Decatur Votes to Remove Confederate Monuments
The Decatur City Commission voted Sept. 18 to support efforts to take down a Confederate monument built in 1908 that stands in Decatur Square, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). The decision follows two incidents of defacement, once in August when someone covered it in feces and once in September when someone wrote expletives on it. According to state law, “any publicly owned monument … [of] the Confederate States of America … [cannot be] relocated, removed, concealed, obscured or altered in any fashion.” In the resolution, Commissioner Tony Powers supports a change in the law to allow the city of Decatur to move the monument despite DeKalb County’s ownership of it, according to the AJC.
Residence Hall Evacuations Increase Due to Kitchen Fires
There has been an increase in the number of evacuations, numbering at least two, in Few and Evans Halls due to recent kitchen fires, according to a Sept. 20 email from Complex Director Gregory Hollinger to residents. Improper smoke ventilation and unattended food while cooking have contributed to the evacuations, Hollinger wrote, adding that such “evacuations are necessary to ensure the safety of all residents.”
Professor’s Book Reaches NYT Bestsellers List
Professor and Chair of the Emory Department of African American Studies Carol Anderson’s novel “White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide” ranked No. 7 on the New York Times Best Sellers Paperback Nonfiction list. In the book, Anderson explains how the efforts of some white Americans have limited African American progress toward equity and advancement. Anderson also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for the book in March.
SGS No Longer Requires ATG for Catering
Ordering catered food through America to Go (ATG) is no longer required for on-campus catering, according to an email from Associate Director of Student Government Services VonYetta Hunter to club leaders. Previously, students were required to order catering through Emory Catering or ATG for on-campus events, but through this change, clubs are now only required to do so if payment must come directly from organization funds. Emory can now reimburse students who make off-campus catering purchases with personal funds. This change is effective immediately, according to the email. Hunter did not respond to the Wheel’s email asking why the change was made or if the change increases food safety risk as of press time. Hunter said at an Aug. 28 meeting with club treasurers that the requirement to order food through ATG is in place to ensure proper food safety standards for students.
Price Under Fire for Spending $400K on Charter Jet Travel
Tom Price, who completed his medical residency at Emory and serves as the current secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has spent more than $400,000 in charter jet travel funded by taxpayers, according to an investigation by Politico. The travel was “work-related and official businesses,” Price told Fox News. Price said he will not travel on private jets until his department’s inspector general formally reviews how these flights were funded, according to the New York Times. Former director of the United States Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub characterized Price’s actions as “a complete disregard for the expense to the taxpayer,” according to Politico.
Emory Ranks First in Teach for America Recruits
Emory ranked first among medium-size universities for the number of undergraduates joining Teach for America, according to Teach for America’s website. Thirty-four Emory graduates joined the 2017 corps after graduating last year. Teach for America is a nonprofit organization that recruits graduates to teach for two years in low-income schools, according to its website. Medium-size schools were classified as those with 3,000 to 9,999 undergraduates enrolled. Howard University (D.C.), Georgetown University (D.C.) and Boston College ranked second among mid-size universities, with each sending 26 graduates to the corps.
Lauren is an Environmental Science and Media Studies double major from Braselton, Georgia. She is a staff writer for the Emory Wheel, a member of Pi Beta Phi, president of Emory Running Club and a member of the Emory Environment Senate Committee. In her free time, she likes to play with her four dogs, including one named Kat!
