LASTING LEGACIES: Homecoming brings alumni to old stomping ground

For this year's homecoming week, I decided I wanted to do a series of articles looking into the history of certain parts of UGA. For the first installment of the series, we ran an article about the Chapel bell, the second was about Herty Field, the third detailed the history of the Arch and the fourth was about Sanford Stadium's famed hedges.

My article was the fifth installment, which took a slightly different approach. Since I've been at UGA I've seen the alumni cheerleaders who come back to campus for the homecoming football game. I've always wondered what their experience is like when they come back to campus, so for the series I wanted to get in touch with some of them. I ended up speaking with two alumni cheerleaders from the 1940s and 1950s — both of whom were very nice. This article also served as my first time writing a profile piece, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

Click here to read about alumni cheerleaders who come back to UGA for homecoming.

University furlough day hits low-pay workers too

We were given a scoop yesterday morning on some UGA workers who were effectively being furloughed on the furlough day, even though they fell under the category of workers who were exempt from the furlough day. My editorial adviser gave me a call during class and I was on the story for the rest of the day.

It's been awhile since I've written, due to time constraints with editing, so I was happy to get back into the groove of writing. I made sure to be especially careful with this story though because it was very complicated with the differences in the types of workers and which types of leave they are allowed. I think it came out nicely though.

Click here to read about how the state-mandated furloughs are affecting the lowest-paid workers at the university.

They're back: 'Designated Dawgs' give safe rides

A group calling themselves "WatchDawgs" gave students and others in the Athens community safe rides home from downtown on the weekends for nearly eight years before losing its funding and canceling the service last spring.

But the group is back — and with a new name. "Designated Dawgs" picks back up tonight and has secured funding to operate through December 2010.

Click here to read more about the free, student-run taxi service.

Reason for tailgating trash decline unclear

Was it the extra trash bags, port-a-potties and cleaning crew that made this weekend's trash buildup considerably less than before?

Or could it be the torrential downpours plaguing Athens on game day?

We're not sure, but we'll find out next weekend when LSU comes to campus and the skies are clear.

Click here to read another follow up to The Red & Black's coverage of the University's tailgate trash.

*Media credit: Wes Blankenship

Trash Talk: Plans in place to clean up gameday

The administration announced its plans to help curb gameday trash this weekend, but several student groups are also planning on lending a hand in the cleanup efforts.

Click here to find out what to expect for the University's second home football game weekend.

U.S. secretaries address H1N1 at universities

Image via Wikipedia

Friday I was able to sit in on a teleconference with two U.S. secretaries and a representative from the CDC, talking about what colleges across the country should do to stave off swine flu. I found it pretty interesting because U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, had publicly reprimanded a reporter the previous day when the reporter sneezed into his hand instead of his elbow.

Click here to find out what Sebelius and the others on the conference call had to say.

UNDER ARREST: Adams adddresses 70 tons of tailgate trash

As reported by The Red & Black on Wednesday, there were 70 tons of trash left last weekend by tailgaters for the football season's home opener.

In University of Georgia President Michael Adams' monthly cabinet meeting and media briefing Thursday, Adams said he was appalled at the amount of trash left on North Campus after the game. He said he wants students, faculty, alumni and fans to ban together to help eliminate the problem on campus.

Click here to read more on what Adams and others had to say about the trash from the weekend.

New football ticket system succeeds at game

Saturday's home opener football game marked the first time the University's new ticketing procedure was tested.

And despite student fears that ID cards would be rejected and the student section would be nearly impossible to get into, things seemed to go pretty smoothly.

Click here to read more about how the new ticketing system worked.

Final provost candidate speaks today

The final candidate for provost at UGA, Sallie Keller-McNulty, will speak today at the Chapel. She is the fourth candidate to come to the University to detail why she should be the next provost.

Click here to read more about Keller-McNulty.

Jittery Joe's opens up store in New York

One of Athens' most recognizable brands has made its way to the Big Apple. Jittery Joe's is a local coffee shop that has recently opened its first store outside of the Southeast.

I spoke with the president of the company, as well as the store manager for the newly opened shop and it seems like they're very excited and optimistic about the new venture.

Click here to read about the newest location for Jittery Joe's.

Third candidate for provost speaks today

The third provost candidate will speak today. This is a continuation of our efforts to inform students and faculty of who the candidates are on the days they come to campus.

Click here to read about Robert Newman, a contender for the University's provost position.

Some workers not furloughed by federal law

Furloughs have been all over the news lately (for the past few months, really), but I decided to take a look at the unique circumstances that cause some University workers not to be furloughed.

