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An increasing number of students are taking summer courses to progress toward earning their degrees, adding up to the highest summer semester enrollment in Kennesaw State University’s history.

KSU’s summer enrollment has grown significantly over the past two years to more than 20,000 students this summer. That marks a 14 percent increase from last year’s summer enrollment and more than a 20 percent rise from just two years ago.

The higher enrollment is a result of Kennesaw State’s expanding its summer course offerings to provide more options for students, combined with targeted marketing efforts promoting the benefits of taking summer classes. After KSU transitioned successfully to remote learning during the spring semester, thousands of students chose to continue that momentum into the summer.

“I am impressed by our students who are enrolled in summer classes, for seeing the current reality of entirely remote learning as an opportunity rather than an obstacle to advance toward their academic goals,” Kennesaw State President Pamela Whitten said. “Summer coursework offers benefits such as easier access to high-demand classes and courses offered in a condensed format. During this summer’s unique circumstances, our faculty have shown their commitment to student success by adapting their courses to remote formats.”

Kennesaw State’s summer enrollment includes more than 17,000 returning students, a 14 percent increase in that category from the 2019 summer. In addition, more than 2,300 new students – incoming freshmen and transfers – are enrolled this summer, a 13 percent jump from a year ago.

Whitten pointed out that, along with enabling students to get ahead or stay on track to graduate, summer coursework can allow students to focus on a specific discipline or degree requirement. She added that although students have not been able to be on campus for classes or activities this summer, they have remained engaged through a number of online efforts by KSU faculty and staff, such as Facebook Live events and the weekly Research with Relevance feature.

How To Sell A House (and get a much better price)

How to Sell your House Well in 6 Steps The Price is You Ask for is What You’ll Build Your New Life With You’re only thinking about selling your home right now. But it’s a interesting vision, one where you get a lot of money for your home. And with that, you begin the next…

The timing is perfect: 51 years ago this weekend Stonewall happened; five years ago the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was a right nationwide; and last week the Court ruled that it is illegal to discriminate against an LGBTQ person in the workplace. And June is, of course, Pride month.

It’s time to celebrate; so Out Front Theatre Company is giving us all a treat this Friday night, June 26: an A-list lineup of writers is offering “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays,” nine short theatrical works that highlight the highs and lows of matrimony. The collection of short plays and monologues is by Mo Gaffney, Jordan Harrison, Moisés Kaufman, Neil LaBute, Wendy MacLeod, José Rivera, Paul Rudnick, and Doug Wright. The project is conceived by Brian Shnipper.

Each of the performances will be performed by the following prominent Atlanta actors and streamed from their homes: Abby Holland, Ben Thorpe, Charles Thomas, Danny Martin, JL Reed, Keena Hunt, Robert Lee Hindsman, Robert Wayne, Sofia Palmero, and Wendy Melkonian.

Paul Conroy, founder and artistic director of Out Front says: “These short plays showcase a wondrous jubilee of same sex marriage, and run the gamut from touching and tearful to hilarious and heartwarming. We are thrilled that we can bring this event honoring equality right into people’s homes, and even though we may not be together physically, we know that as a community we can still celebrate.”

Of course I haven’t seen the show yet, but here are couple of comments about the work from national publications: “Backstage”: “Standing on Ceremony puts a human face on a hot-button issue and delivers laughter and tears rather than propaganda.” “NY Observer”: “All you have to do is listen, shed an occasional tear and laugh a lot. There is something for everybody…’Standing on Ceremony’ holds a magnifying glass to the highs and lows, joys and fears, courage and silliness of people bucking trends and making history. It’s a fine evening, heartily recommended.”

I am intrigued, and I wouldn’t miss Out Front’s virtual screening, a free performance on June 26, 8pm, Facebook.com/OutFrontTheatre. Stonewall’s original “rioters,” some of whom are still with us, would be fascinated.

The post Theatre Preview: ‘Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays’ online at Out Front appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has issued three new administrative orders on the Atlanta Police Department’s use of force policies  after receiving initial recommendations from an advisory panel.

The orders include an increase in use of officer body worn cameras and creating a repository system so that the public can submit videos they take of officers using excessive force.

According to a press release from the mayor’s office, the Use of Force Advisory Council provided 10 early action recommendations to Bottoms spanning three focus areas: law and policy, police culture and mindsets, and community and partnerships.

“In just 14 days, the Use of Force Advisory Council has developed meaningful recommendations to begin the process of revising Atlanta’s Use of Force polices to rebuild trust in our communities,” Bottoms said in statement. “Thank you to the members of this Advisory Council for your diligence and thoughtfulness. Together, we will harness this moment in history to reimagine our use of force policies and elevate the Atlanta Police Department as a national model for modern policing.”

