Since 1919
Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
The Emory Wheel
Volume 99, Issue 2
Printed Every Wednesday
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
IMMIGRATION
HURRICANE
Trump Orders Students Aid Harvey Relief Efforts DACA Phase Out By Christina yan Contributing Writer
Future of Undocumented Immigrants Up to Congress By alex klugerMan News Editor President Donald J. Trump is ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) program that offers temporary immigration benefits to some undocumented immigrants, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday morning. Sessions announced Tuesday that Trump will “rescind” the DACA program, established by former President Barack Obama. The program will not expire until March 5, 2018, Sessions
said. Trump urged Congress to replace the policy in the interim, calling the wind-down period “window of opportunity for Congress to finally act” in a Sept. 5 White House statement. “I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents,” Trump said in the statement. “But we must also recognize that we are [a] nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws. The president tweeted later Tuesday,
See nO, Page 5
“I didn’t sleep that night,” said Jamie Guillen (19C), who couldn’t help but feel guilty and worried as she lay in her safe bed at Emory while friends and family back in Houston, Texas, fought to survive the devastating Category 4 Hurricane Harvey. Devastation and guilt have become common threads over the past several days among Emory students from Texas, where Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25. After Hurricane Harvey’s destructive winds and rain tore through parts of the Lone Star State, entire neighborhoods sank underwater and families became separated from each other and their homes. Residents were forced to abandon their possessions, keeping only what they could fit on small rescue boats. “They lost everything,” both Guillen and Texas native Daniel Eshbaugh
Courtesy of Jimi r ebelling
Category 4 Hurricane Harvey made landfall aug. 25 in Texas. (20C) said. Although Guillen and Eshbaugh were physically safe at school in Atlanta, they worried about the safety of their friends and family back home. Guillen, who resides in Houston, said she followed Zello, a smartphone app that functions as a walkie talkie,
for nearly the entire night Aug. 26. She and friends still in Houston used it to redirect help toward those that they knew were still stranded in flooded homes. Guillen recalled attempting to get
See Texas, Page 4
GREEK LIFE
HISTORY
Examining Emory’s Past Amid Racial Tensions Nationals
Places Tri Delta on Probation
By niCole sadek Copy Editor
Outcries against the removal of a Confederate monument at the Charlottesville, Va., “Unite the Right” rally and tense discourse between Georgia state representatives have contributed to escalating debates in the South over Confederate symbols and their locations in modern society. In the face of the racial tensions exhibited in Charlottesville, Atlanta and other areas nationwide, conversations about the legacy of complex American history have led to an examination of the nation’s — and Emory’s — historical ties to slavery. Emory’s namesake, John Emory, “was from a prominent slave-owning family on the eastern shore of Maryland,” University Historian and Senior Advisor to the President Gary Hauk said, adding that most trustees and faculty members also owned slaves during the 1800s. Minutes from Emory’s Board of Trustees meetings in the 1800s note that the University often rented the labor of “colored” or “Negro” men and women from individual slave owners
By riChard Chess News Editor
deep coma for two or three days.” When students left to aid the Civil War’s Southern cause, the University closed for four years, and campus buildings were transformed
The national headquarters of Delta Delta Delta (Tri Delta) has placed Emory’s chapter on probation and ceased all chapter activity, according to a Sept. 1 statement sent to the Wheel on behalf of Tri Delta Executive Office President Kimberlee Di Fede Sullivan. “Recently, we learned that members of our Alpha Omega Chapter at Emory University engaged in behaviors that do not align with our standards,” the statement said. Tri Delta Executive Office’s Director
See UniversiTy’s, Page 3
See sOrOriTy, Page 4
gratia sullivan/Contributing
When students left to fight in the Civil War, emory University closed for four years. Thirtytwo Confederate soldiers are buried in the Oxford College soldiers Cemetery. for various purposes, including cooking in the dining hall, digging wells and constructing buildings, according to Hauk. Few and Phi Gamma Halls, located on the Oxford campus, are the only remaining buildings constructed by slaves, Hauk added.
Alexander Means, the fourth president of the College and the namesake of Longstreet-Means Hall, kept extensive diaries during his tenure, often mentioning his family’s slaves, writing in 1861 that the “little negro very ill (Harriet) has been insensible — with
PROTEST
Judge Extends Deadline to Indict Student Charged with Felony By niCole sadek and MiChelle lou Copy Editor and Executive Editor
An administrative judge granted the State of Ohio a 60-day extension for prosecutors to present a case to a grand jury and file an indictment against Deandre Miles (18C), who faces a first-degree felony charge of aggravated robbery after allegedly dis-
arming a police officer during a protest at a Pride parade in Columbus, Ohio, in June, according to court documents. The State has until Oct. 24 to file an indictment against Miles. The original deadline was Aug. 25. State officials have been “exercising their due diligence and conducting a thorough investigation,” which includes reviewing footage from several police officers’ body cameras and from bystander’s cell phones, the doc-
uments said. All defendants in criminal prosecutions have the right to a speedy trial, per the Sixth Amendment. If the judge had not granted the extension, the State would have had to drop its charges against Miles or present the case to a grand jury. Columbus police arrested Miles June 17 during a protest at the Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade and later charged the student with aggra-
vated robbery. Miles was released from jail after posting bond June 19. Anastasia Sydow, Miles’ attorney, denied the allegation. Miles wrote in a June 27 Facebook post that they had been charged with “a crime I did not commit.” The Robert W. Woodruff Scholar had been protesting violence toward LGBT people of color at the parade and allegedly jumped on a police officer’s back and reached for her gun
while she was arresting two other protesters, according to an account from Columbus Division of Police Officer Bradley Thomas. The officer kept her gun in its holster, according to a complaint filed by Thomas. Miles, who was released on bail June 19, had been handed a recognizance bond of $100,000, which is only to be paid if the defendant does
NEWS Man Charged for
OP-ED eMory proVides
A&E ‘gaMe of thrones’
EMORY LIFE profs.
SPORTS Cross Country
Making harassing Calls to students a degree in eMory healthCare .... PAGE 3 CoMplaCenCy ...
PAGE 6
season finale keeps Viewers wanting More ... PAGE 10
See Miles, Page 3
proVide MediCal Care to teaM sweeps waterMelon displaCed refugees ... PAGE 13 run ... Back Page
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NEWS
Wednesday, September 6 2017
News Roundup Compiled by Alex Klugerman and Emily Sullivan trail to link ClairMont and Park eMOry — Work commenced on a bike trail that will connect Emory’s Clairmont Campus and Mason Mill Park in Decatur, Ga., according to the PATH Foundation, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that develops public trails. Emory plans to financially contribute to the project, which is expected to be completed in 2018, according to an Aug. 28 University press release. The 12-foot wide trail will run from the front gate of Clairmont Campus to the Mason Mill Tennis Center and will be part of the South Peachtree Creek Trail, which currently links Medlock Park to Mason Mill Park to North Druid Hills Road. The path is part of Emory’s 2025 sustainability vision, which seeks to create an on-campus trail network that links to other trails in the metropolitan Atlanta area. euh tower adMits First Patients eMOry — The Emory University Hospital Tower on Clifton Road, under construction since 2013, opened to patients Aug. 26. The first patient to enter the facility, 46-year-old Crystal McCollum, was diagnosed with pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare form of abdominal cancer, and is being treated with chemotherapy, according to an Aug. 30 University press release. The nine-story tower cost $400 million and contains 232 patient beds. The new wing also includes an expansion of the hospital’s diagnostic and treatment spaces, anesthesiology pre-operative services and radiology. The Tower is expected to open in its entirety by the end of October.
The Emory Wheel
Crime Report
eMory oFFers CoMCast on CaMPus
Compiled by Monica Lefton
eMOry — Xfinity by Comcast became Emory’s on-campus cable services Friday, according to an email sent to all students residing in oncampus housing. The XfinityOnCampus program, which went into effect Sept. 1, allows students living in on-campus housing to stream live television to their mobile devices and laptops, and includes a 20-hour capacity for recording live television programs. The service also includes on-demand access to the content library of premium channels including HBO and Showtime. hurriCane Could aFFeCt atlanta
On Aug. 28 at 9:55 a.m., Emory Police Department (EPD) responded to a call regarding property damage at the Atwood Chemistry Center. Officers arrived on scene and met with the facilities manager, who reported damage to three chairs in conference room 330. Officers examined the chairs and noticed two seat cushions with a single cut on top and a third with several criss cross cuts in the fabric. The damage is believed to have occurred between Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. The employee said the room usually remains unlocked for students and faculty to use. This case has been assigned to an investigator.
aTlanTa — Category 5 Hurricane Irma could bring Georgia heavy rains as early as Monday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Irma is already carrying winds up to 185 mph, and Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have declared states of emergency, the AJC reported. Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) announced it will push back the start of its semester by one week due to the storm and will not allow new students to move into their residence halls before Sept. 14.
On Sept. 2 at 1:45 a.m., an EPD officer patrolling Eagle Row near Means Drive observed a male subject approach a tree and begin to urinate. The subject was not concealed and could be seen from the roadway. The officer approached the subject, who immediately zipped up his pants and apologized. The officer issued the 19-year-old student a citation for DeKalb County Ordinance 16-51, public urination. The subject is scheduled to appear in DeKalb County Magistrate Court Nov. 17.
eMory droPs in eduCation r anking
On Sept. 2 at 3:04 a.m., EPD responded to a call regarding an intoxicated individual in a third floor lounge of Harris Hall. Officers found the subject, a 19-year-old female Emory student, lying on a couch unconscious but still breathing. Neither of the other two
eMOry — Emory was ranked as the 98th best university in the world by the Times Higher Education World University rankings for the 2017-2018 academic year. Emory fell 16 spots from last year’s rankings, tying Dartmouth College (N.H.), the University of Warwick (England) and the Technical University of Berlin. The rankings included more than 1,000 universities across 77 countries.
students present knew how much alcohol she had consumed that evening or where she had consumed it. American Medical Response (AMR) arrived on the scene and transported the subject to Emory University Hospital (EUH). On Sept. 3 at 1:29 p.m., EPD responded to a call regarding a bike theft at the Student Activity and Academic Center (SAAC) on Clairmont Campus. Officers met with the victim, a 22-year-old Emory student, who reported securing her bike to the rack outside the front of the SAAC with a cable lock Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. When she returned Aug. 26 at 12 p.m., the bike and lock were missing. The bike, a blue 700C Schwinn, is valued at $200. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Sept. 4 at 2:11 a.m., EPD responded to a call from Clairmont Tower regarding a simple battery. An officer arrived on the scene and met with the complainant, a female Emory student. The officer separated her from her boyfriend, another Emory student. The female student was crying and said she had a dispute with her boyfriend. The student had visited her boyfriend at his apartment Sept. 3 at 5 a.m. to attempt to reconcile a disagreement they had a few days prior. Their conversation reportedly escalated and when she denied cheating in their relationship, he became angry and told her to leave. He then reportedly picked her up by the shoulders and threw her down on the floor outside of the apartment, not allowing her
to take her wallet or kitten. She told her boyfriend she would leave if he gave her the kitten, but he reportedly would not allow her to take the kitten and threatened to kill it. She told officers that they had both been drinking and that this was the third time she had reported her boyfriend for domestic violence. She showed the officer a bruise on her right groin area and what appeared to be a scratch going across her stomach that she said she received from her boyfriend. The complainant chose not to press charges. Officers contacted individuals of Campus Life and the Emory Respect Program, and representatives from both arrived on scene. The case has been assigned to an investigator. On Sept. 4 at 8:04 p.m., EPD responded to a call from the on-call Residential Advisor (RA) regarding an altercation between roommates at Clairmont URC Building B. The RA did not specify if the altercation was verbal or physical. One of the roommates said another roommate, who was seen heading toward the SAAC, was drinking alcohol and possibly taking Xanax. One of the roommates called her and told her to return to her room. At 10:18 p.m., AMR responded to the location, but the subject declined transportation to the hospital. The on-call Campus Life professional responded to discuss alternative housing arrangements among the roommates. They all declined to be temporarily relocated for the evening. Campus Life was notified.
REAL ESTATE
The Emory Wheel Volume 99, Number 2 © 2017 The Emory Wheel
Alumni Memorial University Center, Room 401 630 Means Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322 Business (404) 727-6178 Editor-in-Chief Julia Munslow (404) 727-0279 Founded in 1919, The Emory Wheel is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University in Atlanta. The Wheel is a member publication of Media Council, Emory’s organization of student publications. The Wheel reserves the rights to all content as it appears in these pages, and permission to reproduce material must be granted by the editor-in-chief. The Wheel is printed every Wednesday during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions. A single copy of the Wheel is free of charge. To purchase additional copies, please call (404) 727-6178. The statements and opinions expressed in the Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Wheel’s Editorial Board or of Emory University, its faculty, staff or administration. The Wheel is also available online at www.emorywheel.com.
Corrections • In last week’s issue, the name of the author of “Chemistry Department Restructures Curriculum” was spelled incorrectly. The author’s name is Valerie Sandoval, not Valarie Sandoval. • In last week’s issue, the “Georgia Debates Fate of Confederate Symbols” article incorrectly stated the Lost Cause monument is in front of DeKalb County Courthouse. The monument is actually located behind the building.
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Courtesy of blanChard r eal estate
Blanchard real estate plans to redevelop the land that it bought from emory University located between Chipotle and Zoes Kitchen in emory village.
Developer Buys Village Property By natalia Brody Staff Writer Blanchard Real Estate recently announced plans to develop a twostory retail space in Emory Village. The new development, which is pending approval from the DeKalb County Historic Preservation Commission, would be built at 1397-1399 Oxford Road, located across the street from Emory Barnes and Noble and between Chipotle Mexican Grill and Zoes Kitchen. Blanchard Real Estate purchased the property June 15 from Emory University with plans to convert the space into a two-story building for retail use, according to DeKalb County records. The property is under review by the DeKalb County Historic Preservation Commission. The Commission held an initial meeting and heard comments from the public Aug. 21, according to
the organization’s meeting minutes. The Commission did not respond to multiple requests for comment by press time. The Emory Village Alliance (EVA) submitted a letter on May 1 to DeKalb County in support of the redevelopment. “Based on the design plans presented on May 1, 2017 to the EVA board related to redevelopment of Oxford Road lots 1399 and 1397, EVA affirms that these plans are consistent with EVA’s mission statement,” the letter said. DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability Department conducted an inspection and determined that the present state of the property is unfit for repurposing as retail use. Department inspection reports listed “poor building conditions, a vast amount of building code violations, structural issues and an absolute inability to re-tenant the existing
premises” as reason to demolish and rebuild the structures. The report also noted that the building does not comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The site was bequeathed to Emory in the 1980s. The University used the space as administrative offices for the Emory College Center for Science Education, according to Emory Senior Director of Operations David Payne. The program ceased in December 2015 and the property was vacated in 2016. Blanchard Real Estate did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Richard reporting.
