University System News:
www.ajc.com
Georgia Tech president creates fund for student mental health initiatives
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/georgia-tech-president-creates-fund-for-student-mental-health-initiatives/OFKoBhPUUvxMv65pJWFRyK/
Eric Stirgus
Georgia Tech president G. P. “Bud” Peterson announced Saturday evening he’s created a fund for donors to contribute money for student mental health and wellness initiatives. The fund, Peterson said, already has a $1 million contribution. Peterson said in a letter to students, employees and graduates that he set up the fund after discussions with student organizations and others in the wake of last weekend’s fatal campus police shooting of Georgia Tech student Scout Schultz.
www.ajc.com
Tech death puts spotlight on campus mental health services
http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/tech-death-puts-spotlight-campus-mental-health-services/F7wbjeXZwdFd04mzYYcpRP/?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=8cc20c186d-eGaMorning-9_25_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-8cc20c186d-86731974&mc_cid=8cc20c186d&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech student Sarat E. Lawal said she and her friends usually turn to each other when academic rigors gets stressful. “You need someone to share your struggles with,” Lawal, 20, a fourth-year materials science and engineering student, said the day after a campus vigil, for a student killed in an apparent suicide-by-cop, turned violent. Tech, she said, could do more to help students deal with the academic pressures there. Lawal talked about it in a student lounge, in the same building as Georgia Tech’s Counseling Center for students. The circumstances surrounding the death of the student, Scout Schultz, have started a conversation — including criticism that Georgia Tech and other colleges and universities statewide don’t adequately support students suffering from anxiety, depression and mental illness. Some are pushing for additional counselors, psychologists and mental health education for campus police. The officer who shot Schultz hadn’t undergone Crisis Intervention Training, which trains police on how to handle mentally ill suspects.
www.chronicle.augusta.com
Augusta University, USC Aiken police chiefs discuss use of force in reference to fatal shooting of Georgia Tech student
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/2017-09-22/augusta-university-usc-aiken-police-chiefs-discuss-use-force-reference-fatal
By Nefeteria Brewster Staff Writer
Law enforcement agencies at local colleges are looking at their policies regarding the use of force in response to the recent fatal shooting of a Georgia Tech student by a university police officer. Scout Schultz, 21, of Lilburn, was killed late Saturday night after the fourth-year computer and biomedical engineering student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person. Jim Lyon, the chief of police for the Augusta University Police Department, said the incident gives insight into the difficulties officers face when they’re placed in a potentially hostile situation. “Each individual situation is different,” he said. “So when officers respond, they have to take those situations on the merits that is presented at the time and it is very difficult to kind of anticipate what somebody might do, especially if they are carrying a gun or a knife.” … Lyon described the situation as “very precarious” in which officers had split-seconds to make the decision on whether lethal force should have been used. He said his 52 officers practice such procedures. His officers undergo training that teaches alternative methods in the use of force for people suspected of having mental illnesses.
www.coastalcourier.com
ASU, GSU to talk merger at community breakfast
http://coastalcourier.com/section/139/article/88588/
The Liberty County Chamber of Commerce will host an Eggs and Issues Breakfast Wednesday featuring Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University. The breakfast is being sponsored by the Coastal Courier. Guest speakers ASU Interim President Dr. Jennifer Frum and GSU President Dr. Jaimie Hebert will speak about the merger of the institutions and its impact on Liberty County students and the community.
www.ajc.com
College Jimmy Carter attended dedicates plaza to him
http://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/college-jimmy-carter-attended-dedicates-plaza-him/ywAhCe58cN7xOAYOmA1qLN/
Eric Stirgus The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Southwestern State University held a dedication ceremony Friday for a plaza named after former President Jimmy Carter. Carter attended the university in 1941 and 1942. The former president and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, also an alumna of the university, attended.
