Georgia State University SPRING ’22 | MAGAZINE.GSU.EDU
M A G A Z I N E
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW GEORGIA STATE? In this issue, test your knowledge of places and spaces around our campuses with a photo quiz.
CONTENTS
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‘EAT LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW’
After losing his stomach to cancer, chef Hans Rueffert (B.S. ’95) forged a new relationship with food.
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Classes at Georgia State are taking students well beyond the lecture hall, and even beyond the campus, for lessons they won’t forget.
Six college students evacuated Kabul, Afghanistan, when the Taliban took over the city in August 2021, banning women from schools. With Georgia State’s help, they’re keeping their dreams of earning college degrees alive.
UNCOMMON CURRICULUM
THE LONG ROAD AHEAD
ON THE COVER:
URBAN OASIS
The Sandy Panthers’ Beach Complex was dedicated in 2012 with three courts and permanent seating for 350 spectators. Rising above its colorful seaside mural is the gold dome of the state Capitol.
Spring 2022 • Vol. 13 • No. 1 Publisher Andrea Jones Executive Editor William Inman (M.H.P. ’16) Contributors Michael Davis (B.A. ’03), Torie Robinette Durham, Jordan Ferguson, Ray Glier, Jennifer Rainey Marquez, Charles McNair Creative Director Renata Irving Art Director Matt McCullin Contributing Illustrator Reid Schulz (B.F.A. ’18) Contributing Photographers Meg Buscema, Carolyn Richardson, Steven Thackston Send address changes to: Georgia State University Gifts and Records P.O. Box 3963 Atlanta, GA 30302-3963 Fax: 404-413-3441 email: update@gsu.edu Send story ideas and letters to the editor to: William Inman, editor, Georgia State University Magazine P.O. Box 3999 Atlanta, GA 30302-3999 email: winman@ gsu.edu Georgia State University Magazine is published two times each year by Georgia State University. The magazine is dedicated to communicating and promoting the high level of academic achievement, research, scholarship, teaching and service at Georgia State University, as well as the outstanding accomplishments of its alumni and the intellectual, cultural, social and athletic endeavors of its vibrant and diverse student body. © 2022 Georgia State University
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COVER PHOTO AND ABOVE PHOTO BY MEG BUSCEMA
FROM THE PRESIDENT
LEARNING COMES ALIVE Georgia State is offering unique, experiential learning courses to give students from all backgrounds the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their careers and beyond.
“It’s a pillar in our forthcoming strategic plan to provide direct preparation for students focusing on ‘college-to-career’ experiential learning and to also facilitate career professionals who return to college for more training.”
GEORGIA STATE IS ONCE AGAIN ranked as the best public institution for undergraduate teaching in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges. That’s no surprise given our amazingly talented faculty. During my first academic year at Georgia State, I have been immensely impressed with our faculty and I have enjoyed learning about the many dynamic and creative ways they prepare our students to be productive and successful members of the workforce. It’s a pillar in our forthcoming strategic plan to provide direct preparation for students focusing on “college-to-career” experiential learning and to also facilitate career professionals who return to college for more training. To that end, last semester I was delighted to accompany some of our students to the new global headquarters of NCR in midtown Atlanta, where our soon-to-be graduates received invaluable advice and tips from some of the financial sector’s rising stars. We can and we will scale up more of these types of opportunities for our students. The American Association of Colleges and Universities recognizes 11 High-Impact
Practices (HIPs) that lead to higher rates of learning success. These practices — learning communities, internships, writing-intensive courses and service-learning opportunities, for example — are particularly successful among students who have been historically underserved by higher education. At Georgia State, our students are engaging in HIPs areas and enrolling in courses known as Signature Experiences that further elevate the learning experience. In this issue, you’ll read about a unique program — called Experiential, Projectbased and Interdisciplinary Curriculum (EPIC) — that allows our students to think, and learn, outside the classroom. Students in Hosanna Fletcher’s sociology classes at Perimeter College are engaging with nonprofits and other organizations to help fill critical needs for residents in Newton County. In Jessica Todd’s culinary medicine courses, students are learning how food affects their overall wellness and how to make healthier diet decisions — something they can transfer to their lives and careers. And in Professor of Practice Mo Ivory’s “Legal Life of…” series, College of Law students are getting an up-close look at
the legal acumen it takes to help Hollywood stars like Steve Harvey manage the complexities of a career in showbusiness. One of the previous subjects of Ivory’s “Legal Life of…” series was our very own Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who studied at Georgia State in the late 1990s before signing his record deal. Students in the program examined and discussed contracts that shaped the media mogul’s career. These courses and many more across our campuses — and across varying disciplines — highlight the importance of the collegeto-career pipeline. We are on the right track. If we harness the innovative thinking that Georgia State is known for, there is no limit to our potential in this increasingly critical area. Sincerely,
M. Brian Blake President
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ON CAMPUS / PHOTO QUIZ
SCENE AROUND Georgia State’s downtown and Perimeter College campuses are a visual feast waiting to be discovered. From architecturally and historically significant buildings to public art and skyline views, there is plenty to get to know. Take a look at these close-cropped shots of some of our most interesting places and see if you can identify what’s in the frame. Answers to the photo quiz can be found on page 30.
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WANT TO SEE MORE? Scan the QR code below or visit magazine.gsu.edu for an expanded version of our photo quiz.
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PHOTOS BY MEG BUSCEMA AND STEVEN THACKSTON
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ON CAMPUS / ALUMNI
A Different Kind of Cop Capt. Aprille Moore (B.S. ’05), a Georgia State Alumni Association 40 Under 40 honoree, is a community-focused officer who hopes to inspire more women to join the force.
BY JORDAN FERGUSON | PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON
APT. APRILLE MOORE is working to build a better relationship between police and the public. Commander of the Community Engagement Unit of the Fulton County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Office, Moore oversees partnerships with community organizations, as well as programs and special events that promote positive interactions with officers. In law enforcement, “We often meet people during the worst parts of their day,” Moore said. “When I talk to people, I always come with a spirit of understanding and trying to know their problems. Many times, their problems are not as black and white as what’s written in the law.” Moore’s role is to help build relationships and trust between the sheriff’s office and the community. Working in law enforcement for almost two decades, she has also led the office’s training, background and recruitment efforts. According to the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, women make up less than 12 percent of law enforcement nationwide, and just 3 percent hold executive positions. Moore says women in uniform — in particular, Black women — are vital in communities looking to move forward together in the wake of the #MeToo and police reform movements and racial injustice protests. “My role is more pivotal than ever,” she
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said. “I bring a unique perspective to the profession and to bridging the gap between law enforcement and the community.” Moore says she hopes to use her career as an example to draw more women into the field. “There are inherent dangers associated with policing,” she said. “But when women are able to see themselves in me, it allows them to push past the fear to join a profession that so desperately needs them.” Growing up in Decatur, Ga., Moore says she learned the value of hard work and getting an education early on. “My parents worked really, really hard,” Moore said. “And me going to college was a big thing for them.” At Georgia State, the criminal justice major was active in campus organizations and held several leadership posts. As president of the Georgia State chapter of the NAACP, she says she forged her love for advocacy and for championing those who feel like they don’t have a voice. Moore set her sights on law school, but three weeks after she graduated from Georgia State, she gave birth to her son. While he was young, she worked as a 911 operator and eventually for the Fulton County Marshal’s Department. “And it just catapulted from there,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, I love this job.’” An avid community volunteer, she’s also
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“Serving in this role reminds me that barriers can be broken. I hope that my story can serve as an inspiration for young girls and women who may have never considered a career in law enforcement.” an ambassador for youthSpark and for Black Girls RUN!, and she serves on boards for the Junior League of DeKalb County, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and Jack and Jill of America Inc. Her philanthropy is just one reason the Georgia State Alumni Association honored Moore as one of the most influential graduates under the age of 40. Last fall, she joined the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ Office of Career Services & Alumni Relations as a professional-in-residence, offering students a chance to learn more about working in law enforcement. “Serving in this role reminds me that barriers can be broken,” Moore said. “I hope my story can serve as an inspiration for young girls and women who may have never considered a career in law enforcement.”
