Author Archives | Catie Sullivan

Green says Douglasville site may move locations

Douglasville campus may be moved from its current location on Stewart Parkway. Photo by Allison Whitley

Douglasville campus may be moved from its current location on Stewart Parkway. Photo by Allison Whitley

As GHC’s ten-year lease at the Douglasville site nears its end, the college is considering its options in regard to renegotiating the lease or possibly moving to a different location.

Donald Green, GHC president, said, “We are currently exploring options in terms of our current location to maintain our low fees.” GHC is either going to stay at the current Douglasville location or move to a lower cost facility.

Green said, “We want to improve our financial situation because we don’t want to move somewhere to affect the budget.” GHC is currently looking into the idea and negotiating potential new locations in Douglasville, however nothing is final yet. The location of the site may not change but the decision to explore other options for the site arose following the ending of the lease.

GHC is beginning to talk to those in charge of their lease at the current Douglasville sight and the Board of Regents to come up with a final decision.

According to Green, the decision will be final in about six months, but this is a rough estimate. If the current Douglasville site lease is not renewed GHC will still provide classes in Douglasville at another location in the area.

According to Green, GHC has a good relationship with the Douglasville community and hopes to continue to provide low cost education to students in Douglasville.

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Yoga classes are now available for students, faculty and staff at four GHC campuses

Libby Gore  teaches yoga on the Floyd campus on Tuesdays. Photo by Kayley Agan

Libby Gore teaches yoga on the Floyd campus on Tuesdays. Photo by Kayley Agan

Yoga classes are available for all students, faculty and staff on all campuses except Marietta. Student life provides yoga mats and local instructors to teach the classes, which are held once a week.

Local yoga instructors provide beginner based yoga lessons, so anyone can join the class even if he or she has little to no yoga experience.

Student Life Director John Spranza said, “Anyone can do yoga no matter what shape you are in. It is a good beginning form of exercise, and it is very calming as well as a good stress relief.”

On the Floyd campus classes are on Tuesdays 1:30- 2:30 p.m. in the solarium. Cartersville classes are on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in the student center yoga room. Paulding classes are on Mondays at 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the room above the library.

Douglasville classes are on Wednesdays at 12:30-1:30 p.m. in room 112. At Heritage Hall, classes alternate between being on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon until 1:30 p.m. in room 137.

Angie Wheelus, director of Student Support Services, participates in yoga class. Photo by Kayley Agan

Angie Wheelus, director of Student Support Services, participates in yoga class. Photo by Kayley Agan

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Professor of Geology Billy Morris’s fossil collection includes 50-million-year-old fish

Billy Morris uses a tool to scrape away rock and expose the fossil underneath. The fossil Morris is preparing above was so well preserved that the fossil still has skin on it. Photo by Catie Sullivan

Billy Morris uses a tool to scrape away rock and expose the fossil underneath. The fossil Morris is preparing above was so well preserved that the fossil still has skin on it. Photo by Catie Sullivan

Billy Morris, professor of geology on the Floyd campus, provides his students with the ability to look at fossils he has collected as well as watch the process of fossil preparation.

Morris is from Rome, Georgia and has been on GHC’s Floyd campus since 1994.

According to Morris, his love for fossils and geology started from an early age as he began to find fossils and rocks that interested him while on adventures with his family throughout the state.

Morris has fossils of all sorts in his geology lab. His favorite fossil is a two foot long Phareodus Encaustus, which is a 50-million-year-old prehistoric fish that is similar to a piranha. Morris found this fossil while on the annual GHC Wyoming trip in southwest Wyoming at a quarry known for having an abundance of fossils.

Morris has been working on this specific fossil for five years, working to extract the fossil that is encased in the hard rock. This fossil is also so well preserved in the fine grain mud turned to rock that there is still skin on the fish, which makes this fossil very delicate.

Morris said, “The coolest thing about cracking rocks open and seeing a fish like that is that you are the only living thing that has seen this fish in 50 million years.”

Fossil preparation involves removing the matrix, which is the rock the fossil is incased in to reveal the contents. Tools such as picks, chisels, air abrasive tools and air impact tools are used in the preparation of fossils by Morris.

The fossils Morris works on are used in the classroom as well as put on display and brought to local elementary and middle schools for presentations. Some of the fossils are also donated by Morris to the elementary and middle school science classrooms.

The process of collecting fossils includes splitting large slabs of rock with chisels and hammers to reveal the fossils incased in the layers of rock.

