A pair of first-half goals and strong defensive play throughout made difference on Thursday evening when the Old Dominion women’s soccer team defeated Marshall University 2-1 in the regular season finale. The Lady Monarchs came into the finale with a 6-8-2 (4-4-1 Sun Belt) off a 1-0 road victory against Georgia State on Sunday afternoon, while the Herd came in with a 3-8-5 (2-4-3 Sun Belt) record. 

It did not take long for the ODU offense to find its stride as they put pressure on their opponent early. In the sixth minute of the contest, senior Anna Torslov served a pass into the box that found the foot of senior Meghan Watts as she tapped it in to put Old Dominion up 1-0. The offensive push would not end there; the Lady Monarchs found another opportunity in the 10th minute as senior Ece Turkoglu assisted senior Riley Kennett for another ODU goal. The Lady Monarchs held firm with a 2-0 advantage the rest of the half as they outshot the Herd 6-2. 

To begin the second half, both teams made their substitutions. ODU got out early with a few shots from Turkoglu and senior Carla Morich, but the score remained 2-0. Then, in the 58th minute, Marshall made a few more roster changes to find the offensive spark they needed. That would bode well; the Herd finally found the back of the net in the 70th minute, bringing it to a 2-1 game. The goal came from freshman Makai Laguines, who tapped it in from the front of the net. Although some of the momentum had shifted back to the visitors, the Herd’s offensive pressure gradually faded. Old Dominion would only give up one more shot to Marshall for the rest of the match, holding onto their early lead for a 2-1 victory. 

Old Dominion finished the evening outshooting Marshall 9-6, with both having three on goal. There were quite a few fouls throughout the contest, and both teams tallied 27 total penalties. With this victory, the Lady Monarchs finished the regular season with back-to-back wins and improved their record to 7-8-2 (5-4-1 Sun Belt). Their focus has now shifted to the Sun Belt conference tournament. 

The Lady Monarchs earned the sixth seed in the upcoming conference tournament and will face third-seeded Arkansas State on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd, with kickoff slated for noon. The conference tournament is taking place in Foley, Alabama, this year. In the last meeting between these two programs, the Red Wolves escaped Norfolk, VA, 1-0 after a last-minute goal. That heartbreaking loss will be motivation for the ODU squad as they prepare for their first appearance in the Sun Belt tournament.

The Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing received $11.8 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on Oct. 4 and opened a new $20.6 million learning center on Sept. 16.

Alongside these two School of Nursing accomplishments, Nell Hodgson also received the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) Edge Runner designation on the same day as the learning center’s ribbon cutting for their philanthropic efforts and successful implementation of the Collaborative Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) model in Ethiopia.

Ann Swan, the executive director of the Emory Nursing Learning Center and vice president of the School of Nursing, said a new learning center will help increase the number of nurses at Emory. She also mentioned the school’s goal to increase their enrollment by 2025. This, she believes, will ameliorate the nursing shortage caused primarily by a profusion of older workers, who make up a considerable majority of nurses, quitting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antenatal care nurse Meseret Alemayehu helps Tsehaynesh Tigab wrap her newborn to her chest in Ethiopia on March 25, 2021. Courtesy of Emory University

Quyen Phan, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing and a recipient of two HRSA grants, said she was happy that the funding will prepare more clinical faculty, who will, in turn, prepare more nurses. 

“Being able to walk alongside communities as they seek equitable and sensitive care is a wonderful opportunity, and we are grateful to HRSA for the grants to make it possible,” Phan wrote in an email to the Wheel. 

Emory’s Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership received the AAN Edge Runner designation award — which awards nursing models driven by both “science and compassion” — for its work in helping regions affected by high maternal and infant mortality reduce those rates. To improve and combat Ethiopia’s Maternal and Newborn Health, the Partnership has provided education and training activities to Ethiopian nurses. 

Improving maternal and newborn health while also expanding the School of Nursing to other countries, Emory established the Emory Ethiopia Office in 2010. Director of the Center for Research on Maternal and Newborn Survival Lynn Sibley, Assistant Professor on the clinical track at the School of Nursing John Cranmer and Project Director and Co-principal Investigator for the Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership Abebe Gebremariam spearheaded this initiative and received several grants to fund it, including $5 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and, in March 2021, a $4.5 million grant from Emory shared with UNICEF, the World Health Organization and universities in Ethiopia.Since then, the project has grown expeditiously, expanding to four locations in Ethiopia: Bahir Dar, Semera, Addis Ababa and Assosa, Cranmer said. 

The Partnership is officially registered as a nonprofit humanitarian organization in Ethiopia, Cranmer added.  

