Nov. 19, 2025

The Emory Wheel

By Frieda Belasco Contributing Writer

Across the Atlantic Ocean, Oxford College piloted its Oxford Launch: London program this fall semester.

Oxford London program takes students across the pond Sears provides reason for Ahad's 2-year provost term

experience a new culture, a new way of taking care of patients and then also immerse myself in the historical landmarks and museums available in London,” Parekh said.

By ellie Fivas and spencer Friedland Editor-in-Chiefs

When Emory University's Interim University President Leah Ward Sears (80L) received a call from Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Goddard III in April, she immediately knew why the chairman was calling: Goddard was going to ask Sears to serve as Emory’s next interim president. Sears convinced herself to consider the offer and ultimately decided to take up the mantle as the University’s first Black female president.

In May, a university-wide statement announced that then-President Gregory Fenves would step down as president and assume the long-dormant position of chancellor. In his stead, the Board of Trustees appointed Sears, then a veteran trustee, as interim president. To take the role, Sears left her job as a partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, an Atlantabased law firm.

Sears joined the University administration amid a tumultuous time across higher education and at Emory. Since assuming the role, Sears has led the University through several highly impactful decisions for the Emory community: ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, controversy surrounding the revised

43 first-year students spent their first semester at Emory University studying in London. Associate Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies Pablo Palomino and Associate Professor of English Sarah Higinbotham led the program.

Emily Zhao (27Ox) called the program a “cool experience” that helped her pursue her academic goals in a new location and culture. She said the unique opportunity of spending her first semester abroad motivated her to choose Emory. Zhao recounted experiences from the program, including cruising down the River Thames, watching fireworks on Guy Fawkes Day and exploring the Greenwich community.

Throughout the semester, students took two courses, including a Discovery Seminar Course,

the next two years.”

Palomino said he was excited for the first cohort of Oxford Launch students, or “guinea pigs,” to experience a more globalized academic perspective, especially in London, which he said is a meaningful destination for him.

“I’ve never really traveled before,” Zhao said. “I thought it would be a really cool experience to study abroad in such a historical, diverse, giant city across the world.”

Aarav Parekh (27Ox) said he joined the program to gain a global perspective on his academic interests. For him, this meant learning about London’s medical and healthcare industry.

“When I came to London, I was looking for that experience, trying to

with either Palomino or Higinbotham in addition to three other classes taught by International Education of Students credentialed faculty.

The cohort took part in an orientation on the Oxford campus before departing for London and completing another orientation abroad. Parekh called the orientation “brilliant” in connecting London students with students on the Oxford campus.

“I really, really like that Oxford College did that for us,” Parekh said. “It gave us a baseline of the kids that we’re going to be hanging out with for

Palomino designed his courses for the London program to involve the location itself.

“London, a very important location, both in terms of the historical content in the city that speaks to my work, and also in terms of the archival material that is available here, and in terms of pedagogy, in terms of the stories I can discover and share with with my students about the globalization of music and the globalization of food, which are the two topics I am teaching in this semester here,” Palomino said.

Palomino emphasized that he hopes students take away from his classes a unique learning experience that can only be found in a place like London.

“I hope they gain the sense of intellectual ambition that no one is confined from the first day into their perceived or expected limits or paths that they had in mind when registering to college,” Palomino said.

This semester, Palomino taught a seminar focusing on food and the his-

See STUDENTS, Page 2

By spencer Friedland Editor-in-Chief

When Interim University

President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced that former Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad would become Emory University’s next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, the announcement stated that Ahad’s term would last only two years.

Compared to its peer institutions, Emory has a higher turnover rate among higher-level administrators, with the University having more provosts than any of its peers since 2000. Sears said that she hopes to “stabilize” the University’s leadership. Before Ahad’s appointment, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Lanny Liebeskind had been serving as interim provost since the start of 2025.

Sears said in an interview with The Emory Wheel the University’s search for a provost had “failed” for reasons she could not disclose.

According to Sears, she did not want to wait longer to find a permanent provost. Instead, she chose to appoint Ahad without an official search, which was part of the reasoning behind her two-year term.

“We needed someone to come in immediately and fix things and get

Oxford requests permit to build dorm, opening

By eileen Zhu Contributing Writer

Oxford College hopes to build a new dorm on its campus to replace the Jolley Residential Center (JRC), which Emory constructed in 1955. At a City of Oxford, Ga., public hearing on Nov. 17, Emory University Landscape Architect James Johnson shared an updated timeline for the project and added that the college has requested a formal permit to complete construction. The new dorm’s development follows student complaints of mold in 2024.

When the University first announced the new dorm in 2024, Vice President for Campus Services and Chief Planning Officer Robin Morey said the construction would be completed by 2026. During the meeting, Johnson discussed the project’s timeline, which differed from Morey’s original statement.

“We are likely a year away from construction and two years to occupancy,” Johnson said. “The JRC would not come down until 2029 at the earliest.”

At Monday’s public hearing, Johnson presented Oxford’s development plan to Oxford Mayor David Eady and other council members. The plan includes building a four-

story dorm in the current Haygood Hall parking lot. Once the new dorm construction is complete, the plan calls for the demolition of the JRC. As it stands, the JRC is 87,000 square feet, while the new building is to be 99,800 square feet, according to Johnson.

The plan also includes converting the JRC area into a green rec-

reational space, creating additional parking spaces between Moore Street and Stone Street and demolishing Dooley’s Tavern with a plan to rebuild it in the basement of the new residential hall.Kelly Zhang (27Ox) shared that she was excited to see new construction plans for replacing the JRC.

“A lot of my friends they live in

JRC and they’re always complaining. … Sometimes the AC doesn’t work, and there’s not enough washers or dryers, compared to the other newer buildings,” Zhang said. “Adding a new residential hall will make the school a bit more modern.”

During the hearing, Emory’s construction team requested two zoning rule variances that the City of Oxford required for the current construction plan. One of which calls on the city to make an exception to a rule limiting buildings to three stories.

“We need the height variance because the northern wing of the building sits within the institutional campus transitional area,” Johnson said.

The second variance requested the city to grant another exception to the stream buffer along the construction perimeter. A stream buffer is an area of undeveloped land next to a stream that mitigates environmental damage from runoff. Johnson proposed reducing the 25-foot buffer zone to 18 feet. The college’s current aim for a stream buffer is to act as a filter for nearby Turkey Creek.

Many council members expressed concern about the request to reduce the stream buffer, as additional parking spaces would increase runoff, worsening pollution and erosion in

the area. Council members were also worried that approving these exceptions for Oxford College would put them under pressure to approve similar variances in the future.

However, Senior Project Manager at Eberly and Associates Antonio Sample, a contractor working on the project for the University, explained that he did a hydrology study that indicated the construction will have a net positive environmental impact.

“Our study shows that we’ll be able to meet or exceed your stormwater ordinance,” Sample said. “We are going above that by providing fire retention areas and forms of green infrastructure to collect surface runoff.”

The city council will take a formal vote on Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. Patel mentioned the importance of maintaining the balance between student and community priorities.

Paawan Patel (26Ox) shared how fascinating it was to learn about the debates surrounding the construction of the new buildings.

“I hope they are ultimately able to build this new building, but with minimal impact on the outside community,” Patel said.

— Contact Eileen Zhu at eileen.zhu@emory.edu

Olivia Piri/Staff illuStratOr

COurteSy Of emOry univer Sity

Oxford College's construction plan for a new dorm includes the demolition of Jolley Residental Center after completion.

2 in 5 Goizueta students do not receive top study abroad choice

By livia MaZniker Contributing Writer

For students at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, securing a top-choice destination for studying abroad is competitive. Only three in five Goizeuta students will study abroad in their top-ranked choice this upcoming Spring.

Each year, the business school sends students around the world through its network of 48 partner exchange programs across more than 30 countries. For Goizueta students planning to study abroad this upcoming year, the business school assigned locations to students in late September through an application process. According to Associate Director of University Communications Rachel Smith, this year, the business school assigned 60% of students their first choice location, 10% their second and 11% their third, meaning that 19% of students did not get one of their top choices. She added that the University did not have statistics for previous years.

Despite the selectivity, studying abroad is a popular academic pathway for Emory’s business students. According to Goizueta’s study abroad website, 30% of business students

choose to further their business education abroad. Additionally, students who study abroad can build their network, learn about other cultures and connect with international students. Goizueta students directly enroll in partner universities abroad, taking classes alongside local and exchange students.

Only students enrolled in the Business School may participate in the school’s 48 partner exchange programs, meaning that students exclusively pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration are not able to study abroad through the Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) programs. Instead, ECAS students access study abroad offerings administered by the Office of International and Summer Programs, rather than Goizueta’s exchange track.

Goizueta’s exchange programs require specific prerequisites and follow a “body-to-body” model with partner business schools, meaning the business school must match business students going abroad with incoming international students. The exchange structure means students compete for a limited number of spots.

— Contact Livia Mazniker at livia.mazniker@emory.edu

Candler dean discusses 2-year term

Continued from Page 1

things going,” Sears said.

Ahad did not comment on whether she could remain as Emory’s provost for longer than two years in response to an email from The Emory Wheel. However, Ahad wrote that she is “honored” to take on the two-year commitment.

“As someone who knows Emory and has worked closely with our deans and academic leaders during my time as dean of Oxford College, I welcome the opportunity to serve our faculty, staff and students on a broader scale,” Ahad wrote.

Mary Lee Hardin Willard Dean of the Candler School of Theology

Jonathan Strom is the only administrator of all Emory deans and toplevel academic officials, outside of Ahad, to have a two-year term.

Strom, who has spent his career researching post-Reformation German religious history, said he decided to take the two-year term because it would allow him to improve Candler before he returns to teaching.

“I’m not resigning from this position or stepping down from this position in order to go someplace else,” Strom said. “What I want to do is continue to teach at Emory and be part of Candler.”

Strom emphasized that when he came to Emory, he never thought he would have a career in administration.

“I came to teach and came to research, and administration was something I’ve kind of gotten into bit by bit, but it wasn’t part of my plan,” Strom said.

Crime Report: Criminal trespass in ESC

By GeorGe seGall Crime Desk

The Emory Wheel regularly meets with Emory Police Department (EPD) Records Manager Ed Shoemaker (87G, 90G) and Director of Campus Safety Communications Morieka Johnson (94C, 24L) and uses EPD’s public crime log to inform the Emory University community about recent crime on and around Emory’s campuses.

To report a crime, contact EPD at 404-727-6111 or police@emory.edu.

Criminal trespass at Emory Student Center (ESC)

ESC management staff reported to EPD an unauthorized female individual loitering around the building at about 6:45 a.m. on Nov. 17. According to EPD, the building was closed to the public at that time. EPD received multiple calls about an individual in the previous weeks. This individual does not appear to be an Emory student, employee or possess any form of Emory ID. When EPD arrived to respond to the previous instances, officers did not successfully locate the individual.

When EPD arrived on Nov. 17, officers located the individual sitting in a ESC study area on the third floor while the building was not open to the public. EPD asked the individual if she had an Emory ID, to which she replied that she did not. She did possess a driver’s license, and EPD was able to verify her identity with some degree of certainty and determined she had no apparent reason to be in the facility. Due to her

repeated offenses, EPD issued her a criminal trespass warning.

Upon being issued the warning, the subject requested to be taken to the North Decatur Building, where an EPD station is located. EPD complied with her request. At the police station, she asked to speak to an officer. However, before her request could be fulfilled, the woman said she was leaving to purchase a cup of coffee and did not return to the building for several hours.

When the subject returned to the building at about 12:15 p.m., she met with EPD in the building’s lobby. She asked to speak with a supervisor, and EPD called in the sergeant. The female subject told EPD that she is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and said that the building she entered was constructed on Muscogee ancestral land. She also claimed to be a biochemical engineer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and she said Emory students were being “weaponized,” which is the reason for her continued visits.

After determining that the subject was unaffiliated with Emory, an

frieDlanD/eDitOr-in-Chief Former Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad will serve as Emory University's next Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs amid broader leadership turnovers.

Despite only being in the role for about a year and a half, Strom is proud of his work as dean, citing the creation of the La Mesa Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies Program, a hybrid certificate “designed to increase the intercultural competencies of students” as one of his top accomplishments. The program allows students to earn a certificate for religions that do require a master’s degree for ministerial ordination.

