Feb. 21, 2024

The Emory Wheel Since 1919

Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Volume 105, Issue 3

Printed every other Wednesday

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Mold forces students to move out of Oxford dorms

AAUP joins call for ceasefire, Emory istration should take the situation “more seriously.” chapter remains Mollie Gross (25Ox), who previously lived in JRC before relocating uninvolved

Courtesy of A mina Malone

Dorms in Oxford College's Jolley Residential Center are sealed for cleaning after students discovered mold this year. Several students have had to move to other halls as a result.

By Clement Lee Sports Editor Every room in Oxford College’s Jolley Residential Center (JRC) Dickey Hall will be inspected this month after mold on the bottom floor warranted professional cleaning and forced students to move out of their rooms on Jan. 29, Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond said. Diamond told The Emory Wheel that a “small leak in a water line,” which has since been fixed, caused the mold.

Sarah Sinhal (25Ox) and her roommate, who lived on the bottom floor of Dickey, reported feeling ill in the fall 2023 semester.

“I was breaking out in hives and having respiratory issues all of last semester, and I went to student

health a bunch, but they could never figure out what was going on,” Sinhal said. “Over winter break, my parents told me to get an allergy test done, so we got a big allergy test and turns out I’m allergic to mold and fungus.”

At the start of this semester, Sinhal said her boyfriend pointed out a black spot in her closet, which she said she believes was the mold causing her symptoms. She alerted her resident assistant (RA) Sage Fernandez (24Ox), who then sent a maintenance request and told her residence life coordinator about the situation.

Sinhal said her roommate was uncomfortable staying in the room because of the mold and requested to move out, but noted that it took “two weeks” for the Office Residential Education & Services (RES) to address the issue from the time the

mold was first discovered.

Fernandez said two other residents also moved out due to mold concerns at the same time as Sinhal.

Emory University’s Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) ultimately inspected three rooms and concluded that two, including Sinhal’s, needed to be evacuated, Diamond said.

RES Assistant Director Claudia Zanjanchian emailed four Dickey residents, including Sinhal and her roommate, on Jan. 29 that EHSO found a “potential water leak” in the rooms, so they were “being reassigned” to Elizer Hall for the remainder of the spring semester and had until Jan. 31 to move out. The email did not mention mold.

Fernandez said there have been instances of mold in other residence halls, adding that Oxford admin-

Emory remains test-optional for Class of 2029

By Amelia Dasari Atlanta Events Desk Emory University has extended its test-optional policy for prospective students applying through the 202425 admission cycle, marking the fifth year the undergraduate admissions process has remained test-optional. The Office of Undergraduate Admission announced the policy’s extension on Jan. 25. Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Admission John Latting said Emory is still reviewing data from past application cycles to determine whether or not Emory will continue to be test-optional and hopes to have an answer regarding a long-term policy within the year.

This policy applies to first-year applicants and transfer students applying to both the Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College in the upcoming application cycle, which opens in August.

Dartmouth College (N.H.) announced earlier this month that it will require ACT or SAT scores for the 2024-25 application cycle, mak-

ing it the first Ivy League institution to do so. Economists at the college conducted a study which found that a student’s standardized test scores are “highly predictive of academic performance at Dartmouth.”

“Our bottom line is simple: we believe a standardized testing requirement will improve — not detract from — our ability to bring the most promising and diverse students to our campus,” Dartmouth wrote in a statement announcing the change.

Georgetown University (D.C.), Georgia Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology also currently require applicants to submit test scores.

However, Latting said that Emory has seen positive outcomes from remaining test-optional since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The University saw a 15% to 20% increase in undergraduate applicants from the Class of 2024 — which matriculated into Emory in 2020 as the last cohort required to submit either an ACT or SAT score

— to the Class of 2025, according to Latting. He added that going testoptional attracted more applicants from historically excluded populations, including first-generation students.

“What we saw when we became test-optional was a bigger, more diverse applicant pool,” Latting said.

Latting explained that resources for standardized tests are not equally accessible to all applicants, which can hinder some students’ ability to perform well on the exams and exclude them from the applicant pool.

“Students are aware of those differences,” Latting said. “In the face of what feels like an … an uneven playing field, so to speak, some students, they just opt out of the process,” Latting said.

Colin Connery, who will be joining Emory as a member of the Class of 2028, applied to the University without submitting test scores. He supported Emory’s decision to remain test-optional for the upcoming application cycle, adding that it provides

NEWS New Socialist Club Hosts OPINION DEI Task Force Pro-Palestine Protest ...

Analyzes Wheel Demographics ...

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to Fleming Hall, also noticed mold in her room’s vents this semester.

In an email to the Wheel, Gross wrote that she and her roommate were sick while living in the JRC room, often waking up “congested” and with “sore throats.” Gross added that RES did not specify what type of mold was in her room beyond noting that it was not black mold.

Ryan Stefko (25Ox) lives in Murdy Hall and noticed mold growing on his carpet in fall 2023, which he said “smelled really bad” and caused him to develop a sinus infection. Stefko said it took maintenance almost two weeks to fully clean the mold.

“I first contacted my RA to see if he had any advice and he basically kept bugging maintenance until they would come in and eventually get rid of it,” Stefko said. “It took multiple sessions of them cleaning at this to actually get rid of it, and what they eventually did was they replaced the carpet tiles that were covered.”

For Sinhal, living with mold and moving out has been “hectic” and “exhausting.”

“We had to walk to Elizer, get empty carts back and then do at least four rounds to move the stuff by ourselves,” Sinhal said.

Although the rooms were deepcleaned, Diamond wrote that the students who were instructed to move out on Jan. 29 will not move back into JRC this semester. Fernandez said that she will miss the residents who had to move out.

“They were sad because we created a pretty tight community within our hall,” Fernandez said. “All the girls on my hall … are best friends with each other, but I also think they

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) called for an “immediate ceasefire and end to the siege of Gaza” on Feb. 14, signing on to U.S. labor movement members’ ceasefire request. The association joined 5,114 other signatories, including the Rutgers University (N.J.) and the University of New Mexico AAUP chapters, to fulfill a “moral obligation,” according to AAUP At-Large Council Member Ernesto Longa.

However, Emory University’s chapter of the AAUP did not sign on to the petition. Peter Wakefield, professor of pedagogy in the Institute for the Liberal Arts and vice president of Emory’s AAUP’s branch, said they received a request from Georgia’s AAUP office to consider endorsing the ceasefire as a chapter. Emory’s AAUP executive committee circulated the request among its members but did not receive enough responses to consider making its own statement, Wakefield said.

Emory’s AAUP chapter has not released political statements, aside from a 2016 endorsement to turn Emory into a sanctuary for Delayed Action for Childhood Arrival students.

This decision followed threats from then-president-elect Donald Trump to repeal the bill, a threat which ultimately did not come to fruition due to a 2020 Supreme Court decision.

“As the chapters, it’s kind of a grand term for us, expressing our commitment to the principles of the AAUP, seeking guidance from them when we perceive that there might be issues

See OXFORD, Page 2

See NATIONAL, Page 3

By Matson Holgrem Contributing Writer

2024 ELECTION

Polls open for Georgia's first day of early voting

L auren Yee/A sst. News Editor

By Ayla Khan Politics Desk Early voting for the March 12 Georgia presidential primaries began this week, with polling locations across the state opening their doors on Feb. 19. Around 17,295 Georgians cast their votes on the first day, closely resembling the 18,000 votes cast on the first day of early voting for the 2020 presidential primary election.

William Wallace, the poll manager for

A&L

Dooley's Players Presents Immersive Theater Experience ...

advanced voting at Emory University’s 1599 Clifton Road polling location, said about 60 voters cast their ballots by 4 p.m. on Feb. 19.

Wallace anticipates the number of votes cast will only surge in the coming weeks as early voting progresses, especially since voting began on Presidents Day. Early voting closes on March 8.

“Holidays are a little slower,” Wallace said. “Normally it’s a little faster than this on the first day, but

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NEWS

2 Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Emory Wheel

Emory socialist club hosts protest demanding ‘free Palestine’

By Jack Rutherford Asst. News Editor About 50 pro-Palestine activists marched from Asbury Circle to Convocation Hall on Friday in protest of Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip. Emory Students for Socialism, a new campus club dedicated to “the replacement of capitalism with socialism,” organized the protest.

The Israel-Hamas war has now continued for 134 days. Israel has furthered its offensive in the Gaza Strip as it pushes southward, capturing Gaza’s Nasser Hospital on Friday.

During the protest, participants shouted chants such as, “There is only one solution, intifada revolution,” “free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

“Intifada” is a word for an uprising that is used to describe periods of Palestinian militant attacks on Israel throughout history.

Emory-Israel Public Affairs Committee (EIPAC), a pro-Israel group on campus, denounced the slogans protestors used at the event in a statement posted to Instagram Saturday morning. The group called on the University to condemn the protest.

“The blatant incitement to violence and calls for an ‘intifada revolution’ and ‘hey hey ho ho Zionists have got to go’ are appalling, break the Open Expression Policy and Student Code of Conduct, and pose a direct threat to the safety of Jewish students on our campus,” EIPAC wrote.

In a statement to the Emory Wheel, Students for Socialism denied that the chant served as an incitement to violence. The statement said the slogan was in reference to the “Palestinians’ right to resist occupation, invasion and genocide.”

Tiffany Namkung/Social Editor

Demonstrators at Students for Socialism’s pro-Palestine protest listen to a speaker on Friday.

“Pro-Israel groups at Emory desperately need to mischaracterize pro-Palestine activists' statements as antisemitic or a call to violence because this [is] the only means they have to repress us and silence our voices,” the statement said.

Emory’s Open Expression Policy prohibits expression or protestors that “use or threaten violence or force, or encourage others to use or threaten violence or force.”

EIPAC Senior Advisor Cassidy McGoldrick (24C) said she briefly witnessed the protest and expressed her displeasure with the protesters’ use of the word “intifada,” which she said “means a violent uprising.”

“That's how it has been carried out in the past, and so calling for a violent

uprising is antisemitic, but more than that, it puts people's lives at risk,” McGoldrick.

Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond declined to comment on the protest.

Zachary Hammond (23Ox, 25C), a member of Emory Students for Socialism who helped organize the protest, called the event a success.

He said Emory should pull out of its link to Israel through the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program, which is a collaboration between Georgia State University and local, state, federal and international public safety and law enforcement agencies.

The GILEE program has facilitated

exchanges between Georgia and Israeli law enforcement.

Campus groups have previously alleged a linkage from Emory to the GILEE program. University President Gregory Fenves sits on the Atlanta Committee for Progress, which supports the Atlanta Police Foundation. In turn, the Atlanta Police Foundation supports the Atlanta Police Department, which has participated in GILEE. “We're out here today, because we want to call on the Emory administration to do three things,” Hammond said. “We want them to divest from the GILEE program, we want them to cut all ties with Israel and we want them to call for a permanent ceasefire now.”

