University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Board of Regents approves employee furlough plan for state colleges
By Eric Stirgus
The Georgia Board of Regents approved a plan Thursday that gives University System of Georgia leaders authority to potentially furlough employees, with those earning higher salaries taking larger cuts. Most University System of Georgia employees would have to take four or eight furlough days as part of the plan, system Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. Wrigley and the presidents of each of the system’s 26 public colleges and universities would take the equivalent of a 10% pay reduction which includes 26 furlough days for fiscal year 2021, which begins July 1.
The Marietta Daily Journal
University system staff, faculty facing furlough days to offset losses from coronavirus
By Dave Williams Bureau Chief Capitol Beat News Service
University System of Georgia faculty and staff are facing potential furlough days to help offset the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The system’s Board of Regents voted Thursday to authorize either four or eight furlough days for most employees at all 26 of Georgia’s public colleges and universities, depending on their salary level. Employees earning salaries of $99,000 a year or above would take 16 furlough days, equivalent to a 6.2% pay cut. System Chancellor Steve Wrigley and all university and college presidents would take 26 furlough days, equivalent to a salary reduction of 10%.
See also:
The Augusta Chronicle
Georgia University system staff, faculty facing furlough days to offset coronavirus losses
Athens Banner-Herald
Furlough plan approved for Georgia public college employees
CBS46
Furloughs, possible staffing reductions on the way for University System of Georgia
WJBF
WTOC
At risk youth struggling during COVID-19 pandemic
By Bria Bolden
Students across our country are still being home schooled. However, some students living in poverty, having problems at home, or lacking technology and other resources are being hit hardest during this time. “This disruption to education that consists in interaction with adult peers is really going to be detrimental to them upon their return,” said Dr. Alisa Leckie, Assistant Dean for Partnerships and Outreach at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Alisa Leckie has worked with at risk youth since the beginning of her career. She’s the Co-Chair of the National Youth at Risk Conference and says at risk youth across the country are struggling.
11Alive
More nurses getting ready to join front lines after graduating from local nursing programs
Georgia Gwinnett College is working to ensure students graduate as scheduled to help fight the coronavirus.
Author: Brittany Kleinpeter
In the midst of a pandemic, nurses across the country have become more essential than ever. Georgia Gwinnett College’s nursing is the only college in the state to offer a ‘flipped classroom’ model which has helped to ensure its nursing students would graduate on time. A soon to be graduate of the flipped model, Desi Kennedy, says the transition to an online platform was seamless.
WMAZ
Fort Valley holds drive-thru food bank giveaway
The Peach County Sheriff’s Office asked everyone to stay in their car and have their trunk clear, so they could load food in the back.
The Middle Georgia Community distributed boxes of food to people affected by COVID-19 in Peach County on Wednesday. The drive-through food distribution event started at noon and ran until 2 in the afternoon at Fort Valley’s Festival Park. The Peach County Sheriff’s Office asked everyone to stay in their car and have their trunk clear, so deputies could load food in the back.
The Brunswick News
College to host undergraduate research conference online
College of Coastal Georgia plans to host its sixth annual undergraduate research conference Friday in a digital format. The Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Collaborative Explorations (SOURCE) highlights students’ faculty-mentored research and scholarship. The digital archive will go live on Friday at 10 a.m. The collaborative efforts between students and faculty across disciplines will be available for students, faculty, staff and the community at-large to explore.
The Brunswick News
Lawmakers, students urging Regents to offer pass-fail option for coronavirus-plagued semester
By Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service
Legislative Democrats stepped up the heat on the University System of Georgia Wednesday to let students forced off campus by coronavirus to opt in to a pass-fail grading system for the spring semester. A group of Democratic state representatives held an online discussion of the issue featuring several students who have led the charge for pass-fail. With the deadline for professors to turn in grades looming next week, time is of the essence. “We don’t think it’s too late if the [university system Board of] Regents would lift the handcuffs from the universities,” said Rep. David Wilkerson, D-Powder Springs, who hosted Wednesday’s discussion on Facebook. “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Tifton CEO
ABAC Summer Term Begins May 26th
Staff Report
Applications continue to be accepted for the summer term, which begins May 26 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. ABAC Director of Enrollment Management Donna Webb said SAT or ACT scores will not be required for all summer term and fall semester applicants. “We can generate the admissions decision based on the student’s success in high school,” Webb said. “Summer term may be an appealing choice for students who are graduating from high school and want to get a head start on the fall semester.”
Douglas Now
SGSC ANTICIPATES WELCOMING STUDENTS BACK TO CAMPUS THIS FALL
South Georgia State College President Dr. Ingrid Thompson-Sellers anticipates resuming on-campus operations this fall, along with other schools in the University System of Georgia. The SGSC regular semester is currently scheduled to begin on August 17, 2020. These plans could change, as guidance from public health officials monitoring COVID-19 continues to evolve. “Please be mindful this situation remains a fluid one. With many factors still unknown, the USG continually monitors developments and receives guidance from state public health officials,” said Dr. Thompson-Sellers. “The safety and well-being of our students and college community are our top priority. Our fall semester may look different and things may change, even after we have made plans. We ask that you join us in remaining flexible and patient as we move forward during this unprecedented time.”
