Columbus CEO
Columbus State Joins the University System of Georgia in Week-long Focus on Ethics
A week of professional development for Columbus State University students and employees beginning Monday, Nov. 6 will underscore the University System of Georgia’s commitment to ethics. Workshops, seminars and other campus events will focus on maintaining integrity, good judgment and dedication to public service among all members of the CSU community. Annually, Columbus State and the USG highlight this commitment through Ethics Awareness Week — part of a comprehensive Ethics and Compliance Program for all USG employees. This program includes a system-level Ethics Policy and Code of Conduct, ethics training for new employees and annual ethics refresher training for employees and students. The on-campus ethics program is open to community members as well as students and employees. Each will promote shared core values of integrity, excellence, accountability and respect.
The George-Anne
Meredith Shevlin, Reporter
A recent modification to the CORE curriculum at Georgia Southern University and what that means for students when deciding on a program, registering for classes, and even changing majors or minors.
What’s new: The most important change was the new semitic called IMPACTS (institutional priority, math, political science, arts, communicating, technology, and social science). Why does it matter? Soon, major courses will be able to be added by specific programs to the Field of Study area using IMPACTS.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Israel-Hamas war raises student safety concerns on Georgia college campuses
Charged atmosphere has led groups, colleges, federal government to watch out for hate crimes
By Vanessa McCray
Increased reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses are prompting fears about Georgia students’ safety. In an open letter to university presidents, Hillels of Georgia asked for extra police patrols on campuses and more training on what defines antisemitic conduct. …Schools in other parts of the nation are increasing security measures. …The University of Georgia said it’s increased police patrols around Jewish student organizations since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The school said it’s also monitored rallies and vigils and coordinated with Athens-Clarke County to have their police officers at larger events. During an Oct. 12 rally at UGA in support of Palestinians, one person was arrested after a confrontation with protesters on charges that included simple battery on a law enforcement officer. …Several other incidents on Georgia campuses have fed tensions. At Georgia Tech, police were called to investigate after someone used shaving cream to write “a pro-Palestinian message” on an outside wall of a Jewish fraternity. Mahmood, of CAIR-Georgia, said a Muslim student at Georgia Tech was attacked. A Georgia Tech spokesman said campus police are “investigating the reported assault of a student that occurred during a prayer vigil on campus.”
Dawson County News
This UNG public safety officer has been selected as a state Officer of the Year
Erica Jones, DCN Staff
One of the University of North Georgia’s public safety officers has been selected as the Georgia Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (GACLEA) Officer of the Year. According to a press release by the university, each year the GACLEA selects one officer within the state of Georgia to present the award to, recognizing their outstanding contributions to campus safety. UNG Public Safety Sgt. Charles “Brody” Clements was selected as the 2023 award recipient, making him the second UNG officer to have received the award. “Since joining the UNG team 13 years ago, Sgt. Clements has distinguished himself as a leader in our department and the community,” UNG’s Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Greg Williams said in the release. UNG Public Safety Capt. Dennis Dorsey nominated Clements for the award, describing him as one of the most well-known officers among faculty, staff and students and praising his customer service, character and dedication.
The Times-Georgian
West Georgia Regional Library System receives $5,000 grant
Special To The Times-Georgian
The West Georgia Regional Library System (WGLRS), in partnership with the University of West Georgia’s Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy (UWG CEEFL), has received a $50,000 grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. Grant funds will be used to develop a program called FLOW: Financial Literacy on Wheels that will provide financial literacy training to underserved communities through the use of the Library’s existing bookmobile.
Morning AgClips
Both Indoor Air & Water Can Lead to Deadly Radon Exposure
Naturally occurring radioactive gas is released from rocks
What is colorless, odorless and tasteless, responsible for 21,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. each year, and found throughout the world? Here’s a hint: it’s a gas that can be found on the periodic table. The answer is radon. The naturally occurring radioactive gas is released from rocks — such as granite — but is also released from soil and can seep into homes and buildings through small cracks or holes and build up in the indoor air we breathe. It also gets dissolved in underground water and enters homes through wells, especially private wells used for household water supplies. …The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that radon is the leading environmental cause of cancer and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking. Derek Cooper, a radon educator in the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS), said the delayed onset of health issues is part of why raising awareness of radon is so challenging in comparison to other home and human safety concerns, such as house fires and asbestos exposure.
FarmProgress
Why do cotton farmers really need dicamba?
Dicamba and glufosinate programs are effective in controlling Palmar amaranth if growers can get into their fields in a timely manner and apply that important first post-emergence application.