In addition to cutting their ties to the Atlanta Police Foundation and GILEE, the protestors demanded that the University suspend study abroad programs at universities in Israel. Emory currently has two such relationships, with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched from Asbury Circle to the Quad, where they looped around before students gave speeches on the steps of Convocation Hall calling for the University to cut ties with Israel and demand a ceasefire. The protest then ended back at Asbury Circle.

Around 20 pro-Israel counterprotesters were also present at the Friday demonstration, remaining at Asbury Circle for the duration of the event. The counter- protestors shouted statements such as, “What about the hostages?” over the protestors.

An Emory student, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said she attended the counter-protest because Hamas killed a member of her family in the Oct. 7 attacks. “'I’m just here to show my support for Israel,” the student said. “It's not really in disagreement with the protests, but it's more to show that there's another side on this campus and that there are other voices.”

Elijah, an Emory Students for Justice in Palestine executive committee member who requested to keep his last name anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said that turnout was higher than expected.

“We had allies from all parts of the Emory community, including neighbors,” Elijah said. “So I would say that it was a huge success.”

— Contact Jack Rutherford at jack.rutherford@emory.edu

Test optional policy attracts Oxford addresses mold in dorms more diverse applicants Continued from Page 1 Continued from Page 1 more opportunities for students.

“For schools to remain testoptional is a good thing for students kind of like me, who I feel are good students but aren’t necessarily great test takers,” Connery said.

Courtesy of Emory University

Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Admission John Latting said Emory will continue to be test-optional.

Latting added that while many parts of a student’s application such as grades and recommendation letters should be required, test scores are not as necessary.

“It is reasonable to invite students to submit scores but to stop short of signaling that it is of critical importance,” Latting said.

Ashlyn Farnham (27C) said not

having to take the SAT or ACT made the overall application process easier and allowed her to focus more on clubs, essays and recommendation letters.

“It took a lot of pressure off of me because I feel like doing the SAT or the ACT can be really stressful, especially when you’re going through all of the college admissions and trying to get all your essays done, ” Farnham said. “Economically it was a lot better because I would have wanted to get a very high test score and I probably would have had to take it a few times, and SATs are lowkey expensive.”

Farnham added that she thinks the test-optional policy should be a permanent decision, adding that the ACT and SAT are not strong measures of intelligence.

“You can be brilliant and not score that well,” Farnham said. “Remaining test-optional makes it a little fairer for people across the board, not only in regards to test scores but economically speaking as well.”

Connery expressed a similar sentiment, noting that the policy allowed him to focus on other parts of his application instead of his scores.

“I was able to just ignore that, just kind of push that to the side, and be like, ‘Well, let me focus on what my strengths are and what all I do think Emory would be able to appreciate in me,” Connery said.

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

Courtesy of Mollie Gross

Courtesy of Sarah Sinhal

Mold on an air vent in a Fleming Hall dorm room.

Mold found in a closet on the bottom floor of Dickey Hall.

were relieved that they weren’t going to be sick anymore.”

The recent mold outbreak in JRC

has prompted students like Sinhal to raise concerns about perceived inequalities in Oxford dorms. Built

in 1955, JRC is the oldest dorm on campus. The newer dorms such as Elizer, Murdy and Fleming were not built until the 2000s.

“The salt on the wound for a lot of people in JRC who are also going through and have been through stuff like this is that we’re paying thousands of dollars to be here, and we’re also paying the same amount as, say, Fleming or Elizer but the amenities we’re getting are significantly not on the same level,” Sinhal said.

News Editor Spencer Friedland (26C) contributed reporting.

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

NEWS

The Emory Wheel

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 3

National professors' association demands 'immediate ceasefire' Continued from Page 1 that have to do with those principles and their enforcement across academia generally,” Wakefield said.

“That’s a pretty high level of concern that individual events on the campus often don’t rise to.”

The American labor movement first released the statement regarding a ceasefire shortly after the most recent outbreak of conflict in the region last October.

“We, along with other members of the American labor movement, mourn the loss of life in Israel and Palestine,” the statement reads. “We express our solidarity with all workers and our common desire for peace in Palestine and Israel, and we call on President Joe Biden and Congress to push for an immediate ceasefire and end to the siege of Gaza.”

Additionally, the petition calls for humanitarian aid such as water, fuel and food to be allowed into Gaza, the ability for Gazans to leave the territory to seek medical aid and an immediate release of Hamas’ Israeli hostages.

Longa, a professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law, stated that a significant majority of the national council’s members voted in support of signing the petition.

“The International Court of Justice found that Israel … is plau-

sibly engaged in a genocide in Gaza and a U.S. District Court judge in a court case regarding U.S. complicity in Israel’s genocide of Gaza stated, quote, ‘It’s every individual’s obligation to confront the current siege in Gaza,’” Longa said.

The national council decided to support the content of the message itself because they viewed it as “fair and balanced,” Longa said.

“It mourns the loss of life in both Israel and Palestine,” Longa said. “It condemns all hate crimes against Jews and Muslims. It calls for the restoration of basic human rights and the release of hostages. It expresses solidarity with all working people rather than any one government and it calls upon the Biden administration and Congress to push for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege in Gaza.”

Additionally, Longa said the Palestinian labor movement and General Union of Palestinian Teachers’ requests for solidarity and calls for a ceasefire influenced the group. Another factor was that several teachers’ unions, faculty unions and graduate workers’ unions had already signed on to the petition.

Longa said he hopes the AAUP’s declaration will encourage local chapters of the organization and other unions to urge for an immediate

Emory Votes Initiative promotes civic engagement Continued from Page 1 as we go through the three weeks it’ll pick up.”

Emory Office of Government and Community Affairs student worker Daryn Dusansky (24C) noted that voter turnout was especially low among students.

“There were probably only two, maybe three students that came to vote,” Dusansky said. “Granted, we have class and it’s just the first day, so I don’t know how aware everyone’s been, but I’m hopeful that more students will come and vote.”

The Emory Votes Initiative (EVI) aims to bridge this gap in student awareness by fostering civic engagement at Emory. Specifically, the organization looks to increase voter turnout through educational tabling and voter registration drives but has since experimented with other forms of education such as classroom outreach, EVI intern Angel Sosa (26C) said. He explained that EVI visits classes and gives a five- to 10-minute presentation about what EVI is and important election dates.

“Previously, we kind of slowed down on classroom outreach, just because there wasn't major elections coming up, but obviously 2024 is a huge election year,” Sosa said.

After its inception in 2018, EVI collaborated with the Office of Government and Community Affairs to establish Emory as a DeKalb County polling location in 2022, a change that Sosa said ensures students have a convenient and accessible voting location on campus.

EVI intern Zoe Ferguson (24Ox) believes EVI’s mission is significant because it allows individuals to engage with civic responsibility while promoting individual expression.

“Our mission is distinctly non-partisan,” Ferguson said. “We’re not advocating a specific viewpoint or platform, it’s more just the idea that everyone deserves to have beliefs and deserves to have strong values, and the best way to implement those values in our everyday lives is by voting.”

— Contact Ayla Khan at ayla.khan@emory

The Emory Wheel Volume 105, Issue 3 © 2024 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 financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University in Atlanta. The Wheel is a member publication of Media Council, Emory’s organization of student publications. The Wheel reserves the rights to all content as it appears in these pages, and permission to reproduce material must be granted by the editor-in-chief.

The statements and opinions expressed in the Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Wheel Editorial Board or of Emory University, its faculty, staff or administration.

The Wheel is also available online at www.emorywheel.com.

ceasefire.

The AAUP has previously weighed in on issues surrounding the conflict in Gaza. In a statement released on Oct. 24, 2023, the group urged universities to uphold the principles of their academic freedom clauses to protect “free and open inquiry,” which includes “expression of controversial ideas that some may consider wrong or offensive.” The statement asked that higher education institutions resist external pressures from donors, politicians and other groups to protect speech.

This debate has continued on Emory’s campus. In October 2023, University President Gregory Fenves sent an email to the Emory community alleging that community members used antisemitic phrases during a pro-Palestine protest organized by Emory Stop Cop City. Fenves wrote “this rhetoric has no place at Emory.”

His statement elicited a response from faculty and staff, who published an open letter in November 2023 condemning Fenves’ response as one that “censures students who speak in support of Palestinian lives and rights.” A total of 78 faculty and staff members signed on to the letter.

AAUP President Irene Mulvey published a statement on Feb. 8 titled “The Time is Now to Resist Political Interference.” In this statement, she

Matthew Chupack/Editor-in-Chief

Emory Students for Justice in Palestine etched chalkings across Emory University’s Atlanta campus on Oct. 30, 2023. criticized the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s actions as an “alarming escalation” in partisan political entities attempting to control speech at colleges and universities.

"Although today’s inquisition targets groups and individuals that criticize the state of Israel or U.S. policy toward Israel, it is actually an expansion of a broad effort to undermine the integrity and democratic mission of U.S, higher education,” Mulvey wrote.

Longa stressed that statements on foreign policy were not unprecedented for the AAUP, citing examples from the past several decades

where the association made similar statements against injustices, such as encouraging the United States’ rapid withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1969.

“AAUP has a long and rich history of answering the call for solidarity and support when workers in academics, in higher ed institutions, are confronting crimes against humanity and war atrocities,” Longa said.

Assistant News Editors Jack Rutherford (27C) and Lauren Yee (25Ox) contributed reporting.

— Contact Matson Holgrem at matson.holgrem@emory.edu

PAID RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: The Emory Mental Health & Development Program

is seeking individuals worried about recent changes in their thoughts and perceptions.

Individuals aged 12-34 may be eligible if experiencing one or more of the following:     

Unusual thoughts Questioning if things are real or imaginary Suspiciousness or paranoia A sense of having special powers or unrealistic plans for the future Unusual experiences with seeing or hearing things that are not there

The purpose of this study is to see how unusual thoughts, suspiciousness or paranoia, and unusual experiences with seeing or hearing things that are not really there can be used to predict risk of psychosis through computerized tasks. The study will be conducted online through Emory University.

An initial screening will be done. Then, if the study is found to be a good fit, you will be invited to participate in the main study. Participants will be compensated $30 per hour.

Contact us or visit our website for more information: Phone number: 404-727-7547 Email: mentalhealth.research@emory.edu Website: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/mhdp/ or scan the QR code: STU00211351: CAPR Principal investigator: Elaine Walker

The Emory Wheel

Opinion Editorial

Emory, take the wheel on transportation safety

A lex Friedman/Contributing Photographer

Buses wait at Woodruff Transit Circle at Emory University, where a woman was hit and injured last Tuesday. Emory community members board shuttles at the circle, and they should not be at risk.

