Blog Topic: On Campus

In the Loop: Black UGA Students Say They're Frustrated With Racism on Campus

By Blake Aued | March 26, 2019 3:59pm

Photo Credit: Blake Aued

More than 200 University of Georgia students gathered at the Miller Learning Center Monday night to talk about a racist video that went viral over the weekend.

Black students who spoke at the "In Solidarity" event, organized by the Student Government Association and UGA chapter of the NAACP, said they were hurt but not surprised by the Snapchat video, which showed a white UGA fraternity member whipping another white student with a belt, telling him to "pick my cotton," and using a racial slur. They also criticized the university administration's response to the video.

"There are students of color who don't feel safe, who don't feel comfortable, and that's a failure on the administration's part," one student said.

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In the Loop: UGA Frat Suspended Over Racist Video

By Ashlyn Webb | March 25, 2019 3:50pm

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.

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In the Loop: Student Senators Urge UGA to Honor Slaves

By Ashlyn Webb | March 6, 2019 4:57pm

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.

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In the Loop: Michigan VP for Research Jack Hu Named UGA Provost

By Blake Aued | March 5, 2019 1:03pm

S. Jack Hu, the vice president for research at the University of Michigan, will take over as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Georgia July 1.

Hu oversees the $1.5 billion research program at Michigan while also teaching manufacturing, serving on the executive committee of the National Academy of Engineering's Transportation Research Board and leading the driverless vehicle initiative Mcity. He previously served as associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean for research and graduate education in Michigan's College of Engineering.

UGA President Jere Morehead chose him from among four finalists selected by a faculty search committee.

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In the Loop: UGA Names Four Finalists for Provost

By Blake Aued | February 4, 2019 11:37am

Rahul Shrivastav.

A University of Georgia search committee has announced four finalists for the position of senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, the No. 2 position at UGA.

The finalists are Jack Hu, vice president for research at the University of Michigan; Beate Schmittmann, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University; Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction at UGA; and Elizabeth Spiller, dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of California, Davis.

Shrivastav will give a public presentation Tuesday, Schmittman on Thursday, Hu on Monday, Feb. 11 and Spiller on Wednesday, Feb. 13. All four are from 9:30–10:30 a.m. at the Chapel.

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In the Loop: UGA Union Defends TA Against Racism Charges

By Blake Aued | January 31, 2019 2:16pm

Irami Osei-Frimpong

The UGA chapter of the United Campus Workers of Georgia is gathering signatures online and in person in defense of Irami Osei-Frimpong, a PhD student and teaching assistant in philosophy who was targeted by a right-wing publication for online comments he made about race.

Last fall, Osei-Frimpong wrote on Facebook that "some White people may have to die for Black communities to be made whole in this struggle to advance freedom."

A recent graduate confronted Osei-Frimpong at a Young Democrats meeting and wrote about the TA's social media musings for the conservative organization Campus Reform, sparking widespread accusations of racism and advocating violence, although Osei-Frimpong has clarified multiple times that he was referring to the historical fact that white people have died in the past fighting for and against white supremacy.

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Culture Briefs: Lauren Haynes of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Visits Athens

By Barbette Houser | January 30, 2019 4:25pm

Lauren Haynes, Curator of Contemporary American Art at Crystal Bridges Museum, is the guest juror for this year's Juried Exhibition at the Lyndon House.

Lauren Haynes is working towards the day when it is the norm for female artists and artists of color to inhabit museum collections with the ease and frequency of white males. She also wants to get people excited about contemporary art.

Haynes spoke to a full auditorium last night at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. The Curator of Contemporary American Art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, she is in Athens to serve as this year’s guest juror for the Lyndon House Art Center’s 44th Juried Exhibition. Speculation is high among local artists about how the show might look and feel in the hands of this bold young curator. Babs Kall, a local artist who works with fused glass, said “I’m curious and anxious to see what Lauren chose for the show. I am expecting a vibrant and colorful, tactile exhibit.”

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In the Loop: That 'UGA TA Hates White People' Story Is Way Overblown

By Blake Aued | January 23, 2019 4:21pm

Photo Credit: The University of Georgia

Irami Osei-Frimpong.

Here’s some breaking news.

Wait for it.

It’s crazy.

You won’t believe this.

An Athens PhD student has some controversial political views. And he posts them on social media.

Irami Osei-Frimpong, a University of Georgia teaching assistant in philosophy, is well-known in Athens political circles. He hosts a YouTube show and posts his thoughts on race and class on Facebook multiple times a day.

Some months ago, Osei-Frimpong said that “some white people may have to die for black communities to be whole in this struggle to advance freedom.”

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In the Loop: Gov. Nathan Deal Will Teach at UGA

By Ashlyn Webb | January 9, 2019 9:12pm

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.

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In the Loop: Gov.-Elect Brian Kemp Calls for Unity in UGA Speech

By Ashlyn Webb | December 12, 2018 3:12pm

Photo Credit: Savannah Cole

Gov.-elect Brian Kemp speaks at UGA's Biennial Institute on Tuesday.

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.”

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