You can find Emory’s Women’s Volleyball Schedule by clicking on the picture
This past Saturday, the Emory Women’s Volleyball team had an explosive 3-0 victory over Juniata at the Women’s Volleyball East/West Challenge. Set one was a hard fought and could have been anyone’s game, but the Emory Eagles came out on top in a close 27-25 victory. Emory had strong starts in both sets two and three and they had strong wins being 25-20 and 25-18 respectively. This blow-out brought Emory, which is ranked Number 4 in the NCAA Division III category, to an 8-1 win/loss record.
With all that being said, I know nothing about volleyball and a lot of other sports. During the game, and the writing of this blog post, I was constantly looking up rules and terminology because this was probably the first ever volleyball game I went to. As someone not familiar with the sport, it was a little
Emory Women’s Volleyball Team tries to save the ball
off-putting being surrounded by what seems to be mostly family and friends of the players. I had to look around to figure out when to clap and what was going on. In terms of the audience, it’s definitely a different vibe at a regular volleyball game compared to one that can be used for PACE requirements. The crowd was relatively small and was formed of mostly older people. Either way, Emory’s volleyball team loved every minute of it: doing different dances and cheers every time they scored, getting into huddles after every point for advice and support, and overall showing good sportsmanship.
Both teams huddling up after a point was scored
I will say that I most likely won’t be attending many more volleyball games in the future because I still don’t fully understand the game and it’s not that interesting to me. However, I highly encourage everyone to go to at least one sporting event over their undergraduate career. If, like me, you’re not a sports person, then it won’t be a highlight of your weekend or college experience but it’s still something to do and it feels nice to show that, despite popular belief, Emory does have some school spirit.
Both teams congratulating each other on their hard work
After 45 minutes of wandering around campus, asking if anyone knew where some “FPF” lecture would be, I ended up somehow stumbling into the right building. Finally, I was in Bowden hall at around 4:00 PM, but this wasn’t any type of lecture hall I’d ever been to, it was just a series of classrooms. After another 10 minutes, I finally found my way to the right one, Bowden 216.
Unpacking the drinks and snacks
As I enter and take a seat at one of the outer chairs, I see a few people unloading a few 12 packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon bear beer along with some crackers, raisins, grapes, bread, chips, cheese and some wine. I began to wonder whether I was in the right place or not. However, looking up at the board in the center of the room, I saw in chalk writing “Canon Fodder: Exploring the Challenges of Decolonization and Canon Reform”
As I took my seat, one of the graduate students asked: ” Are you here from Lauren?” to which I said, “No, I’m just an undergraduate student here at Emory University, I’m here for a blog post for Professor Highsmith’s expository class”. At least a few people in the room laughed. At first, I didn’t understand why, but then it clicked Lauren=Professor Highsmith.
The topic up on the board
Before we begin with the lecture, let me introduce what this post is about. According to their website, the FPF, which stands for Friday Philosophy Forum, “facilitates philosophical research, discussion, and collaboration among Emory graduate students in philosophy and other disciplines.” So essentially, they provide graduate students to share current research and paper drafts for the purpose of provoking dialogue and eliciting feedback that might strengthen works intended for future publication. All this is also a part of a bigger organization called The Graduate Philosophy Society at Emory (GPSE) which is “the body for representation and self-organizing of the graduate students in the department of philosophy.”
Some of the members of the forum
I realized soon that this wouldn’t be a lecture, it would actually be just a weak presentation of the very first draft of a paper regarding diversity in philosophy. Andrea, one of the presenters soon pulled up her partner from Canada, Emily, on FaceTime so that they could begin their presentation. “We realize that we are going to say some stupid things here, but please give us as much feedback as you can” were the first words uttered by both partners. Before beginning on the actual reading out loud of their draft, they pointed out that it would only take a maximum of 25 minutes.
Emily on FaceTime as well as other members of the forum
What follows is essentially a direct flow of the presentation as it went: Andrea provided the introduction of the paper saying that Philosophy has a serious problem with diversity and that various different proposals had to be put in place to change that fact. Both Emily and Andrea, all throughout the paper would mention about 10-15 times that a major factor of change would be a transformation of the syllabus for philosophy as well as the diversification of the list of philosophers. They said that more indigenous philosophers have to be included in the syllabi all around the world. Emily took over right after saying that people fear change but that Philosophers having different perspectives is what the world needs. She said that white male supremacy had completely dominated Philosophy for years, starting from the belief that white male Greeks were the first Philosophers. After providing no evidence whatsoever to back it up, they said that just was not true and that it was only designed to amplify white supremacy. Emily said philosophy is just one tool they love that could be used for diversification, others included the recognition of indigenous sovereignty over lands, decolonizing mines, nations, and schools. That’s where I got lost, I no longer knew what the paper was about, was it about decolonization? Diversification of Philosophers? White male supremacy?. They both then began to talk about how it was wrong of white people to go down to local tribes in Hawaii trying to help them out because the only thing that did was force them to assimilate to white culture.
After providing little to no evidence to any of their claims, and throwing around quite a few authors, philosophers and hard philosophical terms with little to no context, they were finally done. It was now time for questions.
I realized that I wasn’t the only one confused by their paper when I only saw 5 hands fly up for questions with over 17 members of the forum. When asked about the some of the topics within their paper such as decolonization and the diversification of the syllabus as well as the evidence surrounding their claims, their answers were very subpar. They were either unable to answer some questions or were only able to answer them partially. Leaving me as well as the forum very underwhelmed.
Essentially, after an hour and thirty minutes of utter and pure confusion on my part, it was finally over, I got up and left as soon as I could. Since I’d recorded the whole presentation I gave it another listen in my room hoping to get something more out of it. Nothing.
