2.24.16

SPORTS

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Swimming and diving wins 18th straight UAA Championship

A&E

Jesse Owens biopic ‘Race’ lacks depth, insight

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OPINION

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Hateful views of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump

facing the candidates Students compete in upcoming SGA, CC, SPC, RHA and BBA Council elections.

Full coverage begins on p. 4

The Independent Student-Run Newspaper of Emory University Since 1919

VOL. 97 ISSUE 19 February 24, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS February 24, 2016 NEWS

OPINION

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

4 SGA, SPC, CC, RHA, BBA Council Election coverage 2016

10 YOU(TH) AND POLITICS

14 ‘RACE’ CAN’T KEEP UP

12 THE JUDICIAL PREDICAMENT OF OUR FUTURE

16 ALL HAIL YEEZUS: KANYE WEST IS BRASH, ECCENTRIC IN ‘THE LIFE OF PABLO’

8 Four Seniors awarded bobby jones scholarship

13 Hateful Views of bernald sanders

9 Students assemble wall at dobbs university center

17 WILCO ROCKS THE TABERNACLE WITH GUITAR LICKS, HARMONIES

EMORY LIFE

SPORTS

18 DUC HACKS

22 EMORY SWIMming AND DIVing TEAM WINS 18TH STRAIGHT UAA TITLE

19 ASL CLUB PROVIDES MEDIUM FOR MASTERY OF SIGN LANGUAGE 20 SUMMER abroad: Italy 21 SABA chef taste tests student’s soup dupe

Cover

photos by and

23 MEN WIN ITA CHAMPIONSHIP 24 STEP BY STEP: THE FORTITUDE OF AILEEN RIVELL

Julia Munslow | Arts & Entertainment Editor Hagar Elsayed | Video Director

EDITORIAL BOARD DUSTIN SLADE | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RUPSHA BASU EXECUTIVE EDITOR Copy Chiefs Shalvi Shah Benazir Wehelie Asst. Copy Chief Michelle Lou News Editors Anwesha Guha Emily Sullivan Asst. News Editor Namrata Verghese Opinion Editor Erik Alexander Arts & Entertainment Editor Julia Munslow

KARISHMA MEHROTRA EXECUIVE EDITOR Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Hannah Conway Emory Life Editor Samuel R. Budnyk Asst. Emory Life Editor Alisha Compton Sports Editor Jacob Durst Asst. Sports Editor Avery Yang Photo Editor Ruth Reyes Social Media Editor Dana Youngentob

ZAK HUDAK MANAGING EDITOR

Video Directors Hagar Elsayed Leila Yavari Senior Digital Editor Tarrek Shaban Digital Editors Brandon Fuhr Morgan Roberts Layout Editor Hayley Silverstein Associate Editors Elana Cates Lydia O’Neal

STEPHEN FOWLER EXECUTIVE DIGITAL EDITOR business and advertising

ALLEN HSIN | BUSINESS MANAGER BEN MOORE | SALES MANAGER BRYCE ROBERTSON | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Assistant Sales Manager: Brittany Fales Design Managers: Dami Kim, Alyssa Polskensky Sales Associates: Ifrah Khan, David Schupper, Celeste Leonard, Junior Hailu, Chris Diglio Office Assistant: Justine Schoenbart

Business / Advertising Office Number (404) 727-6178

NEWS

ANWESHA GUHA AND EMILY SULLIVAN | EDITORS NAMRATA VERGHESE | ASST. EDITOR

Students launch campus government campaigns Emily Sullivan | News Editor emily.sullivan@emory.edu

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leven Emory undergraduate student candidates began their campaigns for seven leadership positions on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at midnight.

Election day is Friday, Feb. 25, which follows 10 days of campaigning through speeches, posters and social media pages. Positions up for election include Student Government Association (SGA) president and executive vice president, College Council (CC) president and vice president, Student Programming Council (SPC) president, Residence Hall Association (RHA) president and Goizueta Bachelor of Business Association (BBA) Council president. Other positions up for election include BBA Council executive vice president and junior representative, CC senior and sophomore representatives and SGA representative at-arge.

This year, a few notable issues have emerged as most candidates share concerns regarding inclusivity, participation and transparency throughout Emory’s campus and within their respective organizations.

SGA Presidential Candidate and College junior Max Zoberman emphasized his goal for all students to feel unconditional comfort at Emory, especially considering that “the school is in such a transitional period, between all the leading profound questions of social justice,” he said. One initiative that Zoberman said he has supported aims to make all of the University’s governing documents gender inclusive, through the use of gender inclusive pronouns. Considering that this implementation can help to increase the greater comfort of students, “it seems like a no-brainer,” he said.

The other SGA Presidential candidate and Business School sophomore Daniel Rodriguez emphasized his own platform concerning the inclusion of different groups, especially minority groups, and said that he has begun to establish connections with Latino student organizations. “As a [Latino] minority, I’ve seen how isolated certain groups are,” he said. He added that he hopes to support more inclusion between Greek and non-Greek students.

SPC Presidential candidate and Business School

junior Ria Sabnis said that she too hopes to lessen divides between Greek and non-Greek students, through focusing primarily on new member recruitment. “I don’t like the perception that SPC is viewed as a Greek organization,” she said, adding that an “underhyped” part of her platform is to allow the Emory community to see SPC’s programming before it evaluates the members behind it.

Both Sabnis and her competitor, Business School junior Marisa Hann, have been involved with SPC since their freshman year. Both candidates voiced their own concerns regarding minority inclusion and budget transparency, the lack of which Hann called “ridiculous” and “frustrating.” Hann said that the “majority of [SPC] members do not know [our budget],” which she said she plans to change through encouraging SPC to approach obstacles from a more creative standpoint as opposed to a logistical standpoint.

Both Hann and Sabnis said that regardless of whether they are successful in Friday’s election, they intend to continue their work with SPC. “Even in a state of all this competitiveness, we know the big picture … is helping Emory out,” Hann said.

RHA presidential candidates, College junior Jonah Chang and College sophomore James Martin, said that they also hope to continue their work with the organization whether or not they receive the RHA presidency. Both Chang and Martin said that they want to increase RHA’s appearance as an organization that supports community engagement; Chang specified that he hopes for RHA to better support interaction between residence halls which can help to support all students’ needs, and which never leaves students to advocate for themselves. “Advocacy is a two-way street,” he said.

Advocacy is also a concern of CC presidential candidate College junior Molly Zhu, who said that she hopes to acknowledge the “assumption that CC is out to get certain groups,” which she said has never been CC’s intention. “I think this past year we’ve seen so much contention coming from different groups on

campus,” she said, adding that she is open to criticism, collaboration and working to ameliorate these relationships as well as the CC’s ability to represent the entire Emory community. Zhu said that CC has increased its collaboration with Emory Black Student Union (EBSU) to make programs and interactions as inclusive as it is feasible. CC vice presidential candidate and College sophomore Cassidy Schwartz said that she also hopes to promote CC as an accessible and inclusive organization, which can “make sure things are changing” through the promotion of a CC finance committee and further transparency between the organization and the community.

The opposing CC vice presidential candidate, College junior Dennis Kamara, said that he hopes to tend to all Emory students through whatever means possible. “The goal of CC, overall, is to address the needs of the student body,” he said. “I feel that by working towards making sure that we affirm and empower each identity, [we work] towards the mission of what CC is essentially about.” BBA Council presidential candidate and Business School junior Kyle Nelson wrote in an email to the Wheel that he also plans to address issues of diversity, “whether it is by improving the integration of international students or addressing the diversity of the student body within the BBA program.”

SGA executive vice president candidate and Business School sophomore Gurbani Singh was unavailable for comment.

Several Emory students who were interviewed had not been following the campaigns and said that they will abstain from voting this weekend. College senior Madeleine Norris said that she intends to vote on Friday, but only for candidates with whom she is familiar. “I’m going to [vote] where I recognize names,” she said. She added that she is undecided as far as where her votes will go. “The people I trust are endorsing different candidates,” she said. “I don’t know what to do.”

News Editor Anwesha Guha contributed reporting.

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CANDIDATE STATEMENTS These are the election statements for candidates running for leadership positions in the following student organizations: Student Government Organization (SGA), College Council (CC), Student Programming Council (SPC), Residence Housing Association (RHA) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Council. These statements are written in the candidates’ own words and were sent to the Wheel via email.

Presidential Candidates Daniel Rodriguez

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s a candidate with limited previous experience on SGA, my platform is based on coming into the presidency with a fresh mind and forward-thinking attitude. As president I will strive to improve the Emory University student experience holistically and to increase students’ knowledge of internal affairs within SGA. To improve the undergraduate student experience, increasing interactions between multicultural organizations and the entirety of the campus is essential. Having other cultural organization hold events on a scale similar to ICE Diwali would enrich the student experience, and further break down social and cultural barriers among students.

Furthermore, as president I would push to do the same thing with Greek life. By better marketing philanthropic events to the whole campus, we can increase the appeal and societal benefit that Greek life has at Emory University.

Academically, Emory students need more reading days. By increasing the number of reading days, we can improve students’ physical and mental health during the final exam period.

On the topic of physical and mental health, Emory’s SafeRide system needs to be improved. Though we have made a giant leap forward by integrating SafeRide with a phone application, we need to increase the number of SafeRide buses we have patrolling campus to increase speed and timeliness.

Not being on SGA prior to running for the presidency has given me an unbiased, outsider’s opinion on what needs to change within our university. As a younger candidate, I would devote my entire collegiate career to making these changes and improving the Emory experience.

Gurbani Singh

Max Zoberman

I

will build on my experience in both the legislative and executive branches of the 48th and 49th Student Government Associations to re-frame the work of Student Advocacy in the 50th.

Safety: As president, I will: Continue to work toward the realization of the promise to be able to see two blue lights from everyone; continue to work to make SafeRide more effective and expand its capability; develop and implement programming and support services to address issues of mental health and selfharm; work with administration to bring the “It’s On US” campaign to Emory as an academic partner; put a dedicated emergency services app in the hands of every Emory student.

Community: As president, I will: Remain fervently dedicated to supporting underrepresented student populations and issues of diversity and equity; continue to grow funds that support subsidized activities for students in need and philanthropic organizations; work to celebrate the Oxford campus and bring our two communities together; make sure graduate students are represented in a way that is equal to their proportion of the student body.

