s therapeutic riding program. The program offers riding therapy, known as equine-assisted therapy, for children with disabilities. Equineassisted therapy works to improve motor skills for coordination and balance. At a university with several decorated Division III varsity teams, Emory Equestrian is a secret hiding in plain sight. The team has not only mastered the skills of horseback riding, but each rider has developed thick skin along the way. Even when judges present lackluster scores, team members try to remain positive. “It’s not about the placing,” Lee said. “It’s about the ride you give.”

— Contact Nicole Sadek at nicole.sadek@emory.edu

lost 6-3, 6-1, Olcay and Fatemi brought the Eagles back with 6-4, 6-4 and 7-6, 6-2 victories, respectively. Freshman Emma Cartledge took a 7-6, 6-4 victory in the final match to win the ITA National Indoor Championship. The doubles teams saw similar success. At Sewanee, senior Daniela Lopez and Cartledge won the opening match with an 8-1 victory. Taylor and freshman Christina Watson finished up the doubles matches with an 8-4 victory. Gonzalez-Rico and Olcay swept Pomona-Pitzer College in an 8-2 win, while Taylor and Watson rounded

off doubles matches with an 8-5 win. At Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Gonzalez-Rico and Olcay took an 8-3 defeat, the Eagles secured victory as Watson and Taylor and Lopez and Cartledge scored 8-1 and 8-3 victories, respectively. Yoon said she had fun at the tournament and felt proud of her tennis family. “This tournament was fun to play, especially since the team feels like a family,” Yoon said. “I’m proud of what we accomplished this past weekend. … I think that this tournament has given us a taste of what it’s like to compete at a national level together, and we’re

Swoop’s Scoop Wednesday

Sport

Opponent

Time

Baseball

@ Oglethorpe

6 p.m.

March 6

Friday March 8

Saturday March 9

Sunday March 10

Monday March 11

All Day

Track and Field

@ NCAA Indoor Champs

W Tennis

Millsaps

Track and Field

@ NCAA Indoor Champs

All Day

Golf

@ UAA Champs

All Day

Baseball

Trinity

2 p.m.

3 p.m.

Golf

@ UAA Champs

All Day

W Tennis

Carnegie Mellon

10 a.m.

Softball

@ Maryville

12 p.m. & 2 p.m.

M Tennis

Cumberland

2 p.m.

Softball

2:30 p.m.

Rochester

2:30 p.m.

Tuesday

Softball

Rochester

March 12

Baseball

Birmingham-Southern

7 p.m.

*Home Games in Bold

Eagles Set Up With Recent Success, For Future Tardowski Hopeful Victories

top of the eighth inning. Freshman pitcher Jack Brodsky’s stellar pitching Grayson hit a single that brought kept the lead from Roanoke at the top in two more runners, senior catcher of the ninth inning. The Eagles smashed any possibility Eric Terry and senior infielder and pinch runner NJ Kim. Sophomore of extra innings when freshman infielder and pinch runner Jacob infielder Zeke Diamond hit a single to win the game on a walk-off. Singer scored the final run. Diamond and Grayson each The win goes to freshman pitcher Joey Bock, who pitched 1.2 hitless contributed three hits for a total of six out of Emory’s 10 points. The innings and threw two strikeouts. Excited about his first win, Bock game was Brodsky’s fourth win of the credited his success to his teammates. season, which leads Division III. The second game of the day was “I was very happy to get my first win, but I couldn’t have done it less successful for the Eagles, who without our offense showing up and lost 3-1. Emory totaled just three hits the entire pitching staff having a good from Grayson, Edelman and junior infielder Christopher Stern. night,” Bock said. Stern hit just one RBI in the “It was the kind of game that we sixth inning, but can look back to later managed to bring in in the season, and it junior infielder Ryan will give us a lot of confidence that we “I couldn’t have done Adelman. The loss goes to can beat anyone.” it without our offense junior pitcher James The Eagles played a showing up.” Robertson, who doubleheader against pitched the game’s Roanoke on March 2. first five innings and The first game of — Joey Bock, freshman allowed two runs on the day was a highpitcher seven hits with one hitting affair, with strikeout. each team having After the game, 10 hits. In the end, Emory took control and emerged Head Coach Mike Twardoski expressed both frustration and hope victorious with a score of 5-4. Roanoke was the first to score at regarding his team’s performance at the top of the second inning, and bat. “We, obviously, are not hitting well crossed home two more times to take a 3-0 lead over Emory at the top of the as a team, especially in key times when third. The Eagles’ offense finally paid we have men on base,” Twardoski said. off at the bottom of the third when “We have to be able to relax in that [kind of] situation and worry about they scored their first run. The team held Roanoke scoreless the at-bat and not worry about just through the seventh inning while they hitting.” The Eagles record stands at 6-3 closed the gap, scoring one in the fifth overall. They will travel to Oglethorpe and two in the seventh. Kim scored the third run off a University (Ga.) for their next game single by Grayson, who scored the on March 6. fourth off a single hit by junior catcher Jacob Greene. — Contact Lynden Fausey at Roanoke tied the game 4-4 at the lynden.fausey@emory.edu