Chess
contributed
— Contact Natalia Brody at natalia.brody@emory.edu
NEWS
The Emory Wheel
Miles Arrested During Ohio Pride Protest
Continued from Page 1
this work,” Miles wrote in the June 27 Facebook post. “The weight of racnot show up to court, and a surety ism and queerphobia had never bored bond of $100,000 by Franklin County down on me so hard as an officer’s Municipal Court Judge David Tyack, knee, pressing my head into concrete, according to Sydow. Supporters of smearing my makeup on the sideMiles fundraised the required 10 per- walk. … We must continue to struggle through this tension, until queer/trans cent of the surety bond, Sydow said. Miles waived the right to a pre- folk of color like me are safe and happy liminary hearing, deciding not to plead living their truths.” Assistant Vice President of guilty or not guilty, Sydow said. In Ohio, a person convicted of Community Suzanne Onorato said aggravated robbery can be sentenced that Emory is working to “support” Miles but declined to to up to 11 years of jail time. “The weight of racism provide additional details. In addition At the Pride parade, and queerphobia to being a Scholar, Miles, alongside had never bored Miles is a Mellon about 10 other prodown on me so hard Mays Undergraduate testers, had blocked the parade route at as an officer’s knee, Fellow and a member Columbus City Hall pressing my head into of Emory’s Mu Alpha chapter of the Alpha to protest 14 deaths concrete ...” Phi Alpha Fraternity. of black, transgenAccording to the der women and the — Deandre Miles (18C) June 27 Facebook June 16 acquittal of post, Miles had Jeronimo Yanez, the officer who killed Philando Castile. planned to study abroad in England They attempted to hold a seven-minute during the Fall 2017 semester. Young Democrats of Emory wrote moment of silence, according to Black Queer and Intersectional Columbus a June 28 Facebook post in support (BQIC) group co-founder Dkeama of Miles, stating they “unequivocally support Deandre’s work” and asking Alexis. Columbus police officers respond- “everyone to educate themselves about ed to the scene after receiving a tip the issues [Miles is] fighting for.” Anthropology Department underthat the group would block the road, according to WCMH-TV Columbus. graduate program coordinator Heather Police arrested Miles, Kendall Denton, Carpenter sent a June 29 email to Wriply Bennet and Ashley Braxton the anthropology undergraduate listafter they allegedly ignored police serv on behalf of the department to orders to leave the street, according to inform students about Miles’ arrest and charge. The Columbus Dispatch. “These events are always difficult Before Miles was released on bail, Alexis and BQIC co-founder and we know that many of you folAriana Steele staged a demonstra- lowing this story may be processing a tion at the Franklin County Municipal wide range of reactions/emotions and Courthouse June 19. The protest- feeling impacted in different ways,” ers demanded an investigation “into Carpenter wrote. “Emory Counseling the excessive use of force” used by and Psychological Services are always Columbus police and that the charges available if you need someone to talk against the defendants be dropped, to.” according to NBC4. At that time, only Denton, Bennet and Braxton had been — Contact Nicole Sadek at released. nicole.sadek@emory.edu and “This has not been an easy time Michelle Lou at for me, nor for any of us involved in michelle.ann.lou@emory.edu
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
3
University’s History Linked to Slavery Continued from Page 1 into “Hood hospitals,” named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. Thirty-two Confederate soldiers who died in those hospitals are buried in the Oxford College Soldiers Cemetery, Hauk said. Emory accepted its first non-white student, Yun Ch’i-Ho, a Korean international student, in 1891 and 26 years later, its first female student Eléonore Raoul, for whom Raoul Hall is named. It was not until 1962 that Emory officially integrated. “Increasingly through the 1950s, it was clear that there was a growing interest in pushing the Board of Trustees and the administration of the University to open the door to African Americans,” Hauk said. In 1961, Georgia passed a law that required public schools close rather than integrate by federal court orders. “The fear was that scholars would decline to come to Emory if their children could not attend nearby public schools — not to mention the undesirability of coming to a state where segregation would have been so deeply entrenched,” Hauk wrote in a Sept. 2 email to the Wheel. State regulations and legal disputes postponed racial integration at Emory until 1962. While Georgia’s constitution stated that private universities would hold tax-exempt status if they were open to the general public, state laws said, “private universities and tax-exempt institutions could not enroll black students if they had been established for white students and couldn’t enroll white students if they had been established for black students,” according to Hauk. “The Board of Trustees argued that Emory had not been established for white students,” Hauk said, noting that nothing in Emory’s bylaws barred people of color from attending the University. In a legal battle, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled in favor of Emory and initiated integration. Hamilton Holmes, whose name also lends itself to the freshman residence hall, became the first African American student admitted to the School of Medicine and graduated in 1967.
beliCia rodriguez/Contributing
alexander Means, the fourth president of emory University, mentions his family’s slaves in his diary. Despite an uptick in racial diversity at the University in the late 1900s, race relations remained strained between blacks and whites. A professor’s use of the N-word in a 2003 departmental meeting and an incidence of blackface at a party ignited racial tensions on campus in the early 2000s. In response to the events, James M. Cox, Jr. Professor of Journalism Catherine Manegold and Associate Professor of History and African American Studies Leslie Harris designed the “Transforming Community Project,” a series of discussions exploring “Emory’s involvement in the world that blacks and whites created together in the South, from African American enslavement, segregation, and integration to the present day,” according to an article by Harris. In 2013, former University President James W. Wagner caused uproar in the community after using the ThreeFifths Compromise to explain how people with differing political stances could reach formal agreements. He later apologized for the statement, writing, “Certainly, I do not consider slavery anything but heinous, repulsive, repugnant and inhuman. I should have stated that fact clearly in my essay.” In 2015, student group Black Students at Emory wrote that it wanted to see “an active change in University policy directed towards Black students,” attaching a list of 13
demands, which included changes in faculty evaluations to address microaggressions or incidents of racism and increased salaries for black faculty who advised black organizations. Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair and thenProvost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Claire E. Sterk addressed each of the demands in a December 2015 press release, writing, “This letter is written in the spirit of providing an immediate response to very complex and important matters. We acknowledge that there is much work to be done.” The University also started an annual “Racial Justice Retreat” to deliberate solutions to the demands and discuss progress. During Emory’s 175th anniversary in 2011, the University’s Board of Trustees issued a formal “statement of regret” for its involvement with slavery. “Emory acknowledges its entwinement with the institution of slavery throughout the College’s early history,” the Board of Trustees wrote in January 2011. “Emory regrets both this undeniable wrong and the University’s decades of delay in acknowledging slavery’s harmful legacy.” Belicia Rodriguez reporting.
contributed
— Contact Nicole Sadek at nicole.sadek@emory.edu
CRIME
Man Charged for Threatening Calls to Emory Healthcare By MoniCa leFton Senior Staff Writer
A man who allegedly made harassing phone calls to Emory Healthcare employees has been arrested and charged with four felony counts. Jarvis L. Williams, 35, was arrested Aug. 24 in Oceanside, Calif., and charged with four felony counts of making a criminal threat after he allegedly placed more than 110,000 harassing phone calls to Emory Healthcare employees over a 13-month period. The calls began July 2016 and included “threatening, harassing, disparaging statements, including threats to shoot the staff … [and] mentioned several other mass shooters,” Sgt. John Harper of the Emory Police Department (EPD) wrote in an Aug. 28 email to the Wheel. Williams’ threats reached 27 Emory employees at the call center. Williams also made threatening calls to other locations around the United States, including Louisiana,
Oceanside, Florida State University and El Cajon, Calif. EPD is still working closely with Oceanside Police Department and the District Attorney’s office, Harper said Sept. 5. San Diego County District Attorney will prosecute the case on behalf of Emory. Williams was arraigned Aug. 28 and pleaded not guilty. His bail is set at $1 million. William’s attorney, public defender Matthew Wechter, declined to comment on the case due to client confidentiality. The defendant will appear in court Sept. 6 for a status hearing and Sept. 11 for a preliminary hearing. The Emory Healthcare call center received the first threatening and harassing call July 14, 2016, and reported the call to EPD. EPD responded and assigned an investigator. The call center has not received any threatening calls since Williams’ arrest, according to Harper. EPD believes that all calls were
Parth mody/Photo editor
The emory Healthcare call center received more than 110,000 harassing phone calls over a 13-month period begining July 2016. made by the same individual due to their similar content and nature, Harper told the Wheel in a phone call. EPD contacted and began work with the Oceanside Police Department
once they believed the individual was residing there. Emory Healthcare was unable to provide a comment by press time. The article will be updated online.
Richard reporting.
Chess
contributed
— Contact Monica Lefton at monica.lefton@emory.edu
4
NEWS
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Texas Natives Fundraise for Harvey Victims
POLITICS
Continued from Page 1
Julia munslow/editor-in-Chief
a focus group conducted on behalf of emory University about President Donald J. Trump (a Bove) was largely pessimistic.
Focus Group by Emory Dubs Trump ‘Crazy,’ ‘Dishonest’ By seungeun Cho Staff Writer Increasingly critical views of President Donald J. Trump were on display Aug. 29 when a 12-person focus group convened in Pittsburgh for a session of “Conversations in America,” a series conducted by Emory in collaboration with NBC News and Wall Street Journal pollster Peter D. Hart. The group, led by Hart, consisted of five Trump voters, six Hillary Clinton voters and one independent voter who voted for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. The University created “Conversations with America” to “advance and promote conversation and civil discourse on the most difficult issues facing our nation,” according to an Aug. 28 press release. The series will host several more focus groups in cities nationwide to initiate conversation and shed light on issues such as race, immigration, education and health care. The focus group’s opinions about Trump ranged from “contemptible” and “dishonest” to “outrageous” and “crazy.” Some called Vice President Mike Pence a “puppet” and “dangerous to women,” while others labeled Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “a hypocrite” and House Speaker Paul Ryan an “opportunist.” Tony Sciullo, a registered Republican who voted for Trump as an “anti-Hillary” measure, said he was disappointed in Trump. Sciullo, the president of an insurance company, said that Trump was “his own worst enemy” and “couldn’t
be any worse at achieving goals in politics.” The majority of the focus group echoed Sciullo’s frustrations, citing various instances of Trump’s misbehavior, including his divisive rhetoric and unrestrained Twitter activity. “Everything he does is outrageous,” said construction worker David Turner, who voted for Trump. Registered Republican Brian Rush was hesitant to pass judgment on Trump, who took office eight months ago, and expressed a more hopeful outlook. “It is short into his term, and I’m hoping things can turn around,” said Rush, who works as a sales representative and views the presidency favorable “from a business side.” The voters described the current state of the world as “chaotic,” “shameful” and “tense.” “It’s just scary,” said Christina Lees, an independent Republican-leaning voter. “There’s so much more anger and hostility in the world nowadays than there was even five years ago.” University President Claire E. Sterk said the series will help Americans engage in difficult conversations, according to the press release. “We cannot begin to address the most divisive challenges facing our nation without first taking the time to listen to the broad range of opinions and experiences across the nation,” Sterk said. The series schedule has not yet been finalized, Associate Vice President of Media Relations Nancy Seideman said.
— Contact Seungeun Cho at Seungeun.cho@emory.edu
Sorority in Good Standing With Emory Continued from Page 1 of Public Relations Jason Gomez declined to state what prompted the investigation and potential consequences of the investigation, citing confidentiality and members’ privacy. Tri Delta is in good standing with Emory, according to Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life Marlon Gibson. He said that Emory University has not begun its own investigation into the sorority. “There’s no need to start an investigation,” Gibson said when the Wheel asked why Emory hasn’t started a probe. Gomez wrote in an email to the Wheel that Tri Delta has been on probation and chapter activities have been
The Emory Wheel
ceased since July. Gibson said that the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life has been working with the national headquarters of Tri Delta “probably since March.” The relationship between Emory’s Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life and the Tri Delta Executive Office has gone “very well,” according to Gibson. He said that Sullivan flew to Atlanta Thursday to meet with him. Elissa Gildenhorn (18B), who is listed as the chapter president on Emory’s website, said she is no longer a member and declined an interview. Michelle Lou contributed reporting.
— Contact Richard Chess at rchess@emory.edu
help for her cousin, who had been stuck in a home with 15 other adults and four children. Eventually, rescuers came — but not for her cousin. Rescuers were so overwhelmed with relief efforts around the area that they were forced to only take children, Guillen said. The rescuers informed the adults that not only were they not going to come back for them later, but also that they would be forced to open a channel that would flood over the neighborhood soon, according to Guillen. And although Guillen’s cousin was eventually rescued, reports by CNN and The Atlantic showed that her cousin was not alone in dealing with issues from the city’s infrastructure and layout. At times while she was frantically trying to get help for her friends and family, Guillen felt helpless. A friend who was stranded in a makeshift shed with his father and two dogs had powered off their phones to save battery, and when Guillen called the Coast Guard on their behalf, she was met with a lack of help. Even after explaining the situation — the shed had begun flooding and their phones were turned off — the Coast Guard told Guillen, “Well, I’m sorry, but they need to call … You’re just going to have to wait for them to call,” according to Guillen. Eventually Guillen’s friend and his father made it to safety. In a statement to CNN, the Coast Guard said “Coast Guard first responders were faced with an overwhelming request for assistance due to Hurricane Harvey. On-scene rescue crews made determinations based upon emergent factors (i.e. immediate,
life-threatening situations) and the conditions faced on the scene.” Though some residents took shelter with friends and family, others found no other alternative to “living in a football stadium or church … for now,” Eshbaugh said. Both Guillen and Eshbaugh are trying to help residents of Texas from Atlanta.
“They lost everything.” — Jamie Guillen (19C) and Daniel Eshbaugh (20C)
Guillen has set up a donation bin outside of her dorm room in URC Building C, room 105, to collect baby formula, cleaning supplies, toiletries, food and water, and said that the Emory student community has shown support, though she encountered difficulties when trying to put donation bins around campus. She expressed frustration that Michael Kloss, chief of staff for the Office of the President, denied on behalf of University President Claire E. Sterk her request to Sterk to put donations bins around campus. Although Eshbaugh lives in Austin and his family wasn’t directly affected, he said he has friends in Texas who lost everything. The Sophomore Advisor (SA) for The Complex set up “Change for Change,” a competition where residents can donate change to a Residence Advisor’s (RA) or SA’s
cup in hopes of getting their RA or SA of choice pied in the face. Eshbaugh said he felt a tremendous amount of support from other staff members and residents. Residents from other halls are also encouraged to join the competition, which will last through Friday night. “I’m trying to figure out a weekend that I can go home because my brothers have been doing a lot of stuff in Houston — driving around a boat, pulling people out of houses,” Eshbaugh added. Emory’s Office of Government and Community Affairs sent Emory shirts to Houston in response to University of Houston Basketball Coach Kelvin Sampson’s donation request for clean clothing, according to a Sept. 1 tweet from the office. In addition, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing “has put out a call for support for those affected by Hurricane Harvey’s terrible devastation,” according to Kathryn Kite, the senior associate director and programs administrative director of the Lillian Carter Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility at the nursing school. As Texas begins the transition from rain and rescue efforts to recovery, Hurricane Irma, a strengthening Category 5 hurricane, moves towards the U.S., including Florida and Puerto Rico, which both declared a state of emergency, according to the Washington Post. Experts predict that its impact could be just as detrimental as Harvey’s. According to an AJC report, Georgia could see effects from Irma as early as next Monday.