However, the KMC model distinguished the School of Nursing and its Ethiopia partnership as an Edge Runner. While assessing the strengths of Emory’s KMC model, Cranmer said that one of the core advantages is that collaborative partnership is “woven into the entire design, testing, delivery and optimization.”

Developed in 1979 by Colombian researchers Edgar Ray Sanabria and Hector Martinez-Gomez, KMC was first implemented by initiating skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding from the mother within 48 hours after birth. This method benefits malnourished, sick or underweight (under 4.4 pounds) babies. 

“It’s very difficult to establish big centers like in the West, to be able to care for these low birth weight babies,” Abebe said. “But KMC has been proven to be almost as equally effective as those different newborn survival technology gadgets and it’s very cheap.” 

Recent studies have shown child morbidity had decreased by 25% with Collaborative KMC. In poorer countries that lack access to technology and healthcare, KMC provides a less costly alternative compared to expensive incubators, Abebe added. 

Despite their efforts, Ethiopia still struggles with staggering maternal and infant mortality rates. The country ranked No. 4 in maternal deaths among countries like Nigeria, India, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in 2017, with the infant mortality rate at 31.019 deaths per 1,000 live births. 

Cranmer said that over the past 10 to 15 years, Ethiopia has reduced the mortality of children under the age of five, but the mortality rate has remained consistently high within the first 28 days of a newborn’s life.  

Albeit, 73.5% of births in Ethiopia took place at one’s home. Cranmer added that the infant mortality rate has remained consistently high because many Ethiopians lack access to care. He noted how 80% living in rural communities also contributed to the awareness of these services being very low. 

Implementing KMC into Ethiopia presented challenges at first.

“The team had to do interventions addressing all directions from the healthcare providers, the health policy leaders, as well as from the community and mothers in the family,” Abebe said.  She also noted that in the last two years, the Partnership had to reduce the number of visitors who came due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Looking forward, the Partnership is focusing on developing KMC with other institutions in Ethiopia and expanding their interests in other endeavors as well, Cranmer said, specifically, respiratory support, resuscitation, bubble CPAP and care for low birth weight newborns.

The post School of Nursing roundup: Edge Runner designation, new learning center, $11 million from federal government appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Jennifer Rasmusson has spent many years careening between realism and abstract periods within her work. Her latest solo exhibition “Petals Interpreted” on view until Nov. 7 at A Gallery is a look at artistry created from coupling techniques and building upon a portfolio in an organic way.

Stylistic Changes

Rasmusson approaches her new series, “Petals Interpreted,” with an open mind in an attempt to explore the florals she has become known for in a renewed manner. After a 21-year professional relationship with A Gallery, Rasmusson expressed gratitude for the gallery’s full trust and support of her stylistic ebbs and flows. “The gallery has always encouraged me to experiment and grow. Not all galleries are open to a change in style, but I find they get better work from their artists when they are,” said Rasmusson. 

Representative of a Word

This series of works was created from October 2021 to October 2022. Rasmusson’s process began by taking flowers from her garden into her studio space and studying their forms. The works began as expressive line drawings that are evocative of figure sketches. While in the process of deconstructing these florals, Rasmusson happened upon the American Sign Language symbol for “spirit.” Rasmusson was drawn to this sign. She said it was “the beauty of creating such a meaningful word with one simple motion.”

While walking me around her artist reception at the gallery and telling me about this sign for “spirit,” Rasmusson likened her paintings to ASL. “I like that it’s a motion that is representative of a word. Really that’s what I’m trying to do with my paintings, as well, represent a word, idea, or feeling with an image.”

Unfolding in a Slow Dance

After discovering this symbol, she began thinking about the spirit of the flowers she was bringing into her studio. The fluid motion of the sign reminded her of the way, “tulips bent their stems throughout the day, unfolding their petals in a slow dance.” After knowing this inspiration, you can’t look at a painting from this series without seeing that dance unfold in her paint and pastels.

This body of work was an exercise in experimentation for Rasmusson not just in style, but also in technique. When she was unable to find the oil pastel colors she imagined, Rasmusson began dabbling in recipes for creating her own oil pastels. A mixture of pigment, linseed oil and beeswax came together to punctuate and pollinate these new florals.

Multiple Sources of Inspiration

The use of oil pastels helped Rasmusson move from smaller works on paper to larger works on canvas. The artist was inspired after attending Joan Mitchell’s retrospective in San Francisco to go bold and big with the canvas works, but Mitchell was far from the only muse for Rasmusson. She also found Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures reminiscing of the spirit symbol that originally served as inspiration. “Lately I have been looking at the drawings of Mary Cassatt and Degas. I love their delicate line quality. I also am inspired by graffiti and crumbling walls, botanical gardens, Japanese ink drawings, architecture, photographers, quilters and sculpture. There is no end to inspiration!”

