INDEX Emory Events Calendar, Page 2
Police Record, Page 2
Crossword Puzzle, Page 8
Staff Editorial, Page 6
On Fire, Page 11
Student Life, Page 9
THE EMORY WHEEL Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University
Volume 94, Issue 35
www.emorywheel.com
Friday, February 22, 2013 ADMISSIONS
Every Tuesday and Friday ADMINISTRATION
WEDNESDAY DANCE MOVES
Regular Admission Sees Slight Rise, ED Apps. Up By Dustin Slade Asst. News Editor Emory University saw a small increase of less than one percent in regular decision applications for the 2013-2014 academic year, as well as 10 and 16 percent increases in Early Decision (ED) I and ED II applications, respectively. The College received a record number of 17,652 applications for its regular decision applicant pool, up from last year’s 17,492. John Latting, the assistant vice provost for undergraduate enrollment and dean of admission, said Emory’s regular decision acceptance rate will likely fall below 20 percent after decisions are released April 1 as a result of Emory’s growing ED applicant pool. Last year, the regular decision acceptance rate was 26 percent. Latting said he believes applicants are selecting to apply to Emory through the ED process over regular decision at an increasing rate. He explained that because of the rise in the number of ED applicants — along with the fact that ED applicants are required to accept their admissions offers — there is less room for regular-decision applicants in the incoming class. Although Emory’s admissions statistics only have a slight effect on the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, Latting said, the decrease in the regular decision acceptance rate could have a positive effect on Emory’s national ranking on the list. Latting attributed the small increase in applications in the regular decision pool to the public relations struggles Emory has witnessed during the past year. Still, Latting said he feels the public still has confidence in the institution. “I am excited about [the one percent increase],” Latting said. “I think Emory has had some challenging PR.
Faculty Vote to Censure Wagner
I think for this particular cycle to have more applications than we have ever had in our history — I am really happy about that. I wouldn’t be happy if you asked me over the next 10 years would I want to see a one-percent year-over-year growth; no, I wouldn’t be proud of that.” Latting said that although he feels the negative press Emory has garnered might have had some effect on the applicant pool, he is unsure to what extent. “Can we say if none [of the negative press] happened would we instead have 19,000 applications?” Latting asked. “I don’t know.” The ED I round acceptance rate was significantly higher than it was for ED II or regular decision because those students know Emory is their first-choice institution, according to Latting. “ED I applicants are the core and bedrock of our applicant pool, so we tend to see a higher admit rate there,” Latting said. “We like the idea of a good critical mass of students that are committed to Emory.” The Admissions Office is currently in the process of reviewing the regular decision applicant pool and making decisions. Roughly half of the applications have been allocated decisions, though applicants will not receive word from Emory until April 1. According to Latting, the Admissions Office will continue to review applications and make initial decisions until March 10, when admissions counselors will enter committee and review the remaining uncertain applications. “In the years ahead, I am not targeting a one percent change in applications.” Latting said. “I think in the five to 10 percent range would be more of the goal that I have for Emory College.”
Liqi Shu/Staff
Consider a Vote Of No Confidence
T
his week, Wonderful Wednesday celebrated Black History Month with performances by two community service and step team organizations: Brotherhood of Afrocentric Men, which is for firstyear male students, and Ngambika, which is for first-year female students.
RANKINGS
Officials Reflect on Falsified Data By Jordan Friedman Associate Editor Six months following the exposure of misreported admissions numbers at Emory University, Dean of Admission John Latting is pleased with the changes he’s seen in the Admissions Office. A new Data Advisory Committee (DAC) has been implemented. And perhaps most importantly, he said, valuable lessons have been learned. “I think we’ve come away from the episode with priorities put in perspective in a healthy way,” Latting said. “When we’re reporting a success it should be real and demonstrated and verifiable in some way. And then, we can celebrate those successes because they’re real.” At Emory, though, the University community first reacted to the misreported data during the summer with
— Contact Dustin Slade at dpslade@emory.edu
MEDIA
surprise and confusion. In an Aug. 17 school-wide email, University President James W. Wagner announced the results of an internal investigation, conducted with the help of an outside firm, Jones Day. The investigation revealed that officials in the Office of Admission before Latting’s time and in the Office of Institutional Research had submitted misrepresented admissions numbers to various external audiences through the Common Data Set, which organizations that rank institutions, like U.S. News & World Report, use in compiling statistics. Latting had discovered that for years, Emory submitted the SAT and ACT scores for admitted students, rather than the requested scores for enrolled students, which were lower numbers. A similar situation occurred for entering students’ high school class ranks.
MISREPORTED DATA April 2012 Claremont McKenna College
August 2012 Emory University
November 2012 The George Washington U.
