The Emory Wheel
index
Emory Events Calendar, Page 2
Police Record, Page 2
Staff Editorial, Page 6
Student Life, Page 9
Student Activities Calendar, Page 8
Sports, Page 11
Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University www.emorywheel.com
Friday, January 30, 2015 administration
Volume 96, Issue
29
Every Tuesday and Friday student life
dobbs university center
Board of Trustees Elects New Members
Wagner Meets With Freedom at Emory
By Annie McGrew Asst. News Editor
By Lydia O’Neal Asst. News Editor
The Emory Board of Trustees, a governing body that establishes University police, recently elected four new members, according to a Jan. 22 University press release. The new members include Glenmede Trust Company Managing Director, N.A., Lee Miller; Bauerfeind USA, Inc. CEO Greg Vaughn; Ernst & Young Global Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger and Global CFO of McKinsey and Director of the Atlanta office Tom Barkin. Of the new members only Barkin is a term trustee, meaning he is not an Emory alumnus. The other three will serve as alumni trustees. All four new members will serve six-year terms on the Board. According to Vice President and University Secretary Allison Dykes, alumni must fill 11 of the 25 Board of Trustees positions. Dykes said the new trustees are “engaged alumni ... these are individuals who are deeply connected to the Institution, to the Alumni Association and that have served Emory in a variety to leadership positions.” Of his new position, Vaughn wrote in an email to the Wheel that when the Alumni Association and Board of Trustees reached out to him about the possibility of joining the Board, he was honored to serve in this meaningful capacity. “I am excited to collaborate with students, faculty, staff, administrators and other trustees in the ongoing work, new challenges and opportuni-
even graduate students — in order to make the Campus Life Center more welcoming to students of all backgrounds and interests. Students were asked what they wanted to see in an improved student center and the Campus Life Center will reflect this input by expanding the current space and making it open to more student organizations, Perlman said. The webpage also states that dining will be improved through a new menu that will not only be healthy,
During the first of perhaps many meetings, a group of undocumented students and members of Freedom at Emory University, an advocacy group for undocumented students, urged University President James W. Wagner to address the financial needs of undocumented student applicants during his office hours on Wednesday. “It was a very productive first meeting,” Wagner said afterward. “I think we have a lot of common goals.” Before an audience of Wagner and Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Claire Sterk, the students pressed the University to work toward four short term goals: to allow a legalized subset of undocumented students who were brought to the U.S. at a young age to receive need-based financial aid; to ensure that undocumented high school seniors have equal financial aid and admission opportunities; to elucidate the admissions and financial aid process for such students and to reach out to such students so that their lack of citizenship does not bar them from attending Emory University, according to Freedom at Emory Co-Founder and College senior Andy Kim. The meeting, however, lasted for about half an hour, and “didn’t really get into details,” Kim said, who headed to the president’s office in the Administration Building along with College senior Hannah Finnie, another member of Freedom at Emory, and two undocumented students. Kim
See final, Page 4
See emory, Page 3
See new, Page 4
Courtesy of Perkins + Will
A new facility will replace the Dobbs University Center as a center of student life and is tentatively called the “Campus Life Center.” Construction on the center is set to begin later this year.
New Campus Life Center to Replace the DUC By Vikrant Nallaparaju Contributing Writer After decades of walking through its halls, students will bid farewell to the current Dobbs University Center (DUC) later this year, as it is set to be replaced by a new, larger student center. Originally built in 1950 to honor members of the Emory community who were lost in World War II, the DUC was renovated in 1971 and 1986. Since then, it has become a prime location for dining and student organization activity, serving as the
heart of Emory’s campus. But in recent years, some feel that the building no longer suits the needs of the many students and faculty involved on Emory’s campus, according to Senior Director of Emory’s Food Service Administration Dave Furhman. “Simply put, the Dobbs Market facility at the DUC has outlived its usefulness,“ Furhman said. “The current dining room space and configuration is generally considered uncomfortable, loud and certainly not a place where the community wants to gather or linger for any period of
time.” In an email to the Wheel from the Director of the DUC Benjamin Perlman, the new building, tentatively called the “Campus Life Center,” will be designed on five basic principles: welcoming all students, providing inspiring dining, fostering collaboration, embracing large events and meetings and providing a uniquely “Emory” image and character. According to the DUC’s official webpage on the project, the building layout will reflect students at all levels in their academic careers — including freshmen, seniors and
Professors talk politics and the past
clairmont CAMPUS
academics
Environ. Science Launches New Minor
Fire Sprinklers Flood Clairmont Tower By Kelsie Smith Contributing Writer Late Sunday afternoon, fire alarms sounded on the seventh, eighth and ninth floors of the Clairmont Campus Tower Apartments. Residents soon discovered the alarm had not been a drill or prank: a grease fire on the eighth floor caused sirens to signal nearby residents to evacuate and sprinklers to go off flooding nine floors of the Tower. Residents on floors in proximity to the affected area were able to safely evacuate the building. Soon after, a fire truck and police appeared on the scene. Firemen, fully geared and carrying axes, entered to inspect the
apartment complex. The basement of Tower Apartments was flooded with water released by the sprinkler system, with a few inches of water on the ground and more falling from the ceilings, according to Tower resident and College junior Sean Healy, who evacuated with other students. Healy initially considered the warning to be a drill and nonchalantly began to exit the building, but as he entered the stairwell, he learned the immediacy of the situation. The kitchen area sprinkler was able to successfully extinguish the fire, although many apartments,
See disaster, Page 3
Spotlight: Editorial Board
The Emory Wheel writes a staff editorial for each issue, which is an opinion piece that is collectively written. The Editorial Board — comprised of all of our editors, a list of whom can be found online or in the staff box on Page 6 — meets before every issue to decide on a topic and then discusses the topic at length. A notetaker compiles arguments contributed from different editors, and then reads the notes at the end of the meeting. The editors vote on whether the argument represents their individual opinions. If a majority of editors vote yes, the staff editorial is written and edited by multiple editors for publication. Editorial Boards across publications have different roles, but all try to voice opinions on relevant subject matter, from political endorsements to social commentary. Our Editorial Board, which has existed for 96 years, has written a staff editorial for almost every issue and functions as a semiweekly discussion forum for our editors, where we talk about issues we find relevant in our own lives and campus. Please send any questions or comments to emorywheelexec@gmail.com.
News Researchers
explore effects of
marijuana on lungs
... PAGE 3
By Enakshi Das Contributing Writer
and to improve sustainability. “We’re trying to improve the quality of the food served on campus, simply put,” Furhman said. According to Furhman, food service companies interested in serving Emory’s campus submitted proposals to the University last fall. A specially established committee is now reviewing these proposals.
Environmentally-minded students can now add a new Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EASC) minor to their degrees. Launched by the Department of Environmental Sciences (ENVS) this spring, the minor is a rigorous 6-course sequence that aims to provide students with a strong foundation in “the physical science of Earth systems, the fundamental processes of the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere and the flux of materials and energy through these systems,” according to the EASC website. This program differs from the pre-existing minor in Environmental Sciences in its intention to narrow the focus of study on clearly “[defining] and [strengthening] the role of geosciences within ENVS,” according to the website. To facilitate this, the program combines traditional lectures along with field-based instruction, according to ENVS Director of Undergraduate
See all, Page 4
See minor, Page 3
A
Heejae Choi/contributor
ssociate Professors of African American Studies and History Brett Gadsden and Carol Anderson discuss Anderson’s latest book, Bourgeois Radicals: The NAACP and the Struggle for Colonial Liberation, 1941-1960, which explores the NAACP’s role around the globe and in the U.S.
dining
FACE Oversees Dining Contract Renewal By Harmeet Kaur Digital Editor
Emory Dining, in conjunction with the Food Advisory Committee at Emory (FACE), is deciding whether to renew its existing contract with food service company Sodexo or switch to a new campus dining vendor. A University-wide committee will select finalists by early February, and
OP-EDs Students
respond to sorority recruitment op-ed
... PAGE 6
remaining contenders will showcase their proposals for improved campus dining in presentations open to the University from Feb. 16-18, according to Dave Furhman, senior director of the University Food Service Administration. Furhman said the new vendor selection process, which began last October, is part of Emory Dining’s larger effort to introduce fresh, local foods to the University’s dining scene
Student Life
Multicultural Greek Council showcases diversity ... PAGE 9
Sports NFL columnist
predicts Patriots will win the
Super Bowl ...
Page 11
Next Issue
mandatory faculty training
...
Title IX
Tuesday
2
news roundup National, Local and Higher Education News • A natural gas truck explosion at a Mexico City maternity hospital killed at least seven people — four of whom were children — and injured 37 on Thursday morning. By the early afternoon, emergency officials continued to search for those trapped in the debris of the hospital, which nearly collapsed following the explosion. • Researchers at the Institut Pasteur in France studying the Ebola outbreak in Guinea found that the virus may have mutated. The scientists have begun gathering hundreds of blood samples from Ebola patients in Guinea to analyze changes in the virus as it moves from person to person. • Russian bombers flew over the English Channel near British airspace on Thursday afternoon, prompting interception by two of the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Jets. The bombers’ flight is the latest incident in what NATO has cited as an increase in Russian military flights over NATO members’ territories in the past few months. • President Barack Obama will propose a plan to reverse the spending cuts imposed by the 2011 Budget
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, January 30, 2015
Control Act’s sequester, according to administration officials. His proposal, which he plans to announce to House Democrats at their retreat in Philadelphia on Monday, could top caps on spending by $70 billion. • A United States federal court sentenced Pedro Mascheroni, an 80-year-old former physicist at the Los Alamos nuclear weapons lab, to five years in prison Wednesday for plotting to sell nuclear bomb construction plans to the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. His wife Marjorie Mascheroni, who also worked at the lab, was sentenced to a year and a day for conspiring with her husband. • A shooting and apparent robbery left one dead and three injured in a DeKalb County, Georgia, home on Wednesday night. When police entered the home near Redan Road and Covington Highway, they found one man dead, along with two other men and a woman with gunshot wounds. As only one of the three living victims could speak to police, investigators are trying to determine whether the shooter may be among the injured.
— Compiled by Asst. News Editor Lydia O’Neal
Corrections The Wheel reports and corrects all errors published in the newspaper and at emorywheel.com. Please contact Editor-in-Chief Priyanka Krishnamurthy at pkrish4@emory.edu.
The Emory Wheel Volume 96, Number 29 © 2013 The Emory Wheel
Dobbs University Center, Room 540 605 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322 Business (404) 727-6178 Editor in Chief Priyanka Krishnamurthy (404) 727-0279 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
• On Jan. 23 at 5 a.m., Emory Police Department (EPD) responded to a call regarding an individual in a vehicle that was stopped in the roadway with a rear wheel on the sidewalk. When officers arrived on the scene, the driver of the vehicle appeared to be asleep. Officers conducted a field sobriety test and determined that the driver was under the influence of alcohol. The driver was arrested and charged with driving under influence and unlawful stopping. He was transported to DeKalb County Jail. The driver may be a resident of 22 Eagle Row, the Chi Phi fraternity house. • On Jan. 24 at 1:35 a.m., EPD responded to a call regarding a stolen laptop at the Woodruff Residential Center. The laptop was removed from a resident’s room. The laptop is val-
FRIDAY
ued at $1,065. Information regarding the case has been turned over to an investigator.
nalia. The individuals were cited for possessing less than one ounce of marijuana. Campus Life was notified.
• On Jan. 24 at 6:24 p.m., EPD responded to a noise complaint regarding “Run the Row” activities. The complainant said she was concerned with the amount of noise from the event and that she was going to contact the administration the following Monday.
