Sept. 6, 2023

The Emory Wheel

Graduate students fle for unionization, push for better pay

By mADi Olivier Managing Editor

EmoryUnite!, a student union based out of Laney Graduate School, filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Aug. 25 to hold an election deciding whether they should form a majority union representing Ph.D. students, who have historically been paid below Atlanta’s living wage, which is currently $39,375 for one adult working full-time without kids.

The group’s next step is meeting with the NLRB and Emory University administration to negotiate an election date, according to EmoryUnite! organizer Elijah Ullman (25G), who said he wants to hold the vote “as soon as possible.”

The discussions with the NLRB and Emory administration could include deciding which Ph.D. students will qualify to vote in the election, as the NLRB recognizes graduate students as employees when they are actively employed by the University through means such as working in a lab or teaching a class, according to labor historian and Associate Professor of Modern Latin American History Thomas D. Rogers. This means that graduate students’ bargaining units — which are groups of employees represented by a union — are more fluid, with students moving in and out as they begin and finish employment within their Ph.D. program.

During Duke University’s (N.C.) graduate student unionization election — which ended in favor of unionization on Aug. 22 — doctoral students who were employed by the university to teach or provide research services during spring 2023, fall 2022 or spring

By mAtthew ChupACk AnD sArAh DAvis Editors-in-Chief

As Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves embarks on his fourth year leading the institution, he sat down with The Emory Wheel to discuss new University leadership, mental health updates and Emory's goal to improve student retention rates.

The Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.

The Emory Wheel: This semester, Emory College and Oxford College both have new deans. How does each deans fit your vision of University leadership?

Fenves: We're just so thrilled with Dr. [Barbara] Krauthamer, who just started as the dean of Emory College, and Dr. [Badia] Ahad, who started as dean of Oxford College … I have a hand in the search process for the deans and, of course, the final decision with recommendations from the Search Advisory Committees. We got great leaders for both Oxford and the College.

2022 were eligible to vote. Rogers added that the debate about whether to view all Ph.D. students as equals or by their current employment status will likely reemerge during stipend negotiations if EmoryUnite! — which was founded in 2016 — earns recognition during the election.

“All of those are stumbling blocks on the way to say, 'What we need is to be paid a living wage overall, that the stipend levels for everybody should be at the living wage level every single year for every single student,’” Rogers said.

University President Gregory L. Fenves said he expects an announcement regarding the election “fairly soon” due to ongoing negotiations. He added that his goal is to ensure all

graduate students have the necessary information to make a decision.

“It is an important decision, not only for students that are here, but all future students who are going to be coming to Emory,” Fenves said. “So we don't have a position one way or the other, other than to say that students need to make an informed decision about what does it mean to be a member of a union and collective bargaining, and how is that going to impact their graduate education individually at Emory?”

Ullman explained that establishing an official union would allow graduate students to address problems with “meaningful power,” as Emory administration would be required to bargain with the group.

“It is all up to administrators who aren't living the experiences that students are,” Ullman said. “It might have been 10, 20, 30 years ago that they were a graduate student, so things are a very different situation. And, again, the important question — shouldn't we have a say with what happens to us and in the future?”

Over half of the Ph.D. students population signed EmoryUnite!’s card drive in support of unionization last semester, exceeding the 30% required to qualify for filing a petition to schedule an election. If over half of the students voting in the future election vote in support of unionization, EmoryUnite! will be recognized as a majority union.

“There's a difference between sign-

ing the card and signing the ballot, but [I'm] cautiously optimistic based upon the wave of union support in the last several years,” Ullman said.

Emory community response

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Ravi V. Bellamkonda sent Ph.D. students an email in response to the petition’s filing on Aug. 29. The University honors and respects students’ right to discuss unionization, Bellamkonda wrote in an email to the Wheel.

“We are committed to working with our students on this process, and regardless of the outcome, to continuing to deliver high quality, studentcentered doctoral education at Emory,” Bellamkonda wrote. “We prize the relationship between not only doctoral students and the Laney Graduate School, but also between students and their departments, faculty, advisors and more. We view unionization in light of how it may impact these trusted relationships.”

Bellamkonda added that Emory is following the processes established under the National Labor Relations Act. The University publicly responded in an Aug. 30 press release, writing that Workers United filed the petition with the NLRB. However, Ullman claimed it is “disingenuous” for Emory to say Workers United filed the petition, explaining that doing so was EmoryUnite!’s decision and Workers United is providing legal support.

“It's, again, in partnership because we had asked to file for a union with that organization, so it's us coming to them,” Ullman said. “It's not, again, a

Let me start with Oxford. Oxford … is really unique in having two pathways to an undergraduate degree. Dean Hicks did a fantastic job … I talked to Dean Ahad about how we strengthen Oxford in making clear to high school students across the country that you have these two pathways, and there's nothing like Oxford. To be able to spend two years in a residential liberal arts, beautiful campus and still have all the opportunities of a big research university … This gives students the opportunity to have the advantages of both. And so, how to market that — that’s what we've talked about with Oxford.

For the College, that's our biggest school at Emory … I don't know if you followed one of my first addresses as president in March 2021, [but] I talked about improving retention and graduation rates. We are not where what I would call our peer universities are in terms of students coming to Emory, and graduating from it.

Dr. Krauthamer comes from a university that has also gone through how to improve retention in a very different context … We had a meeting … with advisers and campus life … soon after graduation. Everybody's excited after Commencement at the end of the academic year, celebrat-

ing students graduating. I said, well, we were just outside on the Quad and celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2023. While I was excited to confer degrees on the Class of 2023, I also was a little saddened because I knew 20% — one in five students who had started in 2019 — were not sitting on the Quad graduating in 2023. Our four-year graduation rate now is about 81%, approximately … That should be 90% of students who start at Emory who graduate in four years. It's a very comprehensive look, from academics to financial aid to being able to get courses that a student wants for their degree to student mental health issues that can inhibit a student from completing or completing on time to students finding that they get to Emory and that it's not quite what they thought it was and may want to think about alternatives. And how do we help them find that? So there's a whole range of issues that we’re working on. That's one of the most important areas for Dr. Krauthamer as the new dean of Emory College.

By AmeliA DAsAri Staff Writer

Emory University’s new Blue General Education Requirement (GER) Plan — which is applicable to the Class of 2027 and future classes

— states that students will no longer be able to fulfill GER requirements with Advanced Placement (AP) and

International Baccalaureate (IB) credits, with the exception of one of two Intercultural Communications courses and the first-year writing requirement. However, students can still use AP and IB credits to fulfill their major’s prerequisites and accelerate into more advanced courses

Soph Guerieri/Staff photoGrapher

EmoryUnite! members gather on the Quadrangle in February to collect signatures to qualify to petition for a unionization election and celebrate their progress.

Laney stipend remains below living wage after increase

corporation coming in and trying to expand territory.”

Bellamkonda also sent students an FAQ page providing information about what unions are and how they are formed in the press release. Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) President Neeti Patel (24PH) raised concerns about there being an “inherent conflict of interest” when Emory offers information on a situation directly impacting it. However, Patel noted she does not believe the University had ill intent and commended Emory’s effort to give students a platform to discuss unionization.

Patel pointed out that the University called unions “businesses” in the FAQ, overlooking the union’s purpose of advocating for students. She also noted that the FAQ page includes information on unions at public universities and how they would differ from Emory’s experiences as a private university but does not discuss the fact that unions exist at other private institutions.

“It seems like they're trying to be very factual, but again, the facts that they can send and the facts that they omit also can have an inherent bias,” Patel said.

However, Rogers noted that while the FAQ page seemed to have a “warning tone,” he did not believe it was largely skewed against unionization, as it did not include anti-union talking points common among university administration such as claiming that unions will change student-professor relationships and infringe on academic freedom.

Bellamkonda wrote that it is important for Emory to provide accurate information to help students make a decision in response to the claims of anti-union rhetoric.

“We encourage our PhD students to seek out a variety of perspectives on this topic,” Bellamkonda wrote. “I have not, and will not, send any messages encouraging students to vote in a particular manner – only to vote!

It is important that each Ph.D. student make their voice heard in this process.”

Laney Graduate Student Council

(LGSC) President Caroline Barry (20PH, 25G) wrote in an email to the Wheel that LGSC “absolutely supports and advocates for student-workers’ rights to a fair election process and protection of labor rights.” GSGA aims to advocate for students and protect their rights, including their right to unionize, according to Patel.

Both Barry and Patel expressed the importance of voting in the unionization election and making an informed decision.

“I really encourage students to seek out information from multiple sources, have thoughtful discussions and ultimately make decisions that they feel that serve their interests and wellbeing,” Patel said. “I believe in our students' ability to do that, to think critically, and I hope that the University also recognizes that.”

Professors have also been supportive, according to EmoryUnite!

In total, 967 Laney faculty members signed an open letter in support of EmoryUnite! by the end of February.

Now, the number of signatures has risen to 97.

Rogers is among the signees. He noted that he is strongly in favor of graduate students’ right to unionize after leading an unsuccessful unionization effort as a Ph.D. student at Duke in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

“It's important that we allow people to have a voice in their labor conditions and to be paid fairly for their labor,” Rogers said.

As a whole, universities may be against unions out of fear of losing their control over their relationship with graduate students, according to Rogers.

“Administrators might privately say that having a union drives a permanent wedge between students and faculty in that now there's an additional layer of management to overcome and that the University is unable to be as agile in meeting needs,” Ullman said. “But at the same time, the University has never been agile to meet the needs. It was only through massive pressure in the last two years that we're able to even obtain modest stipend increases, and those still failed to meet the living wage indexes.”

Increased stipend

The University officially increased the stipend for most Laney doctoral students by 6% on Sept. 1 after announcing the raise last semester. Additionally the stipends for the business program were increased by 8%, from $37,000 to $40,000, while the biomedical engineering program remained at $34,500.

Laney stipends rose from an average of $34,595.63 during the 2022-23 academic year to $36,637.53, or about $3,053.13 per month. However, even with the raise, most students’ stipend will still fall below Atlanta’s living wage, which is approximately $39,375 for one adult working full-time without kids.