— Contact Christina Yan at christina.yan@emory.edu
NEWS
The Emory Wheel
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
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No New Applications for DACA Will be Accepted, Admin. Says Continued from Page 1 “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!” Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science Alan Abramowitz said that the dysfunctional nature of Congress will make it difficult to pass alternate legislation. “I’m not too optimistic that they are going to be able to agree on a replacement policy because there is a split among Republicans between the Trump wing of the party and the more moderate wing of the party,” Abramowitz said. He added that he believes that “a very strong coalition of colleges and universities” will attempt to overturn Trump’s decision. No new applications for DACA will be accepted, but any person with existing benefits will have those benefits until the expiration date, up until two years from Sept. 5, the statement said. New applications and applications for renewal of DACA that have already been submitted will be processed. University President Claire E. Sterk reaffirmed the school’s support for DACA students in an Aug. 31 all-Emory email. “The elimination of DACA means the elimination of hope for many of these young people. It also threatens to rob our academic community of some of our brightest minds on campus,” Sterk’s email read. DACA is a temporary immigration benefit granted to some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. The program offers a work permit and two years of deportation protection. To be eligible for the program, one had to be enrolled in high school or
hold the equivalent of a high school diploma and have a clean criminal record. About 800,000 people in the U.S. are protected from deportation under DACA, according to The New York Times. Emory College of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael A. Elliott sent an email to College faculty on Sept. 1 affirming that students who previously had DACA status will continue to have 100 percent of their financial need met by the university. “Last year, Emory anticipated the possibility that DACA might be ended, and so created a robust set of policies designed to ensure all undocumented students have the need-based financial resources necessary to complete their Emory educations,” Elliott wrote. “This commitment to our students remains firm; students who have received need-based aid from Emory, but no longer have DACA status will be continue to receive financial aid as undocumented students.” Some members of the Latino Graduate Student Association (LGSA) and Rollins Latinx Alianza protested Sept. 5 to defend DACA at the Atlanta Immigration Court at a demonstration organized by the Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance, Project South and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. Approximately 12 students met at Kaldi’s at the Depot and created signs before leaving for the protest. “[The rescinding of DACA] is incredibly disheartening and disappointing,” said LGSA founding member Taina Figueroa, who is in her sixth year at Laney Graduate School and serves on LGSA’s executive board. “We have DACA students on this campus, but beyond that, it sends a clear message to all undocumented folks that this
niraJ naik/emory life editor
Two students make posters to prepare for the sept. 5 demonstration supporting the Deferred action for Childhood arrivals (DaCa) program at the atlanta immigration Court. administration does not care about them, and I’m angry.” In her University-wide email, Sterk wrote that she sent letters to Georgia’s congressional delegation and Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) urging them to support the Dream Act of 2017, which provides a pathway to citizenship to those who entered the country illegally with their parents before the age of 18. The bill would change the status of DACA recipients to conditional permanent residents (CPR) which would provide them with legal work status for eight years and a pathway to citizenship following that time period. “At Emory, our DACA students are academic scholars and community leaders; they are committed to improving and contributing not only to Emory, but also to the larger Atlanta and Georgia communities,” Sterk’s letters said. “Emory is committed to
supporting these highly qualified students financially using private nongovernmental resources to offer need and merit-based university scholarship support.” As a presidential candidate, Trump promised September 2016 to “immediately terminate” DACA, referring to the program as “illegal.” Once in office, he delayed acting on the program, citing recipients of the program as “incredible kids,” according to The New York Times. Discussions on DACA gained urgency when a group of state attorneys general threatened to sue the Trump administration if it did not begin to dismantle the program by Sept. 5. The attorneys general of Washington state and New York state announced prior to the announcement that they will sue if Trump ends DACA, according to ABC News. In November 2016, Emory com-
munity members petitioned Sterk multiple times to designate Emory as a “sanctuary campus” and protested in favor of the designation, but the president declined to adopt the label, stating it “lacks substantive meaning for policy and practice.” She also reaffirmed her support for undocumented students at Emory. Sterk met with about half of the DACA students the administration knows of at Emory in late 2016, and the majority requested she refuse the designation to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to the undocumented community at Emory, Sterk said in a Jan. 18 interview with the Wheel. Richard Chess, Niraj Naik and Alejandro Perez contributed reporting.
— Contact Alex Klugerman at alex.klugerman@emory.edu
2017 Fall Election Guide The Emory Wheel asked candidates for Student Government Association (SGA) freshman representative to submit 150-word platforms by Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Elections Board’s deadline for candidates to register was Tuesday at midnight. Candidates who declared after 8 p.m. on Tuesday are not included in the print edition of the guide but will be included in the online guide, which can be found at www.emorywheel.com/fallelectionguide2017. The campaign period will run from Sept. 5 at midnight to Sept. 10, according to an email from Emory Elections Board Chair Betty Zhang (20C).
Surya Garg
Hi, my name is Surya Garg and I am running to be the first year representative of the Student Government Association. If elected, I would work to be a voice of the Class of 2021. First, I would explore ways in which we can improve the DUC-ling experience — whether this be improving food options, meal schedules or even menus to cut lines down in the dining hall. Second, I want to strengthen areas of weak WiFi connection on campus, particularly in first year halls. My main goal is to implement a TEDx-style event in which professors from different departments host seminars, discussions and lunch and learns over a weekend on pointed topics in their fields of expertise. Lastly, I would house weekly office hours during which I would host conversations with peers to help combat issues as they arise throughout the school year.
Georgia Spies
Hello everyone, my name is Georgia Spies, and I am running to be a Student Government Association (SGA) First-Year Representative. A few facts about me are I am from Havertown, Pa., I am currently undecided in what my major will be, and I have 7 siblings (feel free to ask me about this). I want everyone in the class of 2021 to have an opportunity to change Emory. So far, from my time on campus, I’ve heard countless complaints from my peers about how difficult OPUS is to navigate. Elected into SGA, I will push for the renovation of the OPUS website. I will openly hear complaints and praises and apply them to decision making. I value hard work, dedication, and an open mind, all of which I will use, if elected, to help make 2017-18 an amazing year for all of us.
Gabrielle Mallozzi, Olivier niyibizi, alice Bodge, laura sheckter, austin Graham and shreya Pabbaraju declared their candidacies after the deadline for print issue. Their platforms and headshots will be placed online as they become available.
The Emory Wheel
Editorials
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | Editorial Page Editors: Madeline Lutwyche (madeline.lutwyche@emory.edu) and Pranati Kohli (pranati.kohli@emory.edu)
Editorial
White Supremacist Symbol Tarnishes Old DeKalb Courthouse If you’ve ever set foot in Decatur Square, home to Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, The Iberian Pig and a cute, touristy gazebo, you’ve been in view of the so-called “Lost Cause” monument. Standing directly in the back of the old DeKalb County Courthouse, the monument commemorates fallen Confederate soldiers who “were of a covenant keeping race who held fast to the faith as it was given by the fathers of the Republic.” The obelisk was erected in 1908 by “the men and women and children of Dekalb County” decades after the Civil War and two years after deadly race riots plagued Atlanta. This does more than simply commemorate Confederate soldiers; it’s a monument to current-day racism. The Lost Cause monument stood as a symbol of conservative, whitesupremacist views at the height of the Jim Crow era. The symbols with which we adorn our public spaces should reflect the core ideals of the United States. Racism — and the idolization of those who defended it — cannot be among them. Some conservatives voice concerns of a slippery slope phenomenon, which could lead to the demonization of America’s leaders and founders like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. While that argument is often used to defend racist statues, it holds some
credence. The history of our country is riddled with inequality and oppression — we cannot erase all evidence of our past, nor should we try. We draw the line at the legacy of the individual or cause memorialized. Despite the fact that Jefferson was a slaveowner, he, for example, is remembered as a core writer of the Declaration of Independence and as one of America’s first great politicians. In contrast, the Lost Cause monument exclusively venerates the Confederate spirit — a supremacist ideology that stands for oppression and slavery. Just as importantly, we must consider the intent and context of construction. The Lost Cause monument was erected more than four decades after the end of the Civil War and served as a rallying point for those committed to the “lost cause” of the Confederacy. We cannot allow a monument dedicated to the institution of white supremacy to guard a building that symbolizes our justice system. DeKalb County may be unable to remove the monument because of a 2010 state law that prohibits the removal or relocation of public monuments. But the state of Georgia should amend the law, relocate the monument to a museum and carefully reassess which parts of its history to celebrate.
The Editorial Board is composed of Jennifer Katz, Madeline Lutwyche and Boris Niyonzima.
The Emory Wheel JuLia MunsLoW editor-in-Chief MicheLLe Lou exeCutive editor hayLey siLverstein Managing editor aLisha coMpton Managing editor Copy Editor Nicole Sadek News Editors Richard Chess Alex Klugerman Editorial Page Editors Madeline Lutwyche Pranati Kohli A&E Editor Devin Bog Emory Life Editor Niraj Naik
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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 at least 500. Those selected may be shortened to fit allotted space or edited for grammar, punctuation and libelous content. Submissions reflect the opinions of individual writers and not of the Wheel’s Editorial Board or Emory University. Send emails to julia.munslow@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322.
Facing a Complacent Campus: A Lesson In Discomfort Deandre Miles After being jailed by the Columbus Police Department this summer, I am left with the impression that Emory students are complacent. I get the sense that many of their deepest concerns involve studying for a QTM exam, running for an SGA position, the Migos scandal or even getting a URC apartment. These individuals have failed Emory. They have ignored the most important responsibility Emory students ought to have — to engage seriously the work of positive social transformation. On June 17, my Emory bubble burst. At the 2017 Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade, a group of individuals including myself, later dubbed the #BlackPride4, were arrested by officers of the Columbus Police Department, which has recently come under fire for officer involvement in the shooting deaths of Tyre King and Henry Green. Demonstrating peacefully against capitalist anti-blackness and transphobia, we were hit with pepper spray, bicycles and the fury of antiblackness. I was arrested, charged with felony aggravated robbery and held on a bond (read: ransom) of $100,000. My Emory ID did not save me. Our protest was rooted in the struggle against all forms of oppression, a conflict which ought to deeply permeate the Emory bubble. However, as the Fall semester begins, students will discuss the Charlottesville riots, unanimously denouncing the evils of fascism and Nazism, while ignoring racist, classist, transphobic, etc., commentary in their classes. They will discuss the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, disregarding how poor people of color, some of whom are Emory students, will be disproportionately affected by it. Therein lies complacency. These self-satisfied students are a problem. They are the majority. They are proud to tell their friends at other schools that Emory’s president is an immigrant but remain oblivious to the deplorable conditions at the Stewart Detention Center, where Jean Jimenez-Joseph died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody after
days of solitary confinement earlier this year. These students would jump at the chance to attend an Atlanta Falcons game at the pristine Mercedes-Benz Stadium, overlooking that its construction is a conduit for the gentrification of Atlanta’s Westside. This willful ignorance is a disservice to both the Emory community and the individuals who suffer in these circumstances. In short, Emory students have got to do better. Here are two steps we all should take to combat complacency and build a stronger, more inclusive, community at Emory and beyond. First, get uncomfortable. Embrace the discomfort that is necessary for growth. This means having difficult interactions in the classroom, in the dorm, in the DUC-ling — wherever they are necessary. Call out your problematic professors and classmates, especially when you occupy a position of privilege with regard to the group they are targeting. When you go home for Thanksgiving break, call out your problematic family members too. It is up to you to decolonize your education. Remember that your momentary discomfort is essential to the safety of others. Second, get outside of yourself. Over dinner with Emory alumnus Troizel Carr (15C), I posed the question: What advice would you give current undergraduates to be critical and accountable students? Now a graduate student at New York University, he noted that he would tell a younger Troizel to “get out of yourself.” In other words, challenge yourself to understand your Emory experience outside of your classes, clubs and even campus activism. Engage the histories of the city you are living in — a long-standing nexus for combatting many forms of oppression — and get involved locally in off-campus work where your energies are needed most. We all will depart Emory one day, be it three months or three years from now, and we ought to have made it a better place for all than it was when we came. So do the hard self work, check your privilege, stand against injustice and get a degree while you do it. Deandre Miles is a College senior from Hyattsville, Md.
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OP-ED
The Emory Wheel
DeKalb’s ‘Lost Cause’
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
7
Congressional Cowards in GOP Ryan, McConnell Paralyzed By Constituents Grant Osborn
Rose Kuan/Contributing
In Old Theology Building, Save Space for Students David Hervey The Old Theology Building, one of the remaining structures original to the Atlanta campus and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now slated to become office space for University executives. According to a July 11 press release, the Old Theology Building will “be a showpiece for the University, welcoming visitors ... as they meet with the University’s president and other leaders.” The press release does not lay out any reasons why the current administration building is insufficient or why the Old Theology Building would not be better used as a space for students. While the Campus Development Committee of the University Senate, which includes students on its roster, reviewed early stages of the project, no plans have been made public for open discussion and very little, if any, input has been given on the project by the larger Emory community. Additionally, the development of plans for the Old Theology Building has not been transparent: The first public mention of any potential renovation was in the press release that announced the renovation would occur, after months of planning had already taken place. To an outside observer, it appears that University executives decided to upgrade from their current offices to the historic Old Theology Building. The building itself, along with the similar Michael C. Carlos Hall, are among Emory’s most iconic
structures, triumphs of architect Henry Hornbostel. With its giant windows, vaulted ceilings and marble exterior, the Old Theology Building is an important part of Emory’s architectural heritage and early 20th century American architecture as a whole. Before it closed in 2014, the Old Theology Building housed the Pitts Theology Library and was a cherished study spot. As a historic and architecturally valuable structure, the space should be an area for learning, in keeping with its history and its twin, the grand Carlos Hall. Its original use as a library directly furthered the education of Emory’s students by giving them a place to study and research. Administrative offices fail to do this; rarely do students have reason to enter the current Administration building, least of all for real education. The Old Theology Building will be a showpiece for the University no matter what use it is put to, but taking a premier part of Emory’s architectural heritage that once fostered learning and making it a space for executives raises concerns about Emory’s priorities. At Emory, we value inclusion. Our University leadership can speak with its actions and make the building into a space for all members of our community, rather than top administrators. Our community values learning. The administration can make this historic space a place for learning by preserving it as a library and student commons. Our community values servant leadership. This means that our leaders should use the assets of the community for the good of the community as a whole,
rather than for themselves. In the words of Emory’s History and Traditions website, “Our community respects the legacy we have received while also pursuing new perspectives on historical events.” My question for our university’s administration and trustees is this: How does turning the Old Theology Building into a space for offices respect the legacy we have received? There is clearly a need for more study spaces on campus, as evidenced by plans for the new Campus Life Center. Why would our university be better served by a grand space for administrative offices than by a new learning commons like the Matheson Reading Room in Candler Library? Renovation of the Old Theology Building is still in its early stages — the University has time to correct its mistake and put students first. The Old Theology Building can still be a place for learning and a common area as well as the showpiece that University administrators desire. Having President Claire E. Sterk’s office, or one for a similarly ranked official, within the renovated building would be appropriate, so long as student space is the priority. If students become vocal, the Old Theology Building can remain a grand place for learning, just as it was a century ago. Our university’s leadership needs to include more groups in this decision, have a transparent dialogue about the future of our campus and make sure whatever decision it makes aligns with our institution’s values. David Hervey is a College senior from San Diego.
