A new University of Georgia study examines addictive behaviors such as vaping and online gaming that can harm youths and makes suggestions for high school counselors.
We tell you about that research in this edition of AJC On Campus. Also, read on for details about a senior vice president appointed to lead Spelman College’s fundraising efforts and the Georgia Board of Regents’ response to a lawsuit filed by a former vice chancellor.
University of Georgia vaping, gaming study
High school counselors need more training on addictive behaviors that some youths struggle with, including vaping and internet gaming, according to a University of Georgia study.
“School counselors are aware this is an issue, but it doesn’t seem like we’re providing the training as a profession so that they can address it,” said Amanda Giordano, associate professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education, in a written statement. “They’re seeking their own continuing education and self-study to learn how to meet these needs.”
The research work analyzed data from 221 high school counselors in Georgia, New York and Washington. Giordano found that just over 80% of those counselors reported working with at least one student with a gaming issue in the previous year and at least one student with a vaping-related issue, according to a UGA news release.
Only about a quarter of the counselors felt at least “moderately competent” in responding to gaming issues, while just over a third felt at least moderately competent in addressing vaping concerns.
Recommendations include ensuring that graduate programs that train school counselors include curriculum on addictive behaviors. The study also suggested starting preventative school-based programs and lessons to educate students on gaming and vaping.
Lawsuit filed against Georgia Board of Regents
A former chief information officer for the University System of Georgia filed a lawsuit against the Georgia Board of Regents, alleging he was terminated because of a disability.
Jonathan Piersol initially sued in October in Fulton County Superior Court.
This month, attorneys for the Board of Regents filed paperwork seeking to move the case to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. In a separate filing, the board’s attorneys also asked the federal court to dismiss the complaint and denied “it has violated any laws.”
The lawsuit states that Piersol requested an accommodation to work a modified schedule to attend dialysis appointments. It alleges that he was granted intermittent leave in mid-November of 2022 but that about a day later, he was presented with the option to either be terminated effective immediately or resign and remain employed until Dec. 31, 2022.
Piersol “chose resignation in lieu of termination,” according to the suit, which alleges he was retaliated against after he requested the accommodation. He seeks relief including lost wages and benefits and attorneys’ fees.
Spelman hire
Credit: Spelman College
Credit: Spelman College
Spelman College hired alumna Salena Gray Jegede to lead fundraising.
The private women’s historically Black college in Atlanta named Jegede its senior vice president for institutional advancement. She starts in the new post Jan. 2.
She previously worked as a fundraiser for Stacey Abrams’ 2018 gubernatorial campaign and as the chief of donor advising for Way to Win, a political organization.
Jegede graduated from Spelman with a political science degree in 2003. She also has a master’s degree from Georgia State University.
Georgia Tech student’s puzzle biz
Credit: CBS
Credit: CBS
Remember Carson Garrett, the Georgia Tech aerospace engineering student who competed to Outwit, Outlast and Outplay as a contestant on the 44th season of the TV competition show “Survivor”?
He also could out-puzzle the other castaways on the island.
Fans of the show were amazed by Garrett’s preparation. He famously used a 3D printer to create copies of the puzzles that had previously been featured on the show, and he practiced assembling them before filming began. That preparation served him well. Once the TV game started, Garrett quickly proved his puzzle prowess, which helped push him to a fourth-place finish.
Now, Garrett has introduced Puzzlenaut, which sells 3D puzzles that fans of the show and puzzle-fiends can solve at home. Offerings include a tree-shaped puzzle dubbed the “Tree of Immunity” for $79.99 and a star-shaped “Star of Survival” puzzle for $59.99.
Special speaker
Credit: Peter Frey
Credit: Peter Frey
Harold A. Black, one of the first three Black students to enroll as freshmen at the University of Georgia and complete undergraduate degrees, returned to the school to deliver a commencement address earlier this month.
Black, Mary Blackwell Diallo and Kerry Rushin Miller enrolled at UGA in 1962. Black was the first African American graduate of UGA’s Terry College of Business, which created a professorship to honor him. He went on to earn his master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University and is an emeritus professor of finance at the University of Tennessee.
Last year, UGA opened the new $50 million dormitory, Black-Diallo-Miller Hall, named after the three trailblazers.
Nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students were eligible to graduate this December.
If you have any higher education tips or thoughts, email reporter Vanessa McCray at vanessa.mccray@ajc.com.
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