Reform: I will: Refocus the work of the SGA on grassroots initiatives that matter like extending reading periods and subsidizing printing; continue to develop an independent polling organization to hold us accountable; connect legislators with their constituents through a series of regular town hall events; regularly update the student body on the work of the SGA and opportunities to be involved via “State of Campus” notifications.

Executive Vice Presidential Candidate

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s the executive vice president of the 50th SGA, I want to establish a solid foundation for a transparent and inclusive student government, further the improvements with safety and transportation and continue to address student academic and dining concerns. I hope that by implementing weekly office hours open to all students and increasing our presence at Wonderful Wednesdays, students will feel more comfortable in voicing their concerns. I want to consis-

tently meet with our diverse campus organizations and ensure that their needs are met especially working to clarify the definition of “exclusionary” in our fiscal policy. With plans underway for the new Campus Life Center, I want to also make sure that all of our student groups who need a safe and comfortable space are accommodated. In terms of safety, I want to continue to expand our safety initiatives while expanding work-study job opportunities for students. Furthermore, I want

to extend the Add/Drop/Swap period at the beginning of the semester as well as the reading periods before final exams to ensure sufficient time for preparation.

Lastly, I want to explore additional meal plans that are more affordable for the diverse needs of our student body. Addressing student concerns and issues is my first and foremost priority, and I promise to make changes on our campus to make your Emory experience as positive as possible.

NEWS

Presidential Candidate

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Molly Zhu

i, my name is Molly Zhu and I am running for CC president. I came to Emory three years ago feeling completely lost. My entire family lives abroad and I was suddenly dropped into such a large and complicated community where I was unsure of where I fit in.

I’m sure a lot of us can say that as time progressed, we each found our niches. We found our people, we found our clubs and organizations to join, we found our home.

I know I found my home within the talented and dedicated members of CC and the various clubs and organizations that

I’ve joined. I found my niche and I want to make sure that every Emory student has that opportunity as well. College is a time to flourish and meet new people and try new things; I want to make sure that every Emory student can have a diverse and fulfilling experience at Emory. This I hope to achieve by: 1) Increasing Transparency: - Facilitate dialogue between administration and students - Promote Class Forum: Course Syllabi Database and disseminating professor evaluations 2) Emphasizing Equity:

- Present a willingness to reach out to all groups on campus - Previous collaboration in revising monetary policy to reflect equity in funding distribution for minority groups 3) Creating A More Inclusive Environment: - Compile advice and opinions from transfer student surveys to create a more comprehensive community - Strengthen liaison system to create better line of communication between legislators and clubs - Foster more collaboration between and within Emory groups

CC Vice Presidential Candidates Dennis Kamara

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hat I have found so special during my two-and-a-half years at Emory is the various identities that one is able to see. The dynamic backgrounds of students has allowed for me to achieve a stronger sense of what it means to be a member of a global community. CC is an organization that works to serve the student body, but it is hard for an organization to do so when the student body has a wide range of identities. It is important that CC works to strengthen these diverse identities by providing students with what they need. As a student for the past two-anda-half years, I have seen the mismatch between what students need in order to thrive and what CC has provided. This disconnect led me to become involved in CC as a senior legislator. So far, as an appointed senior legislator, I have worked to ensure that the voices of different communities are heard, something that I will continue to do if elected the CC vice president, addressing issues related to sustainability, academic success, health and wellness, and inclusion. Thank you for reading this and I hope to have your support as CC vice president!

Cassidy Schwartz

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s CC legislator for two years, I served on the programming and finance committe es, connected students with mental health resources, as with the introduction of the Emory Helpline card holder, and diligently promoted sustainability. If elected CC vice president, I will focus on several existing goals aimed at improving current policies and creating new helpful resources for the Emory and Oxford Campuses. My platform is built on four main pillars: Community and Inclusion, Sustainability, Fiscal Policy and Transparency.

Community and Inclusion: I will lobby for a more disability-accessible campus and will work on the creation of a Student Experience Fund — a scholarship easing participation in

campus events and organizations for students with financial barriers. Also, I will promote more direct collaboration with student organizations by the Council in the creation of campus-wide events.

Sustainability: I will continue my work through the Student Sustainability Forum to achieve a carbon neutral Campus Life Center, energy reduction initiatives across campus and to exceed Emory’s sustainability goals.

Fiscal Policy: I will bolster the auditing process and increase awareness of relevant changes to the monetary policy in response to student demands and programming needs.

Transparency: Strengthening the liaison system will encourage legislators to actively engage their assigned clubs, breaking down communication barriers. I will promote open Council meetings and will provide office hours for better accessibility.

As your CC vice president, I will be receptive to concerns, opinions and suggestions from fellow students. Please contact me or check out my platform on Facebook for more details!

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02.24.16

Presidential Candidates Ria Sabnis

Marisa Hann

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i, my name is Ria Sabnis! I’m this year’s vice president of SPC and it would be an honor to serve as your next SPC president.

Here’s a summary of the platform points that are most important to me. If you like them, please check out my platform on my Facebook page!

Inclusion: As a university-wide organization, SPC should be comprised of a relatively representative group of Emory’s population, and, unfortunately, it’s not. I propose to fix this by reaching out to more groups on campus to gather new member applications from an even more diverse group of Emory students, as well as students from all graduate and undergraduate schools.

Honesty About our Budget: SPC get its funding from a portion of every student’s Student Activity Fee. You should know what’s happening with your fee payment. As President, I will publish an accessible and easy-to-read explanation of SGA’s funding process that SPC takes part in.

More Programming: I’ve heard too many times that SPC doesn’t do much more than plan Homecoming and Dooley’s Week. To shift SPC’s identity, we should program more frequent and smaller-scale events (like the build-yourown bear event in Asbury Circle) that improve the Emory experience and reshape what SPC is all about.

I’ve loved this organization since I joined the September of my freshman year and I have worked to do everything I can so far to take it to the next level. With your support while voting and over the next year, I’m sure we can make that happen together.

H

i! My name is Marisa Hann and I want to be your SPC president because I can make a change. My qualifications in combination with my goals for the organization and the university as a whole are what will make me a successful president. I want to build an online communication network, initiate weekly public office hours and update the recruitment process to be fairer to the individuals applying. As this year’s Dooley’s Week chair and last year’s Homecoming and Taste of Emory chair, I have learned how to manage a team of peers through demanding and ambiguous times, a necessary qualification for SPC’s president. I have the programming experience to lead this organization and help it realize its full potential, while finally being given the opportunity to make these crucial operational changes.

The mission of the SPC is to provide a variety of quality entertainment for the entire university, making the Emory experience as enjoyable as possible. I can accomplish this through increasing transparency, expanding student participation, broadening the number of signature events and through developing partnerships and collaborations throughout Emory’s campus, an initiative I have begun already this year through Dooley’s Week. I want SPC to be an accessible organization, where all students feel comfortable at our events and everyone feels satisfaction in voicing their opinions. This organization needs to learn and grow from its mistakes and successes, which is why I want you to be a part of the conversation.

Presidential Candidate

I

am running for president of the Goizueta BBA Council. In pursuing this position, I hope to continue to serve and improve the experiences of the people within the program and the Emory community as a whole.

One of the things that I plan to establish is a stronger presence within the Atlanta community in regards to community outreach. I have learned first hand how talented my peers

Kyle Nelson within this program are, and I hope to lead the charge on providing them more avenues to give back to the community.

In addition to this, I hope to increase both diversity and inclusion within the program. Statistically speaking, the current makeup of the program is very homogenous.

As a result of this, I plan to implement programs that increase our interactions with freshman and sopho-

more students with the hopes that this will generate more interest in the program throughout all demographics on our campus.

Finally, as president, I hope to continue to build and improve upon many of our current programs including Goizueta Ties, Goizueta Week and of course, Kegs. Through doing these things I hope that I am able to provide lasting, tangible improvements to the Goizueta BBA student experience.

NEWS

ANWESHA GUHA AND EMILY SULLIVAN | EDITORS NAMRATA VERGHESE | ASST. EDITOR

Presidential Candidates

Jonah Chang

James Martin

y platform centers around residence advocacy, constructive programming and cross-hall collaboration. My goal is to reach out to the individual resident. Many residents do not know that RHA is an organization that represents their interests and wellbeing. With this said, I want to stress the difference between Residence Life and RHA. ResLife is responsible for engaging with the residents and keeping them safe. RHA represents the needs and wants of the residents. I plan on being more transparent by holding public town halls and opening up exec meetings to more members of the hall councils. I want residents to feel comfortable to reach out for anything that they want to see changed in their respective halls and I want members of hall councils to feel more valued. Furthermore, many think RHA is only for first-years, but in fact it is for all residents who live on campus! I want to increase representation and programming for Clairmont and Eagle Row residents. Cross-hall collaboration is one way of achieving unity in that regard.

In terms of programming, I want to bring more to the residence halls. By bringing programs TO the residence halls, we have ample opportunity to provide direct and meaningful engagement. Programs such as the laser tag study break and Last Lecture will increase. I am also starting an initiative called Life Education which will provide constructive programing in relation to residence living. Examples include guides to personal finance, health and even tips on how to plan a successful program!

he mission of RHA is the unification of Emory University’s residential community, the instillation of campus pride and the enhancement of the residential experience through advocacy and visible, campus-wide activities for and by the students.

Programming is the bread and butter of RHA: it is the aspect of our organization that is one of the most gratifying to us, and to those we serve. So, this year, RHA has made a tremendous effort to increase the amount and quality of event programming this semester — a distinct break from previous RHAs. However, RHA has the opportunity and resources to do so much more.

As president of RHA I will guide the organization as we transition to a more comprehensive programming organization. This means more Passion, more People, more Programming — I intend to increase the amount of RHA board members whose responsibilities and skills pertain to programming. This will ensure the continued growth of meaningful, community-building programs.

Furthermore, as president I will ensure that more emphasis is put on RHA’s virtues as an advocacy group for residents. I want students to know that RHA is a resource at their disposal, and that we can help them effectively. Whether it be unpopular policies or an inadequate residential experience, I will ensure that the student voice is heard.

It is my belief that both programming and advocacy will instill pride in our community, which, in turn, will generate more involvement from students and a more robust Emory experience.

