‘A for All:’ Emory College faculty grapple with grade inflation
By Spencer Friedland Editor-In-Chief
This spring, when the Class of 2025 walked across the commencement stage, over 72% of them had a GPA over 3.5. 20 years ago, only 41.5% of the class of 2005 had a GPA of over 3.5, and this percentage stayed below 50% through the class of 2017. Additionally, the Class of 2025 had an average GPA of 3.68, higher than any average GPA in the last 20 years.
In the last five years, the average ECAS graduate’s cumulative GPA has risen from 3.48 to 3.68. This increase is double the average GPA increase from 2005 to 2019, during which GPAs rose from an average of 3.33 to 3.43.
Former Emory University School of Medicine Professor Dr. Michael Lubin, a critic of grade inflation for over a decade, criticized the increasing concentration of grades above a 3.5 and called into question what Emory students’ grades actually mean.
“Grades don’t mean anything,” Lubin said.
While students may view receiving higher grades than students from previous years positively, Associate Professor of Political Science and former Emory College Faculty Senate President B. Pablo Montagnes said that grade inflation
By Tori mooney SGA Desk
From leading Emory University through the end of COVID-19 to presiding over campus turbulence during the April 2024 proPalestine protests, after five years, Gregory Fenves left his position as Emory University president on Sept. 1 and transitioned to the role of chancellor. In the wake of this change, The Emory Wheel compiled a recap of our past coverage of Fenves’ five years as president.
The University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves to become next president of Emory
Before assuming his position as president of Emory, Fenves served as president of The University of Texas at Austin for five years.
After former University
President Claire Sterk announced that she would retire in August 2020, the Board of Trustees formed a Presidential Selection Committee. In March 2020, Board of Trustees Chairman Robert C. Goddard III announced that Fenves would become the next president of Emory in a University-wide email.
“The Emory University Board of
can result in worse outcomes for students.
“You end up in a bad equilibrium of low effort, high grades, and that’s ultimately bad for students, because they’re going to learn less, particularly in classes where repeated hard work is necessary to consoli- date the skills,” Montagnes said.
Senate’s Curriculum, Assessment and Educational Policy Committee, pointed out that graduating students’ career opportunities may be hurt, as employers may not value a high GPA from Emory due to grade inflation.
Possibilities for policy changes
Montagnes said that changes in the grading policy would have to
Montagnes likened the practice of giving out higher grades to having “dessert for dinner,” where students may be pleased with their grades, but [what is harmed] is hurt in the long run by not being pushed to work harder.
Additionally, Associate Teaching Professor of Physics Tom Bing, who chairs the ECAS Faculty
Trustees convened via teleconference this morning in a specially called meeting to elect, by unanimous vote, Gregory L. Fenves as the 21st president of Emory,” Goddard wrote.
Fenves assumed his position at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fenves discusses racial justice at Emory, fall contingency plans
In his first interview with the Wheel in August 2020, Fenves discussed calls for change from the Coalition of Black Organizations and Clubs (CBOC) in response to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
Fenves outlined his plans to address CBOC’s concerns, including renaming buildings that were named after slave owners, renovating affinity spaces and working with the Washington, D.C. firm Justice and Sustainability Associates to facilitate community discussions regarding policies in the Emory Police Department (EPD).
“I don’t anticipate defunding and replacing [EPD] because safety is important, and it’s a question of how we define that,” Fenves told
“What does it even mean to graduate from Emory with a good GPA?” Bing said. “If everybody out there in the medical schools and the law schools, and even the working community, sees a great Emory GPA, and it doesn’t mean anything like, ‘Oh well, everybody from Emory has a great GPA.’ That dilutes the value of it.”
the Wheel. “How do we have it so all members of the community feel safe and have trust in officers that we hold responsible for providing safety?”
Fenves also spoke about what he anticipated to be an $84 million financial loss for the University within the fiscal year due to pandemic-related costs. To address the loss, Fenves implemented cost-saving measures, including a four-month 5% salary reduction for faculty and staff making $75,000 or more a year and a temporary suspension of capital projects.
In 2022, Emory renamed multiple buildings and Yerkes National Primate Research Center after a committee convened by Fenves made its recommendations regarding “contested historic names.”
Fenves releases second statement on second day of protests
On April 25, 2024, protestors assembled on the University Quadrangle to display support for Palestine. After Deputy Chief of the EPD Timothy Powers told protesters they had 10 minutes to disperse, EPD, the Atlanta Police Department (APD), Georgia State
Board Critiques university's dismantling of dei
come from an agreement by the ECAS faculty. The Emory College Faculty Senate can propose curriculum policies that ECAS faculty can vote on for approval. Previously, the body introduced new General Education Requirements before the ECAS faculty voted to approve them. Montagnes added that ECAS Dean
Barbara Krauthamer could not unilaterally implement changes to college grading practices.
According to Montagnes, ECAS faculty members could create a policy similar to that of the Goizueta Business School, establishing a standard grade distribution where grades are based on a distribution curve rather than a system where professors can assign students any grade, regardless of their performance relative to the class.
Despite being concerned by the rise in GPAs at Emory, Professor of English James Morey said that he would not be in favor of instituting a mandated curve, saying that grades “cannot be legislated.”
“No one tells me what grades to assign,” Morey said. “That is a faculty privilege, one of the few things faculty can still do and control.”
Krauthamer wrote in a statement to The Emory Wheel that she is confident that faculty are responsible when grading students.
“Our faculty enjoy the academic freedom to fairly assess student work and progress in their classes,” Krauthamer wrote. “I’m confident that the faculty in Emory College take that responsibility seriously.”
Like Morey, Bing said he is not a fan of a mandated grade distribution curve and would prefer if ECAS leadership gave professors
By Siya Kumar and JacoB muScolino News Editors
Asbury Circle, at the center of Emory University’s Atlanta campus, was host to students and faculty protesting in the name of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), immigrant rights and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Emory Students for Socialism (SFS) organized the protest, which was attended by around 30 Emory community members and began at 4 p.m. on Sept. 9. In their post for the event, SFS wrote that the purpose of the protest was to “Take a stand against Trump & the billion-
aires’ attack on our rights!”
The protest comes after Interim University President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced in a Sept. 3 email that Emory would “discontinue” current DEI offices and programs.
Protestors held signs in support and defense of various issues, such as “Shut down racism not DEI,” “Stand with Palestine, end the occupation now” and “ICE off our campuses now.”
SFS Organizer Saharla Mohamoud (26C) began the protest by telling attendees that terminating DEI programs and offices would make Emory less equitable, less affordable and less
ElliE Fivas/Editor-in-ChiEF Students and faculty demand change at Asbury Circle after
olivia Piri/Contributing illustrator
Recapping Fenves' response to protests, open expression
Continued from Page 1
Patrol (GSP) and the GSP Crime Suppression Unit arrested 28 demonstrators, including 20 Emory community members.
On April 26, 2024, Fenves addressed the impact of these events in a University-wide email.
“I am saddened by what took place at Emory yesterday,” Fenves wrote. “To watch these highly organized, outside protestors arrive on campus in vans, construct an encampment, and overtake the Quad just days after it was vandalized with hateful and threatening messages was deeply disturbing.”
Fenves later retracted his statement that the majority of protestors were not Emory community members. Community members criticized Fenves for stating that the protestors were from outside Emory, saying that it was a trope used to delegitimize the protests.
“It is clear to us now that this information was not fully accurate, and I apologize for that mischaracterization,” he wrote in a University-wide email.
Fenves connected the events at Emory to the ongoing national response to the war in Gaza and the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, known as “Cop City.” He also urged members of the Emory community to express their “views and beliefs without diminishing the experiences and accomplishments of others.”
Undergraduate students vote ‘no confidence’ in Fenves
In May 2024, Emory under-
graduate students voted that they did not have confidence in Fenves in a referendum initiated by the Student Government Association.
2,499 of the 3,401 students who voted (73.5%) voted ‘no confidence.’
The Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) faculty voted that they did not have confidence in Fenves on May 3, 2024. Of the 477 ECAS faculty members who voted, 358 (75.05%) voted for the motion of no confidence.
The College Senate approved the motion, which condemned the Emory administration’s decision to call police, “violence” and “use of force,” arrests and “false statements by President Fenves and other members of the administration.”
College Council unanimously voted on a resolution declaring “no confidence” in Fenves on April 29, 2024.
Over 90% of Oxford College faculty members also voted to file a no-confidence motion against Fenves on April 30, 2024. The Oxford Student Government Association also passed a unanimous resolution advocating for Fenves’ removal as president.
“Fenves defended his actions and stated that he would repeat his actions if a similar situation occurred,” the resolution said.
Fenves speaks on DEI programs, research funding
On Feb. 25, Fenves spoke to the University Senate regarding changes due to newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump’s
Students demonstrate at Asbury Circle
Continued from Page 1
accessible.
“DEI programs here, more importantly than anything else, are a representation of the student body more than anything else,” Mohamoud said.
Mohamoud condemned Emory’s willingness to “turn their backs on the Black student body.”
“Our administration has the option to take legal action towards this explicitly illegal takeover of higher education and to use our tuition dollars where they’re theoretically supposed to go to — us,” Mohamoud said. “I didn’t realize it was a crazy thing to say that, but our tuition dollars were supposed to go to help us.”
In an interview with The Emory Wheel, Mohamoud mentioned that SFS planned the event with the goal of “empowering” students.
“I want people to go home and be like, ‘No, we can’t be hopeless about the fact that we lost these services,’” Mohamoud said.
Emory School of Medicine
Assistant Professor Matthew Woodruff was the second speaker at the demonstration. In an interview with the Wheel, said diversity is an “integral part of what makes our University run.” Woodruff called those who attack higher education institutions “fascist.”
“The equity of opportunity across race, creed, gender identity, sexual orientation or class, and the inclusion of a spectrum of peoples and their ideas into our academic spaces are not a wishful ideal of a university with global reach,” Woodruff said. “They are a prereq-
executive orders targeting the education system. Fenves emphasized changes to Emory’s research funding and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
In 2023, the University received almost half its allocated research funding for that year from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Fenves said he anticipated cuts to NIH funding and an increase in the University’s endowment tax. He added that he planned to work with lawmakers to find solutions.
“We’re working with Congress to make sure that they understand what these impacts are,” Fenves said. “What we’re doing to make sure that we’re providing the best education and the most impactful research — we’re doing it, especially research, efficiently, so that Congress can enact the laws on appropriations.”
Emory spent over $500,000 lobbying the federal government from April to June, advocating for sustained research funding, student aid funding, exemption from the endowment tax, healthcare policy changes and public health investments.
Fenves also stated that alongside the University Senate, he would work to ensure that University policies complied with directives from the Trump administration regarding DEI policies.
“We need to make sure we’re in compliance with the law,” Fenves said.
On Sept. 3, two days after Fenves left his position as University president and began his new role
as chancellor, Interim President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced the discontinuation of Emory’s DEI offices and programs.
Emory announces new Open Expression Policy
On March 20, Emory adopted a new Open Expression Policy. The University developed the new policy after the April 2024 proPalestine protests.
Before the 2024-25 academic year, Fenves announced an addendum to Emory’s open expression policy banning encampments on Emory’s campus. This decision provoked backlash from members of the Emory community due to increased protest restrictions. Fenves codified the addendum without the review of the University Senate or its Committee for Open Expression.
Former University Senate
President and Professor of Law
George Shepherd said that while the University was not required to follow the advice of the Senate and the committee in the creation of addendums, doing so had previously been common practice.
“That’s why we objected to the way that this was just decided unilaterally by the administration, rather than offering an opportunity for consultation with the Senate,” Shepherd said.
The new Open Expression Policy established specific time, place and manner guidelines for protests, including not allowing protests between midnight and 7 a.m., listing restricted areas for protests, and allowing certain temporary structures given that they did not obstruct observation ability.
— Contact Tori Mooney at tori.mooney@emory.edu
Crime Report: Theft by taking, simple battery
uisite for the work that we do.”
Woodruff is an organizer of the Stand Up Emory movement, which he said is a faculty group fighting to protect academic freedom from the influence of federal policy.
He added that faculty members across campus are “frightened” of expressing their concerns about removing DEI programs, but called on them to use their freedom of expression to show support for the University.
David Banks (30G) mentioned that he attended the protest because he thought it was important to show his discontent toward the University’s decision.
“DEI is really important, and then the initiatives that it offers, being equitable is something that is really important, especially coming from University administration,” Banks said. “I was really sad to hear that Emory’s admin just decided to discontinue DEI office.”
