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Ranking 14th on a list of 2020 Best Big Colleges in the U.S. is none other than the University of Georgia, according to a ranking by the website Niche. In fact, UGA was the only school from Georgia to appear within the top 100. Georgia State and Kennesaw State Universities made the list, landing at 104th and 119th respectively. As reported in The Red & Black, Niche’s Best Big Colleges ranking compares private and public universities with at least 15,000 undergraduate students. To get these rankings, Niche analyzed factors like student life, academics and student reviews using U.S. Department of Education data. The categories carrying the largest weight are academics, value and professors. Per the analysis, UGA received A’s in all categories but two — dorms and safety, earning a B and B- respectively. As for UGA’s online degree programs, those rose fairly high in the U.S. News & World Report rankings this year, ranking among one of the best in business and education according to U.S. News, a media company that publishes rankings, analysis and consumer advice on colleges and graduate schools. Terry’s online program of business and technology actually jumped from 17th to 4th, and the College of Education’s online bachelor’s program in special education went from 25th to 11th, tying with four other schools, according to UGA. Furthermore, the College of Education’s Masters program was named the #1 program for veterans in U.S. News’ ranking. According to Niche’s rankings, UGA placed 3rd out of all public and private universities in Georgia behind Emory University and Georgia Tech. Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262
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A substantial crowd gathered in front of the Morton Theatre on Washington Street yesterday to honor the late Martin Luther King, Jr. While some people held signs, others were setting up stands in preparation for the fourth annual MLK Day Parade and Music Festival organized by the United Group of Artists, an event production company co-founded by Knowa and Mokah Jasmine Johnson. Mykeisha Ross, vice president of Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, believes the parade exemplifies what King aimed to achieve in communities around the globe. “I think it’s important for people to come together, show love and meet people you never would otherwise,” Ross said to The Red & Black. “We’re breaking racial barriers.” During the parade, spectators watched people walk through the streets holding signs with famous quotes from Dr. King. Vendors selling products including traditional African clothing set up around the sidelines. Kishina Longino, a vendor for Alicia’s Little Bling Boutique, came from Atlanta to participate in the parade for the first time. After attending the MLK Day parades in Atlanta, she said she wanted to see people show out in Athens. “To have parades like this goes back to honoring what Dr. King stood for and the fact that he didn’t die in vain,” Longino said. “He stood for millions of people and this day shows we haven’t forgotten.” Other vendors like Precious Jones with MEplusTEA, a homegrown hand-blended loose leaf tea company, have participated in the parade since it began in 2017. Jones said she feels Athens is a close knit community and the parade is a reminder of that. “I think Athens is a good example of what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for,” Jones said. Attending the parade were people from all walks of life such as families and students. Ross said her favorite part of the parade was its ability to demonstrate that everyone has a story and also explained that events like this help people find their voice. “You can be black, white, Hispanic, it doesn’t matter, everybody has a story and your voice is your power,” said Ross. “No one else can write your story, so tell it.” Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262 Drew Dekle, who built up the Quality Building on 265 W. Washington St. with tenants including Flicker Theatre and Bar, Clocked! and Iron Factory, has a long history with the building. When he was a child, he would visit his grandfather, who owned the same building during his childhood and he would go to a pool hall between the Morton Theatre and the Quality Building. “It was kind of a rough place for a 12-year-old, middle-class kid to hang out, but I learned a lot there,” Dekle said. “It was a culture shock — I grew up in suburban Atlanta, and here I am shooting pool with blue-collar, working-class guys.” As reported in The Red & Black, since his visits to Athens during the 1970s and 1980s, Dekle has seen the change the west side of downtown has gone through while keeping a few of its well-known historic sites, such as the Morton Theatre, the Hot Corner intersection and 40 Watt Club. To preserve the western side of downtown’s character, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission has discussed a proposal to designate the area as a local historic district. Since November, the proposal has received vocal supporters and outspoken detractors to commission meetings. The proposed district designation would mean that property owners would need to complete a multi-step approval process to alter the facades of their buildings, including a Planning Staff review and a Historic Preservation Commission meeting. If implemented, Athens First United Methodist Church could be restricted from demolishing a building it owns — the Saye Building — at 110 W. Hancock Ave. Built