Perhaps the most intriguing source of inspiration came to Rasmusson while abroad in Amsterdam. In an artist statement video that accompanies the works at the gallery, Rasmusson narrates her experience saying, “While walking through a cathedral I looked up at the tall curved ceilings with stained glass, and thought this must be what it feels like to be a bee inside of a flower.” Rasmusson certainly recreated the spirit of a bee’s vibrant home within this body of work. While studying the large canvases one’s eyes follow her loose linework to see the structure of tulips, peonies and poppies that emerge and melt away as if catching glimpses through a spirit spiral.

When asked what she hopes viewers take away from this series Rasmusson said “I  hope that by looking at the flower in a more abstract way will open thoughts of curiosity about the lines and colors we are surrounded by daily. I hope that every time you look at the work you find something new in it. I truly believe that there is beauty all around us. If we will just take time to really look at all the shapes and colors we see everywhere.”

For a chance to interpret these works in an immersive way, make sure to see the show in person-on view until Nov. 7 at A Gallery.

h.hopkins@dailyutahchronicle.com

@HDtimes2

Last semester, I studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. One morning, I was sitting around chatting with my housemates. We were discussing gender and sexuality, and I offhandedly brought up Dennis Rodman. I assumed Rodman was a niche 1990s talking point that only American sports fanatics would understand, so I expected starting a conversation about him with two non-sports fans halfway across the world would be a lost cause. To my surprise, my housemates knew who Rodman was immediately, and we quickly launched into a lengthy discussion about what he did for gender roles for athletes and men, and particularly Black men. 

People have given Rodman many different titles: the best on-ball defender in National Basketball Association (NBA) history, an eccentric, a wannabe foreign ambassador and Trinity Rodman’s father, to name a few. To me, however, Rodman’s status as an icon of subversive masculinity and a pioneer of genderbent fashion is the most important part of his legacy.

But let’s say that you don’t know who Dennis Rodman is – here’s your history lesson.

Rodman was born into extreme poverty in the Dallas area. After an unremarkable high school athletic career, his mother kicked him out of the house after graduation. Over the next two years he experienced homelessness, but also rapidly grew from 5’6” to 6’8”. He practiced his game and was recruited by Southeastern Oklahoma State University when he was 22 years old.

Rodman rose above the mediocrity of Southeastern Oklahoma’s program and the racism he experienced there, and the Detroit Pistons drafted Rodman 27th in the 1986 NBA draft. In Detroit, his rebounding prowess earned him the nickname “The Worm,” and he became an integral part of the “Bad Boy Pistons,” a gritty, controversial team full of superstars that won back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990.

Rodman later joined Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and played a major role in their iconic championship three-peat from 1996-1998, which was highlighted in ESPN’s documentary series chronicling Jordan’s career called “The Last Dance.” Viewers quickly became enamored with Rodman, one moment from the documentary that took fans and nonfans alike by storm was a clip of Rodman explaining how he became an elite rebounder.

But the Worm’s athletic achievements just scratch the surface of who he is. To give you a clearer picture of Rodman, I’ve compiled some of his most iconic fashion moments.

Rodman signs his autobiography on Aug. 21, 1996 in New York City. Rodman arrived in a horse-drawn carriage dressed in a wedding gown to launch his new book called “Bad as I Wanna Be.” (Photo by Evan Agostini/Liaison)

In 1996, Rodman showed up to a New York City Barnes & Noble in a full wedding gown while promoting his book Bad As I Wanna Be, claiming to “marry himself.” It goes without saying that donning a wedding dress itself is iconic, but the stakes are raised even higher when the person doing so is 6’8,” employed in a quintessentially masculine profession nearly 30 years ago in a less progressive, queer-friendly era. While the wedding dress was one end of the spectrum, Rodman often wore more casual outfits with pieces that were more traditionally feminine.

A collage of some of Rodman’s colorful hairstyles. (Pinterest)

Rodman also frequently expressed himself through his hair. From tributes to teammates to smiley faces to social causes to insane colors, Rodman brought a new look to the court every night during a time when loud hair expressions were not common.

Rodman talks on a cell phone in 1996. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

My personal favorite image of Rodman is a casual shot of him in the locker room. He has classic pink hair, ear gauges, a phone hilariously of-the-time and a white t-shirt that reads, “I don’t mind straight people as long as they act gay in public” that pokes fun at conservative language surrounding sexuality.