Banks also shared that he found the University’s decision “pretty abrupt” and was “disappointed” with the communication from the Emory administration.
Banks said the demonstration was a good way to bring attention to student concerns about the University’s decision on DEI programs and offices, and would hopefully inspire more people to stand up against this change.
“We can’t just let things happen and not fight back,” Banks said.
— Contact Siya Kumar and Jacob Muscolino at siya.kumar2@emory.edu amd jmuscol@emory.edu
By GeorGe SeGall Crime Desk
The Emory Wheel regularly meets with Emory Police Department (EPD) Records Manager Ed Shoemaker (87G, 90G) and uses EPD’s public crime log to inform the Emory University community about recent crime around Emory’s campuses.
To report a crime, contact EPD at 404-727-6111 or police@emory.edu.
Theft by taking of motor vehicle at Emory Point
A student contacted EPD at about 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 about a stolen motor vehicle. The student left her motorcycle on the fifth floor of the parking garage at Emory Point for summer break. When she returned to Emory on Sept. 5, she discovered her motorcycle was missing.
The student asked the leasing office if someone had towed the motorcycle, and the office told her that the property does not tow vehicles. Shoemaker said that the student is going to contact the security in the complex to see if any cameras might have picked up footage.
EPD has assigned this case for investigative follow-up. The motorcycle is a white Kawasaki, worth about $5,000, according to Shoemaker.
Simple battery, stalking at the ESC
EPD met with a male student in a residence hall on the Atlanta campus at about 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 to discuss a case of battery that had occurred earlier that night.
The student from the Oxford campus finished eating dinner on the Atlanta campus in the Emory Student Center (ESC) with a female friend at about 7:20 p.m. The student’s ex-girlfriend, whom he said he had dated last spring, approached the pair. According to the male student, she was with three other students.
The male student said his exgirlfriend walked up to him, shoved him and slapped him on his face. She then threw two bags of items at him, which contained things he had given her during their relationship.
The male student said his exgirlfriend told him during this interaction, “I never want to see you back on this f***king campus or I swear to God.” She then warned the student’s female friend to be careful, calling him a “cheater” with “issues.”
The male student and his female friend left the ESC to return to the friend’s dorm room. According to the student, there was a loud knock on the door less than 10 minutes after they entered the room. They looked through the peephole and found the ex-girlfriend with the same group of friends from outside her room.
The student’s friend, whose room it was, contacted the resident advisor (RA) and reported that there were people outside her room in the hall who did not live there. The RA arrived and told the group that they needed to leave, which they did. The resident then briefly stepped out of her room when the ex-girlfriend reiterated that she only wanted to talk and warned the resident about the male student being a cheater. The RA then told everyone to leave.
At about 9:30 p.m., the resident of the dorm requested an escort
from her RA to accompany her and the male student back to the male student’s car. He then drove back to Oxford, told his father about the incident and contacted EPD.
EPD has notified the various appropriate Campus Life personnel about the incident. The male student indicated interest in pressing charges and requested a temporary protective order.
Theft by taking at the WoodPec
A student contacted EPD in the evening on Sept. 8 about a missing wallet at the George W. Woodruff P.E. Center (WoodPec). He said he had the wallet with him in his bookbag at about 12:45 p.m. and later discovered that his wallet was missing at around 5:30 p.m.
The student visited the WoodPec at about 4:45 p.m. for a workout. During the workout, he said he put the bookbag down on the floor beside him.
After he completed his workout at about 5:30 p.m., he checked the bag and discovered that his wallet was missing. He retraced his steps and checked the lost and found at the locations he had visited during the afternoon, but could not find his wallet.
The wallet contained identification cards, credit cards and a “substantial amount” of money, according to Shoemaker. As a precaution, the student froze his cards, and EPD assigned the case for an investigator to follow up on.
— Contact George Segall at george.segall@emory.edu
sPEnCEr FriEdland/Editor-in-ChiEF
Chancellor Gregory Fenves speaks to the graduating students at the 2025 Commencement ceremony on May 12.
DEI programs, offices closure announcement worries students, faculty
By Siya Kumar News Editor
Since the outset of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, universities nationwide have reconsidered their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Columbia University (N.Y.) and the University of Pennsylvania have removed DEI information from their websites. After the federal government began withholding over $2.2 billion in federal funding from Harvard University (Mass.), the university renamed its Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging to the Office of Community and Campus Life.
Emory University is the latest higher education institution to respond to federal directives.
Interim University President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced Emory’s decision to close all DEI programs and offices on Sept. 3.
University Senate President and Philosophy Professor Noelle McAfee said Sears informed her, and President-Elect of the University Senate Jodie Guest “just before” the university-wide announcement about the decision to shut down DEI programs and offices. McAfee said that faculty across Emory’s campus were “devastated” and “livid” about the decision.
Additionally, McAfee highlighted that the decision-making process at a university is different from Sears’ previous experience.
“When you are a senior partner at a law firm, you get to decide things,” McAfee said. “Higher education is very different. We have these aspirations of shared governance and consultation, and putting forward the educational mission of the university. So it’s a very different climate.”
Despite her dismay with the changes to DEI at Emory, McAfee mentioned that since Sears is new to her role, she hopes the interim president will “find her footing.”
“She got here, and she dropped this bomb,” McAfee said. “It is not going well, but we should offer a little grace and give it a minute and
see how do we help each other learn.” McAfee mentioned that she
could understand Sears’ decision in the broader political context of the Trump administration’s attacks on DEI policies. However, she still called the decision a “mistake.”
“Private universities can’t be regulated by the government, but they can … pressure us by threatening to remove any federal funding,” McAfee said.
Sears’ email to the Emory community did not mention specifics of the process to “discontinue” DEI programs and policies, leaving many to question the effects of this decision.
In an email to The Emory Wheel, Emory Student Government Association Speaker of the
Legislature Sohan Bellam (26C) wrote that he only learned of Emory’s decision when he received the email from Sears. He said the email was “hopelessly vague.”
“It’s quite unusual for schools to send out an email saying [they] are ending all DEI programs without any specificity as to what is or is not DEI,” Bellam wrote.
College Council Executive Vice President Braden Newsome (25Ox, 27C) said that while he was disappointed, he was not surprised by the University’s decision.
For Newsome, the lack of clarity regarding the closure of DEI offices and programs adds to students’ distrust in the University administration.
“In Sears’ email, when it said that inclusivity is still a core principle of Emory, we’re just getting rid of the office, I don’t know that I trust that,” Newsome said. “That’s the kind of thing that this lack of trust has caused, and you can rebuild it. It starts with just open, honest communication.”
Newsome also shared that he believes the recent decision reflected a neglect of the student experience by Emory administration.
“We are not their highest priority as students, and that is concerning,” Newsome said.
Even though Emory’s recent decision to close DEI offices and programs left many with questions, McAfee still believes that the University can continue to support inclusivity among its students and faculty.
“What if we built programs on campus — the Office of Fairness, the Committee on Belonging, the Institute for Opportunity for All, and then really robustly filled them out,” McAfee said. “We need institutions, practices, structures through which to live out those values. You can’t just wish them.”
— Contact Siya Kumar at siya.kumar2@emory.edu
Faculty members discuss causes of grade inflation amid rising GPAs
Continued from Page 1
more information about how their grading compares to other professors.
“Data is never a bad thing,” Bing said. “All I would want is that each individual faculty makes a more informed, explicit decision when they’re thinking about their grades.”
Conversely, Montagnes said that giving professors more data may lead to higher grade inflation.
“If faculty become aware that they’re the hard grader, they might say, ‘Oh, maybe I’m out of line’ and become the easy grader,” Montagnes said. “They might also maybe rightly understand that their low grades are hurting students, and so they might change their behavior.”
Alternative perspectives on grading
While many professors may see rising GPAs at Emory as a problem, Professor of Practice in the Department of French and Italian Christine Ristaino and
The
Emory Writing Program Associate Teaching Professor Vani Kannan take a different approach. Both Ristain and Kannan see grading as “punitive.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kannan championed an “A for All” policy, advocating for an approach to grading that did not compare students but was based on the amount of work students put into the class. Additionally, Kannan said in her classes, she creates final projects based on work that is relevant to their interests.
Similarly, Ristaino explained that students have different learning styles and that she believes grades should be based on personal improvement rather than class performance.
“There are a whole bunch of students who are overlooked in general in the school system,” Ristaino said. “My thoughts about grading are that grading is punitive. It punishes the people who don’t do well, who don’t test well or do worksheets well. They could be incredibly intelligent, creative,
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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. The Wheel is also available online at www.emorywheel.com.
out-of-the-box thinkers, but they’re punished because they’re not fitting into a particular box.”
COVID-19 effect on grade inflation
At Emory, grades began to significantly increase during the direct aftermath of COVID-19. Montagnes said that this rise was seen across the country.
Bing added to this, stating that it was harder to grade and test “in a rigorous way” while students were taking classes online. Since 2020, the average GPA has increased by 0.2, 200% more than from 2005 to 2019. Adding to this, Morey said it was difficult to give students worse grades due to the extenuating circumstances the pandemic caused.
“How can I possibly penalize any student for what may be a nonsuperlative achievement when the conditions are so difficult?”
Morey said. “That‘s basically why the grades went through the roof during the pandemic.”
Montagnes said that while grades were increasing slightly leading up to 2019, this could somewhat be attributed to an increase in Emory’s selectivity.
“But the fast COVID era rise is not consistent with the school becoming appreciatively more selective over that period,” Montagnes said.
While there have been no comprehensive studies published on grade inflation since the pandemic, researchers have found multiple institutions of higher education to have high levels of grade inflation since the pandemic. For example, the University of Oregon and Duke University (N.C.) both saw jumps in GPA in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.
Other causes
Despite ECAS faculty members’ ability to combat grade inflation, Montagnes said implementing grade controls would be difficult.
“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the College could impose a curve of sorts as well, but it would require faculty agreeing to that … that would be, in my opinion, hard to get faculty agreement on, partly because some faculty benefit from the lenient grading,” Montagnes said.
Bing said that grade inflation is partly caused by the incentive structure for professors, making it easier to award “a few extra A’s in one semester.”
Similarly, Morey and Associate Professor of Film and Media Jennifer Porst both spoke about how professors do not want to receive poor evaluations from students and that one way to receive better evaluations is to give out higher grades than students may deserve.
“Student evaluations are a big part of how we are evaluated on a year-to-year basis,” Porst said. “Our salaries depend in part on it. Our promotion depends in part on it, and so it’s a difficult system. When faculty are put in a position of, ‘If I give the grades that I think students actually have earned, if they’re unhappy, it punishes me.’”
Morey and Porst also mentioned how student expectations have led professors to give out higher grades as well. Porst explained that she believes students at schools like Emory expect to receive high grades.
“Because they have gotten good grades throughout their academic career until they get to Emory, their expectation is that they will continue to do so, and sometimes, not all the time, you get students for whom their self-worth is tied up in their grades,” Porst said.
Additionally, Morey said that the high costs of schools like Emory have led to students expecting higher grades.
“The sacrifices that students and their families have to make to just get through a degree program at a school like Emory,” Morey said. “It is hard to think, ‘How much did I pay for this and what? How much did I sacrifice, and I am not being rewarded as I think I should be for future purposes, med school, law school, graduate school, jobs.’ Those are very important questions that should not be ignored.”
Despite the expense of an Emory degree, Morey said that faculty must work on adjusting student expectations to where students understand that a B is a good grade.
Lubin stated that grade inflation is an outgrowth of a culture where everyone expects to be rewarded no matter what. He added that the high GPAs at Emory are “ridiculous.”
“The problem we have in the world is you’re not allowed to make value judgments,” Lubin said.
Montagnes added that since grade inflation at Emory is so high, giving a student an A- or B+ could seem like a punishment.
“You’re going to dramatically affect their place in class rank, their GPA,” Montagnes said. “Then they’re, in some sense, causing harm to those students. As GPA gets really, really high, faculty become more and more resistant to ‘hurting’ a student by giving them a low GPA or low grade in the class.”
Morey stated that Emory should have a mechanism for rewarding “truly exceptional” students. Porst added that she sees the practice of giving out high grades to many students as harming students who do outstanding work.
— Contact Spencer Friedland at spencer.friedland@emory.edu
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The Emory Wheel Opinion
Reject Emory's spineless attack on DEI
In the wake of Interim University President Leah Ward Sears’ (80L) announcement of Emory University’s discontinuation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and offices, students, faculty and staff have been left asking: What’s next?