While Emory University’s campus can feel like a bubble, events like the bus crash that injured a woman in Woodruff Circle last Tuesday are stark reminders that we are victims of Atlanta’s bus-based infrastructure. Atlanta’s transportation woes are well-known at this point: Its history of promoting urban sprawl and car culture makes it incredibly difficult for the city to effectively implement public transport, such as trains.

Public transportation in Atlanta is simply inconvenient. Not to mention, car culture is terrible for the environment. Thus, the population that uses Atlanta’s public transportation is primarily dependent on a limited bus system that can be dangerous and unreliable. Emory’s system may be no better given this recent accident.

While the issue of Atlanta’s transportation infrastructure extends far beyond Emory, the University should take more steps to ensure that its students can commute to school in a

secure and eco-friendly way. Emory advertises its Bicycle Commuter program, which offers incentives for graduate students and employees who bike to campus instead of driving. These incentives include one 20-trip MARTA Breeze card per semester and commute backup options, such as a free campus parking spot, on days when the weather does not permit commuting by bike.

Extending this program to undergraduates could effectively raise students’ quality of life while giving the nearly 40% of students who live off campus the opportunity to proportionally lower transportation emissions— a key step in climate action.

However, Emory lacks the bike infrastructure and safety methods necessary to fully facilitate the expansion of this program. A 2015 Georgia Department of Transportation audit reported that the area enclosing most of Emory’s main campus between Ponce De Leon Avenue NE, Scott Boulevard, Briarcliff Road and

Clairmont Road was a major driving corridor with a high volume of traffic endangering pedestrians and bikers.

To make the area more friendly to alternative means of transportation, like walking and biking, the audit suggested the extension of sidewalks and the installation of crosswalks and bike paths, among other revisions.

Public transportation in Atlanta at this point is simply inconvenient.

Not to mention, car culture is terrible for the environment.

The audit’s suggestions are tangible actions Emory can implement to encourage the use of its Bicycle

Commuter program despite being situated in what is generally a bike-hostile part of the city. Of course, Emory is not responsible for making all the changes in and around the area, but they can do their best to make living in and around their campus safe.

By lobbying and working with the city to implement protected bike lanes, pave deteriorating shoulders and slow speed limits, Emory can invest in bike safety and infrastructure on campus.

In conjunction, Emory Transportation and Parking Services needs to expand its bike fleet to meet existing student demands for bike rentals and collaborate with local bike-share initiatives to improve bike accessibility around Emory’s campus. Despite previous efforts like increases in the number of vehicles for programs like Saferide, increase in service between the Atlanta campus and Oxford College as well as extension of service times in key routes the shuttle system direly needs an update. Frequent grievances

with the system include shuttles being regularly unreliable, routes running with a limited range of hours and stops, in addition to inaccuracies in route-tracking apps like TransLoc and Passio GO! Contrastingly, the Georgia Institute of Technology’s campus transportation includes a wider range of electric-hybrid routes for students, including direct weekly and weekend routes with connections to MARTA stations along with a timely system of tracking its shuttles. Emory should emulate its peer institution’s system by offering convenient routes that connect students to the city and updating its dated tracking technology.

As Emory students, transportation is our way out of the “Emory Bubble.” We remain tourists in our city when we are constrained by the limits of a transit desert in a motocracy. Despite these immovable barriers, we must continue to demand more out of our transportation system, including greater safety and mobility.

The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Board is composed of Marc Goedemans, Sophia Hoar, Carson Kindred, Justin Leach, Eliana Liporace, Lola McGuire, Saanvi Nayar, Sahana Nellian, Sara Pérez, Maddy Prucha, Jaanaki Radhakrishnan and Ilka Tona.

The Emory Wheel Volume 105 | Number 3

Matthew Chupack Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Davis Editor-in-Chief

Jenna Daly Managing Editor Claire Fenton Managing Editor Madi Olivier Managing Editor Sophia Peyser Managing Editor Oli Turner Managing Editor Spencer Friedland News Editor Jack Rutherford Asst. News Editor Lauren Yee Asst. News Editor Marc Goedemans Editorial Board Editor Ellie Fivas Opinion Editor Saanvi Nayar Opinion Editor Lola McGuire Asst. Opinion Editor Safa Wahidi Asst. Opinion Editor Alexandra Kauffman A&L Editor

Nathan Rubin A&L Editor Ari Segal A&L Editor Amiee Zhao A&L Editor Alex Gerson Asst. A&L Editor Catherine Goodman Asst. A&L Editor Clement Lee Sports Editor Madeline Shapiro Sports Editor Will Peck Asst. Sports Editor Jenny Zha Copy Chief

Sandy Ge Copy Editor Haley Huh Copy Editor Angela Chan Asst. Copy Editor Disha Kumar Asst. Copy Editor Teodoro Taylor Asst. Copy Editor Tiffany Namkung Social Editor Esther Fu Asst. Social Editor Natalie Sandlow Asst. Visual Editor Ha-tien Nguyen Podcast Editor Emma Kingwell DEI Editor

Hunter Collins | Business Manager Business/Advertising Email emorywheelbusiness@gmail.com

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

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OPINION

The Emory Wheel

Give Biden no credit on the border Pierce McDade In a matter of irony only possible in American politics, Republican lawmakers impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for “a reckless abandonment of border security and immigration enforcement” on Feb. 13, despite them abandoning bipartisan legislation to curb illegal immigration and bolster legal migration just a week earlier. This legislation, sponsored

by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ind-Ariz.), would have given U.S. President Joe Biden authority to shut down the border, raise the standard for making asylum claims, disincentivize illegal crossings and provide more funding for immigration agencies. Many considered these policies a move to the right by Biden and the Democratic Party.

While playing politics with the border shows just how flawed American politics are, it is the unfortunate reality in the United States.

Republicans, who have long relied on the issue of immigration to win elections, now have to produce an explanation for the American people as to why they blocked legislation that had bipartisan support. While Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has claimed the deal would let “5,000 people illegally invade our country every day,” that is unsurprisingly not true.

The real reason why Republicans blocked the legislation is clear: They’re trying to win in 2024. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee for president, is relying on immigration as a key issue for his 2024 campaign.

This deal would give Biden the offensive on the issue, leading Trump to direct Republican lawmakers to reject the agreement. While playing politics with the border shows just how flawed American politics are, it is the unfortunate reality in the United States.

However, Republicans rejecting the deal has only given Biden further

political capital on the issue. He was quick to take advantage of the bill’s defeat, telling reporters he blamed Trump for sinking the legislation.

Additionally, though Biden’s December 2023 approval rating for handling immigration was just 29%, many campaign experts and pundits believe the moment will allow him to make up ground on the issue of immigration. However, he should do more than just campaign with his current political capital.

To address the border crisis and improve his election prospects, Biden should take steps to mitigate uncontrolled border crossings while providing opportunities for migrants seeking a better life.

Without the support of Congress, Biden’s options are limited. However, there are ways he can reduce illegal immigration while providing support for legal immigration into the United States. For example, he can issue an executive order that requires asylum claims be made only at ports of entry. While this would create backups at these ports, it would slow down the rates of people crossing the border, which reached nearly 10,000 people per day in December 2023.

Additionally, it would allow the government to concentrate personnel responsible for processing asylum seekers to just official ports.

To offset the difficulty this would place on migrants, the administration can expand a process known as parole sponsorship. This program allows sponsors to support beneficiaries, who can travel to and work in the United States legally for two years. The Department of Homeland Security’s announcement of an expanded parole sponsorship program at the start of the year correlated with a 40% reduction in migrant encounters at the border.

Unfortunately, artificial low caps on the number of migrants eligible for this program, as well as the limited number of country partnerships — just five countries, Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela are eligible — are preventing the policy from playing a significant role in addressing the crisis at the border.

To address this, the Biden administration could raise the caps and expand the program to other key countries, all without authorization from Congress. Additionally, while parole sponsorship does not provide a direct path to citizenship, the Biden administration can auto-

matically give parolees Temporary Protected Status at the end of their parole, allowing them to apply for citizenship, something they have already done for Ukrainian migrants.

Through augmenting parole sponsorships, the Biden administration can take substantive action and limit chaos at the border while providing effective paths for legal immigration to the United States.

As election season approaches, we, as voters, must rise above the empty rhetoric. While Biden will certainly play the offensive on immigration, citing Trump’s block, we must understand that without effective action, he is no more preferable than the former president. Campaigning on Trump’s lack of action while also not taking action is hypocritical.

If Biden wants to prove to the American people that he is the better candidate, he can start by taking steps at the border. As students at Emory University, but more importantly as voters in Georgia, we should assess each candidate on policy action, not on rhetoric or false promises. We should not give Trump credit for bettering immigration, but without concrete action, we should not give Biden credit either.

As students at Emory, but more importantly as voters in Georgia, we should assess each candidate on policy action, not on rhetoric or false promises.

Trump’s intervention may have given Biden an opening on the issue of immigration. However, unless Biden takes this moment to address the situation at the border with effective policy, his opening will have been wasted. Regardless of his election chances, Biden should not play politics with the millions of migrants searching for a better life at the border. For the sake of our country, he must continue to fight for legislation in Congress. In the meantime, there are concrete steps Biden can take to address the border crisis. If he does not, we as voters must take notice.

Pierce McDade (25Ox) is from Bloomington, Ill.

A pril L awyer/Staff Illustrator

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

5

Pornography ban threatens American right to degeneracy Alexandra Kauffman Senator and evangelical Christian Dusty Deevers (R-Okla.) proposed a bill on Feb. 5 that would make creating or viewing pornography a felony. Oklahoma Senate Bill 1976 attempts to ban all materials portraying “sexual conduct,” including not only depictions of sexual intercourse but also “deviate” sexual acts such as sodomy and “sadomasochistic abuse.”

Deever’s proposed law is an abhorrent violation of privacy and another unfortunate example of American conservatism’s oppressive nature. The proposition is emblematic of a long tradition of regressive ideals that strip individuals of their freedom of sexual expression.

The bill’s language describing “deviate” conduct echoes centuries-old reactionary concepts of social or cultural degeneration. The theory of social degeneration claimed certain groups, such as queer people and individuals who participate in kink, were inherently predisposed to perceived immoral behaviors that degraded the overall moral character of a society.

The Nazis famously persecuted gay men for their perceived sexual degeneracy, which they believed would weaken an Aryan ethnostate.

Degeneracy is an arbitrary, subjective and deeply reactionary measure of morality that condemns non-conformity and creates social stigma against already oppressed groups. The concept of degeneracy does not condemn actual harmful practices, such as rape and assault.

