This year, Old Red Kimono will be published digitally for the first time.

The GHC-produced literary magazine was originally slated to be published this month, until the college closed due to COVID-19. This has caused ORK to make changes in their production schedule.

“We’re shooting for the end of May,” said Nancy Applegate, an English instructor on Floyd campus.
Applegate and fellow Floyd campus English instructor, John Kwist, act as administrators for ORK.

This year’s student staff includes former Six Mile Post staff writer, Lilly Hayes and Nick Whitemire and current SMP staff writer, Nya Roden, and contributor, Kimberly Woods.
The staff said they are considering using WordPress to produce their digital publication.

“I feel good about it,” Applegate said of the switch to online. “I think it’s about time.”
Kwist also said, “I think it’s time. Maybe we’ll be able to digitize earlier issues.”

“It will be a good experience for us as editors,” said Woods.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not deterred Applegate from her goal of sharing OKR with the public, in person. She is considering participating in an open mic poetry night at Schroeder’s.

Applegate is still holding the annual ORK reception. She said she currently plans to hold the reception during the upcoming fall semester, “if the world does truly open back up again.”
The ORK reception will be free and open to all GHC students and faculty, not just those who are included in the publication. The date is to be determined.

“Saturday Night Live” cleverly delivered some laughs and a few heartfelt moments with their first episode since the pandemic.

GHC Floyd campus student, Elvis Gomez, said “Since the cast was home, it was authentic but not sloppy. You could tell they still wanted to put on a good episode and they did.”
The first laugh of the night came from Tom Hanks.

“It’s good to be here even though it’s weird to be here hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ from my home,” Hanks said.
Hanks then said this was the first time he had worn a suit and not sweatpants and that he had forgotten how buttons work. Hanks played different audience members to take questions.

SNL member, Pete Davidson, channeled rapper, Drake, in a music video shot in his mom’s basement. Davidson attempted to capture Drake’s essence with the lyrics, “This is a Drake song. I miss my ex. This is a Drake song, number one on the billboard.” The end of the music video reveals that Davidson’s mother directed it.

Kate McKinnon dressed as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and did a funny exercise video. With lines such as, “I went to law school during the Spanish flu,” and “The virus came from a sick bat, which makes me wonder: what was Giuliani doing in China?”

Weekend updates with Colin Jost and Michael Che covered miscellaneous topics, including Kylie Jenner.

“It was announced that Kylie Jenner, for the second year in a row, was the world’s youngest self made billionaire,” Jost said. “The announcement was made in this month’s issue of ‘Now’s Not the Time.’”

Perhaps the most standout moment of this sketch was when Che tricked Jost into telling a joke in honor of his grandmother who died of COVID-19 only to reveal that “she woke up at 4 a.m. to pray.” Jost and Che signed off, but instead of using his name Che referred to himself as Martha’s grandbaby.

This was followed by an animated sketch, Middle Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles, a strategic maneuver to include in the virtual telecast and a humorous one too. In the sketch, Michaengelo’s wife divorces him and Raphael borrows money.

Simran Patel, a Floyd campus student, said, “They really pulled off doing a funny show without being on the set.”

GHC student Abby Murphey’s family had a close call with COVID-19 when her mother was thought to have contracted the virus.
Murphy’s mother, who works in a public clinic, was asked to take a test after being in the proximity of four people who had the virus. Due to being immunocompromised with multiple sclerosis, the probability of Murphy’s mother contracting the virus was high.
When it came down to the test, Murphy’s mother did not go inside the building. “They reached inside her car,” Murphy said.
The people performing the test were all wearing surgical masks, goggles and gloves. The test was completed with a nose swab. “They go way back into her sinuses,” Murphy said.
The processing period for the test was five days. Before results came back, Murphy was helping with the cooking and cleaning. The test results came back negative.
Since her mother has been cleared of having the virus, Murphy and her family have proceeded with family time.
“We keep to ourselves but still have a good time,” Murphy said.
Murphy is a dual enrollment student who is taking four classes at GHC. She says juggling classes with her mother’s ordeal and the pandemic as a whole was made easy by Rome High School operating with a grace over grades policy.
“We have two weeks to do all assignments,” she said.
Murphy is not stressing over schoolwork but is sad about her high school experience being cut short, especially since she has a passion for education and loves going to class. She remains hopeful and has trust in her school officials.
“Graduation is the one thing our teachers are dead set on,” Murphy said. “They will find a way to honor us.”
She also has hopes that coming out of the pandemic will bring a lot more awareness to the needs of education.
“It’s no longer about schools. It’s about health,” Murphy said.

The covid-19 pandemic may have moved student learning online until fall of 2020, but GHC enrollment numbers for summer and fall still look promising, said school officials.

“GHC and the University System of Georgia’s 26 institutions will continue to deliver instruction remotely during both the May and summer semesters,” said GHC President, Don Green, in an email to students on April 2.

Vice President for Advancement, Mary Transue, said that the pandemic will not decrease the institution’s summer registration rates. 

Erin Nicholson, Admission Counselor for the Douglasville instructional site, said she is also not seeing changes in summer enrollment. 

“People are still signing up for orientation,” Nicholson said. 

Nicholson has not seen much withdrawal among the GHC student population. “We are operating as usual,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson explained that the impact of the pandemic is being felt by the admission staff in how documentation now has to be turned in digitally. Otherwise, said Nicholson, the Admissions Office is operating as usual, with no major adjustments being made.

“I would ask that students be patient with us. The Admissions Office will do everything they can to help students during this time,” said Nicholson.  