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ON CAMPUS / ATHLETICS
COURTING SUCCESS While helping the Panthers secure a Sun Belt Conference title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Eliel Nsoseme (B.A. ’21) hasn’t lost focus on his family back home.
BY RAY GLIER | PHOTO BY CAROLYN RICHARDSON
he Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) can be a harsh place, but the turbulence can breed ambition. For Georgia State’s Eliel (E-lee-el) Nsoseme (So-sem-ee), 24, it’s driven him to seek a better life for his family, away from his hometown of Kinshasa and its sporadic violence, unreliable electricity and climate issues. Nsoseme, the 6-foot-8 forward/center on the men’s basketball team, has a sister in Belgium and a sister and brother studying in France. His father, mother and younger twin sisters are still in the DRC. “Whether it is through basketball or professional life, when I have the means, I will go get them,” Nsoseme said. “I will go back some day and try to help make my city better, but my first mission is to make sure my family is OK.” Nsoseme’s selflessness stood out on the basketball court. He wasn’t thinking about developing his skills or impressing professional scouts when the Panthers were in close games. He was too busy playing defense, rebounding and pumping up his teammates. “That’s who he is,” said senior guard Justin Roberts (B.A. ’21). “It’s all for the team.” Nsoseme’s leadership last season helped bring the Panthers a Sun Belt Conference championship and a ticket to their sixth alltime appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Though Nsoseme was injured in the Panthers’ round-one game against top-seeded Gonzaga, for nearly 30 minutes they kept the Bulldogs at bay in a contest that included 17 ties and 10 lead changes. A 4.0 student in film and media, Nsoseme certainly has ambition to play basketball
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professionally, but that is neither Plan A nor Plan B, he said. The plan is simply to succeed. A star on an independent basketball team for teenagers in the DRC, by the time he had grown to 6-8, a private school in the basketball mecca of Kentucky wanted him to play there. After the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa turned down his visa request twice, a door opened in Canada and Nsoseme was offered a scholarship to a private school in Ontario. It was November 2015 when he arrived in Canada, and after a one-year stint at the school, Nsoseme was signed to a scholarship by the University of Cincinnati, one of the top mid-major Division I programs in the U.S. He spent two years there before transferring to Georgia State. Eager to see what’s next and to help his family, Nsoseme, a Christian, has unwavering faith that God will help him protect them. “I’m a strong believer,” he said. “The first thing I do when I wake up is pray. There are crazy situations back home that could endanger my family, so I also pray to protect them.”
ON CAMPUS / RESEARCH
RESEARCH ON THE RISE
A new initiative challenges Georgia State scholars from all academic disciplines to team up to discover innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. BY JENNIFER RAINEY MARQUEZ | ILLUSTRATION BY REID SCHULZ (B.F.A. ’18)
GEORGIA STATE HAS LAUNCHED a new Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) challenge to address complex societal problems through interdisciplinary collaboration. The initiative aims to foster an innovative research ecosystem at the university and leverage the strengths of the Georgia State research community to address complicated issues. Georgia State President M. Brian Blake announced a $2.5 million one-time investment to jumpstart up to five research projects as part of the initiative. “Georgia State’s research and innovation are so important to the state, region and world,” Blake said. “The RISE challenge will provide resources for teams to develop even more transformative research at the university and help cultivate the next generation of innovative thought leaders.” The RISE challenge is led by Georgia State Vice President for Research and Economic Development Tim Denning and Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicolle Parsons-Pollard. “The RISE challenge calls on our faculty to think big and pursue some of their grandest ideas to solve real-world problems,” Denning said. “We are already seeing some amazing
collaboration by multidisciplinary teams, and this creates an opportunity for them to take their work to the next level.” Thirty-eight proposals were submitted by the April 4 deadline. The winning RISE teams will receive one-time seed funding of up to $500,000 over the course of one year. Recipients will be notified in May. “This initiative takes the firm foundations of previous efforts that looked externally and applies this spirit and the lessons learned toward harnessing the university’s unique, existing strengths in exciting new directions while enriching and growing our faculty toward new research goals,” ParsonsPollard said. “Successful teams will be charged with proactively engaging students and the larger community outside of Georgia State.” The teams will be expected to take new approaches to some of today’s most pressing societal challenges. “Over the past decade, Georgia State has risen as a dynamic research institution, and the university is now poised to build on that growth,” Denning said. “This initiative is about accelerating innovative thinking. We are excited to bring together Georgia State’s research community to meet some of society’s toughest challenges and produce tremendous outcomes.”
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ON CAMPUS / Q&A
HELPING THE HOMELAND With their closest family members out of harm’s way, husband and wife Yuriy Davydenko (M.P.A. ’10, Ph.D. ’20) and Liudmyla Zapukhliak (M.S. ’20) continue working to aid fellow Ukrainians and raise awareness of the devastating conflict in their country.
INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL DAVIS (B.A. ’03) | PHOTO BY MEG BUSCEMA
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AS LIUDMYLA ZAPUKHLIAK prepared for bed on Feb. 23, she saw the news of what, up until then, she’d thought unimaginable. In her native Ukraine, it was around 6 a.m. local time on Feb. 24, and Russian forces had started the invasion that Western leaders had been warning was imminent. She and her husband, Yuriy Davydenko, rushed to contact family members living in the suburbs of the capital, Kyiv, and to do what they could from their home in suburban Atlanta to get them to safety. Davydenko came to the U.S. in 2008 to complete a master’s in public policy at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies as an Edmund S. Muskie Fellow. He earned a Ph.D. in public policy in 2020 and now works as a data analyst at Grady Health System. The couple married in 2012, and Zapukhliak completed a Master of Science in Geosciences in 2020. She now works for The Nature Conservancy as a development operations manager. Already an established organizer within Atlanta’s Ukrainian community, Zapukhliak and her husband have been mobilizing their network to collect money and relief supplies, and to stage rallies in downtown Atlanta to raise awareness of the conflict that has displaced millions of Ukrainian civilians. Below, they discuss how their families were able to get to safety in the days and weeks after the invasion began, and what they’ve been doing to support their country as the war continues. When is the last time either of you were back at home in Ukraine? Zapukhliak: I actually visited my mom right before the New Year, last year. And I’m really happy about that. I obviously didn’t know what was going to happen, but for some reason, I just decided to go there for a week. My original plan was to go in March because my mom’s birthday is March 14. But I don’t know, for some reason, I wanted to go earlier. And now I kind of can understand why. What did you do first when you heard the news of the invasion? Zapukhliak: It was 11 p.m. or so here in Atlanta, and I checked Facebook before going to bed, and saw some
strange messages saying it had started. I checked the news right away, and I woke up my mom and said, “Please go to the basement.” She had been sleeping, and she couldn’t hear anything at that point. I asked my mom and my brother to go to the basement and they did and stayed there for the next couple of days. I really wanted them to leave, but they were not sure if it was safe. Davydenko: I didn’t have any illusions about Russia. I believed that the invasion was possible. Of course, I didn’t know all the facts, but I believed that it would happen and I asked my parents to at least consider leaving for some time. And, of course, they refused. And then the 24th came and they still stayed. I guess they were hoping this would just kind of pass. And, of course, it didn’t pass. How were your families able to get out, and where did they go? Zapukhliak: I think it was a Saturday morning and we got a call from his parents. It sounded like they were saying goodbye, saying, “You guys probably won’t hear from us anymore.” So, imagine us, at that point, trying to figure out what to do. We had started preparing for this situation and had tried to find some way to evacuate them for a week before that. We’d found some volunteers who would take them out, and that day, when they called, we panicked. We were able to call a guy who had been there a couple of days before, and he said, “Tell them not to leave. There are Russian tanks in the woods. The bridges are destroyed. There is no way to get out of that area. And if they try to leave by car, their car would be shot.” Davydenko: They told us even later, and what really scared me was, they walked out and there were cars on fire and places were already destroyed. And they met a guy who told them, “OK, don’t go that way, because they are shooting in that direction. Go the different direction.” Probably like five or so hours later, after that initial phone call, they called us and they said that they were already in a queue. Somehow, I can’t imagine how, they were able to reach a bus and volunteers arranged to get them to the
train station. From there they crossed the border to Romania where a bus picked them up to take them to Bulgaria. Zapukhliak: The first day, people were trying to leave the city and my mom lives on the street that people were using to escape. They told me that at that point, it was kind of impossible to leave because of the traffic. They stayed for a couple of days. Then I heard about peace talks beginning and I asked them to use that opportunity because I hoped that the first day of the talks would be a quiet day. But it wasn’t, actually. It’s really sad that elderly people have to survive in these circumstances. My mom is 70, and she has some heart conditions, and she couldn’t really hike for a long way. But at that point, they decided to walk to the closest subway station that worked. It wasn’t the closest to their home, but the one that was open. I believe they walked for two hours or so. And they were able to reach the train station and took the train west to the village where my family’s originally from. How have you been working from Atlanta to support Ukrainians back home? Zapukhliak: From the beginning of the war, we started holding rallies in downtown Atlanta, near the CNN Center. That’s our way to show support and to do something meaningful here. And we’re trying to fundraise here in Atlanta and raise awareness of the situation. Davydenko: The first reflex is just, you know, start sending money to different nonprofits there. But now we’ve realized that the shelves in Ukrainian stores are empty, but the needs remain very high. So basically, we kind of switched to raising money here, buying things here and sending them to Poland, and then it goes from Poland to Ukraine. Zapukhliak: We are trying to build fundraisers and operate logistics. We actually had a similar experience in 2014. Many of my friends in Ukraine feel that the war hasn’t stopped since then. And that’s the reality. It was war; it just wasn’t widespread. It’s not correct to say that the war just started. It has just exploded into something even more terrible.
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THE CHEF WITH NO STOMACH Cancer has given Hans Rueffert (B.S. ’95) a new recipe for success. BY CHARLES MCNAIR | PHOTOS BY CAROLYN RICHARDSON
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THE DAY BEFORE HE TURNED 33, RISING-STAR CHEF HANS RUEFFERT HEARD A DOCTOR SAY FOUR STUNNING WORDS THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE: STOMACH CANCER. STAGE 3. At that moment in July 2005, Rueffert had everything going for him. He’d just spent a month in New York competing on the very first reality TV cooking show, “The Next Food Network Star.” A people’s favorite and the third-place finisher, Rueffert dazzled judges, fans and fellow chefs with dishes perfected at his Woodbridge Inn in Jasper, Ga. Rueffert grew up in the rising aromas there, just 13 steps above the hotel kitchen where his father prepared fine dishes with a German accent for guests. Rueffert had a beautiful Savannah-born wife, Amy, and three children. His outgoing personality and good nature attracted friends and fellows. He reveled in Deep South foods and flavors, serving up Georgia hospitality by the plate. Then a surgical team in Houston took out his stomach and part of his esophagus. Rueffert was told he had a 10 percent chance of survival.
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“I looked at the wall over my doctor’s shoulder,” Rueffert remembers. “I thought, ‘OK, 10 percent.’ Well, that wall is 90 percent wall and 10 percent door. Rather than focus on the 90 percent chance that I’m not going to make it, I’m going to focus on that 10 percent door. They wouldn’t say 10 percent if somebody hadn’t made it through that door.” Rueffert survived. Two months into recuperation and still unable to eat solid food, he found comfort trundling into the hospital cafeteria with the two IV bags that fed him. “Hospitals don’t serve the best food in the world,” says Rueffert. “But seeing people eat, the pleasure it gave them, gave me hope.” But cancer wasn’t finished with him. Leaks from surgery caused brain infections, among other serious issues. Rueffert underwent operations for the next seven years. “I stopped counting at 15 surgeries,” Rueffert says. “Three times the doctors told Amy I wouldn’t live till morning. And all three times I just kept going.” Eventually, doctors removed all of Rueffert’s stomach and all of his esophagus. They connected his jejunum, part of his upper intestine, directly to his throat. Rueffert lost nearly 90 pounds, from 215 to under 130. And today? He laughs. He loves. He goes to pickleball tournaments, writes cookbooks, blasts out cooking podcasts and serves as the smart, hope-inspiring face of the Gastric Cancer Foundation (GCF).
While recovering from one of many surgeries following his cancer diagnosis, Hans Rueffert moves around the hospital with an IV stand.
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He cooks too, of course. He’s still in Jasper working as a guest chef at the Old Mulehouse Tavern, and he produces “The Gesundheit Kitchen,” a website and video series for the GCF where he champions the healthy, high-protein kind of diet that now sustains him through six small, nutrition-packed meals a day. Why the odd name for his website? “People hear the word gesundheit after a sneeze, and they think it means bless you,” says Rueffert. “In German, it actually means good health.” It’s why Rueffert ends every correspondence with that most personally significant word: Gesundheit.
A GREEN LIGHT IN LIFE Rueffert’s entrée to cooking started with family. His father, Joe, grew up in East Germany under Communism but made his way out, eventually marrying Hans’ mother, Brenda, a Georgia native. Mr. Rueffert found work in Atlanta as food and beverage director at The Standard Club. “Dad sculpted as a hobby,” Hans says. “One trip up to Jasper to buy the famous white marble there, he spotted a ‘For Sale’ sign on the Woodbridge Inn. He offered $100,000, and to his surprise, I think, we suddenly owned a hotel.” This was 1976. The 127-year-old inn needed work, but work didn’t intimidate the family. Hans helped with guests, but he didn’t get into the kitchen until the right reason came along. “I was 18, and I wanted to impress Amy,” Rueffert confesses. “I’d never even fried an egg.” Things didn’t go well at first. After a week in the kitchen, Joe Rueffert privately told his wife, “Hans will never be a chef. He has two left feet.” Those early reviews just brought out Rueffert’s stubbornness. Soon, he impressed hotel guests with his plates. More importantly, he impressed Amy. “Hans and I met in 1989 at a mall,” Amy says. “He was 16, and I was 14. I wrote in my diary that night that I’d met the cutest boy ever. I pursued him relentlessly for the next two years until I wore him down, and we started dating. That was 31 years ago.” The couple married in 1997 at the courthouse in Marietta, Ga., with their immediate families smiling on — and wishing them gesundheit. In 2004, Amy came across entry forms for “The Next Food Network Star.” Telegenic and charming, Hans applied and made the cut as a contestant chef. He connected with millions of viewers as well as the other guest chefs. Late in the shooting, Rueffert felt a little physical discomfort, tummy issues and small pains. He passed those off as stress. Back home, though, two weeks after shooting the show’s season finale, he went to the doctor thinking he might be having a heart attack. The diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, a cancer of the glandular cells, jolted the Ruefferts. Hans had already seen his father stricken with a rare renal disease that required two kidney
Chef and cancer survivor Hans Rueffert, center, with daughters Ella, from left, and Heidi, wife Amy, and son Finn.
