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Police Record, Page 2
Arts and Entertainment, Page 9
Crossword Puzzle, Page 8
Staff Editorial, Page 6
Sports, Page 11
Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University www.emorywheel.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Brown’s Book of Poems Wins National Award College sophomore Zachary Issenberg remembers the moments when his Intermediate Poetry Workshop professor sang Prince lyrics in class, and when he ran through the quad during a class break to get a King of Pops popsicle. Issenberg is not the only one showcasing admiration for Jericho Brown, assistant professor of English and creative writing. Earlier this month, Brown was one of five winners of the 80th Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards — an American literary award honoring written works that contribute to larger discussions about racism and diversity — for the latest of his two poetry books, The New Testament. Past awardees include Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes and Toni Morrison. “[The New Testament] is about what is means to be a citizen, a brother and a lover in a nation that rejects your citizenship, refuses your brotherhood and denies your love and how you come to terms with calling yourself a citizen of that particular nation, if you know that everything about that nation is set up so that it can thwart you in any and every way it possibly can,” Brown said. The Louisiana native, who began teaching poetry workshops at Emory in 2012, has not only published his poems in The New Republic and The New Yorker but has won the Whiting Writers Award, the American Book Award and others. Before earning his Ph. D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Houston, Brown was a speechwriter for a former mayor of New Orleans. The general acclaim for The New Testament, which touches on racism,
blackness, sexuality, nationhood and citizenship with the use of biblical language, is part of a moment in which our culture is more ready to face the truth that the book’s poetry brings, Brown said. “I think people have been afraid of poetry in the past, because it makes the complexities of life and realities of life and the truths of life all the more clear,” he said. “Over and over again, our country and our culture are told not to deal with those things as they are.” Brown, who said he draws inspiration from “old-school music,” like Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, characterized much of poetry, including his own, as works that take “all of history and bring it down to the scale of one.” He said he hopes that, while vulnerable in the face of the real conditions that his poems illuminate, readers discard the “hallmark” version of themselves that is “only informed by tradition” and take action. “When I was a young person, poems were so important to me,” he said. “They sustained me. They helped to keep me alive. My hope is that, whether or not I am ever aware of it, that my poems can do that for other people.” While he said he wished that he could say that awards do not matter and that he does not care, Brown said he was filled with gratitude upon hearing about his recent award. “[It] feels like I might have done something right in this life, and it feels like I might be living up to my potential, that I might be actually taking on my purpose and doing what I am supposed to be doing on this planet.” Brown said. “I feel love. It feels like magic.”
See students, Page 3
46
Every Tuesday and Friday
SHAKING LIKE A LE1F
award
By Karishma Mehrotra Executive Editor
Volume 96, Issue
public health
Partnership Creates India Disease Center By Lydia O’Neal News Editor
cally on methods to ensure “students [are] being given the information and the tools they need to understand and address the multiple health problems associated with climate change,” McCauley said. At the meeting, the coalition signed a commitment to ensure that the next generation of health professionals will be trained to effectively address the health impacts of climate change, according to the White House press release. “It’s just a commitment of recognizing climate change is happening and that the events that we’re see-
As part of a collaboration with three other health institutions outside the U.S., the Rollins School of Public Health helped develop India’s Center for Control of Chronic Conditions (CCCC), a research institute for the study of chronic health problems. The center will serve as a facility for researchers studying causes, preventative measures and treatments of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, mental disorders, strokes, cardiovascular problems and cancer. These conditions are responsible for 53 percent of deaths in India and 60 percent of the world’s deaths, according to World Health Organization’s most recent data. “Chronic diseases are a major problem in the U.S. but also a problem in mid-level countries like India,” Rollins Dean Jim Curran said, when asked why a country with a lower GDP per capita would need such a research center. India’s 2013 per capita GDP, according to the World Bank’s most recent data, was a meager $5,411.60. Curran, along with five other Rollins administrators, attended Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology Y. S. Chowdary’s formal launch of the CCCC at its New Delhi headquarters within the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) on Tuesday, April 7. The center is a product of a part-
See mccauley, Page 4
See Emory, Page 4
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Courtesy of Julia Howard
ew York-based rapper Le1f (pronounced “leaf”) drew around 100 students to the Cox Hall Ballroom on Friday night for WMRE’s annual Spring Band Party. Mykki Blanco, a rapper and poet, opened for Le1f.
public health
Dean Talks Climate Change in D.C. National Public Health Week, which was announced with a series of actions “to set us on track to better understand, communicate and reduce the health impacts of climate change on our communities,” according to an April 7 White House press release. McCauley, the only Emory representative at the meeting, said that although “there’s a lot of activity in the White House about climate change in general, they had never [until this meeting] pulled a group to talk about the consequences.” Since almost all of those present at the meeting were educators, the meeting focused on the health workforce of the future, and more specifi-
By Annie McGrew News Editor Linda McCauley, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, attended a meeting of deans from around the country in Washington, D.C. as part of a White House initiative to protect communities from the impacts of climate change. McCauley was invited by Barack Obama’s administration as a representative of the School of Nursing to the April 9 meeting of 30 medical, public health and nursing schools from around the country. The meeting was part of Obama’s
live-action ‘ROCKY HORROR’
student government
SGA Appoints Eight New Members By Harmeet Kaur Senior Editor
The newly elected 49th Legislature of the Student Government Association (SGA) convened Monday evening in its first meeting of the year. Incoming SGA President Raj Tilwa, a College junior, and Vice President Max Zoberman, a College sophomore, led the legislative session, confirming seven new members to the executive board. The legislature unanimously voted to confirm seven of the new members, while Tilwa directly appointed an eighth member, whose appointment the legislature did not have to confirm. Goizueta Business School
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Melissa DeFrank/Staff
mory Pride and Relay for Life at Emory University hosted a live-action showing of the 1975 musical film “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Saturday night. During the screening, members and friends of both organizations lip-synced and danced to the film’s many musical numbers.
junior Sumaali Chheda was confirmed as chief of staff, while Oxford College sophomore Christopher Lam was confirmed as attorney general. B-school sophomore Benjamin Baranov will serve as the associate vice president of communications and College freshman John Baker will serve as associate vice president for alumni relations. College sophomore Kyle Nelson and College junior Goldy Tenreiro-Braschi will be University-wide representativesat-large. College sophomore Ethan Morris will be the College of Arts and Sciences junior representative. College freshman Zoey Lande will
See tilwa, Page 3
NEWS BRIEF
Brief: WellStar, Emory Agree on Merger AJC Names Emory Healthcare as a Top Workplace
Healthcare
By Samantha Goodman Staff Writer The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) selected Emory Healthcare Inc. (EHC) as one of the best places to work in the region on March 19. With 12,270 regional employees, EHC made spot 21 on the list of large companies. EHC, the largest health care system in the state of Georgia, has received the AJC Top Workplace
title four times according to Melanie De Gennaro, Emory Healthcare corporate director of Communications. This year, EHC fell just below the Northeast Georgia Health System and Waste Management Inc. and before Atlanta Women’s Health Group PC and Quest Diagnostics Inc. “Being a top workplace is important, because our employees are critical to our success as an organization, and we want to create an environment in which they are supported and can
News Photo collage:
hip-hop artist
B.o.B. comes to Emory ... PAGE 3
thrive,” De Gennaro said. In a statement congratulating all of Emory Healthcare after the AJC released its 2015 list, the EHC executive team wrote, “We are all in this together and all create the environment in which we work. These are successes that can come only from a true commitment to each other.” The executive team highlighted accomplishments in daily patient care, high UHC quality rankings and global acknowledgement for the care
OP-EDs Student
discusses the benefits of biking in
Atlanta ... PAGE 6
provided to Ebola patients. Founded in 1905, EHC includes the Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory University Orthopedics & Spine Hospital, Emory Rehabilitation Hospital, The Wesley Woods Center, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Emory Johns Creek Hospital. Every spring since 2011, the AJC has compiled a list of the top plac-
See companies, Page 4
A&E ‘Seussical’ draws
laughs, relives childhood stories
...
PAGE 9
By Rupsha Basu Executive Editor
Emory Healthcare (EHC) and WellStar Health System have concluded a 45-day initial discussion and decided to enter the “design phase” of a health care system merger, both organizations announced Thursday evening. The University first announced a merger between Emory and the largest not-for-profit health system in Georgia on Feb. 9. Each institutions’ Board of
Sports Softball wins
doubleheader, celebrates
Senior Day ...
Page 11
Trustees approved a resolution to begin more detailed planning last Thursday (April 9). In an interview with the Wheel at the time of the first announcement, WellStar CEO Reynold Jennings wrote that the merger would allow hospitals to be “better prepared to deal with the challenges in health care, while still being able to provide world-class care to our communities.” University President James W.
See merger, Page 4
Next Issue More
EmoryWellStar merger ... Friday
details on the
2
News
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
news roundup National, Local and Higher Education News • More than one million protesters throughout Brazil demanded the impeachment of the country’s president, Dilma Rousseff, on Monday. Following a corruption scandal involving Brazil’s state-owned oil company, an attorney general exonerated Rousseff of all charges. • Russia lifted a 2010 ban on its shipment of nuclear weapons to Iran, the Kremlin announced on Monday. The decision followed Tehran’s agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for an end to economic sanctions. • Four former contractors from the security firm Blackwater Worldwide received sentences on Monday for a 2007 shooting in Baghdad’s Nisour Square that left 17 people dead. The Washington district court gave one of the contractors a life sentence, while the other three received 30-year sentences. • Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally announced her candidacy in the Democratic Primary
of the 2016 Presidential Election on Sunday. On Monday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced that he would join Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz in the Republican Primary for the 2016 Presidential Election. • After a jury convicted 10 of the 11 former Atlanta Public Schools educators in a trial over a widespread state test cheating conspiracy last week, an Atlanta judge urged the 10 teachers to accept sentencing deals on Monday. The educators face convictions of racketeering for their attempts to inflate students’ standardized test scores. • AT&T will bring its new highspeed internet access network, GigaPower, to the Atlanta metropolitan region, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced Monday. The internet service, which AT&T first tested in Austin in 2014, provides speeds of up to one gigabyte per second.
— Compiled by News Editor Lydia O’Neal
Corrections • In the April 10 issue of The Emory Wheel, the first, fourth, fifth, seventh, nineth, eleventh, and fifteenth paragraphs of “B-Schoolers Create Clothing Company” misspelled Duncan Cock Foster’s last name. The Wheel reports and corrects all errors published in the newspaper and at emorywheel.com.
• On April 8, at 4:03 p.m., Emory Police Department (EPD) received a call from a McTyeire Hall resident regarding a suspicious phone call from an individual posing as an IRS agent. The agent asked the student for $1,809. The student became suspicious and told the agent that she knew the phone call was a scam. After ending the call, the student called the police. • On April 8, at 9:00 p.m., an Emory student called EPD regarding tainted food. The student said she ordered Chipotle from a website called crunchbuddies.com. The food
TUESDAY Event: Emory Farmers Market Time: 11 a.m. Location: Cox Bridge Event: Zotero Workshop Time: 11:30 p.m. Location: Room 312, Robert W. Woodruff Library
Event: Brian McCabe, PhD Dynamics and Disease of Drosophila Motor Synapses and Circuits Time: 12 p.m. Location: 5052 Rollins Research Center
The Emory Wheel Dobbs University Center, Room 540 605 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322 Business (404) 727-6178 Editor-in-Chief Dustin Slade (404) 727-0279
Event: Dr. Ariel Amir Time: 2:30 p.m. Location: Mathematics and Science Center E300
Volume 96, Number 46 © 2015 The Emory Wheel
Founded in 1919, The Emory Wheel is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University in Atlanta. The Wheel is a member publication of Media Council, Emory’s organization of student publications. The Wheel reserves the rights to all content as it appears in these pages, and permission to reproduce material must be granted by the editor in chief. The Wheel is published twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions. A single copy of the Wheel is free of charge. To purchase additional copies, please call (404) 727-6178. The statements and opinions expressed in the Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Wheel Editorial Board or of Emory University, its faculty, staff or administration. The Wheel is also available online at www.emorywheel.com.
police RECORD
took three hours to arrive, according to the student. She had texted the driver earlier in the evening when the food still hadn’t arrived. After receiving the food, the driver texted the student that he spit in the food. The case is under investigation. • On April 9, between 11:00 p.m. and 11:32 p.m., a female student was heading to Cox Hall when a male subject approached her and asked her where she was going. He continued to ask questions until the student became uncomfortable and called the police. Officers met with the individual and determined the individual
was not affiliated with Emory. Police asked the individual to leave campus. • On April 10, between 3:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., EPD responded to a call regarding a theft of a Yamaha Motorcycle. An individual posted their motorcycle on Craigslist and scheduled a test drive with a potential buyer on Emory’s campus. The potential buyer never came back after test-driving the vehicle. The seller notified EPD of the theft.
of alcohol at Dobbs Hall. The individual had fallen and struck her head in the process of consuming alcohol. The student had been drinking earlier that evening at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house. The emergency dispatch service American Medical Response arrived on the scene and transported the individual to Emory University Hospital. Campus Life was notified.
