March 29, 2023

The Emory Wheel

Students resist construction of concrete path in Lullwater

By spencer FriedlAnd News Editor

The Emory University Senate voted on Tuesday to send a request to University President Gregory Fenves for more transparency about the potential construction of a 10-foot wide cement path along South Fork Peachtree Creek. DeKalb County, the PATH Foundation and Emory University’s Office of Master Planning jointly proposed the path, which would cut through forest on the south bank. The vote passed by an 86% margin, according to University Senate President and Associate Professor of Anthropology Alicia DeNicola.

The Senate request recommended that the administration engage in a “transparent and holistic decisionmaking process” that considers University values, policies and data, DeNicola said. This would include articulating the objectives that the University hopes to achieve through this project, as well as offering general alternatives and an assessment of trade-offs.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Assistant Teaching Professor of Environmental Science Carolyn Keogh (07C), who chairs the Senate Committee on the Environment, proposed the idea that the University should consider branching off of an existing path under Clairmont Road and utilizing existing gravel to go through Lullwater, instead of building an entirely new path.

“This is just one example of an alternative that could be explored

that would have significantly lower ecological trade-offs and that we would like to see this kind of consideration in the decisionmaking process for this project,” Keogh said.

Additionally, the Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously voted 9-0 to support a resolution sponsored by Emory Ecological Society Vice President and Founder Nick Chang (24C) and Emory Bike Social President Alison Thieberg (25C) on March 26. The resolution, which stated that the path would cut through “irreplaceable old-growth forest,” recommended that the Path project leaders consult with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation

to ensure that the proposal accounts for “cultural and traditional ecological significance” of the land. Additionally, SGA requested that Emory’s Master Planning Office add a “Muscogee Traditional Ecological Knowledge holder, a student cyclist and a student ecologist” to the PATH Foundation’s stakeholder advisory task force.

SGA also proposed that Emory adopt conservation efforts to protect forests from similar proposals in the future. The proposal also recommended that University leaders prioritize this PATH proposal and sustainable commute alternatives. The resolution also recommends

Commencement address

Anthony Ray Hinton to deliver 2023

By MAtthew chupAck And MAdi Olivier Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor

Activist and writer Anthony Ray Hinton will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at Emory University’s 178th Commencement Ceremony on May 8. University President Gregroy Fenves announced the decision in a March 28 email to Emory students.

Hinton is well-known for the 28 years he spent on Alabama’s death row after being wrongfully convicted of murder in 1998 on the basis that the revolver used in the murders, as well as a third uncharged crime, was taken from his mothers’ home. The Equal Justice Initiative took on his case, and in 2002, three top firearms examiners testified that the revolver could not be matched to the murders. However, state courts did not reexamine the case, leaving Hinton imprisoned for over 10 more years.

“The courage Mr. Hinton showed on Death Row is almost impossible to comprehend,” Fenves wrote. “His freedom was taken from him, yet he found peace and forgiveness and has dedicated himself to spreading truth and light in the world.”

The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately reversed the lower courts’ decisions in 2012 to grant Hinton a new trial. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences confirmed the findings that the bullets used in

the murders could not be tied to the revolver from Hinton’s mother's home, leading a judge to ultimately dismiss the charges.

For the first time in 28 years, Hinton was a free man. As he walked out of the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Ala. in 2015, Hinton told his family that “the sun does shine,” according to the Equal Justice Initiative. Three years later, Hinton published his best-selling book about his experiences, “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row.”

Shivani Kumar (23B) said she is glad Hinton’s story is receiving attention, as she believes the U.S. prison system is an “outrageous problem.”

“Things aren't going to change if these stories aren't told,” Kumar said. “So the fact that Emory, an institution of so much prominence, has given the microphone to Mr. Hinton, it's a wonderful thing.”

Hinton now works as an Equal Justice Initiative community educator, serving as “a tireless and powerful advocate for abolition of the death penalty.” He also works with LifeLines, a U.K. organization dedicated to supporting death row inmates in the United States with letter writing, which Anushree Jain (23B) said is inspiring.

“It takes a lot of mental strength and mental willpower to actually get through times like that,” Jain said. “Seeing him take steps to … do prison

AI minor to launch next fall, faculty spearhead Center of AI Learning

By Ashley Zhu News Editor

With course registration underway, students can officially begin enrolling in classes for the new artificial intelligence (AI) minor, which Emory University announced earlier this month. The program will educate students on how AI is used in various disciplines and its intersections with societal and ethical issues. Students can declare an AI minor starting Aug.

1.

According to Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Computer Science Vaidy Sunderam, the AI minor will require seven classes, including Computer Science Fundamentals (CS 110), Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (CS 211), a computational

linguistics class, a machine learning applications class and an AI ethics class. The remaining two courses can be drawn from a variety of disciplines, including a future sociology course that examines how AI impacts society or a future psychology course that covers how the brain works compared to how computers mimic how the brain works.

As one of the first curricular components of the AI.Humanity initiative — a plan aimed at bringing together the “full intellectual power of Emory University to shape the AI revolution”

— the AI minor will embed AI-focused education into student learning, according to Rollins School of Public Health Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Lance Waller.

The University also announced

earlier this month that the Center for Artificial Intelligence Learning (CAIL) is supposed to open next fall. Waller added that CAIL’s location is still under discussion, but he hopes

that the center will be open for students at the start of fall semester.

According to Waller, CAIL will provide a non-curricular component to the AI.Humanity initiative. One

opportunity will be workshops, which Waller said will provide short-term training and assist students in their transition to the formally structured AI minor curriculum.

Waller added that CAIL also hopes to host undergraduate summer programs, but logistics such as food, housing and payment have not yet been decided.

Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor Clifford Carrubba, who serves as the quantitative theory and methods (QTM) department chair, noted that if students take a basic programming class in the spring, the summer workshops will give students a chance to refresh their skills before taking a more advanced course in the AI curriculum the next fall.

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An road cuts through Lullwater. Members of the Emory community are protesting the construction of a new path.

courteSy of emory univer Sity

Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor Clifford Carrubba teaches a class for Emory's DataThink project.

EMORY LIFE CLUB GYMNASTICS BUILDS SKILLS, CHARACTER

Emory's leadership in AI marks 'exciting time in our lives'

Waller added that CAIL will help develop student interest in the minor.

“It's very much a partnership,” Waller said. “They're not exactly two sides of the same coin, but they're not two separate entities. So we all work together.”

As the AI minor develops, Waller hopes CAIL will connect with existing programs to gauge interest levels and how participants want to imbed AI into their work. These programs will include campus libraries and the Michael C. Carlos Museum, the Center for Ethics and different schools within Emory.

“That’s an example of how it’s supposed to layer onto and help enhance the ability for students to thrive in the curriculum,” Carrubba said. “But these things were meant to … be building in parallel and in a complementary way.”

According to Sunderam, who chairs the mathematics and computer science department, AI is becoming more important in almost every domain of life, including both academics and everyday use. He said that college students should also understand the underlying technology and issues that arise with AI.

“AI ethics is very important because AI can do wrong things,” Sunderam said. “Bias and fairness, and so on, has to be understood well in order to combat AI from making incorrect decisions and incorrect recommendations.”

Emory Data Science Club President Simran Mallik (23C) said Emory is trying to bridge the gap between statistics and technology and non-STEM fields, such as the humanities. She

added that Emory’s quantitative sciences program is strong in terms of teaching foundational concepts in data science and statistics, but she has heard that many students want more technical courses that allow them to get experience in Python, SQL or other computer algorithms.

“It’s gonna be a really good thing, just because I know CS is different, is not necessarily the same, as AI,” Mallik said. “You can be a software engineer and you could work in the AI space or data science space, but … this minor that's specifically targeted for students looking to get into AI and data science will definitely help supplement the statistical knowledge that they're gaining.”

CAIL's purpose

According to Carrubba, CAIL is meant to be a resource that will help catalyze and enhance the University’s ability to provide the highest quality of education, exposure and community building around AI.

“If a student, say, is working in biology, or in art history, or in English, and they're wondering, ‘How does this pertain to me?’ then CAIL would be the place where we'd work with the libraries and with faculty in any of the departments to say, ‘We might have enough student interests, we might want a workshop on natural language processing or comparative literature,’” Waller said.

In the workshops, Waller said that he wants to explain concepts to an interdisciplinary collection of students, faculty and staff interested in assorted topics, such as ChatGPT in

public health prevention.

CAIL will aim to educate students in four ways, Carrubba said. First, CAIL will provide an AI help desk, which will offer a space for students to resolve AI issues and successfully engage with AI material.

Second, the center’s workshops and short courses that cover a variety of topics, including AI literacy data comprehension, will help students develop technical skills.

“First, you need the mathematical foundational skills that allow you to then learn the statistical and programming skills,” Carrubba said. “You need those to be able to understand how it's implemented in machine learning and AI techniques, and so the idea is to facilitate students moving along that path as effectively as possible.”

The third pillar centers around patient learning. After acquiring skills and grasping what AI is and how to use it, there is the reality of going out into the real world and having a chance to practice AI and do projects. For example, Carrubba said that a team in the QTM department helped the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department generate a model that anticipates where fires may break out in the city to better allocate resources.

“There's a transition from the book learning and I understand the tools, to how does it really work in practice and how do I partner with a nonprofit or a government agency or a corporation or whomever in using these skills to answer questions and solve problems,” Carrubba said.

CAIL’s fourth component is the

community pillar, which aims to bring together students and faculty from Rollins, Emory School of Medicine, Goizueta Business School, Emory School of Law and Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Carrubba said. He hopes students will create social connections that foster intellectual conversations related to technological advancements and ethics questions.

“This is meant to be something that is available to students and will have touch points for students, whatever their disciplinary interests and whatever their level of technical interest or sophistication,” Carrubba said.

AI’s significance

According to Winship Distinguished Research Professor of English and QTM Lauren Klein, AI has the potential to both understand culture and be integrated into research with learning and the liberal arts.

“We need students learning about AI in each of these contexts, as well as bringing together all of their different disciplinary expertise and their training in order to understand the impacts of AI,” Klein said.

Klein uses machine learning and neural networks to detect patterns in large data sets in her research. The same technologies used to analyze medical data, such as radiology scans, can be applied to cultural data, allowing people to research the different dimensions of society and history, Klein added.

“Culture both produces data, and culture in many cases is data,” Klein said. “So our texts could become data,

the selfies that we take can become data. More broadly, things that people write, photos and artworks, once these things have been digitized, they can be analyzed.”

One of Klein’s former projects analyzed newspapers written in the 19th century that documented the abolitionist movement and slavery in the United States. She researched newspapers to see if she could find patterns in language used to describe the abolitionist movement.

“Can we recognize patterns or some sort of pattern in language that's increasing relative to all the other words that are being used at that time?” Klein said. “The same kind of technology can help you pull out these patterns or these signals historically.”

Several other peer institutions have pioneered AI programs that offer both major and minor options, such as the University of Southern California, Stanford University (Calif.) and Duke University (N.C.).

As one of the first schools to start a formal AI program, especially as a non-technical subject, Sunderam said that it is an “exciting time in our lives,” especially with Emory’s leadership in the AI field.

“To all the students who might be interested, they might be thinking, ‘Oh, this was a STEM discipline,’ — no, it’s not,” Sunderam said. “It is based in some computational foundations, but it's really intended for any kind of student in any discipline, humanities, social sciences, business, law, pre-med.”

— Contact Ashley Zhu at ashley.zhu@emory.edu

Persian Cultural Association hosts frst Persian New Year celebration

By heAther lu Staff Writer

Emory University’s Persian Cultural Association (PCA) hosted a Persian New Year celebration in the Emory Student Center on March 25, marking the first time the holiday, called Norooz, was formally celebrated on campus, according to PCA President Katherine Khayami (25C).

A team of about 15 people organized the event, working on publicity, catering and funding, as well as organizing the music and dance competition, Khayami said. The Emory College Language Center, the Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies department, the Belonging and Community Justice offices, the Laney Graduate Student Council and the International Graduate Students and Scholars of Emory sponsored the event.

Khayami said the celebration was a great opportunity for PCA to spread

Persian culture.

“Persian New Year is very important for Emory’s Iranian community,” Khayami said.

PCA prepared several tables containing objects that represent Persian culture, including eggs that attendees could draw on and signs honoring the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, which is a wave of Iranian women protesting against compulsory veiling and demanding a role in politics. Additionally, there were traditional musical instruments, Persian porcelain, books, calligraphy and a table of haft-sin — an altar that contains seven items that start with the letter “S” in the Persian alphabet, representing prosperity and spring, Khayami said. PCA’s traditional haftsin had apples to symbolize beauty, garlic to symbolize health, wheat to symbolize rebirth and growth, sweet pudding to symbolize sweetness, dried oleaster fruit to symbolize love, vinegar to symbolize age and

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patience and sumac to symbolize a new beginning.

PCA’s event reflected how Persian families traditionally celebrate the new year, complete with food and dancing, Khayami said.

Families typically arrange their haft-sin before the beginning of Norooz and leave the table in their house until the last day of the new year, which lasts for 13 days.

Nazif Azizi (25C) said his family prepares haft-sin for the Persian New Year because it represents a better year, safety, health and good luck.

“It's mostly just family getting together and spending time together and dancing,” Khayami said. “I would spend Persian New Year with my family every year doing something like this, so it's so special to do it with the Emory community.”

Emory research specialist Nadia Hossainy added that the event felt “nostalgic.”

“It's a good opportunity to connect to my culture, as well as connect to some people from Iran,” Hossainy said.

PCA Vice President Leila Keshavarz (25C) hosted the dance competition and invited people to follow along with Persian dance videos onstage, including the traditional ghasemabadi dance.

After the dance competition, attendees enjoyed a dinner of kebab and rice, a good representation of Iranian food, Keshavarz said.

Keshavarz explained that it is important for her to recognize her roots, adding that celebrating her culture gives her a sense of belonging. She typically spends the Persian New Year with her family, attending parties with hundreds of people.

“Even though I wasn’t here with my family members, I am so close with the people at Emory that I feel like they are

basically a second family,” Keshavarz said. “It was just like having family here and being able to celebrate, being able to dance.”

After dinner, Khayami invited people to film a TikTok challenge, #calmdownchallenge and #womenlifefreedom, dancing to Rema’s song calm down. Five weeks ago, five Iranian girls filmed a TikTok video while dancing to the song calm down in public without wearing hijabs, which is prohibited in Iran. The girls were then detained.

“Now, it's a mystery what had happened to them,” Khayami said. “We wanted to honor their freedom that was taken from them. So, all around the world, especially Iranian girls, they have been doing the dance in solidarity.”

Iranian girls dancing to the challenges is an “act of bravery” because people don’t know what will happen to them, Keshavarz said.

“As we live in America, it is much different than living in Iran,” Keshavarz said. “Being able to do this on campus,

we are not afraid of our lives.”