• On Jan. 25 at 4:38 p.m., EPD responded to a call regarding a fire at Clairmont Tower. A student was cooking something on the stove that started to burn. The student put a lid on the pot, but the lid fell into the pot. She then placed the pot in the sink. The sprinkler in the apartment came on and the student evacuated the apartment. DeKalb County Fire & Rescue arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire. The fire was extinguished but the sprinkler caused water damage on floors six, seven and eight.
• On Jan. 24 at 10:30 p.m., officers were on patrol when they noticed two female students smoking a substance while sitting on the patio of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity house near 12 Eagle Row. The individuals said that they were smoking tobacco. Officers determined that the individuals were in possession of a grinder and a pipe, consistent with marijuana parapher-
— Compiled by Crime Beat Writer Brandon Fuhr
This Week In Emory History Jan. 28, 1954
The Emory Players would present “On Borrowed Time,” the story of a grandfather’s struggle to keep custody of his grandson, for three nights in early February. 1954 marked the 25th anniversary of the play, which was shown on Broadway while the Emory Players portrayed their own version to an audience at the Alumni Memorial Building. Several elderly charter members of the Emory Players had accepted invitations to play the grandfather, while two College students, Dean Rece and Jimmy Rouse, would take on starring roles.
Events at emory
Event: Race, Indigeneity, Affect — A Studies in Sexualities Symposium Time: 10 a.m. Location: Few Multipurpose Room Event: Bate-Papo: Portuguese Conversation Hour Time: 1 p.m. Location: Longstreet-Means Great Room Event: Women’s Wine Down Time: 4 p.m. Location: Center for Women, Cox Hall, 3rd Floor Event: Bubble Tea Movie Night Time: 6 p.m. Location: White Hall 207 Event: 2015 Creativity & Arts Awards Celebration Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Center for Ethics 102 Event: Into the Heartland of the Ordinary: Seamus Heaney, Thomas Hardy, and the Divided Tradition of Modern and Contemporary Poetry Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Chace Upper Lobby
Event: APOlympics Time: 7 p.m. Location: WHSCAB plaza
Event: Global Voices: “Paloma” by Anne García-Romero Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Theater Lab, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Event: Pajama Concert — Music of the Night Sky Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Carlos Museum Reception Hall
SATURDAY Event: Global Voices: “Desert Longing or Las Aventureras” by Anne García-Romero Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Theater Lab, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
SUNDAY Event: The Bach Bowl Time: 4 p.m. Location: Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Event: The Gathering @ 5:05 Worship Time: 5:05 p.m. Location: Ward Fellowship Hall at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church Event: Global Voices: “Shooting Magda” by Joshua Sobol Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Theater Lab, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
MONDAY Event: Ada Fort Lecture Time: 4 p.m. Location: School of Nursing Event: The Feast of Words Celebration of Emory Faculty Books Time: 4 p.m. Location: Emory Bookstore, 2nd Floor Event: Global Voices: “I Am a Moon” by Zhu Yi Time: 5 p.m. Location: Theater Lab, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Event: Art History Information Session Time: 5 p.m. Location: Conference Room in Carlos Hall
Event: Queer Men’s Discussion Group Time: 5:30 p.m. Location: Office of LGBT Life, DUC 232E Event: Global Voices: “Whaler” by Snehal Desai Time: 8 p.m. Location: Theater Lab, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
The Emory Wheel
News
3
flooding in clairmont towers
research
Study Shows ‘High’ Prospects For Marijuana Smokers
into a device that would measure the strength of the exhale. Doctors use two parts of this test — how much air the person can blow out in the first Stock up on your Cheetos: second, and the total amount of air Smoking one joint per day for 20 exhaled — to create a ratio to meayears will not damage your lungs, sure lung health. according to a study from researchAccording to the study, frequent ers at Emory’s School of Medicine, cigarette smokers tend to not fare set to appear in the next issue of well on the first part of the test, the American Journal of Respiratory while those who smoke one joint a and Critical Care Medicine. day for more than 20 years do poorly “I can’t say anything about psy- on the second. The reason it takes chological effects 20 years for pot or overall safety,” smoking to damage third-year Medical the lungs may be “ ... for under 20 years because weed smokSchool fellow Jordan Kempker, of exposure [to smoked ers don’t use joints the study’s lead nearly as often as marijuana] there’s no author, said, “but for tobacco users smoke clinical effect on the under 20 years of cigarettes, Kempker lungs.” exposure [to smoked said. marijuana] there’s “It might be relano clinical effect on — Jordan Kempker, tive to the amount the lungs.” third-year School of Medicine of smoking we see,” Kempker and fellow, study’s lead author Kempker said, addtwo co-authors, ing that the unit Professor Eric Honig for measuring the and Associate Professor Greg Martin, effects of cigarette smoking is a both of the School of Medicine, used “pack-year,” as in one pack a day for data from the National Health and a year, unlike the “joint-year” unit Nutrition Survey (NHANES), a (little research has been done on the biennial Centers for Disease Control effects of smoking a pack of joints and Prevention (CDC) questionnaire each day for a year). including responses from about 5,000 “People who smoke cigarettes are people on everything from bowel at significant risk of lung disease, health to pesticide use. Their study, often at one pack a day per year,” “Effects of Marijuana Exposure Kempker added. on Expiratory Airflow,” examined As for whether the study will have responses from the 2007-2008 and any impact on the national debate 2009-2010 NHANES data. over legalization of recreational mariOf the respondents in two sets juana use, Kempker said the findings of NHANES data, 59.1 percent had aren’t exactly revolutionary. used marijuana in their lifetime and “This is not controversial to a lot 12.2 percent had used it in the past of what’s out there,” he said. month. To compensate for the fact An Emory student and club sports that not every pot user smokes a athlete, who smokes marijuana occajoint daily, the researchers assigned sionally but used it weekly in high different percentage weights to sur- school, said she felt better knowing vey responders who smoked the drug that her lungs hadn’t been damaged, at different frequencies, according and that she would still be able to to Kempker. They then measured play her endurance-heavy sport for effects on lung function in accor- many years to come. (She wished dance with the respondents’ number to remain anonymous, as possession of “joint-years,” or years of smoking and personal use of the drug remains one joint per day. illegal in Georgia.) To measure lung function as part “Knowing that it definitely doesn’t of the NHANES data measurement, affect my lungs is a calming factor,” respondents took a spirometry test, she said. — Contact Lydia O’Neal at in which they took a deep breath lmoneal@emory.edu and exhaled as hard as they could
Friday, January 30, 2015
By Lydia O’Neal Asst. News Editor
Thomas Han/Photo Editor (top); Kelsie Smith/Contributor (bottom)
The sprinkler systems of the Clairmont Campus Tower Apartments flooded several of the building’s floors after a small grease fire on Sunday. The building is set to be completely restored in a couple of weeks.
Disaster Recovery Company Replaces Carpet, Repaints Walls and More Continued from Page 1 offices and hallways faced water damage, Residence Life and Housing Associate Director of Facilities and Operations Jeff Tate said. Tate noted that the major water damage, however, occurred in the apartment where the fire began and in the one directly below it. Healy happened to be one of the residents whose apartment suffered from major water damage. When he finally reached his apartment, he was greeted by a giant puddle of water seeping from underneath his front
door, he said. “[It] was like another scene from a horror movie ... instead of blood, it was water,” Healy said. Similar to the basement, his kitchen and foyer were flooded with water. He said that water trickled from the cabinets, filled his pots and pans and the stench of mold and dirt filled the air. However, not all resident experiences were so dramatic. Tower resident and College junior Yimeng Li faced no damage to her apartment. Her only wish is that she had more information about how long it will
Minor to Include More Earth and Atmospheric Science Courses two are introductory (Introduction to Environmental Sciences with Lab Studies Anne Hall. Students will and Earth Systems Science), one must also have the opportunity to conduct be at the 200 level and three can be research with members of faculty, electives from options provided on she said. the EASC website. The Director of According the EASC minor to Donaher, the program, Shaunna choice of elec“[This] is a great opDonaher, expanded tives has enough on the research oppor- portunity for students to breadth so as to tunities available to learn from professors in enable a student students. both fields at the same who is particu“Having establarly interested in time ... ” lished faculty in a topic to further ENVS conducting focus on it. Earth science research “We are able to — Shaunna Donaher, and two relatively new director of EASC minor offer a wide range faculty hires conductprogram of elective options ing atmospheric scifor the minor, ence research gives so students can students a chance to choose to focus on participate in real-world research a topic that is of interest to them, such related to classes they are taking as climate change,” she said. for the EASC minor. This is a great When asked what they think the opportunity to gain hands-on experi- best part of the program is, Donaher ence in working with current issues and Hall unanimously said that it was in Earth and atmospheric science,” the range of faculty expertise. she said. “Emory has faculty who are atmoAccording to Donaher, the idea spheric scientists and earth scientists, for developing the EASC minor was and it is a great opportunity for stuborn from student demand. dents to learn from professors in both “We had students who were inter- fields at the same time,” Donaher ested in the subject and took all said. these courses but it never showed up The program also seeks to address on their transcript. This minor will the relative dearth of courses on earth change that,” she said. and atmospheric sciences offered at Of the six courses that are required, Emory’s Atlanta campus as opposed
Continued from Page 1
to the Oxford campus, Hall said. College sophomore Raquel Soat, “Oxford has a strong sampling of a Political Science major, was one of introductory and mid-level courses the first students to sign up for the in geology and meteorology, so stu- minor. dents that join ENVS from Oxford “I am very excited that the EASC are already well on their way to minor was created because it offers completing the minor,” Donaher students the option to focus more said. “We have also offered some of closely on a specific subject area these courses here at Emory in the within Environmental Studies. past, but the new minor allows for a Atmospheric studies has always fasmore obvious connection between cinated me,” she wrote in an email the disciplines that to the Wheel, “And was not emphasized now I have the previously.” option to explore Donaher and “I would love to see [the the topic, while still Hall were happy to EASC minor] expanded completing a minor. announce that the I would love to see it to a major one day!” minor has already expanded to a major begun generatone day!” — Raquel Soat, ing interest among Donaher and College sophomore Hall said that they students pursuing a diverse range of would like to see majors. EASC eventually College freshman Anna Mayrand, become a major as well. a Chemistry and Environmental However, Hall stated that the posScience major, thinks the minor could sibility of expanding EASC into a further interest in sustainability. major will depend on the success of “I know a few Chemistry majors the minor over the course of the next that are double majoring or minor- few years. ing in Environmental Science in the The Department of ENVS is hosthopes of contributing to sustainabil- ing a luncheon and information sesity, and the courses in this minor sion at noon on Feb. 20 in room W501 would set a better foundation for in the Math and Science Center. those of us who want to go into Interested students are advised to alternative energy, green chemical RSVP to Donaher at shaunna.donaengineering, and even environmental her@emory.edu. — Contact Enakshi Das at engineering,” she wrote in an email enakshi.das@emory.edu to the Wheel.
take before the clean-up is finished. Despite the damage, Residence Life and Housing was quick to accommodate residents and to begin restoring the building, Tate said. Later that night, staff inspected the damaged apartments and the restoration team began repairs. Tate explained that this week Full Circle Restoration, a Georgia-based disaster recovery company, has been working to restore the building. Full Circle has been replacing carpet, preventing mold, repainting walls and placing dehumidifiers and blowers in water-damaged apartments and
hallways. Tate estimates that it will be a couple of weeks before the building is completely restored. He explained that cleaning grease from ovens as well as the use of fire extinguishers, located under kitchen sinks, can help residents to prevent fire and water damage in the future. Overall, Healy said that he is pleased with the how Residence Life and Housing is handling the situation, and will be happy when his apartment is fully restored.