While U.S. President Donald Trump and his cabinet have been promising to rip funding from universities that do not comply with his restrictions on DEI since January, it is unclear what will become of a higher education system stripped of these principles. Professors may have to teach rewritten histories, staff may experience forced transitions out of the University and years poured into fields of study could evaporate in an instant.
As the voice of The Emory Wheel, the Editorial Board, cannot hope to serve our university community while being apathetic to concerns that harm us all. The Emory Wheel’s Editorial Board unequivocally supports DEI efforts, and we believe that in no world should it be controversial or punishable to do so. Emory has not given its students a modicum of comfort in its actions all while going above and beyond to appease the Trump administration.
Emory scrubbing DEI from its most public image contradicts its presence as an Atlanta university, which comes with profound history. Atlanta is the cradle of the modern Civil Rights Movement, as well as being the South’s most vital LGBTQ+ hub.
With this positionality in mind, past Emory students have not shied away from taking up the mantle of dissent. For example, in 1991, two Emory students, Michael Norris and Alfred
Hildebrand, were harassed by other students after they were seen kissing in a common area. In response to the University’s handling of the situation, students marched through campus and organized a sit-in in the university president’s office.
This action led to the formation of the Office of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Student Life. Emory’s office, now known as the Office of LGBT Life, was one of only nine U.S. universities and the only one in the Southeast to establish an office in a time of AIDS activism, campus organizing and ACT UP protests.
Additionally, Emory’s Political, Cultural and Social Movements
Collection at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library details the history of transformative protest and activism within Atlanta. With this collection, Emory fashions itself as a steward of marginalized histories and a beneficiary of Atlanta’s radical past, a position it now actively undermines by dismantling the very institutional commitments.
Emory paid for its own Atlanta ZIP code, making a concerted effort to embed itself within the civic identity of this city. Emory’s decision is a repudiation of the social architecture that enriched student life and helped transform Georgia’s capital into a place where silenced voices grew impossible to ignore.
DEI erasure threatens major ramifications in Emory departments such as history, African American Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Beyond the more immediate concerns regarding staff layoffs and a lack of departmental fund-
ing, the silencing of minority narratives wields the potential to erode the integrity of the regional history upon which Emory sits. Stifling DEI is an affront to the academic ethos by which the University operates.
As affirmed in Emory’s mission statement, “the intellectual and social energy that results from such diversity is critical to advancing knowledge.”
When asked if the University was explicitly told to comply with federal laws, Emory’s communications team only pointed the Board toward the previous unclear statement from Sears. By not issuing a further statement, Emory failed to confirm or deny if the Trump administration pressured Emory to make changes to its DEI programs.
Emory’s capitulation also comes after a district judge found that the
Trump administration acted illegally by freezing Harvard University’s (Mass.) research funding under the guise of anti-DEI actions. Further, on Aug. 14, another district judge ruled that the Education Department’s attempt to cut federal funding from institutions that continue with DEI initiatives violates the law. Emory’s choice to end DEI programs only further plays into perceptions that DEI is an unwieldy and dangerous aspect of education in the United States.
Right-wing pundits have shaped DEI into the new catch-all colloquialism for anything that dares to move the needle in a direction away from a homogenous America. The language surrounding DEI did not come about by accident and is reminiscent of the paranoia of McCarthyism.
The Trump administration considers DEI in federally funded endeavors to be not only illegal but also “immoral,” “radical” and “wasteful.” As such, DEI has evolved into a boogeyman among the ranks of critical race theory and the “war on woke.” Anything connected to DEI is under attack because the far right has pigeon-holed it with noncompliance and a refusal to bend to dominant narratives.
Viewing DEI as a spreading, tangible enemy comes from deliberate moves to render all possible avenues of critical thought null. The condemnation of DEI coalesces around the demand of a pure America — one of inoffensiveness and simplification in its values.
eLLie Fivas editor-in-Chief
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With such immense cultural inheritance at stake, the University has a responsibility to be transparent about the tangible manifestations of compliance. This dearth of transparency has left students wondering if the end of DEI signals the uprooting of minority resources or a mere rebranding of affinity spaces.
The lack of administrative communication is absolutely unacceptable, particularly when the fate of many students’ abilities to flourish, or retain scholarship funding at this institution, lies in the balance.
In light of this institutional silence, the Editorial Board will be hosting a public town hall to give voice to those Emory has failed to address and create space for. Emory’s community deserves a platform to share its grievances, fears and anger.
Already, Students for Socialism at Emory has worked to provide opportunities to vocalize support for DEI, including through a walk-out on Sept. 9. If our administration will not engage with us, then we have to stop asking for permission to ask questions. The Editorial Board’s town hall will take place on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m in room 106 of the Alumni Memorial University Center.
Emory’s community makes the University what it is and our breadth of diversity distinguishes it from a pure corporation. Without directly standing behind the diversity of our school, our values are empty, and our presence is antithetical to progress.
Yet, the legacy that Emory wishes to attach itself to is built on the bravery of dissent and action. Sears has asserted that an “unwavering commitment to fairness, belonging and opportunity” are “part of Emory’s DNA,” but the actions of the institution have not mitigated the harm, fear and uncertainty the Emory community faces.
The above editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Editor Carly Aikens, Mira Krichavsky, Eliana Liporace, Niki Rajani, Josh Rosenblut, Ilka Tona and Crystal Zhang.
Saba FaiSal/Deputy illuS eDitor
Gold standard science cannot survive only on pennies
By CayDen Xia opinion editor
As classrooms fill up with students once again and first-years pile onto the Emory University Quadrangle toasting glass Coke bottles, another academic year begins. Undergraduate students step into labs for the first time, seniors pull all-nighters to polish their graduate school applications and Ph.D. students launch projects that shape their careers. However, for a period that typically marks a future full of possibility, anxiety and stress clouds optimism like never before. Ever since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, cuts to research have been obliterating academia. Record-breaking slashes to the budgets of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many other essential government research agencies have jeopardized the present and future of American science. These cuts have forced graduate programs to accept fewer students. As thousands of students write application essays about contributing to revolutionary medical and technological breakthroughs, the government is sending a clear message: Your future in science is expendable.
However, at the same time as these cuts, Trump signed an executive order on May 25 for “Gold Standard Science,” demanding more transparency, peer reviews and integrity in response to the American people’s waning trust in science. The hypocrisy is glaring. You cannot demand more and better science while refusing to pay for it. Trump's slashing of research opportunities is a danger to the current and long-term prospects
of U.S. advancement, and he must restore funding if he truly wishes to maintain the United States’ position as a global leader in research.
This hypocritical decision to defund federal agencies will halt American innovation. The Trump administration proposed a 47% cut to NASA’s science funding, resulting in potential layoffs for a third of the agency’s employees and threatening more than 40 planetary and earth science projects. The agency uses funding to fuel not only innovation for technology and material science but also free satellite data, which U.S. farmers rely on to improve agricultural practices.
Additionally, Trump proposed a 40% cut for 2026 to the NIH which threatened to disrupt over 2,500 research institutions which the agency supports through grants and infrastructure. Although a U.S. House of Representatives spending committee rejected Trump’s request, their current bill plans on cutting the CDC’s funding by 19%, endangering our nation's health.
Even worse, a requested 74% reduction in the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy budget could cripple clean energy initiatives and America’s ability to compete in the global energy market — a direct contradiction to Trump’s pledge to “Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again.” Instead of investing in renewable energy, he will continue to siphon natural resources and pollute the environment. Each of these decisions to forgo research represents a massive strategic investment vacuum for other countries to fill.
The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship
Program (GRFP) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs are also part of this devastating cull. The GRFP has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most prestigious graduate fellowships, providing a fully funded education in the sciences and making the recipient highly competitive for top graduate programs and future career opportunities.
Similarly, the REU program has
a few months later. The REU program faced even bigger slashes. The NSF historically supported over 200 REU sites every summer. This year, it only approved 52 sites — a 75% reduction — and terminated 15 active REU grants.
As someone who experienced research firsthand through a government grant, I felt a fervent need to write this article. This summer, I participated in a research fellow-
been a lifeline for undergraduates, providing fully funded summer research experiences. The REU is especially crucial to those at institutions such as community colleges, where research opportunities are limited. These programs are foundational to the growth of emerging and early career scientists, and cutting off funding guarantees that America will fall behind in the global race for discovery.
In the past 15 years, the NSF has awarded between 2,000 to over 2,500 GRFP fellowships annually. This year, however, it awarded only 1,000 on schedule, adding 500 more
ship at the University of Missouri, where I spent weeks in a laboratory working on a project that not only refined technical skills but also provided unparalleled mentoring and knowledge about career opportunities. I specifically remember partaking in an eight-week course on the responsible conduct of research — a program that emphasizes the same principles Trump preaches in his “Gold Standard Science.”
Week after week, we discussed topics like ethical data collection, the importance of rigorous peer review, predatory journals and research malfeasances. Without this pro -
gram, I would never have received the mentorship and guidance that I will carry with me in my future. Cutting these programs would allow misconduct to proliferate among the next generation of researchers due to a lack of ethical education.
The losses in these programs go beyond losses of educational resources — they represent lost opportunities for young scientists who are in the most need of assistance.
Without the GRFP and REU programs, thousands of students from underprivileged backgrounds will not have the opportunity to enter research, exacerbating inequality in science. Furthermore, this dramatic reduction in funding sends a signal to the entire world that the United States does not value science nor investment in our future.
If the Trump administration demands “Gold Standard Science,” then it must put its money where its mouth is.
The students who fill Emory’s halls are the doctors, engineers and innovators of the future, but without meaningful investment, they will never reach their potential.
Slashing funding to the NIH, NASA, DOE and NSF will cost the United States money in the long run — it weakens the American people and their propensity to innovate by slowing down scientific breakthroughs. President Trump and Congress must restore federal funding to these research agencies. To do anything less is to watch our global leadership slip away, not because we lack the talent, but because we refuse to pay for a future we demanded.
— Contact Cayden Xia at cayden.xia@emory.edu
Citizens are bearing costs in redistricting arms race
By CrystaL Zhang staff Writer
First Texas, then Indiana and now Missouri — state after state is following the same playbook of redrawing Democrat-controlled congressional districts to secure more Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Missouri’s special legislative session, called just this week, aims to carve up a safe Democratic Kansas City district to help Republicans secure an additional seat prior to the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, the state leading the redistricting charge, has already pushed through a new congressional map targeting five seats currently held by Democrats, a move encouraged by U.S. President Donald Trump and signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this August. In response to the Republican redistricting, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to redraw California’s congressional districts, making it more likely Democrats win five additional seats. Redistricting is quickly becoming an arms race between the parties, where voters, especially minorities, stand to lose.
After years of conceding to Republicans and attempting to appeal to moderates, the Democrats’ decision to redraw maps may seem like an effort to finally fight back against the Trump administration — espe-
cially in light of Trump’s many actions undermining democracy, such as ignoring federal judge orders, deporting people without due process and sending the National Guard into cities.
The Democrats’ tit-for-tat redistricting strategy, however, is only a temporary Band-Aid — a shaky solution that plays right into the GOP’s game, allowing Republicans to set a dangerous precedent of map manipulation. This not only risks normalizing partisan gerrymandering, which Democrats spent years condemning, but also silences the voices of millions of voters.
Partisan gerrymandering — the act of redrawing district lines to manipulate election results — has been practiced in the U.S for centuries. Strategies such as packing, which concentrates one demographic of voters into a few districts, and cracking, which spreads them out across many to take advantage of the all-ornothing U.S. voting system, remain common tools for engineering election results. The evidence of gerrymandering can be seen in several states’ election maps today, including North Carolina, Wisconsin and even Georgia. Traditionally, the congressional districts are redrawn at the end of each decade following the U.S. Census to reflect population shifts. For this reason, Texas and Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting is highly unusual.
Following Newsom’s retaliation against Texas, we are now amid a
partisan turf war. Several other states have also accelerated their redistricting efforts. Republicans are discussing ways to add more than a dozen Republican House seats by redrawing Florida, Ohio, Louisiana and Alabama’s congressional districts. Across the aisle, Democrat-led Maryland, Illinois and New York have begun redrawing maps to counter Republicans. As this situation escalates, the congressional map may soon reflect partisan engineering more than actual representation, leaving voters with districts designed purely for party advantage.