In a cost of living survey of doctoral students obtained by the Wheel, Laney found that 44.4% of respondents’ only source of financial support was their stipend. Of these students, those who are single reported spending an average of $2,335 per month, leaving $199 left over from their average monthly take-home pay of $2,534 after taxes in 2022, according to the survey.

“Pretty much nothing left for savings,” Ullman said. “So you have an emergency outside of your monthly budget? Better have rich parents.”

Additionally, the survey noted that single students only living off their stipend spent an average of $1,254.93 per month on rent, about 49.52% of their monthly take-home pay in 2022. Food was the second largest expense, averaging $444.24, or 17.53%. For parenting students living off only the stipend, these numbers rose to $1,357.27 (53.56%) and $540.91 (21.35%), respectively. Spending a monthly average of $375.45 (14.82%) on childcare.

With roughly 70% of their monthly stipend covering rent and food, students living off only the stipend were left with about $760.20 for all other expenses, which Ullman said is “simply not enough.”

“My mom's got stage four cancer,” Ullman said. “Should I need to go home, I would be f*****.”

Ullman added that although the increased stipend will be useful, it still

Class of 2027 responds to GER policy

Continued from Page 1

under the new policy.

There are multiple reasons for the change, Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Joanne Brzinski wrote in an email to the Wheel.

“The faculty wanted students to have a common experience in their general education requirements at Emory, so the requirements focus on courses students take as college students, not the work they completed in high school,” Brzinski wrote.

Brzinski also noted that the variability of AP courses offered in high schools around the country creates “an equity issue.”

“Prior to the change this fall for the Class of 2027, some students entered Emory with a great deal of credit toward their general education requirements already fulfilled, and others had to complete all the requirements at Emory,” Brzinski wrote.

Autumn Molina (27C), an IB student in high school, also addressed the equity issue the new policy aims to resolve.

“I see where they’re coming from for students who don’t have access to

higher level education like AP or IB,” Molina said. “But I feel like it’s kind of unfair to students who do and worked super hard those years to have this general requirement not to be worried about.”

The Blue Plan requires 15 classes — three fewer than the Gold GER Plan, which is still effective for the Classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026.

“Though all students need to complete the same requirements, there are also fewer courses required to complete those requirements,” Brzinski wrote.

Krisha Jain (27C), who took six IB courses in high school, said the Blue Plan has benefited her by giving her a chance to explore her interests. She originally planned to only take business classes but now will try to enroll in astronomy or astrophysics next semester.

“It benefits me because I’m not 100% sure on my major yet,” Jain said. “Taking new natural science courses or other ones gives me the opportunity to check what I really want to do.”

Jain also said that retaking courses she had already completed would be much easier because she had prior knowledge of class material.

falls about $3,000 short of Atlanta’s living wage, leaving students with $3,000 less for financial needs such as medical emergencies.

“Any sort of doctor visit is financially difficult,” Ullman said. “Medications are expensive, and in that same survey, people were indicating that they're worried about that amount of health care costs. So, yes, a raise is useful, but it's still chronically under and won't meet the needs.”

Barry expressed a similar statement, noting that although it is “wonderful” Ph.D. students receive a stipend to begin with, “it’s tough out here.” She noted that international students are especially vulnerable, with 65% fully relying on the stipend, according to the survey.

To address these concerns, EmoryUnite! wants the University to pay graduate students a stipend that continuously matches the living wage of Atlanta as it fluctuates.

Ullman said that it has been easy for universities to pay graduate students below living wage under the belief that they are only receiving an education without providing any real work. However, he explained that this is a false perception of graduate students, as they typically teach undergraduate courses and often produce products such as books, technologies and published research.

“We’re a critical part of the University's infrastructure,” Ullman said. “We want student success and in order to enable that, we need to have a seat at the negotiating table for things that impact us and our food security, housing security, health care security. All of those are critically tied to the undergraduate experience.”

Ullman noted that the University is not ignoring the issues graduate students are discussing, as Laney discussed several student recommendations to reduce the burden of living off the stipend in the cost of living survey. These included making information about Laney’s emergency support resources and the cost of attendance clear and widely accessible, increasing resources to combat food insecurity, increasing professional development support funds

and offering financial workshops. Laney also offers full tuition scholarships of about $70,200 annually, Bellamkonda added.

“Recognizing that the cost-of-living in the Atlanta area presents a challenge, we have worked over the past several years to increase stipends and to bolster our support to doctoral students across a range of areas,” Bellamkonda wrote.

However, Ullman expressed frustration that Laney did not list increasing the stipend as a recommendation.

“Nothing on that list is, 'Why don't we just pay our damn students more so that they can maybe afford food?’” Ullman said.

In addition to increased stipends, EmoryUnite!’s goals include stronger protection against discrimination, harassment and unfair treatment in graduate programs, enhanced support for student parents — such as an extra stipend — and improved medical insurance coverage.

Laney student workers receive a 100% subsidy of Emory’s student health insurance premium, which currently amounts to $4,762 for single students without children — a $392 increase from the 2022-23 academic year. However, Ullman alleged that many students are unable to cover health care costs even with Emory’s insurance, which he said lacks services such as vision care.

“We need eyes to do work and we don't have vision insurance,” Ullman said. “And if they would like students to do their job, which again, requires eyes, it sure would be nice to be able to see.”

EmoryUnite! believes that establishing an official union to work toward these goals would benefit the University economically by enticing “the best and brightest” graduate students to come to Emory, Ullman added.

“The University has done amazing things for the world,” Ullman said. “We have enormous capability to do good and we want to help the University continue to do that good. It is never us versus them.”

— Contact Madi Olivier at madi.olivier@emory.edu

“It is a tiny bit annoying that I already have credits for classes and I have to retake them, but then again it just helps my GPA,” Jain said.

Molina said she wanted to take more challenging classes this year related to nursing, which she plans to major in, but the new policy forces her to retake classes similar to what she took in high school.

“It pushed me back in terms of what I wanted to do here at Emory,” Molina said. “I thought that I could just get my general requirements out of the way and focus on other interests I wanted to do.”

Molina said that the new policy put her back “at square one.”

“I wanted to take advantage of the liberal arts for the first year and explore, but now I feel like I can't because I have to do the same kind of courses that I was taking,” Molina said.

Molina said she is still excited about her time at Emory, despite the policy change.

“My goal here at Emory is just honestly to get the best education,” Molina said.

— Contact Amelia Dasari at amelia.dasari@emory.edu

University nears bicentennial fundraising goals

Continued from Page 1

TEW: Toward the end of last semester, a student rally raised concerns about Emory’s Title IX process. How is Emory going to support survivors moving forward?

Fenves: “So a couple of things. The Office of Respect, we're getting some new staff and counselors there. The hotline now is 24/7, so it doesn't have a certain set of hours; it is always available … When a student has a report, we want to be able to address it as quickly as possible and provide the appropriate survivor support for any complainant, any student.

The Title IX office had a significant backlog of cases, and when I found out about it I was very unhappy about it, so we did some restructuring of the office and we have a new Title IX coordinator, Nicole Babcock. One of the things I did is we instituted a regular meeting of all the senior executives with Nicole just for reports on where progress is in specific cases. I don't know any of the specific cases because they're confidential, and I believe nearly all the backlog of cases, which is often a bit of a big complaint of students: They file a complaint and don't hear anything for months. I think we have substantially addressed that backlog, and the progress of cases has been moving much more in line with what our expectations are and our standards are for cases. So those are the two things supporting survivors with a beefed up Office of Respect and being more expeditious, yet fair and thorough, in the Title IX review process.

TEW: I wanted to go back to one thing you said earlier about mental health in higher institutions. I know over the past couple years, the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services has faced heavy criticism from students, and I wanted to hear how you as a leader are hoping to set an example for mental health in higher education.

Fenves: Well, it's been a problem at Emory and all universities. It's preCOVID. I remember my previous role, we were dealing with increased needs of students for mental health [services] and counseling. What we're doing at Emory is last year we created a new position: Vice President for Student Wellness, Dr. James Raper, who is a clinical psychologist and had developed a very comprehensive program at Wake Forest University that encompasses wellness and physical health, mental health. So Student Health Services, CAPS, Offices of Respect,

several other offices are now under his umbrella so that we can be very coordinated and integrated as to how we're meeting the student needs.

We just recently announced the new director of CAPS, Dr. Tenille Gaines from Michigan State University, which you may know was in the news for some mental health issues of students, so she's very experienced at actually a much larger university than Emory. As we think about student well-being — these are not my terms, but I'll use them if it's terms they use — they talk about “upstream” and “downstream.”

So the downstream are the actual services provided to students: counseling services, other peer group, peer counseling, group counseling and [the] vision is to have a tiered approach … Most students have stress, many students have anxiety, and to be able to deal with the student needs and then elevate it as it's clinically indicated for each individual student. That's the program they're putting in place with CAPS … I think I understand that they're removing the session limits within CAPS, beginning this year. That doesn't mean unlimited counseling, but it does mean that if a student needs a certain level of care, there's not a counter that keeps track of what the quota is. It's still managed, but it's appropriate for the student.

On the upstream side is how can we reduce stress? I think it's important for not just students, everybody, to learn how to develop resilience and self-care, and so that's part of the more wellness programs that Dr. Raper is developing here. So we really want to look at the entire spectrum of what's causing the increased levels of need for students for mental health and counseling and how can we best address it in a tiered format?

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The Emory Wheel

Volume 104, Issue 8

© 2023 The Emory Wheel Alumni Memorial University Center, Room 401 630 Means Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322 Business (404) 727-6178

Editors-in-Chief Matthew Chupack and Sarah Davis matthew.chupack@emory.edu sarah.davis@emory.edu

Founded in 1919, The Emory Wheel is the fnancially 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 statements and opinions expressed in the Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily refect those of the Wheel Editorial Board or of Emory University, its faculty, staf or administration.

TEW: One thing that was on a lot of people's minds in higher education this summer was affirmative action being overturned. You subsequently sent a letter to the Emory community. When you're thinking about the University's dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion and its admissions process, how does this factor in?

