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AUGUST 26, 2020 · VOL. 34 · NO. 34 · FREE

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Meet the Cover Artist, Elinor Saragoussi p. 12

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this week’s issue

contents

WHITLEY CARPENTER

So the students are back on campus and in town, and the countdown is on to see how their return affects the incidence of COVID-19 cases.

This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEWS: City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Masks, Protests, UGA’s Open for Now

Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

A COVID Diary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Are Dorms Safe?

Courtwatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Children in your community deserve kindness and love.

Become a foster parent today.

1-877-210-KIDS fostergeorgia.com

Unwanted Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Football Finances vs. COVID

Pandemic Pursuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

ARTS & CULTURE: Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Meet the Flagpole Guide to Athens Cover Artist

Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Jessica Pritchard Mangum CITY EDITOR Blake Aued ARTS & MUSIC EDITOR Jessica Smith OFFICE MANAGER AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Zaria Gholston CLASSIFIEDS Zaria Gholston AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson CARTOONISTS Lee Gatlin, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack PHOTOGRAPHER Whitley Carpenter CONTRIBUTORS Chris Dowd, Joe Fu, Cindy Hahamovitch, Kathryn Kyker, Gordon Lamb, Jessica Luton, John Lyndon, Cindy Gagne Nason, Dan Perkins, Amber Perry, John Cole Vodicka, Tyler Wilkins, Ross Williams CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Christopher Linter, Mike Merva EDITORIAL INTERNS Lily Guthrie, Elijah Johnston, Amber Perry, Tyler Wilkins

Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Record Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Residential • Office • Construction • Move In • Move Out

We are here for you!

Taking precautions to ensure everyone stays healthy and disinfecting high touch surfaces.

Adilene Valencia 706-424-9810 aecleanathens@gmail.com

COVER PHOTOGRAPH of Elinor Saragoussi by Whitley Carpenter (see Art Notes on p. 12) STREET ADDRESS: 220 Prince Ave., Athens, GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603 EDITORIAL: 706-549-9523 · ADVERTISING: 706-549-0301 · FAX: 706-548-8981 CLASSIFIED ADS: class@flagpole.com ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com CALENDAR: calendar@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editorial@flagpole.com

LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com NEWS: news@flagpole.com ADVICE: advice@flagpole.com

Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 7,000 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $80 a year, $45 for six months. © 2020 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOLUME 34 ISSUE NUMBER 34

RESPECT OTHERS WEAR A MASK

Association of Alternative Newsmedia

KEEP YOUR COOL

comments section

Monday–Saturday Noon–7:00p.m.

Sunday Noon–5:00 p.m.

“Not only will the UGA community become infected, but also the Athens community at large. UGA has given us a huge and deadly dilemma.”

— Brenda Poss From “Over 300 UGA Professors Say In-Person Classes Are ‘Unwise’” at flagpole.com

2361 WEST BROAD STREET facebook.com/frannyfarmacyathens 706-224-9505

AUGUST 26, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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news

city dope

Did You Miss Me? THE MASK ORDINANCE IS BACK, AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com The mask ordinance is dead. Long live the mask ordinance!

Athens-Clarke County commissioners took steps last week to override Gov. Brian Kemp’s overriding of the local law requiring people to wear masks in public. Kemp withdrew a lawsuit against the City of Atlanta over whether he had the authority to bar local governments from implementing mask mandates, but he then issued a new executive order prohibiting local governments from enforcing mask mandates in businesses, which are 90% of the places where people should be wearing them. All this from a guy who thinks letting locals set their own mask policies would be too confusing.

“The governor’s order from Saturday [Aug. 16] obviously allows now local governments to mandate masks with some exceptions,” ACC attorney Michael Petty told commissioners last week. “Specifically, on private businesses, we can’t require it.

What the ordinance says is, if they want to consent, we can enforce the ordinance, the mask mandate, in their place of [business].”

But the Georgia Municipal Association thinks it’s found a loophole. Under GMA’s interpretation, businesses’ consent is implied “unless they post a sign outside their business saying they don’t want it enforced within their business,” according to Petty. Now, at least one downtown bar is requiring a mask to enter while also posting a sign saying it’s opting out of the mask ordinance.

The latest version of the mask ordinance also lowers the maximum fine from $100 to $50, in compliance with Kemp’s order.

ACC hasn’t cited anyone for violating the ordinance—opting to hand out masks to violators instead—but some commissioners are ready to crack down.

Streets and sidewalks are increasingly crowded with “gaggles and gaggles of students completely unmasked,” Commissioner Melissa Link said, and big-box stores are reluctant to enforce their own mask policies for fear of making customers angry.

“The situation with all these students showing up here—not knowing if they have it, possibly being asymptomatic, not knowing these policies—puts our entire community in danger, drastically,” Commissioner Tim Denson said.

Commissioner Russell Edwards also wanted to step up enforcement, and he even suggested that police wear the fire department’s hazmat suits while inspecting downtown bars “to ensure our employees are absolutely protected and safe.”

Manager Blaine Williams was noncommittal about the hazmat idea, pointing out that they get pretty hot, but he did say he’s meeting with Police Chief Cleveland Spruill to discuss stepping up enforcement. “We are going to pursue this as our resources allow, and I’m talking to some other departments to see if we can get some help, as well,” Williams said.

The commission also voted unanimously to spend $80,000 to send an absentee ballot application to every voter in the county who

4

hasn’t requested one yet. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger mailed out nearly 7 million applications before the June primaries, but he has said he won’t do so this fall, citing the cost. Voting by mail has also become a hot-button partisan issue, with President Trump falsely claiming that mail-in voting is ripe with fraud, and even attempting to sabotage the Postal Service so that ballots arrive late. Democrats, meanwhile, are working to get voters leery of going to polling places in person during a pandemic to vote absentee instead.

The Week in COVID Clarke County added 446 new COVID-19 cases in the two-week period between Aug. 8–22, according to the state Department of Public Health. As of Saturday, Aug. 22, local hospitals were treating 129 COVID patients, and 62 of 70 critical care beds were occupied, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

While Athens hasn’t seen a spike—yet— since University of Georgia students came back to town, faculty continue to pressure the administration to change tactics. At least 19 states are experiencing outbreaks at colleges, according to CNN, and several universities, including Michigan State and North Carolina, have already gone back online for the semester. Georgia Tech traced 17 cases back to a fraternity party. The United Campus Workers of Georgia staged a “die-in” on North Campus last week to demonstrate that UGA is “putting profits over people.”

In addition to professors Joe Fu and Cindy Hahamovitch’s Flagpole op-ed on p. 6 envisioning two potential futures at UGA, more than 300 faculty members signed on to a Red & Black column calling UGA’s reopening “unwise.” Four UGA public health and policy professors—Amanda Abraham, Grace Bagwell Adams, W. David Bradford and Zhuo “Adam” Chen—wrote on Maureen Downey’s AJC blog “Get Schooled” that UGA should dramatically ramp up testing from 300 a day to over 6,000, and accused leaders of “a regime of secrecy that serves to bury our collective heads in the sand.” Read both at flagpole.com.

Push Poll Spreads Falsehoods About Candidate’s Criminal Record About 25 years ago, when Mokah Jasmine Johnson was 20, her then-boyfriend tried to buy $5 worth of marijuana from an undercover police officer. Johnson was also arrested and pleaded no contest to what she thought was a misdemeanor charge that would later be expunged.

But the incident haunted her for years, every time she applied for a job or an apartment, and it surfaced again last week. Johnson is now a candidate for an Athens-area state House of Representatives seat and was recently the victim of a push poll suggesting she had been convicted of a felony. Several District 117 residents

FLAGPOLE.COM | AUGUST 26, 2020

have reported receiving a call suggesting Johnson had been “convicted of a felony, served time in prison and convinced a judge to remove it from her record to cover it all up.” The call then directed the listener to a website to vote on whether this information made them more or less likely to vote for Johnson.

The reality, according to Johnson, is that she received community service and never spent a night behind bars. The sting operation she was caught up in was so large, detainees were kept in a field instead of jail, she said. She said she tested negative for drugs but pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor to spare her immigrant parents from having to pay legal fees. The charge was supposed to be dropped when she completed community service, but instead it was improperly recorded as a felony and followed her for years, until she was able to have it expunged. (Johnson’s campaign website, mokahforgeorgia.com, has information on how to have your record expunged.)

“When I heard what they did, I was shocked and hurt,” Johnson, who was in Florida for her father’s funeral, said in a statement. “It’s been four years since Michelle Obama told us, ‘When they go low, we go high.’ [At the Democratic National Convention] she extended the quote with, ‘Going high means standing fierce against hatred.’ So I decided to make this an opportunity.”

Johnson’s campaign manager, Aditya Krishnaswamy, has an idea of who might be behind the push poll—the responsible party used a proxy server to hide their identity— but he doesn’t believe it was incumbent Republican Houston Gaines’ campaign. Still, he faulted Gaines for not fully denouncing the calls as a “racist dog whistle.”

“I’d like to confirm that despite false claims, my campaign has not conducted polling of any kind this election cycle,” Gaines said in a statement on social media.

“And I am very proud of my record on criminal justice reform. This legislative session alone, I was honored to carry Senate Bill 288—our Second Chance legislation.

This historic bipartisan criminal justice reform allows for individuals to have their records restricted for employment purposes

for non-violent, low-level misdemeanor offenses after not reoffending for a period of four years. This is an important measure that will help millions of Georgians, and I’m proud that we were able to get it passed unanimously in the House and Senate.”

That’s right: The irony is, while Gaines was pushing through a bill making it easier to clear one’s record, political operatives working on behalf of Gaines were doing opposition research into Johnson’s criminal history.

The move may wind up backfiring, because it gives Johnson an opportunity to talk about one of her favorite topics, one that especially resonates with voters since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement—criminal justice reform. “I’m not ashamed to share that I got caught up in the same cruel system that continues to prey on Black people and other people of color in our communities every day,” Johnson said. “While our opposition may believe my story is a weakness, I know that many of the people I seek to represent recognize the failings of our criminal justice system.”

According to Johnson, Black people are almost four times more likely to face marijuana charges as whites, despite using the substance at similar rates. More than 6 million people were arrested on marijuana charges between 2010-2018, 42% of them under 30. “I was glad to see my opponent sponsor SB 288, a bill to expand our expungement system,” she said. “While my opponent touted the economic benefits of the reforms, these attacks made on his behalf reveal a failure to understand the human costs of this system.”