— Contact Kelsie Smith at ksmit67@emory.edu
Emory Not Subject to State College Policies Wheel, pointed out that the issue of colleges barring undocumented stuadded that his group was coordinat- dents either from admission or from ing with Wagner to arrange another enrollment through lack of financial meeting within the next couple of assistance is nothing new. weeks. In 2011, the Georgia Board of Still, the group of students and Regents of the University System of two University officials discussed Georgia implemented Policy 4.1.6, the formation of “a working group” which states that “a person who is not to address the financial needs of lawfully present in the United States” undocumented students, according to is ineligible for admission at colleges Wagner. within the Georgia System, which In an interview with the Wheel a include the state’s top five public few hours after the meeting, Wagner schools. said, despite the Policy 4.3.4, also University’s 2014 implemented in endowment of 2011, does not allow “There is work to do, but nearly $6.7 billion undocumented stu— a 14.9 percent there is a lot of common dents to apply for increase from last in-state tuition. ground [between the year’s endowment As a private administration and the — most donations institution, Emory is group of students].” are restricted. These not subject to these donations would policies. — James W. Wagner, be channeled speWagner noted cifically toward, for president of Emory University that there is an example, professor unspecified number positions named of undocumented after the donor. students attending, though most are “It’s not really the case that a undeclared. Many, however, come large fraction of that is at our discre- from low-income families and cannot tion,” Wagner said. He added that pay tuition. Campaign Emory, a large fundraisMost of Emory’s need-based aid ing effort that wrapped up in 2013, comes from federal scholarships and pursued less-restricted donations grants, such as Pell Grants, which that would increase financial aid students without U.S. citizenship do opportunities. not qualify for. “There is work to do, but there is Wagner noted that the University a lot of common ground” between must comply with these federal laws the administration and the group of preventing undocumented students students, Wagner said. from accessing federal financial aid Valentina Garcia, an 18-year-old but added that Emory “needs to be as high school senior and undocument- accessible as possible to all the best ed student who was present at the candidates.” meeting, wrote in an email to the Though the group presented shortWheel that Wagner and Sterk listened term fixes for the financial aid probto Freedom at Emory’s proposal with lem, according to Kim, they didn’t open ears. get the chance to confront a more Garcia, along with one other pressing issue. undocumented student at the meet“What didn’t come up in the meeting, Sergio Delgadillo, are both stu- ing were immediate things Emory dents at the Georgia-based Freedom could do as undocumented students University, a school offering college- open their financial aid packages in level courses, leadership skill-build- April,” Kim said. “There are kids ing and scholarship help for undocu- right now who will find out that they mented students in high school or cannot attend college for another year those unable to attend colleges due to or so.” — Contact Lydia O’Neal at citizenship status or financial reasons. lmoneal@emory.edu Kim, in a later interview with the
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The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, January 30, 2015
New Trustees Match Emory’s Goals, Cook Says
student life center designs
Tom Barkin
Lee Miller
Greg Vaughn
Mark Weinberger
are all critically important, that we also look holistically at the long-term ties to further enhance the campus board make up,” Cook wrote in an life experience for all students and email to the Wheel. “Ultimately, we to help ensure that Emory remains want the most qualified candidates a destination University within the ... and we want these candidates to reach of all highly qualified, inter- represent the diversity of our alumni ested students,” he said. and student body in every sense of Chair of the Board of Trustees the word to continue Emory on the John Morgan wrote path to advance its in an email to the mission.“ Wheel that one of As part of the “Through the range of Emory Alumni the most important contributions trust- these voices, the trustees Board (EAB), Cook ees can make to the intend to make the best is involved in the University is delivselection of new decisions on behalf of trustees. The EAB ering a wide range the University toward is responsible for of experiences and voices that reflect selecting candidates our shared goals.” Emory’s core values to fill up the 11 and ambitions. alumni trustee posi— John Morgan, “Through the tions on the Board chair of the Board of Trustees of Trustees. range of these voices, the trustees According to intend to make the best decisions on Cook, the Nominating Committee of behalf of the University toward our the EAB conducts this process. shared goals,” Morgan said. “The The Nominating Committee concurrent class of recently elected trust- ducts a thorough review of candiees are stellar examples of the depth dates. This often includes extensive of life experiences and proven judg- research of their leadership expement in consulting, investments, busi- rience with complex organizations ness and medicine that can be relied like Emory, specific skill sets and on to compete for the best that Emory experience and current Emory affincan be.” ity, engagement and philanthropy, she Morgan wrote that he looks for- wrote. ward to getting to know the new “Each of the trustees has a backtrustees, citing that one of the benefits ground and understanding in a field of trusteeship is getting to know and that is relevant to Emory — finance, work with great people. health care, asset management and Senior Associate Vice President organizational leadership,” Cook for Alumni Affairs Sarah Cook wrote. “This — in combination with affirmed the importance of picking a passion for Emory and a desire diverse candidates who understand to see the institution, its students Emory’s goals. and their fellow alumni thrive — “I want to emphasize that while makes them ideally suited to help leadership, unique skill sets aligned lead Emory to the next level.” — Contact Annie McGrew at with the functional needs of the board anne.elizabeth.mcgrew@emory.edu and philanthropic support for Emory
Continued from Page 1
Courtesy of Perkins + Will
Final proposals for the design of the new Campus Life Center are due in March. They will be placed in the Dobbs University Center (DUC) for public viewing and the designs will be subject to critique and reviewed by a jury in April.
Final DUC Renovation Designs to Be Set in Late Spring Continued from Page 1 but also accommodating of a wide variety of dietary needs and restrictions. Seating will also be expanded to create a larger, more flexible dining space. According to Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair, more space will be allocated for student groups while also placing Campus Life departments in the same place to better facilitate communication between an organization’s students and advisors. “The meeting spaces will also be much larger to allow for more usage for a
variety of events and provide easier access to catering and delivery services that these events often require,” he said. According to Nair, students are already becoming involved in the project at this very moment. “There is a student advisory board that meets monthly and is comprised of representatives from the departments in the DUC, students from each college and school, and representatives from SGA (Student Government Association), the University Center Board and the Food Advisory Committee at Emory,” Nair said. “The hope is that student input will
create a vision that fits every group Emory represents.” The final proposals for the new designs are due in March and will be placed in the DUC for public viewing and critique after spring break. The designs will be reviewed by a jury in April and voted on soon afterwards. “We hope to have the process completed by the end of April,” Perlman said. College freshman Bradley Wolters agreed that it’s time for a change in the DUC. “It’s hard sometimes to find a place to sit when meeting friends for lunch during peak hours at the DUC,”
Wolters said. “I hope the new changes make it easier to eat at the DUC at any time during the day.” Students hope that the new building reflects their interests and voices as young leaders on Emory’s campus. “I’m glad that we’re being given the opportunity to have a say in how this new building is being constructed,” College freshman Rahul Nair said. “As someone who goes to the DUC several times everyday, this new design is very important to me.” Construction on the new center is expected to begin later this year.
— Contact Vikrant Nallaparaju
at vikrant.nallaparaju@emory.edu
All Existing Dining Staff Will Be Offered Jobs by New Company, Furhman Says Continued from Page 1 The committee is composed of undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff and individuals with special dietary restrictions, such as vegans, vegetarians and those who are gluten-free. This committee will deliberate the proposals and
recommend a dining vendor to the University. “It’s a really terrific cross-section of representation, because Campus Dining is just that,” Furhman said. “It’s not undergraduate dining or graduate dining, and we wanted as many different constituent groups represented as part of the process.”
In addition, Furhman said that if the University switched from Sodexo to a new dining vendor, all existing dining staff would be offered jobs by the new company. “None of the hourly folks who are so committed to our campus who we love and care about so much would be out of a job, so no one needs to worry
about that,” Furhman said. While Furhman and FACE Co-Chair Molly Talman said they could not yet disclose the vendors in consideration to avoid conflicts with competing organizations, Furhman said the committee has received several promising proposals, which included provisions such as sample
menus or plans to change specific dining venues on campus. “What I can tell you is that the Committee’s going to have a really tough job because the proposals that were submitted were pretty terrific,” Furhman said. College junior Lukas Olson said he would like to see more dining
options at the Clairmont Campus. “As much as I love the staff in the SAAC (Student Activity and Academic Center), I can only eat so many subs,” Olson wrote. “It would be great to see more vendors on that side of campus.”
— Contact Harmeet Kaur at hbhagra@emory.edu
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, January 30, 2015
5
Editorials The Emory Wheel
Friday, January 30, 2015 Editorials Editor: Rhett Henry
Our Opinion
Marijuana Legalization Prudent, Economical It’s been said before, but we’re going to say it again: legalize it. Students, professors (and potentially administrators) smoke weed. Some arguments against it are built on the perceptions and the unsubstantiated claims that it is harmful to health. Both sides of the legalization question point to marijuana’s purported health effects. Even if marijuana is legalized overnight, however, it could take decades before substantive information on its health effects can be collected. Yet at least legalization would pave the way for the gathering of such research, which is virtually stunted by marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. To be classified as a Schedule I drug, a substance must have “a high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use in treatment” and “a lack of accepted safety for use.” In the case of marijuana, these defining factors are not substantiated by conclusive research. Prohibition is the sole contributing factor, of course, to the difficulty of acquiring research, such as the study recently published by our own University, to support or refute its legalization. The entire ordeal is heavily governed by circular thinking. From an economic perspective, the legalization of marijuana presents opportunities for the government, corporations and the private citizen alike to make lots of money. Just as the government taxes cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline and numerous other goods, so too could the government tax the sale of marijuana and the variety of other products that make up the marijuana industry. This has proven overwhelmingly true in the state of Colorado, which reported nearly $45 million in tax revenue in the 2014 fiscal year. Tax revenue from marijuana sold legally in Colorado has been growing exponentially since it was legalized in November 2012, and 2014 represented a 837.5 percent increase over revenues from the previous year. According to the Colorado Department of Revenue (CDOR), taxes on marijuana include a “2.9 percent retail and medical marijuana sales tax, 10 percent retail marijuana special sales tax, 15 percent marijuana excise tax and retail/medical marijuana application and license fees.” This economic equation applies to prisons. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there were 658,000 arrests nationally for marijuana possession in 2012, and 256,000 for cocaine, heroin and their derivatives. This problem hits close to home. Georgia had the sixth-highest arrest rate for marijuana possession in 2010, where marijuana possession was 65.1 percent (32,473) of all drug offenses. Fulton County was the fourth highest county in the nation for marijuana possession arrests in 2010, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The expense associated with the prohibition of marijuana is astronomical. Combine New York and California alone, and you’ll get $1 billion spent enforcing marijuana laws. The effects and aims behind these laws do not justify the colossal price tag. Most importantly, black people are disproportionately arrested under these laws. In 2010, black people were 3.73 times more likely to be arrested nationally for marijuana possession. This disparity is widening. Between 2001 and 2010, Georgia specifically had a 71 percent increase in racial disparity, according to the ACLU. The question of marijuana’s legality is not only relevant to our country. According to a study done by Institute for Economics and Peace, northern Mexico continues to be the region worst affected by drug-related violence largely because of its proximity to the United States. Most efforts to fight drug cartels through heightened police and military have failed. In the words of Vicente Fox, Mexico’s president from 2000 to 2006, about the United States, “The drug consumer in the U.S. yields billions of dollars, money that goes back to Mexico to bribe police and money that buys guns … So when you question yourselves about what is going on in Mexico, it depends very much on what happens in this nation.” Within a rising tide of marijuana legalization support around the county and considering the variety of reason why it could be beneficial for all, we at the Wheel urge the federal government and Georgia to legalize recreational marijuana for all. And, while weed stays illegal for now, colleges and other institutions should recognize the widespread use of marijuana, especially among college students. Universities should provide adequate education on responsible marijuana use, just as many do for alcohol use, in order to promote safe usage. Although the legal drinking age is 21, many universities advise students on how to drink safely through programs such as AlcoholEDU. Omitting information about marijuana use from orientation programs when it is highly likely that many students will use the substance is inconsistent with the University’s alcohol awareness policy. While we wait for the officials in both state and national governments to lethargically come to the same conclusion many already have, education will be the best to promote safety and prevent against the misinformation that led to marijuana’s illegality in the first place. The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
The Emory Wheel Priyanka Krishnamurthy EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sonam Vashi Executive Editor Elizabeth Howell Managing Editor Copy Chief Benazir Wehelie News Editors Rupsha Basu Karishma Mehrotra Editorials Editor Rhett Henry Sports Editor Zak Hudak Student Life Editor Stephen Fowler Arts & Entertainment Editor Samuel Budnyk Photo Editors Hagar Elsayed Thomas Han Features Editors Nicholas Bradley Ryan Smith Digital Editors Tarrek Shaban Harmeet Kaur Dustin Slade
Online Editor Jake Siu Social Media Editors Jenna Kingsley Dana Youngentob Asst. Copy Chief Shalvi Shah Asst. News Editors Lydia O’Neal Annie McGrew Asst. Editorials Editor Erik Alexander Asst. Sports Editor Elana Cates Asst. Student Life Editor Hayley Silverstein Associate Editors James Crissman Alex Jalandra Editor-At-Large Bennett Ostdiek
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Email: crhenr2@emory.edu
Volume 96 | Number 29 Business and Advertising Chris Tsui BUSINESS MANAGER Maggie Daorai Sales Manager Alyssa Posklensky Design Manager Account Executives Bryce Robertson, Lena Erpaiboon, Salaar Ahmed, Christopher Przybylski, Annabelle Zhuno Business/Advertising Office Number (404) 727-6178
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 pkrish4@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. 30322.