“We’re really the only program that has fully accredited coursework for a certificate like this, and so it does instruction in Spanish, Korean and

Students,

English,” Strom said. “It’s got this really diverse people that otherwise wouldn’t be in it, but they’re working at a really high level, and we’ve been able to firm that up in this past year.”

Finally, Strom highlighted that the University has excellent leadership.

“You’ve got a really great set of deans at Emory,” Strom said. “They’re a highly talented, really motivated bunch of people. That’s been one of the joys of being in this is getting to know them better and working with them and seeing what they do.”

— Contact Spencer Friedland at spencer.friedland@emory.edu

faculty reflect on semester abroad in London

Continued from Page 1

tory of globalization. Being in London, Palomino and his students used excursions like visiting The National Archives to enrich their learning experience and engage with historical material firsthand.

“Being in London represented for me the opportunity to work hands-on with new documents,” Palomino said.

EPD sergeant asked her to leave the EPD station at the North Decatur Building. However, she refused to leave the premises and officers arrested her. EPD searched her belongings in conjunction with the arrest, but they found no contraband or weapons. EPD then transported the individual to the DeKalb County Jail and charged her with misdemeanor offensive criminal trespass.

While being transported to the jail, the subject continued to talk about her role at the CDC, which she then said was a bioterrorism consultant. While in custody, she also claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are fake and repeated her claim that Emory students and staff are being “weaponized.” Officers were not sure what the individual was referring to. She also said Emory was built on tribal land, and because of that, she had a right to be there as a descendant of the Muscogee Nation. For now, the case has been cleared by arrest, but EPD will continue to follow up.

— Contact George Segall at george.segall@emory.edu

“To show first year students the beauty, the passion, the interest of working with historical documents and combining archival work with classroom conversations.”

More generally, Palomino said that studying abroad is important for students’ personal and academic growth.

“Feeling like a stranger in terms of culture, in terms of place, is very important in terms of personal growth, intellectual, emotional but also social,” Palomino said.

Chendan Wang (27Ox) said that she chose to study abroad to start off her college journey so she could experience education “farther away from home.”

“I wanted to be somewhere I wasn't really used to,” Wang said. “I do live in Georgia, so Emory is in-state for me, and so with London Launch, I feel like I could have gotten that sort of distance to see what's out of what I usually expect and where I usually live.”

However, students pointed out some drawbacks of the program. For Parekh, he said participating in this program made it difficult to keep up with the required pre-medical track classes, as the courses offered in London are more humanities-based.

“The one critique I would say is if there was any way for students to take classes that they’re more interested in freshman fall instead of having to wait for the spring,” Parekh said.

“I’m

excited for a bigger community, a bigger dorm space, more traditional U.S. living.”

—

To Zhao, the downside of studying abroad earlier on is the potential loss of research opportunities at Emory.

“At Emory, there’s so many more professors, they do research there,” Zhao said. “But here, we only have two professors. If we really want to do research, we are kind of behind.”

Still, Parekh is looking forward to rejoining the larger Oxford community in the spring.

“I’m excited for a bigger community, a bigger dorm space, more traditional U.S. living,” Parekh said.

With the semester ending, Palomino expressed his hope that the London students will take the lessons back across the ocean to Oxford to steward worldly voices and perspectives into both the classroom and campus.

“They have, already in the first semester, an exposure to so many other things and so many other ways to connect that initial vocation of yours with more histories, more experiences,” Palomino said.

— Contact Frieda Belasco at frieda.belasco@emory.edu

Aarav Parekh (27Ox)

Sa Sha emmeriCh/DeP illuStratiOn eDitOr

JaCk rutherfOr D/m anaging eDitOr

The Emory Police Department arrested an individual who repeatedly trespassed into the Emory Student Center.

SPenCer

Interim president talks leadership turnover, Chancellor Fenves

Continued from Page 1

Open Expression Policy as well as offering free tuition for families making under $200,000.

One of Sears’ hopes during her time leading Emory is to improve transparency across the University regarding changes made in response to evolving federal guidelines, but emphasized that the pace at which the government is making changes has complicated that goal. The Emory Wheel asked the interim president if the Emory community will ever receive more information about changes at the University due to federal directives.

“I’m not even privy to what might have to change given the volatile environment that we are in right now,” Sears said. “We have to be nimble, we have to be flexible to survive. So, I can’t tell you what I know. I don’t know what’s going to happen next week. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year, but I will promise you, as soon as I’m privy, … you’ll be privy. I know how scary it is not to be able to tell you black or white, up or down, but we're just not in that kind of environment.”

While she has been engaged in Emory’s affairs for years, Sears shared with the Wheel that her role has shown her a new side of the University.

“I had limited knowledge,” Sears said. “I thought I knew it all. I came into this job, and I found out I knew very little about the tension, the emotions, what the expectations were. The trustees get lots of information, lots of information, but you have to be here to feel it.”

The Wheel sat down with Sears to discuss her new role, her goals for the University and her perspective on current issues at Emory. Below is a record of our conversation.

The Q&A has been edited for clarity and length. To read the full Q&A go to emorywheel.com

The Emory Wheel: Coming into this new role, what changes did you want to see at Emory from your perspective as a trustee?

Sears: More transparency … I thought we were more transparent than we were. So, it wasn’t from my perspective as a trustee, but when I got here, I think the place is very siloed. Each college is its own college, and there’s not a lot of collaboration, and we don’t talk to each other the way I would like to, and I think that’s a real — I don’t want to say problem — but we could do way better with that. And it’s not from my perspective as a trustee, because I thought that was

going on, and then when I became president, I could see that it wasn’t. Even on a granular level, it’s hard to get information, like, ‘What’s going on, who’s doing what, why is this happening?’ that kind of thing. And you start talking to the students, talking to the faculty, talking to staff, and you realize they don’t know either. That was a shocker. I don’t think it’s because of anything malicious or anything. I just think that’s the culture.

Wheel: You made a big announcement that families making under $200,000 would be effectively not paying tuition. Was that something that you thought of as a trustee? How did that project come up?

Sears: From May, June, July and August, I spent all that time, not all of it, but a really good chunk of time, going into a transition, getting oriented on what the problems were, what’s coming from Washington and what’s going on here, what we need to do, how we need to fill gaps, who the alumni are, who the donors are. They were coming up to my office two or three times a week: with, ‘Hi, I’m the donor people, I’m the development people.’ Here we go, around the table. ‘Hi, I’m the police. This is a problem with us. … ‘Hi, I’m this.’ Two or three times a week, I just meet with people. And that came out of that process, that maybe we could do that, because the DEI thing came out of that process too. So it wasn’t like I started on September 1, and I woke up the next day and said, bingo. It was all put together during that process, what the first week was going to look like.

Wheel: Can you provide some insight on whose decision it was for Fenves to transition into his role as chancellor?

Sears: I don’t know that. It’s typically a trustee. There’s no one person, no one person can do that. And I was not involved in that, anything about that. I didn’t even know we had a chancellor slot. I found that out later, but [Goddard] did tell me, ‘We’re going to make Greg chancellor. We want you to be president.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, we got a chancellor thing going again?’ I did say that, too, when he says, ‘Yes, we have used that several times in the history.’ … But, who did that, who came up with the chancellor, all of that. Or even who picked me, I can’t tell you where that came from, honestly.

Wheel: How do you work with Fenves, and what is his day-to-day?

The Emory Wheel

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Editors-in-Chief Ellie Fivas and Spencer Friedland ellie.fivas@emory.edu spencer.friedland@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.

Sears: We work in tandem, but not together every day. … He’s doing the lobbying and Washington stuff, which he had already gotten into, and which is a lot right now. And I’m doing the operational campus stuff, like pretty much the rest. He does donors, but I’m doing donor development too. But he sends a report every two weeks to [Goddard] and me, and I read the report. Fenves and I were at Cornell at the same time. He’s two years younger than me. … I didn’t know him there, but that was always a connection. I like him very much.

Wheel: Over the summer, Emory decided to let go of many Campus Life senior leadership. Can you tell us about what led to the downsizing of the Campus Life division?

Sears: I can say this: From what I know, they were all confidential employee personnel matters. … I can tell you what I can tell you, ‘Was it race-based?’ There are rumors I hear about that, because some of the leaders were African Americans. It wasn’t. What are some of the other rumors? It wasn’t that we’re just downsizing Campus Life because we don’t care about Campus Life. We really do care about Campus Life — to the point that I’ve asked the new provost to really do a lot more. We need a lot more work on Campus Life for undergrads and graduate students as well. We know we’ve got an issue there, and that was before they left. I want our student body immersed in their studies and learning and all that, but joyful on campus and happy, because when I went to school, I was happy just walking around the quad.

Wheel: As the Wheel reported in June, Emory has the highest turnover among its peers for provosts, deans and presidents. What is the University looking to do to decrease that?

Sears: To stop that. Get the right people. We know we’ve got a problem. We know there is some thought that that’s not stable. And that’s why I appointed Dean Ahad — not interim, but provost. She’s a provost. She’s got a two-year contract, but we know we have to stabilize. Everyone knows that, even the trustees know that, and we’re working on it.

Wheel: What was the reasoning behind the two-year contract for [Provost] Ahad?

Sears: We had gone through a long search, everyone was involved, … but the search failed — I couldn’t come in as an interim, for whatever time I’m in, and not do another twoyear long search and then think that. … We needed someone to come in immediately and fix things and get things going. And I was actually at the Faculty Eminence Award Reception, and she got up there, and I heard two faculty behind me saying, 'Oh, finally, we have a provost.’ … We needed a provost.

Wheel: Do you know why this search went on much longer than expected, and why, like you said, it failed?

Sears: I do know, but that would be getting into some legal and ethical problems. But I do know the answer.

Wheel: On your third day

leading the University, you announced that Emory would be ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices and programs throughout the University. How do you plan to address students’ fears that this will fundamentally change the experience of being at Emory?

Sears: The only way to do that is to make sure that the student experience doesn’t change, that our values stay the same. It’s just going to take a long time. Look, as an African American woman, I know how it is to be fearful in environments where you’re such a minority … The fears like this just take time. When people see that the research continues, the teaching continues, the spaces are still open, everybody’s welcome, and all that, the fears will subside. It’s like building trust. You can’t build trust overnight. It’s a slow process, and the only thing to do is show up and fulfill the promises that you’ve promised. In my statement, I said our values will not change. We will continue on as we are. And I meant that.

Wheel: Many community members have also noted that there’s been some lack of transparency with what constitutes DEI at Emory. How did the University pick and choose what programs had to end versus which places needed a name change?

Sears: We didn’t just name-change things, because that would be a problem. A legal problem. [Ending] DEI [offices and programs] doesn’t include teaching about race, and it doesn’t include [stopping] the research into diseases that are big in African American or Asian communities. It doesn’t go that far. That’s our interpretation of it. I got my interpretation from our general counsel’s office, and I’m a lawyer too, so I can read and come up with stuff.

Wheel: So, would you say the process [of ending DEI programs] is still ongoing?

Sears: No, I think we’re in, as far as I understand it, we’re in compliance. The process of responding appropriately to what we need to respond to [with the federal government] is going on. So, that’s more than DEI, a lot more than DEI.

Wheel: There has been some controversy over the University Senate finding that the University violated the new Open Expression Policy in the termination of a former faculty member. When mak-

ing personnel decisions, does the University follow the Open Expression Policy?

Sears: Yes.

Wheel: Do you intend to make any kinds of protections or changes to the way that the Open Expression Policy is implemented?

Sears: It’s my understanding that’s for the Senate to do. That’s a Senate function. I’ll just say this: There are some gaps that need to be filled. … And that’s not atypical. Something comes out, and you think it’s going to work a certain way, and it doesn’t quite work that way. And then you say, ‘Oh, this is being interpreted one way by one group and one way by the other group.’ And maybe that’s what the law is. We’re constantly like, ‘Oh, well, this didn’t work for here, but we’re going to have to tinker here and tinker there.’ And I think the Open Expression Policy is always going to have to be an evolving policy that we’re always tinkering with, never set in stone. Nothing should be that set in stone. But this University is committed to open expression, and I personally am for freedom of speech. [The University Senate has] cited my cases a dozen times. So you can read my cases, you know where I stand, okay on that, and I haven't backed off.

