University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coronavirus cases reach 5,831 in Georgia; 8 more deaths reported
By Asia Simone Burns
The novel coronavirus is maintaining a firm grip on Georgia as state health officials on Friday reported 387 new cases and a growing death toll. The latest data from the Georgia Department of Public Health shows 5,831 confirmed cases, an increase of about 7% from the 5,444 cases reported Thursday night. Eight more Georgians have died as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, bringing the state’s total to 184.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
13 more coronavirus deaths brings Georgia’s toll to 176; cases reach 5,444
By Chelsea Prince and Zachary Hansen,
UPDATE [7 p.m.]: Georgia recorded 13 more coronavirus deaths since noon Thursday, bringing the state’s death toll to 176, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The DPH also confirmed 96 more cases of COVID-19, which brings the state’s total to 5,444. Of those, 1,129 patients are hospitalized, which is about 20.7% of all cases.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp details Georgia’s statewide shelter in place order
By Greg Bluestein
Gov. Brian Kemp outlined shelter-in-place restrictions Thursday, a day after he reversed course and endorsed more severe measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The order, designed to keep most of Georgia’s 10.6 million residents at home, takes effect at 6 p.m. Friday and continues through April 13. It instructs residents to shelter in place unless they’re conducting “essential services,” either traveling to and from jobs or taking part in other exceptions. It allows Georgians to leave the home to buy groceries, purchase medical equipment, go outside to exercise, head to doctor’s appointments, or travel for work to businesses or nonprofits that comply with other restrictions.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BREAKING: Summer courses and Maymester will be online at Georgia campuses
By Maureen Downey
Chancellor alerts campuses today remote courses will continue through summer
Breaking from the University System of Georgia. This information was sent to colleges this morning from Chancellor Steve Wrigley: May and summer semester instruction will be delivered remotely with limited exceptions. USG institutions will return to normal operations for fall semester assuming health conditions allow for it. …
The George-Anne
Summer classes to be online-only due to COVID-19
By Blakeley Bartee
Classes in the May and summer semesters will be held remotely at Georgia Southern University and the rest of the University System of Georgia in response to COVID-19. Normal on-campus operations are expected to return in the fall semester, so long as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health allow it, according to an email from GS.
WGAU
UGA’s Summer Classes to be Held Online
By: Austin Eller
The University of Georgia announced Thursday that Maymester and Summer classes at all University System of Georgia institutions will be offered in an online format, with “limited exceptions.” The announcement from UGA President Jere W. Morehead was sent via Arch News to faculty, staff and students. According to the email, USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said all USG institutions will open again for in-person instruction for the fall semester “assuming health conditions permit.”
Athens Banner-Herald
Funds available for UGA students financially impacted by coronavirus
By Lee Shearer
The University of Georgia will help students hit financially by the COVID-19 pandemic with two emergency funds. One fund is for undergraduates, the other for graduates. UGA president Jere Morehead has transferred $475,000 into the funds from a fund he controls called the President’s Venture Fund, and the UGA Foundation has added $125,000, the university announced Thursday.
WABE
Georgia’s University System Contributes To State’s COVID-19 Response
Martha Dalton
The University System of Georgia will help the state increase its capacity to test for COVID-19. USG is working in partnership with state health officials and Emory University to expand the state’s ability to test patients. Gov. Brian Kemp’s office says once the plan is implemented, the labs will process over 3,000 tests per day. Georgia has more than 4,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Labs at Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Augusta University are all involved in the effort to increase testing. “[Those schools have] had constant contact with the National Guard and others about organizing that testing ramp-up and the protocols that need to be involved,” said USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley. “It’s very complex, and I appreciate their willingness to jump in and participate as a way to be supportive of the state’s overall response to the virus.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Metro Atlanta schools deliver 1 million meals since closures
By Leon Stafford
Metro Atlanta school systems have distributed more than 1 million meals to area students since March 13, when many districts closed school their doors and shifted to online instruction in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus…Experts say the support is critical for Georgians, both for children who would not get breakfast or lunch otherwise and for families seeking a sense of normalcy and routine during uncertain times. “Some families look forward to picking up meals so that their children can see their classmates, teachers, and school employees from the car or at a distance,” said Taralyn Keese, a sociology lecturer at Clayton State University. “Meal pick up becomes an ‘outing’ they can look forward to.”
