Acceptance rate drops to 18.5 percent
Alex Klugerman | March 28, 2018
Emory University welcomed the Class of 2022 during an admissions cycle with a 16% increase in applicants and an 18.5% acceptance rate, 3.3% decrease from the previous year. Applicants were also more competitive, boasting increased mean standardized test scores as well as a median GPA of 3.91. The accepted Class of 2022 hailed from all 50 states and 75 countries.
Emory Admissions Building. (Matthew Friedman/Contributing Writer)
Dear Ivy rejects: Crimson can’t beat gold and blue
Zach Ball | Sept. 12, 2018
While Emory University was not all students’ first-choice institution, Zach Ball (20C) reminds students to consider the University’s prestigious academic environment and the privilege of attending such a renowned institution, amid their disappointment from getting rejected from Ivy League schools. Emory also carries more than just academic weight, providing over 60,000 jobs and $200 million in tax revenue to Georgia, as well as operating as the state’s largest health care system.
Emory Student Center (Ally Hom/Photo Editor)
Gassel resurrects College Republicans
Carson Greene | Oct. 17, 2018
Following a largely inactive spring 2017, Ariana Gassel (22C) revived Emory College Republicans in fall 2018. Gassel attributed the club’s disbandment to its pro-Trump views, poor leadership and secession from the Georgia Association of College Republicans (GACR). Emory College Republicans opposed GACR’s decision to not redact an anti-Trump statement, prompting them to leave the association.
Ariana Gassel. (The Emory Wheel)
Student seeks to augment Asian activism
Adesola Thomas | Feb. 27, 2019
Asian American activist Stephanie Zhang (22C), along with other students, joined forces to create Asian American Pacific Islander Student Activists, a group meant to build an intersectional community of Asian students at Emory. Un-chartered at the time, the organization is now formally established under the name Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Activists (APIDAA). Zhang, along with APIDAA at large, also advocated for Emory’s first Asian affinity space, which opened in fall 2021.
Emory unveils its first Asian identity space. (Ally Hom/Photo Editor)
Students outraged over mock eviction notices
Richard Chess and Nicole Sadek | April 5, 2019
In April 2019, Emory Students for Justice in Palestine posted mock eviction notices on students’ doors in residence halls, Clairmont Campus and Emory Point in protest against Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Office of Residence Life and Housing Operations approved the fake eviction notices to be posted around campus, but the notices were removed after they were deemed to violate Campus Life policies of posting fliers on doors.
(The Emory Wheel)
Emory students, take care of yourselves
Boris Niyonzima | Sept. 17, 2019
Experiences of imposter syndrome, inaccessibility to mental health services and the stress of exams compound, challenging one’s ability to recognize their self-worth. Mental health struggles acutely affect college students, and Boris Niyonzima reminds students that they are not alone in their feelings, and that optimism can follow moments of despair.
(Daniel Meek/Contributing Illustrator)
Emory locales, student featured on big screen
Janvi Pamnani | Sept. 25, 2019
Increasingly known as “the Hollywood of the South,” Atlanta’s desirable filming location has put Emory University students and campus in the spotlight. Arthur Menezes (20C) acted as an extra in “Pitch Perfect 3” during a scene filmed at the Georgia Aquarium. Woodruff Library’s Matheson Reading Room was featured in “After,” a romantic Netflix drama, White Hall and Canon Chapel were depicted in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and “Stranger Things” was filmed on Emory’s Briarcliff Campus.
Netflix original series “Stranger Things” filmed on Emory Univerity’s Building A as Hawkins Laboratory, or the site of the Upside Down. (Forrest Martin/Photo Editor)
Wade sets example for parents and athletes
Ryan Callahan | Feb. 19, 2020
Dwyane Wade, one of the greatest NBA players of all time, used his influence to championed LGBT rights after his daughter Zaya came out as transgender. Wade advocated for parents to accept their children for who they are by acknowledging that it is okay for parents to redefine their previously held beliefs in order to support their children.
Dwayne Wade. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Emory extends spring break, transitions to online instruction
Isaiah Poritz | March 12, 2020
Emory University students received an email on March 12, 2020 indicating that spring break was extended to March 22, classes would transition to a remote format on March 23 and residence halls would remain closed for the remainder of the spring semester. These changes coincided with nationwide school cancellations in response to the then-escalating COVID-19 pandemic.
(Gabriella Lewis/Managing Editor)
‘We are sick and tired’: Emory’s Black community grieves and demands action
Thomas Kreutz | May 31, 2020
Summer 2020 saw a reinvigorating racial reckoning following the unjust murders of numerous Black individuals, including Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. In response, Emory National Association for the Advancement of Colored People composed a letter to the Emory community calling for unity in support of Black Americans. Students also demanded for Emory Police Department officers to undergo rigorous implicit bias training.
Protesters gather at the White House following the death of George Floyd. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A legacy of collegial fearlessness
Demetrios Mammas and Ben Thomas | Sept. 27, 2020
The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not just a Supreme Court justice — she was a cultural phenomenon. Her unwavering commitment to advancing gender equality did not compromise her close friendship with opposing colleagues, like the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Ginsburg’s legacy reminds us that we should prioritize defending ourselves against hate and criticizing injustices. She prompts us to facilitate cooperative work spaces, regardless of personal ideology, and not let our emotions overpower personal ethics.
Vigil at the Supreme Court of the United States honoring the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Courtesy of Yash Mori, Wikimedia Commons
Biden elected president, Georgia runoffs to determine Senate majority
Anjali Huynh | Nov. 7, 2020
Following delayed election results heavily attributed to the increased use of mail-in ballots as a result of the pandemic, President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential race on Nov. 7, 2020. His running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, became the first female, Black and person of South Asian descent to hold such office. On Nov. 13, Georgia was called for Biden, the first time a Democratic presidential candidate won the state since 1992.
