Latest news with #GSU
Axios
5 days ago
- General
- Axios
GSU's plan to demolish historic building sparks community uproar
Georgia State University's proposal to demolish an old substation within the local Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District is drawing criticism from members of the community who want to see the building preserved. Why it matters: GSU, which has the largest student population of any college in Georgia, is a major player in attracting people to Downtown, and the school wants to turn its "concrete jungle" into an integrated campus with more gathering spaces for students. Driving the news: The school hosted a public input session last week where dozens of community members and students could ask questions about the project, which would demolish Sparks Hall at 33 Gilmer St. and the former substation at 148 Edgewood Ave. The gathering quickly devolved into heated discussions between those opposed to demolishing 148 Edgewood and GSU representatives and students who backed the plan. What they're saying: Supporters, which included some Black fraternity and sorority students, said removing the building would give Greek life students a communal space to gather. The 148 Edgewood building is vacant and abuts GSU's Greek Housing area. Ashleigh Harper, vice president of the Zeta Phi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at GSU, told Axios that demolishing the building wouldn't diminish Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy in Atlanta. "It can't be encompassed into one [building]," she said, referring to King's legacy. "I feel like that's doing him a disservice." The other side: Opponents argued the building is part of Atlanta's history and could be incorporated into GSU's campus. "The objection to its destruction is based upon facts and experience and the longevity of this area," said David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center. "This building … represents an identity and something that's integral to understanding what the city of Atlanta is." Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari wrote a letter in opposition to the plan, as did Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation president and CEO W. Wright Mitchell. Zoom in: GSU's plan to demolish Sparks Hall and 148 Edgewood is part of its larger, long-range plan to create a " true college town downtown." Sparks Hall would be torn down and a "Panther Quad" would rise in its place. The quad would include additional greenspace that would connect to the existing campus greenway. Plans also call for transforming part of Gilmer Street into a car-free zone, which would provide better connectivity to Hurt Park, said L. Jared Abramson, GSU's executive vice president and chief operating officer. The Edgewood building would be demolished to create outdoor community space next to the fraternity and sorority housing, Abramson told Axios, adding the building's historic significance would be commemorated. By the numbers: Abramson said it would cost $12 million for GSU to renovate the Edgewood building, which he said is about 9,000 square feet. It would cost about $1.7 million to demolish it, he said. The big picture: Abramson said GSU's plans are part of its overall work to shed its "concrete jungle" image and create a campus that encourages students to stick around Downtown. "We have determined that this is the type of experience our students need," Abramson told Axios. What's next: A GSU spokesperson told Axios the university is reviewing the feedback it received from the May 28 hearing.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police arrest suspect in shooting on GA university campus
Georgia Southern University police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that happened Tuesday on the school's Savannah campus. Police say neither the suspect nor the victim is an enrolled student and that they both knew each other. The shooting happened in the Residential 1 parking lot. The suspect was arrested at an off-campus site and charged with aggravated assault. Other charges may be filed in the future. After the shooting on Tuesday, students on the Savannah campus were told to shelter in place. About an hour later, at around 9 p.m., police determined there was no immediate threat to students and they were given the 'all clear' alert. GSU's main campus is located in Statesboro, about 57 miles northwest of Savannah. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: 'I have plans for that money': Woman says Truist Bank is holding $30,000 of her money hostage Kemp signs bill that could make Fulton County residents foot the bill for Trump's GA legal fees EPA announces rollback on forever chemical limits. What that means for your drinking water [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
CBC
