University System News:
Columbus CEO
CSU Students Excelled in Spring 2020 Despite COVID-19
Staff Report
Columbus State University students showed an improvement in grades for the Spring 2020 semester, despite facing unprecedented challenges related to COVID-19. The proportion of A grades achieved by students increased from 45.9% in Spring 2019 to 52.4% in Spring 2020. Meanwhile the failing or withdrawal (DFW) rate decreased from 14.5% to 11.2%. “I am incredibly proud of our students for finishing the semester strong, despite the extraordinary circumstances they faced,” said President Markwood. “I also would like to thank our kind, compassionate, and dedicated faculty and staff who worked tirelessly to support and encourage students through this tough time. These grades are a testament to the strength and determination that characterizes our CSU family.”
Times-Georgian
UWG program receives grant to facilitate cultural change program
By Allie Smith Special to the Times-Georgian
The University of West Georgia’s College of Education recently received a $105,039 grant from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Office to implement the College Adopt a School Program. The goal is for the university to partner with a local high school and implement a plan to help prevent the use and abuse of opioids and drugs. This program approaches this issue through bringing awareness to mental health issues among students and providing tools for students who face these issues.
The Red & Black
Incoming UGA freshmen weigh in on what they hope to see in the fall amid COVID-19
Lora Yordanova | Contributor
The usual anticipation of students coming into their first semester at the University of Georgia is underscored this year by concerns of safety in light of the coronavirus. “I don’t want to be in an environment where I could get it or infect other people … It’s scary being in that environment with so many people I’ve never been around before,” said Ethan Schmitt, an incoming freshman chemistry major from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell. Student worries reflect the concerns of the university as they work to come up with a plan that balances student and staff safety with financial concerns and the on-campus experience that no one wants to miss out on.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Maureen Downey
Tech will provide students in dorms with thermometer, mask, sanitizer and disinfectant wipes
Georgia Tech released its fall reopening plan today, which features a compressed schedule in which classes end at Thanksgiving, five delivery modes of instruction that include hybrid and remote classes, testing of students with symptoms, dorm reconfigurations to eliminate triple or quad rooms and limits on campus events. Cloth masks will be provided, and their use will be “strongly encouraged,” but not mandated.
Savannah Morning News
Testing all athletics included in Georgia Southern’s contingency plans
By McClain Baxley
There are three contingency plans for Georgia Southern University students to return to campus during the coronavirus pandemic, the school released in a PDF sent to students Thursday. At the base level, the three contingency plans are: fall classes in person, beginning with social distancing; the second is classes begin fully online; and the third is classes and operations must go online for a certain period of time during the semester. “The goal of this planning document and preparation of our faculty and staff, is to provide a path of continued quality instruction and vibrant institutional environment that can seamlessly shift between best practices in face-to-face, hybrid, and online delivery for a period of time, all based on public health information and direction,” the plan reads. “For this plan to be successful, it will be essential that solutions exist for testing, screening, contact tracing, isolation, and notification.”
The Macon Telegraph
UGA sports teams get good news on next phases of summer workouts
By Brandon Sudge
Another sport takes another step toward normalcy after the NCAA Division I council passed legislation Wednesday night. Men’s and women’s programs can begin required activities on July 20. The virtual and in-person activities cannot exceed more than eight hours per week, according to the NCAA. Multiple sources told The Telegraph that Georgia women’s basketball players will return to campus Monday on a voluntary basis. The players were informed of updated plans Tuesday afternoon and were advised on numerous measures to ensure safety. Each player will be tested for COVID-19 and a four-week acclimation period will take place leading up to the July 20 start date.
WSAV
6 Georgia Southern students test positive for COVID-19
Six college students recently tested positive for COVID-19, Georgia Southern University officials confirmed Thursday. “Georgia Southern follows Georgia Department of Public Health guidance to ensure the health and safety of our community,” a spokesperson for the university said. Georgia Southern did not release any additional information on the students’ cases.
