Wheel Talk

COVID-19 was a tough time for many, but others found inspiration in isolation. First launched in October 2020, Wheel Talk has covered stories all around Emory's campus, Decatur and all of Atlanta. From Covid-19 to classroom debates, from mummies to mayoral forums, we have interviewed dozens of individuals and listened in on their takes on relevant events.

For this episode of Wheel Talk, we say goodbye to the podcast’s founder and former Emory Wheel Digital Operations & Multimedia editor, Gabriella Lewis (23C). We talk about how the project started, some of the initial obstacles, and Gabriella’s hopes for the future.

Wheel Talk, as well as the Emory Wheel's other two podcasts Clifton Culture and Within the Margins, are available everywhere you get your podcasts. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and comment!

In this episode of Wheel Talk, we explore the current state of Emory Village, a once bustling community near Emory University that has been struggling in recent years. We dive into the history of the village, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses and the Emory Village Alliance’s (EVA) plans to revitalize the area. Listen in as we interview locals and EVA members, examining the challenges and opportunities facing this unique opportunity. 

The corresponding article for this episode can be read on campus in our most recent print edition. Wheel Talk, as well as the Wheel’s two other podcasts Clifton Culture and Within the Margins, are available everywhere you get your podcasts! Don't forget to subscribe, rate and share!

As we get ready for our third season next semester, the Wheel Talk team is breaking down a few significant stories from this semester.

February 24th marked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, forcing Ukrainian students to support their families miles away. Far from their home country, students expressed their emotional struggles and considered efforts in helping and spreading awareness on those in need in the midst of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

On March 16th, the Board of Elections’ disqualified candidate Elizabet Ortiz (24C) from the SGA Presidential race. Ortiz called on the student body to enact change and caused a landmark election win of  “no confidence.” A challenge by Emma Friese and Sruti Kumar was submitted against the SGA contesting the validity of a run-off election following “no confidence” victory.

On April 21st, President Gregory Fenves announced the renaming of campus buildings and professorships honoring Robert Yerkes and L.Q.C. Lamar, following last year’s removal of the Augustus Longstreet name from all campus honors. Fenves convened the University Committee of Naming Honors in 2020, who recommended the removal of Lamar, Yerkes and former University Presidents Atticus Haygood, George Foster Pierce and Augustus Longstreet from all honors.

We will be back in the fall with regular episodes of Wheel Talk.

Last year, Emory renamed Long-Street Means to Eagle Hall due to the racism shown by Augustus Longstreet and Alexander Means. This residence hall is not the only instance of a racist figure being honored at Emory. Names like Yerkes Research Center also have racist histories.

This episode, we explore the current situation of naming honors at Emory and what action the university has taken (and not taken) through the University Committee of Naming Honors. We also look outside of Emory, as the same issue persists in the broader Atlanta community.

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For years, human remains have been displayed for public viewing in museums across the world. Mummies are an integral part of these displays, and Emory’s very own Carlos Museum welcomes over 70,000 visitors a year who are curious to take a peek at the crown jewel of the museum: the oldest mummy in North America. While mummies are an important part of history, whether or not they should be on display remains disputed at Emory and beyond. While some see these human remains as important educational exposure, others protest its cultural insensitivity and colonialism.

In this episode of Wheel Talk, Opinion Editor Chaya Tong explores Emory’s decision to continue displaying mummies, the history behind the display of mummies, how they first came to Emory and more of the controversy behind their display.

Read the accompanying article here: https://emorywheel.com/to-see-or-not-to-see-the-ongoing-debate-of-displaying-mummies-at-the-carlos-museum. 

For years, Emory graduate student housing has been nonexistent or lackluster, leaving students to settle for off-campus options. In 2019, 37.1 million households were “housing cost burdened,” spending 30% or more of their income on housing. Cities have a lack of affordable housing and the barriers to building more units proves difficult.

Over the past six months, Emory has introduced a plan to address the absence of graduate student housing. The new building would create 1,000 on-campus beds for graduate students. According to the university, it will cost an estimated $80 million of which Emory will borrow. However, the project has not come without opposition. Some Druid Hills residents have continued to voice their concerns on possible environmental, aesthetic and traffic impacts.

In this week’s episode of Wheel Talk, Associate Editor Claire Fenton breaks down the project and community opposition.

On Oct. 5, Emory hosted the Atlanta Mayoral Forum at Glenn Memorial Church. On the stage were 13 of the 14 mayoral candidates, a crowded field in the wake of mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ announcement that she will not seek reelection. The event was organized by the Fulton County League of Women Voters, the Urban League and the ACLU and was moderated by former WSB-TV Director of Editorials and Public Affairs Jocelyn Dorsey. News Reporter Kira Barich brings us the night’s greatest hits and analyzes the players involved in November’s election.

Finals, 80 degree weather and a surge in last minute lunch plans to catch up with distant friends signify one thing — it’s the end of the semester. While COVID talk feels like the constant elephant in the room, today in the final episode of Wheel Talk for the school year, we’re taking a break from the pandemic coverage and focusing on some of the lighter topics that we haven’t had a chance to cover on the podcast.

