EDITORIALS THE EMORY WHEEL
Tuesday, November 20, 2012 Editorials Editors: Shahdabul Faraz (sfaraz@emory.edu) and Nicholas Bradley (nbradle@emory.edu)
Our Opinion
Thankful for MBA No. 1 Ranking
Jenna Mittman
CONTRIBUTE E-mail: sfaraz@emory.edu
Jenna Mittman is a member of the Class of 2013. Her cartoons have become a staple of The Emory Wheel.
BusinessWeek Ranking Indicative of Program Quality This Thanksgiving, the Wheel is thankful for the Master of Business Administration’s (MBA) BusinessWeek ranking of No. 1 in job placement. While the program ranked No. 22 overall in the rankings — and though administrators have stressed that the school’s education, not the ranking, is what truly counts — we feel that the fact that the MBA Program received this top ranking and rose six spots in job placement speaks volumes of the program and the improvements it has undertaken. This change also follows the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program being consistently ranked in the top five by the news organization, another sign of the B-School’s success. The No. 1 ranking in job placement is the result of a new admissions process and alterations to the courses the MBA program offers. For example, the program now requires all prospective students to undergo an interview process. In addition to this, the program revised its academic curriculum around four years ago, where first-year students complete all required courses within their first semester of the program, leaving space to enroll in electives during their spring semester. A new professional development class and Management Practice academic track exposes students to real-world business issues. We commend the MBA program for taking drastic action to foster these improvements. Ninety-one percent of MBA graduates from the class of 2012 had jobs by graduation, and 98 percent received job offers after three months. These numbers speak for themselves. While we understand that many of the changes the MBA program has undergone in the past few years were specifically related to the program’s business-oriented curriculum, we hope that other University schools and programs are committed to the same kind of self-evaluation. While rankings might not necessarily speak of the quality of a program’s education, a No. 1 ranking is noteworthy. While we should be careful about how much emphasis and value we put on rankings — whether from BusinessWeek, U.S. News and World Report, and so on —, the success of Emory’s MBA is reflected both in the ranking itself as well as the program’s recent improvements. The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
Editorial Roundup College editorials from across the country The Yale Daily News Yale University Thursday, November 15, 2012 In its staff editorial, titled “News’ View: Protect Educational Studies,” discusses the fate of the Educational Studies program at Yale University. The Editorial Board urges Yale’s students, its faculty and other members of the community to rally around the program. They note that no students serve on the committee that will determine the future of that program, raising issues about student participation. This editorial, especially in light of the recent cuts at Emory, serve as a reminder of the importance of staying engaged with the decisions made by the University’s administration. Education Studies at Yale has reached a crossroads. Two years ago, administrators announced that Yale’s Teacher Preparation program would end. Student voices temporarily saved the program, causing administrators to extend it until the end of last semester. But the program — and the certification it offered — is now gone. Today, the future of its replacement, the Education Studies program, remains unclear. It is time for students to find their voices once again and to express what they wish to see in a strong and sustainable Education Studies program. The program is not ending; it is transitioning, and this moment of transition is when students can have the greatest impact. But no students currently serve on the Education Studies Advisory Committee that will help determine the future of the program. And, at the end of this semester, the program will lose director Linda Cole-Taylor — a passionate, dedicated and experienced advocate for the study of education in an academic context. With these resources gone, students must advocate for themselves. On campus, at a time when John Starr’s political science seminars on public schools are consistently oversubscribed, and Teach for America remains a top destination for Yalies after graduation, it makes little sense to reduce access to classes on education. What Education Studies classes need is the same sense of legitimacy that has been bestowed by administrators on any of Yale’s major departments or programs.
This can be accomplished by strengthening and expanding class offerings in Education Studies, many of which should be cross-listed with other academic departments, so that learning about learning can be part of an integrated liberal arts education. But the program must also be able to stand on its own. Education Studies should not be vocational, it should be rigorously philosophical, intellectual and multidisciplinary. The Education Studies program has been criticized for being pre-professional, a buzzword liberally applied to courses that supposedly should not be part of a liberal arts education. But the Global Affairs major culminates in a work-based senior capstone project and the Journalism Initiative trains students to write articles. We should not eliminate offerings associated with a specific profession — studying education can only make us more effective learners, the very desire that first brought us to Yale. Students in Cole-Taylor’s “Schools, Community, and the Teacher,” the central seminar of the Education Studies program, are placed as observers in New Haven schools. They have often worked with former members of the Yale Teacher Preparation program — graduates of the College who now teach in local New Haven high schools. Education studies at Yale, despite its shaky and uncertain future, has created a cycle of Yalies learning from one another and giving back to our greater community. Our University cannot afford to lose this invaluable resource. We hope to see a new director of Education Studies appointed soon, one who will be able to continue Cole-Taylor’s efforts with the full financial and administrative support of the University. We expect this director to continue some form of the central Education Studies seminar, allowing students who were turned away this semester another opportunity to enroll. This new director must maintain Cole-Taylor’s relationships with local schools, so that the cycle of Yalies involved in New Haven schools can go unbroken. To truly fulfill our New Haven promise, to be full citizens of our city, we must continue to teach. If we raise our hands and speak, we can show Yale administrators that they have underestimated the passion for teaching and education on this campus.