Athens Banner-Herald
UGA Campus Kitchen keeps food on the table
By Aaron Cox
On a rainy Monday morning in March, staff at the UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia are in the children’s garden harvesting bushels of kale, collards, parsley and beets they no longer need for educational programs this spring. They are vigilant in maintaining a safe distance from one another, even outside in the rain. A few hours later, employees from the University of Georgia Office of Service-Learning deliver the produce and food donated by Trader Joe’s and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, where kitchen employees prepare meals. The meals are stored in vegetable coolers at UGArden, a student run farm on South Milledge Avenue that supplies produce to Campus Kitchen at UGA year-round. The next day, the UGA employees and volunteers deliver the prepared meals and bags of groceries to 53 food-insecure families in the Athens area, placing the packaged food on doorsteps, ringing the bell, and standing 6 feet back while residents answer the door. In all, they will deliver enough for 170 meals.
WGAU
UNG contributes medical supplies for coronavirus fight
By: Tim Bryant
The University of North Georgia is kicking in with contributions of medical supplies, as colleges and universities around the state mobilize for the fight against the spread of coronavirus.
From the UNG website…
The University of North Georgia (UNG) and the other 25 University System of Georgia (USG) institutions are partnering with Gov. Brian P. Kemp and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) to redirect personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical supplies from the state’s public universities and colleges to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech researchers make 10K face shields for Atlanta hospitals
By Raisa Habersham
A team of Georgia Tech researchers is mass producing protective gear to help Atlanta’s medical community fight the spread of COVID-19. Using 3D printers and laser cutting machines, the researchers made at least 10,000 face shields, which protect clinicians’ eyes and face from the coronavirus spread by the coughs and sneezes of the infected. For the past two weeks, researchers have been working 16-hour days to crank out the easy-to-clean, reusable protective wear, said Chris Saldana, a mechanical engineering professor at Georgia Tech. As production increased, the initial team of six researchers doubled to crank out the shields which have a removable headband.
WJBF
Augusta University offers Translation and Interpreter services during pandemic
Augusta University is working towards helping people who might not speak English. NewsChannel 6’s Reporter Ashley Flete spoke to Vivian Rice, the Department Manager of Interpreter and Translation Services at Augusta University. How many calls would you say you guys receive on a day to day basis? “We get over 50 phone calls in a day. Easily, in a month we do about 1,500 interpretations and that’s just in Spanish alone.” Rice says as social distancing guidelines continues, it’s hard to keep up with Non-English speaking people who want to know important information in their language. Did you ever think that your job, as someone who helps people through language barriers, would ever become so essential, especially in a time like now? “We always believe in order to provide health care in a safe quality matter…communication is crucial. We need to make sure we provide proper communication so that our patients are in formed.” Augusta University Interpreter Services has a one of a kind program offering a pre-requisite course. The course prepares students to get a medical interpreter license. Rice says the course is timely, but the ability to relay information at a time where COVID-19 has taken over is priceless.
ExxonMobile
ExxonMobil joins Global Center to expedite medical innovation for personal protective equipment
IRVING, Texas – ExxonMobil and the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) said today that they have initiated multi-sector and joint development projects to rapidly redesign and manufacture reusable personal protection equipment for health care workers, such as face shields and masks, which are in short supply as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
…The initiative is a collaboration between GCMI; Dr. Joanna Newton, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist, Aflac Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center; and a team of scientists and researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and its Invention Studio.
WRDW
CSRA hospitals release latest COVID-19 numbers
By Jeremy Turnage
COVID-19 cases in the CSRA continue to rise, according to the latest numbers from local hospitals.