Fenves: My letter was very discouraging and disappointing … We have to follow the law, but it's not a decision that I think is the right decision for American higher education. So what are we doing? Well, that decision was then handed down at the end of June. Our application portal opened Aug. 1. We have had a month to really begin the aspects of the application process and the way our admissions office handles that because race could not be used as a factor. So we've put in place the new admission procedures … We all expect that there'll be a smaller number of historically-underrepresented students in the admissions process. That's why I felt, and many others felt, that race needed to be a factor in admissions. All students we admit are extremely talented. I mean, we have so many talented applicants to Emory … and there are lots of factors that go into admission and I believe race and ethnicity should be one of them. So now that we can't include [race as a factor], although we can look at each individual applicant through their essays and other information they provide about their life experience, the obstacles that they've overcome, barriers that they've had to address. Those are all factors that we can legitimately look at in reaching admissions decisions, but we won't know until the admissions process is over in May about what the demographics are, so this is the first year. Now, once we've learned about that, we'll start looking at … how do we recruit applicants to be able to have a diverse student body and have the educational benefits of diversity. We'll be looking at financial aid: How does financial aid affect who's considering coming to Emory? … It won't be solved this year because this will take several years of finding out what is effective in recruiting and admitting students within the requirements of the law.

TEW: You’ve faced pressure from some Emory community members to step down from the Atlanta Committee for Progress due to its ties to the controversial

University campus. Being able to protest, disagree, demonstrate peacefully is all part of the Emory experience, as it should be for any university.

Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. How do you respond to these demands?

Fenves: Well, first of all let me say something about the Atlanta Committee for Progress. This is a uniquely Atlanta institution. It was started by Mayor Shirley Franklin, when she was mayor to at first bring the business community together and what was important for her as leader of the city to make progress in Atlanta. Soon after … they invited universities to be part of the Atlanta Committee for Progress. So the three research universities — Emory, Georgia Tech and Georgia State — and most of the presidents of the AUC, so Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Morehouse School of Medicine, are all on the Atlanta Committee for Progress. It's really a unique Atlanta institution about bringing business and educational and some civic leaders together for what is important for the city, as it's led by the mayor.

And so, I think if you look at a lot of the programs … for example on homelessness, a lot of organizations on ACP helping to address the fact that we have far too many individuals who don't have homes, youth employment, so it's a wide range of priorities for the mayor that these leaders across the city come together. I think it's very important for Emory to be at the table … The training center itself is a very contentious issue. It has gone through a process of voting and the City Council, all elected members by residents of Atlanta … Emory doesn't have a position. This is something elected leaders are making. I know there's been a petition drive to put it on the ballot. I don't know what the status of that is, but if it does make it on the ballot, it's for the voters of Atlanta to decide what the future should be for that for the training center.

◊◊◊

TEW: The movement has also made its way onto the Emory campus with a student protest last spring which was broken up by the Emory Police Department officers citing a violation of the University’s Respect for Open Expression Policy. There are still some lingering questions about the Policy’s application in this instance, as well as the Atlanta Police Department being brought onto the scene with EPD. Is that something that the University is going to address publicly?

Fenves: Well, certainly, open expression is an important part. I mean, this is the First Amendment but on the

I think we have a very good openexpression policy. Now, I know there's gonna be some discussion [if there] are changes that we should look at to support free speech even more, and I'm certainly open to those discussions. But free speech is not completely unconstrained, and I think we have very good rules here that are very wide open about protest and demonstration. But our open expression policy does limit it if it's affecting the operations of the University, and having overnight camping affects the operations of the University because we have to keep students safe. We have to have staff available if we have anybody that's overnight on campus, and so through the open expression observers, which are very well-trained staff, and many faculty volunteers as observers, there was very clear communication, as is with all the protests since I've been here, and the protesters decided that they weren't going to abide by the agreement in the protest at 10 o'clock. We tried to give them many warnings, and then ultimately had to be clear that we weren't going to allow overnight camping because under the open expression policy it would impede the operations of the University.

TEW: Just going back to the Atlanta Police Department’s involvement: In what instances are APD brought on to campus?

Fenves: Well, that's a law enforcement decision about how to work with other agencies. Obviously, we're in the City of Atlanta. I really hope this is never the case, but if we have an active shooter on campus, we're going to call in local law enforcement to help with it because we don't have enough EPD officers to deal with every situation, so that's an EPD decision … I don't get involved in law enforcement decisions.

TEW: One final question: What is the update on the University’s 2O36 fundraising campaign?

Fenves: The top-line goal for the campaign is $4 billion. We are making very good progress. We just closed the fiscal year yesterday, and so we have two years left in the campaign, so we're now in the final push for the campaign … We had a quiet phase from 2017, and then I publicly announced the launch campaign in October 2021. So from the beginning of the campaign to today, we've raised $3.4 billion. We have $600 million to go in the final two years.

What I'm really pleased about is the progress we are making towards endowment for students and for faculty. We announced a faculty endowment match program … and we've already added about 10 new facultyendowed positions. Hopefully, we'll finish that match off in the next year and we're working really hard to work with our committed and generous donors to increase endowment for student scholarships … so hopefully we'll end the campaign Aug. 31, 2025, having exceeded the $4 billion goal.

— Contact Matthew Chupack and Sarah Davis at matthew.chupack@emory.edu and sarah.davis@emory.edu

CourteSy of eMory univer Sity

Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves is entering his fourth year at the institution. White

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Americandemocracyispropagandizedtoteachthatourindividualism ascitizensholdspower,andyet mainstreampoliticalactivism teachesustouseourpowerto supportpoliticalinstitutions.Ahead ofthe2024presidentialelection,if youhavebeenstrugglingwithbeing politically-engagedorre-examining youridentityasanactivist,Iwant youtocontemplatethepowera periodofindifferencecouldhave.

My15-year-oldselfwouldbe shockedifshecouldreadthisadmissionandencouragementofpolitical indifferenceontheinternet.

Irecognizemyprivilegeinasking youtoconsideraperiodofindifference,atermIhavealwaysknownas aformofeasy,ignorantblissmost Americanscannotafford.ButI honestlybelievethatthemajorityof peopleIknow—fromcollege studentstoseniorcitizens—have

Letmebeclear:adoptinga mindsetofpoliticalindifference shouldnotcomeatthecostofan educatedvote.Itshouldcomewith decenteringpoliticsasAmerica's foremostfaith-basedsystemfor change.Indoingso,youdistance yourselffromforcedidealsofpoliticalengagement.Ihavechosento adoptindifferenceinthemanner thatIprotectmytimeandenergy.In reflectingonAmericanpolitical identity,Ihavelearnedthecritical differencebetweenbeingpolitically educatedandpoliticallyconsumed.

Iwouldn’tcallthisremediating activistburnoutbecausethisterm conflatesactivismwithexhaustion andrecuperation.Adoptingpolitical indifferencebroughtmeclarityabout theinstitutionofAmericanactivism.

We,RepublicansandDemocrats, votersyoungandold,continuously giveourselvesawayasextensionsof acandidate,apartyoracause. Democracy,asanAmericaninstitution,ispropagandized.Youseeitin thepoliticaliconismofTrumpsupporters’MakeAmericaGreatAgain attirealongsidethetokenismof politicianswhostrayfromthemain demographicofwhite,richmen.We areconditionedasAmericanvoters toexpendourpatriotismthrough personalinvestmentinpolitical institutionsandfiguresbecausethey representourbeliefsandmoralsina tangibleformofpower.Itismy perspectivethatifwewereto implementthepracticeofindifference,littleoftheoutputwould changeinexchangeforgreater personalpeaceandcollectiveclarity.

Thisisnotnecessarilypessimism inregardstothehopelessshambles thatIperceiveAmerica’spolitical institutionstobe;rather,itisindifferencebuiltbythefact-basedidea thattheseinstitutionsexploitinnocentidealsofdemocracy,hopeand change.Themajorityofpolitical institutionsrarelybendtocollective blood,sweatandtears,nomatter howusefulsuchexpendituresarein makingusvotersfeelimportantand fulfilled.

victimoftheleft’spropaganda.

Iwanttomakeitclearthatthere isnosocialgravitasforgrassroots movementswithouttheseinnocent ideals,buttheenergyputintopoliticalinstitutionscanbedivestedand movedtowardsaidmovements.

usedtobeacommodifiedassetof mine,andnowIseethesamespurts ofpassionIusedtohavesteadily sustainedandevolvinginmyacademicpapers,relaxedconversations andfreely-chosenoutletsof knowledge.

Theideathatactivismshouldnot beexhaustingstemsfromthedivestmentofourbeliefandpatriotismin Americandemocracyasawhole. WhenacornerstoneofAmerica’s foundingfocusedonpioneeringa novelpoliticalsystem,ittakesa revolutionoffaithtounderstandthat evenourfoundingwasinstitutionalized.“WethePeople”waspennedby anoligarchyofslave-owning,white, self-appointedmen;theruseof individualpowerinAmerican democracywascreatedasaformof maintainingcontrol.

Toinvestinacorruptsystem, whetheritbethroughfiscaldona-

Takethepresidentialelectionof 2020.Itwasemotionallyandphysicallyexhausting.Iremembermy anxietyfeelingliketheonlyproductivewaytoengageinthatmoment. NowIrealizethatthefeelingof fulfillmentItookawaywhenBiden wonwasafalsifiedproductof propagandizeddemocracy.Likeso manyofmypeers,Idealtwith self-imposedanxietyandexhaustion becausefundamentallyitfeelsgood tohavefaithinAmerica.ButPresidentBiden,intermsofbothhis policiesandthefactthathereceived theDemocraticParty’spresidential nomination,isjustaproductof politicalinstitutionalism.AndI,two yearstooyoungtovoteandoverwhelmedbythepropensityto over-consumepoliticalmedia,wasa

Iwanttopreservemyownhope whenitcomestoactivismstrengthenedbyandforthepeople,the preservationofwhichiswholly dependentonthesacrificeofenergy foreventsandpoliticiansthatareout ofmyreach.Organizers,mutualaid, andhistoricalactsofprotesthave madeitsothathopeforAmerican democracypersists.Divestingfrom democracyonlyworksifitresultsin investinginthepeopleandworkthat haveandcontinuetomakeit possible.