— Compiled Asst. Digital Editor Brandon Fuhr
• On April 12, at 12:09 a.m., EPD responded to a call regarding an underage student under the influence
Events at emory
Event: Intro to Network Analysis Time: 2 p.m. Location: Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, Robert W. Woodruff Library Level 3
Please contact Editor-in-Chief Dustin Slade at dustin.slade@emory.edu.
The Emory Wheel
Event: German Studies Roundtable Time: 4 p.m. Location: Modern Languages 201 Event: Café Chocolat Time: 4:30 p.m. Location: N106 Callaway Center Event: Public Lecture by Ondjaki Time: 4:30 p.m. Location: Oxford Presentation Room
Event: Queer & Asian Discussion Group Time: 5:30 p.m. Location: Office of LGBT Life, Dobbs University Center 232E Event: Stammtisch Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Modern Languages 219 Event: Egyptian Gallery Talk Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum, Egyptian Galleries, Level One Event: Emory Chamber Ensembles Time: 8 p.m. Location: Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall Event: Toastmasters@Emory weekly meeting Time: 8 a.m. Location: Room 231 of Health Sciences Library Building
WEDNESDAY Event: Intro to Network Analysis Time: 10 a.m. Location: Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, Robert W. Woodruff Library Level 3 Event: Artist Talk with Aubrey Graham Time: 12 p.m. Location: Center for Ethics Commons 102
Event: Blackboard Grade Center Lunch and Learn Time: 12 p.m. Location: Woodruff Memorial Library Room 314 Event: Research Roundtable Presentation: Carolyn Reilly and Melinda Higgins Time: 12 p.m. Location: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, 400 Event: Climate@Emory Seminar: “Communicating Climate. How and Why” Time: 4 p.m. Location: White Hall 207 Event: Quantitative Humanities Speaker Series: Exploratory Thematic Analysis for Historical Newspaper Archives Time: 4 p.m. Location: Modern Languages Building, Room 201 Event: Bisexual / Pansexual Discussion Group Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Office of LGBT Life, Dobbs University Center 232E Event: The Armenian Genocide and Historiography on the Eve of the Centennial: From Continuity to Contingency Time: 7 p.m. Location: White Hall 101
Event: Get Low (2009), film screening Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: White Hall 208
THURSDAY Event: The History of Vascular Surgery: “A Journey From Antiquity to the Modern Era” Time: 7 a.m. Location: Emory University Hospital Auditorium Event: Living with Grief: Holding on and Letting Go Time: 12 p.m. Location: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing: Room 201 Event: Undergrad Theory Reading Group Time: 4:15 p.m. Location: N106 Callaway Center Event: Guided Meditation with Emory Buddhist Club Time: 6 p.m. Location: Cannon Chapel room 106 Event: Queer Students of Color Discussion Group Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Office of LGBT Life, Dobbs University Center 232E
The Emory Wheel
News
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
3
B.O.B. Visits Emory
G
Stephen Fowler/Executive Digital Editor
rammy-nominated hip-hop artist B.o.B. visited The Mix radio station, run by Goizueta Business School junior Brandon Walker and senior Daniel Assan, to talk about his musical history and his Label No Genre 2 mixtape. B.o.B. was joined by members of his label, including Jake Lambo, London Jae, Lin-Z and JaqueBeatz, as well as manager B. Rich and mentor Playboy Tre. Students in the studio and listening at home were able to ask the members questions, and the crew had a meet-and-greet in the Coca-Cola Commons following the show.
Students Describe Brown’s Mentorship, Approachability Continued from Page 1 According to an April 2 University press release, poet Rita Dove, one of the jurors for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, said Brown’s poetry was “a reminder that outrage is a seductive disease — we would rather rage or weep than find a way to love in spite of the pain.” “Brown’s poems brim with love for this damaged world without letting the world off the hook,” Dove said.
College senior Dana Sokolowski, Brown’s honors thesis advisee in poetry, wrote in an email to the Wheel that Brown is truly devoted to helping her, sometimes spending two hours with her on the phone to workshop a poem. “He’s my biggest inspiration,” she wrote. “His voice is power — it doesn’t apologize, it provokes — his lines are taut but melodic.” She recalled the times when she could predict his answer: “‘get your life together, honey,’ as he tossed his
Email tarrek.shaban@emory.edu
hair over his shoulder with his usual sass.” But sometimes, Sokolowski is caught off-guard with Brown’s difficult questions or sincere compliments. Issenberg agreed, describing how Brown sat with him nearly every single week for one-on-one meetings about his work. “His care for poetry shows,” he wrote in an email to the Wheel. “With students, [Brown] cares about their personal idea of poetry and how they get to it.”
College senior Benjamin Sinvany, who took Brown’s introductory poetry class, wrote in an email to the Wheel he appreciates Brown as a mentor and friend who says what is on his mind. “He has an aura and approachability about him that makes interaction possible and enjoyable,” the history major and environmental science minor said. “He is just another soul trying to get his words out there.”
— Contact Karishma Mehrotra at
kmehrot@emory.edu
Zoberman Acknowledges Kingston Concert Fallout Continued from Page 1 fill the previously vacant SGA secretary position and will work across the judicial, executive and legislative branches, according to Tilwa. Using one of his four direct appointments to the executive board, Tilwa also announced that College junior Henry Chappell will be the new vice president of student experience. In addition, Tilwa introduced Elizabeth Cox as the interim SGA advisor, the position vacated by Matthew Garrett last week. Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair announced the change in an Apr. 9 Wheel article. Garrett, the interim senior director for the Center for Student Leadership and Community Engagement, recently announced that he will be leaving Emory’s Division of Campus Life for the consulting giant Pricewaterhouse
Coopers in Atlanta this summer. At the meeting, Zoberman announced that SGA is working with a task force in collaboration with the Emory Clinic and Emory University Hospital to provide rape kits at the facilities for those who need them. Zoberman said that SGA hopes these kits will be available around the beginning of next year. Finally, Zoberman acknowledged that approximately 300 students at the Atlanta campus were turned away from the Sean Kingston concert at Oxford College this past Friday due to a venue change. While the concert was initially set to be outdoors, Zoberman explained that inclement weather forced the event indoors to a facility that could only accommodate about 600 students.
— Contact Harmeet Kaur at hbhagra@emory.edu
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The Emory Wheel
News
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
McCauley Mentions Climate@Emory at White House Climate Change Meeting Continued from Page 1 ing are going to escalate,” McCauley said. She added that, even if we reduced our carbon footprint and our green gas emissions dramatically tomorrow, it would still take years to reverse the warming that the climate has already experienced. Further explaining the commitment she and the other deans made at the meeting, McCauley said they are committing themselves to work with the the Obama administration and among respective universities “to come up with ways to make sure that students are exposed to the knowledge that they need and that professors and universities across not just the United States but globally have the tool kits of information to teach students.” Overall, McCauley said that she thought the event was “extremely beneficial.” “Many ideas were shared about how to ensure that college students, particularly health professional students, are exposed to this extremely important information,” McCauley said. She added that those who attended the meeting also discussed the development of a “tool kit” of learning activities that could be shared with educators across the U.S. to guide
them in integrating climate change diseases associated with the trauma and health content into their courses. of disasters, according to McCauley. McCauley said she discussed the She also cited specific diseases initiative Climate@Emory as an whose prevalence is affected by cliexample of collaboration between mate change, including “things like schools of different disciplines on lyme disease and malaria, where giving students the information and the distribution of those diseases education that they need. Climate@ are changing globally because of Emory is an Academic changes in Learning Community temperature.” that faculty and staff Asked why “[At the meeting] many launched in January ideas were shared about she was chosen 2014 that fosters colfor the event, laboration on top- how to ensure that college McCauley said ics associated with students ... are exposed to it was likely a changing climate this extremely important due to her including human position on the health problems, information [about climate Roundtable on change] ... ” according to the Environmental C l i m a t e@E mo r y H e a l t h website. — Linda McCauley, S c i e n c e s , Health problems dean of the Nell Hodgson Wood- Research, and discussed in the meetruff School of Nursing Medicine, a ing included both group of crossthose which affect sector experts people who actively at the Institute work against some of the effects of Medicine that meets to explore of climate change and direct health emerging issues relevant to the enviaffects of climate change. ronment and human health. Some people mentioned and direct This “90-minute initial meeteffects were: people who must work ing,” according to McCauley, served in hot climates and are thus suscep- as a precursor to the White House tible to heat stress, such as firefight- Climate Change and Health Summit ers who have to fight forest fires; air which will take place later this sumpollution and its effect on respiratory mer, according to the release. and cardiovascular health; and disasThe all-day summit will also liketer preparedness and mental health ly include experts and educators who
Merger to Emory, India to Exchange Begin Design Disease Training, Research Phase Continued from Page 1
Continued from Page 1 Wagner said in a statement to The Marietta Daily Journal that Emory School of Medicine will not be a part of the new system. The 45-day discussion period served to determine whether a merger was feasible and establish the details of a proposed merger. Now that the respective boards of the two organizations have agreed upon a resolution, the design phase will include naming the new system, finding a corporate office, merging employees and governance structure and successfully combining a communitybased health care company with a medical research network, according to an April 3 article in the Gwinnett Daily Post. Jennings told the Wheel in February that the new system’s Board of Trustees will consist of 50 percent Emory and 50 percent WellStar employees and will also select the CEO. Officials from both Emory and WellStar have said that they welcome questions or comments about the merger at communications@emoryhealthcare.org or communityfeedback@wellstar.org. The Wheel will publish a full article on the details of the merger.
— Contact Rupsha Basu at rupsha.basu@emory.edu
nership between Rollins, the PHFI, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Donors of the CCCC include the National Institutes of Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the London-based Wellcome Trust and a variety of private donors, according to Curran, who attended the New Delhi launch. PHFI President K. Srinath Reddy will preside over the nascent institution. The researchers studying these conditions, according to Curran, will publish their findings for the benefit of nations across the globe, not just India. Venkat Narayan, the Ruth and O.C. Hubert professor of global health and epidemiology and a professor of medicine at Rollins who also attended the launch, agreed. “Whatever can be done [at the center] in India can be applied to other places,” Narayan said. Narayan stressed the importance of addressing chronic disease in a country as large as India, whose population topped 1.25 billion in 2013, according to the World Bank’s most recent data. “To think of chronic diseases, these are the leading causes of death in much of the world,” Narayan said. He added that “India is very large,
has a large population and has a huge share of these non-communicable diseases.” Rollins’ seven-year partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases, PHFI and AIIMS, which culminated in the creation of the CCCC over the past year and a half, will serve as a bridge for Indian and American students, according to Narayan. “People from India will come to the U.S. to be trained, people from Emory will go do research in India,” he said. “It’s become a really vibrant collaboration that we’ve developed over the past several years.” Rollins doctoral student Unjali Gujral, who will start a postdoctoral fellowship under Narayan in June and whose research focuses on the higher risk of diabetes among people of Asian-Indian descent, called the center “crucial,” as it gives researchers the opportunity to closely examine the lifestyle choices that lead to chronic conditions in individuals in India. “Chronic diseases are now global problems, and as such, there is a need for true global collaborations to address them,” Gujral, who has worked for PHFI in the past, wrote in an email to the Wheel. She added that she hopes to work at the center for part of her fellowship and throughout her career.
— Contact Lydia O’Neal at lmoneal@emory.edu
will present the curriculum model discussed at the meeting, according to McCauley. College senior Aubrey Tingler wrote in an email to the Wheel that, although she’s glad the White House is initiating discussions on climate change, she thinks it would have been more appropriate if they had invited faculty other than deans, who she says are “not necessarily most involved with climate issues at universities, especially since many deans do more administrative than ‘on the ground’ work.” Tingler cited Daniel Rochberg, a instructor in the Department of Environmental Sciences who, according to Tingler, has a strong climate policy background with the federal government and actively teaches about these issues at Emory. Of Emory’s efforts to educate students on climate change, Tingler wrote that Emory could definitely do more, but “Climate@Emory has a lot of potential to further educate students about climate change.” “[Climate@Emory is] doing some really interesting work with integrating climate studies across disciplines here and making climate change awareness and action a more prevalent part of Emory[‘s] culture,” Tingler added.