Luis Blanco
Luis Blanco is a member of the Class of 2017. His cartoons appear in every Friday issue of the Wheel.
Ben Perlmutter Priyanka Pai | Staff
Obama Develops Asia-Pacific Policy
In the State of the Union address last week, President Obama proudly declared, “tonight, we turn the page.” While a series of crises, both domestic and foreign, have defined Obama’s presidency thus far, the speech marked a return to normalcy. Obama proudly declared that the United States is turning the page away from these crises, away from the damage control policies of his first six years in office, towards a new age of American global leadership and prestige in a style appropriate to lead the United States and the world prosperously and peacefully through the 21st century. The United States is ready to move on from damage control mode, to exercising global leadership in a manner appropriate for the 21st century, namely by pivoting its focus from Europe and the Middle East to the AsiaPacific Region — a vast area of lands, oceans and cultures that spans from the Western coast of the United States and the rest of the Western hemisphere, to China and Northeast Asia, to Australia and Oceania, to Southeast Asia, to the Indian subcontinent. Obama elaborated on what turning American foreign policy toward the AsiaPacific Region would mean in the State of the Union: “In the Asia Pacific, we are modernizing alliances while making sure that other nations play by the rules in how they trade, how they resolve maritime disputes, how they participate in meeting common international challenges like nonproliferation and disaster relief.” Obama wants to establish a series of rules and dispute resolution mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific like the United States has with its partners in the Western hemisphere and Europe. The United States has a wide range of
bilateral agreements and is a member of many multilateral institutions that have promoted peace and prosperity in these regions, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Organization of American States (OAS). All of these organizations and alliances have provided forums for dispute resolution and collective action, which benefit all members. Obama’s visit to India this week exemplifies his emphasis on the Asia-Pacific. He is the first ever president to visit India twice while in office, demonstrating the importance he places on the country, a regional giant. Obama could also sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a massive multilateral free trade agreement with countries all across the Pacific rim, pending congressional approval to fast track the treaty. It has been in talks for many years, but now looks closer than ever to being finalized. The TPP, while very controversial for domestic reasons, would further integrate the Asia-Pacific region economically. The State of the Union is not the first time that the Obama administration made such declarations about reorienting towards the Asia-Pacific. In 2011, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton published an article titled “America’s Pacific Century” in the magazine Foreign Policy. In it she detailed how the United States should “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific region because it contains almost half of the world’s population, key economic centers, and important allies. The United States should work on establishing free trade agreements in the region, such as the TPP; engage multilateral political institutions, such as the Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN); improve military ties with our allies in the region; and build stronger bilateral relationships with the states of the region. Unfortunately, Clinton did not have the opportunity to see her vision come to fruition. Domestic issues and new crises in Europe and the Middle East captivated the Obama administration’s time and political capital — ranging from the debt ceiling, the government shutdown, the rise of ISIS, to leaving it unable to pivot to the Asia-Pacific. Until now. As Obama proudly noted in the State of the Union: “We have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth.” The American economy is back in full swing, growing a booming five percent in the third quarter with unemployment at 5.8 percent, its lowest since 2008. All the other great powers are far worse off than the United States. For example, Europe continues to struggle economically; China is embroiled in conflict with its neighbors about maritime claims and will soon have to endure the political and social consequences of decreasing economic growth for the first time in a generation; Russia is internationally isolated due to its aggression and its economy is imploding due to falling oil prices, sanctions and lack of investor confidence. With this resumed ability to craft a visionary foreign policy for the United States’ future, rather than previous foreign policy of reaction, Obama is in a prime position to reorient the United States to the fledgling Asia-Pacific, and situate the United States with a foreign policy for the 21st century. Ben Perlmutter is a College junior from Chappaqua, New York.
The Emory Wheel
Op — Ed
EPC Responds to Wheel Staff Editorial Emory Panhellenic Council
Emory Panhellenic Council (EPC) takes the claims outlined in The Emory Wheel’s most recent staff editorial “Sorority Recruitment Disempowers Women” extremely seriously. We believe in the community of care that EPC cultivates and the positive experience of our Panhellenic women. As such, we would like to take the time to address, contextualize and correct some of the misconceptions outlined in the piece. EPC works tirelessly to streamline and refine the recruitment process and admits that Panhellenic Recruitment, as with any studentrun organization on campus, is not perfect. As incoming EPC President Olivia Czufin wrote to the Wheel in “Greek Organizations Welcome New Members,” recruitment “is continuously evolving and improving, and will continue to do so next year.” In an effort to respond to the sweeping allegations presented in the article, we have grouped the claims into six major categories: strictness, exclusion, economic stratification, superficiality, emotional toll and degradation of gender roles. First, the article accuses EPC of being unnecessarily strict, taking away phones, not allowing those participating to talk to one another and enforcing strict silence. These rules are specifically in place in order to make the process as free from pressure, stress and influence for members of the community. With these guidelines, we aim to foster as individualized and uninfluenced an experience as possible. Many potential new members (PNMs) can be swayed by an experience that is not their own, perhaps causing them to make a choice that is not best for them. These rules help the women make the best decision possible. Additionally, the Wheel mentions herding the women into lines and yelling at them. First, we take issue with the article’s word choice, which implies that the women are treated like animals. With over 500 women participating in the recruitment process, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to organize the women, communicate attendance and relay important information. Often times a megaphone is necessary to ensure that all pertinent information reaches 500 women in an outdoor environment with many distractions. This is in much the same way a coach communicates loudly with his or her athletes who need imperative instructions and information. The Wheel also made several strong accusations regarding EPC’s allegedly exclusionary policies. The Wheel’s claim implying that Panhellenic is racist is ill-researched and most obviously disproved by the diversity in Panhellenic leadership, mirrored in each individual chapter. The selection of women is based off of a multitude of factors, none of which include race. We maintain a nondiscriminatory policy and any individual who
identifies as a woman is welcome to participate in recruitment. Similarly, the Wheel insinuated that EPC celebrated heteronormativity while excluding individuals identifying as transgender or LGBT. Empirically, EPC has never excluded someone from the recruitment process based on identity, making this claim unfounded and offensive. More specifically, the Wheel articulates that excluding “boys” (one of the 5 B’s) from conversations of recruitment also inherently excludes the LGBT community. What the Wheel fails to address is that the “5 Bs” are merely an easy way to remember broader themes to stay away from, with boys representing relationships. Just as “Barack” does not only mean “to talk about the current president,” using the word boys in an acronym does not imply a discriminatory policy against gender preference.
EPC works tirelessly to streamline and refine the recruitment process ... Finally, the Wheel makes several claims surrounding the ambiguity of the selection process and PNM placement. While selection processes vary by each chapter’s national policy, EPC employs software that ensures a mutual selection process, weighing the PNM’s input as well as the input of our campus’ chapter, yielding an outcome that is a function of both recruiter and recruitee. Conversations that the women have during recruitment are unequivocally the most important factor in the process, similar in form to a job interview wherein a recruiter is seeking to understand the fit of a potential candidate or the Wheel, for example, is seeking to understand the fit of a potential new member of its staff. The Wheel’s next attack focused on recruitment as economically stratifying. The registration fee is necessary to purchase each PNM a shirt and provide them with food and drinks during the process, ensuring that they are comfortable during the long days. The accusation resolves itself within the Wheel’s own article: the registration fee that may place financial stress on some women can be waived at the PNM’s request. EPC also recognizes the financial burden of joining a Greek organization. EPC maintains full transparency regarding this commitment, constantly informing PNMs of the range and average of our chapter’s dues. Each sorority’s dues are not released to help PNMs make the best choice based on the chapter where they feel most comfortable. If a PNM becomes an initiated member and realizes she cannot finance her dues, she has many options. EPC strives to relieve the financial commitment set by individual national organizations by offering scholarships each semester, awarded through a
Hayley Silverstein
PNM Experience Complex, Fruitful
I knew I wanted to join a sorority when I came to Emory, but I didn’t know anything about what I would end up going through to receive a bid. I went into the process of recruitment as open minded as possible about Greek life, trying to ignore the stereotypes. On the first day, we all wore the same thing — jeans and our recruitment t-shirt. From the start, we were all identical, save for our bodies that could be easily judged through our uniformity. For every day after, we were given a dress code. It often felt like our appearances were being judged more than our personalities. For the first time in my life, I felt self-conscious about my short, curly hair. Everyone in line around me had long, straight hair. With the exception of one sorority, I didn’t see a single sorority member with short and/or curly hair. Little things that weren’t the same as everybody else or didn’t fit the mold of what a sorority sister should look like could make you feel uncomfortable. Each day of recruitment, we were all lined up, single file, in the cold (although it was made a bit more bearable by ATO blasting the Frozen soundtrack). We would be silenced by the Pi Chis if caught conversing. Even in off-rounds, we had to sit in silence and watch movies that were directed towards us being stereotypical girls; chick-flicks we watched included “Clueless” and “John Tucker Must Die”. Their justification for this strict silence was so that we couldn’t talk about the sororities in order to ensure our decisions of them were our own. I fully support what they were trying to achieve, but it didn’t work. Girls still talked about stereotypes during recruitment and during their normal lives. Walking to and from the off-rounds, fraternity brothers would sit outside to watch and occasionally catcall us. Walking into the lodges we were grabbed by a sorority member and guided down a long line fenced in by other members singing loudly. Over 50 girls could be in a room at one time, and the only way to be heard was to practically scream. After talking to someone for either an eternity or not long enough, you had to talk to someone new. You can’t truly get to know a person in 10 minutes, so how can a sorority member decide if you should be cut? You may think that you hit it off with everyone you met at a particular sorority and still get
cut the next day. We were told that the process is a mutual selection. You are allowed to de-select sororities and rank them, but even if you drop one sorority, you can still be forced to go back to them and the sorority you ranked first could drop you. It felt like we were completely at the whim of the sororities and our opinions didn’t matter. I saw plenty of girls elated when they were called back to their favorite sorority. There were also girls crying over getting cut, which is a major blow to your self-esteem, because you never find out why you were cut. When you try to be accepted by a group of people you admire, rejection is hard. Some people are able to thrive during recruitment because of their personality; however, a lot of us do not. It felt like we were being judged on our appearance, GPA, personality and everything else. It is strange how on Bid Day some women are supposed to call the people who judged them for the past two weeks their sisters. As somewhat of an introvert, I grew as a person and came out of my shell during recruitment. The whole purpose of doing recruitment is to put yourself out there and find a group of women who accept you. We think that we have to fit a mold, but in reality, you should just be yourself and find the people who appreciate your uniqueness. Towards the end, I decided to embrace my uniqueness by wearing purple mascara and singing the Greek alphabet song that my mother learned when she was in a sorority at Emory. Through the conversations I had with amazing individuals at each sorority, whether real or fake, I learned new things about myself — like how I am defining myself as my own instead of as just as a twin and why I wanted to be part of a sisterhood. Everyone’s experiences and opinions differ on the process of recruitment. I believe in the institution of sororities (I would not have rushed if I didn’t); I only take issue with the process of recruitment, which does not accurately reflect the wonderful people within each sorority. I was fortunate enough to make it through recruitment and receive a bid from my first choice; I proudly carry my new letter bag around campus. Hayley Silverstein is a College freshman from Atlanta, Georgia.