Besides touching base on so many things with little to no evidence to support their claims, the overall first draft was pretty much torn apart by the members of the forum, the facetime called ended by Emily saying again that they knew many stupid things would be said but that was the point, to receive feedback and do it better the next time. Apart from being a completely un-engaging and very uncomfortable experience for me, both Andrea and Emily left with just what they needed, some awesome feedback to make their paper better and actually presentable. Oh, and I got to see some pretty sweet beards on 2 members of the forum and that’s always a plus.
Source:
Graduate Philosophy Society at Emory, scholarblogs.emory.edu/gpse/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017.
This past Sunday, we decided to venture into the world of sports here at Emory. As we stepped onto the scorching hot metal bleachers, we initially noticed spectators holding sun umbrellas with iced cold drinks in-hand to cool down. We, on the other hand, were suffering tremendously. As we wiped rivulets of sweat off our dripping faces, we wondered: “How can these players be compensating so well in this heat?!” Both the Emory Soccer team, along with Birmingham-Southern College’s team, were dressed in their thick T-shirts, long shorts, and high knee socks – the sweat and pressure was on for these women. Yet, as temperatures had risen, our team only progressed more, persevering through the treacherous heat. Throughout the first half of the game, we began to recognize the mutual dedication between not only the players, but the fans watching the game as well. The juxtaposition between the players, field, and their communicative strategies was quite harmonious. During half-time, we decided to interview some fans of the team, in order to gain insight on their personal dedication for coming out to watch.
Sun umbrellas: a necessity
We commenced our interviews by asking a woman in-line at the vending machine of her reasoning for attending the game. We initially explained our blog post idea, as “trying to gain insight on players and spectators dedication to the game.” She seemed intrigued, and gladly obliged to assist us.
“Are you a parent here?” We began asking.
“Yes,” she replied. “I’m visiting my daughter this weekend, and it’s really cool to see her play in person. We usually have to watch her games on the computer, since we’re from Chicago. I’ve been watching her games ever since she was five – because that’s just what parents do!”
Susie, mother of a third-year student here at Emory, seemed to be tremendously committed to her daughter’s soccer, even throughout her duration of college. After speaking with her, we watched in the stands how she called out and cheered for her daughter immensely. It was clear how as a mother, she deems her daughter’s sports career to be of utmost importance. She exuded an intrinsic motivation to come out and support her kin, just as any loved one should.
We then noticed a twenty-something year old woman purchasing an iced cold water bottle. Again, introducing our idea, we started off by asking what her purpose for attending this game was. After we introduced ourselves, Jessie, amidst her mother Nancy, began to explain her prior experience with the sport:
“I actually played for the Women’s Soccer team at BSC all throughout college,” said Jessie. “I’m from Kennesaw and now live in Augusta, so I decided to come out and watch.”
“How did you feel your dedication to the sport interfered with your studies?” We then asked.
“I mean, D3 is a good balance between academics and sports,” she started, “but we usually had practice every day though – around 2 ½ hours. If you were just a runner, you’d only have to practice 1 ½ hours, the length of a game. We also played Emory every season… and I actually tore my ACL playing here. It’s my second year out of school and I try to watch the games every chance I get.”
As we stepped away from Jessie and her mother, we reminisced upon each individual’s similar yet contrasting motivation for being here: While we show a desire to gain perspective, others come to support their loved ones, while most come to give encouragement for their past teammates.
Feels like 90°F
After stepping inside to cool off, we entered the second half of the game. Just a few minutes in, our focus began to wander away from the soccer players to the conversations of the zealous relatives who sat behind.
“Go DeDe!” One man proclaimed as his daughter’s teammate finally scored a goal. “SHOOT!” He yelled out. “As much as she’s been working – she deserved that one [shot]. If she was old enough I’d buy her a drink!”
The comment elicited bountiful laughter from those nearby, and immediately our eyes fell upon the soccer player, DeDe, who continued to play with unabating enthusiasm despite the unrelenting Georgia heat. Perseverance was evident among all the lady Eagle soccer players, which got us thinking about how interconnectivity between dedication and perseverance applies to life here at Emory.
Just as injuries and weather conditions can serve as obstacles in a soccer game, the road to achieving our aspirations may lead to many hardships. Having a set goal in mind that one is passionate about makes obstructions that arise in our paths worthwhile, and the gratification received from achieving our dreams tenfold.
It would be hard to imagine the nosebleeds and torn ACLs these soccer players endure are to no avail. Even amidst the most crucial moments of the game, it was clear that women were willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their team. Although such selfless and diligent behavior may put players at risk physically, having their family and friends there to provide support has ultimately assisted their drive to win.
Throughout the duration of the second half, we interviewed Kettly, a mother sitting next to us in the stands:
“Have you been a fan of the team for a while?” We asked.
She began by telling us: “I’ve been a fan of the team since my daughter, a junior, joined [the team] in her freshman year.”
We followed up with asking if she was from around here, and how often she has attended the games: “We are from Tampa,” Kettly followed up, “which is a seven hour drive away. I try to make it to as many home games as I can.”
“Has the team been doing well so far?” We concluded.
“A couple of seniors graduated from the team last year,” said Kettly, “and we have lost a few games. But the team has been doing well, and it is always good to watch.”
About five minutes after we interviewed Kettly, her daughter, Danielle, scored the fourth goal in what eventually lead to a 5-0 demolishment of BSC. We made sure to congratulate Danielle after the game. On the walk back to our respective dorms, we reflected upon the underlying theme that paralleled the lives of Emory athletes and students not committed to sports.