In a controversial Aug. 12 press conference, President Donald J. Trump equated Black Lives Matter and Antifa to neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Trump’s comments were ignorant, divisive and senseless; he is irreversibly beyond the pale at this point. I had hoped that our leaders in Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were not beyond hope despite their behavior for the past eight months. I stand corrected. Ryan’s and McConnell’s partial acquiescence to Trump, though unfortunate, was expected. The Republican party somehow managed to converge around the demagogue; politicians’ approval ratings within their own party are contingent on their support for the leader of that party. On the other hand, these leaders’ total acquiescence to Trump — especially that of Ryan — is shocking, hitting a new low after their total failure to adequately denounce Trump or even his comments following that notorious press conference. It seemed like Ryan had no intention of commenting on Trump’s conference; Ryan had to be asked by a constituent at a town hall to make a remark. The sum total of Ryan’s rebuke was saying that the president “messed up,” but that upbraiding the president would be “counterproductive.” If equating liberal actors with white supremacists isn’t appropriate call for censure, then I don’t know what is. McConnell, on the other hand, acted without being asked, but issued an even weaker statement accompanied by a tweet, both on Aug. 12, neither of which addressed Trump directly. The totality of McConnell’s statements amounted to a generic condemnation of the “right-wing” groups in Charlottesville, Va., and a tweet that said, “the hate and bigotry witnessed in #Charlottesville does not reflect American values.
I wholeheartedly oppose their actions.” The best our Senate Majority Leader could do to combat our president’s overt indulgence of the alt-right was to subtweet him. McConnell’s and Ryan’s responses are unacceptable. They are two of the most powerful Republicans in Congress. When the premier member of a party openly defends groups under the tutelage of David Duke and Richard Spencer, the moral imperative to denounce him runs far deeper than superficial party lines or partisan politics. Trump’s statements were not small missteps; he didn’t “mess up.” He grossly and openly abused the moral authority that comes with his job. Back in summer 2016, Ryan criticized Trump’s comments on the ethnicity of judges in immigration courts, calling Trump’s remarks “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” A more lethal critique of Trump by his own party’s leadership scarcely comes to mind. The latest of Trump’s comments on his tour de force of ignorance make Trump’s statements regarding the judges seem all but innocuous. Now that Trump has assumed office, Ryan and McConnell seem paralyzed. If they have any spine or moral compass remaining in their bodies, I can’t find it. Perhaps Ryan and McConnell are not solely to blame. Perhaps they are bound by their constituencies from expressing their chagrin with Trump’s leadership. But a house divided cannot stand, and neither can a democracy perpetually embattled in partisan vitriol. The last thing we need is more maliciousness. We need a political regime wherein sharp criticism of the president’s regressive actions from members of his own party is not only tolerated by those leaders’ constituents, but also encouraged as a part of the political process. That change will never happen from the bottom up. The onus rests with Ryan and McConnell to denounce the president when he errs, and to accept any disapproval lodged in their direction as a result of their independence, incisiveness and precise moral compass. They work for the people. If two of the most powerful men serving in our government don’t have enough courage to stand up to the capricious malefactor we have elected — potentially at the cost of their political careers — then they aren’t fit to lead our country. Grant Osborn is a College junior from Springfield, Ohio.
Change the Name: John Emory’s Shameful Ties to Slavery James Scott Last month, deadly violence in defense of a Confederate monument in Charlottesville, Va., ignited cries of outrage against white supremacists. The planned removal of a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee enraged neoNazis and members of the Ku Klux Klan. In support of their Confederate hero, protesting right-wing terrorists mobilized, chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans. After order was restored, the Charlottesville City Council voted late August to cover the statue of Lee with a tarp. Citizens nationwide are demanding that monuments glorifying the “Lost Cause of the Confederacy” be
removed from public spaces and government institutions. A report published by the Southern Poverty Law Center indicates more than 1,500 statues and monuments in the United States are dedicated to the Confederacy — and 174 are located in Georgia. The list of removed monuments is growing rapidly. Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams called for the removal of the three Confederate war leaders from Stone Mountain. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson currently tower about 400 feet above the so-called “City Too Busy to Hate,” even though those Confederates fought for slavery and betrayed our country’s values. They should not be glorified. Atlanta, the home of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights
movement, is also home to an institution named for a man who endorsed slavery (a crime against humanity): Emory. It’s a name we see daily but don’t recognize for what it means. Several of the University’s founding fathers owned slaves and supported secession leading up to the Civil War, according to Mark Auslander, a former Emory anthropology professor. “The naming of the College for Bishop [John] Emory was embedded in the fact that for its white founders, John Emory was emphatically one of their own. He had recently published a powerful tract against abolitionism, came from a prominent Maryland slaveowning family and was himself a slave owner,” Auslander wrote. John Emory embodied the qualities the founders admired — anti-
abolitionism and white supremacy. Racism and white supremacy continue to exist in our society and on Emory’s campus. A swastika graffitied on a Jewish fraternity’s house door, taunts about lynching students on a satirical studentrun show and the Emory Dental School’s legacy of discrimination against Jewish students read like a script from Nazi propaganda. Emory must lead the dialogue in the reawakening of respect and honor towards African Americans, Native Americans and all oppressed minorities who sacrificed their lives to build Emory’s campus and our country. The University must continually and openly discuss the institution’s origins and the history of slavery on campus. Furthermore, the University should erect a memorial to
slaves and consider what the name “Emory” really means. The name of an institution points to a legacy that the institution wishes to uplift and commemorate. John Emory’s slave-owning past should not be glorified by an institution that pledges itself to uphold a “longstanding mission to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.” It is time to encourage students to peacefully explore the University’s history and redirect its moral compass. President Claire E. Sterk has an opportunity to do what the men of Emory before her did not have the courage to do. Change the name. James Scott is a former faculty member of Emory University School of Medicine.
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Wednesday, September 6, 2017
OP-ED
The Emory Wheel
After Charlottesville, Reconsider the First Amendment Jonathan Hamrick Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. — a champion of free speech but a racially conservative Supreme Court justice — believed the First Amendment created a marketplace for the “free trade in ideas.” It’s the hallmark of our Constitution, and it affords everyone the right to profess their beliefs and make contributions to our constitutional marketplace. That said, do Nazi flags and racial epithets really contribute to that “free trade in ideas”? Courts have frequently answered in the affirmative. But there should be little doubt about whether hate speech provides truth-seeking insights worthy of constitutional protection. Hate speech can concisely be defined as speech and modes of speech attacking people or a class of people on the basis of their attributes. Protecting it welcomes the denigration of certain people, and there is a difference between preserving a social atmosphere premised on meaningful dialogue and one that purely promotes prejudice. Placing hate speech on equal constitutional footing with political discourse and other forms of meaningful speech is fundamentally inapposite. Not only is it time for the country to do a little political soul searching, it’s also time to reevaluate the First Amendment’s contours. Last month, a storm of torchbearing white supremacists descended upon the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Reminiscent of one of Hitler’s Nuremberg Rallies, the individuals, like some off-brand Gestapo, confidently chanted Nazi slogans (such as “Sieg Heil”) and shouted racial slurs in a fruitless effort to save a statue of Confederate Gen. Rob-
ert E. Lee. It was a dormant volcano waiting to erupt, and, sure enough, it did. Only when the smoke cleared could we properly gauge the significance of the social meltdown. In the end, the events left one counter-protester dead and others wounded. Those two days were harrowing. Time stood still. The protests in Charlottesville strike at the core of our constitutional values; they challenge us to reconcile our principles concerning equality with the freedom of assembly and the freedom of speech. Under current constitutional doctrines, hate speech falls within the aegis of the First Amendment. For example, in R.A.V v. St. Paul, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a city ordinance prohibiting people from displaying racially-charged gestures. This decision effectively overturned a man’s conviction for burning a cross on a black family’s lawn. The Constitution should not protect that type of hate speech. South Africa and Great Britain, which also have shaky histories of racial inequality, forbid hate speech. Germany, albeit unsurprisingly, has outlawed hate speech and the expression of any opinion attacking human dignity, including Nazi slogans. Legal scholars have argued that, through the confluence of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, the Constitution forbids this form of speech. We owe no fealty to scholars or another nation’s laws, but even the Supreme Court has established certain content-based exceptions to the First Amendment’s protection. Specifically, it doesn’t protect speech that’s “of such slight social value ... that any benefit that may be derived from [it] is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality.” For instance, fighting words — those words “whose very utter-
ance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace” — possess little to no social value because their purpose is to inflict harm or incite violence; therefore, such expressions fall outside the First Amendment’s purview. In Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, applying the fighting-words doctrine, the Supreme Court upheld a criminal conviction for publicly calling someone a “damned fascist.” Likewise, hate speech — disparaging remarks about someone’s race, religion or sexual orientation — also lacks social value; it inflicts emotional harm, while potentially inviting physical harm; it perpetuates the notion that one race is superior to all others, undermining our basic constitutional values of equality. To borrow Justice Byron White’s words, this is “not a means of exchanging views, rallying supporters or registering a protest; [it’s] directed against individuals to provoke violence or to inflict injury.” For these reasons, the country’s interest in preserving social order and morality outweighs the trifling benefits being derived from protecting hate speech. Charlottesville is an example of how real-world events cause constitutional friction and how constitutional doctrines can conflict with people’s moral principles. It poses vexing questions that we the people must resolve. Wrestling with these issues is hard, and determining the right answers is even harder. We all aim to discover truth (whatever that may be), and trading ideas freely, having unrestrained, constructive dialogue, might help people reach their desired ends. The First Amendment forever preserves that right, but prejudiced, hate-filled speech provides no meaningful contribution to our “free trade in ideas.” If we are to ever shed history’s shackles and continue venturing
towards “a more perfect Union,” we need to reevaluate our guiding lights. The First Amendment pushes the needle sewing racism into the fabric of our society. It’s time we redefine its parameters. White’s concurrence, in R.A.V v. St. Paul, provided a potential solution for the hate-speech issue. Observing it through the lens of the fighting-words doctrine, White believed burning a cross in someone’s lawn fell outside the First Amendment’s protection and was therefore proscribable. Rather than formulating a novel rule, White simply applied the fighting-words exception to the hate-speech context. From his view, fighting words and hate speech were analogous; these words are “worthless and undeserving of constitutional protection” because their sole purpose is to inflict harm by verbally attacking someone on the basis of their attributes. Under his theory, only private, direct, interpersonal insults would be proscribable. Construing the content-based exception narrowly would prevent other forms of expression, like political speech or speech criticizing white-supremacist ideologies, from being chilled. White’s formulation, of course, needs further refinement and won’t completely solve all the problems surrounding hate speech, as racist or disparaging political remarks fall outside the exception. Nonetheless, the fighting-words doctrine provides a starting point. The First Amendment already doesn’t protect speech that incites violence or riots, so the synergy between that principle and the fighting-words exception could enable courts and legislatures to delineate meaningful restraints on hate-filled rhetoric. Admittedly, time and again courts have refused to endorse White’s formulation and apply the
fighting-words exception to hate speech; protecting this speech is firmly rooted in our constitutional history. So, when bearing in mind the principles of stare decisis and a court’s reluctance to overrule prior decisions, relying on the judiciary may prove futile. But even though courts have continuously endorsed this proposition, it doesn’t foreclose the debate. After all, Article Five enables us, the people, to “propose amendments to this constitution.” In Federalist No. 43, James Madison wrote, “useful alterations will be suggested by experience, could not but be foreseen.” The Framers understood not only the importance of free speech, but also the importance of altering constitutional precepts for an ever-evolving society. They anticipated change and furnished us with a constitution designed to deal with it. If the courts won’t alter the First Amendment’s parameters, then we should resort to our safety valve: a constitutional amendment. It’s less romantic than a earth-shattering court decision, like in Brown v. Board of Education or in Obergefell v. Hodges; it requires much more political cooperation between the governing branches. Hence, citizens tend to forget or undervalue its importance. Still, a constitutional amendment is a vessel to effectuate change, which would enable us to officially codify White’s proposed hate-speech exception. Doing so would leave the First Amendment in place, as a finely crafted amendment would only alter its parameters, not completely abrogate it. It’s been 226 years since the First Amendment was ratified; it’s time we stop letting it defend hate speech. Jonathan Hamrick is a School of Law student from Atlanta.
Moral Consumers: Do Your Research Annie Cohen Controversy concerning Jimmy John Liautaud, owner and founder of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, erupted in 2015 after a Twitter user posted pictures of Liautaud posing with the spoils of his big game hunting exploits on a 2010 trip to Africa. While the photographs were real, Liautaud says he no longer hunts African big game. Liautaud now partakes in legal, recreational hunting and fishing; no reason remains for his company to be boycotted. While in 2010 I would have led the pack in boycotting his restaurants, in 2017, Liautaud and his restaurants deserve a fair chance. Those who continue to vilify Liautaud are either misinformed or are opposed to all recreational hunting. Whether this decision was brought on by a personal epiphany or by the impact his bad press was having on his company, Liautaud’s return to a tamer version of recreational hunting is commendable. Hunting is a normal and legal activity; fishing and deer or duck hunting do no harm to the species
or environment, and as long as the meat is being eaten, these animals are not killed in vain. Vegetarianism is a separate issue — the restaurant does sell meat, after all. Being a conscious consumer is important, and the knowledge that giving money to certain companies can potentially fund the owners’ personal recreation is an inescapable reality. Emory students, who are major supporters of the businesses in Emory Village, must remain educated consumers. For those planning to boycott the Jimmy John’s chain, the cause for protest is gone. That does not erase the damage that Liautaud’s hunting may have caused in the past, but a continued boycott of the company is no longer merited. Hobby Lobby refuses to give its employees birth control, Chick-fila is homophobic; Jimmy John’s, however, no longer warrants the same scorn. The Emory Village Jimmy John’s — and all locations for that matter — can now be judged by less controversial criteria: the quality of their sandwiches and how freaky fast their delivery really is. Annie Cohen is a College sophomore from New Orleans.
