April 21, 2021

The Emory Wheel Since 1919

Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Volume 102, Issue 7

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Printed every other wednesday

Emory’s compost is going to a landfill, here’s why

By Matthew Chupack and Gabriella Lewis News Editor and Digital Operations & Podcast Editor From the ubiquitous presence of green compost and blue recycling bins on campus to showcasing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification plaques on buildings, Emory University prioritizes sustainability, advertising a 70% landfill diversion rate last year. The University, however, has not sustained its environmental enthusiasm during the pandemic.

Instead, all of the University’s compostable waste since September 2020 has been sent to landfill, a situation unforseen just one year ago.

Last Earth Day coincided with a temporary reduction in daily global carbon emissions, the result of pandemic-induced lockdowns that grinded the global economy to a halt. But the pandemic’s long-term environmental repercussions from a volatile economy and the increased consumption of single-use plastics are becoming clear.

Emory’s waste strategy failed to escape the environmental casualties of the pandemic, as the University’s former compositing partner, Southeast Green Industries, succumbed to compost market failures in September.

Since then, all compostable waste has been rerouted to landfill because of pandemic market changes.

“There were only a couple providers and then they basically said they’re not going to [compost] anymore, whether it’s technical reasons because of permitting, weather issues or they just didn’t feel like it was a business opportunity they wanted to pursue any longer,” Vice President and Chief Planning Officer of Campus Services Robin Morey explained. “We got short term notice back in the fall … so our only solution at that point was to … take that compost to the landfill.”

Associate Vice President of Sustainability, Resilience and Economic Inclusion Ciannat Howett (87C) added that financial pressures due to COVID-19 and torrential rain

in the fall that flooded composting fields contributed to Southeast Green Industries’ demise, creating a “heartbreaking” crisis.

“We were just caught flat footed,” Howett said. “In fact, we did not know that our vendor was in such bad trouble. I mean it was really pretty shocking.”

Emory community members were notified of this change in a Sept. 30 “Dooley’s Report” email. This was the only widespread notification that students received about the change, resulting in many being unaware of the change.

“We did not know our vendor was in such bad trouble. I mean it was really pretty shocking.”

— Ciannat Howett, Associate VP of Sustainability “Transparency is something we have not seen regarding [the waste change],” said Molly Gassman (23B).

“I didn’t know about that until a week ago. There’s green compost bins everywhere.”

Given that the Emory community has already been “trained” to properly separate their waste, Morey said the University “intentionally” left the compost bins out, even though everything placed in those bins would go to a landfill. Telling the Emory community that their waste would not be composted would be “a challenge to communicate” and “a really risky situation,” he said. Morey expects to find a new partner this spring and the University to resume “normal” composting later this summer. While some composting companies are still functioning, Morey deemed those contracts as “not economically viable” for the University this year, noting that institution-wide financial constraints helped inform his decision. Alternative contracts would not be able to handle the entirety of Emory’s compost, Howett added.

The University slashed the president’s, presidential leadership team’s and deans’ salaries by 15% in May 2020 and implemented a 5% pay cut for faculty and staff making more than $75,000 in July 2020 to compensate for the institution’s decreased revenue due to COVID-19. These cuts in part funded Campus Services’ extra expenditures on “additional help” to support more intensive sanitization practices.

“When I made that call, I was looking at how long is this going to be, what’s our ultimate solution going to be, how much money we’re talking about and we’re already reducing the amount of landfill because we don’t have as much activity on campus,” Morey said.

The reduced amount of landfill is due to the dramatically decreased capacity on campus this year relative to full capacity and not because of the compost diversion, Morey clarified.

The University looked for an interim solution, but proposals would only cover part of Emory’s compost. Noting that there’s “not enough infrastructure” for a company to take all of Emory’s compost, Howett said the University would’ve had to pay “a lot of money for a little bit of material.”

“As a result of the marketplace failure that has been realized, we have engaged a consultant who is reviewing our overall waste diversion program and providing guidance on how best to move forward despite the industry strain that COVID-19 has presented,” Facilities Management, a division of Campus Services, wrote in an April 16 email to the Wheel.

Waste production and diversion during the pandemic With less people and activities on campus, the University is producing substantially less waste than last year, according to data from Facilities Management. From September 2020 to February 2021, the University produced 1,443.11 tons of waste, a 49.41% decrease from the 2,852.48 tons

See COMPOSTING, Page 2

90.49% of voters choose ‘no confidence’ in Ox. SGA presidential election

By Sarah Davis News Editor

Sarah Davis/News Editor

A chalking by Olamina Jimenez Sanchez (21Ox) was partially erased on April 9.

NEWS Rollins Dean to

Leave Emory ...

PAGE 3 P

EDITORIAL Stop

I In the days leading up to the Oxford College Student Government Association (SGA) elections, Oxford students launched a campus-wide movement to vote “no confidence” against the sole presidential candidate, Calvin Bell III (22Ox).

The campaign quickly gained traction, as messages alluding to sexual assault accusations appeared in chalkings across campus and widely-shared social media posts.

“Vote no confidence for the Presidential Candidate for SGA elections,” read a widely-shared post sent

by Kate Margiotta (21Ox) in an “Oxford of Emory ‘24” GroupMe that contains

A&E Taylor Swift’s

Normalizing Black Death ...

Rerecordings Asks Fans to be PAGE 7 PAGE 4 Fearless ...

594 members. “Their integrity is currently under question and therefore should not be granted the position of president until further investigation is completed.”

The campaign contributed to Bell’s overwhelming defeat in the April 12 election that saw 90.49% of voters, 295 students, cast a “no confidence” vote while he received only 9.5% of the vote, 31 students. Of the 993 eligible voters, only 326 people voted in the election.

Bell told the Wheel that the loss was a “humbling” experience that has prompted himself to do self-reflection.

When asked why he thought people voted “no confidence,” he said he was not sure and refuted any allegations or rumors that he had acted in a sexually inappropriate way.

EMORY LIFE New Virginia Highland Coffee Shop Has Good Vibes ... PAGE 12

“As a leader in a community, you want to ensure that your integrity is something that is very valued and important to the community and that shows through,” Bell said. “Obviously, there were concerns that I don’t take lightly. I take those very seriously to ensure that my integrity is in the right place as a leader.”

Following Bell’s overwhelming defeat, a runoff between Roxanne Chou (22Ox) and Maylynn Hu (22Ox) took place for the executive vice president election on April 16. Chou won and subsequently filled the presidential position.

“I know that there’s a long road ahead of me for the next year, but I

See BELL, Page 3

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NEWS

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The Emory Wheel

Composting market collapses during pandemic

Continued from Page 1

produced between September 2019 and February 2020.

While less waste has been produced, the absence of composting led to a stark increase in the monthly tons of waste put in landfills this year compared to last. Approximately 134.24 tons of waste were placed in landfills in October 2019 compared to 114.98 tons of landfills in October 2020, but in February 2020 there was only 92.81 tons of landfill waste compared to 217.77 tons in February 2021. The combination of decreased waste production and relatively high landfill rates resulted in a severe drop off in monthly landfill diversion rates.

“This negative impact was realized when the vendors that haul and process Emory’s compost either went out of business or cut back operations, victims of the financial crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Facilities Management wrote. “The situation was exacerbated by aboveaverage rainfall, which made the fields in which compost is stored and rotated inaccessible.”

The average monthly diversion rate, the percent of waste not sent to a landfill, was 46.06% from this past September to February, nearly 4% less than the overall 2015 landfill diversion rate, the first year data was made available on the Emory Sustainability Initiative site. In comparison, the aver-

age monthly diversion rate between September 2019 and February 2020 was about 74.34%, according to data from Facilities Management.

Student reactions Although the overall landfill waste has decreased, Co-Founder of the Plastic Free Emory Project Nithya Narayanaswamy (21Ox) told the Wheel that the pandemic has resulted in additional single-use waste.

“During the pandemic, single-use plastic is at a much higher level because people are using disposable masks and other disposable items for the sake of being safer,” Narayanaswamy said.

“We try to educate people on the alternatives that are there.”

Gassman expressed that Emory’s sustainability initiatives are insufficient even with the challenges.

“Emory’s kind of performative in the way they handle waste,” Gassman said. “I remember the first time moving into college I was not taught what goes in compost or what goes in recycling. You hear a lot, you see a lot on Emory’ campus about all their sustainability initiatives … but I feel like in practice they don’t actually do enough to teach students to live that out.”

She added how most people are in the dark about the changes this year, including prospective families, students and faculty.

Emory, Oxford Colleges update fall 2021 plans

By Matthew Chupack News Editor Emory College

on May 17, but the new registration times will be released on April 26.

The final fall 2021 Course Atlas was supposed to launch April 20.

While many fall semester courses are already uploaded, students can expect the Office of Undergraduate Education to communicate with them when the Course Atlas is “more finalized.” The delay is due to a change in course instruction delivery methods.

Emory College will move more courses from online to an in-person instruction format in the fall 2021 semester, Emory College Dean Michael Elliott wrote in a Monday afternoon email.

This change followed University Oxford College President Greogory L. Fenves’ announcement Monday morning that Oxford College Dean Douglas the school will require students to Hicks announced receive a COVIDthat Oxford students 19 vaccine prior to will return to “a full returning to campus.

“As public health on-campus commuFenves stated that guidelines shift and classrooms would nity” in the fall in a access to the vaccine Monday afternoon operate at “full density” in the fall. increases, we were able email, also respondThe updated plan ing to Fenves’ to plan for standard departs from the announcement. class sizes.”

College’s previously Citing the Emory released plan for community’s high classrooms to oper- — Interim Provost Jan Love vaccination rates, Hicks said Oxford ate at 50% capacity in will offer the “vast the fall. majority” of its “We have been planning for fall in a dynamic process, courses in person with typical class and Emory is committed to the safe- sizes. Hicks noted that Oxford is able ty of our students, faculty and staff,” to do this because of Oxford’s small Interim Provost Jan Love wrote in an class sizes.

Similar to policies at the Atlanta April 20 email to the Wheel. “As public health guidelines shift and access campus, most Oxford students will to the vaccine increases, we are able have a roommate in the fall and stuto plan for standard class sizes and dents will be permitted to gather in full density in the classrooms for the and visit other residence halls. fall as reflected in President Fenves’ Hicks emphasized that there is a message.” collective responsibility for students However, it is still “likely” that stu- to get vaccinated in order for these dents will have at least one online eased restrictions to remain in place. class, Elliott noted. The College will She stated that “many if not most” continue to offer online classes to of the students currently on campus accommodate students unable to have received the vaccine at Emory’s attend in-person instruction. Classes North Lake Mall or Oxford’s on-cam“suited and designed for the online pus clinic. format” will also remain virtual.

The email did not mention changes These adjustments will delay course to Oxford’s enrollment schedule. registration for the fall semester by “one or two weeks.” Course registra— Contact Matthew Chupack at tion was originally scheduled to begin mhchupa@emory.edu

“95% [of waste] not going to the landfill, a stat I had to memorize for the tour guide program, is something I say to people who don’t live at Emory so that Emory looks good, but when it’s actually in practice I don’t think Emory does nearly enough,” Gassman said. “Also, I don’t even know if [the statistic] is true.”

The University does not currently have a 95% landfill diversion rate, but remains “committed” to reaching that rate by 2025, Facilities Management wrote. Member of the Oxford Climate Reality Project Environmental Action Committee Alexandra Aladham (22Ox) explained Emory’s sustainability initiatives were the selling factor for her to attend the school, so she’s frustrated by the University’s lack of transparency regarding composting this year.

“It’s frankly disappointing because I remember … when I was looking into Emory and deciding that I wanted to go there a big reason was because they almost bragged about their sustainability and waste handling,” Aladham said. “But then they’re kind of hiding the truth like, ‘Oh, we’re not really composting properly anymore or handling waste diversion properly.’”

— Contact Matthew Chupack at mhchupa@emory.edu and Gabriella Lewis and gvlewis@emory.edu

Vaccines required for students

By Matthew Chupack and Sarah Davis News Editors Emory University will require COVID-19 vaccination for all students in fall 2021, according to a Monday email from University President Gregory L. Fenves. The email stated that staff and faculty will not be required to be vaccinated at this time, but it is “strongly recommended” that they do.

Over 14,000 students, faculty and staff have already received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through Emory Healthcare, Fenves wrote.

“Student vaccinations will create a healthier environment in our classrooms, which will be at full density during the fall,” Fenves wrote.

Fenves noted that the University will supply vaccines for students who are not able to be vaccinated before coming back in the fall. Students who have medical conditions or “strong personal objections” may also apply for an exemption from the vaccine requirement.

The University will relax restrictions around student life activities, such as programs, athletics and intramural sports, performances and events and “appropriately-sized” gatherings. Currently operating in the “yellow” zone of its gathering risk meter, the University hopes to operate in the “green” zone come the fall semester, according to Associate Vice President and Executive Director of COVID-19 Response and Recovery Amir St. Clair.

Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology Kenneth Castro told the Wheel that widespread COVID19 immunization is a key to limiting transmission of COVID-19 and mitigating the harmful consequences of the virus. He noted that his responses reflect his professional perspective and not the official position of the University.

“Available studies suggest that, compared with unvaccinated persons, those vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to transmit infection,” Kenneth wrote in an April 20 email

to the Wheel. “Also, in those very few vaccinated people who develop ‘breakthrough’ COVID-19, their illness is usually milder and much less likely to require hospitalizations or intensive care than in unvaccinated people.”

Assistant Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology Robert Bednarczyk added that the COVID-19 vaccine requirement is “in-line” with other vaccine requirements the University has for its students.

“This is just like other diseases Emory has a vaccination requirement for, like meningitis and measles, that can spread easily through the close living, studying, and dining situations of college students,” Bednarczyk wrote in an April 20 email to the Wheel.

“Having safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 gives us the best opportunity to increase protection against this disease, as well as preventing infections that can lead to the emergence of new variants.”

Those on campus will still embrace public health measures like wearing face coverings and COVID-19 testing, Fenves wrote.

This announcement follows a COVID-19 vaccine survey, which closed on April 12, where students anonymously shared their thoughts about a potential COVID-19 vaccine requirement for the fall 2021 semester.

The survey, which included 3,766 students, indicated that 73.42% of participating students “strongly support” Emory requiring students to be fully vaccinated for the fall semester, with 11.27% of students indicating that they “somewhat support” the requirement, according to results provided by Vice President of University Communications Nancy Seideman.

Following a similar trend, 82.95% of the 1,752 faculty respondents showed “strongly support” a vaccination requirement for students and 8.67% said they “somewhat support” the requirement.

The survey also gauged Emory community members current vaccination progress, finding that 51.43% of students have already received their first dose and 30.62% are fully vaccinated.

Just 676 students, or 17.95% of respon-

dents, have not received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Of those vaccinated, 64.73% of faculty and staff and 48.86% of students said they received or will receive their vaccines from Emory Healthcare.

While 91.18% of participating students intend to complete their COVID19 vaccination series, 8.82% indicated that they do not plan to get fully vaccinated.

Similarly, 95.6% of faculty and staff say they will get vaccinated, with only a small minority of 4.4%, or 26 respondents, saying they will not.

While faculty and staff are currently not required to be vaccinated for the fall semester, Castro noted that all faculty and staff have been “strongly encouraged” to receive the vaccination.

“I also anticipate that Emory University will continue to update recommendations as we gather additional information,” Castro wrote. “If justified by available data, faculty may later be mandated to provide evidence of immunization against COVID-19, with the same exemptions as available to students.”

Many peer institutions implemented COVID-19 vaccine requirements for the fall 2021 semester earlier this month. The University of Notre Dame (Ind.) mandated a vaccine requirement for students on April 7. Likewise, Duke University (N.C.) required students to be vaccinated in order to enroll in fall semester classes on April 9, but religious and medical exemptions are permitted.

“I am proud to see our academic institution assume a proactive stance in the midst of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic — which has already claimed more than 567,000 lives,” Castro wrote. “This measure will contribute to a safe return to in-person classes, seminars, and other learning activities.”

The email also announced that the University will release more information about the requirement later today.

— Contact Matthew Chupack at mhchupa@emory.edu and Sarah Davis at sgdavi4@emory.edu

NEWS

The Emory Wheel

Rollins dean to leave Emory

By Matthew Chupack and Sarah Davis News Editors Dean of Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health James W. Curran is leaving the University after 26 years in the position, according to an April 16 announcement from CEO of Emory Healthcare Jonathan Lewin and Interim Provost Jan Love. Curran will also deliver the 2021 Commencement address for Oxford College.

“It is an honor to have Dean Curran as our speaker,” Oxford College Dean Douglas Hicks wrote in the April 16 announcement. “Jim is an influential academician who has guided the Rollins School of Public Health to its stature as one of the top U.S. programs, and his earlier groundbreaking work with HIV/AIDS and other publichealth concerns has had a profound effect on our national well-being. He will be a compelling and timely speaker for our graduates and guests.”

Lewin and Love’s announcement came earlier that day and said the University is searching for a new dean for Rollins as Curran “transitions out of his role.” Curran will continue to serve in full capacity until a new dean is selected.

Following 25 years at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Curran joined the University as Rollins Dean and a professor of epidemiology in 1995.

At Emory, Curran served as codirector for the Emory Center for AIDS Research and is an appointed faculty member in both the Emory School of Medicine and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Bell faced extensive ‘no confidence’ campaign Continued from Page 1 hope that people see me as a resource and person to go to when they have any concerns or comments or questions,” Chou said. “I wouldn’t be anywhere without the entirety of the Oxford community, and their input would only further accelerate the achievement of my platform goals.”

The movement

Courtesy of Emory University

Nursing.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) will give a virtual salute to the graduates as well.

“This is a wonderful combination of two leaders whose voices will each add insight into the social challenges of our time — the global public health crisis and the quest for a more inclusive and equitable society,” Hicks wrote.

Commencement will take place on May 15 at 10 a.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center. Students unable to attend in person will have the option to attend virtually.

Graduates may attend the ceremony in person accompanied by up to two guests. The announcement stated that students who are unable to travel to Atlanta will be “saluted virtually” and will be able to view the ceremony on a live-stream.

Hicks welcomed all first-years to attend commencement virtually, indicating a link will be shared as soon as it’s available.

— Contact Matthew Chupack at mhchupa@emory.edu and Sarah Davis at sgdavi4@emory.edu

w

The Emory Wheel Seek The Truth.

3

Olamina Jimenez Sanchez (21Ox) and Jennifer Bacsa (22Ox) told the Wheel that they chalked messages in the early morning on April 9 around the campus reading “vote no confidence” in the SGA presidential election under messages that read “Believe survivors” and “Stand with survivors.”

Bacsa explained they decided to omit Bell’s name due to concerns about retaliation.

“We didn’t know what to do or how to go about this without spreading ... misinformation,” Basca said. “We ultimately decided that chalking was the best way to inform the school but at the same time, leave his name out of it.”

By the time Jimenez Sanchez woke up around 9 a.m., they said that some of the messages had been wiped away — specifically the messages in reference to Bell.

“It wasn’t wet, it didn’t rain and it’s against Emory rules to just erase students’ free speech like that,” Jimenez Sanchez said, citing Emory’s Open Expression Policy. “But in the morning, we found that it was gone.”

Jimenez Sanchez said that in a message reading, “Stand with survivors.

Vote no confidence for SGA Prez,” the portion pertaining to the election was erased.

Bell told the Wheel that he did not erase the chalkings and does not know who did.

The Wheel could not confirm who erased the messages.

On the same day as the chalkings, Michelle Dai (22Ox) posted a message in the “Oxford of Emory ‘24” GroupMe advising students to cast a vote of “no confidence.” Margiotta later sent her statement in the chat, which was reposted on multiple students’ Instagram and Snapchat stories.

Several students told the Wheel that the social media campaign and chalkings compelled them to vote “no confidence,” despite many not knowing about any specific allegations made against Bell.

Divya Pereira (22Ox) reposted Margiotta’s message on her Instagram

story after seeing others post it on their own stories.

“I felt comfortable reposting it because it’s what I believe in,” Pereira said. “That’s when it kind of went snowballing from there. People were kind of talking about it all day on Friday and Saturday, then voting.”

After the messages spread, Alex Campo (22C) said that the campus “felt very tense.”

“I think that came from just a sense of disturbance and discomfort with the fact that such a prominent figure on campus was accused of something so serious,” Campo said.

Outgoing Oxford SGA President Eleanor Liu (21Ox) said losing to “no confidence,” especially with this wide of a margin, is an anomaly in Oxford student government.

Amiah Williams (22Ox), who also reposted the message to vote “no confidence” on Instagram, said she was “shocked” by Bell’s large losing margin and attributed the result to the “power of social media campaigning.”

Other repercussions Jimenez Sanchez, vice president of Students for Prison Education Activism and Resistance (SPEAR) at Oxford, reached out to Bell, who is a junior executive member in the club, and requested that he stop attending the club’s meetings. In this conversation, Bell denied the allegations made against him.

“I confronted him about it over Zoom, and I told him not to come to SPEAR meetings anymore and I explained why,” Jimenez Sanchez said.

“The things that were being said about him, how it’s SPEAR’s policy and my own personal policy to always believe the victims.”

Bell said that after the conversation with Jimenez Sanchez, he decided to “step aside” from the club.

“They decided and made that decision on behalf of what they thought was best for their group, their community and their principles and different things like that,” Bell said. “As a student leader, I want to ensure that I personally can be welcomed into those spaces, and if that was asked of me in any place or any sphere throughout my whole life, I would do the same thing.”

Isaiah Poritz (22C) contributed reporting to this story.

— Contact Sarah Davis at sgdavi4@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel Volume 102, Issue 6 © 2021 The Emory Wheel

We’re always accepting new members at:

bit.ly/JoinTEW

Alumni Memorial University Center, Room 401 630 Means Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322 Business (404) 727-6178 Editor-in-Chief Isaiah Poritz iporitz@emory.edu

Founded in 1919, The Emory Wheel is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University in Atlanta. The Wheel is a member publication of Media Council, Emory’s organization of student publications. The Wheel reserves the rights to all content as it appears in these pages, and permission to reproduce material must be granted by the editor-in-chief.

The statements and opinions expressed in the Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Wheel Editorial Board or of Emory University, its faculty, staff or administration.

The Wheel is also available online at www.emorywheel.com.

The Emory Wheel

O������ W��������, A���� 21, 2021 | Opinion Editors: Sophia Ling (sophia.ling@emory.edu) & Martin Li (martin.li2@emory.edu)

EDITORIALS

Emory has no spirit Dooley’s Week, one of Emory University’s few time-honored traditions, garnered significant attention this year due to actor and comedian Pete Davidson’s virtual Q&A session.

The Student Programming Council (SPC) held the event on April 8, where SPC staff member Gabriela Rucker (23C) relayed interview questions from Emory students to Davidson.

Students could also communicate directly with Davidson through the Zoom chat.

However, opportunistic students abused the chat throughout the session, hurling insults at Davidson, Rucker and SPC. The hosts had to disable the Zoom chat and prevent Davidson from reading the inappropriate comments. It was humiliating.

The remainder of the session became incredibly awkward, as the deep, systemic fragmentation within Emory reared its ugly head.

It not only illustrated Emory students’ inability to coalesce around a shared sense of school spirit, but also reflected poorly on the character of our student body, which begs the question: why? Why have Emory students failed to establish a positive sense of community?

The answer lies in the University’s social structures, which isolates students in groups based on academic departments, athletics and social organizations.

The result: a general apathy in the student body causing a toxic virtual environment further magnified by internet anonymity.

This is a major problem that needs to be solved.

To create a more welcoming, integrated campus community, SPC should hold less materialistic events, use common spaces more effectively and leverage student feedback to increase event turnout.

These solutions will help address the two prominent factors at play: Emory’s lack of a unifying sports culture and the Greek Life social monopoly.

Both varsity sports and Greek Life are extremely insular and homogenous. When looking for weekend

events both before and during the pandemic, many Emory students flock to Greek life, putting these historically racist and classist organizations in control of Emory’s social scene.

The result is a lack of cultural diversity, and if students don’t buy into that elitism, they risk painful isolation.

Ordinarily, students can engage with each other and form meaningful friendships in classes, but the advent of online lectures has severely limited this.

In addition, without more meaningful on-campus activities, many students never have a chance to interact outside of academic life.

Many events are catered toward specific groups like business school students, pre-health students and varsity athletes, making it clear that Emory’s pre-professional reputation

Why have Emory students failed to establish a positive sense of community? manifests in Emory’s social scene as well. This divide has played a large role in the Emory student body’s disunity.

According to the college rankings website Niche, we are ranked No. 202 in the U.S. for quality of campus life.

Quite frankly, this is depressing, and SPC must do more to help fix this.

Specifically, they should focus on smaller-scale events, such as mixers, meet-and-greets with SPC staff and evening events on weekends.

Mixers could happen on a large, speed-dating scale, which could help students from varied backgrounds meet each other.

This is already done for graduate school students, and the same type of events could work for undergraduates.

Meet-and-greet events would allow students to interact meaningfully with the staff that coordinate and assist

them during spirit weeks on campus.

Such a diverse, interactive slate of events would increase satisfaction within the Emory community and create a more unified campus.

If Emory wants its students to enjoy their time on campus and develop real pride in their institution, SPC needs to move past simple giveaways and distribute its funding more appropriately throughout the year.