Emory wins 5-0
Whether you are a spectator or player, individuals congruently share some form of intrinsic motivation throughout their lives. As many students of Emory arrive with a drive to succeed academically, a vast majority of student athletes are forced to give up the development of other aspects of their lives. How much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals? ⚽️
As the Uber driver, Secunda, pulled up in front of Complex Hall to take my friends and I to explore Underground Atlanta, I had no idea what to expect. Since I had only lived in Atlanta for less than a month, I had never heard of Underground Atlanta or known where it was located. So of course, I searched for it on Google to see what I was getting into, only to find a Wikipedia article that said, “Underground Atlanta was a shopping and entertainment district in the Five Points neighborhood of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, near the Five Points MARTA station.” Cool, I thought to myself, shopping and entertainment sounds fun. But amidst my excitement, my brain seemed to scan right over the first part: “Underground Atlanta was a shopping and entertainment district…” However, hopping into Secunda’s Dodge Journey, I was unaware of this detail, and we were on our way to Underground Atlanta.
My friends and I were talking and laughing the whole way there, excited to be off campus for the first time all week. Once we reached about the halfway mark of the ride, I see the Uber driver’s eyes look at me through the rearview mirror.
“You’re not trying to go to Underground Atlanta are you?”
Hesitantly, I nodded and told her yes.
“Underground Atlanta has been closed for over a month now.”
Not saying anything, my friends and I looked at each other confused. Apparently, UA was sold to a new owner and closed on August 13th of this year for construction. The sale announcement was released in 2014 for revitalization, and the developer plans to provide more retail options and above ground apartments.
Secunda thought UA was in desperate need of renovations because it was becoming a bit of an unsafe area. She offered to take us to a similar place, and said she would show us a few different options. So, the woman who began as our Uber driver soon became our tour guide.
She first took us to Little Five Points, where there were many different restaurants, boutiques, and tattoo parlors. With a bit of a more grungy and vintage vibe, the little town radiated spunk. While the area looked fun, we were on the lookout for more shopping options. Secunda said she would take us to Atlantic Station, and she said she thought we would really like it.
Little Five Points is a retail center with a unique and edgy twist. Photo courtesy of www.atlanta.net
Atlantic Station, a retail and living neighborhood on the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, began to provide retail options in 2005, and since then has been home to a wide variety of shops and restaurants. As we pulled in, I was impressed with its urbanity and freshness.
Atlantic Station’s movie theater, Regal Cinemas 16A view from the middle of Atlantic Station.
Secunda dropped us off right in front of the movie theater, which seemed to be right in the heart of the shopping center. I wasn’t sure whether it was because it was 1:30 on a Saturday or because the popular music festival Music Midtown was happening at the very same time, but it wasn’t the least bit crowded. We looked around at our options, and I jumped when I saw my most favorite dessert place in the world, Great American Cookies. After everyone said they could go for a cookie, we headed into the store.
My iced cookie cake and Diet Coke at Great American Cookies.
I ordered my usual: a slice of cookie cake with icing and a Diet Coke. It tasted incredible, just like it does at home. We finished eating, and decided on our first shopping stop: Old Navy, which was right across the street.
The Old Navy in Atlantic Station was very big and held lots of options.
Although I didn’t find anything I needed in Old Navy, there were so many options at great prices for college students. From workout clothes to casual clothes to wear to class, the store was great for snagging a few extra clothing items. My friends made their purchases, and we moved on to H&M.
H&M had a similar concept: affordable prices, but the clothes were more suitable for going out to dinner or for a night downtown. I had already left campus more than I thought I would in college, so I knew I would need a couple of new outfits. I tried on four shirts, and ended up buying two. As a college student on a budget, I scored with those two shirts.
Dillard’s was the biggest store that we saw in all of Atlantic Station, occupying almost its own block of the shopping center.Dillard’s had separate floors for women’s clothing, men’s clothing, shoes, and other departments.
Our final stop was Dillard’s, if you don’t count each department as its own stop. The store was huge, with each floor dedicated to its own section–women’s clothing, men’s clothing, kid’s, shoes, and more. Obviously, we headed straight for the women’s clothing. As I had expected, the options there were a bit more pricey than desired. I found piles of clothes that I loved, but I knew I had to think logically. I ended up buying two shirts that were on sale. Then, I swore myself off of shopping for the rest of the month.
After browsing through the shoe department and resisting the urge to try anything on, we decided it was time to head back to campus and get some homework done.
Overall, I enjoyed Atlantic Station a lot because of its cleanliness, variety, and small crowds. I felt as if I was in one of my nicer hometown shopping centers, as the area didn’t give off any sense of tourism. Everyone we passed seemed as if they were locals, so we tried our best to blend in. Unfortunately, since we came at 1:30 and left at 3:30, we didn’t get a chance to try any of the restaurants that were scattered around the area. From California Pizza Kitchen to Rosa Mexicano, all types of food were provided. My friends and I agreed that we would be returning for dinner and a movie one night within the coming weeks.
However, if I were to leave campus solely for the purpose of shopping, Atlantic Station wouldn’t be my first choice, simply because other shopping centers, such as Lenox Mall, are the same distance away and have more options. For dinner, light shopping, and a movie though, Atlantic Station couldn’t be a better destination.
My friends and me after our fun excursion to Atlantic Station.
Wikipedia contributors. “Underground Atlanta.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 Aug. 2017. Web. 17 Sep. 2017
Emory University is located in Atlanta, GA and has a created a reputation for itself of being a top tier progressive institution. Sometimes referred to as the ivy league of the South, it often draws a comparison to the Ivy Leagues or other top universities such as Duke or Georgetown. Current students of The Laney Graduate School at Emory, however, have taken it upon themselves to draw those comparisons themselves in the past year. According to an article by The Nation, graduate students across the country are experiencing “plummeting wages, meager health care benefits and overwhelming workloads,” and as a result have launched campaigns to unionize.
