Recent editorials from Georgia newspapers:
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March 5
Savannah Morning News on the Armstrong State University and Georgia Southern University merger:
Armstrong State University alumni, students and faculty were handed welcome news last week by the committee working on consolidating Armstrong with Georgia Southern University. The group agreed that the Savannah location of the merged university should be named the Armstrong Campus of GSU, not the Savannah campus.
The committee tackled another tricky issue, too, regarding student-athletes. The group decided it would recommend that all athletic scholarships be honored, assuming grade standards are met. And Armstrong student-athletes will be offered open transfer status to GSU immediately, except softball players, who will have to wait until the current season is over.
These are sound decisions that might take some of the sting out of the merger for Armstrong loyalists who fear their university will be subsumed by the larger university in Statesboro. The committee has shown sensitivity to those concerns. But it will be up to the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents to decide whether to accept the committee’s recommendations.
Much progress was made last week concerning the planned merger. Let’s hope this trend continues and in a transparent fashion. For the merger to succeed, the process must be fair and open, with the clear understanding that it will benefit both public institutions and will create a stronger combined institution in the end.
The naming and athletics issues have been topics of contention for students, employees and alumni since the Board of Regents voted unanimously in January to combine the two schools, which are about 50 miles apart. Technically, both schools will be dissolved and combined next year as a new institution that retains Georgia Southern’s name and president.
The Armstrong State University Alumni Association had drafted a recommendation for preserving the Savannah school’s name and its legacy. In a recommendation completed earlier this month, the association’s board of directors suggested that what is now Armstrong’s main campus in Savannah should be renamed Georgia Southern University - Armstrong Campus. The request specifically states that alumni do not want the location to become known as the Savannah campus of Georgia Southern. The group got its way with the consolidation committee.
Once it’s done with its work, the Consolidation Implementation Committee will send its recommendations to the Board of Regents.
“I do hope the system takes great consideration when it comes to understanding the history and legacy of Armstrong and uses our recommendation as a consensus of not just alumni but faculty and staff and how the community feels about the university as it is,” said Somi Benson-Jaja, president of the Alumni Board.
He’s right. And reaching a consensus on this one issue was no small matter, as this merger proposal took many people here by surprise. Beyond blunting the perception that Armstrong will be gobbled up, maintaining the Armstrong name for the Savannah campus would be an appropriate bow to local history. Armstrong’s roots are deeply embedded in Savannah’s soil, as city officials and Savannah’s corporate community helped plant and nurture this school from a small, two-year junior college located in a few buildings downtown, to a vibrant four-year university in a sprawling campus on the southside.
To their credit, local Board of Regents member Don Waters and Armstrong President Linda Bleicken have said that preserving the university’s name in some way would be a top priority. The recommendation also asks that the Armstrong Center, which is often used as a venue for public events, retain its name, and that a historical marker be created and installed on campus “for the purpose of telling the story of Armstrong in perpetuity.”
In fact, the committee voted to keep the current names of all of Armstrong’s buildings, an excellent idea.
There are still tough issues surrounding the merger, among them the future of athletics programs at Georgia Southern and Armstrong. This is a big deal, given the successful programs at both schools that enjoy a broad base of support. It’s critical that this support be retained. Alumni are asking that the Savannah school’s Alumni Arena have Armstrong added to its name when consolidation is complete.
The decision on athletic scholarships and transfers is a good step and fair. Student-athletes should not be punished for actions taken by university officials.
“We want to ensure that our student-athletes have as many options as possible as the consolidation process moves forward,” Bleicken said. She has the right idea and one that the merger committee seems to share.
Currently, the two schools’ athletics directors are working on a plan to figure out which sports will be played at which campuses. There needs to be a fair and reasonable split, as the sports teams represent students in both communities who contribute to the athletic funds. But for now, that picture is cloudy.
The 41-member consolidation committee is made up of 20 members each from Armstrong and Georgia Southern plus Savannah State University’s chief of staff. While Savannah State is not being consolidated, it has input on the committee to ensure that courses and programs offered by the new school complement its own. That’s as it should be.
