Since 1919
The Emory Wheel
Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
Volume 100, Issue 24 CAMPUS SERVICES
University Looks to Add Amenities in New Buildings By Calen MacDonald Staff Writer
As construction finishes on the Emory Student Center (ESC) and the blue fences retreat, renovations promise a wealth of innovative new spaces across campus. The Wheel spoke with Vice President of Campus Services Matthew Early about some of the building features that the University is looking to include in its new buildings. Campus Services looks to peer institutions when designing these features and deciding which to implement, according to Early. “As these features start to trend, we will add them to renovation projects and gauge response, and, over time, these types of features start to become standard, such as touchdown spaces,” Early wrote in an April 9 email to the Wheel. Touchdown Workspaces Touchdown workspaces provide a space for staff or faculty members who may not be near their office but need access to a physical workspace. Employees can bring their laptops and other devices to these spaces and charge them while doing work. They can also sit and rest while away from their office.
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“Because of the mobility of people today and the mobility of their work … your workstation needs to move with you,” Early said. Though a few buildings on campus, such as Convocation Hall, already have touchdown workstations, they will become more common in new buildings, according to Early. Haylee Fisher, guest services coordinator for the Office of University Events, noted that the touchdown workstations in Convocation Hall already see a fair amount of use by people whose offices are located in other areas of campus. Wellness Rooms Wellness rooms are designed to offer employees private spaces. They cater to anyone working in a particular building and lock from the inside, according to Early. “There may be a number of reasons why you would want to go sit down in a wellness room,” Early said. “Maybe just to reset your day and recharge your batteries.” Use of wellness rooms is dictated by each building’s administration, and some may require that users schedule a time beforehand.
See WELLNESS, Page 4
DOOLEY’S WEEK
Ayushi Agarwal/Photo Editor
Indie-pop band AJR headlines the annual Dooley’s Ball performance on April 13 at McDonough Field, following performances from Matt and Kim and Prinze George.
AJR Attracts 2,050 Attendees
By Caroline Catherman Staff Writer Indie-pop bands AJR, Prinze George and duo Matt and Kim attracted an audience of 2,050 to McDonough Field for the 2019 Dooley’s Ball on Saturday night, according to Student Programming Council (SPC) co-President Abbey Kelly (19B). Headlining band AJR took to the stage around 10:30 p.m., opening with their songs “Come Hang Out” and “Three Thirty.” The crowd was especially enthusiastic when the band performed its hit songs “Sober Up” and “Weak” in an encore before ending their performance around 11:30 p.m. The band, composed of three Ivy-educated brothers, encouraged a playful and energetic atmo-
sphere throughout the performance. The youngest brother, 21-year-old lead singer Jack Met, bounced around the stage wearing a fur hat and a high school track T-shirt. After performing “Netflix Trip,” Jack announced that he wanted to talk to a few audience members. He proceeded to ask a student to throw him his bucket hat, telling his older brother to wear it because “it will look terrible on him.” AJR’s trumpeter, JJ Kirkpatrick, also engaged the audience, even serenading the crowd at one point. Rachel Jennings (21C) said she thought the band’s songs, which explore topics like identity, protest and work burnout, were especially relevant to Emory students. “This was my second time seeing AJR in concert and I think this time
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was way better,” Jennings said. “Their songs were so in touch with the entire [college student] community and their energy was so amazing.” Around 40 people arrived in time to watch Prinze George open the concert, an up-and-coming band whose setlist included their 2015 songs “Upswing” and “Windows.” By the time Matt and Kim took the stage at around 9 p.m., a larger crowd had gathered. Matt and Kim threw T-shirts, confetti and inflatable sex dolls into the audience while performing upbeat electronic dance hits like 2012’s “It’s Alright” and 2009’s “Daylight.” Kim started drumming with two large dildos near the end of the show. Emory Emergency
See MATT, Page 4
ROLLINS
SGA Emory Clarifies Flyer Policies EPD Appoints Determines Exec Ablution Members Accidental By Caroline Catherman Staff Writer
