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Friday, March 20, 2015
Brown Uses Dance To Discuss Race Issues
The Emory Wheel
Student Life
Students Gain New Perspectives on Break
Club Spotlight
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Continued from Page 9 numerous colleges. “Both of my schools are so willing to work with me to help me achieve my goals in both engineering and dance,” Brown said. Despite the support from the two universities, Brown is still concerned about the scarcity of black students in her environment. “I can’t help but notice when I walk into a room or around a campus and see no one that looks like me,” Brown said. “It’s my inspiration to make the presence of people like me more prominent in these institutions.” It is racial inequality that prompted Brown to express herself through dance at the Black History Month Gala. According to Brown, her anger and frustration caused by the inconsideration for black lives was translated into dance movements. Brown transferred those dance movements from her mind to the bodies of dancers so that her thoughts could be witnessed. Moore recalls one of the most memorable parts of the performance was when all the dancers shouted the names of those killed by police officers. “It was as if in that moment, we were fighting for our lives as well as those who have lost theirs,” Moore recounted. The dancers seemed to be pleased with the outcome of their performance. “The response to the piece moved me,” Brown said. “People told me the piece moved them and made them eerily uncomfortable because it made them really think about what this atmosphere can do to the African-American youth. When asked about the role of dance in pushing social justice forward, Brown wholeheartedly agreed that dance could have an important role. According to Brown, “resolutions to social justice issues begin with honest and unfiltered conversation, and on stage that’s what we had with each other and with our audience.” Brown also stated that black students at predominantly white institutions should continue to assume positions of power that will help push forth progress. “Black lives do matter, not only to us as black citizens, but to this country as a whole,” Brown said. “And until that comes to fruition, we are only doing an injustice by silencing ourselves. Until then, we can’t breat — Contact Ana Ioachimescu at ana.serena.ioachimescu@emory.edu
Photo courtesy of Khang Huynh
Students attend the annual TEDxEmory talk to hear speaker Rana Hajjeh, director of the Division of Bacterial Diseases at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
TEDxEmory Spreads Ideas By Ana Ioachimescu Staff Writer On Saturday, February 28, 2015, TEDxEmory hosted its main annual conference in which 13 speakers, including one Emory College student, gave 18-minute talks that have the chance to be featured on the TED official website. This event was the largest TEDx conference in the southeast, estimated to have had over 800 attendees. It is the fifth annual conference that TEDxEmory has hosted. Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) began as an annual four-day conference in California dedicated to spreading ideas worth spreading. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and many other influential thinkers. TEDx is an extension of TED which makes these ideas accessible to a larger audience. As an independent local chapter, TEDxEmory operates under TED guidelines. For example, TEDx events must be interdisciplinary in nature, must not exceed one day in duration, and may not be used to raise money. “I think TEDxEmory brings a level of critical thinking and engagement to Emory’s campus. We work to facilitate the spread and development of new ideas between students, with faculty, and with the greater Atlanta community,” said Jane Singer, co-president of TEDxEmory and College senior. In the past, TEDxEmory has hosted many unique events. Earlier this year, the group collaborated with the Alpha Tao Omega (ATO) fraternity to create an event called Salon. At the event, a series of student speakers
gave five-minute talks on topics of their choice. The talks ranged from matters of dance to Ferguson to child trafficking in Atlanta. According to Izzy Kornman, a member of the Internal Affairs for TEDxEmory and a College sophomore, the location of the event “prompted a lot more intellectual conversation than you usually find there.” TEDxEmory also participates in nearly every Wonderful Wednesday and Student Activities Fair. The group aims to spread ideas year-round and encourages student involvement. At Wonderful Wednesdays, TEDxEmory asks thought-provoking questions and documents the student responses in photographs that are then posted on social media such as Facebook. The organization is also planning Ideathon, a hackathon-style event featuring problem statements about Atlanta. Participants will have the opportunity to solve entrepreneurial problems in innovative ways in order to win a prize. Additionally, TEDxEmory hosts monthly Speaker Series, at which professors and other members of the Atlanta community give talks. According to Singer, the Speaker Series “highlights interesting work done by faculty or members of the Atlanta community.” TEDx hosts a large range of events. “One of my favorite events was in conjunction with the Atlanta Ballet,” said Erica Smearman, a member of the executive board and College graduate student. The event, which took place in September, included talks by Parkinson’s researchers on movement, a panel discussion with researchers and patients and a dance