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Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | Managing Editor: Hayley Silverstein
University Depends on Revamped Mindset By Eric DESoBE April 27, 1999 Naively, I subscribe to the reality that this column affects change. “Lines in the Sand” is more than a column name, track seven on Dream Theater’s “Falling into Infinity.” It is an appropriate metaphor for college life. From August to May, people, both by their own devices and the devices of fate, are marked by events. Just as quickly, such occurrences are washed away and replaced by an equally complex set of circumstances. It’s a cycle without end. Understanding this, I am glad to be standing, glad to have survived the vicious undertow. Semesters at Emory are never easy; thus, arriving at the end of another is always cause for celebration — if not for the upcoming respite, then for making it through alive. Academics are usually of least concern after factoring in the other dominant aspects of college life: women, food, money, cars, drugs, sex, alcohol, God and the weather to name several. Mixed together, these elements produce your “college experience,” for better or for worse. I want to talk about that. I love questions. Partly influenced by my parents’ occupation (both are psychologists with an affinity for family conferences) and because I prefer to listen and let other people talk, I ask lots of questions. One of my favorites is: Why are you here? The answers are obvious and can be grouped within specific parameters. “I didn’t get in elsewhere.” “I visited in April.” “Everyone here was so nice.” “Where do Long Island people go to school?” I smile at the responses , especially considering three out of the four apply to me. But, the longer I am here there more I realize I want to hear something different. Tell me you are here to change things. Emory is oozing with potential, bursting with intelligent kids and drowning in billions of dollars. Emory
is so damn close to being what everyone wants it to be, it is frustrating. When I participate in focus sessions for prospective students, most of whom are already admitted and debating where to spend their parents’ money, I sit and wonder why everyone isn’t coming here? Sitting in a flimsy folding chair at the front of Geosciences 303 as bored student eyes wander aimlessly and attentive parents fire a rapid succession of questions concerning AP credit, safety and financial aid, I just want to say: “Don’t worry about it, you will love it here.” Granted, this assertion meets complaint after complaint ranging from poor food, lack of things to do, a homogenous student body and all those damn Greeks, but shortcomings such as these are simply why everyone should be at Emory. Fix them. I firmly believe, in addition to receiving a diploma (if I can pass Geosciences), fixing everything wrong with this school is the most important aspect of college. It’s your four years, your effort, your hard work and your sweat and pain. Shouldn’t you have something more than a piece of paper and apprehension about your future in the real world to show for it? The benefits of such an attitude are endless. Eradicating Emory’s problems provides instant gratification and, hopefully, an improvement in your college experience. If you’re upset at the administration for their passive role in Emory Village, synthesize your anger and channel it toward constructive criticism, protest and change. If you’re sick (literally and figuratively) of the food, then boycott Cox Hall Food Court, join existing committees that attempt to improve food service or start your own organization. Does the Greek system irritate you to no end? Are fraternity members’ antics simply the embodiment of “brotherhood” gone wrong? Then do something about it. Hell, dress up in Yankee uniforms and storm the Kappa Alpha house. If they want to
hide behind free speech to continue to display their ignorance with their Rebel Flag, then perhaps we should do something about it. I don’t think the student body here is apathetic, just in waiting for something larger. I should be jaded and more cynical considering my reality. As a journalist (I hate to admit I am), I naturally lean toward pessimistic views of our surroundings. Usually that is justified, and it does make a better story. I have put these pages together for two years and have run copy so inflammatory the fifth floor should have been overrun by threatening, angry mobs. But the typical response is silence or empty promises. I should be discouraged, but I am not. I know people care, but it seems they are lacking direction. It will take one thing to unlock everyone’s energy and focus our efforts on a common goal of improving and perfecting our university. Whether that will be the one exciting basketball team with the one electrifying player that draws large crowds to the WoodPEC or University President William M. Chase deciding passivity toward Emory Village is hurting students or the Student Government Association’s Fee Interest Committee spending $75,000 on WMRE to rescue them from the bowels of Longstreet or even the tragic death of another student — I really don’t know. But I am confident it will take just event. People have to be looking for it, looking to improve their university and looking to make an impact. That mindset must exist. I love this place and I love to hate it. For those two reasons, I want to have some sort of impact with residual effects that last until someone else changes what I have done. That is what I am pushing for and that is what I would love to see everyone else doing. But, it has to be done by us together. Any takers? So I ask myself: Why am I here? The answer is simple: Where else would you want to be?
Emory’s Specific Organizations Restrict Student Socialization By Emily WEinBErg Sept. 8, 1998
brotherhood. Thus, after years of education, we arrive at Emory University, an instituImagine a sign hanging in the tion that prides itself on having a place Dobbs University Center which reads: for every student. This is the very “American Federation of Dog Walkers’ problem. With specialized niches for Emory chapter will hold its first annu- a small group of people sharing one al meeting Sunday, Sept. 7. All levels common thread, the larger majority suffers because students lack a linking of dog-walking experience welcome.” The scope of membership of the mechanism. For each person running late to an clubs and organizations at Emory is far too specialized. You need to walk no exclusive group meeting, there are 20 farther than the DUC’s curved stair- people willing to meet and converse with people comcase to find advertisepletely different from ments for at least a dozen clubs to which Attending college is themselves. One of the major you cannot belong. As toddlers we all all about meeting new reasons we attend went to the Gymboree people and absorbing Emory is to interact together. Remember new ideas; it is often with people who are different. By jointhe play group with difficult to do this ing narrowly defined all the tumbling and when surrounded by organization, we the asinine games? limit ourselves to It was of little consepeople exactly like those friends who are quence in our fouryourself. exactly like us. We year-old minds what forget the importance our friends looked of finding those with like. Provided a kid had good toys, he or she was invit- lessons to teach and stories to tell — ed into the inner sanctum of toddler stories made all the more interesting because they come from a person with exclusivity. As we continued to age, our activi- a different point of view. Attending college is all about meetties underwent a subtle change. With the advent of Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts, ing new people and absorbing new our sphere of friends shrank dramati- ideas; it is often difficult to do this cally. Members of the opposite sex no when surrounded by people exactly longer attended meetings, campfires like yourself. Try joining clubs and or jamborees. Instead, scouting was activities that force you to branch out beyond your usual scope of knowledge. limited to single-sex friendships. In addition to meeting people who At the exact time when boys and girls should be playing together to have a completely different perspeclearn how to interact with one another, tive of life, you will discover the comadults quietly tear the sexes apart in mon thread of humanity that unites the name of creating a sisterhood or even the most diverse groups.
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Arts Entertainment Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | Arts & Entertainment Editor: Devin Bog (devin.bog@emory.edu)
FANTASY
‘Thrones’ Season Seven Slays
POETRY
EXHIBIT
Warhol Exhibit Explores Oeuvre
By Annie Cohen Senior Staff Writer
By nAomi keusCh BAker Staff Writer
Over the years, “Game of Thrones” has taught viewers many lessons, ranging from just how disgusting incestuous twins can be to the importance of honor and family bonds — and the season seven finale was no exception. As a whole, the seventh season was a masterpiece — fast-paced and yet completely satisfying. From well-deserved deaths to homecomings and unlikely alliances, “Game of Thrones” gave the viewers a jam-packed season like no other. A faster pace means a faster plot, and so much discussion-worthy action took place this season. Viewers were rewarded with happy scenes, like the return of Gendry (Joe Dempsie) and the unlikely friendship of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). With that said, nothing stays carefree in the land of Westeros for long; viewers had to endure endless deaths and fighting and most notably the death of everyone’s third-favorite dragon, Viserion. We also learned that Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) is about as good at ruling Westeros as a certain
See WolvEs, Page 12
Devin Bog/a rts & entertainment eDitor
Marshall Crayton (17C) reads poems from his book ‘Defribrilated’ at Emory Arts Underground’s Weeks of Welcome arts fair Aug. 28 on the Cox Hall Bridge.
ALBUM
Campbell’s Soup and Marilyn Monroe only scratch the surface of the subjects of Andy Warhol’s prints in the current exhibit at the High Museum of Art. An artist praised for his groundbreaking commentary yet criticized for his lack of inspiration, Warhol explored diverse styles and shed light on controversial issues. Each section of the exhibit is curated by a theme in Warhol’s personal and professional life. This layout allows visitors to focus on one element of the collection at a time, which makes the broad range of artwork less overwhelming and more easily digestible. “Starstruck” includes portraits of prominent leaders and celebrities, such as Chinese leader Mao Zedong and actress and singer Liza Minnelli. All the portraits are similar in structure; multiple copies of the same photograph are printed in different color schemes. As the museum explains in its description of the piece, the rep-
See DisplAy, Page 12
VIDEO GAME
‘Every Country’s Sun’ Impresses Mogwai’s Latest is Distilled Melancholy By AdityA PrAkAsh Senior Staff Writer Post-rock band Mogwai released their debut album “Mogwai Young Team” in 1997 and have yet to produce anything particularly bad. On occasion, their transitions are not as seamless as usual or their signature canons and crescendo end up castrated, like in their albums “The Hawk is Howling” and “Mr. Beast,” but as a whole, Mogwai is a rare gem of a band that sticks to their fundamentals and innovates only when their discography feels on the verge of bland and repetitive. Their latest album “Every Country’s Sun” excels because it is the most Mogwai album they have produced so far. The characteristic buildups and cool downs that are the cornerstone of their fourth full-length album “Happy Songs for Happy People” in songs like “Kids Will Be Skeletons” feature prominently in their latest album’s “Crossing the Road Material.” The
mogwAi
every Country’s sun
emotive guitar focus of “Come On Die Young”’s “Punk Rock” finds new life in the titular song “Every Country’s Sun,” as the album builds up like an anthem and quickly fizzles out, akin to “Ether” from the 2016 album “Atomic.” This is all Mogwai playing exactly to their strengths, ensuring this is some of their tightest work yet. Of course in a genre like post-rock, the music is not always as important as the message the work tries to convey. Although this album is the result of the band members sticking to what they do best, there are slight deviations that help it stand out. When “Party In The Dark” appeared on my playlist, I looked back at my open YouTube tab to confirm that a Google Pixel ad had not accidentally opened. After I clicked on the tab, my eyes stretched as wide as
See BAnD, Page 12
Courtesy of L auren shigihara
‘Rakuen’ follows the story of a nameless boy, ill and in the hospital, who happens upon the magical land of Morizora’s Forest, a world filled with odd creatures and treasures.
‘Rakuen’ Has Heapings of Heart By AdityA PrAkAsh Senior Staff Writer
Grade: A The video game is not always considered the ideal platform to tell a story that tackles concepts like the nature of a good life or why bad things happen to
good people. To some, the only games that have successfully done so in the past few years have relied on realistic visuals and excellent voice acting. Despite that precedent, game director Laura Shigihara’s “Rakuen” uses nothing more than simple text boxes, 16-bit graphics and a gorgeous soundtrack. It’s an unequivocally charming game
that provides wonderful insight into how one enjoys a life that is be tragically cruel and unfair. You play as a boy whose name is never mentioned. Suffering from an unspecified illness, the boy is confined to a hospital and spends his time by
See GAME, Page 12
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
A&E
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EMORY ARTS
‘Best in Show’ Brings Best Out of Student Groups By kAtherine mCClure Contributing Writer “Best in Show” set the academic year off on a high note with the culmination of the creative and technical performance skills of almost every dance and singing group on campus Sept. 1 in the Glenn Auditorium. Although in previous years “Best in Show” was held on McDonough Field, where students could lay out blankets under the stars, the show was held indoors this year due to concerns about rain. Almost every performance in the show surprised the audience with its contemporary edge, defying audience expectations. Each time traditional dance groups like Zuri, Karma Bhangra and Vibez, switched out their traditional, cultural music for modern hits like Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall’s “Juju On That Beat,” the audience erupted in cheers. However, some singing groups stuck to their go-to songs, which were probably only new to freshmen. Emory’s co-ed a cappella group Dooley Noted stood center stage as they performed a beautiful rendition of “Hollow” by Tori Kelly. It was a unique and unexpected choice for Dooley Noted, which normally seems to stick to either classics or current hits. “Hollow” was released in 2015 and rose to #68 on the Billboard
Parth moDy/Photo eDitor
Emory dance group Karma Bhangra gives a rousing performance to an encaptivated audience at Glenn Memorial on sept. 1. charts in early 2016. The group started slowly, as their harmony gradually grew louder before the lead vocalist, Sylvia Ware (20C), began. She stunned the audience with her broad range, as she smoothly shifted from deep alto to a high soprano. Emory’s bollywood a cappella group
Suri also gave a surprising performance as they sang Alesso’s “Heroes (We Could Be).” The group matched the tempo of the song as they progressively reached higher and higher notes. The most extraordinary aspect of their performance, however, was when the group
transitioned from singing the song in English to performing in Hindi, a great homage to Suri’s origins as a bollywood a capella group. The group gained an air of confidence when singing in Hindi; they were able to sing even more harmoniously and smoothly.
Crossword Across 1. A flightless seabird 3. The Songfest 2017 winner 5. The study of human culture and society 7. Provost of Emory University 9. A poem with 14 lines 12. A sad blue donkey 13. The part of the brain with the visual perception lobe 16. A dummy pill 17. Occurring in late summer 20. Wide of the mark 23. Second to last 25. A museum on Emory’s campus 26. ___ Hills, part of DeKalb County, Ga. 29. “Eagle” in Spanish 30. A hairless breed of cat 31. A printer problem or something you put on toast Down 2. The obscuring of light from a celestial body 4. A royal residence 6. ___ gives you wings 8. Flamenco dancer, thumbs up, crying laughing 10. To put down humanely 11. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I? 14. The television network where you can watch “Game of Thrones” 15. The founder of the Coca-Cola Company 18. The one with a sitcom by David Crane and Marta Kauffman 19. A plant, often associated with pandas, that can grow one meter in 24 hours 21. “Ten … nine … eight ...” 22. Browned bread or to raise a drink 24. The composer of “River Flows in You” 27. The first African-American gymnast to win Individual AllAround Champion 28. Strong, coarse cloth or website that Emory students use
By Sophia Xian Contributor
The Zuri African Dance team arrived on the stage clad in matching orange, printed skirts and black tops. Like many of the other dance groups, Zuri incorporated current music in their performance. Although the songs they chose were very much today’s cut of electronic and popular rap music, Zuri managed to integrate a distinct African, rhythmically complex sound, merging modern American and African culture. Emory’s female a cappella group The Gathering closed the show with their classic rendition of Britney Spear’s “Toxic,” showing off their vocal range by singing what they sing best. Each time they perform the song, the lead singer amazes the crowd by hitting a high, airy pitch near the end of the song. The Gathering concluded “Best in Show” with a bang, leaving the audience in awe of the immense and diverse talent of the Emory community. Overall, “Best in Show” this year was a success: Glenn Memorial was packed with enthusiastic students, and dance and a capella groups alike gave great performances. Once again, “Best in Show” surprised the audience with its unpredictability and the extensive performance capabilities of Emory students.