Laney Graduate School
I recently sat in on a meeting for the Emory Graduate Union Organizing Committee. I was both shocked and puzzled listening in on their interactions.
As I walked into the meeting, I was drenched in sweat from my track practice just minutes beforehand, and met with eight graduate students staring at me; the situation was intimidating, to say the least. The meeting began to unfold and I slowly was introduced to their strategies for unionizing and their (many) grievances with the University. They explained that their ultimate goal was to improve the situation for all graduate students and felt as though creating a union was the only logical course of action, pointing to Yale and Duke as examples of success. One graduate student even said that it was only fair that they are allowed to unionize since all the other employees at Emory have one. This is not true, however, as only the shuttle service drivers have successfully unionized at Emory. As the conversation moved more toward the logistics of unionization, they began to discuss how Emory hired a multi million legal unions busting law firm, which one student described as “cynical” and “hypocritical” since the University rather pays for that than giving the graduate students better healthcare. When speaking about their social media presence it was honestly tragic to listen to, because it was virtually nonexistent. The group of students in their mid-twenties and early thirties only had a Facebook page to promote their movement and none of them knew how to use Twitter, revealing to me their understanding of social media was Rudimental at best.
Emory Shuttle Services
The grievances expressed by this group of eight are entirely valid; if they feel as though Emory has mistreated them in any way, then they have the right to voice those grievances and work towards a solution. The fact is though, this is a group of eight who wish to speak on behalf of all graduate students. Towards the end of the meeting they held a vote to decide the name of the unionization movement, but by that time three people had already left, leaving only five people to vote. According to the Laney Graduate School site, there were 1,758 degree-seeking students during the 2016 fall semester, which means that 0.004% of the graduate student population was speaking for the entirety of it. In my humble opinion that is insane. After the end of the meeting I inquired whether these meetings were open to all graduate students, and they told me the meetings were. Could this mean that creating a union is not a top priority to a large number of students? Unionizing is a tricky process of back and forth negotiations, and some students may not wish to bite to start waves with the University.
The Black Studies Collective meets on select Fridays in Candler Library Room 120. More information can be found on their OrgSync Page
After getting off work late, I rushed over Candler Library expecting to be that one person who awkwardly walks in ten minutes late. To my surprise, I walked into a warm environment discussing SZA and Bryson Tiller. I’m greeted by the 2017-2018 President of the Black Studies Collective (BSC), Taryn Jordan, and encouraged to grab a plate. Settling down while we watched music videos for Rake it Up and Bodak Yellow, I knew that this wouldn’t be a traditional general body meeting. The official meeting started with introductions, a brief history of the BSC, and an overview of the BSC.
The Black Studies Collective originally was formed as the African-American
The logo of the Black Studies Collective
Studies Collective (AASC). The AASC was defunded a few years ago, but later revived and transformed into the BSC. Now, the BSC serves a place for many graduate students interested meet, discuss blackness and current events regarding blackness, read works of black theory, and even go out and watch films/tv about blackness. Despite the informality of meetings, the BSC thinks critically about blackness and questions the parameters around blackness. An example of this comes from one of their inside jokes “I don’t know, Paris Jackson.” This arose from their conversation on Paris Jackson considering herself black despite her skin color and other physical features. This brings up the idea that there’s more to blackness that skin tone, but also experiences and other factors. The informality of the meetings allows for members to share their experience and create a dynamic dialogue. It also allows members to discuss their own work and provide assistance to each other. Many members of the Black Studies Collective are graduate students with work surrounding black issues and African diaspora despite Emory not having a graduate African-American Studies program. The BSC allows grad students to have a space to continue their interest in black studies. Currently, the BSC is also looking to expand their outreach by getting undergraduate involvement through Saturday Readings/Teachings.
This brings me to my message to Emory University: create a graduate degree program for African-American Studies. Students from all across different programs are doing research on black issues ranging from Comparative Language to Philosophy and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, to English. Furthermore, Emory has amazing resources for African-American history in the Rose Library that would be instrumental to much research in the field of African-American studies. Also, Emory already has a great undergraduate program in African-American Studies. Emory was the first school in the Southeast to offer an undergraduate degree in black studies. Emory also has award winning research and publications from faculty in the Department of
Benjamin Mays who is is one of the namesakes of the Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
African-American Studies, as well as representation in many public news and media forums. Lastly, Emory is a Mellon-Mays Fellow school which helps fund Ph.D. research in fields like African-American Studies. With all this history and excellence, why is it that graduate students seem to be limited to a space like the Black Studies Collective to really immerse themselves in African-American Studies?
If you want to learn more about the Black Studies collective or are an undergrad interested in Saturday Teachings, you can visit their OrgSync website or you can email the president, Taryn Jordan at t [dot] d [dot] jordan [at] emory [dot] edu. You can also find more about the undergraduate Department of African-American Studies here.
Close your eyes and think back to home. Is home in Georgia? Is it far away from Georgia? Is it on the West Coast or East Coast? Is it in the Midwest? Is it out of the country? Now imagine a law has passed stating that you can never live anywhere outside of your home state. How would that affect your enrollment at Emory? In what ways would you be limited? As horrible as this sounds, this scenario was reality for many Jews between the years 1791 to 1917, during which the Pale of Settlement was established.
The Pale of Settlement was an area apart of Russian territory that allowed Jews permanent residency, but forbade them from taking up residency anywhere else, which crushed the dreams of many young people who wanted to pursue a higher education outside the borders of the Pale of Settlement. However a loophole was found with the issuing of yellow tickets: a nickname for the identification cards that were given to Russian prostitutes that allowed them to live outside the borders. Many Jewish women took on the titles of prostitutes in order to expand their rights and live or go to school wherever they wanted, and The Yellow Ticket is a 1918 film that depicts such a scenario.