transplants. He’d also lost his sister to cancer just seven months prior. “We had made cancer out for our kids to be this terrible boogeyman,” Amy says. “And now we had to help them believe that daddy was going to be fine, just fine.” It took time — and superb medical care — but Hans today is fine, just fine. In fact, he’s better than fine. He’s been cancer-free for nearly 17 years. “From the minute you have that cancer diagnosis, you tend to think of it as an excuse, as a red light in life,” Rueffert says. “You think, ‘I can’t do this or that,’ because of the illness. “So, I’ve tried to make cancer be the green light in my life,” he says. “It’s the thing in my tank, the thing that’s pushing me forward. I’ve been shown the sand in my hourglass. I never forget that there will only be one today, and what I do with it is my decision.”
BORN TO HOSPITALITY
In 1991, Rueffert enrolled in the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business. (Cecil Day founded the familiar Days Inn hotel chain.) At that time, Georgia State was one of only five United
States universities with a hospitality curriculum. Rueffert found it a welcoming place. “Having a student like Hans is what makes a professor’s career worthwhile,” says Debby Cannon, the school’s director. “He was exceptional.” Rueffert had grown up in the restaurant industry, so his “business acumen rivaled people’s twice his age,” says Cannon, who taught him in several courses. “He was wise beyond his years, let’s say. “He had a quiet sophistication beyond that of the typical college student, and it equated to understanding the world, fine cuisine and quality — the essence of the hospitality industry.” Rueffert still values those Georgia State lessons. “For my teachers, hospitality was not about a degree or a GPA. It was about a lifestyle, about putting the needs of others above your own,” he says. “That reinforced in me that if you provide exceptional hospitality, you don’t have to worry about rewards or money. If you treat people right, those fall into place.” Through Georgia State, Rueffert experienced something like a master class in hospitality at Walt Disney World. The internship left a lasting impression. “I still point with an open hand,” he laughs. “Disney does
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A cookbook author and co-host of the “But I Digest Podcast,” Hans Rueffert stays busy as a guest chef at the Old Mulehouse Tavern in Jasper, Ga.
such an amazing job of going above and beyond for people. You never see a cast member — that’s what they call employees — step over a piece of trash. Four or five people come running to pick it up.” Another kind of creativity led Rueffert to even more adventures in his Georgia State years. He met best-selling English horror novelist Clive Barker (“one of the most charming, gregarious people on the planet,” Rueffert says) at an event, and they got on. Barker had been dreaming of a card game based on one of his novels, “Imajica.” Rueffert and another Georgia State student came up with a concept. “Clive loved it,” Rueffert says. “He took us to New York City. We met with HarperCollins and sold them on the idea of our ‘Imajica’ card game. We flew all over the world to do demonstrations.” As fun as it sounds, it left Rueffert cold.
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“It was a lot of work in a cutthroat business,” he says. “It kind of killed my passion for games. And that hospitality gene was always missing.”
HANS 2.0
The green light of cancer has since opened up one new doorway after another for Rueffert. He and fellow chef Steve McDonagh — they became friends on the reality TV show — have created the “But I Digest Podcast” to tout healthy cooking and ingredients. The offbeat names of episodes (“Quinoa, Golden Spades and Pet Humans” or “Nutmeg, Admiral Russell and Eyeball Intoxication”) clue listeners to the pair’s entertaining approach to food topics. McDonagh is a Chicago caterer, restaurateur, actor and
cookbook author. His cocktail book, “The New Old Bar: Classic Cocktails and Salty Snacks from The Hearty Boys,” is partially focused on pre-Prohibition cocktails. He’s now been friends with Rueffert for nearly two decades. “Hans is a smart chef,” McDonagh says. “He knows a little about everything and a lot about a bunch. I can always look to him to fill me in on unexpected nuggets of information. And he’s a master German cook. He brought me some fig mustard that I hoard for special occasions.” In 2009, just four years after his diagnosis, Rueffert published “Eat Like There’s No Tomorrow,” a cookbook spiced with Amy’s gorgeous food photos. Cannon feels it’s a vivid example of how a person can take a traumatic blow and make it positive. “I love Hans’ book, and I use it often,” Cannon says. “I love it not just for the beautiful photography and exquisite food knowledge but for the strong message of valuing family, friends and yourself. To me, this book captures Hans’ spirit of survival, determination, optimism and love of life.” Rueffert’s current food philosophy evolved from what he calls his “Hans 2.0” digestive system. “Since it’s harder for me to actually get the nutrition out of food now, I have to stay with certain kinds of meals,” he says. “It’s actually strengthened my love for food. My life is no longer about the quantity of food I eat, but about the quality of food I eat. “I want whatever I just ate to always be something I would be 100 percent happy about if it were my last meal.” Rueffert mostly consumes raw or semi-raw foods, fresh vegetables and fruit. His meals are about 10 percent protein. He likes “power bowls,” such as artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, spinach-and-rocket pesto, capers and olives. The Hans 2.0 system makes him an instant barometer of food quality: Within minutes of eating, he’ll feel energized by healthy foods or heavy and bad after sugary or greasy foods. “The Gesundheit Kitchen” offers videos of Rueffert conjuring up favorite recipes: okra and tempeh, hummus, healthy pizza, chili and many more. The food he crushes on most right now? Quinoa. “Nutritionally,” he says, “it’s the perfect human chow. If I had pet humans, and I were buying a bag of food, I’d come home with quinoa.” Whatever he’s serving, Rueffert makes sure his food is only part of the experience. “If you get near Hans, he will try to feed you while talking your ear off,” says Amy. “Lord, the man can talk. Luckily, he’s smart and interesting, and hospitality is in his blood. Hans even got certified to marry people so he could feed them and marry them.” Rueffert joyfully embraces all he symbolizes as a chef and as a survivor. “I love an underdog story,” he says. “With my dad’s kidney disease, I was raised in an underdog story. Then I became an underdog story, too. We all do, sooner or later. We all become somebody who must overcome the odds.”
I want whatever I just ate to always be something I would be 100 percent happy about if it were my last meal.”
Chef Hans Rueffert’s shrimp and grits with a side of okra.
Rueffert is proud to be that somebody. “I like the lighthouse effect,” he says. “Shining bright for others is, in my view, almost an obligation for people who survive. “All our stories end with an obituary. To me, helping people along the way is the whole point of life. I get the greatest satisfaction hearing people say I helped them get through this or that obstacle. It means the world to me.”