In 2020, Biden reconstructed the “blue wall” of states in the northeast, winning Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed to do in 2016. (Anjali Huynh/Executive Editor)
The desegregation of the Wheel: A work in racial reckoning and reconciliation
Brammhi Balarajan, Shreya Pabbaraju and Ben Thomas | Feb. 10, 2021
In 1963, Emory College admitted its first Black student, Charles Dudley (67C). Drawing on this turning point, the Wheel’s Opinion selection compiled “1963,” an investigative project that emphasized how segregation continues at Emory and traced past and persistent inequities at the University and the Wheel. This project detailed the history of diversity and inclusion the Wheel’s coverage and culture, the legacy of Black activism and present inequities at the University.
April 5, 1962. The Wheel reports that Emory has sued to permit its integration. Courtesy of the Rose Library.
Sundance Film Festival 2021: The experience of a lifetime
Saru Garg | Feb. 12, 2021
Despite being a full-time college student living over a thousand miles away from Park City, Utah, Saru Garg (22C) attended the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Garg watched film premieres, went to live Q&As with filmmakers and interacted with critics from around the world. In this piece, Garg reflected on three films she saw at Sundance: “Passing,” “Together Together” and “CODA.”
Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) works aboard her family’s fishing rig in ‘CODA.’ Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Emory to invite all students to campus for fall 2021
Matthew Chupack | March 24, 2021
One year after Emory University announced an extended spring break and virtual classes, University President Gregory Fenves welcomed all students back to campus for the 2021-22 academic year and Senior Director of Housing Operations Elaine Turner disclosed that residence halls would operate at full occupancy. The previous year, only first years and a select few additional individuals were permitted to reside on campus and enroll in the few in-person courses.
(Anoushka Parameswar/The Emory Wheel)
Emory to rename Longstreet-Means Hall, build memorials honoring enslaved laborers
Matthew Chupack and Anjali Huynh | June 28, 2021
Emory University renamed Longstreet-Means Residence Hall to Eagle Hall following the University Committee on Naming Honors’ review of various campus building namesakes. Former University President Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, who the hall was named after, was a slave owner and slavery apologist. The University will also construct memorials on both the Atlanta and Oxford campus to commemorate the enslaved people who helped build the University.
Longstreet-Means Hall. (Jason Oh/The Emory Wheel)
Gone for gold: Emory alum wins at Tokyo Olympics
Sofia Himmel | Aug. 7, 2021
Andrew Wilson (17C) became the first former Emory University athlete to participate in the Olympics and the first male Division III swimmer to ever qualify when he competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, which were postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic. He received a gold medal for helping Team USA reach the finals in the preliminaries.
Andrew Wilson swims during his senior year at Emory University. Wilson will represent Team U.S.A. at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. (The Emory Wheel)
Antiviral drug MoInupiravir discovered at Emory under review for emergency use authorization
Tanika Deuskar | Oct. 20, 2021
Emory University scientists discovered MoInupiravir, an antiviral pill that can be orally administered for COVID-19 treatment. Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory CEO and Co-Founder George Painter led the initiative. On Oct. 11, 2021, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics submitted the drug to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization, which the FDA granted in December.
George Painter is the President and CEO of The Emory Institute for Drug Development. Photo courtesy of Emory University
Michael Mariam | Nov. 7, 2021
After the Atlanta Braves won the World Series for the first time in 26 years, the city of Atlanta erupted in celebration. The Braves defeated the Houston Astros in a momentous game six victory on Nov. 2, 2021. The team paraded through the city on Nov. 5 into the Braves’ home stadium, Truist Park.
Confetti falls from the sky following the Braves’ World Series celebration at Trust Park. (Michael Mariam/Managing Editor)
Emory faculty confirmed to serve on White House Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board
Madi Olivier | Feb. 23, 2022
Following their June 2021 nominations by President Joe Biden, the U.S. Senate confirmed Creative Writing Professor of Practice Hank Klibanoff and Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library instruction archivist Gabrielle Dudley to serve on the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board. The Board will examine government records of racist murders of Black Americans that went unpunished from 1940-1980.
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library instruction archivist Gabrielle Dudley (left) and Creative Writing Professor of Practice Hank Klibanoff (right) were confirmed to to serve on the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board. Photos courtesy of Emory University
Grace Kamin | March 30, 2022
One semester after being hired, Emory University granted Associate Professor of Anthropology Sa’ed Atshan tenureship in the spring 2022 semester. Atshan is the first Palestinian professor to be tenured at Emory. Beyond being an accomplished scholar, he emphasizes personal dedication to his students, like by requiring them to go to office hours once a semester, where Atshan will take notes to remember details about his students.
Associate Professor of Anthropology Sa’ed Atshan. Courtesy of Emory University
Ukrainian students struggle to help family, friends from afar
Xavier Stevens | April 13, 2022
While Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine happened thousands of miles from the United States, several students in the Emory University community have family and friends living through the war in Ukraine. This has prompted students to spread awareness about Ukraine, such as Sam Shafiro (25C) who wears the colors of the Ukrainian flag around campus and has helped his parents raise over $17,000 toward medical supplies for an ambulance in Odessa.
Sam Shafiro (25C) lifts up the scarf his mother made him over spring break with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. (Xavier Stevens/Emory Life Editor)
Editor-in-Chief | Matthew Chupack (he/him, 24C) is from Northbrook, Illinois, majoring in sociology & religion and minoring in community building & social change on a pre-law track. Outside of the Wheel, Chupack serves on the Emory College Honor Council, is vice president of Behind the Glass: Immigration Reflections, Treasurer of Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society and an RA in Dobbs Hall. In his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants around Atlanta, catching up on pop culture news and listening to country music.
