In the hustle of daily life, it is often difficult to sit down and read or watch the news. Here are some important news stories from the past week that you might have missed.
- Student Government forces updates in parking and transportation:
Many students have not received their parking passes or budget cards in the mail as we enter October. In response to the growing frustration of students, the Student Government on the Downtown Campus advocated for Brad Freeman, the Vice President for Finance and Administration, to make sweeping changes to the department.
These changes include reduced parking prices for active students with a Panther ID. This policy was put in place to “ensure that as students wait for their budget cards, they are [not] stretching their already strained budgets,” said Speaker of the Atlanta Senate Ira Livnat.
Students will also be able to pick up already ordered budget cards at the Parking and Transportation Office.
- COVID-19 continues to bog down the state:
New data from the Georgia Department of Health that COVID cases are increasing across the state. Not just increasing but, Georgians ages 64 and younger are dying of COVID-19 at nearly double the rate of the previous pandemic peak last year.
The surge has primarily affected rural Georgia, where unvaccinated rates are high. Still, there were 59 cases reported on the Atlanta Campus during the week of September 18th. You can find more information at: https://covidinfo.gsu.edu/.
- Georgia State to start offering gift cards in exchange for getting vaccinated:
If you plan on getting vaccinated on campus, Georgia State will give you a $50 gift card. Each student and employee may receive one $50 e-gift card for each shot received at a Georgia State COVID-19 vaccination site between August 23rd, 2021, and May 17th, 2022.
COVID-19 vaccinations received before August 23rd are not eligible for a $50 e-gift card. But don’t you worry, there is something for those who got vaccinated elsewhere and before that date.
- Georgia State hosts a cash drawing for full-vaccinated community members:
Beginning September 27th, current Georgia State community members who have received a complete series of the COVID-19 vaccine can win one of 100 cash prizes of $1,000.
All fully vaccinated students — whether at the Student Health Clinic or elsewhere—are eligible. However, those who have only received half of the total dose will not be eligible to participate in the drawings.
- NCAA to start using ‘March Madness’ for women’s tournament:
The NCAA women’s basketball tournament will begin using “March Madness” in marketing this season. This announcement comes after sharp criticism over the apparent differences in the male and female programs in the past few years.
“Women’s basketball has grown tremendously over the past several years, and we remain focused on our priority of enhancing and growing the game,” said Lynn Holzman, Vice President of Women’s Basketball. “The brand recognition that March Madness carries will broaden marketing opportunities as we continue that work to elevate the women’s basketball championship.”
- Puerto Rico is still without a functional power system despite no hurricane landfall this year:
Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like they’re living in the aftermath of a significant storm despite having no hurricanes this year. And it’s unclear if the federal government will ever issue funding for the weakened territory.
“It’s heartbreaking, really,” Jorge Silva said through tears. “My mom won’t even let us go back and see our family and our home.” He added, “She doesn’t want to put us through that, she doesn’t want us to see our beautiful island like that.”
- NCAA sets its sights on Louisville once again:
Already under investigation by the Independent Resolution Panel for issues related to a corruption case detailed in a May 2020 complaint, the school received the amendment on Thursday, which alleges Louisville: allowed graduate assistants, managers and noncoaching staffers to conduct impermissible activities with current players; produced showed and personalized recruiting videos to prospects, including their names and likenesses; presumed Mack was responsible for both allegations. The amendment adds that Mack did not rebut the presumption of responsibility.