Xinia Smith Camacho, GHC student as well as a financial services accountant at GHC, attended the Wyoming trip and said, “You learn better by looking at things and Billy Morris is so passionate he makes learning from him seem like a one on one conversation.”

Students who wish to attend the summer Geology field class in Wyoming with Morris and find fossils of their own can fill out an application on the Wyoming trip website http://highlands.edu/wyoming.

If GHC community members have questions about the Wyoming trip or wish to see Morris’s fossil collection they can do so by emailing him at bmorris@highlands.edu or by visiting his office in room W-325.

This fossil is called a Phareodus Encaustus. Photo by Catie Sullivan

This fossil is called a Phareodus Encaustus. Photo by Catie Sullivan

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Previous Douglasville Brother 2 Brother president now works as a news reporter at Ohio news station

Victor Williams works on set at WOIO’s news station. Contributed Photo

Victor Williams works on set at WOIO’s news station. Contributed Photo

Cleveland, Ohio, news reporter Victor Williams is a GHC alum and was once the Brother 2 Brother President on the Douglasville campus. Williams was born and raised in Atlanta, where he attended Benjamin E. Mays High School in Southwest Atlanta. However he said, “I like to think I grew up in Douglasville.”

He began his education at GHC right after high school. Williams joined Brother 2 Brother and began as a regular member of the organization, but in his second semester at GHC he became vice president of his chapter on the Douglasville campus. At the beginning of Williams’ second year at GHC and second year in the chapter, he became president.

Jon Hershey, dean of humanities and director of Brother 2 Brother said, “Victor always knew he wanted to be a broadcast journalist. He seems like a natural now, but he put a lot of hard work in to learning his craft.”

Williams said, “Brother 2 Brother gave me a band of brothers that held me accountable and kept me in line during my time at GHC. The organization itself skyrocketed me to higher levels. I had the chance to travel to so many places and meet so many people. I wouldn’t be where I am today without B2B.”

After attending GHC, Williams attended Georgia State. Williams has an associate degree in communications, and his bachelor’s in journalism.

According to Williams, being a reporter has always been his dream. Williams said,   “I started pursuing the career in middle school when I was an anchor for our school newscast. From there, I took every chance I could get to be on camera or to speak publicly. In high school I was a reporter for the district’s newscast.”

While at GHC, Williams did several video tours of the campus, and at Georgia State he was a reporter and then an anchor for the campuses newscast. While in Atlanta, Williams became an intern at WSB-TV Atlanta.

His first job in the field he wished to work in was at WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News in Jackson, Tennessee. He then went on to work as a reporter and fill-in anchor for WLOX News in Biloxi, Mississippi. After being at WLOX News, he began his current job as a news reporter in Cleveland, Ohio at WOIO.

Williams said, “My favorite part about my job is probably the adrenaline rush. Every day it’s a different story, and you never know what you may be covering at the beginning of the day.”

Hershey said, “Brother 2 Brother helped Victor by putting him in a leadership position, building his confidence, giving him work experience at Georgia Highlands Television and eventually taking him to Georgia State for a tour.”

According to Williams, he still holds the principles the organization Brother 2 Brother taught him to be true and still embodies them in his life. These principles include accountability, proactive leadership, self-discipline and intellectual development.

Williams wishes to share this advice with GHC students: “Trust yourself and have confidence. With that you can do anything.”

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New librarian oversees libraries on all campuses

head shot #1 - Lindsay Hamby

Julius Fleschner. Photo by Lindsay Hamby

“The defining unique characteristic of GHC is a focus on educational access. It is not something you find everywhere,” said  Julius Fleschner, the new dean of libraries and college testing.

Though working at a multisite institution is new to him, Fleschner is now overseeing all GHC libraries and college testing on all campuses.

Fleschner grew up in Long Island, New York, and after high school moved to the Tampa Bay area, where he attended St. Petersburg College and earned his associate of art in social work.

He then went on to get his bachelor’s of art in psychology from the University of South Florida.

Also at USF Fleschner earned his master’s in library and information science.

Fleschner has worked as a reference and instruction librarian in Sioux City, Iowa. Two years into his time in Iowa, Fleschner was offered a directorship.

Fleschner said, “I think my favorite part of my job so far has been interacting with the students, as I am still getting to know the college, libraries, and testing centers.”

He has been working at the circulation desk as much as possible.