05-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Kingston causeway workers still waiting for severance months after bridge demolished
Social Sharing Tom Vilneff and Doug Stewart spent their days caring for the LaSalle Causeway bridge, lifting it to let boats through and crawling around its green metal frame to maintain the structure that served Kingston, Ont., for more than a century. They described its demolition last June as "heartbreaking" and "like losing a best friend." Nearly a year later, insult has been added to injury: the two men still haven't received their severance. "I've tapped out my credit cards. I'm dipping into my line of credit. I'm not quite at the point where I have to remortgage my house, but that's in the cards," said Stewart. "I still haven't seen a cent." Vilneff said between abruptly losing his job and waiting to be paid the roughly $80,000 he's owed, he'll likely have to sell his home and downsize. "Definitely our savings are taking a beating," he said. "To make everything work, we'll probably have to move." Union calls situation 'unacceptable' In a statement to CBC, the Government Services Union (GSU) said it's has been supporting the men, including escalating their case and that their files are "nearing completion." However, "it is absolutely unacceptable that these workers who dedicated years of their lives to serving Canadians have been left waiting months for their severance and facing difficulties accessing benefits," read the message from spokesperson Dominique Barrette. "This situation has placed undue financial stress on their families and added an emotional toll at a time when they should be transitioning into retirement or the next stage of their lives with dignity." Barrette described the situation as an example of the "ongoing Phoenix pay system fiasco," adding it not only affects current public service workers, but also those who have been laid off or retired. Contacted for comment on the morning of May 1, PSPC did not respond to questions about the situation by deadline. A spokesperson said the department needed more time to answer, but did not provide a specific timeline to do so, saying it hoped to send a statement early this week. Last to lift the bridge Vilneff worked on the causeway for 13 years, including three years as bridge master. He was on shift at the bridge on March 30, 2024 when workers who were supposed to be repairing it removed supports from part of a steel truss supporting its massive counterweight. A report obtained by CBC said a section of the structure "buckled instantly." Over the months that followed, bridge staff continued in their roles, believing the crossing would be repaired and reopen. Stewart had been bridge operator for about a year-and-a-half at that point. In the end he was the last person to lift it. "It was an amazing thing to do because the thing was so gigantic, it was tons of steel," he recalled. As a lifelong Kingston resident, working on the "singing bridge" — so called for the sound it made when people drove over its grating — was a dream job. Stewart felt that way even while collecting garbage, sweeping up or crawling around the crossing to grease the more than 115 parts that helped it function. One day bridge staff noticed a crew with hard hats and bright orange vests. Stewart said they assumed the workers were there to were there to fix it. Then they noticed the word "demolition" written across one man's back. "It was shocking," he said, explaining how the five people who took care of the bridge learned it was being destroyed, and their jobs with it. "We heard [it] from the from the demolition crew," said Stewart. "We didn't hear from our superiors." He's owed approximately $2,000, along with an amount for transition support based on his time at the causeway and 13 years as a Parks Canada employee, which he did not want to disclose. Of the five people who worked on the bridge, three were laid off or retired. Their last day was Jan. 29. According to their collective agreement, severance should have been be paid within 30 days. As of this week, triple that time has passed. Bridge was a 'second home' Stewart said he blames PSPC and has filed a grievance with the union, adding he believes the department "botched the bridge" and his job, so someone should be held accountable. "I cannot collect unemployment because of the theoretical incoming money," he said. "They've been promising and promising and promising and [I'm] pretty upset for myself and my co-workers." Vilneff said he believes the Phoenix pay system is the culprit, offering a warning to other public service employees who are expecting to receive their severance in a timely manner: "Don't believe 25 days. Plan for, I'd say, 60 to 100 days." He called the causeway bridge a "second home," recalling 16-hour shifts and six-day work weeks when his crew was short a person, but said those years of service don't seem to count for much.