THE EMORY WHEEL
Evan Mah EDITOR IN CHIEF Arianna Skibell Executive Editor Roshani Chokshi Managing Editor News Editors Stephanie Fang Nicholas Sommariva Editorials Editors Shahdabul Faraz Nicholas Bradley Sports Editor Elizabeth Weinstein Student Life Editor Justin Groot Arts & Entertainment Editor
Annelise Alexander Photo Editors Emily Lin Austin Price Asst. News Editor Karishma Mehrotra
Asst. Editorials Editor Priyanka Krishnamurthy Asst. Sports Editor Bennett Ostdiek Layout Editor Ginny Chae Associate Editors Steffi Delcourt Jordan Friedman Copy Chiefs Amanda Kline Sonam Vashi Editors-At-Large Jimmy Sunshine Jeremy Benedik Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Howell
Volume 94 | Number 22
Business and Advertising Glenys Fernandez BUSINESS MANAGER Blaire Chennault Sales Manager Alexandra Fishman Design Manager Account Executives Bryce Robertson, Lena Erpaiboon, Salaar Ahmed, Adam Harris, Diego Luis Business/Advertising Office Number (404) 727-6178
The Emory Wheel welcomes letters and op-ed submissions from the Emory community. Letters should be limited to 300 words and op-eds should be limited to 700. Those selected may be shortened to fit allotted space or edited for grammar, punctuation and libelous content. Submissions reflect the opinions of individual writers and not of the Wheel Editorial Board or Emory University. Send e-mail to emah@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. 30322.
What is Next for China? BART QIAN RICHARD SUI As the heat from U.S election is ebbing away, CCP (Chinese Communist Party) transition has become the new hot topic among world media. World leaders, experts and scholars were all arguing whether Xi Jinping, the projected Chinese president, will implement changes. The more general question is, what’s next for China? On November 15th, the new PSC (Politburo Standing Committee) members are revealed to the public. The PSC stands for top leadership for the CCP, and this committee essentially rules China. Therefore, their political beliefs and ideologies are crucial to determine China’s future. After the PSC members were revealed during a press conference, many scholars and columnists argue that reforms are unlikely because majority of the PSC are conservative and thus China’s future is gloom. At first, we shared the same view; however, after reading more media coverage and analysis, we think otherwise: dramatic changes may not occur in the next five years, but in Xi’s second term, he will reform. There are three reasons why we believe China will reform, slowly but surely. First, at the 18th party congress, Hu, the current President of the PRC, made a statement that the CCP and the nation will be ruled out of history if corruption remains a major prob-
lem. No leader before has ever pointed out this problem so publically and openly, which showed the CCP’s resolution and determination on corruption. Although Hu is stepping down within four months, his statement paves the path for the next President. In addition, Xi also emphasized this point at the press conference to reveal the new members of the PSC.
Even with a one-party system, there is still an emerging trace of democracy in China. Secondly, there have been more and more complaints and mistrusts from the people on the current political system and their economic situations. Media remains under strict control of the central government and inflation stays at an unpleasant level. Therefore, in order to regain people’s trust and to maintain power, the CCP is obliged to reform. Last but not least, when we talk about political reform in China, the major concern is whether there will be a true democracy. Some people hold the opinion that democracy will not exist under the one party regime. However, we believe that democracy can start from factions within one party. There are two major factions in the CCP, the “elites”
and the “populist”. The “elites” are mostly princelings, the descendants of the elderly party leaders, and the “populist” usually started their political career from humble families. The two factions hold different political perspectives. While the “elites” tend to be more conservative, the “populists” are more liberal. We regard the emergence of the two factions within the CCP as a start, or an origin of the political reform in the future. However, despite the disputes between the two factions, the priority for both factions is the stability of the nation. Thus, we think major changes will not occur in the near future, but it starts from here. As Chinese, we are hopeful for China’s reforms and its future. People may still be unconvinced and argue that the majority members of the PSC are conservative and are known for their strict policy to preserve stability and censorship. However, as the next president, Xi succeeded both CCP and military leadership from Hu. This was unseen before because the predecessor usually holds on to military leadership for two more years until retirement, and this will embolden Xi’s confidence to implement his plans. Even if preserving stability is on top of CCP’s agenda, as Professor Doner once said: “sometimes preserving stability means implementing change.”