M

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Four Emory seniors awarded Bobby Jones Scholarship Namrata Verghese | Asst. News Editor

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our Emory students learned on Saturday Feb. 20, that they had each won the prestigious Robert T. Jones, Jr. Scholarship, an award unique to Emory that provides recipients with a year of study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

The four winners were Business School senior Adam Goldstein, and College seniors Laila Attala, Hannah Rose Blakeley and Lucky Khambouneheuang.

The Robert T. Jones, Jr. Scholarship, better known as the Bobby Jones Scholarship allows four Emory students to pursue studies at St. Andrews and four St. Andrews students to come to Emory for one year. The Emory-affiliated award exemplifies a close relationship between Emory and St.

namrata.susan.verghese@emory.edu

Andrews, as it has been offered since 1976 and has offered more than 250 students from Emory and St. Andrews the opportunity to study abroad.

The scholarship celebrates the legacy of the prominent golfer and Emory alumnus, Bobby Jones.

Academic merit is not enough to be selected as a Bobby Jones Scholar, according to Megan Friddle, director of the National Scholarships and Fellowships Program at Emory. As part of this international exchange program, Emory seeks to select individuals who are deeply involved with the Emory community, and who will serve as exemplary representatives of Emory University during their time at St. Andrews, Friddle said.

The final selection committee, which is com-

prised of University faculty, Bobby Jones alumni and community supporters of the Bobby Jones program, made its final decisions about scholarship recipients from a pool of twelve finalists.

Friddle said that this year’s group of Bobby Jones Scholars is particularly notable in that they have each been deeply involved in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary work at Emory.

“Their projects that have helped them to better understand their areas of specialization, but that have also helped them to see where their scholarship, research and community engagement intersect with other disciplines and other communities,” she wrote in an email to the Wheel.

Read unabridged online at emorywheel.com.

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02.24.16

Students assemble wall at Dobbs University Center Lauren Balotin | Staff Writer lauren.paige.balotin@emory.edu

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his week, the Dobbs University Center (DUC) has become the center of debate about Israel-Palestine issues as student organizations have placed displays in the student center and have implemented programs on both sides of the conflict around campus.

Emory’s Jewish community and pro-Israel student organizations will hold events this week in response to Emory Students for Justice in Palestine’s (ESJP) “Separation and Annexation Wall,” a wall that aims to raise awareness of human rights violations and the annexation of land in Israel, according to College junior and ESJP Vice President Emilia Truluck.

ESJP’s wall, which is located on the Dobbs University Center (DUC) terraces, represents the Israeli West Bank, a physical barrier created by the Israeli cabinet in June 2002 to regulate entry of Palestinians from the West Bank into Israel, according to BBC News.

The wall contains a diagram depicting the Palestinian loss of land in Israel from 1946 to 2000, and it claims that the wall isolates and disrupts the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians currently living in Israel. “[Emory students] have a strong obligation to be engaged in the issue [between Israel and Palestine] and to try to move our country to be on the right side of it, rather than enabling the status quo to continue,” College junior and Treasurer/CoFounder of ESJP Anaïs Hussung said.

As global citizens and American taxpayers whose money is used in Israel without restrictions, Emory students should be

aware of these issues, Truluck said.

In an email to the Wheel, College junior and MEOR Israeli Affairs Chair Elyssa Brezel stated that though its members may disagree with the statements made by the ESJP’s wall, the pro-Israeli coalition hopes to create dialogue on Emory’s campus that will allow students to make informed decisions about the state of Israel. She acknowledged the right of ESJP to exercise this right.

Last year, ESJP’s wall was vandalized and torn down. The wall declared Israel an apartheid state, meaning that it racially segregates groups and refers to a system of legislation previously used in South Africa.

The vandalism of last year’s wall should not cause ESJP to stop or compromise its goals, Hussung said.

This year, ESJP did not associate the word “apartheid” with its events nor did it put the word on its wall, according to President of ESJP and College junior Dina Masri.

In an email to the Wheel, representatives from MEOR at Emory, the Emory-Israel Public Affairs Committee, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Hillel at Emory, Sigma Alpha Mu, Emory Students for Israel (ESI), Chabad and the Emory chapters of the historically Jewish fraternities Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) and Sigma Alpha Mu (SAM) noted that though “it is painful … to witness those in [the Emory] community delegitimizing and demonizing the State [of Israel] … it is imperative that [Emory students] do not tear down, vandalize or damage [the ESJP’s] displays.”

The email also acknowledged

that the Emory community must continue to recognize Emory’s Respect for Open Expression Policy, which states that the University “supports courageous inquiry through open expression, dissent and protest, while acknowledging the challenges of the creative tensions associated with courageous inquiry in an ever changing community.”

“Although we may not agree with the conclusions [ESJP] has raised regarding the human rights situation in the area, our interjecting points do not hinder us from having an appropriate, respectful relationship,” Brezel wrote, noting that MEOR wishes the same from the broader Emory community.

Masri agreed that she hopes the organizations will be able to create a community that can safely and respectfully discuss the conflicts in Israel.

“College is a place for people to express different opinions and not feel ashamed for having certain opinions,” Masri said, noting that as a Palestinian, she does not always feel entirely accepted on Emory’s campus.

Masri also said that ESJP has extended an invitation to Emory Hillel to co-host an event later this semester through which students can come to learn about both perspectives of the issue, and she is

hopeful that the organizations can collaborate in the future.

ESJP will also hold events this week to recognize the issues discussed on its wall, including a town hall event for students to ask questions related to the wall and conflicts in Israel.

Later this week, Jeff Halper, coordinating director and cofounder of the Israeli Coalition Against Home Demolitions, will deliver a lecture on what the conflicts between Israelites and Palestinians will lead to in the future. Hussung said that he hopes students will use these events as well as the wall to directly engage with the issues surrounding Israel.

“One of the things I’m very aware of is that people have very strong responses to [ESJP’s] wall, but they tend to ignore the content that we put on it,” Hussung said, encouraging students to further educate themselves about the conflicts in Israel.

The pro-Israeli coalition will hold events throughout the week aimed at bringing aware-

ness to the issues displayed on ESJP’s wall, according to Brezel.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, ESI will hold an event entitled “Soldiers’ Stories,” which will detail the experiences of two Israeli soldiers. On Wednesday, Feb. 24, Chabad at Emory will hold a Chill N Grill BBQ for students to meet and discuss the conflicts in Israel.

Hillel at Emory will sponsor an Israeli Shabbat on Friday, Feb. 26, which will spread panels throughout campus, recognizing Emory’s role and its related challenges.

The pro-Israel organizations will wear blue clothing in solidarity on Tuesday, Feb. 23, have tables at the DUC for Wonderful Wednesday including a humanitarian aid table on Thursday, Feb. 25.

“We are using this week as a new opportunity to bring together the numerous pro-Israel organizations on campus, and we look forward to using this coalition for multiple platforms in the future,” Brezel wrote.

The wall erected by pro-Palestine students presents their perspective. | Ruth Reyes, Photo Editor

OPINION

ERIK ALEXANDER | EDITOR

You(th) an

Why millennials don’t vote Ryan Fan | College Senior

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he millennial generation — Americans born between 1980-2000 — has a notorious reputation at the polls: we don’t vote. In the recent 2014 November midterm elections, only 36.3 percent of the national United States voting-eligible population voted. Among the millennial population of the country (18 to 29 year old adults eligible), only 21.3 percent had voted in the midterms.

Historically, midterm election turnout has been significantly lower than presidential elections; in the 2012 presidential election, the youth turnout was 45 percent, but this number was still tremendously lower than the national turnout — 58 percent. The results of the midterm election could also simply have happened because young Americans didn’t deem it important enough. Personally, with the House and the Senate in a state of gridlock and hence unable to produce any result whatsoever, I will likely never vote in a midterm election. Why would it even matter if I did?

But when the nation is expected to choose its future leader and commander-in-chief, one would expect a different turnout. Young people are usually eager to put their immediate mark on history, and we see this here at Emory, with students pursuing their passions and garnering tremendous achievement in academics, research, activism, athletics and much more. Normally, we would expect the same people to extend their influence in choosing the political future of our country.

Unfortunately, these numbers also exist in presidential elections that would seem more likely to garner young people’s interests — in the 2008 democratic primary elections, where 61 percent of those that voted in the primaries were over 45 years old.

Stony Brook, New York

There could be a plethora of reasons why this turnout is so low among our nation’s youth: apathy and laziness inherent in any young adult, disillusionment with the status quo of American politics or simply the belief that their vote “doesn’t matter.” None of these reasons are irrational. After all, there could be truth behind each of these beliefs.

So why is it that youth voting is so much lower than national voting year after year? A big factor could be the very recent lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 in the 26th Amendment of 1970. It could be that we have yet to establish a voting culture among young adults fresh out of high school.

A 2014 Harvard study published in The Economist stated that less than one-third of the youth population thinks running for office is an honorable task, and more than two-thirds think politicians enter public service for selfish reasons. Many today may even stereotype politicians as conniving, power-hungry individuals like Frank Underwood in the Netflix hit-drama “House of Cards.” And who would want someone that imperfect to represent his or her interests?

In George Washington’s farewell address, he advised heavily against the presence of political parties in our government. Now, when we vote in a presidential election, we only have a choice of two parties with a chance of winning. Third parties play major roles in either destroying an election for one party, as was the case in the 1860, 1912 and 1996 presidential elections (and perhaps the 2016 presidential election if Donald Trump fails to win the Republican primary), or raising awareness in an issue. But a third party has never won the presidential election, and since you want your vote

to matter, why would you vote for a party that won’t win?

Young adults’ brains are more likely to be satisfied by instant gratification than more mature adults, and thus are more likely to vote if they see a more direct and significant effect of their vote. In 2008, 18 to 29 youth voting was two percent higher than the previous presidential election, and 66 percent of this population voted for Barack Obama over John McCain, perhaps because it was a historic decision between the two extremely charismatic candidates — the first AfricanAmerican president or the oldest president.

With seemingly another historic decision underway in this primary season, we may see millennials mobilize to the polls yet again. As democratic socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders makes his successful crusade in the democratic primaries, coming to a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton in Iowa and winning a resounding victory in New Hampshire, we notice a general pattern. Democratic millennial democrats love Bernie. In the New Hampshire primaries, Sanders won 86 percent of the 18-24 age group vote while Hillary Clinton only won 14 percent.

