Cover Design

I was inspired by a vintage sweatshirt my best friend bought at the American Thrift Store. I think its clean and classy just like the University of Georgia. Go Dawgs.

Progression of Black Faculty

Historically the University of Georgia has been known as a predominantly white school in both their faculty and students.

Seven years after the desegregation of UGA, Richard Graham became the first full-time African-American faculty member. He began his career at UGA as a visiting professor at the School of Music and after a year became part of the faculty. He later became director of the school in 1994.

In 1980, the Black Faculty and Staff Organization was formed to create a positive environment for minority students. The idea of the organization was to help students appreciate African-American History while giving them an environment to grow in their culture.

“Considering history and the civil rights movement during that time period it’s amazing that he was hired in the 1960’s at all, especially in such a conservative state like Georgia,” says Danielle Davison a black UGA sophomore.

Black faculty have an important role in recruiting and encouraging minority students. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE) Research Department, only five flagship state universities out of the nation’s 50 have more than 100 black faculty members. UGA can be found with 167 black faculty in 2006.

“I am the only African American faculty at Grady which is really disappointing, and I think something should be done about it obviously,” said Valerie Boyd, Associate Professor at UGA.

According to the Office of Institutional Research at UGA, the black faculty percentage in Fall 2000 was 4.9% compared to 5.3% in Fall 2010.

“If we make an intention to make the faculty more diverse then we would recruit differently,” said Boyd, “We would be more aggressive about trying to find a diverse faculty to reflect the diverse demographics of the state.”

The US Census Bureau indicates that the black percentage for the state of Georgia in 2009 was 30.2% which is well above UGA’s black faculty percentage.

“It is important to let people know that the UGA is more than an educational institution it is also an employer,” says Director for Programs and Outreach, Vanessa Smith who has spent the last 26 years working for UGA.

Smith has seen UGA make efforts to improve faculty of color on campus at career fairs, but has noticed people of color are just not applying. “If there were no people of color applying then you can’t hire if they don’t apply,” states Boyd.

Progression in black faculty can be found, but still needs to be improved. “I think their have been efforts made,” says Smith, “I still think we have a ways to go.”

Who survived elimination on 'Dancing?'

I found this video on CNN's website about the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars.

I think the interview compliments the story but showing the expressions and feelings of the contestants after the elimination episode. The story could be told with out the video but it would be lacking the visual affect and emotions that the video capture.

Story Two

History of Black Professors

Historically the University of Georgia has been known as a predominantly white school in both their faculty and students.

Seven years after the desegregation of UGA, Richard Graham became the first full-time African-American faculty member. He began his career at UGA as a visiting professor at the School of Music and after a year became part of the faculty. He later became director of the school in 1994.

In 1980, the Black Faculty and Staff Organization was formed to create a positive environment for minority students. The idea of the organization was to help students appreciate African-American History while giving them an environment to grow in their culture.

“Considering history and the civil rights movement during that time period it’s amazing that he was hired in the 1960’s at all, especially in such a conservative state like Georgia,” states Danielle Davison a black UGA sophomore.

Black faculty have an important role in recruiting and encouraging minority students. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE) Research Department, only five flagship state universities out of the nations 50 have more than 100 black faculty members. UGA can be found with 167 black faculty in 2006.

Although UGA is in the top five for black faculty the ratio of percent of black state population to percentage of black faculty is .20 and the percentage of black faculty was 5.6%.

“Nope, I have never had a black professor,” Davison states about her time here at UGA.

UGA has made significant accomplishments with in segregation, but diversity among professors can still be improved. Not only would it benefit minority students but it would give other students a positive opportunity to experience diversity.

Ethical Dilemas

In 2009 North Oconee High School Principle John Osbourne recieved a letter recommending he be fired for, "insubordination and willful neglect of his duties for comments made to the Athens Banner-Herald." This was published 3-days after the Athens Banner-Herald published an article stating comments from Osbourne about rival games between the two Oconee County high schools.

In the article Osbourne made comments stating North Oconee High School needed to stop playing rival Oconee County High School until they are "equitable." He went on to describe that North Oconee High School didn't have the facilities to compete with the neighboring high school.

Osbourne did end up being fired because of what was published. I thought of these article's when we were discussing ethical dilemmas because of how Osbourne voiced his opinion and ended up being fired.