When one of our group members, Rachel, first rushed in, trying to find where the movie was located with only two minutes left before it started, a girl walking behind her stated that one of her friends told her the movie was filled with prostitution, which immediately had Rachel questioning Emory University’s taste in film. But we were pleased to find The Yellow Ticket was an engaging film about the struggles of a young woman who loses everything and must take on a double life as a prostitute and university student in order to have a chance at a better life.
Leaning back in our seats in the Emerson Concert Hall at Schwartz Performing Arts Center, we had no idea what to expect. We had just bought tickets to see the silent film The Yellow Ticket accompanied by a live score. Having never attended an event like this before, we had no idea what to expect.
The show began at 8:00 P.M. in Emerson Concert Hall in the Schwartz Performing Arts Center.
The lights went dim, and the three performers were introduced: composer Alicia Svigals, pianist Marilyn Lerner, and clarinetist Laura DeLuca. It was easy to tell who was the star of the show: Alicia’s long red dress immediately captured the spotlight.
The performers, Alicia Svigals, Marilyn Lerner, and Laura DeLuca are introduced.
Svigals, the world’s leading klezmer fiddler, founded the Grammy-winning Klezmatics and has collaborated with many renowned musical artists. She has also made appearances on shows such as David Letterman, MTV, and more. She is the recipient of the Foundation for Jewish Culture’s 2013 New Jewish Music Network Commission for her score of the Yellow Ticket.
Lerner’s musical style is seasoned with multiple different cultures, performing internationally from Montreal to Havana to Jerusalem. She is a recording artist, and has also toured with other groups of performers.
DeLuca started playing in the Seattle symphony in 1986 and is one of the founders of Seattle Chamber Players. Aside from performing in concert halls all around the world, she has been featured in more than one hundred recordings and has collaborated with distinguished composers and performers.
Beautiful music filled the concert hall the very second the film began, and the tone perfectly matched the mood of each scene. Alicia’s singing voice perfectly complimented the strings she played, matching with her partners beside her. We watched as the music got louder and darker during the dramatic scenes and soft during the comedic ones. The audience, consisting mostly of older adults and a few college students here and there, was captivated by the abilities of the performers and the emotions they evoked from the film.
The performers used reading lights on their podiums to read their sheet music as the film played.
One student in our group, Michael, was able to meet Alicia Svigals as she came to speak to his Music in Film class. Svigals stressed the effort and thought she put into every second of the film as she essentially lived in her studio for two whole months. With The Yellow Ticket being a silent film, Svigals said that she wanted to “make the narrative more clear and bring out the emotion” of the film. Though looking back at it, Svigals said that scoring the film from second to second was a “rookie move”, she is constantly fascinated with how such precision in the score makes each performance slightly different and unique. She explained that playing in complete unison with the score and film was essentially impossible with the amount of detail she put into every scene. Though at first this seemed like a detriment to her work, Svigals came to realize that each performance acted as a snowflake, patterned differently and completely unique from the others.
Svigals also stressed how the film is filled with unknowns. From the very beginning, the director gives little background information or hints about the setting or main character, Sofia. Instead of trying to make sense of these unknowns, Svigals took advantage of this and layered the score with music from multiple cultures. This melting pot of different sounds emphasized this unknown as Sofia takes us on her journey to St. Petersburg. When viewing the film with Svigals’ score, one might notice that some melodies repeat themselves throughout the movie. Svigals created these specific melodies to represent different emotions and gestures. As Sofia makes the final decision to become a prostitute Svigals plays a melody of shame with a diminished harmony and a strong sense of darkness. This melody appears every time Sofia is seen working her night job in her alternate life. Along with shame, Svigals composed a waltz melody to symbolize romance as Sofia’s classmate quickly fall in love with her. The melody is layered with the three instruments and composed perfectly to bring out the growing feeling of love that falls within Sofia’s story.
Following the performance was a twenty minute Q&A with the artists. Audience members asked about the creation of the score, how they keep up with timing and precision, and the personal lives of the artists in general.
The trio sat down for a twenty minute Q&A with the audience members.
This performance of The Yellow Ticket was a very interesting and unique experience. We enjoyed observing the passion and excitement of the performers which was shared by the audience. The show brought to our attention the effects that music has on the emotions that a film portrays. We left the concert hall impressed, enlightened, and inspired.
By Rachel McNeil, Kate Monger, and Michael Malenfant
Green, David B. “1791: Catherine the Great tells Jews where they can live.” Haaretz.com, 26 Dec. 2016, www.haaretz.com/jewish/features/.premium-1.564905. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.
“JewishEncyclopedia.com.” PALE OF SETTLEMENT – JewishEncyclopedia.Com, www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11862-pale-of-settlement. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017
“Pale of Settlement.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Aug. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_of_Settlement#Jewish_life_in_the_Pale. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.
Close your eyes and think back to home.Is home in Georgia? Is it far away from Georgia? Is it on the West Coast or East Coast? Is it in the MidWest? Is it out of the country? Now imagine a law has passed stating that you can never live anywhere outside of your home state. How would that affect your enrollment at Emory? In what ways would you be limited? As horrible as this sounds, this scenario was reality for many Jews between the years 1791 to 1917, during which the Pale of Settlement was established.
The Pale of Settlement was an area apart of Russian territory that allowed Jews permanent residency, but forbade them from taking up residency anywhere else, which crushed the dreams of many young people who wanted to pursue a higher education outside the borders of the Pale of Settlement. However a loophole was found with the issuing of yellow tickets: a nickname for the identification cards that were given to Russian prostitutes that allowed them to live outside the borders. Many Jewish women took on the titles of prostitutes in order to expand their rights and live or go to school wherever they wanted, and The Yellow Ticket is a 1918 film that depicts such a scenario.