The reasons for this support range from his resolute opposition to economic inequality and to huge corporate interests with major influence against his support for universal health care. Despite the astounding opposition he’s faced during this campaign, he mainly maintains the same views he’s had throughout his years as senator without wavering to outside pressures.

His socialist “revolution” represents an alternative, and even if it’s not a viable one, it’s one that many millennials are willing to take a chance with.

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nd politics The importance of being political Brandon Wagner | College Senior

“I

’m not that political of a person. I just really don’t want to get involved in politics — it’s too much work.”

It’s a refrain that I know came out of my mouth at one time or another and one I still feel ashamed for saying. All too recently, I viewed political engagement as a dirty word, a taboo to avoid except for those who made that life choice. I mean, I got if you were into it, but it just wasn’t my bag.

But I changed. And if you feel that sentiment, I want to tell you that you can change, too.

Now, understand, I don’t want this to turn into a lecture from your senior year government teacher about the importance of voting. It is, as the 2000 election showed us, very important. But political engagement doesn’t have to be something as narrow or as simple as getting involved in a presidential election every four years, nor should it be.

Because that’s all I thought being political was: reading about the arcane points of national and international issues and then arguing about presidential elections and major news articles largely with folks who had entrenched opinions about issues with which they only had a passing familiarity.

Then by training and cruel fate, I became a film critic.

It’s a job that demands me to critically and thoughtfully engage with every work presented before me. And when you start looking at something up close, you start to notice the shocking amount of political thought, both conscious and unconscious that seeps in.

One of my favorite films from last year is Mad Max: Fury Road. On the surface, it is an intense action film full of brilliant design and effortlessly brilliant direc-

Huntsville, Alabama

tion, but one that doesn’t seem to have too much story.

Yet peeling back the layers begins to reveal what director George Miller was really saying with the film. It’s a film that’s engaged with discourse about feminist thought, particularly the societal damage of misogyny and patriarchy. It’s a film that had writer of the Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler, come in and consult about violence against women and how Fury Road could engage with those issues.

And to not engage with that would be to not fully engage with the film, a deeply intelligent and amazing work of cinema. By engaging with that, by choosing to recognize that as a part of the film, I am therefore engaging politically.

Furthermore, my advocation of that idea about the film is a form of political engagement. By passing around that work, by passing around a piece of feminist thought and text, I am disseminating political discourse.

My chosen method is through art, as every work of art is political, after all. All art at its core prescribes or describes some state of the world and suggests whether that’s right or wrong.

Even something as seemingly banal as Transformers has a lot to say about national pride and treatment of women, whether it’s intentional or not. My recognition and discussion of that is politics.

The beauty of this approach is that it doesn’t matter what level you’re doing it at or what medium you’re working in. Are you a sports fan? You can recognize and have discussions about issues of race, class and consumerism abound, informed by love of sports. Are you an IT guy or a ballerina? There’s something in your field

that needs to be talked about, or needs to be changed, and you can engage at that level. If nothing in your life is political, none of the things you do or the entertainment you consume have any deeper prescriptions about the world, then you’re not looking hard enough.

And it doesn’t have to take the fun out of it. It’s recognizing something’s place in the world, giving it context and purpose. It makes it decidedly something more.

Being political isn’t about understanding the ins and outs of our governmental system or knowing every single member of the United Nations. Those things help.

Being political is as simple as engaging with the world around you — no matter what level you’re on.

Here’s the best part of it all: I know that when I didn’t feel political, when I didn’t feel engaged with the world around me, it was because I didn’t feel like I could affect change. But what political engagement with art taught me is that, in some way, I could affect what happened, even if it was as small as just introducing one idea to somebody that changed their perception of a film. It’s the small changes that affect your world as much as the big changes.

Is something wrong in a field you have expertise in?

Speak out, organize and try to change it. Is someone in your town is up for election and you like them? Campaign for them. Is someone doing something wrong in your student government? Write to your school newspaper about how wrong it is.

Being political is not about the big strokes. It’s in the little things, the things that you know how to change.

Being political is about engaging with the world around you, recognizing what it’s saying, and saying something back.

OPINION

The judicial predicament and our future

Duncan Cock Foster | College Junior Seattle, Washington

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he passing of Antonin Scalia is tragic and dramatic. As a man who was respected by people of many ideologies and parties for his strong legal mind, his involved approach to being a Supreme Court justice and his firm substantiation of his beliefs, he will be missed by many and has an important place in United States Supreme Court history.

His passing also creates an intriguing political opportunity. Hours after his death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate would not vote on any appointment for Scalia’s successor made by President Obama and insisted that Scalia’s replacement should be appointed by whoever is elected into office after Obama.

The sentiment behind this approach is justifiable. The Supreme Court has become more and more involved in the most important issues facing our country. Campaign finance, same-sex marriage and gun control are all social issues that have been definitively settled by a Supreme Court decision in recent years. They are also issues that divide many Americans along party lines.

The current members of the court are already evenly split, meaning that the new justice appointed will likely be the deciding vote in significant decisions about the future of our country. It is reasonable for Senate leaders to request that the voice of the people be heard and that this election should be the one that also decides the

direction of the Supreme Court.

But the Republicans have given Obama an opportunity to influence that election. Obama is a smart political tactician who will play the situation to his advantage and he will utilize this opportunity to fracture the Republicans ahead of the 2016 election. In 1987, Ronald Reagan nominated Judge Robert Bork for the Supreme Court. Bork was a deeply conservative judge, and upon his nomination, Democrats quickly began to demonize him. Democratic Massachusetts Senator (Make sure this is right.) Ted Kennedy gave an inflammatory speech where he indicated that Bork would usher in an era of unprecedented conservatism. Eventually, the Senate blocked Bork’s nomination, and Reagan nominated Anthony Kennedy instead, a much more moderate choice who was confirmed unanimously.

That situation is similar to our modern one, but there is a major difference. Obama is not quite as popular now as Reagan was in 1987. Reagan could count on his popularity as President to help ensure a Republican presidential victory in the coming election, while Obama cannot do so with nearly the same degree of certainty. The Democratic field of candidates is looking exceptionally weak, and a Democratic victory is far from certain.

Obama is smart enough to realize this, and will use the Supreme Court nomination to help his party gain

a victory in 2016. He will nominate a moderate judge, in the same vein as Anthony Kennedy —someone that the Senate Republicans would not be able to attack effectively, someone who leans slightly left of center. This will have two positive effects for the Democrats. First, the Republicans will have difficulty opposing a moderate, consensus choice candidate without contributing to the argument that they are adding to the current political gridlock in Washington. And second, it will highlight the differences between the moderate half of the party and the much more conservative grassroots half.

Ultra conservatives like Senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz will excoriate Senators and candidates who support a moderate nomination from Obama, while moderates will realize that they cannot oppose a reasonable pick without suffering political consequences. It will expose a familiar rift in the Republican Party, a chasm that has seemed ready to break wide open throughout this campaign cycle. Ultimately, it will have the effect of further alienating grassroots conservatives, who are already extremely angry with the party’s moderate side, and increase the likelihood of an unelectable candidate gaining the Republican nomination. The nomination of a moderate justice will contribute to the overall likelihood of a Democratic victory, which Obama realizes is vital to protecting his legacy, and is the course of action he is sure to take.

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The hateful views of Bernald Trumpers Pranav Venkatraman | College Junior Princeton, New Jersey

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hrough this election cycle, the press has brimmed with articles and segments maintaining that Donald J. Trump has been waging a campaign sewn with xenophobia and jingoism. My social media feeds have amplified such a view, that Trump and his followers are ignorant, if not hateful, racists.

I am proud of my peers here at Emory and at other universities for their expressing censure of Trump’s positions, for he has intentionally slandered the nearly 12 million Mexican immigrants residing in the United States. And in doing so, he has recklessly deceived his hoards of followers, many of whom are amongst the least educated in the electorate, with his assertion that Mexican immigrants are to blame for much of the nation’s socioeconomic problems, such as rising crime and stagnating wages.

Trump’s claims are no doubt egregious falsehoods. But I cannot help but see a double standard. Senator Bernie Sanders, similar to his right-wing opponent, has relentlessly pilloried a large group of millions of hard working Americans — the affluent — as a cabal pilfering the incomes of the working and middleclasses. Sanders in particular seemingly targets individuals and families who have climbed their way up by working in finance. To Sanders, all bankers, traders and investment managers are anathema. The roughly one million Americans working in the securities industry are somehow all perpetuating massive fraud and are all no different than “gangsters and loan sharks.” In Sanders’ mind, it seems that Goldman Sachs employees and Gambino family mobsters are one and the same.

Inevitably, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist senator wants to thwart the “thievery” of all these evil millionaires and billionaires, on and off Wall Street, insofar as he expresses a desire to “wage a political and moral war against” the

Courtesy of FaceFusion

affluent. So dedicated is he to this cause that he farcically chooses not to have any “millionaire or billionaire friends.” As such, he does not only fail to see the approximately 10 million American households with net assets in excess of one million as a pivotal part of our nation’s fabric, but he in fact dehumanizes this sizable swath of families as incapable of moral virtue and unworthy of friendship.

With blatant disregard for the processes of wealth and job creation, Sanders heaps contempt on, and promulgates false stereotypes of, a significant number of productive and law-abiding Americans: financially successful families. This in no substantive way differs from Trump’s mischaracterization of a similarly significant part of the country’s populace: Mexican immigrants. As a community, we have rightfully rejected Trump’s outrageous lies. Many of us may have done so because we felt that the object of Trump’s fury, Mexican immigrants, was marginalized and needed our collective support.

Yet why, we wonder, do the affluent require our defense? We need only take notice of China under Mao, or to cite examples closer to us temporally, Zimbabwe or Venezuela during the past two decades. Thus, even as we may acknowledge that there exist bad actors amongst our economic elites, even as some of us may support several other tenets of the senator’s platform, we as concerned observers of our political arena must voice opposition to Sander’s unfair vilification of millions of Americans.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

JULIA MUNSLOW | EDITOR HANNAH CONWAY | ASST. EDITOR

E C RA p u p e e k t ’ can

Jesse Owens high jumps to his gold medal. | Courtesy of Focus Features

Brandon Wagner | Film Critic bhwagne@emory.edu

Jesse Owens’ biopic falls short of the finish line.