blind application process. This scholarship program, launched this year, was in direct response to feedback from the EPC community. Additionally, each chapter also offers scholarships and payment plans so they can fully accommodate members, including women of all economic backgrounds. The Wheel’s final economic complaint was that women are forced to purchase new clothing for recruitment. This is simply untrue. Chapters welcome women with all different styles and quite frankly, would have no way to know whether a PNM’s clothes were new or old, a point communicated to the PNMs prior to recruitment. Women are encouraged to present their best self, just as they would in an interview to give the best first-impression The next major topic was superficiality. While the conversations actually last longer than five minutes, this brevity is necessary in order to maximize the number of sisters a PNM can meet and give her a better window into the organization. As the recruitment process continues, conversations are lengthened to allow for more in-depth discussions with members, absolving any problems with superficiality. The Wheel trivializes the emotional experience that a PNM can undergo during the recruitment process, failing to recognize that a sorority is a lifelong commitment. In order to properly prepare, EPC introduced a new partnership with Counseling and Psychological Services in order to properly train their Pi Chi Recruitment Counselors through several training sessions. This training, coupled with the assistance of on-site Campus Life Professionals, allowed EPC to be fully equipped for any situation that might arise. Finally, the Wheel insinuates that the EPC recruitment process reinforces degrading gender roles. EPC offers suggestions and guidelines, the “5 Bs,” to initially abstain from engaging in conversations which might alienate or make any participant uncomfortable or unintentionally insulted. In no way do these guidelines aim to propagate inequitable gender norms. These guidelines help PNMs (in a sorority as well as a fraternity recruitment setting) feel comfortable, a priority for EPC and our chapters. This should not later become an issue as Panhellenic women, like the Emory community, are accepting of diversity and open dialogue. In conclusion, we recognize the Wheel’s concerns. EPC is always open to criticism, feedback and suggestions, yet is disappointed with the medium in which the Wheel has chosen to express their unresearched and unsubstantiated opinions. EPC encourages the Wheel to strive toward facilitating productive discussions while also reporting on the innumerable positive aspects of our community. EPC resolutely supports its recruitment process, our new members and the extraordinary contributions made by the Panhellenic women in our community. This represents the consensus opinion of Emory Panhellenic Council.
Friday, January 30, 2015
7
Exclusion Systemic In Recruitment Kolia Kroeger I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to join a discussion led by Feminists in Action (FIA) last Wednesday regarding the articles recently published by The Emory Wheel discussing Emory Panhellenic Council (EPC) and their sorority recruiting process. The room was unusually packed: there were seasoned Greek women, ex-Greek women, new Greek women, non-Greek women, almost Greek women (those who rushed but weren’t selected or decided to quit), a handful of men and at least two non-binary people, including myself. I don’t want to say I speak for them all, but I hope that the beautiful, respectful conversation that took place in the crowded room is informed by those in attendance. Nor is this meant to speak for all queer and trans-folk. While themes like “superficial” and “trivial” have been thrown around between the staff editorial, “Sorority Recruitment Disempowers Women” and the several responses regarding sorority recruitment at Emory, I noticed that my own method of making a counter-response was equally superficial. I began by annotating the response by EPC and several other responses which were posted on Facebook, some of them rather transphobic. Herein lay the problem with my method. Each of these responses sought to disprove the commentary of the initial article, yet at the very core remains an issue that is untouched: systems of oppression. As we are interwoven in an increasingly diverse environment that we call Emory, the experiences we bring with us are each unique. However, because Emory is a prestigious university, these experiences tend to favor white, cisgender, economically stable individuals. Thus, the system we engage in is by its very existence racist, transphobic and classist. Denial of privilege is a common theme I have encountered here. Just because we are oppressed by patriarchy within the sisterhood does not indicate that we are free from being oppressors to our sisters’ other identities. The first step to improvement is to recognize this fact. Becoming defensive is, more often than not, an indicator that the defender is in fact guilty of that for which they are being criticized in the context of social justice. Moving on to a specific scenario: EPC writes in “EPC Responds to ‘Sorority Recruitment Disempowers Women:” “the Wheel insinuated that EPC celebrated heteronormativity while excluding individuals identifying as transgender or LGBT. Empirically, EPC has never excluded someone from the recruitment process based on identity, making this claim unfounded and offensive.” As we discussed on Wednesday, systems of oppression are often very insidious. Statistics
and numbers are a flawed method for calculating what people who identify with an oppressed category consider to be discriminatory. Just because Emory College has about 50 percent of women in enrollment does not mean that patriarchy has been overturned in our community. But in the domain controlled by EPC, the lack of rejecting trans women is supposedly a quantifiable phenomenon; this creates a false image. A few trans friends and I had a chat about this. One said she would love to join a sisterhood; but frankly, was afraid that as soon as she showed up she would be turned away. She and I have a certain commonality: neither of us passes easily. Our bodies, in their own way, are not formed in a way that is immediately recognized as “feminine.” And in a world where the image of a sorority sister is someone fairly lean with the right curves and little to no body hair, we are afraid to show our faces from fear of rejection. We didn’t even show up for recruitment, so how can we be counted? Inclusion and diversity, which have become buzzwords at Emory, are not about who you let in. They are about who is comfortable even coming to the door. According to a statement made in the FIA discussion by College senior and Co-President of FIA Cara Ortiz, “Sororities have the potential to be powerful feminist organizations.” But many of us in the room recognized that some women did, in fact, feel disempowered by the recruitment process. Nevertheless, others noted once they were chosen, these sensations of disempowerment were forgotten as sisterhood began to form. I must emphasize something: inclusivity can no longer be a buzzword. In a process that literally “cuts” participants, how can the process be inclusive? It takes work and dedication to transform an organization, but EPC has a potential to alter the inherently racist, classist and queerphobic model through which it currently goes about choosing new members. However, EPC’s defense reveals that the point of the original editorial, which does not criticize sorority members or organizations, was lost to the pride of leading an exclusive organization. I believe that discussing this issue is the first of many steps toward reforming a system that has a huge potential for uplifting women. It will take strong leaders who are not discouraged in the face of institutional and systematic barriers. The goal of being a truly open organization takes years to pursue. In this context (though it is easily applicable to Emory as a whole), it is up to the next several generations of Greek women to interrogate the privileges of the individual and institution, to reform their organizations and to participate in a new understanding of sisterhood that is not based on subconscious discrimination and exclusion. Kolia Kroeger is a College senior from Atlanta, Georgia.
Sororities and Building Sisterhood Rules, Guidelines Facilitate Effective Process
ELYSE LEE While reading The Emory Wheel’s staff editorial, “Sorority Recruitment Disempowers Women,” I noticed that the editorial board did not specifically reference women who had gone through the process. I realize the piece is an editorial not designed to offer a balanced perspective to readers, so I thought I might offer the perspective of an individual who has first-hand knowledge on the subject of sorority recruitment. I have many qualms with sorority recruitment. Is meeting with 12 girls in one sorority for two weekends a fair way to assess membership? No. Should the costs of sorority life be lowered and made more transparent? Absolutely. Should the recruitment process make a push to create a more welcoming environment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community? Hell yes. The fact of the matter is that recruitment is an inherently stressful and competitive process. I applaud the Wheel for writing about the process and sparking a conversation. Yet, as much as I wanted to enjoy the article, I was severely disappointed by its bias and lack of objectivity. I encourage campus leaders to reevaluate our recruitment process in an objective and collaborative environment. But first, we need to clarify what the true problems are; otherwise, we will do more harm than good. I went through sorority recruitment as a freshman in spring 2013. Before college, I never thought I would join a sorority — I do not have any family members who participated in Greek life, and the only image I had of Greek life was from the ABC show “Greek.” To say the least, drama, gossip and hazing were not activities I wanted to be a part of. However, after fall semester freshman year, my friend and I decided to spontaneously sign up the night before the online recruitment application closed. After going through the recruitment as a potential new member (PNM) and as an initiated member, I can report with confidence that my worries about Greek life at Emory have been dispelled. The Emory Panhellenic Council (EPC) institutes its rules and protocols to make the recruitment process as open and comfortable as possible for the women involved.
The prohibited “B” words referenced in the article are not meant to objectify or stifle Emory women. Rather, they prevent conversation that may be uncomfortable for the PNM and make it more difficult to screen new members based on their religious or political beliefs. In addition, we want the conversations to focus on the character of the PNM rather than superficial topics like hook-ups and partying. The regulations in place help elevate the conversation. Instead, topics vary from the values of our sorority, causes we are passionate about, television shows we enjoy and our aspirations and goals. For example, I’ve had a stimulating conversation about a nonprofit one PNM had begun when she was 16 and a delightful 15-minute conversation about how hilarious cats are.