Brad Haire
Dicamba comes under scrutiny by regulatory agencies responding to off-target drift concerns or injury to sensitive crops near fields where dicamba is applied over the top to resistant crops. Stanley Culpepper says congressional staffers and other policy influencers sometimes ask this question: “Why do your cotton growers really need dicamba?” Timing has a lot to do with it. To help illustrate that point, the University of Georgia Extension weed specialist and his team in two years of study compared a timely and not so timely dicamba-based program to a timely and not so timely glufosinate-based program. Palmar amaranth was the target weed for each program in the study.
Athens Banner-Herald
Hickory horned devil might sound like a scary Halloween creature, but it’s actually a caterpillar
Emily Cabrera, University of Georgia
The hickory horned devil (Citheronia regalis) caterpillar is a marvel of nature’s creativity. With a name that conjures the spookiest Halloween imagery, the hickory horned devil (Citheronia regalis) caterpillar is a marvel of nature’s creativity, boasting a fearsome-looking appearance that is both off-putting and intriguing. With its mint-green body adorned in tubercles with jet-black tips, this nightmarish caterpillar appears dangerous, but don’t let appearances deceive you. …Will Hudson, a professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said this gruesome-looking caterpillar is more enchanting than it is menacing.
Georgia Trend
Thanks to Fort Moore, one out of every five jobs in the metro area is a government job.
Jeffrey Humphreys
Recent economic development successes have Columbus poised to outperform the state and the nation in 2024. Earlier this year, Pratt & Whitney announced the expansion of its operations in Columbus, which will create about 400 jobs. In mid-2022, AFB International announced that it would bring a new pet food manufacturing facility, along with about 100 jobs over five years, to the Muscogee Technology Park. …Thanks to Fort Moore, one out of every five jobs in the metro area is a government job. Indeed, Fort Moore is the largest employer in Columbus, followed by TSYS, Aflac, Piedmont Columbus Regional, St. Francis/Emory Healthcare, Pratt & Whitney, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Synovus, Columbus State University and West-Rock. …Columbus State University is a pillar of the local economy and has been a reliable source of economic growth. Its impact on the Columbus metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was 2,844 jobs in fiscal year 2022, due in part to the return of face-to-face instruction and more in-person events. Plus, Columbus State’s annual crop of newly minted graduates increases the pool of talent available locally and will help attract new high-tech businesses as well as spur entrepreneurial activity.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Expanded rights coming for Georgia migrant farmworkers
New government regulations would increase worker protections in the H-2A agricultural guestworker program.
By Lautaro Grinspan
Migrant farmworkers in Georgia and across the country are set to receive new protections from employer abuse. Last month, the Biden administration announced a set of new rules that aim to modernize the H-2A farmworker visa program, strengthening workers’ rights and creating avenues for migrants to leave bad employers without compromising their legal status in the country.
The H-2A program, which allows foreign farmworkers to legally come work in the U.S. for months at a time, is crucial to Georgia’s agricultural industry. Year after year, employers in the state bring in one of the country’s highest totals of H-2A workers. According to Dr. Cesar Escalante, a professor in the University of Georgia’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Georgia takes in a disproportionately large number of H-2A workers relative to other, bigger states, because there are scant sources of domestic farm labor here. Georgia farms also tend to produce more labor-intensive crops. Many are small and medium-sized operations that can’t afford to turn to mechanization as an alternative to bringing guestworkers in.
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine
Current Dry Period Impacting Cover Crop Establishment
By Clint Thompson
Drought-like conditions continue to plague the Southeast region. That has made establishing cover crops a challenge for specialty crop producers hoping to utilize the management strategy.
Extended periods of dry weather in the fall can impact cover crops being produced, according to Tim Coolong, associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Cover crops, (the dry weather is) important, especially on the organic part of the research farm. We’ve gotten our summer crops out and trying to cover crop for winter, and it’s been exceedingly dry,” Coolong said. “Getting germination has been an issue. When you haven’t had rain in several weeks, unless you overhead irrigate them, germination can be a problem.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Grizzlyfest homecoming event celebrates Georgia Gwinnett College community
From staff reports
There’s nothing like a little homecoming fun — something more and more people in the Georgia Gwinnett College community are learning. The school’s annual celebration has grown in recent years and includes engaging events and activities that lead up to Saturday homecoming. Events during Grizzlyfest week included student-centered activities such as a Sneaker Ball, a registered student organization competition, a lip-sync contest, campus cookouts, home games for the Grizzly men’s and women’s soccer teams and a college pep rally — just to name a few. “We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to engage the GGC community,” said Holly Lisle, GGC’s director of Alumni Engagement. During the week, marketing major Jasani “Golden” Byrd of Athens was crowned homecoming king and business major, Nadia Aganifor of Grayson was named homecoming queen.