Wheel: The [Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression] has also given Emory a D- in its College Free Speech Rankings this year. Do you see Emory as a place that does foster debate?

Sears: Yeah, I do. And if it didn’t, we’re going to hear about it, and we’re hearing about stuff now. So, if it didn’t foster debate, we wouldn’t be in a debate, and we are in a debate.

Wheel: As interim president of the University, you’ll only be leading Emory temporarily. What do you want your legacy to be at Emory, even with a short timeframe?

Sears: I helped improve transparency, got rid of some of the silos, increased efficiencies, because we could do better on that, and really enhanced the student experience, or at least got it kicked off. I want students here to be happy, not just with their classes, but just with the overall student experience.

— Contact Ellie Fivas at ellie.fivas@emory and Contact Spencer Friedland at spencer.friedland@emory.edu

COurteSy Of emOry univer Sity

Emory University Interim President Leah Ward Sears (80L) sits down with The Emory Wheel to reflect on her new role.

The Emory Wheel Opinion

EDITORIAL

Amid public health crises, Emory must stand strong

Across the United States, a preventable public health crisis is unfolding in real time. In the last two years, 29 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases have emerged in Bangor, Maine, making it one of the largest outbreaks in state history. To put this spike into perspective, the rural city of around 32,000 people has now recorded more HIV cases in two years than it typically sees in a decade. The crisis, driven by contaminated needlesharing among Bangor’s unhoused population, heralds a wider national health emergency. Bangor is a warning for communities across the United States — including in Georgia, which was second among states in new HIV infection rate in 2023.

In January, Maine’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chapter revoked the Health Equity Alliance’s syringe distribution license, and in the following month, the city cleared several homeless encampments — measures framed as efforts to reduce crime and drug use.

In reality, these policies drive disease by displacing people who use drugs and severing their access to essential public health services. Without access to clean needles through syringe service programs (SSPs), those suffering from substance abuse disorders turn to needle-sharing, one of the primary drivers of HIV transmission. When support systems for vulnerable communities disappear, preventable outbreaks surge, with the concerning increase of cases in Bangor coinciding with the collapse of harm reduction services.

Emory University receives over $180 million from the CDC and is a valuable HIV research institution.

As students, we have a responsibility to confront this emerging public health threat. HIV outbreaks will only grow due to converging factors: U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s cuts to HIV research funding and CDC prevention programs, the Department of Health and Human Services’ erosion of public health infrastructure and the systematic displacement of vulnerable populations by both federal and state governments. These are life-and-death issues that demand immediate student advocacy and institutional action.

HIV remains an incurable, lifethreatening disease disproportionately affecting low-income communities. Without treatment to manage the virus, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and increases the risk of contracting hepatitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia and other infections. For those with insufficient health insurance, HIV can be a death sentence. Lenacapavir,

the gold standard preventative treatment requiring only two injections per year, costs over $28,000 annually, making it unaffordable for many. For Americans experiencing homelessness or substance abuse disorders, HIV remains deadly — not because modern medicine cannot help, but because the American healthcare system prioritizes profit margins over treating a manageable virus.

These inequities serve as a grim reminder of the AIDS epidemic during former President Ronald Reagan’s administration, during which the federal government’s indifference toward HIV decimated entire communities.

The nationwide CDC response was crucial during the first AIDS epidemic, coordinating research, tracking and intervention strategies that ultimately brought the crisis under control.

Today, the Trump administration has dismantled much of that infrastructure — for instance, in a recent executive order, the administration

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defunded homelessness and harm reduction initiatives. The National Institutes of Health also reduced or eliminated many federal grants supporting HIV research. These cuts are causing delayed treatments, missed prevention opportunities and preventable deaths. Most recently, the 2025 government shutdown prevented all CDC deployment, specifically their epidemic aid team, making treatment entirely inaccessible.

There is robust scientific evidence proving that SSPs reduce HIV transmission. In addition, SSPs do not increase injection frequency, unsafe syringe disposal or crime rates — rather, they allow injection drug users to access and afford safer practices before finding treatment. Many of these programs also partner with HIV testing organizations, counseling and treatment referral services. The CDC recognizes SSPs as safe, cost-effective programs that reduce the rates of viral infections, yet current policymakers continue to prioritize political optics over evidence-based public health policy.

Emory’s unique partnership with the CDC places the University at the epicenter of the country’s public health ecosystem. As federal and state support for disease tracking weakens, Emory must not back down — beyond continuing research, the University must advocate for even more preventative resources.

More than 90% of HIV patients in the United States have taken drugs that Emory researchers like Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Chemistry Dennis Liotta, Emory School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Professor Raymond Schinazi and

Woo-Baeg Choi invented.

The University has a responsibility to remain actively engaged in addressing HIV outbreaks across the country in the face of nationwide uncertainty. The University must leverage its partnerships with the CDC and its national platform to take a public, proactive stance on the growing threats posed by cuts to federal funding for research and harm reduction services.

Emory students should also be at the forefront of the fight to advance public health. In 2023, 600 of 1,400 incoming Emory College of Arts and Sciences first-year students were on the pre-medical track. If you are training to save lives, start now.

Programs like the Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition rely on federal funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide essential needle-exchange and outreach services. However, the federal government has proposed cutting this funding next year. To combat this, volunteer, advocate and demand the University use its funding to fight these cuts publicly and fight for these initiatives that save lives. Maine’s HIV outbreak is not a distant tragedy, it is a preview. Atlanta is vulnerable to HIV outbreaks, and the risk increases as the Trump administration continues to dismantle public health infrastructure. Students, future doctors, nurses and public health professionals must defend science-based health systems. Silence causes deaths, often preventable ones. The University already invests in and advocates for HIV research, but it is essential to continue the fight for science and safety on all fronts.

Send emails to emorywheelexec@gmail.com or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322.

The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Editor Carly Aikens, Shreya Aithal, Mira Krichavsky, Wayne Liang, Pierce McDade, Niki Rajani, Noah Stifelman, Meiya Weeks and Crystal Zhang.

Courtesy of WikiMedia CoMMons/Centers for disease Control and Prevenetion

Emory University's Atlanta campus is located down the road from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dear Doolino, I'm trapped on campus — help!

By DooLino CaMPus overlord

Dear Doolino,

I’m staying on campus for Thanksgiving break.

What should I do?

Sincerely, Homebody

Dear Homebody,

Thanksgiving, otherwise known as the Christmas pregame, is approaching. College students near and far are packing their bags and heading home for some much-needed holiday break rest. Everyone is full of life and invigorated at the thought of a nap and some video games in the comfort of their own bed. Everyone, it seems, except for you. Do not fear, my Atlanta-glued friend — there is still an entertaining Thanksgiving in store for you. Although it may not always seem like it, the hallowed Emory University campus is an excellent place for orchestrating side-quests and shenanigans.

Follow me, my friend, and I will introduce you to the possibility of a slightly-more-than-mediocre Thanksgiving break.

It might surprise you to know this about me, Homebody, but your favorite undead skeleton also gets bored from time to time. Despite my superiority to everyone and everything in the universe and having no need for simple activities to fill my

time, I, too, am not above experiencing the most mundane of human emotions: boredom. Because of this, I have often found that the best company is my own.

Although I cannot promise the same is true for you, contemplate finding solace in your own company if you have no friends left on Emory’s campus over the turkey holiday. Have a conversation with yourself. Incite a riveting political debate in which you address both sides of the argument. Perhaps you can sing a duet from your favorite childhood movie, reflect on how those years are decades behind you and cry. You are not alone, Homebody — you have yourself.

Another potential option for passing the time is to write a list of things you are thankful for. While this is a tradition among humans that I have never put much stake in, I have found it brings mortals comfort, so perhaps it will soothe your tiny, infantile

brain if you resort to tradition.

You probably have a lot to be thankful for, Homebody. Maybe you have so far managed to evade the scourge of ChatGPT and write essays purely from the merit of — gasp — your own brain. Maybe you have successfully navigated PassioGo and caught every shuttle this year. Maybe you have skipped none of your 8:30 a.m. classes — or only two-thirds of them. Go you! Find the little things in your life to celebrate and be grateful for. Before you know it, you will be saying that you are grateful that you never had to leave Emory’s campus in the first place.

You could also explore the campus’ most thrilling attractions. You could visit the music den in the basement of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts — although I would wear gloves and a hazmat suit. Some of those student bands take bonding to the extreme.

If you would prefer something

more outdoorsy, Lullwater Nature Preserve is a great place to start. With sun-dappled paths, brilliant red and gold trees, the idyllic chirping of birds and ripples of water, Lullwater is the perfect place to take your mind off a bleak situation. If the flock of wild geese that frequents the lake attacks you, do not fear — it is all part of the experience. And, if you are fearing for your life, you are at least not thinking about missing home.

Motivate yourself with spite, Homebody. You will beat them all.

If you are interested in a more thrilling activity than idyllic walks, that’s easy. Prank your roommate by reorganizing your entire room. Do you sleep on the left side of the room? Not anymore! Colors, clothing, furniture, you name it — it is going, going, gone and replaced. You can even use the profit from selling your roommate’s things to buy yourself something nice, which is even more of a distraction. When your roommate returns after Thanksgiving break, refer to the age-old adage of “Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss.”

Convince them that your room has always been like this. If you really want to lean into it, call Emory’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and tell them that your friend is experiencing a break from

reality. This harmless, goofy prank will be sure to have you giggling all throughout Thanksgiving break.

Of course, if all else fails, there is one final option. I warn you, though, it is drastic. You could — wait for it — study for your finals.

This is a fate worse than death, I know. While studying over break may seem as utterly oxymoronic and useless as a rave in the lobby of Goodrich C. White Hall, it is better than doing nothing. Besides, think of all the pleasure you could get from going to Kaldi’s Coffee after break to laugh at your peers cramming for their exams while you have been studying for weeks and are coasting on a pumpkin-spiced latte, eight hours of sleep and your own smug ego. Motivate yourself with spite, Homebody. You will beat them all. Lock in alone.

Good luck with your journey, my friend. While it is not a very far journey, it is an emotionally taxing one, and because of that, I wish you the absolute best.

Take up a hobby, read a book and, of course, if you truly feel as though you need someone to talk to, visit my statue near Asbury Circle. I cannot promise I will give you the time of day — I have many clients and many hours scheduled to admire my reflection in the mirror — but maybe, just maybe, I will bless you with my advice again. For now, entertain yourself, and always remember: Doolino knows best.

— Find Doolino six feet under the Quadrangle

Students: Hold line against federal influence

By WiLL CarraWay ContriButing Writer

As President Donald Trump uses authoritarian strategies to exert greater control over educational and political institutions, a cloud of uncertainty grows above American higher education. Since his inauguration, Trump has targeted universities, press outlets and powerful individuals such as media personalities and political rivals with funding cuts and legal threats, seeking to expand the White House’s influence over information and education.

The Trump administration introduced the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education on Oct. 1 as a derivative of individual pressure campaigns at Columbia University (N.Y.). Among various other affronts to institutional independence, the administration seeks to regulate how universities employ initiatives promoting DEI on campus through this compact. With the compact’s introduction, Trump has sent shockwaves through the world of higher education, engulfing the institutions involved in uncertainty and ongoing legal battles with the federal government. While the compact was not formally offered to Emory University, its implications echo across our campus.

Two months prior to the compact’s public release in mid October, Emory University Interim President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced the closure of Emory’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices and programs as a result of federal directives. DEI

is under attack, and, while Emory joined the vast majority of its peer institutions in vowing to reject the compact on Oct. 22 2025, the proposal is a blatant representation of the federal government’s ongoing desire to control one of the most powerful drivers of change in the United States: college students. The departments and progressive principles that Trump seeks to erase through DEI suppression are vital to Emory’s mission of serving humanity. If we do not actively research, teach and learn with DEI principles in mind, we risk leaving individuals and valuable voices behind.

In the absence of a unified administration outwardly and publicly dedicated to DEI, Emory students must push back. We have the power and responsibility to maintain an environment that keeps the University in line with its stated value of creating, preserving, teaching and applying knowledge in the service of humanity.