— Contact Annie McGrew at anne.elizabeth.mcgrew@emory.edu
Companies Chosen Based On Survey of 50,000 Continued from Page 1 es to work in Atlanta, divided into three categories: 75 small companies (with fewer than 150 employees), 50 midsize companies (with anywhere from 150-500 employees) and 25 large companies (with 500 or more employees). More than 1,400 companies were invited to participate, and the AJC’s surveying partner Workplace Dynamics asked employees from the 244 that followed through to rate their workplaces, according to AJC Senior Editor Robert Howard, who helps compile the annual list. “This list depends completely on cooperation. Those employees who volunteered began taking the survey as early as September,” Howard said. Workplace Dynamics requests that all participants evaluate their workplace on a scale of zero to 99, according to Howard. Then, Workplace Dynamics does the “number crunching,” Howard said. A record-breaking number of metro Atlanta employees — nearly 50,000 — took part in the 2015 survey, according to Howard. “We normally rank the top 100
workplaces but were able to increase that to 150, thanks to the number who contributed,” Howard said. Cancer Treatment Centers of America, with 835 employees, sits at the top of the list of best large company workplaces. Other healthcare and hospital companies to make the list include WellStar Health System and A.G Rhodes Health & Rehab. In February, Emory and WellStar announced that they were exploring the possibility of a merger. Some other notable companies on the list of top company workplaces include CareerBuilder, InterContinental Hotels Group, Waste Management Inc., Sprint and the American Junior Golf Association. Workplace Dynamics discovered commonalities between the workplaces that received exceedingly high rankings from their employees, according to Howard. “The companies that have earned the loyalty and affection of their employees … have invested as much in their employees’ well-being as they have in tangible perks,” Howard wrote in a March 21 AJC article.
— Contact Samantha Goodman at samantha.h.goodman@emory.edu
White House Talks Restraining Tuition Increases By Kenneth Marino The Technique Georgia Institute of Technology March 27, 2015 Although the main focus of many of the initiatives announced two weeks ago at President Obama’s speech at Tech was on loan repayments and making that process cheaper and easier, a big part of the problem in the cost of higher education has been the price of tuition itself. According to the Obama administration, this is another area that the White House is working on. “We’re working hard, we’ll keep working hard to help on the front end to keep higher education accessible and affordable,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan during a conference call with student journalists. According to the College Board, the average tuition and fees for fouryear public institutions is $9,139, a 17 percent increase in the last five years. Private four-year tuition and fees is $42,419 with a 9 percent increase over the last five years. According to Duncan, a major reason that public school tuition has gone up in recent years is that states are cutting back on their support of higher education. “Many states cut funding to higher ed when the economy got tough. Universities need to do a better job keeping down costs, but I would say budgets aren’t just numbers, they reflect values,” Duncan said. According to Duncan, part of the
solution to this is voting. “If enough young people vote, this becomes a priority,” Duncan said. “If you don’t vote this becomes an easy thing or an easier thing in tough budget times for a Governor to cut.” One thing that the Obama administration has proposed as part of the solution of rising tuition is making community college free for students. “The President started in the State of the Union with a free community college proposal and we need
“We’re working hard, we’ll keep working hard to help on the front end to keep higher education accesible and affordable...” — Arne Duncan, secretary of education Congress to partner with us on that but that on the front end could help reduce the cost of college by 30, 40, 50 percent if that were to become law,” Duncan said. “The goal is here not just to reduce the burden of debt, but to reduce the cost of college and that would be a huge step in the right direction. Another proposal was the College Scorecard, which would mandate that college report their costs, the salaries and job prospects of graduated students and graduation number. “I think that another incentive is
simple transparency and visibility, you probably have taken a look at our college scorecard that allows prospective students to know what the average price is of colleges and universities that they may be interested in apply to, and we think that transparency plus a little healthy competition is going to influence all sectors of higher education,” Duncan said. Obama’s record on higher education has not had unanimous support. Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.), himself a graduate of Tech, in a press released criticised the President’s approach to rising tuition. “It’s ironic that President Obama continues to say that something must be done about higher education,” Perdue said. “On his watch, college costs have skyrocketed. We can all agree that college should be more accessible, and we cannot continue to burden our children with more debt, but President Obama’s strategy won’t work.” Despite the President’s push for his community college plan, the Republican-majority Congress has not taken up the proposal and appears unlikely to do so anytime soon. According to Obama, there does not exist just one single solution to the problem of higher tuition and student loan debt. “So we’re continuing to just chip away at this problem; there’s no silver bullet,” Obama said during the conference call. “We’re going to have to do things at the federal level, the state level, at the university level to really mobilize the entire country around this issue of college affordability.”
The Emory Wheel
News
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
5
Editorials The Emory Wheel
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Editorials Editor: Erik Alexander
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Email: e.b.alexander@emory.edu
Our Opinion
Zach Elkwood
Zach Elkwood is a member of the Class of 2015. His cartoons appear in every Tuesday issue of the Wheel.
Class Differences Hide Within Our Elite Institution Emory’s mission statement more or less states that it strives to create an environment where new students feel accepted, no matter who they are or where they come from. First-year students participate in Creating Emory, which encourages students to embrace diversity and condemns bigotry and harmful language to ensure that no student feels isolated because of their race, gender or sexual orientation. But a fundamental part of our identity is hidden behind Emory’s marble walls when we arrive on campus: our socioeconomic class. We at the Wheel believe that the atmosphere surrounding class at Emory is uncomfortable and that the community is unsettlingly silent on the topic. The predominant assumption on campus — and throughout Atlanta — is that Emory’s students are on the upper end of the socioeconomic spectrum. Why? Because Emory’s recent drive in 2007 to provide expansive, need-based financial aid, Emory Advantage, has yet to wash away its history of being an elite institution. And this assumption is problematic, because it leads to feelings of alienation for those who represent the counterexample of Emory’s upper-class stereotype. In order to come to terms with the realization that everybody around them assumes they are rich, lower-income students tend to face one of two options. They can hide their background from their peers. This can be a selfalienating process, for it involves avoiding shame through deception, which is itself an isolating act. Worse, if they are successful in hiding the reality of their socioeconomic background in the elite environment at Emory, they may become alienated from the their lives back home. In a New York Times article, a son of Mexican immigrants recalled feeling arrogant as he explained immigration history to his uncles, who were discussing not being able to visit Mexico because they were undocumented. While Emory has made strides in accepting students of all classes, it still very much resembles an elite community. The alternative option is to be honest and forthcoming about it. We are glad if there are those who can have an Emory experience unfazed by class assumptions. But this is not possible for everybody. Leaving home and going to college can be hard for anyone, but it’s especially hard for students without an abundance of financial resources. Textbooks, dorm supplies, clothing, food and other essentials for college can be a major source of stress for students from low-income families. Students who rely on work study jobs have to set time aside from their already crowded schedule but still can’t close the gap between them and their peers. Breaks become problematic for students who can’t afford to leave campus because the DUC closes, and meal swipes become worthless. College is hard; college is nearly impossible without money. This applies to poor college students in general, but here at Emory the lack of class awareness makes it seem as though the starving college student doesn’t exist here. The numbers, however, say otherwise. Emory’s track record in providing financial aid to lower income students is far from dismal, after all. Emory has a higher percentage of Pell Grants than many other peer institutions. The average need-based scholarship is $36,000 per year. However, given Emory’s history as an elite institution, the culture here excludes poor students and makes it harder for them to get by socially. For example, students may feel isolated when their friends go out to eat, and they can’t afford to join them. However, awareness is imperative, because students unknowingly have the power to exclude their peers without thinking twice. We have realized that the atmosphere surrounding class at Emory is awkward, and there is little talk about it. This makes it even harder for students struggling financially to discuss their situations with their peers. The community at Emory just isn’t comfortable with thinking about class, and we believe there needs to be a change. Creating Emory discusses these hard to talk about subjects, but does not meaningfully address class differences and difficulties. Emory takes pride in its diverse student body, and we at the Wheel believe that it should be proud to have students from multiple socioeconomic backgrounds. Emory already does a fantastic job at giving poor students the opportunity to attend such a prestigious institution, but they shouldn’t stop there. Right now poor students are given the means to attend, but then they are left to figure out how to live in a rich kid’s world. We believe that Emory should be doing more to raise awareness of the socioeconomic diversity among the student body and seek to disprove the assumption that only wealthy students attend Emory. Along with supporting an environment that is friendlier to financially disadvantaged students, we must seek to provide funds for students who have trouble affording textbooks and dorm supplies once they arrive on campus. We would support any group or action committee for lower-income or first generation college students. We think that the topic should also be addressed more thoroughly in Creating Emory. We acknowledge that this task is neither easy to address nor easily resolvable. It is a task that takes full community engagement and investment, from the very top — such as the administration — to the very bottom — such as in interpersonal relationships. However, we have faith that the Emory community has the capacity to step up and make good on its commitment to fostering a safe space for everyone of all backgrounds. The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
The Emory Wheel Dustin Slade EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rupsha Basu Executive Editor Karishma Mehrotra Executive Editor Zak Hudak Managing Editor Copy Chief Benazir Wehelie News Editors Annie McGrew Lydia O’Neal Editorials Editor Erik Alexander Sports Editor Elana Cates Student Life Editor Hayley Silverstein Arts & Entertainment Editor Samuel Budnyk Photo Editor Hagar Elsayed Senior Digital Editor Tarrek Shaban Digital Editor Jake Siu
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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 limited to 700. 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 e-mails to dustin.slade@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. 30322.
Republicans Follow Orwellian Agenda
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Alec Woodard “You believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in its own right. You also believe that the nature of reality is self-evident … Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of the Party, which is collective and immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party.” – George Orwell, 1984 “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” – Karl Rove, chief adviser to President George W. Bush The first quote was delivered to the protagonist of 1984 by his torturer, an agent of an authoritarian state that held total power over its citizens. The second was said by Chief Adviser to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, to Ron Suskind, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, in the context of Rove’s belief that people like Suskind — people who “believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality” — are wrong. That is, Rove thinks there is no empirical reality. He believes that reality is created by the “we” in his quote, “we” being the party in control of the American government. When Rove said this in 2002, the party in power was the Republican Party, and he was President Bush’s chief adviser. The link between the two quotes, and between the Party in 1984 and the modern Republican Party, is clear. But quotes prove nothing. The only comparison that really matters between these two parties is in their actions, whether the things they do or try to do adhere to the principles of outright authoritarianism that the quotes espouse. Policies of an administration fit into two
broad areas: foreign policy and domestic policy. Here I will only discuss foreign policy for lack of space (look for a corollary article comparing domestic policies of the parties in the next edition of the Wheel). The foreign policy of the Party in 1984 (which went by the name Ingsoc, a shortening of English Socialist Party) consisted of constant war between the three major world powers: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. The governments of these nations were functionally identical, but in each country the governments of the other two were portrayed as fundamentally wrong to the point of requiring destruction. For the Bush administration’s, and by extension the Republican Party’s, foreign policy to be accurately compared to the Party of 1984 it would then have to have a few basic traits in common: it would have to nurture a tribalist hatred of “the enemy” based on xenophobia and manufactured, hyperbolic fear of attack; it would have to promote near constant war; it would endorse hyper-nationalism and the belief that the parent country is exceptional. The Republican Party, more or less officially, does all of those things. In a 2014 interview, former Vice President Dick Cheney said: “I think there will be another attack … Imagine what would happen if somebody could smuggle a nuclear device, put it in a shipping container and drive it down the Beltway outside Washington, D.C.” Even President Obama has acknowledged that nuclear terrorism is a risk. Considering that 40 percent of the American public thought there would be a nuclear attack in the United States within five years, as of a 2007 poll, any other policy would be a major political mistake. Knowing this, and with the context that Cheney was using fear of a terrorist attack to defend American use of torture, the statement can safely be called fear-mongering. And when Republican immigration policy and the xenophobic rhetoric surrounding it – such as recent comments by conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh accusing immigrants of starting outbreaks of measles — are taken into account, it is clear that the promotion of fears is motivated by politics, not reality. The promotion of near constant war is eas-
ier to prove. Bill O’Reilly, a major Republican political commentator, said this year that: “The holy war is here ... President Obama needs to lead — needs to lead the world in this holy war.” This position was an echo of Rand Paul’s call for official war on the Islamic State and an accurate representation of American conservative’s opinions on war. It is not an accident that the Republican Party is the party that continually calls for massive, sometimes obviously unnecessary, military spending. In a proposed version of the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (this is the budget for national defense that has to be passed every year, though it has other provisions), Republicans included a clause that would establish a state of “armed conflict with alQaeda, the Taliban and associated forces.” The language of this clause was so vague that it would put the United States into a state of constant war with an unspecified enemy. This version of the Act was not passed, but it does confirm the push for constant war that Ingsoc and the modern GOP have in common. Of these three traits in common between the Party of 1984 and the GOP, endorsement of hyper-nationalism and belief in the parent country as exceptional is easiest to prove. The 2012 official GOP party platform has a section actually titled “American Exceptionalism” in which it actively calls for: maintaining military strength (among fearful rhetoric of a dangerous world), increasing political influence in Latin America, Africa and Asia, expanding American propaganda worldwide and basically reducing the power of other nations in order to enforce an American hegemony. The document outright states: “In an American century, America will have the strongest economy and the strongest military in the world.” America is not yet an Orwellian dystopia. The Republican Party doesn’t even yet match Ingsoc in all policy, even implicitly (Republicans still vocally support gun rights). But while their policies are close enough to deserve that “yet,” a vote for a Republican candidate is a vote that moves America toward 1984. Alec Woodard is a College freshman from Burlington, Iowa.