These individuals fall into three categories: professors in the U.S. on an H1B visa, student or graduate student workers and those who make less than $23,660 annually.

Click here to read more about the workers at the University who are not being furloughed.

Provost finalist Mary Anne Fitzpatrick to speak at Chapel today

As the University continues its search for the next provost, we are going to be publishing information about each of the four finalists on the day that person comes to campus to give their presentation.

Unfortunately we missed the opportunity for our first candidate, but since he is our inside man and we ran the follow-up piece from his visit today, I think we're OK with that.

Click here to read about Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, one of the University's four finalists for provost.

Tate II: Where did the $60 million go?

For my first article of the fall semester, I wrote about our new student center addition that opened during the summer. Many students didn't have the opportunity to see the expansion when it opened, so the first day of classes is the first time some students will see this.


We requested open records detailing how the money was spent on Tate II, since all of the funds came from a special student fee.

Click here to read about UGA's new Tate Student Learning Center.

Athenscape Issue

We publish our "Athenscape" issue each semester as a sort of "Welcome back" to students. For this issue, I had four stories — two news and two variety (that's a first!)

For my two news stories, I wrote about getting to know the administrators and a wrap-up of what happened during the summer.

For the two variety stories, I did a preview of upcoming films and books for the fall.

OUR TAKE: A risk to health

For my last institutional editorial of the summer semester, I wrote about how Athens is slated to receive federal stimulus money to retrofit its buses to make them more environmentally friendly.

One of our reporters found that the buses in Athens now emit a particulate that causes cancer in about one in 3,800 people — when the Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable level is one in a million. It's a really interesting story and I'm personally happy the city will be getting the money to help all who live here breathe a little easier.

Click here to read what I wrote about the funds Athens will receive, for The Red & Black's editorial board.

BREAKING NEWS: University halts incineration of animals after violation

Today while we were getting ready to put the paper together, my editorial adviser told me he was contacted by the UGA Public Affairs office and they told him they needed him and a reporter over to the office for a news conference. He asked if I would go and, intrigued, I obliged.

During the news conference (which included The Red & Black, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Associated Press and The Athens Banner-Herald) we learned the university had been cited for an incinerator violation earlier in the month and had since stopped the burning of animal carcasses contaminated with infectious diseases.

Once the conference was over, we headed back to the office and I typed up a story for our Web site. Click here to read about the violation UGA received from the state Environmental Protection Division.

*Photo courtesy www.uga.edu

OUR TAKE: Aim to aid others

It was a slow news week this week at The Red & Black. So slow, in fact, that we had some difficulty coming up with ideas for institutional editorials. We ended up choosing to write about the Harry Potter craze as well as volunteering opportunities.

We had two contributor stories this week which both dealt with volunteering opportunities for students in Athens — and both were at places most students don't necessarily think about immediately (such as the local animal shelter). So when I was putting together the budget, I made sure to package those two on the same page — and when we had our editorial board meeting, we decided it would be worth writing an institutional about students volunteering.

I did a little research for it and found out that Georgia college students lag behind other states' college-aged students in volunteer work, so I found it especially important for the editorial to be written.

Click here to read what I wrote about student volunteering opportunities, for The Red & Black's editorial board.

OUR TAKE: A faulty procedure

I wrote an institutional editorial for this week's paper about a policy the University of Georgia has in place where employees must self report felony arrests and convictions. It sounds like a good policy, and in theory it is, but it's also unenforceable.

The Red & Black uncovered a convicted felon who was working for the university and had access to students' Social Security numbers — not something that should happen under this policy.

Click here to read what I wrote about the situation, for The Red & Black's editorial board.

Sex in the Classic City: Enjoying the freedom the single life offers

I'm really enjoying writing these Sex in the Classic City columns for the opinions page. They're easy to write and I can add some of my personality to my writing — something I'm not used to doing with news writing.

My third installment is about enjoying the freedoms that come along with the single life. As I've mentioned in my previous two columns, I have recently (March is fairly recent, right?) ended a two-year relationship, so I'm still getting used to life as a single person. I've enjoyed it so far and thought I'd share my opinions on why being single isn't such a bad thing right now.

As my Facebook mini-feed is bombarded with status updates of "ENGAGED!!!!" and my mail is slowly filling with wedding invites, it seemed a proper time to let the land of the single know they're not alone.

Click here to read my take on being single in the Classic City.

DECKS IN DOUBT: Atlanta parking deck collapse spawns investigation on campus

I'm not afraid to admit I am proud of this article. It was a classic "fly by the seat of my pants" example.