Degeneracy is a socially constructed tool used to suppress the voices of sexual minorities by labeling them as deviant and unnatural. The concept of degeneracy is further cemented in Western thought through its entanglement with the Bible’s concept of sexual sin, which condemns non-reproductive sexual acts such as anal and oral sex.

There is a strong connection between the right-wing authoritarian theory of degeneracy and the Christian idea of sexual sin. Any political thinker or lawmaker who advocates for the restriction of freedoms on the grounds of limiting degenerate or deviant sexual actions is participating in a decades-long persecution of vulnerable groups.

The fear of degeneracy and deviance ripples through American conservatism, marrying Christian ideals of sin with the long tradition of authoritarian oppression.

The fear of degeneracy and deviance ripples through American conservatism, marrying Christian ideals of sin with the long tradition of authoritarian oppression. This can be seen in the 1969 U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case Stanley v. Georgia, in which state police arrested Robert Stanley for the possession of pornography tapes during a house search that was unrelated to these items.

Stanley was convicted of violating Georgia’s obscenity statute. His conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court of Georgia, but SCOTUS overturned it, ruling that the possession of “obscene” material is protected under First Amendment rights.

Deevers’ law flagrantly violates the First Amendment and advocates for

dangerous, regressive ideas that restrict individuals’ freedoms. Though Deever’s law will most likely not pass due to this violation, I am nonetheless appalled at his attempt to manifest his personal religious beliefs into law. I see this bill as a proclamation that Deevers, and by extension, Christian conservatives, will stop at nothing to regulate social behaviors.

Christian conservative lawmakers are attempting to reshape society in their subjective image of righteousness.

Lawmakers must recognize the legal and moral right to degeneracy, including sodomy, the consumption of pornography and the practice of kink.

Unfortunately for Deevers and his supporters, Christian doctrine should have no place in American law, as per the separation of Church and state enshrined in the First Amendment. Pornography is a form of sexual expression for many, providing a space to explore sexual fantasies, especially relating to kinks. The government should not moderate how citizens safely satisfy their sexual urges and experience pleasure. If consenting adults want to view pornography or commit “deviate” sexual acts such as sodomy and sado-masochism, it is their legal and moral right.

While pornography should not be banned, there are nonetheless tangible side effects to the over-consumption of pornography and the lack of regulation in the porn industry. Several studies have indicated pornography is easily accessible for minors from 10 to 17 years old, and there is a possible link between sexual violence and porn consumption in teenage relationships. Additionally, many have criticized the porn industry for eroticizing violent content, the abuse adult actors face in their profession and a lack of regulations. The methods in which pornography is currently produced, distributed and viewed are undeniably flawed.

However, the answer to sexual violence is not sexual repression. Stronger regulations on the production of porn and stricter moderation of internet accessibility could curb some of the negative effects. Conservatives don’t want to ban porn for practical reasons. Rather, they want to ban it on account of a deeply ideological opposition to anything considered degenerate. It is heinous for these audacious conservatives to propose impractical solutions to real problems, seizing the opportunity to enforce their ideology on the masses.

There is no room in the law for reactionary moral panic. Adults deserve to have the option to legally consume pornography as an avenue of sexual expression. It is difficult for America to be populated by morally upstanding adults when citizens are stripped of their right and ability to satisfy one of their most basic desires how they choose.

Lawmakers must recognize the legal and moral right to degeneracy, including sodomy, the consumption of pornography and the practice of kink. Any politician lobbying for the total ban of pornography is ultimately advocating for nothing less than oppressive, totalitarian state penetration into citizens’ private lives.

Alexandra Kauffman (26C) is from Phoenix.

6 Wednesday, February 21, 2024

OPINION

The Emory Wheel

Emory Wheel Demographic Report | Spring 2024 DEI Task Force The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) task force sent out The Emory Wheel’s fourth annual demographic survey at the end of January to better understand the extent of the Wheel’s inclusivity in coverage and within the newsroom.

The survey asked contributors about their personal identities and experiences in the Wheel’s work environment. The DEI task force will discuss and implement initiatives to address inequalities in the Wheel based on the survey’s results, which are summarized below.

Methodology The survey was emailed to the 176 students who contributed to the Wheel during the 2023 calendar year, marking the largest number of annual contributors since the Wheel started collecting demographic data in spring 2021.

Of the 176 students, 89 responded, producing a 50.6% response rate, which is higher than last year’s 46.7% response rate. However, it is important to note that about 49.4% of students who qualified to take the survey, the majority of which were general staff members, did not complete the form, limiting the task force’s ability to ensure representative data.

All responses were kept anonymous and analyzed by DEI task force members. Editors made up the greatest portion of respondents at 38.2%, while staff members — students who produced five or more articles, photographs or illustrations — followed at 20.2%. Contributors who produced less than five pieces of work came in third at 16.9%.

Race and ethnicity The Wheel has continued to be disproportionately white, with 53.9% of respondents reporting as such this year. However, this is a slight decrease from previous years, 56.5% and 58% of respondents identifying their race as white in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Asian contributors continued to make up the second-largest demographic with 39.3% of respondents, which is an increase from 37.1% in 2023 and 34.3% in 2022.

According to the Office of Planning and Administration, 34% of students identify as white, while 19.5% identify as Asian.

Additionally, the Wheel lacks Black and Latinx representation among contributors, with only 6.7% respondents identifying their race as Black, while another 5.6% of respondents indicated that they identify as Latinx in a separate question. This is an increase from 2023, when 3.2% of respondents identified as Black or African American and 1.6% identified as Latinx.

Although this year still marked a slight increase from the 6% of respondents who identified as Black or African American in 2022, there was a decrease from the 8% of respondents who identified as Hispanic or Latin American that same year.

According to the Office of Planning and Administration, 12.9% of students identify as Black or African American, while 9.7% identify as Hispanic/Latino.

No respondents identified as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

Gender identification Cisgender women continue to make up the majority of the Wheel’s contributors this year, with 69.7% of respondents identifying as such, marking a decrease from 78.7% in 2023 but a slight increase from 66.7% in 2022. Another 22.5% of respondents identified as cisgender men.

This represents an increase compared to 13.1% in 2023 but a decrease from 27% in 2022.

The task force is working toward its goal of meeting with all of the organizations and affinity groups on campus.

This is more skewed than Emory University’s gender breakdown, with 60.4% of enrolled students identifying as female and 39.6% identifying as male, according to the Office of Planning and Administration.

Additionally, 4.5% of respondents identified as non-binary, which is consistent with 4.9% in 2023 and 4.5% in 2022.

Sexual orientation This year, 66.3% of respondents identified as heterosexual. This represents an increase from the 56.5%

and 45% of respondents who reported the same in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Bisexual remained the second most common identity among contributors with 15.7% identifying as such, increasing from 14.5% in 2023 but decreasing from 17% in 2022.

Queer individuals made up the third largest group this year at 6.7% — a decrease from 9.7% in 2023 and 17% in 2022 — while lesbian individuals followed at 5.6%.

First-generation status Compared to 7.9% of respondents who identified as a first-generation student in 2023, 6.7% of respondents identified as first-generation this year, marking a 1.2% decrease.

This aligns closely with the larger student population, with 7.4% of undergraduate students at Emory identifying as first-generation, according to the Office of Planning and Administration. Earlier demographic reports did not survey contributors on their first-generation status.

Low-income status This year, 13.5% of respondents identified as low-income, compared to 11.1% in 2023 and 18% in 2022.

This demonstrates a slight increase in the involvement of contributors who identify as low-income within the past year. However, the number of respondents who indicated that they receive need-based financial aid decreased from 22.2% in 2023 to 18% this year. This falls markedly below Emory’s overall student population, with the Office of Undergraduate Admission reporting that 46% of undergraduate students receive need-based or merit financial aid.

Residency This year, the task force allowed respondents to fill in their own answers regarding where they reside.

In total, 15.7% of respondents indicated they reside in a country other than the United States, the most frequent of which was China with 53.3% of international respondents.

Other countries included India, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Rwanda and Nicaragua. This is a slight increase from 2023, when 14.3% of respondents identified as international students.

In 2022, only 9% of respondents identified as such. According to the Office of Undergraduate Admission, 17.7% of students identify as international.

Disability status This year, 9% of respondents identified as disabled or are registered with the Department of Accessibility Services. This is a sharp decrease from the 2023 demographic report, which showed that 19.4% of respondents identified as disabled or were registered with the Department of Accessibility Services.

Earlier demographic reports did not survey contributors on their disability status.

Wheel culture Descriptions of the Wheel’s culture varied widely, with some contributors writing that they have found the organization to be a “welcoming,” “uplifting” and “empowering” environment where students can explore journalism at Emory. One contributor wrote that working with editors has “significantly improved” their writing.

Another respondent wrote that they have noticed an increase in friendships and connections between contributors at the Wheel this year, although others pointed out that they still believe the Wheel harbors a “cliquey,” “toxic” and “intense” environment. Several contributors wrote that some individuals take the Wheel too seriously, which can contribute to this environment.

One contributor noted that the Wheel is “accepting of all voices,” although others pointed out that the Board of Editors is “overwhelmingly white,” which can hinder sections’ ability to effectively report on minority issues.

Several respondents noted that the Wheel lacks coverage about Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities.

In terms of coverage, contributors also reported that the Wheel should dedicate more time to covering stories about international students, Oxford College, the local Atlanta community, arts on campus, professors and faculty members.

DEI efforts The DEI task force strives to create an inclusive and non-hostile environment at the Wheel and equally represent the student body at Emory.

Every semester based on the results of the demographic report survey, the task force reflects on areas of improvement to evaluate the effectiveness of past initiatives and develop new initiatives as needed.

It is important to note that the task force only consisted of two editors-in-chief, a managing editor

and DEI editor at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester due to retention issues from the previous year, so the Wheel rebuilt the task force through recruitment. All six general body members of the task force are newly hired.

This semester, the task force has prioritized outreach to affinity groups and identity-based organizations, maintaining diverse coverage and increasing the accessibility of journalism involvement opportunities.

For example, last semester, the task force helped organize a Q&Astyle panel session with the Asian American Journalists Association that opened a discussion on journalism skills, career tips, networking opportunities and Asian American journalists’ experiences in the field.

The Wheel is dedicated to supporting writers of all backgrounds in finding journalism opportunities.

The task force is working toward its goal of meeting with all of the organizations and affinity groups on campus. By connecting with these groups, the task force will ensure that the Wheel accurately represents them and stays updated on events or topics that reporters should cover.

By frequently communicating with these groups, the Wheel can work toward coverage that better represents all of Emory.

Additionally, the task force plans to offer journalism opportunities and resources to these groups in hopes of encouraging members to contribute, especially if they previously did not know how to get involved with the Wheel.

