Hurston-Wright Legacy Award Winner to Join Emory Faculty Fall 2018
Author Tayari Jones will join Emory’s Creative Writing Program this fall, according to an April 16 University press release. An Atlanta native, Jones has authored four novels, with the most recent, “An American Marriage,” being selected as Oprah’s Book Club this year. Jones is a recipient of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, United States Artist fellowship, NEA fellowship and the Radcliffe Institute Bunting fellowship. “This appointment at Emory is truly a homecoming for me as a Southern writer,” Jones said in the press release. “I’m thrilled to return home and teach creative writing at one of the best universities in the nation and the flagship for higher education in the South.” Jones did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Yerkes Receives $12.7 Million Research Grant
Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Emory Brain Health Center received a five-year grant of $12.7 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to continue research on oxytocin’s effects in the brain, according to an April 16 University press release. The grant will fund research at the Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, aid in outreach initiatives to local schools and drive efforts to improve social functions in patients with psychiatric conditions, such as autism and schizophrenia. Researchers from the Conte Center, Yerkes and the University of Arizona comprise the team.
Emory Experiences Wi-Fi Outage
The Emory Unplugged Wi-Fi network stopped working from about 10:30 p.m. on April 11 to about 12:40 a.m. on April 12.“The outage impacted all students [who] were trying to use wireless to access the internet from the residence halls,” Director of Network Services Wayne Ortman wrote in an April 12 email to the Wheel. The two-hour outage was the result of “planned maintenance” conducted by his team, according to Ortman.
Old Theology Building Construction to Halt During Commencement
The construction area for the Old Theology Building will not impede the May 14 commencement ceremony, Emory Planning, Design and Construction Program Manager Glenn Kulasiewicz wrote in an April 13 email to the Wheel. The blue construction fence will be removed from the Quadrangle, and construction activities are scheduled to pause from May 11 to May 14, according to Kulasiewicz. The building previously housed Pitts Theology Library but is being converted into offices for the University president and other University executives.
No Updates Provided in AEPi Hazing Investigation
Director of Student Conduct Julia Thompson said there were no updates to provide in the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) hazing investigation, she wrote in an April 12 email to the Wheel. The Wheel reported Feb. 8 that AEPi was under investigation by the Office of Student Conduct for hazing. The University’s anti-hazing policy prohibits actions that cause injury, discomfort, harassment, degradation, ridicule or embarrassment. The University has an “obligation” to protect community members from hazing, assist people who have been hazed and hold organizations accountable, according to the policy.
Barbara Bush Dies at 92
Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and mother of Former U.S. President George W. Bush, died in her home in Houston on Tuesday evening, according to The New York Times. The office of George H.W. Bush issued a statement on April 15 that after consulting family and doctors, Barbara Bush decided not to seek medical attention following a series of hospital visits and an unspecified development in her failing health. The office of George H.W. Bush announced the death in a statement on April 17.
Joshua Lee is a College freshman from Pittsburg, Kansas.
