EDITORIALS THE EMORY WHEEL
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 Editorials Editor: Nicholas Bradley (nbradle@emory.edu)
Our Opinion
CONTRIBUTE Email: nbradle@emory.edu
Jenna Mittman
Jenna Mittman is a member of the Class of 2013. Her cartoons have become a staple of the Wheel over the years.
Commencement Speaker a Good Pick Poet Laureate Rita Dove Represents the Humanities for the First Time in Ten Years Much to our delight, poet and fiction writer Rita Dove was chosen by Emory as this year’s Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient. Born in Ohio and daughter to one of the first black chemists to work in the tire industry, Dove is the youngest and first black U.S. Poet Laureate and the second black poet to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. It has been 10 years since a person from the humanities discipline has been chosen to speak at Emory. We at the Wheel are pleased that this year’s speaker comes from a humanities background. Considering this year has been a tumultuous time for the liberal arts community here at Emory and that many may feel undervalued and marginalized, it is important that speakers similar to Dove are brought to Emory to show that we still hold a high degree of respect for these disciplines. In years past, speakers have come from primarily political and medical backgrounds including physician Benjamin S. Carson Sr. and former Calif. governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Dove will be a refreshing change. Dove’s poetry focuses on the art of lyricism and aesthetic beauty while incorporating important historical and political aspects of society, which are expressed through her own personal experiences. She takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating different kinds of art forms in her writing. Specifically, she writes about the connection between poetry and music, drawing parallels between the beauty of dance and music. This connection between disciplines is one that we hope to emulate as a liberal arts institution here at Emory University. While Dove may not be well-known among students, she is nonetheless accomplished, and we do not doubt that as a poet, she will be able to pull from those life experiences to deliver an inspiring speech. With regards to the process by which commencement speakers are chosen, we understand that it is a difficult and complicated one. Our current understanding is that students on the committee are asked to reach out to their peers for feedback. We believe that greater systems and structures should be implemented to maximize student opinion from seniors. These steps could take the form of an online survey, a table at Wonderful Wednesday or even those student groups on campus who have demonstrated their unconditional commitment to the Emory community. Of course, it’s impossible to please everyone, but greater steps should be taken to hear their voices.
ROSS FOGG
Be Patient: Progress Takes Time
Excited for Lamar, 3Lau, Buress? We Are. SPC Did a Pun-tastic Job This Year The Emory Wheel had a dream, and it came true. The Student Programming Council (SPC) combined their funding for Spring Band Party and the Dooley’s Week concert to bring in Kendrick Lamar, one of the best upcoming rap artists, for Dooley’s Week. Other performances will include house D.J./ producer, 3Lau and comedian Hannibal Buress. Lamar is an American rapper originally from Compton, Calif. He has released four mixtapes and earned recognition after the release of his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated, in 2010. Lamar has released two studio albums. The first, Section.80, was released in 2011, and the second, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released in October of 2012. Both albums received high acclaim; however, his second studio album took the cake with huge-name features such as Andre 3000, Drake and Dr. Dre. 3Lau, pronouncing the 3 as a B, is a 22-year-old producer who doubles as a college junior. His DJ mixes and production focuses on progressive house music. Buress is a stand-up comedian and television screen writer. He has been featured on “The Awkward Comedy Show” on Comedy Central and currently co-stars with Eric André in “The Eric André Show” on Adult Swim. We at the Wheel applaud SPC for their previous and current choice in performers. Instead of doing an individual concert for Spring Band Party and another for Dooley’s Week, SPC combined their budget to bring in larger names who produce high quality material. It is important that SPC continues to appeal to different groups on campus, as they have previously brought in artists that vary from electronic to rap to country music. Emory has had a great track record in bringing in artists who are on their rise to fame, and there is no doubt in our minds that Lamar, 3Lau and Buress will deliver. We do, however, urge SPC to effectively promote Dooley’s Week’s performers. Even though many people have heard of Lamar and are able to find out about these events on their own, we hope that sufficient steps are taken to promote all acts involved. Furthermore, with a popular name such as Lamar on the lineup, it is important that SPC thinks carefully about whether the current guidelines for the guest policy. Previously, an Emory student has had to register their allowed guest 24 hours in advance. Although these events should be large, one guest per student is sufficient; otherwise, there may be an overcrowding issue. We hope that security this year will be on par as that of last year. Finally, we find the theme for Dooley’s Week, “Doolius Caesar Presents: When in Rome, Dooley as the Romans Do,” clever and look forward to the plethora of events made possible by the theme. The above staff editorials represent the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