Politicians justify their back-andforth seat snatching by claiming a congressional majority is the only way to advance their party’s policies, which they argue their voters want enacted. When legislators gerrymander districts, minority voters are silenced. In states like Texas, for example, lawmakers are cracking and packing majority-Latino neighborhoods, effectively eliminating districts where Latinos would be able to elect their candidates of choice. Latinos account for 50% of Texas’ population growth, and the new electoral maps blunt the impact of this growth.
Beyond disenfranchising minorities, noncompetitive districts also breed complacency. When a representative’s reelection is virtually guaranteed, the incentive for a politician to respond to their constituents’ needs diminishes. The Democrats fighting
the Republicans’ fire with fire is not worth it — instead, it encourages all the issues that come with redistricting.
Politicians are so blinded by their focus on defeating their opponents that they ignore the harm they are inflicting on their own constituents. While this strategic impromptu redistricting may protect a few seats for Democrats in the short term, it erodes the principle that voters should choose their representatives — not the other way around.
In light of the Trump administration’s authoritarian actions, Democrats undermine their credibility with their hypocrisy, breaking the same rules they accuse their opponents of violating. In California, redrawing districts to favor Democrats could end up silencing Republican and independent voices just as effectively. Gerrymandering is a threat to fair representation for everyone. In the end, ordinary Americans will pay the price when their voices are silenced in government.
While the Republican push for a fully gerrymandered map seems daunting to those who care about their representation, Republican legislators still face pushback. The redrawn Texas map is currently facing a wave of legal challenges from civil rights groups, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who argue that redistricting intentionally undermines the voting power of Black and Latino communities and violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, relying on lawsuits alone will not solve this problem, as courts can only address individual maps and not the redistricting agenda as a whole.
Breaking this cycle of escalation will require our collective action. We must put a stop to undemocratic redistricting before it spirals. That starts with civic engagement. I urge you to show up for state and local elections, where redistricting decisions are often made. This is especially the case for Georgia, which has faced repeated accusations of racial gerrymandering. Advocating for nonpartisan Independent Redistricting Commissions to draw state lines, especially in swing states like Georgia, will also help counteract the normalization of manipulative maps. Our collective action acts as a guardrail, preventing further retaliatory escalation between the parties. Ultimately, the Supreme Court will need to step in and end its neutrality on partisan gerrymandering. Until then, we need to do our part to stand up for our democracy to put an end to this redistricting race.
Dear Doolino, I'm living in a pigsty!
By DooLino CaMpus overlord
Dear Doolino,
My roommate is a slob! What should I do?
Sincerely, Neat Freak
Dear Neat Freak,
Congratulations. You have been blessed beyond measure, in a way most can only dream of.
I am not referring to your situation involving your subpar roommate — I will get to that in a moment. What I mean, Neat Freak, is that you are the first Emorian that I deign to respond to this academic year.
Welcome back, one and all. It is I, Doolino, Emory University’s one true mascot and the funniest, handsomest and most intelligent being on these forsaken school grounds. A new school year has arrived, but, as always, one thing is the same: Someone at Emory has beef.
I understand your pain, Neat Freak. I myself am a very organized skeleton — I always thought that the way skin and hair bunched and tangled was far too cluttered, so I am beyond pleased to consist of only bones and sockets.
However, living college students are not so lucky. Maybe your roommate has cultivated a stinking cesspit of leftover Kaldi’s Coffee prosciutto mozzarella sandwich scraps. Maybe, they have simply laid out their dirty laundry for the world to smell.
Regardless of what exactly your roomie is doing to grate on your nerves, a messy living environment can be akin to living in my hometown, Hell — although I would choose the pits of despair over a view of pit-stained T-shirts any day. I will try my best to assuage your anger and anxieties, but be warned — curing a messy roommate can be a Herculean task.
Reduce your anger to a simple “sybau” or “tspmo.”
Perhaps if you speak to your roommate in a way that they can understand, you will get through to them.
As I understand it, a new form of language is all the rage among young
people, which I believe your doomed generation refers to as brainrot. Your roommate could be so messy simply because their brain cannot process basic human tasks anymore. Take pity on them, dear reader. They obviously live in a state of rot. Meet your roommate at their level: Try simplifying your language. Rather than hurling insults at your roommate or texting them long, venomous paragraphs, reduce your anger to a simple “sybau” or “tspmo.”
If you leave those two simple words on a Post-it note atop their festering pile of unsorted laundry, you are sure to get your message across.
It is your solemn responsibility and sacred duty to be as inconvenient and annoying as possible.
You could also reach out to a resident advisor (RA). One thing to note about RAs is that they love other people’s problems.
I would suggest knocking loudly on their door at 3 a.m. If they don’t answer, keep knocking over and over until they finally hear you. They do not need sleep — they are likely on call, anyway.
Even if they are not on call, as a resident at Emory, it is your solemn responsibility and sacred duty to be as inconvenient and annoying as possible.
If you want to be extra helpful, throw in a complaint about the broken elevator in your residence hall. They definitely did not already know that.
Once your RA has opened the door, barrage them with brutal personal insults about your roommate. Insist that your RA set your slob of a roommate straight for you. If they mumble some excuse about “scheduling a meeting” or “not being on the clock right now,” insist that you will report them to Residence Life and Housing Operations and demand they are fired immediately for not acquiescing.
If harassing your RA or communicating with your roommate does not work, I fear matters are graver than I initially anticipated.
You might have to execute the worst, most unimaginable maneuver of all: Befriending the slob. Perhaps
you and your roommate both share a passion for getting “turnt” and lighting up the night. Your roommate might not be a blast in your place of residence, but maybe they’re the life of the party out on the town.
Find something fun to do and somewhere exciting to go. Or, if you are in a more somber mood, go light candles and mourn the ghost of Veranda together, reflecting on fond memories of first-years trying to use their EmoryCards as fake IDs and nights full of shenanigans.
If the two of you are more inclined to prefer a night in, consider a spirited night of charades.
If you receive the word slob, simply imitate your roommate until they get the message. The two of you will share a laugh, and they might just shape up after all.
Sometimes, it is difficult to remember that the people we dislike are just that — people. Even I have a tendency to sometimes jump to conclusions despite the fact that I am glorious and perfect in every way.
For example, while I will forever be at odds with that dastardly official mascot, Swoop, he is not completely birdbrained at all times. Though gargantuan, flightless and largely useless, sometimes he is not … terrible at raising campus cheer.
Likely, the same is true of your roommate. Although they have some bad habits, don’t we all?
Sometimes, it is difficult to remember that the people we dislike are just that — people.
They are still a person, and likely have talents, aspirations and passions, just like you. Focus on finding out those first, and then the two of you can address your shortcomings together.
Of course, if you are not a fan of sappiness, just collect a bucket of roaches from the streets of the Atlanta campus and dump it in their bed. I am not picky.
Regardless, I wish you and all other Emory students embarking on a year of new living situations the best. Communicate with your peers, Swiffer your floor and always remember: Doolino knows best.
— Find Doolino six feet under the Quadrangle
An Atlanta semester made me love Oxford
By JosseLyn st. CLair staff Writer
When I opened my admissions decision letter from Emory University, I had no idea why there were two campuses listed instead of one. Instead of screaming out with joy, I scrunched my eyebrows: I did not remember applying to this mysterious Oxford College. Upon checking, I found a blurb on Emory’s webpage explaining that Oxford is a two-year liberal arts college that emphasizes small class sizes and robust student leadership opportunities. I immediately fell in love with the idea of this campus and submitted my deposit the very next day. Like many incoming Oxford students, though, it did not take long for that joy to drain away.
As I searched the internet for current student perspectives, punch after punch of negative stories knocked me off my feet. Discussion platforms such as Reddit cautioned me that Oxford was isolated from bars and restaurants, making its social culture nearly nonexistent. Statistics revealed that an alarming percentage of Oxford’s Class of 2024 was graduating early to flee to Atlanta, with others transferring universities. The nail in my coffin was the first article I ever read from The Emory Wheel. Aimee Zhao (24Ox, 26C) trembled with worry in her op-ed, noting the lack of resources that the English department provided at Oxford — an expression of distress that, as an incoming humanities major, made me spiral. I remember dropping that article and breaking into tears, angry that I had damned myself to such a desolate future at Oxford.
When I arrived on campus as a first year, I did not give Oxford a chance. I hopped on the Atlanta shuttle every weekend, spending more time with my friends who go to the Atlanta campus than with my own roommate back at Oxford. I was envious of the endless guest lectures in Atlanta, the hundreds of research and involvement opportunities spread across its campus and easy access to a vibrant metropolis of excursions. My Oxford friends began to joke that the only time they saw me on campus was when I was waiting for the Atlanta shuttle, and I laughed with them.
In my second semester, Oxford’s lack of upper-level German classes allowed me to cross register and commute to Atlanta twice a week. I pounced on the opportunity, excited to embrace the Atlanta student I thought I was meant to be. I loved participating in classes that I knew Oxford would never offer, shaking hands with the Swiss Consulate General in Goodrich C. White Hall and quickly strolling down the Atlanta Beltline before classes.
When I finally began looking at Oxford with the pride it deserved, I was surprised to find how much I had overlooked. A professor has invited me over for dinner on multiple occasions. Many of Oxford’s deans, who know me by name, often stop me to chat. During my freshman year, I designed and carried out my own research project, which was only possible because the faculty member who advised it knew me as more than a face in his class. I have learned that Oxford will truly support any endeavor that a student is passionate about, but that is only possible when a student asks. I firmly believe that it is easier to get swept up in various organizations and research in Atlanta even if you expect those activities to find you. Yet, when you are driven and seek out resources yourself, you will find the greater reward at Oxford. This reality was the problem that plagued me during the beginning of my time here and continues to infect too many other Oxford students — the potential to thrive at Oxford is there, but students cannot expect opportunities to simply fall into their laps. I do not regret my decision to cross register, but I missed out on so much at Oxford by yearning to be somewhere I was not. We are just a few weeks into the semester, and I am already hearing many members of Oxford’s newest class express their desperation to graduate early. I worry that they are going to spoil their valuable time at this unique campus. I have heard discussions about the Wheel article criticizing humanities at Oxford far too often in conversation. This has made me realize that we, as Oxford students, bear a role in spreading positive stories about our campus — we create so much of the stigma our campus endures. I agree that Oxford has issues worth fixing, but these problems cannot be the only aspect of our campus that our student body portrays. I do not want future students to perpetuate the poisonous belief that Oxford is a lifeless, half-baked version of the Atlanta campus.
Normalizing love for Oxford is something that must come from our whole community, and I look especially to our newest members. To the Oxford Class of 2027: I implore you to look beyond the negativity and embrace Oxford for the amazing opportunity it truly is. I hate that it took time in Atlanta for me to understand what a truly special place Oxford is, but this is not the path everyone must take. What Oxford students seek is already here, but we must be ready to accept it. I just hope that, when our student body finally begins to appreciate Oxford, their love is not also shadowed by regret.
— Contact Josselyn St. Clair at jmstcla@emory.edu
I was exhilarated by the constant whirlwind of energy in Atlanta, and it took months for me to realize I was missing my Oxford home. My friends continued to joke that I was perpetually on the Atlanta shuttle, but I was not laughing anymore. More people from Oxford began telling me in passing that they were not seeing me around much. By the time that Oxford’s own dean saw me in the library and repeated the sentiment I heard too many times, I could already feel cracks splitting through my heart. I was struggling to keep up with Atlanta’s fast pace, further overwhelmed by the thousands of unknown faces that raced past me. Suddenly, my exhilaration devolved into anxiety. I began to dread my commutes and spent my hour on the shuttle wallowing about being away from my home campus. The backhanded comments I heard about Oxford students from my friends in Atlanta had grown too loud for me to ignore. I scrolled through texts from my friends telling each other where they were sitting in Lil’s, our dining hall, while I sat alone in the Dobbs Common Table. Each day eroded at the bright Atlanta experience I dreamt of and left a far colder reality in its place.
The Emory Wheel Arts Life
Emory student filmmaker makes meme into movie
Catherine Goodman Managing Editor
For over a century, directors have transformed the written word, lifting compelling characters, lively dialogue and stunning landscapes from typed pages and bringing them to life on the big screen.
Francis Ford Coppola’s film, “Apocalypse Now” (1979), was based on Joseph Conrad’s novel, “Heart of Darkness” (1899), Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age film, “Little Women” (2019), follows the lives of the four March sisters from Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel of the same name, and “After” (2019), a sultry college romance, borrowed its plot from a fanfiction.