When one of our group members, Rachel, first rushed in, trying to find where the movie was located with only two minutes left before it started, a girl walking behind her stated that one of her friends told her the movie was filled with prostitution, which immediately had Rachel questioning Emory University’s taste in film. But we were pleased to find The Yellow Ticket was an engaging film about the struggles of a young woman who loses everything and must take on a double life as a prostitute and university student in order to have a chance at a better life.
Leaning back in our seats in the Emerson Concert Hall at Schwartz Performing Arts Center, we had no idea what to expect. We had just bought tickets to see the silent film The Yellow Ticket accompanied by a live score. Having never attended an event like this before, we had no idea what to expect.
The lights went dim, and the three performers were introduced: composer Alicia Svigals, pianist Marilyn Lerner, and clarinetist Laura DeLuca. It was easy to tell who was the star of the show: Alicia’s long red dress immediately captured the spotlight.
Svigals, the world’s leading klezmer fiddler, founded the Grammy-winning Klezmatics and has collaborated with many renowned musical artists. She has also made appearances on shows such as David Letterman, MTV, and more. She is the recipient of the Foundation for Jewish Culture’s 2013 New Jewish Music Network Commission for her score of the Yellow Ticket.
Lerner’s musical style is seasoned with multiple different cultures, performing internationally from Montreal to Havana to Jerusalem. She is a recording artist, and has also toured with other groups of performers.
DeLuca started playing in the Seattle symphony in 1986 and is one of the founders of Seattle Chamber Players. Aside from performing in concert halls all around the world, she has been featured in more than one hundred recordings and has collaborated with distinguished composers and performers.
Beautiful music filled the concert hall the very second the film began, and the tone perfectly matched the mood of each scene. Alicia’s singing voice perfectly complimented the strings she played, matching with her partners beside her. We watched as the music got louder and darker during the dramatic scenes and soft during the comedic ones. The audience, consisting mostly of older adults and a few college students here and there, was captivated by the abilities of the performers and the emotions they evoked from the film.
One student in our group, Michael, was able to meet Alicia Svigals as she came to speak to his Music in Film class. Svigals stressed the effort and thought she put into every second of the film as she essentially lived in her studio for two whole months. With The Yellow Ticket being a silent film, Svigals said that she wanted to “make the narrative more clear and bring out the emotion” of the film. Though looking back at it, Svigals said that scoring the film from second to second was a “rookie move”, she is constantly fascinated with how such precision in the score makes each performance slightly different and unique. She explained that playing in complete unison with the score and film was essentially impossible with the amount of detail she put into every scene. Though at first this seemed like a detriment to her work, Svigals came to realize that each performance acted as a snowflake, patterned differently and completely unique from the others.
Svigals also stressed how the film is filled with unknowns. From the very beginning, the director gives little background information or hints about the setting or main character, Sofia. Instead of trying to make sense of these unknowns, Svigals took advantage of this and layered the score with music from multiple cultures. This melting pot of different sounds emphasized this unknown as Sofia takes us on her journey to St. Petersburg. When viewing the film with Svigals’ score, one might notice that some melodies repeat themselves throughout the movie. Svigals created these specific melodies to represent different emotions and gestures. As Sofia makes the final decision to become a prostitute Svigals plays a melody of shame with a diminished harmony and a strong sense of darkness. This melody appears every time Sofia is seen working her night job in her alternate life. Along with shame, Svigals composed a waltz melody to symbolize romance as Sofia’s classmate quickly fall in love with her. The melody is layered with the three instruments and composed perfectly to bring out the growing feeling of love that falls within Sofia’s story.
Following the performance was a twenty minute Q&A with the artists. Audience members asked about the creation of the score, how they keep up with timing and precision, and the personal lives of the artists in general.
This performance of The Yellow Ticket was a very interesting and unique experience. We enjoyed observing the passion and excitement of the performers which was shared by the audience. The show brought to our attention the effects that music has on the emotions that a film portrays. We left the concert hall impressed, enlightened, and inspired.
By Rachel McNeil, Kate Monger, and Michael Malenfant
Green, David B. “1791: Catherine the Great tells Jews where they can live.” Haaretz.com, 26 Dec. 2016, www.haaretz.com/jewish/features/.premium-1.564905. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.
“JewishEncyclopedia.com.” PALE OF SETTLEMENT – JewishEncyclopedia.Com, www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11862-pale-of-settlement. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017
“Pale of Settlement.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Aug. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_of_Settlement#Jewish_life_in_the_Pale. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.
Skipping, chanting, and smiles never left the gym on Saturday, September the 9th at the Emory women’s volleyball game. The joyful spirit of the girls lasted for the entirety of the match that they won three sets to zero. Although the athletes’ performance impressed us, their sportsmanship fascinated us more. Not every sports group has members that support each other unconditionally. The girls’ ability to remain positive and show support for one another during their game helped lead them to victory.
When we arrived at the match against DeSales University, there was a concession stand set up next to the gym entrance. The snacks were all overpriced, and probably unnecessary considering the match did not last for very long. As we rounded the corner, there was a small bleacher set up on the gym floor, since the actual court was only in the very center of the west half of the gym. The crowd, neither extremely large or small, consisted of a few interested students and mostly parents who came to watch their daughters play. The crowd remained calm throughout the match, however, not much excitement was needed; the girls produced enough pep to last them through every set. Surprisingly the girls never seemed to have a shortage of energy and did not need to use timeouts like the other team. Smiles remained planted on both the players and coaches faces. Typically athletes remain straight-faced and look serious while they play. Even the girls on the other team looked this way and rarely smiled.