Using push polls to make anonymous attacks on political opponents is a fairly widespread campaign tactic. But Johnson is taking it seriously. She has retained high-powered lawyer Stacey Evans, a former legislator and gubernatorial candidate, to consider filing a defamation lawsuit.

According to Krishnaswamy, the legal system works well for people like Gaines, whose grandfather was a judge and comes from a prominent, well-to-do family.

Krishnaswarmy says Johnson wants to show it can work for others, too. f

news

pub notes

Nonsense and Stuff THE GUIDE IS OUT, ATHHALF GOES VIRTUAL, AND FLAGPOLE NEEDS YOU

FIVE & TEN

By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com

What’s in a Name?

Sometimes you can’t be bipartisan even when you want to. I’m writing this on the day before the Republican convention, so I can’t include any cute observations about that spectacle, such as my revelation during the Democratic virtual get-together. I noticed then, as speaker after speaker spoke enthusiastically of the next president, that every one of them pronounced his name stressing two syllables: “Bi-den.” I realized that I pronounce his name “Bide’n,” as if it has a syllable and a half. I remembered that I had the same revelation during the Clinton era, when all the speakers and news analysts pronounced Bill Clinton’s name as “Clin-ton,” whereas I always said “Clint’n” (and he did, too).

ELINOR SARAGOUSSI

it is full of information “for those who want to know their way around.” Sure, the info is online, too, but that’s no substitute for holding this slick-paper, full-color Guide in your own hands and thumbing through it to find a restaurant or a playground or Larry Tenner’s handy, custom-made maps.

This year, because so many events and venues such as restaurants, bars and clubs are still closed and many of the others limited to take-out, we decided to publish the Guide in two editions. This one is the fall Guide, and then we’ll put out the updated spring Guide in March to keep up with the constantly changing landscape of Athens events and establishments.

So grab a Guide, and keep it with you.

You’ll be surprised, as usual, at how many times you reach for it to check something.

And if you should find yourself out and about with no Guide, you can grab another one because we’ll keep them stocked for your convenience. And don’t forget: Our advertisers make the Guide possible, so read their beautiful ads, and act accordingly.

AthHalf Goes Virtual

Of course this line of thought allows me the pleasure of once again using the linguistic example of Congressman Robert G. Stephens, Jr., an Athenian of fine mind and fine accent. Bob entered Congress the year Kennedy became president and served eight terms before retiring.

At one point in his career, Bob was on a House committee chaired by New York Congressman Silvio Conte, and Bob was questioning his colleague, Pennsylvania Congressman William Moorhead. Bob repeatedly addressed Moorhead as “Mr. MOhead.” Finally, Chairman Conte lost patience with Bob’s pronunciation and blurted out, “Mr. Stephens, are you not aware that the gentleman’s name has an r in it?”

“CO’se I am, Mr. Chairman,” Bob responded. “If it didn’t, it’d be MOOhead.”

The Guide is Out! The new Flagpole Guide to Athens has been distributed all over town, and as usual

The AthHalf Marathon and 5K, originally scheduled for Oct. 24 and 25, will be run in a virtual format this year, with runners submitting their times to the race director.

AthHalf is a fundraiser for AthFest Educates, an organization that raises money for arts and music education and also puts on the AthFest music festival each summer.

Participants complete a 13-mile half marathon or a 5K run along the route of their choosing and submit their time by Oct. 25. All registered participants will receive a race T-shirt, and half-marathon runners will also receive a finisher’s medal. Registration is open at athhalf.com/athhalf-registration through Oct. 23 and is $70 for the half marathon or $30 for the 5K. Proceeds go toward arts and music education grants to local schools, nonprofits and government agencies. For example, last year’s grants brought musicians Kishi Bashi and Linqua Franqua to Clarke County School District assemblies and funded a David Hale mural at Fowler Drive Elementary. [Blake Aued]

Contributions Thanks again to all our Flagpole contributors. You helped get us through the summer with your support. Heading into fall, we’re still counting on you and urge you to make a recurring contribution of whatever amount you can afford. We’ll do our part by continuing to cover our community with the kind of in-depth reporting you expect. f

OPEN TUESDAY - SATURDAY!

TUESDAY RAMEN NIGHT Ramen night is back at Five & Ten! Make a reservation for any Tuesday on our porch, patio, or properly distanced dining rooms, or order it to-go on our website!

IN THE YARD Come eat oysters, drink cocktails, and listen to vinyl on our porch or on our new shaded patio. 3 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Swing by whenever, or make a reservation by calling 706-546-7300 or by going to FiveandTen.com.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW MENU ON OUR WEBSITE! YOU’LL SEE SOME BRAND NEW DISHES AND SOME FIVE & TEN CLASSICS!

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updated sanitation practices masks required! staff is always masked and gloved tables, checkbooks, and restrooms sanitized between uses all tables are at least 6 feet apart 1073 S Milledge Ave ----- 706-546-7300 ----- FiveandTen.com

AUGUST 26, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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news

comment

Back to the Future HISTORY WILL JUDGE UGA’S PANDEMIC RESPONSE

By Joe Fu and Cindy Hahamovitch news@flagpole.com After pivoting abruptly to online instrucweek, Provost Jack Hu attempted to sell tion in spring 2020, UGA and the UniverUGA’s plan for 300 tests of volunteers per sity System of Georgia regrouped for the day as “surveillance testing,” a statistical fall. USG committed heavily to reopening, concept. But voluntary testing produces not setting an ominous tone and rattling nerves a random sample so much as a haphazard in Athens by refusing to require masks on one. One method produces statistics, the campus. Only after a relentless pressure other—the one we used—chaos. campaign by campus stakeholders, aided UGA tried to hide the bad news by by incredulous coverage from the national restricting the publication of data on the press, did USG eventually reverse course in contagion, refusing to break it down by July. demographics, job category or campus locaMeanwhile, the upper UGA administration. This would have provided a profile that tion convened an array of working groups, the community could have used to protect dominated by administrators and chaired itself. Even the death of a young employee, professors, to formulate Ana Cabrera Lopez, a plan. Excluded entirely unacknowledged Corseted by a broken went were the workers who by the administration institutional culture, until it came to light had real knowledge of conditions on the other channels.

UGA and USG stumbled into through ground and who faced Claiming to be handreopening. the most dire concuffed by their bosses at sequences of failure.

USG, the UGA adminisCountless proposals that might have protration even refused to issue any criteria for tected staff, produced by the ingenuity and closing that might guide decision-making commitment that ordinary people under under a later moment of pressure. The duress have displayed throughout human campus braced for a march into a stochastic history, never saw the light of day. furnace.

As the semester approached, the inadequacy of this top-down approach became more and more apparent. The most glaring Faced with crumbling credibility among omission was the failure of the plan to staff and faculty on the one hand, and account for the explosion of COVID-19: the arrival of an army of giddy student Between the time the report was released super-spreaders on the other, the univerin May and the early weeks of August, comsity pulled back from the brink just days munity spread in Athens grew by a factor before classes were scheduled to begin. They of more than five. The administration’s acknowledged their errors and pledged to stubborn refusal to reconsider its course of speak—and above all to listen—to voices of action thus violated the very CDC metrics workers at every level. Speaking with one its own plan had claimed to embrace. voice, the elders of the university issued Indeed, the only metric that President a powerful directive to students: If you Jere Morehead chose to highlight in his have not recently received a negative test flailing attempts to justify the plan was the result (or even if you have), or when you expenditure of $6 million, much of it on a branding gimmick: the distribution of UGA- leave campus (or even before), you should assume you have COVID when you meet themed masks. Public confidence in the key provision of contact tracing collapsed as the with people you haven’t seen in a while (or even those you have). community was subjected to the mantra Students were admitted to face-to-face that “contact tracing is the responsibility classes only after receiving a negative of the DPH,” all while never hearing a sintest result, and pledged—under penalty gle word from the Department of Public of expulsion—to observe strict safety Health itself. His credibility waning by the

“

What Happened Next in Universe A

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protocols. Instructors, too, could be terof the pandemic. minated for failing to hold themselves to Gradually, the world recovered. Through the highest standards of safety. Diverse its display of nerve and humanity, UGA sectors of the workforce in the same locaemerged as one of the leading institutions tions met together and forged alliances, of higher education in the world. and workplace friction decreased as workers acknowledged their common goals.

Cafeteria jobs became food delivery jobs Corseted by a broken institutional so that unmasked students wouldn’t have culture, UGA and USG stumbled into to cluster in cafeterias; workers were paid reopening. The rules they had established state mileage rates for isolating by using furnished a cruel trap for the communities their own vehicles for work; and long overof low-wage workers on which they had due maintenance on equipment and buildrelied for two centuries. Inevitably, pockings kept all employees on the payroll. An ets of contagion formed among students, entire hotel was turned into a quarantine as UGA and DPH played hot potato with facility. No student was required to submit contact tracing. Soon, the virus crossed to in-class teaching. No instructor was over from the students to the housekeeprequired to teach in person. Small classes ers and dining hall workers, most of them were spread out into large class rooms; people of color. The virus tore mercilessly others took place outside in tents or under through these communities, cutting down quickly constructed shelters.

Of course, UGA and USG took a financial their elders like a scythe. Maintenance staff, office staff and the faculty were next. hit. However, Morehead, Hu and the rest UGA, however, controlled the narrative by of the senior administration assumed the its selective reporting mantle of moral leaddata, concealing the ership by capping their How could UGA have of skyrocketing infection own salaries at $200,000, gotten it so wrong? numbers in vulnerable convincing administragroups within the larger tors and faculty to agree campus pool. From the outside, it all looked to progressive furlough days. Under the as if levels had remained manageably low. courageous leadership of Chancellor Steve The reality was far different.

Wrigley, USG plowed much of its previHow could UGA have gotten it so wrong? ously announced $226 million FY21 capital Tragically, administrators had relied on the fund back into wages. The UGA Athletic crude metric of maximizing the length of Association dug into its deep pockets to time in face-to-face sessions, in the belief support the institution without which that more students would feel as if they’d it would cease to exist. These measures gotten their money’s worth. Indeed, some enabled UGA to retain all of its low-wage students and their families did feel this employees at full salary. way, and campus stayed open almost until Face to face instruction came to an the goal of Thanksgiving. By then, however, orderly end at Thanksgiving, as originally campus was on the verge of uncontrolled planned. There had been some scares, but exponential outbreak. USG and UGA thanks to community confidence in the administrators brought the semester to an completeness and accuracy of the information provided by the administration, appro- abrupt end, and tens of thousands of students left town in confusion. They arrived priate quarantine measures were imposed home to their extended families in a state in a timely fashion, and all the outbreaks of exhilaration: made it! were controlled.