The Red & Black
Voting for 2023 UGA Homecoming King and Queen is open
Libby Hobbs
Voting for the 2023 University of Georgia Homecoming King and Queen opened on Oct. 30. Students can cast their ballots on the UGA Involvement Network website or by clicking here until Friday, Nov. 3 at noon. The 101st UGA Homecoming week is in full swing with events scheduled throughout the week ahead of the annual homecoming game. Bulldog fans are called to the Classic City this Saturday, Nov. 4, when the back-to-back national champions face the Missouri Tigers. The 10 members of the court were selected by a panel of judges, according to the UGA Homecoming website. The student body then determines who will be king and queen via vote, and the winners will be announced at halftime of Saturday’s homecoming game.
Marietta Daily Journal
Splat: Kennesaw State Hosts Annual Pumpkin Launch
By Annie Mayne
Scenes from the 13th annual pumpkin launch at Kennesaw State University’s Marietta campus.
Albany Herald
Georgia Southwestern to host 10th Empty Bowls event
From staff reports
Faculty and students in the Department of Visual Arts at Georgia Southwestern State University, along with Harvest of Hope Food Pantry and local restaurants, are coming together for the university’s 10th annual Empty Bowls event to feed the hungry by selling hand-crafted ceramic bowls and soup. GSW Department of Visual Arts, the Ceramics program, and student organization Artists United are sponsoring Empty Bowls, which will take place on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry at 606 McGarrah St. in Americus.
Athens Banner-Herald
The first CFP rankings are out. Here’s where the committee placed Georgia football
Marc Weiszer
Georgia football, the No. 1 ranked team in the two major polls all season, is No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year. The Bulldogs, who are 8-0 heading into Saturday’s game with Missouri, were No. 1 last year also in the polls when the CFP rankings debuted and checked in at No. 3. …The 8-0 Bulldogs are behind No. 1 Ohio State in this year’s first rankings that came out Tuesday night. The rest of the top five is No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Washington.
Savannah Morning News
Why Katie Abrahamson-Henderson calls Georgia women’s basketball a ‘secret’ entering 2023-24
Sara Tidwell, Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia women’s basketball is a secret waiting to be told, according to coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Entering her second season at the helm, the Lady Bulldogs have a roster featuring plenty of new names and roles and rotations that won’t be known until the season opener on Nov. 6. “Secret meaning, I feel like a lot of people out in the media, everybody’s talking about all of these other teams and all these great transfer portals they have, all that stuff,” she said. “I think we have a lot of people on our team that nobody really knows about yet. That’s what I mean by secret, and I like that. I like to keep them a secret.” …”I’m loving (Georgia) so far,” Avinger said. “I’ve definitely been looking for this kind of change, just to be in a new environment and be in a family-loving culture.
Athens Banner-Herald
Son of legendary Dominique Wilkins following father’s footsteps to Georgia basketball
Marc Weiszer
A player with a last name considered royalty in Georgia basketball lore has made plans to suit up in Athens. Jacob Wilkins, son of former Bulldog and Naismith Memorial Basketball and National Collegiate Basketball hall of famer Dominique Wilkins, announced his commitment Tuesday evening to play for coach Mike White. He revealed his decision on the On3 Recruits YouTube channel. “I just feel at home,” Jacob Wilkins said. “I trust everyone there. I come in there with a last name but I know I’ll make my own name going there. Not just being the son of Dominque Wilkins, but Jacob Wilkins.” The 6-foot-9, 167-pound small forward is a four-star prospect for the 2025 class and will begin his junior season at Grayson High School.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chandler LeCroy’s estate denies liability in fatal UGA crash
Estate of football staffer who raced, drove drunk challenges lawsuit in high profile case
By Dylan Jackson
The estate of former UGA recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy says it is not liable for the injuries suffered by Georgia football staffer Victoria “Tory” Bowles, a passenger involved in a fatal January crash that killed LeCroy and Georgia football player Devin Willock. In a response filed Friday to Bowles’ lawsuit in Gwinnett County state court, attorneys for LeCroy’s estate say Bowles was negligent and failed to exercise “ordinary care” when she got in an SUV driven by LeCroy following a celebration at an Athens strip club.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man fatally shot at Georgia State MARTA station; suspect in custody
By David Aaro
A man was shot to death at the Georgia State MARTA station Tuesday afternoon, police said, the second shooting near the downtown Atlanta university campus since early Sunday. MARTA police are investigating the gunfire, which erupted around 1:20 p.m. at the station on Piedmont Avenue. Police said the victim was struck near a bench. His identity was not released. A male suspect was taken into custody and the scene remains active, MARTA police Sgt. Deneya Littles confirmed. No university students are believed to have been involved in the incident.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former AJC editor Jim Wooten was a voice for conservatives
Dies at 78
By Rebecca McCarthy
The moment Ann Jarrett spotted Jim Wooten, she wondered, “What’s happening to me? I need to know him.” They were in a fall journalism lab at the University of Georgia, and unlike other college boys in the mid-1960s, he wore a suit, a blue oxford shirt and a tie. He dressed for work: after class, he went to his fulltime job at the Athens Daily News covering local government. Weeks later, Ann and he started talking. By the following September, they were married and living in Macon, where both worked at the Macon News and Jim finished his final UGA course by mail. …James Roger Wooten, 78, died October 29 of complications from Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive neurological disease.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
In ‘Buyer’s Market,’ Tuition Increases Haven’t Outpaced Inflation
The College Board’s 2023 “Pricing and Student Aid” report shows that average published tuition and fees increased this year, but the increase was less than the rate of inflation.
