I used to work for Emory. I lived 1 mile away from campus and it would take 20 minutes to get to the parking deck then I had to take a shuttle to campus. They have shuttle services from downtown Decatur - also biking and walking are good alternatives.
When you live in ATL, you learn when to drive and when to stay home and wait it out. It's a cool town, and I'm glad that I experienced it, but that being said - I'd never move back.
Remember also that there is a severe drought situation - which has the potential to make life pretty miserable for everyone in the metro ATL area.