Shifting funds to disperse throughout the year would allow students to remain immersed in Emory’s community outside of Homecoming in the fall and Dooley’s Week in the spring.

SPC’s responsibility is to foster engagement across social groups through inclusive programming, not occasional spectacle, and concentrating most of its effort — and, presumably, its budget — exclusively on those two weeks is a poor way to accomplish that.

Moreover, people are often too busy during the afternoon hours on weekdays to fully engage with SPC’s planned activities throughout Homecoming and Dooley’s Week.

This leads to many students simply grabbing free merchandise and food every day before rushing to class.

Instead of holding events in the middle of the day, SPC should send surveys to Emory students to gauge when to plan large activities like spirit weeks so that people can actually attend.

Moreover, activities throughout the year should happen in places outside of Asbury Circle, like McDonough Field, the First-Year Quad, the Goizueta Business School’s Patterson Green, the Clairmont Campus or even indoors at the Emory Student Center.

The harassment at Pete Davidson’s visit showed a disappointing version of Emory’s community.

But, as long as SPC evaluates the social scene of Emory and shifts its focus, it doesn’t have to define us.

As we’ve seen, no amount of sweatpants or free food can replace or even promote a real sense of community. If you’re an Emory student, you know that’s something we all sorely need.

Stop normalizing Black death The killing of Daunte Wright, a 20-year old Black man from Minneapolis, Minnesota has shaken our nation to its core. Following a year defined by mass protests against police brutality, Wright’s unjust killing during a traffic stop is especially substantial. Pulled over for a traffic violation, Wright was shot and killed by then-Officer Kimberly Potter, who claims to have mistaken her gun for a taser. This deadly mix-up was not just a simple error but instead the result of an officer’s gross negligence and implicit bias.

The deliberate use of deadly police force against Black Americans is plaguing the United States. The killings of Wright, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Daniel Prude and so many others show that unarmed Black men are preemptively criminalized and denigrated by law enforcement. From accidental shootings to deadly restraint techniques, officers utilized extreme forms of force and then blamed the victims’ physical attributes, criminal records, or past substance use as justification for their unjust deaths.

These alleged extenuating circumstances still do not warrant the extrajudicial killing of civilians.

We must also reject the dehumanization of figures like Wright and Floyd, whose lives have been turned into public spectacles. People should assist the victims of police brutality through restorative justice practices such as mutual aid funding and direct donations to their families. Use caution when reposting traumatic images and videos of police violence and be mindful of the harm in performative social media activism. Senseless police violence has terrorized the Black community throughout U.S. history.

Since the racialized subjugation of African Americans during slavery, Blackness has been and continues to be brutally policed throughout history in the forms of public lynchings, torture and excessive force. According to a 2020 study conducted by the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Black people are more than three times as likely as white people to be killed during a police encounter. Black people in cities like Chicago are over 650% more likely to be killed by police than

their white neighbors. For its efforts to combat the unlawful killing of Black people, the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) has won international recognition. As BLM mourns the victims, the organization has caused victims to become symbols of the movement. Victims have been elevated to public spectacles. Their stories, struggles and faces permeate social media and news shows. The families of victims did not ask for their loved ones to become martyrs — they just wanted them to live.

Moreover, though BLM does substantial work as an organization, it’s overloaded with funds that will take time to reach the families that need them most. Additionally, the movement is becoming increasingly politicized, turning the victims of police brutality into a point of national debate. Instead, to ensure victims’ loved ones receive the support they need, we should turn to direct donations and other, more targeted forms of support. Images and videos of police brutality on social media are harming Black people’s mental health. Seeing videos shared repeatedly across social media is a reminder of the violence they endure.

What’s more, sharing videos of anti-Black violence only serves to normalize violence. This isn’t to say we should not spread these videos, but rather that we should do so mindfully.

Add content warnings and understand the audience with whom you’re sharing them with. Social media activism only scrapes the surface of what you can do to advocate for Black people. There are lots of ways to support victims’ families that are more effective than creating spectacles on social media. Donating to mutual aid funds like The Brooklyn Center Protestor and Resident Safety Mutual Aid, which functions to directly support the community response to Wright’s murder, is a great way to start.

You can support his family directly through his girlfriend’s Venmo and Cashapp.

After any event of police brutality and anti-Black racism, it is necessary to coalesce our efforts, minimize the damage done to the Black community and support victims without making them martyrs.

The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board.

The Editorial Board is composed of Sahar Al-Gazzali, Viviana Barreto, Rachel Broun, Jake Busch, Sara Khan, Sophia Ling, Martin Shane Li, Demetrios Mammas, Sara Perez, Leah Woldai and Lynnea Zhang.

The Emory Wheel Volume 102 | Number 7

ISAIAH PORTIZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ANJALI HUYNH EXECUTIVE EDITOR BEN THOMAS MANAGING EDITOR BRAMMHI BALARAJAN MANAGING EDITOR JESSICA SOLOMON MANAGING EDITOR CAILEN CHINN CHIEF OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS PHYLLIS GUO Copy Chief NINAD KULKARNI Senior News Editor MATTHEW CHUPACK News Editor SARAH DAVIS News Editor SOPHIA LING Opinion Editor MARTIN LI Opinion Editor LAUREN BLAUSTEIN Emory Life Editor KATILIN MOTTLEY Emory Life Editor SARU GARG A&E Editor

STEPHEN ALTOBELLI A&E Editor JACKSON SCHNEIDER Photo Editor MICHAEL MARIAM Sports Editor JADA CHAMBERS Copy Editor CAROLINE SILVA Copy Editor NICOLE SEMAAN Asst. Copy Editor GABRIELLA LEWIS Digital Ops Editor ULIA AHN Asst. Multimedia Editor RYAN CALLAHAN Editor-at-Large

MILEEN MEYER BUSINESS MANAGER

AIDAN VICK Senior Editor ANGELA TANG Associate Editor RACHEL BROUN Associate Editor SOFIA HIMMEL Associate Editor JEFFREY ROSEN Associate Editor CLAIRE FENTON Associate Editor YUN ZHU Associate Editor

Business/Advertising Email wheelbusinessmanager@gmail.com

The Emory Wheel welcomes letters and op-ed submissions from the Emory community. Letters should be limited to 300 words and op-eds should be at least 500. Those selected may be shortened to fit allotted space or edited for grammar, punctuation and libelous content. Submissions reflect the opinions of individual writers and not of the Wheel’s Editorial Board or Emory University. Send emails to emorywheelexec@gmail.com or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322.

DISAGREE WITH US?

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR. Submit here: emorywheel.com/op-edsubmissions/

The Emory Wheel

OPINION

Christians, listen to Lil Nas X Rachel Broun Several weeks ago, 22-year-old pop star Lil Nas X released a new single: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”

With the single, he shared a letter to his younger self expressing the grace and wisdom we should all have, writing, “I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist.”

I almost cried reading his kind words. All young queer people deserve to hear this reaffirmation while growing up, and I was moved by his dedication through his own personal struggles to be a voice for the voiceless.

Despite this, his caring words to his former self were drowned out by the ridicule his music video received.

The “Call Me By Your Name” music video is filled with erotic, theological and provocative scenes. During the video, he slides down to hell on a dancing pole and gives a lap dance to the devil. Outcry was levied against Lil Nax X after the video was released.

Political commentators, Twitter users and even South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem expressed disdain for the video’s satanic and queer elements, such as the phallic spearing of St. Sebastian or the devil engaging in homoerotic behavior.

Many said the video was an attack on Christianity.

These commentators’ harsh criticism is exactly what keeps queer people away from many mainstream Christian organizations.

The Bible associates gay men with sin, leading to the denial of LGBTQ+ people within religious organizations.

In fact, the word homosexual wasn’t added to the Bible until 1946 when the revised standard version of the Bible

was published. Homosexual was substituted for the Greek words “malakoi” and “arsenokoitai” which loosely translate to “pervert” or “sexual pervert.” The mistranslation has caused extensive harm to queer people within Christianity, including Lil Nas X, as many churches have used this history to justify their denial of the existence and validity of queer people.

The mistranslation has caused them to associate queerness with sin, rather than merely another way of experiencing and expressing life. Lil Nas X even tweeted about how anti-gay rhetoric caused him to hate himself during his teen years. This rhetoric was deeply seated within him, and “Call Me by Your Name” is his chance to discuss it.

Lil Nas X’s video, critiques the expulsion of queer people from Christianity, and he anticipated the backlash he is currently receiving from Christians. Saint Sebastian, sometimes revered as a queer saint due to his repeated nude depictions in art, is speared in the video, a symbol of the way the Church has marginalized and persecuted queer people. Under the pretense that being non-normative is a sin, young queer people have been subjected to dehumanizing treatment that denies their sexuality, gender presentation and personhood, such as conversion therapy, which uses extreme methods in an attempt to convert people to heterosexuality.

Pushing queer people away from Christianity does more harm than good. If queer people want to follow Christian practices and beliefs, they should not be met with hate for expressing themselves. It is hypocritical for supposedly religious individuals to critique Lil Nas X’s art while turning the other cheek when it comes to their own denominations. Instead, Christian groups should focus on the ways they

can extend the message of Christ with love and care, rather than harmful rhetoric designed to alienate and isolate queer people.

I was raised Christian and went to Catholic school. The teachings of homophobia being sin are embedded into you. Only when I stepped outside of the repressive religious space of Catholic school, was I able to question and attempt to understand my own feelings and desires. Homophobia wasn’t shoved down my throat, but it has a subversive quality that seeps into the subconscious. My experiences growing up are why I had to unlearn the internalized homophobia to understand my own queerness and why I still grapple with it today.

I am not arguing that religion is inherently bad or homophobic, but rather, it shouldn’t be a tool of oppression and indignation. There are many churches that practice inclusivity, actively affirming LGBTQ+ priests and members and spreading messages of acceptance and love. These churches have done wonders working toward undoing decades of religious trauma.

Religion should be comforting and loving, not hateful. It’s ridiculous to preach messages of love and charity while simultaneously denying people’s humanity.

If I haven’t made it clear by now, I love Lil Nas X. Not only for his iconic music, but also for the message he presents to the world: be yourself, be queer and be loud about it. You deserve to express yourself and if that is through your art or sexuality do it. I hope he inspires you, no matter your sexual orientation, to be authentically yourself, no matter who disagrees. You deserve to be seen and heard.

Rachel Broun (23C) is from Carrboro, North Carolina.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

5

Pleather is deceptive Lena Bodenhamer As recent data supporting the sustainability of a vegan diet has surfaced, the vegan lifestyle has swept across the United States, and the fashion industry is no exception.

Brands and consumers are striving to incorporate veganism into other areas of their lives. From this movement, the vegan leather trend has arisen.

Whether in the form of increasingly popular vegan leather pants or faux leather jackets, plant-based pleather has entered the fashion spotlight. It mimics leather in versatility and also appeals to supporters of sustainability and anti-animal cruelty. As it garners popularity, vegan leather has swayed many name-brand fashion producers to decrease use of animal leather and opt for more sustainable and crueltyfree options. But is vegan leather really more sustainable?

The short answer is that it depends.

The Higg Materials Sustainability Index, which assesses the global impact of material production, reports that leather made from cows is about three times more harmful to the environment than the vegan alternatives. But the reality is not that simple.

The production of pleather, from both synthetic and natural materials, results in a number of environmental consequences, such as micro-pollution.

When fashion brands like Forever 21 use plastic leather, the material does not biodegrade and ultimately breaks down into microplastics, which pollute water and pose a greater threat to animals and the environment in the long run. Even so, vegan leather can also be made from natural materials like pineapple leaves and recycled plastics, which are more sustainable alternatives. Although using these

natural ingredients avoids the use of harmful plastics, natural materials still require a binding agent, which are typically a plastic-based material.

However, the foremost inhibitor to sourcing environmentally sustainable pleather is not its production, but the way brands commonly advertise false sustainability. This practice of advertising products as more environmentally-conscious than they actually are is called greenwashing. It’s harmful because it leads consumers to buy into the idea of sustainability while unknowingly purchasing products — like plastic leather — that are actually just as or more detrimental than fast-fashion pieces. However, transparency in leather sourcing has brought some brands into the sustainability spotlight for their environmentally-friendly use of pleather. For example, Stella McCartney and Urban Originals are committing to sourcing vegan leather from more sustainable methods like using plant-based faux leather.

The leather industry is far from reaching sustainable methods. Until then, forestalling the trend toward vegan leather and holding the vegan leather industry accountable is largely in the hands of consumers. Finding cheap, natural and clean leather takes research and time. Getting caught up in greenwashing is a lot easier , but it’s also much more harmful to the environment.

The brands that preach a sustainable message might be the ones hurting the Earth the most. Fashion is an inimitable aspect of everyday life — to include environmental health in your closet, make sure to pick the brands that stand for our planet.

Lena Bodenhamer (24C) is from Fort Collins, Colorado.