Zoe Stephens (25C) attended the event to support Khayami and learn about Persian culture. She is interested in ethnomusicology, the study of different cultural music, and said she was fascinated by the Persian instruments and songs at the event.

Reflecting on the event, Stephens said she appreciated how it brought together different groups.

“Everybody from different parts of the campus come together because it's not just Emory College students and it's not just faculty members,” Stephens said. “It’s grad students and community members and professors and students, student leaders all coming together.”

The celebration ended with people dancing together.

“I hope that they celebrate every year like this … because it is the only very important time for everyone, especially Persians,” Azizi said.

— Contact Heather Lu at heather.lu@emory.edu

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Emory's Persian Cultural Association (PCA) hosts its first Persian New Year celebration in the Emory Student Center.

Lullwater's rare species, ecosystem at risk by construction of path

Continued from Page 1

that the University “engage more holistically” with students more when considering the path.

“It's a good opportunity to increase conversations around ecological preservation, around the Emory community and building a sustainable future,” SGA President Khegan Meyers said (24B). “That's something that I think is a priority for a lot of undergraduate students.”

The exact route of the path has yet to be determined, according to Assistant Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Laura Diamond.

Proponents of the path

At a March 20 SGA meeting, Associate Vice President for Planning and Engagement David Payne discussed the path and answered student questions in an attempt to gain their support.

The University is considering how to mitigate the environmental impact of the trail, Payne said at the meeting, adding that the new path would have barriers to guide people along the trail and prevent them from continuing to damage the environment.

According to Payne, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told DeKalb County that the sewers in Lullwater have been overflowing into county creeks and need to be fixed. Thus, the county put a “seal” on the sewer line and cut down 20 to 30 “swaths” of trees on Emory’s campus to access the soil.

“We can argue about how much sensitivity they gave to the campus when they came in, but they did it for environmental reasons from the EPA,” Payne said.

The path’s construction would extend the network and allow DeKalb County to regularly repair sewers, Payne said.

PATH Senior Transportation Planner Eric Ganther said the path’s organizers hope to have the trail feasibility study, which will determine where the path will be built and the funds needed to complete it, completed in the second half of 2023. After the study is completed, DeKalb

County and Emory administration will decide if the project will move forward.

Ganther wrote that because Emory owns a high percentage of the land in the feasibility study area, the University will be a key stakeholder in planning the path.

“It would connect thousands of Emory faculty, staff and students who live within one mile of the trail and allow them to walk or bike to campus with ease,” Diamond wrote. “Bicyclists have told Emory in the past that safe bicycling is their primary concern, and this new trail would promote sustainable commuting by bicycle with almost no interaction with vehicles.”

Payne also added that the proposed path would provide environmental benefits, including allowing Emory to restore streambanks, replant trees that were recently cut down, remove invasive species and restore the forest.

“There's a great opportunity here along the trail to look at educational opportunities,” Payne said. “We could do QR codes, for example, that would have information about the natural

habitats along the trail that people would not be able to see today, the history of Emory along the trail and the history of populations that predate every point.”

Environmental concerns

Emory Ecological Society published a joint statement on Feb. 25 along with nine other student organizations on Instagram. The coalition of organizations urged Emory, DeKalb County and the PATH Foundation to carefully consider the proposed path’s environmental impact.

“Our understanding of the current proposal is that it does not address commuter safety issues or increase commuter access to campus,” the statement reads. “Instead, it would establish a recreational trail at the cost of old-growth forest, watershed health, impacts on two rare species, and Emory’s own environmental commitments.”

Emory Spokes Council President Ruth Hallstead (24T) wrote in an email to the Wheel that her organization signed the joint statement because the proposed path would be “detrimental

to the environment” and would not increase the number of people who bike to work.

Emory Bike Social, a group dedicated to promoting cycling at Emory, conducted a survey that found that 59.5% of respondents who bike to work said they will not use the proposed path in their commute and under 10% of respondents would use the proposed path recreationally.

According to Associate Teaching Professor of Environmental Science John Wegner, the PATH Foundation has attempted to build this path on Emory’s property for the last 20 years. However, Wegner is concerned that the path will destroy some of Lullwater’s wildlife.

Lullwater has the largest population of starvine in the world, Wegner said. The plant was found in Lullwater in 2021 after not being documented in DeKalb County since 1969. The preserve is also home to the Chattahoochee crayfish, which is a threatened species.

“Because of the way Georgia’s environmental regulations work, there are no real protections for

these species on private land, like Emory’s property,” Chang said. “We are concerned that the construction of the path would not only pave over a patch of starvine, but also that it would further degrade water quality in South Fork Peachtree Creek and eliminate the Chattahoochee Crayfish from our campus.”

Furthermore, the paved path could go through Wesley Woods, which Wegner explained is an ecologically sensitive area of Lullwater. Wegner said he refrains from bringing his environmental science classes to Wesley Woods because students could destroy native habitats.

Wegner is also concerned that multiple areas of Lullwater’s stream banks are collapsing. Chang said that deterioration of the stream banks has also caused extensive sediment erosion and degradation of water quality.

He added that building the proposed path on the north side of Lullwater’s creek would increase runoff, ultimately reducing water quality and harming the survival of the rare crayfish species.

Additionally, laying new pavement for the path would create an edge effect — a phenomenon where two different types of habitats meet — because the concrete path would create a different environment than the typical forest, Wegner said. He explained that the edge effect creates a very basic environment of grass and soil in between the concrete and the rest of the forest that attracts nonnative species, which can disturb the ecosystem.

Diamond wrote that while a “small number” of students have voiced concerns, groups such as the Graduate Student Government Association support building the path and Emory is working with environmental groups to ensure their concerns are taken seriously.

“We believe that DeKalb’s offer to develop a trail that will support sustainable commuting, safe recreational paths and educational opportunities for the Emory community is one worth exploring,” Diamond wrote.

— Contact Spencer Friedland at Spencer.Friedland@emory.edu

Hinton 'honored' to deliver Emory's Commencement address

Continued from Page 1

reform and all the other equal justice initiatives and things like that he's doing is just very admirable.”

Fenves wrote in a March 28 University press release that he will be “very proud” to welcome Hinton to campus as this year’s commencement speaker.

“By transforming unfathomable tragedy into positive advocacy and action, Anthony Ray Hinton has sent a powerful message of hope,” Fenves wrote. “His freedom was unjustly denied for nearly 30 years, yet he found peace and forgiveness and has dedicated himself to spreading truth and light in the world.”

James Cox Kennedy and Sarah Kenan Kennedy will also receive honorary degrees alongside Hinton. James and Sarah Kennedy, who are married, will each receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree for their dedication to improving “the quality of life in our community,” according to the press release.

James Kennedy is chairman emeri-

tus of Cox Enterprises and chairman of the James M. Cox Foundation. The foundation has four primary focus areas — conservation and environment, early childhood education, empowering families and individuals for success and health — and supplies grants to capital campaigns and special projects related to these fields.

Including both personal and foundational donations, James Kennedy has given more than $60 million to Emory to fund Alzheimer's disease and cancer research, as well as promote patient-centered care. He has also donated more than $2 million to the Marcus Autism Center, which collaborates with Emory.

Sarah Kennedy serves on the Executive Advisory Council of the Emory Brain Health Center as a civic and community leader. Along with her family, Sarah Kennedy has supported Alzheimer’s research at Emory after her late father battled the disease.

In 2011, Sarah and James Kennedy donated $5 million to the cause. The pair principally funded an Emory

clinical trial for a drug treatment intervention against mild cognitive impairment, which is often seen before patients fully develop Alzheimer’s.

In recent years, Emory’s commencement speakers have included actor Tyler Perry in 2022, former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci in 2021 and civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson in 2020.

Last year, Emory awarded Sally Yates and Louise Glenn with honorary degrees. Yates served as Acting Attorney General in former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for 10 days, before she was dismissed for instructing the Department of Justice to not defend Executive Order 13769, which temporarily banned the admission of refugees and barred travel from multiple Muslimmajority countries. Glenn is the founding trustee of The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation, which has financially supported initiatives like establishing the Emory Glenn Family Breast Center, the Emory Winship

Cancer Institute’s first named center for a specific type of cancer.

Emory is among the last of its peer institutions to announce a 2023 commencement speaker. The University of Pennsylvania will host “Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will speak at Rice University’s (Texas) commencement and Marvel Studios Producer and President Kevin Fiege will do the same at the University of Southern California’s commencement.

Hinton wrote in the press release that he is “honored” to deliver Emory’s Commencement address.

“I always value the opportunity to share what I've learned with young people getting ready to embark on their own journeys,” Hinton wrote. “I want to make sure young people know that even on the nights where there are tears (and there will be those nights), the sun will shine again.”

Kheyal Roy-Meighoo (23C) added that she hopes Emory will continue Hinton’s legacy of prison reform.

“I hope that having him speak here is the first in many steps that Emory takes to resist the expansion of this very unfair criminal justice system and policing system that is … especially present in the American South.

— Contact Matthew Chupack at matthew.chupack@emory.edu and Madi Olivier at madi.olivier@emory.edu

courteSy of rob ligginS Anthony Ray Hinton will deliver the keynote address at Emory University’s 178th Commencement Ceremony.

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The paved path would go through Wesley Woods, an ecologically sensitive area of Lullwater.

The Emory Wheel Opinion

Emory Wheel Demographic Report | Spring 2023

DEI Task Force

Spring 2023 marks the third year that The Emory Wheel’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) task force sent out a demographic survey to better understand the Wheel’s inclusivity and diversify coverage. The survey included questions about the Wheel community’s background and work culture. Based on the results of the survey, the DEI task force will implement initiatives to address inequalities within the organization.

It is important to note that the DEI task force sent out two demographic surveys this semester because the first survey used flawed data collection methods. The data represented below was collected using the updated form.

Methodology

The survey was emailed to the 135 students who contributed to the Wheel within the past year. In total, 63 students responded, producing a 46.7% response rate, which is slightly higher than last year’s 41.2% response rate. All responses were anonymous. Contributors made up the largest portion of respondents at 34.9%, while editors followed at 19%.

Findings

Race and ethnicity

This year, 56.5% of respondents

identify as white, compared to 53% in 2022 and 51% in 2021. Like in previous years, the Wheel is disproportionately white. The second largest racial group is Asian at 37.1%. According to the Office of Planning and Administration, 32.7% of all undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2022 are white and 24.3% are Asian.

This year, only 3.2% of respondents identified as Black or African American when asked about their race. In 2021 and 2022, 3.5% and 5% respondents identified as Black or African American, respectively.

According to the Office of Planning and Administration, about 8.5% of all undergraduate students enrolled at Emory in fall 2022 identify as Black or African American, meaning the Wheel is not representative of the student body.

This year, the survey made finer distinctions between different ethnicities in a question separate from race. The four largest ethnicities represented among the respondents are East Asian (19.7%), Western European (16.4%), South Asian (13.1%) and Eastern European (13.1%). However, Middle Eastern, North African, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations are severely underrepresented at the Wheel.

This year’s demographic survey included a question about Latinx identity as a distinct question, and 1.6% of respondents identified as Latinx.

Gender identity

A majority of respondents are cisgender women, with 78.7% identifying as such. This is an increase from 66.7% in 2022 and 61% in 2021. Additionally, 13.1% of respondents identified as cisgender men, which is a decrease from the 27% in 2022 and 34% in 2021. Slightly more respondents identify as nonbinary at 4.9%, compared to 4.5% in 2022 and 3.6% in 2021. No respondents identify as transgender. The Wheel, composed of mostly cisgender women and men, lacks representation of gender minorities.

Sexual orientation

A majority of the respondents are heterosexual, with 56.5% identifying as such. This is an increase from the 45% in 2022, but a decrease from the 62% in 2021. Additionally, 14.5% of the respondents identified as bisexual and 9.7% identified as queer.

First-generation status

Only 7.9% of respondents identify as a first-generation student, which was not mentioned in past demographic reports. According to the Office of Planning and Administration, 7% of undergraduates identify as firstgeneration students.

Low-income status

In total, 11.1% of respondents identify as low-income. According to the Office of Undergraduate Admission, 61% of undergraduates receive need-based financial aid, while only 22.2% of respondents indicate that they receive financial aid. This is a decrease from the 18% of respondents who identified as lowincome in 2022.

International students

In total, 84.1% of respondents identify as domestic students, while 14.3% identify as international students. This is an increase from the 9% of respondents in 2022, but a decrease from the 16.5% in 2021. According to the Office of Planning and Administration, international students make up about 17.6% of enrolled students.

Disabilities

This year, 19.4% of respondents identify as disabled or are registered with the Department of Accessibility Services. The 2021 and 2022 demographic reports did not mention

the number of respondents who identified as disabled.

Wheel culture

Although some respondents described the Wheel’s culture as “welcoming,” “positive” and “productive,” others noted that the culture is “stressful,” “rigid” and “cliquey.” Common feedback also included the need for more support, especially in terms of mental health, and more bonding across sections.

In terms of diversity in our coverage, some respondents said that the Wheel needs more “Black stories,” “anecdotal experiences of under-represented minorities” and perspectives from international students and Oxford College students. Another respondent said they wished the Wheel would “dig deeper into the stories of Indians, Koreans and the other various cultures on campus.”

DEI efforts

Since its conception in November 2021, the DEI task force has strived to make the Wheel a welcoming, inclusive and accessible environment with more diverse coverage. This year, the task force’s efforts included hosting general body meetings and offering affinity journalism memberships to up to 10 students. Additionally, the task force created a guide to covering sensitive

topics, to provide resources to readers who could benefit from extra support. The Wheel also continued to offer lowincome editor stipends to mitigate the barriers low-income students face while working for our organization.

Additionally, in fall 2022, the task force led an organization-wide fundraising effort in conjunction with the Wheel’s annual magazine, the Hub. The task force raised money to go toward increasing financial assistance for low-income editors and networking opportunities, as well as providing educational workshops. While the Wheel raised about $2,000, the fundraiser did not net a profit after paying for the magazines and fundraising costs.

The task force will take the demographic survey results and feedback into account to facilitate change. Future initiatives include implementing a mentorship system to increase support and facilitate bonding between sections, connecting with affinity groups on campus to improve representation in our coverage and creating a broader recruitment system to diversify the Wheel community.w

Members of the community are encouraged to reach out to EmoryWheelDEI@gmail.com to ask questions or share further feedback.

DEI Editor Emma Kingwell (26C) and Managing Editor Madi Olivier (25C) contributed to this report.

Emma Kingwell DEI Editor

Eva Roytburg Editor-at-Large

Emory, you’re going down the wrong path.

Walking around Emory University’s campus, students are constantly reminded of the college’s ostensible dedication to environmental justice — recycling bins, solar panels and banners emphasizing the University’s commitments to sustainability proclaim positive change for Emory.