Trump’s struggle against elite American universities over DEI began at the beginning of his second term. A Jan. 22 executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” ordered investigations into DEI programs at influential higher education institutions with endowments greater than $1 billion, which includes Emory. Since then, federal actions have continued to influence university policy. Emory has not been the only university to close diversity offices and programs: the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School, for example, shut down its Office of

Equal Opportunity and Engagement in August, and Harvard University (Mass.) explicitly removed stated diversity considerations in hiring earlier this summer.

Such efforts to alter higher education were already unusual and unprecedented, but the recent compact now goes a step further. By tying necessary funding to controversial and destructive policy changes, the Trump administration is blatantly undermining the academic independence and free research environment that has pushed the U.S. higher education system to the top of the global podium.

DEI is at the core of Emory’s academic environment. Diversity of thought, equity of policy and active inclusion — as well as the freedom of institutions to promote these values — are vital principles in allowing responsible and ethical research to better serve humanity. Emory’s reliance on federal funding to sustain its research initiatives renders it susceptible to political influence. In the compact, the Trump administration offers funding incentives as an attempt to mold institutional policy. With clauses encouraging reductions in international student admissions and significant alterations of policies surrounding gender identity, the compact leaves little room for DEI programs, new or old.

Although the federal government did not formally send the compact to Emory, former Interim Provost Lanny Liebeskind indicated the University's opposition to joining. However, the University’s actions have not aligned with this verbal commitment. By clos-

ing offices and firing staff to align more closely with the Trump administration’s priorities, Emory has clearly exhibited its reliance on the amicable political environment required for federal money that keeps the lights on. Despite rejecting the compact and the policies and ideas behind it, Emory’s administration is not, and cannot be, fully independent of federal influence. If the University cannot evade the shadow of federal entanglement, then we, as students, must do our part to sustain and strengthen our institution’s values.

Emory’s leadership seems like it is no longer capable of promoting and prioritizing DEI initiatives, but that does not mean such principles no longer exist here. Before their closure, Emory’s DEI office and programs were simply resources. While these resources certainly helped foster an equitable campus culture and inclusive collaboration, they did not make up the foundation of that culture — the students did.

We must exercise our agency as community members, moving to show how much we care for and value diversity. A foundation built in student commitment is stronger and more official than any administrative office. The federal government has shown that while it can influence Emory dramatically, it cannot dictate students’ beliefs and values. We must take advantage of this fact, working in every moment to represent and reinforce the values that Emory once outwardly stood for.

Whether it’s in student government, extracurricular leadership or our classes, students’ influence over

the campus community matters. Fostering inclusive collaboration in class discussions, club meetings and event programming is a simple task that can have a tremendous effect on the wider campus community.

We must dedicate our work to elevating voices at risk of marginalization, creating an equitable and inclusive discussion space in the face of a federal government that seeks to destroy it. This commitment starts with education and involvement in the community. Actively supporting guest lecturers, discussions or events celebrating and promoting cultural diversity is just one simple way to keep the institution pointed in the right direction.

Emory asserts in its mission statement that it exists, first and foremost, to serve humanity through teaching, learning and research. Emory’s administration has collapsed beneath the influence of a government that has repeatedly rejected these values, and in doing so, fallen short of its mission.

Students can and must pick up the slack left by our paralyzed administration. Our power is in our numbers and in our choices: If each student chooses to recognize and appreciate the value of diversity, while working intentionally to apply principles of equity and inclusion in their learning and leadership, our campus community will be stronger than ever. Even strong enough to ward off any attack by the federal government on our institutional independence.

— Contact Will Carraway at will.carraway@emory.edu

Saba FaiSal/Deputy illuStration eDitor

Silly protests make serious impact

By JosseLyn st. CLair

anD CrystaL Zhang staff Writers

Protests are a serious matter, and one may expect this to be reflected by serious attire, perhaps masks and dark clothing that render demonstrators unrecognizable — the strategy taken by many in the past. However, imagine this: hundreds of protesters marching in full inflatable animal regalia — from frogs to dinosaurs and even unicorns. No, this is not a fever dream, rather, it’s a new trend erupting across protest movements in the United States against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and rising authoritarianism.

At first glance, these demonstrations resemble the aftermath of a Party City clearance sale or the remnants of a parade. However, these whimsical displays are actually part of one of the most unusual acts of political resistance in recent memory: Operation Inflation.

The grassroots effort distributes free inflatable costumes to protestors to keep them “safe and positive” while exercising their First Amendment Rights.

While their protest gear may seem nonsensical, the trend reflects a larger strategy — one adapted for an era in which protesters stage change online through social media as much as they do on the streets. In our current political climate, one defined by fear, surveillance and misinformation, these inflatable animal costumes remind us that protest can be communal and fun. Sometimes, the most effective way to combat injustice is by refusing to let it diffuse a sense of solidarity.

Operation Inflation began in Portland, Ore. During a demonstration protesting the deployment of ICE into the city, officers peppersprayed Seth Todd, who was wearing a blow-up frog costume. A video of the incident — particularly the moment when an officer spun Todd around to presumably target the blow-up suit’s air vent, quickly circulated across multiple social media sites.

Within hours, Todd became a meme, and within days, his assault became a symbol of the excessive use of police force. Soon, more protesters in frog suits were marching with signs reading “Frogs Together Strong.”

What began as a single man in a costume has evolved into an expanding movement and an excellent example of how internet culture can

cultivate new and effective forms of collective resistance.

The trend of wearing costumes to protest is not just isolated to Portland. Inflatable figures appeared at No Kings protests across the country on Oct. 18. This time, more than frogs showed up — instead, a full ecosystem of demonstrators turned out to demand change. Giraffes raised protest signs, dragons chanted against authoritarianism and birds handed out water bottles and snacks.

The costumes looked ridiculous, and that was their point: a deliberate strategy to draw attention, challenge violent depictions of the protests and build solidarity. While this may not be the most direct form of action, this strategy has been successful in drawing attention to the cause at hand.

In political movements, social media attention is currency now, and inflatable frogs certainly catch people’s attention

Weaponizing virality is a smart tactic in our digital age. Both humor and outrage travel fast on the internet, especially considering most social media algorithms recommend clips based on engagement.

With Gen Z now the youngest voting bloc — one consistently showing low turnout and low interest in traditional politics — speaking the language of memes to encourage action is advantageous. In political movements, social media attention is currency now, and inflatable frogs certainly catch people’s attention — coverage of the incident by NowThisImpact on TikTok has gained 1.6 million likes.

This strategy also effectively combats the federal government’s misrepresentation of protest movements.

President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly tried to cast the Portland protesters as “antifa thugs,” using that manipulative messaging to justify deploying militarized agents in the name of public safety.

However, these claims have been thwarted by the visual irony of federal agents preparing to neutralize dangerous waddling frogs.

The Portland frogs are not the first to use absurdity to destabilize

authoritarian posturing: Young people in China have also used satirical tactics in their opposition to President Xi Jinping, known for his crackdown on democracy, silencing of ethnic minorities and censorship of online spaces.

Chinese students compared Xi to the popular cartoon character Winnie the Pooh on social media, a playful jab at his powerful image. While this satirical criticism is not the same as protesting, it still has the ability to foster dissent and help people realize that they are not the only ones who want to see change. And, because this resistance spreads through popular culture, it is incredibly hard to contain. Even with Xi’s attempts to scrub the meme off the internet through strict censorship policies, the Winnie the Pooh comparison keeps popping back up, showing the resilience of the silly protests.-

Resistance is not solely about overthrowing a government structure or figure — it is also about fostering a community of people who work together to eventually achieve change. By giving the movement a friendlier face, Operation Inflation’s can make its anti-ICE protests more palatable and gain more followers who resonate with its message.

Likewise, through these silly costumes, protesters can send messages to the public. For instance, in dressing up like a frog, Todd wanted his costume to combat Trump’s propaganda claiming the protests were aggressive. With unique, nonviolent attire, demonstrators extend a hand to their community to join them on the streets.

Not everyone feels comfortable standing on the front lines of a tense protest, but almost anyone can zip into a costume and stand with a crowd of others.

With members of Operation Inflation even handing out free inflatable costumes to those who want to join, all hopeful participants have to do is be willing to look a little silly with strangers who care about the same things they do. For those who want to participate in a protest but are hesitant to due to inexperience, there is now an accessible entry point. In a time when activism is often framed as individual moral performance, Operation Inflation shows how protest is communal at its heart — and in this case, literally inflated with collective air.

— Contact Josselyn St. Clair at jmstcla@emory.edu and Crystal Zhang at crzhan2@emory.edu

Necessity of truthtelling in journalism

By CarLy aikens editorial Board editor

When I began my tenure as an Editorial Board member at The Emory Wheel, I thought journalists should exist in a realm where writers could employ unabashed realism and disturb universally accepted lies of comfort. I believed the practice of journalism should be an honest pursuit, one committed to ripping through lies of omission and concealment to write the true pulse of our world’s issues. Lately, however, it seems the field is headed toward the path of least resistance in the narratives it chooses to center. Now, as section editor of the Editorial Board, I feel this forthrightness and refusal of apathy is missing from journalism today — student and professional alike.

Regarding recent coverage indifferent to the hard truths of the world, no culprit is more well-known than The New York Times. Since late 2023, the Times has been rightfully under fire for its reporting on the Gaza Strip because of the language deemed neutral by the newspaper’s editors. According to a leaked memo on their Gaza coverage obtained by The Intercept in 2024, Times Standards Editor Susan Wessling, International Editor Philip Pan and their deputies explicitly told journalists to restrict the use of terms like “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing” and “occupied territory.” These terms refuse to hide behind niceties, and the writers who employ them are targeted and admonished. This phenomenon is not only endemic to supposedly objective news — language neutrality has bled into all aspects of journalism, including opinion writing, and has caused writers to hang onto their own moral discrepancies.

As a result of the Times’ mandate of false neutrality, over 300 writers, scholars and public intellectuals have pledged to boycott the Times op-ed page as of Oct. 27 due to anti-Palestinian bias in its coverage. Those participating in the boycott have three demands: For the Times’ newsroom to conduct a review of anti-Palestinian bias and produce new editorial standards for its coverage of Palestine, to retract the widely controversial investigation “Screams Without Words” and for the Times’ Editorial Board to call for a U.S. arms embargo on Israel.

Additionally, journalistic expectations of language neutrality force both opinion and news writers into a middle ground through self-policing of their personal language. As an editor, when I encountered language in reference to Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, I found myself genuinely wondering if the wording was adhering to the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook’s guidelines.

The AP Stylebook begins its Middle East Conflicts Topical Guide with a discussion of “Hamas-led militants storm[ing] into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023,” rather than recognizing that Palestinians have suffered under the Israeli regime for decades. Israel and its occupied territory of Palestine’s histories did not begin on Oct. 7, yet journalists using the stylebook are expected to treat it like the origin point for the current “conflict.” The horrors of apartheid in Palestine have existed long before Oct. 7, and continue to persist as major news outlets push their stories toward a fate of irrelevance. Journalists must realize that to ignore history is to do a

disservice to the stories we wish to tell. It has always been dangerous to be a journalist. Since October 2023, Israeli military actions have killed 220 journalists in Palestine, with at least 62 of these journalists having been explicitly targeted because of their media coverage. On Oct. 12, an Israellinked militia killed Saleh Aljafarawi, a 28-year-old freelance Palestinian journalist, while he was covering violent clashes in Gaza City. For journalists like Aljafarawi, the price of reporting has become death.

Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger has admitted “the Times is privileged to be one of the few news organizations with the resources to cover the world in all its complexity.” Yet, the complexity the Times claims to value is lost when it disallows facts that disrupt the reality it has chosen to platform. Both objective and opinion writers who center narratives of those on the edge of representation have been disparaged to no end. In her article “When Neutrality Is a Constraint,” journalist Lisa Armstrong argues that “news outlets continue to use euphemisms and the passive voice rather than naming bad actors and their actions directly.” In a genocide, people do not simply die — governments actively kill and starve, and we, as journalists, must not be afraid to say who is doing the killing and the starving.

The journalist holds a special sort of responsibility and power: to imbue language with the attention and intentionality it deserves. Former fact-checker at The New Yorker Ismail Ibrahim shared that he found it difficult to move the needle of progress in how the publication discussed Palestinian genocide, stating that his colleagues turned to calling him a “terrorist sympathizer.” But Ibrahim understands that the journalist has a certain calling to truth-tell, something beyond writing articles and op-eds that win awards and industry approval.

