Georgia State Nets Bullying Study Grant

Georgia State University has received a new federal grant to study school bullying. The $800,000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant will help the college's Department of Counseling and Psychological Services faculty conduct research on children in metro Atlanta school systems. The study is part of a five-year, $5 million grant awarded to the Emory University Center for Injury Control to look at how to prevent and treat a wide variety of injuries. The Georgia State researchers will work with students who are victims of bullying as well as those who have been identified as bullies.

(Associated Press)

GSU Accused of Anti-Muslim Bias

A Georgia State University professor and a former student accuse the institution of being anti-Muslim. They say GSU retaliated against them after they complained about racist remarks from faculty member.

Georgia State professor Dona Stewart said that last August one of her instructors who is Muslim- American asked her what to do about these racial remarks from another professor: "Things like was she carrying any bombs under her Islamic head scarf these were outrageous comments in public.”

Stewart told Selma Shelbayah to file an official complaint to the department dean. After that the professor apologized to the student, but a day later, Stewart said that the dean told her to fire Shelbayah, and she refused.

"I mean at that point, you have to realize, she’s a state employee. She’s under contract," said Stewart. "If I had removed her from that position without cause without due process, I would have committed an illegal act and I could have been held accountable for it."

Stewart believes because she didn’t comply, she herself was punished academically. At the time, she was the director of the Middle Eastern Institute. She’s since resigned.

"All institutional development of the institute came to a halt," Stewart said, "I was told there was no energy for Middle Eastern studies on campus."

Both Stewart and Shelbayah filed separate discrimination complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year.

GSU is complying with the investigation and refutes the charges. GSU spokesperson Andrea Jones said, "In no way was retaliation taken against Stewart or the student as a result of the complaint."

Jones said that because of federal privacy guidelines, the college can't provide more details, but she pointed out that despite Stewart’s resignation... "She is still an employee of GSU and in April was promoted to full professor and had the dean’s full support on that."

Meanwhile, Stewart and Shelbayah’s lawyer James Radford, said it doesn’t look like the EEOC is going to take action. "They’re not at a point that they are going to act to enforce Title Seven," said Radford. "They’re not going to go to court.

Title 7 prohibits discrimination at the workplace. So, Radford said that his clients will sue if GSU doesn’t settle.

Georgia Gazette Thursday, July 2, 2009

Join host John Sepulvado tonight for Georgia Gazette. On tonight's show … A major state university accused of anti-Muslim bias… the details. Reversing the childhood obesity trend in the South…growing gardens to instill healthy habits. And are you the winner of a free pass to state parks? Tune in tonight to Georgia Gazette at 6, 7 in Athens, re-broadcast at 11, hear our show any time at www.gpb.org/georgiagazette, and download a free podcast on iTunes.

Click the photo above for the entire series on Childhood Obesity and to view the slide show on today's report from Hancock County.

New Provost for Georgia State University

A vice chancellor from the State University of New York system has been named the top academic administrator at Georgia State University. Georgia State President Mark Becker said Wednesday that Risa Palm will become the vice president for academic affairs and provost at the downtown Atlanta university. She replaces Ronald Henry, who retires this summer after 15 years at the campus. Palm has been at the SUNY system since 2006. Before that, she was an administrator at Louisiana State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Oregon and the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Minnesota.

(Associated Press)

Discrimination Alledged at Georgia State University

The head of Georgia State University's Middle East Institute has resigned, claiming the university mishandled a discrimination complaint from a Muslim doctoral student. Dona Stewart stepped down Tuesday night, citing retaliation from the university for helping student Slma Shelbayah. Stewart said the university failed to address complaints from Shelbayah that another faculty member harassed her on multiple occasions in August about her hijab, or traditional Muslim headscarf. Both Stewart and Shelbayah have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Georgia State spokeswoman Andrea Jones said the student's complaints were handled properly, and the university did not retaliate against either woman. Jones said the university is cooperating with the EEOC probe.

(Associated Press)

Georgia State Cuts Staff Positions

Georgia State University in Atlanta says it will cut 300 staff positions to help deal with a reduction in state funding. The move will save the school $9-million. A school spokeswoman says only 30 of those jobs are currently filled, and that no full-time faculty will be cut. GSU has 27,000 students, but is losing $37-million in state funding for the new fiscal year. The school has 3,400 employees.

Georgia 6th for uninsured

The number of uninsured Georgians ranks sixth in the nation. New research out of Georgia State University says last year, 18 percent of Georgians didn’t have health insurance. The study took data from recent numbers from the U.S. Census. The report also found that in the past few years, more people in Georgia had moved from having private health insurance through an employer to a publicly funded plan.

