Blog posts by Ashlyn Webb
-
Former UGA Professor Under Investigation by ICE
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: University of Georgia
A former University of Georgia political science professor is under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles confirmed today that the GBI is assisting Homeland Security in its investigation into Jamie Monogan, who formerly taught in the School of Public and International Affairs.
-
Controversial UGA TA Cleared in Disciplinary Hearing
Blog: In the Loop
Irami Osei-Frimpong.
University of Georgia philosophy PhD student and teaching assistant Irami Osei-Frimpong did not violate the university's Student Code of Conduct, a University Judiciary panel of two students and a faculty member ruled on Monday.
The panel found that Osei-Frimpong did not furnish false information or omit facts on his application about his attendance at the University of Chicago or his arrest during a 2011 protest, which a judge later ruled unconstitutional.
The Office of Student Conduct launched a three-month-long investigation into Osei-Frimpong’s past after receiving an anonymous tip that he had lied on his application to graduate school about his academic history and criminal record.
The investigation was launched shortly after recent UGA graduate Andrew Lawrence, who had written an article for a right-wing website on Osei-Frimpong’s racial views that angered conservatives, claimed that a donor had threatened to withhold $2.5 million as a result of Osei-Frimpong’s comments. Although UGA’s Equal Opportunity Office had cleared him of violating the university’s discrimination policy because his remarks were made on his own time and protected by the First Amendment, after Lawrence’s tweet, UGA said it was “vigorously exploring all available legal options” with the state attorney general’s office.
-
UGA Says Removed Protesters Were 'Disruptive'
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Joe Lavine
A video still shows UGA police moving students aside so they can close and lock the Administration Building doors.
Protestors who sought to enter the Administration Building on Thursday to seek a meeting with President Jere Morehead about Baldwin Hall and slavery were barred by police because they had been disruptive at a previous protest on Monday, according to a statement University of Georgia spokesman Greg Trevor released today.
-
Police Bar UGA Students From Entering Building
Blog: In the Loop
University of Georgia police told protesters they couldn’t enter the Administrative Building at 3 p.m. on Thursday, stating it was not a venue for “engaging in expressive activity,” according to a video of the incident. The building is open until 5 p.m. on weekdays.
After a picnic on North Campus, a small group tried to enter the building to seek a meeting with President Jere Morehead about the how the university has handled slave remains found underneath Baldwin Hall and the legacy of slavery in general. Joe Lavine, a recent UGA graduate who directed the documentary Below Baldwin, captured the confrontation.
According to another video of the incident, shot by Evan Johnson, UGA police physically moved two students, Imani Scott-Blackwell and Zaria Hampton, away from the door in an effort to close and lock it. Then, UGA Police Chief Dan Silk threatened to arrest them for obstruction.
-
Protesters at UGA Threatened With Arrest
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole
A crowd of nearly 60 protestors, some with shovels in hand, marched Monday from the Tate Center Plaza to the Administrative Building on North Campus as part of the March to Recognize and Redress UGA’s history of slavery. The group demanded President Jere Morehead and a representative of the Board of Regents meet with them before the beginning of the fall semester.
However, protestors did not get a welcoming response from administration. Instead, five protestors were warned they would be arrested on the grounds of criminal trespassing, and dozens were refused access to the Administrative Building.
The group’s hope is that the university will agree to their three demands laid out in an open letter delivered to Morehead on Apr. 10.
-
Morehead Defends UGA's Actions on Baldwin Hall Remains
Blog: In the Loop
UGA President Jere Morehead.
University of Georgia President Jere Morehead defended UGA’s actions on the discovery and reinterment of slave remains underneath Baldwin Hall in a letter to Flagpole today.
Morehead was responding to a letter delivered by local activists to his office on Wednesday demanding that the university acknowledge and address the legacy of slavery on campus.
Morehead began the letter by stating he was “not surprised by the wildly inaccurate claims” in the open letter signed by local activist groups and public officials.
“As President of this institution, I know the University has done what is right and has treated the remains of the individuals at Baldwin Hall with dignity and respect. I am troubled that many dedicated individuals—who represent a broad diversity of perspectives and backgrounds—have been maligned and personally attacked for doing their jobs in a responsible manner,” Morehead wrote.
-
Activists Deliver Letter to Morehead Demanding UGA Reparations for Slavery
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Ashlyn Webb
From left, Chris Xavier, Alvin Sheats, Mokah-Jasmine Johnson and Imani Scott-Blackwell deliver a letter to UGA President Jere Morehead's office demanding reparations for slavery.