www.albanyherald.com
Georgia Southwestern State University dedicates Presidential Plaza
Jimmy Carter is one of three national figures who attended GSW
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/georgia-southwestern-state-university-dedicates-presidential-plaza/article_70e3470b-8a5f-5ad6-a3cb-68a98d038964.html#utm_source=albanyherald.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1506168025&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
By Jennifer Parks
AMERICUS — Georgia Southwestern State University counts three of the notable U.S. national figures as alumni, including the late former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and former President Jimmy Carter. The former first couple were at GSW on Friday, expressing gratitude for what the institution has done for them. The nation’s 39th president, who attended GSW in 1941-42, was recognized at a ceremony on the institution’s Wheatley Administration Building lawn, where the university dedicated its new signature landmark — the Presidential Plaza, located at the main entrance to the campus. Carter was one of four freshmen who signed the newly cemented driveway of the Wheatley Building in 1942. At the time, he was a chemistry lab assistant.
www.savannahnow.com
Georgia Water Coalition honors green innovators who make a difference
Efforts of ‘Clean 13’ leading to cleaner water
http://savannahnow.com/news/2017-09-24/georgia-water-coalition-honors-green-innovators-who-make-difference
By Mary Landers
The Georgia Water Coalition recently named its “Clean 13” for 2017. The report highlights individuals, businesses, industries, non-profit organizations and state and local governments whose efforts have led to cleaner water in Georgia … The 2017 ‘Clean 13’ honorees … Georgia Institute of Technology—Green infrastructure projects transform campus into model for water efficiency, relieve pollution of Tanyard Creek.
www.ledger-enquirer.com
‘I can’t contact anyone’ — CSU student awaits word on family after Maria smashes Puerto Rico
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article174824621.html
By Scott Berson
The latest in a string of deadly hurricanes, Hurricane Maria stampeded into Puerto Rico on Wednesday, killing at least six, demolishing buildings, flooding neighborhoods and leaving virtually the entire country without electricity. It was the most powerful storm to strike the island directly in almost a century and the third hurricane to pummel the Caribbean in a short few weeks. “We will find our island destroyed,” Abner Gómez, Puerto Rico’s emergency management director, warned before the storm fully hit the country. The biggest source of anxiety for people is the lack of power, which means a lack of communication. Phones are down, and virtually the entire island is without power and could be for months. That’s left thousands of people like Dianne Maldonado, a 19-year-old student at Columbus State University, scrambling to find news about the safety of their family and friends. “All my family are on the island. I haven’t been able to hear or find out anything about them,” Maldonado told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I called a hotline, and they said nobody has even been able to get to the area where they are at. It’s been such severe flooding, there’s no path to the street.”
www.entrepreneur.com
The Big Reason Why You Should Hire Highly Educated Employees
They are more likely to detect patterns and speak up if something seems amiss.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/300744?utm_source=eGaMorning&utm_campaign=8cc20c186d-eGaMorning-9_25_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_54a77f93dd-8cc20c186d-86731974&mc_cid=8cc20c186d&mc_eid=32a9bd3c56
Nina Zipkin – ENTREPRENEUR STAFF
When you’re looking to hire, you’re thinking about cultural fit and whether a candidate has not only the qualifications to fulfill your company’s needs now, but also the potential to take on more responsibility in the future. Despite the debate around whether leaders need college degrees, a recent study out of the University of Georgia found that the educational background of non-executive hires can make a big difference in the long term success of your business — and keep you out of trouble with the law. Researchers found that when it comes to handling sensitive financial data, employees who have the most extensive educational backgrounds are best at forecasting trends and dealing with legal matters.
www.wsbtv.com
University of North Georgia basketball standout killed in car crash
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/university-of-north-georgia-basketball-standout-killed-in-car-crash/614291463
by: Chris Jose
The University of North Georgia basketball team is mourning with the loss of a teammate. Sophomore standout Ross Morkem died in a car accident on GA-400 in Dawson County last Monday. He was the only one inside his car and no other vehicles were involved. …A GoFundMe account has been set up in Morkem’s memory. It will go to the Ross Morkem Scholarship Fund.