Climatechange is acrisis. Emorymuststandagainstit.

Jack Miklaucic, Clare McCarthy and Ben Levitt Climate change is already having dire effects on all forms of life worldwide, and Georgia is no exception.

Over the coming centuries, Georgians will continue to suffer greatly from the public health impacts associated with climate change, including extreme heat, natural disasters, air pollution and waterborne disease outbreaks. Climate change will also endanger Georgia's coastal communities and exacerbate drought, which can cause irreparable consequences; historically, droughts have cost Georgia billions of dollars in crop losses alone.

Undeniably, these consequences of climate change are felt disproportionately by low-income residents and people of color, both worldwide and in Georgia. Black communities receive less governmental support in response to natural disasters and air pollution and are 75% more likely to live in “fence-line” communities near commercial polluters. In addition, lowincome communities experience greater exposure to environmental hazards and are less resilient to such disasters. Given Emory University’s status as a predominately white institution and its history of oppression against Black, Indigenous and people of color, the University must accept responsibility and take bold action to protect these communities in Georgia from the most severe climate impacts.

Emory has already taken important steps by demonstrating a meaningful commitment to reduce its environmental impact. Through its admirable efforts in waste reduction and water conservation, Emory’s Office of Sus-

tainability Initiatives is a sustainability to net zero emissions long before then. resilience. These commitments vary leader in higher education. However, Given its vast resources, innovative slightly among the diverse range of despite the University’s environmental capacity and leadership among global institutions that have signed them, but initiatives, the urgency and cata- universities, Emory must set a new all highlight a university’s climate strophic nature of the global climate target to reach net-zero emissions no leadership. Many of our peer universiemergency necessitate bolder later than 2030. ties, like Cornell University (N.Y.), the commitments.

The letter has been signed by 615 University of California at Berkeley and During this year’s Climate Week higher education institutions world- the Georgia Institute of Technology, (April 19-23), the Emory Climate wide, including numerous University have joined the carbon commitment, Coalition is calling on Emory Univer- of California system schools and the which involves submitting an annual sity to explicitly recognize climate University of Illinois system. The evaluation of progress on a regularly change as a global emergency and take Association for the Advancement of updated Climate Action Plan. Our additional steps to more rapidly reduce Sustainability in Higher Education, a current Climate Action Plan has not emissions. We demand that Emory sustainability network of universities been updated in a decade and lacks sign the Global Universities and Col- and colleges that Emory is a member specificity about how Emory will leges Climate Letter and achieve its net-zero tarjoin the Climate Leaderget by 2050. ship Network (CLN), a While the plan does nationwide system of acknowledge initiatives higher education institusuch as Emory’s alternations whose presidents tive transportation syshave formally committed tems and LEED certificato climate action. Such tion requirements, it commitments would lacks a set of specific, publicly signal Emory’s measurable and timesupport for climate bound goals detailing its action among peer uniplans to achieve emisversities and inspire sions reductions in each COURTESY OF JAYLAN JACOBS other institutions to folaspect of campus life and Emory students organize for the 2019 Climate Strike low suit. the role of individual The letter was created with the of, has also signed the letter. These community members in contributing objective of building momentum commitments from our peer institu- to emission reduction goals. Joining toward a decarbonized economy by the tions are a clear indicator that Emory the CLN will hold Emory accountable 26th Conference of Parties in Novem- must fully realize its identity of a to refreshing its plan with clear, actionber 2021. This meeting is critical sustainability leader by signing this able steps and strategies for ensuring because it will be the first time since the letter and revitalizing its climate com- that every group on campus fulfills its Paris Agreement where countries will mitments. Without a rapid transition to role in cutting Emory’s emissions. set more ambitious goals for drastically renewable energy, even Emory’s cur- Furthermore, CLN membership will reducing their emissions. Signatories of rent goals will be impossible — the allow the University to leverage addithe letter commit to prioritizing action- University must pressure Georgia tional pressure on its primary energy oriented climate change research and Power to switch to renewable energy supplier, Georgia Power, to transition education and reaching net-zero emis- sources. to renewable energy sources. The plan sions by 2050 at the very latest. While Furthermore, Emory should join can explicitly integrate a social justiceEmory is dedicated to this emissions one of the CLN’s three options for oriented perspective on the climate goal, most signatories have committed commitments: climate, carbon or crisis. Such a lens would demonstrate

Emory’s understanding of the gravity of climate change and its ramifications for social justice concerns as a privileged leader in close proximity to at-risk communities.

Joining other universities in this commitment would help Emory cement its status as a global leader by acknowledging the tremendous importance of bold action on climate change.

As students, we admire and appreciate Emory’s climate efforts thus far and are proud to be part of an institution at the forefront of sustainability. Yet these efforts are not enough to meet the scale of the planetary emergency we are facing. Both our generation of young students and the surrounding communities in Georgia will face significant hardship if insufficient action on the climate crisis continues.

As members of the Emory Climate Coalition, we urge the Emory administration to include our organizations and other social justice organizations and affinity groups in the conversation as it updates and improves its climate policies. Student voices are crucial for ensuring equity and accountability in climate work, because our generation will face the greatest consequences of the action — or inaction — we take now.

We also implore our fellow Emory students to join us as we work alongside the administration to shape Emory’s climate policies and ensure our University remains a global leader in tackling one of the greatest challenges of our generation.

Jack Miklaucic (23C) is from Charlotte, North Carolina. Clare McCarthy (23C) is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ben Levitt (22C) is from Toronto, Canada.

The Emory Wheel

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

6

A letter from the Wheel’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force

By The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force Almost a year ago, this newspaper acknowledged its lack of diversity, longstanding inequity and barriers to accessibility since its inception in 1919.

We vowed that we had a responsibility to uplift and support diverse voices within our newsroom and nationwide.

Student journalists operate in a strange space between collegiate and professional worlds, and those at the Wheel are no exception. We often find ourselves reporting on our classmates or breaking news that drastically alters our own academic experiences. Our excessive focus on content production rates and antiquated journalistic standards, however, has contributed to high burnout, low retention rates and high levels of distrust among marginalized campus communities. If we are to truly and effectively better ourselves as a news organization, these issues must be addressed with specific and swift solutions to prevent further harm.

The first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force convened in November 2020, consisting of the Wheel’s then-editor-in-chief, executive board and other editors who chose to join. Our initial attempts to enact change were rocky: we faced collective action problems, burnout from members of the Task Force and disagreement over strategies to implement change. In the months since, however, the Task Force successfully executed a number of changes detailed below.

To address staff concerns about burnout, the Wheel will take a hiatus from publishing editorial content from April 28 to June 7. During this time, we will only publish a select number of

breaking news stories, community opeds and other pieces on a non-regular basis. This extended break is designed to give our editors and writers, who often put over 15 hours per week into the Wheel, time to recuperate. This hiatus will also allow the DEI Task Force to focus exclusively on planning actionable steps for the summer and following year.

A report of this nature will become a regular occurrence, with the next one following our hiatus at the beginning of June.

Stipends for low-income editors The Wheel currently does not pay all of its editors a wage that compensates their immense time and effort. Any editor position is incredibly demanding, often taking as much time as a part-time job, which can mean foregoing paid employment.

The lack of pay is due to budgetary constraints as a student organization that is financially independent from the University. However, the Wheel must work to eliminate this barrier for low-income students and students who work.

In response to concerns about the Wheel’s demanding time commitment for students who cannot afford to take on leadership roles without pay, the Task Force implemented a stipend for low-income editors. At the start of this semester, those who felt they needed financial assistance could submit a request for a $250 stipend. While this stipend does not adequately compensate editors for the time they put into the Wheel, it represents a long-overdue first step in compensating our low-income editors.

The Task Force plans to continue

the stipend program this fall and will seek additional funding for expansion through a summer fundraiser.

contributed to the Wheel since August 2020 in writing, editing, photography or illustrations.

Changes to the Wheel’s Constitution

Funding for affinity journalism organization memberships

The Wheel’s Board of Editors voted on April 2 to amend its constitution to clarify the definition of a staff member, more clearly define who is eligible to vote in editor-in-chief elections and codify the role of the DEI Task Force.

During the most recent election for editor-in-chief in February, former editors protested that they had been excluded from the eligible voter list for arbitrary reasons. In response to these complaints, the Task Force created constitutional changes that expanded voter eligibility. Former editors, Editorial Board members, DEI Task Force members are now all allowed to vote in editor-in-chief elections. Additionally, any Wheel member who believes they should be allowed to vote can appeal directly to the editorin-chief. The Task Force also expanded the definition of staff writer to include more Wheel contributors by lowering the contribution requirement to five per semester and one in each subsequent semester to maintain the position.

The Wheel will fund 10 memberships to affinity journalism organizations, such as the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Native American Journalist Association and the Association of LGBT Journalists.

Affinity journalism organizations are incredibly useful for student journalists seeking mentorship and looking to break into a competitive industry, especially for communities who face additional barriers. Any member of the Emory community interested in journalism is welcome to apply, regardless of their relationship with the Wheel.

Restructuring recruitment

The Wheel published its first demographic report on April 2 detailing the composition of the Wheel’s staff during the 2020-21 school year as of February 2021. We believe that having accurate data on who is part of the organization holds us accountable for how we can and must improve. The survey was sent to all individuals who

In the past, recruitment has occurred only at the beginning of each semester, and largely relied on personal relationships with Wheel members or attendance at the student activities fair. As our demographic report revealed, these recruitment measures did not go far enough and often excluded underrepresented communities. Going forward, we have adapted our efforts to actively recruit members throughout the year by advertising frequently on social media and targeting academic department listservs.

We have also revamped and streamlined our onboarding process.

Designated editors will help new members get acclimated to the Wheel and

make up 5% of the paper.

By comparison, Emory University’s student body is 10% Black and 8% Latinx, according to data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). However, Emory is situated in a majority Black city and for us to successfully cover and contextualize the stories in our community, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard of representation from these groups.

This clear underrepresentation contributes to our many failures in coverage of marginalized racial groups at Emory, from altogether failing to produce content about these communities to publishing harmful coverage. The connection between the lack of racial diversity and our harmful coverage of

marginalized groups is shown in the open-ended responses in our survey.

Many members pointed to the centering of our coverage around majority-white events and issues, leaving out and tokenizing perspectives from Black, Indigenous and people of color.

One member, for example, noted that our content should include more perspectives from Black writers that not only probe politics and history but also examine culture and music.

The survey reveals that international student representation in our organization, which is 16.5%, reflects the University’s international student representation, which is 17% of all students enrolled at Emory, according to the IPEDS. However, this representation does not always translate to adequate coverage. One member stated that our coverage of international students is too focused on the policies relating to this group and does not capture the experience of being a student from a different country.

The Wheel is a majority female organization, with women representing 61% of its membership. Non-binary individuals made up only 3.6% of the organization.

Individuals who identify as heterosexual made up a majority of the paper at 62%. Around 13% identify as bisexual and 11% identify with two or more sexual orientations. Around 5% identify as queer, 5% as lesbian and

Demographic report

we plan to create a mentorship program for new writers. In doing so, we aim to proactively tackle deficits in our work culture while diversifying our staff and improving the breadth and depth of our coverage.

Reexamining our coverage As the opinion section’s “1963” investigative project released in February revealed, our coverage has historically excluded communities of color or even outright harmed them.

Articles featuring white nationalists, sexist coverage and hate speech have graced the Wheel’s archives. “1963” was a first step in uncovering decadesold untold stories and bringing attention to inequities on our campus.

Going forward, this Task Force commits to continuing these efforts and alleviate areas of underrepresentation.

Such endeavors include analyzing our own problematic practices within editing such as code-switching which can alienate marginalized communities, and expanding our coverage to uplift minority voices.

We will reexamine the composition of our writing and editorial staff, where we solicit sources and what stories we write. We hope to reform our paper, in both our everyday coverage and larger projects like “1963,” so that underrepresented groups do not get left out of our pages.

— The DEI Task Force is composed of Abby Williams, Anjali Huynh, Ben Thomas, Brammhi Balarajan, Cailen Chinn, Caroline Silva, Gabriella Lewis, Isaiah Poritz, Jada Chambers, Jessica Solomon, Ryan Callahan, Rachel Broun and Sara Perez.

The Emory Wheel Spring 2021 Demographic Report

By The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force As part of an effort to increase transparency with the communities we cover, The Emory Wheel’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) task force elected to compile an annual demographic report starting spring 2021. Following the lead of other student newspapers, including The Daily Northwestern and The Daily Californian, the Wheel emailed a survey to all individuals who contributed to the paper from August 2020 to February 2021. This survey collected demographic information and asked questions concerning the Wheel’s work culture.

Established in November 2020, the DEI task force, composed of editors across multiple sections, works to create and implement initiatives throughout the Wheel to diversify our coverage, foster inclusion, dismantle structural barriers and rectify prior harm.