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The Public Stands in the Way of Marriage Equality Last week, the UK House of Commons voted overwhelmingly, 400 to 175, to legalize same-sex marriage. While the House of Lords has yet to vote, this bill is expected to become law by this summer. Conservative Party Prime Minister David Cameron backed the bill, and though there were nine more votes against the measure than for it among the 303 Conservative Party MPs who voted, this showing is remarkable for a right-wing party, compared to the Republican Party here in the U.S. It looks like gay marriage in Britain is imminent, and it will not be long until the United States follows suit in legalizing same-sex marriage. It is remarkable what dynamic political and social change a few years can bring. In just the past few years a sitting president endorsed same-sex marriage for the first time, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed, and the Defense of Marriage Act has no longer been upheld by the Justice Department. Additionally, this past November Maryland, Maine and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex marriage by popular referendum, bringing the total number of states to nine. Also, a Supreme Court decision determining the constitutionality of banning same-sex marriage will be reached by June. Socially, acceptance of same-sex marriage has also shifted dramatically: according to a December Gallup poll, 53 percent of Americans now support it — up from 40 percent in 2008. And this change will continue seeing as 73 percent of Americans ages 18-29 are in favor. Such broad, swift progress has prompted
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The Emory Wheel welcomes letters and op-ed submissions from the Emory community. Letters should be limited to 300 words and op-eds should be limited to 700. Those selected may be shortened to fit allotted space or edited for grammar, punctuation and libelous content. Submissions reflect the opinions of individual writers and not of the Wheel 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.
many to believe that the gay rights movement is nearly complete, but the simple reality is that it is far from over. Major hurdles remain, like ending the explicit ban on marriage between same-sex couples in 30 states as well as allowing samesex couples to adopt and have all the same benefits of married heterosexual couples. But the tide is inevitably shifting this way. As President Obama said during the inauguration speech last month: “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”
The biggest obstacle to samesex marriage is public opinion. Regardless of whether or not one agrees with allowing same-sex marriage, those who believe that this country will continue to deny others such a crucial right are fooling themselves and will find themselves in what is likely a familiar place — on the wrong side of history. Likewise, there is nothing that conservative politicians, advocacy groups and lobbyists, archaic churches, protests or Fox News pundits can do to reverse America from gradually living up to its value of equality for all. The tipping point has been reached, and it will
not be long until people like Mike Huckabee or Rick Santorum will be viewed as Strom Thurmond or George Wallace were in the 1950s and 1960s: bigoted villains impeding a consensus of progress. The true obstacle that is slowing down this movement for equality is not legislation or court decisions, but rather public opinion. As mentioned earlier, support for same-sex marriage is at an all-time high, but there is still a sizeable minority that opposes it. It will not be long, however, until people will not oppose same-sex marriage based upon a misguided sense of morality, but will affirm it in the name of equality. The movement for racial equality was not finished with the unanimous decision of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 or when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed to end segregation and voter intimidation. And even with the first Black president, there is still racial inequality. But racism does not have the same role in society that it did before the Civil Rights movement because of a paradigm shift in which law-making bolstered support for greater racial equality. In short, the struggle to achieve equality will be passed neither by the ballot nor decided in a legislature or courtroom; rather, it will be won by public support. The passage of laws aimed at providing equality is simply the first step toward achieving it. What is certain is that, in time, these milestones will be reached, and given the speed of recent progress, it will be soon.
Ross Fogg is a College junior from Fayetteville, Ga.
COMMENTS FROM THE WEBSITE
“An Open Letter from the Student Re-Visioning Committee,” 2.7.13
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I was at a couple early meetings, and then later ones. It moved from being an open group to a party line more interested in scoring points than in being a real group. All the name calling above shows what the SRC has become. Too bad. — “Emory Student” 2.11.13
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