www.fox5atlanta.com
Police: Seven Georgia Tech students robbed
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/police-seven-georgia-tech-students-robbed
Seven Georgia Tech students were robbed as they walked on Mecaslin St. NW early Sunday morning, according to Atlanta Police. The students were walking towards 14th street when two men exited a dark-colored sedan and approached them with a handgun, according to police. The third man stayed in the car. The students complied with the men’s demands and gave them phones, credit cards, IDs, and keys. Police say there were no injuries.
www.statesboroherald.com
Students charged with falsely reporting robbery
Two arrested
http://www.statesboroherald.com/section/1/article/81828/
By Holli Deal Saxon
Two Georgia Southern University students were charged Thursday after police learned the armed robbery they claimed took place never happened. The false report came after earlier investigations by Statesboro police for three separate armed robbery incidents and one armed robbery attempt Wednesday. According to Georgia Southern University police reports, officers met with Christina Lauren Gaskins of Eagle Village, at Southern Courtyard apartments around 8:22 a.m. Thursday morning, where she told them she had been approached by three black men around 12:45 a.m. that morning. She said they showed guns and took her property, reports said. Gaskins, 18, told GSU police she had been visiting her friend, Rayna Patricia Battle, of Shorter Terrace NW, in Atlanta, whom she said lives at Southern Courtyard, after having come from Cambridge Apartments. …She claimed they had guns, and took her house key, phone, debit card and other ID. Battle, 18, also gave statements, reports said. However, upon further investigation, GSU Police Inv. Josh Barker learned the claim of being robbed was false.
Higher Education News:
www.chronicle.com
Trump Unveils Revamped Travel Ban
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Trump-Unveils-Revamped-Travel/241283?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=0bb4d08eec7c4945b7dd4351fb286530&elq=75901c3743d741a2a8949278e0885998&elqaid=15742&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6762
By Karin Fischer
With just a few weeks before his controversial travel ban gets a Supreme Court hearing, President Trump has issued revamped restrictions on travelers from eight countries, including Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Unlike the original travel ban, which barred travelers from a half-dozen predominantly Muslim countries, the new rules, released Sunday night, vary from country to country, preventing the citizens of certain nations from visiting the United States while increasing scrutiny of visa applications from others. …While the measure is more tailored, it is likely to cause continued headaches for colleges, which have spent the last nine months scrambling to convince an important and increasingly lucrative audience — international students and their families — that the United States remains a welcoming place. And unlike the original ban, which was temporary and expired on Sunday, the new order extends indefinitely.
www.insidehighered.com
New Instructions on Title IX
Education Department rescinds two guidance documents from Obama administration and issues new directions on how colleges should comply with Title IX. New regulation will follow a formal notice-and-comment period.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/09/25/education-department-releases-interim-directions-title-ix-compliance
By Andrew Kreighbaum
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos issued guidance Friday granting colleges new discretion in how they comply with requirements under federal Title IX law to resolve and adjudicate allegations of sexual misconduct on campus. DeVos at the same time rescinded 2011 and 2014 guidelines issued by the Obama administration that survivor advocates say have been critical in pushing for new protections, including guarantees that victims of assault are not denied access to an education. The department’s Office for Civil Rights will use the new guidance document to assess institutions’ compliance with Title IX until a promised federal regulation dealing with campus sexual misconduct is finalized. The new guidance from the department grants colleges the ability to set their own evidentiary standard for misconduct findings, to pursue informal resolutions such as mediation and to establish an appeals process for disciplinary sanctions. It also includes language dealing with protections for accused students.
www.chronicle.com
‘Interim’ Guidance on Title IX Creates Confusion, Not Clarity
http://www.chronicle.com/article/Interim-Guidance-on/241282?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=76947a3b4d7d45b0b090b98d215cbcda&elq=75901c3743d741a2a8949278e0885998&elqaid=15742&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6762
By Peter F. Lake
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Friday that it was rescinding substantial guidance on Title IX issued during the Obama administration. When your car’s navigation system runs you in circles, you ignore it. Guidance loses the quality of being guiding when it is bewildering. A widely debated 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter has now been “archived,” along with other substantial guidance from 2014. In its place, the department has offered “interim” and “substantial” guidance in the form of a seven-page “Q&A on Campus Sexual Misconduct.” The department also said it would open a notice-and-comment period to engage in formal rule-making. So it has now taken steps to revise Title IX enforcement — with the stated intention of more changes to come. It remains to be seen if a strategic retreat from previous guidance will be any less of a burden on higher-education institutions, or if procedural fairness in Title IX enforcement on campus improves or becomes an operational quagmire.