By Kathryn Palmer
Despite public perceptions that the cost of college is too high, tuition prices remained relatively low this year. And while the average dollar amount colleges charged for tuition and fees rose for the 2023–24 academic year, those increases were less than inflation rates, according to the College Board’s 2023 “Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid” report released today. “We are seeing that some public school systems continue tuition freezes, which is welcome news, especially in the current inflationary environment,” said Jennifer Ma, executive research scientist for the College Board and co-author of the report. In-state students at public four-year institutions saw their tuition and fees increase by 2.5 percent this year before adjusting for inflation. The rates increased by 2.6 percent for in-district students at public two-year colleges and by 4 percent for students attending private nonprofit four-year institutions. But after adjusting for 4.5 percent inflation between the first eight months of 2022 and 2023, the report showed that average published tuition and fees fell across all three of those sectors.
Higher Ed Dive
ACE debuts revised metrics for achieving R1 status
The new methodology, part of the organization’s rework of the Carnegie Classifications, will take effect in 2025.
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Senior Reporter
Colleges that spend at least $50 million in research and development and award 70 or more research doctorate degrees will be able to attain the coveted R1 status under forthcoming changes to the Carnegie Classifications system that debuted Wednesday. The new metrics simplify a complex formula for determining R1, which stands for Research 1, or the very highest levels of research activity in the Carnegie Classifications. The American Council on Education, higher ed’s top lobby, said it will incorporate the new methodology for the classifications’ 2025 release. ACE last year assumed control of the Carnegie model, which for decades has grouped together colleges by level of research activity and educational purpose.
Inside Higher Ed
Cornell Student Arrested for Allegedly Threatening Jews
By Susan H. Greenberg
A 21-year-old junior at Cornell University was arrested Tuesday and charged with allegedly making threats over the weekend to kill Jewish students on campus. The federal criminal complaint charges Patrick Dai, 21, with “posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. The complaint alleges that Dai used an online discussion site to post messages calling for the deaths of Jews and threatening to “shoot up 104 west,” a dining hall that caters to students who keep kosher. He also allegedly threatened to “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you pig jews.”
Inside Higher Ed
Education Department: Arcadia University Violated Title IX
By Katherine Knott
Arcadia University mishandled complaints that a professor was sexually harassing students, violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights said Tuesday. The Office for Civil Rights found in its investigation that students and faculty reported the professor’s behavior to the Pennsylvania university between 2018 and 2021. Students even wrote about it on their course evaluations. “For example, a student stated that ‘[t]he professor made many sexual inappropriate comments on a regular basis. Everyone felt uncomfortable,’” the department said in a news release.
Higher Ed Dive
Grand Canyon University fined $37.7M over accusations of cost misrepresentations
An Education Department investigation alleges the Christian institution falsely advertised doctoral program costs to over 7,500 students
Natalie Schwartz, Editor
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is fining Grand Canyon University $37.7 million, accusing the large Christian institution of lying to thousands of current and former students about the cost of its doctoral programs. An investigation by the department’s Federal Student Aid office determined that Grand Canyon had falsely advertised the price of its doctoral programs to over 7,500 students since 2017. Although the university said the programs cost between $40,000 and $49,000, 98% of students ended up paying more, according to the Education Department. Grand Canyon has 20 days to request a hearing or submit materials to the Federal Student Aid office explaining why it shouldn’t be fined. In a statement Tuesday, Grand Canyon said it “categorically denies” the Education Department’s allegations and “will take all measures” to defend itself against them.
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Inside Higher Ed
Wis. Governor Sues Lawmakers Over Blocked Pay Raises
By Josh Moody
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, has sued Republican legislators for allegedly defying the state Constitution and undermining his executive powers by withholding approved raises for University of Wisconsin system employees. In a post on X, Evers accused the GOP of “violating the Wisconsin Constitution and unconstitutionally obstructing basic government functions,” including blocking raises at UW. Republican legislative leaders have blocked pay raises for UW employees—while approving salary increases for other state workers—due to a clash over the system’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, which GOP lawmakers have sought to eliminate from the budget. Prior media reports indicate the system spent $32 million on DEI efforts in the last two years. The battle over DEI spending reflects a national conservative movement to eliminate DEI practices at public institutions, with states such as Florida barring funds from being spent on DEI efforts.