They may have gotten their money’s By the following year, with caution still worth, but there was a hidden surcharge, called for, UGA had expanded its testing payable in a truly grievous currency, as they capabilities many times over. It adopted a delivered SARS-COv-2 to their parents and policy whereby students would be tested grandparents. This marked the beginning upon arrival and departure, in staggered of one of the darkest periods of Georgia’s groups, with any receiving positive test results placed under quarantine. No student recent history: the second wave of the pandemic in our state, which arrived even could stay the entire semester, but through before the first had subsided. f the clever management scheme invented by the Mathematics and Computer Science Mathematics professor Joe Fu and history profesdepartments, most enjoyed a satisfying experience. This compromise kept the insti- sor Cindy Hahamovitch are both members of the United Campus Workers of Georgia union. tution alive and healthy through the course

…and in Universe B

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312 E. BROAD ST. • 3RD FLOOR • 706.208.5222 • FRIGIDAIRE BUILDING • ENTRANCE ON JACKSON ST.• WWW.REPUBLICSALON.COM

FLAGPOLE.COM | AUGUST 26, 2020

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news

feature

TYLER WILKINS

Moving In

UGA Students and Parents Have Concerns About COVID

By Tyler Wilkins news@flagpole.com

W

ith the University of Georgia resuming classes on Aug. 20, its dormitories started welcoming fresh faces on Aug. 14.

Students and their parents, both masked and unmasked, arrived in town to unload belongings into their new rooms.

In addition to worrying about living with a bad roommate and making friends, this year’s incoming freshmen must also navigate their first year of college in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hannah Jackson, a freshman dietetics major from Swainsboro, has mixed feelings about UGA reopening for in-person classes. While she wasn’t necessarily crossing her fingers that she’d attend her first year remotely from home, she said contracting the virus is her biggest concern about living in a dorm and attending in-person classes.

“You have people coming from all different areas and interacting with each other,” Jackson said. “You can do everything that you can do, but there’s a limit to that. I don’t think it was a great idea, but I’m hoping that I’m proven wrong and everything goes well.”

Her mother, Roslyn Banks-Jackson, said she’d be content with her daughter attending online-only classes if she were a senior and able to complete her degree, but it’s important for her to start her college experience, since she’s a freshman. And considering they live in a rural area with spotty Internet coverage, Banks-Jackson said she’s

unsure if professors would be understanding of students with connection issues.

Nevertheless, both mother and daughter said they’re anxious about how well social distancing will be followed by students and enforced by administration. Some dormitories, like Payne Hall, where Jackson lives, have community bathrooms. While Jackson was brushing her teeth in the bathroom on move-in day, another student came and sat right next to her, alarming her after months of social distancing.

Unless they’re in their own rooms or suites, students must wear a mask when inside a dorm. In addition, students are not allowed to have visitors in their rooms.

Some students and parents lack confidence that other students will abide by the safety precautions put in place for dorms and other areas on campus.

“I think people live through their own experiences,” Banks-Jackson said. “If you had someone who was affected by COVID19 in a very negative way, then I think you’ll be cautious. And if you haven’t, then you probably won’t.”

Lindsay Morris, a freshman political science major from Johns Creek, believes it’ll be a group effort for students to successfully navigate in-person classes. She said she’s excited to start college but also nervous that classes will go online in a few weeks when positive COVID-19 cases rise from students not abiding by social distancing guidelines.

“I think so much of it depends on what

other people are doing,” said Morris, who will live in Hill Hall which has a community bathroom. “I’m trying to be good in hopes that other people will see me being good and be motivated to do the same. I think if we keep that energy up, then everything will be all right. But if half the campus stops, I think the other half will follow.”

UGA is pushing students to use Dawg Check, its voluntary COVID-19 self-screening app, every day to log if they’re experiencing any symptoms. Students will also use the platform to report if they receive a positive COVID-19 test, which will alert UGA Student Care and Outreach. Students who test positive will need to isolate themselves, either at their permanent residence or in an isolation space provided

by University Housing. Students who are “believed to be reasonably exposed to COVID-19” but have not tested positive, are supposed to quarantine in their dorms or an isolation space, according to the UGA Housing website. Contact tracing will be used to let students know if someone with whom they’ve been in contact has tested positive for COVID-19.

The isolation spaces provided by University Housing have exterior exits, microwaves, refrigerators and in-room bathrooms. The university will provide disinfection kits, hygiene kits and linen to students in these spaces.

If a student fails to report a positive COVID-19 test or fails to quarantine after reporting COVID-19 symptoms, they’ll

be reported to the COVID-19 Student Educational and Response Team, which will “review, and when deemed necessary, respond to reported concerns involving students and COVID-19 health and safety guidelines,” according to the DawgCheck website.

Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases both in Athens-Clarke County and statewide, some students and parents feel UGA’s guidelines and procedures are “excessive.”

Anthony Telenta, a parent from Buford who helped move his daughter into Oglethorpe House, said his children deserve a quality education without too many restrictions.

“My only concerns are continued restrictions,” Telenta said. “College is a rite of passage. I’m a naturalized American citizen, so look at somebody like me who went to school at night while I worked all day. For me, it’s very important that both of my kids get this opportunity.”

Bear Mahon, a parent from Dallas, GA whose student moved into Brumby Hall, said he’s content with the precautions that the university implemented. However, he said students will likely observe social distancing and other safety guidelines in the beginning of the year before starting to slack off, whereby the university will need to step in and tighten regulations.

“It’s a petri dish,” Mahon said.

“Everybody’s close. If one person gets it in here, they’re all going to get it. Universal precaution has got to be on the [students’] minds at all times.” f

AUGUST 26, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

7

news

feature

Football Finances GEORGIA UNIVERSITIES FACE STAGGERING LOSSES IF SEASON IS CANCELED

By Ross Williams news@flagpole.com

G

ciate dean and a member of the NCAA’s COVID-19 advisory panel.

“I feel like the Titanic. We have hit the iceberg, and we’re trying to make decisions of what time should we have the band play,” Del Rio said during a webinar hosted by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “We need to focus on what’s important. What’s important right now is we need to control this virus. Not having fall sports this year, in controlling this virus, would be to me the No. 1 priority.”

NATALIE BLACKBURN

ov. Brian Kemp, while refusing to require face masks in Georgia’s public areas, for months instead dangled the incentive of preserving a 2020 college football season as reason enough for anti-mask sports fans to cover their faces anyway.

“If people, especially our young people, don’t start wearing a mask when they’re going out in public—and our numbers keep rising—that’s going to be a tall task,” Kemp said, referring to college football at the start of a statewide tour to promote masks last month. The University of Georgia graduate often sprinkles his remarks with references to Bulldogs football.

The scheduled start of the season is fast approaching, and the warnings that the season is at risk are flashing red. Aug. 12 marked the first triple-digit death toll in the state when 135 COVID-19 deaths were reported, and then state health officials counted 109 more the next day. Georgia recently surpassed Florida as the highest-risk state with 32 cases per 100,000 people, according to NPR.

Georgia State and Georgia Southern, still plans to start its season Labor Day weekend, but Kennesaw’s Big South Conference postponed its games.

It’s still too early to know how much money could disappear with a canceled or cut-back season, said Steve Salaga, assistant professor of sport management and policy at UGA. The chances of playing games this season itself are still up in the air, as are the rules governing how many seats the teams can fill within social distancing guidelines.

The Bulldogs in recent years typically fill all 92,746 seats at their Sanford Stadium home.

“How much revenue is actually lost is going to depend on how many games are played this year and whether or not there are fans in attendance,” Salaga said. “A total loss of the season is obviously the worstcase scenario, assuming there is a season in 2021. Programs like UGA and Georgia Tech

Big Money College football in Georgia means more than tailgating, bragging rights and three hours watching athletes knock heads—the sport Don’t expect Sanford Stadium to be full this fall, even if the Bulldogs do play. brings tens of millions of dollars to universities, and a canceled or shortened season could deliver a big Two of the Power Five conferences, the are best prepared financially to handle this. financial hit for those institutions. UGA Big Ten and the Pac-12, both announced FBS programs such as Georgia Southern football generated more than $176 million they will postpone their seasons until and Georgia State rely more heavily on in 2018, while the Georgia Tech Yellow spring. Others that still plan to play include institutional support.”

Jackets brought in more than $91 million the Southeastern Conference, which is Nearly 40% of UGA’s athletic revenue that season. The universities don’t see much scheduling the Georgia Bulldogs and its comes from donor contributions, and of that money, but restaurants and other 13 other members for a 10-game conferanother 30% comes from the NCAA or SEC, businesses in Georgia’s college towns are ence-only slate. media rights or postseason football. About big fans of the idea students will be back on “I remain comfortable with the thorough 15% of the Bulldogs’ revenue comes from campus this fall. and deliberate approach that the SEC and ticket sales, and only 2% comes from stuSome health experts are warning against our 14 members are taking to support a dent fees. The team paid just over $1 milfall football because of the state’s heavy healthy environment for our student-athlion back to the university in 2018. spread. And a new report by President letes,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said At Georgia State, where the football Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force in a statement. “We will continue to further program is only 10 years old, almost half strongly recommends the state require peo- refine our policies and protocols for a safe of the revenue comes from student fees ple to wear masks in public. return to sports as we monitor developand another 16% comes from institutional “Unfortunately, the same high level of ments around COVID-19 in a continued and government support. Donors supply COVID-19 in communities across our state effort to support, educate and care for our another 16%, and tickets bring in less than that makes it unsafe to reopen schools and student-athletes every day.”

2% of revenue. The Panthers play home universities to in-person instruction also Georgia Tech and the rest of the Atlantic games at the newly renamed Center Parc makes it unsafe to bring athletes together Coast Conference is also planning to move Stadium, where most of its 24,000 seats are for college football,” said Georgia State forward playing within its conference, as is often empty on game days.

University public health professor Harry J. the Big 12 Conference.

“Programs such as Kennesaw State and Heiman. “With the continued high level of Decision-makers in those conferences Georgia State do rely more heavily on stucases, especially in Georgia and across the will have more than health concerns to dent fees to fund athletics relative to larger South, we can strongly predict that athletes consider—college football is big busiprograms in the state,” Salaga said. “At will both contract the virus and transmit it ness, especially for Georgia’s two Power 5 the end of the day, all programs are going to teammates and others.” teams. Smaller football programs rake in to be faced with tough decisions if there A chronic condition called myocarditis, money for their universities as well. GSU’s is no season this year. But it is important or inflammation of the heart could remain Panthers generated nearly $40 million to remember that these universities have with COVID-19 survivors after their sympin 2018, Georgia Southern University’s decided to invest in athletics partially toms have improved, doctors warn.

