University System News:
www.macon.com
The governor may be the only adult in the room
http://www.macon.com/opinion/editorials/article137227498.html
It was May 3, 2016 when Gov. Nathan Deal pulled out his veto pen and struck a note for common sense by using his power to stop House Bill 859, better known as the campus carry legislation, from becoming law. He wrote, ““If the intent of HB 859 is to increase safety of students on college campuses, it is highly questionable that such would be the result.” HB 859 was not the only veto Deal issued that day. There were 15 others, but two with the longest explanations had to do with guns, HB 859 and HB 1060. …HB 859 would have allowed anyone with a valid carry permit to tote a concealed weapon on any state college or university campus in every building and facility with a few exceptions. .. .But the bill was resurrected this year in the form of House Bill 280, sponsored by Rep. Mandi Ballinger, R-Canton, with one important difference. One of Deal’s stated objections last year was that it allowed guns to be carried in daycare centers run by a number of colleges and universities. HB 280 excludes the right to carry from those areas but the rest of the bill is pretty much the same. …Just as the 2016 version, the college and university presidents have voiced their opposition to allowing guns on their campuses backed by every police chief in the University of Georgia system. The USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley, said during his appearance before the House Public Safety Committee, “With respect to campus carry, we feel strongly current law strikes the right balance to provide security on our campuses. We therefore respectfully oppose any change to current law.” Of course the committee wasn’t listening and passed HB 280. It passed the full House on March 3, 108-63. Now it’s on to the Senate where it will probably pass unless there are more adults in the room than last year. Do these lawmakers understand that having guns on college campuses is an ideological stance that can have real life and death consequences? What about having an armed student in a classroom, pouting over a bad grade or a recent breakup? That said, it leaves it up to the governor, once again, to exhibit common sense and be one of the only adults left standing in the room. Fortunately, he’s still armed with a veto pen. We encourage him to use it, if it comes to that.
www.accesswdun.com
Tornado strikes UNG-Gainesville in mock disaster scenario
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/3/510153
By Colin Ochs Reporter
A tornado hit the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus Wednesday afternoon leaving almost three-hundred injured students in its wake, or at least that was the scenario presented to students in the UNG College of Health Sciences and Professions. “There are very few health programs across the county that offer disaster training and exercise simulation for their students,” said Carolynn DeSandre, assistant dean of UNG’s College of Health Sciences & Professions and director of the exercise. “But these are real world events.” A disaster scene featuring hundreds of students strewn across the parking lot, covered with debris and moulage (special effects makeup) that would rival a small-budget studio film, was set up behind the Continuing Education Building allowing physical therapy, clinical mental health counseling and nursing students a chance to treat crush injuries resulting from a tornado in a realistic, fast-paced simulation. Rescue teams were sent out to safely remove victims from the disaster area into a series of tents set off to the side. The victims were grouped based on the severity of their injuries, and the nurses would attempt to stabilize the patients until a transport team was available to carry them into a simulated emergency room inside the building. Once there, the patients would be treated for their injuries. “I do want to go (work) in the ER,” said Savannah Holubitsky, a senior UNG nursing student who wants to work at Northeast Georgia Medical Center upon graduation. “So that was exciting.” Over 600 students, faculty and staff participated in this year’s mock disaster event which, according to DeSandre, was three times as large as last year’s simulated active shooter scenario on the Dahlonega campus.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
AU doctors developing portable ultrasound
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2017-03-08/au-doctors-developing-portable-ultrasound
By Tom Corwin Staff Writer
When Drs. Matthew Lyon and Robert Gibson went looking for a cheap, portable 3-D ultrasound to use in their research, they couldn’t find one. So they are making their own and, in the process, could come up with a device that can be used on the sidelines to more conclusively diagnose concussions and other head injuries in sports. The Augusta University team has a $350,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant to develop a chip that can be added to a traditional ultrasound transducer to turn it into a 3-D transducer. While 3-D and even 4-D ultrasound already exist, they are larger machines that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and are not practical to use in the field, Lyon said. That’s what the AU researcher ran up against when they went looking for a portable 3-D ultrasound to use in their research, he said. …What they are envisioning now is using a standard 2-D ultrasound transducer and altering it by adding inertial measurement unit sensors. Those can sense movement in different directions and are used in navigation and in technology such as cellphones to sense a change in position and will allow those using the device to see changes in the body dynamically, Lyon said. …“This is a low-cost ultra-portable machine,” Lyon said, pointing to the transducer and tablet. “It would turn this machine into a 3-D ultrasound. So you could take this anywhere you go, in an ambulance, or if you were at the field side with somebody who had an injury playing sports. It can go anywhere you can go.”
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Senate Does Away With Obama Teacher-Prep Regulations
by Alex Arriaga
Congress, in an effort to limit federal involvement in higher education, has voted to eliminate Obama-era regulations on teacher-preparation programs. The legislation, passed on Wednesday by the Senate on a 59-to-40 vote, is expected to be signed by President Trump. The House of Representatives approved the bill last month. The accountability system that would be affected by the legislation was put into effect in October by the Department of Education. It requires states to report on the success rate of teacher-training programs, partly on the basis of graduates’ employment and evaluations of their work. Approved programs are authorized to award up to $4,000 in federal Teach Grants to prospective teachers. Sen. Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, praised Wednesday’s vote in a statement. “Overturning this regulation says that states — not a distant department in Washington, D.C. — are responsible for evaluating whether a college’s program gives teachers the skills they need to help their students learn,” he said. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities said it planned to work with Congress and the Trump administration to reset federal involvement in higher education, including reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.