The task force will continue to work toward positive change by taking survey results into account and encourages all members of the community to ask questions.

The task force hopes that by collaborating with organizations and affinity groups, the Wheel can have productive conversations and promote transparency based on their feedback.

The task force also organized a content tracker for the articles that each editorial section publishes in print beginning with the spring 2024 semester to foster cross-section communication and increase awareness on topics that are frequently covered or need increased coverage.

Lastly, the task force hosted several general body meetings with activities such as collage-making that were open to the Emory community, but received low turnout.

The task force will continue to work toward positive change by taking survey results into account and encourages all members of the community to ask questions as well as provide feedback or suggestions by contacting emorywheeldei@gmail.com.

Managing Editor Madi Olivier (25C), DEI Editor Emma Kingwell (26C) and DEI Task Force members Anika Hofmeister (27C), Wendy Pelayo (26C), Halle Wulff (24Ox) and Tiena Lim (24C) contributed to this report.

The Emory Wheel

OPINION

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

7

Arts&Life The Emory Wheel

FEATURE

FEATURE

Indian cinema series uncovers queer voices Rapid Gourmet brings fresh

flavors to farmers market

By Amiee Zhao Arts & Life Editor In an effort to uncover queer voices from South Asian cultures within the Emory University community, Rohit Chakraborty (22G, 25G) curated the “‘Odbhuth’ India” cinema series with South Asian Studies Librarian Gautham Reddy. The cinema series, which is free to the public, includes four movies in the Indian queer film canon.

The movies include “Performing the Goddess: The Chapal Bhaduri Story” (1999), “Sixth Happiness” (1997), “A Mermaid Called Aida” (1996) and “Chutney Popcorn” (1999). The series screened the first of these films in Goodrich C. White Hall on Feb. 16.

Explaining how they named the series, Chakraborty said “Odbhuth” means “queer” in Bengali. They are also teaching “Fictions of Human Desire” in the English department. The course parallels the cinema series, covering topics similar to what the movies convey.

Chakraborty said they began curating the movie selection in 2021 after they won the 2019-2020 Studies in Sexualities essay prize and met Reddy at the prize ceremony in 2021.

While the two hit it off at the event, Chakraborty said that the curating process was less smooth. The public screening fee for these old movies was exorbitant due to the required restoration process.

Additionally, Chakraborty said they found it challenging to contact the movies’ rights holders.

“It became very difficult for me to reach out to rights holders, because they wouldn’t talk to a grad student,” Chakraborty said.

Fortunately, Chakraborty and Reddy read the “Trikone Flyers and membership materials, undated” archive, which documents voices from South Asian LGBTQ+ communities. Connecting with queer people mentioned in this archive, Chakraborty found access to movies they wanted to bring to Emory. Specifically, they found ’90s Indian queer cinema, which Chakraborty said was the decade in which Indonesian nationalists began to strongly resist queerness.

“My ambition [was not] to canonize them,” Chakraborty said. “It was not to induce any kind of remedy. It was mostly to create a showcase for them.”

Before the first screening, Chakraborty described this curation process and highlighted queer voices within Bengali folk culture to the audience.

“Performing the Goddess: The Chapal Bhaduri Story” is a documentary on Jatra performance directed by Naveen Kishore. Jatra originates from Bengali folk culture, where male actors dress as female characters, read

By Andrina McQuick Contributing Writer With low temperatures, the best way to remedy the cold is with fresh flavors.

There is no better place to stop than the Rapid Gourmet stand at the Emory Farmers Market, where you’ll be greeted by owner Andrea George’s welcoming smile and samples of her fresh lemonade.

Students at the Feb. 6 farmers market raved about Rapid Gourmet’s welcoming customer service and amazing products, with tacos being one of the favorites.

“I just want to continue to innovate and bring new new and different things to the marketplace.”

— Andrea George, owner of Rapid Gourmet

Courtesy of Rohit Chakraborty

and sing about religious stories.

Chakraborty also displayed a QR code for a feedback form to the audience, encouraging direct artistic conversation between the audience and the filmmaker.

The documentary started with relatively light-hearted scenes, where the Jatra actor showcased his performance skills.

Audience members laughed gently with the movie. However, sorrow enveloped the room when the film described the actor’s homosexual relationship that made the Jatra actor Chapal Bhaduri so joyful yet so confused. When the actor tried to deconstruct the heteronormative social norms to understand his sexuality, the audience fell quiet. The documentary ended on the line, “There is nothing wrong with it. This is art,” which the audience followed with a sustained round of applause.

Instead of hastily leaving the theater after the screening, numerous audience members filled out the feedback forms while lingering in conversations about the movie.

“It was incredible,” Akshaya Natarajan (22B, 25L) said. “For being at a reasonably good university, I don’t think that we get enough exposure to

the arts, especially the arts that are not mainstream.”

Natarajan was one of the only Emory students to attend the screening.

Most who came to the event were nearby residents.

“There’s a lot of talk about us being an international campus,” Natarajan said. “In terms of the amount of exposure that international events get, it’s quite surprising how not plugged-in Emory students are to that.”

Reddy also commented on the importance of centering voices in underrepresented cultures through such screenings.

“Focusing on queer voices from the diaspora was one way of really developing that diversity in our collections and ensuring that there’s something very unique and special about our collection as well,” Reddy said.

The other films in the “Odbhuth India” series will screen in Goodrich C. White Hall on March 1, March 29 and April 19. Chakraborty said they hope these curated movies will continue to bring to life queer voices from South Asia for audiences on Emory’s campus.

– Contact Amiee Zhao at amiee.zhao@emory.edu

“They are super kind and accommodating to your order,” Sarah Arnold (25C) said. “I love the food, shrimp tacos are one of my favorite meals.”

Though George and her business

have only participated in the Emory Farmers Market for the past three years, she’s been warming the hearts of many with her homemade jams, lemonades, dry mixes, spices and freshly cooked meals since 2007.

“We’re not fast food, we’re good food fast.”

— Andrea George, owner of Rapid Gourmet Encapsulated by the company’s tagline, “We’re not fast food, we’re good food fast,” George’s goal is to give people access to sustainable food.

George’s father was one of the inspirations behind her flourishing small business.

He lived to the age of 101, and George said she believes his diet contributed greatly to his longevity, solidifying her belief that people are what they eat.

“They ate quality foods, clean foods, natural foods from the earth — not a lot of preservatives and additives,” George said.

Rapid Gourmet’s products vary with the season.

This spring, one of her most popular items is pumpkin orange spice jam,

See LOCAL, Page 10

A lexandra K auffman/A rts & Liife editor

Students line up to purchase food from Rapid Gourmet at the Emory University Farmer’s Market on Feb. 20.

CAMPUS ART

‘Love and Information’ presents immersive, dynamic theater experience B y A aron S elby C ontributing W riter

Michael C. Carlos Hall is usually quiet, but a host of voices echoed through the building on Feb. 16 and 17 as it became the set of “Love and Information” (2012), an immersive theater production by Dooley’s Players. In the play, British playwright Caryl Churchill presents a series of short scenes in which people grapple with issues of knowledge, communication and love.

A crowd gathered in the entryway while audience members waited with excitement for the opening performance. Directors Zack Gunter (24C) and Hailey Sipes (24C) stood at the base of the broad spiral staircase, half-concealed by the white stone body of a lunging statue. The air was full of energy not yet translated into movement and the excitement of an audience unsure

what exactly to expect.

Before the performance began, Gunter explained what was about to unfold. The scenes of “Love and Information” would play out simultaneously as actors moved throughout Carlos Hall.

The audience would assume an active role, tracking the actors as they roamed the building, deciding which voices to follow and which stories to pursue. Sacrifices were unavoidable: An audience member could not see everything.

The tall glass doors of Carlos Hall swung open and the cast streamed in from the Quadrangle. Student actors Emi Fernandez (24C), Kelly Fox (24C), Emma Friese (24C), Carl Kash (27C), Andreanna Kitas (26C), Emory MacLaughlin (24C), Josie Maier (24C), Gabriel Nascimento Silva, Kian Sheridan (27C), Chaya Tong (25C) and Nora Xu (25C) formed a neat line. They

split the crowd, slipped by the heel of the looming statue and ascended to form a crescent along the stairs.

The actors introduced themselves as A, B, C and so on through the alphabet until the letter K.

The next hour felt part scavenger hunt, part theater, part dream.

Their costumes were simple, everyday clothing. In the scenes to follow, the cast would take on various relations to one another. They were “eleven somebodies wandering around, searching for connection,” Gunter noted in the event’s

program. The actors dispersed, and after a moment, Gunter invited the audience to follow them.

The next hour felt part scavenger hunt, part theater experience and part dream. Down one flight from the lobby, two girls quizzed each other on an actor’s birthdate and his favorite things until suddenly, they both failed: Neither knew the man’s favorite smell. The girls panicked and tore apart the magazine in their hands. Later, a tense discussion played out in the building’s tight faculty kitchen.

Audience members peered through the door to catch references to an old friend, a grave mistake and a connection in the police force.

For each scene, the audience had to eavesdrop and spy; they became “voyeurs,” as Gunter and Sipes wrote in the program. Between vignettes, the cast members traversed Carlos Hall. They weaved through

the wandering audience with thoughtful, unreadable expressions. In a quiet hallway, one actor held his head in his hands while another rubbed his back in comfort.

A family sat and watched a wedding video, laughing as they told stories until the conversation came around to memory. They discussed what was never documented and what couldn’t be remembered: Their grandparents’ wedding, their great grandparents’ and the existence of Neanderthals. A now-former employee screamed at her boss who fired her over email. A couple took their child to the doctor who told them their child had a rash.

Two players went back and forth speaking in DNA code, translating each other’s A’s to T’s and C’s to G’s.

At the top of the staircase, another pair clasped hands. One swore their

See DOOLEY’S, Page 10

The Emory Wheel

A&L

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

9

COLUMN

Alex’s Media Memory: ‘Bottle Rocket’ turns 28

By Alex Gerson Asst. Arts & Life Editor

The day was Feb. 21, 1996. The song “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men topped the Billboard Hot 100. John Woo’s “Broken Arrow,” starring John Travolta and Christian Slater, enjoyed its second week as the biggest film at the box office. And filmmaker Wes Anderson released his debut feature film, “Bottle Rocket,” starring firsttime actors Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson.

“Bottle Rocket” is in some ways a classic Anderson movie.

Featuring off-kilter dialogue with unconventional dry humor, the story follows semi-incompetent crimi-

nals Anthony Adams (Luke Wilson) and Dignan (Owen Wilson) as they attempt a heist to steal money from a storage facility’s safe.

Moments of both absurdity and love and passion often occur simultaneously, creating an eccentric tone for the film.

Anderson would go on to direct 10 more feature films throughout the next two and a half decades, earning eight Academy Award nominations.