Nicholson urges all GHC students to not be disheartened despite the new changes that are currently taking place. She also encourages those interested in attending GHC to enroll to apply now.

As a member of the University System of Georgia, GHC is now waving SAT and ACT scores due to the pandemic along with all other USG institutions. Students do not have to submit their test scores at this time. 

“USG institutions are tentatively planning to return to normal on-campus operations for the fall semester should guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health allow it,” Green said in the same April 2 email to students.

GHC students and interested applicants may contact Admission Counselor, Erin Nicholson, via email at enichols@highlands.edu with specific questions.

I got a text notification from GHC, on March 16, saying the college would temporarily suspend classes for a period of two weeks due to COVID-19.
As a student I was originally relieved and viewed this as a premature spring break filled with fun. Even though a free screening of “Just Mercy” that I was going to attend was canceled, I still, naively thought I would be able to go on adventures with my friends and have tales to share when classes resumed.
Another text update from the school said, “per Governor Kemp’s executive order on 3/16 all USG institutions, including GHC will be closed 3/18 to 3/31.” This led me to believe the school would be reopening.
Later that same day it was announced that all 26 colleges in the University System of Georgia would be moving to online courses for the remainder of the semester. All events and extracurricular activities were canceled or postponed. This came along with the news of Georgia residences daily being diagnosed and passing away from COVID-19.
It sunk in that this was real and serious. I had to take precautions. Finally waking up to reality, I began to ponder the fate of my education.
I am not a computer science major, but I will have to navigate technology to complete my classes. What about hanging with my friends? What will I do in my spare time?
Life as a young adult, during this pandemic, is forcing me to adjust to what is quickly becoming a technological world. When I went to the Academic Advising department and signed up for my last class at GHC via SCORE, I thought it would be daunting, but GHC made it easy for their students.
Instead of going to Walmart to buy an object, something I am fully accustomed to doing, I am ordering for delivery. I cannot inspect what I am buying or ask questions. I have to read reviews. At first I was worried I would not get what I ordered and was preparing to face a debacle. I ended up getting exactly what I requested, as if I had gone to the store after all.
Social media is a gift. My friend and I keep in touch by sharing memes via Facebook or Twitter, sending poems via Instagram or just chatting.
In my spare time, the quarantine has encouraged me to engage with my passions: writing and reading. I have even taken the liberty of trying to learn a language.
This has caused some personal reflection and for me to reevaluate myself, not only as a GHC student but as a young adult in general. I am not a medical expert, so I do not know when we will experience life as we once knew it, but I can advise us to be new, improved and ready versions of ourselves when that day arrives.
Until then, wash your hands and take care.

As GHC looks ahead to celebrating the school’s 50 year anniversary this fall, those close to the school spend time reminiscing about their days on campus. Two former Six Mile Post editors, Sarah Lane and Pedro Zavala, recently shared a few memories of their time at GHC with the SMP staff.
Lane, former SMP assistant editor, is the first and only alumna of the school to attend and cover the Switzerland Curling Championship.

“I hope more students choose to get involved on campus and realize that your experiences are what you make them,” Lane said. “I hope the college stays committed to providing excellent education at a low price.”

“I loved my time at GHC, but it was definitely because I put in the effort to make real connections and got involved and I encourage all GHC students to do the same,” said Lane.

Former SMP editor-in-chief and returning student, Pedro Zavala, said he recalled witnessing and covering a historic win for the college in 2013 — a basketball game where the Chargers beat Gordon Central for their first home win.
“We were all pumped up — all full of energy,” Zavala said.
Zavala was also present when Brother 2 Brother started to become active.

Zavala said what he remembers most about GHC is that it is not as overwhelming as other institutions, but he does acknowledge the school’s toughness. While he would like to see GHC reach the same level as other schools like Kennesaw State University, he would like for the homey atmosphere to remain.

GHC has the highest retention rate among African American males of any state college in the USG, thanks to years of work from faculty and students.

11 years ago, Dean of Academic Humanities and professor of English, Jon Hershey, attended a meeting held in Atlanta. Hershey was concerned about the low college retention rates among men of color.

“Things were bad at GHC also around the state, around the country,” Hershey said.

The meeting in Atlanta marked the beginning of Brother 2 Brother and other initiatives to raise retention rates among the men of color at GHC.

Hershey said that starting these initiatives was a struggle the first year — the original B2B only had seven members. Over time, the organization gained traction. Brother 2 brother has seen rapid growth and now boasts a 96 percent retention rate.

The program has launched several other initiatives, such as Georgia Highlands African American and Minority men Excellence (GHAME) and a summer camp for boys of color called Foundation Camp.

“To me GHAME is an initiative that is solely dedicated to raising retention rates among men of color,” said Evan Snellings, co-director of Foundation Camp and former B2B member. “This semester in particular we’re placing an emphasis on academic progress.”

The club’s other initiative, Foundation Camp, caters to young men of color. B2B members who display good leadership skills are hired at the camp as a reward.

The two-week camp isn’t entirely made up of play time. “I make sure there is a balance between academics and nonacademics,” said Snellings.

The campers get to learn about robotics and engage in games such as kickball. Snelling also wants the boys to know that college is within their reach and wants them to bond with their older mentors. He wants to eliminate any potential misconceptions the boys would develop about their college-aged counselors.

Snelling also spoke about B2B’s partnership with the organization, 100 Black Men, which sponsors both the club and the camp.

“100 Black Men has been essential,” Snellings said. “They will always have members available for disciplinary actions.” “

I will just say GHAME is in its tenth year at GHC. I think we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to address a problem,” said Snellings. “Our biggest thing is changing narratives.”