On Sunday, March 21, the Technique hosted the annual Student Government Associate (SGA) debate between the two campaigns running to be the next undergraduate president and vice president of SGA. To comply with COVID safety protocols, the debate was hosted using the online platform, BlueJeans Events.

This year, two campaigns are running to be the voice of the student body. One includes Kyle Smith, third-year PUBP, as presidential candidate and Salmata Barrie, third-year EE, as vice presidential candidate.

Presidential candidate Sam Ellis, third-year INTA, and vice presidential candidate Ajanta Choudhury, third-year BIO, make up the second campaign.

In their opening statement, both candidates explained their mission statements and additional information relating to their background and experience.

“Ajanta and I believe in turning advocacy into action … to achieve that, we believe in taking a bottom-up approach to campus leadership,” Ellis said.

“Our platform sets clear, actionable goals that were created by listening to our team and by meeting with administrators,” Choudhury said. She further elaborated that these goals focus on issues such as mental health, student employees, size inclusion on campus and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Smith explained his campaigns’ motivation for joining the election race. “It was really about our passion for addressing the barriers that students face and making sure that we are prioritizing the well-being of the whole student beyond just their academic performance.”

He also stated, “We believe that it is crucial that SGA leverage its power to advocate for all students and that we not be afraid to speak the truth that we know students are feeling.”

Barrie continued, “As the only executive candidate coming from outside SGA and representative of the engineering community, it’s really important to me that … you have [niche communities] representative at every level of SGA.”

When asked about aspects of their platform that could be realistically implemented within the first 100 days in office, Smith and Barrie focused on improvements to mental health while Ellis and Choudhury focused on a safe return to campus and reforms to the Office of Student Integrity.

“I think one of the most important issues that we will certainly address in the first 100 days is that of mental health,” Smith said. “One of the things that we want to be advocating for, as soon as we are in office, is truly making sure that the after-hours counseling services are adequate because we know this is a life-or-death issue.”

Barrie added that they would not just focus on adding numbers of staff members to the counseling services but would also work to improve the quality of counseling. “Follow-up needs to be a part of the process, regardless of severity.”

“One big part of our platform that we think can be realistically implemented is a safe return to campus and specifically that means a safe return to social culture,” Choudhury said.

She explained how this would be accomplished by clarifying mandatory and recommended guidelines for student organizations that want to plan safe and in-person events.

“The second one that is super important to us is reform for the Office of Student Integrity,” Ellis said. “We’re calling for them to … put a hard one-month limit on both academic and non-academic cases … and drop all pending fall 2020 cases that affect graduate students.”

In regard to a later question on mental health, Ellis and Choudhury explained their goals to hire a more diverse and unique counseling staff to fit the unique needs of students.

Choudhury also stated their campaign’s plan to proactively solve mental health by reducing students’ academic stress. “One big thing is to have transparent curving policies … and having [syllabi] posted at the beginning of the semester.”

When asked about how they plan to alleviate issues that come from collaborating with entities outside of SGA, Smith and Barrie reiterated their campaign’s promise of addressing neglected campus communities.

Barrie stated, “If we are going to have a long-term impact, we need to make sure we are supporting those niche communities that kinda get looked over.”

Students watching the debate online were also allowed to ask questions directly to both campaigns through the Q&A feature on BlueJeans Events.

Themes of the questions centered around campus sustainability, international students and diversity in Greek Life. Several targeted questions had to be deleted for their efforts to slander both campaigns.

Both campaigns addressed questions that were not asked (due to time constraints) by posting responses on their campaign social media and websites.

Students can vote for presidential candidates at elections.gatech.edu until elections close on March 26. Results will be revealed at 5 p.m. on March 29.

Other issues on this year’s ballot include a referendum for proposed changes to Tech’s fight song as well as a proposed constitutional amendment to the amendment process.

Click here to watch the recorded SGA debate

On Feb. 22, Tech’s Academic Restart Task Force began administering listening sessions for students, faculty, and graduate teaching assistants (GTA) to voice their opinions on classroom experiences this semester.