However, it is questionable how much of this supposed commitment to sustainability is driven by a genuine desire to fight against climate change, rather than to gain gold ratings in Sustainability, Tracking Assessment and Rating System reports or rank highly in The Princeton Review’s annual guide to green colleges. The University is once again facing a conundrum regarding its true values in light of the PATH Foundation’s recent proposal to build a multi-use trail on Emory property, including in Lullwater and Wesley Woods, to connect the Clairmont campus with Old Briarcliff Road.

“This project is still in the early design and feasibility stages,” Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond wrote in an email to the Wheel. “At this point, PATH is doing a feasibility study.”

In light of heated pressure against the proposal, Emory and the PATH Foundation are attempting to reassure the numerous student groups protesting the potential path by proclaiming that the trail’s plan is not fully finalized and could potentially be changed based on students’ interests.

Though the pathway is being painted as a fruitful endeavor that would enhance pedestrian and biking commuters’ access to Emory, it has deservedly faced major opposition because, if implemented, it would take up space without providing any tangible benefits for students.

Emory Bike Social, one of the most vocal campus groups campaigning against this proposal, has already conducted a survey of 81 students to gauge how this proposed pathway would benefit bike commuters.

Through their research, the group learned that a majority of respondents arrive from areas that would not intersect with the path and thus would not have an impact on their commute

time. Numerous bikers also expressed concern at the PATH Foundation’s plan to construct the trail with raised, wooden slats as it would become even harder for biking commuters to safely ride over the hilly terrain while also trying to maintain balance.

Emory Bike Social President Alison Thieberg (25C) said that the trail would serve as a “friendly” recreational biking route, but emphasized that biking conditions could be better improved if bike lanes were maintained and implemented on Emory’s more popular roads, like Clifton Road, instead.

It is almost incredulous that Emory’s premier undergraduate biking club is against a proposal that

already damaged from streambank collapse and ecologically-sensitive habitat.

In turn, the proposal would further endanger the lives of rare species that could easily be squashed and walked over, while curtailing the progression of field studies intended to preserve these species.

Despite the PATH Foundation and Emory administrators’ claims that the proposal is not set in stone and is simply being used to measure student organizations’ collective interest, Campus Services has already acted to minimize student concerns by excluding essential information about the threatened rare species

pathway.

“I feel that administrators are cherry picking support for their proposal without supplying sound science that it will not have major impacts,” Emory Ecological Society President Nick Chang (24C) said. “The burden of proof should be on Emory to demonstrate that this trail is safe, rather than on bodies like the University Senate Committee on the Environment to prove that it is dangerous.”

It is absurd that students and faculty’s valid concerns about the severe ecological damage to stateprotected species and habitats that will be caused by the path are being dismissed and treated as

more harshly impact the Emory forest and the rare species existing there. However, when the proposal tries to prioritize environmental concerns, like by removing lights along the pathway to not further disturb the species’ natural sleep tendencies, it would risk the lives of bikers who would not even want to ride in such dangerous conditions.

“The happy medium that [the PATH Foundation is] trying to reach is just not feasible currently,” Thieberg said.

Thieberg indicated that the University should weigh the other options on their plate, like widening bike lanes and filling in dangerous potholes, that might be more beneficial to biking commuters.

Despite grave missteps in regard to the PATH proposal, it is impossible to say that Emory has not made substantial moves forward in the name of environmental protection.

The University pushed the needle forward by supporting student contributions to environmental policy at the 2022 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and initiatives like Plastic Free Emory. However, the key denominator in every instance of monumental environmental change has not been the University — it has been the work and dedication of student activists.

It is vital that Emory students stand together in efforts of environmental advocacy like opposing the PATH Foundation proposal that will ignore the harsh realities of soil compaction and erosion in favor of a visually appealing paved trail.

was originally presented as a saving grace for bike commuters and that the PATH Foundation did not consider undergraduate bikers’ concerns when drafting their plan.

In its current state, the proposal would also disrupt the habitat of two state-protected species — the Chattahoochee crayfish (Cambarus howardi) and bay starvine (Schisandra glabra) — as well as encourage the spread of invasive vegetation into Emory’s forests.

By providing a large, accessible pathway in Lullwater, Emory would be expanding development in this area

during University meetings about the proposal.

They have also ignored the illuminating and condemnatory Nov. 16 memo from the University Senate’s Committee on the Environment, which states the Committee’s opposition to the proposal. In response, Campus Services claimed in their Nov. 22 presentation that there is actually very little student resistance to the proposal.

It is clear that advocates for the path are just clambering for support rather than actually taking into account students’ grievances with the proposed

unsubstantiated claims.

“If there are any endangered species related to the project, we will identify them and protect them,” Senior Transportation Planner for the PATH Foundation Eric Ganther wrote in an email to the Wheel.

It is unclear how exactly the PATH Foundation plans to balance addressing the different grievances of both Emory’s biking and environmental groups.

Decisions made in favor of the biking groups, like building a wider and more structurally-sound pathway with materials like concrete, would

The Student Government Association, which has already indicated strong opposition to the proposal on March 26 through Resolution 56s102, and College Council need to take further actions based on students’ beliefs and perspectives to make the correct decision for our community and the environment’s future.

While it may be less popular to strip an aesthetic pathway away from students, ultimately, leisurely activities and desires should not overshadow the conservation and protection of threatened species and their natural habitats.

LGBTQ rights are under attack in our community and abroad

LGBTQ rights are under attack.

Last week, 387 out of 389 legislators in Uganda’s Parliament backed a bill proposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” an intentionally nebulous term that will be weaponized against LGBTQ Ugandans if President Yoweri Museveni codifies the bill into law. This recent development in Uganda is only a small part of the global trend of antiquated, homophobic and transphobic legislation.

The country of Brunei implemented a law in 2019 that would punish same-sex relationships by stoning or whipping offenders, and Poland has seen a rise in anti-LGBTQ policies and sentiments, designating about a third of the country as “LGBT-free zones” in 2019. Hungary has also passed a series of laws that restrict the rights of its LGBTQ citizens to gender-affirming care.

Despite condemnations from many human rights organizations and the European Union, the Hungarian and Polish governments have maintained their anti-LGBTQ stances in the name of protecting children alongside the traditional and heterocentric family values in the country.

All these countries’ abhorrent violations of individual freedom have been codified into law in just the last five years.

As we live in the bubble of a socially progressive university, however, it can be easy to forget that similar anti-LGBTQ developments have been taking place right on our own doorstep. In the past few months, our neighboring states Tennessee and Florida have cracked down on LGBTQ rights, with Tennessee moving to institute a drag ban on March 26 under the guise of protecting children by prohibiting “adult cabaret performances” — including “male or female impersonators” — from taking place in public.

Meanwhile, Florida’s notorious “Don’t Say Gay” law, which was passed on March 7, will likely be expanded to affect high schools. Both laws heavily restrict the freedom of LGBTQ Americans, forcing them to hide themselves in public and academic contexts.

But homophobia has even been on the rise in our own state of Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp (RGa.) signed Georgia House Bill 1084 into law earlier this month. This bill outlaws gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Georgia, similar to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Furthermore, Georgia does not provide statewide protection for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In fact, a report published in the

California Law Review in 2018 shows that LGBTQ people in Georgia are more likely to be mistreated by the criminal justice system and face disproportionate discrimination while in the foster care system or in custody.

While it is important to understand these events individually, they must also be seen as manifestations of a disturbing global trend of rising anti-minority sentiment. Even the United States and the European Union, government bodies that pride themselves on promoting the advancement of human rights, are failing to protect their LGBTQ citizens.

The worldwide increase in antiLGBTQ sentiments and subsequent legal changes raise important questions of how to tackle issues such as homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination. While citizens may not be able to directly impact the laws of countries around the world, they do have a say in their own.

Students around the United States have already contributed to various forms of protest against the “Don’t Say Gay” law and its extensions, and international organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have advocated strongly against them on a global scale.

Furthermore, as an institution of higher learning, Emory University is a model for schools around the country, especially in the South. Academia should be a safe place, and students throughout the country deserve to feel comfortable being themselves in educational environments.

Emory is a leader not just in academic output but in educational policy, and thus owes it to students around the world to take a firm stand against the anti-LGBTQ legislation that has crept its way into the South.

Students can stay updated on Georgia’s laws through websites provided on Emory’s LGBTQ webpage, such as the Humans Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal, and advocate for the University to expand its resources supporting LGBTQ students.

University President Gregory Fenves tweeted a photo of him standing beside Kemp in August 2020 with the caption, “Enjoyed meeting with @GovKemp so soon after moving here, and we talked about great ideas on working together for Georgia and students.”

While this tweet does not directly mean that Fenves has a close affiliation with politicians like Kemp, it is a larger signal of our University’s potential to affect local state government. It appears that Fenves’ efforts to work “together for Georgia and students”

with Kemp have not sufficiently taken Emory’s LGBTQ students and their needs into consideration.

In order to preserve Emory’s position as a role model for Southern universities and advocate on behalf of LGBTQ students across the country, the University must issue a public statement that condemns anti-LGBTQ legislation and proposes tangible ways to protect LGBTQ students when the state falls short.

Complacency is dangerous, as progress can always be undone. LGBTQ complacency refers to a phenomenon in which members of the LGBTQ community and their allies become satisfied with the progress that has been made for LGBTQ rights and representation. This leads to a decrease in active and vocal support for these rights and can lead to a backslide of achieving full and everlasting equality for the LGBTQ community.

It is important to remember that the fight for LBGTQ rights is an omnipresent, turbulent struggle. Although there has been notable progress in the past few years, there is still a long way to go. To combat complacency, it is crucial for individuals to stay informed, involved and engaged in the discussion and advocacy of LGBTQ rights and equality.

is composed of Isabelle Bellott-McGrath, Evelyn Cho, Ellie Fivas, Marc Goedemans, Elyn Lee, Saanvi Nayar, Shruti Nemala, Nushrat Nur and Sara Perez.

Opinion Editor Ellie Fivas (24Ox) serves as Oxford-Atlanta Liaison for the Oxford and Emory Student Government Associations. She was not involved in writing or editing of the Path Foundation proposal editorial.

a pril l awyer / staff Cartoonist

English majors are more than literature Political psychology quiz: are you left- or right-brained?

As an English major, I have received countless stereotypical assumptions about my major that reduce the field simply to studying the English language and literature. English language skills are only a tool in the English major; the real focus is deconstructive reflection.

“You want to be a writer?”

“So you will teach English in high school?”

“Why would you study English if you are Chinese?”

“Wow, then you must be familiar with all these books I have to read this semester!”

I find it surprising that English, one of the best-ranked majors at Emory University, is misunderstood on campus. When I wanted to explain to my friends what being an English major really entails, I found it hard to do so in a few sentences because the major is inclusive of so many phenomena that are seemingly irrelevant to the study of English.

The number of English majors has declined partly due to people’s narrow understanding of the major as rigid literature studies detached from reality. Therefore, understanding what the English major really does not only helps students interested in the humanities, but also the entire job market, discover more possibilities and expand its acceptance for students coming from a marginalized academic background.

I used to have a very split impression of English. Passionate about writing, I kept the English major at the back of my mind but did not really consider it because of all the stereotypes. In my home country, China, English majors are restricted to careers in translating or language teaching.

The narrow career options and China’s declining emphasis on English make people look down on English majors, joking that the program is for students who don’t have enough skills for other majors. As an international student in the U.S., I was daunted by the English major because I couldn’t even say a fluent sentence in English for the first 13 years of my life.

Yet in my first-year writing class, my English professor didn’t put an emphasis on “English” at all. Instead, she iterated the term “rhetoric,” saying “the English class is all about rhetoric, the art of persuasion.”

The worries I previously had with taking an English class in the U.S. — writing and speaking fluently in English, eliminating grammatical mistakes, reading English quickly — were only secondary to the class’s core tenets. Primarily, we were encouraged to focus on the deconstruction of ideas that we have taken for granted in daily life, like the standardization of language solely as spoken and written, instead of being more diversely

expressed, and to reflect upon them through reading and writing. We were challenged with questions that considered why people believe in propaganda, why we feel angry with certain types of greetings and why humans formulate certain conventions in language throughout history. I realized that English is such a welcoming discipline without exclusivity; any conversations in our daily lives could become part of class discussions.

English reminds us that everyday experiences should be reevaluated for people to truly understand their meanings and analytical writing is the cohesion that drives such scholarly reflections.

My final project for my first-year writing class was an autoethnography, a reflection on how I gained my identity. The project reiterated the interdisciplinary and common nature of English; any mundane experience deserves to be reviewed in the English discipline. Without the project, I would have never realized the nuances brought by my identity as a child affected my entire life trajectory. English, rather than being an exclusive academic subject, fuses diverse personal experiences with academic conversations. English reminds us that everyday experiences should be reevaluated for people to truly understand their meanings and analytical writing is the cohesion that drives such scholarly reflections.

Realizing that my passion for writing can be used so comprehensively through the English major, I decided to major in English after my first-year writing class.

From taking more classes in the English discipline, I find English to

be a perfect subject that reconciles my broad interests across writing, social justice, literature, visual arts and so on. I am now researching neurodivergent rhetorics with my English professor. In a 300-level English class I am taking this semester, we explore the global implications of Western media, discovering endless possibilities for the interpretation of visual language. These interdisciplinary issues I explore in the subject inspire me every day, and I’m always excited to share them with others. However, after speaking with people outside of my major about such issues, they always propose different assumptions about my mwajor: psychology, comparative literature, sociology, philosophy, etc.

When I reveal the truth, they look surprised, saying, “I thought you would talk more about literature and writing, then.” It is true that I take a lot of classes on literature and writing. Nevertheless, in these classes, we are also encouraged to express interest in critical issues we care about and are assured we will not be judged if the subjects we write about are not “English” enough. To fulfill Emory’s general education requirements, students must take first-year English classes to gaiwn a basic understanding of why the many conventions in social communication exist.

Although students may get away with using high school credits, all of them must still take advanced English classes to fulfill the continuing writing requirement. These daunting classes carry the “writing” tag, causing many to worry that English classes solely focus on difficult literature and intensive writing. Such worries can be mediated if we think about English as a cognitive process that transforms everyday phenomena into a reflection of human history, psychology and social norms. Instead of grappling with the direct end results of an English major, it is time to focus on the process of learning English and applying the skills it offers to a future reality.

Amiee Zhao (24Ox) is from Shanghai, China.

Ben Brodsky

I grew up believing that political affiliation was nearly completely based on demographics. Race, religion and age all strongly affect groups’ tendencies to choose one party over another, but these variables don’t tell the whole story.

Yale University’s (Conn.) political science department published research in 2011 that connected voters’ psychological traits with their candidates of choice. These traits help to explain personality and behavior and it makes sense that they would be correlated with political preference.

However, New York University Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, recently claimed that even these traits fail to illustrate the full psychological picture.

In a 2012 TED Talk and in his book, “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion,” Haidt offers other explanations regarding moral belief demographics, in addition to physical and psychological ones.