Eagles brought in nearly $32 million, and because of the potential returns it generPlaying college football during a panKennesaw State University’s Owls added ates in other areas.” demic would be a bad decision, said Carlos nearly $26 million.

Winning teams often translate to more Del Rio, Emory University executive assoThe Sun Belt Conference, home to donations to the general university fund,

8

FLAGPOLE.COM | AUGUST 26, 2020

more quality applicants and favorable treatment by legislatures, he said.

Ripple Effects The unpaid student athletes who generate the millions of dollars for their schools could also suffer if they do not play, Salaga said. “Players can lose their scholarship for a number of reasons,” he said.

“Hypothetically, if a player opts-out this season because of COVID-19, I could definitely see it happening, though that would never be publicly admitted.”

Football programs are often the biggest money-makers on college campuses and help fund athletic programs that do not generate enough to sustain themselves.

Athletes in less popular sports such as tennis, rowing, swimming and wrestling have already seen their programs eliminated at schools around the country, Salaga said.

“Generally, these are universities that were offering a larger number of sports than what was required by the NCAA,” he said.

“So many of these moves were to get down closer to the number of sports offered by the other institutions in their respective conferences.”

Business owners in college towns are also keeping a nervous eye on the sports section, according to Peter Dale, who owns several Athens restaurants. Some Athens restaurants are planning to offer take-out or delivery specials for fans watching the games from home, but most are expecting the normal summer slump to last through the fall, football or not, Dale said.

“A lot of times, football is the panacea that comes after a quiet summer, but I don’t think anyone’s counting on a big fall,” he said. “We’re all thinking the football season is probably mostly going to be a big disappointment, so we’re trying to move on to the next thing and figure out how can we sort of salvage winter and what is that going to look like.”

Dale is trying to find ways to keep local customers ordering take-out meals or dining outside once the weather turns cold.

He’s also hoping locals will take the money they would have spent on weekend game days and spend some of it with him during the week. “If there’s a reduced emphasis on the big weekends, then maybe our weekday business will be a little more consistent; there won’t be such peaks and valleys in the fall because people aren’t having these blowout weekends all the time,” he said.

Research shows that optimism might be justified, Salaga said. “You have people that come to town and spend money at bars and restaurants, but then much of the local population that would have been doing the same thing on a normal weekend is now not doing so because they want to avoid the out-of-town visitors. To be fair, there is some limited work by nonpartisan economists that shows modest increases in taxable sales revenues tied to college football,” he said. “Overall, a lost season may hurt local businesses, but any negative impacts are not as large as one may think.” f This article originally appeared in the Georgia Recorder, georgiarecorder.com.

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arts & culture

art notes

Elinor Saragoussi’s Whimsical World MEET THIS YEAR’S FLAGPOLE GUIDE TO ATHENS COVER ARTIST

By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com In July, she was one of five artists in the Athens Banner Project, a public art project that distributed uplifting banners to 130 downtown storefronts to share messages of resiliency and unity. Most recently, Creature Comforts Brewing Co. revealed a limited edition T-shirt design and new label artwork for its Get Artistic beer, the sales of

WHITLEY CARPENTER

This year’s cover of the annual Flagpole Guide to Athens drops into artist Elinor Saragoussi’s whimsical world, a place where anthropomorphic animals, blue-hued people and uncanny botanicals coexist underneath a smiling, bucktoothed sun. After relocating from Denver a few years ago, she quickly made herself a staple of the local music and arts scene, with recent projects including three-dimensional installations at both the GlassCube at Hotel Indigo and Lyndon House Arts Center, as well as immersive set designs during Ad·verse Fest. After her work in the retail and service industries was curtailed by the pandemic—and while most galleries were temporarily closed—Saragoussi somehow became more visible than ever within the community.

“The pandemic has allowed me to shift into working full-time as an artist. I am able to spend every day at the studio, but I also have time to manage the logistical side of being self-employed, like applying for public art projects and grants, planning ahead for big projects and keeping my finances organized,” says Saragoussi. “This is a new freedom that I never had time for prior to the pandemic. The extra amount of quiet alone time has been so darn nourishing and really helped chill out the chaos that typically consumes my brain.”

Over the past few months, Saragoussi has managed to consistently unveil new commissioned work at a prolific level, not to mention a steady stream of adorable woodcut pet portraits. In April, she designed the artwork for “ATHistory,” a new podcast produced by the AthensClarke County government. In May, her illustration of the Rocksprings neighborhood was sold on T-shirts as a fundraiser for Historic Athens. In June, she completed a large-scale felt work for Shelter Projects, a mini-fellowship program launched by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts to fund creative reflections on the pandemic.

which will support the brewery’s Get Artistic campaign that fosters place attachment by investing directly into the arts community.

“The public art projects and commission work have kept me happily overwhelmed and have pushed me to explore new territory with my work,” she says. “The bigger projects have encouraged broader visions in my illustrative art, such as more complex textures, color palettes and concepts.”

In addition to creating visual artwork, Saragoussi is a musician who sings and plays bass in a doo-wop garage pop band called Baby Tony and the Teenies. Unable to perform or book shows following the pandemic’s shutdown of bars

and clubs, she launched The Cry Baby Lounge as a virtual performance space that utilizes YouTube Premiere to host bimonthly showcases of videos recorded by the participating acts.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, it was very clear that musicians were going to struggle. Not just financially, but from the lack of an opportunity to express themselves and share their art,” says Saragoussi, who launched the platform in May. “I’ve always been so inspired by public access TV and felt this was an opportune time to create a project with a similar vibe. It’s been a dream to book shows with no regional restrictions and to make independent music and DIY culture more accessible to many different communities.”

Occasionally debuting new music videos, like those of Immaterial Possession and Telemarket, The Cry Baby Lounge extends an invitation into the private homes and creative environments of performers. It feels like tuning in for a tour between living rooms and backyards to visit Nicholas Mallis, Micheal Potter, Br. Lydian, O Key and Cicada Rhythm, then teleporting across state lines to see the likes of Pearl & The Oysters (Los Angeles), Britt Moseley (Brooklyn) and Bathtub Cig (Minneapolis). Each episode encourages viewers to tip the performers and donate to a different organization, with past beneficiaries including Nuçi’s Space’s Garrie Vereen Memorial Emergency Relief Fund, Project Safe, Trans Women of Color Collective, Shadow Support Network, Color of Change and Athens Mutual Aid Network.

This emphasis on community involvement also currently extends to making illustrations that help organize and disseminate important resources and information around Athens. In addition to a master list of alternative resources, she’s made candy-colored graphics to support Black-owned businesses, essential nonprofits and Mokah Jasmine Johnson in her campaign for Georgia House District 117.

“Creating illustrations that highlight the various people and organizations that work hard to make our communities a better place has been my way of helping to fight the good fight,” she says. “I am more than happy to create eye-catching designs that help spread important information.”

Saragoussi’s busy summer seems to reflect an adaptation of the Golden Rule: Love your community, and it will love you back. f

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feature

COVID Strikes a Family A DIARY OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE DAY BY DAY

By Cindy Gagne Nason news@flagpole.com

Saturday, July 18 I was at the pool with my grandson, Charlie, for six hours—slinging him around, playing tag, ball, etc. My husband, Gary, joined us for the last hour of play.

Daughter Melissa and her family came to the pool and picked up Charlie. He was sent away with a kiss on the head from Nana.

Sunday, July 19 Gary and I both had a little cough.

Monday, July 20 I came down with a low-grade fever.

My cough started getting worse. Gary was “fine” but started to feel “off” later in the week. He still had that little cough.

Tuesday, July 21 I lost my taste and smell. This is a telltale sign of COVID. My sister, who is a nurse, said, “You’ve got it.” I called my PCP to order a swab test. I was lethargic, fever, couldn’t eat, dropping weight, chills, coughing, gasping for air if the cough turned into a fit. I was living on Tylenol and cough syrup.

Wednesday, July 22 A phone call came in to schedule a swab test at 2 p.m. that afternoon. Gary drove me there, and as we were pulling away, I broke down crying.

“Baby, Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Gary, if I get worse… I’m so scared!”

Thursday, July 23 Gary gets a swab test.

Friday, July 24 My test comes back positive. Monday, Gary got his results: positive.

Monday, July 27–Saturday, Aug. 1 My cough had gotten so bad that I was gasping for air. I felt like I was hurling up my lungs, especially my right one. I was sleeping all the time, moving from my bed to the sofa, to the recliner, to the hot tub— repeat. I woke up coughing so hard I knew I had to go to the ER. I waited too long! Gary was slowly feeling worse, mainly lethargic.

He brought me to the ER. He left, and I went to get checked out.

If you land in the ER, they now have a protocol of things they get to quickly.

Amazing health care staff at Piedmont.

Since they have had a lot of practice since March, they knew exactly what to do. I was relieved to be in such good hands.

Here’s the list of procedures: Check urine for dehydration, IV insertion, blood draw from artery (worst blood-draw I have ever had: not fun), chest X-ray (I had bacterial pneumonia), breathing treatment, which

tested positive.

Laurel drove Matt to the ER because of his cough, and he couldn’t breathe. He had a fever and no appetite but no pneumonia.

They gave him fluids and sent him home.

Laurel got a false negative. No way was she taking care of Matt and didn’t get it. She was lethargic, had a headache, no taste/ smell and no appetite. Though her physical symptoms were somewhat mild, Laurel was affected more by the mental/emotional part. Because she was the one who could be around us and felt better than all of us, we called on her to do this and that. Not much, but when you don’t feel well, it’s a lot, carrying the worry of your loved ones while you are also trying to recover.

felt soooo good, oxygen after the breathing treatment was done, a heart monitor attached to my chest to check for congestive heart failure (more wires). They checked me into a room because of the pneumonia.

Procedures after I was in my room included continual vital-sign checks every few hours, continual blood draws—so many needles!—a shot in the abdomen every 12 hours (blood thinner to avoid developing The day after he dropped me off at the clots), ultrasound on the legs to check for ER, COVID hit Gary like a ton of bricks. I blood clots—a huge issue with COVID later found out that he couldn’t get up. He (negative)—CAT scan checking for clots in lungs (negative—happy, happy!), continued had to stay in a horizontal position because oxygen support. They rotated my body from he was in so much pain. Every muscle in his body was screaming. He said it felt like sitting to prone (stomach), side, sitting, other side, prone, etc. throughout the week.