Ihavereflectedonmyindifferenceandbelievethatpresently,I wouldappeartosomeasstill partiallyindifferent.Iamnotas involvedasIwouldexpectmyselfto beayearago,andIhavegainedso muchmorebecauseofit.Activism

BeingagoodAmericancitizen andeducatedvotershouldnotcome atthecostofmeaninglesslaborput towardinstitutionsandpoliticians whorunontheideathatdemocracy andchangearesolelydrivenby people.Ifthismakesmeabad patriot,sobeit.I’vealwaysthought itjustabitnarcissistictopush democracyandlibertyasamoral whenithasbeenfoughtforbygroups historicallymarginalizedbythose representingthecountry’spolitics. Maybeit’sjustme,butdemocracyinitstruestformgrantsthe liberationtorevolutionize.Thisismy individualrevolution;Ithinkmy 15-year-oldselfwouldbeproud.

SaanviNayar(26C)isfromMarlboro,NJ.

Democracyin itstruestform grantsthe liberationto revolutionize. Thisismy individual revolution.

SaanviNayar

IVANA CHEN/CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

Selfcareiseasiersaidthandone.

Forthefirsttimesinceelementary school,theexpectationoficebreakersatthebeginningofthissemester excitedme.Chattingwithfriendson move-inday—andmakesomenew ones—waslessdaunting.Walking tothedininghallandskippinga nightoutcausedfewervoiceswhisperingwhat-ifsinmyhead.

“Whatdidyoudooverthesummer?”playedonrepeatthroughout myclasses,andthesamethought answeredinmyheadeverytime.

“Istartedtherapythissummer,”I thoughtwithasmile.

WhileIdon’tquitehavetheguts tosharethismilestoneoutloud duringclass,Istillfeelrelievedtobe backoncampusandfeelingbetter thanever.

ReturningtoOxfordCollegethis fallhasbeenakinbothtocoming homeandreenteringthedepthsof hell.

Istrugglewithmymentalwellbeing,asmanydo,butthetimeI dedicatedtomyselfoverthesummer wasrejuvenating.

Iamfindingmyselfwhileaskinga pressingquestion:Whatdoesit meanforanoverachievingand generally-stressedcollegestudentto takecareofthemself?

Self-carehasalwaystauntedme. Ifeelsillywritinginajournal, frivolouswhiledoingafacemask andguiltilyuselesswhiletaking breaks.

Yes,I’dlovetotakeawalkordo someart,butIfearlosingtimeor makingbadart—thelatterofwhich isnottoodifficultforme.Instead, myprocrastinationgetsthebestof me,andtheviciouscyclerepeats.

Thisbegsthequestionofhowto breakyourselffromthemagnetic pullofworkaholismthatfuelsour ever-presentegos,andfrankly, conversationtopics.

Youcan’tgettoofarintoachat withfriendsoracquaintanceswithoutmoaningandgroaningabout assignments,commitmentsorother stressors.

Lastsemester,Ihadaprofessor whohelpedmebettergrasptheidea ofself-care.Previously,andperhaps foolishly,Ihavealwaysequatedselfcarewithslowingdown.

Itsoundedlikesteppingaway frommymomentumandlosing time.However,myprofessorgot throughtomeinthreewords:“Have somefun.”

Itwasn’t“slowdown,”“takesome timetoyourself”oreven“takecare ofyourself.”Hesimplyencouraged metodosomethingthatIenjoy.For extracredit,myprofessorpushedhis studentstogetoutsideoftheir comfortzones,spendtimedoinga

Georgiavolunteerlicensure restrictionsunderminecare

LastNovember,Ifoundmyselfin theruraltownofCleveland,Tenn., witnessingretiredphysicianshurl expletivesagainstexistingmedical licensurepolicy.Sittinginapublic highschoolclassroomthathadbeen convertedtoatemporarymedical examroom,Ihadbroachedasensitive subjectforthisgroupofretired doctors,nowdedicatedtovolunteer workwithanorganizationcalled RemoteAreaMedical(RAM).

RAMisanonprofitorganization basedinTennesseethatorchestrates large-scalepop-upclinicsthroughout thenation.Afewyearsago,Emory UniversitystudentsorganizedaRAM chaptertoplantheirownclinicsand coordinatestudentvolunteeringwith RAM.IjoinedtheEmorychapter shortlyafterarrivingoncampusand wasassignedthedutyofhelping recruitphysiciansforaclinicin Louisville,Ga.,whichwillbehostedby ourchapterlaterthismonth.

amendedin2009,theoreticallyauthorizestheMedicalBoardtoadminister temporaryvolunteerlicenses, althoughthephysiciansinCleveland, Tenn.reportedbeingunabletoobtain atemporarylicenseundercurrent MedicalBoardpolicy.

Conversely,theVolunteerHealth CareServicesActinTennessee,passed in2015,clearlyspecifiesthat“no additionallicense…isnecessaryfor thevolunteerprovisionofhealthcare services.”Physiciansfromoutside statescanfillgapsincarewithout burdensomeregulation.Tennesseeis an“open”state,soorganizationslike RAMcanrecruitdoctorsfromallover thenationtovolunteer.

ImetwithRAMCEOJeffEastman tospeakwithhimaboutRAM’sbattle againstvolunteerlicensurepolicy,and heimmediatelylamentedtheorganization’sdifficultiesinbringingvolunteerstothestateofGeorgia.Ourstate hasaccruedareputationamong medicalvolunteergroups,unbeknownsttomanymembersofthe public.

hobbyordiscoversomethingnew.

ItwasthebestadviceIhad gottenallyear—apologiestomy therapist,you’relovelytoo.Now,I haveunlockedawholeotherside oftakingcareofmyself.IfIfind writingforTheEmoryWheeltobe fun,thenwhoistosaythatI’mnot takingcareofmyself?

thingyouareengagedwithand excitedtodo.

Iambynomeansanexpertinthis subject.However,withthebeginningofthefirstfewrealweeksof classesaheadofus,Iwantto encourageallofyoutodefine self-careforyourselves.Forme,it meansgoingatadifferentspeed— butnotnecessarilyslower.

Whetheryouneedtospeedup, staysteadyormakeaU-turn,keepin mindthatyourmentalhealthisnot anotherboxonyourto-dolist.

Whileself-carecanbeatimeoran activity,it’salsoamindset.Youcan takecareofyourselfandbeproductiveatthesametimeifyouneedto— it’sallowed.

Don’tavoidyourmentalhealth liketheplaguebecauseyoudon’t wantanotheritemonyourplate.I’ve beenthere,andIcanassureyouthat Iwillbethereagain.Mydefinitionof self-careisever-evolvingandcan taketheformofwork,playor relaxation.

AtthisRAMclinicinCleveland, Tenn.,Ibeganspeakingwiththese retiredphysiciansandperceivedan idealopportunityforrecruitment: PhysiciansdedicatedtoRAM’scause wouldcertainlybeinterestedin volunteeringatourGeorgiaclinic.This inquirypromptedmydiscoveryof Georgia’sflawedlicensurepolicy— theseTennesseephysicianscouldnot crossintoGeorgiatolegallyprovide volunteerservicesforaweekend pop-upclinic.

Whenphysiciansareforcedto remainsegregatedbystateboundaries,coordinatedinitiativestoprovidecaretodesperatepopulations cannotoccuratthenationallevel. Instead,volunteermedicalservices findthemselvesundulysequestered andcaredeliveryislimited.Emory’s chapterofRAMhostedthefirst-ever RAMclinicinGeorgiaonlytwoyears agoin2021,andthepaucityofRAM clinicsinGeorgiaiscertainlynot unrelatedtotheonerousprocessof bringingout-of-statevolunteers.

Irecentlyhadaconversation withafriendwho,likemyselfand manyothers,isdoingalotof things.

Theadviceshewasgetting fromcertainpeoplearoundher wasthatsheneededtoslowdown andtakesometimeforherself. Instead,Iproposedthatwestudy together;makeself-caresome-

Andtoalloftheprofessorsout there:takeapageoutofmyprofessor’sbookandencourageyour studentstohavesomefunin whatyevermannersuitsthem; sometimes,allittakesisrewording anever-suffocatingmessageof“take careofyourself”togetanimportant pointacross.

EllieFivas(24Ox)isfromCleveland, TN.

Dr.WilliamMoss,aretiredOBGYNwhofrequentlytravelswith RAM,remarkedthatGeorgiaisa “closed”state,atermdenotingaplace whereoutsidephysiciansareunableto enterandvolunteer;volunteerlicensurepolicydifferswidelyonastate-bystatebasis.AsaTennesseephysician, Mosswasinformedhemustpursue thelengthyandexpensiveprocessof obtainingapermanentGeorgiaphysicianlicenseshouldhewishtoprovide freecareinthestate.Obtaininga permanentlicense,accordingtothe GeorgiaCompositeMedicalBoard, takessixtoeightweeksandrequiresa $500applicationfee,unjustifiablefor out-of-statedoctorsinterestedin volunteering.

Giventhelackoftraineddoctors nearLouisville,Ga.,hearingthatthese physicianswouldnotbeableto volunteerattheclinicwascertainly discouraging.Ineverthelesscouldnot faultthemforrefusingtotakepartin theMedicalBoard’sinordinateand costlyregulations.GeorgiaCodeSection43-34-41,the“GeorgiaVolunteers inMedicineHealthCareAct,”last

TheGeorgiastategovernmentmust enactabillmirroringtheTennessee VolunteerHealthCareServicesActto removetheburdenofseekingan unobtainablevolunteerlicenseor permanentlicensure,allowingorganizationslikeRAMtoreadilydeliver neededmedicalservicestounderinsuredpopulations.

AtEmory,pre-medicalorganizations,includingourRAMchapter, couldleveragetheirsheersizeto influencethispolicy,withleaders instructingmemberstowritetolocal representativesaboutlicensure.

