INDEX
Emory Events Calendar, Page 2
Entertainment News, Page 9
Crossword Puzzle, Page 8
Staff Editorial, Page 6
Police Record, Page 2
On Fire, Page 11
THE EMORY WHEEL Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University
Volume 94, Issue 31
www.emorywheel.com
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Every Tuesday and Friday
DINING
HANDS UP IN THE AIR
Emory to Assess Dining Options, Seek Student Feedback in Process By Jordan Friedman Associate Editor
Erin Baker/Staff
T
he Black Student Association (BSA) hosted a Black History Month kick-off Saturday featuring performances from The Brotherhood of Afrocentric Men (BAM), Association of Caribbean Educators (ACE) and Ngambika.
STUDENT LIFE
College senior Conor Kelly wishes there was a Korean barbecue food venue on campus. College junior David Stess wants a location in Cox Hall that serves pasta, similar to the Rollins Café. And for months, members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community have been calling for Chick-fil-A’s removal. For those students who have wished for different dining opportunities at Emory, they may now be in luck. The Division of Campus Life and Emory’s food-service provider Sodexo will begin evaluating retail dining brands and venues on main campus this semester in an effort to satisfy the preferences of the
University community. In collaboration with Food Advisory Committee Emory (FACE), Campus Life and Sodexo will review in 2013 all of the current food choices in the Cox Hall food court, as well as Einstein Bros Bagels in the Goizueta Business School and Miss Jean’s Place at the Emory School of Law. Other food locations around campus will undergo evaluations in the upcoming years. This initiative is part of Emory’s new retail dining vision emphasizing “the ability to adapt and change,” said David Furhman, senior director of Emory’s Food Service Administration, who is spearheading the project with Eric Bymaster, Campus Life’s assistant vice president of finance and operations.
See STUDENTS, Page 5
DINING VISION Plans for 2013 Food Advisory Committee Emory (FACE) will assess food venues in Cox Hall, the law school and the Goizueta Business School.
Meeting This Thursday FACE will hold first meeting this Thursday to discuss the plan with students. SEE INSIDE The editorial board’s reaction to Emory Dining’s vision. See Page 6.
POLITICS
Founder’s HB 29 Sponsor Discusses Legislation, Guns On Campus Day Added To Week Of Events By Vincent Xu Associate Editor
There has been uncertainty regarding how the Georgia Campus Carry Act of 2013, or House Bill (HB) 29, if passed, would impact private colleges and universities like Emory. Filed by State Representative Charles Gregory (R-Kennesaw), HB 29 would repeal current Georgia state prohibitions against carrying firearms onto
postsecondary campuses. A point of confusion surrounding the bill is whether it would actually require colleges and universities like Emory to allow guns. In an interview with the Wheel, Gregory clarified that HB 29 would return private property rights to all postsecondary institutions. According to Gregory, if HB 29 passes, there would be no state prohibition on permit holders to carry guns onto campus, and for
makes college campuses “just like almost all the other property in the state.” HB 29 was formally introduced this past week in the Georgia House of Representatives and has been assigned to the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee. A freshman legislator, Gregory has filed and sponsored a total of five House Bills in the 2013-2014 legislative session, including HB 28, which
GUN CONTROL SERIES
This story is part of an ongoing series regarding gun control in Georgia and the United States.
all schools allowing guns would be an issue of school policy and school enforcement. Gregory added that the bill “simply removes schools from a special list of prohibited places,” which
By Wendy Becker Staff Writer Founders Week, an annual commemoration of Emory’s establishment in 1836 and its accomplishments since then, will include the University’s first-ever Founders Day event on Feb. 6. The Student Government Association (SGA), Student Programming Council (SPC) and the Emory Alumni Association will cosponsor Founders Day, which will occur on the date of the first meeting of Emory College’s Board of Trustees in 1837. Goizueta Business School junior Jordan Angel, a member of the Founders Day planning committee, said he and the planning committee worked to make Founders Day interactive for students. Founders Day will include horse-drawn carriage rides to honor the death of John Emory, the Methodist bishop after whom Emory is named, along with an Emory history timeline on the Quadrangle and a photo booth. “I believe that the fun interactive components of the event will help us to accomplish students walking away with a better understanding of Emory’s traditions and history,” Angel said. “I also think building off of the success of last year’s big 175th anniversary celebration will help us in our goal.” This event is part of Founders Week, a celebration consisting of different events, including musical performances as well as lectures and panel discussions from Emory faculty and a Wonderful Wednesday celebration. All events, which will take place from Feb. 3 to Feb. 9, are free and open to the public. Goizueta Business School junior and Founders Day Board member Catie Morette said she hopes Founders Week will encourage students to learn more about Emory’s past. “We hope that through this year’s Founders Week Celebration, students, faculty and staff will take away a greater understanding and appreciation of Emory’s rich and often quirky history,” she said. Angel said he hopes the introduc-
See COMMITTEE, Page 5
ACADEMICS
would repeal prohibitions against carrying firearms in places of worship. The year’s session, which totals 40 legislative days, began on Jan. 14 and will conclude before May. According to Gregory, HB 29 has to be approved by the House by the 30th legislative day, which falls in the first week of March, to have a chance at passing this legislative session.
