University System News:
The Union Recorder
GC has reopening and contingency plans in place
Gil Pound
Georgia College and State University, one of the main economic drivers of the Milledgeville and Baldwin County community, has plans in place to resume regular operations should conditions with the COVID-19 pandemic allow. After being given guidance by the University System of Georgia (USG), the local public liberal arts university has produced a 210-page document that lays out how a return to campus would occur operationally. It includes three contingency plans that show how GC could pivot based on possible changes with the pandemic. Last week the university announced that it has also made a couple of key changes to its upcoming academic calendar. Fall classes are set to begin Wednesday, Aug. 12, rather than the originally scheduled Aug. 17. The Oct. 12-13 fall break has been removed, and the last day of regular classes will be Tuesday, Nov. 24. Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving and will take their finals online beginning Dec. 1. The date that residence halls will be open to students has not yet been determined.
WFXG
Patients have new rides to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia and AUMC
By Brianne Talocka
Augusta University Health is teaming up with local medical transport company, Gold Cross EMS, to give patients rides to Augusta University Medical Center and the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. The partnership provides Augusta University Health System with five new ambulances filled with special equipment. Two ambulances are for infants and children, two are for patients with wheelchairs, and one ambulance is for mental health transports.
WGAU
UGA gets millions in federal coronavirus aid
Students among recipients
The University of Georgia has now received more than $23 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economy Security Act: UGA says the money has been divided evenly between institutional aid and direct grants to University students.
Forsyth County News
Georgia Highlands announces free COVID-19 testing on Friday, June 19
Georgia Highlands Medical Services announced Monday that it will offer free COVID-19 testing on Friday, June 19. The local medical provider, located at 475 Tribble Gap Road in Cumming, will conduct tests from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. by appointment only. Those interested must call 470-758-8415.
Newsy
A new avenue to treat the COVID-19
By drbyos
Researchers in the us have shown that a set of molecules was effective to block activity of a key protein of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus at the origin of the COVID-19. Directed by Scott Pegan, director of the Center for drug discovery, University of Georgia, in the United States, the team of scientists looked at the protein PLpro. Known for its ability to replicate and suppress the immune function of the people it infects, and this protein is essential for several types of coronaviruses.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah State athletic director tasked with making budget cuts during pandemic
By Nathan Dominitz
The challenging times for Savannah State Director of Athletics Opio Mashariki did not start with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s only made his job more complicated. Mashariki has been tasked with reducing the athletic department’s budget deficit, which he projects was in the red about $700,000 for 2019-20. Final numbers are not yet available, he said on Thursday, June 11. “The last information that I received, we expected, as part of our plan, to run a deficit in the $700,000 range,” said Mashariki, who has been part of the SSU athletics department since March 2005 and was promoted to his current title in January 2019. “We hit that mark. That was our deficit. That number may change once everything is final. They’re still finalizing all of our expenditures for this year.” As for the 2020-21 budget, that also is being hammered out, with Mashariki hoping to have it by “the end of the month, if not sooner.” He is certain that the budget will be smaller and the need greater to find areas for reduction.
Gainesville Times
More student housing proposed at UNG — this time near campus entrance
Jeff Gill
More housing targeting University of North Georgia students is being proposed. Johns Creek-based bSide Partners is looking to develop a 12.5-acre site at the Thurmon Tanner entrance to UNG’s Gainesville campus. “With the growth in UNG enrollment, the ongoing redevelopment of the old Lanier Tech campus and the imminent development of (other nearby student housing), this part of Oakwood will truly serve as a welcoming gateway to the city and the university,” bSide Partners says in its application. The company is proposing 259 units for a total of 378 bedrooms in a complex bounded by Thurmon Tanner, Mathis Drive, Landrum Education Drive and Frontage Road. The complex also would feature a clubhouse and 205-space parking deck. Amenities include pool, dog park, trails and green spaces.
Albany Herald
UGA, Georgia Department of Agriculture team up for marketing webinar
By Kelly Simmons CAES News
The University of Georgia is partnering with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to present a free digital marketing webinar for agribusiness owners looking for alternate ways to sell their products. The webinar will be hosted on Wednesday at 10 a.m. by the UGA Small Business Development Center, the Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown division and UGA Cooperative Extension. Agriculture-related businesses from across the state have had trouble getting their fresh produce, meat and seafood to market during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Science Mag
Antibodies Against Sugars, Internal Radiation: Powerful Package Against Cervical Cancer
The sugar coating on cancer cells helps them thrive, and a new study indicates patients with cervical cancer who make antibodies to those sugars appear to do better when they also receive internal radiation therapy. Scientists looked in the blood of 578 Peruvian women with stage 2 and 3 disease before they ever began treatment and found those who ultimately fared best had naturally higher levels of antibodies that target 6 classes of sugars, or glycans, associated with cervical cancer. The treatment of those who did best included a form of internal radiation called brachytherapy, known to rev up the immune response. All our cells are sugar coated and so are cancer cells, which use glycans for a variety of fundamental functions like cell proliferation, disease spread, and immune protection, says Dr. Jin-Xiong She, director of the Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. The fact that these antibodies can neutralize glycans on cancer cells so they can’t be used may be the primary reason they are beneficial to cancer patients, says She, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Genomic Medicine and corresponding author of the study in the journal Gynecologic Oncology.