But Billy Park (25B) found inspiration in an even more peculiar place — a viral meme.
One day, while scrolling on his phone, Park came across a meme called “The Group Chat Got Leaked.”
This popular post features FBI agents arresting men, others posing for mug shots and some even suiting up for war. Park, who had been searching for a film topic, knew he had struck cinematic gold with this trending joke.
“By how viral it was, you can tell that a lot of people tapped into this universal thing,” Park said. “It was such a relatable situation, right. It was so comedic. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool. That could be a cool idea to make a movie out of.’”
Although Park is studying business administration and marketing at Emory instead of film, he is no stranger to filmmaking.
He has directed many shorts and declares it his “dream” to become a director. His first project, which he recorded at just seven years old, follows a miniature Lego basketball game and has garnered over 700,000 views on YouTube.
“Ever since I was a kid, I was just making movies with my Legos and then eventually evolved to making it with my friends,” he said. “I just kept making stuff, making silly videos, posting them on YouTube.”
Now, over a decade later, Park has taken on his most ambitious project yet, a full-length feature film — which was not his initial intention. After discovering the meme, or the “inciting incident,” as Park describes, he knew he could create a larger story.
Eventually, he decided to put a murder-mystery twist on this viral sensation.
And the murder? It is not the death of an unsuspecting victim but of the reputations — and potentially rela-
tionships — of four friends from high school. It is “The Big Leak.”
“That’s how I started writing, and then for some reason, the writing became from 30 pages to about 90 pages,” Park said. “At that point it was just too late. I was like, ‘I guess I’m just going to make a feature film.’”
After finishing the script, Park sought a cast and crew. He assembled a team of friends and friendsof-friends until he found what he needed.
First, he recruited the actors who would portray the “Mischief Makers,” a group of high school friends whose adolescent group chat leaks, forcing a reunion after seven years apart to unmask the culprit.
“It just really was attractive, because it’s a story about when you leave home, or when a friend group separates, and that feeling that some people experience more than others, of ‘I have to be the one to get everyone back.’”
— Max Yates
Second, he hired a crew who could help oversee filming, which ran from August to November 2024, and contribute to the post-production tasks.
Max Yates, a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, plays Grayson, the charming leader of the group.
Park describes Grayson as an “average Joe,” who, despite missteps, is undeniably likable. And according to Park, Yates was the perfect fit for the role.
Yates feels that being older than many of the other cast members gave him a valuable perspective on the plot and his character’s motives.
“It just really was attractive, be -
cause it’s a story about when you leave home, or when a friend group separates, and that feeling that some people experience more than others, of ‘I have to be the one to get everyone back,’” Yates said.
According to Park, this feeling — of losing community and growing into adulthood — is one of the primary themes of the film.
While it is a murder-mystery comedy, he recognized that there needed to be more thematic depth for audiences to engage with and relate to the project.
“Something I really wanted to explore with this movie that goes beyond just the silly comedy aspect of it is ‘How do we deal with that situation?’” Park said. “How do we deal with [people we loved] moving on with their lives and not being a part of our lives anymore?”
Ava Sandstrom (27C), who plays Grayson’s ex-girlfriend, Amy, admires Park’s balance between the comedic plot and the often unfunny reality of aging.
When reflecting on the themes of the film, Sandstrom mentioned “trusting yourself,” “growing up” and “honesty.”
As the only female member of the cast, Sandstrom said she admired Park’s flexibility in building her character, who she worried might appear like a “prop.”
Throughout the entire production process, Park incorporated Sandstrom’s advice about how Amy should approach a reunion with her ex-boyfriend and his friends.
“During filming, [Billy was] energetic, excited, very clear about what he wanted, and from the get-go he asked for my input on Amy’s character,” Sandstrom said.
Another character, Eli, played by Rayvant Sahni (25G), ran the risk of appearing one-dimensional. According to Park, the meme exaggerates certain archetypes, and the “Mischief Makers” must “border on being unlikable” without being unwatchable. Sahni, who calls his character the “comic relief,” battles this tension by having empathy for his eccentric energy. With a bashful smile, he theorizes that Eli, a member of a cult, might have a few conspiracy theories to share.
“I want to say he brings a lot of heart because he is doing his own thing,” Sahni said. “He is in his own world.”
When filming concluded in late fall, executive producer and editor Matthew Paulin (27C), a Film and Media major, undertook the responsibility of linking the scenes and making necessary cuts. Paulin has worked on shorts with Park before, but, like many of the students involved in this project, he had never worked on a film of this length. Nevertheless, while living together this summer, Paulin and Park got to work. In April, the crew hosted a test screening of the movie from which the pair took audience feedback and made adjustments accordingly.
“We had conversations about how to restructure the edit of the film, and it was a very nice dialogue,” Paulin said. “Being able to have that back and forth with him was very nice during the post-production process.”
This September, the final cut of “The Big Leak” will be shown in Goodrich C. White Hall across eight days. For Park, these screenings are not just the culmination of over a year of work but a lesson for his peers.
“The movie is really endearing, it shows a lot of ambition, it shows a lot of passion,” Park said. “Hopefully, other students can get inspired by how we were able to come together as people who are not professionals in any way and just had fun and made an actual feature film. The movie is a demonstration of how that can be possible.”
—Contact Catherine Goodman at catherine.goodman@emory.edu
Max Yates, Rayvant Sahni and other members of the cast participated in a month-long filming process for “The Big Leak.”
Keep Georgia on your mind with these five tracks
By Catherine Goodman Managing Editor
Peaches, pine trees and one of the best college football programs in the country — these are likely the first things that come to mind when thinking of Georgia.
But beyond the succulent sweet fruit and lush green trees lie a rich history of art, literature and, of course, music.
From the winding rivers of the Lowcountry to the slippery dust of small-town roads, this state has been a source of inspiration for many rhythmic romanticists.
Standing tall beneath the Southern sun, Emory University welcomes students from around the world. Within the Class of 2028, only 20% of Emory College and 19% of Oxford College students come from the southeastern United States. Whether you traveled here from another country, city or just a few streets away, it never hurts to stop and smell the azaleas. From the Civil War sites of Sherman’s March to the Sea to perfectly salted boiled peanuts, this state has a lot to offer. As such, I present five songs about Georgia to inspire newcomers and natives alike.
‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ by Gladys Knight & the Pips (1973)
While recounting a somewhat solemn tale of defeat, “Midnight Train
to Georgia” speaks not to rejection but redirection. The family group, led by Atlanta-born Gladys Knight, divulges a story of love and loss over an infectious funk beat. In this song’s story, after failing to fulfill his dreams in California, a man retreats, buying a one-way ticket to the East Coast. His lover, whose perspective Knight voices, decides to follow him. Yet, even as the couple forsakes life in Los Angeles, optimism reigns: Peppy piano, boisterous brass instruments and Knight’s silky-slick voice lend the track an air of excitement, beckoning forth a new life.
As Knight laments, “He’s leavin’ on that midnight train to Georgia / Said he’s goin’ back / To a simpler place and time,” the Pips add a delicate, rich harmony, filling in the gaps of hesitation with additional details and dashes of hope.
This call-and-response format — common in 1970s soul music — serves the song well. As the narrator prepares to take this leap of faith to Georgia, it is as if an omniscient force is offering support and guidance. As Knight growls, “I’ve got to go / I’ve got to go / My world / His world / My man, his girl,” the Pips supplement her with “For love / Gonna board / The midnight train to go / For love / Gonna board / The midnight train to go.”
It is as if the little devil — or angel — sitting on your shoulder has a microphone, an ear for harmony and a high opinion of the Peach State.
‘Georgia on My Mind’ by Ray Charles (1960)
In 1930, musicians Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote ‘Georgia on My Mind,’ but Ray Charles’ 1960 rendition made it a classic. The track, filled with vibrant visions of the Southern state, speaks not to life within it but life without it. Charles, who was born in Albany, Ga., finds himself drawn to his home
like a seaman to a seductive siren — struck by homesickness yet unwilling to return to his native state.
Soft violins precede Charles’ crooning in the opening seconds of the track, setting the tone of simple solemnity. Charles enters hesitantly, his voice cracking on the second syllable of “Georgia / Georgia” just as a politely played piano slips in. Throughout the track, Charles’ voice intensifies, thick with longing, admiration and melancholy.
He relishes the romantic perspective of Georgia, singing that its song “Comes as sweet and clear / As moonlight through the pines.” And yet, darkness looms as the beautiful description emerges not in the moment, but in memory. Charles admits, “I said Georgia, oh Georgia / No peace I find (No peace I find) / Just an old, sweet song / Keeps Georgia on my mind.”
His voice is both determined and defeated, tender with affection and yet tense with sadness. For Charles, Georgia is hard to leave but even harder to forget.
‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ by The Charlie Daniels Band (1979)
Let me set the scene: A man with two horns, a pitchfork and a golden fiddle ascends from the underworld looking for a soul to steal. Nope, this is not the epic poem “Paradise Lost” (1667) by John Milton — it’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band.
The track, which is more so a spoken word performance than a traditional song, is a musical feat.
A few drum beats and a lively fiddle set the scene for a battle — not of the bands, but between good and evil. “The devil went down to Georgia / He was lookin’ for a soul to steal… When he came across this young man / Sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot,” the band explains.
The young man, Johnny, enters a bet with the Devil over who is the better fiddle player. He accepts Satan’s proposition: “And if you win, you get this shiny fiddle of gold / But if you lose the Devil gets your soul.”
The battle ensues across impassioned instrumentals: The Devil’s music is tense and brooding, building to a screech; Johnny’s is light and smooth, ending with a soft exhale. In the end, the Devil accepts defeat. As the song ends, The Charlie Daniels Band sings, “He played ‘Fire on the Mountain,’ run, boys, run / The Devil’s in the house of the risin’ sun.”
He is also in the Peach State, and I doubt he will be coming back for seconds.
‘Good Directions’ by Billy Currington (2005)
Unlike many other songs on this list, “Good Directions” by Billy Currington is not a powerful ballad nor an ambitious musical undertaking. In fact, it is a little silly.
As a Georgia native myself, I have often found this song’s lyrics misleading. I have never been “crunching on a pork rind” or told someone their destination is “way up yonder” — but perhaps that is just me.
While “Good Directions” may lack emotional force, it is nonetheless an enjoyable listen — especially for Emory students whose only introduction to the South has been metro Atlanta and Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.
In this early 2000s country hit, a young woman with “Hollywood written on her license plate” asks a man selling turnips on the side of the road for directions, which include, “You got to stop in and ask Miss Bell for some of her sweet tea / Then a left will take you to the interstate / But a right will bring you right back here to me.”
The advice, sung in Currington’s southern drawl and set to a spunky beat, is as selfish as it is singable.
Spoiler alert: The young woman comes back. Then, I suspect, she buys some Daisy Dukes and they ride off into the Georgia sunset. Ah, a modern love story.
‘Moon River’ by Frank Ocean (2018)
Just as the Moon River waterway from Skidaway Island, Ga., has many bends, this 1961 track written by Johnny Mercer has had many lives. At the request of the Academy Award-winning composer Henry Mancini, Mercer wrote this song for the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961).
Starlet Audrey Hepburn made this song famous with an iconic movie scene: With her hair wrapped in a towel, she perches atop a fire escape and strums gently against a small six-string acoustic guitar, singing the wistful ballad in a delicate tone. While Hepburn’s rendition is rightfully revered, my favorite version is Frank Ocean’s 2018 recording. In this synth-laden and reverbdrenched reimagining, the emotion slices through the layers of electronic manipulation.
It is in this tension between the artificial and authentic that the subtle intensity of the lyricism emerges. “Moon River, wider than a mile / I’m crossing you in style someday / A dream maker (Maker) / My heart (You heart) breaker / Wherever you’re goin’, I’m goin’ that way (Same),” Ocean sings. Mercer’s dreamy script was inspired by the image of a moon over a river near his childhood home in Savannah, Ga. As someone who used to cross Moon River every day on my drive home, I can testify to the evocative dance of moonlight across shifting tides and to the equally evocative production of this track.