See LAW, Page 5
COMEDIC RELIEF
Laney to Launch Ph.D. Islamic Studies Program By Elizabeth Bruml Staff Writer The Laney Graduate School will launch a new Islamic Civilizations Studies doctoral program next semester, aiming to provide an interdisciplinary approach to studying Islamic culture and civilization. According to Gordon Newby, the Goodrich C. White professor of Middle Eastern and South Asian studies, the program has been in the works for about a decade. Prior to the establishment of this program, students interested in Islamic culture had to take courses in Emory’s Graduate Division of Religion (GDR). “The new program is not specifically tied to Islam as a religion,” Newby said. “Instead, it looks at Islam as a culture and civilization.” In addition, the program will consist of a five-year curriculum, and students will be encouraged to travel abroad and complete field work during the sixth year. Specifically, the program will enable students to explore Islamic civilization by interacting with faculty in departments such as linguistics, history, art history, anthropology and law, among others. Newby said this range of represented departments demonstrates Emory’s broad approach to studying Islamic civilization. He added that the program will take advantage of the resources of the University and possibly the Rollins School of Public Health. After completing the programs, students could potentially conduct research, teach in a related field or work for a non-governmental organization or the government, according to Devin Stewart, associate professor of Middle Eastern and South Asian
NEWS LGBT STUDENTS RESPOND TO POSSIBILITY OF
CHICK-FIL-A’S REMOVAL ... PAGE 5
Studies. While other graduate programs in the country offer the opportunity to study Islam, many do not offer one that is as broad and multidisciplinary in nature, Stewart said. “The program extends over time from the beginnings of Islam up to the present, and it is open to all aspects of Islamic culture and civilization,” he said. For example, a student interested in politics within Islam, Islam and public health, Islam and art or philosophy and Islam might be interested in the program, Newby said. Newby also explained that a unique component of the program is that it will include Judeo-Arabic language and history as part of Islamic civilization. Stewart said three faculty members on Emory’s campus specialize in Judeo-Arabic. Currently, there are only strong studies of Judeo-Arabic in England and Israel. The new program will also not separate the Middle East and South Asian into different regions, as is done in other programs in the United States. “It is unique to have people who know both sides,” Stewart said, noting that if the two regions are separated, the Indian Ocean as a category would likely not be studied. The program, meanwhile, will examine trade in the Indian Ocean. Thus far, the program has received about 30 applications and will likely accept two or three students in the fall depending on funding from the graduate school. “We are making use of expertise from a number of different departments, and we are excited to see what transpires,” Stewart said.
— Contact Elizabeth Bruml at ebruml@emory.edu
OP-EDS THE FLAWS OF HB 29 AND GUNS ON COLLEGE PAGE 7 CAMPUSES ...
Erin Baker/Staff
R
athskellar, Emory’s Improv Comedy Troupe, hosted their first show of the spring season entitled, “Rathskellar Sees Its Shadow” in celebration of Groundhog Day. From games such as “Sound Effects” to “Confessions,” the night was full of laughter, free cookies and hot chocolate.
ADMINISTRATION
Group Offers Class, Labor Suggestions By David Shortell Contributing Writer The University Committee on Class and Labor released its findings this month after nearly two years of research and deliberation. Formed as a response to student movements in the spring of 2010 against Sodexo employment practices, the committee presented a report that addressed not only contracted labor on campus, like Sodexo
employees, but the broader state and impact of class within the Emory community. The committee offered a total of 59 recommendations across nine thematic categories. In addition to the specific recommendations, the report reflects the hundreds of hours of conversations held by the committee and provides an analysis of information collected through surveys and focus groups. The committee was comprised of
17 members including faculty, staff and administrators as well as two University students. In the inaugural meeting, the committee was given a chance to start a conversation about Emory’s position as an employer, based in the collection of information about the University’s workforce. The most important conclusions included in the report, according to committee co-chair Gary Hauk, vice
See REPORT, Page 4
ENTERTAINMENT
SPORTS EMORY SWIMMING NEXT ISSUE
THOUGHTS ON FRANK OCEAN AND CONTROVERSY ... PAGE 9
AND DIVING TEAMS FALL SHORT TO
GEORGIA TECH ...
BACK PAGE
EMORY PARTNERS TO LAUNCH SHANGHAI CENTER... FRIDAY