Haidt defined six moral foundations across the political spectrum: harm, fairness, loyalty, authority, purity and freedom. Interestingly, left-wingers, rightwingers and libertarians all prioritized different foundations when questioned.

Similar research has found that liberals were most likely to frame their moral philosophy on harm and fairness. Conservatives were much more likely to emphasize the latter four, applying less weight to harm and fairness. This outcome makes sense when we consider issues like gun control. While a liberal may believe that limiting gun ownership is a means of preventing harm, a conservative is more likely to oppose gun control in favor of personal freedom. These questions extend to other policies as well.

With the goal of further explaining the impact of Haidt’s groundbreaking research, I’ve written examples for both sides of all six foundations. Try and see if you align more closely with Donald or Joe (completely coincidental names) in each story.

1. Harm and care + freedom and oppression

Donald and Joe are having a conversation about COVID-19. Joe, a liberal Democrat, believes that mask mandates and lockdowns were necessary procedures to mitigate the HARM of the virus’s health risk. Donald, on the other hand, recognizes the pandemic’s HARM but believes that the lack of FREEDOM allowed by government-mandated policies overshadows the benefits such choices may have.

2. Fairness and cheating

Donald and Joe are discussing affirmative action in universities. A conservative Republican, Donald opposes racebased programs, citing UNFAIRNESS against Asian students, whom he sees as

CHEATED out of spots at the schools. Joe, on the other hand, disagrees with Donald, instead believing that affirmative action increases FAIRNESS. Joe sees the programs as leveling the playing field, allowing many lowerincome students of color a chance at elite higher education even if they didn’t have access to expensive test preparation.

3. Loyalty and betrayal

Donald and Joe are discussing Black athletes kneeling for the national anthem. For Donald, such action against patriotic symbols feels like a BETRAYAL — a refusal of membership in the American “tribe.” Check out this article on political tribalism to learn more. Joe’s more liberal background doesn’t necessitate particular opinions on LOYALTY, making him indifferent to, if not supportive of, the athletes’ actions.

4. Authority and rebellion

Donald and Joe are debating the impact of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement. Joe is more sympathetic to protesters’ intentions than Donald, who criticizes statements like, “Defund the police” for their REBELLIOUS nature. As a conservative, Donald is skeptical of rebellion due to often-overlooked and unintended consequences. Joe disagrees, questioning if the AUTHORITY in question deserves not to be REBELLED against.

5. Purity and impurity

Donald and Joe are discussing abortion. Donald views a fetus as a PURE being. He believes, religiously and morally, that to abort a fetus is to prevent a potential life from happening. He also believes that sex before marriage is IMPURE, and therefore, lacks sympathy for those impacted by unplanned pregnancies. Joe disagrees, arguing that the mother has the right to control what happens to her body, placing this consideration above that of the fetus’ viability. He does not view sex as PURE, so he sympathizes with those who become pregnant without resources to support a child.

If you sympathized more with Joe’s answers, you are more likely to be leftleaning. If you particularly identified with the harm and fairness aspects of the arguments more than others, you could probably call yourself a liberal.If you sympathized more with Donald’s answers, you are more likely to be right-leaning. If you identified with all or many of the moral foundations present in the stories, you may have conservative tendencies. Political psychology is a highly-nuanced analysis of politics, so many of you are likely in the middle. If you’re anything like me, when discussing politics, you find yourself somewhere in between. Next time someone asks if you’re more left or right-brained, make sure to clarify that they’re not talking politics!

Ben Brodsky (25B) is from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Fine dining is on the verge of collapse, alter your thinking.

Sophia Ling

At the beginning of this year, Noma closed down as a full-time restaurant and will reopen as a food lab. A threestar Michelin restaurant, Noma has gathered a number of accolades, including ranking at the top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2021. The closure signifies something grave: the imminent decline of fine dining.

Weeks later, a critical discussion of Noma, fine dining and the neverending competition for innovation has caused me to reflect on whether the demands for unyielding perfection from consumers constitute a form of food corruption and caused me to wonder: What is the meaning of food, and how does fine dining fit into it?

Fine dining, often thought of as more elaborate, formal high quality food and environment, is on a selfdestructive trajectory. While human creativity is limitless, the physical and mental labor behind every dish is

not. Time and time again, fine dining combines raw talent, artistry and a story into each novel dish — chef Heston Blumenthal’s meat fruit is the first to come to mind.

On a plate, on a Michelin guide and on Instagram, these dishes are illustrious, but the scene behind them is a completely different story.

Restaurant workers are among the worst-treated and most underpaid workers; if you add on the intensive labor and high expectations that toprated dining establishments require on a regular basis, something is bound to fall apart. For instance at Noma, interns were free labor until October 2022. The kitchen staff in fine dining restaurants are often paid minimum wage or less until they get exposed on the internet. No one becomes a chef overnight — everyone has to work their way to the top with long hours and no rest on holidays and weekends. An exposé of Willows Inn, a fine dining restaurant on Lummi Island, revealed overwork, sexual harassment, falsey advertised ingredients and other forms of physical abuse. Fine dining

is an industry more focused on perfection and forcing people out in an attempt to bring forward revolution after revolution, rather than one that everyone can appreciate.

At some point, we must rethink the importance of luxury delicacies: the foie gras, truffles, wagyu steaks and caviars of the world. The price tags above these words might reveal their wealth, but when it comes to truly appreciating the quality and the textures of the food, I doubt many of us can say we really understand.

I’m not absolved of this either. When my family went to London for vacation, I insisted on trying the beef wellington at one of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurants, Bread Street Kitchen and Bar. The asparagus with Hollandaise sauce might have inspired a new kitchen favorite for me, but the overly rare meat inside the wellington made it hard to chew, and I walked away struggling to say it was enjoyable. I wanted to like it — the flakiness of the puff pastry and the umami taste of the duxelles and steak was a god-tier match in my mind. I wanted something

special, a braggable experience and a moment to step into Ramseys’ shoes and feel as though this dish was being prepared just for me. While it’s not completely the same as restaurant critic Tejal Rao’s shrimp and ants experience, at its core is our desire for something so intense, so unexpected, to breathe in the air of luxury just for that moment.

But food is humble. Food is a blank slate, the start of honest intent and unfiltered creativity. Today, its meaning in our lives — and in mine in particular — is a little more complex.

Food history can trace back the flourishing development of civilizations in an almost unbiased manner, incomparable to the oral and written histories of philosophers and historians from the ancient generations. The discovery of grains like wheat, millet and barley made up a majority of the Sumerian diet since 3000 B.C.E., and by the time the Babylonians took over, the truffle became a royal delicacy. Food history has mapped out agricultural shifts, environmental catastrophes and

cultural changes. Fine dining has turned food into an exclusive club, divided by class and status. The realm of haute European cooking might offer a glimpse into new boundaries, but we’ve been shown by restaurants closing and unseemingly exposés the precarity of walking too close to the edge.

Maybe the simplest solution is a complete overhaul of what fine dining means. There will be no shortage of creatives, chefs who spend every waking moment with flavor pairings surrounding their minds. Make no mistake; the René Redzepis, AnneSophie Pics and Heston Blumenthals of the world will continue to find and build places to relocate their talent and their vision. But instead of white tablecloths, candle-lit dining halls and a nine-course meal with no more than a handful of food on each plate, maybe it’s time to bring back the heritage and beauty of food and make it accessible to everyone.

Sophia Ling (24C) is from Carmel, Indiana.

Amiee Zhao

SOPHIA’S SMORGASBOARD

By Amiee ZhAo Contributing Writer

“Don’t forget me / When’s it gonna be my turn? / Open me up, tell me you like me / … love me until I love myself.”

The lyrics from the title track of Lana Del Rey’s new album “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” set the album’s tone. Accompanied by simple piano chords, Del Rey sings slow and low, reflecting on death and love in a calm tone.

The album took nine months to make, and Del Rey admitted in a Jan. 13 interview with Billie Eilish that she postponed releasing it, fearing the public’s misconception of her music. Such worries stemmed from criticism ranging from claims of abuse glorification to cultural misappropriation in her lyrics. Del Rey kept the album in stock for an entire year before finally releasing it on March 24 after a number of songs were leaked online.

In the album, Del Rey talks unreservedly about her own perception of death and life. Nine years since she first spoke publicly about struggles with anxiety and depression, Del Rey has gradually found a new balance and the bravery to embrace her fragility.

In her 2021 album “Blue Banisters,” Del Rey reflects on her attitude toward life in “Text Book,” singing, “I didn’t even like myself, or love the life I had.” The same year, she sang in another album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club:” “There’s nothing wrong contemplating God.” More personal and reflective lyrics like these have been sprouting in her musical journey.

This year, Del Rey seems to have finally found her “tunnel under Ocean Boulevard” to navigate through loneliness and sadness. This is definitely one of her most personal albums, with inti -

The Emory Wheel

mate lyrics and new, bold song arrangements.

The album features frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff in production, who also helped produce Del Rey’s “Norman F****** Rockwell!” (2019) and worked with pop music divas Taylor Swift, Lorde and Troye Sivan. Indie folk rock singer Father John Misty and jazz composer Jon Batiste are also heavily involved in the process. Many of the album’s songs are less catchy than main -

Del Rey’s voice enters, singing, “My pastor told me when you leave, all you take / Oh-oh, is your memory / And I’m gonna take mine of you with me.” The combination of choir music, Del Rey’s usual slow ballads, accompanied by unhurried 4/4 beat piano chords, adds a holy layer to the music, resembling Black gospel songs. It is inferred that Del Rey attributes the song to the support she finds in her family, as “Grant” is her family name.

ception of pop music, which is often short for commercial advertising purposes — three to four minutes long with repetitive patterns. Just as she sings “This is the experience of bein’ an American whore,” Del Rey speaks out against traditional expectations of women being pure and submissive.

Continuing the unconventional theme in “A&W,” “Judah Smith Interlude” follows up with rising piano scales accompanying dia -

styles in her songs adds to the theme of escaping from a cruel reality and discovering new wonders in life. In the song “Paris, Texas,” featuring alternative pop songwriter SYML, Del Rey’s lyrics explicitly refer the movie “Paris, Texas”’s theme of running away from societal expectations and reconnecting with one’s inner self. Del Rey sings, “I took a trip to Spain / Just a notebook in my hand / Then I went to see some friends of mine / Down in Florence, Alabama / When you know, you know ... It’s time, it’s time to go.” The 6/8 beat piano sounds different from Del Rey’s usual long and sorrowful ballads, creating a lighter mood. The low, jazzy beat in the finale, “Taco Truck x VB,” is mixed with digital guitar chords. At the end of the song, Del Rey weaves in some parts of her 2019 song “Venice B****.” The surprising collage is both an illustration of her dream-like tendencies and a contrast with her past, more popstyle music.

However, some of the tracks in the new album retain the more-repetitive pop elements that have been constant throughout Del Rey’s nine albums. These patterns make the album a combination of exploration of music styles and a continuation of her landmark style.

Del Rey’s new album may be one of her most personal artworks yet. She fearlessly talks about breaking conventions and also reveals darker emotions — a contrast to the positive and confident music that dominates American culture.

stream pop music because there are less salient, repetitive patterns as Del Rey relishes her freedom to bridge starkly unrelated music styles together, refusing to be categorized into a single genre. The overall music flows like a stream of consciousness, immersing the audience in the music waves of Del Rey’s creation.

The opening song, “The Grants,” starts with an a cappella from vocalists Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard and Shikena Jones. Then,

In “A&W,” the first single from the album, released on Feb. 14, the vocals lay on top of each other as the song progresses. Toward the end of the seven-minute song, the music suddenly changes into a mixture of electronically synthesized heavy beats that resembles the sound of a beating heart, with Del Rey speaking, “But I don’t care, baby, I already lost my mind.”

The significant length of the song and the sudden change of the beat together protest the traditional per -

logues questioning love and religious spirit, revealing the inherent restrictions and narcissism in religious dogmas.

Similarly, the pure piano scales in “Jon Batiste Interlude” accompany dialogues recorded with an old-fashioned microphone style. Repeating “I’m feelin’ somethin’ right now ... I feel it early, I feel it,” Del Rey seems to be describing the opening up of her heart despite life’s miseries.

The fusion of different music

By collaborating with artists from different fields, Del Rey infuses a new soul into her music. Her songs become flexible with new elements, taking her audience on a journey of unexpected surprises. Del Rey openly shares her experiences reconciling with negative emotions, discovering hidden “tunnels” in life.

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

‘Succession’ Season 4 sets high expectations with piercing premiere

By AlexAndrA KAuffmAn Campus Desk

This review contains spoilers.

After months of anticipation, the first episode of the fourth and final season of “Succession” aired on HBO Max on March 26. The previous three seasons followed Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his children Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) as they fought for control over Waystar Royco, a multibillion-dollar global media and entertainment conglomerate. The show explores vast ideas such as politics, culture, capitalism and the kind of behavior it promotes, in addition to themes of familial abuse and addiction. “Succession” is a story about the evils of corporate America as much as it is a story about troubled children seeking validation from their emotionally manipulative father.

The third season ended with the three siblings teaming up to oust their father from the company once and for all, only for them to learn, in a moment of brutal confrontation, that he already knew of their plan and had kicked them out of the company.

This new season not only succeeds

in catching the audience up but also uses its premiere episode to further the characters’ respective storylines.

Logan is about to secure a deal with Pierce Global Media (PGM), an acquisition that would make Waystar an even more fearsome foe. Meanwhile, the Roy siblings clumsily work together to found a new media conglomerate called “The Hundred.” Through their use of business jargon and vague descriptors, it becomes clear that none of them have a true vision of what the company is. Halfway through the episode, the siblings decide to change their course of action and instead acquire PGM for themselves, citing The Hundred’s lack of concrete goals as the reason.

In addition to the Roy family, every major character from the previous three seasons shows up at some point in the episode, even if only briefly.

Logan’s retinue, including Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Frank (Peter Friedman) and Kerry (Zoe Winters), all appear in the episode, frazzled and overworked as always. Greg (Nicholas Braun) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) return as the awkward comedic duo.

The reappearance of major characters is yet another brilliant feat of the writ-

ing, reorienting viewers and assuring them that no loose threads or character arcs have been forgotten.

The main thrust of season four’s plot is the war between the Roy siblings and their father. As such, most of the season four premiere focused on one microcosm of that conflict, showing the push and pull between the two sides as they struggled over PGM. The latter half of the episode zooms in on the nitty gritty of a business deal — civil conflict on both sides, frustration, squabbling and the hesitant phone calls and half-truths as both sides stack billions upon billions of dollars in an absurd bidding war. The conflict is nail-bitingly intense and so deliciously chaotic.

The premiere of the fourth season is striking because it strongly echoes season one, yet distantly. Both seasons open with Logan’s birthday party, and both seasons feature the siblings unanimous discontentment over a decision their father has made, yet the circumstances are so different. Just as Logan says to Colin (Scott Nicholson) in a quiet moment at dinner, “Nothing is the same as it was.”