The prohibited “B” words ... are not meant to objectify or stifle Emory women. In addition, “strict silence” is not intended to avoid crying or upset girls but to create a fairer environment for each woman involved. The fact of the matter is that recruitment takes two weekends. This provides plenty of time for gamesmanship and manipulation. Strict silence imposes stiff penalties on all unapproved communication because of the high potential for game playing. All PNMs are provided a Pi Chi (a Greek member who is Greek-neutral for the duration of the recruitment period) and are encouraged to speak with their Pi Chi if they have any emotional or psychological feelings they are dealing with because of recruitment. The article asserts that, as a result of its recruitment process, sorority life is classist, overdependent on appearance, discriminative and disempowering. I find this to be an inaccurate indictment. In order to reduce the financial burden on members, Kappa Kappa Gamma, my sorority, offers scholarships from our national foundation, payment plans and opportunities to enroll in Special Status, a program that reduces chapter fees according to the degree of participation for members who have a demanding school-related activ-
ity such as overloading in credits or playing a varsity sport. Further, assessing personality and character, not outer beauty, is what matters. I am a first-generation Korean American, and my sorority sisters come from all nationalities, sexual identities and ethnicities, and we are proud of this diversity. Another contentious statement the article made was that Emory women enter sororities for male approval. Each one of us becomes involved in sorority life for our own reasons. Yes, I’m sure some women want to meet men, and so what? It is a great institution to meet fellow students socially. But I know for a fact that most women join for the friendships, and it’s as simple as that. In our sisterhood we watch “The Bachelor” together every Monday night in the lodge, always have someone to sit with at Cox Hall, devote our Relay for Life team to a sister whose family member is fighting cancer and always have closets to share and shoulders to lean on. Lastly, the article suggested that fraternity recruitment is superior to that of sororities. I have never been through fraternity recruitment, but I have talked with friends who have. In my opinion, I like how open the discussions are and I see the positive aspects in the freedom their process provides. However, this leaves more room for bias and exclusiveness, since there is no structure in place that allows all PNMs to feel welcome to attend all houses unlike in the sorority recruitment process. Additionally, much of fraternity recruitment involves alcohol, bars and partying. I don’t believe those characteristics should affect how we choose new members; sisterhood goes beyond all of that. Accepting my bid to Kappa Kappa Gamma was one of the best decisions of my undergraduate career. After two years, I can say the sisters I gained are some of the most intelligent, engaging, service-oriented and open-minded individuals that I have ever met. At Emory, they are leaders, advocates, tutors, athletes and respected students. They motivate me to be a better person every day. As we say during recruitment, our sorority does not seek to mold new members, but to inspire them to become a better version of themselves. Elyse Lee is a College junior from York, Pennsylvania.
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The Emory Wheel
Friday, January 30, 2015
Crossword Puzzle
Student activities CALENDAR FRIDAY Event: Wire Working Host: The Artisan Guild Time: 5 p.m. Location: Candler 101 Description: The Artisan Guild will be teaching basic wire wrapping skills and will have wire and stones available to attendees.
Event: APOlympics Host: Alpha Phi Omega Time: 7 p.m. Location: WHSCAB Plaza Description: Alpha Phi Omega will host a night of food, music, fitness classes, performances and free give-aways. Attendees can learn more about Alpha Phi Omega and how to be part of it.
Would you like to submit an event to be included in this calendar? Please submit events details at www.emorywheel.com/submit-anevent at least 48 hours the event takes place.
The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Friday, January 30, 2015
Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Take measures 4 Deeply offended 9 Did a little housekeeping 14 One who gets upset twice? 16 Thick smoke 17 Ladylove 18 Love ballad from the 1973 album “Goats Head Soup” 19 Way to bear arms 20 Frank Capra title character 22 Oscar nominee Rowlands 23 They’re often underfoot 25 Bobs, e.g. 26 Some slurry stuff 27 Vessels of the Napoleonic Wars 29 Silent “ick” 30 Based on instinct and guesswork 33 Letter’s capital? 34 Thrift 39 Page with many views 40 Most treacherous for driving, maybe 41 Trendy 43 Fitting
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Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/ mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
Student Life The Emory Wheel
Friday, January 30. 2015 Student Life Editor: Stephen Fowler (smfowle@emory.edu)
Wonderful Wednesday
food column
By Stephen Fowler Student Life Editor Victory Sandwich Bar
M
Andy Ie/Staff
embers of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority stand at their table in Asbury Circle during the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Lifehosted Wonderful Wednesday. Following the end of Interfraternity Council and Emory Panhellenic Council spring recruitment last weekend, the member chapters spread awareness, enthusiasm and information to all who attended.
greek life
Multicultural Showcase Highlights Greek Values By Vikrant Nallaparaju Contributing Writer
This past Tuesday, the Emory Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) held its annual MGC Showcase not only to represent the values their fraternities and sororities strive to uphold, but also to reach out to potential new members who are interested in recruitment into these groups. The Emory MGC Council currently consists of four groups: Xi Kappa fraternity, Lambda Theta Alpha sorority, Delta Phi Lambda sorority and Sigma Beta Rho fraternity, the latter of which began their colony, or new chapter, this fall. While Xi Kappa fraternity and Delta Phi Lambda sorority are AsianAmerican interest organizations, Sigma Beta Rho was founded as a South-Asian interest fraternity, and Lambda Theta Alpha was founded as a Latin-American interest sorority. Additionally, there are two new Greek organizations coming to campus this fall: Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity, a Latin-American
interest fraternity, and Theta Nu Xi and community service opportunities sorority, which has no specific inter- that it offered me,” Lambda Upsilon est history. Lambda alumni Omar Rodriguez The MGC Showcase saw each said, who hopes to colonize a new fraternity and sorority giving a pre- chapter of Lambda Upsilon Lambda sentation on their history, values and at Emory University. “Being a part philanthropy efforts. of a Greek organization changed my At the end of life.” the presentations, The MGC each organization Showcase gave a “stepping” serves as a performance means for the accompanied my multicultural Xi Kappa, Sigma Beta Rho music. Greek organiStepping is a zations to eduform of dance, cate the Emory which relies heavcommunity on Delta Phi Lambda, Lambda ily on rhythmic who they are clapping and Theta Alpha and clear up stomping in synany misconchronization with ceptions about music. multicultural Lambda Upsilon Lambda, It is one of the Greek life. hallmarks of mul- Theta Nu Xi While many ticultural Greek multicultural life and binds the members as part of Greek fraternities and sororities inia bigger community. tially began to serve certain eth“The prime reasons I joined a fra- nic communities, they have since ternity were the brotherhood, diversity expanded their membership and
MGC At Emory
fraternities sororities
coming soon
campus dining
FACE Brainstorms Dining Changes By Sumera Dang Contributing Writer
While some of us live to eat, the truth of life is that food keeps us alive and at most times, we eat to live. To aid life at Emory, the Food Advisory Committee at Emory (FACE) works towards improving the food provided on campus every semester. FACE aims to bring together Emory students with Emory dining staff to exchange feedback and enhance the culinary experience at the University. The committee, lead by FACE Co-Chairs College junior Molly Talman and B-School junior Bryce Robertson held a meeting on Jan. 29 to discuss new ideas for the upcoming semester. “Students love that they have an outlet to voice their opinions and we love to watch ideas being implemented in a matter of a few weeks,” Talman said. A consistent concern from members of the student body brought to FACE has been the lack of late-night options on campus. Late night studying is common for Emory students, and food is a must to keep the mind active. To address this concern, FACE
helped launch the Eagle Convenience store on the ground floor of the Dobbs University Center (DUC) last semester. Along with selling subs and other food items, Eagle Convenience accepts Dooley Dollars for payment. With the temperamental Atlanta weather, Swoop Soups, which is currently open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of the DUC, is attempting to keep everyone warm. As summer approaches, FACE plans to move Swoop Soups into the convenience store and make it available for the same hours as the subs. “Swoop Soups has definitely been one of our significant accomplishments this semester,” Robertson said. At the meeting, many students voiced their opinions, ranging from the increase in the meat options and decrease in soft drink options at the SAAC (Student Activity and Academic Center) on Clairmont Campus. The conversation also revolved around the way subs are made, such as appeals for better segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian ingredients and the fruit options at the salad bars such as the addition of berries on a regular basis. Many students voiced support to
try to have Blue Donkey, a coffee vendor present at the weekly Emory Farmers Market, a permanent presence on campus. FACE has taken this into account and they will be making efforts to talk to Coca-Cola distributors regarding the possibility of having bottled Blue Donkey on campus. Additionally, starting in August, FACE will make Dooley Dollars acceptable at the weekly farmers market on campus. They also aim to increase the variety of food available at the locations where students can currently use swipes: the DUC, White Hall, Woodruff and the SAAC. Currently, the biggest challenge for FACE seems to be the effort they will need to put towards possibly finding a new food vendor for campus next semester. While it is uncertain whether Sodexo will continue to serve as the University’s dining vendor, FACE assured students that the staff that students interact with each day at the DUC and other outlets will remain the same. Additionally, possible renovations are soon to appear at Zaya at Dooley’s Den at the Depot to make the space more comfortable.
— Contact Sumera Dang at sdang2@emory.edu
actively seek to represent a diverse array of people, regardless of ethnicity, College sophomore and Xi Kappa member Jason Yu, who is also MGC president, said. “Being part of a Multicultural fraternity does not only encourage me to embrace and recognize my own culture, but also become aware of the cultural diversity that exists within our communities,” College senior and Sigma Beta Rho President Serik Tukupov said. College freshman Neeraj Chawla found the MGC showcase experience to be enlightening. “I’m interested in Greek life because it offers me a chance to not only get involved in campus and in my community, but also create bonds with other students on campus,” Chawla said. “The close-knit brotherhood that fraternities embody is really something that appeals to me and it offers me the chance to get to know other students on Emory’s campus.”
— Contact Vikrant Nallaparaju at
Have an idea for a restaurant review? Want to review a restaurant? Join Medium Rare! email smfowle@emory.edu
super bowl
Courtesy of Keith Allison/Flickr
New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady will be playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks. Where will you be watching from?
Places to Watch Super Bowl XLIX By Ryan Smith Associate Editor
RHA Parties
Sumera Dang/Contributor
5 out of 5.
— Contact Stephen Fowler at smfowle@emory.edu
vnallap@emory.edu
Are you going to the Super Bowl this year? No? Wow, you are a loser. Thankfully, there are places at Emory and throughout Atlanta where you can watch the game with other losers.
Students and Emory Dining staff discuss suggestions and future changes for Emory’s culinary options at this week’s Food Advisory Committee at Emory (FACE) meeting.
A short drive away from Emory’s campus, somewhere in Downtown Decatur, there is Victory. More specifically, there is Victory Sandwich Bar. Occupying a nondescript hipster white building that could have served as a mom-and-pop store in a past life, Victory lends itself to a comfortable, chic vibe that manifests itself in everything from the food to the mindless quirky movies shown on a giant screen occupying one wall of the restaurant. Weather permitting, try to sit in the outdoor patio area and enjoy the open air with one of their famous Jack & Coke slushies (for those of age, of course). One might think a sandwich generally qualifies as an ordinary and uninteresting culinary choice, yet one bite of a Victory sandwich will change your world. The only thing that surpasses the pun-tinged sandwich names (Porkemon, Han Cholo and the Stream Machine are my personal favorites) are the delicious sandwiches themselves. The smaller-sized sandwiches are meant to be ordered in different combinations, and with flavor combinations ranging from chicken and pep-
per jack cheese with sweet tea mayo to trout with Greek yogurt, radishes and cucumber — there’s something for everyone. A must-order is the Pimento Jar snack. The buttery, crispy bread fits perfectly with the pimento cheese and bacon jam and might be better than any Southern appetizer I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. With a popular and interesting alcoholic drink menu (asking for a Walk of Shame or a Spaghetti Western would not raise an eyebrow), Victory can get crowded around dinner time and weekend nights. However, between the bar service and the surrounding shops and distractions in Downtown Decatur, waiting is neither time-consuming nor a nuisance. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and contribute as much to the aura of the restaurant as the oldschool font on the menus or the industrial-chic interior. The only detractor I have is the noise level when crowded, as it’s sometimes difficult to hear those at the same table without raised voices. Overall, a great atmosphere, delicious food and a minimal impact on your wallet makes Victory Sandwich Bar the ideal spot for any occasion.