A total of 24 sessions took place with the last one occurring today, March 12, at 10:30am.

The one-hour sessions took place over Microsoft Teams. Only 15 participants were allowed per session to ensure each individual had the opportunity to speak about their opinions.

The discussions were led by Dr. Casey Chaviano, assistant director for assessment and planning in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.

Dr. Kyla Ross, assistant vice provost for advocacy and conflict resolution, also attended each session to take notes on participant comments.

The stated goal of the listening sessions was “to provide insight into perceptions of instructional effectiveness, student engagement, the usefulness of technology, and consistency/clarity of communications and expectations.”

Emily Eby, second-year ME, stated, “I decided to participate in the focus group because I feel very passionately that we should return to in-person classes this fall. When I heard about the focus group sessions, it appeared to be an opportunity to voice my opinions and share my experiences.”

Rose Lacey, third-year MATH, had a similar reason for her involvement. She stated, “I decided to participate in the listening sessions because I really miss the way that Georgia Tech used to be before the pandemic. I have seen how success much we’ve had in limiting cases on campus the past two semesters, and especially with all the vaccines coming out, I feel really confident that we’ll be able to return to normal this fall.”

At the beginning of the undergraduate student listening sessions, participants were asked to raise their hands to indicate which course modes (hybrid, residential, or remote) they were taking this semester. Chaviano followed up by asking for both good and bad experiences within the different courses.

Lacey said, “All of the students [in my session] were in at least one hybrid class, so a lot of the discussion was focused on that, and we came to the conclusion that a lot of classes that were listed as hybrid ended up being mostly or fully online.”

“Many of the participants, myself included, expressed frustration with the current online format for classes,” said Eby.

She further explained, “It was often said that there was little interaction with the professor and our peers. In addition, work felt as if it was of a greater magnitude than in-person classes. It was evident that there was a general sense of isolation and discontent that participants felt with Georgia Tech.”

Results of the sessions will be shared with Tech administrators and the Institute Restart Task Force.

Many students have expressed their gratitude for the listening sessions, explaining how necessary it is for Tech, as well as students, staff and faculty, to understand the perspectives and viewpoints of others on campus.

“I think it is really important for Tech to hold listening sessions,” said Lacey. “When decisions need to be made that have a direct impact on the lives of students, I think the students themselves are the best source of information.”

She continued, “Also, with a community as large and diverse as Georgia Tech’s, no one person can give the best answer when there is a tough issue to solve. Plus, it was nice to feel like I had some input on the plan. After a year of things being out of my control, it was nice to feel like I could have a say in what comes next.”

“Going to these sessions allowed me to express my beliefs as well as hear what others around campus have to say as well,” said Eby. “I was able to hear perspectives from those I would never have interacted with normally, and it was extremely beneficial for me to hear that.”

For those unable to attend the listening sessions, Tech also created a short survey for individuals to voice their opinions on classroom experiences. Like the listening session, results from the survey will be shared with administrators and the Institute Restart Task Force as they continue to plan for the upcoming semesters.

On March 2, President Ángel Cabrera sent out an email entitled “Looking Ahead to Fall 2021” to all Tech students and employees in which he described the Institute’s plans “to return to campus with full operations and a complete residential experience.”

The stated details of this plan were brief. However, it seems as if the plan is reliant on the need for fewer public health restrictions in the upcoming months due to an increased number of COVID-19 vaccines.

In the email, Cabrera stated, “We anticipate, by the beginning of the fall semester, being able to once again have full dorms and classrooms, fully productive labs, and the rich campus experiences that students have come to expect of us.”

Reactions to this announcement have been mixed. Some students, ready to shed the negative aspects of their pandemic lifestyles, are thankful for the apparent return to normal.

“Actually so ready for this. Football, in-person classes, clubs meeting again, actually seeing people’s faces … hanging out with more than three friends at a time, plus all the billion other things we are missing out on in college. I support being careful and distancing and everything but … I am ready for this to be over,” posted an anonymous second-year CS “Thank god, I honest to god would have transferred out or taken a gap year because I can’t take GT’s online much more,” said Ray M., second-year physics.