– Contact Catherine Goodman at catherine.goodman@emory.edu
Justin Bieber explores religion, fatherhood on ‘SWAG II’
By amelia Bush a rts & l if E E ditor
Transitioning from the black cover of “SWAG” to a pale pink, from battling confusion to sitting in peace, Justin Bieber blossoms with the release of his latest album, “SWAG II.” While Bieber’s typical release schedule makes his fans wait years for a new album release, Bieber took a different approach with the release of his “SWAG” projects. On Sept. 5, Bieber released “SWAG II,” just 56 days after the release of the first “SWAG” album on July 11. The 23-track sequel spans 76 minutes, delving into common themes like love, parenthood and religion. The album opens with “SPEED DEMON,” one of the cheesiest songs on the record but also one of the most humorous. By adding seemingly random lines like “Heat checking, uh, heat checking these chickens,” Bieber struggles lyrically, searching for any form of rhyme or alliteration. In
the album’s opener, Bieber leans into each metaphor he creates, whether it is about driving or clicking a remote. “Fast forward until we find it, uh / And press stop, but let me rewind, uh,” Bieber sings. Despite its lyrical pitfalls, however, the song sets the tone for a cohesive project.
Like “SPEED DEMON,” “DON’T WANNA” sees Bieber utilize the upbeat production to emphasize his words. When Bieber sings, “I don’t want you to leave,” the song’s drum beat matches his enunciation of the words. On the lyric “I don’t wanna give a f*ck (No), I know what it should be (Oh),” which features singer Bakar, listeners can hear the two artists supporting each other in the studio, creating an uplifting energy that elevates the song.
But occasionally, the fun-loving nature of “DON’T WANNA” dissolves. With the transition between the lines “I know we’re gonna make it out” and “I know you wanna get some, uh (Get some),” Bieber moves from loving to sexual.
The song clarifies that Bieber does not care what others think, and he repeats that line to emphasize the point. But the track remains engaging, especially as more instrumentals come in, and Bieber ends the song on a literal high note.
“LOVE SONG,” the album’s third track, is the best on “SWAG II” — at the same time, it is self-aware, vulnerable and vivid. Bieber does not want to write just any old love song — he wants to “write it well.” And Bieber does just that by capturing the little traits of his wife, Hailey Bieber. Recognizing the way her eyebrows
rest when she is thinking and how her hair moves with the wind, Bieber proves that love is in the details. Bieber’s awareness and emotional maturity in the song make the track that much more moving. He does not need to exaggerate or employ extravagant language. He can vocalize his feelings simply and beautifully. “Time gets prettier with you, I’m lifted,” Bieber sings. “LOVE SONG” is not about Bieber writing the best song possible, but capturing his love with his wife at this moment in time.
“I wanna be everything you need me to be, oh,” Bieber sings.
Similarly, on “MOTHER IN YOU,” Bieber approaches his lyricism with tenderness, focusing on the connection he and his wife share with their son. The track starts with Bieber retelling the beginning of his son’s life: “You opened your eyes / That was when I knew / That, oh, it would change me.” Just as Bieber wants to change for his wife in “LOVE SONG,” he wants to change for his son — a decision cemented in his transition from singing, “There’s a beautiful world that’s waiting for you” to “You’re a beautiful world that’s counting on me.” Bieber captures the special kind of love only a parent can have for their child. There is not a single line in this song that is unimportant — each is more intentional than the last.
Most of all, “MOTHER IN YOU” acts as a time capsule, describing the specific moments where Bieber realizes his role as a father and husband. “At two in the morning / I saw a reflection in you,” Bieber sings before continuing, “So much of her coming through / Your mother in you.” Here,
Bieber is at his most vulnerable — and it is wonderful to witness.
Bieber continues detailing his personal journey on tracks like “MOVING FAST” and “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH.” “MOVING FAST” begins with vivid imagery: “I was speeding towards the wall, I was twenty-five / Closed eyes, looking for a light, hundred miles riding,” Bieber sings. In this track, Bieber grows and changes into a better, happier version of himself. “Now I roll the windows down and I’m slowing it down for you,” Bieber expands on the car imagery he previously presented. With the windows down, Bieber is experiencing life to the fullest, and as this line repeats, his vocals become more manipulated and slowed down — symbolizing how he is slowing down the pace of his life. Bieber creates his own unique worlds on each track of “SWAG II” yet maintains consistent imagery and language throughout each song.
On “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH,” Bieber acknowledges how his words are not doing his feelings justice: “I could sing a song but the words just wouldn’t do.” Bieber concludes that the solution is to sing the phrase “hallelujah” instead, tapping into a spiritual side while also de -
scribing what he loves in life — and how loving is effortless. “Baby, we find love in these moments / We don’t even have to try,” Bieber sings. The album closes on a purely religious note with the track “STORY OF GOD.” Here, Bieber proves himself to be a poet, especially as he sets the scene of the spoken-word track: “Before the first shadow touched our hearts, there was only light / I’m not just talking about the sunlight that would filter through / the canopy like liquid gold, warm on my skin.” Across nearly eight minutes, he details the story of Adam and Eve from Adam’s perspective, with imagery that is both comforting, chilling and provocative as Bieber explores his religion. At times, “SWAG II” is excessive, but it is nonetheless beautiful. It captures Bieber’s growth as an individual, husband and father. And with less vocal manipulation than the original, “SWAG II” is more personal, deep and true to the singer’s unique artistry. With an open heart in sharing his vulnerabilities, Bieber is fearless, and his words and music have never been better.
—Contact Amelia Bush at amelia.bush@emory.edu
Big Thief embraces change, accepts time with ‘Double Infinity’
By hunter BuChheit
a rts & l if E E ditor
For Big Thief, the indie-rock powerhouse based in Brooklyn, N.Y., love has always been just as mystifying as their music.
Over their 10 years as a band, vocalist-guitarist Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek and drummer James Krivchenia have delved into the complexities of relationships in their music — and the pain that comes with them.
Now, on their sixth studio album, “Double Infinity,” released on Sept. 5, the band views love through a different lens. On their first album since the departure of their former bassist Max Oleartchik in 2024, Big Thief turns inward, seeing love as
something healing, delicate and eternal. While employing a bigger sound than ever before, Big Thief has never felt more powerful and true to themselves.
The album begins with “Incomprehensible,” a haunting ballad that establishes the interrogative tone of the rest of the record. A scintillating metal scrape gives way to Lenker’s voice, which lies behind the warbling instrumentals.
As her words rise and fall, Lenker sends the listener into the unknown in the chorus: “Incomprehensible / Incomprehensible / Incomprehensible, let me be,” Lenker sings.
For Big Thief, time — in addition to love — is almost impossible to understand.
As Lenker paints picturesque scenes of walking through nature,
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she contemplates the division between herself and her surroundings: “In two days it’s my birthday and I’ll be thirty-three / That doesn’t really matter next to eternity,” Lenker sings. The band floats through the world around them as they drift through time: gently and ceaselessly.
“Los Angeles” is next, beginning with a chorus of laughter before slipping into a beautiful meditation on what it means to be connected. Lenker sings to a relationship that remains despite being separated: “Even without speaking / You sang for me,” Lenker sings.
Her voice is surprisingly strong — a departure from the soft, whispery incantations of albums like their 2016 “Masterpiece.” This track is a thesis for the record as a whole.
Big Thief sees love as something greater than themselves: an almost spiritual, everlasting tie between two souls.
And the love they point toward is not singular, as it encompasses all the relationships people move through in their lives with lovers, with friends and with family.
Lenker reminisces, surprised by the passage of time: “Feels like it’s been ten years, has it only been two years?” And with time, Big Thief has found forgiveness, letting bygones be bygones: “We’re finally in a good place, meeting face-to-face,” Lenker sings.
It is easy to get caught up in the expansiveness of a metropolis like Los Angeles, but despite any physical distance growing between the band and those that they love, there is no figurative distance to be found.
“All Night All Day” begins with the buoyancy of a 2000s pop ballad. Lenker brings forth her familiar folksy voice, singing of the small, intimate moments between her and a lover. She sings to the complexity of romance: “Swallow poison, swallow sugar / Sometimes they taste the same / But I know your love is neither.”
Her voice is beautifully layered, and so are the band’s emotions. The relationship that Lenker sings about
helps her feel again, even if it hurts. And for a band that has gone through many changes, including Lenker and Meek’s divorce in 2018, pain has been both a source of inspiration and connection.
On the title track, “Double Infinity,” Big Thief invokes a spiritual edge. Lenker describes how when she looks in the mirror, she sees herself as a sketch, as something almost translucent. But while she is in flux, the world around her is solid and ever-changing, rippling forth like water.
A single high, vibrating note hums throughout the track, as eternal as the seconds that slip by. The band shows their lyrical chops as Lenker returns to the near-esoteric descriptions that have been a hallmark of their previous works: “The eye behind the essence / Still unmovable, unchanging.”
“Grandmother” is the strongest track of “Double Infinity.” Moving from an electric intro, Lenker describes feeling out of place: “It’s been strange, dancing at the bar,” Lenker sings.
But this is not a track about a lover. Rather, it is about family, a recurring theme of the record as a whole. Between intricate percussion and a subtle whooshing sound that underlays Lenker’s voice, she gently coos, “Grandmother / Sleep tight, sleep loose.”
The track also features Laraaji, an 82-year-old multi-instrumentalist. He sings strongly, almost religiously, throughout the song. Their voices meld together in a joyous cacophony as Lenker sings to the power of music: “Gonna turn it all into rock and
roll.”
Whatever pain the band faces, they take it in stride, channeling it into art. Here, their art is wholly unique to their discography, singularly impactful in the landscape Lenker paints and the vocal layers that pulse through the tender instrumentals.
The last track on the album, “How Could I Have Known,” captures a similar nostalgic, bittersweet feeling present throughout this project. Beginning with a gentle violin and trotting melody — reminiscent of an ABBA song — Lenker describes how her partner helped her find herself, “I was alone in that moment / When I first met you.”
But where that relationship may have caused Lenker pain, it also let her heal. Opening wounds does not always mean scars will form. Sometimes, the band sees bloodletting as a necessary release. Lenker sings to a higher power: “And they say time’s the fourth dimension / They say everything lives and dies,” contemplating her own maturity, years into her career.
The song concludes with a gentle electric guitar solo, encapsulating the multiple dimensions in which Big Thief occupies.
They are gentle — the epitome of indie-folk melodic perfection — but they speak to the strongest things: love, pain and the oppressive threat of time.
With “Double Infinity,” they have never been fiercer or more singularly poignant.
—Contact Hunter Buchheit at hunter.buchheit@emory.edu
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ gives properly scary send-off
By KimBle sChiller
o x sga d E sk
Content Warning: This article contains references to suicide.
Since its 2013 debut, “The Conjuring” has evolved into a sprawling supernatural horror universe that balances old-school haunted house scares with themes of love, family and faith. Anchoring the story are Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), a layman demonologist and his clairvoyantly gifted wife, with the paranormal investigations of their real-life counterparts inspiring the series.
Directed by Michael Chaves, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” the ninth and final installment of the first phase of the “Conjuring” universe, arrived in theaters on Sept. 5.
Like previous films in this franchise, “Last Rites” follows the Warrens’ attempts to assist people who are being harassed by malicious spirits, all while battling their own demons.
“Last Rites” marks the end of an era, but it is not quite the send-off au-
diences have hoped for. Despite solid pacing and well-executed horror, the script leaves several loose ends and underdeveloped plot points.
The film begins in 1964 with the Warrens’ first professional encounter with the demonic: a haunted mirror. When the pregnant Lorraine touches the glass in an attempt to use her clairvoyant abilities to gain a better understanding of the case, it shatters, and the supernatural shock sends her into an early and nearly disastrous labor.
The film then shows a montage of Lorraine’s child, Judy (Mia Tomlinson), growing up and learning to deal with the same visions and senses that plague her mother.
The film then jumps to 1986, introducing the Smurl family in Pennsylvania, who are celebrating the birthday and Catholic confirmation of their daughter, Heather (Kíla Lord Cassidy).
The girl receives the same haunted mirror as a birthday present and is immediately besieged by several sufficiently horrifying things.
Meanwhile, Ed and Lorraine are dealing with a life of relative inactivity, having stopped investigating paranormal cases due to Ed’s heart issues. In typical “Conjuring” fashion, the movie’s focus alternates between the Smurls and the Warrens, setting up the stakes as the audience anticipates their eventual meeting in a way that works to build suspense and audience investment.
From here on, the horror elements of the film arrive in full strength. For the most part, the Smurls’ experiences are not that different from hauntings in past “Conjuring” movies. And, in scenes that include Jack Smurl (Elliot Cowan) levitating above the bed or Father Gordon (Steve Coulter) committing suicide while being manipulated by a demonic entity, the creative cinematography shines, al-
lowing classic tricks and symbols to be recycled in a timeless rather than gimmicky fashion.