The smart, engaging writing is brought to life by the actors, who bring

depth to their characters. Each character contains multitudes and the different faces they put on for different people reveal their underlying desires.

For example, when Shiv is with her brothers, she is snarky in a lighthearted way as she playfully banters with Roman. When it comes to business, she speaks with reserve, holding back her doubts and distrust. While Shiv may be fun yet duplicitous with her brothers, she acts overly aggressive with soon-to-be-ex-husband Tom, speaking in clipped sentences and twisting everything he says into an argument.

Tom, another incredible display of multiplicity within one character, matches Shiv’s energy, putting on a veneer of cold, distant reserve while his frustration simmers below the surface. Though Tom is cool and curt with Shiv, he completely changes shape in front of Logan. He stutters and stumbles over his words, growing more flustered as Logan grows more disinterested. Tom’s behavior, like Shiv and by extension every character, is influenced by those around him. These subtle shifts in performance make the characters feel dynamic and real.

The range of the actors allows

“Succession” to be as thrilling as it is gut-wrenching. The show thrills viewers with the bidding war, yet delivers real emotional punches. In a scene toward the end of the episode, Shiv and Tom speak civilly for the first time in the episode, reflecting on the end of their marriage. In a moment of genuine intimacy that communicates more than all the unspoken words ever could, they hold hands as they lie in bed. After watching these two characters argue with one another while struggling in their other social interactions, this moment of uneasy peace means everything.

“Succession” season four displays all the strengths of its earlier seasons, most notable among them being incisive writing and layered, emotionallycharged performances. The opening episode has moments of chaos and of quietude; it both brings the viewers to the edge of their seats and to the brink of tears. I have confidence that the rest of the season will live up to the quality of its carefully-crafted and poignant premiere.

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

Courtesy of Polydor r eCords

Attend campus plays, concerts, more

By AlexAndriA KAuffmAn Campus Desk

As spring ushers in warmer weather and longer days, the arts at Emory University are also in full bloom. From theater productions, such as Dooley’s Players’ “Twelfth Night” and Theater

Emory’s “Britney Approximately,” to art lectures and screening of an unreleased film, here’s a glimpse at upcoming events in Emory’s art scene. The following events are free and open to all Emory students, faculty and staff.

Student Night at the Carlos

Date: March 29, 7-9 p.m.

Location: Michael C. Carlos Museum

Enjoy a night of activities, art and free food at Student Night. Students will have the opportunity to tour the galleries, make art and listen to the musical stylings of the Solomon Kim Lab Ensemble and Lady Gadget and the Rigamarole.

SPC Concert: Flo Rida

Date: April 1, 7-9 p.m.

Location: McDonough Plaza and Field Dooley’s Week 2023 is closing out with a bang, featuring a live performance from renowned rapper Flo Rida. Doors open at 6 p.m. —– arrive early, and don’t miss this exciting opportunity.

Student music recitals

Date: April 1, 5 p.m.; April 8, 2 p.m.; April 8, 5 p.m.

Location: Cherry Logan Emerson Concert Hall

Student recitals showcase the talents of juniors and seniors majoring in music at Emory, including violinist Kaito Mimura (23C), cellist Caleb Park (23C) and flutist Miyuka Yoshida (23C).

T.S. Eliot/L. van Beethoven Four Quartets

Date: April 1, 8-9:15 p.m.

Location: Cannon Chapel

Join actor Timothy McDonough and The Vega Quartet for an evening of poetry and music: performances of Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130, interspersed with readings of T.S. Eliot’s poems.

Emory Concerto and Aria

Competition

Date: April 2, 7 p.m.

Location: Cherry Logan Emerson

By sAm BArtlett Staff Writer

“SCARING THE HOES” is a rumor no more. On March 24, JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown satisfied alternative hip-hop fans anxiously waiting for the release of their collaborative album. Though this project was rumored for some time, fans were not sure the two unpredictable artists would follow through with it until the drop of the album’s first single, “Lean Beef Patty,” on March 13. However, now that “SCARING THE HOES” has been released, it is safe to say that the anticipation was worth it.

Fans were treated to teasers of the album’s sound with the release of the singles, “Lean Beef Patty” and “SCARING THE HOES.” The former is chaotic and high-energy, featuring edgy social commentary. The latter is more eerie and dissonant, with self-aware lyrics about the generally unpalatable nature of the two artists’ discographies. These singles provide a great sneak peek at many of the main themes present on the album “SCARING THE HOES.”

“Burfict!” continues the hype from “Lean Beef Patty” with a horn-driven beat and a catchy hook. The song has

Concert Hall

A showcase of Emory undergraduate students’ talent, the annual Concerto Competition gives students 10 minutes each to present an instrumental concerto or aria.

The winner will perform with the Emory University Symphony Orchestra in the 2023-2024 season. Enjoy a night of music and support your peers.

Nix-Mann Endowed Lecture and Film Screening

Date: April 4, 7-9:30 p.m.

Location: Ackerman Hall, Michael C. Carlos Museum

Join Nigerian film director, screenwriter and editor C.J. Obasi as he introduces his newest film, “Mami Wata,” which debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January.

In a “folk-futurist” style, the film tells the story of Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), an intermediary between her village and the water deity Mami Wata, while exploring themes of ideological conflict and faith.

health lecture

Date: April 6, 6-7 p.m.

Location: Ackerman Hall, Michael C. Carlos Museum

Join Melvin Edwards, associate professor of art history at the University of Illinois Chicago, for his lecture “Damage and Unity in Melvin Edwards’ Sculpture.” He will explore his artistic process of using abstract metal sculptures to communicate themes of racial justice and political discord.

Dooley’s Players Twelfth Night performance

Date: April 6-8, 13-15, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Location: Emory Campus Life Pavillion

Join Dooley’s Players for their rendition of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” a romantic comedy featuring cross-dressing, love triangles and chaos aplenty.

Nurse Practitioner to Painter: Entering Wellness Through Art and Creativit y

Date: April 10, 12-1 p.m.

Location: Emory Nursing Learning Center

A retired nure practitioner and selftaught painter, Michael Cade utilizes art to express himself and his love for nature. This informal conversation with Cade will feature a discussion about the intersections between creativity and healthcare.

Emory Big Band

Date: April 11, 8 p.m.

By yAshonAndAn KAKrAniA Contributing Writer

The willingness to take creative risks often defines companies’ success. We’ve seen iconic characters such as Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) from “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) and Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from “The Social Network” (2010) who are not afraid of doing everything they can to take their companies to new heights. Biopics based on business tycoons often inspire moviegoers to chase their dreams. These movies serve as food for thought, motivating viewers to take risks and embrace the changes in their environment.

taking culture in the company. Their third rule, “Perfect results count — not a perfect process. Break the rules: fight the law,” is reflected when Sonny gambles with high stakes: landing a partnership with Michael Jordan or losing his job.

Sonny hustles to acquire Michael Jordan and saves the basketball division. The seriousness of his situation allows the movie to feel goal-oriented and related to Nike’s fate.

Britney Approximately

Date: April 6-16, times vary

Location: Mary Gray Munroe Theater

Cost: $15 (non-Emory affiliates)

Written and directed by Emory Playwriting Fellow Megan Tabaque, “Britney Approximately: A Pop Greek Tragedy” blends the ancient Greek tragedy “Medea” with a retelling of the Britney Spears conservatorship court battle.

The play explores themes of power, motherhood and the treatment of celebrities by the public.

Jazz on the Green

Date: April 6, 6 p.m.

Location: Patterson Green

Take some time to relax outside with jazz music, performed by Emory Jazz Combos.

Modern and Contemporary Art

emerged as an early hit from the stillfresh album. Another one is “Kingdom Hearts Key,” featuring young artist redveil, who adds to JPEGMAFIA’s already stellar production and has the honor of being the only feature on the album.

Although unconventional, the production stands out as one of the best attributes of “SCARING THE HOES.” The beats boast noisy energy, unique drums and sampling of video game music.

Additionally, JPEGMAFIA creatively includes mundane sounds. For example, on “SCARING THE HOES,” he incorporates echoing claps, and a notification sound makes the listener think an email has interrupted the song on “Orange Juice Jones.” Critics have scrutinized the album’s mixing, with the noisy beats sometimes burying the vocals.

However, a producer of JPEGMAFIA’s caliber most likely mixed the album this way intentionally. This choice is one of the many ways that JPEGMAFIA and Brown assert their intention to be loud, unfiltered and non-conforming on this project.

However, not every song is meant to be high-energy and loud. “Jack Harlow Combo Meal” uses a smooth jazz sam-

Location: Cherry Logan Emerson Concert Hall

Join Emory Big Band, a jazz ensemble of Emory students, for a performance featuring works from a variety of composers.

Gallery Talk: A Very Incomplete

Self-Portrait

Date: April 12, 6-7:30 p.m.

Location: Works on Paper Gallery

Explore the multitudes of the Carlos Museum “A Very Incomplete Self-Portrait” in this gallery talk, featuring photographer Tom Dorsey, the Museum’s Works on Paper curator Andi McKenzie and Andrew W. Mellon intern Anna Clark.

— Contact Alexandra Kauffman at alexandrakauffman@emory. edu

ple that gives the song a more laid-back feel. Brown’s boastful and aggressive verse beautifully contrasts the beat,

Ben Affleck’s “Air” will hit the theaters on April 5, and it is arguably one of the best sports movies in recent years. Since Michael Jordan’s rise to basketball greatness, Nike’s Air Jordan line of basketball shoes has become a worldwide fashion icon. People of all ages covet the shoes and pay exorbitant amounts of money to acquire them. To answer an unfamiliar customer’s question about the specialness of the shoes, the movie tells a beautiful story of Nike’s rise to shoe domination. It is only right that legends play the underdog story of a worldwide corporation. The cast, including Matt Damon, Affleck, Jason Bateman and Viola Davis, convincingly takes us back to the ’80s. Each member of the cast delivers an incredibly strong and memorable performance. Davis and Damon stand out with their respective roles as Deloris Jordan, Michael Jordan’s mother, and Sonny Vaccaro, a man tasked with saving Nike’s basketball division. Damon conveys a sense of urgency and hope, showing that his character is not afraid of taking risks. Meanwhile, Davis’ character knows her son’s worth with prescient motherly wisdom and business savvy.

However, the dynamite cast could only perform well because of a strong vision and a clever script. Affleck exceeds all expectations, writing the best movie of the year so far with “Air.” He is obviously passionate about Nike’s partnership with Michael Jordan and masterfully balances the comedic melodrama and the accuracy of the historic events. The movie focuses on “The 10 Principles at Nike,” which dictate the ethos of creativity and risk-

The Jewels,” which lyrically references the critically acclaimed rap duo it is named after, also takes a left turn with its funky pop production kicking in halfway through the short track.

“Fentanyl Tester” is another track that incorporates poppy elements with its sample from Kelis’ “Milkshake” and its Wii-themed song-like beat.

JPEGMAFIA and Brown’s chemistry shines on this project. Both rappers utilize provocative and funny lyrics, but their voices are distinct enough to provide a necessary contrast.

Often, JPEGMAFIA will start off a track screaming his lyrics before Brown swoops in with his iconic accent and attitude to close out the song, or vice versa. Either way, these two artists mesh together just as well as fans had hoped for, if not better.

With these two on a project, there is never a lack of clever bars. I have compiled a list of my favorites below:

“First off, f— Elon Musk / Eight dollars too much, b—, that’s expensive (True).” We were all thinking it, but it is even funnier coming from a Twitter celebrity like JPEGMAFIA.

In contrast, “Air” has a breezy, feelgood tone with hilarious jokes. Banter loads the movie, including a play on their tagline, “Just Do It.” There are some inspirational moments that aren’t as effectively emotional because of mundane jokes, but the social message behind the plot still comes across skillfully.

“Air” is optimistically inspiring, with an abundance of industrychanging moments, like Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) designing the first Air Jordan, Phil Knight (Affleck) leading Nike to global dominance and Sonny realizing the potential of NBA’s biggest star, Michael Jordan.

I expected the movie to be centered aound Michael Jordan, but his character is almost inconsequential in the larger plot. Instead, the movie expresses the genius behind the marketing revolution brought about by Nike. “Air” emphasizes Nike’s marketing slogan line, “A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it” throughout, as we look into the rebranding of a sports shoe around a sportsman.

After watching the movie, one cannot help but dive deeper into the significance and work behind the success of the Air Jordan brand. “Air” is sure to leave a mark on the film industry, soaring to heights only Michael Jordan himself could reach.

— Contact Yashonandan Kakrania at yashonandan.kakrania@emory. edu

considering Rock accused rapper Blueface, her ex-boyfriend, of domestic violence.

“I don’t rap circles ’round n—, I do figure eights.” This line perfectly encapsulates the chaotic energy of the album

“These drug addicts attached to me like I’m Tom Holland / Swing on these actors.” JPEGMAFIA references Zendaya’s role in “Euphoria” as well as her boyfriend Holland’s role as Spiderman.

Though “SCARING THE HOES” may not be for everyone, you do not have to be familiar with Brown or JPEGMAFIA to enjoy it; the goal of the album is to break new artistic ground. Also, with the variety of sounds on the project, there is not really a bad track — just different songs for different moods.

and with an equally fun verse from JPEGMAFIA, this track ends up being one of my favorites on the album. “Run

“You can get rocked like Chrisean” — a clever play on social media influencer Chrisean Rock’s name — but Brown may have crossed the line here

With the rappers hinting on Brown’s podcast that this record may be the precursor to several individual releases this year, fans can look forward to more from these two in the near future. Until then, “SCARING THE HOES’’ provides more than enough to keep the fans excited and the hoes scared.

— Contact Sam Bartlett at sam.bartlett@emory.edu

‘Air’ is a tribute to Nike’s success as a global giant

Classical music, extreme metal blend on Ne Obliviscaris’ ‘Exul’

By eAston lAne Staff Writer

Ne Obliviscaris has been a favorite of the extreme metal world for more than a decade, achieving success with a style like no other. The experimentalist band combines death metal’s relentless rhythms, black metal’s melancholic soundscapes and progressive metal’s abstract song structures with classical violin accompaniments.

The Melbourne, Australia quintet’s debut album, “Portal of I” (2012), redefined what metal could be, not just by introducing a new musical approach, but by perfecting it. Catapulting the band from obscurity to cult fame, “Portal of I” gradually made waves across the world, becoming an enduring favorite of the metal underground. Its 11-minute magnum opus, “And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope,” racked up millions of views across its different postings on YouTube, in addition to being taught alongside Ludwig van Beethoven at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Ne Obliviscaris released their fourth full-length album, “Exul,” on March 24. Like its predecessors, the album bears the unenviable task of living up to their discography’s impossibly-high bar. “Citadel” (2014) and “Urn” (2017) were fantastic entries in the band’s catalog, though neither release has had the boundary and genre-breaking success of the lightning-in-a-bottle “Portal of I.” As the band entered the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic still without a new record, anticipation mounted; fans wondered if the six-year wait for “Exul” would signal a new magnum opus or the band’s first misstep.