Representatives from local activist organizations delivered an open letter to UGA President Jere Morehead today demanding that the university acknowledge and address the legacy of slavery on campus.
Members of several organizations that signed on to the letter—including the Economic Justice Coalition, Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, the Athens NAACP, United Campus Workers of Georgia and Athens for Everyone—stood on the steps of the Administration Building and recited the letter this morning. Signers also included Athens-Clarke County commissioners Mariah Parker, Melissa Link and Tim Denson, and Clarke County Board of Education members LaKeisha Gantt and Tawana Mattox.
The letter demands that the university take responsibility for its role in white supremacy, fund a faculty-proposed Center of Slavery to further research the university’s history of slavery and oppression, and provide reparations by granting full-tuition scholarships to descendants of enslaved people who worked on UGA’s campus and for African-American students who graduate from an Athens public high school, as well as paying all employees a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
-
Georgia House Passes Abortion Bill
Blog: In the Loop
A bill severely restricting abortions in Georgia passed narrowly with a 92-78 vote on the House floor on Friday. It takes 91 votes to pass a bill.
Now, House Bill 481 heads to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk to be signed into law.
Kemp is expected to sign the legislation. In his 2018 campaign, he vowed to his supporters to sign “the strictest abortion law in the nation.”
-
Bill Would Make Confederate Monuments Harder to Move
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson/file
Athens' Confederate monument, erected in 1872, now sits in the Broad Street median downtown after being moved twice before.
Athens' Confederate monument, and others, will be harder to move if the state legislature passes a bill granting monuments greater protection.
Reps. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) and Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville) voted in favor of Senate Bill 77. Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) voted against the bill, which passed 100–71.
SB 77, sponsored Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), increases the punishment against those who damage or destroy a monument. Those found guilty of damaging a monument could be fined up to three times the costs to repair or replace it, according to the bill.
-
Protest at UGA as Lawmakers Prepare for Abortion Vote
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole
About 100 people protested HB 481, the anti-abortion "Heartbeat Bill," on campus Wednesday.
The Georgia House of Representatives could vote soon on what will be one of the strictest—if not the strictest—abortion laws in the country today.
On Friday, the Georgia Senate moved forward House Bill 481. The “Heartbeat Bill” bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. That’s when supporters claim a fetal heartbeat can be detected, although doctors dispute that. The current law bans most abortions after 20 weeks.
Both Athens-area senators, Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) and Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville) voted in favor of the bill. Two Athens representatives, Republicans Houston Gaines and Marcus Wiedower, have stated they will vote to approve the bill as they did the first time around. Democrat Spencer Frye is the only Athens legislator expected to vote against it.
Senate tweaks to the bill mean the House must approve it again to send it on to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature, but time is running out. Before Day 38 of the 40-day session, HB 481’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth), said the bill is three votes shy of passage.
-
UGA Frat Suspended Over Racist Video
Blog: In the Loop
The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity’s UGA chapter has been suspended and four members expelled from the fraternity after a video surfaced showing them using racist language and mocking slavery.
“I want to reach out to you to express how profoundly disappointed and appalled I am by the content of a recent video involving four UGA students that has been circulating on social media. I know this matter has caused great pain and anguish within our University community,” UGA president Jere Morehead said in a statement. “This incident does not reflect the culture of unity and inclusion which we support on our campus.”
Once the video began gaining attention, the University of Georgia, Student Government Association and Tau Kappa Epsilon gave statements via Twitter.
-
Student Senators Urge UGA to Honor Slaves
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole/file
Protesters gather around UGA Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Michelle Cook as she speaks at the Baldwin Hall memorial dedication in November.
A Student Government Association resolution urging the University of Georgia to build a monument on North Campus to all enslaved people at the University of Georgia and to dedicate the Chapel Bell to two enslaved men who were utilized as bell ringers on campus passed 32-3 Tuesday night.
“Many community members and students do not feel as though the University of Georgia adequately, publicly acknowledged its past entanglement with slavery, nor acknowledged the substantial contributions that enslaved peoples made towards the establishment and success of the University,” the SGA resolution states.
For senators like Jessica Douglas, who introduced the resolution, memorials at Baldwin Halland Oconee Hill Cemetery are not enough.
“There’s this conception that because a memorial was placed at Baldwin Hall that we’ve sort of checked the box and that that’s all we really need to do. I want to continue the conversation and grappling with our legacy of slavery,” Douglas said.