— Contact Katherine McClure at katherine.mcclure@emory.edu
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Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Display is Thorough Look Into Warhol’s Work Continued from Page 10 etition is symbolic of mass production during the Cold War era. The vivid, manufactured colors are as artificial as the public’s perception of icons in the 1970s and ’80s. Warhol’s portraits reflect the commodification of American idols and how they were treated as objects instead of people. Warhol submitted to corporate materialism during his career as a freelance graphic designer for companies. His advertisements for I. Miller Shoes are minimalist, watercolor cartoons with captions like “Uncle Sam wants shoe!” in handwritten script — possibly a witty comment about how consumers follow trends. If Diana Ross mentioned on a televised interview that she wore I. Miller heels, many of her fans would likely go out and buy the shoes. Warhol taps into Americans’ devotion to their country and tempts consumers using their own patriotism. As a prominent global leader, the United States overwhelmingly influences the rest of the world. Warhol’s advertisements would attract purchasers in other countries because if Uncle Sam wants I. Miller Shoes, the rest of the world wants a pair. From observing Warhol’s art, the line between mocking the loss of individualism and objectifying people is blurred. The prints of Mao in different colors — Warhol’s signature style — demonstrate Warhol’s interpretation of the government’s control over people. Repeating the face of a leader resem-
bles propaganda used to instill loyalty to the Communist Party of China. Warhol himself played a crucial role in American politics in the campaign for the 1976 U.S. presidential election. The Democratic National Committee commissioned Warhol for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign. In contrast to Mao’s portrait, Warhol’s representation of Carter is black and white, with light red overlapping the viewer’s right side of the print. Perhaps Warhol believed Carter’s ideals were realistic and unifying, while Mao’s philosophy appeared artificial and misinterpreted. Still, Warhol’s apparent distaste for indoctrination is contradicted by his advertisement for a political party. Trauma saturates Warhol’s art, especially in works from 1968 onward, after he was shot by Valerie Solanas. His screenprints, like “Electric Chair” (1971), express that the constant stream of violent images in the media devalues a person’s understanding of pain and suffering. His opinion of capital punishment is not the focus; rather, he expresses interest in how society perceives death and pain through a removed lens. A collection of four prints of Jacqueline Kennedy depicts her emotions before and after the assassination of her husband: First she is smiling, but her happiness is slowly replaced by horror in the other three photographs. Warhol sympathizes with the first lady and understands that pain is a process. By choosing Jacqueline Kennedy, Warhol demon-
Wolves, Wights and Wars: Snow My! Continued from Page 10 blond man who enjoys sitting in Mara-Lago is at running the United States. The season finale was one of the best episodes of the entire series. It was riddled with mass character meetings, extreme politicking and shocking revelations. The action moved faster than Gendry running north of the wall and several favorite theories were proven right. If you haven’t watched this episode and have avoided the spoilers — nice, though you must be living under a rock — stop reading, because winter, and major spoilers, are here.First, we need to discuss the wall — the one that stands 700 feet tall, and is made of ice, stone and magic spells. It seemed infallible; viewers felt safe knowing that no matter what the Wall stood stoically between our characters and the wights and White Walkers. Well, say goodbye to the safety of Westeros because that wall came tumbling down. It took the Night King (Richard Brake) riding revived ice dragon Viserion to take the wall down. If that wall can be torn down, then no wall between countries outside of this fantasy world stands a chance. And the Night King certainly won’t pay to build a new one. However incredible the imagery in this supernatural storyline is, since the wights and White Walkers have become tangible threats, the show has taken on a much more apocalyptic feel, which isn’t necessarily good. I prefer watching the humans duel it out for the Iron Throne to them fighting a seemingly unconquerable magical army. Instead of clever scheming and battle tactics, the show has opened
itself up for a season made up entirely of gore and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) alone in a field of ice facing wight after wight. I honestly don’t know how they expect to beat the Night King and Viserion, but I would take Sansa and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) trapping Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish (Aiden Gillen) over that battle any day. On a less apocalyptic note, this season — and for the record, this series — has given viewers an idea of what makes a good leader and ruler. Jon truly stepped up this season and surprisingly became King in the North, though he spent more time following Daenerys around while Sansa truly ruled the North. If I had to choose any character to run this world, I would choose Daenerys. She is relentless, fiercely protective of the common good and a powerful, unapologetic negotiator. That isn’t even accounting for how dramatic she is. She is constantly using her dragons to make statements and terrify her enemies. She even rode in on Drogon (late, mind you) to her meeting with Cersei — that woman knows how to make an entrance. Jon can’t be the best leader because once he swears fealty he closes his eyes and bows to the opportunity of following better people. It takes the death of Viserion and a lot of sexual tension for him to finally bend the knee to Dany. And she has fire-breathing dragons (Feel the Bern, anyone?). I think Jon would make an amazing vice president, as long as Daenerys is the president. I’m ready to print the campaign posters now.
— Contact Annie Cohen at annie.cohen@emory.edu
strates that even ubiquitous, American icons, who are praised for their character, struggle in the face of tragedy. Warhol humanizes the glamorous lives of celebrities. The Warhol exhibit is easily accessible to the modern viewer because the 1960s to ’80s is recent history — many visitors remember when Warhol emerged as a new artist. In general, people are more aware of the social issues Warhol addressed and the attitudes toward them have changed. “Endangered Species” (1983) addressed preservation when global climate change and humankind’s impact on the environment were still in greater doubt. At the time, the way Warhol incorporated this controversial subject in art was unique. Similarly, his print titled “Birmingham Race Riot” (1964) drew attention to a divisive movement. As the museum criticizes in its description of the piece, Warhol’s title is inaccurate because the event was a peaceful march disrupted by police. Warhol’s observations of the world were not consistent with one set of beliefs; the ideologies of his pieces often contradict each other. But no matter what he believed, his ability to disrupt an observer’s thoughts is what makes his art important. Everyone has different feelings toward Warhol, but everyone feels something. This exhibit closes Sept. 10, 2017.
— Contact Naomi Keusch Baker at nkeusc2@emory.edu
The Emory Wheel
Band Builds on Fundamentals, Excels Continued from Page 10
of your day “crossing the road” is. That message seamlessly transitions they could and I took a quick breath; into the lonely, percussion-less “aka lo and behold, Mogwai had produced a 47,” which further amplifies that vocal heavy, indie-rock inspired song. message. Their portrayal of isolation throughDespite my surprise, the vigorous beat and angry guitar work acted as a out the album is more than just quiet much needed transition from the sub- cool downs. Unexpectedly near tle, bass heavy eerithe tail end of the ness of album opener album comes “Old “Coolverine.” At the end of the Poisons,” an angry Mogwai makes fun day when you are rhapsody of furiof how gloomy their music can be (see the lying on your bed, ous guitar riffs and a name of album “Happy you are alone and bouncing bassline to accompany the snare Songs for Happy vulnerable, no drums. In stark conPeople”) and while “Every Country’s Sun” matter how exciting trast to the minimalis no stranger to this the rest of your day ist, ordered transition between “Crossing despair, it provides is. the Road Material” a nuanced take on and “aka 47,” “Old themes of isolation Poisons” is rhythmically erratic and and anxiety. The pensive guitars in the begin- very metal. It’s a sound that evokes ning of “Crossing the Road Material” a specific pain of loneliness and its gradually rise into a fierce concerto of frustrations. “Every Country’s Sun” is ostentatious drums, loud synths and a testament to the complexity of that a classic, prominent Mogwai bassline, pain. “Every Country’s Sun” is Mogwai before all dying into an ultimately solidelivering exactly what they do tary chord on the synth. The message that the song pres- best: a cohesive theme with tight ents is that at the beginning and at orchestration. end of the day when you are lying on your bed, you are alone and vulner— Contact Aditya Prakash able, no matter how exciting the rest at aditya.prakash@emory.edu
Game Puts Narrative, Character Design First Continued from Page 10 other patients. Early in the game, the boy, who is always accompanied by his mother, gains the ability to see and open magical doors. The doors appear in various parts of the hospital and take him to Morizora’s Forest, a magical land described in a fairy tale called “Rakuen.” The forest acts as a parallel world to the hospital, in which one’s actions in one world affect the other world, with the odd creatures that inhabit the forest acting as analogs to the people in the hospital. The goal is to discover the six songs integral to the lives of the hospital patients and use them to wake up the Guardian of the Forest, Morizora, who can grant you a wish. Through that journey, the game proposes its central idea: through helping others and valuing the bonds that you form, you can remain fulfilled even when life is cruel and unforgiving. One of the reasons for the game’s irresistible appeal is its how well-written it is. Through the simple medium of text, players feel a genuine connection to each of the characters. The game subtly explores heavy topics, from the death of a parent to the erosion of a loved one’s cognitive abilities. At no point does it feel like the cute graphics of the game undermine the gravity of such topics; you will cry at the more emotional scenes in the game’s eight-hour run time. Arguably the best example of the game’s encouragement of exploration is the marble quest, in which you try to find Sue’s lost marbles. Each time you return a marble, Sue describes the little worlds that she believes exists inside each of the marbles, from a world where everyone
drinks tea upside down to a land of dancing snowmen with fires that cannot melt them. There are no skill upgrades from the marble quest; the fruit of your actions is simply getting to delve deeper into the rich world. This is a testament to the game’s incredible writing. And that charm extends beyond this one quest. The forest is zany and magical, with odd characters like Jacky, a blacksmith leeble — a small cat-like inhabitant of the forest — and Lil Budz, the rebellious son of a posh aristocrat who wants to be a musician (as his name suggests, he is literally a plant bud). The wacky characters themselves are the incentive to explore as much as you can, since you have no idea what or who you will find.
The game proposes its central idea: through helping others and vauling the bonds that you form, you can remain fulfilled even when life is cruel and unforgiving. The colorful forest contrasts with the monochrome hospital, a metaphor for how one can find fundamental goodness — akin to the dreaminess of Morizora’s Forest — even in the most depressing times. Having worked on the soundtracks of “Minecraft” and “Plants vs. Zombies,” Shigihara’s musical skill is apparent in the music of “Rakuen.” Vocals take center stage as a prominent musical force in the game, a trend unheard of in mainstream titles as anything other than an atmospher-
ic soundtrack can distract from the gameplay. As you listen to each of the six songs you collect throughout the game, you’ll notice the importance of this decision. Each song is intricately tied to the personalities of each hospital patient, such as a father’s lullaby to a child with lyrics about brushing teeth and going to bed early. The lyrics act as additional means of character development, augmenting the game’s alreadytouching moments. Outside of the plot-centric songs, the background scores are wonderful parallels to the atmosphere. The hospital’s music starts off slow and simple, then quickly transitions into a complex, layered string piece that is indicative of the rich stories and personalities of the patients. The music of each setting amplifies the emotional power of each scene tenfold. “Rakuen” tackles the injustices of life and the benefit of doing good things in genuine ways. The game never underestimates the looming presence of death that follows around each patient but also shows that even those who are stricken with melancholy can change and make amends. The bonds you form are the most valuable things to a person, and this game poignantly makes the player understand this. As the player drinks tea at the lavish parties in Morizora’s Forest and traverses the vivid memories of misery and merriness of other patients, the message of the game becomes clear. If you’ve lived a life with strong connections to the people around you, then you can breath your last breaths with no regrets.
— Contact Aditya Prakash at aditya.prakash@emory.edu
The Emory Wheel
Emory Life
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | Emory Life Editor: Niraj Naik (niraj.naik@emory.edu)
DOOLINO AT THE DUC-LING
CAFE
ParkGrounds Boasts Coffee, Dogs, Smiles
rose kuAn/Contributing
OVER EASY
Ria’s Bluebird A Local Staple A dityA PrAkAsh/senior stAff Writer
Dogs visiting ParkGrounds often play with sticks and socialize while their owners relax on the outdoor patio.
By AdityA PrAkAsh Senior Staff Writer
k ArissA dzurik/senior stAff Writer
While pancakes are a famous option at Ria’s Bluebird, the burrito accompanied with fresh fruit serves as a solid brunch option. By kArissA dzurik Senior Staff Writer
riA’s BlueBird CAbbAgetoWn
“Over Easy” refers to preparing eggs such that the white is cooked while the yolk is just barely set to provide the perfect combination of textures. This column, much like its namesake, strives to provide the perfect balance of early morning sustenance and Atlanta culture. Just a few miles from campus in the historic Grant Park neighborhood lies a favorite brunch spot among Emory students and Atlanta foodies alike. Ria’s Bluebird, open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, sits on the corner of Memorial Avenue and serves up a variety of breakfast and lunch items, like their famous buttermilk pancakes and the “brisket breakfast,” a toasted baguette topped with spicy, slowroasted Angus beef and two poached eggs. On the back patio, my friends and I were greeted array of brightly colored murals, including one of the late Ria herself. We ordered our coffees, and I looked over the menu. Although we all chose breakfast dishes, the lunch menu boasts a variety of salads and sandwiches including a brisket quesadilla, a tempeh reuben and a pepper turkey melt with caramelized onions, swiss and avocado. My friends and I sampled a variety of dishes, per usual. We ordered the bluebird burrito — two eggs wrapped up with potatoes, white cheddar and black beans topped with salsa verde
and sour cream — as well as the early bird special — a classic two eggs, meat and potatoes meal — and an order of their famous buttermilk pancakes. The burrito was a deliciously cheesy combination masterfully paired with the salsa verde to bring a light kick to a breakfast staple.
I’m going to tell my grandkids about these thick, melt-in-yourmouth pancakes.