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, University Hospital had collected 162 specimens for testing and received 54 results:
• 3 positive (outpatients)
• 1 positive (inpatient)
• 50 negative
• 33 inpatients awaiting test results
• 182 calls received at the hospital’s Telehealth Live
Beginning at 5 a.m. Friday, the hospital will begin a “no visitors” policy with only a very few exceptions:
The Augusta Chronicle
COVID-19 plasma needed for treatment in Augusta
By Tom Corwin
AU Health System and Shepeard Blood Center are looking for healthy survivors of COVID-19 to donate plasma that could be used to treat severely ill patients With no vaccine and no specific treatment for COVID-19, doctors at AU Health System are turning to the plasma of those who have recovered as a potential therapy. AU Health and Shepeard Blood Center are looking for healthy people who have been symptom-free for two weeks to donate plasma that would then become a therapy for critically ill COVID-19 patients, said Dr. Jose Vazquez, chief of infectious diseases at Augusta University. The Food and Drug Administration is allowing the emergency use of the plasma from those donors as an investigational therapy and has put together protocols for its use, said Dr. Roni Bollag, Distinguished Chair of Oncologic Pathology at AU and director of the Biorepository. Convalescent plasma, taken from recovered patients, has been used as a treatment for more than 100 years, Vazquez said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Can Georgia’s heat help fight COVID-19?
By Nedra Rhone
Over the next few weeks as spring turns to summer, metro Atlanta can expect above-normal temperatures and above-normal rainfall. In the fight against COVID-19, some experts are hoping the heat and humidity that draw complaints from locals may prove beneficial. Several preliminary studies suggest that higher temperatures in spring and summer may bring a slowdown to the pandemic that has sickened thousands of Georgians. With experts around the world still racing to understand the behavior of COVID-19, it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions about how the virus will respond to warmer weather. However, statistical studies have shown that the seasonality of COVID-19 could be consistent with the seasonality of other infectious diseases, including influenza, which peaks between December and February but can run through May. “As the temperature increases … that drops the vitality of the virus, not only in the air but also on environmental surfaces. That is well known. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be the same (for COVID-19),” said Dr. Jose A. Vazquez, chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, and professor for the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. “Will we see a lower level of infection during the summer? We probably will. I think we will flatten the curve a lot more quickly than the North.” But already the new coronavirus has displayed behaviors unlike some other viral respiratory infections, such as its capability for asymptomatic transmission. That, along with several factors that aren’t addressed by the current studies, is enough to give some experts pause before declaring a summer slowdown in the spread of COVID-19.
Douglas Now
DR. WAYNE CLOUGH PRESENTED ELRIDGE MCMILLAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT REGENTS’ GALA
At the 16th annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala hosted by the University System of Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp presented the Elridge McMillan Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Wayne Clough, President Emeritus of Georgia Tech and former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, for his extraordinary leadership and service to public higher education. This award is the highest honor the USG Foundation bestows. Along with this notable recognition is a scholarship award for students from a USG institution. Dr. Clough has selected South Georgia State College to receive a $30,000 scholarship in honor of Regent Emeritus Elridge McMillan, the namesake of the award. This award will be presented to full-time SGSC students who demonstrate financial need and are in good standing with the college during the 2020-21 academic year. As a native of Douglas, Clough speaks fondly of his hometown and how it shaped his life. He served as the keynote speaker for the 2018 Commencement at SGSC and has returned to campus to speak to students and encourage them to give back to help others as they have been helped.
Growing Georgia
American Farmer, It Is Your Time!
By: Dr. David Bridges, President, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
American farmer, it is your time to shine. Yes, despite all the gloom and doom that surrounds us, it is a time when the American farmer can shine. Maybe I should say, it’s a time that the public sees your shine, because your light shines bright all the time. The public may need a little help if they are to see the shine through the clouds, but during this time when consumer items like masks, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer are short, Americans should be reminded that they have the most abundant, safest, and cheapest food supply in the world – thanks to the American farmer. Maybe you’ve heard this before, but I heard my good friend Tom McCall say, “you need five things to live – air, water, food, fiber, and shelter. God gives us two of these, air and water, and three come from the farmer.” Wow, just think, if Americans hear that, understand it, and appear grateful for it, they might be willing to pay a bit more for the safety and security that they gain from what you do. Cheap is usually not better!
