The students and advisers of GHC’s chapter of Brother 2 Brother accepted the Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award at the Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) conference in Detroit, Mich., March 28.

When picking a winner from the 300 chapters throughout the country, SAAB takes into account the activity of the group, retention rate, graduation rate and college performance of the members.

B2B (members pictured above) has been named Outstanding Chapter of the Year nationally for the third time in four years. Photo by Kiston Dowler.

Jon Hershey, director of B2B, said, “I think the fact the students were able to stay unified and focused and have a strong academic record all played a part.”

Hershey said the Highlands chapter of B2B is unusual as it is split across five campuses.

Georgia Highlands College welcomed its new chief of campus police, David Horace, on Feb. 9.

Horace’s arrival was brought upon by the retirement of John Upton, former chief of security, and the decision made by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia that requires all chiefs of security to be certified in accordance with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Council rules and regulations.

New chief of campus police, David Horace, looks forward to establishing relationships with students on all campuses. Contributed.

Horace received his training through the Department of Criminal Justice in Virginia.

He obtained his Basic Law Enforcement Training certification in North Carolina. His POST certification is through the state of Georgia.

Horace has been working in law enforcement for 19 years.

Horace said he has plans for changing the current structure of the security team and security policies.

Some policies will be changed to be more in compliance with POST standards, and he plans to transition the security team into a police department. He also plans to add more certified officers to the team.

Before coming to GHC, Horace worked with the Johnson C. Smith University Police Department in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Prior to that, he was the chief of police for Virginia Union University in Richmond, Va.

Some of the main reasons Horace came to work at GHC were that he had worked in Georgia before and enjoyed being here and has family here he would like to be close to.

Horace said that the thing he is going to like most about working for a small college, such as GHC, is that it will be easier to establish a good relationship with the faculty and students.

He also stated he likes being in his line of work, and that he especially likes “being in a position to help someone. I enjoy helping others.”

Susan Claxton, professor of sociology and human services coordinator, explained what gave her the inspiration for writing her book “Just Keep Praying: A Journey about Life, Death, and Living” at a book signing and presentation hosted by the Old Red Kimono, Jan. 29.

This is Claxton’s first book, and she has a second book in the works as a continuation to this first one.

Susan Claxton discusses her newly published book in the Floyd Library. Photo by Callie Stokes.

Claxton said the inspiration for the book came from her daughter’s death and how she learned to deal with it.

The presentation, which was held in the Floyd campus library, began with a memorial slideshow of pictures of Claxton’s daughter, Felicia Claxton, at different times in her life.

After the slideshow, Nancy Applegate, professor of English and adviser of the Old Red Kimono, introduced Claxton and talked a little about how Felicia Claxton’s death had impacted her.

After Applegate’s introduction, Claxton stood in front of the room and thanked everyone for coming.

She then began to recount the heartbreaking events that led her to write the book and brought everyone in the room to tears.

Several others, family and friends of Claxton and her daughter, also spoke about the impact of Felicia’s death on their lives.

Claxton said after Felicia died she was depressed and even questioned her faith. She went on to say that after having gone to workshops that dealt with death and talking with her preacher, she came to the understanding that death is a part of life and is not something that we should let overwhelm us.

One of Claxton’s main drives in writing this book was to inspire and motivate people who are going through the same thing. She believes people need to be able to talk about it without being uncomfortable and that others should be there for the griever when they are upset.

Claxton’s view is that “Grief has no timeline, grief is unique and it is OK.” She hopes that through sharing her experiences she can help others deal with their grief.

Those who missed the signing and were unable to get a copy of the book can visit Claxton in her office (F-144) on the Floyd campus, where she has extra copies.

The book is also available on Amazon.com.

Musician Emily Hearn and her husband and singing partner, Michael Harrison, were well received by students on the Floyd campus on Feb. 11. The duo was complimented by several students and received plenty of applause during their performance.

Hearn and Harrison started off the performance with their song “Gotta Have Him.” They performed several of their other songs, including the songs “Without You,” “Volcano” and “The Oak Tree” from their upcoming album, “Hourglass.”

Emily Hearn and her husband, Michael Harrison, performing on Floyd campus. Photo by Jeremy Huskins.

