University System News:
www.myajc.com
Georgia policy on investigating campus sexual misconduct may change
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-policy-investigating-campus-sexual-misconduct-may-change/lDJn5JcKBlfbBnCyvYQ5KM/
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Board of Regents may approve revised guidelines next month on how it investigates sexual misconduct at the state’s four-year public colleges and universities. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a draft of the student sexual misconduct policy. The draft largely mirrors the current rules but includes changes that some experts say could give University System of Georgia administrators greater oversight over the investigative process. The draft reviewed by the AJC says, for example, the USG’s director for equity and investigations would “have the discretion to retain oversight or transfer oversight to the particular campus where the alleged misconduct took place.” Another change may be requiring additional training for those who review complaints. USG officials stressed the draft is not the final version of the plan. Officials have been in meetings with administrators on its campuses in recent weeks to discuss potential changes. …Some advocates for sexual assault victims are pleased that the system is updating the policy but want “interim protective measures” that are in the current policy but not in the draft, to separate those accused from their alleged victims during the investigative process.
www.thebrunswicknews.com
Meg Amstutz getting started as CCGA interim president
http://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/meg-amstutz-getting-started-as-ccga-interim-president/article_2ec05b6e-eaf4-5a69-9d41-4951f1cc2ed7.html#utm_source=thebrunswicknews.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1500976954&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
By LAUREN MCDONALD
Meg Amstutz is trading in her long-worn Bulldog red and black for Mariner blue. Nearing the end of her first month as the interim president at College of Coastal Georgia, Amstutz said she’s been warmly welcomed in the Golden Isles so far. “I have met so many wonderful people, so many supportive people, both on campus and in the community,” she said.
www.walb.com
ABAC plans multi-million dollar project
http://www.walb.com/story/35959113/abac-plans-multi-million-dollar-project
By Ashley Bohle, Reporter
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is hoping to get a multi-million dollar fine arts facility next year. It’s a $21.4 million project that could help attract a bigger art student population. ABAC’s fine arts, theater arts, and music have never had a facility dedicated to for those programs, but now a new building could soon replace Weltner Hall. “It’s a permanent home for fine arts, which is really important,” ABAC’s President David Bridges said. Bridges said ABAC is the only associate’s degree school with degrees in music and the fine arts in all of Georgia. It’s a two-year music program primarily focused on jazz, voice and instrumental. Bridges said there are many students who participate in music and theater programs who are not fine arts majors. “But it is a significant part of our college and they’ve just never really had appropriate space to function in,” explained Bridges.
www.getschooled.blog.myajc.com
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Can students get lost at big schools like UGA? Yes, but they will find their way.
http://getschooled.blog.myajc.com/2017/07/24/can-students-get-lost-at-big-schools-like-uga-yes-but-they-will-find-their-way/
Many high school seniors considering colleges are intimidated by a large campus. In this essay, a recent University of Georgia graduate says there are challenges to sprawling schools — days when you eat alone or don’t run into anyone you know on campus –but they are many benefits, too. AJC intern Martha Michael recently graduated from UGA with a degree in journalism, and minors in political science and Spanish. A Valdosta resident, she interned with the AJC local news and features teams this summer. In September, she is going to Spain for 10 months to teach English. (And UGA prepared her to move across the ocean to a new country, she says.) This is an excellent piece I would recommend sharing with high school students and guidance counselors. By Martha Michael
Higher Education News:
www.insidehighered.com
House Passes Update to GI Bill
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/07/25/house-passes-update-gi-bill?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ad043a1c7e-DNU20170725&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ad043a1c7e-197515277&mc_cid=ad043a1c7e&mc_eid=8f1f949a06
By Andrew Kreighbaum
The House of Representatives unanimously voted Monday to pass an update to the Post-9/11 GI Bill that, among other provisions, would restore benefits to veterans affected by closures of for-profit institutions like ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges. The package of legislation would also lift the current 15-year time limit for veterans to use GI Bill benefits for postsecondary education. It also expands access to student aid for members of the National Guard and reservists and would grant full eligibility for student aid to Purple Heart recipients, regardless of their length of service.
www.chronicle.com
Fired Title IX Officer Alleges Retaliation in Suit Against Texas A&M Campus
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Fired-Title-IX-Officer-Alleges/240721?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=c2ecec49248f42368401c40718dcce25&elq=8be2a8b93c37478594184aecf2dfd0a1&elqaid=14837&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6273
By Katherine Mangan
A former Title IX administrator at Texas A&M International University sued the university this week, saying he was unfairly accused of theft and fired in retaliation for his complaints about the way a sexual assault case was being handled. The theft accusation stems, at least in part, from Gerardo Alva’s decision to bill the university for a more-expensive early flight home from a study-abroad trip in India in January 2016, according to the lawsuit. He said he needed to return early so he could participate in a sexual-assault case involving two students attending a different study-abroad trip, in Cork, Ireland. Mr. Alva, then associate vice president for student affairs and deputy Title IX coordinator, said in the lawsuit that his responsibilities included handling all allegations of sexual assaults involving students, as well as overseeing all study-abroad programs. But when he sought details about what happened in Ireland, university administrators on that trip withheld information from him, he contends. The only thing they shared, he said, was the report of the victim’s roommate, who said she found her crying in the shower.
www.chornicle.com
On Administrative Spending, Which Colleges Get the Most Bang for the Buck?
http://www.chronicle.com/article/On-Administrative-Spending/240728?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=620a66eb52524f96b639ac79d6c758c8&elq=544e060549324891a4dd6dadc3ba2773&elqaid=14851&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6281
By Eric Kelderman
Administrative costs are a popular target for groups concerned about the rising price of college. A new report puts that spending in context and finds that large, public research universities are the most efficient compared with smaller and private institutions. The study, released Tuesday by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, also suggests ways for governing boards to be aware of their colleges’ administrative spending, and to find ways to limit it. Median spending on administrative staff was 17 cents for every dollar spent on instructional staff at large, public, doctoral-granting universities with the highest levels of research activity, the study found. Small, baccalaureate-granting liberal-arts colleges, however, spent about 64 cents on administrative staff for every dollar of instructional staff, the study concluded.