Fox5
Farmers worry who will pick GA fruits and vegetables during pandemic
By Randy Travis
Georgia farmers worry the COVID-19 pandemic could leave them in the worst spot imaginable: bumper crops… but not enough migrant workers to help bring in those fruits and vegetables. “We’re going to have ripe strawberries in a couple weeks,” worried Jaemor Farms general manager Drew Echols. “And gonna need a home for them.” Jaemor Farms in Hall County started operations in 1912. It survived the Spanish Flu of 1919. But 100 years later, there’s a real worry here about who’s going to get the crops to market.
Growing Georgia
Vegetable Growers Should Plan Ahead to Prepare for Harvest in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic
Georgia growers, who rely on seasonal workers, need to plan ahead to be prepared for the harvest.
Most vegetable crops in Georgia — such as bell pepper, specialty peppers, tomato, eggplant, cucumber, yellow squash, and zucchini — are currently being planted into early April. These crops should be harvested in May and June; however, in light of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Georgia growers, who rely on seasonal workers, need to plan ahead to be prepared for the harvest. The indefinite closure of U.S. consulates and borders may cause a delay in the processing of agricultural workers’ visas (H2A) or prevent them from entering the U.S.
Marietta Daily Journal
SHINING STARS
These Buckhead and Sandy Springs students and teachers have been honored by the PAGE Foundation
Everett Catts
Since 1958, the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program has honored the state’s highest-achieving seniors. It was launched by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and in 1994 the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation was asked to coordinate the program in association with the chamber and the Georgia Department of Education. The award is given to students whose standardized test scores elevate them to the highest 10% of their senior class. According to Lynn Varner of the STAR program lead support team, which guides the program, its mission is to recognize Georgia’s highest-achieving high school seniors, as well as the teachers who have been most instrumental, in that student’s eyes, in helping that student achieve academic notoriety. …Here’s a look at each local school’s STAR students and teachers: Atlanta Classical STAR student: Charlotte Taylor College choices: University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Furman University, Washington & Lee University, Hillsdale College, Davidson College …Atlanta Girls’ STAR student: Kimberly Kassi College choices: Georgia Tech, Washington & Lee and Wake Forest
Holy Innocents’ …
Impulse
D2L’s Way: Lessons In Sustainable Elearning By Canada’s Longest-Running Player In The LMS Space Race
By Cristian T. Duque
In the 2020s, D2L has one of two paths to take. It’s not one exclusive to the Canadian masterminds behind the Brightspace LMS, but one that will shape the profile of all the world’s top LMS, and in so the industry’s: To aim towards becoming the giant, the “Mangaf” (Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Apple, Facebook) of the field, the “one-stop shop” where customers need not look any further; or
To push towards the open ecosystem of solutions, integrations and interoperability standards, where customers inhabit one “LMS state” but prize themselves in their ability to communicate, exchange, even collaborate with others, regardless of platform. It is clear where some Open Source LMS stand. For D2L, the answers are clear as well, and they have been for the over 18 years the company has been in business. …This camp includes Purdue Global, Texas A&M, Florida Virtual School, among others. Not just universities, those driven by “Student success and learner outcomes.” D2L boasts some of Canada’s world class institutions: Guelph, McGill, University of Ottawa; as well U.S. universities, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Chapman’s favorite, Southern New Hampshire University. Not just public entities, but those advocating for “Central governance with local control”: University System of Georgia, Tennessee Board of Regents, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Lone Star College System, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Newsmax Health
Vitamin D Keeps Arteries Healthy
By Dr. Crandall
High doses of vitamin D keep arteries more flexible, potentially warding off heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes, preliminary research suggests. In just four months, vitamin D supplements reduced arterial stiffness in a group of 70 young black men and women in a small-scale clinical trial. The flexibility of participants’ arteries improved even more with higher doses, said senior researcher Dr. Yanbin Dong, a professor with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, in Augusta.