1st Article
2nd Article

Counties around Athens face off in Education

Quality of education, proximity and community are all factors parents consider in deciding what school their children will attend. Parents may decide to look into private schools, other counties or public school systems in their areas. Athens-Clarke County began to see residents fleeing to Oconee County with the rising black population in Athens.

“White flight” refers to the shift of white residents to another area of town after a rise in the black population. Andrew Hacker author of Two Nations argues, “White flight begins when the black population reaches 10- 20 percent.”

According to the University of Georgia Family and Consumer Economics site, Georgia Facts, Oconee County’s black population has decreased from 22.14% in 1960 to 7.1% in 2009. Compared to Clarke County’s black population which has remained the same at 25.6% in both 1960 and 2009.

The Georgia Department of Education uses Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to measure academic performance for every public school. It is measured by evaluating two state exams including the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests. The Georgia Department of Education also takes into account attendance and graduation rates.

According to the Georgia Department of Education 2010 AYP report 18 out of 21 schools in Clarke County, and 10 out of 10 schools in Oconee County met AYP. Also, in the 2010 AYP report, 76.3% of students in Clarke County “meet or exceed” in academic performance in CRCT Math compared to 95.0% in Oconee County. Georgia County Snapshots reports for the year of 2005-2006, Clarke County dropout rate was 7.7 out of 100 (enrolled students) compared to Oconee County 1.3 out of 100.

Camille Fulmer, a married white woman age 68, is a current resident in Oconee County after raising her two children in Clarke County. She now helps her daughter, age 34, a 1995 Cedar Shoals High School graduate, raise her son.

“We are very glad we live here with the prospect of Jackson (grandson) going to Oconee Schools,” said Fulmer. “We can get a house a whole lot cheaper in Clarke County than here (Oconee County), but that is not an option for us.”

Fulmer has been living in Oconee county for seven years after moving out of Clarke County. Fulmer said, “Once you get out and you see how it is you just don’t go back.”

“Pull factors into Oconee County is the school system,” said Douglas Batchel, a Housing and Consumer Economics Professor at the University of Georgia. “It has real high educational attainment levels and real high income levels and low minorities.”

Fulmer endured difficulties with both her son and daughter being taunted. Fulmer described to me a time when her daughter was harassed over a necklace she was wearing. Her daughter Joy Fulmer said, “I was the only white person in my freshman PE class at Cedar Shoals. After coming from a private Christian school with no black people. That was scary.”

University of Georgia Assistant to the Executive Director of University Housing, Dr. Carla Dennis, is the mother of three and currently resides in Clarke County. Her oldest son is currently enrolled in public school in the area, and she views living in Clarke County with a different perspective.

“For me I am very passionate about the neighborhood school. I really feel like there are good experiences that kids can get from public schools,” said Dennis. “We wanted them to be in a diverse environment not only in terms of race, but socioeconomic status and religion.”

Clarke County offers diversity that many families may find important in the development of their children. “We wanted a community that we felt was family oriented, but one that would meet our needs to feel comfortable and diverse and that’s one of the reasons we really liked Clarke County,” said Dennis.

According to the Georgia Department of Education the total enrollment for Clarke County is 12,371 students and out of those students 19.1% are white. Compared to the total enrollment for Oconee County which is 6,489 and 83.7% of students are white.

“Oconee and Clarke counties have push and pull factors for the school systems,” said Batchel. “Its like a blender you throw all these social factors in there and push it on puree and it goes like that.”

Dream Job.

I haven't always been the best at making a decision, or sticking with it. The same can be said for deciding on what I realistically want to do with my life. I have always wished to be like my brother who has known from an early age what he loved and stuck with it. He is now got an awesome job in the field he loves. But that's not me.

So, I guess if I had to pick a dream job it would be Radio City Rockette.I have always loved New York City, and dreamed of one day living there. The one problem with my dream job other than being really competitive is I am not tall enough. I am 5'5 and you have to be between 5'6" and 5'10 1/2. I keep hoping I am still going to grow. Just an inch, but its not looking very hopeful or realistic. But it would be an amazing opportunity and I will keep measuring my height until I pass the age requirement.

The Rockettes are known for their synchronization and high kicks. So here is a video of their Toy Soldier dance for their Christmas Spectacular.

White Flight

One of the most important decisions for parents is where their child will go to school. Many parents take into account education, proximity and overall quality of the school. During desegregation parents also began to take into account racial statistics in schools.