B Jesse Owens (Stephan James) shares a tender moment with Shanice Banton (Ruth Solomon). | Courtesy of Focus Features

Grade: D

iopics are a tricky game to play. Give too much of the subject’s life, and your film becomes unfocused and unable to pin down any idea besides hagiographic praise or sweeping condemnation, which, unfortunately, doesn’t do much for a film. But narrowing down to a time that’s too specific often leaves an audience feeling like they’ve learned little, if at all, and your grasp and modulation of that time period becomes a delicate dance.

Race feels like it tries to dance on both sides of the line, giving a snapshot of the time in the life of Jesse Owens (Stephan James), a Black man from Ohio who was at one time the “fastest man in the world” and won four gold medals in the infamous

1936 Olympics in Nazi Berlin. It begins when Jesse is entering Ohio State, progresses through his tutelage by Coach Larry Snyder (Jason Sudeikis) and ends with his triumphant victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

This is a reasonable enough snapshot, but when one adds in the bizarre choice to include details of the behind-the-scenes fight over whether or not America would go to the Olympics between Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons), head of the American Olympic Committee, and Jeremiah Mahoney (William Hurt), head of the Amateur Athletes Association — and then an exploration of the internal squabbles between Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Houten) and Dr. Joseph Goebbels (Barnaby

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Metschurat), we begin to see a strain.

It’s a recurring pattern in true story narratives made by Hollywood. Time and time again we don’t see enough faith in the central narratives to let them stand and breathe and tell the true stories they must tell. The narrative of Owens is inspiring and challenging on its own;

and an utter distraction at worst. The overstuffed narrative simply fails to give Race enough room to do what it needs to do, because that lack of faith in the true story narrative means that the story moments in Race that need to hit don’t hit as hard.

But even more detrimental to the film than the basic selection of what parts of the story it decides to tell is the filmmaking with which Race holds back its own story. Now, Race finds its moments of skill. A one-take tracking shot as Owens walks to the starting line of the 100-yard dash in the Berlin stadium is surprisingly effective, the one time in the film I felt like director Stephen Hopkins put us in the emotional state of any character, the one time we feel as awed and feared and ready as Owens must have.

It’s a shame that not only does the rest of the film fail to aspire to so directly put us in Owens’ place, but it can barely aspire to filmmaking that doesn’t immediately take you out of the film. Race abounds with simply bizarre filmmaking and editing choices, unnecessary narration in scenes that don’t ask for it and seemingly mistaken cuts where characters switch places and don’t match movement from shot to shot. I found myself struck a number of times by how distractingly film-school some of the editing was, which served to hobble rather than flow us through the film.

The film is also afflicted with really shoddy visual effects. Despite relying on CGI’d backgrounds, it seems as though they didn’t have the budget to be able to do them properly, and a film that ostensibly is supposed to be a realistic true story ends up being overly cartoony. Compare the first film with largely CGI backgrounds, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, to this one and you see almost

Time and time again we don’t see enough faith in the central narratives to let them stand and breathe and tell the true stories they must tell. seeing the story of the men behind the scenes fails to add anything interesting.

It doesn’t enhance our understanding; it merely feels like a total side story at best

no difference.

Piling onto the bad filmmaking is a strange set of pacing that especially sets in during the Berlin Olympics. The film

ambles its way to its climax, awkwardly treading through unnecessary side stories and reemphasizing the same narrative ground. But once it hits the Berlin Olympics, it wants to fly through the sports events, which to be fair, could be attributed to the nature of Owens’ sport: it’s short distance and about speed.

But outside of the long jump event, which does give a great look into Owens’ friendship with German jumper Carl ‘Luz’ Long (David Kross), nothing really hits. Most bizarrely, the final event, the event that gave him his fourth gold medal, is introduced very briefly before the actual event happens and is the only one given a hero shot reaction that actually has any effect on the audience. But it leaves the rhythm feeling very off, minimizing the impact of what should happen.

It’s a shame that the filmmaking is so poor, because the actors are certainly up to a much better game. James gives Owens a solid humanity and complexity that helps to at least keep Race watchable through the shoddier filmmaking moments.

Sudeikis’ Snyder at least feels different from the standard old fatherly coach in every sports movie, cutting more of a wise older brother figure. And van Houten, playing famous Nazi filmmaker Riefenstahl, actually manages to put some nuance into a figure that the film seems just slightly too worshipful of.

The film’s biggest problem, one that filmmaking can’t affect and performances can’t save, ends up being how dated it feels. Twenty years ago, Race likely would have been a bold statement or at least something interesting.

As a film about race, we’ve had enough time to create much more progressive or interesting statements about race or more vital stories of Black history and achievement that this one is just unable to keep up. As a sports film, we’ve had Creed come out so recently that the relatively low-impact athletic performance scenes here feel particularly noticeable. As a film about the World War II era, it still feels the need to underline every time a Nazi (that isn’t Riefenstahl) is shown with big scary stings on the soundtrack.

There’s just a desire for something, anything to be made exceptional about this film, but all Race can muster up is an exceptional story that it’s telling in the most unexceptional way.

Jason Sudeikis plays Larry Snyder, coach of Jesse Owens. | Courtesy of Focus Features

Jesse Owens (Stephen James) crouches at the starting line. | Courtesy of Focus Features

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ALL HAIL YEEZUS Kanye West is brash, eccentric in ‘The Life of Pablo’ Santiago Bolanos | Contributing Writer jbolano@emory.edu

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fter three name changes, numerous raucous twitter rants, a packed Madison Square Garden fashion show and a compulsive chopping and reordering of the album’s tracklist, Kanye West finally released his highly anticipated follow up to Yeezus (2013), The Life of Pablo. Upon the album’s release, discussion about its title exploded on social media and music blogs. Who is Pablo? Why is he important enough to have a Kanye West album named after him? What does Pablo’s life have to do with Kanye’s music and persona?

Music critics and Kanye West fans alike have put forward several theories about the identity of the mysterious Pablo. Some have said it might be Pablo Neruda, the Nobel Prize-winning poet who wrote about love, heartbreak and longing. It was also rumored to be named after Pablo Escobar, the narcotics kingpin who has become a staple of rap culture and the patron saint of hustlers. West hasn’t commented on who the Pablo of The Life of Pablo actually is; however, he did state that Pablo might be St. Paul the Apostle, who, on Twitter, West referred to as a “powerful messenger of the first century.”

Most likely, though, the Pablo that West is referencing is Pablo Picasso, the father of Cubism and Abstract Expressionism.

In a speech he gave at the University of Oxford, Kanye expressed praise for Picasso, foreshadowing that the artist might have served as direct inspiration for the album’s title. Kanye’s proclivity towards art and design would also explain why he chose to name his album after the life of Picasso.

Courtesy of Stereogum

The speculation about who Pablo is has led to various characterizations of Kanye West as an artist, a hustler, a designer, a business man, a poet and a man of God. Kanye fits all of these labels, and this album is a testament to that.

The ambiguity about who Pablo is might be Kanye’s way of sending listeners a message about his persona and his music. The album title’s ambiguity also speaks to the diversity of sounds that exist within the album. The tracks range from spiritual anthems like “Ultralight Beam” to classic Kanye West ego tracks like “Famous.” The Life of Pablo is overtly eclectic and almost too ambitious but, somehow, West is able to sublimely piece it together.

The Life of Pablo’s first track, “Ultralight Beam,” is meant to make listeners stop, drop what they’re doing and devote their full, undivided attention to the album. Blaring synths, a sample of a child repeating ‘Halleluiah,’ an angelic gospel choir and arguably the best verse Chance the Rapper (featured on two of the album’s tracks) has ever recorded, makes this song feel as if it is indeed “a God dream.”

It’s as elevated as West’s music has ever been — “Ultralight Beam” continued to resonate as I kept listening to the rest of the The Life of Pablo. The song is absolutely beautiful; it is Kanye West at his most honest and spiritual, and ultimately both traits set the tone for the rest of the album and made up for its faults.

The theme of spirituality is recurrent throughout the album. On “Wolves,” Kanye uses lines like “You gotta let me know if I can be your Joseph” and “What if Mary was in the club/When she met

Joseph around hella’ Thugs” to invoke religious imagery and to compare his experiences to that of Joseph and Mary.

Kanye also makes references to protecting his children — “Cover Saint in lambs’ wool/Cover Nori in Lambs’ wool” — from “The Wolves,” which seem to be a metaphor for what he sees as evil and sinful.

Although the production on this track is a little underwhelming, the themes that Kanye wrestles with –– love, spirituality, self-loathing and fear –– make the song engaging and powerful. “Wolves” showcases West’s transition from God to man of God. The Life of Pablo’s most honest songs are spiritual songs, songs that showcase Kanye’s fear of transcendance and mortality.

That being said, the profundity of tracks like “Wolves,” “Ultralight Beam” and “Real Friends” have to make up for some of the album’s less interesting tracks. For instance, “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” is a great song thematically, but the production feels like it was rushed.

The hi-hats on the beat sound like they were taken from a demo track and lyrics like “Now if I fuck this model/And she just bleached her asshole/And I get bleach on my T-shirt/Imma feel like an Asshole” make the track a little too over the top, even for Kanye West standards.

“Fade,” the album’s final track also feels like it was just thrown in. The samples on this track are rough and Post Malone’s feature just doesn’t work when pinned against the track’s brash instrumental and erratic melody. Whether having these tracks on the album was a stylistic decision or not, I don’t know, but I

do know that they are the only tracks in the whole album that felt like they didn’t serve a purpose.

Considering he has a song titled “I am a God,” Kanye West has always been narcissistic about his musical aptitude and this album serves as a testament to the talent that he so often talks about. “Famous” — the song you’ve probably heard of because of the infamous “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that bitch famous” line — is everything the public loves about Kanye West songs: an ambitious sample (Nina Simone’s “Do What You Gotta Do” and Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam”), killer vocals (sung by none other than Rihanna) and an absolutely stellar production.

West even throws in a “Wake up Mr. West” to remind listeners that the Late Registration Kanye is still in there, somewhere. Tracks like “Feedback,” “FML” and “Waves” are also exceptional at reminding us why we love Kanye West so much.

As a response to the nostalgia that some of these tracks might evoke, West included a track titled “I Love Kanye” where he raps, “I miss the old Kanye/ straight from the ‘Go Kanye/Chop up the soul/I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye.”