“Even if it is just checking out a calculator, I like to tell the students I believe in them and to go get an A. GHC students are really great,” said Fleschner.

According to Fleschner he loves that the library offers Kanopy to the students.

Fleschner said, “This is an excellent streaming film database. If you like classic movies or documentaries, you really should check this one out. It’ll work on a streaming stick or box, too.”

On a weekly basis as the dean of libraries and college testing, Fleschner travels mainly between the Rome and Cartersville campus. However, he can be found on almost any campus at any time.

Fleschner said, “I try to be in Rome Monday through Wednesday and Cartersville Thursday and Friday, but it seems there is always something that comes up that requires me to adjust my schedule. That’s actually one of the things I like the most. It’ll keep you on your toes.”

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Looking into life on the Heritage Hall campus

Located in Rome, Georgia’s historic downtown district at 415 East 3rd Avenue, is Georgia Highlands College’s James D. Maddox Heritage Hall building. Heritage Hall is where both the nursing and dental hygiene programs are as well as the GHC digital media department and GHC television studio.

Rebecca Maddox, director of nursing, said, “Advantages to Heritage Hall are that we are downtown and near the area’s hospitals, and we use digital media to help with the educational needs of students.”

The Heritage Hall building was first constructed in 1938, and before being home to GHC’s nursing and dental hygiene programs, it was used as a women’s high school. It later became East Rome Junior High School.

GHC moved nursing off the main Floyd campus and into the James D. Maddox Heritage Hall Building in 1994.

The nursing program and dental hygiene programs both have state-of-the-art high tech equipment for students to work with. The nursing classes use mannequins that can simulate almost any medical condition, and students use these mannequins in rooms that model real exam rooms in hospitals.

The mannequins in these rooms are controlled by an instructor from an observation room. The simulation rooms are used to assess students as they practice taking care of the life-like mannequin.

Paula Stover, health sciences assistant professor, said, “We put out really good nurses,  and the simulations allow students the opportunity to make errors in a safe environment that they will learn from and never make again.”

The dental hygiene program has actual scale mouths and heads for students to practice cleaning and tooth care on. The students also develop their skills cleaning the teeth of actual patients from the community.

Besides nursing and dental hygiene, other offices and departments are found at Heritage Hall.

GHC digital media department and GHC TV are located in the Heritage Hall Annex. GHC’s television studio is located here. The digital media team also captures and edits photos and videos for the college.

Offices at Heritage Hall are also leased out to both Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute and the Medical College of Georgia.

To see more into the life on the Heritage Hall campus, please check out the slideshow down below.

 

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SMP editors visit Louisville for convention

group pic #1

From left: Catie Sullivan, Nick Whitmire, Joseph McDaniel and Scott Rosario attended the 2018 National College Media Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo by Lindsay Hamby

The Six Mile Post editors participated in sessions on journalism as a profession, newspapers, online newspapers and websites, layout design and film at the 2018 National College Media Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, Oct. 25-Oct. 27. The convention was held in the Galt House hotel.

Students who work on their school newspapers came from all over the country to attend the convention.

Attending from GHC were Catie Sullivan, editor-in-chief, Joseph McDaniel, managing editor of design, Nick Whitmire, managing editor of online and Scott Rosario, managing editor of sports, along with advisers Kristie Kemper and Cindy Wheeler.

The convention was hosted by the Associated Collegiate Press and the College Media Association. Experts in the journalism industry were invited to teach students about the industry and how to be successful in their work.

Kemper said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn things that will help them on the Six Mile Post as well as gain insight into possible careers some of them may choose to pursue.”

Photographers, writers, editors, graphic designers and advisers taught sessions throughout the course of the convention.

The main keynote speaker was award-winning photo journalist Cara Owsley, who works at the Cincinnati Enquirer. She shared with the audience what it is like to be a fast-paced photo journalist and some of the best photos she has taken during her career.

Owsley told the story of how she and her staff won a Pulitzer Prize for a series on the heroin epidemic in Cincinnati.

SMP Managing Editor of Online Nick Whitmire, said, “I liked seeing other journalists from other schools and learning about their craft and how they get their work done for their newspaper. I also liked exploring the city.”

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#Adulting comes to GHC

Adulting stpry photo

Kathleen Gibbons lectures on banking at #Adulting event. Photo by Catie Sullivan

#Adulting is a series of programs that Student Life started providing to students in the fall of 2017 and  aims at helping students begin their adult lives.