WGXA
Digital Library of Georgia adding Macon city directory
by WGXA Digital Staff
The Digital Library of Georgia announced that they would be adding city directories for Macon and Columbus online for free as Georgia’s public libraries make content freely available during the COIVD-19 pandemic. The directory for Macon will be from 1860-1899 and for Columbus will be from 1859-1912. These directories will be the latest additions to the Digital Library’s collection that is made of up Albany from 1822-1949, Athens from 1889-1958 and Atlanta from 1867-1922. …“We are thrilled to share city directories from the Middle Georgia Archives with our state and the world through the Digital Library of Georgia,” said Middle Georgia Regional Library Director Jennifer Lautzenheiser. “These directories allow researchers from all backgrounds to explore the rich and nuanced history of our communities.” Searchable digital collections are part of a statewide initiative to digitize Georgia’s public domain city directories. The project is a partnership between Georgia HomePLACE, the digitization unit of the Georgia Public Library Service, the Washington Memorial Library and numerous libraries throughout the state.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amid social distancing, Georgia Southern hires a basketball coach
By Ken Sugiura
Even for his first job out of college –assistant coach at a junior college in Kansas – Brian Burg had a face-to-face meeting before he was hired. So, late last week, as the Texas Tech assistant basketball coach and new Georgia Southern athletic director Jared Benko were closing in on agreement for Burg to become the Eagles’ new coach, an in-person conversation seemed a prerequisite, especially considering the two had never met. The two considered hopping in their cars and meeting halfway, likely somewhere in Louisiana. But an unusual time asked for a change from standard protocol. Being mindful of social-distancing directives and not wanting to travel unnecessarily, Benko and Burg maintained their literal distance, connecting by phone for final interviews Saturday before Benko officially offered the job Sunday.
Statesboro Herald
Local credit union offering advice to Eagle athletes
CORE Credit Union is a partner of Georgia Southern Athletics and is proud of the unique services they provide to the Eagle student-athletes that will help ensure their success for the future.
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Betsy DeVos Proposes New Regulations Regarding Online Education
by Jessica Ruf
The sudden shift to online learning as a result of COVID-19 has emphasized the need for updated regulations regarding distance learning in higher education. As a consequence, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed new rules Wednesday that would add upon last year’s proposed Distance Learning and Innovation regulation, states a press release from the Department of Education. The proposed ruled will have a 30-day comment period and the department will publish a final regulation prior to Nov. 1, 2020. “We know there are fewer and fewer ‘traditional’ students in higher education, and this current crisis has made crystal clear the need for more innovation,” said DeVos. “It’s past time we rethink higher ed to meet the needs of all students. Fortunately, we started work last year to develop a new set of standards that are responsive to current realities, that embrace new technology, that open doors for much-needed innovation in higher education, and that expand access for students to the flexible, relevant education opportunities they need.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Coronavirus Complicates an Already Tricky Balancing Act for Adult Learners
By Emma Dill
The pandemic poses additional challenges to students juggling coursework with full-time jobs, child care, and elder care.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
5 Ways to Transform the Academic Workplace in a Post-Covid-19 World
By Allison M. Vaillancourt
For HR administrators and staff, the new coronavirus has meant long, crazed hours — but the real work is just beginning.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
HBCUs Not Forgotten in the Giant Coronavirus Stimulus Package
The Senate version of the legislation aimed at stimulating the economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic contains slightly more than $1 billion in support for the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides emergency Title III and Title V aid to HBCUs, predominantly Black institutions and other minority-serving institutions. In addition to the supplemental aid, the CARES Act also authorizes the Department of Education to loosen the restrictions on currently appropriated Title III funds. This additional flexibility will allow schools to put previously restricted funds directly to use in addressing the new challenges that HBCUs and their students face during the ongoing health emergency.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
‘I Was Horrified’: For Millions of Borrowers, the Coronavirus Stimulus Law Offers No Relief
By Danielle McLean
Borrowers with commercially held federal student loans have options. But forcing them to make difficult decisions during a public-health crisis could put them at risk financially.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
U of California Suspends SAT/ACT Requirements For Fall 2021 Admissions
In response to the massive upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the University of California (UC) said this week it will suspend requirements for the SAT/ACT standardized tests for students applying for admission as freshmen for fall 2021. Among other measures, UC is also suspending the letter grade requirement for academic classes taken in winter, spring or summer terms of 2020, it said in a statement. In addition, it will provide flexibility to students and schools who are unable to submit transcripts by July 1. No student’s admission offer will be canceled for missing the deadline. It will also work with admitted students to adjust financial aid packages if family financial circumstances have suddenly changed.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Alabama State U Waives SAT/ACT Requirement For 2020-2021 Academic Year
Alabama State University announced this week it will waive the ACT/SAT test requirements for the 2020-2021 academic year, following the cancellation of the SAT’s May test date and the postponement of the ACT‘s test date deadline due to the coronavirus pandemic. “As the nation faces the COVID-19 crisis, we do not want to place undue hardships on students who cannot take the ACT or SAT due to testing facilities being closed nationwide,” said Dr. Davida Haywood, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “By waiving the test requirements, we can help to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to be considered for admission to Alabama State University.”