In short, West lets us know that the old Kanye is gone and won’t be back for a while. However, the new Kanye, the eccentric, unstable, brash l Kanye, the one that was bold enough to release an album as ambitious as this, is here to stay. The Life of Pablo is the work of a genius — “name one genius that ain’t crazy” — the album is bold, fearful, grounded and elevated all at the same time.

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Wilco

rocks the Tabernacle with guitar licks, harmonies Hannah Conway | Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor hannah.conway@emory.edu

Hannah Conway, Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

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idway through Wilco’s performance at the Tabernacle on Feb. 10, lead singer Jeff Tweedy looked up from his microphone and complimented an audience member on their fried chicken sweatshirt. The crowd burst out laughing — the comment spoke to a truth about the culture of the South: of course someone in Atlanta would wear a fried chicken sweatshirt to an alternative rock concert. But in

stock and circumscribed — especially for guitarist Nels Cline, whose improvisational talent landed him a spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists” list. To truly appreciate Wilco is to see them live.

From stripped down ballads to psychedelic grooves, Wilco’s strength is in their ability to bounce around the spectrum of musical genres and still maintain incredible energy throughout the performance. Their show

... Wilco is an experimental music force to be reckoned with, and their live performances are, fundamentally, a liberation of their sound. hindsight, the comment takes on a certain, odd depth.

Although Tweedy had only said a couple of words all night, it made sense that he would choose to comment on something as detail-oriented as the sweatshirt of someone in the crowd — Tweedy is an artist that is aware and perceptive of his audience. This observational attribute translates to his own work; his extensive use of different guitars showcases his precise ear and dedication to sounds.

Though described by Rolling Stone as “one of the most respected bands on the planet,” Wilco is one of those musical groups that most people have heard of only in passing; their name is as equally elusive as it is familiar.

En route to the Tabernacle, my Uber driver looked in the rearview mirror and said, “The name sounds familiar, but I don’t think I know any of their songs.” Sounds about right, I thought. It’s as if they’ve purposefully designed their image to be both big and small.

But for those who are dedicated listeners, Wilco is an experimental music force to be reckoned with, and their live performances are, fundamentally, a liberation of their sound. Their studio recordings are much too

at the Tabernacle bore witness to this strength. They started the show by playing the entirety of their latest album, Star Wars, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album (but ultimately lost to Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color).

The audience didn’t seem to be too familiar with Star Wars, dancing to the beat with a bit of hesitation. Nonetheless, it was important for the band to play the album chronologically and in full, showing that they care about where they are as artists, not just about where they’ve been.

After playing through the entirety of Star Wars, Tweedy spoke about wanting to go back to their roots, and so they backtracked 20 years and played songs from their first album, A.M. Soon after, they delved into their classics, playing crowd favorites such as “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” and “Impossible Germany.”

As Tweedy sang melodically, Cline would layer each song with frenzied, improvised guitar licks. The differences in the two distinct sounds were startling to the ear, but they somehow managed to coalesce successfully by the end of each song — proof of the musical

chemistry that exists between the band members.

The true heart of the show didn’t come until the encore of the two hour set, when the band came back on stage and shifted to a more acoustic sound, replacing their electric instruments with an acoustic guitar, melodica and xylophone.

The stripped down versions of songs including “Misunderstood,” “I’m Always in Love” and “Jesus, Etc.” closed any gap that might have existed between band and audience and replaced it with an intimacy brought together by the appreciation of harmony and emotion.

The show ended with a tender tribute to David Bowie, an acoustic cover of “Space Oddity” that everyone sang along to.

For Wilco, there was no need to amplify the sound or end with a bang.

Both the band members and their fans are aware of Wilco’s place within the music industry. They have never been a band with the intention of having their name make news headlines or selling out stadiums — they simply dazzle through the music itself.

Hannah Conway, Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

EMORY LIFE

SAMUEL BUDNYK | EDITOR AlISHA COMPTON | ASST. EDITOR

DUC hacks: Tips and tricks to improve your dining experience Samantha Zeurcher | Contributing Writer samantha.jo.zeurcher@emory.edu

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he Dobbs Market at the Dobbs University Center (DUC), unarguably a staple of freshman and sophomore livelihood, offers meals to the hundreds of students that circle its kitchen daily. Whether students trek up the windy staircase a few times a week or three times a day, a routine is established when assembling meals at the DUC. Many have little to no desire to vary their eating propensities, having the same sandwich or creating a similar salad every day. James Jordano, a College freshman with severe lactose intolerance, assembles the same plate every weekday. When asked how he locked himself into a routine, Jordano responded that “the DUC is set up so that there are a few stations with full meals, but no variety to those meals” and that it is “basically all or nothing.”

Several clever students take the dining hall experience as a challenge: bringing water bottles to fill with milk to bring back to their personal refrigerators, sporting handfuls of bananas and apples on the trek back to their dorm room, even carrying their own Tupperware to assemble a second meal for later.

Many like to take their creativity to their trays, assembling foods from different stations to consume exactly what they desire. College freshman Emily Yaeger-Rood, a regular dining hall attendee, finds joy in creating texturally varied desserts. “I combine desserts,” Emily said. “I put cake, ice cream and bananas together,” a DUC version of a banana split.

Over the past year, with help from friends, I have compiled a list of DUC hacks that will hopefully broaden the palate of Emory underclassmen, organized according to relative simplicity.

Beginner Root beer float: classic end-of-the-meal treat. An appropriate amount of ice cream meets the bottom of a plastic cup, and then showered with root beer. Not a fan of root beer? The Coke float is a tasty alternative.

Grilled chicken: the diverse and reliable protein. Salads, soups, pastas and even pizzas can be transformed into full-bodied dishes with self-sliced chicken breast

Cheesy Fries

from the grill, providing energy to get through the day.

Quesadilla: a hidden jewel. At the sandwich line, a tortilla normally used for wraps can be used to create a southwestern delicacy, if you ask kindly. Different meats, cheeses and condiments at the station offer hundreds of combinations.

Intermediate Cheese meets microwave: a transformative pairing.

Fries from the grill or a side of potatoes mixed with scoops of cheese from the salad bar make for a gooey indulgence after a 60 second trip to the microwave.

Homemade hummus: an original undertaking. Hummus at the vegan station out? When desperate, forksmashed chickpeas with olive oil from the salad bar make a fresh alternative.

Unheard of but Possible Pizza bagel: complicated but texturally satisfying. A toasted bagel with vegan marinara sauce and cheese from the salad bar after a 75 second spin in the microwave makes for a hearty bite.

Last-resort sandwich: the ultimate control in assembling. Sandwiches are one of the most customizable meals that the DUC offers, but the line is seldom short. Creating your own sandwich with toasted bread, chicken from the grill, cheese and veggies from the salad bar, hummus from the vegan station and salad dressing may be an experiment worth trying.

Cinnamon sugar tortilla: an unseen (and improbable) delight. Begging may be involved in getting handed a plain tortilla from the sandwich line but, if retrieved, it can be the base for a mouth-watering dessert. Cinnamon and sugar from the coffee station mixed with butter and a short microwave time make for a headturning creation.

Unnoticed Quick-fixes There are hidden bread rolls that many overlook, tucked in the corner between the sandwich station and the vegan soup station. Included in the bread baskets are medium-sized baguettes that are up for grabs.

Not enough flavor? A simple squeeze from a lemon wedge found at the tea station can add depth to a dish.

Bread Rolls

Rootbeer Float

Grilled Chicken

Photos

by:

Alisha Compton, Asst. Emory Life Editor

19

02.24.16

ASL club provides medium for mastery of sign language Rusha Naik | Contributing Writer rusha.naik@emory.edu

E

mory’s first American Sign Language Club was founded by College freshman Chayla Vazquez this year. It is open to all Emory students, irrespective of their experience with the language.

Vasquez started the club to make up for the lack of opportunities on campus to learn ASL. She learned the language in her senior year of high school, and has been enamored with it since. Even though the Emory Structured Independent Language Study (SILS) program offers ASL tutoring, students are expected to pay for it, and credit is not given for it.

The ASL club strives to practice the American Sign Language, and learn about the deaf community so as to increase awareness on campus.

ASL President and Founder College freshman Chayla Vazquez EW: Why did you choose to start learning sign language?

CV: A lot of students at my high school took the

ASL President and Founder College freshman Chayla Vazquez, signing. | Julia Munslow, Arts & Entertainment Editor

class. It seemed really interesting, thus when I finally had time in my schedule for an elective senior year I made sure to take the class.

EW: How have you continued your sign language education past high school?

CV: After taking the class my senior year, I sharpened my skills through self-teaching and practicing as much as I can.

EW: What role has sign language played in your life thus far?

CV: It has really been an outlet for me to practice something I love. Also being able to communicate with deaf people has been a great experience.

EW: How do you hope the club will grow in the coming years?

CV: Once the club expands, I hope to have groups volunteer at institutions like the Georgia School for the Deaf.

EW: Why, in your opinion, is it important to learn sign language?

CV: ASL can be useful for anyone and everyone.

For example, for students interested in the medical realm as sign language can help communicate with patients, clients and even customers who struggle to communicate with hearing.

EW: What has been the most meaningful moment involving sign language that you’ve had?

CV: Once I was in a Dunkin’ Donuts with my father, and I was practicing my signs when the lady taking my order noticed I was signing. She told me that she practices at the college in our area and gets a lot of deaf customers who really would appreciate that I was learning their language. I didn’t think much of it until I got up to leave and passed the lady again and she called me over. She told me a deaf customer came in and that she pointed me out and told the customer I was a hearing person practicing ASL. She then told me the customer was so happy to see me practicing and seeing deaf awareness he almost left in tears. Since then I try to practice as much as I can, wherever I can.

ASL Vice President and College freshman Kayla Allen EW: How did you first learn to sign?

KA: In my sophomore year of high school my best friend suggested that we go check out the American Sign Language club at my high school. The teacher was an actual sign language interpreter. One of my now good friends was hard of hearing so the teacher

would help my friend with all of her classes and everything so she decided to start the club and yeah, that’s how I got started.

EW: What motivates you to continue signing?

KA: I’ve always had an interest in languages. Sign language just was something that I had so much fun doing with my friends and that was just a really cool way to communicate with people. I had a lot of fun learning it and I just wanted to continue learning it in college. I was really happy that Chayla had the idea to start the club, because I thought there was already a club here, but there wasn’t and I was really disappointed thinking that I wasn’t going to be able to continue.