Statesovereigntyisnotundermined whenoutsidevolunteerservicesare delivered.Theobjectiveisnottoallow non-Georgiaphysicianstoopenforprofitpracticeswithoutpermission fromtheMedicalBoard.Instead, Georgiamustlegalizetheentryof dedicatedphysicianstoourstateto helpalleviatethescourgeofdesperate patientpopulationsinlightofspotty insurancecoverage.

EllieFivas

ZacharyPaikin(26C)isfromVienna, VA.

ZacharyPaikin

ELLIE FIVAS/OPINION EDITOR

TheOxfordquadrangleatmid-afternoon.Relaxingoutside ortakingaruncanbeformsofself-care.

Don’tavoid yourmental healthlike theplague becauseyou don’twant anotheritem onyour plate.

NEW MENU AT THE DEPOT

BELGIAN WAFFLES, DEPOT BURRITO, & MORE!

CLASSIC KALDI’S MENU IS STILL AT ESC! www.kaldiscoffee.com/emory

Curated by Pilar Tompkins Rivas. Exhibition organized by Aperture.

John M. Valadez. Couple Balam, from the East Los Angeles Urban Portrait Portfolio. ca. 1978. Courtesy the artist and Aperture.

This summer in flms: Barbenheimer and more &

The Emory Wheel Arts Entertainment

By A&E StAff

This past summer was the season of films. Whether you wanted to or not, you found yourself back in an inperson movie theater, maybe for the first time in half a decade.

The return to in-person movie theaters was a welcomed one. With the most unlikely crossover successes, films like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” made alliances, both to their commercial benefits. Even in the animation world, films like “Elemental” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” dazzled viewers from around the world.

Now, here’s what the Arts & Entertainment staff have to say about this summer’s most sensational films.

‘Barbie’

This year is for the girls. For what feels like the first time, the market takes media and entertainment enjoyed by women seriously. Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” is revving up to become the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour. However, Swift is not the only blonde currently taking the world by storm. Gerwig’s “Barbie” has captured the essence of womanhood, the hypocrisy of the patriarchy and the power of female solidarity — oh, and she looked good doing it.

As expected by Gerwig’s previous artistic endeavors, including “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019), “Barbie” is anything but lighthearted. Although the movie is based on a children’s toy, it dissects themes of feminism, self-love, patriarchy and motherhood. “Barbie” balances these heavy topics with a lively soundtrack, plentiful humor and a humorous trip to the gynecologist.

The movie centers on the idea that Barbie (Margot Robbie) has never experienced the hardship or insecurity rampant in patriarchal society. As Barbie exits Dreamland and travels to the Real World, she quickly realizes that life as a woman is not as flawless as it seems. When reality forces Barbie to reconcile with the fact that women are not the president, highly-revered intellectuals and the entire Supreme Court, the audience, too, is forced to reconcile with the jarring inequality of our modern society.

“Barbie” is a must-see film, and not only for women. The movie is a political statement, but it is also an amazing watch with a stellar cast and a standout soundtrack. There is laughter, there are tears, and above all, there is lots and lots of pink.

— Catherine Goodman, Staff Writer ‘Oppenheimer’

“Oppenheimer” is a must-see film from the summer of 2023. It has everything you would expect from Director Christopher Nolan: multiple converging plot lines from different periods, fast editing, jarring cuts and, of course, white male actors galore.

But perhaps what is most impressive is the amount of suspense Nolan is able to build in a film about theoretical physics. “Oppenheimer” builds tension without any fight scenes or action, but rather, with clashes of personalities between the scientists, the government’s dis trust of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and the everpresent external pressure of the Nazis acquiring an atomic bomb. Through his excellent portrayal of Oppenheimer, Murphy portrays the pressure of leading the Manhattan Project. The genius of his acting lies in the subtleties since his character is not the most ostentatious of men.

In fact, the acting in “Oppenheimer” is both the film’s greatest strength and weakness. Because of the sheer number of great actors, not everyone can have the spotlight for long. I wish Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock had more screen time, as she shines in her few scenes. Emily Blunt also excels as Kitty Oppenheimer, giving one of the most emotional and heroic performances in the film as the only person who stands up for J. Robert Oppenheimer in the face of disgrace. The most underrated performance, in my opinion, is Jason Clarke as Roger Robb: his relentless grilling of J. Robert Oppenheimer during the scientist’s trial for security clearance is both frightening and electric — Clarke makes me feel the smothering, interrogational treatment endured by the main character.

— Samuel Bartlett, Staff Writer

‘Theater Camp’

“We’re theater people. We know how to turn cardboard into gold.”

sarcastic and brimming with personality, but these kids are talented as hell! The film stays true to the home-grown tone it works to develop, never straying from the core of its message, which is the people behind the magic of humble showbusiness: overwhelmed and overworked, but endlessly devoted to each other and to a love for the craft.

“Theater Camp” might be the niche portrait of the theater education’s underbelly that former theater kids crave, but it is also an accessible sliceof-life film about the power of an everinsistent love for performance and of one another. Queer, weird and unapologetically unconventional, this movie is just the flick to warm your heart in a sea of real-world shortcomings.

— Nathan Rubin, Film & TV Desk

film’s not-so-high American box office sales initially. Nonetheless, the producers of “Elemental” seem to have embarked on a worthwhile storytelling challenge for all those invested in Ember and Wade’s heartfelt journey. Personally, I had tears running down my cheeks seven times throughout the movie. The detailed and colorful design of Elemental City will entertain your eyes; the artists turn water drops and bodies, air clumps and wind blows, and flames and smokes into delightful talking characters with feelings.

— Ellen Choi, Contributing Writer

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” brings a resounding conclusion to the beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Gunn expands on one of the core elements of being a human: finding and belonging to a family. Of course, the highlight is the heartwrenching story of Rocket Raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper. Rocket’s character arc might just be the best one in the franchise’s history.

The layers of his once enigmatic and snarky personality unfold in a profound manner, driven by his past traumas Chukwudi Iwuji’s performance as the High Evolutionary, the villainous creator who exploits and tortures creatures, is another masterpiece.

expected. The film industry is content to remain within this paradigm because it comforts audiences, tells them to focus on the stunts, chases and fights and not to worry about the underlying reality of patriarchal individualism it reinforces. This is a reality in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) — whose drive for doing the right thing can eclipse all threats, setbacks and injuries he encounters — is the last hope for humanity and where the female characters, however strong the exist simply to buttress his image as a savior.

“Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” is a shiny, actionpacked veneer over a backdrop laden with conservatism. It idolizes a narrow sense of masculinity, leaving little room for nuance or profundity. Regardless of how tongue-in-cheek its audience perceive it, the message the movie conveys is that a single man is a true hero for a world on the brink of collapse — an ideology that has plagued American politics and confines women to the sidelines (in this case, to the arms of Cruise on a crashing train). Scariest of all, it is a narrative told so often that viewers take it for truth.

— Carson Kindred, Contributing Writer

As new and old characters swing into the story, Miles slings his way through a kaleidoscope of colors and shifting animation.

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

“Elemental”

Beautifully and colorfully crafted, Pixar’s brand-new animated film “Elemental” was a sweet and touching must-see spectacle from this past summer.

In the alluring Elemental City, the endearing lead characters, Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) and Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis), fall in love. Wade is a jolly, incredibly emotional and empathetic guy from a well-established Water Element family in the city. Conversely, Ember is a fierce girl with a soft heart and great devotion to her immigrant parents from Fireland, the homeland of the Fire Elements. Both characters have incredibly cute smiles and attractive voices.

Marvel Studios deftly crafted a compelling sociopathic villain, with his ideologies and emotions meticulously juxtaposed against Rocket’s journey. This stark contrast emphasizes their rivalry’s importance which stems from Rocket’s traumatic upbringing.

The Guardians of the Galaxy, known for their sharp wit, undertake a transformative journey that culminates in a poetic full circle. They embrace their individual quirks and differences, building up to a heartwarming realization that, despite their misfit nature, their unity forms an unbreakable bond: a chosen family that complements and uplifts one another.

— Yashonandan Kakrania, Senior Staff Writer

The sky-high reviews and your Marvel-obsessed friend are not lying: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the must-see movie of the summer. Even with the near-impossible precedent set by “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) to live up to, the second installment of the “SpiderVerse Saga” is equally exciting and every bit as electrifying, and not just because Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) has gotten the hang of his shock powers.

As new and old characters swing into the story, Miles slings his way through a kaleidoscope of colors and shifting animation styles that visually astonish and emotionally engage the audience.

Alongside Robbie, Ryan Gosling plays Ken, and America Ferrera plays a normal mom named Gloria. In my opinion, Gosling’s rendition of Ken is truly Oscar-worthy. Dressed in a ridiculous fur coat and sunglasses, he delivers one of the greatest musical performances in cinematic history: the anthemic “I’m Just Ken.” Kate McKinnon executes her character, Weird Barbie, with the same charisma and quirk of her many “Saturday Night Live” appearances. Finally, Ferrera perfectly encapsulates Gloria’s frustration of being an ordinary woman.

Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s “Theatre Camp” is the severely underrated beating heart of this past summer’s film lineup. A refreshingly comedic take on the mockumentary form, the film featuring the efforts of an eccentric group of young theater hopefuls to salvage their big summer production and save their camp will have you both howling and bawling — perhaps simultaneously.

Gordon and Ben Platt’s performances as toxic twin flames give fuel to an already burning fire of passion led by strong performances of its ensemble of child actors. Not only are they sassy,

Ember and her family’s stories and experiences allude to the experiences of first-generation immigrant families in the United States. This makes the movie remarkably touching for many viewers with similar experiences, including myself and the film’s New York City native Korean-American director, Peter Sohn. Fun fact: Sohn is the visual inspiration for Russell’s character in Pixar’s “Up” (2009). The conflicts that Ember grapples with between her dreams and her parents’ expectations also speak to the generational clash that the film’s younger audience may experience today.

However, the emotional elements of the film appear to have been hitor-miss for audiences from different cultural backgrounds, considering the

‘Mission: Impossible — Dead

Reckoning Part One’

The narrative structure of Christopher McQuarrie’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” is emblematic of Hollywood’s laziness when it comes to action film writing. The arc of the story is almost entirely predictable: a series of ups and downs where the protagonist’s success is not clear, followed by a momentous climax of action and achievement that leaves just enough unresolved tension for the next high-budget flick of the same nature.