(Atlanta Business Chronicle)

New president for Georgia State

Georgia State University is set to get its new President. The state Board of Regents has named Mark P. Becker to the post. Becker is a University of South Carolina at Columbia executive vice president and provost. Becker succeeds longtime Georgia State President Carl Patton. Becker will be the school's seventh president when he assumes his new post in January.

(Associated Press)

'High-security' research labs' not so high security

Intruders could easily break into two U.S. laboratories where researchers handle some of the world's deadliest germs, according to congressional investigators. The Associated Press identified the vulnerable lab locations as Atlanta and San Antonio.

The serious security problems at the two labs were described by the Government Accountability Office in a report expected to be released publicly as early as Thursday. The GAO, Congress' investigative and auditing arm, did not identify the labs except to say they were classified as Biosafety Level 4 facilities, but the report included enough details for the AP — and others knowledgeable about such labs — to determine their locations. Biosafety Level 4 labs do research on deadly germs and toxins.

One lab described with weak security in the report is operated by Georgia State University in Atlanta. That lab lacked complete security barriers and any integrated security system, including any live monitoring by security cameras. During their review, investigators said they watched an unidentified pedestrian enter the building through an unguarded loading dock.

"Georgia State clearly wants its BSL-4 to be as safe as possible," said DeAnna Hines, assistant vice president for university relations. "We are already taking steps that will enhance the lab's safety and security standards." Hines did not confirm the school's research lab was the one mentioned in the congressional report as lacking proper security.

In Texas, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research features an outside window that looks directly into the room where the deadly germs are handled. The lab, which is privately run, also lacks many security cameras, intrusion detection alarms or visible armed guards at its public entrances. Officials there said they will tighten security.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Atlanta and San Antonio labs to handle the deadly organisms despite the security weaknesses. The three other BSL-4 labs in the U.S. feature impressive security, the report said. Those include the CDC's own facility, also in Atlanta; the Army's lab at Fort Detrick, Md.; and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

The viruses researched in the highest security labs include ebola, marburg, junin and lassa. All can cause incurable illnesses.

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., urged the CDC to quickly identify all security weaknesses at the high-containment research labs and fix any problems. Dingell has been investigating security problems associated with such labs around the country. He said at least six additional high-containment labs are under construction.

A CDC spokesman, Von Roebuck, said each of the five labs described in the new report has its own security plan designed to fit the lab's particular security assessments.

The Associated Press reported in October 2007 that U.S. laboratories working with deadly organisms have experienced more than 100 accidents and missing shipments since 2003 — and the number is increasing as more labs do the work.

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of containment concerns at biolabs dealing with hazardous materials.

Georgia economic forecast not so rosy

A leading economic forecaster says Georgia’s economy will continue to misfire just like the rest of the nation for the near future.

Rising gas prices...the credit crunch...the housing downturn...it’s all part of the lethal mix of factors in what Rajeev Dhawan is calling a recession for Georgia and the nation.

The director of Georgia State University’s Economic Forecasting Center compares where the state is hurting to other areas of the country:

"If you look at the job losses, they’re not terrible like the national. The loss in home prices is not as terrible as in Florida and California. But when you look at the revenue growth turnaround…that’s been a drastic one. It’s gone from a positive 5-6 percent to a negative 5-6 percent in a span of 6-8 months".

And the state’s revenue drain is being felt in university towns. Dhawan says as schools experience cutbacks, the trickle-down seeps into the communities.

Dhawan says only west Georgia is feeling an upswing in its local economy, given the construction of the KIA plant and its related business. Other regions of the state are in a holding pattern, such as ports and tourism along the coast.

Search to resume for new Georgia State president

The search for a new president for Georgia State University will resume in a few weeks. The nationwide search came to a halt earlier this month after all three finalists for the job withdrew their names for various reasons. Longtime Georgia State President Carl Patton, who's been in office 16 years, is delaying retirement indefinitely as the search continues. State officials also are set to launch a search for a new Georgia Tech leader in coming weeks.

GSU to announce first head football coach

Georgia State University is set to announce its first-ever head football coach, and it will be a high profile name. Bill Curry will be introduced later today on the downtown Atlanta campus. Curry has a 17-year head coaching resume—with Ga Tech from 1980-86…later 3 years with Alabama, and then another 7 seasons with Kentucky. He played for Ga Tech, and had a pro playing career in the NFL. Most recently, he’s been a television analyst for ESPN. Georgia State will play its first football season in the fall of 2010.

Red tape delays millions in school construction

Construction projects at eight state colleges are on hold because the funding organization for them is caught up in red tape in the state attorney general's office. Two years ago the state legislature created the Authority, but there's still no structure. Delayed projects include a new football stadium at Fort Valley State University and student housing at Georgia State University. Other projects include a $6 million parking deck at Dalton State College, a $7 million bookstore at Georgia College and State University and a $15 million student center at Darton College.