A term known as “white flight” refers to a shift of white residents looking for better education for their children. There is no magic number for what a population of a race should be, but when it gets around 50 percent white flight begins to happen. Clarke County began to see changes within the county once desegregation began to take place.

Housing and Consumer Economics Professor Douglas Bachtel discussed “white flight” and how it affected Clarke and Oconee counties.

“Pull factors into Oconee County is the school system,” said Dr. Bachtel. “It is a suburban bedroom community of Athens. It has real high educational attainment levels and real high income levels and low minorities.”

Camille Fulmer is now a resident in Oconee County after raising her two childern in Clarke County. She now helps her daughter, a 1985 Cedar Shoals High School graduate, raise her son.

“We are very glad we live here with the prospect of Jackson (grandson) going to Oconee Schools,” said Fulmer. “We can get a house a whole lot cheaper in Clarke County than here (Oconee County), but that is not an option for us.”

Fulmer has only spent seven years in Oconee County after moving out of Clarke County. Fulmer said, “Once you get out and you see how it is you just don’t go back.”

Fulmer watched both her son and daughter be taunted. Her daughter Joy Fulmer said, “I was the only white person in my freshman PE class at Cedar Shoals. After coming from a private christian school with no black people. That was scary.”

Many residents in Athens send their children to private schools for superior education. So Oconee County schools function like a private school system only it’s public.

Adam's Photo

Adam, don't be creeped out. I just really think this is a great picture of you. Your smile is very real and not forced. I like that the background is plain and its all about your face and expression. I definitely think it is Profile Pic quality! : )

Photos

This picture was taken by one of my good friends Ashley Connell. I just think its a beautiful shot, and such a precious calf. We were exploring a dairy in Lexington Ky when this was taken. My dad sent this photo into Hoards Dairyman Magazine, and it ended up becoming the cover shot.

The next two photos were taken by my friend Heather Maynard. She has a growing photography business in Athens, and is the photographer to many of the kids I babysit. I always enjoy reading her blog and following her photos. This little boy is close to my heart because I have been babysitting him since he was born. I just love the simplicity and colors in this photo. His eyes are so stunning, and the photo really captures the moment.

So I guess my blog consists of kids and animals. This photo combines the two. I just love the look on this dogs face. It is priceless.I love the eye contact and only seeing the heads of the twin babies. It think Heather did a great job capturing this sweet moment in a creative way.

Story Ideas

1. Profile of first black students and their opinions on how UGA handled their arrival.
2. Profile of a student already attending UGA when the desegregation happened and how it affected their studies.
   
3. What influences pushed Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to make the decision to pursue UGA.
   
4. President Adams feelings about where the University is now compared to 50 years ago, and where he hopes it goes.
5. Profile of the first black graduate and the pros and cons of going to UGA compared to other universities.
   
6. Survey of black students and their feelings about desegregation. Do they still feel segregated at UGA.
   
7. A look into the first black professors and there role at UGA. What departments did they teach.
   
8. People's opinions on the events celebrating the anniversary.
   
9. When did UGA start recruiting black student athletes.
10. How were black students first received in the community.
11. Community growth and its changes after desegregation.
    
12. Violence seen during desegregation and how it shaped new students.
    

Megan Graves

My name is Megan Graves and I love Georgia Football. This is my new gameday attire I got for $10. I couldn't pass it up! I grew up in Athens and love this town for the unique places to eat and shop. It is a great place to call home.

I took my first dance class at age three. From that day forward I spent most my time in a dance studio or onstage. I danced in college until a knee injury slowed me down. I have recently been able to start again, and I am currently learning to ballroom dance.

My highschool was brand new when I was a freshman, and my graduating class was the first class to go all four years in the school. It was quite an experience with lots of opportunities, but we didn't have a newspaper or magazine. Not to mention I spent most my time in the dance studio at the school anyway.

I decided on Journalism after reading all the majors the university offered before picking this one. I have always enjoyed writing, and so far I am really enjoying it. I am hoping to get more involved this semester!

One of my favorite things I get to do is spend Sunday mornings with a classroom full of two-year-olds at Sunday school at Watkinsville First Baptist Church. I learn so much from them, and love every minute.

During the week I spend a lot of my nights and afternoons babysitting. This is one of my little boys I have had at church since he was in the crib. Enough said I love kids.

My goal for the semester is to fly to Burbank, California to see the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Nothing brightens my day like an episode of Ellen.