The committee is expected to submit a plan for the new university to an accrediting agency by September. If it passes muster, the plan would be brought to the Board of Regents in December for final approval.
As this process plays itself out, the presidents of both institutions and members of the consolidation committee must continue to be fair and open to students and the public.
Online:
https://savannahnow.com
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March 5
The Valdosta Daily Times on domestic violence:
Domestic violence is often a vicious cycle that must be stopped.
It is common for victims of abuse and violence to return to toxic relationships.
It is a problem everywhere, including Valdosta, Lowndes County and South Georgia.
A large percentage of 911 calls and law-enforcement responses are the result of domestic violence.
The recent tragic death of a Lowndes County deputy occurred when he was responding to a call related to domestic violence.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence:
- Every nine seconds, a woman is assaulted or beaten in the United States.
- An average of 20 people are physically abused by intimate partners every minute in the U.S.
- There are more than 10 million abuse victims across the U.S. annually.
- One in three women and one in four men have been physically abused by an intimate partner.
- One in five women and one in seven men have been severely physically abused by an intimate partner.
- One in seven women and one in 18 men have been stalked. Stalking causes targets to fear they or someone close to them will be harmed or killed.
- On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines nationwide receive approximately 20,800 calls.
- The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent.
- Domestic violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime.
- Domestic violence is most common among women between the ages of 18-24.
- Nineteen percent of domestic violence involves a weapon.
- Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.
- Only 34 percent of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
We are fortunate to have an organization such as The Haven to provide services to area women who have suffered from domestic violence. The Haven provides important educational programs available to individuals and community groups.
Schools in the Valdosta, Lowndes County and adjoining school districts have trained counseling professionals on staff to help young people address issues associated with violence in the home.
We also commend law enforcement in both the county and city for trained professionals who are often called upon to diffuse dangerous situations and to deal with victims in caring and sensitive ways.
Domestic violence knows no socio-economic, racial or geographical boundaries. It exists among all social groups and in every community.
Domestic violence within families is something no one wants to discuss.
It is a conversation that must take place.
The culture needs to be changed and the cycle needs to be broken.
Online:
https://www.valdostadailytimes.com
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March 8
The Brunswick News on honoring Vietnam War veterans:
The Georgia Department of Veterans Services has plans for later this month to give a group of Vietnam veterans the recognition they deserve and for many of them, that they never got when they returned home from overseas.
The department has a list of 70 veterans who it hopes will attend a ceremony on March 23 at College of Coastal Georgia’s Southeast Georgia Conference Center. Those on the list served in Vietnam from June 1, 1954 to May 15, 1975, a time period that encompasses U.S. involvement in what became at the time an unpopular war among many.
The trouble is that there are still about 35 veterans invited to the ceremony who have not responded to the invitation.
This is not the first ceremony like this the veterans department has hosted. In the past several years, similar events passed out Vietnam War Certificates of Honor and lapel pins issued by the Department of Defense in recognition of their service.
As we have seen in recent Coastal Georgia Honor Flights, this recognition is meaningful to many Vietnam veterans. The men and women who served in Vietnam often came home to anything but a kind reception. The politically charged time in our country in the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in veterans who had served their country well and experienced the most grueling of wars often being met with hatred.
“Most of the veterans during that time were not welcomed back or sufficiently thanked for their services,” said Tina Herring, office manager of the local department of veterans services. “We want to give these Vietnam veterans the recognition they are due. We’d love to have a lot of veterans come out and be recognized. And it’s also a good opportunity for the public to come and say thanks to these veterans.”
We hope the veterans department is successful in reaching as many Vietnam veterans as possible. They served in an unforgiving place facing terrible odds in a conflict in which their chances of victory had been overestimated - yet they endured.
It may be more than 40 years since the war ended, but it may never be too late to just say thank you.
Vietnam veteran Willie Troupe of Brunswick put it simply to The Brunswick News this week.
“It makes me feel good that they’re thinking about us,” Troupe said.
Online:
https://goldenisles.news
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