Elements such as heists, a distinctive sense of comedy and bizarre romances are staples of the director’s works.

The heist in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009), the dry comedy of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014) and the odd romances in “Rushmore”

Mia Usman/Staff Illustrator

(1998) and “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001) are all reminiscent of “Bottle Rocket.”

Despite these similarities, “Bottle Rocket” stands alone in Anderson’s filmography for its looser, less stylized feel.

Anderson, who is known for his sets looking more like dollhouses than real-life locations, took a pretty standard approach to his debut film’s setting. In “The French Dispatch” (2021), every shot feels like Anderson spent hours curating each detail, while “Bottle Rocket” feels much more haphazard. Similarly, in Anderson’s other films, he often makes use of dolly shots and quick pans with precise framing in every shot.

However, “Bottle Rocket” feels like it was made with less intentional cinematography.

The movie, while well-made, lacks Anderson’s classic style. A few insert shots in the film feel like future-Anderson is reaching into the movie, but on the whole, “Bottle Rocket” looks like a generic indie movie from the ’90s.

Although it does not live up to the excellency of Anderson’s future films, “Bottle Rocket” is still an impressive debut feature.

It is an idiosyncratic film, with a loose plot centering around a former mental hospital patient and his friend trying to make a name for

themselves in the world of theft.

While it sounds like a serious movie, “Bottle Rocket” constantly subverts the audience’s expectations.

For example, viewers see Dignan set up a rope for Anthony to escape the psychiatric unit, only to learn that Anthony is being legitimately discharged.

They quickly pull off their first heist in a well-edited, seemingly intense scene.

However, the audience later realizes that the pair has only robbed Anthony’s childhood home.

Although it does not live up to the excellency of Anderson’s future films, “Bottle Rocket” is still an impressive debut feature.

These moments of setting up the audience’s expectations but then pulling the rug out from under them keep the viewer constantly engaged in the plot.

While the Wilson brothers have clear chemistry and mesh well with Anderson’s direction, the same cannot be said for the rest of the

cast, which feels forgettable. Every Anderson film nowadays has a star-studded cast.

For example, Margot Robbie played a one-scene part in Anderson’s latest film, “Asteroid City” (2023).

The director is now so noteworthy that he can pull in the lead of last year’s highest grossing film for a small bit-part in his movies.

Other than a small performance from James Caan, “Bottle Rocket” does not feature any other noteworthy pieces of acting.

The Wilson brothers’ specific, memorable performances make the rest of the actors seem lackluster in comparison. The brothers would go on to be key collaborators with Anderson for the next two decades, seen in “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004).

Anderson’s debut is certainly an imperfect film, but it lays the groundwork for the rest of his filmography well.

While his visual style was not yet developed in “Bottle Rocket,” small glimpses toward the manicured aesthetic of his future work lay within the film.

It is an interesting, albeit slightly disappointing, film from a soon-tobe extraordinary filmmaker.

–Contact Alex Gerson at alex.gerson@emory.edu

COLUMN

Cat’s Collection: Revisit, rediscover 5 albums from previous leap year

By Catherine Goodman Asst. Arts & Life Editor

As a leap year, 2024 has one extra day for surprises, shenanigans, satisfaction and turmoil. The last leap year, 2020, was surely one for the books. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. President Joe Biden battled for the presidency, the Black Lives Matter movement surged as a result of George Floyd’s murder and the COVID-19 pandemic sent millions into lockdown. Amid the chaos, boredom and uncertainty, silver linings appeared in the form of studio albums. While artists sought solace in their fancy mansions, everyday citizens sought solace in the music.

Take a tour of the turbulent year through five standout albums from 2020. ‘folklore’ by Taylor Swift (2020) Taylor Swift announced her surprise eighth studio album, “folklore,” on July 23, 2020. On the black and white cover, Swift’s almost indiscernible figure stands in a desolate forest.

This cover marked a drastic aesthetic shift from her seventh album, “Lover” (2019), on which a radiant Swift floats among a purple-pink sky with blue tips in her hair.

But “folklore” was much more than a stylistic change: It was the beginning of Swift’s global takeover, culminating in her record-shattering The Eras Tour. In transitioning from pop to folk music, Swift surprised her devoted fan base while also reaching out to new listeners.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 despite being a surprise drop, suggesting Swift’s music could speak for itself.

The folk-indie album emerged from the rubble of 2020 like a phoenix rising from the ashes, ushering in a new era of Swift. Gone was the pop princess who targeted her exes

with petty bops and less-than-subtle call-outs. In her place stood a wise woman, a Shakespearean-style writer and a serious star. As the bestselling album of 2020, “folklore” defines a moment in time in which honesty, exploration and personal reflection are inevitable, but scary nonetheless.

Tracks such as “my tears ricochet,” “seven” and “hoax” are representative of Swift’s ability to transform tragedy into something inexplicably beautiful — a skill of utmost importance throughout 2020.

‘Future Nostalgia’ by Dua Lipa (2020) With her sophomore album “Future Nostalgia,” Dua Lipa cemented herself as an ascending pop star.

By committing to an ’80s disco aesthetic and sound, Lipa presented a cohesive, energetic and ambitious synthetic-pop record. While “Future Nostalgia” remains upbeat through 11 tracks, it does not shy away from presenting emotionally charged lyrics. For example, the closing track “Boys Will Be Boys” chastises society for celebrating toxic masculinity and forcing girls to mature faster than their male counterparts by proclaiming “boys will be boys / But girls will be women.” Lipa invited Stagecoach Epsom Performing Arts Choir to support her on the final chorus, imploring the next generation to join in her activism.

Despite Lipa’s admirable attempts at advocacy, this album’s shining stars are the spunky hits “Don’t Start Now,” “Levitating” and “Pretty Please.” These tracks are simply great pop songs: On top of dance-inducing techno beats, Lipa’s powerful voice delivers addictive hooks about confidence and sensuality. In 2020, a year of uncertainty and isolation, Rolling Stone acknowledged “Future Nostalgia” as “the disco liberation soundtrack we need now.” In 2024, this energy is

welcomed just the same.

‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’ by Fiona Apple (2020) According to Pitchfork, “no music has ever sounded quite like” this album. “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” is entirely unconventional yet sonically pleasing. On this rock record, Fiona Apple took advantage of nontraditional accompaniments such as dogs barking, screams and labored breathing. The opening track, “I Want You To Love Me,” grapples with the impermanence of life and the conflicting necessity and triviality of human connection, claiming, “I know that time is elastic.”

“Fetch the Bolt Cutters” reads like an SNL monologue, a political manifesto and a little girl’s diary. It is unpredictable, unhinged and unique.

The album manages to be simultaneously guarded and vulnerable, intellectual and accessible, cohesive and disjointed. In “For Her,” Apple channels uninhibited female rage with a chorus of war cries and crude lyrics. On the album’s title track, the singer combats her childhood trauma and confronts her past bullies. After listing the insults from the “it girls,” Apple admits, “I listened because I hadn’t found my own voice yet.” But after “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” I am certain she did.

songs from rotation and the music group received death threats. The band clapped back with their album “Not Ready to Make Nice” in 2006.

After a 14-year hiatus, the group reemerged with their eighth studio album, “Gaslighter.” The record launched a new era for The Chicks, as they refined their sound and proclaimed their unwavering political stance.

On the track “March March,” the country trio comments on growing gun violence in the United States, climate change and reproductive activism. “Everybody’s talkin’, who’s gonna listen?” the group muses.

Nevertheless, the album is more than a political statement. It also contains emotionally poignant tracks such as “Sleep at Night” and “Set Me Free” that are reminiscent of the group’s older folk-country ballads like “Travelin’ Soldier” (2002).

‘Plastic Hearts’ by Miley Cyrus (2020) After starring in the Disney Channel original series “Hannah Montana” (2006) at 13 years old, Miley Cyrus has grown up under public scrutiny. From innocent Disney

covergirl to provocative pop star, the eccentric and sometimes controversial phases of Cyrus’ career reflect a complicated journey to solidify her personal and professional identity. Of the star’s many eras, “Plastic Hearts” is a personal favorite.

As a pop-rock album, “Plastic Hearts” is unfiltered and unapologetic. The standout track, “Angels Like You,” presents Cyrus at her best. Her powerhouse vocals drive the song, addressing an ex-lover and lamenting her inability to match their integrity.

In “Golden G String,” Cyrus’ passionate voice and candid lyrics are a perfectly painful one-two punch.

“Maybe caring for each other’s just too 1969,” she rasps, expressing her frustration with the relentless apathy pervading contemporary society.

Despite the plethora of stirring tracks, Cyrus balances these heartbreakers with pop bangers such as “Midnight Sky” and “Prisoner.” This album is dynamic, addictive and honest, leaving no stone unturned. If 2024 has you down, “Plastic Hearts” will pick you right back up.

– Contact Catherine Goodman at catherine.goodman@emory.edu

‘Gaslighter’ by The Chicks (2020) Throughout the beginning of their career, The Chicks, formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, experienced a tumultuous journey of oscillating success and failure within the country music industry. Natalie Maines, who is in The Chicks, expressed her discontent with former U.S. President George W. Bush in 2003, triggering an onslaught of abuse from their fan base. Former listeners burned their records, radio stations removed their

Chau A hn Nguyen/Staff Illustrator

10 Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Emory Wheel

Dooley’s Players production explores theme of connection Continued from Page 8

love to the other, who responded by labeling them a stranger.

Three actors sat in a row as if in a waiting room, asking again and again if the others had seen their car keys. In the lobby, a girl told her companion that she was not really her sister but her mother. Throughout all of it, something else was happening somewhere else in the building. Upstairs, a woman smoked while audience members matched her silence. Downstairs, actors howled and screamed.

This is what made the performance feel surreal: Out of a moment of calm, any kind of human experience could erupt. At times, the scenes felt just out of reach, as if some unattainable context or logic existed that, if revealed, would snap each vignette into sharp focus. As Sipes noted in the event’s program, the play explores the possession — and the loss — of both knowledge and love.

“Love and Information” called the variables of clarity, time and space into question. Even ducking into the bathroom reveals a scene in progress: Two actors cry and embrace. They smooth each other’s hair as an audience member washes their hands at the next sink. This is what made the performance uncanny, just barely removed from the normal. Even as the actors gave striking performances, they moved among the audience. They are just people, and the scenes are just moments in their lives. There is no separation. Eventually, somehow, everyone returned to the lobby.

The actors had led the audience members back in time to witness a final ritual. First, they performed acts of obedience like sit, stay and fetch. Next, the players took on animal forms; one actor’s arms became

Local business offers Caribbean Fusion Continued from Page 8

and an all-time student favorite is her passion fruit lemonade.