New Atlas
Spontaneously hollowing particles stabilize high-energy lithium batteries
By Nick Lavars
An international team of scientists has found a material that could enable lithium ion batteries to hold far more energy without sacrificing battery lifetime. The team discovered antimony crystals spontaneously and reversibly hollow out during the charge-discharge cycle, a much-desired characteristic that can facilitate greater energy density without compromising on safety. Lithium-ion batteries produce electricity by shuttling ions back and forth between two electrodes, the negatively-charged cathode and the positively-charged anode. But in their current state they are stretched to their limits. …“Intentionally engineering hollow nanomaterials has been done for a while now, and it is a promising approach for improving the lifetime and stability of batteries with high energy density,” says study author Matthew McDowell from the Georgia Institute of Technology. “The problem has been that directly synthesizing these hollow nanostructures at the large scales needed for commercial applications is challenging and expensive. Our discovery could offer an easier, streamlined process that could lead to improved performance in a way that is similar to the intentionally engineered hollow structures.”
WRBL
CSU’s Bryson Horne Signs With Braves
by: Rex Castillo
The Major League Baseball Draft is officially done but the doors to the big leagues weren’t completely shut. On Sunday Columbus State’s Bryson Horne, who idolized Chipper Jones, signed with the Atlanta Braves with a free agent deal. Horne only played 21 games for the Cougars but the first baseman had a huge impact. Horne was a top four player in eight different categories in the Peace Belt Conference. This journey to the MLB was unique but Horne is excited to start the next phase of his baseball career. It means even more to play for a team he rooted for growing up.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW DETAILS: Former Bulldog standout arrested on rape charge
By Chelsea Prince, Chip Towers
A former University of Georgia football standout and NFL player has been arrested on a rape charge in Athens. Bacarri Jamon Rambo, 29, was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail late Monday night with no bond, jail records show. His attorney, Kim Stephens of Athens, told AJC.com that the arrest stems from an incident between Rambo and a 21-year-old woman that occurred Friday night at an Athens residence. …Rambo was an All-American safety at Georgia, where he started three of his four years. …He was a graduate assistant coach with the UGA football program for the last two seasons. However, Georgia officials say Rambo has not been employed by the school since the Bulldogs played Baylor in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. He is currently enrolled as a student at UGA, where he is completing work toward a degree, according to Stephens.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett now has more coronavirus cases than anywhere else in Georgia
By Arielle Kass
There are more coronavirus cases in Gwinnett County than anywhere else in the state, following a spike in positive tests in recent days. Dr. Audrey Arona, the CEO and district health director at the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale Health Department, said the increase in cases comes about as more people are being tested in the county. Still, she said the positive test rate in Gwinnett was higher than the state average of 8.6%. One recent day at a south Gwinnett testing center, 27% of those who were tested were shown to have COVID-19.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated June 15, 3pm)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 2,494 | Deaths confirmed in 139 counties. For 5 deaths, the county is unknown, and for 37 deaths, the residence was determined to be out-of-state. CONFIRMED CASES: 58,414 | A case’s county is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated. Cases have been confirmed in every county. For 1,551 cases, the county is unknown. For 2,909 cases, the residence was determined to be out-of-state.
Higher Education News:
The Washington Post
Colleges are ditching required admission tests over covid-19. Will they ever go back?
By Nick Anderson
For generations of ambitious students, taking the SAT or ACT was considered essential to apply to the most selective colleges and universities. All but a few ultracompetitive schools required test scores. For the high school Class of 2021, though, testing mandates are rapidly vanishing as the coronavirus crisis has obliterated exam schedules. This shift, coupled with growing skepticism of the tests that predated the pandemic, could produce lasting change in college admissions, as a gigantic test-optional experiment gets underway.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Can Faculty Be Forced Back on Campus?