-
Commission Debates Drug Grant, Approves Rezonings
Blog: In the Loop
Commissioner Mariah Parker.
The Athens-Clarke County Commission could create a criminal justice committee later this year after two commissioners briefly held up a federal grant that funds drug investigations.
The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funds the Northeast Georgia Drug Task Force, which consists of nine officers, six of whom work for the ACC Police Department. The grant partially funds four of those six officers, according to ACC Manager Blaine Williams.
Commissioner Mariah Parker removed the grant from the commission’s consent agenda—a package of noncontroversial items—at its Feb. 5 meeting. She and Commissioner Melissa Link said they would approve of the grant if the commission were to take action to establish a criminal justice committee. After discussion, the commission unanimously approved the grant and decided to return to the subject of creating the committee in six months, once new Police Chief Cleveland Spruill has time to settle in and take part in creating the committee. Mayor Kelly Girtz said the commission is scheduled to review the criminal justice system at its March work session.
-
Gov. Nathan Deal Will Teach at UGA
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Office of the Governor
Gov. Nathan Deal, whose second term ends on Monday, will soon be teaching at the University of Georgia.
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted today to appoint Deal as a Regents Professor. His appointment will be effective for at least three years beginning March 1.
Deal plans to occasionally lecture undergraduates with interests in political science and law at UGA and other institutions in the University System of Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreported. He's also starting a consulting firm with his longtime chief of staff, Chris Riley.
-
Gov.-Elect Brian Kemp Calls for Unity in UGA Speech
Blog: In the Loop
After a divisive campaign, Gov.-elect Brian Kemp called for unity Tuesday in his first major speech since winning a close and hard-fought election. Taking a different tone than what voters heard on the campaign trail, he appealed to state legislators to “put politics behind us.”
The speech at the University of Georgia’s Biennial Institute, a three-day training session for state legislators, came months after Kemp emerged from a bruising Republican primary in July and just weeks after he repeatedly called Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams a radical extremist.
“It’s time to shed the labels and work together as Georgians. It’s time to stand up for our communities, our families and our Georgia values,” Kemp said. “It’s time to protect the vulnerable. It’s time to do the right thing—even when no one is looking.”
-
ACC Attorney Says Board of Elections Illegally Closed Meeting
Blog: In the Loop
Savannah Cole/file
The Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections broke state law when it went into executive session in September to discuss opening an early voting site at Cedar Shoals High School, according to the ACC Attorney’s office.
Tension continued in the Board of Elections on Tuesday as they discussed the closed-door meeting. The attorney’s office concluded the board was in violation of the Georgia Open Meetings act. Assistant county attorney John Hawkins provided the results of the review to board members.
On Sept. 4, the BOE decided to go to executive session to discuss “personnel matters” since more poll workers would be needed for an additional early voting location. Under the Open Meetings Act, the board is permitted to go to executive session if it involved personnel matters. However, other topics were discussed, and the personnel exemption is meant to cover discussions about specific employees or candidates for positions, not hiring more personnel in general.
-
Bird Owes UGA Over $500,000 for 1,100 Impounded Scooters
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole
It’s been four months since Bird scooters began hatching around downtown Athens and soaring through the University of Georgia campus in August as part of the company’s nationwide “University Pop-Up Tour.”
After a week, university officials began confiscating Birds on campus, and ACCPD and UGAPD later started ticketing riders who did not obey the law. Now, Bird scooters are causing another problem for University of Georgia officials since the company has refused to pick up the impounded scooters or pay fines.
As of Nov. 19, the University of Georgia had confiscated a total of 1,096 Bird scooters since August and stored them in the Carlton Street parking deck. At that time, Bird owed the university $504,360, according to UGA spokesperson Rebecca Beeler.
-
Election Officials Butt Heads as Recount Forces Athens to Miss Deadline
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole
The Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections faces possible state sanctions after missing the deadline to certify election results because of a chaotic recount Tuesday that raised as many questions as it answered.
The “recanvassing”—prompted by petitions from three voters in eight precincts who were concerned about every vote being counted—started at 11 a.m. and was supposed to end at 2 p.m., but continued well past the 5 p.m. deadline for counties to certify their election results and deliver them to the secretary of state’s office.
Vote totals were uploaded around 6:30 p.m., said Charlotte Sosebee, the director of elections and voter registration. However, the election wasn’t certified until closer to 8 p.m. Documents were turned over to the Georgia State Patrol at 9 a.m. today for delivery to Atlanta.
