University System News:
Savannah Business Journal
Georgia Southern Student Creates Virtual Graduation
By Staff Reports
When Rebecca Hooper, a senior marketing major at Georgia Southern University, heard there would be no graduation ceremony at Paulson Stadium this year, she decided to build her own. In Minecraft, that is. On Tuesday, March 17, during spring break, Georgia Southern announced the cancellation of its in-person Spring 2020 Commencement ceremonies for Statesboro and Savannah. Since that time, the University has announced an online ceremony for graduates on May 8 and 9 and hopes to be able to hold a rescheduled in-person ceremony on or before commencement in December. As the news broke, Hooper and her friend were playing Minecraft, a sandbox video game which allows users to create digital worlds where they can build as many landscapes and structures as they like. As they played the game and chatted online, Hooper had what seemed like a crazy idea.
WALB News 10
GSW students assemble over 100K face shields in 10 days
By Chelsea Collins
With the number of coronavirus cases in the United States topping 750,000, Georgia Southwestern State University’s (GSW) Department of Athletics is doing their part to address the nationwide shortage of protective masks and shields. As of Monday, April 20, GSW Athletics has assembled over 112,500 face shields in just 10 days helping to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to those working on the front lines. In partnership with Americus-based equipment manufacturer TSG Resolute, GSW Athletics has spent the last 10 days assembling face shields
Clayton News Daily
Clayton State nursing students find work at metro Atlanta hospital during COVID-19
By Staff Reports
Clayton State University’s nursing students are joining the professional ranks as the need for health care professionals grows amid the coronavirus spread. The university’s School of Nursing has reported that six students have accepted jobs as part-time nursing assistants and nurse techs at Southern Regional Medical Center while they are still in school. “I can’t begin to tell you how incredibly proud we all are of our Laker Nursing Students who are so brave to volunteer to work on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic when they don’t have to do so,” said Dr. Lisa Eichelberger, dean of the College of Health. “Working in the hospital isn’t required of them right now. Their clinical has been converted to virtual through summer semester so this is their choice. They want to do this!”
Georgia Health News
Augusta U. to play key role in Georgia COVID response
By Staff Reports
As the state of Georgia attempts to increase the number of COVID-19 tests it conducts each day, Augusta University is taking a central role. The university and Augusta University Health System have been tapped to serve as the command center for scheduling coronavirus tests for those who report symptoms through its app and hotline. The Georgia National Guard is assisting at the command center, placing phone calls to patients who’ve met the qualifications for testing. Once samples are collected and tested across the state, the results are fed back to the university, which notifies patients within 72 hours.
AJC
4 new metro testing sites to fill gaps in coronavirus response
By Willoughby Mariano
A new statewide initiative that will open four more novel coronavirus testing sites in metro Atlanta will process as many as 260 people an hour at each location, organizers said Wednesday. About a half-dozen drive-thru testing sites will go live across the state as part of the effort as soon as Thursday. They are modeled after a high-volume, appointment-only site at Augusta University that became operational in mid-March.
Same story on WSB
National Guard to open new free coronavirus testing sites this week
CBS46 News
Drive-thru test site to open on Kennesaw State campus
By Angelina Velasquez
A drive-thru COVID-19 testing site will soon open on the campus of Kennesaw State University, according to the Georgia National Guard. Medical personnel from Augusta University will perform the testing at the Georgia National Guard run site. Those looking to be tested at the new drive-thru site will only be accepted with appointments. The testing facility at KSU will operate daily from 8am to 12pm and will be able to facilitate 240 tests each day.
WSB-TV
Here are the steps to get tested for coronavirus in Georgia
By News Staff
There are now more options than ever if you need to get tested for coronavirus. COVID-19 testing has expanded in Georgia, but you still need a referral. Here are a few simple ways to get one, according to Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Healthcare providers are continuing to provide referrals for #COVID19 testing. If you choose this option, remember to contact the provider to schedule an appointment so they can take proper precautions to keep others safe. You can also call your local Health Department for a referral. Call one of the direct patient lines in this document for a screening, and, if necessary, they will refer you to the closest, most convenient site for you. Augusta University Health provides 24/7 free virtual screenings on their website or on the AU Health ExpressCare app. You can learn more by visiting their website.
WJBF-TV
Members of GA Army National Guard stationed at AU for COVID-19 informational command center
By Ashley Osborne
Members of the Georgia Army National Guard are now stationed at Augusta University 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A classroom in the College of Allied Health Sciences building that is typically used by AU students has been converted into an operational headquarters for the National Guard in the fight against coronavirus. On Wednesday, soldiers trained for their new mission under AU employees who have been doing the job locally for weeks. “We’re getting [patients] set up for COVID-19 testing,” says Sargent Romaine Minott. Sgt. Minott is one of the soldiers helping patients across Georgia navigate the AU Exresscare app. They are helping patients set up their virtual screenings, scheduling appointments at the specimen collection site closes to their homes and delivering their results once the test is complete. “We check them in for appointments as well as just making phone calls to those patients,” says Sgt. Minott.
