The Emory Wheel Since 1919
Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
Volume 103, Issue 11
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Printed every other wednesday
United Methodist Church fractures, former Glenn members call for full inclusion By Sarah Davis Managing Editor Over the treetops of Emory University’s Atlanta campus, the green steeple of Glenn Memorial Church is a constant reminder of Emory’s roots in the United Methodist Church (UMC). As the national body of the Christian denomination splits over the issue of LGBTQ inclusion, some former members of Glenn’s congregation are calling on the University to challenge Glenn to openly defy the UMC’s rulebook, the Book of Discipline, which prohibits the appointment of openly-gay clergy and officiation of LGBTQ weddings. While the student body today represents many different religions and cultures, the University’s foundational partnership with the UMC is ongoing. UMC leaders traditionally fill five chairs on Emory’s Board of Trustees. Currently, North Georgia United Methodist Conference (NGUMC) Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, who has the final say on ordaining and appointing clergy to local churches, sits on the Board. Emory also funds the upkeep of Glenn’s sanctuary building, where the University’s annual drag show is hosted. Emory’s ownership allows Glenn to host same-sex weddings in their sanctuary, as long as the couple brings in their own officiant. Other churches, whose space is subsidized by the UMC, do not have this ability under the Book of Discipline’s rules. Glenn is a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a network of over 1,000 UMCaffiliated churches seeking to include LGBTQ people in their ministries to varying extents. Additionally, Emory’s Office of LGBTQIA+ Life awarded Glenn their “Outstanding Ally of the Year Award” in 2015 “for its creation of
Courtesy of Emory University (top right and top left); Soph Guerieri/Contributing Photographer (bottom)
The Glenn Memorial Church sits on Emory's campus (top left). The steeple towers above trees (top right). A pride flag hangs on the altar in the Glenn Memorial Church (bottom). an inclusive, respectful and safe climate for the Emory LGBTQIA+ community.” Still, some former Glenn members claim that, by abiding by the Book of Discipline, Glenn fails to align with the University’s Equal Opportunity and Discriminatory Harassment
Policy, which states that Emory “will not tolerate discrimination against or harassment of any individual or group based upon gender … sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression … or any factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable law."
History of the UMC’s fight over LGBTQ inclusion Over the past 50 years, UMCaffiliated churches’ stance on LGBTQ inclusion has been a source of impassioned debate among national and local leaders alike, but only
COVID-19 leaves lasting impact on young adults' mental health With the COVID-19 pandemic in its third year, researchers are unraveling a new epidemic in children and young adults — increased rates of depression and anxiety. Emory University experts — including Nadine Kaslow, professor and vice chair of the Emory University School of Medicine’s department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and former president of the American Psychological Association — have been outspoken on the pandemic’s exacerbation of mental health problems. Since 2020, children’s depression and anxiety rates have doubled to 25.2% and 20.5%, respectively. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 44.2% of high school students reported experiencing persistent sadness or hopelessness, with nearly 20% seriously considereding suicide and
9% attempting suicide within the 12 months prior to the survey. Home confinement during the pandemic is a major component to the spike in poor mental health, Kaslow wrote in an email to the Wheel. Confinement not only limited social interaction with individuals of similar ages, but also increased occurrences of child abuse. “Initially, we saw more depression and anxiety in children because of home confinement, exposure to family conflict including domestic violence and childhood maltreatment, social isolation from peers, reduced contact with supporters at school, the demands of homeschooling, missing out on important events, fears of getting sick or dying and grief due to the loss of loved ones,” Kaslow wrote. Certain groups’ mental health was especially affected by the pandemic. According to Kaslow, females, older youth, historically marginalized communities and those with preexisting mental health or physical
impairments have continued to to suffer from clinically elevated rates of depression and anxiety symptoms, even after in-person classes returned. Financial strain was also found to be closely correlated with depressive symptoms. Low income families with children faced higher levels of economic hardship when compared to low income families without children, with almost half reporting difficulty paying for expenses and 16% reporting food insecurity. “The issue of disparities was brought into even bolder relief during the pandemic,” Kaslow wrote. “What is clear is that for young people to thrive and do well emotionally, their families need assistance to meet their children’s basic needs. Having such access reduces the stress of the caregivers, which enables them to better care for their children and promote their well-being.”
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recently has it resulted in a fracture. At the UMC’s General Conference in 1972, the delegates updated the Book of Discipline to state that “the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” Therefore, “self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church” and “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.” At a special 2019 conference to address the Book of Discipline’s rules regarding sexual orientation, the UMC’s conservative majority passed the Traditional Plan, which set a punishment of a year’s suspension without pay if the Church’s Judicial Council found that a clergy member officiated a same-sex wedding. After progressive and centrist churches pushed back, the Judicial Council placed a moratorium on charges brought against clergy accused of presiding over same-sex weddings from 2020 to 2024. In response, UMC leaders across the globe who opposed LGBTQ ordination and marriage founded the Global Methodist Church (GMC) on May 1, 2020. At this year’s annual NGUMC on June 2, NGUMC leaders ratified the disaffiliation of 70 churches, about 9% of the churches in the Conference. Not all will join the GMC — some may opt to join other Methodist movements, like the Free Methodist Church U.S.A., while others chose to remain unattached. This local movement from conservative Georgia churches mirrors a national trend. In Florida, 14 churches have disaffiliated and 106 filed a lawsuit on July 14, asking to leave the UMC immediately without paying required apportionments and pension
See GLENN, Page 4
Emory's Hispanic student body grows
Universities’ role in mental health
By Eric Jones Senior Staff Wrter
Some students believe that universities should be held accountable for students’ decline in mental health as well as provide more resources for individuals facing mental distress. Nicole Boakye (24C) expressed her dissatisfaction in how schools failed to address rapidly rising depression and anxiety rates, which she saw while graduating high school and entering Emory during the peak of the pandemic. “Schools should check in with student mental health periodically,” Boakye said. “They need to understand it’s a difficult time and exercise patience.” Creating a supportive environment in schools is a key step in addressing students’ mental health concerns, Kaslow noted.
The Hispanic/Latinx population at Emory University has always been a minority, sitting at 9.2% in 2021, according to Assistant Vice Provost of Institutional Research and Decision Support Justin Shepherd. This year, there are 1,471 Hispanic/Latinx students enrolled in the University, with 665 of those students enrolled in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences. Emory trails behind with Latino and Hispanic student enrollment on the national scale — Hispanic students earned 15% bachelor degrees awarded in 2020, according to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, following a decade of rapid growth in the Hispanic student population. Although college enrollment among all races decreased by 5% from 2009 to 2019, Hispanic student
See MENTAL, Page 2
See STUDENTS, Page 2
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