Other students are still hesitant to believe the threat of the virus will be over by fall.

“Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I’d feel way more comfortable if Tech mandates that students get vaccinated if they wanna be on campus (unless they can provide a good reason for being unable to,” an anonymous incoming freshman said. Some have stated that they doubt enough Tech students or employees will be vaccinated by the fall for Cabrera’s proposed plan to be safe, pointing to Georgia’s current ranking as 50th in the US for vaccine distribution.

As of the time of publication, the University Systems of Georgia (USG) has not made any announcements about their requirements or thoughts for the fall semester, meaning Cabrera’s email came without a confirmation or accompanying statements from higher leadership.

His announcement about returning to in-person classes, though, is not the only one in Georgia.

Recently, Emory’s president sent out a similar campus-wide communication to students which states that “we are committed to bringing all Emory students back to campus … to reestablish our vibrant learning community.” Communications from SCAD also indicate that the college is planning to return to in-person courses as early as this summer.

An announcement stated, “SCAD is adjusting to make sure our classes, programs, and learning opportunities are available to current and incoming students just as they always have been.”

Information on other Georgia universities’ goals or decisions about the upcoming semesters have not been made publicly available.

In the meantime, before this semester ends and the next one begins, President Cabrera encourages all students to continue following COVID-19 protocols including testing weekly, wearing a mask and socializing outdoors at a distance.

This past summer, I started a new project. With the risks of the pandemic restricting my usual summer travels and plans, I needed an activity, outside of my classes, to entertain my time.

Upon my mom’s suggestion, I began to make my college scrapbook.

I ordered a navy-blue album from Michaels and collected all of the memorabilia I had saved from my first two and a half years at Tech: my acceptance letter, ticket stubs from football games, souvenirs from study abroad.

I started to organize page after page with these memories and photos, stickers and small, handwritten anecdotes. Scrapbooking soon became one of my favorite activities.

Multiple times throughout the summer, my mom and I would scrapbook together. Since my two sisters and I were babies, she has created albums of our childhood.

Oftentimes, she worked on my youngest sister’s photo album while I worked on my college album. We would chat or watch our favorite TV shows while working side by side, enjoying each other’s company in the present while preserving the memories of the past.

One of my irrational fears is that I will forget all of the events, places and people that were once so meaningful to me. Sometimes when I can’t remember the name of my favorite elementary school teacher or when I forget where a certain picture is from, I think about how fragile and fleeting our memories truly are.

Our collective memories – our history – are protected in textbooks and archives of important documents. But what about our own personal memories?

In today’s social media obsessed society, most people choose to keep their memories online with platforms like Facebook and Instagram. I’ve long avoided making my own social media accounts, turned away by the pressures of deciding what to post. To me, posting on social media seems more like a competition than a way to share or preserve stories.

I prefer a more traditional form to keep my memories: in a journal, a notebook or a scrapbook. In these formats, I don’t have to worry about finding the perfect picture with my best outfit and the most scenic view to get the most likes.

I can just focus on creating my own narrative. In an unprecedented time like this, scrapbooking is a way to take back control. Like all art, scrapbooking is freeing in the way that it is open to possibilities. There is no right answer and no guidelines or rubric one has to follow: a refreshing experience for a student tired of comparison.

In the future, when I open up my college scrapbook, I know I will smile. I will be able to see everything: from my nervous freshman self on the first day of move-in to my proud senior self on graduation day.

I will be able to see the best parts of college – photos of my smiling roommates on our Spring Break trip to the beach – and the challenging parts of college – photos of my fellow marching band members wearing masks and playing instruments in socks.

Scrapbooking, to me, is more than a craft. It is a way to create a bond with my mom, sharing a common activity we both enjoy. It is a way to ensure my memories are preserved in an everlasting format.

And it is a way for my future self to reflect on the highs, lows and in-betweens of my college experience. In some ways, I am grateful for the blank space the pandemic created this summer because it gave me my favorite new hobby.

