From the Emory Wheel…

Several Emory students and alumni will open The Nest, a new bar and restaurant located near campus, which is set to launch during the week of April 25.

The establishment will take the place of Selam Lounge and is located across from Gables Montclair near the intersection of North Decatur and Clairmont Roads. It will include a restaurant with classic American food and a bar on the top floor — called “The Nest” — and dance area dubbed “The Rabbit Hole,” which will occupy the main level of the restaurant. Chief Developer of The Nest Kevin Wu (’10B) described the atmosphere of the Nest as representative of the standard college vibe. He compared it to bars like the Ivy in Buckhead.

From the Emory Wheel…

United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will address graduating seniors at Emory’s 166th Commencement ceremony on May 9.

…Napolitano was not on the final list that the Commencement Speaker Advisory Committee — which includes both students and administrators and is responsible for suggesting potential speakers — submitted to University President James W. Wagner last spring, but was among those initially considered.

…Napolitano will address an expected audience of more than 14,000, including approximately 3,600 graduating seniors. She is the first female speaker to address the graduating class since Marian Wright Edelman, an activist for children’s rights, delivered the keynote in 2006. Previous Commencement speakers have also included California Gov. and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in 2010, former President of Mexico Vicente Fox in 2009 and Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus in 2008.

We’ve had our fun with the word “sustainability” over the months (uh, years), but I’ve recently come to suspect that it’s much more than just a blue-state buzz word.  In many ways, it’s a new (or REnewed way) of thinking about all aspects of living .  Where once “sustainability” was an uncompromising mandate to all, today it seems more like a mere option among many.

And Emory University may just agree with me.  (A more modest and slightly less ridiculous person would probably say “I with it”.) Judd points to an article in the Emory’s student newspaper “The Emory Wheel” announcing a new minor at the university…

Emory will introduce a sustainability minor this fall, the culmination of growing student and faculty interest throughout the last several years.

The sustainability minor, which will be an undergraduate program offered through the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts (ILA), requires the completion of two core courses and four electives. The courses that count toward the sustainability minor will be interdisciplinary; requirements can be satisfied through several departments, including anthropology and economics.

Peter Wakefield, senior lecturer and director of undergraduate studies for the interdisciplinary studies major, said sustainability is an “emerging” subject that has to be defined in part by students.