I arrived at the paper around noon on Wednesday, ready to do my managing editor's job of deciding where to put each of our articles in the paper for Thursday. We discussed in Tuesday's budget meeting we'd have a story about parking and tie in the new parking decks in light of Monday's parking deck collapse in Atlanta. The same construction company that built the Atlanta Centergy One deck is now building two parking decks on campus at the University of Georgia.

I checked in with the news editor to see how all our stories are coming along and he tells me we're going to make the parking deck story separate from the downtown parking story, which is fine by me. But our news editor was swamped and it being summer, we have few news writers we can call at a moment's notice to quickly turn around a story — especially one of this caliber.

So I offered to take the story. In a matter of hours — somewhere between three and four — I was able to do all my research, interviews and write the article, all while also doing my job as managing editor. It was an intense afternoon, but I am so pleased with the results.

And after that huge buildup, click here to read my article about how Monday's parking deck collapse in Atlanta is affecting UGA.

*Photo credit: Waites Laseter, photo editor of The Red & Black

Student accused of felony shoplifting at clothing store

Well it's been awhile since I've written a crime story, but it's like riding a bike — you never forget how to do it. (Or something along those lines, at least)

We had a student at UGA who was arrested and charged with felony theft by shoplifting after a worker at a downtown clothing store suspected her and another man of taking nearly $700 in items.

Click here to read my article on the incident. You can also check out her mug shot and the police incident report.

Sex in the Classic City: The rules to a successful summer romance

It's that time of year again — when the humidity is high and our hormones are racing.

And I thought it was about time to share my opinions on how to keep that summer romance alive. So click here to read my column on the "rules" to a successful summer romance.

Sex in the Classic City: Consideration is always acknowledged

I have been meaning to write an opinion piece for a while, but with all the responsibility of the administration beat and staying on top of my classes in the spring, it just kept getting pushed to the wayside.

But now that it's summertime and I have more time on my hands — not to mention an obligation to the paper as the managing editor to make sure we have columns on our opinions page — I've finally gotten my name, and my mug, on page six.

Click here to read my first column. It's about dating, consideration and giving up your seat on the bus.

BOR approves expansion of Butts-Mehre, new professorships

The Board of Regents met June 10 for their monthly gathering and approved requests from the University of Georgia to expand and renovate the Butts-Mehre Building. The Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall is home to the University's trophies and awards. It serves as a museum and administrative center for the University's athletic activities.

The Regents also approved requests to establish nine new professorships at the University.

Click here to read more about the June 10 Board of Regents meeting.

*Photo courtesy of The Red & Black archives

Univ. searches for Zinkhan's replacement

First paper of the summer semester was a success. We had the expected glitches and setbacks, but all-in-all, I think everything went well.

My first night officially as managing editor was a little nerve wracking, just because I didn't want to mess anything up. But I think I did a good job and I think things will run more smoothly next week and will continue to get easier as the summer progresses.

The news editor and I teamed up for a story on how UGA plans to fill the vacant position left by George Zinkhan. It was difficult to get in touch with all the parties needed to give us a coherent answer, but we pulled through and I'm happy with the finished product.

Click here to read what UGA plans to do about filling Zinkhan's position as the Coca-Cola Co. Chair of Marketing.

Daylong manhunt yields no Zinkhan, more questions

I can now say that I have not only covered national news once, but twice. And today's was breaking news.

Police found George Zinkhan's 2005 Jeep Liberty late yesterday and spent the entire day today canvassing the area where it was found — about 2 miles from his home.

I was covering the happenings alongside reporters from the Associated Press, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Athens Banner-Herald, WSBTV, CBS, FOX News and a few others. It is unfortunate that in journalism the biggest tragedies cause the best stories, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to get such great experience covering news as it happens.

Click here to read my article based on in-the-field updates of the George Zinkhan manhunt.

Now for my photos, taken with my phone so the quality isn't the greatest:

Bruce 'binding force' to theater

This is such a sad story and it's one that is affecting so many people in the Athens, Ga., community. On Sunday I visited with Marie Bruce's neighbors and spoke to them about how they remembered her.

Click here to read the obituary I wrote for Marie Bruce, who was killed Saturday afternoon at the Athens Community Theater.

*Photo from ajc.com

Athens shooting: my amateur photography

As many have already reported, there was a triple homicide yesterday around noon in Athens, Ga. The suspected shooter has been identified as George Zinkhan, a University of Georgia marketing and distribution professor.

Three people died in the shooting at the Athens Community Theater. They were Marie Bruce, Tom Tanner and Ben Teague.