performance by the Atlanta Ballet Fellowship Ensemble. “During the day, we also hosted a bounce house in the middle of campus to align with a theme of TEDMED talks about the importance of play.” The TEDxEmory team meets regularly on Fridays. “We work hard to get the funding necessary to make student tickets to our main event free so that everyone can attend and see speakers from all disciplines,” said Kornman. When asked about the future of TEDxEmory, many members spoke about continuing to expand the main event and adding new collaborations throughout the year. “I hope that we can continue to host events that are open to everyone on campus and spark new ideas,” Kornman said. Amrutha Khrishnaraj, currently the director of finance of TEDxEmory and a College junior, will be co-president of the organization next year alongside Christine Brittain, College junior. “We have already started brainstorming ideas for next year and are extremely eager for what we hope to accomplish,” Khrishnaraj said. The future co-presidents are already discussing various themes for 2016’s conference and planning to collaborate with TED-Ed, an educational venue for teaching students and viewers about different subjects through short video lessons. TEDxEmory will continue to hold Salon and the Speaker Series as well. “At the end of the day, a single story, idea or thought may be enough to inspire one to change the world,” Khrishnaraj said. — Contact Ana Ioachimescu at ana.serena.ioachimescu@emory.edu
Active Minds Promotes Mental Health Continued from Page 9 Lombardi found a welcoming and genuine community among the members of Active Minds. “I continued to become more involved because I met people not only with similar goals, but also people that genuinely cared about other people’s well-being,” Lombardi said. Active Minds is a relatively-small organization that aims to increase the amount of panels, discussions and awareness campaigns during each
semester in order to spread the word about mental health. “We reach a broader range of students through promoting ways to improve mental health, which can translate to improvements in academics,” Lombardi said. Active Minds also tries to communicate the point that the organization is not just for those who have or have struggled with mental health disorders. “This is something we like to tell people when they ask about why
what we do matters,” Alwaise said. “Everyone doesn’t have a mental disorder, but everyone has mental health. It’s important to be aware of that and take care of yourself.” Burgin believes that Active Minds has an important role in the Emory community that can translate to larger implications in society’s future. “Our work is important on the college campus, due to the huge changes college students have to go through,” Burgin said. “They need to realize if they are
having issues or going through something, they aren’t the only ones who feel that way, and they can get support and help.” Burgin believes that we can make an impact on society through a better understanding of mental health, he said. “We are a new generation, and therefore we can start to change how society views mental health.” Burgin said. — Contact Bharath Shankar at bharath.ramanathan.shankar@emory.edu
both an eye-opening and a rewarding experience. On their five-day trip, they experienced homelessness, volunteered at homeless shelters, interacted with the homeless, became more aware of the controversy surrounding the social justice issue of homelessness and gained a greater appreciation for their lives. Cole and Bernhard went on the Homeless Immersion trip from March 9 to 13 in Atlanta. They were two of nine people who participated in this particular Alternative Spring Break option. “Our trip consisted of us staying in Atlanta, walking around to different shelters and organizations to learn about their work and hearing about their stories of experiencing homelessness,” Bernhard said. According to Cole, the students on this trip underwent a simulation of homelessness for the duration of their break. “We we were not allowed to shower or brush our teeth,” Cole said. “We had to carry our stuff in big trash bags, and were given five dollars for the week.” At the beginning of the trip, the students were given a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. These staples provided 75 percent of their meals for the course of the week, Cole said. The rest of their consumption was supplied by several homeless shelters in Atlanta. According to Bernhard, at the Metro Atlanta Task Force, a homeless shelter known for drug use and violence, the students helped clean the mattresses in the shelter. At the City of Refuge, a homeless shelter for women and children, they took a tour of their facilities. There the students learned that the shelter provides a three-month program to help integrate homeless people back into society. For two nights, the students slept in the backyard of one of the trip’s organizers. According to Cole, this experience taught them the importance of trade-offs. Cole claimed that a heavy blanket was hard to carry during the long walks in the day, but it provided warmth on a cold night. Some students carried the blanket and struggled with the extra load during the day, but were somewhat comfortable at night, while others experienced the alternative end of the trade-off. The students also spent two nights at the Shrine of Immaculate Conception where they slept in the same room as the homeless. “The Shrine is underneath a church. Different people bring meals for the homeless people,” Cole said. “They can sleep there, but they have to be out by six a.m. It is only open for the coldest months.” The participants also went to the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center where they learned about how policy can be changed to reduce homelessness. Members of the trip found out about certain issues the homeless face in obtaining jobs due to a lack of proper identification resulting from the difficulty of tracking down their social security numbers and birth certificates. They also learned about some discrepancies in the law concerning homeless people. “People with a drug felony on their record are no longer eligible for food stamps, but people who have committed murder [are eligible],” Cole said. Members of the trip were shocked by some of what they learned. “There are some illogical policies that could be changed to help rehabilitate and