Tech’s summer study abroad programs have had to alter their traditional structure to balance students’ scholarship and safety with the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some programs, such as “Salud in Spain” and “Latin America Today,” have decided to go virtual, offering an online Global at Home Program. Additional programs, such as those at Tech’s Lorraine Campus (GTL), plan to have students in a format as close to pre-pandemic as possible.

Others, such as the Oxford Summer Program, have been canceled completely.

The Technique recently reached out to directors and staff members of these programs to learn more about their plans for the upcoming summer.

“We recognize that this summer may not be the summer we were hoping for ­­— in terms of the pandemic being over, everyone being vaccinated — we’re still in a kinda unknown with what is going to happen and what this summer is going to look like,” said Kelly Comfort, director of “Salud in Spain.”

To deal with this unknown, Comfort has shifted her traditional study abroad program in Spain to a virtual format.

There will be both synchronous and asynchronous components of two courses which focus on health care and medicine in Spain.

“For the student who wants to make this summer meaningful — academically, professionally, culturally and linguistically — I think this is a really great option,” Comfort said.

Her goal in creating the Global at Home program was to make the experience as immersive as possible for students by recreating many of the typical elements of a language-based study abroad such as city tours and exchanges with host families.

“We’re going to have the family try to create a virtual introduction to the city where [the students] would have been living which is Granada,” Comfort said.

Additional plans have been made to engage the host families and students with conversation exchanges and cooking classes.

Comfort also plans to use roundtable discussions with seven medical professionals from Spain and guest lectures from professors at the medical school in the University of Grandad.

“Rather than just interact with me, which [the students] could do anytime, we wanted to give them the resources they would have had if we could have gone abroad,” Comfort said.

Students will also have the option to participate in cultural activities such as flamenco dance classes and discussions on Spanish films and TV series.

An additional class will be offered to students interested in taking part in an internship focused on Hispanic medicine.

The “Salud in Spain” program was designed specifically for students interested in health and medicine.

It can be combined with the “Latin American Today” program, directed by Spanish professor Paul Alonso, allowing students to complete four out of the five required courses for a Spanish minor in one summer.

The aforementioned uncertainties of this summer and Spain’s current and future response to the pandemic encouraged Tech’s Spanish Department to make the decision to move their programs online.

“Due to restrictions in the countries where we normally go, it just wouldn’t make sense for us. For example, currently, in Spain, there’s restrictions on even leaving your province … [and] on how many people can gather besides your immediate household,” Comfort said.

“It just wasn’t going to be possible for us, at least in Spain.”

More than thousand miles away, in Lorraine, France, program directors and staff at GTL are planning for a semi-normal summer.

“This coming summer, we received nearly 400 applications for 300 spots, which is typical during a ‘normal’ year,” said Catherine Bass, director of academic and student affairs for GTL’s undergraduate programs.

Accepted students will be living on GTL’s campus with additional “safety measures implemented [that] mirror those of the Atlanta campus and those mandated by the French government.”

In the fall semester, GTL hosted students with few COVID-19 cases on their campus.

“We looked at French government guidelines and those of Georgia Tech and picked the stricter of the two. We follow Tech’s social distancing recommendation of six feet rather than France’s prescribed three feet four inches,” Abdallah Ougazzaden, director of Georgia Tech-Lorraine, published in a director’s letter for the fall semester.

GTL has more flexibility in offering options for students because it is a campus abroad and not a study abroad program.

“It provides year-round programs for our undergraduate students who take regular Georgia Tech classes while living in France,” Bass said. “Besides the regular GT classes, GTL offers fun, unique cultural activities, events and field trips to enhance the students’ experience in France.” This year, students may be limited in their cultural activities and weekend trips if current travel restrictions around Europe continue into the summer.

As a replacement for a grand tour of Europe, Bass suggested that students focus on France and explore its unique regions.

“The location of Metz allows for easy trips throughout France, be it to Paris or going to the Alps, the French Riviera, the Normandy beaches, the Loire Valley castle region or the beautiful Alsace region only 2 hours away.”

With traveling this upcoming summer, Bass encourages students to be cautious. “The caveat is that [students will] need to act responsible, respect the safety measures and precautions experts from each country have agreed upon.