To me, this photo best encapsulates Rodman’s impact. Rodman’s own sexuality is complex – he called himself bisexual in his book and straight in press junkets for it, but he also admitted to experimenting with men and visiting gay and drag clubs.

However, Rodman’s own sexuality isn’t what matters. What matters is that Rodman wore this shirt openly in the locker room and in front of the media. Men’s sports have long been understood as an unwelcoming space for queer men, illustrated by the fact that the NBA has never had an openly out player on a roster. Despite the homophobia, Rodman never shied away from expressing himself. 

The Worm’s boldness went beyond just what he wore. He also talked about taboo subjects surrounding sexuality and gender expression, a non-traditional topic of discussion for athletes. In a 1996 interview with Oprah Winfrey, he fervently showed his support for the LGBTQ community and remained unfazed despite Winfrey inappropriately hounding him about his own sexuality. He brought a certain ambivalence to gender performance that was largely unaccepted and left everyone bewildered.

What especially strikes me about Rodman is that he not only expressed himself in ways that would be looked at weirdly even in progressive circles nowadays, but he did so as a 6’8” Black male athlete in the 1990s. More impressively, Rodman was fearless about it.

His courage earned him respect from mainstream viewers, media, and most importantly his own teammates. Yes, he was – and still is – constantly labeled a “freak” or “weirdest NBA player of all time,” but at the end of the day, Rodman is respected. It may be because he’s one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen, and he was a crucial part of multiple championship teams.

Like most pioneers, Rodman has paved the way for later generations of athletes to confidently push the boundaries of gender norms. The NBA is now a fashion powerhouse, with players using every game as an opportunity to show off their style, and genderbent clothing is not uncommon. Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook is a good example: he frequently wears traditionally feminine clothing and speaks about fashion’s importance on his life.

Fashion has historically been highly gendered, but athletes like Rodman made sporting events into a runway. Curating one’s clothing is not just a hobby for girls, but also for athletes who have global cultural influence. And whether modern day players acknowledge it or not, the NBA wouldn’t be as accepting as it is today without the foundation Rodman laid.

Admittedly, Rodman is far from perfect. His questionable connections with North Korea and tumultuous relationships with his family and women often come under scrutiny, and for good reason. At the same time, his contributions can’t be ignored. He is a complex character whose impact extends beyond the funny hair and crazy outfits. He subverted masculinity in his own way when so few others would, actions which brought meaning to people worldwide.

With all of this in mind, we can’t forget: boy, the man could rebound.

The post How Dennis Rodman transformed culture by teaching us to buck norms appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Our local hospital, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (NLEMMC) needs the community’s help. There have been recent concerns about the administration’s management of the hospital, in particular the problem of compromising patient safety and short staffing issues. 

NLEMMC is the second largest hospital in the state of Maine and has received money from the CARES Act and the Recovery Act. We, as citizens of Maine, have a right to use that money to demand that patient safety is being met and that staff levels are adequate for proper patient care. 

I have created a petition in an effort to raise the issue to the administration to make them realize what happens when executives refuse to fully staff our hospital. Healthcare workers like Dr. Anne Yered, an intensive care medicine specialist and pediatrics expert, are being pushed out of the hospital, which will inevitably lead to a public health crisis in our community. Dr. Yered raised concerns of patient safety back in 2020 to the CEO and President of Northern Light Health. Shortly thereafter, Yered was without cause required to leave her position at the hospital. 

Dr. Michael Melia, the chief of emergency medicine at NLEMMC, feels that healthcare workers are not being protected due to the overcrowding settings within the hospital. Melia told the Sun Journal that some patients are being abandoned in emergency departments by their families and the state, which has resulted in an increase in violent nature across the department. 

My hope with this petition is to show hospital administration that we are serious about solving this potential crisis. I hope that hospital executives will join with the important stakeholders and conduct round table discussions about ways to improve the situation outlined in the petition. 

As a community we do not want deteriorating care and working conditions to drive healthcare workers to leave NLEMMC and our community. Speaking up now and signing my petition should be a moral obligation for everyone who has ever been treated by the hospital and its healthcare staff. 

This petition is a way of not limiting our influence on healthcare decisions to a merely ephemeral role as citizens voting in an election. Please sign the petition and help us demand transparency in our quest for answers and action.

Believe it or not, it’s been approximately one month since the last installment of “Kacie on K-pop” ran. Since then, a lot has happened in my personal life: a lot of skipped classes, a few therapy sessions and too many iced Dulce lattes to count.