Beyond this demographic report, the task force has initiated efforts to compensate low-income editors, reevaluate recruitment efforts and train our staff on writing about marginalized communities.

The Wheel is not absolved from censure about the ways in which our reporting has harmed marginalized communities. We welcome feedback about ways to improve our coverage.

The task force will use the findings below to hold ourselves accountable and reevaluate the perspective of our coverage.

Findings Our 2021 survey revealed that the Wheel lacks diversity among many marginalized groups, contributing to failures in our coverage of the Emory community. The survey’s open-ended responses show a need for improve-

ment in the Wheel’s work culture, with many members expressing a lack of cohesion and others expressing an exclusive or combative work environment.

The Wheel is a majority white organization, making up 51% of those who have contributed to the paper. The next largest group is those who are of two or more races, constituting 16% of the organization’s members. Those who identify as South Asian and those who identify as East Asian each make up 12% of the paper.

The Wheel severely lacks representation from Black and Latinx writers, editors, illustrators and photographers. Those who identify as Black make up 3.5% of the paper and those who identify as Hispanic or Latinx

2% as gay.

The survey reveals generally mixed feelings about the Wheel’s work culture. Some members expressed the culture as being “combative,” “exclusive” and “too stressful,” which can lead to high staff turnover or feelings of isolation. Some members noted problems with the editing process, with one member noting that editors change the writer’s voice or intent “for no reason other than to white wash.”

However, others used more neutral or positive language, describing the culture as laidback and welcoming.

Members consistently stated that the Wheel lacked professional and social cohesiveness, with a large divide between writers and editors and divisions between sections.

Methodology The Wheel’s demographic survey was sent to all individuals who contributed in writing or photography to the paper by Feb. 20. Of the 127 individuals who received the survey, 57 filled it out, a response rate of 44%.

— Members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force who created this report are Madison Bober, Ayushi Agarwal, Anjali Huynh, Isaiah Poritz, Brammhi Balarajan, Gabriella Lewis and Ryan Callahan.

&

The Emory Wheel

Arts Entertainment Wednesday, April 21, 2021 | Arts & Entertainment Editors: Saru Garg (saru.garg@emory.edu) & Stephen Altobelli (saltobe@emory.edu)

Art, meaning and falafel: A&E’s ode to an iconic Emory institution

By A&E Staff Cole Huntley Emory students lead interesting lives.

We voyage through our days with nary a glance beyond the next deadline, lost in the minutia of ceaseless discussion posts and campus tomfoolery. We sit in the student center, sip our Blue Donkey and sigh. What’s the use? Cox closes at 3, the DCT isn’t what it used to be, and the word Woody’s seems like a whispering memory of a bygone era. Presidents may come, and presidents may go, but at times not even Dooley’s permanence can lift our weary spirits. But wait — what’s that? A lone ray of daylight glimmers in the dusty fog. A glass of spring water for the parched lips of the Clairmont resident spurned yet again by the C-Route: Falafel King, an eternal beacon of hope, calm and pillow-soft pita. Come rain, snow or shine, the ubiquitous fourcornered monolith atop this sacrosanct eatery stands as a bastion of quality cuisine and immaculate ambience.

I implore you to find another establishment so sweet, so wholesome. Within those hallowed walls, all are equal in their appreciation for the culinary delights of owners Jane and Nicholas Nam. Yet, there is a certain mystique to this quintessential diner — between the picture window and beverage cooler, an abstruse and sibylline painting lies in cryptic repose. Speaking about the painting’s essence, Jane explained, “It makes me feel bright, I feel the bright colors.” I’ve also found myself pondering this captivating image on many a late-night falafel trip. What does it all mean? Why do the shapes get more rectangular as they descend? Why doesn’t the green object have a full border?

A&E’s collective psyche is haunted by such looming queries. To express our gratitude to Jane and Nicholas’ sustained contribution to the Emory experience, we’ve sought to get to the bottom of the FK painting once and for all.

Saru Garg: As soon as I laid eyes on the enigmatic Falafel King painting, the luminous first verse of Taylor Swift’s “State of Grace” echoed through my mind: “I’m walking fast through the traffic lights/ Busy streets and busy lives/ And all we know, is touch and go.” As a masterful songwriter, Swift’s phrase “touch and go” holds two meanings in the context of the song; it refers both to its widely

understood meaning of something that is the center of yellow denotes the middle You just might have to spend some possible but uncertain and to beginning class, caught between the crossfires of time in the yellow on your way there. A a new relationship quickly and rashly. the upper and working class. Although yearning for change is natural, and this I believe this painting communicates a the yellow border is cleaner than the painting demonstrates the process of similar sort of uncertainty, a celebration green border, it still doesn’t come close reinvention in a way that emphasizes the of rushing into things. The first red rect- to the preciseness of the red border. gradual phases of growth and maturity.

Jeffrey Rosen: angle represents safety, when we do not Yellow is left with a decision: either It was after going to Falafel King in “go.” But it is also constricted by its sil- support the struggling border of green ver border; when we do not take risks, we or abandon them to seek haven within 1940, that French philosopher Albert are limited and so is our perspective. The the confines of the red. The Falafel Camus famously proclaimed, “Man border’s disappearance around the green King painting does what leftist theorists stands face to face with the irratiorectangle signals that though we are have been doing for generations: pres- nal. He feels within him his longing not protected when we rush into things, ent information to showcase the vast for happiness and for reason.” Falafel that is what ultimately makes us free. inequality between economic classes. King is the only restaurant in Emory Stephen Altobelli: Village which represents the absurdity Noah Gemtry: Semioticians have long employed The Falafel King painting evokes of post-modernity. Falafel King is an traffic lights as an example of a sym- a sense of identity and the process of almost post-genre restaurant, an eatery refusing to be defined by bol; a sign for which, as any region or culinary Daniel Chandler puts it, tradition. Walking into the relationship between Falafel King is akin to the signifier and signientering some anarchic fied “is fundamentally limbo space — the CD arbitrary … [and] must of generic piano covers be learnt.” By abstractthat continually plays ing a traffic light, the only adds to this surreAFKPA (anonymous Falafel King painting alistic atmosphere. Then artist) questions the stawe arrive at the untitled painting which, in a bility of a well-known move reminiscent of Van symbol. At what point Gogh’s “Night Cafe,” does the juxtaposition intentionally mixes disof the colors red, yellow and green stop being a cordant colors to create stoplight? Can a painted a surreal atmosphere. representation of a traffic Falafel King’s maslight function in the same terwork similarly goes way as its source materiagainst our typical rules for art. The simple red, al? Should I order falafel, green and yellow hues shawarma or mixed next are cacophonously juxtatime I go? Why is FK closed on the weekends? posed with grey borders, I don’t know — but further displaced by a art should raise quesmonochromatic orange background. This painttions, not answer them.

Eythen Anthony: ing should not work at This painting is an all, yet upon entering the allegory for the tribulaFalafel King establishtions facing the workment, you get the feeling class and the facade ing that, somehow, it just of the American dream. fits. This surreal realm Courtesy of Cole Huntley and its art don’t need The red symbolizes the upper class; its border to work in accordance The Eponymous, Mysterious Falafel King Painting is far more pristine and with our mind’s preconcurvaceous than its counterparts, as elit- growing up. It speaks to our implicit ceptions. We long for order and reason in ists have the freedom to set up what- desire for motion and change. Perhaps our reality, but the universe and Falafel ever foundations they deem fitting. The you see yourself in the red shape, King offer us nothing. Instead we are green represents the working class, as defined by thick silver lines that bend given an abstract traffic light — a symthe border is dilapidated due to the along your wavy edges. This does not bol of direction, order and stability in overwhelming influx of the color green, mean that life as a green rectangle, the midst of Falafel King’s absurdity. thereby signifying the ever-increasing oozing out of the steel-colored bounds China Dennington: number of individuals in poverty. And that once fenced you in, is out of reach.

Few works have the power to funda-

mentally alter your perception of reality. A tad dramatic? Perhaps. Or is it?

The glory of the Falafel King painting is that it urges us to ask unanswerable questions and to keep asking them every time we encounter its saccharine shades. It is a vibrant reminder that life is all about interpretation. Maybe this shows the progression of a college student from the top to the bottom. Slowly, the outer lines of the initially proud shapes are broken down until all that’s left is a sad, squished green remnant of what used to be a vibrant student. Or maybe the change from red to orange to green and the breaking down of the outer barriers indicate that said student has become more open to various ideas and examined their world honestly.

They have emerged from the experience with a new appreciation of other people’s ideas and a sense of humility.

No answer is wrong and, truthfully, your personal answer likely resides in how much caffeine you’ve ingested and how many hours you’ve been stuck on Zoom.

Like the line at Kaldis, the answer is constantly shifting. It’s alright if your perception of the world is forever changing.

It’s alright if you’re not the same person you were when you first stepped on campus. You are brilliant. You are strong.

You will persevere. Change is inevitable, but your heart is inimitable. This painting is your heart. Keep asking questions.

Abby Williams: While the shapes of the Falafel King painting point toward abstraction, I like to think of this iconic masterpiece as representing a literal traffic light. The owners of Falafel King clearly wanted to commemorate how atrocious driving is in Atlanta. Similar to the blurry, wavering lines of the three boxes, Atlanta drivers have no concept of highway divisions, and will often swerve through five-line highways without warning.

The unfettered green box likewise mirrors Atlanta drivers’ desire to escape the constraints of the green light, and plough through intersections when the lights are all colors. Maybe the illdefined boundaries of the Falafel King painting boxes serve to question the legitimacy of social constructions, such as traffic lights. Or perhaps the purpose of the painting is to illustrate that the roads in Atlanta would be much more pleasant if every driver ate falafel instead. It is up to the viewer to decide.

Taylor Swift’s rerecording encourages fans to be more fearless

By Abby Williams Staff Writer As if three studio albums, one Netflix documentary and a Disney+ studio session weren’t enough artistic accomplishments for the past year and a half, Taylor Swift graced fans with a rerecording of her 2008 “Fearless” album on April 9.

“Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” contains 20 re-recorded tracks and 6 new songs “From The Vault,” such as pre-released singles “You All Over Me” and “Mr. Perfectly Fine.” Listeners across the United States have been reliving their first years as Swifties since the album’s release, causing “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” to leap to the first spot on the Billboard 200 Chart.The “Taylor’s Version” clause is far from coinciden-

tal: it serves as a symbol for Swift to reclaim her beloved album as her own.

In 2019, record executive Scooter Braun purchased Swift’s production company, Big Machine Label Group LLC without allowing her to purchase her albums back. As a result, Swift lost the rights to much of her earlier work, including “Fearless.” By rerecording “Fearless, ” Swift encourages both fans and companies alike to use her own version of the album rather than that which was taken away from her and reinforces the importance of artists everywhere exercising autonomy over their work.

Listening to “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” doesn’t just allow fans to relive Swift’s iconic Fearless era, but also encourages us to restore and celebrate female autonomy within the record-

ing industry. Similarly to Swift, many Emory students have come into their authentic selves in the years between the original “Fearless” and its rerecording.

I spoke with a few Emory students to explore how their perception of Swift’s music — and the world around them — has altered since the first time that they heard “Fearless.”

Each student had personal memories and associations attached to Swift’s music in their childhoods, especially with her well-known tracks. One of Katy Mayfield’s (22C) first memories of Taylor Swift was listening to “Fifteen” at a “Speak Now” concert. “Fifteen” allowed Mayfield to imagine the age of 15 as a time that was both “heartbreaking and breathtaking” and full of “adventure.” China Dennington (22C) first

remembers listening to “Fifteen” when she was around that age. Even though she found differences between her teenage life and Swift’s lyrics, Dennington notes that Swift captured a relatable feeling of “giddiness and idealism of youth.”

While Arts & Entertainment Editor Saru Garg (22C) also recollects listening to “Fifteen,” her most poignant early memories of “Fearless” are with the track “Love Story.” Garg describes that her first brush with Swift’s music at 9 years old was earth-shattering: “We were at my grandparents house, and [my cousin] had this little blue iPod shuffle and she played ‘Love Story’ for me and changed my life.” Katalia Alexander (22B) likewise remembers how much she enjoyed “Love Story” the first time that she listened to it at recess with her friends in

third grade. “We were 8 year old girls, there was a song about a princess and a love story, and we were like ‘Wow, this is so fun!’” Alexander recalls. Like Mayfield, Alexander attended a Swift concert when she was young, adding that she has a picture of her friend and her “in Fearless tour t-shirts” sporting “very big grins.” After their initial experience with “Fearless,” fans watched as Swift progressed from country to pop to her indie genre in “folklore” and “evermore.” Just as they grew older and changed their perspectives on the world, they watched Swift change her artistic voice to become the truest version of herself. Alexander particularly marveled at Swift’s ability to adapt to new genres with an equal

See SWIFT, Page 8

8

A&E

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The Emory Wheel

Swift reclaims her voice in new album High Museum’s ‘Underexposed’ exhibition asks

viewers to resist stereotypes

By Robert Fuhirman Staff Writer

Taylor Swift on her 2009 Fearless Tour.