During the time of the incident, I was visiting a friend in Kennesaw and I received an urgent text message from The Red & Black's editor-in-chief calling all reporters to help. I was able to get back to Athens, but not in time to do much in the way of reporting that day.

Today, a group of Red & Black reporters gathered in the news room and discussed what our coverage of this event would look like for the rest of the week. My assignment was to write an obituary for Marie Bruce, George Zinkhan's wife. Accompanied by a few fellow staffers, I went to the neighborhood and spoke to her former neighbors.

Here is some of the amateur photos I took while on the scene:

Confusion cleared up: 12 credit hours constitute full-time status

My Wednesday article on the Board of Regents' decision to increase tuition to a new model where students are charged a flat 15-hour full-time rate created an uproar on campus.

Problems arose because of tricky wording, incomplete information and a myriad of misunderstanding between the high-ups. During my interviewing and analysis of Regents documents on Tuesday, it appeared that students would be required to register for 15 hours in the fall to be considered full-time students – a change from the traditional 12 credit hour requirement.

However, after many phone calls and even more confusion, I confirmed with several sources that the 12-hour requirement would remain the requirement for full-time status.

Click here to read my article explaining how the tuition changes (and credit hours) are affecting UGA students.

Regents approve changes to instruction schedule

At Wednesday's Board of Regents meeting an interesting change was made to the semester requirements for Georgia colleges and universities.

Before the meeting, semesters were required to be a minimum 15 weeks in length and must be at least 75 days long. The decision made by the Regents axed the day requirement, which seems odd since 15 five-day weeks equals 75 days.

I asked the Regents spokesman if this change could be to free up the possibility for faculty furloughs in the fall. He said that was not the case, but said he did not know why the change was made because he was not in the meeting where it was changed.

Click here to read about the happenings of Wednesday's Board of Regents meeting.

Board of Regents increases tuition, keeps $100 fee

The decision made Tuesday by the Board of Regents is going to have a lot of students upset.

Students not on the state's "Fixed for Four" tuition guarantee plan will be paying a hefty increase in tuition come fall. In-state students not on the plan will pay 25 percent more and out-of-state students will be paying 15 percent more.

This is because the Regents created a flat tuition model which charges students a flat rate for six or less hours and for more than six hours of class credit.

Click here to read more about the tuition changes made at Tuesday's Board of Regents meeting.

Lottery loss

I stressed myself out over nothing. Turns out this little story I pitched on comparing states with lottery funded tuition assistance scholarships turned out to be pretty good after all.

I went into it thinking I'd find that Georgia's neighboring states with similar programs – Tennessee and Florida – would be facing the same worries as we are. But I was wrong. And at first that scared me. My initial reaction was "Oh no! I don't have a story."

But, you see. That is the story.

And after fearing that a crucial interview would fall through (but luckily it did not) and worrying all day, I got it done – and on deadline too!

Click here to read about how three Southern lottery funded tuition scholarships are faring in the economic downturn.

Adams vetoes University Council's provost input

What was supposed to be just another Executive Committee meeting yesterday turned into an opportunity to push along a story about the provost search at UGA.

Last month the University Council passed a motion which would effectively give it a larger role in the provost hiring decision. UGA President Michael Adams immediately expressed that he did not agree with the decision, a four-part proposal with the final part calling for a recorded vote by the council on their pick for provost.

At the committee meeting yesterday, the chair read a letter dated April 1 from Adams stating that he had decided to veto the council's decision. Adams cited Georgia's "stringent open records law" as his main reason for vetoing the motion.

Click here to read my article on Adams's decision to veto the council's motion.

R&B receives best daily paper award

My article today serves as a much deserved pat on the back to The Red & Black for winning 14 Society of Professional Journalists awards. Eleven of the 14 were first place, making this the most first place awards the paper has received in at least four years.

Click here to read my article about the SPJ awards The Red & Black won over the weekend.

'Behind the Hedges' book evaluates former disputes at University

I must say that I am very pleased with the way this article came out. It was hard work to make sure I was able to get through the book while also keeping up with class, but I did it and I'm happy with the outcome.

Synthesizing such a complex book with so much information that spans across a 10-year period is not an easy task. I had to make sure to give enough background about any event so that it made sense, but as anyone who has worked in print knows, newshole is not unlimited.

Click here to read my review of "Behind the Hedges," by Rich Whitt.

No clear candidate yet as provost search persists

The University of Georgia's No. 2 administrator will be stepping down at the end of this calendar year. UGA President Michael Adams announced the retirement of Arnett Mace as provost in January and the search for a replacement has just begun.

