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December 2007 News
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North
Georgia responds to drought crisis DAHLONEGA (Dec. 17, 2007) – North Georgia College & State University is taking several measures to reduce water consumption in its daily internal operations and researching ways to implement other water-saving improvements in the future. The university – which serves more than 5,000 students, a number that exceeds the entire population of Dahlonega – is one of the top 10 water users in Lumpkin County and Dahlonega’s largest water consumer according to data from the City of Dahlonega Water Authority. Representatives from the city met with North Georgia officials in late November to discuss current progress and share recommendations for the university to meet the state-mandated goal of reducing water usage by 10 percent.
“We feel confident we can meet the 10 percent target reduction,” said
Julio Canseco, director of the NGCSU Physical Plant. “Given the fact
that we have peaks and valleys in our water consumption, we'll still
have high-use months and low ones but overall we'll conserve water.”
The washing of state vehicles and all outdoor watering in Lumpkin County
and surrounding areas under the Level 4 drought restrictions have been
banned by the state.
The largest area of water consumption on campus is in the residence
halls, followed by the Dining Hall.
“Our highest variable is 1,500 students living on campus and using the
Dining Hall three times a day,” said Canseco.
All residents will soon notice a change when they shower. NGCSU
maintenance workers are currently installing flow constrictors in all of
the residence hall bathrooms to reduce the amount of water used in the
showers.
“We're also considering reducing the flow of water in urinals,” said
Canseco. “Other ideas being considered are the replacement of old
washing machines with water efficient ‘front loaders’ and
motion-activated faucets in academic buildings. Many of these ideas will
cost money to implement so it will take some time to complete.”
Long-term options being considered include the installation of a waste
management system, which would recycle and re-use the used water in the
Dining Hall. Plans are in progress for the Dining Hall to go “trayless”
in an effort to cut water consumption. Patrons will carry their plates
of food to the tables without the use of trays.
“We anticipate substantial savings because many dishwasher loads are
being done each day with just trays,” said Jeff Davis, associate vice
president for Business.
Efforts to conserve water on campus began before Georgia’s current
drought. The university’s swimming pool was found to be using an
excessive amount of water more than a year ago.
“We worked the plumbing to capture the pool water, re-filter it and
re-use it. The water savings were quite substantial,” said Canseco.
A couple of major leaks were also detected and repaired near Gaillard
Hall, one of the residence halls. Future plans have been made to hire an
outside company to survey the university’s old water lines for possible
undetected leaks.
“We'll need the students’ participation in our effort for success. They
are our largest customer base,” said Canseco. “We need our residence
assistants, Office of Student Affairs and the Student Government
Association to inform our students on how they can help alleviate this
water shortage even if not noticeable at this time. If things don't
improve drought-wise, there is a distinct possibility of water
rationing, with Lumpkin County allotting amounts to users and monetary
fines to
violators.”
Faculty members are also finding solutions to use water resources more
wisely. Robert Fuller, director of the NGCSU Environmental Leadership
Center, and Richard Byers, associate professor of history, are
partnering to study rainwater harvesting and other energy conservation
initiatives on campus that could significantly reduce water and energy
consumption.
“Rainwater can be used for all irrigation and other outdoor usage, and
has interior applications, such as toilet flushing and laundry. The
campus’ location and natural topography make it ideal for rainwater
collection and use,” said Byers, who is originally from south Australia,
one of the driest parts of the world. “I grew up using rainwater for all
water uses.”
