This Week
Prepared by Office of University Communications
Nov. 18, 2014
Georgia College partners with EPA for community-based learning opportunities
A new partnership between Georgia College and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will bring together
academia and federal agencies to advance economic development in central Georgia’s rural and small communities.
Georgia College signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with the EPA to participate in the EPA College/Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP) and build a
cooperative working relationship in areas of mutual interest.
The agreement focuses on the following areas: environmental
justice, sustainability, energy, public policy, health disparities,
environmental monitoring and remediation, socioeconomic
issues, sustainable food systems and community development.
Also in an agreement to support school and communities in
the CUPP program, the EPA signed an MOU with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Region 4 Office
of Public Health and state directors from the U.S. Department
of Agricultural, Rural Development (USDA RD) representing
Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
“Universities like GC are an incredible asset for communities, because of the skilled resources at their disposal,” said
Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney. “Partnering
with HHS and USDA strengthens those skills and talents, and
allows us to expand support through the College/Underserved
Dr. Kelli Brown (left), provost and vice president of academic affairs signs an MOU with
EPA Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney.
Community Partnership Program to other communities in the
southeast.”
The goal of CUPP is to benefit both the communities being
served and the students involved in the program. Community
partners receive resources and expertise of university students,
faculty and staff. Students who participate in the program gain
professional experience working with city officials, community organizations, environmental professionals and other
stakeholders to solve challenges faced by rural communities.
“This is by definition a great community-based engaged
learning opportunity for our students,” said Dr. Julia Metzker, director of ENGAGE, Georgia College’s Quality Enhancement Plan. “By entering into this agreement, our students
will now have specialized opportunities for community-based
research projects especially in the areas of science and public
policy.”
Georgia College and the EPA will focus on the city of
Eatonton initially through their partnership. Areas of interest
include sewer issues and excessive water loss, storm water
control, youth development and job creation.
“I am extremely excited about the possibilities that such a
partnership presents,” said Eatonton Mayor John Reid. “The
potential benefits for all involved, especially the students,
can reap benefits beyond our imaginations. I look forward to
seeing it come to fruition.”
Currently 13 schools in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and
Florida participate in CUPP, as well as 22 underserved cities
and communities. The EPA Region 4 has 55 active MOU’s for
this program.
Senior wins writing awards for poetry and fiction pieces
Senior Whitney Gray’s
time at Georgia College
can best be described as a
transformative experience.
“Looking back at my
earlier work I think ‘did
I write that?’,” said the
English major. “It’s been
amazing how much my
writing has changed from
freshmen year to now,
and it’s all because of the
professors I’ve had along
Whitney Gray
the way.”
Gray won first place for her
poem, “Sweet Something,” in the Margaret Harvin Wilson Writing
Award competition, taking home $1,000 for her manuscript. Gray’s
writing style stems from experience—either personal or placing
herself in a character role, like she did in “Sweet Something.”
“I like to switch back and forth between writing personal pieces,
and for this one I was thinking of my current relationship,” said
Gray. “But I started thinking about how I would feel if I had this past
relationship and was dwelling on it. That’s the experience I wanted
to convey.”
For Gray, sharing experiences through writing is what she’s grown
up doing. Her works include both poetry and fiction. She also placed
fourth for her short story, “Listen.”
“I like fiction, but poetry is my thing,” said Gray. “I’ve been writing
poetry since I was about 10, and it’s kind of been my version of a
diary.”
Since starting out a Georgia College, Gray says her writing has improved thanks in part to her chosen concentration, creative writing.
“The professors here are incredible. I haven’t had one that I didn’t
like my entire time in my major,” said Gray. “It has been the one-onone time with them that has made the difference in my work.”
Creative Writing Program Coordinator Martin Lammon has witnessed Gray’s growth in the program, as well as her mentality to go
beyond usual classwork.
“Whitney Gray has been one of our most outstanding creative writers, and I invited her to complete a special senior capstone project, a
chapbook of her poetry. As part of that project, Whitney is participating in our Masters of Fine Arts graduate level workshop in poetry
this semester,” said Lammon. “So I wasn’t at all surprised that final
judges chose her poem ‘Sweet Something’ as the 2014 Wilson Award
winning manuscript.”
The award was established in memory of Margaret Harvin Wilson,
’34, who was born Nov. 11, 1913, in Chattanooga, Tenn., this year’s
award was given out on what would have been her 101th birthday.