www.chronicle.com
What Does the End of Obama’s Title IX Guidance Mean for Colleges?
http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-Does-the-End-of-Obama-s/241281?cid=wsinglestory_hp_1a
By Sarah Brown
Practically speaking, federal guidance on campus sexual-assault policy has returned to the pre-2011 era. But colleges’ policies won’t. At least not right away. Campus Title IX officers told The Chronicle on Friday that their colleges would remain committed to sexual-assault prevention and response, despite the federal government’s announcement that the approach to the gender-equity law that the Obama administration had championed was effectively over. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights rescinded a pivotal “Dear Colleague” letter, issued in 2011, that spelled out for colleges their responsibility to respond promptly and equitably to reports of sexual violence. The letter made clear that the federal government would aggressively police that obligation, and marked a new era of strict enforcement.
www.nytimes.com
DeVos Should Want to Educate Men About Rape
By JAMIL SMITH
During my senior year of college, I spent many evenings in fraternity houses. I didn’t show up, like most did, to drink too much and dance badly. Instead, I was the ultimate buzz kill: As a rape crisis counselor, I was there to talk to fellow young men about how to end sexual assault on campus. The University of Pennsylvania mandated sexual violence prevention workshops for members of the Greek organizations on campus, so it was no surprise that many of the fraternity brothers treated my presentation like one of their most boring lectures. Those who didn’t pretend that I was invisible typically eyed me with apprehension as I began my talks. Why did I keep going back? Because despite the yawns, skepticism and class clown behavior I initially encountered, I was reminded with each session that many of the students in the room didn’t have the basic education about rape that I was there to offer.
www.diverseeducation.com
DeVos Reach for Fairness May Not Be Enough for Campus Sexual Assault Cases
DeVos Reach for Fairness May Not Be Enough for Campus Sexual Assault Cases
by Emil Guillermo
Let me state my basic bias from the beginning. I don’t care for Betsy DeVos as an Education Secretary. The woman who made her name advocating for vouchers and the free market knows nothing about education, K-to-forever. But her latest move makes me cheer. DeVos has acted on what has been a rallying issue among conservatives and liberals alike. It just depends on if you’ve paid attention to how colleges and universities deal with sexual assault. DeVos has announced she’s rescinding the Obama administration’s guidelines on campus sexual assault, and coming up with new fairer standards. It’s a welcome sign for all, really, but especially for the accused. No one likes the fact that sexual assault is at an alarming level on campus, or that the numbers are likely just a fraction of the assaults that may actually take place. Victims don’t always come forward and seek justice in a hostile system. The Obama administration’s directives were useful in forcing schools to take the issue seriously. But they also set a lower standard to determine guilt, and imposed a quick time frame of 60 days to resolve matters.
www.insidehighered.com
The Fruits of Collaboration
An alliance of 11 public research universities shows that sharing data, ideas and practices can help more low-income students graduate.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/09/25/research-universities-partner-increase-low-income-student-graduation
By Ashley A. Smith
Three years ago a group of public research universities set out to prove that by working together they could significantly increase the completion rates of low-income students without reducing quality or diminishing their research productivity. And last week they released new evidence that they are not only achieving their goals, but on track to surpass them. The 11 universities make up the University Innovation Alliance, which released new data Thursday showing that they have increased the number of low-income graduates at their institutions by 24.7 percent in the past three years. The increase also puts the alliance on pace to surpass its total graduation goals … The alliance is expected to exceed public attainment goals, with an additional 94,000 graduates by 2025.