University System News:
The Brunswick News
College reports low COVID-19 numbers
By LAUREN MCDONALD
The number of COVID-19 cases reported by College of Coastal Georgia is low this far into the fall semester, and campus officials say it’s due to student and staff compliance with safety guidelines. As of Wednesday, 22 students and two employees had reported testing positive for COVID-19 within two days of symptom onset or the date of their test after having been on campus. Twelve students and one employee reported testing positive, but not being on campus, within two days of symptom onset or the day of their test. Michelle Johnston, president of CCGA, said she’s grateful the number of COVID-19 cases at the college is low.
The Times-Georgian
Virus transmission up, but positive COVID cases drop in county
By Stephanie Allen
Carroll County is once again considered a county with high COVID-19 transmission indicators by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The Georgia Department of Public Health provides weekly updates on COVID-19. … Carroll County School System, Carrollton City Schools, the University of West Georgia, and West Georgia Technical College all give updates on weekly data for the virus. …At the University of West Georgia, as of Oct. 7, 4 students and 2 employee have reported testing positive for COVID-19 during the week of Sept. 30 through Oct. 6.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Staff Report
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Emory University School of Medicine and the Georgia Institute of Technology have received an additional $18.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue their verification of COVID-19 diagnostic tests. The funding is from the NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program, an initiative designed to transform innovative technologies into widely accessible COVID-19 diagnostic testing. In addition to the initial $31 million awarded to the team in May, Children’s, Emory and Georgia Tech have now received a total of $54 million from NIH for RADx projects. In April, it was announced that Children’s, Emory and Georgia Tech were selected to lead the national effort in test validation and verification through the Atlanta Center for Microsystems Engineered Point-of-Care Technologies (ACME POCT).
Patch
Georgia Southern Public Health Students Promoting Global Handwashing Day Amid Pandemic
Students in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) are bringing awareness to the importance of hand-washing.
Students in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) are bringing awareness to the importance of hand-washing in accordance with Global Handwashing Day, which is Oct. 15. The students are in a Global Health Policy class taught by Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, Bill Mase, DrPH, who said knowing proper hand-washing techniques is crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. …Mase said the biggest challenge is making sure people understand how to wash their hands thoroughly, which includes using soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds and cleaning under fingernails. …Mase believes the students in his class are leading by example, and he said overall his students are making positive impacts on their peers.
11Alive
Verify: Trackers have not been found on cars at Georgia universities
Social media posts from around the country claim trackers are being found on female college student’s cars, connected to human trafficking.
Author: Lindsey Basye, Danielle Herman
For years, there have been claims online about human traffickers placing tracking devices on vehicles with the intention of snatching young women later. Since the start of the 2020 school year, there have been even more claims, nationwide, about female college students finding trackers on their cars. After a viewer reached out to us concerned about the claims, our 11Alive Verify team set out to find answers.
Question: Are trackers being found on cars at Georgia college campuses? Answer:
No. According to the universities we spoke to and city police departments, no trackers have been found.
Sources: We checked with campus police and local authorities in eight metro Atlanta college towns. Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, and Atlanta Police. All said they haven’t received any reports of this. University of Georgia, Athens-Clarke County Police, and Statesboro Police said they have had reports of possible trackers but haven’t found any evidence of them.
Forbes
Face Masks Could Prevent 50 Million Covid-19 Cases In The US
John Drake Contributor, professor at the University of Georgia.
I have argued that there is a strong case for universal masking to contain the spread of Covid-19. Here I dig a little deeper into the science of why. The first thing to understand is that there are three primary routes of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19: (1) Respiratory droplets greater than 10 microns that are expelled while breathing, talking, sneezing, or coughing; (2) Aerosols that are like droplets, but less than 10 microns in size; and (3) Fomites, i.e. surfaces like doorknobs and light switches that are contaminated through direct touch or through droplets that have landed.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fund created in memory of UGA law school’s first Black grad
The University of Georgia has established an endowment in memory of the law school’s first Black graduate, who died in August
The University of Georgia has established an endowment in memory of the law school’s first Black graduate, who died in August. The Chester C. Davenport Memorial Endowment Fund will support scholarships and fellowships for incoming students in the School of Law who have graduated from historically Black colleges and universities in Georgia. “We are proud to establish the Chester C. Davenport Memorial Endowment Fund as a tribute to such a notable alumnus,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead in a news release. “The new scholarships and fellowships it creates will help us recruit outstanding students from diverse backgrounds who have the potential to bring great distinction to our institution through their lives and careers, just as Mr. Davenport did.” Davenport earned his law degree in 1966, finishing in the top 5% of his class, the university said. As a student, he also served as a founding member of the editorial board for the Georgia Law Review.
The Brunswick News
CCGA cops: Students robbed, assaulted man in sex sting
By LARRY HOBBS
Two College of Coastal Georgia students allegedly met a man on the social dating site Grindr, arranged a sex-for-money tryst, then robbed him on Oct. 2 and shot him with a hail of pellets, according to campus police and arrest warrants. College of Coastal Georgia police on Wednesday arrested Aden Kulch and Kyle Lewis Kelsch, both 18. They remained Friday in the Glynn County Detention Center, without bond. Kulch is charged with prostitution, theft by deception, party to the commission of a crime, and lying to authorities; Kelsch is charged with prostitution, aggravated assault and theft.