Continued from Back Page

Continued from Back Page said. “They won 82 games [and] a UAA [University Athletic Association] championship, so these four seniors helped leave the jersey in a better place.”

“Our four seniors left a great roadmap, a great legacy.” — Jason Zimmerman, Head Coach

While the game was the last for Baitey, Bommarito, Osborne and Katz, the Eagles will return most of their scoring next year and seem primed for an even deeper tournament run.

— Contact Alex Moskowitz at apmosko@emory.edu

Tennis Continues to Serve the Competition Continued from Back Page

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

ready to continue our hard work.” Head Coach Amy Bryant expressed delight with the hard-fought battle against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps but knew that the team must look forward. “Playing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is always a battle and it was exciting to come out on top of this one,” Bryant said. “We’re keeping the big picture in mind though; we have a lot of season in front of us.” Emory holds strong at a 6-0 season record and will host Millsaps College (Miss.) on March 8.

— Contact Brian Savino at brian.savino@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Sports

Wednesday, March 6, 2019 | Assistant Sports Editor: Ryan Callahan (ryan.joseph.callahan@emory.edu)

equestrian club

women’s tennis

Eagles Win ITA National Title

baseball

Baseball Mounts Solid Comeback

By Brian Savino Senior Staff Writer

The Emory women’s tennis team continued their flawless streak with wins over Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) on March 1, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Calif.) on March 2 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) on March 3. The Eagles dominated with 9-0, 9-0 and 5-3 victories, respectively, and secured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Championship against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Nashville, Tenn. In singles, Emory refused to surrender one set to Sewanee. Freshman Lauren Yoon went to a tie-break in the first set of her match, but easily won the second set to take a 7-6, 6-1 win. Freshman Jessica Fatemi ended the day with a 6-0, 6-4 win in sixth singles. Facing Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the Eagles once again swept competition. Sophomore Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico took a 6-2, 6-3 win for first singles and sophomore Defne Olcay wrapped up the match with a 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 victory. Against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, singles players faced stiff competition. Although sophomore Stephanie Taylor

See tennis, Page 15

By Lynden Fausey Contributing Writer

posture and arm positioning. In equitation, however, judging can be infuriatingly subjective. While judges score out of 100 on form and rhythm, riders’ body types have historically played a significant role in scoring. According to Lee, judges have often favored “long, lean” bodies. This is a source of frustration for many riders, especially those whose body types do not fit into traditional standards. “Some people like a certain body type, some people like to see you really in sync with the horse, some people like you a little bit more posed,” Lee said. “I’ve run into [the subjectivity] because I’m really short.” While horse shows often last an entire day, each rider only performs in front of the judges for a few minutes.

The Emory baseball team had a successful weekend, upsetting Berry College (Ga.) 5-3 in a comeback victory on Feb. 26. However, the Eagles saw mixed results in a March 2 doubleheader against Roanoke College (Va.) winning at home 5-4 in a tight matchup, but stumbling in the second game, losing to Roanoke 3-1. In its first game of the weekend, Emory had 10 hits to Berry’s seven, and each team committed three errors. Berry struck first, scoring one run at the top of the first. Emory responded quickly and tied the score 1-1 at the bottom of the second. Strong defense on both sides prevented runs until the top of the seventh inning, when Berry crossed home twice. Trailing 3-1 with two outs at the top of the eighth, the Eagles rallied and had five consecutive hits. Sophomore outfielder Jack Rubenstein ignited the offense with a walk that senior infielder Bubby Terp followed with a single. In the next play, Rubenstein made it to home base, and senior outfielder Jackson

See EQUESTRIAN, Page 15

See with, Page 15

Priyam Mazumdar/Contributing

Junior Anne Pizzini practices jumps at Chastain Horse Park with Emory Club Equestrian. The 18 club members compete in multiple competitions throughout the year.

