Since 1919
Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
The Emory Wheel
Volume 99, Issue 9
Printed Every Wednesday
Wednesday, november 1, 2017 EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
RSGA PRESIDENTIAL RACE
In Lieu of Debate, Candidates Make Sandwiches for Charity By Valerie SandoVal Contributing Writer
Parth Mody/Photo Editor
Protesters gather outside emory University hospital at a candlelit prayer vigil Friday night.
Dozens Protest Transplant Delay By Molly Ball Contributing Writer
“Let the baby live” and “Shame on Emory” rang out next to Emory University Hospital (EUH) Thursday morning on Clifton Road, where about 40 protesters had gathered to protest the hospital’s decision to delay a child’s kidney transplant operation. EUH had rejected a request for Anthony Dickerson to donate his kid-
ney to his 2-year-old son, A.J. Burgess, even though Dickerson is a perfect match. The child was born prematurely without both kidneys, and EUH has delayed the operation from Oct. 3 until January 2018 at the earliest. Friday evening, about 17 people convened in the same place for a prayer vigil. U.S. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) called another prayer vigil Sunday night that Johnson attended at the request of
Lewis’ office. “When baby A.J.’s daddy was accused of committing a crime, not convicted, the forces-that-be, here at Emory University Hospital, decided to impose almost a death sentence on Baby A.J.,” Johnson said at the Sunday evening vigil. EUH wrote in a letter to the child’s mother, Carmellia Burgess, that
See Shame, Page 2
Excepting Mediation, Univ. Opts to Follow Obama Rules
Emory University will continue to follow the Obama-era rules with the exception of mediation after it reviewed the interim Title IX guidelines, according to University Title IX Coordinator Supria Kuppuswamy. Kuppuswamy, who replaced Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion Lynell Cadray as Emory’s Title IX coordinator Oct. 2, told the Wheel that mediation was an acceptable method to resolve sexual assault cases under the Obama-era Title IX guidelines. “[Mediation] was definitely offered and I’m pretty sure it happened,”
Kuppuswamy said. But the Obama administration disallowed mediation in sexual misconduct cases. Mediation, an informal process with monitored sessions between the accuser and the accused, was not allowed under the Obama-era guidelines for fear that victims would feel pressured to participate and forced to face their offenders in person. Emory’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, which was last revised September 2016, states that “mediation is not appropriate, even on a voluntary basis, for sexual assault allegations.” Cadray, who was the former Title IX
See KUPPUSwamy, Page 3
See all, Page 2
CENTER FOR ETHICS
TITLE IX
By Molly Ball Contributing Writer
All three Rollins Student Government Association (RSGA) presidential candidates declined an invitation to attend a debate, instead opting to host a public service event Tuesday afternoon. Candidates Nchedo Ezeokoli (19PH), Rosa Abraha (19PH) and Mahnoor Mahmood (19PH) sent an Oct. 26 email to Rollins students outlining their collective decision to not participate in the debate. The candidates wanted to “eliminate the divisiveness surrounding the decision to host a presidential debate,” according to the jointly released statement. About 35 students attended the candidates’ public service event. Candidates and attendees made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to donate to Atlanta Inner-City Ministry and had conversations with other students. Because Ezeokoli said that she would not be able to attend the debate due to scheduling conflicts, the candidates agreed to not participate, so
that one candidate would not have an advantage over another, according to all three candidates. Sana Charania (13Ox, 16C, 18PH) and Christopher DeVore (18PH), the debate organizers, were willing to reschedule the debate because it conflicted with one of Ezeokoli’s classes. Ezeokoli expressed interest in attending a Global Health Institute (GHI) networking event that took place during the rescheduled debate, according to Charania. However, Charania and DeVore did not reschedule the debate again to accommodate for the networking event, as they believe that presidential candidates have to make tough decisions sometimes and prioritize their leadership responsibilities over social or networking events. Ezeokoli and Mahmood said they attended the Emory GHI Practicum Opportunities Fair Monday, the night the debate was scheduled. The fair helps students make connections to potentially find a practicum, a supervised practical field experience that is required for Rollins stu-
GabriEllE davis/staff
Former CIa Director John Brennan visits emory Oct. 25 to 26 and discusses topics ranging from the current state of national politics to foreign threats with emory students and faculty members.
HALLOWEEN
Tennis Coach Faces Backlash Over Puerto Rican-Themed Costumes By alex KlugerMan News Editor
Head Coach of Emory’s women’s tennis team Amy Bryant and her family’s Halloween costumes, which referenced Puerto Rico’s Whitefish scandal, drew the ire of some Emory community members Tuesday. The caption posted on Bryant’s Facebook page, “Happy Halloween from 2 Puerto Rican boys wanting electricity and the 2 Whitefish Energy employees fixing it. #cashmoney #scam #wejustgotfired,” accompanied a picture of Bryant and her husband
dressed as Whitefish Energy Holdings employees in suits carrying sacks of money and her two sons dressed as Puerto Rican children post-Hurricane Maria. The children carried matches, fishing rods, a net and empty jugs of water labeled “agua.” When asked about Bryant’s costume, Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair told the Wheel that he met with student leaders Tuesday afternoon about a staff member’s costume that he and the students deemed “inappropriate.” “[The students and I] also agreed
that we need to do better as an institution. Unfortunately, these incidents are not isolated,” Nair wrote in an Oct. 31 email to the Wheel. “The cumulative effect of these types of incidents has a devastating impact on marginalized communities.” Bryant said she intended to satire Whitefish, a company that was contracted to repair Puerto Rico’s powergrid after the island was pummeled by Hurricane Maria, leaving 70 percent of its 3.4 million citizens without power. The contract was canceled by Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo A. Rossello Oct. 29 according to The New York Times.
The company has been criticized for having only two full-time employees at the time it was contracted to complete repairs that would require the work of thousands of individuals. In addition, scrutiny was placed on the contract between the small company and the Puerto Rican government due to connections between the company’s CEO Andy Techmanski and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, according to the Times. Bryant said the costumes were supposed to target “greed in government and politics.” “We believe that Puerto Rico should
have a legitimate company restoring their energy,” Bryant said. “There’s someone in Trump’s circle who’s from Whitefish, Mont., and that’s allegedly how they got the bid. Bryant said she and her husband are frustrated with corruption in the federal government. “The intention was to draw attention to the fact that Whitefish energy had two employees when they were hired to restore the entire island’s energy,” Bryant said. “That’s kind of ridiculous”
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