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Not College 101
Far from the typical classroom experience, a number of Georgia State’s undergraduate and graduate courses offer students unexpected lessons — sometimes in unexpected places.
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Curt Jackson, a Ph.D. student in history and graduate teaching assistant who leads the Krog Tunnel mapping project, uses a 360-degree camera to capture images of the tunnel’s graffiti.
BY MICHAEL DAVIS (B.A. ’03) | PHOTOS BY MEG BUSCEMA, CAROLYN RICHARDSON AND STEVEN THACKSTON
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SEATED BEHIND A DESK within the four walls of a classroom isn’t the only way to learn. And sometimes the best education you can get comes from doing something yourself, perhaps failing at it, and trying again. That’s why courses at Georgia State often extend beyond the building and the book. The American Association of Colleges and Universities recognizes 11 HighImpact Practices (HIPs) it says are proven to lead to higher rates of learning success, “particularly among students historically underserved by higher education.” They include capstone projects or courses, first-year seminars, learning communities, collaborative projects, internships, undergraduatelevel research, writing-intensive courses and service learning. At Georgia State, students have ample opportunity to engage in each of these HIPs areas, as well as courses known as Signature Experiences that further elevate the learning experience. The Signature Experiences program, out of the Office of Student Success, was adopted in 2012 by the university’s Senate Committee on Academic Standards. Signature Experiences focus on field studies, internships, clinical rotations, service learning, research and other approaches that break from the norm and emphasize reflection on learning as critical to success. “These courses are not only amazing opportunities in which students can learn in exciting and meaningful ways, but they are career-empowering with long-lasting impacts,” says Christy
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Visaggi, senior faculty associate for Signature Experiences. “Having experiential learning as part of the curriculum means that by the time they graduate, students from all backgrounds already have the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their first jobs and beyond.” Here, we take a look at a crosssection of courses around the university that give students a unique way to get involved in what they’re learning. They’re definitely not your typical “College 101.”
On the Record project lab: Mapping Atlanta instructor: Brennan Collins THROUGH GEORGIA STATE’S Experiential, Project-based and Interdisciplinary Curriculum (EPIC) program, students can work on longterm projects alongside faculty, graduate students and other undergrads while earning credit toward their degrees. Among EPIC’s ongoing Project Labs is Mapping Atlanta, which is creating digital records of cultural touchstones unique to the city. If a neighborhood, night club or retail center was namechecked by Outkast, it’s a datapoint on the online Rap Map. If it’s spray-painted inside the iconic Krog Street Tunnel, it’s being captured in 3D scans and 360-degree photos that document the ever-changing scene inside the city’s most popular underground art gallery. Brennan Collins is the director of the EPIC program and associate director of Georgia State’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE). He runs the Mapping Atlanta Project Lab, which is also tracking the establishment and relocation of Southeast Asian restaurants around the city and looking back at the forced migration of members of an enslaved African family. In the Krog Street Tunnel, students are using 360-degree cameras and Matterport 3D mapping technology,
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which allows for virtual tours, to periodically scan the graffiti-laden walls. “The idea is they’ll archive this and eventually start doing interviews with artists and community members,” Collins says. “And with Matterport, what we’re hoping to do is sort of a virtual Krog high-rise, showing each scan of the tunnel as a different floor from a different point in time.” Established five years ago, the Rap Map project is building an online database of the places around metro Atlanta mentioned in rap lyrics. From Walter’s Clothing to Stonecrest Mall, each pin on the map represents a location named in a song. The work of six well-known artists has been mapped so far, with 10 more soon to be added. “Some of the questions we’re asking include, ‘How does this reflect the gentrification patterns and the migration patterns in the city?’” Collins says. “How are these poorer communities that have been historically where hip-hop artists have come from being dispersed into the suburbs?”
Celebrity Case Study course: “Legal Life of...” instructor: Mo Ivory WHILE LAW STUDENTS are used to studying contract, constitutional and case law, some at Georgia State also study the biggest names in showbusiness. In her “Legal Life of…” series, College of Law Professor of Practice Mo Ivory dives into legal concepts like client representation, negotiation and what it takes to be successful in the area of entertainment practice — all through the lens of a superstar’s career. “It’s a different kind of law class,” says Ivory, who is also director of the Entertainment, Sports and Media Law Initiative at the college. “We have dream subjects for students to learn about.” This semester, Steve Harvey is the subject under scrutiny. Among the busiest entertainers in the business, Harvey is host of the game
show “Family Feud” and its spinoff, “Celebrity Family Feud.” He’s also a motivational speaker, best-selling author, radio show host and philanthropist. In the new series “Judge Steve Harvey,” the comedian wields a gold gavel and his own brand of humor as he decides disputes based on intuition rather than precedent. Ivory’s class on Harvey is the third in her “Legal Life of…” series, which began in fall 2019 with a course on rapperactor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, a former Georgia State student and artist-inresidence at the Creative Media Industries Institute. Singer, businesswoman, actress and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss was the focus of the second installment. “These stars give us an open door to understanding the legal aspects of their careers,” Ivory says, “and we couldn’t do it without them.”
Game Plan course: Visual Effects for Games instructor: Max Thomas PREPARING A PIPELINE of skilled artists for game design, film, television and commercial work, Max Thomas’
Visual effects students check their work on a screen at the Creative Media Industries Institute studio.
Visual Effects for Games courses have students working with the latest virtual production technology. While learning how to design and animate digital characters and virtual worlds, Thomas says students develop skills transferable to an array of industries and knowledge of the tools used by working professionals. “It’s really all about real-time virtual production,” says Thomas, a lecturer in Georgia State’s Creative Media Industries Institute. “The higherquality assets within games these days are mostly photo-scanned assets of the real world. I really try to diversify what
I teach them in terms of application, where it can go and how you can use it.” While students learn traditional virtual production techniques, such as capturing a real-world background and applying it to live-action scenes shot in a studio against a greenscreen, Thomas also requires them to create real-time productions inside fully computergenerated worlds. Students also use motion-capture technology to animate characters built with industry standard software, like Reallusion or MetaHuman Creator by Unreal Engine, to include in their scenes. “We make sure they have really good, high-quality data and that they’re really firm in their foundation on motion capture because we believe it’s really a key tool to unlocking opportunities for them in the professional world,” Thomas says. “It’s something we offer at CMII that sets the students apart from those at other schools.”
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, shown here speaking with College of Law professor Mo Ivory and her class in 2019, will receive an honorary Bachelor of Science in Music Management this spring for his support of Ivory’s class and the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII). Bridges, who attended Georgia State before becoming a multi-platinum GRAMMY® Awardwinning artist, actor and entrepreneur, was an artist-in-residence at the CMII.
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At the end of the semester, students have two fully produced short scenes showcasing their abilities to include in their portfolios. “Even if they don’t find their way into a game company, they have skills they can use to build the things that they want to create,” Thomas says.