The Emory Wheel
Ben Perlmutter
Hold Up Last Monday, College sophomore Andrew Alter responded to a piece that I wrote two weeks ago about Netanyahu and the recent Israeli election. I liked Alter’s article. It was intelligently and clearly written, and I learned from it. And moreover, I appreciate that he took the time and energy to stand up for his beliefs in the public forum of the Wheel. But I strongly disagree with the article. I would like to address some of Alter’s points and critiques of my points. Alter argues that the United States should remain allies with Israel and that the American Jewry should remain supportive of the Jewish state, regardless of the administration in government. He frames these arguments in opposition to what he asserts is my argument — that America and American Jews should distance themselves from the State of Israel. In fact, this is a mischaracterization of my article. I do not think that the United States should cease an alliance with Israel. Rather, I fear that if the Netanyahu government continues its bellicosity towards Palestinians, the American public will turn away from Israel, and American policy will follow. I am not advocating abandoning Israel but warning that it may happen if the Netanyahu government’s policies continue. I agree with Alter that the American-Israeli relationship is vital to both countries’ security and the flourishing of the global Jewish community. Alter’s second critique of my article is more concerning. He argues that the Netanyahu government is not in fact extremist, as I portray it in my article. But he is cherry picking examples of Netanyahu’s civility and brushing over vital areas of the administration’s extremism. Alter defends Israel’s tactics in last summer’s Gaza campaign, which I used as an example of the government’s extremism. He cites independent American military officials, who concluded, “Hamas intentionally placed military targets near civilian areas to increase civilian casualties and garner international support” to defend Israel. While some military officials may have said this, many other international actors have condemned Israel for excessive force. Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization, has criticized Israel for using excessive force, as did the United Nations, as did the European Union, as did the Obama administration. Israel surely has the right to defend itself from Hamas’ rocket attacks, but that is not a warrant to totally disregard Gazans’ lives. Alter also brushes over areas that need to be substantively addressed. For example, Alter dismisses Netanyahu’s statement prior to the election that the prime minister does not want a two state solution as “clearly rhetoric to mobilize voters before the election.” While this statement is not incorrect, it must not be brushed aside. Alter fails to mention that after the election, when Netanyahu’s Likud party had secured a plurality of the vote, Netanyahu backtracked on this position, saying, “I don’t want a onestate solution. I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution. But for that, circumstances have to change.” While Netanyahu’s pre-election remarks may have been a politically cunning move to get Likud a larger share of the vote, they were contrary to the internationally accepted goal of a two-state solution, which Netanyahu previously supported. Accordingly, this flip-flop outraged the international community. In response to the prime minister’s duplicity, Obama said the United States would have to reevaluate its relationship with Israel. This is not the only instance in which Alter underplays important examples of the Netanyahu government’s extremism. Alter also downplays the importance of the government’s continued settlement construction by noting, “settlement construction only occurs in about [two] percent of the disputed territories.” The settlements are in fact incredibly detrimental to the peace process and further increase Palestinian suffering. These settlements explicitly violate international law, drawing condemnation from world leaders. They have also acted as forums for the zealous Israeli settlers to harass their Palestinian neighbors with virtual impunity from the Israeli government. Alter’s arguments are certainly internally coherent, so without prior knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they could be convincing. But, the truth is not as he portrays. The Netanyahu government is far more extreme than Alter chooses to admit. I have no doubt that Alter has nothing but the best intentions for Israel and the Jewish people. But the grim reality is that supporting the sustained flourishing of the Israel Jewish community means distancing ourselves from Netanyahu’s extremist government. I worry about Israel. Prior to the establishment of Israel, anti-Semites terrorized the disparate Jewish community. But in the country’s almost 70-year history, it has built a flourishing economy, a vibrant democracy and a powerful military. In no small part, Israel’s success has been a result of the international community’s support, led by the United States. But the Netanyahu government’s corrosive actions are quickly eroding the will to support Israel. We, the international Jewish community, must wake up to the reality that despite Israel’s many strengths, it is under an existential threat of international isolation and democratic regression as a result of the Netanyahu government. Ben Perlmutter is a College junior from Chappaqua, New York.
Op — Ed
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Reflecting Upon Atlanta Bicycle Culture
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Somnath Das
Bacteria Within Us
While bacteria are generally considered poor for our health, our body depends on many of these bacteria for survival. In fact, our body has roughly 10 times more bacteria than cells within it. Many of these bacteria are concentrated in our gut, referred to collectively as the gut flora. From the time we are born, the microbiome in our gut is cultivated in our body and is likely to change significantly over our lifetime. However, these bacteria simply aren’t sitting there in the gut. Current research shows that your personal gut microbiome can influence an expanse of health outcomes that range from pathology to behavior. From a health care perspective, studying the microbiome can prove to be an alternative method of treatment for certain diseases. With the rising incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it is becoming more important than ever to find alternative methods that can fight disease using the human body’s own mechanisms. An application of the microbiome to cure disease has been found in C. diff colitis treatment. Lydia O’Neal | News Editor
Christopher Rolling I like to ride my bike. I ride my bike for leisure and exercise. But I also bike to go places around this campus. Biking is thus my practical means of transportation. In my “life-world” biking makes sense as a means of transportation. I have the necessary skills and tools for this inexpensive and effective means of transportation. Biking makes sense for me. In part I derive a certain sense of my identity as a bicyclist. Many people in Atlanta drive a car as a practical means for transportation. This is not the case for me. While I do not own a car, I could borrow the use of a car from a friend or Zipcar if I wanted to. But driving simply does not make sense for me presently. Driving is relatively expensive and simply unnecessary within my present life-world. I fear, however, that driving will make sense for me one day. My life-world would only demand a car if something crazy happened to me, like if I had a child or a serious bike accident. These events would thus shape my identity; biking would no longer make sense for me. But as a biker in Atlanta, I am but a small minority. Flying makes sense as a means of transportation for many people, myself included. I like to look out of the window whenever I fly in a plane. I would not be the first to muse about how people and cars appear so insignificant from such a perspective. But I think that the more profound cliché is comparing roads to veins from such an altitude. Indeed, one can see how Interstate 85 is truly Atlanta’s jugular upon departing Hartsfield-Jackson. The city’s plentiful roads make life in Atlanta as we know it possible. These roads give Atlanta its identity. So many people drive in Atlanta because driving in Atlanta makes sense for them. Atlanta’s roads manifest the life-world of Atlantans. Most people don’t bike for practical purposes because they may get hurt or killed.
On average two bicyclists die every day in this country, and only our Blessed Savior knows how many bicyclists are injured daily. Just kidding: helmets actually can’t know anything, because they are objects. Obviously bicyclists should always wear a helmet, but let’s not pretend that helmets actually make biking safe. American roads, and especially Atlanta roads, were simply not designed to include bicyclists. Well, why weren’t Atlanta roads designed to include bicyclists? This is a question for another editorial, but in short, we can all agree that bicycling was apparently not deemed significant enough to include biking lanes. Atlanta’s absence of biking lanes has made driving cars make sense for many people. Exactly like how a people’s morality becomes objectified into particular laws, Atlanta’s streets are Atlantans’ objectified preference to drive.
Driving is relatively expensive and simply unnecessary within my present life-world. These roads, like our social norms and laws, thus shape our future means of transportation around Atlanta. We can now finally appreciate the “synthesis” of being between the city of Atlanta and her residents. People shape the world, and the world shapes people. Biking burns calories, not our environment, and indeed it would be wonderful if people biked everywhere instead of driving. We would live in a very different world indeed! This world would be so different we can scarcely imagine it. It’s kind of like how Napoleon (supposedly) ordered his army to travel on the right side of the road, eventually institutionalizing a mere preference into tangible law.
But despite these grave and impending environmental concerns, I cannot even pretend that bicycling makes sense for most people. Biking is dangerous because we already live within a world designed for drivers. Do you see it now? A people’s laws and cities do not just idly “represent” a culture, but this culture is literally objectified within our laws and streets. The next generation is thus left to make sense of their world. I fear that driving will continue to make sense for many people for quite some time. Many people know that their driving contributes to our deteriorating environment, and yet this realization is dwarfed by the far more pressing and tangible demands of their jobs and children. Again, we can hardly blame people for driving, because we were truly born into a world designed for drivers. This country’s addiction to driving escapes an easy solution. Preventing everyone from driving cold-turkey is hardly feasible, for again, our world has already been institutionalized as a world for drivers. Completely redesigning this world for bicyclists or public transportation is similarly daunting. Not only would our society be responsible for completely restructuring our roads, but this process would similarly demand acquainting our society with a very different way of moving around this world than they are presently familiar with. In short, this restructuring will eventually demand a profound restructuring of our national identity. The reconstruction of this identity is a large and daunting task. The reconstruction of this identity, like all identities, begins with perception. I encourage you to perceive how dangerous bicycling is for the cyclist. I hope that you will notice the absence of biking lanes within Atlanta. Learn to smell your own emission emanating from your car. These perceptual changes will perhaps allow us to realize how biking makes sense. Christopher Rolling is a College senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Pillars of a Supportive Community Noam Kantor Last month, a friend of mine — let’s call him Josh — sent out an email to almost 20 friends explaining that his father had passed away a number of years ago. In Jewish tradition, close relatives gather every year after the passing of the deceased to say a special prayer for mourners. In his email, Josh asked if we could help him make a minyan — the minimum of ten people that he needed in one place to say the prayer in remembrance of his father. In clockwork fashion, the community moved to support Josh. Not just once but three times in a 24-hour period, the required number of people showed up, and Josh was able to recite the mourner’s prayer. Each time, the participants lingered while Josh recalled a memory with his father. Unlike most editorials, this letter is not written to answer a question. I write it to ask you: how do we create a community that can help people in their most vulnerable moments? We will return to Josh’s story, but for now I want you to sit back, close your eyes and picture your three closest friends. Examine them in your mind’s eye: who are they? What do they want most in the world? What has been most difficult for them in college? If you came up blank for the last question, I would bet that you are lying to yourself. I know, because every person that I have asked this question to in the last month has spewed off a list of issues that they or their friends have had to deal with at Emory: parental divorce, alcoholism, failure, depression, alienation. These experiences are more common than we are led to think. In fact, in a study conducted by the American College Health Association, one in four college students had been diagnosed or treated by a mental health professional in the year prior to the study. And every year, too many slip through the cracks of our formal and informal support systems:
31 percent of the college students in the study said they felt so depressed in the last year that it was difficult to function. Wherever you are reading this, look around you. Thirty-one percent. I ask now: given that nearly all Emory students will experience their first true crisis on this campus, away from parents and family, how do we create a community that is prepared to help us at our lowest lows? It seems to me that Josh’s community succeeded in supporting him in his most difficult hours, because it has two advantageous characteristics that are both fundamental pillars of a supportive community. First, the explicit openness of the community allowed him to share his most private difficulties. Obviously not everyone is experiencing emotional turbulence at a given time, and to only discuss hardship in any community would be unrealistic.
... how do we create a community that is prepared to help us at our lowest lows? Moreover, the best support comes with a concern for privacy. Thus the success of Josh’s extended group of friends is not that it is built around hardship, nor is it successful because it publicly discusses very private issues; rather, it is so supportive because its members tell each other explicitly and consistently that they should privately share issues if there are any. “How are you?” can mean “How much work do you have today?” It can also mean, “Is there anything I can do to help you with today?” Josh’s community succeeded because it explicitly and implicitly asks the latter. Second, community members were able to empathize with Josh, drop whatever they were doing and donate half an hour of their day to
help him. Because the community is explicitly open, members have more of a grasp on the relative importance of supporting a friend in mourning versus getting an hour more of sleep. They can overcome the common narcissism of over-packed schedules and constant exhaustion, because they had practice empathizing with others. In short, the more people understand how common and severe loneliness, anxiety and dependency issues are, the more they understand the importance of letting go of their own priorities for their community members. In my view, even though smaller social or religious communities within Emory succeed in supporting their members in difficult times, both of these pillars are often wanting in our community as a whole. On one hand, we often promote social situations in which students are encouraged to suppress their personal problems, such as especially rigorous classes or parties. How can we be surprised that students buckle under pressure by “problem drinking” or cheating on exams when they don’t feel the supporting power of the community? On the other hand, even when students are in a situation where they can be honest about a challenge they are facing, our constantly buzzing community often rushes on without them, studying for the next test or running to the next meeting. I therefore ask that the Emory community make an effort to consistently and publicly acknowledge the hardships that most students will endure during their years here, so those students may feel more comfortable speaking out and seeking support from professionals or friends. If you have ideas, practical or philosophical, I want to hear them. What pillars of a supportive community are we missing at Emory? And, most importantly, how can we make them permanent fixtures of our institutions and of the community as a whole? Noam Kantor is a College sophomore from St. Louis, Missouri.