Continued from Page 7 amount of skill and talent. Despite her changes across each era, Swift weaves authenticity through her music, almost like an invisible string. Not only have fans supported the switch in sound, but they’ve also watched her grow from the grief of her past relationships. To Garg, Swift is “inspiring” because she is rerecording “Fearless” “in a healthy, happy relationship [and] doesn’t have to write about her own heartbreak anymore.” Her life may not be the “fairytale” that she describes in “White Horse,” but she certainly approaches her rerecording with a wiseness and confidence that she did not have at eighteen.

While listening to “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” may feel like revisiting an old friend, listeners can also approach Swift’s rerecording with novel perspectives on her life that we did not have when we were younger. Instead of viewing “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” as “extremely straight and heteronormative” as she did thirteen years ago, Mayfield now states that listening to “Fearless” through a queer lens can “increase appreciation of the music.”

While Mayfield’s friend group strongly holds the theory that Swift is not heterosexual, she states that altering our heternormative perception of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” can allow listeners to find meaning and resonance in their queer relationships regardless of Swift’s

Courtesy of A ndy Colwell

sexuality. Moreover, queer readings of “Fearless” represent new voices in the music “landscape that is just now starting to really bring queer art to the fore and into the mainstream.” Swift’s rerecording of her music, therefore, permits for her album to resonate with a wide variety of listeners that it may not have the first time around. Beyond a few extra beats, “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” sounds very similar to its original. Perhaps the true change lies not in Swift, but in her listeners. As elementary-school children, Emory students had a very different idea of what life — and love — looked like than they do in college. Alexander recalls that her friends did not relate to a lot of the “break-up, sad stuff” on “Fearless” because, at 8 years old, they “had no concept of heartbreak.”

Dennington, likewise, states that listening to “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” as a 20 year old illuminates that “real-life relationships are messy and complicated and not just fairytale.”

“Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” enables listeners to celebrate both Swift’s history and our past perceptions of the world during what has already been a challenging year. More than that, Swift’s new rerecording acts as a mirror to fans, encapsulating how we have all developed and grown to become a little more fearless.

— Contact Abby Williams at Abby.williams@emory.edu

Identity is paramount in the High Museum’s latest exhibition, “Underexposed: Women Photographers from the Collection.” The show’s conception attempts to correct a historic imbalance by honoring the underappreciated contributions of women and the intersectional challenges experienced by women of color. The museum labels do an exemplary job of this, constructing a historical narrative of women claiming equality, subverting gender imbalances and politely asking the viewer to consider their own biases.

Likewise, the show explores themes of domesticity and professionalism and the role of women in these spaces.

Originally planned for 2020 to commemorate the 19th Amendment centennial, the exhibition was delayed due to COVID-19 and will be on view until Aug. 1. This delay is no disappointment, as female photographers are uniquely positioned to capture the sense of domestic confinement that characterizes the pandemic.

Featured artists such as Olivia Parker completed their work indoors, allowing them to raise children while pursuing a career. Others chose to subvert the traditionally gendered space of the family home, challenging the mundanity of domesticity by engaging with the surreal. Sandy Skoglund does so in her mauve-cast “Gathering Paradise,” which features an unsettling arrangement of sculpted squirrels in various poses swarming a suburban house.

Diane Arbus similarly rethinks suburbia in “A Family on the Lawn One Sunday in Westchester in June,” an image of postwar America that suggests a sinister undercurrent in domestic life. The family members look just awkward and unhappy enough to unnerve the viewer and provoke deeper contemplation.

However, the curation extends beyond

the role of women in the home, highlighting professional women as well.

Indeed, the exhibition follows a roughly chronological history of women’s contribution to photography and begins with pioneering women who chose to work outside the home in fields such as photojournalism and botanical documentation. Other artists chose to turn the camera outwards, capturing this changing status of women in the workforce.

Frances McLaughlin-Gill’s highfashion celebration of the professionalization of women in society, “Tweed Suit for August Vogue Collection,” from 1950 is one such document of the changing role of women in society.

The elegant glamour of her model is juxtaposed with the humble resilience of a Depression-era woman in Dorothea Lange’s “A Sign of the Times—Mended S t o c k i n g s—S t e n o g r a p h e r—S a n Francisco” from 1934.

Though they depict working women in vastly different economic circumstances, both works dignify their subjects and highlight clothing as a means of self-expression This increasing economic independence was not evenly distributed across all women, and the exhibition highlights the intersectional nature of gender and race inequality. “Domestic (Betty and Toni)” by Julie Moos depicts a Black woman and a white woman against a simple white background, describing only that one of them employs the other (as referenced in the job title of “domestic”).

The viewer is left to draw meaning from the assumptions they make about these women based on body language, dress, race and appearance.

Sheila Pree Bright’s “Untitled 13” similarly addresses implicit bias; depicting a Black-owned home in wealthy suburban Atlanta, she leaves only token artifacts of the people who live there and creates a counter-narrative to stereotypes of Black communities.

In a fitting move that highlights individual identity and the subversion of oppressive hierarchies, the exhibition seamlessly integrates revered photographers such as Dorthea Lange, Meghann Riepenhoff and Susan Meiselas alongside lesser-known but similarly innovative woman photographers.

The curation tempers its femnist conception and praxis with a certain subtlety. In a reactionary political climate where gender is polarized and feminist art is conflated with exposed genetalia and the general decline of “traditional values,” “Underexposed” seeks to inform more than shock.

Lalla Essaydi’s “Bullets Revisited #20” perhaps best encapsulates the wellmannered assertion of individuality and rebuke of patriarchy found throughout the exhibition.

A Moroccan woman’s armor-like cape shrouds her body as she sits in a room lined with bullet casings that form patterns like Islamic tilework. The bullet-shell brass acts as a sort of protection from the Orientalizing tendency to view Arab women as odalisques, sexual objects for the male gaze. The work also acknowledges the civil unrest experienced by Arab people throughout the world.

Like McLaughlin-Gill and Lange, Essaydi uses fashion to explore the identity of specific women and the culture they contribute to.

Like Moos and Bright, she artfully inspires her audience to reflect on their socially conditioned racial and gender biases. “In my art, I wish to present myself through multiple lenses — as artist, as Moroccan, as traditionalist, as Liberal, as Muslim” reads a quote from Essaydi on the accompanying museum label. “In short, I invite viewers to resist stereotypes.”

— Contact Robert Fuhriman at robert.fuhriman@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Emory Life

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 | Emory Life Editors: Lauren Blaustein (lblaust@emory.edu) & Kaitlin Mottley (kaitlin.michelle.mottley@emory.edu)

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Seniors describe stressful grad. school application cycle

By Rebecca Frischling Contributing Writer

Virtually every aspect of life for college students, and the rest of the world, has been reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. For this year’s graduating seniors, this includes not only their academics and coursework but also figuring out the next steps after graduation. While some are searching for employment in an increasingly competitive job market, others are planning to return to school to jumpstart their careers.

However, those with plans of applying to graduate programs faced changing standards and increased stressors throughout a highly unusual application cycle. The graduate school application process looked different in several ways this year, ranging from fluctuating requirements to record high numbers of applicants. Many applicants described that there were far more concerns to balance this year

when trying to plan and complete applications than would be expected in a typical year.

“Honestly, I kind of expected to be able to manage my honors thesis, extracurriculars and grad school stuff all at once,” said Faith Kim (21C), who applied to graduate programs in social work and art history. “But last semester I feel like COVID learning was so busy for me. It was hard to think about writing grad school applications when there were so many more responsibilities I had to attend to.”

Kim, majoring in art history, noted that applications for master’s of social work programs did not open until fall 2020, so she was unable to get as much work done ahead of the stress of online learning. Alongside the pandemic, these competing concerns impacted her work habits.

“I’m the type of person who writes out on a spreadsheet all of my responsibilities and the estimated

See PANDEMIC, Page 10

Healthy restaurant review: Chopt edition

By Avery Verona Contributing Writer

Santa Fe Salad To say I was wowed when I took my first bite of the Santa Fe Salad would be an understatement. Packed with avocado, grape tomatoes and corn, the recipe has a very spicy aftertaste which lit my mouth on fire. If you like spicy foods, this could be a great option for you. But you can also cool it down with Chopt’s balsamic vinaigrette signature dressing. Even though the Santa Fe Salad is not the typical salad I would buy because I like to create my own salads, it was very flavorful and the spice was overpowering. Yet if you’re not in the mood for spicy food, I might suggest passing on this one.

Palm Beach Salad While I was excited to try the Palm Beach Salad, I was met with unfortunate results. At Chopt, you have the option to add protein to your salad; for this order, I chose shrimp. The salad was a combination of hearts of palm, avocados, grape tomatoes, romaine and English cucumbers. While it was very refreshing, I felt as if the salad just didn’t agree with my taste pallet.

If you’re not into hearts of palm or shrimp, it may not be your cup of tea

Illustration By A lly Hom

either. I am definitely willing to try this salad again, just maybe with a different protein. There’s grilled chicken, shrimp or no protein to choose from.

Maybe in the future I’ll go for the grilled chicken, but I’m not dying to order this salad again. With that being said, don’t be afraid to mix it up and be adventurous with your ordering.

Asian Crunch Salad The Asian Crunch Salad is now an all-time favorite of mine from Chopt — I cannot get enough of this salad. It is everything I look for in a salad: fresh and delicious. The blend of the broccoli, carrots, pickled red onion, crispy shallots, cabbage and cilantro blend, along with many other toppings on the salad, creates an amazing mixture of tastes and textures. I would highly recommend this as a top choice among the “Chopt classics” and “light favorites” if you are too lazy to create your own salad. The sesame ginger dressing, which Chopt recommends for the salad, made the dish taste just like a typical Asian cuisine. I absolutely love it, and I will most definitely be getting this again.

Customer Crafted Salad Lastly, my custom crafted salad, which I call the “Verona Health Kick,”

New Virginia Highland coffee shop brings good vibrations

amount of time per week that [they will] take,” Kim said. “But I think COVID really threw those off.”

With little time in the fall, Kim was forced to work on her applications during winter break. Although winter break was longer than usual, it was not as restful as hoped, Kim said.

Shreya Pabbaraju (21C) also faced unexpected stresses and complications when applying to graduate school during the pandemic. Pabbaraju had to adapt to many changes, including the inability to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) due to pandemic constraints and thus having to reevaluate her application list.

“The top two programs I wanted to apply to for PhDs weren’t even considering applications without the GRE,” Pabbaraju said. “I thought [that] was kind of compounding a lot of systemic inequity, considering so many people have had so many

RESTAURANT REVIEW

College is a time for weight gain.

As someone who tries to be healthy, it can be difficult to find healthier alternatives to foods offered at Emory.

But when I ventured off campus to Chopt, located in Toco Hills Shopping Center, it became one of my favorite spots. With a build-your-own salad at the heart of the restaurant, it’s easy to create wholesome meals. As an Emory Student, if you show your student ID you can receive a discount. If you’re looking for a new go-to as you manage your diet, here are three Chopt’s classic salad choices along with my customer craft salad to give you a glimpse of the endless choices you have to eat well near campus.

CAILEN DRINKS COFFEE

is a salad with arugula, romaine, grilled chicken, apples, broccoli, celery, dried cranberries and edamame with balsamic vinaigrette.

The addition of apples gives this salad an organic taste, and it is a salad that I’m always in the mood for. Even thinking about it while writing this makes me hungry.

The dried cranberries, while not the healthiest option of toppings due to the high-calorie count, make the salad taste a slightly sweet, which can be good for anyone who needs a bit of extra flavor.

With the final stretch of classes approaching, it’s always a great idea to improve your eating habits and fuel your body to finish the semester strong.

Chopt salads are a great substitute for the fried foods we might indulge in, and they also sell warm grain or cauliflower rice bowls and wraps if you’d like to switch it up.

The restaurant is only two miles from Emory, so if you don’t have a car you can order it on DoorDash.

Overall, I enjoyed most of the salads and enjoyed trying meals outside of my comfort zone.

— Contact Avery Verona at avery.l.verona@emory.edu

Cailen Chinn/Chief of Digital Operations

Savannah-based coffee roaster PERC opened its second Atlanta shop on April 6.

By Cailen Chinn Chief of Digital Operations If you’ve ever driven or walked through the Virginia Highland neighborhood , you know the homegrown charm of the area. Virginia Highland is one of the best places to shop local in Atlanta, with its countless neighborhood restaurants and bars dotted along its streets. Now, consider grabbing a delightfully crafted latte at PERC Coffee. The Savannah-based roaster’s third shop opened on North Highland Avenue on April 6.