News Medical Life Sciences
Georgia Tech researchers create key components for COVID-19 tests
By James Ives
Gaps in the supply of coronavirus tests are propelling initiatives to fill them across the country. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, bioscience researchers are burning midnight oil to produce key components for tests in the state of Georgia. The goal is to supply a broad initiative by the governor’s office involving multiple universities and partners to rapidly produce and administer more tests. At least 35 volunteers at Georgia Tech, while adhering to social distancing, are reorienting labs normally used for scientific discovery to do larger-scale production of biochemical components.
Albany Herald
ASU changes graduate admissions requirements
By Staff Reports
Graduate students applying for admission to Albany State University for the summer and fall 2020 semesters will be considered for admission without entrance test scores. This decision stems from the cancellation of testing opportunities. Graduate students must meet all other admission requirements and submit all requested documentation. “We know the importance of selecting a graduate degree program,” Charles O. Ochie, director of the graduate program, said in an ASU news release. “We are confident our programs will prepare students for success in life and in their career. It is never a bad time to begin a graduate degree. Following completion of our program, many of our graduates accept desirable positions with a higher rate of pay.”
WABE
While Georgia Begins To Open Again, Health Experts Urge Caution
By Molly Samuel
Gov. Brian Kemp said on Monday that the numbers of diagnosed COVID-19 cases and visits to emergency departments are looking good enough, that restrictions in the state can start loosening up. Some businesses will be allowed to begin reopening on Friday, with more to follow on Monday. But public health and medical experts are urging caution. “I think there’s a lot of wishful thinking, a lot of hoping the data will move in the direction they would like it to,” said Doctor Harry Heiman, who teaches at Georgia State University’s School of Public Health.
Testing in Georgia is not where it needs to be to know if numbers are really going down, or how widespread coronavirus is here, he said.
Medical Design and Outsourcing
How are alternative ventilators helping during the COVID-19 pandemic?
By Sean Whooley
Amid the shortages of vital equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, ventilators stand out — their presence a matter of life or death for people needing respiratory assistance. Common invasive ventilators are in short supply. While numerous companies have stepped forward to scale up production of the expensive products (usually between $25,000 and $50,000), the need for equipment continues to grow… Georgia Tech Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering associate professor Shannon Yee and a global group contributed to designing a device at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom before building and testing it at Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Emory University. The collaboration’s mechanical-assist product includes two Ambu-bags to offer the capability to ventilate two patients at once with individual controls for each patient’s volume.
OneNewsNow
Student gov’t uncomfortable with the ‘inherently religious’
By Bob Kellogg and Jody Brown
A pro-life group is suing Georgia Tech for refusing to grant the student-led group fees for bringing Alveda King on campus for an event. Georgia Institute of Technology’s student government refused the request for funds for King’s visit last fall contending that because she has been involved in religious ministries, her life was “inherently religious” and they could not separate that from the event about civil rights and abortion. Members of the Student Government Association also expressed concern that some students may be offended by the presence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s niece and viewpoints she had expressed.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: Nearly 900 coronavirus deaths reported as Georgia’s case total rises
By Chelsea Prince
Nearly 900 Georgians have died of the new coronavirus, state health officials said Friday. An additional 11 deaths have been reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health since Thursday, bringing the state’s toll to 892. The grim benchmark comes as some businesses shuttered at the start of the outbreak begin to reopen. As of Friday, officials have confirmed 22,147 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Infections are up roughly 3% in the past 24 hours, continuing a trend of steady daily increases of less than 5%.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Quandary: How Available Should Faculty Members Be to Students Online?
By Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz and Megan Zahneis
Online instruction raises new challenges, one being how much time an instructor should be accessible. Students may need more support during the pandemic, but instructors also have personal lives and other work to manage. From extending virtual office hours to fielding calls, texts, and emails on weekends, it can be hard to figure out where and how to draw boundaries. Adam G. Sanford, a lecturer in the California State University system, makes himself available to his students on Zoom for 20 hours a week, the time he normally would have been on campus, holding office hours and teaching his three in-person sociology classes. “I find that having this many open hours — even if the students don’t use them much — soothes my conscience a little bit,” he says, “that I’m at least doing the best I can to put myself out there and say, ‘Hey, the door is open,’ metaphorically speaking. ‘Come and talk to me.’” While he waits, he grades papers, does crafts, or watches TV.
Inside Higher Ed
By Lilah Burke
The talk around what college is going to look like in the fall is still, for now, just talk. The difficult calls have not been made, those hard-to-send emails have not been sent. The question of whether campuses will be closed to students is still in many ways an open one. But every day the picture gets clearer. Some universities, if they have not made firm decisions, have indicated where they’re leaning. Two universities in the California State University system, San José State and Cal State Fullerton, have been open about considering and planning for a fall semester online. Though officials at those colleges have emphasized that nothing is set in stone, they are getting everything in order for a possible virtual semester.
The Washington Post
How relationships between teachers and students are being tested in covid-19 crisis
By Valerie Strauss
The closing of school buildings and the move to distance learning this spring during the covid-19 crisis has led to changes in the way teachers interact with their students — and that’s no small thing. In many schools, students rely on their teachers not only for academics but also for a sense of stability, comfort and more. But when students and teachers have to depend on technology to communicate, the dynamic is shifting in ways that concern some teachers. That is explained in this post about student-teacher relationships. It was written by Liz Willen, editor of the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.