... your personal gut microbiome can influence an expanse of health outcomes ... This disease, which affects the colon, is caused by the pathogen Clostridium difficile, which is a bacterium that is found on many contaminated surfaces like countertops and doors, especially in hospital settings. It is widely thought that when C. diff patients take powerful antibiotics, the bacteria has the ability to overrun the intestine and take over the gut microbiome, leading to widespread intestinal inflammation. C. diff is actually lethal if not unpleasant, and antibiotic treatment yields paltry results. Therefore, research on the disease is still continuing and is growing. In fact, C. diff research is being conducted right here at Emory. Saline fecal transplantation has been investigated as a probable way to cure C. diff, with initial trials producing an overwhelmingly high success rate. The procedure involves the mixing of healthy patient feces with saline and subsequent infusion into a C. diff patient. The rationale lies in the fact that normal C. diff treatment, which consists of powerful antibiotics, only exacerbates why C. diff proliferates in the first place. Interestingly, however, gut transplantations seem to work by introducing new, most likely beneficial, bacteria into the gut microbiome. These new bacteria can then crowd out C. diff and thus halt its growth into the microbiome. Additionally, since the treatment doesn’t clear the microbiome like antibiotics do, the probability of C. diff relapse also decreases. Research has also connected the microbiome to diseases outside of the colon too. Publications have come out that link certain strains of bacteria in the gut to increasing energy harvesting and the diversity of the gut to an increased likelihood of developing obesity; while these connections haven’t been fully established as of yet, what is interesting is that the microbiome has any influence on obesity at all. Because obesity is a problem largely thought to have been due to sedentary behavior with some genetics mixed in, the possibility of something so little as the microbiome having a significant impact on obesity causes an interesting change in perspective to both the causes and solutions of the current epidemic.
... the actions of the microbiome determine a lot about one particular person ... Indeed, the microbiome is so connected to what we eat that nowadays, researchers are investigating the possibility of whether these gut bacteria can control our behavior to crave certain foods. Evolutionarily speaking, this makes total sense: in order to survive to reproduce, these bacteria, which are presumably commensal in nature, must influence host behavior in order to get the right nutrients they need in order to reproduce. While this pattern is demonstrated in nature, it is still novel to discover the possibility of bacteria influencing our behavior. Research on the gut is growing ever more, with the microbiome set to become one of the top subjects currently being investigated in the biological sciences. Students interested in the biological sciences can find a treasure of information from researching just one aspect of the microbiome. From influencing disease treatment to its striking diversity, the actions of the microbiome determine a lot about one particular person, and the collection of bacteria can vary strikingly across different people. Therefore, this collection of bacteria serves to be an exciting avenue in studying human genetic diversity and to this day remains to be fully understood. Somnath Das is a College sophomore from Warner Robins, Georgia.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The Emory Wheel
The Emory Wheel
Crossword Puzzle The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Edited by Will Shortz 45
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The Emory Wheel
Arts Entertainment Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | Arts & Entertainment Editor: Samuel Budnyk (samuel.ross.budnyk@emory.edu)
student production
Ad Hoc’s ‘Seussical’ for All Ages, Brings Laughs, Quirkiness
From the misfortunes of a Who in Whoville to the feats of Horton the elephant and his infatuated but spunky single-tail-feathered lover Gertrude, Dr. Seuss took the imagination to incredible places. “Seussical the Musical” upheld the fascination and splendor that allowed both the cast and audience to relive and reminisce over some of Seuss’ greatest stories. Taken from the gates of Broadway to the basement of the Burlington Road Building, Emory’s Ad Hoc, a student-run musical theater performance group, decided to stage and perform “Seussical” as a change to their typical adult-themed shows and musicals. Premiering last Thursday, Apr. 9, the production prepared itself for seven highly animated shows to make up for its small venue — a small room with a tightly packed audience. Though a larger stage might have been better for the delivery, the smaller stage and close proximity to the performers allowed the audience members to feel more included. “I actually really liked the small venue,” College freshman Trieste Francis noted. “It was very storybook. I liked that you could really see their faces.” It was difficult to resist getting close to the characters as their stories intertwined, especially with the gallant Horton the elephant in an unbelievable world, the large-brained Jojo in a small-sized Whoville and the childish featherless bird Gertrude amidst the conceited feathered birds around her, all being so vibrant. Additionally, the inspiring sense of community and trust that tied the cast together remained evident during production, especially as the chemistry and emotion between the soon-to-graduate seniors came to life. Even those who were new to
stage productions were not afraid to display the quirks of their personalities in their interpretations of their characters — which happen to be impressively similar to the original “Seussical” production. College senior Taara Rangan, for example, played a strong antagonist against Horton as a sour kangaroo. Her beautiful and powerful voice started off quiet and grew louder as she drove the energy of the music. “This is the first play I’ve been a part of in seven years,” Rangan explained. She, like many others in this production, remember their early days in theater and “Seussical” was the first production which they had ever been a part of. Their energy, stemming from their high school and middle school acting nostalgia, reflected in the effort they put forth in this show. However, the greatest amount of energy stemmed from the leads, College seniors Tom Cassaro and Julia Weeks. Cassaro as the cartoonish and off-the-walls Cat in the Hat, was especially not afraid to engage the audience, whether by leading an auction with the crowd or finding a shoulder of an audience member to cry on, literally. He was quite enthusiastic regarding his presence on stage and involvement in the production overall. “It’s really relaxing to take a break from homework and goof around on stage for like two hours,” Cassaro said. “It’s a lot of fun to mess with other people and play off their energy, and I always love playing with the audience, too.” He revealed that his role in the production came quite naturally to him. In contrast, the cute, cartoonish bird Gertrude struggled accepting her natural identity as she tagged alongside Horton in his adventures. Played by College senior Chelsea Walton, Gertrude played a major role in the comedy associated with the play.
netflix review
Culture
By Anwesha Guha Staff Writer
Concert review
Alt-J Concert Compelling, Actually Alt By Ellie Kahn Staff Writer
Julia munslow/Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
College senior Chelsea Walton and College junior Tyler Moon in “Seussical.” A change from Ad Hoc’s usual rock musicals, the production is based on stories from a variety of Dr. Seuss books.
From her stubbornness in unnaturally blossoming tail feathers for show rather than usefulness to her writing her “Love Song for Horton,” her charades illustrated the childhood that much of the audience associated with this play. Her development reflected that of the inner child that resonated with many in the audience. The director of the show, College senior Gracen Gilmore, explained her motivations for choosing to put this show together. “Ad Hoc traditionally does rock musicals, and some of these rock musicals have very adult themes,
but I wanted to do a show that was [a for-] all-ages show because we haven’t done one in the four years that I’ve been here,” Gilmore said. “That way, people who maybe have family members who haven’t been able to see them and the shows they’ve done in the four years [that] they’ve been here, will get to see them [perform] and have that opportunity.” Overall, the show resonated well with adults and children alike. “The egg with the elephant inside definitely reminded me of Dr. Seuss!” Francis said, as she smiled and laughed about the absurdity
of the final scene with her friend, College freshman Isaac Andrade, who was a part of the ensemble. Andrade proudly admitted that being a part of the show “was the pinnacle of my freshman year.” The cast repeatedly elicited laughs, excitement, and feelings of childhood innocence that came together for a memorable show. Of all the events you can go to over the next week, this is one that I recommend. “Seussical” runs through April 18 at the Burlington Road Building.
— Contact Anwesha Guha at anwesha.guha@emory.edu
It would have been hard to dislike alt-J’s sold-out performance at Chastain Park Amphitheater on April 4. The four clean-cut guys walked onstage, plugged in and pumped out a pulsing rendition of “Hunger of the Pine” that made everything still. There was no stalling, no dazzling effects, no Miley Cyrus foam fingers. The British band, which released its debut album An Awesome Wave only three years ago, played a show that rocked suburban Atlanta and sent the crowd swaying. Alt-J makes music that entrances its listeners — maybe because of its unique weirdness — but more likely because it’s vaguely familiar, like a dream or a distant memory. That Saturday night, the band flashed in and out of blue strobe lights, and started in on their second song, “Fitzpleasure” with a “tra-lala” that was fortified by thousands of voices from the audience. It was a cool Atlanta evening, but the music-synchronous pulse of the crowd created warmth and an atmosphere which intensified the performance. “Hello friends,” keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton said before sliding into “Something Good.” That was the extent of the band’s interaction with the sea of people in front of them, but it reflected the
See alternative, Page 10
Anime
Unnoticed Korean Student Groups Anime to Look Forward to This Spring On Netflix: Present Culture Night ‘It’s Such a Beautiful Day’ By Jacob Choi Staff Writer
By Emily Sullivan Staff Writer
By Erin Penney Staff Writer There are certain movies that make me irrationally upset because I have no idea what to make of them. Heck, they may even want me to be irrationally upset (not that they care). There will always be films that are not going out of their way to impress anyone or have the viewer take away anything in particular. The animated film “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” (2012) directed, written and narrated by Don Hertzfeldt is one of those movies. And yet, it was worth every confusing minute. “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” is actually the stitching together of three of Hertzfeldt’s short animated films (“Everything Will Be Okay,” “I Am So Proud of You” and “It’s Such a Beautiful Day”) into an entire feature film. The story focuses on a man named Bill who is suffering from poor health and memory loss. The scenes jump around to different times in Bill’s life, from his childhood to his old age, in no particular order. The movie is animated very simplistically, with all the humans represented as stick figures (however, small live action clips are interspersed in the more intense moments of the film). One of the major reasons why this movie is so frustrating is that it’s always on the border between realistic sincerity and artsy absurdity. The simplistic animation gives the initial feel of a more down-to-earth film, but the strange narration and
See hertzfeldt’s, Page 10
Emory’s Korean Undergraduate Student Association (KUSA) and Korean International Students at Emory (KISEM) hosted their annual Korean Culture Night (KCN) on Saturday, April 11 at 5 p.m., which highlighted various aspects of Korean culture through the arts. The event was held in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center administration building auditorium and featured Emory student groups and Atlanta community groups, both of which were met by an enthusiastic audience. KCN’s audience represented many cultures, but mainly consisted of Korean and Korean-American students and community members. One of the night’s themes was the “collaboration of various Korean identities,” according to the event’s three masters of ceremony, Chan Lee, Olivia Choi and Yunbae Choi. This mindset resonated with the audience and thus made the night especially intriguing, considering that the KCN audience was receptive to every cultural performance and pop culture reference, and resembled a large yet tightly-knit family. An overarching theme of collaboration allowed for the audience to truly enjoy the Korean and KoreanAmerican cultures in an environment of support and celebration. One of the night’s first performances featured a group from the Atlanta Cultural Center, composed of four women playing huge drums. The performance was exceptional in that the women put their entire bodies into every stroke; they moved their heads like emotional piano players and included subtle, embellishing arm choreography. When they finished performing, the women exited the stage completely exhausted, heaving for breath. This performance not only
highlighted a Korean art form and evoked appreciation from the audience, but also conveyed that strength and power can come from almost any source. SaeHan Tae Kwon Do also visited Emory from the Atlanta community. The group has performed for the past several years at KCN with child and teen performers. Taekwondo is often associated exclusively with Korean culture, but the audience’s response to the performers’ talents indicated a satisfactory openness to sharing and learning. The audience continued its audible appreciation for KCN when Emory groups took the stage.
An overarching theme of collaboration allowed for the audience to truly enjoy the Korean and Korean-American cultures in an environment of support and celebration. Two of Emory’s Korean dance groups, 5MG (OMG) and Lambda Omega Lambda (LOL), entertained the audience with dramatic facial expressions and dynamic movement. Both groups performed separate hip-hop dances to Korean pop music (K-pop). Each team showed excitement for the other, reiterating the support visible among all of KCN’s performing groups. Between the dance performances was student vocalist Jun Yong Park, singing American R&B artist Jeff Bernat’s “Call You Mine” and Korean Hip Hop pair Dynamic
See korean, Page 10
As a fan of manga, I always search for anime, the animated adaptations of manga, to watch. Unlike American comics, manga is such a big part of Japanese culture that most television studios develop anime to air as part of their regular lineups. As a result, many anime of popular manga get released, allowing me to further experience the stories I regularly read. Anime provides viewers a greater experience by adding in colors, voice acting and music to depict stories in a more fleshed out manner. Since the quality of an anime largely depends on the company that produces it, I am always wary of animated adaptations of manga that I read. After all, an anime can enhance or diminish the source material of the original manga. However, this spring, there will be adaptations of several manga that have the potential to be special, so I look forward to see how those studios will do these series justice. “Digimon Adventure Tri.”