When I’m going through things, I turn to online shopping as one of my main sources of solace. They say money can’t buy happiness, but in the capitalist environment in which we live, sometimes I really think it can. But instead of spending most of my disposable income on food or books, most of my extra funds go toward fueling my love for K-pop — physical CDs and merchandise, clothing and makeup from brands that partner with my favorite artists and concert tickets make up the bulk of my nonessential purchases. 

When I first became a K-pop fan, I was 16 years old with little to no disposable income. The only way I could engage with my idols was by watching the content they released for free on YouTube or V Live or streaming their music on Spotify, and I was OK with that. In fact, I loved it; the night I spontaneously pulled an all-nighter to watch all the episodes of my idols’ variety show in existence is still one of my fondest memories. 

Yet, over time, I began to notice that other fans of my favorite group at the time would trade photo cards with each other (photo cards I never had because I could not buy any albums) or had seen certain types of exclusive content (content I never watched because I could not access it behind their paywalls). Although I had been a fan for a few months at this point, I felt as if my fan credibility was lessened because I wasn’t as dedicated financially to the group’s success. 

While in no way is it mandatory to make these types of purchases to be a fan of a K-pop artist, the unspoken rules of many K-pop fandoms suggest that fans who have money are more valuable, or even considered better, fans to their idols. Not only do these fans have physical items to display as “proof” of being a fan, they also have tangible evidence of their support for their artists — paying for Korean music platform streaming passes to boost their idols’ songs on the charts, or buying memberships to mock text chat platforms to “message” their idols and official fan club memberships to give even more money to their idols’ management companies. These paid activities not only benefit the fan, but in theory, are also a way to give back to their idols. 

Similarly, the lack of opportunities to interact directly with K-pop artists contributes to a culture of clout surrounding fans who are able to pay large sums of money for these opportunities. When fans are “recognized” by their idols for having interacted with them at multiple events or concerts, these fans are often considered “better” and are idolized by other fans. 

During the coronavirus pandemic, many K-pop management companies began offering fansign events virtually. An opportunity for fans to meet their favorite idols in person and get a physical copy of the artists’ album signed, fansigns were traditionally only offered in South Korea, making it extremely difficult for international fans to get the same sort of exposure to their idols without spending a large amount of money to get there. 

Yet, when the events were offered more frequently online, it became very common for global fans to enter and win opportunities to video call their idols. These calls were often screen-recorded and posted online, opening up even more opportunities for fans with more money to be seen as “better” fans than those who didn’t have the financial means to participate in these events. 

I distinctly remember a time during the pandemic when it felt like each one of my friends had participated in a virtual fansign event with their favorite idol, with the screen-recorded videos of calls being all that I would see online. At that time, I hadn’t been able to participate in a similar experience, and admittedly, it did make me question my credibility as a fan, even though I was already spending money on other activities my idols offered and would eventually attend a virtual fansign myself. 

Now, five years after I initially became a fan and, admittedly, a lot of money spent on my favorite artists later, I think it’s interesting to reflect on the tie between money and perceived fan loyalty in the K-pop community. After spending so much of my disposable income on the activities of my idols, you would think that I feel like a “better” fan because of it. 

Am I more loyal to my favorite artists because I’m financially invested in their success? Am I happier when they do well because I feel as if I contributed something to them? Perhaps. 

But when I look back on my time as a K-pop fan, I still believe that the time when I was most dedicated to my chosen artists was at the very beginning — when I was giving them my time more than anything. In the capitalist industry that is K-pop, perhaps it’s time to remember that genuine love is free.

Kacie Yamamoto is a senior writing about Korean pop music. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Daily Trojan. Her column “Kacie on K-pop” runs every other Friday.

The post Kacie on K-pop: It’s expensive to like K-pop  appeared first on Daily Trojan.

University of Minnesota students will need approval from the college scholastic committee before withdrawing from a class after Nov. 14, but regardless, if a student chooses to drop a class anytime after Sept. 20, a “W” will be put on their transcript in place of a letter grade.

A “W” stands for “withdrawal” and means a student dropped out of a class after the two-week grace period. The two-week grace period is “recognized by the University so students can figure out what’s going to work for them,” Rebecca Rassier, an advisor within the Hubbard School of Mass Communication and Journalism, said.

According to Rassier, when a student drops a class during those first two weeks, it doesn’t go on their record. After those two weeks, a “W” is placed on their transcript, but the timing of when they withdrew is not recorded, she said.

It is recommended that students try and salvage a class before dropping out, but “if a student knows they aren’t going to pass a class, a ‘W’ is better than an ‘F,’” Rassier said.

Emma Aronson, a fourth-year student, dropped out of a course her freshman year.

“I dropped a class last semester because my workload was overwhelming,” Aronson said. “I didn’t like that one, so I dropped out.”