in 1920, the historic building has fallen into disrepair, Jill Bateman, the Athens First UMC Building Committee Chair said. She said the church wants to expand its mission and feels the building’s demolition would help the church grow. “It would be a significant financial burden for us to renovate the current structure,” Bateman said. “The financial implication is where we have seen the greatest need for concern.” However, advocates for the district say these regulations are necessary to protect the character of the area. “We want to make sure that we are honoring and preserving the western part of downtown the same way that we have honored and preserved the eastern portion of downtown,” said Tommy Valentine, the executive director of Historic Athens, a non-profit working to preserve local history. The current local historic district, which only covers parts of east downtown, was adopted in 2006, ACC Assistant Planning Director Bruce Lonnee said in an email. In the email, Lonnee said if the commission approves the newly proposed district, the unprotected area of downtown will be protected by the same guidelines as the current district. The district would mainly affect property owners’ ability to change the outside of their building. Projects such as demolishing the building, constructing new parking lots and adding additional sections to the building would be more tedious from the local government. Valentine also would like to preserve the history of Athens minority and working-class communities. “We’re not just having a discussion about history. We are also having a discussion about race and class and making sure we are telling the entire story of Athens,” Valentine said. However, attorney David Montgomery, believes the district will negatively impact these businesses. Montgomery said he represents three business owners who run businesses in the proposed historic district, and he spoke on their behalf at a Dec. 3 Mayor and Commission meeting. Montgomery said he represents Theodore Brown of Brown’s Barber Shop, Homer Wilson of Wilson’s Styling Shop and John Wade, the property owner of the Manhattan Cafe. Montgomery believes preserving these buildings according to the proposed historic guidelines will be expensive and disproportionately burden these men. “I don’t see the legitimacy of requiring one landowner to keep his building like it is because folks have a cultural interest in [the building] staying like it is,” Montgomery said. The commission will vote on the proposal before June 2020. The moratorium over western downtown was extended to the end of June 2020 to give the commissioners time to deliberate the proposal without fear of losing historic sites. In the next few weeks, the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department will schedule community information sessions about the proposal to educate tenants and property owners and answer their questions. Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262 As reported in the Athens Banner-Herald, the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication has plans for a multi-million dollar studio renovation for its new Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media program. Donated funds will be paying for the $3.75 million project, including nearly $2 million in construction, according to information UGA officials submitted to the state Board of Regents in advance of the board’s monthly meeting. UGA will not sign a construction contract until the full $3.75 million is in hand, according to the paperwork. Regents will also review recommendations for hiring one of three Atlanta design firms for a 525-bed dorm for first-year students that is planned for Baxter Street. Last month, University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley approved a staff ranking of the top three firms out of 20 who applied for the residence hall commission -- Beck Architecture Georgia at the top; Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates; and, Collins Cooper Carusi Architects. The new residence hall has a $49.9 million budget, including construction costs of up to $40.3 million. The new building will allow UGA to expand the size of its first-year class “and provide ‘swing space’ as UGA continues to renovate or replace other residence halls on campus,” according to the university’s request. The building’s facilities will be a public-private partnership. The new MFA program, which the regents approved last year, will be operated by UGA in conjunction with the Georgia Film Academy and Pinewood Forest, a residential development under construction in Fayetteville next to Pinewood Atlanta Studios and its 18 sound stages. If the regents’ approve of the studio project, the plan would be to renovate almost 6,000 square feet in UGA’s Journalism Building. Once equipped, first-year students in the new MFA program will use the space to learn about technical aspects of video and film production including cinematography, editing, lighting, audio production, and writing, directing and producing movies. In the first part of the two-year program, set to start this fall, students will study at UGA. In their second year, they’ll move into Pinewood Forest and work with the Georgia Film Academy and industry professionals. Call Pachuta Insurance Today @ 706-769-2262 |
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1031 Village Drive, Suite A
Watkinsville, Georgia 30677
johnny@pachutainsurance.com
(706) 769-2262 (Office)
(888) 769-2262 (Toll Free)
(706) 769-2282 (Fax)
(706) 201-1901 (Mobile)