Hannah Kent, an early childhood education major on the Floyd campus, enjoyed the performance very much, saying, “I liked it. I liked their voices and instrumentals, and their harmonies were very good.”

Hearn says she was around 20 years old when she started writing songs, but kept it a secret at first because she would be embarrassed if someone found out. After playing one of her songs for a friend who ended up loving the song, Hearn decided to share her music with others. From there she started playing at various venues.

Hearn says the thing she loves most about her music is that it can evoke emotions about similar situations that others have gone through. She says, “I can describe things I feel and people can relate to that as well. That’s something I really love.”

Hearn started touring four years ago, the first two years mostly doing local performances, and the last two touring around the U.S. She met her husband on Valentine’s Day in 2011. She has been playing music with him ever since, and they have been married for two and a half years now.

For those who want to hear more of Hearn’s work, they can be found on iTunes, her website www.emilyhearn.com, and on her YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/EmmalineFlowers. Her upcoming album, “Hourglass,” will be released Mar. 10.

Several dogs and even a pony caught everyone’s attention in the Floyd Student Center on Feb. 10. The animals were present for a special pet therapy session for students as part of Week of Love.

Students playing with Compassionate Paws dog. Photo by Anna Douglass.

John Spranza, coordinator of student life on the Floyd campus, said the animals were here from the Compassionate Paws organization to help students relax. Spranza said that Compassionate Paws has been at Floyd before for various other events.

Compassionate Paws pony enjoying being petted. Photo by Anna Douglass.

Juliana Breithaupt, director of the community outreach and engagement program, said this is the third year in a row that Compassionate Paws has visited for Week of Love. Breithaupt believes the animals act as a bridge for coping, saying “The animals serve as a vehicle to alleviate stress.”

Catherine Varidel, coordinate for Compassionate Paws, says the organization was founded in 2007. Varidel says they have approximately 55 pet partner teams who serve Floyd and surrounding counties, where they visit schools to do reading education assistance for children, hospitals, nursing homes and colleges.

Musician Emily Hearn will be performing on the Floyd campus on Feb. 11 in the Student Center. Her performance will begin at 12 p.m. Hearn has already performed for the Douglasville campus on Feb 10. Hearn has recently released her newest single, “Volcano,” which featured its video exclusively on Billboard.com before being released elsewhere. Hearn also has a new album, “Hourglass,” coming out Mar. 10.

Emily Hearn and her husband, Michael Harrison, performing at Douglasville. Photo by Holly Chaney.

Hearn began her career in 2010 with the release of her first EP, “Paper Heart,” and released her first full album, “Red Balloon,” in 2012. If a student wants to hear or purchase some of Hearn’s music, they can find it on iTunes and on her website: http://www.emilyhearn.com/ or they can check out her YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/EmmalineFlowers.

Bill Cox and Mary Cox were the winners of the 2014 Floyd campus Turkey Day Walk-Run which took place Nov. 19.

Event participants had to guess how long it would take them to run the 1.85 mile trail around Paris Lake. The participant who finishes closest to his or her estimated time is the winner of the race. The prize for winning the race is a $25 gift card for Honey Baked Ham, one for a male participant and one for a female participant.

Bill Cox, male winner of the 2014 Floyd campus Turkey Walk-Run, approaches the finish line. Photo by Jeremy Huskins

Bill Cox, head grounds supervisor, was the men’s winner with an estimated time of 21:45 and an actual time of 22:32.

He said, “I’m tickled to death to have won. I’m glad I could put what Ken Weatherman taught me to use.”

Mary Cox, administrative assistant at the physical plant, was the women’s winner with an estimated time of 29:00 and an actual time of 29:21.

David Mathis(left) awards Mary Cox, the female winner of the race, her prize of a $25 gift card to Honey Baked Ham. Photo by Jeremy Huskins

She said, “Even though I’ve been participating in the Turkey Day Run for several years, sometimes walking, sometimes jogging, I really wasn’t planning on doing it this year – glad I did.  Last year I was the first to finish the race, but did not win – didn’t get my time estimated close enough. This year I got my time within 21 seconds, so I’d say that was pretty good.  Anyway, my husband and I will enjoy the gift card, and I’ll probably do the TDR again next year.”