Most of her products are a fusion of Caribbean flavors from her childhood in Antigua, such as the Caribbean ginger mango spice rub the restaurant uses to season their meats. Rapid Gourmet also offers cooking classes, meal preps and catering services.

“There is help out there because no man or woman is an island.”

— Andrea George, owner of Rapid Gourmet

A lexandra K auffman/A rts & Liife editor

Students perform the finale of Dooley’s Players “Love and Information” in the lobby of Michael C. Carlos Hall. writhing snakes as another prowled the floor. Their erratic movement crescendoed in a frenzy that ended with one actor’s body still on the floor. In the silence that followed, the players moved through the front door into the dark. Most of them hurried down the steps, but Friese,

who was last through the door, moved with slow intentionality.

The silence held until each actor passed out of view, then the audience broke into applause.

– Contact Aaron Selby at rselby@emory.edu

“I just want to continue to innovate and bring new and different things to the marketplace,” George said.

Another student, Joanna Gold (26C), remarked on the flavors and service.

“The food is really yummy and flavorful, the people who serve it are super kind,” Gould said.

The stand’s tacos were a favorite for several students who visited Rapid Gourmet last fall as well.

“I’ve had the shrimp tacos a few times last year and actually over the course of my time at Emory, and I just think they’re really great and flavorful,” Anya Chowdhry (24B) said at the market on Nov. 14.

Because cultural fusion is a signif-

icant element of her business, George wants to continue this innovation.

She said she is a firm believer that food brings people together to celebrate each other’s cultures, which leads to greater understanding and appreciation.

“For the most part, all around the world, we have similar ingredients,” George said. “We just have different applications to these ingredients.”

George emphasized the commonalities between people and cultures.

“As human beings we have a not so pleasant tendency to focus on the 2% differences, versus appreciating and celebrating the 98% we have in common,” George said.

Even though George runs most of the business operations by herself, she seeks help from a few advisers and mentors, including the Urban League and Score. She said she is always eager to learn from others because everyone has different experiences.

“There is help out there because no man or woman is an island,” George said. “Nobody knows everything.”

Apart from the Emory Farmers Market, George sells her products on her website.

The business also participates in numerous festivals and community events within the Atlanta area, such as East Point Farmers Market and the Conyers Fall Festival.

George expressed a deep fondness for Emory’s community.

“Emory is one of my favorite places,” George said. “The people are so appreciative of what we do.”

– Contact Andrina Mcquick at andrina.mcquick@emory.edu

Crossword

‘Make the Friendship Bracelets’

By Miranda Wilson Crossword Desk ACROSS 1. “Our __,” track from Taylor Swift’s debut album 5. Taylor Swift album featuring The Chicks and Brendon Urie 10. Famous American trumpeter Baker 14. Retired Cleveland Cavaliers player Shumpert 15. Ice __, rapper featured on 70-across 16. What the R stands for in RBG 17. One of two albums Swift has yet to re-record 19. Sephora’s competitor 20. Middle letters in “tennis” 21. “Srsly??”

22. Court precedence 24. __ Life, Japanese Department Store 25. Not a domestic flight (abbr.)

26.

Renaissance-era Danish astronomer Tycho 29. Taylor Swift album named after a color 31. “I’ll take _ __ at it” 35. Second-most populous city in Oregon 37. Spanish or Mandarin, e.g.

39. “Busy as _ __” 40. Whac-_-__, arcade game 42. Word before condition or chocolate 43. Science fair projects 45. Small community or a Shakespearean play 47. Loveseats, e.g.

48. Speak __, Swift’s third studio album 50. Not tidy 51. “Now!” in the ER 53. “[70-across] is the breeze in my __ on the weekend” 55. Mollusks 58. “What’s Going __” (creatively spelled Big Star song)

59. “At __time everybody agrees,” lyric from “Anti-Hero” 62. “__ __ sick of running as fast as I can,” lyric from “The Man” 63. Song on 29-across that has a 10-minute version 66. Grammy-winning singer Erykah 67. “Are we in the __ yet? Good,” lyric from “Out of The Woods” 68. Word after brick or fire 69. __light, song from 29-across 70. See 15-across and 53-across 71. “_ __ I don’t want that, but what if I do?” lyric from “The Archer” DOWN 1. Royal title 2. “Storm coming, good husband, bad __,” lyric from “High Infidelity” 3. Siestas 4. Wildebeest 5. Exams for atty. wannabes 6. Choose 7. Number of colors in the rainbow 8. Adjective for oil spills and deforestation 9. French scholar Ernest 10. Song with the lyric “I’m drunk in the back of the car” 11. Body of a ship 12. “At Last” singer James 13. Defrost 18. Roughly 9 to 12 years old 23. Dateless 24. Taylor Swift’s current concert 26. Items used to make friendship bracelets 27. Florida politician Marco 28. The __ _ Innocence by Edith Wharton 30. “The bear” in Spanish 32. Heads or __ 33. __ Scott, women’s college in Atlanta 34. “Folklore” song about a love triangle 36. Backwards misspelling of a month commonly used as a name

38. Backwards spelling of a female chicken 41. Spanish silk veil 44. Prosecco kin 46. Word before acid or group 49. “So __ _ I defending now?” lyric from “Exile” 52. Alas and __ 54. “Now” in Spanish

55. Writer’s tips?

56. Needed for a yoga class 57. Food and nutrition gov. org.

59. Earl grey, oolong, chai 60. “First Lady of Song” Fitzgerald 61. “Austin & __,” Disney show starring Ross Lynch 64. The Once-__, “Lorax” character 65. 1914-1918 (abbr.)

Scan for answers!

Wednesday, February 21, 2024 11

SPORTS

The Emory Wheel

SWOOP’S SCOOP Sport

Friday Feb. 23

Saturday Feb. 24

Swim & Dive M Tennis W Tennis W Basketball M Basketball

Opponent

Time

Emory Invitational All Day @ ITA Indoors National TBD Championships @ Georgia Gwinnett 2 p.m.

Rochester 5:30 p.m.

Rochester 7:30 p.m.

Emory Invitational Swim & Dive All Day Track & Field UAA Indoor Championships All Day M Tennis @ ITA Indoors National TBD Championships Baseball Rose-Hulman 11 a.m., 2 p.m.

Softball Wittenberg 1 pm.

W Tennis @ Sewanee 3 p.m.

Softball 3:30 p.m. @ Maryville (TN)

*Home Games in Bold

Women’s team ‘crush’ competition, take home six event titles Continued from Back Page arrived at Emory, honing his skills in training with the then-record-holder, Zach Lorson. “[Lorson’s] an awesome guy, super hard worker, and so that’s been my goal for three years now,” Thorsen said.

On the final day of competition, Goudie took the 100-yard freestyle title for the second consecutive year, and Meyer captured the 200-yard breaststroke title. The Eagles won the conference championship with 280 more points than second-place New York University (NYU).

While the team has plenty to celebrate, Goudie said Head Coach Jon Howell warns the team that a complacent attitude would be a “downfall” to

their success.

“Standing up there on the podium with all the guys with our trophy for the 25th year in a row, it shows that we didn’t take the winning culture for granted,” Goudie said. “We worked to keep it.”

Women win six event titles, leave competition in their wake On the first day of competition, the relay team of senior Penelope Helm, freshman Meredith Teague, sophomore Isabel Huang and senior Moshelle Borjigin finished second to claim All-UAA honors. The Eagles were in fourth place after the first day, trailing 60 points behind first-place UChicago.

Wilson calls DIII experience an ‘honor’ Continued from Back Page when Wilson first arrived as a freshman. Almost seven years after Wilson’s graduation and close to 20 years of coaching later, the Emory men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams still look to the captain that once stood on deck not too long ago.

“Everyone who I raced against in DIII, they were great competitors but also really awesome people,” Wilson said. “DIII is what made me who I am, and if I can serve as an inspiration for other DIII athletes … it’s an honor.”

While Wilson said that retiring from his swimming career has been

difficult, he still continues to push the limits. He earned a master’s degree in mathematical modeling and scientific computing from the University of Oxford in England, where he is currently working as a research software engineer in the department of Earth sciences.

After years of training, Wilson said he is never going to “spend another nice day inside in the pool” but still cherishes the lifelong friendships and mentors he gained from his time at Emory and in the pool.

— Contact Sasha Melamud at sasha.melamud@emory.edu

Courtesy of Emory Wheel A rchives

Andrew Wilson (17C) swims during his senior year at Emory University.

The 200-yard freestyle relay team, consisting of sophomore Penny Celtnieks, sophomore Claire DePiero, freshman Natalie Boorjian and sophomore Jane Sanderson, finished a mere .21 seconds behind the NYU Violets on the second day.

However, in the final relay, junior Rosalie Gaudiani, junior Caroline Zhu, freshman Maren McDonald and senior Megan Jungers blew the competition out of the water. Jungers managed to get her hand on the wall a whole second faster than the other squads and captured the 100-yard backstroke title on the third day of the meet.

Freshman Katie Cohen and senior Fiona Arwood also claimed the top two spots in the 200-yard backstroke, and junior Sarah Daly placed fourth in

the 200-yard butterfly.

Helm, a distance freestyle swimmer, normally competes in events such as the 500-yard freestyle. However, she was able to represent Emory in the 100-yard freestyle in the UAA championship, and she credited her former teammates for her motivation to compete in this event.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to work really hard at that event so I can be as fast as them,” Helm said. “But it doesn’t come naturally to me.”

Heading into the final day, the Eagles boasted a 59.5-point lead ahead of host UChicago. The women cemented the lead by dominating the podium for the 1650-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle races.

Helm said she was not surprised the teams won the UAA titles, but she said that during the meet both teams maintained the mentality of not taking success for granted.

“We don’t go in there worried about winning,” Helm said. “We just go in there as the team we are, and we crush them.”

The teams will host the Emory Invitational on Feb. 23 to 24 as the swimmers and divers prepare for the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, which begin on March 20.

— Contact Will Peck at will.peck@emory.edu and Sasha Melamud at sasha.melamud@emory.edu

Sei building strong legacy on, off field Continued from Back Page Nyholm said. “He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but when it’s time to practice, that’s all he needs to focus on … He took [his weightlifting] up a step, and I think that’s starting to pay dividends as well.”

Nyholm also praised Sei’s personal qualities that he has observed in practice.

“He’s very coachable,” Nyholm said.

“Generally, he’s just a really positive guy to have around. Every practice, it seems like he’s always calling out to somebody walking by, or somebody calling out to him. He’s a presence on campus.”

Nixon said Sei’s leadership inspires his teammates to work harder, be the best version of themselves, and most importantly, do things the right way.

“When Kenya has something to say, we all listen because we know he’s coming from the place of wanting to see the best out of all of us,” Nixon said. “He’s not really doing this for recognition or accolades. It’s more sort of genuine love and care for both the sport and us as people.”