Emory University students have free access to the Times. If the headlines that grace our inboxes focus more on comfort and maintenance of the status quo than on truth-seeking and truth-telling, we will find ourselves entrenched in asinine messaging that excludes peripheral perspectives. Until the Times complies with these demands, Emory students should be critical of the authority of the newspaper’s content and seek out news sources that, unlike the Times, value an unfiltered detailing of the world.

As a student journalist at a private institution, I have the relative freedom to speak my mind without the fear of an oppressive regime taking my life. But I am still afraid of what could happen to my future because I have chosen to call an apartheid state what it truly is. Student journalists who take seriously the gravity of their words have been doxxed, harassed and even detained for their commitment to the truth. When I read Palestinian Declaration of Independence author and poet Mahmoud Darwish’s words, “Language might preserve the land from the plight of absence if poetry wins,” I am reminded that the most poetic language is that of honesty. The truth can be told through words, but the world will soon be devoid of our truth-tellers if we keep up the pretense of the straight and narrow and refuse to call atrocities by their name.

— Contact Carly Aikens at caikens@emory.edu

Cherie Zhou/Contributing illuStrator

The Emory Wheel Arts Life

Out of this world: Symposium XX returns to ATO

By AmeliA Bush

A rts & L ife e ditor

Above the sound of crackling cans and loud chatter, amid curling smoke and the glow of purple string lights, heavy instrumentals flooded the basement of the Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity house and echoed through Eagle Row.

These were the sounds of “Pulse Planet,” The Emory Pulse’s bi-annual arts and music Symposium. The Pulse, a student organization aiming to promote the arts at Emory, has hosted the event in the ATO backlot for nine years before 2024, featuring student musicians performing covers and original songs for a live audience. After three Symposiums at various venues, the event returned to ATO this fall — a change that excited Symposium XX’s participants, musicians and organizers. For student guitarist Chetan Desai (28C), the basement locale improved his experience.

“I know last year was on the Freshman Quad,” Desai said. “Having it in a more communal space, a closer space together, is just better.”

According to John Cross (28C) and Penelope Park (28B), the president and vice president of The Pulse, respectively, the ATO venue marked a return to form for Symposium.

“We’re finally back at ATO, which is really exciting, paying homage to our tradition,” Park said.

Symposium offers an opportunity for student musicians to play in front of a typically bustling crowd.

CAT’S COLLECTION

From solo performances to band acts, the event spans multiple hours and showcases a variety of talent. For Cross, watching Emory’s art community come together and celebrating others’ music is his favorite part of the tradition.

“It’s the influx of people when we start the show and the loud music and people screaming for their friends,” Cross said.

Guitarist Pierre Alvarez (27C) played in his first Symposium last fall, but has frequented the event since the spring of his freshman year.

During Symposium XX, he played in two bands: Crustaceanization and Ouroboros. Emphasizing the evening’s ambiance, Alvarez appreciated the organic, student-led nature of the event.

“A lot of the times at Emory, the University will put on an event, and they’ll try and get a lot of people to show up, and all the marketing will look the same for it,” Alvarez said.

“But this feels very organic.”

To Alvarez, part of the organic nature comes from the location.

Nathaniel Fox (27C), an ATO member whom Park and Cross dubbed their “liaison” to the fraternity, advocated for the event’s return to the ATO house.

“We have a very specific space in the Emory community,” Fox said.

“We are a fraternity, but we also are very concerned with being involved around campus, working with other clubs, promoting the arts. And music in general is a big part of who we are.”

Cross noted that, along with facilitating Symposium’s return to ATO, Fox leveraged his position as both a fraternity brother and a member of The Pulse to help ensure there was enough room and electricity to accommodate the performers and attendees.

“He bridges that gap between us and the space, because we don’t live here,” Cross said.

Outside, individuals played basketball or sat on a couch chatting with friends while musicians performed, contributing to the spirited yet laidback atmosphere. Indoors, attendees packed together in the house’s small basement, standing shoulder to shoulder while they danced and sang.

There was no stage — just musicians and an audience crammed together. Caleigh Radzin (28C), a student vocalist and guitarist, appreciated the venue’s vibrancy.

“I didn’t expect everyone to be so into it and singing along, but it totally helped being up there, because everyone was looking back at me smiling,” Radzin said. “The energy was insane.”

With a variety of outdoor signage and decorations, such as an inflatable spaceship capturing a cow, Symposium XX’s extraterrestrial theme was enjoyable, but the music was the centerpiece of the event. Alvarez was most looking forward to performing his own set, but he was “pleasantly surprised” by the performances from bands he was unfamiliar with.

“This band Butch Fail went first,

and they do a lot of really cool stuff,” Alvarez said. “I’m also excited for some other cool bands, like Flight Time.”

Symposium unites Emory’s arts scene, fostering community outside of only music and bringing together students across campus. Some students performed with multiple bands, and many came to support their friends.

“It’s very community-oriented, everyone’s talking to everyone,” Radzin said. “So many people are giving hugs to people. So many people have stopped me and been like, ‘That was such a good set.’ It definitely feels like a little community.”

performers.

Even after smoke triggered a fire alarm midway through the event, forcing performers and audience members to wait outside until the fire department gave an all-clear, Symposium charged forward.

From mosh pits to student band grenadine’s rendition of Billy Joel’s “Vienna” (1977) to students hanging around outside, the music and electric energy continued past midnight.

“Everybody’s in there dancing,” Fox said. “It’s packed. The music’s loud. Listen, just listen. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

– Contact Amelia Bush at amelia.bush@emory.edu

Reflect on family ties, listen to my favorite ‘nepo babies’

By CAtherine GoodmAn M A n A ging e ditor

Most babies enter the world wailing, resenting the rude ejection from their mother’s warm womb and covered in more than gunk and grime. However, a select few infants arrive dripping in privilege. Such lucky souls — the children of actors, directors and entrepreneurs alike — grow up under the shiny label, “nepo baby.”

Although nepotism, defined as favoritism based on family relationships, is not industry specific, it runs rampant in the entertainment world. Major players in the creative sphere pass down their charisma and connections to their relatives, ranging from Dakota Johnson to Matty Healy.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is a fitting time to recognize these star-studded families — not to reduce their accomplishments, but to give credit where credit is due. Although it is easy to resent the success of celebrity children, it is often as easy to recognize their talent. As such,

here are my favorite tracks from my favorite “nepo babies.”

‘Camden’ by Gracie Abrams (2021)

As the daughter of “Star Trek” (2009) director J.J. Abrams and actress Katie McGrath, derogatory declarations of nepotism follow singer Gracie Abrams like a persistent phantom. A year after her stunning extended play “This Is What It Feels Like” (2021), New York Magazine dubbed Abrams a “nepo baby” on the rise, capturing the bubbling tension of Abrams’s soon-to-be meteoric rise. While Abrams’s family connections opened the door to success, her songwriting abilities blew the hinges off.

Abrams evidences this talent on “Camden,” a delicate mining of the depths of depression. “I never said it, but I know that I / Can’t picture anything past twenty-five,” Abrams begins atop a quiet piano. The track unravels across prolonged verses that shake under the weight of desperation and rumination, building toward a cathartic conclusion, only to descend into a simple, defeated chorus. Abrams moves from self-diagnosing mental illness to self-isolation as she attempts to escape the quicksand of her early twenties. This struggle culminates in the bridge, in which Abrams repeats “All of me, a wound to close / But I leave the whole thing open / I just wanted you to know / I was never good at coping.”

Throughout the bridge, dissonant harmonies emphasize her fragility as the soft piano barrels forward and she lands softly upon the solemn

final chorus. Although Abrams did not experience a commercial breakthrough until last year with “That’s So True” (2024), the striking lyricism on “Camden” proves she worked for it.

‘Dallas Major’ by Lily Allen

On an episode of her “Miss Me?” (2024-) podcast, actress and Britpop singer Lily Allen admitted “there’s an element of truth” to her classification as a “nepo baby.” However, the daughter of British actor Keith Allen also argued that the term is “basically used for women who are taking up space.”

Following the release of her visceral fifth studio album “West End Girl” this October, she is certainly taking up space in the pop culture consciousness. The album details the dissolution of her marriage to “Stranger Things” (2016-2025) actor David Harbour. Much like rubbernecking a rear-end collision on the side of I-85, it is almost impossible to look away from Allen’s tantalizing revelations.

But among the 14 tracks of brutal honesty, one stands out as particularly discomfiting and brilliant: “Dallas Major.” Allen combines painful lyrics with playful production to place the listener in her shoes, navigating the ominous world of online dating as her husband goes astray.

Operating under the pseudonym Dallas Major, Allen sings, “I’m almost nearly forty, I’m just shy of five-foottwo / I’m a mum to teenage children, does that sound like fun to you?” While the exact premise may not be

relatable, “Dallas Major” speaks with cunning wit to a universal feeling: having to move forward without moving on.

‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus (2009)

In terms of “nepo baby” business, Miley Cyrus presents an interesting case. Although she began her career with the semi-autobiographical Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana” (2006-2011) as the young protégé of her musician father, she has since surpassed Billy Ray Cyrus in widespread popularity. However far Cyrus may stray from her roots, I remain irrevocably attached to the soundtrack of this early era — the perfect blend of fact and fiction, wisdom and naivety, country and pop. No other song stops me in my tracks quite like “The Climb.” After almost 16 years, the singer’s youthful voice continues to shine, demonstrating her undeniable talent. “I can almost see it / That dream I’m dreaming, but,” Cyrus begins in a hushed tone. She tugs on the syllables of “see” and “dreaming” like she is grasping at something just out of reach. Cyrus defines this struggle in the chorus: “There’s always gonna be another mountain / I’m always gonna wanna make it move / Always gonna be an uphill battle / Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose.”

As the instrumental remains subdued, Cyrus enlivens the chorus with her powerful vocals. While not exactly presenting a novel insight, I often find myself much more compelled to take advice in song form. No matter

how many inspirational quotes I read on Pinterest, it is Cyrus that makes me wonder if maybe it really is “The Climb.”

‘Sex and the city’ by Audrey Hobert

Like Cyrus, pop artist Audrey Hobert has a complicated relationship with nepotism. While her father, Tim Hobert, produced and wrote for shows including “Scrubs” (20012010) and “Spin City” (1996-2002), the primary criticism derives from her close friendship with Abrams. Regardless of Hobert’s preferred company, the singer-songwriter carved out a new niche for herself this summer with her brilliantly bizarre debut album “Who’s the Clown?” Standing out among 12 candid and comedic tracks, “Sex and the city” delivers a sharply self-aware depiction of modern dating. From divulging personal secrets for uninterested Uber drivers to craving male validation against her better judgment, Hober t spares no details or anxieties. “What’s it like to be admired? / Hot and desired?” Hobert ponders. Hobert revels in relatable lyrics, combining diaristic storytelling with a light melody to sketch a familiar picture of young adulthood. Yet despite her penchant for recognizable scenes, one line falls a bit flat for me: “This isn’t Sex and the City / Nobody sees me and knows of my column.” I mean, everyone sees me and knows of my column…right?

– Contact Catherine Goodman at catherine.goodman@emory.edu

Courtesy of K A r MA Jones/Contributing Photogr APher Attendees of Symposium XX cheer for student

Flying up, out: A conversation with senior Jacob Arndt

By miA hAmon M usi C & L ive A rt d es K

Meet Me at Kaldi’s is a recurring column in The Emory Wheel. Every other week, Music & Live Art Desk Mia Hamon selects a random Emory University student and invites them to Kaldi’s Coffee at The Depot for a casual conversation.

At seven years old, Jacob Arndt (24Ox, 26C) and his sister boarded a plane traveling to Walt Disney World Resort. Arndt’s sister was elated to travel to “the happiest place on Earth.” However, Arndt was preoc-

cupied in his own excitement — not for castles, princes or princesses but for the plane. “I’m really happy with my job, every day I get to go nerd out with a bunch of my coworkers about planes,” Arndt said.

During this internship, “no two days are ever the same,” as Arndt’s tasks include developing tools, analyzing data or working on projects for other public network planners.

