They’re back.
Classes began this week at several colleges and universities in the Atlanta region. Students and faculty return amid a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Many on campus are demanding the state’s University System issue a mask mandate, a vaccination mandate or both.
Here’s a look at the latest on this, the University of Georgia’s new approach to get students vaccinated, courses based on the teaching of a civil rights legend and other issues in this edition of AJC On Campus.
COVID-19 guidelines
About 4,000 students and faculty members have signed two recent petitions demanding the University System of Georgia require people on their campuses wear face coverings and/or get the COVID-19 vaccination. A small group of demonstrators gathered outside Tuesday’s Board of Regents meeting urging them to enact such changes.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
System leaders indirectly responded no. The system’s acting chancellor, Teresa MacCartney, told the board it is recommending people get vaccinated, noting that’s been the advice from Gov. Brian Kemp, who has been adamant he won’t enact any statewide mandates. The schools have signs posted on their campuses asking people to wear masks if they have not received the vaccine.
Regents roundup
University System officials said during Tuesday’s meeting they will request nearly $110 million in additional funds in the state government’s next budget. The current state funds budget is about $2.4 billion. Enrollment increased to a record 341,485 students last fall, the main reason system officials said they need more money. Kemp and the Georgia Legislature will approve the next budget when lawmakers convene next year.
Meanwhile, system officials announced Tuesday that they awarded nearly 73,000 degrees during the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, a record. Here’s more about what they attribute to the increase.
Cathy Cox picked to lead Georgia College
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Credit: undefined
State officials announced Thursday that former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox is the finalist to become the next president of Georgia College & State University. Cox is a former president of Young Harris College in North Georgia and has been the dean of Mercer University’s law school. The Board of Regents may vote on Cox’s candidacy next week.
Vaccine gift cards
Back to the COVID-19 vaccination push, the University of Georgia is offering a new incentive to get students to get inoculated: $20 gift cards. The gift cards are to a choice of the university’s bookstore, Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, Fully Loaded or El Barrio. They also get a UGA T-shirt. About 13,000 people have been fully vaccinated at UGA and more than 24,000 vaccines have been administered. UGA had about 50,000 students, employees and faculty on campus last year.
UGA is not the only school offering such gifts. Florida A&M University has offered cash prizes or iPads to students who get vaccinated.
Fake vaccine cards
A few colleges and universities in other states, where vaccines are required, are noticing some students are showing up with fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. The Associated Press reported on this a few days ago.
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Credit: undefined
We reported in April about a variety of online scammers selling fake vaccination cards and the vaccine, which is free.
C.T. Vivian’s enduring lessons
Several area colleges and universities this fall will begin coursework based on the teachings of the late Atlanta civil rights legend, Rev. C.T. Vivian. The C.T. and Octavia Vivian Museum and Archives is developing curriculum based on C.T. Vivian’s two books “Black Power and the America Myth” and “It’s In The Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior.”
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Credit: undefined
Emory University, University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, Morehouse College, University of West Georgia, Clayton State University and Louisiana State University will begin to offer the educational course, It’s In The Action, this fall. Several other colleges and universities nationwide are expected to begin to implement the course in 2022.
Former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin and former Spelman College President Beverly Tatum are involved in the effort, which is being supported financially by The Home Depot Foundation.
Feds select Emory for chemical exposure research study of Atlanta children
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that Emory University will receive $1.3 million for research to better estimate children’s chemical exposures from soil and dust ingestion.
Emory will use the grant to study and mitigate chemical contaminant exposure among children in neighborhoods with high lead and heavy metal contamination in soils around west Atlanta. For young children, soil and dust ingestion can be a major route of exposure to chemicals such as lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and asbestos.
Spelman College to offer online education
The private, historically Black college for women announced Wednesday it is launching eSpelman, which will offer online education and certificates geared to working adult learners of all genders. Here’s a little more about the effort.
Georgia Gwinnett College renews a campus tradition
Georgia Gwinnett College usually begins the fall semester with first-year students marching under the campus arch as a welcome to campus. It didn’t happen last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, they did the march, and included second-year students who didn’t get that experience. Here’s a recent report on how the college and others are trying to help second-year students recapture what they missed last year due to COVID-19.
A UGA homecoming
University of Georgia alumna and U.S. poet laureate Natasha Trethewey is returning to campus next spring. Well, it’s a quick return. She’ll teach for three days in late April at the Wilson Center for Humanities.
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