The atmosphere of dread is further enforced by the film’s intelligent use of lighting, minimalist soundtrack and practical effects. Though many of the scenes were designed to make viewers hold their breath and sink into their seat in trepidation, the jumps into more lighthearted and even humorous bits flow well, producing a satisfying restart to the tension rather than a jarring tone switch.
A particularly gory and distressing sequence with the Smurl family in the first half ends with a transition to Ed’s birthday barbecue, which gave screen time and emotional focus to the Warren family and their friends from past films.
Despite the strength of its scares, “Last Rites” falls flat in exploring the origins of the demon responsible for the Smurls’ troubles or its implied connection to the Warrens. Instead, the script seems more intent on exploring the dynamics of the Warren family. While being a fitting aim for a film meant to represent the final chapter of their story, the film was unsuccessful in exploring paranormal influences and overarching conflicts.
Though Judy is central to the “Annabelle” (2014-2019) movies, which occur in the same cinematic universe, she finally comes into her own as a character in “Last Rites.”
The film explores not just Judy’s relationships with her parents but also establishes her relationship with former cop Tony Spera (Ben Hardy), whose heartwarming marriage proposal and acceptance into the Warren family implies that these two will be taking up Ed and Lorraine’s professional mantle in the “Conjuring” universe. With frequent Easter eggs alluding to the previous films, “Last
Rites” focuses on satisfying fans of the installation, sometimes at the expense of developing the storyline at hand.
A particularly annoying element of the film is the lack of communication and understanding among the characters.
For instance, the only advice Lorraine gives her daughter for dealing with her psychic abilities is to “block it out,” which not only stunts Judy’s ability to cope with the visions but also causes her to repeatedly withhold information from her mother rather than seeking her advice. This dynamic is frustrating and exists only to set up a heavy-handed metaphor about bottling up one’s emotions.
Character development is a problem for this script.
The film seemingly forgets that Ed and Lorraine are supposed to be experts in demonology and dropped the ball in exploring the malicious presence at the center of the film’s conflict.
Similarly, members of the Smurl household remain flat throughout the film, with the script failing to flesh them out Although the exorcism in the final act makes for a powerful climax, the plot still suffers from the Smurls’ underdevelopment.
While the family has a large cast of characters, none of them receive a proper resolution once the demonic entity — and the script — shifts its attention entirely onto the Warrens. Immediately following the exorcism, the plotline is wrapped up alarmingly fast, standing out as the most jarring fault in the film’s otherwise satisfying pacing.
Though the ending is fine overall, it would have benefited from a few more minutes of falling action to avoid such an abrasive tone switch.
Despite its predictable script and shallow exploration of the Smurls, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” is a suitable addition to the franchise as well as a fittingly frightful farewell to the leading couple.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, you can call Student Intervention Services at (404) 430-1120 or reach Emory’s Counseling and Psychological Services at (404) 7277450. You can reach the Georgia Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at (800) 273-TALK (8255) and the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7 at 988.
—Contact Kimble Schiller at kimble.schiller@emory.edu
Photo M aniPulation By sasha EMMErich
Reopened Cox Hall offers new look, old problems
By ellie Fivas Editor-in-chiEf
At 1 p.m. — peak lunch hour on campus — hundreds of students flock to the newly renovated Cox Hall Food Market for a bite to eat, with a lucky few snagging seats at swanky brown booths. The food hall, which closed for renovations in May 2024, reopened in late August, just in time to welcome incoming first-year and returning students.
The construction project aimed to upgrade the food court by expanding seating options, maximizing space by eliminating the centralized cashiers and making the flow of traffic “more streamlined,” according to a statement to The Emory Wheel from Senior Director of Campus Dining Chad Sunstein. He noted that Emory had not renovated Cox Hall in 20 years.
Alongside new food options, Cox Hall also boasts upgraded aesthetics, including new seating, light fixtures, paint and decor.
“The project encompasses both interior and exterior upgrades that will move the Cox Hall first floor from a transactional location to a vibrant dining environment where the Emory community can collectively engage and flourish,” Sunstein said in an online statement announcing the renovations.
Henley Adams (28C) praised the new Cox Hall, sharing that the interior was much more “welcoming” and aesthetically pleasing than the previous version.
“This is much cuter,” Adams said. “The other one, it was chaotic-looking. I didn’t know what line I was in, the lines were merged.”
Along with interior renovations, Cox Hall now offers expanded outdoor communal spaces — an aspect that Blake Herndon (29C) appreciates for providing increased seating and study space.
“Outside, I see a lot of people studying,” Herndon said. “Personally, I study outside Cox Hall. The seating is beautiful. It’s good people-watching.”
During last year’s construction, the Cox Hall pedestrian bridge, parallel to the building, was closed intermittently and renovators removed seating on the bridge. After returning to campus, Will McNally (28C) was happy to see the bridge reopened with new seating options.
“I actually come here all the time, whether it’s sitting inside or outside,” McNally said. “I love having this ambience.”
Before the renovation, the food court hosted nine quick-service options such as Bon Appétit Management Company vendors Twisted Taco and Maru as well as local Atlanta business Blue Donkey Coffee. Bon Appétit is Emory’s food services vendor, operating several coffee shops on campus, the Dobbs Common Table (DCT) and parts of the Cox Hall food court.
In the new food court, students can choose from six options: three
Bon Appétit vendors, an Amazon convenience store, local restaurant Brasiliana Pizza and Big Chicken. Along with other Bon Appétit vendors Ace Sushi and Honolulu Coffee, Twisted Taco, a campus favorite, returned permanently to the renovated building after being a mobile food service option last year.
Sunstein explained in his statement to the Wheel that the decrease from nine food options to six aimed to optimize the space in the food court.
“Prior to the renovation, two of the vendors accounted for the majority of sales for the entire space,” Sunstein wrote. “In redesigning the Food Market, we wanted to ensure the vendors had more physical space to support the scale of services they needed to provide.”
Laura Jablonover (29C) and Adams both said that their go-to spot in Cox Hall is Ace Sushi, an Asian quick-service station, highlighting their poke bowl menu item. Antalya Badi (28B) also noted Ace Sushi as one of her new favorites, emphasizing its value as a “unique” food option on campus.
Honolulu Coffee, a Bon Appétit franchise, is a tropical-themed coffee shop new to Cox Hall, but some students have said that its menu is similar to Kaldi’s, which already has two locations on campus.
“Honolulu Coffee is just Kaldi’s
with a different name,” Jennifer Kim (27C) said. “I really like the fact that the ube latte is a regular thing here. That used to be a seasonal thing at Kaldi’s.”
Another feature of the food hall is its new meal exchange options for students with meal swipes in their dining plan, an addition that Kim said was particularly appealing to first-year students, who are required to purchase an unlimited meal swipe plan. Kwilai Karto (29C) emphasized her preference for the food options at Cox Hall over the DCT, only critiquing the food court for its limited hours.
“I often choose it over the DCT,” Karto said. “The only thing is, since the meal exchange ends at six, that’s a little frustrating whenever I’m like, ‘Oh, I could really go for that right now.’”
Sunstein said that the community response to the opening of Cox Hall has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
While both the renovations and meal exchange program have garnered praise from some underclassmen, Sam Lim (26C) suspects that the crowds — and subsequent congestion — in Cox Hall could be due to this new dining option for first-year students.
“It’s way too crowded,” Lim said. “I don’t know if it’ll stay this crowded, but it’s more crowded because you can use your meal swipes here.”
Complaints of crowds, lines and tight spaces are nothing new. When Emory began the Cox Hall construction, one of their goals was to improve the “poor line queuing” and limited space.
“During peak hours, it can be challenging for students and our campus community guests to navigate dining vendors and checkout lines,” the Campus Life press statement said.
However, while the interior of Cox Hall has changed, students are still echoing these same complaints. Angie Siaca (28C) said that if she did not intentionally come to the food court during off-hours, then it is “impossible” to get a seat or food. McNally agreed, sharing that the most popular spots in Cox Hall tend to have extremely long lines.
Even new students are catching onto these problems. Sebastien Roure-Singh (29C) said that the renovated hall’s seating options are limited and that the space is too small to support the influx of students, faculty and community members at peak hours.
“Seating can get a little annoying because you have two people that will sit at a five-person booth, and they waste space,” said Roure-Singh.
Despite criticism and longstanding issues with Cox Hall, students still continue to rush into the building at lunch hour, ready to enjoy its food options, beautiful seating and convenient location.
Reflecting on her experience in both the new and old Cox Hall, Lim said that she appreciated the changes but finds that the new building and meal swipe option favors younger students.
“For one, this was an easy option if I wanted something quickly.” Lim said. “Now that I don’t have meal swipes or anything, I would not choose to come here.”
– Contact Ellie Fivas at ellie.fivas@emory.edu
ElliE fivas/Editor-in- chiEf
The outdoor patio offers additional seating and sunlight.
ElliE fivas /Editor-in- chiEf
The inside of the renovated Cox Hall food market features new food options, lighting, seating and decor.
ElliE fivas /Editor-in- chiEf
Twisted Taco, also available in the Woodruff Residential Center, has a new location.
NCAA Championship hopes remain high for women’s soccer
Continued from Back Page
Senior goalkeeper Sophia Garcia, who started all 22 games last season and aided the Eagles in their playoff run, said she wants to continue to be a supportive teammate and a steady defensive presence for her team.
“I want to be that anchor in the back and also an outlet for my team,” Garcia said. “Making sure I can play my role and play my part in winning the UAA, winning the region, making our way back to the NCAA tournament this year.”
Camp is slated to play an important role on the team this year. Last season, she received the All-UAA honorable mention and had the fourth-most points ever scored by a freshman in Emory women’s soccer history. Camp added that last season’s run has given the team confidence that they can become champions this season.
“We know we’re capable of going so far, and we all truly want to win the NCAA tournament,” Camp said. “We all have that heart and want to come together to work toward these common goals.”
On a similar note, regarding her aims for the team this season, Davidson said her goal is to win a national championship.
“Winning a Natty, for sure, we were close last year, missed it by a little bit, so that’s definitely my num-
Team
ber one goal for this year … we all want that,” Davidson said.
Head coach Sue Patberg is heading into her 20th season as head coach, and is joined by assistant coaches
chemistry remains strong as men’s soccer looks to prove themselves
Continued from Back Page
us to learn from, on and off the field. They are the type of people where you can talk to them about anything.”
In addition to returning players, new members of the team are making their mark this season. Sternen mentioned that graduate students Danny Moya, Jack Burgess and Cubeddu, who all transferred to Emory this year, have proved to be strong additions this season so far. Although the roster has experienced some changes, Clark said the team’s chemistry remains strong because they have similar goals and outlook for the season.
“It’s just a very great group of guys that really bond with each other,” Clark said. “We love what we do, and we all have a very similar mindset and passion that helps the success that we’re having on the field.” Looking ahead to the rest of the
season, the Eagles will play their first UAA match against Brandeis University (Mass.) in early October and a UAA doubleheader where they will face The University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) later in that month.
Beyond conference play, the team has already set its sights on the NCAA tournament and will not settle for less. Despite their strong start to the season, the Eagles know they still have much to work toward and plan to give it their all through the end of the season.
“We know that we still have so much to prove,” Clark said. “That starts with the regular season, then we have the conference, obviously, then UAA, we look to win that, and then go from there into the national championship.”
— Contact Sonia Liew at sonia.liew@emory.edu
Lindsay Cobb, Catherine Whitehill and Lauren Burke. Garcia praised the coaching staff’s thoughtful approach to training as well as their dedication to the team.
“The coaching staff on our soccer team — very, very passionate group of individuals,” Garcia said. “All the coaches are very adaptable to what the team needs per game and every practice.”
With six freshmen, the upperclassmen are looking to set an example for the younger players and make the transition as smooth as possible. Garcia emphasized the importance of maintaining team standards and being a supportive teammate.
“Holding good standards is something that’s going to be really important for me,” Garcia said. “Being a support system for everyone, especially for the freshman, it’s their first year and just making sure that we keep up the standard from last year, and just make sure team chemistry is up to par.”
The team will play Covenant College (Ga.) in a home game on Sept. 11, before heading to Raleigh, N.C. to play Washington and Lee University (Va.) and William Peace University (N.C.) on Sept. 14 and 15. Looking ahead, the Eagles will open UAA play against Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) on Oct. 5.