While his work at Delta offers him the opportunity to explore his passion for aviation with handson opportunities, Arndt found his niche as a political science major and sociology minor at Emory University,

CAMPUS

making the majors work together to fit his future.

“One of the beauties of Emory, is that you can have these interdisciplinary approaches and be involved in social sciences and be involved in natural sciences and have them work cohesively,” Arndt said.

No matter the subject, Arndt pursues knowledge, as indicated by his full course load. Last year, Arndt balanced a 40-hour workweek while managing an 18 and a 19-credit course load during the fall and spring semester, respectively.

He attributes his love of learning to his mother, Dana, who works as a teacher. Arndt said his mother’s emphasis on education taught him to value the world through a diverse lens, driving him to seek out and understand different people, perspectives and cultures.

Arndt loves his work at Delta, which makes his job feel more like a gift than a chore. While Arndt enjoys studying political science and sociology, he had never planned to pursue these fields.

Arndt began his time at Emory’s Oxford College on the pre-medical track before deciding after the fall semester of his first year that he “hated all things science.” That same semester, Arndt took an introductory politics class with Associate Professor of Political Science Donal Beaudette (10G, 13G) and a racial and ethnic relations course with Assistant Professor of Sociology Devon Goss.

“I just fell in love with [political science] and then realized that’s

what I wanted to do,” Arndt said.

As an Oxford continuee, Arndt appreciates his time spent on the smaller campus.

While he acknowledged “people love to hate on Oxford,” Arndt said he would not trade his time there for anything.

He added that Oxford’s small size allowed him to connect with professors and facilitate research opportunities.

Throughout his time at Emory, Arndt has been researching under Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Political Science Holli Semetko (13B).

In Semetko’s lab, Arndt investigates how various political parties advertise their campaigns on Facebook.

“We’re constantly collecting more and more data because ads are always being posted. My job is to kind of go through, find the patterns and find the trends,” Arndt said.

Arndt loies to learn outside of the classroom, mentioning one of his fondest moments at Emory — a Saturday trip to Montgomery, Ala., with his Monuments, Memorials, and Meetings discovery class.

Arndt recalled his annoyance at waking up at 6 a.m. to board a bus to the Civil Rights Memorial Center.

“All of us were just thinking, ‘Why do you have to do this?’” Arndt said. “‘It’s a Saturday.’”

Despite his initial irritation, Arndt looks back on this day with adoration. He found that his time in Alabama allowed him to connect with his classmates and professor while encountering class material in real life.

“We were just there for one day, but it was such a great memory that I’ll always hold, and it was something that I never thought I was going to appreciate,” Arndt said. “I have come to understand that those are the experiences you really have to hold on to.”

Ardnt carries his diverse experiences with him as he ponders his upcoming graduation. He is reluctant to stick to one path, keeping an open mind when deciding on a new runway to follow.

“It’s always good to keep an open mind,” Ardnt said. “That’s something I really appreciate about Emory. It’s taught me to always have an open mind. Don’t stay stuck in your ways.”

– Contact Mia Hamon at mia.hamon@emory.edu

Theater Emory’s ‘peerless’ glistens with humor, dark twists

By Audrey Fullerton C AMP us d es K

With the irresistible promise of academic success, brick buildings and colonial columns, one institution, “The College,” whispers the names of twin sisters M (Zexi Gui (26C)) and L (Sarah Lim (26C)) in Theater Emory’s latest production: “peerless.”

In the dark satire play, which premiered on Nov. 13, playwright Jiehae Park explores what happens when the hypercompetitive college admissions process turns deadly, exposing the nastiness of the cutthroat system bent on alienating students from their peers. Refreshingly honest and surprisingly hilarious, “peerless” reflects an uncompromising view of higher education and exposes the institution’s potential for absurdity. M and L open the production with a lightning fast back-and-forth, expressing contempt, indignation and disgust after learning D (Colin Connery (28C)), a boy at their high

school, took M’s spot at The College: an institution epitomizing prestige. Gui and Lim embody the sisters’ fierce intensity, hurling obscenities and crying out at the impossible injustice of their predicament. M and L recall the ridiculous steps they took to succeed in their quest to be admitted to The College.

The twins’ escapades included moving to the Midwest to become geographically distinct applicants and spending the summer in Africa for a college essay topic. Revealing a hyperbolic, ruthless view of the admissions process, the sisters waste no time establishing the production’s central themes of ambition, self-interest and bitter competition.

The following scene introduces Dirty Girl (Olivia Stanley (28C)), the production’s main antagonist and M’s foil. Dirty Girl accuses M and L of an obscure, sinister plot and foretells the discovery of a dead body.

Stanley’s expressive performance lends a palpable sting to Dirty Girl’s taunting demeanor and her accusa-

tions infuse the production with a foreboding quality, foreshadowing a dark turn.

Further highlighting the twins’ unyielding intensity, M breaks up with Boyfriend (Christian Ford (28C)), after he accuses her of flirting with their statistics teacher. Despite this, M’s boyfriend remains a disconcerted witness to her actions throughout the production, with the two later reconciling.

After her conflict with her Boyfriend, M has no date to the school’s “Hoopcoming” dance, but through this misfortune, L sees an opportunity. L insists M attend the event with D, suggesting they poison D so M can reclaim her spot at The College. Although initially reluctant, M agrees to her sister’s plan.

Their interaction establishes L as the proponent of the twins’ murderous plotting and M as her reluctant pawn.

Although M retains her own aggressive desires, this dynamic adds nuance to the sisters’ conflict and underscores M’s self-doubt. M’s internal strife throughout the production reveals the consequences of unabashed ambition: self-alienation and profound moral disconnect.

The Hoopcoming dance itself presents a humorous gem. Dirty Girl opens the scene with a rat prop in each fist as she sings Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s “Bang Bang” (2014), substituting “rat” for nearly every lyric and laying the groundwork for madness. At the dance, the socially inept and self-deprecating D stumbles through conversation with M and L as repetitive pop instrumentals drone under their dialogue. Connery’s performance as D is wonderful. With quick bursts of speech peppered by self-conscious chuckles and repeated, unreciprocated attempts at dancing, he epitomizes

the pathetic gawkiness of his character. Shifting back and forth between topics, including his weight-loss journey, an eye-opening experience with psychoanalytic therapy and his one-sixteenth Native American heritage, D thrusts the audience into conversational whiplash.

His oblivious optimism contrasts with the absurdity and occasional gravity of his dialogue, eliciting a mixture of laughs and shock from the audience,a reaction M’s stunned silence reinforces.

Once M and L murder D the production takes a darker turn. The audience watches as the twins’ carefully-constructed plot for admission into The College crumbles and Dirty Girl’s prophetic warnings come true. Rapid scene changes, prolonged moments of silence and creative lighting decisions such as color shifts and silhouettes, characterize the bleak latter half of the play.

While not inherently flawed, the second leg of the production stalled

compared to the incredibly strong performances in the production’s first half.

Nonetheless, some moments in the second half of “peerless” shine due to the cast’s performance. In M’s final appearance, Gui presents vicious taunting and crazed exaltation, revealing the true, unfettered nastiness of her character.

Throughout the play, the cast demonstrated their acting strength through versatile performances and consistently expressive delivery. With laughs and gasps erupting from audience members in the packed Mary Gray Munroe Theater throughout the play, Theater Emory’s “peerless” delivers pointed, hilarious commentary on the extremes of ambition in a hypercompetitive college admissions process, crafting an experience that is both hyperbolic and terrifyingly relatable.

– Contact Audrey Fullerton at audrey.fullerton@emory.edu

oLivi A Piri/stA ff iLLustr Ator

Courtesy of JACob A rndt

Jacob Arndt (24Ox, 26C) interns at Delta Air Lines.

Courtesy of CA sey gA rdner fordw

Sarah Lim (26C) and Zexi Gui (26C) play conniving sisters.

Courtesy of CA sey gA rdner fordw Olivia Stanley (28C) plays L’s (Zexi Gui (26C) antagonist.

MUSIC

Orville Peck stuns with ‘Appaloosa’

By BenjAmin sAlit f i LM & tv d es K

Although he maintains a masked persona, musician Orville Peck continues to shine in the spotlight.

After making his Broadway debut in a revival of “Cabaret” (1966) this March, Daniel Pitout, who performs under the name Orville Peck, released his sixth extended play (EP), “Appaloosa,” on Nov. 14.

With just seven tracks, “Appaloosa” exemplifies quality over quantity. Taking influence from Americana aesthetics and country musicians such as Johnny Cash, Peck provides a beautifully melancholic commentary on the ephemerality of love and the loneliness that follows the end of a relationship.

The opening track, “Dreaded Sundown,” immediately establishes the country-rock tone of the album. The twangy guitar riffs and ethereal soundscape evoke the atmosphere of a ghost town in the Western United States. As Peck belts, “Save me from this town / Ooh, dreaded sundown,” listeners picture him as an outlaw in a gunfight, tumbleweeds sweeping by.

Although a shoegazey interlude near the end of the song adds a mesmeric haze, Peck does not alter much of the alt-rock sound that dominates the majority of his discography.

“Drift Away” begins with a slower, softer guitar medley, contrasting with the harsh Western edge of “Dreaded Sundown.”

Peck’s high notes blend with dreamy background vocals to create a haunting chorus: “Drift away with me / Yeah, drift away with me.” Combined with Peck’s lyrical yearning for his lover, this sonic interplay provides an emotional depth that serves as a bridge to the vulnerability Peck explores in the rest of the EP.

FILM

The country guitars from “Dreaded Sundown” return in “Atchafalaya (feat. Noah Cyrus),” carrying a fuller, more dramatic sound than before. The song begins with a traditional guitar backing reminiscent of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (1971).

Once the chorus hits, however, the backing instrumentals take on a grand quality as drums thunder away, adding a powerful and upbeat energy to the track. Following the first chorus, featured artist Noah Cyrus joins the song, contributing soft, delicate vocals which harmonize with Peck’s deep, vintage country voice.

The pair has collaborated in the past with “How Far Will We Take It” (2024), and listeners feel their connection during this track. Cyrus’ absence throughout the rest of the project enhances its themes of fleeting romance and loss, making her feature an integral addition to the EP.

“Maybe This Time” strays from Peck’s Western and shoegaze influences, breaking the sonic cohesion of the EP. An acoustic ballad, this cover of Liza Minnelli’s song from the film “Cabaret” (1972) serves as an homage to Peck’s role as the Emcee in the Broadway musical.

Although the song clearly holds meaning for Peck, “Maybe This Time” feels out of place within the Western grandeur of the rest of the EP. The opulent tone of this Broadway track is outside of Peck’s typical wheelhouse, directly contrasting with his typical Western Americana sound.

“Oh My Days” returns to a similar rustic sound yet still draws on Peck’s powerful Broadway vocals and the theatrical instrumentals from previous songs.

Peck’s voice especially shines during the chorus as he croons, “The nighttime is worse ‘cause I can’t look

away / Oh my days.” The longing lyrics and sweeping production are resoundingly sentimental as a tambourine and enchanting violin add a fun, unique and dynamic feel to the song.

The final track, “It’s The End of the World,” channels the stage-worthy energy of “Oh My Days.”

With a nostalgic guitar backing and snappy drums, the track takes inspiration from ’50s rock artists such as Elvis Presley. “Don’t tell me your name, we’ll burn our mistakes and just ride / To the end of the world,” Peck sings, channeling vintage country vocalists. With a slow, poignant closing guitar medley, Peck remains true to his original Western influences.

While Peck’s country-rock influences remain consistent throughout the EP, the latter half of “Appaloosa” hints at a new vibrant, Broadwayinspired era.

This project signals a confident and exciting evolution in Peck’s budding career.

– Contact Benjamin Salit at ben.salit@emory.edu

19 5:30 p.m.

20 6:00 p.m. Nov. 20 7:00 p.m.

Young Democrats of Emory: Hot Ones

Nov. 21 6:45 p.m. Emory Zinefest

(3547

‘The Running Man’ fails to critique dystopian reality, culture

By evAnGeline PArk C ontributing w riter

Surrounded by drab industrial buildings, gray skies and a sea of sallow faces, Co-Op City, the setting for the new blockbuster “The Running Man,” channels the hallmark qualities of a dystopian metropolis.

