November 20, 2019

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The Emory Wheel 100 Years of

Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper

Volume 100, Issue 36

Printed Every Wednesday

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

CC Fails to Endorse SAF Raise

Faderman Honors Activist’s Legacy

By Thomas Kreutz Contributing Writer

By Gabriella Lewis Contributing Writer

College Council (CC) Second-Year Legislator Chandler Smith (22C) proposed a resolution on Wednesday to endorse the Student Government Association’s (SGA) bill to raise the Student Activity Fee (SAF) by $15. After a debate that spanned roughly 40 minutes, the resolution failed to receive a two-thirds majority, with eight votes in favor, five votes against and three abstentions. CC hosted SGA President Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C) for a Q&A session before the resolution was presented to provide clarification about SGA’s initiative to increase the SAF to the legislators. Some legislators expressed concerns with SGA’s Finance Code and argued that the mismanagement of clubs’ money should be addressed before attempting to raise

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at 2:01 p.m., but CampusLabs did not deliver the email until 9:24 p.m., about three-and-a-half hours after the town hall began. “While we understand that this email-delay prevented members of the student body from being reminded of the town hall in a timely fashion, it is our hope that our social media communication and prior emails notifying students of the town hall were sufficient,” Steffel wrote in a Nov. 18 email to the Wheel. “While we are avoiding any further mass email communication until this problem is resolved,

Lillian Faderman, a historian of LGBTQ and ethnic studies, presented on the life and legacy of gay rights activisit Harvey Milk to about 90 community members on Nov. 18. The presentation, entitled “Harvey Milk Through a Jewish Lens,” commemorated the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies’ 11th annual Rothschild Lecture. The Rothschild Lecture is held every year in honor of the late, Atlantabased Rabbi Jacob M. Rothschild, who urged Jews to publicly embrace Judaism, civil rights and racial integration. In his introduction to the lecture, Director of the Tam Institute Eric Goldstein called Rothschild a “powerful voice for change.” Faderman began the lecture by honoring Milk’s legacy as a prominent gay leader even after his death 41 years

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Jackson Schneider/Contributing

SGA President Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C, R ight) and Second Year Representative Mo Singhal (22C, Left) discuss the passage of a bill which would increase the Student Activity Fee.

Bill to Raise SAF Passes Second Vote By Tanika Deuskar & Ana Kilbourn Senior Staff Writer & Staff Writer

The Student Government Association (SGA) voted for the second time on Monday to pass a bill that would increase the Student Activity Fee (SAF) from $95 to $110 for the 2020-2021 academic year. The bill passed with eight votes in favor, three oppositions and one abstention. Having passed a second time, the bill will move to an undergraduate-wide referendum on Nov. 20, where a majority of votes in favor of the SAF increase

will be required for it to pass. Ballots will be sent to students via email at 8 p.m. and will be accessible for 48 hours, according to SGA President Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C). Prior to the vote on Nov. 18, SGA held a town hall at 6 p.m. for students to share their thoughts about the bill. However, no student body members attended. During the town hall, Palmer and SGA Vice President of Finance Ben Wiener (21C) livestreamed a discussion about why they wanted to increase the SAF. According to SGA VP Lori Steffel (21B), SGA sent an undergraduate-wide email to students reminding them about the town hall

Palmer, Steffel Explain SAF Bill Everything You Need to Know About Today’s Ballot Referendum By Phyllis Guo Staff Writer

Courtesy of Ruth R eyes

Emory University President Claire E. Sterk holds the torch at her inauguration ceremony on Feb. 8, 2017. Sterk served as the first female University president and the 20th overall.

Pres. Sterk to Leave Office By Madison Bober Copy Editor

In a University-wide email, University President Claire E. Sterk announced her retirement as president, attributing her decision to a cumbersome seven-day work week and her passion for public health. “While I long for a little more free time, my passion has always been

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public health,” the University’s 20th president wrote. She informed the Emory Board of Trustees of her decision within the last week, according to a letter to the Emory community. Sterk will remain president until August 2020 at the request of the Board of Trustees. Upon her retirement, she will take a sabbatical before returning as a Charles Howard Candler Professor of Public

Health at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, according to an Emory press release. SGA President Ben Palmer (18Ox, 21C) said that he was very impressed with Sterks’ tenure as president. Palmer commended Sterk for creating a cohesive Emory identity and appreciated her push for an equal allocation

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Undergraduate students will receive an email today at 8 p.m. asking them to consider raising the Student Activity Fee (SAF) from $95 to $110. Student Government Association (SGA) President Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C) and SGA Vice President Lori Steffel (21B) spoke with the Wheel last week about their what the increase would mean for the student body. They answered common questions about the proposal, which must receive a majority of student votes in an undergraduate-wide referendum to pass. Here is everything you need to know about the SAF. What is the SAF? The SAF is a certain amount of money used to fund student organizations, clubs and events.

Every student pays the SAF as part of their tuition. The fee is allocated by SGA to the different divisional councils and executive agencies across Emory University and used for undergraduate campus life. Why is the SGA trying to increase the SAF by $15? During their campaign for SGA president and vice president, respectively, Palmer and Steffel promised to reduce the financial burden of clubs and organizations. With the additional $15, SAF SAF revenue could hypothetically increase by $120,000 for the upcoming year, according to SGA VP of Finance Ben Wiener. Wiener argued that as inflation rises, the SAF should rise at the same rate so that clubs can maintain the

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OP-ED Why You Should A&E Virgil Abloh EMORY LIFE Meet SPORTS Volleyball Vote Yes to Student Activity Collection Highlights The Alumnus Behind Insta’s Wins Regional, Advances Fee Increase ... PAGE 7 New Fork City ... Back Page PAGE 9 To Elite ... PAGE 5 Capitalism ...


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November 20, 2019 by The Emory Wheel - Issuu