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NGCSU modifies residence
policy DAHLONEGA (Dec. 6, 2007) – The campus residence policy at North Georgia College & State University, established in the early 1970s, is being modified to create equal access to residence halls for all students on the Dahlonega campus. NGCSU President David Potter said that action is being taken to update the policy in response to a legal opinion by the Attorney General of the State of Georgia. "The attorney general's office determined that North Georgia's existing policy would not survive judicial scrutiny as currently written since it treats students differently based on gender without being substantially related to the achievement of an important governmental objective," explained Potter. "University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, Jr. has asked North Georgia to change the policy to become effective in the fall semester of 2008. We are in agreement with the legal opinion and are proceeding with the Chancellor’s request," Potter added. For more than three decades, North Georgia has maintained a policy requiring all male students living in campus housing to join the Corps of Cadets. This policy did not apply to female residents, who could choose to be a cadet or not. North Georgia is one of six senior military colleges in the United States and one of 35 public colleges and universities within the University System of Georgia. Applying the court’s ruling in the 1996 case at Virginia Military Institute, which struck down VMI's all-male admissions policy at the state-run military college, it would be difficult for North Georgia to offer a rationale that would overcome the mandates of the Constitution. "Following discussions with members of the legislature, the university military department, the campus community, alumni and community leaders, North Georgia’s administration developed a revised policy to assure equal access for all students and to maintain a vibrant Corps of Cadets," Potter said. The new policy requires all freshmen and sophomore students, both male and female, to live in campus housing. However, the key change is that male students living in campus housing no longer have to be members of the Corps of Cadets. The exception to the on-campus residency requirement is for those students who have residence in designated nearby counties. The new policy also requires all cadets to commit to the Corps for a three-year period. Those cadets who leave the Corps prior to earning 90 semester hours will be ineligible to enroll in North Georgia courses for a period of one calendar year. |
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Shantytown builds bonds, awareness of social issues
DAHLONEGA (Dec. 4, 2007) – Flashlights and cell phones illuminated the drill field at North Georgia College & State University as the early winter night descended on more than 250 students who gathered there to build a small makeshift community of cardboard. More than 45 shanties, small crudely built shelters, were erected in a matter of hours on Nov. 1 by coeds, cadets and commuter students working in the twilight against the backdrop of more permanent construction projects on campus. Music bands played on the military review stand late into the night while psychology professor Dr. Steve Smith cooked out on his grill to help feed the masses. Many of the undergraduates stayed up all night in their masterful cardboard creations, which together made up Shantytown 2007. Students who were part of the annual Shantytown event raised more than $2,500 for the local Habitat for Humanity and helped build awareness of substandard housing conditions in the United States.
Undergraduates had to buy plots on the drill field to construct their shanties, and T-shirt and food sales contributed to the donations. Students came out en masse to support the cause, in its twelfth year, creating the largest overnight community in the event’s history. An environment friendly demolition of Shantytown was coordinated through the North Georgia Management Resource Authority and Lumpkin County Public Works with the cardboard filling up the entire local recycling center. “We forget people live in these conditions everyday and we’re raising money to try and eradicate poor housing for people right here in this county,” says Dr. Steve Lloyd, assistant professor of psychology and one of this year’s coordinators. “These students are taking on a leadership role to serve their community and that is one of the biggest benefits of Shantytown.” This year’s unprecedented turnout at Shantytown was made up largely of freshmen who are enrolled in Foundations of Leadership, a new course required for all freshmen. More than 1,100 freshmen total had a hand in developing the service project on the drill field.
“I learned how to really apply time management,” says Rachael Fairhurst, a freshman biology major. “It relates to every class. I’m glad I learned about time management early because I have a lot of friends who still have not.” Thirty-nine classes of approximately 30 students each are in Foundations of Leadership this semester. There are 43 upperclassmen student instructors, who were trained over the last year, and 15 faculty members who teach the course and supervise the student instructors. “Those students were very involved in the process of creating the course, even building components and organizing some of the curriculum,” says Dr. Michele Hill, assistant professor of psychology who coordinated the massive challenge of creating the Foundations of Leadership course for the entire freshmen student body. The course is taught through WebCT, an Internet-based tool where students are taught online and they are provided with content and assessment material. The online learning also provides a whole new dimension to classroom participation and interaction among students. Developing ties between the classroom curriculum and co-curricular activities like Shantytown is becoming an essential part of North Georgia’s leadership mission. “Leadership is absolutely critical to our future and these students are it,” says Hill. |
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This page last modified on: Thursday, 24 April 2008 19:21:46 -0400 by University Relations |
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“It
was a good way to understand teamwork,” says freshman art marketing major
Tori Collis. “Everyone played their certain part at Shantytown. Without the
teamwork, it wouldn’t have been as much fun.”