Power in Numbers course: Introduction to Sociology instructor: Hosanna Fletcher “I ALWAYS TELL STUDENTS the reason you take a sociology class is because, unless you are studying to be a hermit or a cloistered nun, you will have to work with other people at some point in your life,” says Perimeter College sociology lecturer Hosanna Fletcher. And working with others is a big part of Fletcher’s course. Along with a broad survey of the discipline, introducing students to a range of topics studied by sociologists — from religion and family to culture and demography — Fletcher’s students also work on small-group service projects that benefit the Newton County community. This spring, students are helping to stock a local food pantry, tutoring elementary-age students and collecting books for the Newton County School System’s book bus. Working with their classmates to coordinate efforts provides its own sociological lessons, says Fletcher, who is co-facilitator of the Academic Community Engagement program at Perimeter-Newton. Among the requirements of each group project is that students work with people or organizations outside the Newton Campus. The students growing food for Covington First United Methodist Church’s food pantry, for example, have to coordinate their maintenance duties and work with local suppliers for the materials they need for the campus’ raised-bed gardens.
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With the 24-inch Miller Telescope, astronomy students track asteroids across the night sky.
Each of the projects, Fletcher says, is linked to sociological concepts studied in class and that must be highlighted in end-of-semester presentations. “It’s intended to be group work so that there’s a product at the end, but it’s also intended to be group work in that they have to work together on something,” Fletcher says. “The purpose of the project is meeting a community need, so the challenge is: How are you going to get that done?”
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Appetite for Instruction courses: Culinary Medicine instructor: Jessica Todd IN JESSICA TODD’S culinary medicine courses, students are learning to make healthy meals and getting to enjoy the tasty results. Todd, a clinical assistant professor and the coordinated program director in
the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions’ Department of Nutrition, teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. Her graduate students will go on to become dietitians, working in health care settings to help patients manage diseases impacted by food. Students in the Culinary Medicine and Wellness undergraduate course, which is open to all Georgia State students regardless of major, learn how food affects their overall wellness and how to make healthier diet decisions. Each week, students are given a recipe and its ingredients. After preparing and presenting an appropriately portioned dish, students get to share their work with their classmates. At the end of each semester, undergraduate students are tasked with making an unhealthy dish — lasagna or macaroni and cheese, for example — into a healthy recipe by substituting ingredients while preserving flavor and aligning with the Mediterranean diet. “They might swap out the refined elbow noodle for a whole-grain elbow noodle,” Todd says. “There are lots of things that can be done.” Graduate students develop a patient-education program to address a given disease, complete with a recipe demonstration. “I hope the undergraduate students feel empowered to be in charge of their own wellness and feel like they have the knowledge to build a healthy plate,” Todd says. “For graduate students, I hope they understand that working with individuals, you have to remain patient-centered, meet patients where they’re at and understand how to adapt.”
Space Rocks course: Astronomical Techniques and Instrumentation instructor: Misty Bentz FOR STUDENTS WITH an eye toward the heavens, taking Misty
Preparing a healthy dish is a weekly part of Jessica Todd’s courses in culinary medicine.
Bentz’s Astronomical Techniques and Instrumentation course means a chance to spend several nights peering into the sky. Using the 24-inch Miller Telescope at the Hard Labor Creek Observatory in Rutledge, Ga., about 45 miles east of Atlanta, students spend up to three nights each spring semester — from sunset to sunrise — collecting observations of asteroids. From powering up the telescope to powering it down at the end of the night, students are fully immersed in the science of celestial objects. “They’re learning the actual skills astronomers use every day to do our jobs,” says Bentz, a professor in Georgia State’s Physics & Astronomy Department. While in the observatory, undergraduate and graduate students train the telescope on an asteroid and track it across the sky throughout the night. After a litany of observations are cataloged, students take their data back to class and begin the process of interpreting it, trying to answer questions about the asteroid’s color, speed and rotation. “As they tumble in space, they’re rotating around and reflecting different amounts of sunlight off each side,” Bentz says. “You can determine how fast they’re rotating by measuring how the brightness increases and decreases as a function of time.”
Bentz, whose research specialty is black holes, has used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and is leading one of the first 13 projects to use the James Webb Space Telescope, which is expected to start sending observations this summer. For her course’s final, students have to develop an observing proposal not unlike the one she submitted to use the Webb telescope. “This is the way professional astronomers get access to big telescopes,” Bentz says. “Being able to do that becomes really important if you continue on in astronomy.” And whether students continue in astronomy — or any of these fields — they’ll know firsthand what it’s like to do the work.
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Shegofa Alizada is one of six Afghan refugees studying English at Georgia State through a three-semester scholarship. She and her peers hope to find permanent placement in an undergraduate program here.
‘BUT
MY SOUL IS IN
AFGHANISTAN’ Six Afghan refugees studying at the Asian University for Women caught one of the final flights out of Kabul last August. Now they’re restarting their college careers — and their lives — at Georgia State.
BY TORIE ROBINETTE DURHAM | PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON
[ EDITOR’S NOTE: To protect their privacy and the safety of their families in Afghanistan, some of the students have not been named or photographed, and certain details have been omitted. ] M AGA ZIN E .GS U. E DU
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On a cool, rainy afternoon in late February, Shegofa Alizada and Shamsia Shafie, both 22, are huddled around a dinner table with their four roommates. Steaming platters of meat, rice and eggplant sit before them, and the aroma of bread that’s just left the oven lingers. At Ariana Kabob House, an Afghan restaurant off the beaten path in Duluth, Ga., they’re joined by Margareta Larsson and John Bunting, faculty in Georgia State University’s Intensive English Program — where the six women are students — as well as Bunting’s wife, Mayira. When the server approaches with a ladle and a large bowl wrapped in aluminum foil, their eyes light up. It’s doogh, a traditional chilled Afghan drink made of yogurt, cucumber and mint. As Alizada serves portions into their glasses, she and the other women share with Larsson and the Buntings how much they’ve missed this special treat from their home country. The background music shuffles to a hit from Afghan pop artist Aryana Sayeed, and they nearly come out of their seats. This is the students’ first real taste of home in more than six months. Alizada, Shafie and the others fled Afghanistan with nothing but their passports, cellphones and the clothes on their backs just days after the Taliban seized control of the capital city of Kabul. Now they’ve resettled in Atlanta with scholarships to study English at Georgia State through December 2022. Larsson and Bunting have been working around the clock to help the women secure placement to finish their undergraduate degrees when their scholarships run out. To say it’s been a long, hard road would be a gross understatement, but the road ahead won’t be easy, either.
HUMANITARIAN PAROLEES
Alizada remembers Aug. 15, 2021, as the day everything changed. As she describes it, her hopes and dreams evaporated in an instant. She was in her second semester of online studies at the Asian University for Women (AUW), a first-of-its-kind liberal-arts institution based in Chittagong, Bangladesh, established to serve refugees and those with limited educational opportunities across Asia and the Middle East. She was also in her second year on campus at Kabul University — one of the country’s most elite institutions — pursuing an undergraduate degree in journalism and mass communication. That day, she was finishing an online exam in her dorm room when the residence hall manager rushed in exclaiming, “What are you still doing here? Don’t be stupid, Shegofa! Everyone is gone! The Taliban will kill you here!”