Volleyball Coach
warm smiles on the players and coaches faces let us know that they actually enjoyed playing the game. Clearly, the girls found the game fun and they still appeared to have a passion for the sport. While winning obviously remained their objective, they made sure to enjoy the entire process. This happiness and pure love of the game allowed them to stay positive and cheer each other on that afternoon.
After the first set, the teams switched sides. This almost seemed to have an effect on the girls’ performance because they started to fall behind. Even while the girls were losing, the coach was placid and the girls were smiling. Their attitude is undoubtedly why they were able to easily rally and win the second set. Again, at the start of the third set, Emory dropped some points, but the team found its footing and pulled off the three to zero sweep. No setback ever seemed to faze them. They remained cheerful and positive until they eventually lead the game like they knew they would.
Every team has some form of bond between players that affects the way they interact and play together. On Emory’s team, the girls have a noticeably strong bond. No matter what happened, the girls always appeared to have a united front. Instead of cheering for certain players, the whole group on the court received recognition. Unlike the players from the other team, even when a girl made a serve that did not make it over the net or hit the ball out of bounds, the girls remained supportive of one another.
Doing a team exercise
The girls frequently had group hugs and shared reassuring smiles to comfort each other throughout the game. We could tell that the team members had a very close relationship just by the way they interacted on the court. Even off the court, the girls typically do things together probably as a result of all the time they spend practicing and bonding. This relationship allows them to communicate and play collectively. The girls display trust for each other and belief in the abilities of the team. Studies show that the level of trust and time spent together have a significant impact on team performance. Team members that trust each other perform better because they can work more effectively together (Elsass 137). When the other team successfully scored, the girls still smiled and cheered each other on because they knew that they had the ability to move past the setback and win the game. Although several girls did stand out as star players, the game did not revolve around them. Each girl playing was given an opportunity to contribute to the success of the team. Emory’s team honestly looks like a huge group of best friends. Friendship and their great spirit lead them to victory.
At the end of the tournament, the girls walked away undefeated. Emory won every game three sets to zero in the tournament.
The end of the final set.
It is worth noting that while all these three aspects of the team led them to victory, the skill set of the girls played arguably the most significant part in leading them to victory. Currently, the team is ranked fifth overall in the NCAA Division III category, previously being ranked second. They have made it to the final four five times, they won the national tournament in 2008, and they have seven UAA championships. In fact, the girls have only lost one game this season. We wanted to look beyond their skills to determine what makes them so successful. Virtually every team has amazing players, but some teams have unique qualities that set them apart from the rest of the crowd. What sets Emory apart and gives them a competitive edge are these three qualities that allow them to work harder and to work more efficient collectively.
Tatiana was able to get in touch with freshman Murphy Powell to ask her about her experiences with the game and with her team:
Tatiana: How would you describe the crowd’s energy level at the DeSales match? How did their energy level affect (or not affect) your playing?
Murphy: The crowd’s energy level during the match vs DeSales this past Saturday was pretty good because I’ve been told the bleachers haven’t been that full in a long time. The crowd’s cheering was a motivation bonus added to our own cheering so it affected our play positively.
The girls high-fiving
Tatiana: Was there a specific goal you had set for the DeSales match?
Murphy: We wanted to keep them from scoring more than 15 points per set (which we were able to do for the 25-12 set but not for the 25-16 and 25-19 sets) and always have more energy than they did, in which I think we did a good job of.
Tatiana: How well did your team play again DeSales University? Do you consider it a good/bad/average game for your team?
Murphy: It was an average game for our team because we beat them by a hefty amount, had an awesome passing game, but also missed a lot of serves and hit a lot of balls out when attacking.
Tatiana: What is the dynamic between you and your teammates during a game?
Murphy: We all keep each other hype no matter what the score is and we all have positive attitudes throughout warmups and in games.
Tatiana: Are you and your teammates close? And how does this affect your playing?
Murphy: My teammates and I are very close – it’s like a family. This affects our playing because we play harder when we want to play well and win for our “family”.
Tatiana: What is your goal for the season?
Murphy: Our goal for the season is to be national champions!
Watching the Emory Women’s Volleyball Team play was very entertaining. While it is always fun to cheer for the winning team, it is clear that our squad has something special. Their non-stop energy made the game enjoyable for themselves, the fans, and even the other team to an extent. It is very easy to see Emory Women’s Volleyball going to the national finals, and we think they will win this year.
The end of the game.
Priscilla Elsass. “Trust and Team Performance in NCAA Basketball.” The Academy of Management Executive (1993-2005), vol. 15, no. 3, 2001, pp. 137–138. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4165768.
[Emory Volleyball Girls High-Fiving]. [image]. (n.d). [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.evbcvolleyball.com/Default.aspx?tabid=25272
[Emory Volleyball Girls Holding Hands in Air]. [image] (n.d.). [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.evbcvolleyball.com/Default.aspx?tabid=25274
[Emory Volleyball Coach]. [image]. (n.d). [Photograpgh]. Retrieved from http://www.emoryathletics.com/sports/wvball/index
By: Faith Muyoyo, Josh Maisel, and Tatiana Bennett
Considering everyone in this class is a first-year student, it’s safe to say that the newly established DUC-ling is a go-to place for everyone trying to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a day-to-day basis. However, what happens after a while of eating the same over-grilled chicken? Hopefully, a change in menu. Of course, you might think of going to White Hall for a quick lunch bag, or even to the WoodPec for some chicken tenders. But in all honesty, the first place you think of, and rightfully so, is Cox Hall.
