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!

In this week’s episode of Wheel Talk, we speak with News Editor Madi Olivier about the recent organizing efforts of EmoryUnite!, Emory’s grad student union. EmoryUnite!, a graduate student union founded in 2016, has been focusing on issues such as a living wage that corresponds with inflation, protection from unfair treatment, affordable and comprehensive healthcare, a legal contract and more.

Laney students’ stipends vary depending on their department, averaging at $34,595.63 during the 2022-23 academic year. Under the new increase, that average will jump to $36,637.53. However, the increased stipend still falls about $3,000 short of the living wage in Atlanta, which is about $39,374.40 for one adult without children.

The corresponding article for this episode can be read on campus in our most recent print edition or here. 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!

Happy Election Day! Emory student organizations have joined together to form a non-partisan coalition focusing on mobilizing students to vote. Wheel Talk hosts Kira Barich (25C) and Titi Nguyen (25C) dissect how this coalition came to be, what goals the leaders have and why the coalition is advocating for young people to vote!

Wheel Talk, as well as the Emory Wheel’s other two podcasts Clifton Culture and Within the Margins are available everywhere you can get podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe. Read the accompanying article here.

Managing Editor Gabriella Lewis (23C) is the acting vice president of Fair Fight and had no role in producing this episode.

Wheel Talk is back for Season 3! In our Season 3 premiere our brand new hosts Kira Barich (25C) and Ha-tien Nguyen (25C) are breaking down the impact of U.S. President Joe Biden’s loan forgiveness plan on Emory with Politics Desk Reporter Ashley Zhu (24C). Listen to how the plan will change Emory students' lives, the economic analysis for the country and more!

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

Read the accompanying article here.

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.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and share Wheel Talk.

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. 

In this week’s episode of Wheel Talk, and the second installment of this story, we continue to examine and question the pedagogical value of using slurs in a classroom, and the moving boundaries of acceptance depending on the lived experience of Emory community members. We’re narrowing in on the events of this semester, including two professors this fall who used slurs for “pedagogical reasons.” Both rocked the law school and ensued protest and counter protest.

Don’t forget to check out the first part of our series “A Classroom Divided” where we broke down the historical usage of slurs at Emory’s Law School. This story corresponds with the cover story in the Hub, the Wheel’s recently-restored magazine.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate and share Wheel Talk and Within the Margins, the Wheel’s other podcast. Both are available everywhere you listen to podcasts.

In late September of 2021, a professor in Emory’s Law School openly used a slur in a first year law class. The incident sparked protest and a simultaneous counter-protest by members of the community. But this isn’t an isolated incident. Over the past years, over four law professors have openly used slurs and received serious criticism. One professor, Paul Zwier, used slurs in separate incidents inside and outside the classroom and was barred from teaching mandatory courses until this semester.

In the first installment of this two part series, we speak with news reporter Madi Olivier who helped investigate the recent relationship between the history of using slurs in the classroom and the events that have led up to this semester. This story corresponds with the cover story in the Hub, the Wheel’s recently-restored magazine. We will continue telling this story on next week's episode of Wheel Talk.