INDEX
Emory Events Calendar, Page 2
Halloween Feature, Page 9
Crossword Puzzle, Page 8
Staff Editorial, Page 6
News Roundup, Page 2
On Fire, Page 11
THE EMORY WHEEL Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University www.emorywheel.com
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 TRANSPORTATION
Every Tuesday and Friday
EVENT
DEPARTMENT CHANGES
Shuttle Services Add New Routes
Minutes Reveal Admin. Influence By Evan Mah Editor-in-Chief Official minutes from the College’s main governing faculty body are shedding light on the controversial department changes that were announced in mid-September. Notes taken from the Governance Committee (GC) that stretch back to 2009 show the roles of Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Earl Lewis and University President James W. Wagner as well as the evolution of the committee that advised Dean of Emory College Robin Forman.
By Stephanie Fang News Co-Editor Emory’s Transportation and Parking Services will implement a series of changes to NightOwl and regular campus shuttle routes on Nov. 1. A primary change involves expanding the NightOwl route so that these shuttles also run to the parking deck at Michael Street as well as the Woodruff Residential Center and certain destinations along Clifton Road to Houston Mill Road. Prior to this change, the NightOwl only provided service to Starvine Parking Deck on Clairmont Campus, the Peavine parking deck on Eagle Row and Woodruff Circle, the traffic area behind the Dobbs University Center (DUC). The NightOwl shuttle typically runs from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Fridays and from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturdays — after the regular campus shuttle has stopped running for the night, according to the Transportation and Parking Services’ website. According to Alice Sloan, the communications coordinator for Transportation and Parking Services, administrators believe that the expansions to the late night service “will be helpful.” “We have been reviewing routing options for several months,” Sloan said in an email to the Wheel. She added that Transportation and Parking Services administrators considered several factors when deciding how to re-route the NightOwl shuttle stops. “We look at physical barriers since buses aren’t able to travel on all streets and through all intersections on campus,” she explained. Administrators sent out a campuswide survey and hosted a series of focus groups last spring to determine student and community transportation needs. They collected the feedback from the survey and focus group discussions, as well as “ridership counts” that measured the number of students who took the shuttles. Using this data, they then decided how to change and expand the NightOwl routes as well as the routes of regular campus shuttles. For some students, the expanded NightOwl route will be especially convenient in light of recent crimes in the area. One such crime involved a male Emory student, who was the victim of a robbery in Emory Village on Sunday, Sept. 30. In addition, administrators have received reports in the last week of theft and physical assault on and around campus, the Wheel reported on Oct. 25. “I can feel more comfortable traveling throughout campus in the later hours and avoiding any chance of being attacked or jumped on the way,” noted College sophomore Irene Byun, who currently lives at the Woodruff Residential Center. Byun remarked that her walk home from the Robert W. Woodruff Library, where she sometimes does homework in the evening, is often difficult and time-consuming due to the fact that the Woodruff Residential Center is “far away from main campus.” She added that the walk from her residence hall to main campus could even sometimes be “painful in colder weather,” making the expanded
See NIGHTOWL, Page 5
Volume 94, Issue 16
Erin Baker/Staff
The Eli Young Band performed on McDonough Field yesterday evening for this year’s fall band party. SPC chose to feature a country artist to contrast with previous artists who have performed at Emory.
Crowd Welcomes Eli Young Band By Rupsha Basu Staff Writer The Student Programming Council (SPC) welcomed Eli Young Band to McDonough Field for Fall Band Party on Monday evening. Eli Young Band is a country music group based in Denton, Texas. They have gained popularity in the last few years by opening for popular country music artists like Miranda Lambert and Pat Green as well as receiving three Academy of Country Music Awards nominations in 2012. When the event first began with the opening act, only a modest group of attendees congregated near the front of the stage, many of whom considered themselves avid Eli Young Band fans. “Half of these people are only here for the pizza,” said Business School
senior Olivia Farley, referring to the fact that SPC provided pizza and beer at the event. “But I’m here for Eli Young Band; I know all the words.” However, the crowd doubled in size when it came time for the main act, drawing approximately 200 students. When Eli Young Band finally entered the stage, many students in the crowd cheered and began singing along immediately. The lead singer and guitarist tossed guitar picks to the audience throughout the performance. College junior Celeste Banks and College sophomore Amanda Bastien were among the fans in the front row; both agreed that they wanted there to be a good turnout for the performance. “This is a bonding opportunity; Emory isn’t a country school, but
CAMPUS
there are secret country lovers,” Banks said. Fans like Banks and Bastien looked forward to the band playing their popular songs “Crazy Girl,” “It’s Always a Love Song” and “Guinevere.” When the band played these chart-topping songs, they received vocal crowd reactions. During “Even if it Breaks Your Heart, Eli Young Band even encouraged the audience to sing parts of the chorus by themselves. The lead singer Mike Eli repeatedly expressed his appreciation for the crowd’s enthusiasm in between the songs. “It’s a bit cold, but we’re about to heat it up,” he said, which elicited cheers from the audience. For some students, however, the
See FALL, Page 5
Roles: Provost Earl Lewis When Forman announced that the College was phasing out several programs and suspending admissions to select graduate programs, many students and faculty members saw the plan as strictly belonging to him. Higher administrators like Wagner and Lewis, Emory’s chief academic officer and Forman’s boss, remained largely silent. In separate interviews with the Wheel, Wagner and Lewis have said that Forman has the authority to make such decisions and was the key visionary. However, notes from GC meetings also show that Wagner and Lewis were already laying the groundwork for serious structural changes within the College before Forman came to Emory in June of 2010. The GC first received an official report on the College’s budgetary problems in late January 2009. A report from the Faculty Senate to the GC shows that Lewis believed that “significant structural alignment in [the] next three years” was necessary. In a follow-up interview with the