I sat down the the chair of the search committee to find out how the search will be conducted and what types of people they are looking for to fill the position.

Click here to read my article about UGA's provost search.

For many who applied to UGA, the news was not good

The economy is doing some interesting things for different industries. It seems that it is making students in Georgia more interested in attending in-state schools. Most likely this is because of the HOPE scholarship, which offers free tuition to qualifying students who live in the state.

About 18,000 people applied for fall admission at UGA and there is only room for 5,000. So when final notification of acceptance or rejection went out Friday, many must have been disappointed.

Click here to read my article and find out what some high school students had to say about their college application experience.

Adams discusses finance audits, furloughs during open mic session

I made a rookie mistake in my article today and missed a golden opportunity to continue along a story. I have learned from that mistake and hope to never make it again.

As I wrote yesterday, there is a book coming out that criticizes UGA President Michael Adams. His assistant expressed that Adams would not be answering questions concerning the book at the biannual "Open Mic with Mike" session yesterday. That was a substantial portion of the preview I wrote for the event, and I should have mentioned it in the review of the event.

When my story was being edited we discussed adding in a part about it, but the decision was made that it did not need to be in there. In hindsight, I think it should have and I am going to keep a more watchful eye on opportunities such as that from now on.

Click here to read my article about the "Open Mic with Mike" forum yesterday.

Adams may curb questions about book criticizing his tenure

A firestorm is brewing on campus. It may be a 10-year-old storm, but nonetheless, it has resurfaced.

With the upcoming release of Rich Whitt's book, "Behind the Hedges," today's 'Open Mic with Mike' comes at an opportune time for students to ask questions of UGA President Michael Adams.

I first learned of this book on Sunday at the paper's weekly staff meeting and was asked to take it on as my project for the week – which I was more than happy to do. The book takes a critical look at Adams's tenure and some controversies that I was never even aware of.

Click here to read my article about President Adams's biannual open forum session with UGA students.

As doom and gloom abound, I try to keep my spirits high

Reality is setting in.

I'm starting to come to grips with the prospect of not finding a journalism job before May. It's so difficult right now and print is taking a big hit.

Despite my persistent checking of every job board imaginable, I've only come up with a handful of prospects – most of which are unpaid internships. I have no qualms working for free and I'm lucky to have a supportive father who will let me stay at home and pay for things if that is the case. It's tough though because many of these internships don't accept students who aren't enrolled in classes.

What is a smart, driven, talented journalism graduate to do in today's economy? I honestly do not have the answer. I'm keeping my spirits high and hoping the stars align. But I'm not expecting anything to fall in my lap.

I know it all boils down to my determination. I'm willing to go just about anywhere, although it would be difficult to leave the state where I've lived for 22 years.

The AJC announced this morning that it would be cutting its full-time news staff by 30 percent – that's 230 positions – and reducing its circulation area by 2 percent. It is the paper in Georgia and one of the largest in the Southeast, and it is struggling to stay afloat in the economy's choppy waters.

And it leaves me wondering, what's next?

Academic calendar faces subtle changes

Fall break at the University of Georgia has traditionally – perhaps (not so) coincidentally – revolved around the Georgia vs. Florida football game. Until 2008, this meant that the Thursday and Friday before the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" was free reign for students to head to Jacksonville and let loose without fear of missing a class or test.

But in 2008 that break was re-worked. Instead of a two-day fall break and a three-day Thanksgiving break, students had a one-day fall break and a weeklong Thanksgiving break. The change in the academic calendar was met with both opposition and excitement. Some students were upset their partying time was being cut into, but some were happy to get a full week off as the semester came to a close.

Monday the Educational Affairs Committee voted to pass the 2010-2011 academic calendar, which keeps a one-day fall break and a weeklong Thanksgiving break. Click here to read the article and find out what else the committee decided.

Univ. Council votes to have greater say in hiring provost

In January, UGA's president announced that the provost would be retiring this year. At the time of the announcement, he said there were no specific candidates in mind to replace the current provost.

It's been about two months since the announcement and after Thursday's University Council meeting, it appears that faculty and students may have a larger say in the decision than they have in previous provost hirings.

President Adams outlined his plan for the new provost hiring process at the beginning of the Council meeting Thursday afternoon, saying he hoped it would be managed in the same manner as the previous two hirings for the position. He has appointed a chair of a provost search committee and Adams said that committee would find three to five qualified candidates to bring to campus for an in-depth interview process.

Part of that interview process included meeting with University Council leadership, but not necessarily the entire body.