Several Covid-related regulations and federal and state laws provide guidance
By Arlene S. Kanter
Until an effective vaccine is widely available, it is impossible for any college to be completely safe from Covid-19. Yet many institutions are planning to resume residential life in August. Much has been written about protecting students, but we also need to ask: If faculty members decide that it is too risky to return to campus, do they have the right to work from home? I come to this question as a law professor from the field of disability-rights law. The Disability Rights Movement’s slogan, “Nothing About Us Without Us” reminds us that decisions should be made by the people most directly affected by them. But even if faculty members are involved in decision making, what do “we” want? Some will want to work from home; others will prefer to return to campus. What is less clear is whether faculty members who are concerned about the risks of returning to campus have the right to teach remotely from home. Several Covid-related regulations and federal and state laws can help guide us.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Audrey Williams June
There’s plenty of evidence that higher education is relieved to have its emergency pivot to online learning safely behind it. But a repeat performance of remote instruction in the fall will be happening partially at some institutions, and full scale at others. That means taking a look at the lessons learned in the spring is in order. A Chronicle survey — conducted in May for “Online 2.0: Managing a Large-Scale Move to Online Learning,” a new special report that explores how institutions can take remote learning to the next level — provides a look at some of those lessons through the eyes of faculty members and academic administrators. In particular they were asked to identify, in a free-response question, the most important or significant lesson they learned from their experiences in the spring. Comments from faculty members painted a picture of professors who learned that teaching remotely without proper training is tough, and engaging students online is even tougher. Indeed, many declared that — as they thought — face-to-face instruction was superior. They also wrote about the shortcomings of Zoom and the eye-opening window they had into the lack of internet access that their students faced.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
During the Pandemic, 3 in 5 Students Face Food and Housing Insecurity, a New Study Finds
by Sara Weissman
It’s no secret that college students are struggling with food, housing and job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. But a new study from the Hope Center For College, Community, and Justice detailed the magnitude of the problem, surveying 38,602 students at 54 colleges and universities in 26 states. The study found that about three in five students experienced basic needs insecurity from April 20 to May 15. Two-thirds of respondents employed before the pandemic experienced job insecurity and a third lost a job because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, 44% of students and 38% of students dealt with food insecurity at two-year and four-year institutions, respectively. Approximately 11% of students at two-year institutions experienced homelessness because of the pandemic, compared to 15% at four-year institutions. That means 4,000 people who took the survey were homeless.
Inside Higher Ed
U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling extending protections against employment discrimination to LGBTQ people has implications for how colleges define sex and enforce gender equality on campus.
By Greta Anderson
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision cementing LGBTQ workers’ protections from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination not only put employers on notice, it also signaled to colleges that they must ensure the fair treatment of transgender students playing campus sports and living in residence halls. The 6-to-3 ruling issued Monday extended protections against employment discrimination to LGBTQ people under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin. The court redefined its interpretation of “sex” under Title VII to encompass both sexual orientation and gender identity and, as a result, opened the door to challenges of this definition under Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded institutions.
Inside Higher Ed
54 Scientists Fired, Resigned Over NIH Inquiry Into Foreign Ties
By Elizabeth Redden
Fifty-four scientists have been fired or have resigned from their institutions in connection with an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health into whether grantees are disclosing their ties with foreign governments, Science reported. The majority of cases under investigation — 93 percent — involve funding from China.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
For Colleges, Protests Over Racism May Put Everything On the Line
By Lindsay Ellis
…Now, in a moment of crisis for the sector, college leaders at historically white universities are being called to dig into their pristine grounds. Scholars and students are sharing stories of discrimination, pulling these institutions into the national conversation about the ingrained white supremacy of American systems, all amid a pandemic that could threaten lives — disproportionately those of people of color — on campus. Three weeks ago, those campuses were focused on the coronavirus. Now they are being pushed to reckon with racism. College leaders talk widely about how their institutions are a force for good. They impart this sense of purpose to the next generation of leaders. As many residential, historically white universities gear up to welcome students back, their leaders will face a historic test on multiple fronts.
Inside Higher Ed
Are Campus Leaders Prepared for the Impact of the Racial Crisis?
Many colleges have not meaningfully addressed their own histories of exclusion and must work harder to engage in racial healing, write Adrianna Kezar, Sharon Fries-Britt and Lorelle Espinosa.
By Adrianna Kezar, Sharon Fries-Britt and Lorelle Espinosa
In the summer of 1919, white supremacists unleashed terror across the nation, attacking and killing African Americans in and outside their home communities. Just over 100 years later, our nation’s fraught racial climate remains, and nothing exemplifies it more than the public murder of George Floyd and the senseless killings of multiple innocent African Americans at the hands of police over the last few months. This, combined with three years of white nationalists emboldened by a president with racist rhetoric and actions, has communities of color on the front line again protesting for racial justice and an end to police violence. The collective activism we have seen over the past weeks, and the despair expressed by Americans across the nation, will shape our campus communities now and over the coming years. The need for healing, community action and significant change by capable leaders who are informed allies and are willing to fight antiblack narratives could not be more evident. Yet too many colleges and universities have not meaningfully addressed their own histories of exclusion, which has deepened racial tensions and hindered efforts to cultivate an inclusive campus climate. Given the current social and political context, campuses must work even harder to engage in racial healing.