Withdrawing from a class can be beneficial for students for various reasons, such as allowing a student to protect their grade point average (GPA) or better manage their current course load. If a student withdraws, it can free up time for them to be more successful in other classes, Rassier said.

However, “W”s on transcripts can potentially make it more difficult for students to graduate because they have wasted resources and opportunities, according to Rassier. Every time a student drops a class, it has to be made up later, she said.

“I still have to make up one of the lib-eds I dropped out of,” Aronson said. “I would recommend students to withdraw from a class if they need to … but I would tell them to keep in mind what they need to graduate.”

Dropping out of a course once or twice is fixable, but a pattern of withdrawals is problematic, Rassier said.

“It’s slowing you down from degree process because you are going backwards a little bit,” Rassier said.

If a student withdraws from a course, they can retake that course. However, it is not recommended to retake the same course more than twice because it could be a waste of resources, time and money for students, Rassier said.

How common are “W”s?

According to Rassier, W’s on transcripts are fairly common.

In the 2021-22 academic year, 4% of undergraduate course grades were marked as “W”s on students’ transcripts. The course subjects with the highest withdrawals were geographic information systems (GIS) at 22%, applied professional studies at 14.3% and multidisciplinary studies at 13.9%.

Certain course levels see higher percentages of withdrawals than others. Two thousand-level classes had withdrawal rates of 4.9%. One thousand-level courses followed at 4.5%, 5000-level courses at 4.1%, 3000-level courses at 3.3% and 4000-level courses at 2.7%.

Of all the academic years, both sophomores and juniors have the highest level of withdrawals at 4.1%.

“W”s and the honors program

“A ‘W’ doesn’t impact an honors student any other way than any other student,” Matthew Britizber-Stull, director of the University’s Honors Program, said in an email statement to the Minnesota Daily.

The main concern of a “W” would be if a student cannot complete the requirements for honors graduation. Even if a student drops below 13 credits for the semester after withdrawing from a course, they will not be removed from the program, Britizber-Stull said.

It’s when a student’s transcript shows a habit of withdrawing from courses that concerns are raised about their academic ability, Britizber-Stull said.

Some programs remove students if they have multiple withdrawals in their major courses, such as nursing. Withdrawing from major courses that are heavily sequenced, usually STEM majors, can negatively impact degree progress or timely graduation, Britizber Stull said.

According to Britizber-Stull, the Honors Program emphasizes “W”s on transcripts may be problematic when applying to graduate or professional schools and that students should expect to explain what happened and why they came to that decision.

“W”s and the graduate program

“In my junior year [I] was concerned if getting a ‘W’ was gonna mean something bad,” Aronson said.

Dean Tsantir, director of graduate admissions, said at the graduate level, a lot of programs are extremely interested in the grades of a student’s major. Questions and concerns would be raised if a student has a lot of “W”s in classes pertaining to their major.

However, one or two “W”s early on in a student’s academic career wouldn’t be a concern, Tsantir said.

On graduate school applications, there is a section called “Extenuating Circumstances” where students can directly address and explain the situation of their withdrawal. Students can use this section if they had to withdraw from a course related to their major or if they had an excessive amount of “W”s on their transcript, Tsantir said.

If there are any gray areas in the application process, then it is best to contact the graduate program staff or write an honest explanation in the applicant’s statement to address any “W”s on a student’s transcript, Tsantir said.

“W”s aren’t the only alternative letter

The letter “I” is designed for students to receive an ‘incomplete’ if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing a course. According to Rassier, the course instructor needs to complete a contract outlining what needs to be done and when it needs to be finished, or the student will receive the grade they earned throughout the course.

An incomplete cannot be given if a student stops completing the majority of the coursework. It is more so used to help students who could not finish a project or exam at the end of the course, Raisser said.

There are also “K”s, which indicate course activity is still in progress after the end of the course, and a grade will be submitted once the course activities are complete, but according to Rassier, these are rare.

“K”s are often used for two-semester courses, Raisser said, but sometimes they are misused.

The Colorado State University Rams volleyball team took on the San Diego State University Aztecs in their annual State Pride game on Thursday. Despite some miscues early on that gave the Aztecs a 1-0 lead, the Rams came back to win the next three sets to take the match 3-1, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-18.

Senior hitter Annie Sullivan was the spark plug to the Rams’ victory with her stellar swing and solid defense. She set a personal season-best in kills with 17 on the night and came close to her season-high in blocks, with four in the contest.

Early on, it was all Aztecs, as impressive ball movement set up opportunities for plays to get by the Rams. CSU was able to jump out to a 6-2 lead, but later found themselves in a 17-11 hole.