Not only were all the votes counted on Election Day, the recanvassing revealed that too many were counted. Twenty-five mail-in absentee ballots were counted that should not have been.
-
Deadline for Provisional Ballots Extended as ACC Prepares to Wrap Up Vote-Counting
Blog: In the Loop
About 175 Athens voters who cast provisional ballots have another few hours to resolve whatever issue led to them not being able to cast a regular ballot on Election Day.
Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections staff has reviewed 218 provisional ballots cast by voters whose eligibility was uncertain. Of those, 43 have been counted and 175 are still unresolved, according to board member Jesse Evans.
Ordinarily, voters have until the close of business the Friday after the election to resolve issues with provisional ballots. The BOE voted unanimously on Friday, though, to push the deadline to 4 p.m. today.
“This would allow our community as much time as possible to resolve any issue with their provisional ballot,” Evans said.
-
Lawsuit Filed by Former Athens Candidate Against Kemp Dismissed After Kemp Resigns
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Savannah Cole/file
Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp emerges to speak to supporters at the Classic Center early Wednesday morning.
A former candidate for an Athens-area congressional seat was one of five voters who filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to force Brian Kemp—the apparent winner in what is still a disputed gubernatorial race—to recuse himself from overseeing Georgia’s election.
Kemp announced his intention to resign as secretary of state at noon today just before a hearing began this morning in Atlanta, rendering the lawsuit moot.
One of the plaintiffs was Barrow County resident Chalis Montgomery, who ran in the 10th Congressional District Democratic primary last spring. Tabitha Johnson-Green of Sandersville won the nomination and lost to Rep. Jody Hice on Tuesday.
“It’s really important when we have suits like this to show a variety of plaintiffs and a multiplicity of concerns,” Montgomery said. “Even though I’m not running for office right now, it’s important to stand up against our democratic norms. We don’t have anything if we don’t have free and fair elections.”
Page 1 of 2, showing 20 records out of 34 total, starting on record 1, ending on 20
latest stories
-
In the Loop | November 21, 2019 3:01pm
Former UGA Professor Under Investigation by ICE
-
In the Loop | May 7, 2019 2:54pm
Controversial UGA TA Cleared in Disciplinary Hearing
-
In the Loop | May 3, 2019 5:51pm
UGA Says Removed Protesters Were 'Disruptive'
-
In the Loop | May 2, 2019 10:10pm
Police Bar UGA Students From Entering Building
-
In the Loop | April 30, 2019 2:39pm
Protesters at UGA Threatened With Arrest
-
In the Loop | April 11, 2019 1:36pm
Morehead Defends UGA's Actions on Baldwin Hall Remains
-
In the Loop | April 10, 2019 1:15pm
Activists Deliver Letter to Morehead Demanding UGA Reparations for Slavery
-
In the Loop | March 29, 2019 4:14pm
Georgia House Passes Abortion Bill
-
In the Loop | March 29, 2019 12:22pm
Bill Would Make Confederate Monuments Harder to Move
-
In the Loop | March 28, 2019 10:29am
Protest at UGA as Lawmakers Prepare for Abortion Vote
-
In the Loop | March 25, 2019 3:50pm
UGA Frat Suspended Over Racist Video
-
In the Loop | March 6, 2019 4:57pm
Student Senators Urge UGA to Honor Slaves
-
In the Loop | February 11, 2019 5:03pm
Commission Debates Drug Grant, Approves Rezonings
-
In the Loop | January 9, 2019 9:12pm
Gov. Nathan Deal Will Teach at UGA
-
In the Loop | December 12, 2018 3:12pm
Gov.-Elect Brian Kemp Calls for Unity in UGA Speech
-
In the Loop | December 5, 2018 1:59pm
ACC Attorney Says Board of Elections Illegally Closed Meeting
-
In the Loop | December 3, 2018 2:57pm
Bird Owes UGA Over $500,000 for 1,100 Impounded Scooters
-
In the Loop | November 14, 2018 2:14pm
Election Officials Butt Heads as Recount Forces Athens to Miss Deadline
-
In the Loop | November 12, 2018 12:35pm
Deadline for Provisional Ballots Extended as ACC Prepares to Wrap Up Vote-Counting
-
In the Loop | November 8, 2018 8:26pm
Lawsuit Filed by Former Athens Candidate Against Kemp Dismissed After Kemp Resigns