Since 1919
Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
The Emory Wheel
Volume 99, Issue 13
Printed Every Wednesday
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
SNOW DAY
CRIME
String of Car Break-ins Strikes Emory By monicA lefton Senior Staff Writer
Parth Mody/Photo Editor
A seven-year-old local resident sleds down a hill in Lullwater Preserve Jan. 17. Emory University closed Jan. 17 to 18 due to ‘severe weather.’
See LiGhT, Page 5
CAMPUS LIFE
Nair Reflects on Campus Life Tenure By Alex KlugermAn News Editor
Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair, known around campus for his social justice advocacy and Greek life initiatives, is set to step down this March to become president of Arcadia University (Pa.). During his five-year tenure that began
in 2012, he oversaw the creation of the Emory Commission on Racial and Social Justice and led initiatives on Greek life, open expression and other campus issues. The Emory Wheel sat down with Nair, who reflected on his term at Emory. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. Alex Klugerman, The Emory
CLAIRMONT
Wheel: What projects or initiatives have you been most proud of over your tenure? Ajay Nair: The biggest project, and I hope the most impactful, will be the Campus Life Center (CLC). That’s an idea that was conceived of my first week on the job. The SGA president
See DEAN, Page 5
A series of nine car break-ins at various parking decks and lots on Emory’s campus were reported this past week to the Emory Police Department (EPD), according to EPD Sgt. Alex Mawson. EPD has received 17 reports of car break-ins total so far in 2018. In the past week, break-ins have been reported at the Peavine parking lots, Water Tower Place and the parking deck of 1579 Avenue Place at Emory Point. EPD Sgt. Randall Terry, who is leading the investigation into the surge surge of break-ins, believes there is a relationship between the cases due to time of day, location and method of the crimes. Multiple reports involved a broken rear window, occured in the morning and affected vehicles parked in the Peavine lots. Affected vehicles have primarily been pickups and large SUVs. Vehicles belonged to one Emory visitor, two Emory employees and six Emory students. EPD does not have any lead suspects as of Jan. 22, but Terry told
the Wheel that EPD is pursuing multiple leads. One burglarized car was parked in Peavine II and belonged to an Emory employee. A passerby, another Emory employee, noticed the rear passenger side window broken at 6:52 a.m. on Jan. 19 and called police, who called the owner to the scene. The owner reported that a Heckler & Koch 40-caliber handgun, two Apple iPods and a backpack were stolen from the car, which are valued at a total of $1,920. Although Emory does not permit firearms on campus, EPD is treating the case like any other missing item report, Terry said. Terry said that Emory will not take disciplinary action against the employee, who is a Campus Services (CS) mechanic. A car window typically costs around $200 to replace, Mawson said. EPD is working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police because three other break-ins also occurred at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, which is outside of EPD’s jurisdiction.
See EPD, Page 3
ADMINISTRATION
Emory Employee Wagner Earns $3.5M in 2015 Loses Master Key By nicole SAdeK Copy Chief
By richArd cheSS And VAlerie SAndoVAl News Editor and Staff Writer Clairmont Campus residents will be re-issued door keys after they return to campus Spring 2018. Lock cores and keys of all Clairmont doors are being replaced because a University employee lost a master key for Clairmont Campus, according to a Dec. 19 email sent by Director of Housing Facilities and Operations Jonathan Cooper to Clairmont residents. Emory began the lock and key replacements Jan. 19 and has contracted with outside vendors to complete the replacement lock installation, Associate Vice President for Media Relations Nancy Seideman wrote in
emails to the Wheel. Seideman wrote that the goal is to minimize the impact on residents’ daily lives. The project is “logistically very complicated,” Cooper wrote in the Dec. 19 email. An internal review of the incident is underway, Seideman wrote in a Dec. 21 email to the Wheel. Seideman declined to state whether Emory will take disciplinary action, noting that Emory does not comment on employee relations issues. A Dec. 14 Emory Police Department (EPD) report states that Conrad Fuller, a painter for the University, checked out several master keys Dec. 16, 2016, including one for the Clairmont housing buildings. Master keys do not grant entry into exterior doors at Clairmont.
See KEy, Page 4
Former University President James W. Wagner received $2.36 million in deferred-compensation awards in addition to his $991,460 base salary in 2015, making him the second-highest paid private college president that year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s executive compensation report. Out of 569 private college chief executives, Wagner’s $3,510,451 total compensation fell second to the earnings of Wake Forest University (N.C.) President Nathan O. Hatch, who also received deferred-compensation awards of $2.89 million in 2015. Deferred-compensation payouts are negotiated by universities to avoid high turnover for top leadership. Emory University and Wagner negotiated the $2.36 million payout in 2005, two
years after Wagner became University president, on the basis that Wagner would remain president for at least 10 more years, according to Associate Vice President for Media Relations Nancy Seideman. James W. Wagner, Former Emory University President
CourtEsy of EMory Photo/VidEo
In 2015, Wagner received from Emory a base salary of $991,460, $74,288 in nontaxable income and $2,444,703 in “other pay,” which includes the compensation package, according to the Chronicle. Wagner earned in total compensation 76 times as much as the cost of tuition and 21 times as much as the average faculty member salary,
according to the report. He also ranked No. 13 in base pay among private college chief executives. Wagner served as University president for 13 years before he retired August 2016. The Chronicle’s updated executive compensation report, released Dec. 10, includes salary data on more than 1,200 chief executives from 2008 through 2015. The Chronicle used Form 990 from nonprofit organizations’ tax returns to compile the data. Tax returns filed by 501(c)(3) nonprofits are public record. Emory’s Executive Compensation and Conflict of Interest Committee of the Board of Trustees works with independent consultants to review the president’s salary in relationship to peer institutions, according to a Dec. 16 University statement Seideman emailed to the Wheel. Peer institutions similarly negotiate compensation
See FormEr, Page 3
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
SGA Overrules CC, Grants SPLC NRF Charter By BeliciA rodriguez Contributing Writer
“It seemed really, really broad to us,” CC Vice President of Administration Radhika Kadakia (20C) said. “There was no facts. They didn’t seem to have a clear mission.” Selton introduced the club’s mission as “[to] combat hate, intolerance, and injustice on campus and in Georgia.” SPLC provides training and education on advocating for civic issues, Selton said. According to SPLC’s pre-
The 51st legislature of Student Government Association (SGA) overruled College Council’s (CC) decision to deny the Southern Poverty Law Center at Emory (SPLC) a NonRecommended for Funding (NRF) charter Monday evening. The CC decision was overruled with
eight legislators voting yes and two abstaining. No bills were proposed during the meeting. CC denied SPLC at Emory’s request for a NRF charter due to a lack of clarity on the organization’s mission and function on campus according to SPLC Representative Charlotte Selton (20C). NRF charters are granted to organizations without a need for funding, according to CC’s website.
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sentation, SPLC has hosted events on campus that include “a webinar on challenging neo-Nazi views on campus, training on confronting everyday bigotry, lecture series on immigration justice and [teaching students] how to contact [government] representatives.” Selton also emphasized that the club was affiliated with Emory’s Center for Ethics, which would financially support the club if SPLC received a NRF
charter from CC. “We’re not seeking funding from College Council,” Selton said. Kadakia said other clubs such as Nourish International, Refugee Revive and She’s the First serve a similar function of teaching members how to advocate for their causes and spread awareness for social issues. Therefore,
EMORY LIFE stAy
SPORTS WoMen’s
See SGA, Page 4
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