Prone position is very important. It was very difficult getting there because of the coughing, but once there, you can feel your lungs opening up. The air gets to every corner of the lungs and actually feels really good.

Two one-hour drips of antibiotics, several injections of another antibiotic in the IV, continued observation of heart monitor, two devices for breathing exercises—a flutter valve (breathing out) and an incentive spirometer (breathing in).

Meanwhile, my oxygen levels were just too low (90/91), but my taste/smell was back. I was sooo hungry, eating well, but could still feel I wasn’t putting back on the weight I lost. The body is fighting so hard to kick out the virus that calories are burned like crazy.

The awesome doctor came to speak to me. He told me, “You are one of the lucky ones—you are standing, you can walk to Cindy in the hospital: As bad as it was, it could have been a lot worse. the bathroom and around someone was tearing and twisting every the room, and you don’t have a tube down one of his muscles. He was home alone, your throat.” crying out in pain. He had that pain, fever, I told him that even with the encouragheadache, chills. It hit him so very differing news, that seems optimistic. I realize ently than it hit me. just how fragile this situation is, and I want Still just a little cough. The health-care to be realistic at the same time. He said that professionals did the blood-draw, urine was a good attitude to have. He explained check and chest X-ray. Gary had the very how he wouldn’t let me go home until I beginning of viral pneumonia—the worst could breathe on my own for 24 hours. of the two kinds because antibiotics won’t “It doesn’t go well for patients that are help. There was no sense in keeping him, so sent home with the oxygen machine.” Fair they gave him a prescription for the muscle enough. pain and prescription Tylenol.

Tuesday, July 28

Back to Monday, July 27

There was a whole other situation going on with Gary at home and with our daughter Laurel and her husband, Matt, who

Saturday, Aug. 1 Laurel, feeling quite crappy herself, came and got me from the hospital and brought

me home. Both Gary and I looked and felt like we were 90. I walked to him, started crying and we hugged. “I missed you, baby.”

The Present We all have been taking this past week to sleep, eat and nurture ourselves.

We are the last ones who thought we’d get this. We are active, eat healthy and are spry for our age. Never in a million years did we think it would hit our family the way it did. As of right now, Gary and I do not want to be around people, especially ones we don’t know. You have no idea who they have been around: Do they wear masks and practice social distancing?

When our other daughter Melissa found out that I had a fever that evening of July 20, she immediately started freaking out because Gary and I had been with her son Charlie two days before, and on July 20 her in-laws had come to spend some time with the kids. Did Charlie contract it from Gary and me? Was he a carrier exposing the other grandparents? Not to mention her husband, JP, and their sweet little Elijah, just 19 months old. So many questions that couldn’t be answered, which led to so many fears.

They carefully monitored themselves and checked in with us daily.

When I was admitted to the hospital, Melissa got on Facebook to let friends know what was going on. She was very good about posting our progress, but she had no idea Gary was so sick, just that he was sleeping a lot. She called him twice a day, but he kept to himself what was really going on so as not to worry her.

People ask where we think we got it. Honestly, we can’t make a realistic/ acceptable speculation.

We just don’t know. Was it from getting the mail?

Was Gary too close to someone in the grocery store? You just don’t know.

Last March, we stopped eating out, gathering with groups of friends or going to the gym. We started wearing masks and practicing social distancing. Gary went to work and to the grocery store, and that was it. I kept walking at the park, spending days at the pool and making my one visit a week to the chiropractor. We washed the money we got from the bank and wiped down our grocery packages with alcohol wipes. We did everything right, but now, having had this horrid experience, we are tightening up even more—doing only curbside pickup for anything unless we have to get our meds. We are very apprehensive about being around other people right now. We are not letting our guard down. This virus has a long way to go until there is a vaccine. So be it: Three months, six months, a year—we are going to be even more careful and stay as safe as we can. f

AUGUST 26, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

13

news

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A Courtwatch Update INCARCERATIONS ARE DOWN, BUT THEY’RE STILL PEOPLE OF COLOR

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he Athens Area Courtwatch Project began 18 months as well as a fine and monetary restitution. Unless a defenago with a day-long training to empower volunteers to dant is given indigent status by a judge, the leg monitor and observe proceedings in Athens-Clarke County courtrooms. breathalyzer devices will also cost the defendant additional The project is an undertaking of Oconee Street United money. If a defendant violates any of the terms of their proMethodist Church. Despite the pandemic, Courtwatch bation, it can be revoked and the defendant jailed or imprisvolunteers continue to monitor proceedings in magistrate, oned for the remainder of their probationary sentence. municipal, state and superior courts.

The ACC Public Defender’s office handles the vast majorIn the past six months, we’ve observed in nearly 100 ity of criminal cases that are processed through our misdecourtrooms, witnessing as many as 1,000 defendants meanor and felony courts. On average, one public defender who’ve appeared at bond hearings, arraignments, prewill have 100 or more active cases. As is the case statewide, trial motions, probation revocations and plea deals. We’ve most of these indigent clients are people of color. Earlier in tracked the number of arrests and jail bookings made on a August, the ACC Jail roster showed 289 men and women weekly basis, as well as the county’s jail population, with an were locked up, 223 of whom were persons of color. During eye on the racial makeup of those arrested and occupying the week of Aug. 2–9, law enforcement arrested and booked jail cells. And during this time of coronavirus, we are trying into the jail 86 people, 57 of whom were non-white.This as best we can to determine what effect the virus is having means that 77% of those incarcerated and 66% of those on prisoners and staff at the jail and in the courtrooms. arrested were Black or brown.

Several court watchers continue to visit the courtrooms While close to 80% of all ACC defendants are persons in person but also are observing proceedings virtually. of color, the percentage of courtroom officers is over 90% Thankfully, most judges have provided ways for the public white. Chief Magistrate Court Judge Patricia Barron is and officers of the court to “attend” hearings via Star Leaf, the only African-American jurist in Athens (soon to be WebEx, YouTube and Live Stream. Defendants out on bond joined by an African-American associate magistrate judge, can choose whether to appear in court in person or not.

Donarell Green). Our interim district attorney is a white Until recently, all jailed defenman; the lead public defender dants were appearing remotely is a white man; all but three from the jail’s small courtroom judges are white men. or interrogation booth. In the In addition to the great past several weeks, some judges majority of criminal defendants have had prisoners transported being persons of color, almost to the courthouse, where they everyone who is caught up appear in person wearing leg in our criminal punishment irons and handcuffs, wrapped system is poor. Added to this together with a belly chain. reality, many of the women and Also as a response to the men who face jail, prison or provirus outbreak and its spreadbation time suffer from serious ing, a March statewide order mental health issues, struggle from Georgia Supreme Court with substance abuse, are expeJustice Harold Melton has riencing homelessness or are effectively prohibited grand dealing with all three simultajury proceedings and jury trials. neously. Because our commuThis order has meant that a nity’s resources are limited, While close to 80% large number of defendants in poorly funded or non-existent, of all ACC defendants jail have not yet been before a oftentimes defendants have grand jury that decides whether nowhere to land other than in are persons of color, the to indict them or not. Others a jail cell. Like so many Georgia percentage of courtroom in the jail who’ve been charged communities, our mental health officers is over 90% white. with misdemeanors and mainagencies are underfunded, our tain their innocence are not social service network is fracable to go to trial. In normal tured, and there is a woeful lack times, the state has 90 days to indict someone, after which of transitional or affordable housing for anyone needing the defendant has the right to a bond. And we all know this kind of safety net. we are guaranteed the right to “a speedy trial.” Neither of So, what’s the good news? Before the pandemic took these rights is presently available to criminal defendants firm hold on us all in mid-March, the jail population in Athens-Clarke County, meaning for many an extended hovered between 425–475 people. Since April, the jail’s time in a jail cell or, out of desperation, a guilty plea to gain population has been reduced by just less than half, thanks release from custody. to a collaborative effort on the part of judges, lawyers, proAs we’ve observed ACC courtrooms over the past 18 bation officers and law enforcement personnel, who began months, we’ve found that our local criminal justice system, providing many of those arrested next-day first-appearance or as some (myself included) would call it, the criminal bond hearings, issuing an increased number of OR (recogpunishment system, functions mostly as a plea mill. The nizance, non-cash) bonds and holding weekly status hearvast majority of defendants who are arrested, charged or ings for defendants in jail who were unable to post the cash indicted and often jailed are encouraged by prosecutors and bonds they’d been given earlier. I say this is good news, and defense lawyers to plead guilty, often to a lesser charge that it is, but it will be even better news if, after this COVIDdoesn’t involve more jail or prison time. In 2019, for exam19 scourge is behind us, our courts and law enforcement ple, there were very, very few trials held in any of the ACC will continue to arrest and jail people much less often, our courts. These thousands of guilty pleas made throughout elected officials will work to expand our social service netthe course of a year’s time will mean that most defendants work, and as a community we all can learn not to depend will, if not incarcerated, be (in misdemeanor courts) senon a broken system to keep us safe and restore people to tenced to months or (in felony court) to years of probation. full humanity.

A probation sentence can mean the defendant must report All of the Athens Area Courtwatch Project’s observers regularly to a probation officer, and is often made to wear a are volunteers. If you are interested in being trained and GPS leg monitor, blow frequently into an alcohol-breath-de- becoming a Courtwatch participant, contact John Cole tection device and pay a monthly probation fee (up to $40), Vodicka at johnvodicka@comcast.net or 612-718-9307. f

FLAGPOLE.COM | AUGUST 26, 2020

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news

comment

news

pandemic pursuits

Tainted by History

Posterity Wants to Know

WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH THE FIRST UGA LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE?

ARCHIVE YOUR COVID-19 EXPERIENCES

By John Lyndon news@flagpole.com

By Kathryn Kyker news@flagpole.com

My

wife Tricia’s great-great-grandfather, Augustus Octavious Bacon, was the first graduate of the school of law at the University of Georgia, class of 1860.

At that time, law school consisted of a oneyear curriculum. There were 14 young men in the first graduating class, and the law school assumes that the graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas in alphabetical order, so Bacon is recognized as being the first graduate.