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Eight California State U Campuses Extend Freshman Enrollment Deadline to June 1
To give students more flexibility amid the coronavirus pandemic, eight of 23 California State University (CSU) campuses will extend their freshman enrollment deadline to June 1 from the earlier date of May 1, reported EdSource. Students will now have an extra month to send in enrollment deposits thus gaining more time to choose universities. “We understand this is a very stressful time for students,” said Jessica Wagoner, Cal Poly Pomona’s senior associate vice president of enrollment management and services, to EdSource. “So we wanted to lessen the stress for them and give them a little more time to make such an important decision.”
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
U of Wisconsin-Madison Spring Breakers Test Positive for COVID-19
The University of Wisconsin-Madison said that a group of students who went on spring break mid-March to Nashville and Gulf Shores, Alabama have tested positive for COVID-19, reported KIRO7. University of Wisconsin-Madison Police told WKRG News 5 that the students started their spring break in Nashville, Tennessee on March 13, then moved their trip down to Gulf Shores on March 16. Upon their return home, they developed coronavirus symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19. The university tweeted saying it is “imperative” all students who went on spring break observe a 14-day self-quarantine.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
During Covid-19, One College’s Virtual Chat Offers Hope for the Fall
By Eric Hoover
An admissions officer braced for tough questions about college in the pandemic. But the Class of 2024 wanted to talk about other things.
Inside Higher Ed
As Times and Students Change, Can Faculty Change, Too?
As demographics shift, the experiences of more and more students resemble those of faculty members less and less. How can faculty adapt to ensure these students succeed in a suddenly changing world, and how can institutions help?
By Madeline St. Amour
Faculty are crucial for students. They serve as instructors and mentors. They connect students with a network that will help them succeed and get good jobs in the future. But they can also get in the way. As the student population shifts away from the traditional 18-year-old heading off to live in a dorm to students who are older and lower income, institutions and their faculty members are struggling to find mutually agreeable ways to support nontraditional students. That means colleges and universities struggle with how to motivate faculty to serve different students. And some faculty members struggle with how to adapt.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
How Are Colleges Contributing to the ‘War Effort’ Against the Coronavirus?
By Maura Mahoney
As the coronavirus pandemic has closed campuses, forcing higher education to reinvent itself in a matter of weeks, some colleges are also meeting this unprecedented moment with a renewed sense of purpose about their role in the community. They are contributing and producing medical equipment, offering buildings for use as overflow hospitals, and developing food-supply trackers. From Bonnie Resinski, the costume designer and wardrobe manager for the Center for Fine Arts at Saint Francis University, in Pennsylvania, who realized she could turn yards of fabric left over from a 1998 production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest into medical masks, to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who are developing a design for a simple, inexpensive emergency ventilator, the sector is responding to what the Tufts University president, Anthony Monaco, has called “a Dunkirk moment for our country.”
To learn more about these projects, we’d like to hear from you. Use the form below to tell us how your campus is joining the “war effort” to contain and fight the coronavirus — and mitigate its social and financial effects on the community. We plan to publish a selection of your entries.