Released in theaters on Nov. 14, the film offers surface-level enjoyment but fails to provide any deep -

er social commentary on wealth and corruption the movie aims to provide.

The movie centers on protagonist Ben Richards (Glen Powell), who auditions for a spot in one of the game shows on the Network, an all-controlling, authoritarian television corporation, to secure black-market medicine for his sick daughter, Cathy (Sienna Benn).

The Network places Ben on “The

Running Man” show along with Jenni Laughlin (Katy O’Brian) and Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy), during which the characters must evade the Network’s mysterious assassin group for 30 days while civilians report sightings of the contestants.

As the group flees the killers led by Evan McCone (Lee Pace), the trio attempts to survive and win the billion-dollar prize.

Less than five minutes into the film, the disgruntled Ben leaves his former office after his ex-boss refuses to rehire him and he stumbles across an ad to join “The Running Man.”

When he returns home, Ben watches more of the Network’s programming while he tends to Cathy.

Then, his wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) returns from her shift as a club waitress and attempts to dissuade him from applying to the show.

Although the movie references the family’s need to obtain medicine, the presentation feels low-effort. For a movie centered on Ben’s goal of winning the prize money in order to support his wife and child, this scene is the only one that shows the family together.

With lackluster chemistry between Sheila and Ben, Powell does not sell his portrayal of a loving husband and family man.

Likewise, “The Running Man” offers little exploration of internal conflict before introducing the game show.

Instead of building tension by emphasizing Ben’s desperate need

for the prize money, the film jumps straight from his job rejection to the survival show — displaying a cheap and uninteresting transition into the main plotline.

Soon, Ben decides to audition for a variety of the Network’s shows, which have open slots for several of their game shows, hoping that he will not be placed in “The Running Man.”

But of course, by a heavy-handed coincidence, he is selected for “The Running Man.”

Complete with an eccentric show host, Bobby T. (Colman Domingo), reminiscent of “The Hunger Games’” (2012) Caesar Flickerman, along with player interviews and contestants from the city’s slums, the show elicits an uninspired mood derivative of better dystopian movies.

Viewers could argue that the source material for “The Running Man,” Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name, was ahead of its time.

In 1987, Paul Michael Glaser released “The Running Man” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. But after watching the film, director Edgar Wright felt the novel needed further exploration.

However, as a modern adaptation arriving after the dystopian movie peak in the 2010s, “The Running Man” does not captivate viewers with unique aesthetics or futuristic features.

“The Running Man” appears cheap at times, failing to break out of its dystopian mold. The media manipulation and capitalistic greed

within Ben’s society seem less shocking in today’s world than they should. There is nothing new to learn from the film.

Despite its lack of insight, “The Running Man” still proves to be a fun film. Powell proves to be a charming actor, and Domingo, Michael Cera and Emilia Jones give standout performances.

The film fills its runtime with spunk and humor, including a mock show from the Network reminiscent of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (2007-2021).

Wright also crafts an inventive way to discuss the Network’s corruption via a character called “The Apostle” Bradley Throckmorton (Daniel Ezra), who did not appear in King’s original novel.

In addition, “Freevee” is the name of the TV channel where “The Running Man” airs, referencing Amazon Prime Video’s now-dissolved Freevee channel to critique the greater corruption of contemporary media conglomerates.

“The Running Man” is not the most original dystopian film of the past few years.

Still, it makes for enjoyable viewing, which ultimately may be the opposite of what its filmmakers intended.

Instead of seething social commentary, Wright offers an entertaining exploration of malicious entertainment.

– Contact Evangeline Park at evangeline.park@emory.edu

Photo M A niPuLAtion by

sA sh A eMMeriCh/dePuty iLLustrtion editor

Madras Mantra: South Indian soul in suburban strip mall

By FionA FerGuson C ontributing w riter

Madras Mantra could not be more of a hole in the wall unless the staff handed your takeout bags through one.

Located in the far corner of a sprawling Goodwill parking lot off Lawrenceville Highway, wedged next to a nail salon, the restaurant is the kind of place you drive past a dozen times, never realizing it serves some of the best Indian food in Atlanta.

The restaurant’s exterior is nothing to write home about, and the interior is the same story. But the smells that hit you when you walk through its glass doors — cumin, cardamom, frying ghee — are anything but ordinary.

The restaurant, which opened its doors in 2017, is part of the family-owned group that also created Madras Chettinaad, Bollywood Masala and Madras Cafe. All these restaurants are vegetarian and focus on South Indian cuisine.

Madras Mantra’s speciality are dosas — thin, crispy rice and lentil crepes made with every filling imaginable.

The restaurant dedicates an entire page of their menu to the different kinds of dosas patrons can order: from the fiery red garlic dosa from Bangalore, India, to the tangy Chettinad dosa from the Tamil Nadu region.

And they don’t stop there: If you explore the Madras Mantra menu further, you will find dals, curries, biryanis and stewed vegetables that will make you rethink everything you know about meatless food.

My friends and I visited Madras Mantra on a Thursday afternoon, embracing the chilly November

CROSSWORD

How she gets to Oz

Peter, Paul, or Thomas, for short

Belly

weather with the promise of a hot, well-spiced Indian meal.

The restaurant’s humble setup of tan booths and yellowing tile floors is straight out of a ’90s diner, and a single buffet table feeds the whole restaurant.

The ambiance feels comfortable and inviting — the kind that you would find at your grandma’s favorite hometown restaurant.

Our group claimed a booth close to the buffet for close proximity to

seconds, thirds and beyond, and we dug in. I filled my first plate with dosa, mutter paneer, dal makhani, vegetable biryani, stewed cabbage with chickpeas and every starchy Indian accompaniment — white rice, naan, uttapam, pakora and medu vada, a donut-shaped savory bread made with lentils.

Sauces and pickles lined the wall behind the buffet, where I added tamarind chutney to the side of my plate. By my second plate, I had tried

everything.

And by plate three, I knew what to come back for: the masala dosa — crispy, buttery and filled with spiced potatoes — and the mutter paneer, tender cubes of fried cheese in a rich, tomato-onion curry. The buffet changes daily, but it always boasts a flavorsome dosa and a standout curry.

Madras Mantra is not just quality food — it is smart, with student-friendly prices.

Atlanta

NBA legend Shaquille 11. Male deer 12. Inform 13. Event at a garage 21. Bikini top 23. How often Emory has lost a football game 25. Norway capital 26. Defrost 27. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme 30. Declare 31. Tidy 32. Concludes 33. Ocular organs 34. Auction off 35. “Let it Go” singer 37. R&B’s ___ Hill

38. Magical symbol 41. Video game stage

42. Jack or Ace

43. McDonald’s founder Roy 49. Zero

51. Jupiter has 97

52. Swashbuckler Flynn

53. ___-Wip (dessert topping)

54. “Your 15 minutes of fame ___!”

55. Instruct

56. Google alternative

57. Simplicity

58. PlayStation alternative

59. Shut (up)

61. Romantic fruit?

64. Swiss peak

65. Director Spike

66. Ukr. or Lith., once

No à la carte dish costs more than $16, and a weekday buffet ran our group just $14.03 each.

While a Chipotle bowl with guacamole will run you around $15.50, a filling meal from Madras Mantra will make you forget DoorDash exists with its great pricing and fantastic taste.

Still, the steady flow of drivers picking up to-go bags from Madras Mantra signals that plenty of people have figured out how to get their South Indian cuisine fix without leaving the couch.

And of course, I had to have dessert before we left, so I grabbed one more small plate of gulab jamun, fried dumplings soaked in sugar syrup, and a sample of pal payasam, a creamy liquid dessert that was new to me.

The payasam was a surprise hit, subtle but soulful — the kind of dish that reminds you why you walked through the restaurant’s doors in the first place.

That feeling, of discovering a new delicious food and enjoying old favorites, is what Madras Mantra provides: an opportunity to break from the chains of Emory Village cuisine and out of your comfort zone, beyond the routine butter chicken and garlic naan and into something regional and authentic.

Their food makes driving to an out-of-the-way strip mall and sitting in a slightly-sticky booth seat worth it.

For my fellow Emory students: Get out of our culinary bubble, go on an adventure and try some Indian food that’s not from the Dobbs Common Table for once.

– Contact Fiona Ferguson at fiona.ferguson@emory.edu

The Wizard of Oz

By ethAn Altshul Crossword Desk

Cherie Zhou/Contributing iLLustr Ator

Cohesive women’s team sets school win record in NCAA openers

Continued from Back Page

selves and come out with more energy,” Davidson said. “Once we were able to pick up the energy, and also the energy that the bench provided us, it really helped to spur the game on and helped us score four goals in the second half.”

Senior goalkeeper Sophia Garcia, who anchored both shutouts of the weekend, said the team’s chemistry has played a major role in navigating challenges.

“Our biggest strengths was our team cohesion and our consistent communication,” Garcia said. “It’s not about being cocky but confident, and ensuring that we are doing the right things to keep the ball moving and go forward with it.”

“Our

biggest strengths was our team cohesion and our consistent communication”

- Sophia Garcia

While the team won 2-0 against Rhodes on Nov. 16, the game presented new challenges. Despite the Eagles outshooting Rhodes 10-0 in the first half, the score remained locked at 0-0. Junior midfielder and defend-

Junior forward Zia Tomlin fights for the ball during a 6-0 win in the first round of the DIII NCAA Tournament against Belhaven University (Miss.) on Nov. 15.

er Madison Teng said their stagnant offense forced them to change their approach.

“Coming out of the first half, none of us were really happy with our performance,” Teng said. “During the half-

Confident men’s soccer starts NCAA tournament on high note

Continued from Back Page

could be the end of his soccer career. Burgess, an All-University Athletic Association honorable mention, said he is confident that the team will make a deep run.

“This could be my last ever time I kick a ball on a proper team,” Burgess said. “It’s always in the air that this could be it, but we have a lot of confidence in ourselves to go on and do the best we can.”

Sophomore defender Josh Ali said the tournament is a high-pressure environment, but that the team is trying to stay focused on the game at hand.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking, especially because this will be my first NCAA tournament appearance,” Ali said. “But knowing that it’s similar to what we’ve been doing all season, although the intensity is going to be a lot higher than the regular season, just stick to what you’re good

at. We know how to play our game.”

Similarly, Halpern said that because of the tournament’s high stakes, each game is much more intense.

“It’s win or go home, so there’s a lot more riding on each game,the teams fight a lot harder,” Halpern said. “When the game’s all done, there’s a lot more pure emotions that run through after the game, which has been a really nice shift to see.”

The Eagles will take on Rowan University (N.J.) in the Sweet 16 on Nov. 22. As the Eagles advance through the tournament, Ali said he is expecting opponents to play conservatively, but he is confident that the team can find ways to win with their style of play.

“I’m not too worried about how we’ll handle that. We have the personnel to do it,” Ali said.

— Contact Sonia Liew at sonia.liew@emory.edu

time, we were having a conversation, we’re like, ‘We are so much better than this.’ And I think we really rallied behind that.”

The deadlock was finally broken in the 57th minute when Teng inter-

cepted a loose ball in the midfield and sent a long pass to Nimmer, who beat a defender to score her 12th goal of the season. Teng solidified the win 16 minutes later, slipping past the Rhodes defenders and scoring a goal that she

‘No days off’: Jair

By Sophie Bergman Contributing Writer

When Jair Knight steps onto the basketball court, his presence shifts the energy in the gym. The senior wing led Emory University men’s basketball team with 550 points during last year’s historic season as the team held D3hoops.com’s No. 1 ranking in Division III college basketball for the first time in program history. Propelled by Knight, the hardworking team made it to the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time in program history, and D3hoops.com named Knight to their All-America Fifth Team.

When Knight was young, he’d watch his father teach his older brother to play basketball and eventually Knight followed in his brother’s footsteps. Knight said it was his older brother who made him want to improve his game. During his freshman year in high school, Knight lost his starting role on his high school team after a bad game. He said that it was this setback that pushed him to develop a strong work ethic, eventually becoming a key player on his high school’s team.

“I ended up becoming into the player that would finish off games,” Knight said. “So understanding how to create a work ethic that strives through adversity midseason. And then throughout those four years, I ended up starting on varsity as a senior and going down to the Final Four, and so just learning how to learn from your mistakes.”