While every fan will have a different opinion on which album is Ne Obliviscaris’ best, it’s safe to say that “Exul” more than makes up for its six-year wait, featuring some of the band’s most compelling songwriting and experimentation to date. “Equus,” the album’s opening track, bursts with every Ne Obliviscaris trademark a fan could ask for, perfectly balancing vocalist and violinist Tim Charles’ classically-trained vocals with Marc “Xenoyr” Campbell’s abrasive growls. Charles and Xenoyr lament the tragedy of the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires as the track moves from local outrage to philosophical wonder, imagining the bushfires as a symptom of the destruction humanity has inflicted upon the Earth; the scorched desert that will await humanity if our systems do not change. “Equus” also clocks in at over 12 minutes, and Ne Obliviscaris makes the most of that time, embodying natural disasters through musical contrasts. It is as much a song of mourning as a call to arms — one whose emotion becomes tangible on the track’s concluding guitar solo. Heartbroken, desperate and outraged, guitarist Benjamin Baret’s playing succeeds where words fail, embodying grief for the millions of animals killed in the bushfires. Musically and lyrically, “Equus” introduces the main threads interwoven throughout the album’s six tracks, including the concept of “exul” as the feeling of alienation from a world seemingly unresponsive to logic or compassion. As Xenoyr told Season of Mist, the band’s record label, “‘Exul’ felt right to use [for the album title] in a

broader sense and as a lone word, for we each have our own history and a story of exile.”

That exile continues in an even darker sense on the album’s twopart epic, “Misericorde,” a 16-minute composition confronting terminal illness. These two tracks deliver the feeling of alienation from one’s own body with palpable urgency and grief. Whereas the first part, “Misericorde I - As the Flesh Falls” showcases Ne Obliviscaris at their loudest, railing against the truth that life leads to death, “Misericorde II - Anatomy of Quiescence” fades into a dream-like ambiance. Here, Charles’ violin takes center stage like never before, strings singing to guide the primarily instrumental track into atmospheres reminiscent of funeral flowers: both solemn and beautiful.

unleashes “Suspyre” after the listener has already been primed by “Equus” and “Misericorde,” and the results are game-changing. “Suspyre” leans more into the technical death metal genre, a sound characterized by densely layered and technically demanding riffs played at nearly inhuman speeds. Even as every band member pushes themself to the limit, melody is still a primary feature on this track. Charles’

absence of pleasure, and as “Graal” concludes with the ominous portent, “There is only dust / Humanity is gone,” it seems that the song anticipates a post-human future ushered in by humanity itself. “Exul” ends on an impactful, haunting note, Charles’ mournful vocals trailing off in the sway of gentle violin and piano passages.

Altogether, “Exul” is everything fans could have expected from Ne Obliviscaris. The album’s organization allows every song to build off the previous, resulting in a full listen sure to stay with listeners long after the final note. It’s an incredibly difficult album to critique, in large part because nobody else in the world is making music like Ne Obliviscaris and because every song’s balancing act is executed flawlessly. “Exul” could have used one more epic song to reach an even greater theatrical level, and an overarching narrative could have made each theme even more compelling. However, the fact remains that Ne Obliviscaris delivered what fans were promised: another high-caliber metal record strong enough to rival any of their previous releases.

As the “Misericorde” suite concludes the first half of “Exul,” the album’s remaining three tracks commence with “Suspyre,” a song smartly tucked away until release day. Instead of releasing the album’s strongest track as a single, Ne Obliviscaris

violin and guitarists Baret and Matt Klavins’ flamenco skills are perfectly incorporated, and Martino Garattoni’s mind-blowing basslines tie every part of “Suspyre” together.After the revelation of “Suspyre,” the album concludes with “Graal” and “Anhedonia,” a fitting crescendo and decrescendo that takes the listener for one more epic ride. The lyrics of “Graal” are veiled in mystery, but if the forceful instrumentation is any indication, an apocalypse looms over every rhythmic shift.

“Anhedonia” is defined as the

In just over ten years since the release of “Portal of I,” Ne Obliviscaris has jumped from avant-garde metal curiosities to classical experimentalists marrying the elegant and the brutal, doing so with lyrical sincerity and a relentless drive for self-improvement. “Exul” is the next step in the band’s quest to achieve the impossible: to make sense of life and all of its often dispiriting mysteries.

— Contact Easton Lane at easton.lane@emory.edu

Alloy Literary Magazine wrestles with artistic expression on STEM campus

By eliot VAughey

Contributing Writer

On March 22, a Wonderful Wednesday, the Alloy Literary Magazine began to distribute their 2022-2023 edition. I scurried over to their stand to grab a copy.

School donors and alumni often read student-run literary publications like Alloy for a glimpse into the endeavors of current students.

Literary magazines can often indicate an institution’s consistent pedagogical prestige.

A conservative navy blue border frames the bright cover, the back listing the contributors in a polite serif font.

The cover art showcases an overhead view of a breakfast, the table composed of tiles with lotus flowers, Seigaiha-mon waves and other nature scenes.

Alloy staff are listed on the opening page with a staff photo, a rare but appreciated sight that forms a more human connection between the readers and those behind the scenes.

Editor-in-Chief Raegan Allen’s (23C) note to the readers is a professional and courteous introduction to the magazine.

It is helpful to breathe life and personability into the guiding force of a publication.

I expected the magazine to include at least a few love poems, an unavoidable presence in a school publication, of which Alloy is no exception.

In fact, the issue did begin with a love poem.

The content of this sort of poetry could easily sound kitschy, and some of the poems were not immune to this.

(24C) and “Morning Sunlight” by Zuha Jaffar (25C) were some of a handful I particularly enjoyed.

I appreciated the contest-winning pieces. Alloy created prompts for each contest, which allotted more autonomy to the staff to control certain themes in this edition.

With the prompts included, I got to see how the winners interpreted the material they were given in ways I never would have thought. It pleasantly surprised me that the cover art was a contest winner, too.

Alloy attracted some incredible photography as well.

The subject matter is very diverse across the board: nature photography is sprinkled in among portraiture and candid scenes. In terms of other art, I expected there to be more drawings and paintings.

Precise page design and font sizing can save a few dollars in the long run by reducing page count per copy, but some publications require that every art piece is placed on its own page.

greater campus community.”

Sure, art submissions can and do come from all sorts of people and disciplines.

But some quick math reveals that out of the 49 published submissions, 32 of them are staff pieces.

The average number of final submissions for each showcased staff member came to about two pieces, four being the most for a single staff member and all the unaffiliated contributors.

Perusing the Alloy staff bio pages at the end of the issue, I noted many of the contributors hail from similar disciplines in the humanities.

Bias is likely not the reason for this. It is common practice for publications to vote on submissions anonymously.

According to Alloy, the magazine receives around 100 to 150 submissions between the beginning of the fall semester and the end of January.At a typical meeting, Alloy considers anywhere from five to 10 submissions.

or two under your belt.

Publications have the platform to sway that impression depending on how receptive they appear to general art.

While Alloy’s published copy may be unbiased, it does not seem that way. So, how can literary publications like Alloy represent the “greater community,” not an art workshop? Well, advertisement reigns spreme. Yes, Alloy appears at Wonderful Wednesday, but it took me multiple laps to find them on their most important day.

Besides that, the only ways I learned about Alloy as a publication were club fairs, a stray Callaway Memorial Center flier and word of mouth.

Prospective students may change their minds depending on what a given edition has to offer.

Two big questions test the merit of a literary magazine: Is this publication of professional quality, and does it provide a comprehensive view of the student body?

From a glance, this year’s edition of Alloy certainly looks fancy.

But for the most part, love and love-adjacent poems in this edition were more experimental than the cliche poems I had encountered in other publications, playing with delivery and imagery.

I found this to be refreshing. The writing submissions warmed my jaded artistic heart.

I think any person could find a poem in this year’s edition that they like just from the breadth at their disposal; “Entry Points” by Macy Perrine

In this issue, however, I noticed several instances when two separate pieces appeared on a single page, one visual art and the other literary.

For contributors, this might feel like being spoken over, but for editors, it might be a necessary layout decision.

I encountered one glaring factor that impacted my entire impression of Alloy’s 2022-2023 edition: representation.

The editor’s note reads, “Emory’s collective of creatives come from all its corners. … I encourage you to luxuriate in these offerings that not only characterize the artist themselves, but our

It makes sense that editors and staff like to share their work. They are creative-minded participants in a publication that serves their own artistic community on a predominantly preprofessional campus.

However, that community can be a double-edged sword.

My perspective into Emory’s art community as a freshman has shown me that it is highly elusive, if not exclusive.

Among other hurdles, literary and compositional terminology is thrown around like hotcakes — and you have to be “in the know” to catch it.

You need to have a workshop class

Advertisement has to be as widespread as possible, on and in every single building or surface on campus for it to work. If it is not directly in someone’s face as they open a building door, you could say it was never even there. For a community to grow, it has to have a strong, consistent presence.

While Alloy has a solid reputation with quality submissions to boot, there is still room for improvement in more nuanced ways that some publications do not have the force to approach.

I firmly believe Alloy is up to the task with what I have seen in this year’s edition. With some extra effort, I am sure Alloy will invite more of the diverse submissions it vowed to deliver.

— Contact Eliot Vaughey at eliot.vaughey@emory.edu

Courtesy of se A son of mist

Musically and lyrically, “Equus” introduces the main threads interwoven throughout the album’s six tracks, including the concept of “exul” as the feeling of alienation from a world seemingly unresponsive to logic or compassion.

Courtesy

Emory Life The Emory Wheel

Woman-owned Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft brings the heat

By LeiLah Burgher Contributing Writer

Over the weekend, a few friends and I decided to grab dinner at Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to eat at a womanowned establishment.

The owner of the restaurant is Chef Deedee Niyomkul, the daughter of famous Atlanta Thai chefs Charlie and Nan Niyomkul.

DeeDee has cooked on Food Network, with a notable victory on “Beat Bobby Flay,” and owns two other Atlanta restaurants, Nan Thai Fine Dining and Chai Yo Modern Thai. She opened Tuk Tuk Thai Loft in 2010 to serve tapasstyle food and gourmet Thai entrees.

I first came across the restaurant on Instagram, and the food looked incredible, so I had to give it a try.

The restaurant is located in a beautiful white loft building on Peachtree Street in Midtown, with a city skyline view and a peaceful outdoor patio space to dine in the warmer weather. The interior is bright and colorful.

On the bottom floor, there is an actual tuk-tuk automobile in the lobby where guests can sit and take pictures. The restaurant itself is on the third floor. Candlelit tables and dim lighting create a mellow and intimate ambiance. The atmosphere was warm and comforting, and the employees were all very pleasant.

To start off our dining experience, we chose two appetizers. The first was pla muk thod, crispy fried calamari with a Thai chili lime sauce. The calamari were fried perfectly and the tangy sauce was a great compliment.

Next, I tried their Thai wings, which

sweet

were coated in fried garlic, mint and cilantro and paired with a sweet chili dipping sauce. The chicken wings were huge, which was greatly appreciated. These flavors were unlike anything I have ever tasted before. The chicken had a savory, tangy and umami flavor that was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the dipping sauce. I really enjoyed these dishes and, to say the least, the plates were empty when we finished.

After our delectable appetizers, we were confident that our entrees would be just as tasty.

I tried a total of four dishes. The first one was the pad thai chicken. Pad thai is one of Thailand’s most popular and wellknown dishes, so I wanted to see how well Tuk Tuk Thai was able to make it.

The dish consisted of chicken, sauteed rice noodles, sweet tamarind, scallion, egg, bean sprout, bean curd, crushed peanut and lime juice. Although there were many elements to

delicious

this dish, they all harmoniously came together to produce a fantastic flavor. The chicken was tender and the noodles were perfectly cooked. My favorite part was the crushed peanut that added a satisfying texture and nutty taste to this sweet and spicy meal.

Candlelit tables and dim lighting create a mellow and intimate ambiance. The atmosphere was warm and comforting.

The only critique I have is to add more noodles because they were a bit too generous with the bean sprouts.

The next dish I tried was Thai fried rice. It had chicken stir fried with

rice, egg, onion and broccoli. Although simple, it was quite flavorful.

The third item was actually not included on the menu, but one that we found on their Instagram page.

They allow you to order any nonmenu item that is found there as well. It was the drunken noodles, made with flat rice noodles, spice, soy sauce, eggs and shrimp. This was my favorite noodle dish out of the two.

The noodles had a bouncy texture and absorbed so much flavor. Although spicy, there were some sweet notes to the dish which came through in the sauce and the shrimp. Saving the best for last, the fourth dish that we tried was the massaman chicken curry. It was a rich and flavorful yellow curry with onion, cardamom, clove,

peanut, potato and chicken. This curry was phenomenal. It had such a depth of flavor.

I could taste the cardamom and the coconut milk that was used as a base for the curry. The chicken was tender and the peanuts were served whole, which is something that was unique to this dish.

After such a hefty meal, I was stuffed. Still, we could not help but indulge in a couple sweets. The dessert menu did not disappoint. It contained a variety of traditional Thai desserts with ingredients that I was not totally familiar with, like pumpkin custard and lotus seed.

We decided to try something new, so we got the lychee cheesecake and

See THAI, Page 16

Emory gymnastics creates space for tumbling, building community

By Jessie satovsky Staff Writer

Natalie Sorel (26C), who serves as Emory Gymnastics’ director of public relations, was not planning on doing gymnastics in college.

Sorel had started gymnastics when she was four years old and was burnt out from practicing routines and competing for over a decade.

But when she walked past Emory Gymnastics’ table at the fall 2022 club fair, she could not resist writing her name down and giving the team a try.

“I wish people knew that if you’re even interested in coming, please do

… just come one time to see how you like it because I’m sure you will,” Sorel said.

“You might be intimidated when you come the first time, but there’s really nothing intimidating about it. I came to a couple of practices, and everyone’s just super welcoming and nice.”

Emory Gymnastics is a supportive community that is open to everyone — no prior experience required.

Members range from people who have never attempted gymnastics before to lifelong gymnasts.

Emory Gymnastics President Jayden Davis (25B) joined the team

last year with a lot of passion and zero prior experience.

“I had always wanted to do gymnastics, but my mother would never let me, so I reached out to Tracy Eng, the president at the time, for some information regarding weekly practices and somehow ended up becoming the president myself,” Davis wrote in an email to the Wheel.

“It was nice to begin learning it in an environment that is so judgmentfree and supportive of each other.”

While gymnastics can be inaccessible and often exclusive to people who do not fit the “gymnast” stereotype — incredibly fit, strong and disciplined athletes who have been honing their skills for decades — Emory Gymnastics prides itself on being nothing like that.

Davis wrote that Emory Gymnastics actively encourages people to join — especially if they are new to gymnastics.