Other News:
accessWDUN
CDC head: Social distancing best weapon against coronavirus
By Mitch Clarke Director of News and Content
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that social distancing protocols are the nation’s best weapon against the spread of the coronavirus. Dr. Robert Redfield said the number of cases in the U.S. hasn’t peaked and that many metropolitan areas will see things get worse before they get better. But he said Americans aren’t helpless against the virus. “We have one of the most powerful weapons that we need actually to combat this virus,” Redfield said. “This virus can’t jump from one person to another. It can’t swim. It needs to basically have us less than six feet apart. That’s why this social distancing is so important.” He said every person needs to rigorously follow the CDC guidelines, including staying at home if possible, leaving only for essential matters and staying at least six feet away from other people. He also said people should wash their hands regularly.
Marietta Daily Journal
Alpharetta adopts emergency shelter in place ordinance
Elizabeth Nouryeh
Alpharetta has adopted the emergency ordinance set in place by Fulton County ordering residents to shelter in place or face the possibility of fines and jail. The ordinance directs all residents to shelter in home, directs some residents to isolate and quarantine, prohibits all non-essential travel, prohibits all gatherings of 10 or more people, closes all city facilities, closes or modifies the operations of certain businesses, and provides for small business assistance. The ordinance also authorizes penalties of up to $1,000 and jail time for those who violate it.
Marietta Daily Journal
Following Kemp’s order, Atlanta Public Schools to remain closed through rest of school year
Everett Catts
With Gov. Brian Kemp April 1 announcing all public schools in Georgia will remain closed for in-person instruction through the rest of the school year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Atlanta Public Schools is following suit. In a news release, the district announced it will do the same, meaning its students and staff will continue teleschooling and teleworking through the end of the 2019-20 academic year in May. “We will work on the impact of this decision, including exploring alternative scenarios to celebrate our 2020 graduates, and to address the loss of instructional learning time,” the release stated. “APS will remain in contact with our families and staff as we work through solutions that address these concerns. As soon as possible, the district will hold a virtual town hall to translate what this means for APS.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fulton school chief: Last official day of school for seniors will be May 1
By Maureen Downey
Mike Looney also instructs principals to make plans for ‘modified’ ceremonies at high schools or virtual ones
In a letter to graduating seniors, Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney said today he’s asking principals to consult with them about “a modified ceremony to be held at your high school. This might include a blend of virtual and in-person participation while adhering to social distancing requirements or it could be more of a virtual non-traditional ceremony.” Also, in news bound to delight 2020 graduates, Looney said their last official day of school is now May 1.Here is Looney’s letter to seniors:
Savannah Morning News
GHSA shuts down spring sports for the rest of school year
By Dennis Knight
It had almost become a foregone conclusion, but the Georgia High School Association made things official Thursday, April 2, when Executive Director Robin Hines announced that high school spring sports in Georgia have been canceled due to the coronavirus. The announcement came a day after Gov. Brian Kemp closed K-12 public schools through the end of the school year.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: In the South, coronavirus victims are trending younger
POLITICAL INSIDER
By Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell
The South may be putting its own spin on this worldwide pandemic. Those with a fatal dose of the coronavirus here tend to be younger than in other areas of the nation – or world, for that matter. From The Atlantic: Although the majority of coronavirus-related deaths in Louisiana are still among victims over 70 years old, 43 percent of all reported deaths have been people under 70. In Georgia, people under 70 make up 49 percent of reported deaths. By comparison, people under 70 account for only 20 percent of deaths in Colorado… In Louisiana, people from the ages of 40 to 59 account for 22 percent of all deaths. The same age range in Georgia accounts for 17 percent of all deaths. By comparison, the same age group accounts for only about 10 percent of all deaths in Colorado, and 6 percent of all deaths in Washington State. These statistics suggest that middle-aged and working-age adults in the two southern states are at much greater risk than their counterparts elsewhere; for some reason, they are more likely to die from COVID-19.