We chose a fruit cup for the side which was a refreshing complement to the hearty burrito. I ordered my eggs over-medium and chose bacon, grits and a biscuit to round out the dish. The biscuit was surprisingly dense, much more consistent with a square of cornbread rather than what I typically expect of a biscuit. It was a soft, delicious few bites though. The grits were pretty standard, but my eggs were cooked perfectly. When our pancakes arrived we felt overwhelmed. Customers can order toppings on the stack, and we had decided to try all of them. The stack arrived with a side of syrup and topped with pecans, caramelized bananas and chocolate chips. One bite into the dish, I understood all of the hype behind these fluffy but dense cakes: They were truly scrumptious. I’m going to tell my grandkids about these thick, melt-in-your-mouth pancakes. And although the toppings were
a fun addition — I definitely could have just taken a side of caramelized bananas for the road — we did not need them. The pancakes themselves were the star of this show. Ria Pell opened Ria’s Bluebird in 2000. Her vision was of an inclusive and community-building establishment that would feed the neighborhood she called home. Ria’s Bluebird has boomed since her death in 2013. Seventeen years later, Ria’s Bluebird is still a place that offers a cup of coffee and a seat to everyone with a big appetite. It looks like one of the classic northeastern diners I’m used to patronizing at home in Pennsylvania. It has a metallic, flat roof and an entrance wall consisting entirely of glass paneling. Upon entry, the restaurant offers a much homier breakfast vibe. Wooden walls and tables contrast with a chic metal coffee bar all covered by its blue, industrial-looking ceiling. Ria’s Bluebird is a great spot when you are craving a good cup of coffee and a rocking breakfast or lunch with friends. Affordable and fun, it makes a great weekend outing (although it is a smaller joint so beware of lines). As we ate I looked around the patio and noticed a variety of clientele. From a group of women with laptops and pencil skirts having an informal meeting to families to a squad of young professionals catching up with each other, Ria’s Bluebird sticks to its founders’ vision of a welcoming, inclusive environment, dishing up good food and fun vibes. — Contact Karissa Dzurik at karissa.dzurik@emory.edu
PArkGrounds
flAt shoAls Avenue (2016)
Confucius once said that there are only two great joys in this world: dogs ance to the sandwich. and grilled cheese sandwiches. The iced coffee itself was a refreshOK, he didn’t say that, but the combination of those wonderful things ing wake up, as if pouring a bucket of are a hop, skip and a jump away from cold water on my face. The flavor was sharp but still campus at ParkGrounds. With the lack of personalized sand- easy to drink; it was never too wiches at the DUC-ling and drought overpowering. If you buy anything on the menu, of dogs that grace our campus, this place is a little oasis for the comfort- you’re allowed to sit in the back garden among the dogs. seeking Emory student. E ach dog s ParkGrounds on belonged to another Flat Shoals Avenue is patron of the cafe, a neighborhood coffee With the lack which meant that shop that gives cuswithin every 45 tomers the chance to of personalized minutes, some dogs hang out with the sevsandwiches at would leave and new eral dogs and watch the DUC-ling and dogs would enter — a them play around as if it were live cinema. drought of dogs that constant rotation of pettable goodness. The theme of the grace our campus, (This is the type of cafe is simple: Grab this place is a little thing that can turn a a cup of coffee and let your dog off its leash oasis for the comfort- person religious.) The interior — or in the garden outside. seeking Emory should I say in-terrier What surprised me student. — of the cafe fits in the most was not the with of Little Five very good boys, but Points’ aesthetic with the very good food. Honestly, if a cafe has dogs I would its edgy decor, adorned with wooden probably go even if they served me embellishments and chalkboards as something bad, like worms or my menus. The crowd on the Saturday afterGPA. Nevertheless, ParkGrounds’ food noon was rather limited, so there was plenty of space to make myself thrives in its simplicity. I ordered an iced coffee to quench comfortable. The prices are very reasonable: my thirst on a warm September day, with a classic grilled cheese sandwich Don’t expect to spend more than about $9 including the tip. on the side. Other than the occasional dog The well-toasted sourdough bread of the grilled cheese sandwich walker that graces our campus, the instantly shattered as my ravenous average Emory dog lover may feel incisors dug into the dish, reveal- distressed over the dog drought that ing the gooey, golden treasure oozing is college life. Luckily, man’s best friend can easinside. The sandwich was hearty, and yet ily be found nearby at ParkGrounds, not oily enough to make me lethargic, with a side of good food and coffee giving me plenty of reserve energy to to boot. As long as you recalibrate your fend off any dogs that attempted to expectations of productivity when in take a bite out of my food. The accompanying chips acted as this cafe, you will definitely leave makeshift popcorn as I watched the with a paw-sitive experience. wild antics of the unleashed dogs, with a solid crispness and light salti— Contact Aditya Prakash at ness that acted as good textural baladitya.prakash@emory.edu
14 Wednesday, September 6, 2017
EMORY LIFE
FEATURE
The Emory Wheel ADVICE
Doolino Knows Best: Like We Never Left
Courtesy of soroosh behshAd
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Soroosh Behshad examines a patient’s eyes in Jordan. Behshad joined a medical service initiative that provides treatment to refugees in Syria.
Emory Doctors Aid Refugees Profs. Provide Care to Displaced Syrians By VArun GuPtA Staff Writer
Before the operation, she couldn’t see the faces of her two children. Hajjeh, a mother displaced by the civil war in Syria, settled down in a refugee camp to keep her children safe. A year earlier, complications from a cataract surgery left her without vision in her right eye and limited vision in her left eye. Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Emory Soroosh Behshad restored Hajjeh’s vision to 20/20 this year and saw her crack an “infectious” smile after the operation. Last year after a flood of media coverage on the refugee crisis, Behshad and two other Emory professors joined a medical service initiative led by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), an organization that provides crisisrelief treatment for refugees in Syria and neighboring countries. Behshad began giving lectures August 2016 through Skype video calls to educate Syrian doctors and physicians about common eye conditions. From that point, Behshad traveled to Zaatari, a refugee camp in Jordan with nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees, and operated on over 100 patients with eye disease and used vision screening tests as a preventative measure. Some refugees that Behshad examined had acute eye injuries due to bomb explosions. To communicate with the patients, SAMS trained more than 20 Arabicspeaking Jordanian college students to carry out simple medical screening procedures. “Our goal is always … to do training so that that community in the future is not dependent on us but is able to support themselves and provide the care,” Behshad said. The refugee crisis deserved more than a “like” on a related Facebook post or donation to a charity, Behshad said. “I’m not Arab. I’m not Syrian. I’m not Muslim,” Behshad said. “I don’t really have a connection to that group, per say, but it kept frustrating me because I kept seeing the same situations. … I [needed] to do
something. I [couldn’t] just sit here.” The Emory professor was not alone in his efforts. After his first visit, Behshad planned to set up a governmentcertified pediatric eye clinic in Jordan. He contacted Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Natalie Weil and received permission from Plusoptix, a company based in Georgia, to use preventative medical screening equipment for refugee treatment centers.
“We were helping them heal their wounds and they were helping us heal our souls.” — Omar Lattouf, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery
“Once the [refugees] are helped, their whole attitude changes and they become more positive. For these refugees having that feeling that [there are] people who are not of the same country, who are traveling to help them, [has] really made them feel good and made them happy,” Behshad said. Two months ago, Behshad returned to Zaatari for 10 days. During his trip, a machine leased from Plusoptix screened the vision of hundreds of children while Behshad and another ophthalmologist further examined patients that failed the test. The lack of eye screening tests in schools, Behshad said, indicates that eyecare in refugee camps needs to change. “The machine literally takes 15 seconds as the kid looks at the smiley face, and it scans their eyes and gives you a report of is it normal or not normal,” Behshad said. “It makes it easier and quick to do when you are at a refugee camp with no organized structure.” Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine Omar Lattouf also joined the medical initiative, applying
more than 30 years of experience to complete cardiothoracic surgeries and treat skin-related illnesses. His daughter and Emory alumna Zeena Lattouf (16C), first put Jordan’s undeveloped medical system on her father’s radar. Zeena Lattouf later cofounded the Hope Education Project, which addressed the educational and cultural integration challenges that refugee children and their parents face upon arriving to the United States, according to the organization’s website. The challenges that Zeena Lattouf hopes to combat include a lack of proficiency in the English language and overcoming racial stereotypes about these Syrian refugees. She said that her current humanitarian efforts for the refugee community were largely inspired by Zaatari. Behshad’s long-term goal is to provide glasses to refugee communities. “I felt like if anything we really need to help these people ensuring that their future generation has vision because they are the ones that will rebuild Syria once the war is over,” Behshad said. Omar Lattouf, who grew up in Jordan and lived in the capital city of Amman, had never stepped foot inside a refugee camp. He said that he expected Zaatari to be dull and depressing, but was pleasantly surprised by the upbeat attitude and appreciation that the children showed. “I think that being in that very raw environment put [my father] in a condition to really think about who he is at the core and what exactly stimulates and makes him extremely excited and passionate and focus on this intellectual conundrum of the situation in the refugee camp,” Zeena Lattouf said. Omar Lattouf’s voice cracked as he described the impact each refugee made on him. “It was a two-way street,” Omar Lattouf said. “We were helping them heal their wounds and they were helping us heal our souls,” he said.
— Contact Varun Gupta at varun.gupta@emory.edu
Not even three weeks into the semester and things are already starting to hit the fan. Essay deadlines have suddenly become relevant, midterms have reared their ugly heads and I still have no idea when those books I ordered on Amazon will arrive. That being said, there is still a little bit of good that can be extracted from each passing day. Be it the absolute bangers blasted at the DUC-ling or the giant, inflatable rubber duck that sits proudly on McDonough Field, immerse yourself in the little brushstrokes of this mess of a canvas to drown out the tightening vice of your course load.
Dear Doolino, I impulsively made a trip to the Robert W. Woodruff Library last Saturday since I had nothing else to do. I passed by a couple on my way there, sitting on the bench outside of the Candler Library, enjoying the cool breeze in this sweltering summer. All I could hear was a boy mumble something, followed by a girl using a cock- Sincerely, Doolino tail of expletives with a loving tone. I entered the library and proceeded to study human physiology. I opened Dear Doolino, I decided to take a stroll in Lullwater a bag of potato chips, but after I finone night as a study break. What I ished it, I did not feel full. I cannot quite put my finger on saw horrified me. The dark shadows what is wrong, but I end each day of leaves enveloped me as I wandered and start the next one like mechanical in the moonlight, the tendrils of creatures of the woods crawled toward clockwork. No particular second in my day me, the dubious smoke from those stands out. I want to be a doctor and bushes in one corner — everything in yet I am still pelted by this overarch- those woods spooked me silly. Now ing melancholy. I am wounded but whenever I try to sleep, I am haunted by the spectre of that fateful night. there is no blood. I am literally emailing an anthro- I see the face of the phantom every time my head hits pomorphic skeleton the pillow. Its veiny, anonymously in order to vent out my probLast Friday night, I red eyes piercing my soul. With putrid lems, symptomatic of saw a group of five breath that smells how desperate I am to male students with almost as bad as prevent. red eyes walk out of med students durHow can I ever be ing finals week, the happy if working to a fraternity house. phantom whispers achieve my dreams is They had clearly been horrific words such not sufficient? studying for their as “class average 60, Sincerely, no curve.” (Melanc)holy cow finals all night. Do you have tips for a healthy Dear (Melanc)holy sleep cycle during cow, The bonds you form are the most these tumultuous times? I fear even important things that exist. No mat- approaching my bed. ter how many As you get in human Sincerely, physiology, no matter how many ques- Smoke on the Lullwater tions you answer in class and no matter how many obscure, serpentine Dear Smoke on the Lullwater, I know how you feel and I blame it business clubs you join, all of those things are fundamentally unfulfilling on the fact that the workload is building. I recall nights in which I wouldn’t achievements. Things can be different though if be able to close my eyes until 5 a.m., which was a feat in itself, given that I you take that first bold step. Ask some people on your floor if have no eyes. Sleep deprivation is amok, my they want to watch a movie and enjoy a few thrilling hours of “It Follows,” get- friend. Last Friday night, I saw a group ting to know the worst sides of them as of five male students with red eyes walk out of a fraternity house. They they bawl their eyes in fear. Maybe casually ask that girl in your had clearly been studying for their extracurricular if she wants to grab finals all night and must have been coffee sometime and relish a couple of super tired. I guess the 20 large pizzas that they hours whining about other club members. Or even still, you could impul- ordered from Dominos was a little sively walk into squash club and try reward for all the hard work they must your hand at a racket sport you have have been doing. They are an example never played and are probably going of what you should do: treat yourto suck at. It doesn’t matter because self intermittently in order to motivate one of the members will invite you to a yourself to keep going. Sincerely, Chipotle dinner afterwards. More so than malnutrition and Doolino heavy workloads, the biggest killer of For your day-to-day qualms and student morale is loneliness. The beauty of it, though, is that the antidote lies minor life crises, send anonymous in your hand. You just need to be brave questions to doolino.emory@gmail. com. enough to insert the needle.
SPORTS
The Emory Wheel
Swoop’S Scoop Sport
Opponent
Time
Friday
Volleyball
Howard Payne
4:30 p.m.
Sept 8
Volleyball
Chapman
7 p.m.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 15
Eagles Dominate in On Season’s Opening Meet Fire Continued from Back Page
a minute faster than the No. 2 runner, her teammate junior Maeve Andrews. Following Stravach and Andrews Volleyball Noon Millsaps in Emory’s top five, freshman Abby Volleyball 3 p.m. DeSales Durfee, sophomore Meredith Hughes Saturday and senior Hanna Saadegh-Vaziri all Cross Country All Day Furman Classic Sept 9 contributed to Emory’s first-place M Soccer Noon Washington & Lee victory. W Soccer 2:20 p.m. Johns Hopkins In the eighth first-place performance of her career, Stravach showed Sunday Meredith 1 p.m. W Soccer that she could easily pick up from Randolph Noon M Soccer Sept 10 where she left off last year, when she finished No. 1 in all seven of Emory’s Monday races. Lee 7 p.m. Volleyball Sept 4 Emory’s women recorded an aver*Home Games in Bold age time of 24:04 among their top five finishers. The women left the competition in the dust, with the next best team finishing more than a minute behind Emory’s average time for their top five runners. The men finished No. 1 above No. 2 Oglethorpe University (Ga.), No. 3 does: Play hard with lots of energy in Continued from Back Page Covenant College, No. 4 Berry College front of our home crowd.” The Eagles return for their home and No. 5 Piedmont College. Emory’s try,” Arles said. “We have to go onto the court thinking we’re the best, not debut of the season this weekend, top five male runners finished within with four games the top 11 of the 79 men participating in a cocky way, but in across two days of in the race. a confident one.” Leading the pack, sophomore play. On Sept. 8, they Though it’s early “We’re not relying on will face Howard Marty Pimentel finished eight seconds in the season, Arles University before the next best runner, teammate said that she has one person — this is a Payne (Texas) and Chapman junior Bennett Shaw, with a 26:57 8K already seen the team great lineup from top time. For the first time in his collegiate University (Calif.). improve and that to bottom.” The team will career, Pimentel posted a first-place she’s optimistic about complete the week- finish. future games. Head Coach John Curtin raved The Eagles will — Jenny McDowell, end with two addiabout Pimentel’s outstanding day on tional games against appear in 15 games Head coach Millsaps College the course. on their home court “Marty looked really strong,” Curtin (Miss.) and DeSales out of 28 total games said. “He and [Shaw] ran together for University (Pa.) at Sept. 9. this season. the first three and a half miles, and “This is a real bonus for us,” McDowell said. “We want to do the — Contact Allison Gelman at then [Pimentel] felt good and he went signature things that Emory volleyball allison.gelman@emory.edu for it.”
