University System News:
University Business
How to provide 24/7 counseling for college students
‘Isolation is a petri dish for bad mental health,’ University of North Georgia counseling director warns
By: Matt Zalaznick
The University of North Georgia is expanding counseling services to around-the-clock care as student mental health issues have been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. Before the pandemic, counselors at the university were already seeing a substantial increase in students’ seeking care. Demand for service grew by 40% from 2015 to 2020, says Simon Cordery, director of student counseling. Even more troubling, the increase in students struggling with suicidal thoughts surged by more than 400%, Cordery says. … The state of Georgia has provided emergency funding to expand counseling at all 26 institutions in the University System of Georgia. North Georgia is using its share of the funds to launch the “Nigel Cares” initiative, which is named after the school’s mascot, Nigel the Nighthawk.
WSB Radio
UGA athletics director pledges $100K to need-based aid
Need-based scholarship will support UGA students from Athens-Clarke County
Josh Brooks, the newly named J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics at the University of Georgia, recently pledged $100,000 to create a need-based scholarship that will support UGA students from Athens-Clarke County. “This generous gift reaffirms Josh’s commitment to the success of University of Georgia students,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I am very excited about the future of UGA Athletics with Josh at the helm, and this scholarship gift is a terrific start to his tenure. Need-based aid is a vital tool to improve our university, so we are grateful to Josh for his support in that area.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia grads working in Biden administration
By Eric Stirgus
President Joe Biden will have several people with prominent roles in his administration who graduated from various Georgia colleges and universities. Here are a few: …Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall
Sherwood-Randall is Biden’s pick for Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor. Sherwood-Randall is a Georgia Tech professor with joint appointments at the Nunn School of International Affairs and the Strategic Energy Institute. She was Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy from October 2014 to January 2017. …Adam Schultz
Schultz, a Georgia State University graduate, will be the Chief Official White House Photographer. He was Biden campaign’s lead photographer. …Ashley Jones
Jones, a University of Georgia graduate, will be a Special Assistant to the President and House Legislative Affairs Liaison. Jones has worked as a senior advisor to Ben Ray Luján when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Luján was elected last year as a U.S. senator representing New Mexico.
WGAU
New board helps guide UGA during coronavirus pandemic
13 experts from across campus help set policy
By Heather Skylar, UGA Today
Last semester, the University of Georgia was able to remain open while many universities across the country opted for completely virtual learning environments. Much of the credit for keeping the UGA campus safe and in operation can be owed to a team of 13 experts from a wide variety of backgrounds who make up the Preventative Measures Advisory Board. PMAB helped to determine the safest methods for conducting in-person classes during a pandemic based on current COVID-19 research and CDC guidelines. They worked to figure how to keep the marching band practicing and performing without potentially spreading germs. From the UGA golf course to football games to air ventilation and strategically placed plexiglass shields, PMAB worked hard to outsmart the looming threat of COVID-19.
WJBF
Cybersecurity expert on ways you can protect yourself from scammers
by: Mary Calkins
Internet scammers continue to be on the prowl, especially during a pandemic. Dr. Michael Nowatkowski is an associate professor at Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. He says there are red flags that can help you spot a scammer. If someone claims to be contacting you from the government, and they ask for confidential personal information, it is likely not legitimate.
Albany CEO
Georgia Southwestern to Host 41st Annual MLK Convocation
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) will host its 41st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation virtually on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. with Reverend Jane E. Thomas, Presiding Elder of the Fort Valley-Savannah Episcopal District, serving as keynote speaker. This year’s theme for the convocation is “The Dream that Changed the World.” While GSW has been hosting the annual convocation for 41 years, this is the first time the campus event has been held virtually. Only participating members of the program will take the stage in the Convoc
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Jan. 20)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 11,411 | Deaths have been confirmed in all counties but one (Taliaferro). This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 695,400 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
COVID-19 deaths spike in Georgia, White House reports
By J. Scott Trubey
Final report of Trump administration urges statewide mandate for mask wearing to combat the virus’ spread. ‘Mask mandates work,’ White House says.
Georgia ranked 6th worst in the nation for the rate of new coronavirus infections last week and the state vaulted up the rankings in the rate of new fatalities amid a surging death toll from the third wave of the pandemic, according to a new federal report. Georgia ranked 14th in the rate of new COVID-19 deaths last week, up from 43rd a week earlier in the latest White House Coronavirus Task Force report, the final one under the Trump administration.
11ALIVE
‘No evidence of containment’ in COVID-19 resurgence in Georgia, WH report says
Georgia is seeing stability in new cases and a ‘slight decrease’ in test positivity and new hospitalizations, but the community spread of the virus is still rampant.