Gainesville Times
In only a couple of months, college seniors find drastically different job market
Nathan Berg
Kaitlin Otting has seen firsthand how COVID-19 is affecting the job market. Otting, a senior at the University of North Georgia graduating this May, had made it all the way to the third and final round of interviews for a sales position last month when she was told the company was no longer planning to fill the vacancy. “They just said they were sorry they had to put it on pause and hoped that I would consider them in the future once they begin the rehiring process,” Otting said. It’s a challenge that college seniors preparing to enter the workforce are facing around the country. Otting has since accepted another job, but many soon-to-be graduates have not been as lucky. She said that based on what she’s seen, the job market has dried up significantly over the past couple of months.
The Red & Black
Q&A: UGA couple celebrate social-distanced wedding on campus
Erin Kenney | Contributor
As governments restricted large gatherings, and many churches, venues, caterers, tailors and salons closed their doors, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the wedding plans of couples all around the world. As a result, couples have held weddings on Zoom, in city streets and parking lots. For University of Georgia alumnus Ryan Helton and recently graduated fifth-year Delaney Helton, the best place for their dream quarantine wedding was on campus. Ryan Helton, of Carrollton, and Delaney Helton, formerly Delaney Givens, of Suwanee, tied the knot on April 25 in front of UGA Chapel with immediate family. The pair discussed their wedding and the implications COVID-19 had on their big day.
Other News:
Albany Herald
Drug inspired by an old treatment could be the ‘next big thing for Covid-19’
By Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent
At least five US teams have cloned antibodies to Covid-19, paving the way for cutting-edge treatments that could be what one researcher calls “an immunity bridge” before a vaccine comes along. The treatment is monoclonal antibody therapy, and the antibodies come from people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus. Researchers then take the blood, select the most potent antibodies, and make them into a drug. One company, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, hopes to have a treatment available to patients as early as the end of the summer.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Latest Atlanta coronavirus news: Georgia’s COVID-19 deaths pass 1,300
There are now 1,317 deaths from COVID-19 and 30,737 confirmed cases
10:30 a.m.: Georgia Coalition 2 Save Lives wants to meet with Gov. Brian Kemp to discuss ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and prevent a second wave of the disease that has killed more than 1,300 Georgians, Ernie Suggs reports.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Steep Decline in FAFSA Renewals
By Paul Fain
New federal data show a substantial drop in renewals of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by returning college students, according to an analysis from the National College Attainment Network. Almost 250,000 fewer returning students from the lowest-income backgrounds have renewed their FAFSA for the 2020-21 cycle, NCAN said, and FAFSA renewals were down nearly 5 percent over all (4.7 percent) compared to last year — a decline of more than 350,000 students. The drop in renewals during this aid cycle has more than doubled since the end of February, when total completions were 2.3 percent lower than on the same date last year, according to the group, which has created a dashboard to view the FAFSA renewal data.
Inside Higher Ed
U.S. Publishes New Regulations on Campus Sexual Assault
Colleges and universities that receive federal funding must be in compliance with new rules by Aug. 14. The regulations rebalance “scales of justice,” Education Department says.
By Greta Anderson
The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday released its long-awaited final regulations governing campus sexual assault under Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded institutions. It took nearly a year and a half for the department’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, to review more than 124,000 public comments on the issue and finalize the proposed regulations, which were published in November 2018. The regulations will be the first Title IX guidance published by OCR to go through a formal notice-and-comment process since 1997, and unlike guidance issued by the Obama administration in 2011 and 2014, they will have the force of law behind them. Colleges and universities will be required to comply with the regulations by Aug. 14.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
6 Questions Colleges Are Asking About the New Title IX Regulations
By Sarah Brown
The new Title IX regulations governing how campuses handle complaints of sexual misconduct fill more than 2,000 pages, so most college administrators and experts haven’t had time to read all of the changes yet. But the rules, announced on Wednesday by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and effective on August 14, are already prompting questions across higher education. The Chronicle interviewed 10 campus officials and Title IX experts on Wednesday. Here are six questions they’re thinking about.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What Colleges Need to Know About the New Title IX Rules
By Sarah Brown
Updated (5/6/2020, 2 p.m.) with comment from the American Council on Education and other new material.
The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday announced sweeping changes in how colleges must handle sexual-assault and sexual-harassment complaints, bolstering protections for accused students and employees. The long-awaited changes in the enforcement of Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, will require colleges to hold live hearings and allow cross-examination when adjudicating sexual-misconduct complaints. The new regulations also will narrow the scope of complaints that colleges are required to investigate. In other words, according to the federal government, Title IX covers only sexual harassment that meets its new definition: “unwelcome conduct” that is “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to education.” The changes (summarized here and here) will take effect on August 14.