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News Roundup | 12.5.18

Palmer, Bittencourt Join CC as Student Affairs VPs

College Council (CC) appointed former Student Government Association (SGA) Chief of Staff Ben Palmer (18Ox, 20C) and Julia Bittencourt (19C) as vice presidents of student affairs this past week, according to Palmer. The positions have been vacant since the week of Oct. 14, when Muhammad Naveed (17Ox, 19C) and Leslie Mora (20C) resigned, the Wheel previously reported.

SGA President Dwight Ma (17Ox, 19C) fired Palmer as SGA chief of staff on Oct. 30 because of disputes between the two over initiatives. Palmer said he decided to apply for the CC position because he cares about the student experience and sees a lot of value in student government.Duties of vice presidents of student affairs include hearing student feedback, holding focus groups and managing the annual Student Concerns Report, which summarizes the feedback CC receives and initiatives CC completes throughout the year, according to an Oct. 30 CC email asking students to apply for the positions.

CC co-Chiefs of Staff Julian Pradeep (19C) and Jacob Hicks (18Ox, 20C) served as interim CC vice presidents of student affairs during the vacancy period.

Some Canadian Universities to Allow Marijuana on Campus

Some universities in Canada, including the University of British Columbia, are revising their policies to allow for on-campus recreational marijuana use, according to Inside Higher Ed. The move comes after the Canadian government legalized recreational marijuana use in October for people 18 and older in Alberta and Quebec and 19 and older for the rest of Canada. The change would make the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University among the first in North America to permit on-campus marijuana use. Although 10 states in the United States have legalized recreational marijuana use, colleges have continued to ban the drug on campus. In the U.S., the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act requires universities to ban certain drugs, including marijuana, to be eligible for federal funding, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Former President George H.W. Bush Dies

George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the U.S., died on Nov. 30 at 94 years old. His health had been declining for years as a result of health complications, including a form of Parkinson’s disease, a blood infection and bronchitis, according to The New York Times. He was the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. president, and died less than eight months after the passing of his wife, Barbara Bush. George H.W. Bush oversaw the U.S. toward the end of the Cold War and is known for spearheading Operation Desert Storm, a 35-nation coalition that pushed Iraq out of Kuwait. Before he became U.S. president, George H.W. Bush served in the Navy, Congress, as CIA director and as an ambassador to the United Nations.

Former Religion Professor Thomas J. J. Altzier Dies

Thomas J. J. Altizer, who served as a professor of religion at Emory from 1956 to 1968, died on Dec. 2 at 91 years old as a result of complications from a stroke, according to The New York Times. He was a proponent of the “God is Dead” theology, which questions whether a benevolent God could exist, and was the subject of a 1966 Time magazine cover for his beliefs, according to the Times. After the 1966 article’s release, Altizer continued to speak openly about his beliefs — he was featured in a National Educational Televisiondocumentary and on the talk show “The Merv Griffin Show,” according to the Times. Although Emory supported Altizer’s work, he left Emory to teach English at Stony Brook University (N.Y.), the Times reported.

Groups Donate $2 Million to Midtown Hospital Heart Center   

Emory University Hospital Midtown received $2 million in honor of Wilton D. Looney from Rollins Inc., RPC Inc., Marine Products Corporation and Rollins family members, according to a Nov. 29 University press release. Looney served as director on all three Rollins’ company boards, according to the press release. The gift will name the directorship of the Carlyle Fraser Heart Center the Wilton D. Looney Carlyle Fraser Heart Center Medical Directorship and support the directorship of the center; the center’s research efforts; and the director’s vision for the center, the press release said. Looney died on June 1 at 99 years old and originally helped found the center, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Abrams Considering Another Run for Office

Former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said on Dec. 3 she is considering running for Georgia senator in two years or governor in four, according to Politico. She said she isn’t yet ruling out running for any position, including president, but that it’s too soon for her to know because of her recent loss to Republican Brian Kemp, Politico reported. Her remarks came after her Dec. 3 address at a Way to Win conference and Nov. 30 TEDWomen 2018 talk, Abrams’ first speech since the election.

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