Unlike the other anime that I will recommend, this anime will not be based on a manga; rather, it is a direct sequel to “Digimon Adventure,” a series that aired in 1999. “Digimon Adventure Tri.” will be most likely a huge nostalgia fest for those who grew up with “Digimon Adventure.” For those who are not familiar with this series, it follows a group of kids who are transported to another dimension called the Digital World. There, they are partnered with several creatures called Digimon, and the kids work with their partners to find a way back home, while simultaneously saving the Digital World from evil Digimon. Though the original anime’s target audience was those under the age of ten, I was such a big fan of this show, that revisiting this series will
Courtesy of Toei Animation
“Digimon Adventure Tri.” follows the story of characters in another dimension and partnered with creatures called ‘Digimon’ while trying to find their way back home.
be a fresh experience for me. Unfortunately, this show was never as popular in the United States because it clashed with another “mon” series, “Pokemon.” However, I always found that “Digimon Adventure” was far superior as an anime series, and though both series deal with kids working with strange creatures that have the potential to evolve, “Digimon Adventure” had an overarching plot for its characters to go through. This new anime series will deal with the main characters six years after the events of the original series, and I am excited to see not only how the main characters have changed after the time-lapse, but also how the increase in the quality of technology after 15 years will elevate the series, especially for scenes that show Digimon evolving. I highly recommend this series for anyone who is looking for a lighthearted adventure. “Ore Monogatari!!” Translated as “My Love Story!!,” this series follows a character named Takeo, a high school freshman who
is down on his luck when it comes to romance, in contrast to his best friend Makoto. However, Takeo soon meets a girl named Rinko Yamato who doesn’t fall for his best friend and actually shows interest in Takeo for the first time in his life. As you can probably guess from this initial description, this anime will be a romantic comedy. But don’t let this throw you off; this anime is an adaptation of a manga that is self-aware of its genre and pokes fun at its stereotypes. To start off, the main character does not fit any portrayal of a male protagonist in a romance series; instead of being an archetype like the pretty-boy, the clumsy nerd, the bad-boy rebel or the hapless everyman, Takeo is a burly, muscular student who looks like he should be on a wrestling team. Yet, although he scares many girls away with his physical features, he has a heart of gold that attracts the female protagonist, Rinko. Many romantic situations often go awry due to the interactions between
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10
The Emory Wheel
arts & Entertainment
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
movie review
Film Adaptation of ‘The Longest Ride’ Sparks Timeless Romance By Shalina Grover Contributing Writer Given the popularity of texting and Tinder in today’s digital age, it’s more than easy to lose faith in the possibility of a traditional love story — in fact, it’s expected that we believe that love letters and courtships are a thing of the past. However, in “The Longest Ride,” Nicholas Sparks’ latest book-tomovie adaptation, Sparks manages to give us the hope that chivalry is still alive and well in modern romance. Scott Eastwood, son of iconic Western film star Clint Eastwood, takes a walk in his father’s cowboy boots to play Luke, a handsome bull rider determined to make a comeback following a serious injury in the ring. Cue Sophia, a pretty, secondsemester senior ready to begin a prestigious art internship, who’s played by upcoming star of Disney’s “Tomorrowland,” Britt Robertson. Dragged to a bull riding competition by her sorority sister, Sophia catches Luke’s eye (and hat) and the two share instant chemistry. So what’s the problem (besides the fact that Sophia’s internship is probably unpaid)? It’s located in New York, far from Luke’s simple but dangerous world of bull riding as one of America’s last true cowboys. Vanessa Carlton wouldn’t even walk that far. Though “The Longest Ride”’s movie poster features the lead actors staring into each others eyes, resembling posters of previous Sparks adaptations like “Safe Haven” and “The Last Song,” this latest movie has quite a different structure; it
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Britt Robertson (left) and Scott Eastwood (right) star in director George Tillman Jr.’s film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ romance novel The Longest Ride.
features a second couple. George Tillman, Jr., the film’s director, expertly shifts between the frame story of Luke and Sophia and a second, older tale of love set in the 1940s. Similar to “The Notebook”’s method of shifting between past and present, Tillman moves through time using the love letters of Ira (Alan Alda), a 91-year-old man whom Luke saves from a car accident. Ira, whose wife Ruth has since passed away, becomes close with Sophia, and guides her with his own love story set in a small Jewish community in North Carolina. Jack Huston (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Oona Chaplin (“Game of Thrones”) play Young Ira and
Young Ruth respectively, and threaten to steal the show; Chaplin’s bubbly energy quickly persuades the audience to fall in love with her, while Huston’s restraint provides contrast and balances their onscreen relationship. When asked at a press conference held with the stars of the film about his first time including two couples in a novel and the parallel structures of the relationships, Sparks explained, “You want to make each story stand on its own.” He contrasted the two narratives by portraying Luke and Sophia’s romance in the “short-term” and Ira and Ruth’s in the “long-term,” over the expanse of their lives together. Not only does “The Longest
Ride” promise to propel several acting careers to heights, but it also thrills audiences during kinetic bull riding scenes made more intense by skilled cinematography. Director of Photography David Tattersall, who worked on “Star Wars” Episodes I-III, added excitement to the high-energy bull scenes by using numerous camera angles and special high-speed cameras to capture more completely, the energy inherent. In fact, Luke’s bull riding opens the movie, jolting audiences with an insane adrenaline rush. Every ripple of the bull’s muscle is visible — I held my breath each time, hoping that the bull rider would escape without getting hurt, especially since real bull riders perform many of the
Hertzfeldt’s Simple Animation Is Frustrating, Memorable
Continued from Page 9
storyline give an unsettling feeling throughout the movie. One minute, you are under the impression that this is a reflection of a person’s everyday life, the next, you are dealing with a nearly 2-minutelong scene of the main character at a bus stop while someone is blowing leaves out of the sidewalk (with no narration). It definitely has quite a few moments where it desperately wants you to ask, “But what does it mean?” Is it a movie filled with symbolism? Is it a movie that wants you to think that it is a movie filled with symbolism, when in reality the filmmaker is just messing with you? Whether it is on purpose or not, the film is uncomfortably weird. “Weird” is not necessarily a bad thing though. This is one of those movies that is kind of like a Rorschach test: each viewer will get something different out of it. This is, quite possibly, due to the fact that there is so little there.
The film plays it pretty safe in that sense. You cannot really criticize the acting because the whole thing is narrated. To criticize the animation would not make sense because it is meant to be ridiculously simple.
You cannot really criticize the acting because the whole thing is narrated. To criticize the animation would not make sense because it is meant to be ridiculously simple. The watching experience of “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” is entirely dependent on the viewer’s emotions. Depending on who you are, this could be a brilliant innovative move or Hertzfeldt’s shot in the dark, hoping to hit some kind of emotion.
Upcoming Anime Features Old Favorites Continued from Page 9 Takeo, Rinko and Makoto, but the comedy comes with these ridiculous situations and people’s reaction to them. Despite these comedic elements, the show captures heartwarming elements with both the romance between Takeo and Rinko, and also the friendship between Takeo and Makoto. Because the show will be animated by Studio Madhouse, a studio that developed other famous anime like “Death Note” and “Hunter x Hunter,” I hope it will properly depict how “Ore Monogatari!!” defies tropes commonly seen in the genre of romance, while celebrating the unexpected charm that comes with Takeo’s oafish, but kindhearted manliness. This series began to air on April 9, 2015. “Gintama” Having returned on April 8, 2015, this anime is quite different from the other series that I am looking forward to because it had already aired six seasons after it was cancelled several times. Unfortunately, “Gintama” is the type of show that a newcomer in anime might find hard to be fully immersed in, because at its core, it celebrates and ridicules the medium of manga and anime. Even the premise of show is wacky; it is set in a futuristic Japan with aliens, but has past and present elements like samurais and video games. Yet, for those who do watch anime, “Gintama” is a superb show
because it defies clichés, makes outside references that make the fourth wall almost non-existent and introduces characters and story lines that are very memorable because of their irreverent appearances and quirks.
Despite these comedic elements, [‘Ore Monogatari!!’] captures heartwarming elements with both the romance between Takeo and Kinko and also the friendship between Takeo and Makoto. In its approach, “Gintama” doesn’t take itself too seriously, with the content of many episodes being outrageously crazy, but when it does, it becomes a heart-pumping, emotional drama that blows expectations away. Studio Sunrise is perfect with its smooth artwork and exciting music, and I am confident that with so much source material in the original manga series, the newest season of the anime will be amazing. There are many more anime arriving this spring that I am excited for, but these are my personal favorite choices. You can search for the others that will be aired, and hopefully, you’ll try watching a show. Anime is a world that a lot of people hesitate to be involved with, and although it might seem intimidating at first, it is a world worth venturing into.
— Contact Jacob Choi at hahn.choi@emory.edu
It is the blank canvas in the modern art museum that makes some people fall into the fetal position and cry and other people go on an unhinged rampage through the gallery because they can’t get a ticket refund. For the sake of professionalism, I will not say what group I fall into, but I am obligated by the courts to place an apology to the Museum of Modern Art here (sorry). What I can say is this: “It’s Such a Beautiful Day” is not a forgettable movie in the slightest. Hertzfeldt’s casual tone while narrating events that range from mundane to humorous to terrible maintains a haunting vibe throughout the film. The fact that so much of the film is left up to the viewer’s interpretation makes the absurd events stick in your head for days on end. This is not your run-of-the-mill linear story; this is an emotional roller coaster aiming to make you unsettled. So much happens in the 62-minute running time that makes it feel almost like a regular 90-minute feature.
The people who will like this
It is the blank canvas in the modern art museum that makes some people fall into the fetal position and cry ... film the most are probably fans of Hertzfeldt’s previous work, followed by art film junkies and people who describe themselves as “philosophical.” But if you are just looking for something ridiculously weird to watch, this will definitely fit the bill. It is an interesting feat in itself to see a movie this long that was written, directed, animated and narrated by one person, and you can tell that this is a labor of love. How you’re “supposed” to feel about it, though, that’s a different story altogether. — Contact Erin Penney at erin.penney@emory.edu
stunts. There are also war sequences during young Ira’s time, which provide enough action to please male moviegoers. However, there is no mistaking that this film targets women craving drama and romance. Sophia’s modern story helps women, especially those in college, to connect more easily to the film. The dialogue between Sophia and Luke sometimes verges on small talk, such as when they compare their favorite comfort foods. Though this type of conversation is not prevalent in movies on wide release, it strengthened the connection I had to the characters because it made them more approachable and relatable. One moment in “The Longest Ride” that took me out of its spell occurred during a wonderfully suggestive scene when the hunky Luke shows an inexperienced Sophia how to ride a horse. The intent of the music seems to be subliminally messaging the audience into delighting in the moment, only it’s done a little too heavy-handedly; the amount of times the word “desire” was chanted made the scene a little uncomfortable to sit through. Overall, Sparks and Tillman created two romances centered on sacrifice, with many lessons that audiences can take away and use to think about their own love lives. The actors didn’t escape untouched by the film’s core messages either. “Personally, I actually learned a lot about love. [The film] made me want to work harder in my own relationships,” Robertson said at the press conference.
Besides sacrifice, the film brings up questions of the role of masculinity in modern relationships. Luke, who is very “traditional,” insists on calling Sophia first and always seems to be driving. When he gets hurt, he has trouble accepting help from Sophia, who noticeably drives for the first time in the movie. Similarly, young Ira must question what it means to be a man when dealing with infertility issues. “The Longest Ride” raised questions for me as well, as to whether such epic romances are possible given the state of today’s relationships. When asked about the role chivalry plays in modern love, Sparks was resolute. “If you’re going to go out with someone, you better treat them with respect. Chivalry is just respect ... As a dad, I do it, and my kids better do it.” Sparks has two daughters and three sons. Though attaining a romance as passionate and timeless as Ira and Ruth’s or Luke and Sophia’s might be a little unrealistic, their stories have elements of honesty and imperfection that you can emotionally invest in. Tillman’s focus on character development gives us personalities we can connect with, and, in turn, a movie that lets us escape and simply enjoy some good love stories. Someone asked me if this movie was boyfriend material. Let’s just say if “The Longest Ride” were a man, I’d introduce him to my parents and start planning the upcoming nuptials..