The storefront stands out on its own: a bright teal and white facade with a hot pink neon “open” sign was my guiding light. The space inside gets plenty of natural light, while outdoors it offers more muted versions of the colors: eggshell blues, whites and baby pinks make PERC feel calming, even with the bustle and noise of the custom-pink Victoria Arduino espresso machine.

On my first visit I usually just get drip at coffee shops — it’s one of the best ways to keep from breaking the bank when going out — but at PERC, I was feeling adventurous. Maybe it was the splendorous Easter egg interior, but I was ready to try something new from the Virginia Highland menu.

After taking a long look at the menu, which carries all the standard espresso drinks and drip coffees along with a “cold coffee drinks” section, I asked my barista what her favorite drinks were. Based on the notes I like (chocolate, nuts, caramel), she proceeded to talk me through their drip coffees, the distinctions between their “mild” and “wild” brews (“mild” is right up my alley, “wild” is more citrusy with notes of chocolate and blueberry) and her favorite pastries.

I ended up with a cinnamon roll loaf topped with creamy orange icing and the Rupert Holmes: an iced oat milk latte with coconut simple syrup and orange bitters. This latte was a complex one. It was sweet but not overpowering, with the coconut flavor and bright orange citrus being

pronounced yet understated at the same time. As one flavor gives way to another, the drink is eye-popping and bright without being too flashy.

If you like the basics For my latte lovers, order the Good Times Latte, which is a vanilla lavender flavored latte with habanero-infused sugar. This drink is warm and floral, a perfect pick-me-up, hot or iced. It’s a great way to start a Sunday morning or finish a weekday afternoon. But if it’s a typical hot Atlanta day, order the Good Times Percshake; it has all the same flavors as the Good Times Latte with the consistency of a milkshake.

The Condor Mocha is another great choice if you like sticking to the classics. This mocha isn’t overly sweet thanks to the Condor chocolate, an Athens-based confectionery.

The drink focuses on the flavor and thickness of the chocolate rather than syrupy flavor, unlike other mochas I’ve tried.

And for my hard-edged black coffee people, go with their mild drip: Brazil Legender with nutty and chocolate notes. It’s easy sipping and gives you that warm coffee feeling inside down to the last drop.

If you’re feeling adventurous Nothing fails to get me excited like a coffee cocktail does: when fruits, syrups, bitters and herbs are combined with coffee to make a drink meant for sipping. PERC carries out this task expertly, most notably with their cold coffee drinks: The Cold Fashioned and the Virginia Highland-exclusive Hosea Williams. Each drink combines espresso with unconventionally delicious ingredients that are meant for those who want to taste the next level of coffee complexity.

The Cold Fashioned (dark roast espresso, simple syrup, a luxardo cherry and an orange peel) was chocolatey and rich, lending itself to the brown sugar notes of the espresso.

The way the flavors came together — first chocolate, then cherry, then a light

See PERC, Page 10

EMORY LIFE

10 Wednesday, April 21 , 2021

The Emory Wheel

Pandemic hinders grad. PERC delivers delicious coffee cocktails school visits

Continued from Page 9 financial crises this year as well as many different types of forced living situations that might make it very difficult to study.”

Because of these restrictions and constantly shifting application standards, Pabbaraju explained that she made sure to apply to a variety of types of programs, including both master’s degrees and PhDs. The pandemic made gauging a school’s campus and culture much more difficult Kim and Pabbaraju said.

“One of the issues was trying to figure out living accommodations while being here and never having had the chance to visit campus,” Pabbaraju said. “Another kind of concerning thing is meeting a whole new network of people without even getting the chance to go somewhere else.”

Despite the stresses of this application season, there is still a silver lining. Kim and Pabbaraju

showed resiliency, and both of them were accepted to graduate schools they desired. Pabbaraju will be attending the University of Oxford to get a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies and Political Violence, and Kim is currently deciding between two master’s of social work programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago (Ill.).

In future application cycles, Kim and Pabbadaju hope students will be able to navigate the process under better conditions. Even under more typical circumstances, future applicants can still rely on the same skills of flexibility, diligence and adaptation that served students applying this year.

“I’m just really hoping that no one else in the future has to go through that,” Kim said. “But if I could give any advice, I would just say be organized.”

— Contact Rebecca Frischling at becca.frischling@emory.edu

Courtesy of BANZA

Banza transforms chickpeas into a variety of comfort foods, including pasta, pizza, mac and cheese and rice.

Alum Brian Rudolph on his chickpea company, Banza

By Allison Reinhardt Contributing Writer When most people think of comfort food, they envision heaps of pasta, classic plain pizza or a gooey bowl of mac and cheese. It’s not very often that you hear someone declare chickpeas as their ultimate food of choice, but co-founder and CEO of Banza Brian Rudolph (12B) has been working to change that mindset.

Growing up a picky eater, Rudolph was a pasta fanatic, but he later learned that he was sensitive to gluten.

Much to his dismay, none of the glutenfree pasta options he found could satisfy him in the way that his beloved traditional pasta could. To solve his pasta problem, Rudolph decided to take matters into his own hands.

“As I became more and more focused on nutrition and fitness, I started experimenting with making more nutritious versions of my favorite foods,” Rudolph told the Wheel. “I eventually made chickpea pasta in my kitchen and was blown away by the taste and texture. I shared it with roommates and friends and when they liked it, too, it clicked that I wasn’t the only one who wanted a better version of pasta. That idea became Banza.”

Now a leader in gluten-free products, Banza strives to provide healthy yet delicious versions of everyone’s favorite comfort foods, including pasta, pizza, mac and cheese and rice, all out of a plant that is both nutritious and good for the environment: chickpeas.

Rudolph’s journey to creating Banza started here at Emory University.

While Rudolph studied finance and international business at the Goizueta Business School, he cites his job at a

Cailen Chinn/Chief of Digital Operations

Left: The bright and lemony Hosea Williams (top), the smooth and chocolatey Cold Fasioned (bottom right), the Coca-Cola based Bobby Jones (bottom left).

Right: PERC’s chocolate fudge pop tart (left) and a slice of the cinnamon roll loaf with orange icing (right).

local music studio, the music blog he started with friends and the concerts he organized as the experiences that truly motivated him to pursue entrepreneurship.

“When I look back on it now, those concerts are what made me want to start a business,” Rudolph said. “Not because they were so successful financially — they weren’t. But because of how it impacted everyone involved.

The attendees, the artists, and the venues all benefitted. That outcome made me feel good, in a way that I hadn’t yet experienced from any of my finance or marketing internships.”

Rudolph’s mission to connect with others and make an impact on their lives is also what sets Banza apart from other similar brands today. Many food companies have started offering more gluten-free options in recent years, but Banza is intentional about catering to the people who are using their products and promotes their well-being through uplifting messaging. “[O]ur brand is relentlessly positive,” Rudolph said. “A lot of healthy food companies use fear to sell their products; instead, we focus on what’s great about ours and do it with joy.”

This joy has even reached a celebrity audience. Actress Kristen Bell proclaimed her love for Banza in an Instagram post, and Banza has consistently received positive feedback from stars and the media.

Despite all of the attention his company has garnered, Rudolph still insists on how formative his years at Emory were in enabling his success later on.

“College is a great time to test, fail and learn,” he said. “Even though my

PERC’s custom-colored pink Victoria Arduino espresso machine.

Continued from Page 9 citrusy finish — made this the perfect drink for savoring. I found that the non-coffee elements didn’t overpower but rather complimented the coffee itself in a way that balanced the drink, leaving no room for the bitterness that I often taste when drinking espresso.

The Hosea Williams (light roast espresso, rosemary simple syrup, lemon) tasted like a bright summer spritzer rather than a shaken espresso career ended up not having anything to do with it, I learned so many lessons from my endeavors in music [at Emory].”

For current Emory students looking to start their own businesses or for those who already have, Rudolph offered advice that he and his team followed to foster success.

“I would recommend finding someone or a company who has done what you hope to do and learn from them,” Rudolph said. “For Banza, that was Chobani. We learned so much from the Chobani team and modeled much of our early strategy based on their advice.”

With Chobani, a food company specializing in Greek-style yogurt, as their guide, Banza has become a trailblazer in its own right in the world of healthy food products. With its positive outlook, palatable products and passion for chickpeas, Banza envisions the future of their brand as a continuation of their present state.

“We want to continue inspiring people to eat more chickpeas and other beans — and we hope reimagining some of the most beloved comfort foods using chickpeas will make it easier to do so,” Rudolph said.

— Contact Allison Reinhardt at allison.brooke.reinhardt@ emory.edu

drink. The flavors were all mixed and paired really beautifully. The bite of the lemon was tamed by the earthy rosemary sweetness that immediately followed. Tasting much less like coffee and more like a cocktail, this drink is perfect for the people who love bright, tart and citrusy notes.

Overall, PERC might be one of my new favorite shops in Atlanta. Their coffee is good, plain and simple. The baristas are friendly and make you feel

Cailen Chinn/Chief of Digital Operations

at home in their colorful space. Their pastries are baked at the original East Lake location (go for the Ritz cookie or the chocolate fudge pop tart). The beauty of PERC is that no matter what you order, you make the right choice.

Rest easy knowing that you’ll love whatever you’re drinking.

— Contact Cailen Chinn at cailen.anne.chinn@emory.edu

Sophomore named UAA Athlete of the Week

Continued from Back Page also praised Urban’s dedication to the sport and desire to get better at every practice and meet while simultaneously being a great teammate.

“I think one of the keys to her success was that she pushed through all the adversities freshman year can throw at you — sickness, new and harder training,” Racette said. “She’s made huge jumps and run some amazing races this year, but she makes everyone on the team feel like their performances are important, too. She really celebrates little victories for all of her teammates.”

Similarly, Nguyen is proud of Urban for her successful season.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

SPORTS

The Emory Wheel

“She’s having a really fantastic and historic season so far,” Nguyen said.

“Annika made a commitment over the last year to really take her training to the next level. She’s really the model student-athlete and has been awesome to work with. I think she has a lot more left in the tank and am excited to see what she does in the future.”

On top of the work Urban puts in on the track, she also takes routine steps off the track to strengthen the mental side of her game. The night before races, Urban indulges in her mom’s special walnut chicken recipe. Although she claims to not have her mom’s cooking skills, Urban still makes the meal for herself as part of her pre-race routine while watching

film and imagining herself racing to get her into the proper mindset.

Whether it is working hard at practice or the special chicken dish, Urban is clearly making strides. While the pandemic has interfered with athletics, she and the rest of her team have continued to persevere. She attributes her personal achievements to all of the hard work and preparation put in before a race.

“I like to think of racing as an opportunity to show off everything I’ve been working towards,” Urban said. “Seeing that pay off in the form of breaking a record is so rewarding.”

— Contact Mia Han at mia.han@emory.edu

SWOOP’S SCOOP

11

Sport

Opponent

Time

Saturday April 24

M Tennis

@ Sewanee

12 p.m. & 4 p.m.

Tuesday April 27

Softball

Piedmont

Wednesday April 28

M Tennis

Georgia Gwinnett

1:30 p.m.

Friday April 30

W Tennis

Georgia Gwinnett

3 p.m.

2:30 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.

Jake Paul defeats Ben Askren via TKO in first round Continued from Back Page Addison Rae, Bryce Hall and Noah Beck were in attendance as well as rapper Jack Harlow, fighter Sean O’Malley, Jake Paul’s entourage and his controversial brother Logan Paul.

Television host Mario Lopez, Saturday Night Live actor Pete Davidson and rapper Snoop Dogg hosted the pay-per-view event live stream which attracted more than 1.6 million purchases across the world.

The hosts introduced the entertainers and boxers and held interviews throughout the night.

The musical acts were headlined by Justin Bieber, The Black Keys and Doja Cat. Bieber performed four of his songs on the main stage, including “Anyone” and “Peaches” from his new album “Justice.” With fireworks and a light show surrounding Bieber as he began on the piano, the energy throughout the stadium was electric. Diplo, Major Lazer, Saweetie and Snoop Dogg’s new group, Mt. Westmore, also performed between fights throughout the night.

The performances and spectacle led up to the main event of the night

between Paul and Askren.

Askren walked into the ring first led by “Dude with Sign” doing just as his name says.

Paul, known for his over-the-top antics, was led into the ring by his mascot The Problem Bot, an overlysized robot nicknamed after Paul, who goes by “The PRBLM Child.” The boxers settled into their corners of the ring and their teams gave them last minute advice.

Michael Buffer, the legendary ring announcer, entered the ring and exclaimed his infamous trademarked catchphrase, “Let’s get ready to rumble” to begin the fight.

After the opening bell rang, the boxers exchanged jabs, but Paul took control rather quickly.