The #Adulting series  is being offered free to students in all campuses throughout the 2018-2019 school year.

The series of programs teach students about finances, mental and physical health, organization and other skills adults need.

Programs have included bankers coming to talk to students about building credit, lessons in etiquette and how to grocery shop smart.

Kathleen Gibbons is a banker from Wells Fargo who taught students about debit and credit as a part of the #Adulting series this semester.

Gibbons said, “When you are young you make a lot of mistakes, and those mistakes can be expensive. We want to help students avoid expensive mistakes.”

Floyd campus student Kenechi MgBodile said, “The people that come to talk to us for the #Adulting series are very informative and straight to the point, and they seem very willing to help.”

Upcoming in the #Adulting series for the fall semester is a session on taxes in November and in the 2019 spring semester the #Adulting series will include a cooking on a budget class taught by the famous Chef Egg, as well as sessions on insurance and cleaning hacks.

Student Life Director, John Spranza said, “Adulting is hard. Being out on your own and living with your parents, there is a lot you are expected to know that you don’t know yet, and it can be hard to find help.”

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GHC holds ribbon cutting and guided tours of new STEAM building for campus, community

ribbon cutting - Isaac Johnson

From left, Jeff Davis, vice president of finances and administration, Dana Nichols, vice president for academic affairs, Todd Jones, vice president of student affairs, Leslie Johnson, Cartersville campus dean, Don Green, president of GHC, Steve Wrigley, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, Mary Transue, vice president of advancement, Danielle Griesemer, SGA president and Phillip Kimsey, director of plant operations, participate in ceremony. Photo by Isaac Johnson

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the  $22.5 million STEAM building was on Oct. 16 at 4 p.m.

GHC President Don Green welcomed the over 300 attendees to the ceremony.

The ceremony was followed by an open house reception on the second floor and guided tours of the STEAM building to all who attended.

The first floor of the new building will be used by the mathematics and computer science divisions. Divisions that have space on the second  floor include social science, business, education and humanities and the third floor houses health sciences, natural science and P.E.

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GHC soccer teams begin play

womens soccer team

Women’s soccer team at KSU tourney: (bottom row from left) Ashley Solorio, Barbara Mata, Grace Wooley, Madelyn McAmish, Liz Arias, Mikayla Goulding; (middle row from left) Coach John Spranza, Olivia Nix, Maria Lopez, Maria Lawrence, Francisca Rodriguez, Haley Pittman, Maria Acosta; (top row from left) Denisa Reyes, Savannah Varner, Chloe Cochran; (not pictured) Esmeralda Hernandez. Contributed Photo

Mens soccer team

GHC men’s soccer team huddles during halftime Oct. 14. Contributed Photo

GHC’s soccer fall league men’s and women’s teams are playing soccer against teams from all over Georgia as well as from other states.

Student Life Director John Spranza coaches both the women’s and men’s teams.

He said, “I started the soccer fall league because there was such an increased interest in soccer. I knew we had a lot of students who played in high school, in local leagues and for fun. I wanted to give them an opportunity to keep playing.”

The GHC soccer fall league teams are affiliate members of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. The teams must play at least three games this fall to be eligible to become full members of NIRSA.

Once the GHC soccer teams become full members of NIRSA, in fall 2019 teams will have their schedules set up for them by NIRSA, will be able to play in post-season games and will have the opportunity to compete in championships’.

The women’s team has 16 players from four campuses. The men’s team has 24 players from three campuses.

The men had an away game on Oct. 12, against Bryan College in Tennessee, which they lost 1-0, and a home game against Jacksonville State University on Oct. 14, which GHC lost 5-4.
Scorers for the men’s team were Cartersville’s Julio Medina with three goals and Marietta’s Amadou Touray with one goal in the JSU game. Alejandro Cornejo, Floyd,  made two assists and Charlie Cruz, Floyd, made one.

The men’s team goalie, Brandon Romero, Cartersville, had 10 saves in the game against JSU and 13 saves against Bryan College.

The women’s team has played two games against Kennesaw State University and the University of Mississippi at a tournament at KSU Oct. 14. The women lost 3-0 to KSU and 7-0 to Ole Miss.

Liz Arias is the goalie for the women’s team. She had seven saves in the KSU game and four saves against Ole Miss.

Denisa Reyez, Floyd, plays for the women’s team. She said, “Soccer is a very fun sport, gets you very active and I’m glad I can continue to play soccer in college because I played in both middle and high school.”

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