Since 1919
The Emory Wheel Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
Volume 106, Issue 12
Committee for Open Expression finds Emory violated policy in professor termination By ellIe FIvas Editor-in-Chief Content Warning: This article contains references to murder. Seven months after Emory University adopted an updated Open Expression Policy, the University Senate Committee for Open Expression found that the administration violated the updated policy. In September, the Emory School of Medicine fired a professor for social media posts, but the University declined to comment on who was fired as they do not comment on personnel issues. In an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former School of Medicine Associate Professor Anna Kenney confirmed that she was the professor terminated after she posted “good riddance” in reference to the assassination of right-wing political figure Charlie Kirk. Additionally, Kenney called Kirk’s ideology “disgusting.” After an investigation, the Committee for Open Expression issued an opinion finding that the medical school did not sufficiently consider the Open Expression Policy in terminating Kenney. The committee’s opinion included excerpts of Kenney’s termination letter sent by
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her department chair. According to the termination letter, the medical school fired Kenney because her posts violated “Emory’s conduct expectations and applicable policies,” including the Standards of Conduct Policy and Social Media Guidelines. The letter mentioned that Kenney’s comments could have incited others to violence and caused distrust from parents and patients alike. Additionally, the letter said Kenney’s social media posts did not align with Emory’s values, caused community “distress” and risked reputational harm to the University. “Your social media statements concerning the murder of another human being were inflammatory, inappropriate, and wholly inconsistent with Emory’s values and mission,” the opinion reads. In response to the termination, the Committee for Open Expression reviewed the background of Kenney’s social media posts, her termination letter, Emory’s Open Expression Policy and drew on existing First Amendment legal precedents to evaluate her firing. Emory’s Open Expression Policy states that the University should give “substantial consideration” to First Amendment protections before
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Summer shooting, library scare spark safety concerns By Inaara lalanI Contributing Writer Content Warning: This article contains references to gun violence. When an active shooter killed a DeKalb County police officer near Emory Point, an apartment complex located near Emory University's Atlanta campus, this summer, the Emory Police Department (EPD) aimed to improve safety for the campus community. Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond wrote in an email to The Emory Wheel on Oct. 3 that EPD has plans to increase its personnel, but also wrote that the University has “hosted several high-profile speakers and events,” which may result in students seeing more EPD officers. After the events of this summer, some students remain shaken by these instances and are concerned about their safety on campus. Leila Buchan (26C), who lives at Emory Point, was in the apartment complex during the August shooting and said the incident shocked her. “I didn’t really think anything of it until I started hearing it,” Buchan said. “The gun sounds were going off like crazy. It was like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.” Buchan said she has noticed an increase in security on campus and near her apartment since the incident. For instance, she said she observed the presence of an armed
Cherie Zhou/Contributing illustrator
guard outside the Emory Point CVS at all hours, and said there were more EPD patrol cars in the area than previously. The August shooting was not the first safety scare around Emory Point. On Sept. 19, 2024, a worker fired a gun at one of his coworkers in “a limited-access kitchen area of a leased business.” Additionally, on Nov. 30, 2024, the CVS at Emory Point reported two male subjects armed with a handgun who attempted to rob the store. Buchan said that she does not always feel safe at Point. During all these incidents, the University issued emergency warnings to community members via text. “Point, for some reason, does happen to be a victim of a lot of situations that occur,” Buchan said. Rhea Sharma (27C) also lived
at Emory Point over the summer. Although she was not in Atlanta when the shooting occurred, she said she still felt shocked and scared by the event. Sharma said the incident came as a shock, as safety was a top priority for her in choosing to live at Point. “The reason why we picked Point and why we normally feel really comfortable there is because it’s so close to campus and it’s really safe generally,” Sharma said. Sharma said that after the shooting, it has been difficult to trust that another incident will not occur. “I don’t view [Point] as the safest place anymore,” Sharma said. An incident at the Robert W. Woodruff Library on Sept. 27 caused similar fears to resurface when stu-
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Oxford College reacts to Dean Ahad’s new role as Emory University provost By Irene John and Thomas Zhang
Oxford News Chair & Contributing Writer As Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad prepares to become Emory University’s next provost, members of the Oxford community reflected on the legacy she has made during her two years leading the campus. For many students, Ahad’s presence was more personal, going beyond her administrative responsibilities as dean. Jacey Mok (26Ox), who worked as Ahad’s social media intern, recalled their monthly meetings to plan and record content. She said Ahad is “beloved” on campus. “She was always really open to hearing about the student scoop and what students were up to, and especially what students were concerned about,” Mok said. “It was very clear that she cared deeply about students and she cared about interacting with students.” Oxford Advising Support Center Academic Advisor Matthew Brittingham (23G) emphasized that Ahad always advocated for Oxford in her role as dean. “She has done a very good job of being very understanding with faculty and their concerns and raising those concerns to people at the Atlanta campus,” Brittingham said.
Cherie Zhou/Contributing PhotograPher
Madison Forsythe (26Ox) interviewed Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad about her leadership. Brittingham added that Ahad worked to change the school spirit at Oxford. “When she first started, there was a larger proportion of students who their vibes were ‘I’m mostly here to get to Emory, rather than here to enjoy Oxford,’” Brittingham said. “Her decisions in steering Oxford in certain directions really helped just improve the general vibes, in relation to the interest that the students that we were getting, their interest in experiencing Oxford as Oxford.” Oxford College Director of Career and Professional Development Adelaide Richardson emphasized Ahad’s focus on student-centered initiatives.
“Students had mentioned that they wanted something to be able to have experience related to pre-health,” Richardson said. “She met with the leaders of Piedmont Newton, and that’s how we came up with the 492R internship course.” The 492R internship course, which encompasses all disciplinary internships, now provides an opportunity for a cohort of Oxford students to shadow healthcare professionals at Piedmont Newton Hospital. On Oct. 20, Madison Forsythe (26Ox) interviewed Ahad about her time at Oxford and the transition toward a larger role at Emory University in a fireside chat at Oxford College’s Phi Gamma Hall, for an audi-
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ence of about 15 community members.. During the discussion, Ahad called herself a “servant leader,” emphasizing how Oxford belongs to everyone in the community. “I don’t ever enter into a leadership role thinking about my own ambitions or my own sense of advancement or the mark I want to make on a place because Oxford isn’t my college,” Ahad said. “Oxford belongs to all of us.” Ahad characterized her transition to provost as a “leap.” “I never in a million years thought I’d be here at Oxford with you all,” Ahad said. “I certainly never thought I’d be any provost, much less a provost at Emory. I couldn’t have scripted my life’s journey by any stretch of the
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imagination.” Nate Occilien-Similien (26Ox) highlighted his excitement to see what Ahad would do as provost. “She’s been great to me as a dean at Oxford, and I can’t wait to see her on the Atlanta campus,” OccilienSimilien said. Forsythe mentioned that she was initially skeptical about why Oxford selected her as an interviewer, but expressed that Ahad motivated her to do the job. “Being another Black woman on campus, and getting to interview Dean Ahad in that position really gave me the motivation to go through with it,” Forsythe said. “Before I formulated the questions, I took my time to do research more about Dean Ahad’s story.” As Oxford prepares for a new chapter, those who worked with Ahad say her impact will continue to last. “The culture at any institution is filtered down,” Richardson said. “She was an example of how we all should be. At the end of the day, we are all here to serve the students. She was a perfect example of that. A daily reminder that, yes, we are indeed here for the students and not for ourselves.”
— Contact Irene John at irene.john@emory.edu and Contact Thomas Zhang at thomas.zhang@emory.edu
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