University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia medical students work to free up doctors in coronavirus fight
By Eric Stirgus
Last year, Augusta native Susan Brands was learning how to do CPR. Next week, she’ll put her additional medical skills to practice to combat the coronavirus. Brands, 25, is among 400 third- and fourth-year students at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University who are scheduled to begin assisting the state’s 18 public health districts, advising patients about whether they need to be tested for the virus and performing other tasks, the college announced this week. They’re among the many medical students statewide getting an early start to their medical careers as crowded hospitals grapple with the flood of patients seeking care.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University of North Georgia student tests positive for COVID-19
By Eric Stirgus
A University of North Georgia student has tested positive for COVID-19, the school announced late Wednesday. The unidentified student was last on the Gainesville campus on the evening of March 11, university officials said in a message to students, staff and faculty. The student is being treated at a local hospital. The student’s condition was not mentioned in the announcement. There have been nearly 1,400 confirmed cases and 47 Georgians who have died from the coronavirus, state officials said Wednesday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Latest Atlanta coronavirus news: Brian Kemp prepares for town hall tonight
By Nancy Clanton
There are now 1,387 confirmed cases and 47 deaths in Georgia… 6 a.m.: About 400 third- and fourth-year students at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are scheduled to begin assisting the state’s 18 public health districts. Eric Stirgus reports they will be advising patients about whether they need to be tested for the virus and performing other tasks, the college announced this week.
Statesboro Herald
Georgia Southern students move out
By Al Hackle
In something like a low-key reversal of the annual Operation Move-In, volunteer-assisted efforts have been underway to move most – but not all – of Georgia Southern University’s more than 4,700 campus resident students out of the Statesboro and Armstrong campuses by Sunday. Last week was spring break, and this week is an added, emergency-related break in classes before they are slated to resume Monday with almost all courses being taught online. This is the situation at all 26 University System of Georgia institutions for the remainder of spring semester 2020 under the USG’s March 16 directive in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students who usually live on campus but have other homes to go to are required to leave.
Marietta Daily Journal
‘Break the chain’: How will Georgia halt the spread of coronavirus?
By Beau Evans, Capitol Beat News Service
How far should Georgia go to curb the spread of coronavirus while also protecting the economy from collapse?
It’s a question state and local leaders are grappling with as COVID-19 continues sickening Georgians at a rapid pace and has led to nearly three dozen deaths as of noon Tuesday. Many officials and observers worry executive orders Gov. Brian Kemp issued this week may not go far enough to slow the virus’s transmission rate. Others say leaders across the country are left with few options due to the small number of tests that have been conducted so far… Beyond curfews and isolation orders, state and local officials also need to temporarily ignore political jurisdictions so that hospitals can serve as many people in a given area as possible, said Grace Bagwell Adams, an associate professor of health policy and management at the University of Georgia… Already, epidemiologists across the world are predicting areas could see a second outbreak of coronavirus late in the year once the current wave slows down this summer, said Dr. Isaac Fung, an associate professor of epidemiology at Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health.
WMAZ-TV
Dodge County pharmacist producing possible treatment for coronavirus
By Ashlynn Webb
If you heard President Donald Trump speak over the past few days, you probably heard him talking about a possible cure for COVID-19. Right now, nothing has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, meaning it hasn’t gone through the usual round of tests to prove that it works. However, a Dodge County pharmacist has started producing this drug combination and says he’ll provide it free… However, some experts, like Dr. Chris Bland with the University of Georgia’s College of Pharmacy, says there’s only been one study on the treatment not enough proof that it works. “Very limited data…very limited patients, there were less than 50 patients in that study that have been touted. It only looked at how well it dropped in the body, not outcomes like hospitalizations and even death,” Bland said.
People Magazine
Should You Be Washing Your Vegetables with Soap? How to Safely Cook at Home During Coronavirus
By Shay Spence
As the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S., leading to restaurant closures and extreme social distancing measures, many people are finding themselves cooking all their meals at home—but even with that comes some theoretical risk… But is this really necessary, and is it safe in itself? “Using soap has never really been recommended for fresh produce before, and our recommendation has still been to use water and rinse,” Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, director of Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, tells PEOPLE. “But if people want to do it, it’s innocuous. I don’t have any evidence that it will for sure reduce risk of the virus because we don’t have the research.”
Henry Herald
SAT, ACT scores no longer required for Clayton State 2020 summer, fall admissions
By Staff Reports
Clayton State University is waiving the SAT and ACT scores for first-year students with a sufficiently high GPA who are admitted for the summer and fall 2020 semesters. The move was prompted by the impact of COVID-19 and was authorized by the University System of Georgia. The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that administers both college entrance exams, recently announced it was suspending all upcoming SAT and ACT testing dates.
Higher Education News:
Marietta Daily Journal
Life University suspends SAT and ACT requirements for upcoming quarters
By Thomas Hartwell
Following advice from the University System of Georgia and an earlier decision by Kennesaw State University, Life University in Marietta will waive SAT and ACT requirements for upcoming spring, summer and fall academic quarters this year, according to a news release. Like other educational institutions in Cobb and the state, Life suspended classes to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Congress Is Poised to Pass a Coronavirus Stimulus Deal. Here’s What’s in It for Higher Ed.
By Danielle McLean
Congress is poised to give colleges and students whose semesters were upended by the coronavirus pandemic more than $14 billion in emergency relief, according to the text of a spending deal struck on Tuesday night by the White House and the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan stimulus bill, which is expected to pass both chambers of Congress this week, would give students and colleges more funding than in an earlier bill proposed by Senate Republicans. It would also temporarily suspend student-loan payments over six months, through the end of September.
Inside Higher Ed
Already Looking for the Next Stimulus
By Kery Murakami
Advocates who have been pushing for student loan debt to be canceled were disappointed that, even with a $2.2 trillion price tag, the stimulus package approved by the U.S. Senate late Wednesday night doesn’t do more. The president of the umbrella association representing colleges and universities also expressed disappointment, saying the amount of aid for higher education institutions in the bill is “woefully inadequate.” So even before the Senate sent the relief package to the House, lobbyists were looking ahead to the next stimulus package, which Congress has already begun discussing.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Emily Haynes
Jenna Civitello had already mailed the save-the-date cards and recruited 600 volunteers to help raise money for Emory University’s April 2 giving day. As director of alumni and constituent giving, she had been working flat-out since January to plan events and craft direct-mail and online appeals. Donations from the 24-hour campaign, which topped $1 million last year, would support the university’s schools and programs. But five days after sending the mailing, her best-laid plans went awry.
The coronavirus was spreading quickly across the country, and densely populated areas, such as college campuses, could amplify the outbreak. On the evening of March 11, Emory notified its staff that the campus would close for the remainder of the academic year. “Moving forward with the typical Emory Day of Giving just wasn’t right,” said Civitello.