Knight has accumulated many significant basketball achievements at Emory, but he was not always a star on the team. In fact, he did not begin his Emory career as a starter, but was able to earn a starting role toward the end of his freshman season. Knight said he had older teammates during that year who motivated him to keep getting better.

“My freshman year was really getting motivated by my teammates and being surrounded by guys who go hard in practice and guys who put in a lot of work outside of practice and

was particularly proud of.

“There was a ball coming back from [senior midfielder and defender] Riley [Miller], and I was able to get a good touch on it and push it past the defender,” Teng said. “I had a really fun one-on-one with the keeper … and I was able to get a touch around her and score a goal.”

The game ended on a high note, marking the team’s 16th shutout of the season as they now advance to the Sweet 16. Looking ahead, Davidson said securing the championship remains the ultimate goal.

“As a senior, winning in the last year, it would be such a good way to end my soccer career,” Davidson said. “To be able to end on that note would be pretty amazing.”

Garcia reiterated that same sentiment, noting that a championship would showcase all the work that she and the program have put in to get to this point.

“A culmination of my life’s work in a single year — a culmination of not just my work, but the coaching staff, the team, the athletics program,” Garcia said. “I could probably die happy the next day. It would mean everything to me.”

The Eagles are now set to face Johns Hopkins University (Md.) in the Sweet 16 round on Nov. 22.

— Contact Lily Wise at lily.wise@emory.edu

Knight’s relentless rise

off the court,” Knight said. “I had a lot of upperclassmen that drove me along and invited me to work out with them, and then from there translated to the game, and I started flowing from there.”

When he steps onto the court, Knight says he is looking to perform better than the last time, adding that he has a “no days off” mentality. He compared this mindset to the familiar situation of studying for exams.

“It’s almost like when you’re preparing for an exam, you’re not studying a couple days before — your exam’s on your mind a week before,” Knight said. “Even though it’s like practices, which happen every day, I like to get my mind right and then from then on, when you’re playing and you’re in the moment, give your all.”

Knight’s personal achievements are evidence of his work ethic.

Last year, Knight became the program’s fifth-ever player to receive All-America honors and was also named to the University Athletic Association’s (UAA) All-UAA First Team for the second straight season. Additionally, last season, he recorded his career high of 31 points in a game against Calvin University (Mich.).

“I didn’t realize until after, until you look up to the scoreboard,” Knight said. “[It] was just one of those games where you’re in the zone, you’re flowing and you’re feeding off your teammates.”

Knight plays a crucial role in maintaining the team’s chemistry, which is something he credits to his upbringing. Coming from a large family, he said he understands the importance of brotherhood and what it takes to “mediate between different roles.”

“I see everybody on the team as my brothers,” Knight said. “Understanding that everybody has their own talents and their own gifts and everything they bring to the team. I want to make sure everybody feels like they’re contributing, everybody feels like they’re important.”

Senior guard Tyson Thomas said that Knight is a player who makes an

effort to show his teammates he is confident in their abilities, and that Knight is persistent in making sure they believe in themselves as well.

“He’s someone on this team who believes in my talents,” Thomas said. “He says we’re going to win every game because he believes in his teammates’ talents, and he continues to instill that over and over again until you understand.”

Senior guard John Coppolino said that since their freshman year, Knight has matured in his ability to make the right play, especially when opposing teams send pressure at him.

“Almost every team will send a second person if it’s him versus a guy who’s a little smaller in the post,” Coppolino said. “He’s really improved in his decision-making with the ball, especially when he gets in the paint.”

Watching Knight on the court, it’s hard to see his light-hearted side. However, off the court, Thomas said Knight is a “class clown.” Coppolino echoed this sentiment.

“He’s a funny guy and always joking around, and he can be the heart and soul of the team oftentimes when it comes to off-the-court stuff,” Coppolino said. “How intense he is on the court, he’s like that in a basketball sense, but in a non-basketball sense, it’s not always like that.”

This season, Knight hopes he can help push the Eagles past the elite eight, in addition to a UAA Championship. The senior said his goal is not to change too much about his individual playing style, but rather to take more time to understand his teammates, to make the team more effective and for the team to make a deep postseason run.

“It’s a team sport,” Knight said. “I’m talking with my teammates more, understanding their games more, seeing their perspectives, so that we can be more efficient as a unit. And I think that’s the only way that we could achieve those goals.”

— Contact Sophie Bergman at sophie.bergman@emory.edu

Tyler Huff/Con Tribu Ting PHoTogrra PHer

Tyler Huff/Con Tribu Ting PHoTogra PHer Junior midfielder Prescott Bayman controls the ball during the homecoming match against the University of Chicago on Oct. 24.

Sports The Emory Wheel

Men’s and women’s soccer teams advance to NCAA Sweet 16

Women’s soccer advances to Sweet 16 with back-to-back shutouts

By LiLy wiSe Contributing Writer

The No. 2-ranked Emory University women’s soccer team opened the NCAA Tournament at home at the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center Stadium with back-to-back shutout victories on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, securing their spot in the Sweet 16. With these victories, the Eagles’ record now stands at 18-1-1, setting a new program record for most wins in a single season and tying the 2011 team’s record of 16 shutouts.

Emory outshot Belhaven University (Miss.) and Rhodes College (Tenn.) for a combined 58-2 total shot differential, reflecting both the Eagles’ skilled attack and a defensive unit that did not allow their opponents any scoring opportunities. Head coach Sue Patberg said the team had to make big adjustments because they faced two teams with different strategies.

“They play a completely different style,” Patberg said. “You have to kind of reset, and you hope that you have

momentum going into the next day, but you can’t count on it.”

The Eagles’ dominance was evident in their 6-0 win over Belhaven on Nov. 15, where Emory set the tone early. Junior forward Kaitlyn Nimmer put the Eagles on the board in the 14th minute, tallying her 10th goal of the season. Freshman defender Siena Elder followed by netting her first collegiate goal in the 31st minute. The Eagles’ offense continued to build in the second half, scoring four more goals: headers from both senior defender Michelle Davidson and sophomore forward Emory Bozzuti, a second goal from Nimmer and another header by junior forward Zia Tomlin.

Davidson, a two-time University Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, said the game showed how the team thrives when they are building off one another’s momentum.

“We started off a little slow, and then we were able to recompose our-

See COHESIVE, Page 11

Volleyball heads to NCAA

By aLex waryn Staff Writer

The Emory University volleyball team traveled to Massachusetts last weekend for the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships and earned sixth place after going 1-2 across the weekend. The team came into the weekend with a 5-2 conference record, but were ultimately unable to defend their UAA title from last season.

The Eagles went 4-0 at the Emory Invitational the weekend prior, which included wins against ranked opponents Ithaca College (N.Y.) and Berry College (Ga.) on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. Coming off those wins, senior setter Olivia Rabinowitz said the team was feeling excited heading into the championship.

“We’ve been working really hard in practice and all that work translated over this past weekend,” Rabinowitz said. “We’re excited to come in … and show everyone why we’re supposed to be there.”

Junior right-side hitter Sophia Luo said the team would have to be ready

Men’s soccer redeems last season, advances past first round

By Sonia Liew Staff Writer

The Emory University men’s soccer team came out strong this past weekend in the opening round of the NCAA DIII Men’s Soccer Championships, securing two wins and advancing to the Sweet 16. Coming off a strong regular season where the team went 13-1-3, the Eagles are looking to redeem themselves this year after falling short in the opening round of the tournament last year.

On Nov. 15, the Eagles faced Maryville College (Tenn.) in the first round of the tournament, coming out on top with a 3-1 victory. Junior forward Lorenzo Avalos found the back of the net within the first two minutes of the match, putting the Eagles on the board early before Maryville tied it up in the 17th minute. In the second

half, senior defender Owen Clark and junior midfielder Logan Steren added goals to secure the win.

The next day, Emory defeated Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) 3-0.

The Eagles had a strong all-around team performance, dominating the game in possession and scoring opportunities.

This was evident with three different scorers putting the Eagles on the board that game: sophomore forward Jake Breitegan, freshman midfielder Terence Noh and graduate forward Ignacio Cubeddu.

Junior goalkeeper Geoffrey Halpern said the team’s strong defensive unit has been a crucial part of their postseason success.

“We have a really, really good group of defenders and midfielders where my job is so, so easy,” Halpern said. “We have a lot of creativity. We

have a lot of guys who see the game differently, and it all combines really well together.”

“We have a lot of creativity. We have a lot of guys who see the game differently, and it all combines really well together”

- Geoffery Halpern

In addition to the pressure of trying to win a championship, the NCAA tournament is high-stakes for graduate midfielder Jack Burgess, as it

regionals following sixth-place UAA finish

to make changes on the fly, but also to trust in themselves.

“We really need to keep emphasizing how adaptable that we’ve become,” Luo said. “In the face of adversaries or unfamiliar territory, it’s important to be quick on our feet. … Also keep true to ourselves and definitely know what we do best and keep executing that.”

In their first of three UAA Championship games, the team played New York University (NYU) on Nov. 15, where they suffered a difficult loss that ended with a final score of 3-1. The Eagles started strong, taking the first set 25-21, as the team capitalized on five attack errors from NYU and a service ace from Rabinowitz. The second set opened with NYU in the lead, but the Eagles put up a fight and brought the score to 22-21 after a kill from junior right-side hitter Gabija Staniskis. The Violets regained their momentum, however, ultimately taking the second set 25-21.

Kills from seniors outside hitter Kaya Monrose and middle blocker Eliane Silberman gave Emory a 19-17

lead in the third set, but NYU was able to take the set 26-24. The fourth and final set saw five ties, with the Eagles fighting to tie the set at 26-26 before the Violets scored two points to end it at 28-26.

Sophomore right-side and outside hitter Maria Flynn said that after losses, the team looks for motivation in tough moments and tries to build off of them in the next games.

“We find a lot of motivation in moments like that, which is honestly pretty uplifting,” Flynn said. “That gives us reassurance and confidence to know that almost any game we play will be extremely determined by how we decide to come out and perform.”

Later that day, the Eagles faced Brandeis University (Mass.) and beat them 3-1. Emory dominated the first set, with kills from Silberman and Rabinowitz closing it out at 25-13. The second set was much closer, but the Eagles went on a 10-3 run and carried their momentum to ultimately overtake the Judges 25-19.

Brandeis opened the third set with their own momentum and were able

to beat the Eagles in a 25-21 win, before Emory bounced back to claim the fourth set 25-18. Flynn said the key to beating Brandeis was the team’s unity and strong communication.

“We did a really good job of staying together and trying to play as a team and play cohesive,” Flynn said. “We were trying to all be there for each other and support each other and get the win.”

The Eagles played Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) the following day in the fifth-place game and lost 3-1, but not without putting up a fight. Emory opened with a lead in the first set, but Case Western fought back, winning 25-22. The Spartans continued their momentum into the second set, beating the Eagles 25-14.

The Eagles bounced back to defeat the Spartans 25-18 in the third set thanks to kills from senior right-side hitter Leneia Niko and service aces from Rabinowitz and senior defensive specialist Caroline Coyle, but dropped the fourth set 25-15.

Although the team suffered two hard losses this weekend, their season will continue as they play

Springfield College (Mass.) in the first round of the NCAA championships this Thursday in Boston. Flynn said the team has turned their focus toward this weekend and will use these losses as fuel for the challenges ahead.

“The best thing that we can do, and what we intend to do, is use this as motivation,” Flynn said. “This year, we’ve played some of our best weekends after we had a weekend that didn’t go our way because we went into that week of practice so intentional, and that’s exactly what we’re doing this week.”

Luo said she is motivated to play for the large senior class who are competing in their final season at Emory.

“This time I have with my seniors, it’s super limited … so I honestly want to play for them,” Luo said. “I love the sport, and I’m sure everyone feels the same way, we love the people and we love the game. So, why not just play our best?”

— Contact Alex Waryn at alex.waryn@emory.edu

Tyler Huff/Con Tribu Ting PHoTogra PHer

The Emory University women’s soccer team poses in front of the NCAA 2025 DIII Women’s Soccer Championship bracket.

Tyler Huff/Con Tribu Ting PHoTogra PHer

Senior midfielder Paul Saah Jr. dribbles through traffic during a match at the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center Stadium against the University of Chicago on Oct. 24.

VOLLEYBALL