reintegrate homeless people into society instead of keeping them at the level they are,” Bernhard said. Bernhard and Cole were both a bit hesitant at first when they signed up for the trip, but looking back on their experience, they are very enthusiastic towards their experience. “It wasn’t relaxing and it wasn’t supposed to be. It was physically really tough, and there were some times when I felt like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but you push through and in the end are really grateful you went,” Bernhard said. According to Bernhard and Cole, they gained many valuable lessons from their experience. Cole discovered that although he could simulate homelessness physically, he was unable to truly understand the emotional component of being homeless. He knew that he would be able to push through the hunger and discomfort of walking everywhere because the trip would be over in five days, and he could go back to his life at Emory. “We were limited in what we could eat so we were hungry and tired, but one thing that was impossible to simulate was the emotional stress of not knowing when homelessness was going to end,” Cole said. Bernhard was struck by the inefficiency of certain policies related to homelessness. She believes that the reform of certain approaches, practices, and legislation could reduce the amount of homeless people by allowing them to help themselves get off the streets. “If we were to reform our current policies, we could reach a place where people experiencing homelessness aren’t cast aside. They would have the opportunity to rise up and help themselves get out of their situation,” Bernhard said. But, she is optimistic that such changes will be made: “There are plenty of people out there helping and willing to help.” Members of the trip were inspired by the people they met and spoke with on their trip. “A common theme throughout our trip was that everyone experiencing homelessness has a different narrative. It can be anyone and can be caused by anything. I think this is a common misperception,” Bernhard said. Lastly, Cole said that his experience reaffirmed their thankfulness for their lives. “You actually feel it and it sticks with you,” Cole said. “You truly understand what people mean when they say you don’t know what you have.” Although Bernhard and Cole were at first unsure about signing up for the trip, in the end they are really glad they took the risk. “Personally I was really apprehensive about doing it. Going on it, there were times when I wasn’t enjoying it, but the amount I learned and how grateful I am outweigh the bad parts,” Bernhard said. Bernhard and Cole both endorse their experience with their Alternative Spring Break choice. Cole even says that he would do it again, if given the chance. For students interested in a weekend service trip through Volunteer Emory, there will be two more Alternative Weekend trips this year, one focusing on sex trafficking and domestic violence in Atlanta and another focusing on protecting the coasts in Savannah. Applications are due March 27 and the trips run from April 10-12. — Contact Lindsay Wilson at lindsay.wilson@emory.edu
Look at the Big Picture When Trying to Prevent Stress This Semester Continued from Page 9 your health but also gives you more energy throughout the day. A 2008 article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity reported a strong, positive correlation between physical activity and academic success. If going to the gym does not normally appeal to you, do not be discouraged by the idea of running in place for hours or lifting your weight in dumbbells. Take classes at the WoodPEC to vary your workout and maintain your interest. Think you will get bored? Grab a workout partner. The two of you can motivate each other on those days when you might not necessarily feel the urge to work out. You should benefit both physically and academically. Reward Yourself Especially on the days when you find yourself scrolling through the calendar app on your phone to count down the days until summer, make small, realistic goals for yourself to keep up the productive momentum. For each small task you accomplish,
reward yourself with something little. “Something as simple as gummy bears or chocolate after getting my work done helps keep me going,” College freshman Emily Enyedi said. After completing all of your tasks, reward yourself with something bigger. Finish your homework, your reading and, finally, the essay that is supposed to be written on that blank word document and then reward yourself with a movie night. Look at the Big Picture Rather than getting caught up on not getting that Sophomore Advisor position or accidentally sleeping through your Monday morning alarm, try to remember your longterm goals. Whether you want to become the next Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, leading expert in the treatment of Ebola, or the next Marth Stewart, leading expert on pipe-cleaner snowflake ornaments to brighten up your home during the holidays. Taking a moment to acknowledge long-term objectives may help alleviate stress caused by short-term issues. Refocus the smaller tasks that will eventually lead to your larger ambitions. While
Ashley Marcus/Staff
(From left to right) College freshmen Jena Patel, Catherine Urbano and Kevin Lu plan out a study schedule to prevent procrastinating for upcoming midterms at Cox Hall.
it is easy to get lost in day-to-day frustrations, looking toward your ultimate goal(s) can help you refocus and reevaluate the things that are actually worth stressing over. College fresh-
man Greg Bright is working towards getting into the Goizueta Business School, but more than that he wants to learn the actual knowledge that he can gain from each course. “I was
actually enrolled in five courses ... but I decided to withdraw from one of them because I wanted to enjoy my time in each course,” Bright said. “That would keep me more motivated
than just going through the motions... I want to get more out of school than just a diploma.”
— Contact Ashley Marcus at ashley.megan.taylor.marcus@emory.edu