Bart Qian is a College junior from Shenyang, China. Richard Sui is a College sophomore from Shenyang, China.
DAVID GIFFIN
Media, Please Keep it Honest Sorting Out the Media Mess in Israel and Palestine The military conflict unfolding in Gaza has garnered a fair bit of attention in the international media. While hostilities in the region have been largely ongoing, this latest batch of fighting has been brutal. Hamas has launched over 700 rockets, unveiling a new arsenal of Egyptian-built weapons that reach further into Israel than ever before. In response, Israel has intensified air strikes against Hamas leaders, facilities and rocket installations in an operation that has been dubbed “Pillar of Defense” by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leaders. While Israel has been taking “superhuman measures” to discriminate between military and civilian targets, as Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren recently stated in an interview with MSNBC, there have still been considerable civilian casualties on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides. In one touching incident, visiting Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil cried over the dead body of four-year-old Mahmoud Sadallah. According to the Telegraph, Kandil said that “the boy, the martyr, whose blood is still on my hands and clothes, is something that we cannot keep silent about.” Indeed, many networks, including CNN, ran the story as a demonstration of the conflict’s brutality. But is this really the entire story? Shortly after CNN ran with the story, other media outlets noticed discrepancies. Pro-Israel blogger Elder of Ziyon pointed out that the IDF did not launch any air strikes into Gaza during that time out of respect for Prime Minister Kandil’s visit — though Hamas rockets were still being fired into Israel. Further, local security officials who arrived on-scene shortly after the explosion that killed Sadallah removed what the projectile’s remains — leaving no evidence behind for later investigation.
The New York Times, after reporters visited the home where the explosion took place, concluded that “the damage was nowhere near severe enough to have come from an Israeli F-16, raising the possibility that an errant missile fired by Palestinian militants was responsible for the deaths.” It would indeed appear that Mahmoud Sadallah was killed by Hamas rather than an Israeli air strike. IDF officials reported that at least 99 rockets fired by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups have fallen well short of their targets and struck civilian buildings in Gaza.
The mainstream media has distorted many facts regarding the Isreal-Palestine issue. However, that hasn’t stopped media outlets from lifting up deaths caused by Hamas, like that of Sadallah, as evidence of Israeli brutality. This effort to generate false or misleading media coverage that favors the Palestinian cause has been labeled “Pallywood” by many in the pro-Israeli community. Cases of this kind are documented regularly during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sadly, the tragic death of young Sadallah is not the first time “Pallywood” coverage has occurred in this current round of hostilities. A few days before Kandil’s visit, BBC aired footage of a man in a beige jacket being carried away after being “injured” in an Israeli attack. However, later footage from the same incident shows that same man walking on camera, completely uninjured.
Who bears more responsibility for the latest round of hostilities is still a matter of debate. However, the use of misleading media coverage like Mahmoud Sadallah’s death and the “injured” man from the BBC is a clear attempt to sway public opinion toward the Palestinians. This is problematic for two reasons. The first is obvious: the images that are drawn from these whole-cloth creations are blatantly false. The second is that, by creating sensational and false images, Palestinians actually ignore or undermine the stories of those people who are actual victims of the conflict. For example, one of the Palestinian victims was Hamid Younis Abu Daqqa, a 12-year-old (some sources say 13) boy who was shot in the chest while playing soccer. The bullet came from a border skirmish between IDF forces and Palestinian militants on Nov. 8. Pro-Palestinians don’t need to fabricate anything in that story to make a point about the conflict’s brutality. Of course, taking a more genuine position would force us to examine Israeli casualties as well, such as the 25-year-old pregnant woman who was killed while traveling to a memorial service for a friend who was also killed by an attack in 2008. Though Israeli casualties have so far been much lower than Palestinian losses, a pure realpolitik perspective suggests that talking about the pain suffered by your enemy at the hands of your attacks won’t help your case. We must pray that as this conflict continues, media outlets will be able to avoid being fooled by any more false reporting. Truth will be absolutely essential if there is any hope for a lasting peace in the region.
David Giffin is a second year Masters in Theological Studies student at the Candler School of Theology from Charleston, Ill.