WFXG
Medical College of Georgia, AU Health launch new pediatric sickle cell telehealth center
By Abby Bradshaw
The Pediatric Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University has opened a new telehealth center to better serve pediatric patients across the state. Thanks to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the center can better reach patients through new teleconferencing equipment. The improved teleconferencing technology offers patients another avenue to receive needed care. Director of the Pediatric Sickle Cell program, Dr. Betty Pace, says the older equipment created difficulties when meeting with patients online. “The technology for the old system was not very clear visually. It was sort of less resolution for the pictures being able to see the physical exam the tympanic membrane of children.”
WABE
Georgia Nonprofits Focus On Fitness Among Middle School Girls
Andy Miller, Georgia Health News
In the fifth grade, 51% of girls in Georgia have healthy aerobic ability. By the 12th grade, the number plummets to 31%. What’s causing this drop? And what can be done about it? A group of nonprofits, led by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, have decided to focus on the issue — and on middle school girls’ fitness. The foundation has awarded $4.1 million to Norcross-based HealthMPowers to develop a program to improve fitness of these middle-schoolers. The GEM (Girls Empowering Movement) program – named by girls involved in the effort – is based on identifying obstacles to their fitness and creating solutions. GEM is taking its cues and ideas from girls themselves. …Research has shown physical activity can improve cognitive and mental health, enhance self-esteem, and reduce levels of anxiety, stress and depression. Besides HealthMPowers, other GEM partners include the Georgia Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, and the University of West Georgia.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seasonal hiring underway but likely won’t make up for layoffs
By Michael E. Kanell
Georgia companies continue to lay off workers in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but there was modest improvement in hiring in last month. The Georgia Department of Labor processed 44,874 new claims for unemployment benefits last week, up slightly from the previous week, officials said Thursday. In August, Georgia added 21,700 jobs, a slower pace than the three previous months. Even many profitable companies are being cautious, said Jason Delaney, economist at Georgia Gwinnett College. “There’s just so much uncertainty,” he said. “Businesses just hate that.” With the holidays approaching, many are hoping hiring will pick up. But it won’t be the same as past years. “Bricks and mortar retailers are going to be hiring fewer people,” Delaney said. “But places with a robust online presence will be hiring.”
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Oct. 11)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
DEATHS: 7,416 | Deaths have been confirmed in all counties but one (Taliaferro). County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 331,409 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Education Dive
Enrollment fell at more than half of colleges this fall: survey
Dive Brief:
Slightly more than half of nearly 300 college presidents surveyed in September by the American Council on Education (ACE) say their campuses’ enrollment is lower this fall than a year ago, with community college executives reporting decreases the most. Thirty-one percent of private four-year college presidents said they enrolled more students this fall, compared to 15% of public four-year and 10% of public two-year leaders. Some 70% of four-year college execs reported decreased international student enrollment. The share of college presidents reporting enrollment decreases this fall (55%) matches projections across all institution types.
The Washington Post
Strapped for students, colleges finally begin to clear transfer logjam
By Jon Marcus
When the coronavirus pandemic threw higher education into chaos, Lebanon Valley College quietly took a small step with big implications. The private college in Annville, Pa., near Harrisburg, promised that the general education courses taken by any student transferring from another accredited institution would count toward a degree — something that doesn’t usually happen and is among the reasons students who transfer lose many of the credits they’ve already earned and paid for. The measure wasn’t only a way to give a boost to students churning through a global health emergency. It was also meant to help the college meet its enrollment targets for this turbulent fall and improve its diversity in a year of renewed emphasis on racial equity. … Now the college hopes to make the temporary transfer policy permanent, just as many other institutions and policy organizations are also seizing this moment to finally fix one of the biggest, costliest and most time-consuming logjams in higher education. Among other changes, institutions are accepting more of the academic credits students earned elsewhere, something many have previously been resistant to doing.
Inside Higher Ed
Appalachian State Grapples With Aftermath of Student Death
Confusion and concern mount in the wake of a student’s death as COVID-19 infections spread.
By Rick Seltzer
It’s been a difficult few weeks at Appalachian State University after one of its students died at the end of September following a COVID-19 infection. That student, 19-year-old Chad Dorrill, was a sophomore studying to become a physical therapist. He died Sept. 28, weeks after going home with symptoms, quarantining and then returning to Boone, N.C. He became one of the first known college students to have died from COVID-19 or related complications this fall.
Inside Higher Ed
Court Orders Pay for Ousted Florida State Student Senate President
By Greta Anderson
A federal judge recently ruled that Florida State University must continue to pay wages to Jack Denton, former Student Senate president, who was removed from his position after he discouraged fellow students from donating to organizations that do not align with his Catholic beliefs, according to a Oct. 8 court order filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.