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Atlanta Tech Village lays off half of its staff
By Madison Hogan – Atlanta Inno Staff Writer,
Atlanta Tech Village, one of the largest incubator’s in the country, has laid off half of its team members due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, according to Vice President Karen Houghton ATV is the fourth largest incubator in the country and a frequent gathering spot for those in the tech, startup and innovation community. Atlanta Inno received an anonymous tip today that a number of employees were laid off at the Village. Houghton confirmed the news.
Gainesville Times
Brenau college donates gloves, masks to aid virus fight
Nathan Berg
Northeast Georgia Health System received a welcome influx of supplies late in March from an unexpected source. Brenau’s Ivester College of Health Sciences donated more than 100 boxes of gloves of varying sizes along with several N95 masks in an effort to help out local healthcare providers on the front lines. “We’re transitioning to online learning academically and we have all this supplies laying around that may not get used at this point,” said Heather Ross, program director and department chair of physical therapy at Brenau. “We wanted to get those to the people who now need them so desperately. It just seemed like a movement we wanted to be a part of.” Ross came up with the idea after seeing a trend online of other academic institutions around the country collaborating with healthcare providers to make sure unused medical supplies get to where they are needed most.
Albany Herald
By Kristen Holmes, Carma Hassan and David Williams, CNN
A New England Patriots team plane loaded with 1.2 million N95 protective masks is on its way back to Boston after picking up the vital supplies in China. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker tweeted a photo of the plane being loaded with the personal protective equipment that he said would go to the state’s healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. According to a source, Baker is extremely frustrated that the federal government outbid him on supplies that were en route to Massachusetts. He worked with New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft and the Patriots to get these supplies brought over from China.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Report says Georgia’s economy is the least exposed to coronavirus. Why that may be changing
By Courtney Kueppers
Just this week, a WalletHub report found Georgia to have the least vulnerable economy in the country but jobless numbers tell a different story
This week, a new report said that Georgia’s economy is the least exposed to coronavirus among states nationwide. The study from personal finance website WalletHub looked at which states were the most vulnerable economically amid the coronavirus outbreak. And while it was seemed to tell a hopeful tale for Georgia, new numbers show that it may not reflect the entire picture. …After crunching the numbers, WalletHub found that Georgia is the most prepared state for a digital economy, has among the lowest share of small business employment and had one of the lowest increases in the number of unemployment insurance rates. The Peach State’s economy is overall the least exposed to coronavirus of any state in the nation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jobless claims in Georgia rocket to record high
By Michael E. Kanell
The Georgia Labor Department said Thursday that it processed 133,820 claims for unemployment benefits last week – a stunning increase that reflects the virtual shutdown of many sectors in the state’s economy. It was the highest number of claims ever processed in a week and was more than 10 times the previous week’s number. The state’s grim report paralleled the nation’s numbers: 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. The previous week saw 3.28 million around the country file — a record until Thursday. The tsunami of layoffs, especially among workers in hospitality, transportation and entertainment, is the result of actions taken to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Restaurants have limited service; sporting events and conferences have been canceled; most travel plans have been suspended; schools, as well as many offices and businesses, are closed. …“People are seeing the value of what they have taken for granted,” said economist Jason Delaney at Georgia Gwinnett College. “I think that will leave a mark.” Workers whose hours have been reduced or eliminated are eligible for jobless benefits, even if they have not been laid-off. Moreover, many self-employed and contract workers also qualify, under an emergency bill passed by Congress and signed by the president. Unlike economic downturns of the past, this one has been so dramatic because much of it was deliberate. “Economists study the market and this is not a market phenomenon,” said Delaney. “This is like spending your grad career studying poetry and, all of a sudden, all the rhymes stop working.”
Albany Herald
Congress OKs over $15 million for COVID-19 aid to Georgia public safety agencies
by Robin Kemp
Help is on the way for public safety agencies in Georgia in the form of a Department of Justice grant to fight COVID-19. Congress approved $850 million for public safety agencies nationwide. Georgia’s slice of the pie is over $15 million. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Byung J. “BJay” Pak said, “Law enforcement resources are stretched thin at every level. These funds will be used to directly reinforce critical needs as leaders work to address every contingency.”