Since 1919
The Emory Wheel Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
Volume 103, Issue 10
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Printed every other Wednesday
Biden’s loan relief cancels up to $20,000 Interim Emory College Dean sits down with The Wheel in student debt, affects Emory students By Eric JonEs Senior Staff Writer Carla Freeman, former executive associate dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS), Goodrich C. White Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) and associated faculty in Anthropology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies, assumed the role of interim dean of ECAS. She replaced Michael Elliott, who assumed his new role as president of Amherst College (Mass.) on Aug. 1 after leaving his position as dean of ECAS. In an interview with The Emory Wheel, Freeman shared her thoughts on a wide array of topics, including diversity and student engagement. Responses have been edited by the Wheel for clarity.
Nica LeuNg/coNtributiNg iLLustrator
By AshlEy Zhu Politics Desk In addition to borrowing between $3,000 to $4,000 per semester since enrolling at Emory University, Abri Rochte (24B) pays her tuition with her own money each semester. “It’s always a bit frustrating,” Rochte said. “Every year, I have to take out slightly more loans. I think that’s because the federal system allows you — but also makes you — take more loans each year.” According to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, the median post-graduation debt for Emory graduates is $16,556, and approximately 25% of Emory students receive federal loans. As of this semester, Rochte has taken out close to $16,000 in federal loans. But
under U.S. President Joe Biden’s loan forgiveness plan, Rochte qualifies for up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness. “I wish they made it more obvious that the cutoff was loans from June 30, but I’m thankful that there’s loan forgiveness at all,” Rochte said. “I think it’ll cut my total amount that I owe upon graduation in half.” Biden announced on Aug. 24 that the federal government would cancel $10,000 of student debt for low- to middle-income borrowers. According to an Aug. 24 statement released by the White House, Biden will implement a three-part plan to provide more “breathing room” to the United State’s working families. Since 1980, the cost of attending both private and public four-year universities has nearly tripled, with almost a third of
borrowers having debt but no degree due to their inability to keep up with cost of attendance. The burden falls disproportionately on Black borrowers. A typical Black borrower who started college in 1995 still owes 95% of their cumulative borrowing total. Biden’s three-part plan will provide targeted debt relief, with up to $20,000 in debt cancellations to Pell Grant recipients — students who have demonstrated financial need and have not earned their bachelor’s degree — and $10,000 to nonPell recipients. High-income individuals in the top five percent of incomes will not benefit from the loan relief. The plan will also “[hold] schools accountable when they hike up prices” and cut monthly payments in half for under-
See STUDENT, Page 3
Emory Wheel: What about your past roles at Emory, as executive associate dean and Goodrich C. White WGSS professor, have prepared you for this new role? Carla Freeman: That’s an easy one and a fun one to answer. Fundamentally, if you were to ask me who you are, I am an anthropologist. That is the lens with which I navigate the world. In many ways, I have discovered that being an anthropologist gives you a really good toolkit for being a dean. I love to teach, and I really love working with undergraduate students. Like most professors, one never imagines the life of a dean when you’re enjoying that beautiful combination between research and teaching. The nature of my work focuses on the meaning and structures of work in people’s everyday lives. You occupy this really wonderful position of combining the creativity and curiosity that you can bring to the classroom, to the research. It’s incredibly meaningful to be able to support and work with some of the world’s greatest scholars and teachers. EW: What are your plans as interim dean of ECAS? CF: There are three main goals or promises that I have set for myself in this role. One is that the spotlight is
on the undergraduate experience. It’s really exciting for me to be able to turn my energies toward partnerships with campus life to ensure that we are offering undergraduates a fully integrated educational experience. It also means promising and ensuring a connection between what happens in the classroom and the experiences students have beyond the classroom, whether it’s in study abroad, internships or engagements with the new Pathways Center. The second is to continue to support and accelerate our research mission and seize opportunities to inspire our faculty to produce path-breaking research with real impact. The third is to advance our campaign strategic plan, our capital campaign and engage deeply and closely with our alumni and other supporters to help fuel the engine of the University. EW: Former Dean Michael Elliott “made major strides in faculty diversity and eminence, undergraduate liberal arts education, philanthropic support and recruitment of top students,” according to the Emory News Center. How will you continue Elliott’s legacy as interim dean? CF: One of the greatest things about Elliott’s leadership was that he recruited and supported his team to be leaders in their own right. He invested a lot of his energy in faculty diversity, for example, and he let me take that ball and run with it in some exciting new directions. In the six years I served in the senior associate dean of faculty role, I helped us hire hundreds of new faculty, many of whom are faculty of underrepresented groups. Elliott empowered me to be creative. EW: You have been directly involved in efforts to bring in new faculty hires belonging to identities historically underrepresented in academia. Where do you see the current state of faculty diversity and how will you continue this work? CF: In my executive role, I have had the opportunity to work really proactively
See FREEMAN, Page 3
Emory now ranks No. 22, lowest position since 1994 By MAtthEw chupAck Executive Editor Emory University fell to No. 22 in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report’s (USNWR) “Best Colleges” ranking for national universities, following five consecutive years of Emory being ranked No. 21. The last time Emory’s rank dropped was in 2017, when the University lost its No. 20 spot in the USNWR rankings. Emory’s No. 22 position is the University’s lowest rank in decades. Since 1994, Emory’s rank never fell below No. 21 — until now. University of California, Berkeley, which ranked No. 22 last year, tied with University of California, Los Angeles at No. 20 this year, pushing down Emory from its previous rank.
Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) and Georgetown University (D.C.) are now tied for No. 22 with Emory. Georgetown also ranked No. 22 last year, while Carnegie Mellon ranked No. 25. The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing took the No. 2 position in the undergraduate nursing rankings, up from a No. 4 tie last year with the University of Michigan School of Nursing and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Last year, the Duke University School of Nursing (N.C.) and the University of Washington School of Nursing tied at No. 2. The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing remained No. 1. Goizueta Business School’s rank improved by one position, now ranking No. 13 for undergraduate business programs.
“The new rankings are the latest indicator of Emory’s leadership in higher education,” Assistant Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Laura Diamond wrote in an email to the Wheel. USNWR included a new ranking this year for students graduating with the “Least Debt.” Emory is ranked at No. 40 with an average federal loan debt after graduation of $16,556. Emory is also identified as No. 21 for both the undergraduate teaching program ranking, which is based on faculty’s commitment to teaching undergraduates in a “high-quality manner,” and the “Best Value” schools based on academic quality and cost.
Ha-tieN NguyeN/seNior staff iLLustrator
— Contact Matthew Chupack at matthew.chupack@emory.edu
No. 20-ranked University of California, Berkeley rolls a bowling ball at Emory University, Carengie Mellon University (Pa.) and Georgetown University (D.C.), who are now tied for No. 22.
NEWS WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SGA ... PAGE 2 P
OPINION ATLANTA TRANSPORTATION EMBEDDED PAGE 6 WITH RACISM ...
A&E ANCIENT GEMSTONES GLIMMER AT THE CARLOS ... PAGE 7
EMORY LIFE BIKE SPORTS EARLY MORNINGS, CLUB EXPLORES ATLANTA LATE NIGHTS FOR GRAD BACK PAGE PAGE 9 ATHLETES ... NEIGHBORHOODS ...