EW: What have you gained by learning to sign?

KA: I’ve gained information about a separate culture that I didn’t know was present. You don’t realize how important and how much deaf culture is immersed into regular culture, especially American culture. In my lessons in high school she would tell us little information about deaf culture and how it has influenced American culture. The reasons that we do huddles in football is because when deaf people would play football, they would have to sign, obviously. So when they have to sign they would huddle around each other so the other team couldn’t see their signs so they couldn’t see their next moves. That kind of translated into how we think of football now and the huddle, which is a staple in the football world.

That’s just one way in which deaf culture has been so interesting and so cool that I didn’t know I would gain by just learning a language, but I’m glad I did.

EW: What has been the most meaningful moment you’ve had in which sign language was involved?

KA: This was the last year I was in sign language club at my high school. That would be the last time the club would be there. We did this thing, it’s called ASL Idol where you would take the words of a song and you would gloss them. You would simplify the lyrics so they would be in signs. The cool thing about it is the final song we did was for the talent show. The song we did was “Applause” by Lady Gaga. I had so much fun learning with all my friends, and we set up days where we would just go to one of each other’s houses, start singing practice songs and when we finally got to the talent show, it was so much fun. People were just coming up to us like, “I want to learn sign language.” The enthusiasm other people saw from us just having so much fun was just really incredible. I cherish it to this day.

EMORY LIFE Sum m e r Abro a d : Ita l y Shalvi Shah | Copy Chief shalvi.shah@emory.edu

I

n comparison to other universities of similar caliber, Emory students have quite a prolific set of summer abroad programs to choose from. You can practically go to any part of the world besides Antarctica and still get an immersive experience that will define your ideologies and academic inclinations for years to come. Some programs, however, draw the thirstiest, most diligent and most inquisitive minds.

There might be a certain stigma associated with programs abroad in general; students these days are more enticed by the lures of drinking than they are by the opportunity to truly experience a culture, by traveling, that is different than their own. One such amazing, immersive program (with the aforementioned perk!) is the Italian studies summer program headed by the Director of Italian Studies and Professor of Pedagogy, Judy Raggi Moore.

Judy has directed the summer program for almost 30 years; it is such a memorable experience that her earliest students have sent their own children to be a part of this program. I cannot emphasize how truly transformative this program has been to both my academic, spiritual and cultural aspirations.

I will attempt to give a quick overview of how the Italian summer program progresses in the span of just five weeks — the key word being “attempt.”

Judy was born and raised in Italy, and inside of her resides a desire to show students the real Italy, not just those places popularized by travel guides or blogs. That is not to say that she deigns these places unimportant; we get to go there too! However, that is not the point here. The point is, that from North to Central to South Italy as well as Sicily, we get to visit about 40 gorgeous towns, 100 museums and galleries and 10 cities — all of these include visits to beautiful vineyards, beaches, villas, monasteries, a distillery, an Italian home and farm, a genuine Italian chef and even a volcano.

Believe me when I say, I will absolutely send my children on this program because I’m sure Judy will be conducting it for many more years to come.

Every summer has a different set of courses. When I went in the summer of 2015, we had guest lecturers who are venerated physicians in their own fields and even members of other global health organizations.

We had a weeklong symposium in the beautiful city of Matera, where the theme was to discuss the concepts of “Truth, Beauty and Knowledge.” I have never been as inspired in my life as I was when we had lectures inside caves, on top of cliffs overlooking towns, on beaches, in villas, on mountains, in opera houses, in government buildings and when Judy had special permission for us to look at closed-off sections of museums like the Vatican.

And still, I feel like I’m missing some amazing moments here.

There is an academic centrality of human connection and emotion that ties all the different aspects of the program together — you will get to form meaningful ties and memories with people from your expected professional fields either over drinking a glass of local Tuscan wine or engaging in heavy debate about morality and professionalism while tasting local cheeses and olives. The “Medicine and Compassion” course that I took had components that will forever resonate within me.

This program is an incredible space. It is a space to think, formulate, conceive; it is a space to believe, act and write. It is also a space to make lifelong friends with students, professionals and scholars. It is a space that will exhaust, inspire, alleviate and make you dizzy with possibilities. But most of all, it is a space that only Emory can offer you — one that you must take advantage of before you graduate.

For more information about this program, please visit Emory’s CIPA website or the website for the French & Italian Department.

Photos

by:

Shalvi Shah, Copy Chief

21

02.24.16

Saba chef taste tests student’s soup dupe Hannah Berkson | Contributing Writer

E

ver been to Saba in Emory Village? It’s a cute, homey Italian restaurant on Oxford Road, that serves items like soups, salads and pastas after you order at the front. Saba’s other location in Oakhurst Village features the same menu, but with full service and a full bar.

Saba loves its Emory community and clientele and even uses pictures of local family dogs as table markers. It truly is a neighborhood spot. It’s one of my favorite places in the village, not just for the cute dog table markers or the comforting atmosphere, but mostly for its amazing chickpea tomato soup. As a graduating senior who will soon no longer be a 10-minute walk from my favorite soup, I decided to try and recreate the recipe for my instagram blog, @hb_eats.

How did I do it? I knew the main ingredients: tomatoes, chickpeas and rosemary. From there, I decided to add some classic Italian flavors and seasonings like garlic and onion powder. Once I had the pot of soup bubbling on the stove, it was all trial and error from there. A little bit of this, a little bit of that until I was happy with the taste — and until it satisfied a craving

hannah.berkson@emory.edu

for my favorite Saba soup.

After cooking my soup, I headed to the restaurant to sit down with owner Shane Mixon to learn more about Saba, and have him try my copycat soup recipe.

EW: How long ago did you open Saba?

SM: It’ll be 10 years this summer.

EW: Do you come up with all the recipes?

SM: Some of them. My friend Ryan Aiken came up with the initial menu. It was a little more condensed.

He’s a chef — he did Burrito Art back in the day — and I continue to consult with him on anything I do to the menu.

EW: So, the chickpea tomato soup, was that Ryan’s recipe?

SM: No, that was actually mine!

EW: And that is the only soup consistently on the menu. Is there a reason for that?

SM: Well, it was popular and it’s vegan. It’s actually gluten-free so that helped out later on when that became more of a big deal. Being close to the university, we have a good vegan base, so it covered all the bases, especially when gluten-free became more popular

Rosemary Chickpea Tomato Soup Recipe

Ingredients 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes 1-teaspoon garlic 1 teaspoon diced red onion 2 tablespoons tomato paste 32 ounces vegetable broth 2 15.5 ounce cans chickpeas, drained 3-4 tablespoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme Pinch red pepper flakes 1-teaspoon salt ½-teaspoon onion powder ½-teaspoon garlic powder Black pepper to taste

later on.

EW: Are you brave enough to try my copycat recipe?

SM: Yes! I’d love to.

(I awkwardly and anxiously wait while he tastes my soup).

SM: It’s good! I like it! I think yours is a little more tomato-y. Do you use a tomato sauce in it?

EW: Yes — diced canned tomatoes and tomato paste.

SM: It’s good though! I like it. One thing that we do, which you might like but you might not, is we take half the chickpeas and puree them. That’s what gives the soup the thicker consistency, without using tomato paste.

EW: I will have to try that! Have other customers created copycat recipes before?

SM: Yes, I’ve had customers tell me that they’ve tried to recreate the chickpea tomato soup and also the orange balsamic salad dressing. But, this is the first recreation that I’ve gotten to try myself!

The first … so automatically the best!

Interested in trying my copycat Saba Chickpea Tomato Soup at home? Try this recipe below.

1 2 3

Steps: In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, and diced red onion. Once combined, add all other ingredients other than the canned chickpeas.

Bring soup to a simmer. Once simmering, add the canned chickpeas.

Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasonings accordingly. Continue simmering for 10 more minutes. Enjoy! (hint — store soup in a container in the refrigerator— tastes even better as leftovers once the flavors meld together even more!).

Courtesy of ediblebrooklyn.com, enkivillage.com, i.ndtvimg.com, herbsunlimited.co.uk and ninecooks.typepad.com

SPORTS

JACOB DURST | EDITOR

EMory Swimming & Diving TEam Wins 18th straight UAA title Avery Yang | Asst. Sports Editor avery.huang.yang@emory.edu

T

Sophomore Cindy Cheng (Top), Sophomore Chandler Lichtefeld (Middle) and Junior Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe (Bottom) swimming during this past weekend’s UAA Championships.

Courtesy of Emory Athletics

he Emory men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were awarded the University Athletic Association Team Champions for the eighteenth straight year on Saturday night at the 29th Annual UAA Championships in Webster, New York.

The Eagles finished the four day meet with an astonishing seven UAA records, 45 all-UAA certificates and 18 event championships.

The women’s swimming and diving team coasted to an easy victory, beating secondplace Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) by 685.5 points over the course of the competition. The Eagles finished with 2,015 points, Washington University came in second place with 1,329.5 points and the University of Chicago (Ill.) came in third place with 1,319 points. The victory was the women’s team’s twenty-fourth UAA Championship of all time.

The men’s swimming and diving team also handedly won their series of races. The Eagles finished with 1,595.5 points, while their closest competitor, Washington University in St. Louis, finished 151.5 points behind Emory, good for second place. New York University finished in third place with 1,305.5 points. The victory was the men’s team’s eighteenth UAA Championship of all time.

A large number of Emory swimmers and divers were also given individual awards throughout the four days of competition.

Sophomore Cindy Cheng was named the Women’s Swimmer of the Year for her UAA record time of 1:49.59 in the 200-meter freestyle and for her 200-meter backstroke time (1:59.46). Cheng was also a member of two UAA record setting relay teams during the tournament, with UAA record times in the 800-meter freestyle (7:28.54) and the 400-meter freestyle (3:22.71).

Cheng is the seventh straight Emory women’s swimmer to win the award at the Annual UAA Championships. Cheng is also the seventeenth Emory women’s swimmer to ever win

the award.

Freshman Fiona Muir was awarded Women’s Rookie of the Year after winning championships in the 50-meter freestyle with a UAA record time of 23.29, in addition to swimming the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 50.14 and winning all-UAA honors in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 55.25. Muir was also a member of four UAA Championship winning relay teams, two of which set UAA records.