— Contact Shalina Grover at sgrove3@emory.edu
Korean Performances Diverse, Inclusive Continued from Page 9 Duo’s “Girl.” When Park was introduced as the Korean John Legend, or “The Jun Legend,” the entire audience responded with swoons of appreciation. His popularity was evident through the roaring applause in response to his vocal inflections and personal touches in his perfromance of the songs — including self-written lyrics to replace the song’s original lyrics. KCN allowed for various performers to showcase their talents and cultural traditions for a community that was incredibly in tune with all of the relatively well-known Korean and Korean-American artists from Emory and around Atlanta. In addition to students, faculty
and locals, the event drew performers’ family members and consequently augmented the “in tune community” feeling in the auditorium. The three masters of ceremony hope that in the future, more people will want to spread Korean culture on campus. Although I was initially unfamiliar with the majority of the talent and art forms at KCN, I enjoyed all of the performances and was inspired by the community’s willingness to share its culture and traditions with the public. KCN welcomed an impressive, large audience turnout and I found the diversity of its performances heartening for our community and truly worthwhile and unique experiences for all those there. — Contact Emiliy Sullivan at emily.sullivan@emory.edu
Alternative Rock Band Exemplifies Clean, Dreamy Sound
Continued from Page 9
guys’ understated nature rather than a sense of disinterest. The sound of the band live is nearly as clean as it is on their record. Even the band’s most upbeat member, lead vocalist Joe Newman, never raised his voice. They transitioned into the whimsical “Dissolve Me” from the laid back “Left Hand Free” without strain. Alt-J’s tracks work together that way. What captured the crowd in a way that all we all hope for when being scammed by Ticketmaster was the delivery of“Matilda,” a singable track that Newman performed intimately. Without any kind of cue from the band, everyone at the venue sang out the anthemic line “This is from Matilda.” All audience participation that night happened organically. The band edged the intensity of their performance down at the hour mark with “Bloodflood,” followed by “Bloodflood pt. II” with UngerHamilton’s prominent piano notes, but picked it back up with the recent “Every Other Freckle.” This track, which was released as a single last year, deserves the attention it’s been getting; it ranked first on the UK Indie Chart in 2014, and 13th on US Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs. Its complexity and layers are unnoticed in the wake of its visceral physicality. After a set that was much longer than it felt, the band escaped the stage and returned for an encore, performing a cover of Bill Withers’s “Lovely Day.” It was followed by the deep “Nara” and “Leaving Nara,” both emblematic of alt-J’s dreamy, wavelike sound. At the last song’s completion, a chant rang out through the amphithe-
Courtesy of Big Hassle Publicity
Alternative rock band alt-J held a concert at the Chastain Park Amphitheater on April 4. The band’s performance showcased their unique sound and captured the crowd’s attention.
ater. Everybody and the person next to them yelled “Breezeblocks” in unison in hope of hearing the band’s consistently most played track. As if alt-J were actually listening and making the decision right then and there, the guys finished their set with the wild, building explosion of a song that translated to live performance as well as it does from a laptop. The song’s refrain of “Please don’t go, please don’t go, I love you so, I love you so” mimicked the audience’s exact feeling as the per-
formance ended. At the completion of “Breezeblocks,” no one threw their body at the stage, or begged the guys to stay in desperation, but this didn’t mean the night fell short of being a success. Alt-J’s performance at Chastain Park Amphitheater reaffirmed the band’s ability to please the crowd witha style that is distinctly their own. These guys aren’t Radiohead and they aren’t The xx. Alt-J brings a new kind of strangeness to the alter-
native rock genre, the kind that can change music history in an unassuming way. The band doesn’t have a large enough collection of music to change the world yet, but give it a year or two and their lyrics and refrains will have the globe bouncing. As traffic built up at the exit to the venue a clashing of alt-J tracks could be heard from hundreds of car speakers, audience members unwilling to let go to the very end.
— Contact Ellie Kahn at elinor.kahn@emory.edu
E
The Emory Wheel
Sports
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
agle xchange
Tues 14
wed 15
thurs 16
Track & Field
Sewanee & Georgia Tech Invites All Day Sewanee, Tenn. & Atlanta, Ga.
men’s Tennis Baseball
On Fire What ‘Remember the Titans’ taught us as children: A choreographed football entrance.
sat 18
Georgia Tech Invites All Day Atlanta, Ga.
at Sewanee: The University of the South 3 p.m. Sewanee, Tenn. at Covenant College 4 p.m. Lookout Mountain, Ga.
vs. Millsaps College 7 p.m. Birmingham, Ala. at East Texas Baptist & Louisiana College 12 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. Jackson, Miss.
vs. Shorter University 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. WoodPEC
Golf
Women’s Tennis
Softball
fri 17
vs. Columbus State 3 p.m. WoodPEC
vs. Johns Hopkins University 10 a.m. WoodPEC Wolfpack Spring Invite Time TBA Raleigh, N.C.
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Senior Alex Ruderman prepares to hit the ball. Ruderman and the Eagles will travel to Sewanee: University of the South (Tenn.) this Wednesday.
Tennis Will Play Sewanee for Away Match Continued from the Back Page narrowly achieving a 5-4 victory. The Eagles were up 2-1 after the doubles competition with wins coming from the teams of Halpern and Manji and Mosetick and Omsky. Ruderman and Wagner lost their match 5-8. The Eagles edged out the Jumbos, winning three of the remaining five singles matches to Tufts’s two. The final match was against Middlebury. Ruderman lost in first singles, 4-6 and 2-6, against junior Ari Smolyar. Halpern lost in second singles in a close match against freshman Noah Farrell, losing 6-3, 5-7 and 3-6. Mosetick was able to pull off a victory in third singles, defeating junior Palmer Campbell 6-7, 7-5 and 6-4. The Eagles won one of the remaining three singles matches, bringing the score of the singles competition to 6-2. In the doubles competition, the team of Ruderman and Wagner played against Campbell and senior
Peter Heidrich in the first doubles position, and lost 3-8. Halpern and Manji once again played second doubles, losing 5-8 against Smolyar and Farrell. Mosetick and Omsky continued their strong performance, winning their doubles match 8-2 against senior Chris Frost and freshman William de Quant. “It’s hard when you go down in the doubles,” Browning said. “It put a lot of pressure on the singles players. We have a split record with Middlebury over the years and they just beat us this time.” The team knows Middlebury poses a challenge, as its one of their toughest matches of the year, according to Ruderman. “It’s important to play against that level of competition,” he said. “That’s really what we are training for.” Emory returns to action tomorrow (Wednesday, April 15), when the team will compete away against the Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) Tigers. — Contact Jacob Spitzer at jacob.alexander.spitzer@emory.edu
11
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Freshman Erica Goldman (left) runs next to her opponent. Goldman recorded a career-best time of 57.82 seconds in the 400-meter dash this past weekend.
Athletes Will Try for Qualifying Times This Weekend Continued from the Back Page son-best time so it was really exciting to know we could.” Freshman Kora Dreffs’ ninthplace shot put toss of 11.35 meters also earned a season-best mark. In the 5,000 meter run, sophomore Sophie Cemaj (18:43.37), sophomore Mia Eisenhandler (18:44.57) and senior Marissa Gogniat (18:45.66) placed fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. Senior Hannah Parra placed eighth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.46. The 4x400 meter relay team of sophomores Liz Magno and Alexa Young, junior Julie Williamson and Goldman placed fifth with a 4:01.20 time. Williamson also placed fourth in the 800 meter run with her 2:14.53 time. Senior Katie Wilson placed sixth in the high jump with her 1.57 meter jump, while freshman Dara Liss paced seventh in the pole vault, clearing 3.15 meters. Curtin added that at some venues, like at Emory’s, field events and races are held in different locations
and he is unable to watch everyone. He enjoyed traveling to Western Carolina because all the events were in the same location, allowing him to see all his athletes compete. On the men’s side, junior Lukas Mees won the 3,000 meter steeplechase with his 9:36.24 time, which set a new meet record. Freshman Daniel Pietsch placed 13th in the 200 meter dash with a career-best time of 22.11 seconds. He also competed in the 400 meter dash, finishing eighth with his time of 49.04 seconds. Senior Kevin Delaney ran a careerbest time of 1:56.31 in the 800 meter run, finishing fifth. Freshman Phillip Greenfield placed sixth in the 100 meter dash with his 11.03-second time. Senior Scott Greathouse placed third in the high jump, clearing the bar at 1.94 meters. Junior Spencer Koh also competed in the high jump, clearing at 4.40 meters, and tied for sixth place. “It was great to see Spencer [Koh] jump as well as he did,” Curtin added. “He did really great.” Junior Max Hoberman placed seventh in the long jump with 6.42
meters. Senior James Bassen placed sixth in the discus throw with a distance of 42.76 meters. He also placed third in the javelin throw with 54.50 meters. In the 1,500 meter run, sophomore Michael McBane placed sixth with his 4:07.11 time. Curtin added that by the time the long-distance runners were able to compete, the nice weather had heated up, giving the athletes a harder time. This weekend, the Eagles are scheduled to split the team between two meets before the Eagles host the University Athletic Association (UAA) championships the next weekend. Part of the team will travel to Sewanee, Tenn. for the Mountain Laurel Invitational on Friday, while other athletes will travel to the Georgia Tech Invitational across town in Atlanta on both Friday and Saturday. According to Curtin, athletes who just need a refresher meet before UAAs will travel to Sewanee, while those that need to squeeze in one more meet to hopefully get qualifying times will go to Georgia Tech. — Contact Elana Cates at elana.cates@emory.edu
TWO MINUTE
DRILL WITH
Wilson Morgan Sophomore outfielder Wilson Morgan has batted .545 over the past four games, with a .322 average on the season. He’s majoring in business. He was also named Athlete of the Week by emoryathletics.com this week. Emory Wheel: How does it feel having such a strong season? Wilson Morgan: This season, I’ve been more comfortable on the field. I’ve been working hard and have definitely seen improvement throughout the season. EW: Do you ever let the success get to your head? WM: No, I try not to. EW: The baseball team had a rocky start at the beginning of the season, but the team seems to have rebounded since. To what do you attribute this? WM: We were in a similar situation last season. When our lives are on the line and we’re trying to make
playoffs, we have to step up. EW: What’s your favorite pitch to hit? WM: As a lefty, I’d have to say the low inside fastball. EW: Are there any trick pitches thrown in the league, for example a spitball? WM: One of our pitchers threw a knuckleball one time; I think that’s pretty much the extent of it. EW: What’s your favorite professional baseball team? WM: Atlanta Braves. EW: Where are you from? WM: I’m from Atlanta. EW: What are your plans for the summer? WM: Probably just stay in Atlanta, work at some baseball camps and workout. — Contact Jacob Spitzer at jacob.alexander.spitzer@emory.edu
This past weekend, your On Fire correspondent was watching his (or her) favorite television network, ESPN, and saw that bowling was on. This got your On Fire correspondent thinking about the iconic picture of President Richard Nixon bowling in the White House’s bowling alley. Recently, in 2008, a new picture of the White House bowling alley came out ... and it is sad. This bowling alley would be great, if it were 1976. The pale wallpaper of stripes and bowling pins mixed with chairs you’d find in a middle school library make your On Fire correspondent embarrassed that the current White House staff has not given bowling the attention it deserves as a serious sport. This got your On Fire correspondent also thinking about the White House basketball court. It is so much nicer than the bowling alley. Now, your On Fire correspondent can’t help but wonder, are some sports more important than others in the eyes of the White House? Is bowling deemed not as serious a sport as basketball? Bowling, along with many other sports, is one of those sports that people kind of sigh when they see it on ESPN or Yahoo Sports. “Who really cares?,” people think. People nowadays would rather see baseball, basketball or football on the TV. Yet, what these people don’t understand is that there are so many athletes who play lesser-loved sports who also want some love. It’s like when your On Fire correspondent was a young, little On Fire correspondent playing in the little leagues. Your On Fire correspondent tried out all the sports. Your On Fire correspondent was encouraged by his (or her) parents to try everything. Your On Fire correspondent decided that he (or she) loved curling. Your On Fire correspondent’s parents were disappointed; they wanted your On Fire correspondent to become a football or basketball star. But, your On Fire correspondent loved curling: the camaraderie, the ice, the brooms, everything about curling was enticing. Everyone at grade school made fun of your On Fire correspondent’s love for curling. They said it was a weird sport, that it wasn’t athletic and was dumb. This hurt your On Fire correspondent’s feelings. Curling was my life. And curling was hard work and VERY athletic. The school children just didn’t understand. The curling team required two-aday practices: weight training in the morning and practice at night. It was an extremely time-intensive sport and got your On Fire correspondent in great shape. One of the most enjoyable experiences for your On Fire correspondent was watching curling on ESPN. Seeing the coverage of the greats of the sport gave your On Fire correspondent hope that maybe your On Fire correspondent could one day get on that level. He (or she) admired the players; the way the brushed the ice was empowering. He (or she) instantly smiled seeing curling on TV. Therefore, how the hell can the White House deem which sports are more important that others? Renovate that bowling alley!