He went on to have an impressive career as a lawyer in Atlanta and Macon and as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives for 15 years, where he served two terms as speaker pro tempore and as speaker for eight years. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1894 and served until his death in 1914. He is recognized as being the first senator in the nation elected by popular vote, following the passage of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished the practice of state legislators selecting the senators. At his death, his body lay in state at the Capitol in Atlanta, and an estimated 10,000 people filed by to pay their respects.

He is buried in beautiful Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, where many of the city’s favorite sons and daughters have been laid to rest, including Duane and Gregg Allman.

All that is well and good, but here is the rub.

At the time of his death, Bacon owned a very large tract of land directly across the Ocmulgee River from downtown Macon. He left 100 acres for the creation of an orphanage, another parcel which became a public elementary school (which Tricia attended), and the remaining 75 acres to the city of Macon for a public park.

That acreage was developed by the city as Baconsfield Park and for years contained athletic fields, clay tennis courts, flower gardens, a wading pool and a small zoo.

So, what is the issue? In his last will and testament, Sen. Bacon specifically provided that the land donated for the park was for “the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the white women and children of the City of Macon to be by them forever used and enjoyed as a park and pleasure ground.”

To simplify a long and complicated legal history, in 1964 the city of Macon decided that it could not enforce the racial restrictions in the will, and after lengthy litigation that went to the United States Supreme Court twice, the property eventually reverted to Sen. Bacon’s heirs and was commercially developed.

The painting, which is in our home, is of Sen. Bacon as a boy, and the question which Tricia and I have been wrestling with for

the last few years is what to do with it. We don’t have any children, and there are no family members particularly interested in receiving it. So what is to become of it? At first blush, one might think the UGA law school would appreciate receiving a portrait of its first graduate, but given the history of Baconsfield Park, the painting would no doubt end up gathering dust in a closet. I did make a half-hearted inquiry of the law school some years back to see if they were interested in the painting, but the impression I received was that the school was a lot more interested in financial contributions than in a portrait of another dead alumnus.

Another thought we have had is to donate it to the house museum of Sen. Bacon’s father-in­-law, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, in Oxford, MS. L.Q.C. Lamar was Tricia’s great-great-great-grandfather. Lamar, whose father was a superior court judge, was born in Putnam County, GA, but moved to Mississippi after marriage. He served in the U.S. Congress both before and after the Civil War and was serving as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court when he died in 1893.

Lamar is perhaps best known from John Kennedy’s book, Profiles in Courage.

Kennedy included him as one of eight historical figures whose courage deserved special recognition. This respect from Kennedy emanated in part from a moving post-war eulogy that Lamar gave in the Senate upon the death of Charles Sumner, the staunch abolitionist senator from Massachusetts.

Even though Lamar knew that this speech would be very unpopular with voters in Mississippi, he spoke, attempting to heal the wounds of the nation. He concluded the eulogy with the words, “My countrymen!

Know one another, and you will love one another!”

But Lamar was also a slave owner and worked tirelessly on behalf of the Confederacy. Even Mississippi is finally attempting to rid itself of its racist past, as indicated by removing the Confederate emblem from the state flag. Does this mean that the days of Lamar’s house museum near the square in Oxford are numbered?

In a way, I don’t see a lot of difference between the statues that were dedicated to the Confederacy, which are now being torn down and removed, and this portrait of Senator Bacon. They both are tainted by the past. So what becomes of the first graduate of the UGA law school? Is his destiny to be shuttled off to some closet somewhere?

Perhaps so. Perhaps it is his karma. f John Lyndon is a local attorney.

In our current surreal reality, I find myself fighting both fear and tedium. Some of us seek escape through learning new things— or getting lost in books, games, shows or music. Another way to escape is to dive down deeper into your experience.

Recognizing that we are living in a historical time doesn’t lessen the fear of getting sick, the stress of financial worries or the disappointment of being paused— unable to mark life’s milestones like graduations or weddings and unable to move

To recognize history as it happens, Special Collections has made the first statewide call for contributions in regard to the COVID experience. Realizing that many people are turning to creative pursuits as a way of enduring this time of hardship, Special Collections seeks poetry, reflections, photos, recordings or other expressions.

Affiliation with UGA is not required. This call is open to anyone living in Georgia. For more information and to submit, go to libs. uga.edu/covid-collection.

Don’t be satisfied just with sidewalk messages. UGA Special Collections and the ACC Library’s Heritage Room want to record your pandemic experiences.

forward with life plans. We are all going through this, but our challenges are unique to our situation.

Archivists see value in collecting these diverse experiences. Sharing how these challenges affect you can bring some relief and help others understand the ways COVID affects our community. It’s also a creative way to fill some time.

Two organizations in our community are requesting your expressions of this experience. UGA’s Special Collections Libraries maintain an archive of historical events spanning from medieval manuscripts to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame collection.

Their mission is to preserve such archives and to make them available for research and instruction. They also create exhibits for the public.

While the perception is that they collect documents of past historical events, Special Collections also endeavors to collect real-time documents, or history in the making—a time capsule for the future.

In March 2019, they exhibited materials pertaining to the Women’s March of January 2017. As someone who attended that march, revisiting the experience via that exhibit two years later brought back the excitement of that event and sealed it with a stamp of authenticity: This happened, it was historic, and I was there.

Another community organization calling for submissions is the Athens-Clarke County Library’s Heritage Room. With the mission to “document the history of the whole community,” they are seeking stories from the Athens community, including surrounding counties.

They urge individuals and families to express themselves in writing, audio, video, photos or art. Multiple submissions are appreciated and welcomed, regardless of writing or artistic skills. Participants should realize that their submissions may be publically shared and will be available to those using the Heritage Room archives.

Ashley Shull, archives and special collection coordinator, says, “Our hope is that the community will choose to submit their own experience so that a hundred years from now researchers can gain insight into what life was like in 2020.” Shull states that submissions have included an account from a 90-year-old woman, a video of residents of care facilities singing together (at a distance) and photos from families engaged in home-quarantine activities.

For more information and to submit, go to athenslibrary.org, and under “Share your family’s experience,” follow the link. f Got a pandemic pursuit you want to share with Flagpole? Send it to editor@flagpole.com.

AUGUST 26, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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cla cl assifi fie eds Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime, email class@flagpole.com

 Indicates images available at classifieds.flagpole.com

REAL ESTATE CONDOS FOR RENT



210 Appleby Dr., Unit #125. 2BR/ 2BA, 1120 sf. First-floor condo, half a mile from campus and downtown with off-street parking. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. Please call for more information: 603-690-5689.

HOUSES FOR RENT



3BR/2BA in the historical Reese/ Hancock Street district.

Three blocks from campus and downtown. W/D and dishwasher included.

Please call for more information: 678-698-7613.

Cozy and quaint A-frame house for rent on the west side of Athens. 3BR/2BA, newly painted, with a deck and private back yard.

Very quiet neighborhood. $1400/mo. with a $600 deposit. Call 706-461-4313 for more information!

ROOMS FOR RENT Office space available at 220 Prince Ave. Flagpole has more space then we need in the 1907 two-story house that we rent across from The Grit and Hendershot’s!

Three spaces available on the second floor: $800/ month for large office; Facing Prince Ave., lots of windows, built-in bookcase and decorative fireplace. $575/month for medium office; 17ft x 14ft, decorative fireplace and storage closet. $350/month for small office; Perfect for space for a single person to get some work done. All spaces include parking for the renter and a guest, all utilities (except phone) including inter net and use of shared conference room. Must have limited foot traffic. No reception available. Please email ads@flagpole.com for more information or to set up an appointment.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

BASIC RATES* Individual $10 per week Real Estate $14 per week Business $16 per week (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** $40 per 12 weeks Online Only*** $5 per week

MUSIC EQUIPMENT Nuçi’s Space needs your old instruments & music gear, especially drum equipment! All donations are tax-deductible. 706227-1515 or come by Nuçi’s Space, 396 Oconee St.

SERVICES HEALTH H Y P N O S I S : Smoking cessation, exercise motivation, stress mitigation, first responder burnout, medical issues. Harvard trained, nationally certified. 678-895-4278, jimhilton911@yahoo.com, www.hiltonhypnosis.webs. com.

HOME AND GARDEN Plumber Pro Service & Drain. Upfront Pricing. Free Estimates. $30 Flagpole Discount. Call 706-7697761. Same Day Service Available. www.plumberproservice.com.

Flagpole loves our readers and advertisers!

PRINTING Self publish your book!

Local (Five Points) professional publishing service. Editing, design and printing services. 30+ years experience. Let’s meet at Jittery Joe’s. 706395-4874.

Flagpole loves Athens, GA!

JOBS FULL-TIME Alternative Energy S o u t h e a s t i s c u rrently seeking a Solar Mounting and PV System Hardware Installer with good mechanical skills.

The solar industry is rapidly expanding and AES is committed to leading the industry through an emphasis on quality workmanship and exceptional customer service. If you’re interested in learning more about our team, have questions, or wish to apply, please send inquiries and resumes to tblackwell@ altenergyse.com.

Find full-time and part-time employees by advertising in the Flagpole Classifieds!

Call 706-549-0301 to place an ad today!

Alternative Energy Southeast is currently seeking a qualified electrician to assist in the installation of residential and commercial solar energy systems. The solar industry is rapidly expanding and AES is committed to leading the industry through an emphasis on quality workmanship and exceptional customer service. If you’re interested in learning more about our team, have questions, or wish to apply, please send all inquiries and resumes to info@altenergyse.com.

PART-TIME Seeking excellent typists (65+ WPM) to start immediately. Flexible schedules with 16 hours/per week minimum. Office policies include mandatory cleanings, socially distant works t a t i o n s a n d re q u i re d face coverings. Pay starts at $8.25 with $1/hour or higher raises after training.

No previous transcription experience required. Apply at www.ctscribes.com

NOTICES LOST AND FOUND Lost and found pets can be advertised in Flagpole classifieds for free. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com to return them home.

MESSAGES Need old newspapers for your garden?

Paper mache? Your new puppy? Well, they’re free at the Flagpole office! Call ahead, then come grab an armful. Please leave current issues on stands. 706549-0301.

Flagpole subscriptions delivered to the mailbox!

Perfect for your buddy who moved out of town! $45 for 6 months or $80 for 1 year.

Call 706-549-0301.

ADOPT ME!

Visit athenspets.net to view all the cats and dogs available at the shelter

*Ad enhancement prices are viewable at flagpole.com **Run-‘Til-Sold rates are for MERCHANDISE ONLY ***Available for individual rate categories only

PLACE AN AD • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com

Frankie (53452)

Look at that face! Frankie is a sweetheart waiting for a place to call home. He can be a little wary of new people (and isn’t quite fond of cats) but once he warms up, he’s an angel. Schedule your appointment to meet Frankie today!

• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid

16

FLAGPOLE.COM | AUGUST 26, 2020

Sam (53344)

Sam could be your next companion on a hike or run outside! He loves to play fetch, show off sticks he finds and will take a break for a good petting session, too! To learn more about Sam or to meet him, give the shelter a call.

Tina (53953)

Tina’s an easygoing girl. She loves making friends, relaxing and sitting for treats (getting pets are a big bonus as well!) Call the shelter and find out how you can meet this girl and make her your new pal today!

These pets and many others are available for adoption at:

Athens-Clarke County Animal Control 125 Buddy Christian Way · 706-613-3540 Call for appointment

flagpole your other best friend

Edited by Margie E. Burke

9 7 3 4

1 4 3 5

9

2 8 3 1

2

7 7 4 5 9 6 5

3

HOW TO SOLVE:

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 38/24/20 by 3 boxes must contain Week - 8/30/20 the numbers 1 to 9.

The Weekly Crossword 2

3

4

5

6

14

15

17

18

20

7

by Margie E. Burke

8

9

10

24

8 3 4 9 2 1 5 59 7 6

32

5 33 1 6 7 8 4 55 3 2 9

7 5 9 8 3 250 6 1 4

2 634 3 4 1 8 438 2 9 6 142 3 8 437 5 4 5 1 3 2 46 47 9 1 7 6 4 6 7 9 5 8 7 8 4 2 569 5 9 6 608 3 3 2 5 631 7

65

25

26

53

54

30 35

36

39

40 44 48

51

52

57 61 64

66

ACROSS 1 Napoleon's exile isle 5 Whittle down 9 Burn badly 14 Seniors' org.

15 Nile wader 16 Actor's brief appearance 17 Golf club part 18 Slapstick dessert 20 Assess 22 Holiday carol 23 Make less dense 24 Foundation 27 Poignant 30 Roofing goop 31 Soldier's stint 34 Brightly colored 35 Piano exercise 37 Old character 38 New York island 40 Trim to fit, maybe 41 Much of Chile 43 "If all ___ fails…"

44 Some transfusions 45 Bar stock 46 Long-time "Entertainment Tonight" co-host 49 Without wasted words 51 "The Last ____" (da Vinci)

13

22

Solution 27 to Sudoku: 28 29

9 7 37 2 41 6 45 5 49 3 1 58 4 8 62

12

19

23

31

11

16

21

67

Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

55 Fuzzy fabric 56 Fleet of small warships 58 Very loud 61 Put down, as tiles 62 More than plump 63 ___ and for all 64 Savvy about 65 Flamingo, et. al.

66 Unwanted growth 67 Many an MTV viewer DOWN 1 Like some beavers?

2 Immature insect 3 Patch for Br'er Rabbit 4 Gala holder 5 Trivial 6 Be up against 7 Greet the judge 8 FL time zone 9 Dickens miser 10 Citadel student 11 Wave measurement 12 "Fantasy Island" prop 13 Surname for John or Jane

Wieuca’s World

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

1

threats & promises

PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

7

4 8

music

19 21 24 25 26 28 29 31 32 33 36 39 42 47 48 50 52 53 54 56 57 58 59 60

Briefly unknown?

Night light?

Maze goal Rock bottom Garbo of film Stalky veggie "Peggy Sue" singer Attribute Kitchen measure Deprive of nourishment Experimental flyer Added spice to Metal refinery Countertenor Same old, same old Have a hunch Smoothing tool Bluebloods Hazardous gas Speeder's penalty Curtain material Farm mother As yet unscheduled: Abbr.

Column's counterpart

Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles

Hi, y’all. This is normally the column in which I welcome new and returning students to Athens and encourage everyone to get involved with our local music and arts scene. Needless to say, if you’re one of the above mentioned folks your experience this time isn’t going to be anything like previous years. Even if you’re raring to dive head first into each, the universe has seemingly conspired against you. That said, now’s the time to just get a little more creative and begin exploring our continually robust scenes online, and connect with your new or adopted community in smaller groups. Stay healthy, keep your chin up and keep your head about you. And don’t forget to check this space weekly for new and ongoing news from the Athens music scene. That’s probably the most important thing. With that, let’s get to it…

well as mid-period Urge Overkill. Repeated listens reveal much in terms of melody, structure and hidden elements (e.g. the handclaps that enter right toward the end). Just a tight lil’ tune that deserves a slot of your 2020 year-end mixes. Grab this and the rest of this year’s booty over at wieuca.band camp.com.

ASK ME NO QUESTIONS: Rocker Chris McKay is back in quick

succession with a “B-side” to his other new single, “If You Don’t Wear A Mask (You’re Showing What An Ass You Are,” and this time he’s paired up with longtime Athens hip hop artist Elite Ellison (AKA Elite Tha Showstopper). This latest tune is named “What’s That Got To Do With America?” and McKay does a very smooth job of fusing his tuneful, glam-oriented power pop with Ellison’s smooth rap flow.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: All props go out to

musician, composer and all around swell dude Gene Woolfolk for his new soundtrack work. Specifically, his project Dream Tent just finished tracking all the music for the new season of the I Heart Radio-produced true crime podcast “Happy Face Presents: Two Face.” This season, specifically, is set in 1983 and covers the story of killer Diane Downs and one of her surviving children. The vocals of longtime Athens rocker Erica Jean Strout feature in some of these tracks, and Woolfolk demonstrates a real knack for twisting his dreamscape new wave/electropop tunes into eerie, haunted, psychological hypno-threats.

Find this on all major streaming services, and keep up to date with Dream Tent over at dreamtent.bandcamp.com.

ALEXA RIVERA

SUDOKU

Difficulty: Medium

Wieuca

BUBBLING UNDER: Generally speaking, when something is

named Odds and Ends I expect it to contain a whole bunch of, well, odds and ends. This week, however, Telemarket breaks the trend with a new two-song release named just that. But as with all things Telemarket, I’d rather have this meager set than nothing. The first song, “Hello, Hello Girlfriend,” is a seamlessly dreamy, multi-layered slow-pop tune that lands just this side of psychedelia. The second track is a goldarned futuristic version of The Ramones’ “She’s The One” that sounds like it was recorded by Berlin in between bouts of laser tag. Neat-o! Check it at telemarket. bandcamp.com.

KEEP ‘EM COMING: As they continue to refuse to let the sun set

on them, Wieuca just released its fifth single of the year and this time at bat is “Everybody’s Living In Their Own World.” This is a biting, nearly-teeth-baring, guitar-propelled track that is musically akin to later-era Pavement as

Lyrically, McKay pitches out several questions that at first glance, seem antithetical to both the spirit and purpose of the United States, but he closes these inquiries by saying “everything.” Check it out at chrismckay.bandcamp.com.

LET’S DO THE PSY-OPS AGAIN: Mysterious and not-to-be-trifled with project Wuornos slaps August in the face with a new record named We Are Not In The Least Afraid Of Ruins, which consists of a single track titled “Planet Earth About To Be Recycled.” The track’s title and opening dialogue are taken directly from a recording of the same name by doomsday cult Heaven’s Gate back in the mid-1990s. After this brief introduction, Wuornos delivers 42 minutes of nothing but fluttering oscillations that change only occasionally in pitch but never in tempo. Although nominally quieter than previous releases, it remains on-brand for Wuornos and doesn’t fail to convey a sense of doom and overall uneasiness. Head to wuornosath.bandcamp.com and do your own head in at your convenience. f

record review Kalen & Aslyn: Back of Our Minds (Normaltown Records) Written over the course of a decade, Back of Our Minds is the debut album of Kalen & Aslyn that tells the messy and tender story of the duo’s personal relationship through folk-country stylings. Both have had their individual histories within the music industry but have finally come together to produce a brilliance that only two people who are so familiar with one another could create. Some songs have been pulled from years-old stock and others are brand new, but each one is just as masterly as the next with effortlessly overlapping vocals and a sweet-sounding symphony of guitar, percussion, brass, woodwinds, violin and cello. The melodies resonate with the image of waving grass in gentle wind but cater to the sight of buckling knees under the pressure of failing romance. The raw, intense emotion in Back of Our Minds illustrates a love that endures trials by fire because of the courage to explore and reflect on them. [Amber Perry]

AUGUST 26, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM

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bulletin board Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is every THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the print issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Art ATHENS CREATIVE DIRECTORY (Athens, GA) The ACD is a new platform to connect creatives with patrons. Visual artists, musicians, actors, writers and other creatives are encouraged to create a free listing before the new website launches. athenscreatives@gmail.com, athenscreatives.directory CALL FOR PUBLIC ART: DUDLEY PARK (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission invites professional artists to submit proposals for consideration in the picnic shelter and restroom facility area at Dudley Park. Proposals due Aug. 30. www.athensclarkecounty. com/9519 GET ARTISTIC DIY FUND (Creature Comforts Brewing Co.) Get Artistic is now accepting applications from independent artist- or collective-led projects or events that help foster place attachment in the Athens community. The DIY Fund will award one $2000 sponsorship. Deadline Aug. 30. getcurious.com/diy-2020 MASK ON, ATHENS! (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an art competition benefiting the new Athens Creative Directory. Through community voting, the winning design will be printed on fabric and sewn into face masks. The winning artist receives $1,000. Email for guidelines. Deadline Aug. 30. lindsay@ athensga.com

SOLO-DUO-TRIO (Ciné) ATHICA is seeking artists for exhibitions at its gallery and upcoming satellite location, Ciné. Proposals are considered on a rolling basis. athica.org/ updates/solo-duo-trio-call

Auditions FRUITCAKES (Elbert Theatre, Elberton) Encore Productions hosts auditions for the final show of its 2020 season. The director is looking to cast a mid-sized group of adult men, adult women and children ages 10–12. Be prepared to read excerpts from the script. Auditions on Aug. 31–Sept. 1, 6–8 p.m. Rehearsals will be held mid-September through mid-November. Performances held Nov. 6–8 & 13–15. 706-283-1049

Classes DEDICATED MINDFULNESS PRACTITIONERS (Online) Weekly Zoom meditations are offered every Saturday at 8 a.m. Email for details. jaseyjones@gmail.com MINDFULNESS PRACTICE EVENINGS (Online) Discuss and practice how to change your relationship with difficult thoughts and emotions. Email for the Zoom link.