This blueprint exists for so many of the industry’s poster children — Jason Bourne, Indiana Jones, James Bond — and it has been recreated so often that the storyline becomes natural, almost

The film delves deeper into themes like responsibility and coming-of-age introduced in the original, exploring the implications of the idea that closed the first film: “Anyone Can Wear The Mask.”

The fourth-wall-breaking, comicstyle humor and quirkiness infuse the second chapter of Miles’ story with fresh vigor as he discovers a multiverse of Spider-people, all struggling to manage their relationships while weaving through their personal and superhero identities.

The plot also focuses on Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld)’s origin story, emphasizing the complexity of the heroine’s life with its dazzling conglomeration of colors and characters, and offers a plethora of other twists unseen in the classic Spiderman tale that leave viewers desperate for more.

— Erin Devine, Contributing Writer

H a- tien nguyen/Podcast editor

The movie centers on the idea that Barbie (Margot Robbie) has never experienced the hardship or insecurity rampant in patriarchal society.

CultureShock celebrates diverse performance art

By yvEttE WAng

Contributing Writer

A heavy rainstorm did not deter flocks of students from lining up outside McDonough Field on Aug. 26. Music echoed throughout the field and lights illuminated the stage as crowds congregated for CultureShock.

Organized by College Council, CultureShock is an annual showcase featuring performances by multicultural clubs and organizations at the start of each school year. The performances are one of the first ways new students can get a glimpse of Emory University’s music and dance club offerings.

People arrived half an hour before the performances to get merch and food. Island Chef Cafe and Not As Famous Cookie Company handed out free food from their food trucks, and College Council distributed a beige T-shirt with an image of Dooley on the front and this year’s CultureShock

theme, “Unmasking Dooley,” written on the back.

Every performance sparkled, not only because of the energy from the performers, but also because of their interactions with the audience.

“We only served food after all the performances ended in the past,” Sirui Zhou (25C), who is a vice president of programming for College Council, said. “But for this year, we wanted people to just come in, grab food, sit down with food, feel satisfied and watch the amazing performances.”

Although the performances started half an hour later than the scheduled

7:30 p.m. start time, the audience did not lose their passion for the diverse performances.

Each group took the stage with completely different styles, displaying their talents without restraint. A cappella, music and dance all shared the spotlight with no shortage of talent and passion.

“All the performances came with a lot of energy,” said Ayush Kothari (26C), vice president of programming for College Council. “People have been dedicating themselves to this art, and getting to see them showcase their talents on stage in front of a big audience … was a highlight for me.”

Every performance sparkled, not only because of the energy from the performers, but also because of their interactions with the audience. The crowd cheered when they saw someone they recognized take the stage.

The song and dance performances were a mix of the traditional t0 modern. Emory Suri performed “Titania” (2012), Emory Student Dance Network danced to “Dance The Night” (2023) and Emory Mulan Dance and Emory Karma Bhangra danced to modern pop songs integrated with traditional dance styles. The dances and singing embraced new possibilities for performance art.

Additionally, each team’s costumes added to their performance’s personality. Voices of Inner Strength members wore multicolored costumes, which matched the joyous theme of their songs. Zuri African Dance Troupe wore yellow clothing with red and white rope patterns. Some wore the patterned garment as a skirt while others wore it as a top. The troupe adopted freestyle movements that fit each member’s individual dance pace to showcase the dynamism of African dance.

In addition to costumes, Emory SaRaas, a South Asian Garba-Raas

dance team, used dandiya sticks, which are sticks used during Navratri Dandiya Raas dance in Gujarat, India, as props to enrich their performance.

“People have been dedicating themselves to this art, and getting to see them showcase their talents on stage in front of a big audience ... was a highlight for me.”

“I think [people in College Council] are very excited to be on the stage and see all that we’ve built over this entire

summer,” Zhou (25C) said.

Zhou added that after conquering challenges since May — such as College Council leadership assuming their new positions — efforts by new hands organized this year’s CultureShock.

“The beginning was a bit rocky because we had to transition over from the last College Council at this CultureShock event,” Zhou said. “It was a lot of organizing, bringing back old ideas and then bringing back new ones.”

CultureShock succeeded because of the endless creativity and talent put on display by the student body. The performances serve as a reminder that culture develops on campus in a rich number of art forms, providing each student a chance to enjoy and showcase their talents and identities.

— Contact Yvette Wang at yvette.wang@emory.edu

Arts Aplenty: Museums, music, movies for fall semester

By AlExAndrA KAuffmAn Emory Life Editor

Between attending classes, getting involved with clubs and maintaining friendships, it can be difficult to find balance at the start of the school year. Nonetheless, attending on-campus events and engaging with Emory University’s art scene is a wallet-friendly, community-building way to relieve stress and have fun. Below is a fraction of events the University has to offer in the upcoming weeks.

Emory Cinematheque: The Cinematic Worlds of David Lynch

Date: Wednesdays, Sept. 6 - Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Location: Goodrich C. White Hall Room 208

Curated by Timothy Holland, assistant professor in the department of film and media, this new screening series explores the bizarre underground world of Lynchian cinema. David Lynch is a staple modern filmmaker known for his avant-garde, surrealist style. The screening will include icons of Lynch’s work such as “Eraserhead” (1977) and lesser-known films like “Lost Highway” (1997).

Emerson Series: Bach & Bluegrass

Date: Sept. 9, 8 p.m.

Location: Cherry Logan Emerson Concert Hall

Performed by the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA), this mixed-genre program combines classical music with bluegrass, a strings-heavy genre tinged with

country sounds popularized in the ’40s. Mark O’Connor, a fiddle player, prolific composer and three-time Grammy Awards-winner, will join ECMSA. Songs performed include Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E Major and O’Connor’s original music.

“You Belong Here: Place, People and Purpose in Latinx Photography” Exhibit

Date: Sept. 9 - Dec. 3

Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum

This exhibit places a variety of art in dialogue with one another, straying from homogeny and embracing nuance, complexity and themes ranging from social issues to domestic life. Pilar Tompkins Rivas, chief curator and deputy director of curatorial and collections at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, curated the exhibit.

Including 16 Latinx artists, this collection “generates an expansive dialogue about visibility and belonging for Latinx people,” according to the exhibit description.

Drawing Deportation: Art and Resistance among Immigrant

Children

Date: Sept. 11, 12 p.m.

Location: Robert W. Woodruff Library Jones Room

In an intersection of politics, social work and art, this Emory’s Race & Difference Colloquium Series talk explores the book written by Silvia Rodriguez Vega, assistant professor of chicana and chicano studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Vega analyzes artwork, theater performances and interviews

from immigrant children to determine how a marginalized population creates artwork in the face of social and political adversity.

This event requires registration.

Cooke Noontime Series — Variety is the Spice of Life!

Date: Sept. 15, 12 p.m.

Location: Cherry Logan Emerson

Concert Hall

Hosted by ECMSA, professional musicians Jasmin Arakawa (piano), James Zellers (flute) and Helen Kim (violin) will perform virtuoso variations by a number of composers. As the title implies, this program includes a vast array of work, including the classical-romantic tunes of 18th century composer Franz Schubert and the “demonic” work of 19th century violinist Niccolò Paganini.

Artist and Influence: Mendi and Keith Obadike

Date: Sept. 16, 4 - 6:30 p.m.

Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum

Ackerman Hall | Rose Library

The Rose Library is beginning a new installation in the “Artist and Influence” series inspired by the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch archives, which holds over 1,500 artist interviews. Mendi and Keith Obadike are professors in the department of media and performing arts at Cornell University (N.Y.) and multidisciplinary artists. Miriam J. Petty, associate professor in the radio/television/film department at Northwestern University (Ill.) will interview the couple about their art. After the interview, a reception will be held in the Rose Library.

Vamos to the Carlos

Date: Sept. 17, 12 - 4 p.m.

Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum

Ackerman Hall

The Carlos Museum and Georgia

Public Broadcasting will host author and illustrator Raúl the Third, known for his “¡Vamos!” book series. This event includes a variety of activities, such as creating your own character inspired by the series, reading other bilingual books and exploring the “You Belong Here” and “Art of the Americas” galleries.

Creativity Conversation with Annalee Traylor

Date: Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Location: Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts Dance Studio

Join 2023 - 2024 Emory Arts

Fellow Annalee Traylor for a creativity conversation about her work as a choreographer.

Traylor draws influence from dance, theater and interdisciplinary collaboration for her storytelling. Her work has been featured across the United States and the rest of the world.

CuriosiTEA

Date: Sept. 19, 4 - 5:15 p.m.

Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum

Ackerman Hall

Emory art history graduate student Tyler Holman (27G) will give a presentation utilizing a mummy mask and experimental lighting in order to capture the unique sensory experience of encountering a mummified body. The presentation explores the role of the dead in Roman Egypt, in which mummy masks were used to connect the deceased and the living. Along with the lecture, pastries and tea will be provided.

— Contact Alexandra Kauffman at alexandra.kauffman@emory.edu

yvette Wang/c ontributing Writer Island Chef Cafe Food Truck served Bahamian fusion dishes at College Council’s annual CultureShock event.

yvette Wang/c ontributing Writer

Voices of Inner Strength, a student gospel choir, was one of many choral groups from the night’s student-led lineup.

Mia usM an/staff illustrator

— Ayush Kothari (26C)

Emory Life The Emory Wheel

Study productively in academic buildings, green spaces, cofee shops

By AlexAndrA KAuffmAn Emory Life Editor

It’s easy to get bored studying in the same spot in the same library day after day for the entire semester. Yet, studying doesn’t have to be a drag – if you’re going to spend most of your free time doing homework, you might as well spend time in fun and unique spots on campus.

Try out these new locations alone or with a friend, and get ready to hit the books!

William L. Matheson Current Periodicals Reading Room

Aesthetically pleasing and tranquil,

this reading room on the second floor of Candler looks like something straight out of a dark academia Pinterest board.

This hidden gem can only be accessed through the second floor of Robert W. Woodruff Library.

The dark wood shelves, chandeliers and white marble statues give the space a classic feel that the modern architecture on campus can’t quite imitate.