When the floor was opened for new business, one Council member proposed adding an item to the agenda which would essentially give the Council more say in the hiring decision. The Council voted to add the item to the agenda and then in a 2-to-1 vote, approved the item.

Immediately following the approval of the item, Adams told the Council he felt it was an "ill-informed decision" and that he would give the item some thought, because he was thinking about vetoing it.

This is a story that I will be following pretty closely for the rest of the semester.

Click here to read the article about the University Council meeting Thursday afternoon.

UGA hit by endowment losses, stem cell debate

Thursday was a meeting-filled day for me, but I was able to get some really important information that I think is important for faculty and students to know.

From 10 a.m. until about 11:30 a.m. I was in the Cabinet meeting and the media briefing that follows it. UGA administrators meet monthly to discuss what is happening at the university, then President Michael Adams answers any questions from the media. Last month the Cabinet meeting was cancelled, so this was my first experience with that meeting.

Adams told the Cabinet about the woes of the university budget – due to budget cuts instated by the state legislature. He also mentioned construction, what the university has had to cut and the current debate in the legislature about stem cell research.

Click here to read my article about the Cabinet meeting and media briefing Thursday morning.

Regents OK request to slash 12 majors

My article in today's paper is partly a continuation, or finalization, of another issue I've written about at least twice so far this semester. Some of the degree programs here at UGA have been terminated, for a variety of reasons, and the Board of Regents officially OK'd the university's requests yesterday to get rid of the programs.

Also at the meeting, the Board approved requests to increase the required amount of credit hours for the major in music therapy, and to expand the doctor of education program to the Gwinnett campus. The regular spokesman for the Board of Regents was busy all afternoon, so I spoke with the publications director instead and she wasn't able to be in all meetings that day, but I was still able to get some good information.

As far as Regents meetings have gone this semester, there really hasn't been anything too exciting to happen yet. I have a feeling, though, that things will heat up as the semester comes to a close and the Georgia legislature's session ends. That's when tuition and fees will be discussed and it seems very likely that there will be substantial increases for the next academic year.

Click here to read my article on the Mar. 17 Board of Regents meeting.

Feeling Flushed

Well the article that would never end finally did. It took me a little longer to be able to get in touch with people who were willing to talk about their toilet problems in one of the dorms on campus, but I did it. Getting in touch with a plumber proved to be difficult too, since they are almost always out on a service call. I was able to speak with the part-owner of a Roto-Rooter franchise here in Athens though, and she said she's been around plumbing her whole life, so she was able to answer my questions.

This article is a part of an ongoing series we're doing at The Red & Black this semester on lodging complaints in University Housing. Click the

link to read about the problems students have had with their toilets in Oglethorpe House.

Univ. Council boosts student representation

Yesterday the UGA Executive Committee approved motions to increase student and faculty representation of University Council. I was slightly concerned when I saw the agenda for the meeting, because almost every item being discussed was one that I've already written about. So I was happy when these items were brought up, because they haven't been written about yet and I think it's relevant to students.

There was a pretty lengthy discussion on whether professors should give students until the final examination slot to turn in take home exams. Issues of academic freedom, students rights and "the spirit of the policy" were all brought up, but in the end the motion passed and will go before University Council on Mar. 19.

Click here to find out what all was said and approved at the Executive Committee meeting Thursday afternoon.

MyUGA receives upgrade

I wrote this article on the MyUGA upgrade initially for Monday's paper (Mar. 2) - the day of the upgrade. But since Athens has had inclement weather, things have been a little crazy around here and the paper wasn't published yesterday, so the story is now in today's paper.

I wish someone had gone back to tweak my time elements a little bit so they made a little more sense. Everything is still written as if it's the first day of the upgrade - which now makes it seem like it will happen next Monday, instead of yesterday.

Oh well, I guess it's not a huge deal and it's just something that fell through the cracks, what with the paper having to be made by generator and all. Still, the perfectionist in me reads the article and wishes an editor had taken a few minutes to change "will begin" to "began" and so on.

Click here to read about the new features for MyUGA.

Furloughs for Georgia professors?

The AJC reported today that University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis told a House budget panel that furloughs may happen for University System employees if drastic spending cuts have to be made quickly. This comes after Davis' statement in January that he was "philosophically opposed" to furloughs.

I found this interesting because in a Jan. 30 article I wrote for The Red & Black, I referenced that very comment and even asked UGA President Michael Adams what he thought of furloughs. At the end of the article, I wrote:

The Board of Regents has no intentions of furloughing higher education employees in the state, Chancellor Erroll B. Davis said to the Georgia General Assembly Appropriations Committee last week. Furloughs place employees on a temporary non-pay and non-duty status during times of low funding.