Author: Adrianne M Haney
The coronavirus pandemic in Georgia is showing signs of reaching a plateau stage in this latest, vicious surge of the virus, but the White House Coronavirus Task Force warned in its latest report that there is “no evidence of containment” of the virus. The report dated Jan. 17, the last issued by the team under now-former President Trump’s administration, painted a still-dire picture in the state.
Statesboro Herald
State: Vaccine rollout slow, but improving
Bulloch providers awaiting more vaccine shipments
JIM HEALY/staff
After a slow start to its coronavirus vaccine rollout, Georgia is reporting progress in getting people injected though it is still behind the best-performing states in the country. Kemp said in a statement Georgia had “a long way to go,” but the latest figures show “encouraging progress” amid a limited supply of vaccine. In Bulloch County, the Bulloch County Health Department is set up as one of four COVID vaccine clinics in the 16-county Southeast Health District. District Public Information Officer Katie Hadden, however, said no more vaccine appointments are available through the first week of February at the Statesboro office on Altman St.
WJBF
COVID-19 Vaccine distribution regulations between the two-state
by: Jenna Kelley
As vaccines begin to rollout, there are some rules states must follow for distribution. We’re taking a closer look at those doses can be administered in South Carolina. So each state has a different system for allocating the vaccines. Dr. Phillip Coule at Augusta University says this is why it is a rule for those to get vaccinated in the state they reside in. In South Carolina, that’s anyone 70 or older along with front line workers. Dr. Coule says if you are a South Carolina resident, and you get vaccinated in Georgia it is not only against CDC regulations, but they will also have to report the dose in Georgia and South Carolina. This reason is so South Carolina and Georgia can allocate enough doses for their specific population.
MSN
AU Health gets OK to open COVID-19 vaccine site in South Carolina
Staff and wire reports
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control gave the hospital approval Wednesday morning. Hospital administrators are working on finalizing where the clinic will be set up. They expect to be able to begin vaccinating in Aiken County late next week or early the following week, depending on vaccine supply. The move comes as South Carolina grapples with vaccination issues. And while not having enough doses is part of the problem, lawmakers in the Palmetto State have created a vaccine review committee that will meet later this week. Local Rep. Bill Hixon said state health officials weren’t prepared, but the state plans to do better.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Biden Extends Break on Repaying Student Loans
President Biden gives student loan borrowers an additional nine months before they have to start making payments again.
By Kery Murakami
The Education Department said Wednesday night that at President Joe Biden’s request, it is continuing to give student loan borrowers a break from making their monthly payments for another nine months, until Sept. 30. The department’s student aid website was also updated to reflect the pause had been extended. The department said the order came from Phil Rosenfelt, who was named acting education secretary. However, advocacy groups for borrowers urged him to go further. “Borrowers of all ages are often faced with a tough trade-off between making their student loan payments, investing in their long-term financial future, or paying their bills. The pandemic has only increased the economic hardship of the millions of Americans who have student debt,” Biden said in an executive order he issued after being sworn in as president. The move was expected after David Kamin, who will be deputy director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Jan. 11 Biden would be continuing the pause, which was due to run out on Feb. 1. Kamin, though, didn’t say how long borrowers would be given a break from having to pay.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Biden’s Pick to Lead Consumer Protection Agency Is an Aggressive Advocate for Student Borrowers
By Vimal Patel
President Biden has named a strong advocate for student-loan borrowers to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a peace offering to the energized left flank of his party, and also a sign that the incoming administration wants aggressive oversight of student-loan servicers. Rohit Chopra, a member of the Federal Trade Commission, previously served as the bureau’s student- loan ombudman, where he was an ally of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, a key figure in the creation of the consumer-rights agency. Debtor advocates lauded the move, calling Chopra a “trailblazer” who cracked down on predatory for-profit colleges and rooted out abusive practices in servicing student loans. “Rohit’s nomination means that the strongest advocate for student-loan borrowers in our current history will be leading the bureau,” said Natalia Abrams, executive director of Student Debt Crisis, an advocacy group.
Inside Higher Ed
Biden Makes Immigration Day 1 Priority
President proposes an immigration bill with a path to legalization and signs executive orders preserving DACA and overturning Trump’s travel ban targeting Muslim-majority counties.
By Elizabeth Redden
President Biden on his first day in office Wednesday proposed an immigration bill that features a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and makes Dreamers — young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children — immediately eligible for green cards. He also signed a memorandum directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to take actions aimed at “preserving and fortifying” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. A separate executive order repealed a controversial travel ban policy established by former president Trump that barred nationals from a group of mostly Muslim-majority and African countries from entering the United States.