Off the field, Sei is heavily involved in other extracurriculars. He is part of the American Medical Student Association, and he does research at a lab on campus.

Sei is also involved with the Black Student Alliance, Black & Latinx in STEM, African Students Association and Zuri African Dance Troupe. Sei has told Nixon that time management

Courtesy of K enya Sei

Senior Kenya Sei competes in weight throw at the Emory Crossplex Showdown on Jan. 14. has been crucial for balancing all of his commitments.

“He’s taught me a lot about how to balance track with external commitments,” Nixon said. “He’s very dedicated to African culture spaces on campus and participates in lots of ways.”

Sei has built a strong legacy at Emory. Most recently, he was inducted into the 100 Senior Honorary, which recognizes some of the most outstanding seniors at the University. Sei expressed how grateful he was to be selected for this honor.

“I have a bunch of friends who also have gotten Senior Honorary, and I know the work that they’ve put into this campus,” Sei said. “It felt like a lot of people who were deserving of rec-

ognition were being recognized, and to be amongst that group was pretty cool.”

Nyholm said the team is pushing hard this season towards their goal of winning titles, something they were very close to last year. Although Sei has already accomplished a lot in his final season, he has no plans of slowing down.

“I expected myself to be pushing the mark more and more and more,” Sei said. “I just want to see what I could get by the end of the season, and outdoor season is still yet to come, so I’m hoping to push my mark in outdoor season even more.”

— Contact Misha Gupta at misha.gupta@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Sports TRACK & FIELD

Kenya Sei takes his shot at Emory records

By Misha Gupta Contributing Writer

Courtesy of Eugene Soh

Emory swim and dive competes at the UAA Championships on Feb. 15. The men’s and women’s teams both won conference titles.

Swim and dive teams win 25th consecutive UAA titles

By Will Peck and Sasha Melamud Asst. Sports Editor and Staff Writer

The Emory University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams extended their University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships win-streak to a quarter of a century.

The University of Chicago (UChicago) hosted the event for the first time in over three years due to COVID-19 restrictions from Feb. 14 to 17.

Men bring home All-UAA honors, seven event championships At the end of the first day, the men’s team trailed just two points behind

UChicago. The relay team, which included junior Crow Thorsen, junior Alexander Pollack, senior Harrison Pire and senior Logan D’Amore, fell short in the 800-yard freestyle relay at 6:34.39, a mere 0.10 seconds behind UChicago.

The Eagles captured the lead on the second day of the meet. Seniors Ryan Soh, Jake Meyer, Nicholas Goudie and junior Jeff Echols secured the first event title for the team in the 400-yard medley relay, setting a new conference meet record with a time of 3:11.15.

Goudie said his relay teammates’ support is what gave him the confidence they were going to do great things in the pool.

“I’m a very, very emotional athlete,” Goudie said. “If I’m up there with

three other guys that I know are gonna go fast and are encouraging me and supporting me, and I feel that energy, we’re always going to do something special. So it’s an awesome reward to be able to say we took down the record.”

Emory extended their lead the following day thanks to eight All-UAA performances and four event championships. Soh, Meyer, Goudie and Echols set another conference meet record and took the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:26.81. Thorsen had a record-breaking win of his own in the 400-yard individual medley, setting a new school record for the event of 3:51.18.

Thorsen said that he’s been after the school record ever since he

See WOMEN’S, Page 11

Senior thrower Kenya Sei has been on a historic run this season for Emory University’s men’s track and field team, breaking his own program record in the weight throw three times in the span of a month. Sei also competes in discus, shot put and hammer throw, the last in which he also holds the program record.

Sei placed second in the weight throw at the Emory Crossplex Showdown on Jan. 14 with a mark of 16.52 meters, which at the time was a new personal best and program record. He followed up with a second place finish and a mark of 16.93 meters at the Camel City Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Jan. 26. Sei broke his previous mark yet again, throwing a remarkable 17.43 meters at the Samford Bulldog Open in Birmingham, Ala. on Feb. 10.

Growing up in Portland, Ore., Sei said he played a sport during every semester in high school. His older brother, Juma Sei, ran track in high school and went on to compete at Yale University (Conn.), so Sei naturally picked up track as well. However, instead of being a sprinter like his brother, Sei took the field as a thrower and participated in multiple field events, including the weight, hammer, discus and shot put.

While undergoing college athletics recruitment, the prospect of pursuing pre-medical studies as a studentathlete excited Sei, which he attributed as partly the reason why Emory stood out to him.

“When I visited, I loved the campus,” Sei said. “It was in Atlanta,

which I really liked, and it was close to a city.”

Sei’s first year at Emory was anything but normal for a college student. He did not have a track and field season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of taking his foot off the gas, Sei said he took advantage of the additional time that he would have ordinarily spent in training by getting ahead on his coursework. By doing this, he set himself up to be able to put more emphasis on his athletics this year.

Sei said that he has been able to progress because he enjoys the training and does a lot of it even on his own.

“I like throwing; I like lifting,” Sei said. “I was in the weight room before I started some sports, and so I started off of working out, and then that channeled into sports.”

Apart from his exemplary performance at meets, Sei’s teammates see him as a leader and a role model inside and outside of practice. Junior thrower Jalen Nixon said Sei is an amazing athlete who has taught him a lot by leading by example.

“He works very, very, very, very hard at his craft to be the best he can be,” Nixon said. “He’s consistently the first one into the weight room, the last one out … I’ve truthfully never seen him take a rep off.”

Track and Field Assistant Coach Karl Nyholm has worked with Sei for three years and seen his progression through many seasons and different events. Nyholm said he was not surprised to see Sei’s accomplishments this season and thinks Sei could have a “really special year.”

“Ultimately, it’s his work ethic,”

See SEI, Page 11

SWIM & DIVE

Andrew Wilson inducted into CSCAA Hall of Fame

By Sasha Melamud Staff Writer

An NCAA national champion, the first Division III (DIII) athlete to swim on the U.S. Olympic team and winner of the gold medal in men’s 4x100 medley relay in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Andrew Wilson (17C) has pushed the lane lines surrounding the stigma many DIII athletes face as the token underdogs of NCAA. He is now part of the first class of 38 athletes joining the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America’s (CSCAA) new DIII Hall of Fame. CSCAA released the announcement of Wilson’s upcoming induction on Jan. 30, and the formal ceremony will take place on May 6 in Indiana.

Although Wilson’s resume is full of accolades, he said he had to “argue his way” onto Emory University’s men’s swimming and diving team his senior year of high school. Already an accepted student, Wilson was set to be on campus in fall 2013 but wanted to don an Emory swim cap as well. However, Head Coach Jon Howell was not about to hand it to him.

After their initial meeting, Howell said he knew Wilson had the potential, but his race times were not up to the team’s standards. Wilson was not deterred. When he secured his cap a few months later, Howell was not

surprised.

“He was really motivated to do what he needed to do to get better and to reach his potential in the sport,” Howell said. “It seemed like an easy risk to take.”

Wilson’s first season was not smooth sailing, however. Previously a multisport athlete of water polo and swimming, Wilson’s freshman year was his first time solely focusing on the latter. He did not make any of the travel squads his first semester and had to work on his technique. Wilson said that if someone told him during freshman year that he would be holding an Olympic gold medal in a few years, he would have “laughed at them.”

“I was definitely playing catch-up from the start,” Wilson said. “I was one of the worst people on the team when I first got there.”

Normally, swimming is not a sport where athletes put extra hours in outside of practice since they are already pushed to their limits during training sessions, Wilson said. He added that there was no “secret” to his success; it was simply a culmination of expert coaching, skilled teammates, hard work and time.

At the beginning of the spring semester of his freshman year, Wilson had a breakout swim. Associate Coach Cindy Fontana described how predict-

ing a swimmer’s post-winter training response is difficult, so their performance in the first meet following training tends to vary. However, when Wilson came off the block that day, she knew something had clicked.

“It was just this awesome swim,” Fontana said. “He was just figuring things out and putting things together.”

From there, Wilson earned a spot on the travel squad, swimming in the conference meet and nationals. Fontana said watching Wilson come into his own in the water, as a teammate and in the classroom was “thrilling.”

Wilson’s improvement came from his high goals and effort during practice.

“His biggest challenge was, he was hard on himself,” Howell said. “When he didn’t accomplish a goal, it was really devastating for him at first.”

Fontana agreed and said that both she and Howell tried to help out all the swimmers both technically and mentally. Putting those two disciplines together is imperative to unlocking full potential in the water.

“Mindset is huge in swimming,” Wilson said. “There’s been so many times where I’ve seen races where I know that the person who wins it really has no business winning it, but they’re just mentally a much stronger competitor.”

During his junior year, Wilson took

time off from college to compete in national competitions to qualify for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, but he missed earning a spot on the Olympic team by 0.01 seconds. Wilson said he called Howell after that meet and was unsure if he should continue competing in international tournaments, but Howell reminded him of all the work that he put into his swim career at Emory. This phone call motivated Wilson to continue trying and eventually edge out Nic Fink for a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Wilson went on to aid the team in securing gold by winning the prelims. Relay team Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew and Zach Apple went on to take the top spot, earning the United States a gold medal.

Fontana, whom Wilson referred to as a “mom away from home,” was the first person he called after the Tokyo games. Fontana vividly recalls watching the Olympics with friends while on vacation. She was out for a walk and could not believe Wilson called her from Tokyo.

“This experience really meant so much to him, and it meant so much to us,” Fontana said. “It couldn’t have happened to a better person.”

A year later, Wilson announced his retirement from professional swimming, describing it as “a weird thing to deal with.”

“To be 28 years old and have already had a full career and kind of feel like you’re past your prime … it’s definitely not easy,” Wilson said.

For the headline of his retirement letter, Wilson wrote “officially a hasbeen,” but for the DIII community, he remains a role model. Fontana said that Wilson is “groundbreaking for being within the DIII world.”

“A lot of people tend to think of DIII as lesser than DI, and I don’t really think of it that way at all,” Wilson said. “Everyone who I trained with at Emory worked as hard or harder than everyone who I trained with that was going to the Olympics.”

Wilson added that there are no athletic scholarships at the DIII level, so everyone is there solely because they love the sport. CSCAA was slow to realize this, having only created the DIII Hall of Fame in 2023. Howell acknowledged that and said he was in favor of any recognition for his athletes because they are “not always in the center of everybody’s attention.” “[Wilson], like a lot of our swimmers and divers, don’t get the recognition they deserve,” Howell said. “Andrew deserves [the honor] and more. He’s been a remarkable person for us.”

Both Howell and Fontana had been coaching at Emory for over a decade

See WILSON, Page 11