The Red & Black
UGA School of Social Work provides support groups for small businesses during COVID-19
Denali Lerch | News Assistant
To provide resources for local businesses affected by COVID-19, the University of Georgia School of Social Work is providing solidarity support groups via Zoom. These sessions are designed to help local business owners navigate stress and fatigue derived from running a business during the pandemic. The support groups will run from June 15 through July 20. The support groups are free and offered weekly for “small business owners to connect with other business owners while addressing topics of stress, self-care, resilience, mindfulness and coping,” according to a Facebook post by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. Solidarity Support Groups, a group within the UGA School of Social Work, consists of a team of faculty members and social work graduate students. Other support groups they offer are caregiver solidarity to address common issues with stress and resiliency, and sibling solidarity to provide a space for adolescent siblings with disabilities to connect with each other, their website says.
GPB
Political Rewind: Coronavirus Remains A Daunting, Shifting Issue
By Bill Nigut
Thursday on Political Rewind, the coronavirus outbreak remains a daunting public health challenge in Georgia and across the country. Several states have reported their largest one-day increases in case numbers in the past week. So how does Georgia fit into this stage of the pandemic? Panelists: …Dr. Joshua Weitz – Professor of Biology, Georgia Tech
National Science Foundation
Researchers use machine learning algorithm to analyze consumer data
Machine learning techniques may provide best insight yet on electric vehicles
With electric vehicles making their way into the mainstream, building out the nationwide network of charging stations to keep them going will be increasingly important. Electric vehicles are considered a crucial part of the solution to climate change: Transportation is now the leading contributor of climate-warming emissions. But one major barrier to broader adoption of electric vehicles is the perception of a lack of charging stations, and the attending “range anxiety” that makes many drivers nervous about buying an electric vehicle. A new National Science Foundation-funded study by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers harnesses machine learning techniques to provide the best insight yet into the attitudes of electric vehicle drivers about the existing charger network. The findings could help policymakers focus their efforts. In the paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, a team led by Omar Isaac Asensio describes training a machine learning algorithm to analyze consumer data from 12,270 electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S.
Engadget
A robot sloth will (very slowly) survey endangered species
Slower is sometimes better.
SlothBot watches over the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Jon Fingas
Most animal-inspired robots are designed to move quickly, but Georgia Tech’s latest is just the opposite. Their newly developed SlothBot is built to study animals, plants and the overall environment below them by moving as little as possible. It inches along overhead cables only when necessary, charging itself with solar panels to monitor factors like carbon dioxide levels and weather for as long as possible — possibly for years. It even crawls toward the sunlight to ensure it stays charged. The 3D-printed shell helps SlothBot blend in (at least in areas where sloths live) while sheltering its equipment from the rain.
WJBF
Black Student Union demands change at Augusta University
By: Wes Cooper
Members of a student organization at Augusta University say they want change. The Black Student Union is delivering a list of demands to school leaders over what they say is racial discrimination and harassment. “We’re tired. I wouldn’t even say it’s upset, it’s more of a ‘we’re tired, we’re sick of asking,’” said Sydney Strong, President of the Black Student Union. The BSU is calling for the university to implement a “zero-tolerance policy” on acts of racism and to create a system to report racial discrimination of people of color. Strong said, “It just doesn’t make sense to me how there’s no way to report these incidents.
The George-Anne
What is Georgia Southern doing to combat recent racist incidents?
By Andy Cole
In the last two weeks, two separate instances of Georgia Southern students in blackface have left some in the campus community to wonder, “What are GS officials doing to combat these incidents?” Ansley Moody and Logan Sierra have been the subjects of public scrutiny since images of them in blackface went viral on multiple social media platforms. In the immediate wake of these incidents, GS officials provided statements to The George-Anne and other media partners. While it may seem, to some, that all GS is doing is condemning the actions through a statement, the reality is that they are doing more than most realize. In the staff listening session, held by TaJuan Wilson, associate vice president for inclusive excellence and chief diversity officer, Shay Little, vice president for student affairs, confirmed to those on the call that she has had conversations with Moody and Sierra.