They may need to show more flexibility in their traveling plans, be willing to adapt to temporary border closing, curfews, visit fewer countries, but this will not make the experience less valuable,” Bass said.

Unlike their classmates in France, students who signed up for the Oxford program earlier this semester will not have the opportunity to do any international traveling. The program recently announced that it would not accept applications for the upcoming summer. Students on Tech’s subreddit report that they have not received their refunds from when the program was originally cancelled in 2020.

Representatives of the program did not respond when contacted for comments.

For students who are unsure about studying abroad this summer, Bass says, “It is a very personal choice which only they can and should make based on their level of comfort.” To find out more about these and other study abroad options, students can visit atlas.gatech.edu. Applications for the “Salud in Spain” program will remain open until March 15.

Before Biden was officially inaugurated as 46th president of the United States, he appointed Tech professor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall as the White House homeland security adviser. Sherwood-Randall is a distinguished professor of the practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.

According to the New York Times, her appointment – along with several others – “show how Mr. Biden appears determined to rebuild a national security apparatus that critics of the Trump administration say withered for the past four years.”

Adam Stulberg, Nunn School chair, congratulated Sherwood-Randall in a recent news statement.

“We at the Nunn School are absolutely thrilled about Sherwood-Randall’s return to the senior ranks of government service – her professional calling,” Stulberg said. “Although we will miss her as a colleague, we look forward to her return and the infusion of new insights into our future programming.”

At Tech, Sherwood-Randall taught classes that focused on national energy security, sustainability and international cooperation, including INTA 3042: Energy & International Security. She also mentored students on government careers and assisted the Nunn School with new curricula such as a joint graduate program for Nuclear and Radiological Engineering students.

Her new position, White House homeland security adviser, is an appointment originally created by former President George W. Bush and strengthened by former President Barack Obama.

In a brief interview with the New York Times, Sherwood-Randall stated her immediate tasks for her position.

“We’re going to be dealing at once again with border security, biosecurity, global public health and strengthening the resilience of our democracy. The last of those have grown more urgent.”

In order to address these large issues, Sherwood-Randall must first deal with a rough transition into her new position. Before the end of his term, former President Donald Trump dismantled the National Security Council’s pandemic preparedness office and slowly weakened the previously existing cybersecurity team.

Ashton B. Carter, the former secretary of defense, who hired Sherwood-Randall during the Clinton administration, said a “challenge will be rebooting this office.”

In response to this, Sherwood-Randall stated, “It’s disturbing to be in a transition moment when there really aren’t counterparts for that transition to be handed off.”

Sherwood-Randall originally attended college at Harvard University and later received her doctorate in international relations as one of very early ranks of female Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

She started her career as chief foreign affairs and defense policy adviser to then-Senator Biden.

In the Clinton administration, Sherwood-Randall served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia. During this era, she reduced Cold War nuclear arsenals by developing a cooperative security framework with Russia. She also was integral in persuading three former USSR countries to denuclearize. For her work, she was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Nunn-Lugar Trailblazer Award.

In Obama’s first term from 2009 to 2013, Sherwood-Randall served as special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs on the White House National Security Council. With this role, she advised the president on U.S. relations with 49 European countries and three international organizations. She also initiated efforts to advance U.S. global interests through partnerships with U.S. allies.

For the next two years, Sherwood-Randall served as special assistant to the president and the White House coordinator for defense policy. In this role, she worked to ensure the effectiveness of the United States’ nuclear deterrence and was able to serve as the presidential sherpa for the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands.

Throughout the remainder of the Obama administration, from 2014 to 2017, Sherwood-Randall worked as the deputy secretary of the United States Department of Energy.

During this time, she initiated programs to secure the U.S. competitive edge on advanced national security technologies.

She also led energy, climate, and nuclear security talks with U.S. global partners such as China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

This year, Sherwood-Randall will join many Georgians in the Biden-Harris administration including chief official White House photographer Adam Schultz and deputy assistant to the president Stefanie Feldman.