Roles: President James W. Wagner In that same report from the Faculty Senate to the GC in January
See FORMAN, Page 5
STUDENT LIFE
Emory Changes Policies for Same-Sex Couples By Karishma Mehrotra Asst. News Editor A professor simply wanted to register his domestic partner for an Emory gym membership, like other faculty members did with their spouses. Rather than being able to do so, he encountered an obstacle last fall that was “insulting and offensive.” Even though Tim Holbrook, associate dean of faculty and professor of law, has been in a relationship with his partner for six years, they were not recognized as domestic partners at Emory. Because his domestic partner lives in Denver, they did not fit requirements for same sex couple benefits that require domestic partners to live in the household. The discriminatory nature of these requirements prompted Holbrook to take action. Working with a President’s commission last spring, his memo and discussions with Human Resources at Emory led to tangible change. HR eliminated multiple barriers in the registration process for same sex domestic partners, according to Director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Life Michael Shutt. These changes included removing the notarization requirement of the registration form, allowing the use of a wedding or civil union certificate as evidence of a relationship. In addition, HR made the preexisting requirements for the relationship — like the requirement to live in the same household — into
optional examples of documents of proof. Couples now have to meet at least one of the listed requirements in order to register for benefits.
Real Change In the 1990s, Emory enabled same sex domestic partners to receive many of the benefits that apply to married couples, like health insurance, life insurance and gym memberships. To do so, however, the couples had to register using a form called an affidavit. That form had multiple requirements. Some of the provisions make it compulsory for domestic partners to show their wedding certificate, to show proof of financial interdependence — through bills with the names of both spouses or joint bank accounts — and to live in the same household. Now, because of Holbrook’s initiative, these are all options rather than requirements that domestic partners can use to prove their relationship. Another change is the removal of the document’s notarized requirement. This change means that homosexual couples no longer need to swear under penalty of law that the documents are truthful. Homosexual couples have never had to swear by law with this document. “I took it as insulting — that in essence they don’t trust us,” Holbrook said.
See ADMINISTRATORS, Page 4
Claudine Thien/Staff
A student carves a pumpkin as part of Emory’s first-ever “Thank Dooley It’s Friday” — a Halloweenthemed event hosted by College Council (CC) on McDonough Field last Friday.
CC Launches New, Monthly Event By Minah So Staff Writer Students crowded onto McDonough Field for Emory’s first ever “Thank Dooley It’s Friday” (TDIF) event presented by College Council (CC) on Friday evening. Held on the last Friday of every month, this month’s festivities were Halloween-themed. In honor of Halloween, the festivities at the event included a “haunted” bounce house, free food, T-shirts and candy. Lord Dooley, Emory’s unofficial
mascot, also made an appearance, partaking in activities like pumpkin carving and taking pictures with students. The initiative, started by CC member and College senior Kala Hurst, was created to encourage increased school spirit among the student body, student organizations, and CC. Hurst came up with the idea in April, and CC helped plan logistics when they reconvened for the fall semester. According to Hurst, CC received many concerns from students last year about wanting more regular events on campus that were avail-
NEWS ROLLINS SCHOOL
OP-EDS ALL STUDENTS
A&E CELEBRATE HALLOW-
SPORTS RHEAUME NETS
PUBLIC HEALTH BECOMES LEED CERTIFIED ... PAGE 3
SHOULD VOTE FOR
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA ... PAGE 7
EEN WITH THE
NETHERWORLD PAGE 9 HAUNTED HOUSE ...
GOLDEN GOAL FOR
OF
Wheel, Lewis explained that he has known about the on-going process behind the department changes for some time and has seen “many ideas float for the better part of three years.” Lewis said that while Forman indeed has a vision for the College’s future, the mechanics to begin considering structural changes were already in motion before Forman’s arrival. Lewis said Forman and Lisa Tedesco, the dean of the Laney Graduate School, presented numerous ideas to him, all of which were discussed and challenged. Lewis also says he feels “comfortable” with the process behind the department changes since faculty members entrusted their peers to be on the Governance Committee, which, in turn, trusted another committee. “By the end of the day, I hired deans to be deans,” Lewis said. “They are the chief executive officers of their schools and colleges. Once I have raised my questions, and they have provided answers, I have fully supported the decisions they have made and continue to do so.” Some have characterized Lewis as a lame duck Provost of sorts since he is retiring at the end of this year, and many faculty members do not see him as an effective avenue for redress. Lewis disagreed. “To be honest, what has occurred is final,” he said. “Even if I were staying here, it would still be final. This is not timed with my exit. If it had been, I would have been smarter and left [already].”
CER WIN
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able for pure entertainment, as well as opportunities to see more performances by student groups. Others also complained about not being able to enjoy Wonderful Wednesday due to conflicts with class times. “The goal is to increase school spirit and the sense of community in Emory through this monthly celebration,” said Sarah Choi, a member of CC and the TDIF committee. “I definitely think the event was successful. It was a first-time event and we had a couple of hundred people come out,
See CC, Page 5
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