Granted annually to a Georgia College undergraduate student,
the Margaret Harvin Wilson Writing Award offers a cash prize, a
certificate of achievement and recognition at a public ceremony as a
celebration of excellence in writing.
For Gray, who is planning a move to Washington D.C., after
graduating in December, she’s looking forward to a new experiences
in a new city.
Did You Know?
• Georgia College students teamed up with Communities in
Schools to bring informational sessions on computer safety
and cyber bullying to 4th and 5th-graders at Eagle Ridge
Elementary School all last week. Students that participated
in the week of sessions and workshops include Hayden
Helms, Anna Lidzda, Brian Elliot, Kearstin Moreland,
Charles Reynolds, Kelsey Hood, Jessica Perez and Christine
Smith. These students developed learning materials to present to students at Eagle Ridge and conducted a workshop
of the dos and don’ts of online activities. They also hosted
a coloring contest for the elementary students.
• The Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board of Trustees
Milledgeville Chapter has selected its board of directors to
serve for the 2014-2015 academic year. They are Caroline
Anderson, Macon; Taylore Brooks, Milledgeville; Elizabeth
Dobson, Macon; Caroline Freeman, Macon; Mariah Manoylov, Milledgville; Anahit Mehranian, Milledgeville; Sagarika
Reddy, Milledgeville; Raegan Renfroe, Milledgeville; Roy
Wood, Milledgeville; and Cheuyuang Zhon, Eatonton.
Theatre as Social Change: course explores health issues concerning teens
Many teens in middle school and high school are trying to find
a place in this world, and there is a Georgia College course that
works to help them navigate that road.
Theatre as Social Change is a GC2Y course that involves Georgia
College theatre and pediatric nursing students working with
Georgia College Early College (GCEC) students. The purpose of the
course is to discuss different health issues that concern teens. The
GC students create topics that will be explored in a performance.
Dr. Runee Sallad, principal GCEC, also takes part in the creation
of topics.
Performance topics focus on challenges like bullying, suicide, cutting, alcohol abuse, domestic
abuse and drunk driving. During the course, GC students put on a performance in which the protagonist is in trouble regarding one of the health issues. Then the actors freeze and ask GCEC students to
solve the problem at hand.
The title of the course, Theatre as Social Change, comes into play when the GCEC students are
encouraged to find as many solutions as possible to create social change among their age group.
This teaches the GCEC students different health issues, and it allows them to interact with each other.
Tuesday
This course is an example of the Georgia
College Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
called ENGAGE, which provides a blueprint for
building a culture of engaged learning through
structured and assessable community-based
engaged learning experiences that connect
students with the liberal arts mission and the
greater community. A grant was also awarded to
allow this course to be brought to students outside of the GC community with the goal of taking the
plays and the GCEC students to other counties in the area and allowing teens to learn through this
experience. The grant will also allow GCEC students to attend professional conferences inside and
outside of the state.
GCEC enrolls in 7th grade through 12th grade students from Baldwin and Putnam counties and
prepares students to complete high school, earn some college credit and become eligible for the
HOPE scholarship. GCEC is an alternative to traditional middle school and high school with partnerships throughout the community.
For more information about ENGAGE projects, visit gcsu.edu/engage.
What’s going on in Bobcat Territory?
18
7 p.m.- Battle of the Bands in Magnolia
Ballroom.
19
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
20
6 p.m.- “In Whose Honor? American
Indian Mascots in Sports” film screening
and discussion in Arts and Sciences Room
2-72. The discussion will be facilitated by
Dr. Connie Rickenbaker.
7:30 p.m.- ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’ (‘A
Little Night Music’) in the Max Noah Recital
Hall. The performance is coordinated by
the music theatre scenes class, directed by
Dr. Wendy Mullen with Dr. Lev Ryabinin
on piano.
8 p.m.- “The Piano Lesson”at the
Campus Black Box Theatre.
8 p.m.- “The Piano Lesson” at the
Campus Black Box Theatre.
21
7:30 p.m.- Public observatory night in
Room 405 Herty Hall.
Visit frontpage.gcsu.edu/calendar
Saturday
22
10 a.m. Christmas at the Mansion begins.
11a.m. to 4 p.m.- Old Governor’s Mansion
Sherman Reenactment. Occupied by Gen.
Sherman during his historic March to the
Sea, the Old Governor’s Mansion will host a
reenactment of his capture of the Mansion—
complete with a raising of the flag.
3:30 p.m.- Men’s basketball vs. Clark
Atlanta.
8 p.m.- “The Piano Lesson” at the Campus
Black Box Theatre.