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In the quiet of her room, Alizada had been completely in the dark about what was happening around her, even as her neighbors were bolting. Her response was automatic. “I’m not leaving!” she shouted, determined she would not close the door on all the progress she’d made or leave behind a college experience she loved. But the reality of the situation quickly shifted into focus. She stood crying in the middle of the road in front of the dorm, mobs of people running around her in panic, when her phone buzzed. “I’m coming to get you,” her younger brother said on the other end. “There is no more university.” “OK. OK,” she replied, defeated. “Come. There is nothing more for me.” In another part of Kabul, Shafie was also in her bedroom studying. A year before, she’d attended the AUW campus in Bangladesh, majoring in public health, but had returned home to continue virtually when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She was shocked when her little brother stormed into the house shouting that the Taliban were coming, and everyone was evacuating the city. “I thought I might die,” she says. “Everyone was running. Everyone was so scared.” The realization that she’d have to flee, she adds, “felt like the end of my life.” Over the next few days, Alizada and Shafie waited for instructions from administrators at AUW who arranged for transportation to the airport, where they’d board a plane out of the country. Piled into seven buses, 148 AUW students circled Hamid Karzai International Airport for more than 40 hours. Alizada says armed Taliban were right outside their windows. She saw explosions nearby and watched people die. Under advisement from American military that it was too dangerous to keep pressing on, the buses took the students back home. They’d try again to get through to the airport another day. That time, it worked. After a harrowing experience, having their documents studied meticulously by Taliban officials and almost all their belongings stripped from them, they boarded what turned out to be one of the final flights out of Kabul. They didn’t know where they were headed. Terrified and tired, they worried for their families back in Afghanistan and for what lay ahead. After stops in Saudi Arabia, Spain and Washington, D.C., the students finally landed at a military base in Fort McCoy, Wisc. Here they had new identities: Humanitarian Parolees.
I thought I might die. Everyone was running. Everyone was so scared. [It] felt like the end of my life. — SHAMSIA SHAFIE
6,859 MILES
At Fort McCoy, a United States Army installation between Sparta and Tomah, Wisc., the students tried to get comfortable in their new surroundings. But even among nearly 13,000 other Afghan refugees, it was a far cry from home, and not just in distance (6,859 miles). In Monroe County, the total population is under 50,000, and less than 1 percent identify as Muslim. In Kabul, Afghanistan’s largest city, it’s just under 4.5 million and approximately 99 percent Muslim. As the weeks rolled by, a balmy August quickly turned into a biting-cold October. The women had the clothes they’d arrived in and a few secondhand pieces that had been donated to the base, but they lacked coats and closed-toe shoes. They tried to stay busy, teaching refugee children English, which they’d studied in school back home. Each day, some of the group would find out that they’d been offered a sponsorship at an American university, like Cornell, Arizona State or DePaul. Alizada had to say goodbye to her best friend, who went to Brown University. In Atlanta, Bunting, who directs Georgia State’s Intensive English Program, had heard about the students’ situation and got to work immediately, searching for any way to bring some of them to Georgia State. He realized that scholarships to Georgia State’s Intensive English Program could cover the cost of tuition for at least a few semesters of study for about six students. The students would be invited to take full course loads of intensive English for three terms, spring, summer and fall 2022, with tuition waived. Bunting made the arrangements. Then, he and the instructors within the IEP recorded and sent videos to the students announcing their scholarships and welcoming them to Georgia State. Elated, the women replied with their own videos expressing their gratitude and excitement. In the meantime, Bunting and Larsson kept networking with various Georgia State offices to secure more support. The Office of Student Accounts reached out with news they could provide meal plans for all six women and absorb any remaining fees, aside from the tuition already taken care of by the IEP, including on-campus housing through December 2022. University Dining Services added an offer to employ any of the students so they could earn their own money and, if they wished, send funds back home to their families. Scott Crossley, president of the Georgia State University Veteran Employees’ Alliance (GSUVETS) and a professor of applied linguistics and learning sciences, contacted Bunting
with more promising news. With significant support from the GSUVETS — a group that provides networking and career development opportunities for Georgia State employees who are veterans — he had started a GoFundMe fundraising page to help the AUW students with everyday expenses, like MARTA cards, clothing and groceries. The donations, many of which came from Vietnam veterans, began to add up, well past the initial goal of $1,500. “We can learn a lot from refugees about their lives and their experiences, and they can learn from us,” says Crossley. “That will help build a better social contract and a better world.”
THE ARRIVAL
In the first week of December, after three months at Fort McCoy, Shafie, Alizada and their four peers arrived in Atlanta. Although they could move into their on-campus suite — a three-bedroom unit in University Lofts — immediately, Bunting didn’t want them to be alone while the rest of the student body had gone home for winter break. That’s when he reached out to Dr. Hogai Nassery.
Dr. Hogai Nassery and her family were one of five host families in Decatur’s Winnona Park neighborhood to open their homes to the six Afghan students. PHOTO BY MEG BUSCEMA
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A native of Afghanistan who moved to the United States at age 5, Nassery recently co-founded the Afghan American Alliance of Georgia, which assists and advocates for Afghan refugees resettling in the state. Naturally, she felt a deep connection to the women. “As a group, I think Afghans around the world are in mourning,” she explains. “We’ve been given a taste of what could be, and now it’s gone.” Nassery had a brilliant idea. She’s part of a book club that includes several of her friends in Decatur’s Winnona Park neighborhood, and most of them are empty nesters. “Why not host the women at their homes for a few days before they made the move into the dorm?” she thought. Bunting loved it. Five families, including Nassery’s — who welcomed Shafie — opened their homes to the students. From there, over just eight days, bonds blossomed. Nassery’s mother prepared special dinners with homecooked Afghan dishes. Alizada’s host mother, Margaret, offered to give her driving lessons so she could pursue her license. Shafie and Alizada say they felt comfortable enough to share some of their feelings about what was happening back home. “They were so helpful and kind. I felt like I was at home with my mom,” Shafie says of Nassery and her family. She adds that she’s inspired by Nassery, who pursued her education in America after leaving Afghanistan and became a doctor. Their relationships are just as strong today, well past Dec. 19, when the women finally moved into University Lofts. When they did, they had a surprise awaiting them. University Housing had merchandised items left over from previous residents, like lamps, bedspreads and decorative knickknacks, to create a “dorm shop.” The students were invited to select any items, free of charge, to help make their suite feel personalized and cozy. It’s home at least until next December.