This week, I’ll be joined by the assistant producers to discuss three stories. First, we’ll hear from news reporter Jareer Imran (24C) to discuss the controversial 2021 Student Government Association (SGA) election and Constitutional Council hearing. Afterward, Assistant Producers Catherine Aniezue (23C) and Carly Colen (23C) will discuss with Opinion Editor Sophia Ling (24C) her new column “Sophia’s Smorgasbord” and social justice within the culinary world. Finally, Assistant Producer and Senior Film Critic Eythen Anthony (23C) will break down two new exhibits at the High Museum of Art with Arts & Entertainment writer Robert Fuhriman (23C).

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The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought damage to many areas of our life, and sports is no exception. Stories of empty stadiums and athletes in quarantine painted an alarming image of the losses the sports world faced. Within our own Emory community, these losses have been felt with the cancellation of the 2020 spring and fall seasons. However, the story doesn’t end here. In December 2020 the University announced that practices would be resumed, bringing some hope for the return of sports as we once knew them.

We speak with Sports Editor Michael Mariam about the changes in Emory athletics over the past year, the recent outbreak and the future of sports normalcy. Coaches Mike Twardoski and Adrianna Baggetta tell us about the hardships without formal sports engagement last semester and how Emory athletes have remained optimistic despite uncertainties. With the return of official practices and local competitions, volleyball player Ro O’Dowd (22B) and soccer player Grace Reyer (24C) express what it means to be back playing with their teammates.

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On March 16, a 21-year-old white gunman killed eight people at three spas in the Atlanta area. Six of the victims were East Asian women, and at least four of those killed were of Korean descent. We speak to Emory community members about this tragedy and its heartbreaking impact.

Racially motivated attacks on the Asian community in the U.S., such as this one, have long been a part of this country’s history. Executive Editor Anjali Huynh (22C) discusses the events of the past few weeks, and how harmful narratives about Asian Americans perpetuate these instances of violence and discrimination. Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Activists at Emory Co-Chiefs of Staff Jane Wang (22C) and Stephanie Zhang (22C) describe their personal experience of navigating stereotypes as Asian American women.

In light of the shooting in Boulder, Colorado on March 22, Chief of Digital Operations Cailen Chinn (22C) grapples with her identity as an Asian American woman from Boulder living in Atlanta, reflecting on massacres in two places she calls home.

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Just over a year ago, the world of higher education was completely upended after the spread of a novel virus quickly turned into a pandemic. On March 11, 2020 at 9:12 p.m. Emory affiliates received an email from Interim Provost Jan Love titled “COVID-19 – Spring break extension and move to remote learning.” Effective immediately classes went remote and students packed their things up and went home.

But where were you when the email was sent? Whether on a remote island in the Bahamas, a Miami Heat game, or in your hometown the news was shocking. Editor-in-Chief Isaiah Poritz tells us the stories of Professor Anthony Martin, Dean of Emory College Michael Elliot and students Juanmartin Abreu-Melon (19Ox, 22C) and Sareena Sethi (20Ox, 22C) about where they were and what the email meant for them.

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Emory College admitted its first Black student 58 years ago, but its integration continues today. On Feb. 10, the Wheel published “1963,” an investigative project led by the Wheel’s Opinion section, exploring desegregation as an ongoing project and emphasizing the inequities that remain at Emory and the Wheel. We speak with Opinion Editors Brammhi Balarajan and Ben Thomas about the project and how the Wheel’s coverage played a role in desegregation. Opinion writer Alice Zheng discusses the legacy of Asian American activism at Emory and Editorial Board member Rachel Broun speaks about the history of Black student demands at Emory.

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Most students are wondering when they will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In this podcast, we break down the University’s emails, town halls and interviews to explain the vaccine rollout process and timeline. We speak with staff writer Madison Hopkins (23C) and Emory Life Editor Angela Tang (22C) and field questions from our listeners.

In this episode, we talk with news reporter Caelan Bailey and Asst. News Editor Matthew Chupack about a historic week in America. We listen to Virginia Brown’s (23C) experience in the Senate chamber when insurgents stormed the Capitol and Professor of Political Science Alan Abramowitz’s breakdown of how Georgia elected its first Black and Jewish Senators.

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In this episode, we talk with Arts & Entertainment Editor Saru Garg and writers Jeffrey Rosen and Zimra Chickering about the most influential pieces of art from 2020. Listen for a breakdown of the best movies, TV shows, music and Emory art of this year.

In this episode, we talk with News Editor Anjali Huynh about the presidential election, the future of the country with a Biden-Harris presidency and Georgia’s role in controlling the Senate. This podcast features interviews with Emory students, renowned political scientist Dr. Alan Abramowitz, sociologist Dr. Tracy Scott and political scientist Dr. Bernard Fraga.

In this episode we talk with news reporter Matthew Somekh about Emory’s spring plan, administrators’ reaction to student concerns and the detrimental mental health impacts of another semester without academic breaks.

In this episode we talk with Emory Wheel News Editor Ninad Kulkarni about first-time voters, the significance of voting in Georgia and student reactions to the thwarted University-wide Election Day holiday.

Welcome to Wheel Talk. Tune in next Wednesday, October 14 for the first official episode. We'll be speaking with first-time voters on what their vote means to them.

Music by Kevin MacLeod.