Cox Hall cashiers desk as well as the tables and sit down facilities
Located right by Asbury Circle (only 10-20 feet from the DUC-ling) Cox Hall is one of the most prominent dining facilities on campus. Operating from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, it is a food court holding up to 8 different dining options, with overall prices averaging from $8 to $10. By now you must be interested in what a Cox Hall experience is really like: Well, let me be your guide for today.
Restaurant Twisted TacoSample of food from Twisted Taco
Let’s start off with the first restaurant you’d see when entering Cox, a traditionally Mexican joint that serves everything from burritos to tacos filled with your choice of chicken, beef, seafood or veggies along with different sauces, rice, and greens. Suffice it to say, for all you weird vegetarian folk, all tacos can be filled with seasoned tofu as a substitute for meat. Items on the menu average $4. With a menu featuring 16 different kinds of tacos and burritos, it really is hard to go wrong at this place. My personal favorite item on the menu is Buffalo Bill, which is a taco composed of crispy fried chicken strips in buffalo sauce along with tomatoes, lettuce and ranch dressing. In my little private personal ranking, I’d give twisted taco 2nd place on the personal Cox food leaderboards. To personally check out the menu as well as the prices, click on the following link: http://twistedtaco.com/wp-content/uploads/Emory-Menu.pdf
Ray’s Express pizza placeSample of cheese pizza from Ray’s Express
All the pizza boxes you see throughout the day that isn’t Dominos or Papa Johns belong to Ray’s Express New York pizza place. Located right next to Twisted Taco, it’s as the name suggests: a New York-style pizza joint. Giving you the choice of pizza or pasta, averaging around $6, it is the perfect place for anyone craving a good satisfying meal. The most popular menu items, which also happen to be my personal favorites, are “Momma’s beef lasagna” and a few slices of their cheese pizza. In terms of personal ranking and rating, I’d give this restaurant 5th place overall. Attached you will find a menu in case you haven’t started drooling yet: https://www.raysnewyorkpizza.com/copy-of-georgia-state
Restaurant Char’D HouseFood on display at Char’D house
Following that row half way down is a traditional American restaurant called Char’d House. There you’d be able to find menu items starting from burgers and fried chicken to sweet potato fries and salad bowls, all averaging a price of around $8 for a fulfilling meal. The most popular menu item is the chicken strips with a side of french fries, getting that first bite really brings you back to the first time you had chick fil a, which in my case was pretty amazing. Placing number 4 on my personal leaderboards, it offers a very\ fulfilling quality meal at a fair price.
Restaurant BhojanicIndian food on display at the Bhojanic
Next, comes the traditional Indian joint, the Bhojanic Market. With a menu featuring everything from Thalis to different types of curry and salads, as well as up to 8 different types of bread, this restaurant is another place where it would be really hard to go wrong. This is a more pricey restaurant within Cox hall, with food items averaging around $15. Being a huge fan of spicy food in general, my personal favorite menu item is the Chicken curry. Consisting of boneless chicken with all kind of spices, garlic and some sort of onion based sauce, it really makes it worth your money, just like every other menu item at the Bhojanic. In my personal leaderboards, I’d give Bhojanik 3rd place overall due to my biased, spice loving self. If this has you interested for more, please click the following link to access the Bhojanin menu: http://www.bhojanic.com/restaurantmenu/
Restaurant Maru3 samples of various kinds of food available to order at Maru
Right in the corner of Cox Hall, you will find Maru, a traditional East Asian restaurant. Featuring everything from Rice bowls with chicken to noodle soups with beef, as well as a wide variety of vegetarian salad bowls, all averaging $8 in price, Maru provides excellent quality food at a very reasonable price. My personal favorite item on the Menu is a rice bowl with Ginger chicken and vegetables with hot sauce, it provides an exquisite balance of spicy and sweet, and to top it off the blend of the soft aromatic chicken pieces with white rice is excellent. Having been in love with Asian food since I was little, it is my go-to place every time I am inconvenienced by the DUC-ling and therefore ranks number 1 on my leaderboards. Maru provides an excellent mix of quality food at a very reasonable price.
Restaurant ITPRestaurant Dooley’s Farm and the salad bar displayed
Next in line are ITP and Dooleys farm. ITP is a classic Italian pizza and deli place, averaging prices of around $7, it provides a perfect alternative to Ray’s Express. With thin crust pizzas and finely made deli sandwiches, ITP provides a little fake back-to-home experience for all the Italian students. Dooleys farm is just what it sounds like, averaging prices of about $9, it’s a less popular all salad place in the food court always offering refreshing, yet fulfilling bowls at fair prices. Both joints together place at number 6 in my overall personal ranking.
A smoothie as well as a coffee place. Freshens and Beans Coffe respectively.
Finally, last but not least are Freshens and Beans Kaldis coffee shop providing smoothies and coffees as well as healthy salads and little dessert food items for all the passer byes, both joint prices averaging around $6. These two places are pretty much in a different category because of the type of items available, which are mostly different varieties of healthy or energizing smoothies and beverages.
Cashier place
After you’ve picked out food from any of the food places available, you either go pay with Dooley dollars or a credit card, indicate whether or not you want a drink with your food (which would add somewhere around $3 to your overall charge ), sit down and enjoy your meal with your friends or alone if you’re into that. I do have to mention to the first-years in the class that having $150 Dooley dollars automatically on our Emory cards, it’s best to pay with those, keeping in mind that we’ll all be getting another $150 starting from next semester.
Inner store corner within Cox
And hey, if after all of this you still can’t find something to eat, just go to the local store and get some chips, candy or a granola bar with juice/ soda, and go on back to your dorm room to eat there.
In conclusion, if you’re hungry and looking for some place to eat that’s not the DUC-ling, Cox hall is a place for you. Offering a wide variety of meals as well as its own little store, there’s something for all of us.