By Tanika Deuskar and Ana Kilbourn Staff Writer and Contributing Writer The 53rd Student Government Association (SGA) convened for its first legislative meeting on Monday night to unanimously confirm members of the SGA Executive Board. Mikko Biana (21C), who was confirmed as chief of staff, spoke about the importance of having a diverse student government. “I am really passionate about student leaders being reflective of the student body,” Biana said. “And what I noticed with not just last year’s past SGA, but past governing bodies in general, was that certain demographics were not represented.” Biana said that he hopes that he will be able to institute “good practices of
See EXECUTIVE, Page 4
NEWS Nobel Laureate
Discusses Government Debt Issues ... PAGE 5 P
The University Senate Open Expression Committee, whose mission is to interpret and uphold the University’s free speech policies, issued an opinion on Monday concluding that the content of the mock eviction notices posted by Emory Students for Justice in Palestine (ESJP) was not anti-Semitic. The committee used the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism of “applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” to determine if the flyers’ content was anti-Semitic. Although the flyers referenced “Judaization” in their critique of the Israeli government, the Open Expression Committee defined the issue of housing and eviction as a contemporary political issue. Dissent and protest about political issues is allowed under Emory’s Open Expression Policy which aims to “promote and protect … speech, debate, open expression, protest, and other related matters.” However, the committee acknowledged that ESJP violated posting policies by placing the flyers on students’ doors without their permission. Placing the flyers on residential doors violated the students’ substantial interest in
expressing their own political views and their privacy, according to the committee. The committee also said the notices could potentially confuse students with limited English skills, who might not initially realize they were fake. “A possible future rule against flyers that cause substantial confusion, if narrowly crafted, could be consistent with the Open Expression Policy,” the committee wrote. The Committee for Open Expression further found no evidence that the flyers threatened violence, which would have been a violation of Emory’s free speech guidelines. “A flyer that was intentionally meant to make residents believe their apartments would be destroyed could be thought to threaten violence or force,” the committee wrote. “But it is exceedingly unlikely that the members of ESJP who posted the flyers intended to make anyone believe that their apartments would actually be destroyed: not only is there the disclaimer at the bottom, but the effectiveness of their political message depends on people realizing that the message is really about Palestine.” University President Claire E. Sterk also sent a second email to the Emory community on Friday addressing the posting of mock eviction notices. Though there is no evidence that Jewish students’ doors were delib-
erately targeted, many in the Jewish community “justifiably” construed the posters as threatening, Sterk wrote. “What happens on the Emory campus does not happen in isolation. All of us are aware that anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise on college campuses and throughout American society today,” Sterk wrote. “It is in that context of escalating intolerance that our Jewish students found the mock-eviction notices.” Sterk acknowledged students’ right to open expression but noted the importance of recognizing the impact that controversial speech can have on others. “As we defend our shared right to express controversial views, we must recognize that words and actions have consequences,” Sterk said. “Freedom of expression has costs.” ESJP released a statement on its Facebook page on April 15 defending the mock eviction notices and calling for the boycott, disinvestment and sanctioning of Israel. In their first statement released on April 5, ESJP urged community members to avoid endorsing some Jewish student groups. “The notices initiated a conversation that has been overwhelmingly generative,” ESJP wrote. “The recent elections in Israel mark a terrifying era for the
Emory Police Department (EPD) has concluded that a desecration in the ablution room at the Claudia Nance Rollins Building earlier this month was the result of a “medical emergency,” according to an April 16 University-wide email. The ablution room is designated for ritual washing for Muslims before prayer. EPD responded to the scene after a faculty member, who was informed by a student, reported on April 4 that the ablution room had been desecrated. The student told police that when they entered the ablution room, they noticed “a strong odor of urine” and saw urine both on the floor and in the washtub.
See LIPSTADT, Page 3
See UNIVERSITY, Page 5
By Carson Greene Senior Staff Writer
EDITORIAL Dining A&E Atlanta Celbrates EMORY LIFE Emory’s SPORTS Baseball Team Policy: Sustainability Must Annual Dogwood Arts First Black Student Talks Slides Into First Place in Be Affordable ... Back Page PAGE 11 Breaking Barriers ... PAGE 13 UAA ... PAGE 6 Festival ...