Upon receiving the advisory council’s recommendations, Bottoms acted upon three of the 10 recommendations by issuing three administrative orders and a letter to the Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB). The remaining seven recommendation are under legal and operational review to determine further action.

The recommendations that have been adopted and acted upon by the administration are:

• Commit to identifying policies to improve officer compliance and public transparency of captured body worn camera footage,
• Create a centralized repository for witness footage of use of force by officers, and
• Extend powers and community awareness of Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB).

The first administrative order directs the Chief of Police to identify policies and procedural changes to further improve body worn camera compliance from the current level of 94%. The order also directs APD to outline improvements to existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to improve transparency and responsiveness to public requests for officer footage.

The second order directs the Chief Information Officer to develop a platform that allows the public to submit recordings of use of force violations. The recordings will be incorporated into future use of force investigations, ensuring that public recordings are included with APD footage in decisions. Further, it directs the development of SOPs to outline the use of videos during investigations, retention policies on citizen submissions and providing access to the Atlanta Citizen Review Board for independent investigation.

The third order directs the chief of staff and city attorney to work with the ACRB to identify measures to further strengthen the organization. These measures include legislative, budgetary, and/or operational needs to begin a proactive review by ACRB of all deadly use of force cases. The mayor  also issued a letter to the ACRB highlighting the importance of their independent perspective and critical role in maintaining accountability. ACRB received a $427,000 budget increase for FY2021 to support new staff, community outreach and resolution review.

The 28-member Use of Force Advisory Council 10 early actions are outlined below:

1. Commit to revising the Use of Force continuum in Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to increase specificity and align with best practices;
2. Ensure that changes taken under the Mayor’s Administrative Orders 2020-18 align with best practice policy changes from other cities and continue measures for accountability;
3. Commit to identifying policies to improve officer compliance and public transparency of captured body worn camera footage;
4. Create a centralized repository for witness footage of use of force by officers;
5. Mandate immediate drug testing for officers when a use of force incident resulting in serious injury or death occurs;
6. Commit to re-evaluating and revising mission, vision, core values, and oath
   of the Atlanta Police Department;
7. Conduct additional screenings – including mental health and implicit bias assessments – for all applicants during the recruiting process, and on an ongoing basis for all officers;
8. Require more exhaustive background checks with attention to record of complaints from other agencies, previous applications to police departments, and social media sentiment;
9. Extend powers and community awareness of Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB); and
10. Begin to evaluate policies, procedures, and partner organizations for least harm approach to reduce the likelihood of use of force long-term, including use of non-law enforcement officials for community crisis response and expansion of the pre-arrest diversion program.

In the coming weeks, the Advisory Council, which was created in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis and incidents here  in Atlanta, will submit its 45-day recommendations.

The full Advisory Council report can be found at this link.

Information and actions by the Advisory Council can be reviewed here. Questions or comments regarding the Advisory Council can be submitted to: useofforce@atlantaga.gov.

The post Mayor issues new administrative orders on police use of force policies appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

The Atlanta City Council held a remote work session on the tree protection ordinance on June 25. You can listen to to the meeting in the link above.

The draft tree protection ordinance can be found at https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/urban-ecology-framework.

Questions about the draft ordinance may be sent to the project team at treeordinance@atlantaga.gov.

You can also read more about the controversy surrounding the tree ordinance at INtown’s story at this link.

The post LISTEN: City Council holds virtual work session on tree protection ordinance appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

The Atlanta Police Department remains tight-lipped about a drive-by shooting that killed two and injured five others on June 13 in the Edgewood community.

Officer Steve Avery said there were “no updates at this time,” but additional details have emerged from two other incident reports related to the crime scene at 69 Mayson Ave.

According to the initial police report, it appears the occupant of a vehicle fired multiple shots into a large group of people just before 5:45 p.m. Homicide investigators are still searching for a black pick-up truck (shown in the image above) driven by the shooter.

Semaj Jones, 17, and Christopher Weaver, 25, were both taken to the hospital and later succumbed to their injuries. The other victims shot in the incident were named as Trinity Robertson, Latisha Moss, Travion Cox, Tevin Bradley, and Kyran Coleman.

INtown has been unable to confirm social media rumors that the incident was part of a disagreement between rival rap groups and that the incident took place during the filming of a music video.

In two additional police reports, a homeowner on Mayson Avenue reported hearing 30 to 40 shots and discovered that one of the bullets had pierced the window frame of a guest bedroom, damaged the blinds, and shattered a framed photo inside.

The second report came from homeowners on Mayson Avenue who had both of their cars, a Honda and Toyota, struck and disabled by bullets from the shooting.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or its occupants is asked to call Crime Stoppers. Information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com.  Persons do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000 for the arrest and indictment of the suspect.

 

The post UPDATE: Details emerge in Edgewood neighborhood shooting that killed two, injured five appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

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