"It's pretty difficult to furlough professors," Adams said. "We basically have a contract with [students] to teach whatever four or five classes [they] have registered for. We have hired faculty on contract to teach those courses."

"Those are things that unless the Regents were to declare a financial exigency, we have no option but to honor," he said.

© Copyright 2009 The Red and Black

I'm interested to see where this goes. I don't think it's enough to call for a follow-up story, but if more cuts are made soon and the prospect of furloughs grows, then I will suggest running one. I believe the state legislature ends its session next month, so the next budget - and its cuts - should be finalized around then.

I really like working the administration beat. Even though crime was interesting in a voyeuristic kind of way, nothing beats covering pertinent topics that a lot of readers care about.

It's snowing in Georgia!

I usually don't update with non journalism related topics, but it rarely snows in Georgia, so this is warranted.

I haven't seen snow in years and I haven't seen snow stick to the ground in even longer. It's such a pretty sight to see the ground covered in white. It's beautiful.

Here are some of the pictures I've taken today.

My thoughts on the "dying dinosaur"

It made me very sad to see today that The Rocky Mountain News will no longer be publishing. I wrote a paper for one of my classes last spring about the News and the Denver Post's JOA and how each newspaper compared to the other. Though I've never been to Denver and never was able to see the actual print version of the News, I did spend quite a bit of time on its Web site, analyzing its content and looking over its media kit.

It's a difficult time in journalism right now, especially print journalism (particularly newspapers). I'm trying to stay positive and one of my wise former-professors has drilled into my mind that newspapers are some of the most lucrative businesses in the U.S. - it's just the credit hole that they're all in that's making this economic time particularly trying.

As a journalism student looking at my career options come May, the prospects aren't looking too bright. I got a late start due to transferring in the middle of my college career and trying to do in two years what everyone else in my major does in three. I've worked hard to get the writing and editing experience I need, but that might just not be enough. It's competitive out there and even the best and brightest aren't getting jobs right now.

But I believe newspapers will survive. I think their purpose and what they give back to society is too great for them to fail. It's going to be rough, but I think in the end newspapers will come out strong. In the past few months my appetite for news has grown to an almost insatiable level and I find myself constantly checking for the newest headline.

I've begun seeking out more and more news outlets just to find out what is going on in different places. Maybe it's because I'm just becoming a "news junkie" - or maybe it's something else. Maybe others are realizing, too, that this service provided to citizens by journalists is a worthy service and one that cannot die.

It needs to survive.

State lawmakers to debate house bill for commuter rail

So Athens might be getting a commuter rail that links it to Atlanta. This is something that's been talked about for over 20 years and has been in the news at least since 2006.

On Thursday the House Transportation Committee passed a bill which includes a project that could create an Atlanta to Athens commuter rail in 10 years. When my editor told me about this, I figured the best place to start (since there was hardly any information about it in the AJC), was to go straight to the source. I contacted the chairman of the committee and after a little waiting period, was able to talk to him and get some information about the rail.

Click here to read more about what the chairman had to say about the bill.

Policy amendments approved

Yesterday's Educational Affairs Committee meeting taught me a lot. Most notably, that I really need to work on my consolidation/synthesizing skills. I'm still getting used to going into a meeting where multiple subjects are being discussed and being able to come out of it knowing where I want to take the story. It's difficult (definitely not impossible though).

I also bought a new audio recorder over the weekend and was still trying to figure out exactly how to use it, so that didn't help. Note to self: don't put it close to my notepad. The loudest thing I could hear when I went back to listen was my pen scribbling away on the paper. On the whole, I like the article though.

Click here to read about the new policies approved by the Educational Affairs Committee at UGA.

University transitions to new fundraising effort

This article is a a follow-up to President Adams' statement in his State of the University speech, where he mentioned that UGA will be moving from a university-wide fund raising campaign to a unit (or school and college)-based effort.

He also mentioned the transition in a media briefing a little over a week ago, so I wanted to find out what this would mean for the individual schools and colleges. I spoke with representatives from the Terry College of Business and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, two of the larger colleges at UGA.

Click here to read the article and find out what they had to say.

Regents authorize two parking decks

I reported on Jan. 29 that the UGA Real Estate Foundation Board of Trustees voted to enter into a ground lease agreement for two new parking decks at the University, and this article is a follow up to that.