“That first set was very uninspiring,” head coach Tom Hilbert said. “We served pretty well, San Diego State was just passing well. I think it frustrates our team and they think they got to do something different and they don’t.”

The Rams ended the first set hitting .000, a figure that would steadily improve through the second and third sets. While the Rams’ offense struggled early on, the blocking figures began to shift momentum their way until the level of attack increased enough to score more points and win sets.

“We blocked the ball pretty well today, much better than we did when we played them last time,” Hilbert said. “I was pleased about that.”

Once the attack recouped, the Rams found more and more opportunities leading to offensive points. Junior hitter Kennedy Stanford had a quiet 16 kills in the match, but Sullivan’s 17 were the difference maker from the second set on.

“I think it was just great sets from Ciera (Pritchard)… one thing that we practice a lot is hitting hard and high, so I was trying to do that,” Sullivan said. 

Sullivan’s four blocks on the night came close to her season-high of six, and was a point of emphasis for a Rams team that struggled early on. 

“Blocking is another thing that we as a team try and work on a lot, and I specifically have been trying to get better on,” Sullivan said. “Just trying to line up better and my middles help me be in good positions, too, when they’re closing.”

The Rams improve to 16-6 on the season, and are a little less than a month out from the Mountain West Conference tournament, which is set to be held in Fort Collins on Nov. 23-25. Next on the schedule, though, is a home match against the 6-17 overall California State University, Fresno Bulldogs on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @BraidonNourse.

Mass General Brigham Chief Academic Officer and Dean for Faculty Affairs Ravi Thadhani will serve as Emory University’s next executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA). In addition to his role as EVPHA, Thadhani will also act as vice chair of the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors and executive director of Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center, which includes parts of Emory’s hospital system and the Rollins School of Public Health, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and the Emory University School of Medicine.

The University selected Thadhani, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (Mass.), for the role after an “extensive international search.” He will assume the position on Jan. 1, 2023, according to an Oct. 27 email from University President Gregory Fenves to the Emory community.

Mass General Brigham Chief Academic Officer and Dean for Faculty Affairs Ravi Thadhani will assume the role of executive vice president for health affairs on Jan. 1. Courtesy of Emory University

Fenves said in an Oct. 27 press release that Thadhani is a “dynamic and innovative leader” with vast experience in health care, biomedical research and health training.

“He will inspire Emory’s talented doctors, nurses, frontline staff, faculty and researchers to reach new heights of excellence,” Fenves said. “In his many years of academic health system leadership, he has never stopped his research and clinical work, which is a testament to his lifelong commitment to serving patients and improving community health. I can’t wait for him to get started at Emory.”

Thadhani will also provide oversight to the Emory Healthcare leadership team and interim CEO Dane Peterson, who took the job on Sept. 1 after former Emory Healthcare CEO Johnathan Lewin announced his decision to step down on Nov. 12, 2021. 

Thadani was born in India but lived in Nigeria, Hawaii and Guam before he received a scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame (Ind.). Thadani noted that his parents — neither of whom finished high school — pushed him to attend college so he could have “options” in life.

“For context, I grew up on an island that is 30 miles long by eight miles wide,” Thadani said in a Q&A. “There were basically two options for those who wanted to leave and explore opportunities off the island — one was to go to college and the other was to join the military. More than half of my class went into the military, and a few of us went to college.” 

According to the Q&A, Thadani grew up in hospitals — his mother was hospitalized almost every other month due to severe asthma, while his father ended up on dialysis due to severe kidney disease. This motivated him to become a physician.

“As far as my specialty, it was obviously influenced by my father’s illness,” Thadani said. “I wanted to conduct research and treat people with kidney disease so they could survive longer and have a better quality of life.” 

Thadhani’s first official step into medicine came in 1991 when he received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania before continuing his education at the Harvard School of Public Health (Mass.), where he received a master’s degree in public health in 1997. 

After completing his education, Thadhani focused his laboratory research on Vitamin D metabolism and developing diagnostics and therapeutics related to preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that can occur during pregnancy. 

“My passion has always been in pregnancy and adverse outcomes of pregnancy, largely because this is an area that has been ignored in research,” Thadhani said. “Women who have hypertension in pregnancy and complications thereof are more like[ly] to get kidney disease in future years and more likely to go onto dialysis as well.”

Thadhani also served as the editor of the Current Medical Literature-Lysosomal Storage Diseases, as well as an ad hoc reviewer for publications such as for the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Kidney International and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 

Recently, Thadhani has held several academic roles at Harvard Medical School since 1998, including professor of medicine from 2012 to 2017, until accepting his new position at Emory. He also served as a professor-in-residence at the University of California, Los Angeles from 2018 to 2019.