Emory Gymnastics Treasurer Maja Jovanovic (21Ox, 23C) joined the team during her junior year after graduating from Oxford College.

Jovanovic said the team is a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds, from those who want to practice handstands or cartwheels, to those who want to compete at a high level.

Sorel mentioned how even students who join for one practice or come to a practice halfway through the semester are welcomed with open arms.

“It’s super supportive, everyone’s super kind, everyone’s funny,” Sorel

said.

“We love to joke around with each other during practice. Also, our coaches … [are] all awesome.”

Practice is held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 to 10 p.m., and Davis wrote that members usually carpool or share Ubers on the way to and from Intown Stars Gymnastics in Decatur, Ga.

During practice the gymnasts do everything from tumbling and line drills to cartwheels, handstands and front handsprings, and students can experiment with any other skills they are interested in.

Emory Gymnastics is almost completely student-run.

The club’s executive board organizes the team’s logistics, practice sched-

ule and recruitment.

Coaches, who work at Intown Stars Gymnastics, help students practice and learn new skills, but Jovanovic said that they are not very involved with most of the team’s logistics.

On Feb. 25, the team helped host the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) Southeast Regionals, bringing in teams from Clemson University (S.C.), the University of Tennessee, the University of Alabama, Kennesaw State University (Ga.) and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Emory’s team received a number of individual medals in the Xcel Silver and Xcel Platinum divisions,

See CLUB, Page 16

Courtesy of emory GymnastiCs

Emory’s Club Gymnastics team poses in their snazzy blue and gold competition gear and throws up the Emory eagle sign before competing in their tournament.

LeiL ah BurGher/ContriButinG Writer

Tuk Tuk Thai’s Thai wings were crunchy and juicy, paired with a side of veggies to make the perfect appetizer.

Courtesy of emory GymnastiCs

The Emory Club Gymnastics team poses with smiling faces at Intown Stars Gym in Decatur, Ga., where they hold their practices each and every Wednesday and Friday.

LeiL ah BurGher/ContriButinG Writer

The lychee cheescake was

and

at Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft located on Peachtree Street in Midtown.

Oxford cultural clubs organize frst Taiwanese Night Market

By ayLa khan and haLLe WuLff Staff Writer and Contributing Writer

Lively energy, bustling activity and smiling faces are just a few images that characterize Oxford College’s Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA) Night Market on March 23.

The market featured booths from nearly every cultural association at Oxford, including the Oxford Chinese Student Association (OCSA), the International Student Association (ISA), the Arab Culture Association (ACA), the South Asian Cultural Association (SACA) and the Asian Culture Club (ACC).

Each booth provided traditional games and food that corresponded to the club represented. Students earned tickets by playing games at each booth, which they could then exchange for food.

For example, SACA offered a variation of beer pong called Desi water cup and served falooda and iced chai, while ACA organized a bracelet-making station and served baklava and mint lemonade.

Toward the end of the night, students enjoyed performances from the Asian Fusion Dance Team (AFDT) and Nishana, Oxford’s Bollywood dance

group.

TASA’s co-presidents, Zoe Liu (24Ox) and Grace Chou (24Ox), as well as its vice president, Allison Liu (24Ox) were the primary event organizers. However, they gave credit to each club that worked with them to pull together the market in a little under a month.

“Planning was definitely a challenge, considering the night market was a collaboration between eight different clubs,” Chou wrote in an email to the Wheel. “I am indebted to all of the club presidents and event coordinators who made communication easy and effective.”

Although the planning process was marked with chaos and challenges, like determining the ticket system, inviting and communicating with clubs and determining kitchen availability, Chou wrotenotes that she was “incredibly appreciative of all the people who enjoyed and supported” the Market. The event was nothing short of a success in her eyes.

“I am very happy with the way the night market turned out, and incredibly appreciative of all the people who enjoyed and supported our event,”

Chou wrote.

Despite her initial worries, Liu wrote that she was happy with the event turnout.

“As [it was] my first time host-

Thai restaurant delights

ing a huge event involving multiple clubs, I was a little bit worried about the outcome, but I feel like the event turned out really well,” Liu said. Liu added that everyone was engaged and enjoyed the food provided at the event.

Noah Lian (23Ox), who tabled for ACC at the market, said he felt the event was a good way to create unity among different cultures on campus.

“I’m really loving it,” Lian said. “I… it’s promoting a sense of community and unity, so I think it’s really cool we’re doing this event.,” said Lian.

Many students said the event was not only entertaining and engaging, but also informative and educational.

“It’s really good to bring knowledge to a lot of different students on campus and have a better base of … the foundations of different upbringings,” Rishi Earla (23Ox) said.

Chou wrote that it was important for her to use the market to blend other cultures into the event, show-

casing a wide variety of cultures in order to better educate and expose the student body to different traditions.

“A core part of our mission at TASA this semester is to bridge the gap between our understanding of Taiwanese culture, as Taiwanese students, and the rest of Oxford’s student body,” Chou wrote.

“Night markets are such an important part of Taiwanese culture and cuisine, so we felt that creating this event would be the perfect opportunity to share our culture with others.”

Their mission was a success, according to Gita Paladugu (23Ox), who attended the event.

“It’s a really cool way to bring cultural aspects of different organizations together through food,” said Paladugu. “Food is a major way that a lot of people celebrate their culture.”

Chou wrote that she hopes the night market will encourage other cultural

associations to collaborate more often with cultures that seem widely different.

“I want the night market to be a representation of what collaboration among clubs can be,” Chou wrote. “TASA is a small cultural association and getting to work with much bigger clubs, like ACC and AFDT, was such a dream.”

Liu agreed, adding that TASA will continue to call for the collaboration of distinctly different cultures.

“I definitely hope that the night market will appear again in the same form in the near future ... and become a recurring event that brings different clubs together to showcase different cultures in an enjoyable way,” Liu said.

— Contact Ayla Khan at ayla.khan@emory.edu and Halle Wulff at halle.wulff@emory.edu

Club gymnastics team builds skill

Continued from Page 15

placing third overall for women’s Xcel Platinum.

“It required a lot of planning, coordination and communication between everyone on the team, but it was a great opportunity for us to showcase our skills and meet other gymnastics teams,” Davis wrote.

Looking forward, Davis said he hopes that the team will get to go to more competitions.

Due to COVID-19, the team was unable to compete at the NAIGC Nationals for the past few years, but they are planning on going this year.

In addition, he hopes Emory Gymnastics can start collaborating more with other nearby teams such as Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State.

Continued from Page 15

the Bangkok snow cone.

The lychee cheesecake was a classic cheesecake with lychee flavor served with fresh lychee fruit and a sweet fruit sauce.

Decadent and not too sweet: It was to die for. The lychee was so fresh and added a light flavor to the dessert.

The Bangkok snow cone was something to see.

It was a bowl of rose-colored shaved ice with a variety of toppings such as lychee, jackfruit, jelly, redbean, lotus seed, palm seed, rose syrup and condensed milk.

This dessert was definitely interesting. I really enjoyed the fruit and the fun of eating shaved ice, but the combination of flavors was overwhelming for me.

Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft is a lovely weekend spot to enjoy a meal.

As college students, it’s sometimes difficult to find nice places to eat that are also affordable, so this is definitely a perfect option. Get dressed, eat a delicious meal and don’t forget to take pics!

— Contact Leilah Burgher at leilah.burgher@emory.edu

Jovanovic echoed Davis’ sentiments, stating that the club is hoping to do more fundraising so that the team can enter more competitions.

She added that she is looking forward to seeing how Emory Gymnastics grows over the next few years.

Emory Gymnastics is a unique community that prioritizes student passion over prior experience and competitive success. If you are brave enough to try it out, you may just find your new passion there.

— Contact Jessie Satovsky at jessie.satovsky@emory.edu

han/staff Writer

Oxford student dance group performs at the Night Market.

han/staff Writer

Oxford students line up to visit the cultural clubs’ tables, including the Oxford Chinese Student Association, the International Student Association, the Arab Culture Asssociation, the South Asian Cultural Association and the Asian Culture Club.

LeiL ah BurGher/ContriButinG Writer

The Bangkok snow cone was a bowl of rose-colored shaved ice with a variety of toppings such as lychee, jackfruit, jelly, redbean, palm seed and rose syrup.

Courtesy of emory GymnastiCs

Emory Gymnastics is a unique community that prioritizes student passion over prior experience and competitive success. The team hopes to go to more competitions in the future including the NAIGC Nationals.

Chicken and wafes? At Atlanta Breakfast Club, it’s as easy as ABC

By sasha Lessin-Burris

Contributing Writer

Over the weekend, I went to the famous Atlanta Breakfast Club at their flagship location in downtown Atlanta, just across the street from the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Affectionately nicknamed “ABC,” the restaurant draws crowds most days of the week — Saturday was no exception.

I put my name down on the Yelp waiting list and waited on Emory University’s campus for almost two hours before leaving to get a table for me and my friend. But, if you have time to spare and plan ahead, ABC is definitely worth the wait.

With metal tables and chairs reminiscent of a diner and a food truck serving drinks outside, the restaurant creates a casual vibe and uses every ounce of space.

ABC gets a lot of hype. I found it scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, not to mention city guides and

tourist lists.

In fact, I had actually tried ABC’s satellite location on Auburn Avenue just a few weeks ago.

For anyone that visits ABC, the chicken and wafes is a must-try!

The restaurant serves a classic version, as well as two secretmenu options.

This location serves a limited menu of just chicken and waffles, but it was so good that I had to try the full menu of Southern comfort food offered at ABC. The Club’s main location did not disappoint.

I started off with the classic chicken and waffles, which I shared with my friend, as it came with two waffle and chicken sandwiches.

Crossword Mini

By Katherine Wang

The fried chicken was the best I‘d ever had. The outside was crisp and flaky, and the inside was tender and juicy. It was seasoned well and had great texture and flavor. The waffles were fluffy and paired well with the chicken. The syrup was warm and sweet. As a chicken and waffle sandwich, the dish was very filling. For anyone that visits ABC, the chicken and waffles is a must-try!

The restaurant serves a classic version, as well as two secret-menu options: Georgia peach and a spicy version.

I went with the classic, but saw other tables ordering the Georgia peach, which consisted of the clas-

sic chicken and waffles topped with peach cobbler. My friend and I also ordered the breakfast tacos to split, which came with three tacos.

These were cleverly designed and surprised us: the “tortillas” were made from French toast!

If that seems hard to imagine, picture a circular French toast pounded down and thinned out.

With a slight crunch and a soft, chewy inside, the French toast tortillas made the dish. Topped with eggs, bacon, cheese, green onions and syrup, the breakfast tacos exceeded our expectations. The bacon was high quality and very crispy.

The ratio of egg to meat was perfect.

If you are looking for something new and quirky, I would definitely recommend ordering this dish.

My only critique was the drinks. The options were limited to canned/ bottled soda or lemonade. I wished the drinks had been made in-house and that there were more options available like hot chocolate or hot tea.

The service was very good. The food came out fast, and our waiter was friendly and helped us pick items to order.

The restaurant felt young and hip, which was a great way to start off the weekend.

— Contact Sasha Lessin-Burris at sasha.lessin-burris@emory.edu

PAID RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY : Individuals aged 12-34 in the Atlanta area needed for online research study

The Emory Mental Health & Development Program is seeking participants for an online research study about how your thoughts about other people and your perception of things can be assessed through computerized tasks.

Individuals aged 12-34 in the Atlanta metropolitan area may be eligible for participation.

Participants are asked to complete baseline study sessions, then 12-month and 24- month follow-ups. Appointments are online. Compensation is $30 per hour.

For more information, please visit our website or contact us.

1. With 3-Down and 5-Down, a popular book by Dr. Seuss

5. The average human head has about 100,000 of these

6. To have the same opinion

7. Confused fght

8. Nickname for variations of Catherine

1.Adjective describing someone with a strong, urgent desire

2. Stereotype

Phone number: 404-727-7547

Email: mentalhealth.research@emory.e du

Website: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/mhdp/ or scan the QR code:

Scan for answers!

STU00211351: CAPR

Principal investigator: Elaine Walker

sasha Lessom-Burris/ContriButinG Writer The chicken and waffle sandwich was crispy and delicious.

of the color pink

3. Result of mixing yellow and blue

4. How a snake might say to look

5. Honey-baked or black forest, e.g. black forest, e.g.

sasha Lessom-Burris/ContriButinG Writer

The Atlanta Breakfast Club (ABC), located in downtown Atlanta near the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, serves Southern comfort food such as chicken and waffles.

A female experience of fnding a safe space in exercise

By Jenna Daly Managing Editor

Content warning: This article contains references to body dysmorphia.

“I’m going for a run” is a loaded statement for women. Most men don’t perceive an alternative meaning behind those words, but for me and many women, going for a run has never been simple. For a woman, there are additional factors in deciding where and when to work out beyond convenience or enjoyment. Getting ready for a run consists of putting my shoes on, mapping out a route with friends’ houses along the way and telling someone where I’m going or how long I’ll be gone.

I don’t go on trail runs alone at home because I am a woman. I can never have the tranquil experience of exploring an off-the-beaten path in the woods with only my thoughts. During winter break, I was getting tired of my usual routes and wanted a change of pace. So, I planned to drive 20 minutes to a nearby trail just before sunset, but my parents wouldn’t let me because they didn’t think it was safe.

Although I was annoyed at their prohibition, I have since reflected on that moment many times. Why didn’t my parents want me to go alone? The answer recently dawned on me: they didn’t want their daughter to become a national headline.

Since 2016, there have been 21 women killed during a run across the world. Three of them were killed within a nine-day span in 2016. Each time I see a headline of similar horrors, it hurts my heart and makes me a bit more fearful. I think about how all those women spent their last moments unassumingly going out for a run, just like I do every morning. It makes me think twice about running

TENNIS

in the dark or in a part of town I don’t know very well. Women should feel safe while working out, but the fear of criticism or harassment often discourages them from exercising. According to a 2016 Runner’s World survey, “43% of female respondents said they’d been regularly subjected to harassing behavior (catcalls, whistles, honked horns, sexual propositions, etc.) that made them feel unsafe.” Regardless of whether other women have experienced these behaviors, knowing these actions occur regularly changes the way women view exercise. Men consider whether they ate the proper food for breakfast before their run; women worry if they are choosing a safe path. The additional planning required for exercise can deter women, especially if they are already squeezing a quick session into their busy days.

Even when women run with men, they cannot escape the perpetual harassment. One morning in January, I ran with two female and two male teammates. We started our run at 5:45 a.m., well before the sun came up. As we cruised through Druid Hills, an obviously drunk man stuck his head out of a car window and yelled, “Take your shirts off!” We were able to laugh it off together, but had I been alone, I would have felt afraid and vulnerable. I decided to go for a run that morning, not to endure unsolicited harassment. When I step out of the door, I should not have to prepare myself for the dangers that might await.