After the Board of Trustees voted to approve that request, they had to send it to the Georgia Board of Regents for the official OK. Yesterday the Regents approved that request, so the two parking decks are beginning construction and are scheduled to be functional and open to students, faculty and staff in the fall.

Click here to read more about what the Regents approved yesterday.

HOPE book money not in immediate jeopardy

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday that HOPE scholars' book money may be in jeopardy because state officials predicted that HOPE and pre-K programs might exceed lottery revenues for the fiscal 2010 year. HOPE is funded by the Georgia lottery and many students at UGA depend on it to pay for their tuition and to help with the cost of textbooks.

University President Michael Adams spoke to the media in a briefing the next day and answered questions about the possibility of students losing their HOPE book allowance. But during the briefing the Georgia House of Representatives passed legislation that will allow students to continue to receive their book allowance, at least for now.

Click here to continue reading and find out what else President Adams had to say on issues pertinent to UGA.

Curriculum reform cuts eight majors

The Executive Committee of UGA's University Council voted Jan. 20 to terminate eight graduate majors and the University Council made those terminations official yesterday.

But the word "termination" is slightly misleading in this context, because students can still receive comparable degrees in different departments, or in some cases the programs were just consolidated to make things easier for the departments.

Click here to read more about the major terminations.

Auxiliary revenues to fund academics

I was able to sit down for an interview with UGA President Michael Adams to talk to him about the university's budget issues. During his State of the University speech last week he said he would ask for auxiliaries to contribute funds to support the university's academic mission. I asked him how he plans to do this and what will happen with the auxiliaries. Click here to read what he had to say.

Adams hopes to preserve quality, avoid layoffs

Budget cuts are the big issue right now, not only at UGA, but across the state. I interviewed President Michael Adams to see how the university is handling budget cuts and how he thinks UGA compares to other state universities.

I also interviewed representatives from Georgia College & State University and Columbus State University to find out their struggles with the budget cuts. UGA is trying to tough through it without any layoffs, but some state colleges have not been so lucky. Click here to read what Adams, GCSU and Columbus State had to say about their budgets.

IM fields parking deck planned for August

Yesterday the UGA Real Estate Foundation Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the continuation of development on two parking decks. They also discussed the expansion of the Tate Student Center and the new fraternity houses being built on River Road. Click here to find out more about the meeting and approved items.

Adams announces provost's retirement

University of Georgia President Michael Adams gave his annual State of the University address yesterday afternoon at a crowded Chapel. Adams touched on some very important issues surrounding the university right now, hitting hard on budget cuts. Near the end of his address he announced Arnett Mace, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, will retire at the end of the calendar year. Click here to find out more about Adams' speech and the announcement that Mace will retire.

As a side note, this was the first time I've ever cut audio, and must say that I am impressed at how easily I caught on. I fought with the computer for about an hour because the WMA file wouldn't convert to MP3, and ended up having to get a little crafty to get it to work so I could put it into Audacity. I'm glad I stuck with it though because now I have a new skill and readers can hear Adams' words in addition to reading them.

University Council moves to cut programs, add engineering

The University Council Executive Committee approved proposals yesterday to implement civil, electrical and mechanical engineering majors. This puts UGA one step closer to actually receiving permission to add these majors. The next step in the process is for the University Council to OK the requests, and then they will go to the Georgia Board of Regents.

I reported Jan. 15 the response from Georgia Tech about the prospect of UGA gaining these majors, which will duplicate some of the course offerings available at Tech. This is a big move for UGA and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Arnett Mace said during the meeting yesterday that the university needs this program to enhance opportunities of being accepted into the Association of American Universities. Click here to read more about items the Executive Committee approved.

Technical Howl: Georgia Tech cries foul as UGA looks to add engineering courses

UGA is on its way to implementing new engineering majors. The University Council's Curriculum Committee voted in December to add majors in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering and the Executive committee will vote on those same requests Jan. 20 to further the process.

If UGA receives these majors there will be some overlap in course offerings between Georgia Institute of Technology and UGA. I spoke with the senior vice provost for academic affairs at Tech to find out what the Institute thinks of the possibility of UGA getting these majors. I also spoke with three students at Tech to get their perspective. Click here to find out what they all had to say.

Board approves positions

Yesterday was the first Georgia Board of Regents meeting for the semester and not too much happened. UGA received the OK to establish two chair positions and a professorship. Chancellor Erroll B. Davis also spoke to the Board about budget cuts. Click here to read more about the items approved by the Regents.

UGA science professors awarded at White House

My first article of the spring semester came out today. I interviewed two science professors at UGA who were recognized at the White House over the break from school. Click here to read more about the ceremony and the award the professors received.