University System of Georgia Creates Mental Health Task Force to Tackle Crisis
The University System of Georgia (USG), which governs most public colleges and universities in the state, created a 14-member panel of administrators, mental health professionals, faculty members and students to address mental health on college campuses, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). The task force will analyze current counseling resources available to students and determine what changes need to be made.
The USG is currently being sued by the family of Scout Schultz, a Georgia Institute of Technology student who was fatally shot by campus police in an apparent suicide attempt in 2017, according to the AJC. The family alleges that a lack of adequate mental health resources and police training led to the death. One in four college students are diagnosed with a mental illness and one in 10 admit to having seriously contemplated suicide, according to the AJC. The task force will also consider mental health resources for faculty and staff in light of a recent faculty suicide at the University of Pennsylvania. The task force will hold meetings later this year and plans to present their recommendations in early 2020.
U.S. Rep. Cummings Dead at 68
U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) died on Oct. 17 from long-standing health issues, according to the AJC. The longtime congressman was an influential member of the civil rights movement from the 1970s onward and was most recently known for his service as chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, a role which made him highly influential in the investigation into alleged wrongdoing by President Donald J. Trump. Cummings was admitted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital for an unknown procedure and set to take a week’s leave from his duties while he recovered, but complications led to his death in the early morning hours of Oct. 17. Cummings is survived by his wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, and three children.
Education Secretary DeVos Criticizes Education Reform Plans of 2020 Candidates
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos called plans by the Democratic presidential candidates to combat the student debt crisis "crazy" on Saturday, pointing out their high costs to taxpayers. While many Democrats in the field aim to decrease rates of student debt, some, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have pledged to end tuition costs at all public universities. DeVos, in an interview with Fox News, called the plans a "federal takeover of higher education," claiming they would cost taxpayers trillions of dollars.
House Democrats Propose Plan to Lower College Costs
The Democrat-majority U.S. House of Representatives revealed its own plan to help alleviate the student debt crisis on Oct. 15, according to The New York Times. While the plan does not go as far as the proposals by many of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, it hopes to make $400 billion worth of grants and federal funding available over the next 10 years to help reduce the cost of college. Regulations included in the bill will penalize colleges that produce poor outcomes for students, meaning that colleges will be encouraged to work harder to prepare students for the workforce. Increases will also be made to the amount of money students receive from Pell Grants, as well as to provide further aid, including housing and food support, to especially disadvantaged students.
Winship Cancer Institute Partners with Atlanta Falcons for Cancer Awareness
As part of the NFL’s “Crucial Catch” initiative, the Atlanta Falcons are partnering with Emory Healthcare and the Winship Cancer Institute to promote early detection of cancer. Matt Bosher, a punter for the Atlanta Falcons whose mother is a breast cancer survivor, is a spokesperson for the program. The Atlanta Falcons held their annual Crucial Catch game on Oct. 20, but the program will run through the end of October.