Even off the trails, women are still repeatedly subjected to harassment, especially in the gym. A 2021 RunRepeat survey found that “56.37% of female gym members have experienced harassment at the

Men’s and women’s tennis go undefeated at home

By Clement lee Sports Editor

The Emory University men’s and women’s tennis teams competed in four home matches from March 24 to 26 at the Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC). Both teams went undefeated. The men’s team beat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the women earned three big wins against North Carolina Wesleyan University, DePauw University (Ind.) and Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.).

Men narrowly overcome MIT

The men’s team fought their way to victory against the No. 31 MIT Engineers on March 26. Coming into the match, Emory was ranked No. 8. Junior Ryan Glanville said the team felt “confident” that the matchup would be a swift victory.

“We’ve had a pretty good season so far, and so we felt like obviously we should beat them pretty handily,” Glanville said. “[It] ended up being a much tighter match than it probably should have been.”

Glanville and graduate student Charlie James kicked off the doubles contest with an 8-6 win over MIT’s Wayne Nelms and Derek Shen. James attributed their doubles victory to their strong serving and ability to

understand each other on the court.

“If we’re serving well, we know that we’re pretty tough to beat just because we’re trying to create so much pressure … they feel a lot of pressure,” James said. “But I think the main thing is just we have a lot of trust in each other.”

Senior Andrew Esses and freshman John Lasanajak defeated MIT’s Sundeep Chakladar and Daniel Papacica (8-1). MIT prevented an Emory sweep in the last match of doubles competition when Kailas Kahler and Nicholas Liu beat senior Samuel Dean and freshman Dean Kamenev 8-7 (7-4).

Although the Eagles performed well in the doubles matches, the singles matchups were closer contests. MIT’s Benji Grossman defeated freshman Eshaan Dani in two sets (6-2, 6-2), and MIT’s Ryan Xiao defeated Glanville (6-2, 6-2).

The Eagles found their rhythm in the next two matches. Despite losing the first set 6-3, sophomore Emilio Van Cotthem went on to dominate the next two (6-1, 6-1). James continued to ride the hot hand for the Eagles, defeating Papacica (6-2, 6-1). Although Kamenev lost his singles match to Shen in three sets (6-3, 2-6, 5-7), Esses had the ability to win the match for the Eagles with the overall team score tied at 4-4.

Esses played a three set thriller

gym,” a rate 2.68 times higher than that for men. Out of those women, 28.69% reported feeling uncomfortable in their gyms.

Recently, some women have taken to social media to call out perpetrators. On TikTok, women are regaining power in the gym through hashtags like #GymCreep that call out men’s inappropriate gestures or comments. Although this trend provides women a platform to voice their experiences, it is a short-term amelioration that cannot correct an institutional problem. Women should not have to rely on the threat of video documentation to work out in peace. The idea that women need leverage so men will leave them alone is absurd.

In addition to the physical safety aspect of working out, women are also impacted mentally. For many people, working out is a stress-reliever. Lifting weights or running releases the pent-

up energy that accrues throughout the week. Personally, I use my runs to step away from school-related stressors or expectations, but doing so becomes impossible for me and other women if we feel uncomfortable while exercising. Women should have access to the welcome distraction that a gym provides. They should not feel additional stress or anxiety in an environment meant to encourage mental and physical well-being.

Men often treat women with a dismissive attitude in the gym, as if they expect women to somehow maintain their physical health without working out. I follow multiple female powerlifters who regularly post videos showing people’s reactions in the gym when they are lifting. While some of the videos are funny and sweet, others show rude gestures of disbelief and a sense of mocking. Occasionally, one will depict a man complimenting a female lifter, but only because he didn’t believe she was capable of moving so much weight — him being impressed stems from his initial doubt about her abilities.

The dichotomy surrounding women and working out is interesting to me. An inherently problematic “thin privilege” leads to many skinny women being idolized in ways those of other body types are not. Although body weight does not equate to healthiness, women are still encouraged to work out solely to look slim.

The pressure to slim down is pervasive, yet men do not foster a welcoming environment for women in the gym. Men obsess over skinny supermodels like Kendall Jenner or Gigi Hadid, yet they still intimidate women who want to go to the gym. Women who like cardio are seen as weak, but those who lift are try-

See WORKING, Page 19

against Kahler, scoring the final point to give the Eagles the win. He said losing the first set was “a tactic” to build motivation needed to win the matchup.

“It’s very mental, getting upset against someone that’s better than you,” Esses said. “Honestly I did once I gave him the first set. [I knew] that I was going to win the match. He got out there. I got out to a good start in the second set. Then, my third set record … that’s probably one of the best parts about my tennis [game].”

James said that he has set larger goals for the rest of the season leading up to the University Athletic Association (UAA) tournament in April.

“We’re just going to continue to work,” James said. “Our next big tournament is the UAAs and this is going to be a good benchmark for us to see where we are in terms of our tennis and, physically and mentally, if we’re able to compete with the best teams in the country.”

The men’s team will compete next at home against Georgia Gwinnett College on April 2 at 4 p.m. winnett College on April 2 at 4 p.m.

Women earn statement win on senior day

See WOMEN, Page 19

Braves look to chop their way to another championship

By Samir Cooper aJy Contributing Writer

Coming off a “Cinderella” World Series win in 2021, the Atlanta Braves continued their domination in the MLB and won 101 games last year, surpassing their win total from 2021 by 13 games. The Braves entered the postseason with high expectations to win back-to-back World championships.

However, the Philadelphia Phillies, who were on a “Cinderella” run of their own, curtailed the Braves’ hopes. The Braves look forward to building off their success from last season and chopping their way into another championship.

Long-term contracts

Entering the 2023 season, the Braves will retain a majority of their core players and look to utilize them for years ahead. In the offseason, the team offered a 10-year $212 million contract to third baseman Austin Riley, an eight-year $72 million contract to National League (NL) Rookie of the Year outfielder Michael Harris II, an eight-year $75 million contract to NL Rookie of the Year runner-up pitcher Spencer Strider and an eight-

year $168 million contract to Matt Olson, who the Braves acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics last March.

Olson, who arrived in Atlanta with the lofty expectation of replacing former longtime first baseman and franchise player Freddie Freeman, looked to build off of his 2022 campaign at the plate, in which he hit 34 home runs and maintained a .240 batting average. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner also hopes to improve his fielding play from last season.

Notable losses

The Braves traded for Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy in December 2022. Murphy is a force to be reckoned with behind the plate and is considered one of the best catchers defensively in the MLB. As a part of the three-teamdeal that sent Murphy to Atlanta and All-Star designated hitter and catcher William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers. Though this trade marked one of the team’s notable losses from the 2022 season, Murphy and veteran Travis d’Arnaud are expected to be one of

See ATLANTA, Page 19

Jessie satovsky/C ontributing illustrator

Women win big, dominate senior day matches

Continued from Page 18

The No. 9 women’s team faced North Carolina Wesleyan on March 24. Junior Ana Cristina Perez and freshman Emily Kantrovitz earned the first point for the Eagles after winning their doubles match 8-3. The team won two more doubles matches and carried their momentum into singles. Senior Stephanie Shulman and Perez earned commanding victories in their singles matches, and freshman Alyssa Margolin went undefeated in straight sets (6-0, 6-0).

The women’s team also celebrated senior day on March 25 during their match against DePauw University. Shulman said the celebration did not distract the team from their goal to win.

“We just wanted to go out there and compete alongside our teammates, and be able to walk away knowing that we did all that we could and we were able to do that day,” Shulman said.

The Eagles dominated both the doubles and singles matches against DePauw University. Perez and Kantrovitz won their doubles match

8-4, freshman Izzy Antanavicius and senior Alexa Goetz won 8-6 and freshman Iris Berman and sophomore Eliza McPherron won 8-0.

In the singles, Shulman found her groove with a win (6-1, 6-0). Additional wins from Kantrovitz, McPherron, Berman and Antanavicius put six straight points on the board for the Eagles.

Berman said that she and the team used the early wins as fuel for the rest of the weekend.

“Sometimes you feel like [the] energy will fall but I think we really picked up the energy and you feed off that,” Berman said. “I think that especially towards the last matches, I really fed off that energy, and I felt, really getting confident out there.”

Emory faced the No. 10 Sewanee Tigers on March 26. Though they were only ranked one spot behind the Eagles, the Tigers were unable to score a single point. This match propelled the Eagles to a 9-0 record in all three matches this weekend.

Kantrovitz and Perez started off the day strong with an 8-4 win in

their doubles match, followed by a flurry of doubles wins from Goetz and Antanavicius (8-3) and McPherron and Berman (8-5).

The Eagles went 6-0 in the singles matches against Sewanee. Berman won her match (6-4, 2-6, 10-6). Shulman’s win in a close match (7-5, 7-5) gave the Eagles an additional edge over the Tigers. McPherron also came out on top with a commanding singles win (6-0, 6-2).

Shulman said the three wins were a good confidence booster for the rest of the season.

“It’s not that common that you see like three 9-0 wins in a row,” Shulman said. “That’s 27 total matches that we didn’t lose … It’s a good step forward as we continue on towards the postseason.”

Following the three straight wins, the women’s team has a 7-3 overall record. The team will travel to face Tufts University (Mass.) on March 31 at 12 p.m.

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

SWOOP’S SCOOP

Atlanta has well-positioned roster for postseason run

Continued from Page 18

the best catching duos in the MLB.

Other notable losses include relief pitcher Luke Jackson to the San Francisco Giants and outfielder Adam Duvall to the Boston Red Sox — both played key roles in the team’s 2021 World Series run. To replace Jackson, the Braves acquired Joe Jiménez from the Detroit Tigers. Longtime shortstop Dansby Swanson also signed a lucrative contract with the Chicago Cubs this offseason, and Tyler Matzek, another relief pitcher who was a key contributor to the 2021 run, will miss the entire 2023 season to Tommy John surgery.

Despite the team’s highly-successful 2022 campaign, key players suffered injuries. Outfielder Eddie Rosario underwent eye surgery in April 2022 and missed nearly three months. All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies broke his foot during a game against the Washington Nationals. In just his second game back from injury in June, Albies broke his right pinky finger and missed the remainder of the season. The Braves need to have all of their players healthy if they wish to stay competitive in the NL this season.

Positionally, the Braves boast one of the best outfields in the MLB. Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., who had a big comeback season after suffering an ACL tear in July 2021, is expected to be at full strength entering the 2023 campaign. The 25-year-old outfielder is considered a “dark horse” to win the NL MVP award.

Likewise, Harris II is positioned to follow up his NL Rookie of the Year campaign with another big year in 2023. Rosario, who has fully recovered from his eye surgery, is expected to positively contribute in the outfield and at the plate. Newlyacquired outfielders Kevin Pillar and Sam Hilliard, along with the returning Ehire Adrianza, are expected to serve as quality depth pieces, replacing Duvall and center fielder Guillermo Heredia.

Outfielder Marcell Ozuna remains on the roster despite a sustained finger injury, domestic violence arrest and fans accusing him of being under-performing. Fans widely speculated that the team would cut ties with Ozuna. The outfielder, however, is slated to remain on the team in 2023 and split time in left field with Rosario.

Positional woes

To the surprise of many, the Braves named veteran and utility player Orlando Arcia the Opening Day starter at shortstop. Despite the team having long-term solutions at many positions, the club entered Spring Training with several open ones. To replace the departed Swanson, there was an ongoing competition for the starting shortstop position. Twenty-two-year-old Vaughn Grissom, who appeared in 41 games with the Braves last season after Arcia, was favored to win the starting job.

When asked about the surprise move, third base and infield coach Ron Washington said at a press release that Grissom and fellow shortstop prospect Braden Shewmake have “a very, very, very bright future. It just didn’t happen this spring.”

The Braves need to solidify their fifth starting pitcher in the rotation. Jared Shuster, Dylan Dodd, Ian Anderson and former All-Star Mike Soroka are in contention for the spot.

Soroka suffered yet another setback early in Spring Training with a hamstring strain. He made his spring training debut on March 22 against the Detroit Tigers, finishing with 36

pitches, one strikeout, one walk, three hits and one earned run.

Anderson’s recent struggles with command have come as a surprise to many, especially after his key contributions to the team’s playoff runs in 2020 and 2021. Braves manager Brian Snitker claimed that Anderson is still young and that he believes time in the minor leagues will be beneficial.

“I’m just hoping he can get himself back going,” Snitker told Braves Beat newsletter author Mark Bowman.

At the mound, ace pitcher Max Fried and Strider will assert themselves at the top of the rotation, with veteran pitchers Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright taking the third and fourth spots, respectively. Dodd and Shuster are considered the favorites for the fifth starting spot.

Backing up the starting pitchers, the bullpen is expected to be a strong point for the Braves, despite the losses of Jackson, Matzek and closer Kenley Jansen. Jiménez, Jesse Chavez and returning A.J. Minter are expected to be the setup pitchers. Middle relievers Dylan Lee, Collin McHugh and Jackson Stephens who are returning as well will be expected to contribute to a strong bullpen. Atlanta also hopes to get contributions from injury-prone

Kirby Yates, who led the NL in saves in 2019, and Raisel Iglesias, who the Braves had acquired from the Angels via trade in 2022.

Prediction

The Braves are expected to compete for a sixth consecutive NL East Division title in 2023. However, other NL contenders threaten their championship hopes. The 2022 NL Champion Phillies improved their bullpen and added Treat Turner in 2022, one of the best shortstops in the league to accompany a highpowered offense and solid pitching rotation. Despite losing star pitcher Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency, the New York Mets brought back an overwhelming majority of the team that also won 101 games last season. In the west, the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers are once again expected to be among the top contenders in the NL. Although the road to another World Series title will be challenging, the Braves are in a great position to make another run.

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

Working together to fx ‘toxic workout culture’

Continued from Page 18

hards and automatically discredited through comparisons to men. Women should not feel pressured to work out to meet the demands of thin privilege, either. There are various — and arguably more important — reasons to work out. Unfortunately, there are not many circumstances where men are satisfied with how and why women are working out.

Women far too frequently encounter unsafe and uncomfortable situations in fitness environments. Toxic workout culture is a significant issue that men and women must address together. Women should not be expected to cope with distressing situations — women-only gyms and working out with friends only provide a brief respite from the underlying issues.

I was always taught to support another woman, in and out of the gym, if it is clear someone is bothering her. Men need to support women too by providing respectful fitness spaces. Change is possible, but it takes active awareness and dedication to make exercise a safe space for women

If you or someone you know is struggling with body dysmorphia, you can visit Emory’s Counseling and Psychological Services’ website. You can reach the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Friday at +1 (800)-950-NAMI (6264). You can also text “HelpLine” to 62640.

— Contact Jenna Daly at jenna.daly@emory.edu and

The outfield

C ourtesy of Wikimedia C ommons/nathan tran

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley hits a pop-fly to right field against the Washington Nationals on Sept. 11 2020.

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