The Emory Residence Hall Association (RHA) will be hosting viewing parties for the game at not one, but two locations on Emory’s campus! One of these will be at Harland Cinema, the other is at the Student Activity and Academic Center (SAAC) on the Clairmont Campus. RHA’s website promises party favors and encourages you to “join [them] this spring to cheer on your favorite team.” There are so many problems with
this statement! First off, it is not the spring, and second off, your favorite team is probably not in the Super Bowl. But yeah, party favors are nice, and RHA is full of friendly people ready to watch the Big Game with you. Taco Mac
“What makes a T.MAC a T.MAC?” asks Taco Mac’s website. This is a philosophical question that has plagued humankind for ages, but the short answer is “a place that you can watch the Super Bowl with your friends if you and your friends hate RHA.” That was a medium-longish answer. Taco Mac is a sports bar chain with two nearby locations in Decatur and Virginia Highlands, both of which are great hot spots to settle down with some nachos or a burger and watch grown men in tights
gradually dislodge their brains. Stats
STATS, a bar in downtown Atlanta near the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke, advertises itself as “serious food and serious sports.” If you are not serious about either food or sports, do not go to STATS or terrible things will likely happen to you. If you are serious about these things, feel free to enjoy a nice meal and several large televisions strategically positioned around the bar to create the most serious viewing experience possible. Your Own Room Think of the convenience! You won’t even have to leave your own couch! Your friends will love you for it! Make guacamole.
— Contact Ryan Smith at ryan.smith@emory.edu
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Friday, January 30, 2015
The Emory Wheel
Student Life
You Guessed IT
Weekend Playlist: WoodPEC Edition By Robby Gershowitz Contributing Writer
The third floor of the WoodPEC is once again the hottest — and sweatiest — place to be on campus. With a new year upon us, many students have resolves to exercise more. However, some of those individuals who made it their goal to exercise have probably already quit. Listening to music helps individuals to stay motivated, keep an appropriate pace and become more energized. Here is a list of recently released songs that Emory students in the WoodPEC have recommended to pump you up while you pump some iron.
“Paper Trail$” by Joey Bada$$ “The Endless River” by Pink Floyd “Style” by Taylor Swift “U Guessed It” by OG Maco “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars “Philomena” by The Decemberists “Good Ass Intro” by Chance The Rapper
R
Stephen Fowler/Student Life Editor
appers OG Maco (top left) and Skippa Da Flippa (top right) visited WMRE radio show The Mix Tuesday. B-School junior Brandon Walker (middle left) and B-School senior Daniel Assan (middle right) talked with the pair about successes, goals and the importance of having passion.
“Sugar” by Maroon 5 — Contact Robby Gershowitz at rgersh2@emory.edu
E
The Emory Wheel
Sports
Friday, January 30, 2015
11
COLUMN
Nosebleeds: NCAA Basketball Power Rankings agle xchange SAT 31
SUN 1
Mon 2
TuES 3
Hilton Garden Hilton Garden Invitational Invitational All Day All Day WinstonWinstonSalem, N.C. Salem, N.C.
Nathan Janick
Diving
Hilton Garden Hilton Garden Invitational Invitational All Day All Day Winston- Winston-Salem, Salem, N.C. N.C. at Sewanee & UGA 2 p.m. & 12 p.m. Sewanee, Tenn. & Athens, Ga.
Diving
Men’s
Women’s
Men’s Track Women’s Men’s Swimming & Swimming & & Field Basketball Basketball
Women’s Track & Field
Fri 30
at Sewanee & UGA 2 p.m. & 12 p.m. Sewanee, Tenn. & Athens, Ga.
vs. Brandeis 6 p.m. Waltham, Mass.
vs. NYU 2 p.m. New York, N.Y.
vs. Brandeis 8 p.m. Waltham, Mass.
vs. NYU 12 p.m. New York, N.Y.
Despite ESPN’s apparent fixation with LeBron James, it’s been a superb college basketball season. This year has already been filled with major schools being upset by other schools that make you say, “Doesn’t that one kid from my high school chemistry class go to that random school?” or, “Wait they lost to who?”. Schools like New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of the Incarnate Word (Texas), University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Charleston Southern University (S.C.), University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Texas Southern University have each defeated power conference teams. While the victories have given the players stories to tell their grandkids 50 years from now, I’m concerned here with the best of the best. It’s time
Humor
to discuss what is really important: the top-five teams in college basketball right now. 5. Gonzaga University (Wash.) Their only loss this year is to a top10 Arizona team in overtime. They are currently the top-ranked team in America that isn’t named Virginia or Kentucky. However they have not beaten a team that is currently ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll and year after year have disappointed in the NCAA tournament. So why are they a top-five team? They have an All-American senior point guard in Kevin Pangos and University of Kentucky transfer forward Kyle Wiltjer leading them in scoring. This might be the best Gonzaga team we have seen yet and hopefully this will be the year they finally make it to the Final Four. 4. University of Wisconsin — Madison Under Head Coach Bo Ryan, Wisconsin has consistently played solid fundamental basketball while competing for a Big Ten title year-in and year-out. What makes the Badgers special this year? They made it to the National Championship and returned almost their entire team this season. As the elite programs continue to have younger and younger teams with the one-and-done rule in full
effect, veteran leadership comes at a premium. Led by forward Frank Kaminsky, this Wisconsin team is probably the most talented team Ryan has ever coached, and with their favorable schedule they are shoe-ins to win the Big Ten title. 3. Duke University (N.C.) Why is Duke number three in this power ranking despite going 3-3 in their last six games? Well, they had a convincing away win against Wisconsin at the Kohl Center to start they year and their mix of young talent with center Jahlil Okafor, guard Tyus Jones and forward Justise Winslow, mixed with veteran leadership of forward Amile Jefferson and guard Quinn Cook is a recipe for success in March. After two bad losses, this Duke team put together a very impressive victory at the University of Louisville (Ky.). This team just lost a tough game at the University of Notre Dame (Ind.) on Tuesday, but I expect this team to prove why I ranked them so high when they play the University of Virginia this Saturday. 2. University of Virginia and 1. University of Kentucky If you switched the rosters of these two teams, everybody would be ranting about how Virginia’s current roster is so talented and experienced and their performance on both ends of the
court makes them the obvious pick to win the title. The point I am making is that Kentucky has so much name recognition and receives so much more national attention than Virginia, but in reality these are by far the best two teams in America right now and they are much closer than people give them credit. Kentucky’s biggest strength is its incredible depth. The Kentucky Wildcats lost one of their three best players and didn’t even skip a beat. With forward Alex Poythress out for the season, the team’s bench players have gotten more playing time. If a Kentucky player gets into foul trouble, it’s no big deal. Kentucky’s bench has four players who would start on pretty much any college basketball team in America. Their one weakness is outside shooting. Kentucky’s size helps compensate for this, but for some games, when the three-pointers aren’t sinking, the other teams are able to hang around. In college basketball if you hang around long enough you can pull off a colossal upset. We will find out a lot about Virginia when they play Duke this weekend, so until that game, Kentucky still deserves the number one spot, but it is much closer than SportsCenter would tell you. — Contact Nathan Janick at nathan.janick@emory.edu
CARTOON
LUIS BLANCO
A Tale of Two Teams By Max Ebb Contributing Writer
As the Super Bowl approaches Us Patriots fans admire great coaches With a tradition of being the best We are glad to finally have a test As we look back on the season Many teams did horrible but not without good reason Let’s remember the year And give each team a cheer The poor Buffalo Bills never had a chance At 9-7 they’re better off taking next year abroad in France Miami may be known for beaches and tans But they’re lucky to get even 300 fans Sure they may win a game or two But there is really no hope for them to ever get through The last of the AFC East is certainly the least They embarrass New York and constantly get fleeced Geno Smith and Mike Vick sure are slick 15 combined interceptions really does the trick When playing the Steel Curtain There is one thing that is certain Mike Tomlin gets mad And Big Ben always looks sad The Bengals are the champions of the regular season But when they get to the playoffs it’s like they were just teasin’ Epic collapses and terrible losses Bengals fans are better off just watching “Horrible Bosses” Terrell Suggs may not say our QBs name But we beat them so that’s kinda lame Josh Gordon’s a great player when he’s at his best But he’ll probably never play because he failed another drug test The poor city pinned their hopes on Johnny Football I’m sorry Cleveland but LeBron can’t do it all Thankfully the Broncos didn’t make it to the big game Because after last year it would have been a shame Kansas City may have big Jamaal But they’ll never win because Alex Smith cannot throw the ball Philip Rivers started the season off right And it looked like the chargers might actually put up a fight Their good play came to an end And their super bowl hopes are about as real as Manti Te’o’s girlfriend
Patel: Brady and the New England Patriots Won’t Be Stopped
The Raiders have crazy fans and a big need Too bad there draft strategy is centered around people with 4.3 speed
Brady to carve them apart. Belichick and the Patriots had an all-star offseason, turning their weakness into an absolute strength by signing cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. At the defensive line, Vince Wilfork is playing at an All-Pro level, and Rob Ninkovich and Jamie Collins are leading an underrated linebacker corps. In previous years, Belichick has relied on trickery, such as playing wide receivers in the nickel package, or has just relied on the offense to score so many points that the defense couldn’t possibly blow the game. However, in this season, with Revis reverting back to his Jets days, Belichick has been able to draw up very creative pass rushing schemes that create forced passes, which allows the linebackers to prey and intercept. One red flag to note here is that Browner is expected to perform similarly to Revis, despite him being a lesser cornerback. This leads to many pass interference calls and, if the Seahawks can exploit their former player, this could be a game-changer. Overall, the outcome of the Super Bowl is quite significant. If the Patriots win, Brady will be 4-2 in Super Bowls throughout his career,
The Colts are sore losers and we’ve destroyed them twice Watching Andrew Luck lose is really quite nice Accusations that we cheated were suddenly created While the Colts Super Bowl dreams were subsequently deflated J.J. Watt is a beast Thank god the Texans aren’t in the AFC East Can the Jaguars even be considered an NFL team? They are about as exciting as a cloud of steam The Titans really aren’t that much better They are about as dangerous as an English Setter The NFC South will never win any awards The entire division had losing records The Packers are slackers As for the Bears, no one cares The Lions are about as cool as a bunch of Toyota Scions And the Vikings spend the postseason going hiking The NFC East is boring Somehow Mark Sanchez is still relevant even though his play is deploring Besides the Seahawks the NFC West doesn’t provide much of a test Come this Sunday, we will all see why the Patriots are the very best — Contact Max Ebb at mebb@emory.edu
Continued from the Back Page
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Paul Keleher
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks over blitzing Miami Dolphins for an open receiver. Brady and the Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.