A Tribe Called Equestrian By Nicole Sadek Editor-at-Large

Amid a week of NCAA swimming triumphs, basketball championships and exceptional Emory sports spirit, one Emory team flew — or rather, rode — under the radar: the Emory Equestrian team. Fresh off of regionals at Auburn University (Ala.), the team’s two qualifying members, senior President Jacqueline Lee and sophomore Sara Grace Carmical, spent this past weekend competing in flat courses. Though they didn’t ribbon, they said they “had a great time” participating in jumping and flat courses and demonstrating the basic walk, trot and canter movements. For the 18 members of Emory Club Equestrian, grooming horses, canter-

ing around a ring and jumping over fences have become second nature, but this regal sport has largely been overlooked in Emory’s athletic portfolio. According to junior rider Erin Oquindo, the long drives to training sessions in Atlanta can deter the Emory community from watching the club. Once a week, team members, both longtime riders and novices, strap on their riding boots and make the roughly 45-minute journey from Emory to Chastain Horse Park, where they clean their horses, prepare the riding equipment and spend about an hour honing their riding techniques with Chastain’s Assistant Head Trainer Missy Stewart. “The objective is to be as technically accurate as possible while still looking pretty,” junior Katelyn Boisvert said. These technicalities involve pace, body

softball

men’s basketball

Season Comes to Disappointing End By Alex Moskowitz Staff Writer

Kushal Bafna/Staff

Senior pitcher Madeline Maday goes through her windup during a game against DePauw University (Ind.). The Eagles won two games out of three, their first series win of the year.

Softball Enters Win Column By Charlie Scruton Contributing Writer

The Emory softball team won two of three games against DePauw University (Ind.) to claim their first series win of the season on March 3. DePauw came out of the gate swinging, scoring seven runs in the first inning. Emory responded in the bottom half of the inning with a two-RBI single from sophomore third baseman

Natalie Arreguin to cut the lead to 7-2. After a disappointing first inning, senior pitcher Madeline Maday pitched six straight shutout innings to limit the Tigers to a final tally of seven runs. However, the first inning provided all the offense DePauw needed, as Emory’s three runs in the last three innings were insufficient. Depauw prevailed, 7-5. The Eagles bounced back in the second game of the series with an impressive offensive display that produced a

season-high of nine runs. Senior shortstop Cassie Baca had a huge game at the plate, producing three RBIs on three extra-base hits. Sophomore designated hitter Meghan Murphy added an RBI and a pair of runs. Senior center fielder Jenna Wilson also stole multiple bases and scored all three times she was on base. Senior pitcher Toko Miller remained

See baggetta, Page 15

The Emory men’s basketball team had a rough end to its 2018-19 season. The Eagles lost its opening round game of the NCAA Division III tournament to Wittenberg University (Ohio) 100-88. With the win, Wittenberg moved on to the second round to face Guilford College (N.C.). Sophomore guard Matt Schner scored a game-high 25 points and collected seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Matt Davet, sophomore guard Romin Williams and sophomore forward Lawrence Rowley also scored in double figures. However, when the Eagles needed a stop on defense, they were simply unable to perform. “The first 10 minutes [of the first half] we played pretty well, and we got into a pretty good flow offensively,” Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said. “Defensively, we weren’t as attentive to detail as we needed to be, and we gave them too many open shots.” The Eagles rebounded in the second

half with a quick 6-2 run that cut the deficit to six. The next seven minutes proved critical. The Eagles came within five points of Wittenburg on four occasions, but ultimately failed to break through. The Eagles again got within seven points with 8:22 remaining, but Wittenburg prevailed and coasted into the second round. Though the Eagles shot 55.9 percent from the field, Wittenberg outdid them with a season-high 59.3 percent from the field and 55 percent from three. In addition to their inferior shooting, the Eagles also struggled with turnovers, a rare occurrence for them during the season. In total, the Eagles ended up with 17 miscues, tying its second-highest total of the year. Zimmerman commended the team’s four seniors Gebereal Baitey, Beau Bommarito, Spencer Osborne and Joey Katz after the game. “Our four seniors left a great roadmap, a great legacy,” Zimmerman

See Eagles, Page 15