Muir was a member of the UAA record-setting teams in the 200-meter freestyle (1:33.19) and the 400-meter freestyle (3:22.71). In addition, two other teams that Muir was a part of won championships: the 400-meter medley (3:45.73) and the 200-meter medley (1:43,79).

Senior Elizabeth Aronoff set a UAA record by topping her own previous mark, with a time of 2:15.67 in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Additionally, the team of Muir, junior Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe, Cheng, and freshman Meg Taylor obliterated the UAA record for the 400-meter freestyle relay with a time of 3:22.71.

The men’s team also earned all-UAA honors for the championship. Freshman Trey Kolleck earned the honor for the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 45.36, along with junior Christian Baker in the 1,650-meter freestyle with a time of 15:54.16. The relay team for the 400-meter freestyle comprised of sophomore Alexander Hardwick, Kolleck, junior Hayes BurdetteSapp, and freshman Alex Kohlman also won all-UAA honors with a time of 3:02.35.

In addition to all-UAA honors, two men swimmers won first place individual championships on the last night of competition. Senior Jared Scheuer won the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:49.38, and freshman Thomas Gordon won the 1,650-meter freestyle with a time of 15:36.56.

The Eagles’ next meet will be for a select few chosen to compete in the NCAA Division III Championships from March 16-19 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

23

02.24.16

Men win ITA championships Nicholas Vidger | Staff Writer graham.vidger@emory.edu

A

fter mixed results two weekends ago, the Emory men’s tennis team swept the competition and won the ITA National Indoor Championships this past weekend. The team saw all of its hard work and preparation come to fruition in the trip to Cleveland, Ohio.

The first round of the tournament was against No. 10 ranked Kenyon College (Oh.). After losing in the first singles matchup, the Eagles won the rest of their matchups in singles and doubles for a strong 8-1 victory. Emory and Kenyon traded a pair of matches to begin the competition, with senior Rafe Mosetick losing at the number one singles spot and junior Josh Goodman winning resoundingly at the number five singles slot. Freshman Jay Jemison put the Eagles ahead with a win at number two, continuing to build on his already strong freshman season. Freshman Adrien Bouchet, sophomore Andrew Harrington and junior Aman Manji won their matches at four, six, and three, respectively, to seal the victory. Emory finished with a full sweep of the doubles matchups.

The next day, Emory built on their wins from the previous day. They were successful versus Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), winning 6-3 against the eleventh ranked team in the nation. The Eagles started off down 2-1, but after a dominating performance in singles, in which they won five of the six matches — thanks to Mosetick, Manji, Bouchet and Goodman — they were able to come away with the win.

Goodman notched the most impressive victory, losing only one game en route to success.

On Sunday, in the last match of the weekend, the Eagles finished strong with a score of 7-2, beating the No. 6 team in the country, University of Chicago (Ill.), who

“This is just one step in a very long journey to winning a national championship. It was nice to beat top competition, but the ultimate goal remains to stay at the top.”

— Jonathan Jemison was favored to win. After winning this final match, the team flew home to Atlanta with the trophy. According to Jemison, this series of victories against highly ranked squads will likely bump the team into the top one or two spots in the country. However that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to accomplish.

“This is just one step in a very long journey to winning a national championship,” said Jemison. “It was nice to beat top competition, but the ultimate goal remains to stay at the top.”

The men’s tennis squad will get a slightly longer break this weekend; their next game will be at home against Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) on Sunday, March 6. The Eagles will look to maintain the momentum through the rest of the season as they aim to achieve another national championship.

The Emory men’s tennis team poses for a picture following their victory at the ITA Indoor National Championships on Sunday. | Courtesy of Emory Athletics

SPORTS Step by step: the fortitude of Aileen Rivell A runner’s strength in the face of injuries and pain has her on the brink of winning the UAA indoor 5K. Avery Yang | Asst. Sports Editor avery.huang.yang@emory.edu

Aileen Rivell running a 17:48 in the indoor 5K at the Bob Pollock Invitational on Jan. 29. | Courtesy of lisa watles

R

unning is often thought of as the purest and simplest form of sport. However, to College senior, Fulbright Scholar finalist and former Emory cross country co-captain Aileen Rivell, it is much more. To her, it represents the pursuit of a goal, constant improvement and the mental battle needed to push through extreme pain for the 18 minutes of a 5000 meter (3.1 mile) race. Rivell’s resilience has allowed her to overcome whatever challenges running has thrown at her, including a series of injuries that nearly derailed her athletic career.

Rivell has suffered three season-ending injuries since her freshman year, including

a stress fracture in her hip, tendonitis in her foot and consistent shin complications.

But that hasn’t stopped her from competing.

A native of Colts Neck, New Jersey, where she served as captain of her high school track team, Rivell had high expectations for her freshman season at Emory.

At that time, she had suffered only one minor running-related injury. Then, during one of the first practices of her second semester at Emory, she felt a slight pinch in her hip. She tried to push onward, but the pain worsened. A doctor later informed her that she had suffered a stress fracture in her hip, put her on crutches for more than a month and kept her from running for three months.

During her sophomore year, it was her foot that prevented her from competing. Her “poor running form” — according to Rivell, this entails hunching over and crossing her arms — compounded running impact stress on her right foot, leading to tendonitis.

Though Rivell attempted to correct her running form throughout her junior year, problems persisted. This time, she started to develop shin splints.

As Rivell approached her senior year, she had one simple goal in mind: do not get injured.

“I just hoped for not the worst, because I had the worst for so long,” Rivell says.

“Anything is better than that.”

It’s safe to say that at this point, Rivell has far exceeded her preseason expectations.

She ran the indoor 5K in 17:48 on Jan. 29 in the Bob Pollock Invitational, making her the second- fastest female 5K runner in the UAA Conference, the sixteenth fastest in the country at the women’s D-III level and sixth fastest in Emory women’s track and field history. Two weeks later, Rivell broke a school record by more than four seconds for the 3000 meter race on Feb. 13 at the Samford Invitational with a time of 10:03. “[The 5K and 3K] were the fastest races I’ve ever run,” Rivell says. “They were probably the most consistent races I’ve ever run, too. There was rarely ever a second or more difference in my lap times.”

With Rivell’s 5K time, she qualified for the most important race of her running career so far: the Indoor UAA Conference Championship on Feb. 27 and 28. There,

“She just has gumption. Just about every other kid would have given up with what she has been through. Because of her injuries in her past, she has to work twice as hard as everyone else. She is incredible.”

— Head Coach John Curtin

25

02.24.16

second-ranked Rivell will have a chance to win the conference in the indoor 5K. She after an 11 mile run. While this may seem like a risky mile count for someone so currently sits three seconds back of first place. prone to injury, she can pull it off practically risk-free — and with a slight float in It takes a certain mental fortitude and strong focus to maintain the consistent pace her step. needed for each of the 25 laps of a 5K indoor race — not to mention the runner’s final “The machine is essential to my workout because it helps replace a lot of the miles “kick” as she approaches the that I am unable to get on finish. According to Rivell, the day to day [basis] beshe has been cultivating cause of my injuries,” Rivell these strengths not only in says. Because of her injury the face multiple injuries, history, she is only able to but since childhood. run 25 miles a week on solid “I have two brothers – ground, rather than 40 to 50, everything was a competithe typical load for a female tion,” Rivell says. “Through distance runner. a race, you know that this “She just has gumption,” is going to hurt, and your Emory track and field Head job is to fight through those Coach John Curtin says. thoughts.”

“Just about every other kid She has trained for would have given up with roughly three hours a day, what she has been through. at least six days a week, over Because of her injuries in the past few years for the her past, she has to work chance to compete for first twice as hard as everyone place in the conference and else. She is incredible.” potentially qualify for naWhile Rivell has her eyes tionals. on the UAA Indoor ConferBut now, Rivell’s training ence Championships, she regimen is harder than it knows there are no training has ever been. Along with shortcuts on the road to first interval workouts on the place. track, weight training at At Georgia Sports Chirothe Woodruff P. E. Center A diagram explaning how the AlterG Treadmill works. | Courtesy of AlterG practic, Rivell is focused inand distance runs on nearby tently at the task at hand. trails, Rivell makes the 30-minute drive to the Georgia Sports Chiropractic once or She straps herself into the harness, allows the machine to rise into her mold and twice a week to run on the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill. begins taking her strides. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill hums quietly as Rivell runs, This unique rehabilitation device straps Rivell into a harness — a “tutu with a zip- step by step. per” as she describes it — which is attached to a box that inflates around her lower The harness holds her upright stabilizes her legs to prevent constant wear and tear. body.

The spandex wraps against her body as she moves.

The air pressure from the inside of the box reduces the impact of running on her “My results justify all of the work and waiting I’ve had to do over the years because legs. As each foot strikes the ground, it does so as if she were to weigh a bit less, de- I feel like it would have been tough to go through all this training without this end creasing the likelihood of a stress-related injury. Rivell can adjust the percent of body result that I wanted,” Rivell said. “There were so many times I wanted to quit.” weight force exerted — typically to 80 percent — and generally gets off the machine But she hasn’t, and she doesn’t plan to before the end of her college career.

RECENT GAMES M Basketball W Basketball BASEBALL SOFTBALL M TENNIS

W TENNIS

L, 78-88 vs. Case Western Reserve (Oh.) L, 73-75 vs. Case Western Reserve (Oh.) W, 2-1 vs. Ferrum (Va.) W, 11-3 vs. Averett (Va.) W, 7-2 vs. Chicago (Ill.) W, 8-1 vs. Brenau (Ga.)

Cast members of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ onstage during one of the performances last weekend. ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ put on by Feminists in Action, is a series of monologues which features many different aspects of the feminine experience, focusing on issues of sexual liberation, violence against women, romantic relationships, the physical function of the vagina and gender equality, among others. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the production were donated to the Day League, an Atlanta community center that provides support and advocacy to survivors of sexual and domestic violence. | Charity Gates, Staff

Mental Health Research The Mental Health and Development Program at Emory is currently accepting healthy volunteers for an NIMH research project concerned with identifying factors that contribute

to

mental

health

problems.

Participation

includes baseline and follow-up MRI scans, EEG, and blood tests,

which

are

conducted

on

the

Emory

campus.

Volunteers must be between the ages of 16 and 30 years of age.

There

is

no

charge

for

the

assessments,

participants are compensated for their time.

and

The program

is directed by Dr. Elaine Walker. For further information, call 404 727-7547.