and would essentially polish-off his resume for being definitively one of the greatest five quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. On the other side, if Russell Wilson can win for the second year in a row, the conversation immediately will shift to whether or not it is necessary to have a superstar stat-sheet-busting quarterback to win in this league. Teams would potentially even change their drafting strategy; they might prefer to
focus on their defense, offensive line and running backs. I think that New England finally has the perfect team, and after facing significant turbulence in the beginning of the season, has hit the right rhythm. Although the Seahawks’ miraculous win will go down in the pantheon of great NFL games, looking deeper I see a flawed offensive squad that barely squeaked out victory to make it to the ultimate stage. I could see Brady playing flaw-
lessly, Wilson making a few mistakes and the Patriots defense slamming the door on any sort of last-minute comebacks. Although it pains me to say this, I guess I’m saying Rex Ryan in Buffalo and Todd Bowles for my beloved Jets will have yet another Belichick ring to kiss. New England 27, Seattle 17 — Contact Jayson Patel at jayson.patel@emory.edu
Sports The Emory Wheel
Friday, January 30, 2015 Sports Editor: Zak Hudak (zachary.j.hudak@emory.edu)
Column
Basketball
Beej Knows Best: Super Bowl Preview
Jayson Patel Hello and welcome to another edition of the Beej Knows Best. This is the final edition before we head into the crucial offseason period, and what a Super Bowl matchup we have. Although the AFC squad enters after much speculation and scandal, and the NFC squad enters after barely squeaking out a victory in one of the greatest playoff comebacks in NFL history, it’s fair to say that this matchup is the marquee one that league officials were probably hoping for. In this edition, I will break down New England’s and Seattle’s offenses and defenses, and give my pick for which will end up victorious. What I’m really saying is, hand this to your clueless boyfriend or girlfriend, and, although they will be slightly confused when the referee starts performing “interpretive dance,” they will absolutely understand the subtleties of the Seattle offensive scheme. Seattle’s offense begins and ends with someone who is their spiritual and locker room leader, but not someone who will put up the big stats and blow you away. Quarterback Russell Wilson did everything short of handing the ball over to the Green Bay defense until about five minutes left in the NFC Championship game. However, that performance was an aberration, rather than a trend. Wilson has been very careful with the ball over the past two seasons, throwing 46 touchdowns compared to only 16 interceptions. Last season, the Seahawks led the league at only .071 turnovers per drive. Although that touchdown number is low, it is a representation of how methodical the Seahawks play. They attack with running back Marshawn Lynch, and wear down a defense throughout the 60 minutes. When necessary, they will use Wilson’s legs to roll out in play-action to convert on third downs. Finally, when the defense tries to load up in the box to elimi-
nate the run or the short pass, Wilson looks deep to find wide receiver Doug Baldwin streaking down the sideline. Seattle ranked third in average time of possession per drive at 3:01 minutes; which is exactly how Head Coach Pete Carroll wants to draw things up. New England plays similarly on offense in the sense that it is a methodical attack, however they use the pass to open up the run. Although they don’t have a game breaker at wide receiver, guys like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola create space for quarterback Tom Brady to complete short passes and extend drives. The best playmaker is tight end Rob Gronkowski, and he has put up an MVP caliber season yet again. His ability to stretch the defense, present a matchup nightmare and open up the rest of the field for his teammates allows the Patriots to have subpar players at the wide-out spots. Once Brady has successfully picked apart the defense through the air, Head Coach Bill Belichick uses running backs Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount, or Jonas Grey to attack on the ground. When clicking all full, there is no defense that can stop them. The Seahawks success is based upon how well their defense can obliterate an offensive game plan, and I believe that each player’s ability to do its respective job at a high level is what creates this absolute success. On the defensive line, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril at the ends provide such substantial pressure, which allows Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn to drop six or seven men into coverage. At the linebacker position, Bruce Irvin provides support as an exception pass rusher, while K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner are two of the best coverage linebackers as well as run stoppers in the NFL. Their absolute strength resides with their secondary. Although cornerback Richard Sherman makes the headlines, and deservedly so, the Seahawks’ best players are Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas at the safety spots. Seattle has the best defense in the league, and their ability to stop the run, rush the quarterback, stop plays in the midfield with their linebackers and prevent the deep ball with their ball-hawking safeties and cornerbacks hints that New England will need a perfect
See Patel, Page 11
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Sophomore guard Jonathan Terry defends against an opposing player. Terry and the men’s team, along with the women’s team, will travel to New York to play New York University, and Massachusetts to compete against Brandeis University.
Eagles Flock North for Two Away Games By Stephen Jaber Staff Writer The Emory University men’s and women’s basketball teams will travel to Brandeis University (Mass.) and the following day to New York University (N.Y.) to continue their University Athletic Association (UAA) play this weekend on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1. Last weekend, the men and women Eagles each defeated both of their hosted opponents — Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) and Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.). The women, coming back from a pair of road losses against Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) and the University of Chicago (Ill.) bested the Case Western Spartans 65-62 and the Carnegie Mellon Tartans 62-57. Things fared even greater for the men who saw a 78-65 win over the Spartans and a 79-53 win over the Tartans. Still, the team has its work cut out for itself this weekend. “It’s tough to play away, especially with the teams on Friday,” sophomore forward Jim Gordon said. “Both teams are strong and play very well.” The men are 13-3 on the season, with a record of 9-0 at home and 2-3 away. In the UAA, the team is currently sitting on a 3-2 record, but not for long, according to Gordon. “NYU has a really good post pres-
Swimming & Diving
ence, and they just got a transfer who is supposedly very good,” he said. “We’re at second right now, but if we do well, we can claim first place,” he said. Gordon is also confident in the team’s morale going into the trip. “We are definitely confident on going forward, mentally we look at it one game at a time so we stay focused. It’s very doable to handle the games.” Head Coach Jason Zimmerman echoed Gordon’s one game at a time sentiment. “Every game, we want to play better. We want to get better through the season. There are only nine games left, so the conference is in the balance and we are looking at playing those nine games the best we can,” he said. Brandies is a strong opponent, Zimmerman said, but one he is looking forward to. “We have enough veterans on the team to play those big games who have been in those situations before, so we are looking forward to the challenge this weekend,” he said. The men have scored an average of 79.8 points per game and the average points scored against them is 68.5. Senior forward Alex Foster leads the men in points this season, having scored 367 points in 16 games and averaging 22.9 a game. Junior forward Will Trawick follows with 194,
also in 16 games. “We only play one game at a time, and we want to figure out a way to win on Friday,” Zimmerman said. “We can talk about all the other stuff about the rest of the season, but it doesn’t matter right now, only the game on Friday matters.” Emory’s women are on the uptick. Having won back-to-back games after a tough weekend, Head Coach Christy Thomaskutty is ready for the next challenge. “From the beginning, we have focused on defense. It starts on the defensive end, and we’ve gotten better,” she said. “This past weekend, we got two wins specifically because of our defense.” Thomaskutty noted that the team is placing an extra emphasis on taking advantage of certain opportunities. “One thing we talked about in practice is that we really need to capitalize when we get a steal,” she explained. Senior guard Ilene Tsao attributes a variety of factors to the team’s improved performance over the weekend. “It was a combination of a lot of things; losing the two on the road was a wake-up call time and it was time to get to work, time to improve and time to practice,” she said. And, of course, home court advantage helped keep the team confident. “Being in front of the home crowd
was really a motivator,” Tsao said. “We have a saying: ‘protecting our home’ and protecting our court. They can’t come and take it away from us, that really motivated us. Having our fans there was great.” Brandies is an especially physical team, but Thomaskutty is confident in the Eagles’ abilities. “Brandies might have the most athletic guards in the competition, so we want to block them out and get possession,” she said. Tsao emphasized that the Eagles will have size working against them. “We are an undersized team, [and] that is also going to be a factor against them,” she said. “We need to be strong and be able to match up against their guards, because that is going to get us the win.” The women are currently 10-6 overall with a 2- 3 record in the UAA conference. They have scored 1024 points, an average of 64.0 per game, which is 4.3 points more than the aggregate of points against them. Junior guard Khadijah Sayyid currently leads in points at 239 in 16 games, an impressive 14.9 per game. Freshman forward Dumebi Egbuna is second with 130, also in 16 games. The weekend after the team’s trips, both the men and the women will again take on Brandeis and NYU at home on Feb. 6 and 8. — Contact Stephen Jaber at stephen.jaber@emory.edu
Track & Field
Track and Field Travel for Invite By Jacob Spitzer Staff Writer
Jeff Kim/Contributor
An Eagle competes in a butterfly race. The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will compete against the University of Georgia and the University of the South (Tenn.) this Saturday.
Emory to Face Division I Team By Jenny Nutovits Staff Writer
The Emory University swimming and diving teams are set to compete in two separate dual meets this Saturday, Jan. 31. While part of the team will be competing against one of the top Division I teams in the country, the University of Georgia (UGA), the remaining team members will make the trip to Sewanee: University of the South (Tenn.). The meet against UGA is set to begin at 12 p.m., while the Sewanee meet is set to take place at 2 p.m. The Emory women’s team will enter the meets with a solid 7-0 record on the season along with the title of the top–ranked NCAA Division III team. The Emory men’s team will enter the meets with a 3-2 record and a national ranking of third. The strength and perseverance of
the Emory teams will be put to the test while facing UGA. Both teams hold an all-time record of 0-18 with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs feature the second ranked Division I men’s team, holding a record of 7-2, in addition to the first ranked Division I women’s team, holding a record of 10-0 in the NCAA. “We always go into [the meet] with a similar mindset. We know that UGA is one of, if not the, best teams, so it’s not like we’re going in to win the meet,” senior Megan Beach said. Nonetheless, the team doesn’t dread the meet and will not go in with a negative mindset. “We do go in with our heads held high and know that we are there to race — it’s always a fun experience knowing you’re swimming up against some of the best swimmers in the country, and we always take that
away from the pool,” Beach added. On the other hand, the Sewanee Tigers are unranked in the Division III poll. The Tigers hold a record of 1-2 on the men’s side and 1-3 on the women’s side. Heading into the meet the Emory men hold an all-time record of 19-2 over the Tigers, while the women hold one of 19-1. After this weekend of dual meets, the team will join back together and continue into the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, held from Feb. 11-14 at the Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC). “Just watching some of [UGA’s] swimmers is beneficial, and if we can get up and race them for a few events, it gives us some confidence leading into UAA’s,” junior Andrew Wilson said. — Contact Jenny Nutovits at jenevieve.nutovits@emory.edu
The men’s and women’s Emory track and field teams continue their indoor seasons today, traveling to Winston Salem, N.C. to compete in the Hilton Garden Invitational. The Eagles will bring around 30 track members, including the many of their higher caliber performers. “We’re excited about this meet,” Head Coach John Curtin said. “There aren’t any indoor tracks in Georgia so we take every opportunity that we can get.” The track is also the site of the national championship that takes place later in the season. “It will be good to get a feel for what the track is like,” Curtin said. “As we’ll hopefully be competing there later this season.” The meet will give junior Julie Williamson an opportunity to improve her 800-meter time and help her secure a spot in the National and UAA championship. Curtin is also excited to see how senior James Bassen performs who had a breakout personal best in the men’s weight throw last week at Birmingham Crossplex. “[Bassen] has been training consistently, he’s gotten stronger, his technique has gotten better,” Curtin said. “It was just a matter of time before he got it together and had a big throw.” The team is especially excited about the prospects of their men and women 4x400 meter relay teams, which are especially strong. “We’re a young team,” Curtin
Courtesy of Emory Athletics
Freshman distance runner Jordan Flowers runs to the finish line at the Birmingham Crossplex in Alabama.
said. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Anytime we have a chance to compete we have an opportunity for them to have a breakout meet.” Due to a lack of strong Division III teams in the area, the meet will consist of mainly Division I and II schools. “It’s a mixed bag,” Curtin said. “It’s really good for the top end kids, gives them a real challenge. For the developing kids, it is hard to get them even a spot to compete sometimes
and can hinder their development.” The team is excited for the meet and the rest of the still young track and field season. “We’re all really excited to get on a good track where we will hopefully be competing at nationals and get some more personal best times and some more kids qualified [for nationals], ”Curtin said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to.” — Contact Jacob Spitzer at jacob.alexander.spitzer@emory. edu