Chicago Tribune
28-04-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Governors State student earns STEM award for work with Argonne on vaccines
Lauryn Perry envisions a future where vaccines take only a few days to produce, not the typical three or four years scientists now spend developing them for the public. Perry should know, even though she's still a college student majoring in biology on a pre-med track. Set to graduate in May from Governor State University in University Park, Perry recently took home a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math award from the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Symposium in Chicago. Governors State students Karla Luviano and Delilah Sutherland also won awards. The symposium is coordinated by the U.S. National Science Foundation and recognized minority undergraduates for their research in science technology, engineering and math. Perry won for work she did during an Argonne National Laboratory internship, performing computer-based science research about integrating learning language models with immunogen design. Immunogens are substances (usually proteins) that, when introduced into a living organism, create an immune response. Artificial intelligence played a big part in the design, too. 'We used an AI-based program system and from there we trained this system to be able to code and create models for possible development of vaccines and other types of immunotherapies,' said Perry. She and a few other student interns who worked on the research did data collection from an immune epitope (part of an antigen that stimulates an immune response) database to get the models. They then designed a coded script through Python and Jupyter notebooks. 'The purpose of the entire experiment was to see if there was a better, more efficient way to create vaccines and immunotherapy, because traditionally it's a manual process that takes about three or four years to create just one,' said Perry, who lives in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. 'So if we created a vaccine through learning language models, we could get results within a day or two.' Karla Luviano, a chemistry major at GSU, won for her work on the creation of crystals using molten salts in a 'flux' (crystals are dissolved and then crystalize) technique. Delilah Sutherland, also a chemistry major, won for synthesizing and studying the structural properties of manganese arsenate to learn about the compound's behavior and transport properties. Perry was mentored by GSU professors and tutored other students. She became a student ambassador, helping friends and other students majoring in STEM. She said the experience allowed her first-choice opportunities at internships and other programs. At Argonne, she and other students worked with a research scientist on their projects. 'Lauryn consistently demonstrates a deep passion for learning and an unwavering commitment to excellence throughout her educational journey in my classes,' said Joseph Day, associate professor of addiction studies and behavioral health at at GSU. 'Her engagement with coursework was characterized by her proactive approach to seeking knowledge beyond the curriculum, insightful contributions to class discussions and ability to connect theoretical concepts with practical applications.' Nicholas Marra, GSU assistant professor of biology, agreed. 'Lauryn is a great student with a ton of potential,' said Marra. In high school, Perry took classes in graphic design, computer science and a robotics class. She also learned coding skills and for her final project made a video game. Perry said she credited her creativity in science to her parents, 'My parents just allowed me to be creative and explore, they didn't really shelter my imagination,' she said. 'I would go outside and used to bring home animals a lot,' she said, referring to frogs she collected. 'My mom was a little bit squeamish but she allowed me to explore as a child,' she said. While Perry earlier wanted to be a vet, she's now hoping to become either a surgeon or anesthesiologist. But first, she'll take a gap year and prepare to re-take her medical college admission test. She's still interested in vaccines, too, and has high hopes for their production. 'Based on the experiment and hypothesis, we found that this system could help with that,' she said. 'Not until we have more trials for this, but it is something I believe will happen in the near future.'
The Guardian
22-04-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Georgia State University receives $500,000 grant to preserve Gullah Geechee heritage
A new $500,000 Mellon grant will allow Georgia State University to develop archival, historical and cultural research to protect Gullah Geechee heritage and communities in Georgia and South Carolina. Using the grant, GSU will establish the Gullah Geechee Sacred Land Project (GGSLP), which will be 'dedicated to maintaining African American burial grounds by recovering communities' spiritual, genealogical and spatial lineages and safeguarding the places where those communities interred their ancestors', according to a statement by the college. The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of formerly enslaved west Africans who were forced to work across the coastal southern United States. They created their own rich culture and language, both of which are still practiced and spoken by their descendants today. After the emancipation proclamation, the Gullah Geechee decided to remain in their own lands, which now make up what is formally known as the Gullah Geechee corridor, spanning from North Carolina to Florida. Across the corridor, Gullah Geechee people are facing extreme land loss from climate crisis, gentrification and the development of their lands by outsiders. The fight to maintain Gullah Geechee lands continues today, with people awaiting to hear the Georgia supreme court's decision in a case that could ensure the preservation of one of the last intact Gullah Geechee communities. Gullah Geechee people are also working to preserve their cultural traditions and language and to ensure those are passed down to coming generations. With stakes this dire, a program like the GGSLP is increasingly important. GGSLP will be led by Ras Michael Brown and Tiffany A Player, assistant history professors at GSU. Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in studying Gullah Geechee culture and traditions will have the chance to do so, while also having research, preservation and community engagement opportunities. 'The Mellon Foundation's funding allows us to strengthen our relationships with Gullah/Geechee communities and support their ongoing efforts to honor their ancestors and the legacies they left for descendants,' Brown said in a statement. GSU's new undergraduate and graduate curricula will include four courses on oral tradition and folklore, immersive service-learning experiences and the establishment of an interdisciplinary GGSLP lab. Graduate students, under the direction of Chad Keller, co-investigator of the project, will have the opportunity to receive a newly created cultural resource management certificate. 'This partnership with the Mellon Foundation will enable students to conduct and access groundbreaking research and meaningfully connect with the people and histories that make up one of the most innovative learning environments in the country,' M Brian Blake, the Georgia state president, said in a statement.