Georgia State University to start football program

Georgia State University in Atlanta announced Thursday it is launching a football program, with its first team to play in the fall of 2010. The school hopes having a football team builds a more traditional college experience at the school, and spurs more students to live on campus in future years. Of an enrollment of just under 30-thousand students, only 25-hundred live on the Atlanta campus.

Tom Lewis is vice president of external affairs, and a key member of Georgia State’s effort to bring football to the school.

"This is more than football, this is a new vision, this is the next 25 years. This will put us on the pace and will help our labs, help our classrooms, it will give our students the more complete campus experience. It will do a lot to put Georgia State even more on the map".

Just this week, a new student athletic fee of 85-dollars per semester was approved by the University System Board of Regents. Georgia State officials believe that money will go to cover annual costs of the football program. Around five million dollars is needed for start-up costs.

Georgia State's football team will compete in the Division-1 Football Championship Subdivision--formerly known as Division 1-AA.

Georgia sports for Thursday, April 17th

It has been a rough road trip for the Atlanta Braves as they lost their 3rd straight game last night. They've dropped the first 2 games in their series at Florida--the Marlins winning 6-5. Even more of a sting for the Braves--of the Braves’ 9 losses, 7 have been by one run. Last night, starting pitcher Tim Hudson lasted only 3 innings, allowing 4 runs. The Braves wrap their series and road trip tonight with John Smoltz on the hill.

From pro basketball, the Atlanta Hawks wrapped their regular season schedule with a 113-99 loss at Miami. But for the first time since 1999, the Hawks will be playing more basketball. They will face the Boston Celtics in round-1 of the playoffs--the opening contest is Sunday in Boston.

Later this afternoon from Georgia State University, the school is expected to announce it will launch a football program with its first season in the fall of 2010. The Panthers would play in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as I-AA. The school would play home games at the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome, not far from its downtown Atlanta campus. Georgia State would also build new practice and training facilities.

Report: Divorce costs billions

Some Georgia researchers say divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers more than 112 billion dollars a year. The study was conducted by Georgia State University. It was commissioned by sponsors who hope it will prompt lawmakers to invest more money in programs aimed at strengthening marriages. Other experts have argued such programs are of dubious merit.

Georgia bankruptcy filings spike 24% in 2007

Personal bankruptcy filings in Georgia jumped 24% last year. Fresh numbers from the National Bankruptcy Research Center show Georgia has the second-highest personal bankruptcy rate in the country.

The big percentage jump in filings is largely attributable to national economic factors--so says Jack Williams, a professor of law at Georgia State University and resident scholar at the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Williams says as it turns out, the factors that make Georgia attractive for residents can also support and influence a spike in bankruptcy filings.

"Certainly there’s a local Georgia flavor to the rate of filings and we tend to cluster in the top-10/top-5 of bankruptcy filings per household. That’s not something that we strive to do, but unfortunately we end up being in that area."

Many who flock to Georgia look to start their own business, but economic reality is many will fail. The state draws many boomers 55-and-older, but with rising medical costs, many ‘under’ or ‘non’-insured residents end-up filing for bankruptcy. And then Williams points out, there are Georgia’s foreclosure laws, which allow the process to move quickly--often spurring bankruptcy filings.

"There’s an argument that’s made that the rate of foreclosures here both in number and the time from default to the actual sale of the property...may influence the rate of bankruptcy filings. In many instances, bankruptcy is the only possible opportunity to keep one’s home, usually through a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing."

But Williams says that while bankruptcy is a negative, the process is a necessary part of a robust, competitive market.

"There are going to be economic winners and losers. What bankruptcy does is provide a system by which we can take the economic losers and bring them back in the system again, so that they can try again and begin their economic life anew."

Williams says Georgia is among a handful of states in the Southeast and Sunbelt, experiencing a population increase recently, bringing with it bankruptcy growing pains.

Georgia State prof dies in Egypt

A professor at Georgia State University has died during a visit to Egypt. Asa Hilliard died Sunday -- two days before classes were to begin at the university in downtown Atlanta. He was reportedly in Egypt leading students on a tour. A Georgia State spokesperson says officials have been told Hilliard died of malaria. He was 73.

Suspected kickbacks at Tech, GSU

Two Georgia schools face subpoenas about whether their athletic departments accepted kickbacks from a student loan company. Georgia Tech and Georgia State University are among 40 schools nationwide subpoenaed by the New York Attorney General’s office. Investigators say they believe the schools had some sort of agreement with Florida-based lender University Financial Services. They say it’s against federal consumer laws for a school to endorse a student loan provider based purely on payments from that lender.