Column
Sports Genie: The List of Tom Brady’s Talents Now Includes Football and Baseball By Bennett Ostdiek Senior Staff Writer
If I know one thing, it is that Tom Brady is a man with many talents. He obviously is a tremendous ladies man — just ask Gisele. As a spokesman for UGG (the fur boots that middle school girls wear), he also has tremendous fashion sense. And he is also pretty good at football. But he is not good at everything. As anyone who has seen his perpetual five o’clock shadow can testify to, he clearly does not really know how to shave. And he also cannot throw a baseball that well. This may come as a surprise to dedicated Brady fans. After all, the man was drafted in the 18th round of the 1997 MLB draft by the Montreal
Expos. Described by Yahoo Sports as “a catcher with a tall, left-handed power stroke and a rocket arm” (it’s not clear how one can have a “tall stroke,” but that is beside the point), Brady appeared to be a stud in the making. As Yahoo Sports further pointed out, when scouts saw him, they said “Wow.” We are not sure if Brady had already developed his way with women by this point, or if he was better at shaving in high school, but he certainly had a powerful bat, once hitting two home runs in a single game (I once did the same thing in Little League, but that is neither here nor there). However, Brady turned down the Expos’ offer and ended his promising baseball career upon graduat-
ing high school, choosing instead to pursue football at the University of Michigan. The rest, of course, is history. And that long, illustrious history did not include baseball exploits. Until now. Fresh off his Super Bowl championship, Brady and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick accepted an invitation from the Boston Red Sox to throw out the first pitch in their home opener. Unconfirmed
reports indi- cate that Brady was ver y excited and not even a little bit nervous upon receiving this invitation. And why should he be nervous? Yes, Brady knew that it would be terribly embarrassing for him to not throw the ball all the way to the catcher. But, he reportedly thought, “I throw balls for a living. I used to be a baseball player.
The Expos believed in me. I believe in me. I got this.” Brady went to the mound dressed in an outfit that reflected the tremendous confidence that he was feeling. He wore a backwards Red Sox cap, a t-shirt with a logo on it that seems likely to belong to some sort of skateboard company, big black sunglasses, skinny jeans and a gray sweater tied around his waist. In short, he looked good. With Belichick standing behind the mound looking on and David Ortiz crouched in the catcher’s position, Brady wound up for the throw. As he released the ball, he thought to himself, “What a great throw. You are killing it, Tom.” But his confidence proved misplaced. The ball did not make it all the way to Ortiz.
It did not even make it all the way to home plate. And it did not go straight. Brady’s first pitch veered off and to the right, bouncing about a foot in front of the left-handed batter’s box. Oops. Fortunately, Ortiz scooped up the errant pitch, and he quickly raised up his glove to prove that to the world. He jumps up and runs over to Brady, who is walking towards him with a dumb grin on his face. Come on, Tom Brady. You have the most valuable right arm in the world. You used play baseball in a way that made scouts say “Wow.” There is no excuse for you not being able to throw the ball all the way to home plate. — Contact Bennett Ostdiek at bostdie@emory.edu
Sports The Emory Wheel
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Sports Editor: Elana Cates (elana.cates@emory.edu)
Softball
Men’s Tennis
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Senior Ian Wagner celebrates winning a point. Wagner and the Eagles won two matches and lost one last weekend in Vermont.
Eagles Go 2-1 During Squad Wins Doubleheader on Senior Day Weekend Away Hagar Elsayed/Photo Editor
Sophomore first baseman and outfielder Taylor Forte leaves the bag. Forte and the Eagles won their home doubleheader against Georgia Highlands College. The team also honored their graduating seniors in a ceremony before the game.
By Jacob Spitzer Asst. Sports Editor The Emory softball team won both games of their home doubleheader exhibition against the Georgia Highlands College Chargers this past Saturday, winning the first game 3-2, and the second 8-0. The games took place on the team’s Senior Day. Junior catcher Melody Carter, freshman designated hitter Gracie Taber and senior infielder Brianna Berceau scored the team’s three points in the first game. Both teams played extremely strong defense with Emory scoring the first run of the game in the fifth inning. “The pitcher on the Highland team was really good,” junior center fielder Alyssa Pollard said. “One of the better pitchers we’ve faced all year. She
made it really hard for us to get anything going but we made some good adjustments and we were able to step up. The Eagles were down 1-2 until the bottom of the eighth, with freshman right fielder Raygan Greer hitting a two-run RBI to bring the score to 3-2, where it would remain. The second game showed off the Eagles’ offensive power, as Emory won the game 8-0. Pollard scored two runs along with Greer, while sophomore left fielder Taylor Forte, freshman corner baseman Ashley Powers, senior catcher Micah Scharff and Berceau each scored one run apiece. The Eagles started the game strong with a three-run second inning. The Chargers softened defensively, walking Powers and Greer, both of whom
were able to reach second and third on a passed ball. Pollard hit a tworun RBI double to bring them home, scoring the first two runs of the game. Forte hit a one-run RBI double to bring Pollard home, ending the inning 3-0. The game continued without any runs scored until the bottom of the sixth, when the Eagles scored five runs to finish the game. With the Chargers faltering defensively, it allowed Emory to get the bases loaded. Georgia Highlands gave up a run through an error, two wild pitches and two walks, which allowed the Eagles a strong inning. Forte singled to centerfield, bringing Berceau home. Scharff then hit a single RBI, bringing the score to 6-0. Carter flied out to left field, but was
Track & Field
able to bring two runs home bringing the score to its final 8-0 finish. With Emory’s strong season coming to a close, the softball team acknowledged its graduating seniors with a ceremony before the game. Berceau and Scharff were honored for not only their performance during their time at Emory, but also their excellent attitudes on and off the field. “It was really nice to win our games during senior day,” Forte said. “It was a nice way to thank them for all the work they’ve done, to show the team being great.” Emory will return to action on Wednesday, April 15, when the Eagles will host the Shorter University (Ga.) Hawks in a doubleheader. — Contact Jacob Spitzer at jacob.alexander.spitzer@emory.edu
By Jacob Spitzer Asst. Sports Editor
The Emory men tennis team finished their weekend at Middlebury College (Vt.) 2-1, defeating the Skidmore College (N.Y.) Thoroughbreds and the Tufts University (Mass.) Jumbos but losing to the Middlebury Panthers. “We played three very good teams. We handled the first two matches really well. We had scheduling problems and we weren’t used to the cold,” Head Coach John Browning said. In the first match against the Thoroughbreds, senior Alex Ruderman played first singles, defeating sophomore Kai Yuen Leung in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-3. Senior Eric Halpern played second singles, winning 6-2 and 7-5 against
junior Kit Sanderson. Junior Rafe Mosetick played third singles defeating freshman Steven Koulouris 6-1 and 6-3. The Eagles swept the rest of the singles competition losing only five games in the remaining three matches. In the doubles competition, Ruderman partnered with senior Ian Wagner in the first singles spot, defeating the Thoroughbreds 8-5 in a pro set. Halpern and sophomore Aman Manji played second singles, losing to the Thoroughbreds. Mosetick and freshman David Omsky played third doubles, defeating their opponents 8-4. The Eagles ended with a 8-1 victory against Skidmore. The second match against Tuft’s was much closer, with the Eagles
See Tennis, Page 11
Baseball
Emory Splits Against Maryville By Joseph Shapiro Staff Writer
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Junior Lukas Mees competes in the steeplechase. Mees was the only Eagle to win an event at the Catamount Classic last weekend. His 9:36.24 time set a new meet record in the event.
Teams Place Fifth at Catamount Classic By Elana Cates Sports Editor This past weekend, the Emory men and women’s track and field teams both placed fifth at the Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. The Emory women scored 41 points while the men earned 43.5 points. The host school, Western Carolina University (N.C.), won the meet, the men with 263.50 points and the women with 326 points. “Western Carolina was by far the best school there,” Head Coach John Curtin said. “They’re a very good Division I school and had the home advantage. All the schools that beat us were Division I, except for one Division II program.” Emory only sent a small group of athletes to compete in Cullowhee,
according to Curtin. Even with the smaller squad, the Eagles still managed to record season-best times in nine different events. “It’s a fine line between getting people the competition they need and over taxing them with competition and travel,” Curtin said. “But, the nine records we got were very good to see.” On the women’s side, freshman Erica Goldman placed fifth in the 400 meter dash, with her time of 57.82 seconds. Goldman not only recorded a career-best time in the event, but also the 21st-best time by an NCAA Division III athlete this season. “Erica [Goldman] did amazing and it was exciting to watch her,” sophomore Kellie Harunk said. “We had an great meet as a team overall which was good timing, as it’s one of
our last meets before championships.” In the 1,500 meter run, senior Hannah Smith placed fourth with a 4:45.21 time, followed by freshman Gabrielle Stravach in fifth place with a time of 4:48.84. “Erica [Goldman] put in a tremendous effort and Hannah [Smith’s] run was a great surprise,” Curtin said. “Those were very cool performances to see.” Goldman, along with Harunk, freshmen Caitlin Cheeseboro and Julia Leventhal, placed fifth in the 4x100 meter relay. The relay team earned a season-best time of 50.16 seconds. “We were mainly working on the handoffs in the relay, so we weren’t focusing on the time,” Harunk said. “We weren’t expecting to get the sea-
See Athletes, Page 11
This past weekend, the Emory baseball team traveled to Maryville, Tennessee for a pair of games against the Maryville College (Tenn.) Scots. The Eagles split the series, losing the first game 8-0 on Saturday, but rebounded for a 12-4 win on Sunday. The Eagles have only played away games since April 8, but the team has not been negatively affected by the travel, according to sophomore catcher Brian Hernandez. “It helps to have the home crowd support, but we still go into each away game with the same approach,” Hernandez said. “We don’t focus on the venue, we just play baseball.” Junior infielder Dylan Eisner added that road games don’t affect the way the team plays, but it definitely changes the way the team prepares to play. “Personally, I like playing at home better, but good teams are able to play at home and away and win,” Eisner said. In the first game, senior righthander Connor Dillman started on the mound for the Eagles, and in four innings, gave up eight hits and seven runs — six of which were earned — and walked six. At the plate, the Eagles couldn’t get anything going, managing only four hits against the Scots, who kept the Eagles in check for a complete game shutout. The Scots got on the board with one run in the bottom of the third and then exploded for six more in the bottom of the fourth, putting the game out of the Eagles’ reach. “It’s tough traveling and playing on the same day and they just didn’t see our best game,” Assistant Coach Connor McGuiness said. On Sunday, the Eagles’ performance showed little resemblance to their effort in the previous day’s loss. “Going into the second game, after losing so much in the first really fueled our fire,” Hernandez said. “They stopped our winning streak so we had a lot more energy. We were also pumped because [Maryville] was having their Senior Day and we wanted to rain on their parade.” The Eagles hitters got things going from the start, scoring four in the top of the first inning.
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Junior infielder Jack Karras hurls the ball to his teammate. Karras and the Eagles split two games against Maryville College (Tenn.) last weekend.
The Scots scored a run in the bottom of the first and added another in the bottom of the third, cutting the deficit to 5-2. The Eagles continued to cross the plate, knocking in three runs in the sixth, and sealing the deal with four more in the eighth. In the top of the first, after the first two Eagles batters were retired, senior outfielder Brett Lake kept the inning alive with a single to right, starting a two out rally. Lake then stole second and junior infielder Ben Vizvary drove him in with a single to right. After sophomore third baseman Philip Maldari singled to right, sophomore outfielder Wilson Morgan doubled down the right field line, scoring Vizvary and Maldari. Senior first baseman Jordan Selbach capped the inning off with a single up the middle, scoring Morgan. It was a combined effort at the plate, as the Eagles totaled 17 hits. Eisner and Morgan had three hits apiece. Morgan also added three runs. Selbach and freshman shortstop Nick Chambers each drove in
two runs. Lake, Maldari and Vizvary each contributed two hits. It was a combined effort on the mound as well for the Eagles who used six pitchers, each for less than three innings. Sophomore lefthander Luke Emmett started for the Eagles and went two and two thirds, giving up two hits and one run. Freshman Danny Kerning, senior Michael Byman, sophomore Kyle Monk and freshman Rhett Stuart each pitched one inning. Freshman Matt Randolph went two and a third, earning the win. “We brought it [Sunday] and it was all about the bench energy,” McGuiness added. The Eagles will return to action today, away at Covenant College (Ga.) at 4 p.m. “We still have a lot of work to do with six games left,” Hernandez said. “We need to do our best to win them all. We finished well last year, but we can’t take that for granted, we have to earn our spot into regionals.” — Contact Joseph Shapiro at joseph.elliott.shapiro@emory.edu