In less than two minutes, Paul knocked Askren to the ground. While Askren got back up, the referee determined that he was not in good enough shape to protect himself and continue fighting, pushing Paul to 3-0 by TKO in his young career.

The quick-nature of the fight was shocking, yet Paul’s swift ability to

McElheny’s journey to the big leagues

Continued from Back Page

and ran 10 miles when I was feeling crappy after a meet day, so I know I’m mentally ready to support a team of professional athletes,” McElheny said.

McElheny also credits her confidence to the education she received from Emory that put her on a path to the Mets.

“With the discipline I got from the cross country and the social networks at Emory, it gave me the confidence to go to New York, attend medical school, and ultimately get hired by the franchise,” she said.

Being the head team physician for an organization like the Mets entails taking care of not only the players, but their families, coaches and other staff.

What opened the door for a promotion was the hard work she has put in throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Prior to COVID-19, she was not able to work the entire 162-game MLB season because of her private practice, but with the 60-game season during 2020, she was able to travel with the team and stand in as the team doctor, “which was a life-changing experience.”

After her first season with the team, McElheny knew there may be a possibility of earning the head team physi-

cian role. Even though she came from a non-surgical medical background, most of the individuals she would care for in the role would not need surgeryrelated care, she said.

McElheny’s generalist approach — her ability to take care of everything including coronavirus issues — made her a qualified candidate for head team physician.

In her new role, McElheny has appreciated the consistency of her work. Showing up at the ballpark, being on the road with the team and caring for the same people throughout the season has been a rewarding experience so far.

“Being with the Mets is fulfilling, gratifying, and offers a more continuity that my normal practice doesn’t offer,” she said.

While she may be in the big leagues now, McElheny believes that her student-athlete experience parallels being head team physician for the Mets.

“Like distance running, there is a lot of downtime like baseball,” McElheny said. “So having people to converse and battle with is how you create these trusting relationships in life.”

— Contact Oliva McBerry at olivia.mcberry@emory.edu

assert his dominance over the first professional fighter he’s ever faced was rather impressive.

With only media, celebrities and a few lucky fans that won the Golden Ticket contest through Triller, the environment was quite interesting.

At a boxing match, fans are typically screaming and fully immersed in the action. Concerts also typically have fans singing along, dancing and surrounding the performer.

With very few fans in the building, watching the artists perform in front of a small crowd was a unique experience all around.

The way the stages were constructed were intentionally made for athome viewing rather than in-person spectators, but it was nonetheless a dramatic event that failed to disappoint.

To see more highlights from this event, check out more of the Wheel’s coverage of Triller Fight Club on our Twitter and Instagram.

— Contact Michael Mariam at mmariam@emory.edu

Courtesy of triller fight club

Baseball wins intercollegiate finale Continued from Back Page singles lineup. However, each fell short in their matches.

On April 20, Emory women’s tennis held their senior day match against Brenau University (Ga.) and won all seven of their matches in straight sets.

Emory’s seniors were honored prior to the matches in a pregame ceremony.

Gonalez-Rico won both sets 6-1 to pick up the first singles victory.

Seniors Stephanie Taylor, Chang and Defne Olcay also won on their senior day. In doubles play, Gonzalez-Rico and Chang won 8-1 in first doubles while Olcay and senior Sasha Hartje won 8-2 at second doubles.

Emory’s women’s tennis team plays next on April 30 as they host Georgia Gwinnett.

On April 16 and 17, the track and field teams finished up their competition season at the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta. The competitors at the meet ranged from Division III schools to some Division I schools, including Boston College (Mass.) and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

From the women’s track and field team, graduate student jumper Isabel Saridakis won the pole vaulting event with a season best of 3.70m.

At the pole vault, sophomore jumper Ticia King hit a personal best with a height of 3.40m. On the track, the Eagles finished with five different season best times.

Senior thrower Laura Sheckter broke her school record of 12.84m in the shot put with a throw of 12.97m.

Sophomore distance runner Annika Urban and jumper Rebekah Bondi also challenged the record books with their effort in the 1500m run and long jump, respectively.

From the men’s track and field team, junior Brett Henshey finished with a 2.05m mark in the high jump, making him seventh-best in Division III track and field in 2021 for the high jump.

The Eagles also saw season best times in the relay events with a 42.92 for the 4x100m and 3:20.86 in the 4x400m.

In the hammer, freshman thrower Kenya Sei recorded a 51.70m throw, putting him second all-time for longest throw in school history.

In the 1500m run, senior distance runner Jacob Hedgepeth finished at 3:52.72 which put him in the top ten in school history.

There are currently no meets scheduled for both the men’s or women’s track and field teams for the rest of the season.

Emory’s baseball team defeated Maryville College Scots (Tenn.) 6-5 on April 20. The Eagles jumped out to a big lead by the end of the second inning because two separate Eagles were hit by pitches with the bases loaded, driving two runners home. Senior infielder Caleb Shulman then drove in senior infielder Ryan Adelman with a

Michael Mariam/Sports Editor

single to center field to put the Eagles up 5-0.

Senior pitcher Jack Moore started the game but was pulled after 3 innings pitched as he struck out six, but allowed four earned runs on 10 hits.

Junior pitcher Joey Bock came in the game for Moore, and he held the Scots scoreless for the next four innings. Bock moved to 4-0 on the season as he picked up the win.

Senior outfielder Michael Edelman had an RBI single in the sixth inning that drove in Adelman to put the Eagles up 6-4. The Scots scored one run in the eight inning, but failed to complete the comeback. Edelman finished the game 2-4 with a run and RBI while Adelman went 3-3 with two runs and an RBI. The team next plays on April 24 for an intrasquad game honoring the seniors for senior day.

— Contact Sofia Himmel at sjhimme@emory.edu

The Emory Wheel

Sports

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 | Sports Editor: Michael Mariam (mmariam@emory.edu)

TRACK & FIELD

Urban’s uphill run to the record books

By Mia Han Staff Writer

Courtesy of Triller Fight Club

Jake Paul looks down at Ben Askren after Paul hit him with a knockout punch in the first round of their Triller Fight Club match. Paul moves to 3-0 in his professional boxing career.

Inside the ring at Triller Fight Club

By Michael Mariam Sports Editor

Sports fanatics, celebrity “stans”’ and entertainment consumers alike turned their eyes to the first-ever Triller Fight Club event this past weekend. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC, was transformed into a festivallike venue with a boxing ring in the center and a concert stage beside it.

The night consisted of several events leading up to the headline fight .

The main bout was between YouTuber-

Michael Mariam/Sports Editor

turned-professional-boxer Jake Paul and former UFC and MMA fighter Ben Askren, who came out of retirement for the match. The top fight on the undercard was a super lightweight fight between boxers Regis Prograis and Ivan Redkach.

Leading up to the fight, the boxers held press conferences on April 15 where they answered questions from the media and took their best digs at each other. As a former Disney Channel actor and vlogger, Paul’s boxing career did not begin until fairly recently in 2018. With his recent rise to boxing fame, Paul reflected on the surrealness of the moment.

“I haven’t [had the chance to soak it all in],” Paul said in response to the Wheel’s question about fighting in an NFL stadium. “My team helps me reflect, but I’ve just been going nonstop and haven’t really looked back and thought ‘this is crazy,’ but it is pretty absurd.”

In order to enter the stadium, media personnel like myself had to present either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in the days leading

up to fight night. When I entered, I was given a media credential with my venue access and was escorted to my seat, a private suite in the lower level to ensure social distancing. While there was social distancing in the media area, you would never know we were in a pandemic looking at the other guests. The celebrities, fans and most in attendance didn’t wear masks or social distance. Every attendee was required to have a negative COVID test to enter the stadium, though.

At my seat were two monitors displaying the live stream and an executive chair. My seat was in the perfect spot: I had a clear view of the ring, a perfect angle of the entertainment stage and the stadium suite and club area, where the celebrities sat and partied leading up to the main card, was right above me.

Triller, the social networking service that organized and sponsored the event, attracted celebrities of all different origins of fame to Atlanta. TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D’Amelio,

See JAKE, Page 11

Three members on the Emory University track and field teams were named University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week on April 12.

Among them was sophomore distance runner Annika Urban who set a school record in the 5000m race on April 9 at the Flames Invitational, placing fifth in the event with a time of 17:14:41.

Yet, Urban’s path to success at Emory began long before she stepped foot on campus. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Urban was a competitive swimmer as a child but decided to try cross country in middle school. She quickly fell in love with the team dynamic and being able to have leisurely conversations during trail runs. Swimming, on the other hand, is much more of an individual sport. She eventually stopped swimming to fully invest her time into running.

At the beginning of the college recruitment process, Urban knew she wanted track to stay a part of her life.

Urban reached out to college coaches and eventually chose Emory, citing the school’s care for its students as the difference maker in her decision.

The southern climate helped Emory’s chances, too.

“I felt like I could see myself fitting in,” Urban said. “I also have to admit that the beautiful campus and warmer weather were very appealing.”

Urban’s favorite event is the 5000m race, but she also partakes in the 1500m and 3000m during track season, 6000m in cross country and 3000m during the indoor track season.

Although Urban has been extremely successful throughout her college career, she has faced obstacles that challenged her performance and

ALUMNI

Emory Track & Field Alum hired by Mets

By Olivia McBerry Contributing Writer An elite college education, disciplined work ethic and hard work is what pathed Dr. Kathryn McElheny (09C) to the position of head team physician of the New York Mets. On March 30, the Mets promoted McElheny from non-operative medical director, a position she held for two years. But, McElheny’s journey to the big leagues began just over a decade ago as an Emory University student.

In a press release sent out by the organization, Mets President Sandy Alderson said he was thrilled about McElheny’s new role.

“We are excited to have Dr. Kat McElheny take on a more senior role on our medical staff,” the statement read. “Her experience in medicine and with the Mets will be an integral part of keeping our players in peak physical condition.”

McElheny graduated with honors from the University in 2009 where she was a member of the track and field and cross country teams. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

She then completed her residency at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell

Medical Center where she was chief resident.

For McElheny, Emory’s liberal arts curriculum allowed her to study a range of subjects while still preparing her for life outside of college. During her time here, McElheny was an Irish studies minor, enabling her to study abroad and run in Galway, Ireland.

She majored in biology on the pre-med track where her career in medicine began.

As a student-athlete, McElheny was driven to pursue sports medicine because of her love for sports and experience as a college athlete.

“Being able to give a piece of my happy place, sports, to other people and especially the youth athlete group is extremely rewarding,” McElheny said.

Looking back at her cross country experiences at Emory, McElheny recalls her 10-mile runs at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park at the crack of dawn. Those early morning runs instilled the values of grit and hard work that helped her on the track as much as they do in medicine.

“One example of what motivates me to get up and be a doctor to a couple hundred people a day is that I got up

See MCELHENY, Page 11

taught her lessons about how to take care of her body. Urban has exerciseinduced asthma which has caused her many issues in the past, but she has learned to manage it. Still, in a sport like track, asthma can be a huge hurdle to overcome. “I’m grateful that I’ve been able to manage it for the most part,” Urban said. “But it definitely makes me realize how valuable my lungs are and how it’s so important to treat my body well.”

On top of the asthma, Urban has had to learn to balance academics and sports. During her freshman year of high school, Urban ran so much that she ended up with a stress fracture.

Since the incident, though, Urban has learned how important it is to listen to her body, she said.

Sticking to her values has been key in helping Urban reach her goals even as adversaries present themselves.

Persistence, for instance, is important to her because progress doesn’t come quickly, she said. By putting in the work, she has been able to get faster over time. She currently has a personal best of 11:13:46 in the 3000m run and 5:37:88 in the mile.

Similarly, Urban mentioned how the word “stimulus” is frequently used by her head coach Linh Nguyen. The term is used to describe how quality practices are crucial to development and that you have to see every day as an opportunity to improve.

“You can’t expect to get better if you show up at practice every day just to get through it,” Urban said. “You really have to see every day as an opportunity to get better.”

Urban uses this mentality to get better each and every day. Teammate Bella Racette, junior distance runner,

See SOPHOMORE, Page 11

EMORY ATHLETICS

Women’s tennis seniors honored

By Sofia Himmel Associate Editor

With only a few competitions this weekend after the cancellation of the softball game against Georgia Gwinnett College, the spotlight was on the women’s tennis team and the men’s and women’s track and field teams.

Here is how they fared.

On April 16, the women’s tennis team faced off against the Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies. While the team put up a good fight, the Eagles could not pull through, suffering a 6-1 loss.

The duo of seniors Ysabel GonzalezRico and Katie Chang were the only Eagles that walked away with a win, securing a 6-3 victory over Grizzly sophomore Tereza Koplova and freshman Selina Pichler. In singles, long and hard matches were fought by freshman Ana Cristina Perez and junior Lauren Yoon, while senior Stephanie Taylor made her season debut in the Courtesy of kathryn mcelheny

See BASEBALL, Page 11