“Having [individuals] from a particular state can ensure that issues that matter to our state are reflected and known by the individuals that serve to execute laws within the executive branch,” Joseph Watson, Jr., UGA professor, said in an interview with 11Alive News.

Based on her Twitter account, Sherwood-Randall plans to use her new appointment very seriously to aid, not just Georgia, but the whole nation as it continues to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the existing social and economic tensions.

She tweeted on Jan. 20, “Today, I have the privilege of returning to the White House to serve as Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Advisor, joining … dedicated professionals across the U.S. government and around the world who work 24/7 to secure our democratic values and our way of life.”

She continued in a subsequent tweet, “I will be stepping away from this Twitter account with the promise that I will give the Biden-Harris Administration and the American people everything I’ve got, always mindful of what’s at stake: our principles, our ideals, and our children’s futures.”

On Jan. 15, Dr. Raheem Beyah officially began his duties as the new dean of Tech’s College of Engineering (COE).

Prior to his appointment as dean, Beyah held numerous positions at Tech, including Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research, Executive Director of the Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity program and the Motorola Foundation Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

Before working at Tech, Beyah was a co-founder of Fortiphyd Logic Inc., an industrial cybersecurity company.

He also worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at Georgia State University (GSU). Beyah graduated from the Atlanta Public School system.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1998 and completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering at Tech in 1999 and 2003 respectively.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have … good experiences,” Beyah explains.

“The fact that I’ve just sort of had consistent, high quality education, I think it’s certainly benefited me tremendously.” As the new dean, Beyah has a strong vision for Tech’s COE which he summarizes in a simple phrase: “seize the moment, accelerate the future.”

“I think we are in a moment that we have to pay attention to — from the pandemic [to] the political turmoil that affects us all [and] the racial issues,” Beyah explains. “At the same time, we also got to think about our future and realize that we won’t be always stuck in this moment.”

To think about the COE’s future, Beyah plans to “focus on our people, innovations, and partnerships.”

In a recent interview with the Technique, Beyah explained how these three foci relate to many of his past experiences before he was appointed COE dean.

Beyah first stated that as Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research, he felt too removed from the student body. This inspired his new goal as COE dean “to have as many touch points as [he] can with many different student groups.”

And beyond that, Beyah strives to “not leave out folks that are not involved in student groups.” In the interview, Beyah explained how he was not very involved with student groups as an undergraduate student and now wants to make sure students like him can always feel included and “like they absolutely belong.”

Beyah then went on to describe how his focus on innovation stems from his previous work co-founding Fortiphyd Logic Inc.

“Starting my own company has helped me be very entrepreneurial,” Beyah stated. “I question everything and say, ‘Why can’t we innovate? Why can’t we be better?’”

Beyah explained that these questions will lead him as dean to look into better options for student advising, hiring processes, and course instruction — both in-person and remote.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, Beyah stated he hopes to look into better solutions for safe schooling.

“Microsoft Teams is fine, but it’s not great for teaching. It’s okay … but we actually could develop something that is outstanding,” Beyah suggested.

Beyah finished by stating how his focus on partnerships is inspired by his experiences at GSU in the early 2000s when he taught in the school’s recently established computer science department.

“Computer science was maybe 14 faculty — really tiny … I learned a tremendous amount [about] the experience of being a small fish,” he stated.

As Beyah begins to lead the largest college on Tech’s campus, he plans to “remember the six years when [he] was…a small fish in a small pond…and wanted really to partner with some of the bigger folks.”

As vice president for Interdisciplinary Research, Beyah worked with colleagues from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, one of the smaller colleges on Tech’s campus, to create the new Ethics, Technology and Human Interaction Center (ETHICx).

As dean of the COE, Beyah wants to continue partnering with the Ivan Allen College as well as various local, regional, and global organizations.

Beyah’s focus on people, innovation and partnerships illustrate his goal to build on the strong legacy of Tech’s COE for an ambitious and successful future.

Even with all the challenges that are present within the school, both internal and external, Beyah hopes to work towards a future where “we all share the same feeling about Georgia Tech … we smile when we think about our Institute.”

The Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) will continue hosting its Outdoor Office Hour program on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11a.m. to 12 p.m. throughout the remainder of November. Each week at Tech Green, a faculty, staff, or administration member will be available to chat with any student in a safe and socially-distanced environment. Snacks and refreshments will also be provided to those interested.

The Outdoor Office Hour program started on the first Friday in October in an effort to create safe, in-person interactions for students.

Linda Green, Director of Tutoring and Academic Support for OUE, along with Chris Reaves, Center for Academic Enrichment Director, Cory Hopkins, Communications Program Manager for OUE and Crystal Fowlers, Academic Coordinator for OUE, coordinated their efforts to plan the program.

In a recent interview with the Technique, Green stated, “To me, the reason why I really wanted to create this is [that] I heard the amount of isolation and frustration that some students were really feeling this semester and wanted to try to create an opportunity for students who felt comfortable to get to have a reason to…leave their dorm room or leave their apartment and come to campus and sit down and chat with someone.”

About half of Outdoor Office Hour “hosts” are from various departments in the OUE including Tutoring and Academic Support and Undergraduate Research. Other “hosts” come from all areas of campus such as the admissions office, the Career Center, and the Scheller College of Business. On Friday, Nov. 6, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Rick Clark will be hosting the Outdoor Office Hour and will be available to chat with all students interested.

Since the office hours are held in person, attendees must wear masks and use hand sanitizer as precautions to limit the spread of COVID as recommended by the CDC.

OUE first advertised the weekly event on social media platforms and through various campus organizations, such as Student Government Association (SGA) and GT1000 classes. After a few weeks of programming, the majority of student knowledge and engagement with the project has resulted from communications spread by word of mouth.

Green explained, “In the first couple of weeks…maybe less than a dozen students happen to pass by or stop and pick up food.” However, now, “there are days where there might be 15-20 students over the course of the hour that pop by and say hello.”

The Outdoor Office Hour program furthers an effort by members of the Tech community to create in-person connections within a small group for students suffering from a lack of social interactions this semester. Green, for example, also helped to create reflection prompts for Resident Assistants (RA) to use with their residents to discuss various topics related to the virtual Tech Transformative Narratives series.

This project, like the Outdoor Office Hour program, tries to avoid risky situations that might lead to a COVID outbreak on campus and still provide an outlet for students to get to know other students or leaders in the Tech community.

The balance between physical and social health is delicate. As plans are made for spring, Green and other Tech community members have to continue navigating this tension.

“We’ve had a lot more conversations of trying to build more events for next semester,” explains Green.

According to Green the Outdoor Office Hour will likely continue to be an option for students seeking interaction with Tech professors and staff members in the spring.

As we move further into our fall semester, it is easy to slip back into our usual campus habits: hanging out with roommates, getting involved in student organizations and occasionally procrastinating on homework. But, as we all know, life at Tech is hardly the same as usual.

Many students I have recently talked to complain about technology challenges in their online classes or the inconvenience of fewer bus routes and closed dining options. Some are even pessimistic about the rest of the semester, dreading an end like the spring. Like our on-campus routines, our collective Tech mindset of expecting the worst is also easy to slip back into.

Some of this negativity makes sense. We are bombarded with bleak updates and news stories every day. It is easy — natural, in fact — to obsess over these troubling reports, thinking about them constantly until we feel utterly let down by the state of the world. However, speaking from experience, we should all try to avoid this unhealthy habit.

This past summer, I became a self-proclaimed “doomscroller.” I have always been an avid news reader, eager to stay up to date on the latest current events. However, as the world was settling into the pandemic, I felt compelled to know everything at all hours of the day. I would read the news by scrolling on my phone whenever I woke up, while I ate lunch or even before I went to bed.I read about the number of COVID-19 cases rising, the state shutdowns, the state re-openings and the cases rising all over again.

Eventually, it all became too much. I then decided to cut my news consumption to only a half an hour in the morning and in the afternoon. My stress drastically reduced as a result, and I finally felt like I could enjoy my summer at home with my family.