As chief academic officer of the Mass General Bringham non-profit hospital in Massachusetts, Thadhani oversaw a $2.3 billion research enterprise, graduate medical education and continuing professional development. 

Thadhani also won the Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award from Harvard Medical School. He added that Atlanta’s diversity drew him to Emory.

“That award highlighted my strong efforts and desire to improve equity and inclusion in the workplace,” Thadhani said. “That involved not just mentoring individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, but creating an environment where they are welcome, where they thrive and get promoted.” 

Thadhani will be replacing interim EVPHA David Stephens, who will be returning to his role as WHSC vice president for research and the chair of the medical school’s Department of Medicine in January.

In the Oct. 27 email, Fenves stated that Emory is “poised to make tremendous contributions and elevate our outstanding work in the health sciences and health care” under the leadership of Thadhani.

“I know that there have been many challenges to overcome in recent months, particularly for Emory physicians, nurses and frontline medical staff,” Fenves wrote. “Dr. Thadhani understands this and is ready to listen and develop solutions from the moment he arrives. His job is to empower this community and to provide vision and guidance as we seize opportunities for the future.”

As he assumes his new position at Emory, Thadhani displayed his excitement for meeting people throughout campus. 

“I’m going to do the same when I get to Emory,” Thadhani said. “I’m going to put on my walking shoes, put some granola bars in my backpack and I’m going to meet people — physicians, clinicians, care providers, researchers, faculty and staff — and discover the special sauce that makes Emory what it is.”

The post Mass General Brigham chief academic officer named Emory’s next executive vice president for health affairs appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

The Associated Students of Colorado State University convened Oct. 26 for the eleventh meeting of the 52nd senate.

To begin the meeting, the legislative body heard a presentation from Environmental Graphic Designer, Jessica Kramer, who spoke on behalf of CSU’s facilities management department on matters such as the department’s continued commitment to clean energy solutions on campus and upcoming renovations to the Clark and Glover buildings. Kramer encouraged senators to become involved in the committees overseeing these efforts.

“This is a huge opportunity, I can’t emphasize this enough, for people to become involved with [this process],” Kramer said.

The legislative body then heard from Ariadne Athey, who resigned from her position as Internal Affairs Committee chair.

“I love this job, despite the various hardships that come from it, but it’s time for me to pass the torch,” Athey said.

ASCSU President, Rob Long and Chief Justice, Marcus Zacarias then delivered reports to senate concerning ongoing cooperation and discussion with city officials, the upcoming “coffee with the court” event and recent efforts to increase voter registration and education ahead of the local and state midterm elections.

Lex 5203, “Rectifying a Failing of ASCSU Accessibility” was then discussed.

The lex aims to increase accessibility efforts within ASCSU senate sessions by requiring legislative documents to be distributed before sessions, all sessions to be held in a hybrid (in-person and online) format, all senators to utilize microphones while speaking and the reading of the Land Acknowledgement before every session.

The lex will be sent to the University Affairs Committee.

Lex 5204, “Institution of Guidance for Special Sessions” was also discussed.

The goal of the lex is to clarify the process by which senate must abide by during emergency senate sessions by instituting a requirement for the Legislative Cabinet to call for an emergency session and notify the CSU campus of the session at least 72 hours in advance.

The lex will be sent to the University Affairs Committee.

Senate then further discussed Bill 5204, “Correction for Bill 5112.”

The bill aims to clarify the details of additional funding allocated by ASCSU for the Rams Against Hunger food pantries by determining that the program will receive funding in the total amount of $36,000 over the next three years.

The bill passed by way of a 38-0 vote, with one abstention.

Resolution 52XX, “ASCSU Stance on U+2” was then introduced by Director of Housing Security, Noah Burge and Director of Governmental Affairs, Evan Welch.

The central goal of the resolution is to gain support from ASCSU senate in petitioning Fort Collins City Council members to repeal the “U+2” residential policy.

The policy, which limits the number of people permitted to occupy a residence, has garnered scorn from Fort Collins and CSU community members alike, who believe the policy unduly restricts citizens from exploring affordable housing options in an increasingly unaffordable market. Burge and Welch believe the resolution will assist them in urging city council members to consider amending or repealing the policy.

“The main goal of this resolution is to get a rubber stamp saying that ASCSU wants Fort Collins to look at [alternative options],” Welch said.

After being sent to the Committee of the Whole, which allows senate to expedite the review process of the legislation, the resolution was ultimately passed with unanimous consent.

ASCSU senate will resume Nov. 2.

Reach Sam Hutton at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Sam_Hut14.