Second Friday of the month, 6–7 p.m. FREE! mfhealy@bellsouth.net SPANISH CLASSES (Athens, GA) For adults, couples and children.

Learn from experts with years of

art around town AMICI (233 E. Clayton St.) Jennifer Wallens Terry is a medium, pet psychic and spiritual coach. Her abstract paintings focus on texture and color, while others feature celestial and symbolic imagery. Through August.

ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART (ATHICA) (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1200) “SPACE: 2020 Juried Exhibition” features contemporary works by 28 artists who explore or reference space as a theme. Through Sept. 27 on Sundays and by appointment.

CINÉ (234 W. Hancock Ave.) Kate Windley presents “Sacar Agua del Pozo.”

CITY OF WATKINSVILLE (Downtown Watkinsville) “Public Art Watkinsville: A Pop-Up Sculpture Exhibit” consists of sculptures placed in prominent locations around downtown. Artists include Benjamin Lock, William Massey, Stan Mullins, Robert Clements, Harold Rittenberry and Joni Younkins-Herzog. • “Artscape Oconee: The Monuments of Artland” features a total of 20 paintings on panels installed around town. Artists include Claire Clements, Peter Loose, Andy Cherewick, Lisa Freeman, Manda McKay and others.

EARTH FARE (1689 S. Lumpkin St.) Tom Hancock creates abstract paintings that incorporate mixed media and found objects. Through August.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection” features over 60 objects spanning over 30 years of the famous stained-glass artist’s career. • “Altered Landscapes: Photography in the Anthropocene” includes images that demonstrate humanity’s impact on the natural world. Through Sept. 27. • “Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath in the Art of Rolland Golden.” Through Oct. 18. • “Carl Holty: Romantic Modernist” includes paintings and drawings that reflect the artist’s pursuit of modern art theory. Through Jan. 17.

The museum recently reopened with safety precautions in place.

GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) “Supple Moments, Dark Corners” is a site-specific installation by Eli Saragoussi that is accompanied by a soundscape by Max Boyd called “Jungle Drone.” Saragoussi recently incorporated additional set pieces built for Ad•Verse festival.

DORY’S HEARTH HOME AND PATIO (37 Greensboro Hwy., Watkinsville) Susan Pelham’s collages are influenced by Magic Realism, Surrealism, fables and folklore. Through August.

KEMPT (175 N. Lumpkin St.) The Milan Art Institute presents a display of 20 or so recent works by the institute’s students. Through October.

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professional experience. Contact for details. 706-372-4349, marinabilbao75@gmail.com UGA COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL FALL REGISTRATION (Online) Private lessons are offered for winds, strings, percussion, voice and piano. Fall semester begins Aug. 31. music.uga.edu/cms YAMUNA AND MORE (Elevate Athens, Online) Nia Holistic Fitness and Yamuna Body Rolling are held on an ongoing basis. $20/class.

Specialty classes range from selfcare to Yamuna foot fitness and more.www.elevateathens.com ZOOM YOGA (Online) Rev. Elizabeth Alder offers “Off the Floor Yoga” (chair and standing) on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. and “Easy on the Mat” yoga classes on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Ongoing classes are $5/class or $18/month. 706-612-8077, ommmever@yahoo.com

Events ATHENS FARMERS MARKET (Bishop Park) The market is open with safety precautions in place.

Wear a mask, pre-order when possible, keep your family home and use cashless payments. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www.athensfarmersmarket.net AUGUST EVENTS (Southern Brewing Company) Monday Night Trivia every Monday at 6 p.m. Sunday Trivia with Solo Entertainment is held every Sunday at 5 p.m. Hibbs

“Family Reunion” by Rolland Golden is currently on view in “Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath in the Art of Rolland Golden” at the Georgia Museum of Art. Family Band Aug. 28, 5 p.m. www. sobrewco.com BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE (Online) Author Julian E. Zelizer speaks on his book, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party, in conversation with Patterson Hood. Sept. 3, 7 p.m. events@avidbookshop.com THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW SKETCHES (Elbert Theatre, Elberton) Encore Productions presents a night of 1970s comedy. $9–16. Social distancing will be observed through reserved seating.

Aug. 28–29, 7 p.m. Aug. 30, 2 p.m.

706-283-1049, tking@cityofelberton.net FACEBOOK LIVE SUNDAY MUSIC (Online) The Athens Regional Library System presents a virtual concert series featuring Torchiana

LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART (270 River Rd.) “Amiko Li: The Purpose of Disease” presents the explorations of the Dodd MFA Fellow in photography into acupuncture, palm reading, psychogenics, herbal supplements, antibiotics and the regeneration of limbs. • “KITCHEN” is a new animation by New York-based artist and former Athenian Michael Siporin Levine, inspired by his quarantine experience. • In “Mors Scena,” photographer Rachel Cox documents the viewing rooms and visitation spaces of funeral homes, drawing attention to how we mourn and memorialize the dead in America. • Atlanta-based artist Michi Meko’s 2017 installation, “One Last Smile Before the Undertow,” is a suite of works addressing black life in America postObama. • “Silver_Page_Radio_Light” is a collaboration between Austinbased photographer Barry Stone and New York-based photographer Lucy Helton, who faxed each other an image each day for a portion of quarantine.

• In “Optical Illusion,” Zipporah Camille Thompson juxtaposes organic and inorganic materials. • In “Makeover Kingdom,” Houston-based artist and Dodd alum Cobra McVey transforms thrift store objects and mass-produced consumer goods into playful assemblages. • “Stacie Maya Johnson: Recent Paintings” spotlights the Brooklyn-based artist. Exhibitions are available online at art.uga.edu.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) Collections From Our Community presents Kendell and Tony Turner’s poodles: paintings, brooches, figurines, a tea set, textiles and more.

MADISON ARTISTS GUILD (125 W. Jefferson St., Madison) Bev Jones’ works in “Whispers of Tranquility” are inspired by experiences that jar her as well as still moments, particularly when alone and immersed in the natural world. Through October.

MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 S. Main St., Madison) “Lambs to Lillies” is an online exhibition featuring impressionistic oil paintings by Cynthia Perryman. Through Sept. 11 at mmcc-arts.org.

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave.) “Birds and Blooms” presents a series of paintings by Leigh Ellis. Through Sept. 13.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) Online exhibitions include “Steele Vintage Broadcast Microphone Collection,” “Foxfire on Display at UGA: 50 Years of Cultural Journalism Documenting Folk Life in the North Georgia Mountains, September–December 2016,” “Covered With Glory: Football at UGA, 1892–1917” and “Fighting Spirit: Wally Butts and UGA Football, 1939–1950.” “The Strategies of Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights” will host a virtual tour Aug. 26 at 2 p.m. Visit digilab. libs.uga.edu/scl/exhibits.

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on Aug. 30. Concerts are at 1 p.m. www.athenslibrary.org LIVE WIRE SUMMER EVENTS (Live Wire Athens) Wedding Industry Happy Hour is held every Wednesday from 5–6 p.m. Games of darts are held every Wednesday from 5–10 p.m. Fresh Garden Jam with live jamming is held every Thursday from 5–10 p.m. Love Music Live Stream offers bands streamed from the main stage every Friday 5-10 p.m. www.livewireathens.com/ calendar MICHELE DROSS CERAMICS OUTDOOR POTTERY SALE (515 King Ave.) Peruse one of a kind porcelain handmade pottery in front of Michele Dross’ studio. Masks and social distancing required. Aug. 29, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. www.micheledross. com STRATEGIES OF SUFFRAGE (Online) UGA’s Hargrett Library hosts a virtual tour of “The Strategies of Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights.” Aug. 26, 2 p.m. www.facebook.com/ UGASpecialCollections VIRTUAL ZOO WEEK (Bear Hollow Zoo) Visit Bear Hollow Zoo’s Facebook page for animal encounters, crafts, guest speakers, keeper chats, zoo tours and more. Daily through Aug. 29, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

706-613-3580

Support Groups MALE SURVIVOR VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP (Online) This group is a safe space for male survivors of sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse to connect and receive support from other survivors.

Services are free and confidential.

Meetings held Sept. 10–Oct. 29, 5:30 p.m. Call Mary Dulong at The Cottage, 1-877-363-1912. info@ northgeorgiacottage.org, www.northgeorgiacottage.org RECOVERY DHARMA (Recovery Dharma) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired path to recovery from any addiction.

Visit the website for info about Zoom meetings. Thursdays, 7–8 p.m.

FREE! www.athensrecoverydharma. org

On the Street 2020 CENSUS (Athens, GA) The ACC Complete County Committee urges

the 43.2% of county residents that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census to do so by the new deadline of Sept. 30. my2020census.gov ATHHALF HALF MARATHON AND 5K (Athens, GA) This year’s race will be held in a virtual format. Proceeds benefit AthFest Educates. Register

by Oct. 23. $70 (half marathon), $30 (5K). Submit times by Oct. 25. www. athhalf.com THE MARIGOLD MARKET (Online) The Marigold Market aims to make fresh food easily accessible to the Eastside Athens and Winterville communities. The market is open online every week from Friday through Wednesday, and orders can be picked up every Saturday. www.cityofwinterville.com/marigold-market STEPS TO CONNECT CHALLENGE (Athens, GA) Family ConnectionCommunities in Schools Athens hosts a challenge during the month of September with three different mileage goals for walking, running or biking. $15–30/individual, $50/ family. www.facebook.com/fccisathens STORMWATER CALENDAR (Athens, GA) The ACC Stormwater staff is seeking photos of water and nature scenes from all around Athens to create a wall calendar for 2021. Submit photos by email with the name of the photographer and a description of where, when and why it was taken. Deadline Sept. 25. stormwater@accgov.com TRASHERCISE (Athens, GA) Complete your own Trashercise workout by walking, jogging or running along, trails, roads and neighborhoods. Bring a bag, gloves or a grabber, and pick up any trash you see. Share photos through #trasherciseathens. Report your cleanup online, and Keep AthensClarke County Beautiful will send a prize. carlos.pinto@accgov.com, www.keepathensbeautiful.org, www. accgov.com/aahcleanupreport WATER WORKS PHOTO CONTEST (Athens, GA) The ACC Water Conservation Office invites photographers to fill in the blank on “Water works. Today. Tomorrow. For ___.” High-resolution photographs due Aug. 30. Twenty photos will be selected as finalists for a round of online voting, with the 10 photos receiving inclusion in a 30-second TV spot in honor of Imagine A Day Without Water. www.accgov.com/ waterworks f

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