December 2012 Tulane School of Business
February 2013 Bucknell University Including Emory and Claremont McKenna College (Ca.), which revealed a similar circumstance last spring, five schools have misreported data in the past year, the other three
See U.S., Page 5
AWARDS
By Evan Mah Editor-in-Chief College faculty voted to censure University President James W. Wagner over his controversial column in Emory Magazine at their monthly meeting Wednesday. A censure, clarified one faculty member, is “an expression that you deplore what he said. [It’s] a little stronger than a reprimand, but not as strong as a vote of no confidence.” Faculty also voted down the motion to stop the formation of an independent committee to review the department changes announced last fall. As previously reported, the committee will examine the criteria used to cut departments and the communication process by which the plan was carried out, among other concerns. Faculty members briefly considered voting no confidence in Wagner, but decided to wait until he attends their next meeting in March. Many were unclear about the consequences of a vote of no confidence. The move would have signaled that faculty members no longer believe Wagner is fit to hold the position of president. Salon spoke with Ben F. Johnson III, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, on Tuesday. “He has my 100-percent, undivided support,” Johnson reportedly said. Johnson could not be reached for comment. Before voting, faculty expressed outrage and grave concern over Wagner’s column, which used the three-fifths clause as an example of political compromise. The clause was
HuffPost Four Female Students Nick Thompson Debates Awarded Bobby Jones Named Luce Scholar Wagner Wagner Hosts Article ‘Chit Chat’
See SOME, Page 5
EVENT
Nick Thompson, is College senior double majoring in biology and music.
By Rupsha Basu Staff Writer
By Karishma Mehrotra Asst. News Editor
HuffPost Live presented a 30-minute video in which an anchor and four guest speakers discussed University President James W. Wagner’s controversial column in which the ThreeFifths Compromise as a model example of political compromise, on Wednesday. HuffPost Live is The Huffington Post’s online video-streaming network that showcases live conversations about breaking news for 12 hours during the day. “Are his racially-insensitive comments indicative of a broader issue facing universities?” the anchor, Marc Lamont Hill, asked the speakers. Joining Hill in the live conversation were college professors, conservative radio host Ben Furgeson; and College sophomore and Black Student Alliance president Jovonna Jones. A large portion of the discussion revolved around the issue of labeling people racist after they have made racist comments. All the speakers were in agreement that Wagner should not have
Noar ElKebbi
Lauren Henrickson
By Dustin Slade Asst. News Editor
Rebecca Levitan
Katie Dickerson
was a golf legend and a scholar, earning degrees from Georgia Tech, Harvard and Emory. The scholarship sends four students from both Emory and St. Andrews to the other school to undertake a full-paid year of study. Of the 26 students who applied at Emory, 12 students were selected as finalists, and four were ultimately selected as award recipients. For the first time in the scholarship’s history, all eight recipients both at Emory and St. Andrews are women. “It really speaks to the extent to which woman at Emory are full participants and fully involved and a part of the leadership,” said Dee McGraw, Emory’s director of National Scholarships and Fellowships. “We have arrived at the point where it is not so much, ‘we’ve got to balance the men and the woman,’ but instead when you look across campus at who the lead-
Four College seniors were awarded the Robert T. Jones Jr. Scholarship for 2013-2014 on Monday, allowing them to study for a year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The scholarship was awarded to College seniors Becky Levitan, an Art History major and Mediterranean archeology minor; Nour El-Kebbi, Middle East and South Asian studies and International Studies double major; Lauren Henrickson, a Linguistics and Religion double major; and Katie Dickerson, who is studying Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Anthropology and Biology. The award, commonly known as the Bobby Jones Scholarship, was established in 1976 and recognizes individuals in the Emory community who exemplify the legacy of Bobby Jones. According to the scholarship’s website, Bobby Jones
See SELECTED, Page 5
College senior Nick Thompson was named one of 18 Luce Scholars nationwide this month. He will now have the opportunity to spend a year working in Asia. The Luce Scholars Award is given to students from various disciplines who have limited exposure to Asian studies. After the selection process, award recipients are placed in an Asian country based on his or her interests, professional experience and qualifications. Thompson, a double major in biology and music, will learn where he is placed in April or May of this year. He is the University’s sixth Luce Scholar since 1999, according to Director of National Scholarships and Fellowships Dee McGraw, who also noted that applicants can apply up to the age of 29. Thompson said he applied for the award after he became interested in Asian studies through his study abroad experience in Dharamsala, India, where he learned about Tibetan holistic medicinal techniques. “I just wanted more of Asia and experience in traditional eastern medicine and get more exposure to Asia in general,” Thompson said. The Luce Scholars Award aims to strengthen the bond and increase collaboration between the U.S. and Asia, according to McGraw.
To be chosen as an awardee, Thompson had to undergo an arduous review process that took about six months, he said. Emory, as one of the 75 participating institutions, nominated Thompson and two other students for the award. Eligible students include college seniors or graduate and professional school students. “They want people who are welcome to new experience and diversity,” McGraw said. “They want people who are highly motivated and have a record of accomplishment and leadership.” After candidates are interviewed for the scholarship, 45 finalists are selected. Each candidate then appears in front of one of three selection committees, each of which interviews 15 candidates. The final Luce Scholars are typically announced in mid-February. “It was amazing,” Thompson said, in reference to when he was first notified of his award earlier this month. “I was flying back from the interviews, and they left a message
See SCHOLAR, Page 3
See NATIONAL, Page 5
By Elizabeth Howell News Editor About 20 students gathered at the Clairmont Tower Penthouse on Tuesday evening, awaiting the arrival of University President James. W. Wagner. The students, mostly juniors and seniors, sat on living-room furniture arranged in a circle, anticipating an intimate discussion with Wagner on the value of an Emory education followed by a question-and-answer session. When Wagner arrived, he said that while he had prepared thoughts on what it means to be an Emory student, he was aware that most students would like to discuss his recent article in Emory Magazine and agreed to answer any questions about it after his initial presentation.
See WAGNER, Page 4
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