As news editor, I will be the first to say that it is important to keep up with the news to stay informed about what is going on around you. However, it is equally important (and perhaps, even more important) to not become too overwhelmed by it.Many times, readers, like you and I, have little control over the events that are reported. So, it is pointless to worry endlessly about them. And it is even more pointless to “doomscroll” hours upon hours.

If you ever start to feel overwhelmed by all the negative news, try focusing on two things instead: the positive stories and your own actions. Positive events don’t often get as much attention as the dramatic, doomsday-type ones, but they are often just as numerous.

Also, if you are concerned about a certain news development, try to do something about it! If you’re worried about the spread of COVID-19 on campus, for example, get tested, encourage others to get tested, properly wear a mask outside of your dorm and encourage others to do as well.

We are living in a historic moment. This semester, as it unfolds, will forever be remembered as one of the most unique chapters in Tech’s story.

Despite any challenges we will face, it is up to us, as students, to make the most of it and enjoy our time on campus — while, of course, still working to protect the safety of those around us.

Although today’s society is largely based on computing, the complex science behind all the computing leaves many confused. For non-experts, algorithms and code may seem like some sort of magical machine work outside the realm of human influence. And this is exactly what inspired Dr. Ayanna Howard, the chair of Tech’s School of Interactive Computing, to create her podcast series: “The Interaction Hour.”

“The Interaction Hour was conceived because I wanted to ensure that the world outside of Georgia Tech, as well as inside Georgia Tech, understood that computing has a human face,” said Howard. “It was to show not only the benefits of computing to society but to also show the people who are human that were behind the technology.”

Howard, a former NASA employee and current professor, is an example of a human face behind the technology. As a world-renowned roboticist, she is knowledgeable in making computing and technology accessible and human-centered. She even founded Zyrobotics, a company that designs toys to teach kids with disabilities how to use touch screen technology. 

Although the podcasts in Howard’s series are specifically geared to those who are interested in what computing means for society, they are made for the general public. Howard says the wide audience of her podcasts demonstrates the uniqueness of the Tech community.  

 “We don’t go deep-deep-deep, so you’re not totally confused unless you’re in that field. But [each podcast] has enough intellectual attributions that people can even possibly say they understand what machine learning is.”

In each episode of “The Interaction Hour,” Howard hosts a faculty member, alumnus or student from Tech’s School of Interactive Computing to discuss the impact of computing on daily life. What are some examples of computing’s huge impact?

“Thinking about robots for war and the ethical issues associated … to using computing to help with mental health and PTSD, to looking at the bias in AI as well as virtual reality and how it can be used for education,” Howard said. Howard explained how each episode comes with new lessons even for the producer. 

 “Each one has a unique style. I like all of them. I learn quite a bit about the things that are going on with computing and technology,” said Howard. Over the past few years, podcasts have grown in popularity. Howard contributed their recent success to their accessibility, emphasizing that you can listen to them almost anywhere and while doing almost anything. Howard also attributed their popularity to their unique modality. 

“When you’re reading, you only retain a very small percentage because you scan,” Howard explained. “Whereas when you’re listening, you retain a lot more of the information.” Howard also discussed her plans for the future of her podcast, such as her desire to create a podcast with a live interaction feed.  

“Doing the podcast and then being able to solicit questions in real-time in order to get feedback is the one thing I’d like to do.” Howard even encouraged students to get involved, stressing the podcast’s theme of interaction.  

“One of the things we always try to solicit is topics of interest,” said Howard. “So what are you interested in? What’s engaging? What scares you? What do you know about? Those are really how we find our topics now.” If students have any ideas for episode topics, they can reach out to the School of Interactive Computing on social media or via email to suggest ideas.  

Howard has also made plans for further student involvement in the fall with her “podcast on the street” idea in order to bring in a variety of opinions from around campus, increasing the depth and diversity of the podcast series. “We’re going to have students in training go out and just hang out at the Student Center and say ‘Hey, we’re going to talk about bias. What do you think about it?’ and get some input that way.” The podcasts can be found at ic.gatech.edu/podcasts.