From individual study desks to communal tables, couches and armchairs, this spot offers a variety of seating to meet all your studying needs.

This is also one of the quietest spaces on campus, making it perfect

for those who prefer a less busy environment. Just be careful when taking a seat – the chairs scratching the floor echo loudly.

Goizueta Business School Quadrangle

Once the weather cools down, the outdoors are a calm, low-stress environment for studying.

The business school quad, with its lush lawns, deck chairs and table seating is perfect – especially on the weekends when foot traffic is low.

As a bonus, Costa Coffee is right there on the quad. Grab a vanilla oat cold brew or a snack, and get to studying!

Emory Student Center

Individual Study Spots

Located on the ESC second and third floors facing northwest, there are individual study cubbies.

The seclusion these seats offer may aid those who are easily distracted or self-conscious when working near other people. The seats are comfortable, and each cubby comes with a small table to put a computer or textbook on.

In addition to offering a comfy and private place to study, the best part is the view.

These cubbies are placed in front of huge, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking McDonough Field, with the Atlanta skyline lingering in the

Explore Oxford with new Covington Square shuttles

By Amiee ZhAo Emory Life Editor

Oxford College shuttle services opened a new route to Covington Square, a popular tourist destination only a five-minute drive from Emory’s Oxford campus.

Starting this fall, the shuttles leave from the Oxford shuttle stop to Covington Square every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.. Additionally, the College plans to provide more shuttle times for special event days.

Please note: you need to sign up for the shuttles on the Oxford Transportation Services website before jumping on one of them.

Most students may know Covington Square as the filming location of the famous supernatural drama TV series “The Vampire Diaries.” The square provides the immersive experience of a Mystic Falls tour to take visitors into the world of the vampires.

The beauty of the site extends far beyond the past and stretches into modern day.

Here is an overview of the fresh events held in Covington Square for students to visit through September and October, some of which are accessible on the new shuttle route.

From music events to farmers markets and volunteer activities, Oxford weekends can be colorful as those in the city, too!

Covington Farmers Market

Time: Sept. 9 - Oct. 14, Saturdays, 9 a.m.

Location: 1143 Oak Street S.E.

Transportation: Shuttles route

The farmers market at the Welcome Center at Heirloom Park can be

a great place to find food when you want a break from the dining hall. Offering everything from home-grown ingredients to fresh-baked bread and cookies, the market can always spark the inspiration for your next meal. Browse a selection of fresh flowers and other plants that can make for good company in your dorm.

For Oxford students new to the Covington area, the market offers a great chance to make connections with the locals.

Live at Legion Concert

Time: Sept. 8 and Oct. 13, 7 p.m.

Location: 3173 Mill Street N.E.

Transportation: 10 min bike (Oxford provides bike rentals) or 40 min walk

Supported by the Newton County Arts Association, the free concert features the tribute band Purple Xperience on Sept. 8. Their performance will include tributes to the iconic musician Prince.

On Oct. 13, singer-songwriter Prisca & Friends will bring their unique pieces to the concert series.

Final Friday Flicks

Time: Sept. 29 and Oct. 27, 6 p.m.

Location: Square Center

Transportation: Oxford shuttles provided (specific time TBA)

On Sept. 29, you can sing along with the two musical movies “Frozen” (2013) and “Mamma Mia!” (2008). Release a week of stress by singing with friends from Newton County!

To fit the Halloween theme, the October event will screen two Halloween movies, “Goosebump

2: Haunted Halloween” and “Hocus

Pocus” (1993). Enjoy a screaming night!

Live at Lunch Concert

Time: Oct. 5 - Oct. 26, Thursdays, 12 p.m.

Location: Square Center

Transportation: 10 min bike or 40 min walk

Although Oxford does not provide shuttles to Covington Square on Thursdays, the picnic event can also be a good choice of entertainment if you do not have too many classes and can take out 30-40 minutes (one-way) to walk or 15 minutes (one-way) to bike there (Oxford provides free bike rentals).

A picnic on a sunny day with gentle music performed by Newton County Arts Association can provide a great break from work.

Trick or Treat on the Trail

Time: Oct. 31, 4:30 p.m.

Location: 3173 Mill Street at Legion Field

Transportation: Possible carpool with Volunteer Oxford

To really feel the Halloween spirit, attendees can wear costumes and join Trick or Treating on the Legion Field on Halloween night. The event has seen a lot of children from the community in past years, so it will be a very lively event with laughter and energy.

Last year, Volunteer Oxford joined the event, where they handed out candy to Newton County kids, spreading joy in the community.

— Contact Amiee Zhao at yiqing.zhao@emory.edu

distance.

During the day, the natural lighting prevents eye-strain from computer screens, and once the sun starts to go down, the view of the sunset is breathtaking.

Kaldi’s at the Depot

This spot is perfect for snacking, socializing and studying with a group of friends while also finishing group

projects and light homework. There are plenty of booths and group tables for larger groups of people. Music plays on the speakers, making for an upbeat and energetic vibe. However, if you’d prefer a more low-key work environment, the outdoor deck seating in the autumn months is less crowded and quieter.

— Contact Alexandra Kauffman at alexandra.kauffman@emory.edu

Mini Crossword

By mirAndA Wilson Crossword Desk

ACROSS

1. The Marvelous __ Maisel, show on Prime Video

4. Performances by two

6. “And this little piggy __ __”

8. Glues

9. Stores with a bull terrier mascot

10. Sci-fi suffix for “human”

11. ONI - Japanese folklore troll

12. MGN - Website with news graphics (abbr.)

DOWN

1. Its shape is depicted by this puzzle’s

white squares

2. Breaking a promise, i.e.

3. What fruit preserves are to a jar

4. Baby’s first word

5. __, seitnewt, seitriht, seitrof

6. Word after top and straw

7. Suffix for a Count’s wife

Scan for answers!

The Goizeuta Business School Quadrangle, featuring green lawns, chairs and Costa Coffee, is a perfect study place.

The William L. Matheson Current Periodicals Reading Room’s warm lighting makes for a pleasant work atmosphere.

Soph Guerieri/Staff photoGrapher

Soph Guerieri/Staff photoGrapher

Sophomores, juniors bring new leadership

Continued from Back Page

after McDowell coached her for three years.

“She’s been implementing lots of new things for us,” Wallace said. “She does a good job of explaining her thought process and a good job of taking a step back when she needs to and letting us try to work things out on our own.”

Wallace anticipates a high level of

competition this year in the UAA. She said the team will target improvement on the mental side of the game to overcome close battles with top teams in the conference like NYU and WashU.

“We always want to be the hardestworking team and have consistently good energy in every game that we’re playing, so that’s something that we want to work on,” Wallace said.

Jones said she is excited to work with some of the upperclassmen she helped recruit when she served as an assistant coach for the team between 2017 and 202o. She also said she is looking forward to working with incoming freshmen.

“It’s just such a talented class,” Jones said. “I’m excited to watch them grow and watch them get implemented into our systems and become true Emory volleyball players.”

Wallace said that she is pleased to see new leaders emerging on the team in addition to her and senior middle hitter Amanda Meyer.

“Last year, we had two seniors

Emory men’s swim & dive team

visit White House

By Samir Cooper ajy Staff Writer

Emory University men’s swimming and diving team visited the White House to acknowledge their 24th consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) title and second consecutive NCAA Division III title.

The team participated in the firstever College Athlete Day on June 12 and joined 51 other teams across the country. All three NCAA divisions were present for the celebration.

Head coach Jon Howell, who is entering his 26th year at Emory, said that the team’s visit was a “unique moment” he will cherish, especially at this point in his coaching career. To him, the “honor” presided in the fact that “not everybody has a chance to visit the White House” and that it was “fun” to do something new.

Junior Crow Thorsen said the invitation was “the cherry on top” of the team’s success last season.

Thorsen played an essential role in the team’s success last season, helping them win the 800yard freestyle relay event in the 2023 UAA Swimming and Diving Championship. The team, consisting of Pat Pema (23C), Thorsen, Jeffrey de Groot (23B, 24B) and senior Nicholas Goudie, set a program record of 6:43.56.

Thorsen also helped the team win the national title with a third place finish in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 3:52.07.

Thirteen senior swimmers graduated from Emory after last season, and the rising seniors’ leadership will be

vital for this upcoming season. Howell credited the upperclassmen for the team’s success.

“Our best swimmers are always our upperclassmen, and they really learn from each other,” Howell said. “One of the cornerstones of our culture is that everybody is really helping each other get better, and those upperclassmen have benefited from swimming under previous upperclassmen who helped them, and they’re excited to get back and repay that.”

Thorsen said the visit would go down as one of the “highlights” of his collegiate career so far.

“[It] is 100% an opportunity that I’m going to remember for my entire life,” Thorsen said. “And just being able to say that I went to the White House, as an Emory swimmer and with my teammates, is super, super cool. I am incredibly grateful for it.”

However, the visit was unconventional compared to other NCAA championship teams’ White House visits, as President Joe Biden missed the event due to a root canal surgery. Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the ceremony.

Although the 2022-23 men’s team led to success in the pool, the 202324 squad will enter next season with a similar goal in mind. Thorsen said he believes pursuing bigger goals will move the program “forward.”

“I don’t think winning made us complacent,” Thorsen said. “It made us want to win more.”

— Samir Cooper Ajy at samir.ajy@emory.edu

and two juniors, so we were really an underclassmen-heavy team,” Wallace said. “This year, I’m seeing a lot more of the sophomores and juniors that are returning take more leadership and ownership over the team.”

Jones said the talented group will target both a UAA title and national championship title this season. To achieve that goal, both Jones and Wallace acknowledged that recovering quickly from errors and losses will be a key factor.

“We’re always learning and trying to get better,” Wallace said. “I think something [we learned last season] was dealing with losses in a positive way … knowing that can happen and trying to put a little less pressure on ourselves to be perfect all the time.”

After a 3-0 start, the volleyball team will next play at home against Oglethorpe University (Ga.) on Sept. 15 at 6 p.m.