The Augusta Chronicle
Gov. Kemp: Virginia company to bring jobs, open regional office at Georgia Cyber Center in Augusta
By Jozsef Papp
Prespecta Inc. will be opening a new regional office at the Georgia Cyber Center, creating more than 100 jobs in the area. According to a release by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office, Perspecta, a U.S. government services provider based in Virginia, will create 178 jobs in Richmond County and the surrounding area in support of the U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon. Jobs will be located on base and at the cyber center. “It’s a pleasure to see this pioneering company put down roots at the Georgia Cyber Center,” Kemp said in a release. “Perspecta’s investment here is a testament to Georgia’s significant investments in cybersecurity and information technology as well as the talent required by these industries. I look forward to seeing the opportunities that this announcement creates for the hardworking Georgians in the Central Savannah River Area.”
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated June 18, 3pm)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 2,605 | Deaths confirmed in 141 counties. For one death, the county is unknown, and for 40 deaths, the residence was determined to be out-of-state. CONFIRMED CASES: 60,912 | 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 1,147 cases, the county is unknown. For 2,872 cases, the residence was determined to be out-of-state.
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Professors, administrators, students, and staff on the most consequential question facing the sector
Should colleges open in-person in the fall? “Colleges and universities are up to the challenge,” wrote Christina Paxson, Brown University’s president in The New York Times. Purdue’s Mitch Daniels Jr. agrees, arguing that “even a phenomenon as menacing as Covid-19 is one of the inevitable risks of life.” Among college leaders, their view seems widely held. Of the nearly 1,000 colleges whose fall plans The Chronicle is tracking, the vast majority plan to open in person. Yet vociferous resistance has emerged. Robert Kelchen, a professor at Seton Hall University, has argued that college leaders are guilty of political posturing and unrealistic optimism. Stan Yoshinobu, a mathematician at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, wrote: “I have a hard time imagining a more efficient way to ruin a community than by forcing it to reopen in the middle of a global pandemic.” We asked a broad swath of respondents, including professors, presidents, administrators, graduate students, and a rising freshman: Should colleges open in-person in the fall? Here’s what they told us.
Inside Higher Ed
College presidents and higher education groups speak out to praise Supreme Court decision keeping DACA in place. Some now call on Congress to act.
By Elizabeth Redden
College presidents and higher education groups on Thursday widely celebrated a Supreme Court decision keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in place. DACA provides protections against deportation and work authorization to hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants, known as Dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. as children. Federal courts had blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to end the program, which was established by President Obama in 2012, on the grounds that it was not following proper procedure. On Thursday, a five-member majority of the Supreme Court agreed, keeping the program in place at least for now. College leaders and associations representing a wide spectrum of higher education praised the ruling and in some cases called on Congress to act to make protections for Dreamers permanent and give them the opportunity to obtain American citizenship. Below are excerpts of some of the statements, with links to the full statements. …Common App
Common App applauds the decision of the Supreme Court to uphold DACA. We believe that all students, regardless of their immigration status, should have the ability to apply to and attend college without fear of reprisal.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
‘We Can’t Ignore This Issue’: How to Talk With Students About Racism
By Beth McMurtrie
Talking With Students About Racism
As protests over the police killing of George Floyd and other Black people, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and debates about policing put the spotlight on the country’s struggles with racism, many professors are wondering how to address those events in their classrooms this fall. Should they talk about race and racism with their students? And if so, what should they say? What connections could they make to their coursework, or their discipline? And how do professors, whose ranks are disproportionately white, prepare themselves for those difficult conversations and explorations? After all, you don’t know where your students are coming from. Some have participated in protests, or have friends and family members living through these experiences. Others have been watching from afar, not sure what to make of issues like defunding the police or unclear about terms like “systemic racism.” And you may never have explored the topic personally, or in your scholarly work or teaching. I posed those questions to several teaching experts. And while each had a different area of expertise and perspective, they were notably similar in their advice.