“Our conference as a whole is super competitive, and each game is a really all-out battle,” Camp said. “I’m just really excited to get back into the heart of the UAA tournament conference, and playing all those really strong opponents, because we’ll have a really strong season this year.”
— Contact Alex Waryn at alex.waryn@emory.edu
First-year athletes jump into college sports
By SaSha MelaMud Sports Feature Desk
As athletics at Emory University get underway this fall, there are many new faces across the Eagles’ varsity teams, including first-year athletes preparing to kick off their college sports careers.
Malia Brooks (29C) has been playing volleyball since she was seven years old. She tried dance and gymnastics as a child, but was not nearly as motivated to attend practice as when she was playing volleyball. There were not any teams in the area available for her age group, but after some phone calls, Brooks found herself as the youngest on a team of 12 year olds.
“It was definitely scary because I had no clue what I was doing,” Brooks said. “I was in the little baggy spandex and all of these girls were obviously older, so they knew certain terminology that I didn’t know.”
Despite the age difference, the older girls on the team were quick to take Brooks under their wing. Brooks shared that her community was what grew her love for the sport. The sense of community on the Emory women’s volleyball is partially why Brooks chose the school.
“How much the girls encourage and support each other was super cool to witness,” Brooks said. “I saw that, and I was like, ‘I need to be a part of this.’”
“How much the girls encourage and support each other was super cool to witness.”
— Malia Brooks
Brooks continued to play volleyball throughout middle and high school, where her team won backto-back state championships in her junior and senior years. However, perfect games like those state cham-
pionships are not always easy to come by in volleyball, which Brooks calls “a game of mistakes.”
Brooks said she had to learn to accept mistakes as an athlete, both on and off the court, which was “very challenging.” Under the guidance of her new teammates at Emory, she sees that challenge becoming easier.
“They’ve helped guide me already so much,” Brooks said. “That’s going to keep occurring throughout the years, and I’m going to gain so much perspective and knowledge from them.”
Luke Hartman’s (29C) love for swimming began almost as soon as he could walk — rather, swim.
Hartman started the sport at five years old, but did not truly enjoy swimming until he was 10 years old. He said seeing his hard work in the water pay off is what encouraged him to join the Emory swim team.
“I love pushing my body to the limit,” Hartman said. “[With] swimming, you get what you put in, and you gotta work hard to see results.”
Hartman knew that he wanted to continue competing at the collegiate level, but never imagined he would end up at Emory. After visiting campus on a whim, he said he knew the University and its athletic programs were what he was looking for.
“I had five visits before at different places, and on my last one I very last minute chose that I wanted to visit Emory,” Hartman said. “I was just blown away … and I knew that that’s where I wanted to go.
Hartman said he already met two of his Emory teammates as a high schooler and is looking forward to practicing with them side by side, pushing each other to overcome challenges.
“With the team dynamic, there’s a bunch of people there at practice pushing you to your limits,” Hartman said. “People want you to do the best you can, so they’re going to help you do that.”
Gabriela Oceguera (29C) was drawn to softball because of the team dynamic, having previously met many close friends through the
sport.
“Softball has such a close, tightknit community, and I’ve always made the best friends from softball,” Oceguera said. “The Emory team is like that a lot. They seem very close and tight-knit.”
“Softball has such a close, tight-knit community, and I’ve always made the best friends from softball.”
— Gabriela Oceguera
For Oceguera, softball is as much of a mental game as it is a physical one. She said it has been crucial for her to recognize how to deal with failure, especially in a sport where only getting a hit 30% of the time is considered a success.
“Sometimes you’re not going to succeed, sometimes you’re not going to push the runs in,” Oceguera said. “Even the best people are failing seven out of 10 times.”
Oceguera hopes to maintain her high level of performance after joining the Eagles, both as an athlete and as a student with medical school aspirations.
“Being at the top academically and being in a sport where you’re going to be working hard all the time, I think that’s really going to push me to be better and prepare me for the future,” Oceguera said.
While she was once uncertain about whether she was good enough, Oceguera said that receiving college offers and coming to a supportive team at Emory has instilled confidence in her abilities.
“When you know that the people around you know that you’re good, and know that you can do the job, that really helps more than anything,” Oceguera said.
— Contact Sasha Melamud at sasha.melamud@emory.edu
Courtesy of M adison sChulte Media
Junior forward Kaitlyn Nimmer attacks the defense during a game against Berry College (Ga.) at the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center Stadium on Sept. 3. The Eagles won 2-1.
Courtesy of M adison sChulte Media
Graduate student forward Ignacio Cubeddu dribbles through traffic against Covenant College (Ga.) on Aug. 30.
Sports The Emory Wheel
Women’s soccer builds on Final Four run with dominant season start
By alex waryn Staff Writer
The Emory University women’s soccer team picked up where they left off, opening the 2025 season with four consecutive wins and setting the tone for another successful season after last year’s deep run in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championships.
The team finished the 2024 season with a 14-4-4 record, which includes their playoff run where they reached the NCAA Final Four for the second time in the team’s history. They also finished with a conference record of 3-2-2 after beating Brandeis University (Mass.), the University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) in University Athletic Association (UAA) play.
The team is looking to build on last season’s success, with senior defender Michelle Davidson, who the UAA awarded defensive player of the year, saying she has “high standards” for herself after winning the award. She also noted that the
team energy contributed to the season’s success, saying she wants to build that same chemistry this year.
“A lot of people recognized it pretty early on that we had a special team last year that’s what carried us all the way to the final four,” Davidson said.
The Eagles opened this season with two home wins, defeating Columbus State University (Ga.) 3-2 on Aug. 29 and beating Berry College (Ga.) 2-1 on Sept. 3.
Emory controlled possession for the majority of the game against Berry, as evidenced by the squad’s 28-2 disparity in shot attempts.
Junior forward Kaitlyn Nimmer and sophomore forward Mikayla Camp each scored one goal, with Nimmer taking six total shots and Camp taking five.
The Eagles then traveled north to Minnesota this past weekend, beating the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) 4-0 on Sept. 7, before playing St. Catherine University (Minn.) the next day, winning 2-0.
See NCAA, Page 11
Men’s soccer opens season on 4-game win streak
By Sonia liew Contributing Writer
After reaching the NCAA Tournament and securing the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship in the 2024 season, the Emory University men’s soccer team is looking to defend their title this year.
The team began this season undefeated, achieving a 4-0 season record by winning the Sonny Carter Invitational and defeating North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) 1-0 in the home opener on Sept. 5th.
Emory’s most dominate win against Wisconsin Lutheran College proves the Eagles are headed in the right direction — the Emory soccer team easily defeated the Warriors 6-0 on Sept. 7. Four different players were able to capitalize and find the net within less than seven minutes.
Senior midfielder Josh Grand assisted on four of the six goals, setting Emory’s program record for most assists in a single game.
The game against NCWU started with the Eagles maintaining a 10-1 lead in total shots attempted during
the first half. The Eagles made several attempts during the first 45 minutes, including a shot attempt from graduate student forward Ignacio Cubeddu in the first five minutes.
However, it was Grand’s decisive penalty kick in the 53rd minute of the game that proved to be the only goal of the game.
The Eagles continued their efforts after Grand’s success, with a close attempt at a second goal from firstyear midfielder Terence Noh in the 70th minute. With the help of junior goalkeeper Geoffrey Halpern, who blocked NCWU’s attempts through the rest of the game, the team was able to preserve its 1-0 lead.
Sophomore forward Jake Breitegan said Grand’s penalty kick positively shifted the tone of the game, but acknowledged that the team should capitalize on early opportunities to dominate the flow of the game in the future.
“One thing we could work on is putting these teams away early,” Breitegan said. “It would make our lives so much easier if we could just put these teams away, two or three goals [in the] first half, and then we can sit back, take a deep breath and
relax in the second half.”
Co-captain and junior midfielder Logan Steren, who was named the first UAA Athlete of the Week by Emory Athletics this season, said that despite the strong start to the season, it is important for the team to stay focused so they can keep improving.
“You basically are working in the off season for eight months, hopefully to be able to play four months,” Steren said. “It’s about pushing yourself every single day to try to be the best, not only for yourself but ultimately for the team and the university we represent.”
Head coach Cory Greiner leads the Eagles and has been with the squad since 2013 before being promoted to head coach in 2017. Assisting Greiner are associate head coach Clayton Schmitt, goalkeeper coach Felipe Quintero and assistant coaches Jose Casique and Tyler Sherman. Senior defender Owen Clark said the coaching staff provides “great guidance” on and off the field.
“Our coaching staff is one of the best in the UAA,” Clark said. “These are just great guys, great leaders for
Falcons suffer heartbreaking loss to Tampa Bay in season opener
By will Peck Managing Editor
The Atlanta Falcons opened their 2025 season with a heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the reigning NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home on Sunday. While the season is only just beginning, the loss marks an early setback for the Falcons, who are likely to be the Buccaneers’ most formidable challengers for the division title after beating Tampa Bay in both regular-season matchups last season.
The Falcons got off to a hot start on their first drive, taking only three plays and 1:46 of game time to score their first touchdown of the season as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. connected with running back Bijan Robinson for a 50-yard touchdown. Their defense also held up well, holding Tampa Bay scoreless through the first quarter and only allowing 10 points by halftime.
Despite the fast start, Atlanta’s offensive momentum fizzled out to start the second half. With just over 11 minutes left in the game, the Falcons were trailing Tampa Bay 17-13 when
Penix Jr. led the Falcons on a 91-yard drive before lunging into the end zone on fourth down and goal to retake the lead at 20-17 with 2:17 left in the game. Their lead was short-lived, though, as Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield led an impressive drive, finding rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on a 25-yard touchdown pass for his second touchdown catch of the day.
With about a minute left and two timeouts in their pocket, the Falcons only needed to score a field goal to push the game into overtime after Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin missed the extra point after Egbuka’s touchdown. Penix Jr. engineered what seemed to be another heroic drive to get the Falcons within field goal range, but kicker Younghoe Koo’s 44-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
Despite the loss, there is still plenty of optimism ahead of the rest of the season. While last year’s Falcons experienced changes across the roster and a new coaching staff, this year’s team experienced significantly less shakeup, offering more stability as they look
to return to the postseason for the first time since the 2017 season.
“This
year’s team experienced significantly less shake-up, offering more stability as they look to return to the postseason.”
The offense should be dynamic again this year under second-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson after last season’s group was one of the most productive in the NFL. The most notable change this year is Penix Jr. starting at quarterback after serving as the backup for the first 14 games last season before head coach Raheem Morris decided to bench Kirk Cousins. The Falcons are returning most of their weapons, including Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.
The defense experienced more sig-
nificant change than the offense this offseason.
After firing defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake in January after one season, Atlanta brought in Jeff Ulbrich, who spent the previous four seasons with the New York Jets as their defensive coordinator and took over as interim head coach for most of last year. Ulbrich reunites with head coach Raheem Morris. The duo last worked together in 2o2o when Morris served as interim head coach of the Falcons in 2020.
As for the roster changes, the defense added some help on the edge.
Atlanta signed veteran rusher Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal and drafted two edge rushers in the first round in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. out of Georgia and Tennessee, respectively, who the Falcons hope to contribute right away as their defense recorded the second-fewest number of sacks in the league last year.
The path for the Falcons seems clear despite the difficulty of making the playoffs in the NFL. Like any other team, Atlanta needs to have good
injury luck. While last year’s team was relatively healthy, it is always worth being careful to prevent injuries, especially given Penix Jr.’s injury history, which includes two ACL tears during his time in college.
Penix Jr.’s play will be the key determinant of the Falcons’ success. While he undeniably has the arm talent to be a starting quarterback, he needs to take a step up in both accuracy and decision-making to ensure that the talented offense can reach its potential. If his performance in week one’s game is any indication, he could be on the right track.
The Falcons will have an opportunity to bounce back on a national stage as they take on the Minnesota Vikings this weekend during Sunday Night Football. With a talented roster, a more consistent coaching staff and a relatively weak schedule this season, Atlanta could break free from recent average seasons and put together a playoff campaign.
— Contact Will Peck at will.peck@emory.edu
See TEAM, Page 11
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Junior forward Emily Woodall prepares to pass against Columbus State University (Ga.) in their 3-2 win on Aug. 29.
Courtesy of M adison sChulte Media
Senior forward Adeyemi Oni faces a defender at the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center during a game against Washington and Lee University (Va.) on Aug. 29.