Volleyball Recovers to Take Final Match
For Pimental, the first-place finish was a solid start to the season. “I was pretty much where I wanted to be,” Pimentel said. “I felt pretty fit going, and I performed the way that I had wanted to.” With several of his teammates also showing potential for the season ahead, Pimentel said that he strives to remain among Emory’s top runners. “I hope to be among the top of the team,” Pimentel said. “Our team is really good this year, so it’s going to be really competitive to see who’s up there in the top group.” Also posting strong performances, Shaw, freshmen Jacob Hedgepeth and Egan Kattenberg and senior Shane Sullivan were all among Emory’s top five finishers. They ended with an average time of 27:34. Their average was 32 seconds better than No. 2 Oglethorpe’s time of 28:06. Given their dominant performances, the Emory teams are keeping their results in perspective. “There wasn’t a lot of competition,” Curtin said. “So we were kind of competing amongst ourselves more than anything.” The head coach also established pace goals for all of his runners. “About half of [our runners] performed at the level that we hoped for,” Curtin said. “Some went a little faster than we wanted and some didn’t do as well as hoped, but the majority of the kids hit their pace goals.” Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete again Sept. 9, at the Furman Classic in Greenville, S.C.
— Contact Stephen Mattes at stephen.mattes@emory.edu
Shanahan’s Departure Spells Trouble for Atlanta Falcons Continued from Back Page tor in 2008, Matt Schaub was a career backup quarterback, starting only 13 games over four years. By his second year in Shanahan’s system, Schaub completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,700 yards, 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on his way to the Pro Bowl. Houston had the best passing offense in the league in 2009. When Shanahan became the offensive coordinator in Washington, Houston fell from 9-7 to 6-10 the following year. Shanahan’s next stop was as an offensive coordinator in Washington. After inheriting two unadaptable, pasttheir-prime quarterbacks, Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman, for the 2010-2011 seasons, Shanahan worked his magic with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012. As a malleable rookie quarterback in Shanahan’s creative system, Griffin completed 20 touchdowns with only four intercep-
tions, while adding 815 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the way to the playoffs, the first time since 2007. Unfortunately, a torn ACL in the 2012 playoffs derailed Griffin’s promising career. Griffin was never again able to execute Shanahan’s offense the same way, and a 10-win Washington team became a three-win team the next season. The perpetually pathetic Cleveland Browns were Shanahan’s next coaching stop in 2014. He inherited a quarterback with a total of four career starts in Brian Hoyer and a team coming off a four-win season. Shanahan won seven games with Hoyer and the Browns, the most games Cleveland had won since 2007. When Shanahan left to become the offensive coordinator in Atlanta after just one season in Cleveland, the Browns won only three games, demonstrating the “Shanahan regression” once again.
This brings us to Atlanta. With the Falcons, Shanahan recreated his Houston magic. The Falcons had the NFL’s best offense. Quarterback Matt Ryan had a stellar year, shattering his career averages of 4,200 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions to post 4,900 yards, 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions on his way to NFL MVP and a Super Bowl berth. This season, Shanahan is gone, which means regression is highly likely for the Falcons. While Julio Jones will continue to be one of the best receivers in the NFL, and running back Devonta Freeman will likely have another 1,300 total yards and 10 touchdowns, Ryan, the catalyst for last year’s Super Bowl run, won’t play at an MVP level. He will likely regress back to his career averages of 4,200 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. That translates to good quarterback play, but it’s not good enough to drag a team with a bottom-ten defense to the Super
Bowl. The NFC South should improve thanks to an expected bounce back season from the Carolina Panthers, a Super Bowl team just two years ago, and the rapid improvement of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That improvement, coupled with the “Shanahan regression,” indicate that at least a two-game win decline should be expected, if not more. That turns an 11-win team into a nine-win team, a fringe playoff contender. Pump the breaks, Falcons fans. This team isn’t going to soar gracefully to the Super Bowl, and those expecting it are likely in for some serious disappointment. The Falcons will need to claw their way into the playoffs to overcome the “Shanahan regression.” All stats provided by pro-footballreference.com and nfl.com
— Contact Max Rotenberg at max.rotenberg@emory.edu
“Hawaii doesn’t win many games in the United States.” — Lee Corso
To the freshmen around campus: Congrats — you made it through your first college gameday. No, not in the sense of tailgating since 8 a.m. on Saturday, but rather in the secondhand form of liking your state school friends’ social media posts, captioned “First gameday *heart emoji* *beer emoji* *football emoji*” — the true test of your decision to attend Emory instead of Michigan. While you drowned your school spiritless insecurities over the three-day weekend one drink at a time, your On Fire correspondent watched as much college football as he/she could bear. Headliner game: Alabama vs. Florida State. Hyped up as the biggest college opener of all time, the game felt much more like a bowl game than a September opener. Honestly, the game itself kind of sucked. ’Bama won and Florida State lost their quarterback. Besides that, you didn’t miss much. Favorite game to watch: Southern California (USC) vs. Western Michigan. After losing their head coach, quarterback and a first round draft pick in Corey Davis, Western Michigan was not expected to come anywhere close to USC. Don’t worry Los Angeles-based fans, there’s no need to opt for Plan B (cheering for UCLA?) as the Trojans did not fail. While Western gave them a good scare, USC pulled away in the fourth quarter. The ultimate nail in the coffin for Western was when USC actually put in a blind guy in the game’s final minutes. Game your On Fire correspondent cannot believe he/she missed: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) vs. Texas A&M. Your On Fire correspondent turned off this game just before UCLA’s Josh Rosen spearheaded the second largest comeback in FCS history. Down 44-10, the Bru Cru came back and actually pulled off a fake spike play. I swear to God, this was not a game of Madden. Best Upset: Howard University (DC), an FCS subdivision school, was paid $600,000 just to play UNLV. Howard won, pulling off the biggest upset since Macklemore beat Kendrick for the 2014 Grammy’s Hip Hop Album of the Year. Poetic Justice: Baylor University, after a controversial offseason that included NCAA investigations and the firing of its head coach and athletic director, lost to a different unalienable right this time in the form of Liberty University (Va.). Ultimately, it was a fantastic first week of college football and your On Fire correspondent cannot encourage you enough to live vicariously through your state school friends come Saturdays. While the Emory bubble may discourage football fandom, just remember that you’re graduating from an institution that actively chose to spend its money on inflating a giant rubber duck.
Defensive Line Preserves Victories with Clean Sheet at Home
Continued from Back Page
ward Eddie Na found himself on a breakaway up the left sideline. With a clear shooting lane available inside the box, Na elected to instead pass to a cutting Lute attacker. This decision was ill-advised, as two dropping Emory defenders closed the passing lane and cleared the ball to preserve the 1-0 victory. “We did capitalize pretty well, but our whole team felt that their were
some areas to improve,” Meyer said. “As a group, we are still capable of playing much better than we have so far.” The weekend’s shaky conclusion leaves the Eagles with concerns, but the team’s defensive unit has to be pleased with their performance. The veteran leadership of Gardiner, senior central defender Georges Daoud and Datene held strong, preserving two shutouts through the Eagles’ first two games.
“There is definitely a lot of chemistry this year: I’ve played with [Daoud] and [Gardiner], and then the left back position we have guys that can come in and play at a really high level,” Datene said. One key addition to that defensive unit is junior defender Tyler Santee, a recent transfer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Santee sat just between the back defensive line and the midfield unit, holding a sort of stopper position that seemed
to take significant pressure off the back line. “[Santee] had a fantastic game Saturday just cleaning up behind our midfielders and in front of our back four,” Greiner said. “At [University of North Carolina at] Pembroke, he had primarily been a central defender … but he has the size, he has the pace, he reads the game really well and I think he is capable of stepping in the midfield and having a little more impact for us in that position.”
With two wins under its belt, Emory claimed the tournament title and will happily advance to the next weekend of play with a 2-0 record. The Eagles face yet another back-to-back schedule this weekend in the Washington & Lee Invitational, challenging Washington & Lee University (Va.) Sept. 9, before a meeting with Randolph College (Va.) Sept. 10.
— Contact Kevin Kilgour at kkilgou@emory.edu
The Emory Wheel
Sports
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | Sports Editor: Kevin Kilgour (kkilgou@emory.edu)
EMORY ATHLETES
VOLLEYBALL
Eagles Survive Tough Road Trip Wittenberg Spoils Team’s Hopes For 3-0 Start By allison gelMan Senior Staff Writer
The women’s volleyball team began its fall season on the road in with mixed results. Emory won 3-1 against Johns Hopkins University (Md.) Friday, Sept. 1, then fell 2-3 in the second game of the weekend to Wittenberg University (Ohio) Saturday, Sept. 2 before recovering for a 3-2 victory against Illinois Wesleyan University (Ill.) later that same day. The Eagles struggled to claim their first win of the season. The first set began with a fierce rally between Johns Hopkins and Emory, with the serve going back and forth between teams until sophomore libero Elyse Thompson served to win six points for Emory. The Eagles eventually won the first set 25-19. Hopkins returned to claim the second set, which they began with a 6-0 lead. The third and fourth sets both ended in a score of 25-23, allowing Emory to take the first game 3-1. In its only loss for the weekend, Emory started off strong with two winning sets, only to lose the following three to Wittenberg. In the final sets, the Eagles began to fumble and saw some attack, setting and serving errors, which let the Tigers claim victory. Emory ended the weekend on a high note with a win against Illinois
Wesleyan. In the game, sophomore outside hitter Sara Carr had 55 total attacks and Thompson had 35 digs. With a mature starting lineup comprised of three sophomores and three juniors, the Eagles experimented, moving players around to different positions. Freshmen, like right side Leah Saunders and middle hitter Maggie Rimmel, subbed into the game to contribute some offensive production. “We talk about the fact that the strength of this team is our team,” Head Coach Jenny McDowell said. “We’re not relying on one person — this is a great line up from top to bottom.” McDowell also noted the critical role that her setters, junior Mady Arles and sophomore Sarah Porter, played in this weekend’s matches. In particular, the team’s junior class has helped lead the team to success, McDowell said. “You can see them leading this team,” McDowell said about the junior class. “Every one of the juniors is doing an outstanding job in different roles.” Arles highlighted the importance of maintaining a confident mindset going into each game, especially for an away game on another school’s turf. “We walk in as if it’s our gym, to show that we’re the best in the coun-
See VOLLEyBaLL, Page 15
Parth Mody/Photo Editor
The Emory athletics teams came together for the annual “Take Off” banquet event at the WoodPEC Sept. 5. Two-time Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN commentator Michelle Smith served as the keynote speaker for the event.
NFL
Falcons Primed to Disappoint By Max rotenBerg Contributing Writer
The NFL season starts Thursday, and Atlanta Falcons fans would like nothing more than to erase the brutal memories from last season’s blown 28-3 Super Bowl lead by winning it all this year. Unfortunately for the Falcons faithful, that isn’t going to happen. The Falcons will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. The 2017 ESPN Football Power Index projects only 9.3 wins and Vegas has the Falcons winning only 9.5. As defending NFC Champions, how can this be?
The Falcons defense should be improved thanks the return of Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant from a season-ending shoulder injury, and an offseason of internal growth from many promising young players like safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Vic Beasley. Nevertheless, this is largely the same unit that gave up the seventh most yards per game and the ninth most points per game last season. It was not due to —but rather despite of — this defense that the Falcons made the Super Bowl. They outscored their opponents with their top-ranked offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan and offensive coordinator
MEN’S SOCCER
Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan is considered by many in the NFL to be a quarterback guru. In each of his assignments, Shanahan has elevated the play of his quarterbacks by play-calling to their strengths, masking their weaknesses and relentlessly preparing them for each opponent. But upon his departure, there were drops in his former team’s offensive production. That slump in production and wins is an effect I call the “Shanahan regression.” Before Shanahan became the Houston Texans’ offensive coordina-
See SHaNaHaN’S, Page 15
CROSS COUNTRY
Team Claims Victory in Sonny Carter Invite Stravach, Pimentel Lead the Pack By Kevin Kilgour Sports Editor
With two home games in the Sonny Carter Invitational to start off their 2017 campaign, the Emory men’s soccer team had its sights set on a 2-0 start. The Eagles delivered in their first game, defeating North Carolina Wesleyan University 3-0 Sept. 1, before a narrow escape past Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) 1-0 Sept. 2. The Eagles didn’t wait long to showcase their offensive potential, striking first in the 24th minute off a free kick from junior midfielder Moustaffa Khattab. They doubled their lead just 12 minutes later, after a pass from senior midfielder Christian Meyer found the feet of senior forward Jason McCartney deep inside the Wesleyan box for a simple tap-in finish. The Eagles took a commanding 2-0 lead into halftime. “We wanted to get off to an early start and try and press [Wesleyan] a little bit higher and get an early goal,” Interim Head Coach Cory Greiner said. Wesleyan took better control over possession in the second half, but once again Emory found the back of the net. With 29 minutes remaining, senior center midfielder Adam Ferguson
placed a corner kick just over the penalty spot. The cross found the head of McCartney, who placed the ball into the upper 90 for his second goal and enabled Emory to cruise to a 3-0 victory. Barely 24 hours later, the Eagles found themselves back on the field for their second match of the Sonny Carter Invitational against Pacific Lutheran University. Once again the Eagles took an early lead but struggled to hold off a Pacific Lutheran team hungry for its first win of the season. The Eagles’ goal came from an unlikely source, as senior center back Cody Gardiner placed a low, corner shot past the outstretched arm of Pacific junior goalkeeper RJ Noll. Much credit goes to Gardiner’s fellow defender junior Aidan Datene, who slipped past a Pacific defender along the end line and delivered the critical assist just 12 minutes into the match. “I checked my shoulder and saw that only one guy was behind me, so I immediately thought, ‘If I can turn, I’m just going to try and get by him,’” Datene said. “I was able to do that and then the first white shirt I saw, I put a pass in as hard as I could.” Taking the 1-0 lead into halftime,
By stephen Mattes Senior Staff Writer
started taking those chances.” The Lutes continued to apply pressure, especially in the final 20 minutes of the half, as both sides of the field opened up due to what was likely a combination of both fatigue and aggressive offensive play. With eight shots in the second half, the Lutes gave themselves multiple opportunities to tie up the match but failed to capitalize. One of the game’s best chances came with only one minute remaining when Pacific senior for-
Emory’s cross country team started of the season with a commanding victory in the Watermelon Run at Berry College (Ga.) Sept. 1. The men’s and women’s teams were the top team among five different schools. The women’s team dominated, with their top five runners finishing within the top seven of 72 runners. Those women contributed to a No. 1 finish ahead of No. 2 Berry College, No. 3 Covenant College (Ga.), No. 4 Piedmont College (Ga.) and No. 5 Wesleyan College (Ga.). Best among the women, senior Gabrielle Stravach finished No. 1 overall with a 6K time of 22:44, more than
See DEfENSiVE, Page 15
See EagLES, Page 15
K Evin K ilgour/SPortS Editor
Junior midfielder Tyler Walsh fights for a loose ball in the Eagles’ 1-0 victory over Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.). the Eagles looked poised to build on their lead after a dominant first half, during which they outshot the visiting Lutes 12 to two. The Lutes had other plans. Not more than five minutes into the second half, the Lutes blasted a shot that found its way straight into the far post, narrowly missing what would have been a game-tying goal. “They started throwing some extra players forward and taking some risks,” Greiner said. “When we didn’t score in that first portion of the second half, they still had some life and