— Contact Madeline Shapiro at madeline.shapiro@emory.edu

New formation adds more attacking options

Continued from Back Page

Gomez said.

In 2022, the Eagles scored 23 goals, 14 of which were scored by Gomez, Grand and forward Zach Kornblum (23B). Grand said the squad’s strategy last year was based on defense rather than offense, and they are hoping to change that this season.

“We’re looking to score more goals this year,” Grand said. “We’ve switched up our formation a bit, thrown a few more bodies forward, and I think we’re [a] much more attack-minded team this year.”

As a goalie, Wagner hopes the whole team can adjust to the new attackminded formation.

“Our most important thing right now for playing a new formation this year is just how we can stay organized defensively and make sure everybody knows when they’re supposed to be in the right position,” Wagner said.

Grand and Gomez said they expect strong competition from many teams in the UAA, but they are keeping a close eye on the University of Chicago, specifically. Last season, the Maroons had a record of 22-0-1, won the 2022 NCAA DIII Championship and are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation.

“They had an incredible season last

year,” Gomez said.”That’s really going to be a test for us because their season last year is the level that we strive for and that we want to be at.”

The Eagles began their season with a 0-0 tie against Covenant College (Ga.) on Sept. 1 and a 0-0 tie against Washington and Lee University (W&L) (Va.) on Sept. 2.

Wagner, who had three saves against Covenant College and five saves against W&L, said the team appreciates the fans who come out to support all their “hard work.”

“Any support, we just absolute -

ly love to have,” Wagner said. “I remember one game when a bunch of swimmers came out with a bunch of kickboards and started banging them. They were lining up all around the sidelines. They just completely changed the atmosphere of the game and motivated the players so much more.”

The Eagles’ next home game is on Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. against Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.).

— Contact Clement Lee at clement.lee@emory.edu

Members of the Emory men’s swim & dive team pose in front of the White House for College Athlete Day on June 12.

natalie sandlow/staff Photogra Pher

Graduate defender Thomas Toney dribbles during a game against Washington and Lee University (Va.) on Sept. 2.

natalie sandlow/staff Photogra Pher Emory’s volleyball team celebrates a point on Sept. 2.

Emory men’s soccer seeks redemption in 2023

By Clement lee Sports Editor

The Emory University men’s soccer team had lofty expectations heading into the 2022 season after finishing the 2021 season with a record of 9-4-5 and reaching the second round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship. Although the team finished the 2022 season with a strong home record of 5-2-2, they placed seventh in the University Athletic Association (UAA) with a record of 5-8-5 and did not make the NCAA tournament. According to senior forward Alejandro Gomez, the squad wants to improve their record and qualify for the 2023 national tournament.

Emory volleyball sets up for success

By madeline Shapiro Sports Editor

Emory University’s volleyball team, ranked No. 13 in the nation, aims to capture their 11th University Athletic Association (UAA) title and third national championship title this season. This year, the team has a new head coach, Brianna Jones, who returns to the program after two successful seasons as head coach at the Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J).

Last season, the team had an overall record of 22-7, which included a ten-match win streak between October and November. In the 2022 UAA Tournament, Emory defeated Case Western Reserve University (Ohio.) (3-0), New York University (NYU) (3-1) and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU)

(3-0) to earn their fourth conference title in five years

The Eagles carried this winning momentum into the first round of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship by defeating Bethany College (W.Va.) (3-0). Despite a strong effort, the team eventually fell in the second round to Transylvania University (Ky.) (3-2).

Shortly after the end of the 2022 season, former Emory Volleyball Head Coach Jenny McDowell announced her retirement. During her 27-year coaching career at Emory, McDowell won 10 UAA titles and two national championship titles. As a tribute to her success, the team named their first invitational of the 2023 season in her honor.

“Something that Jenny really loved was to compete,” Jones said. “It was her favorite part of coaching, so it was

only right to call a tournament her name. And then for us to open up that way — it’s really exciting.”

The team kicked off their season with three 3-0 wins against Centre College (Ky.), Greensboro College (N.C.) and East Texas Baptist University at the Jenny McDowell Invitational. Jones said her season goals include creating a cohesive team unit and keeping the winning spirit of the program alive. Additionally, she said that the team will focus on maintaining consistency and being “mentally strong and stable.”

Senior outside hitter Carly Wallace, one of two current seniors on the team, had a team-high of 315 kills and earned regional and national honors last season. Wallace said working with Jones this season has been a great new experience

Gomez, who is entering his fifth year at Emory, touched on how last season’s disappointing results are motivating the team to improve, and this season, they are especially focusing on team camaraderie.

“Talent shows itself,” Gomez said. “We have a very talented group. We had a very talented group last year as well, but I think the difference maker this year is really going to be the culture, the team and the friendships.”

Despite losing nine seniors from last season, the team has 15 new players, which include 11 freshmen and four transfers from NCAA Division I schools and local DIII rival Oglethorpe University (Ga.). Sophomore midfielder Josh Grand said that the team played pick-up soccer games over the summer and came to Emory 10 days before preseason to get a headstart on team bonding.

For senior goalkeeper Peter Wagner, the time before preseason was an opportunity to help everyone connect.

“We did a bunch of captain’s practices this summer,” Wagner

said. “Just spending time together before school starts, before other students are on campus, when it’s just us, definitely builds everybody closer. We’re all living together, eating together, hanging out 24/7. That definitely builds chemistry on and off the field.”

In addition to improving team dynamic, Grand said the preseason also helped the team work on the mental and strategic sides of the game.

“We’re really having a holistic approach to try to figure out who can play where,” Grand said. “It’s falling together because when you have about 30 players, it’s all about competitiveness and pushing each other to field our best 11.”

Grand added that he hopes the underclassmen look forward to being part of the team culture that is based on teamwork and desire to win.

“I’m excited because a lot of returning players have stepped up and a lot of new players, especially some older grad transfers, have really bought into our system and are really promoting our capability to gel,” Grand said. “That’s something we missed last year with so many older seniors who were on their way out — they weren’t as bonded with the whole team dynamic.”

Having had two seasons affected by COVID-19, Gomez said the team has changed a lot since he was a freshman in 2019. The biggest change, though, has been the expectations from the program itself.

“The standards have risen season after season in terms of the commitment we expect from players and the quality of players and your physical preparedness and your mental preparedness as well and how much you’re willing to sacrifice for the team,”

Emory alum negotiates most lucrative contract in NBA history

By eriC joneS Staff Writer

Jason Glushon (07B) has become one of the most successful agents for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He negotiated the most lucrative contract extension in NBA history for Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown on July 25.

As Brown’s agent, Glushon is said he is excited to have been part of this contract negotiation process.

“That’s the fun part about our job is to get to be a small part of that,” Glushon said. “But he’s earned his contract, and he deserves every penny that was negotiated.”

In addition to Brown, Glushon’s agency represents several high-profile NBA clients, including Duncan Robinson, Donte DiVincenzo, Jeff Green, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Marcus Smart and Spencer Dinwiddie. Among his clients, DiVincenzo and Green also signed large contracts this summer. Glushon said his client-focused business model sets his agency apart from competitors.

“Everyone preaches family, and we don’t only preach it; we try to live it out through actions,” Glushon said. “The clients, I think, appreciate that.”

Glushon grew up as a die-hard sports fan, rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers, his hometown teams. His passion for professional sports translated into management once he came to Emory University.

He went on to receive his undergraduate degree from the Goizueta Business School with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2007 and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School (Calif.) in 2016.

Glushon gained exposure to the “sports agent world” while interning at Wasserman Media Group (WMG) under Arn Tellem in his junior year at Emory. He eventually worked at WMG for seven years and left a week before graduating law school to start Los Angeles-based Glushon Sports Management. Glushon said leaving WMG to start Glushon Sports Management from scratch was “scary, different and kind of an adventure.”

“We started out with no clients and just a wealth of experience working for some really good mentors and have slowly built it up into a nice practice so far,” Glushon said. “But [we] still have a long way to go.”

Glushon said he attracted Robinson to his agency very early on in the founding of his firm, using his back-

ground as a NCAA Division III sports to connect with athletes.

“Duncan Robinson, like myself, is a former Division III athlete,” Glushon said. “I always believe that shooting is the most important thing in the NBA, so [I] was able to seek him and his family out on the earlier side when he transferred to Michigan [from Williams College (Mass.)] and develop the relationship.”

While Brown is an NBA All-Star, commentators like former guard JJ Redick, who played in the NBA for 15 seasons, would argue that Brown is not one of the five or 10 best basketball players in the world. Some fans may wonder why Brown would then receive the most lucrative contract in NBA history.

Lewis explained that the trend of large NBA contracts is similar to the quarterback market in the National Football League. As the market for high-profile NBA players is likely set by comparables, new contracts negotiated use the dollar amounts of previous contracts as precedent for players of similar talent.

Lewis believes that agents will use comparables as “the starting point,” but they will also use “anything they can think of on the edges” to help market the player to earn the most lucrative contract possible.

While it has been 16 years since Glushon attended Emory, he believes that Emory “did a really good job preparing [him] for the business world.”

As a former pitcher for the Emory baseball team, Glushon still keeps in close contact with the Emory athletic and alumni departments.

During his senior year in 2007, Glushon had a 13-2 record, threw 112 strikeouts and had a 2.23 earned run average. He has continued to support the Emory community since graduating.

“I had an unbelievable experience at Emory,” Glushon said. “I still try to go back yearly for my Emory baseball alumni weekends. I’m still close with

a number of coaches in the athletic department. And a few times, I’ve gone back to the business school where I graduated to speak to some current students.”

Lewis expressed excitement, yet not surprise, to hear about Glushon’s successful career in sports management.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Lewis said. “I hear that kind of interest from a lot of students that take my classes. Some of that probably comes down to the type of students that Emory attracts.”

— Contact Eric Jones at eric.jones2@emory.edu

natalie sandlow/staff Photogra Pher

Senior middle hitter Amanda Meyer attacks the ball during the Emory volleyball team’s game against Greensboro College (N.C.) Sept. 2. Emory won the game 3-0.

MEN’S

C ourtesy of Jason glushon

Jason Glushon (o7B) pitches for Emory baseball in 2007.