DOCTORS AND DIPLOMATS
The situation back in Afghanistan is ever-changing. As of late February, many universities reopened to women under gender-segregated terms. In the weeks that followed, the Afghan Ministry of Education announced that female students above grade six would be permitted to return to schools starting on March 23. But when the day arrived, the Taliban reversed their decision. As of early April, those schools remained closed. In Atlanta, Shafie, Alizada and their peers are wrapping up their first semester of intensive English studies at Georgia State. They’ve each been designated an academic counselor, and some of them have taken jobs in Patton Dining Hall. Between working five days a week and taking full course loads, Larsson says the women display an incredible work ethic. They understand that perseverance is the only way to reach their goals. “They want to be doctors and diplomats,” she notes. The students have more options for majors at Georgia State than at AUW. Alizada won’t pursue journalism and mass communication here because she feels it requires studying in your native language (Dari, for her). She talks instead about medicine and becoming a doctor, like her older brother. Shafie may major in
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As a group, I think Afghans around the world are in mourning. We’ve been given a taste of what could be, and now it’s gone. — DR. HOGAI NASSERY
medicine too, pointing out that there are no female doctors in her home province, but she’s also interested in computer science. They’re slowly and steadily finding their footing and confidence. They can even tell you places to study in peace in the University Library. But the toll is as emotional as it is mental and physical. They told Nassery they have trouble sleeping at night and that social media is their only way of knowing if their neighborhoods have been bombed. With all there is to worry about — the safety of their family and friends back home, the future of their country and the uncertainty of what they’ll do when January 2023 arrives — they’re also navigating college life and first jobs in a foreign place. The opportunity to earn a paycheck has eased some of the financial burden. The money raised through Crossley’s GoFundMe efforts, which totaled more than $8,000 and was divided evenly among the six women, has also helped. Bunting and Larsson have helped the students open their own American bank accounts, giving them agency to manage their own finances. Alizada is careful to express how grateful she is to be safe in Atlanta, for the opportunity to study at Georgia State and for all the support she’s received from people who didn’t even know her. But she’s gripped by grief for all she’s lost and for the separation from her family and friends, guilt that she was able to leave Afghanistan when others couldn’t and an intense longing for the life she had before Aug. 15, 2021. Alizada can connect with her family by phone a fair amount, but she worries constantly about their safety and well-being. Her parents and siblings live in fear, she says, and without access to work amid a crippled economy, they are barely scraping by. “I may seem to be smiling. I look happy,” Alizada says. “But my soul is in Afghanistan with my family, friends and peers.” Shafie’s parents and most of her brothers and sisters live in a small province in east-central Afghanistan, where access to the internet has been significantly hindered since August. She’s rarely able to speak to them and knows they’re struggling financially and emotionally. Her parents were never educated but deeply value it for their children and have worked hard to make it possible for them. That makes it even harder for Shafie to accept things. “I feel like I lost everything,” she says. “I’m young still, and yet I’ve lost my country, my lessons [at AUW] and my family.” With an understanding of the trauma they’ve endured and the loads they’re shouldering, Georgia State’s Counseling Center has organized individual and group counseling sessions for the women to join if they’re interested. Larsson and Bunting are looking for every opportunity to bring a little joy to the students’ lives while allowing them to share their culture. They meet regularly for group activities, like the lunch
Margareta Larsson, left, and Shegofa Alizada stroll through the campus greenway on the path to Library North. PHOTO BY STEVEN THACKSTON
at Ariana Kabob House, to talk about how things are going. The Winnona Park families have arranged weekend getaways for the women to the mountains and nearby lakes. Larsson recently organized a picnic for the women in Atlanta’s Freedom Park to celebrate Nowruz, the Afghan New Year (March 20). She even took on the several-day process of preparing Haft Mēwa, a traditional dried fruit salad and a staple of Nowruz, to make the occasion feel extra special and more like home. The Taliban banned any celebration or recognition of Nowruz in Afghanistan this year.
THE ROAD AHEAD
As the first of the students’ three IEP scholarship terms ends, Larsson and Bunting are exploring every avenue to lock down spots for them in undergraduate programs here at Georgia State. The AUW is in talks with the New University in Exile Consortium, a collection of universities and colleges committed to supporting scholars around the world whose academic opportunities have been threatened or taken away. Kamal Ahmad, founder of the AUW, plans to visit Georgia State in the coming months to meet with President M. Brian Blake. But finding funding is only half the battle. Shafie, Alizada and their peers will also have to secure legal permission to remain in the United States. The Humanitarian Parolee permission under which they’ve been able to reside here will expire. Larsson says the women are each applying for asylum status, but the application process is tedious and strict. Fortunately, Ahmad and AUW have
arranged pro-bono legal counsel for the six students. In addition, while she and her team are not providing legal representation for the women, Emily Torstveit Ngara, assistant clinical professor and director of the Immigration Clinic in Georgia State’s College of Law, and her clinic students have offered to compile what she calls “country conditions evidence” to help them each make their cases for asylum. That evidence will include a breakdown of the current situation in Afghanistan and the dangers facing similarly situated women there. Bunting and Larsson are committed to seeing these students through it all. They believe Georgia State and Atlanta will gain as much from this experience as Alizada, Shafie and the other four. “One of the things I’ve learned from our students is they are not self-centered; they’re sort of other-centered,” says Bunting. “They have, I think, a deep conviction that, even though things have been very, very hard for them, they want to do good things in the world.” As they find their way in a new home away from home and make their own contributions to Atlanta, the women keep Afghanistan close to their hearts. “I wish for lasting peace and security in my country, and that none of my compatriots like us should experience the pain of emigration and leaving their homeland,” Shafie says.
If you’d like to help students like Shegofa and Shamsia and support the work of Georgia State’s Intensive English Program, you can make a tax-deductible gift at giving.gsu.edu/ie.
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PHOTO FINISH Can you ID the scenes in our photo quiz? Check out the answers and see how well you know Georgia State’s campuses.
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THE GREENWAY
Downtown Atlanta is synonymous with skyscrapers. But Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus is no concrete jungle. Our new, lush greenway brings a breath of fresh air — and fresh greenery — to our urban campus.
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THE VAULT AT AYSPS 1
STUDENT CENTER WEST ON COURTLAND STREET
Student Center West was built in 1964 and dedicated in 1965 as the J.C. Camp Student Center. Now home to the student-run movie theater, Cinefest, and newspaper, The Signal, its first two floors were once used as a parking deck.
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Think you’ve stumbled upon the safe at JPMorgan Chase? Wrong. But the Research Vault in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies does protect important literature and data sets on world fiscal policy and economic issues.
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FAIRLIE-POPLAR DISTRICT
A hallmark of Georgia State’s downtown campus, the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District, which dates back to the 19th century and is on the National Register of Historic Places, is filled with restaurants and entertainment.
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ROBINSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS LOBBY
Think you’ve stepped inside a fancy hotel? Think again. This ornate lobby is the entrance to the Robinson College of Business’ 35 Broad Street building, where the dean’s and other academic offices are found.
PHOTOS BY MEG BUSCEMA AND STEVEN THACKSTON
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PHOTO FINISH
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THE ARCHWAY
Designed by Georgia State students in 1995, the arch entitled “No Goal Is Too High if We Climb With Care and Confidence” was commissioned by Chick-fil-A to commemorate the milestone of $10 million distributed by its scholarship program.
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SPARKS HALL
Built in 1955 as part of what was then called the Atlanta Division of the University of Georgia, Sparks Hall is likely among your first stops at Georgia State. It’s where you’ll find the offices of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid as well as classroom space.
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BAPTIST COLLEGIATE MINISTRIES
A center for Baptist students attending Georgia State since 1970, did you know the eclectic building at Edgewood Avenue and Courtland Street was the home of the first Coca-Cola bottler in Georgia? The Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Co. opened there in 1900.
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THE CLARKSTON PENCIL 8
COCA-COLA SIGN AT FIVE POINTS Atop the Olympia Building in downtown’s Five Points district, the iconic electric Coca-Cola sign was unveiled in 2003. In 2019, the company announced it was refurbishing the 33-foot disc, replacing its neon bulbs with LEDs.
Appearing to rest against the side of a hole in the roof of the library on the Perimeter College Clarkston Campus, the 85-foot tilted “pencil” column is an integral piece of the building’s architecture.
PHOTOS BY MEG BUSCEMA AND STEVEN THACKSTON
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FROM THE CRUCIVERBALIST
RIDING THE RAILS By Samuel A. Donaldson ACROSS 1. She has a holiday in May 4. When Claudius I was born (2 wds., abbr.) 9. Red Sox, on scoreboards (abbr.) 12. “When They See Us” director DuVernay 13. Times New Roman alternative 14. Insect known for its work ethic 15. *Old CBS show also known as “Calling Dr. Gannon” (2 wds.) 18. “There ___ stupid questions” (2 wds.) 19. Juliet’s cry from the balcony (2 wds.) 20. Indian titles of respect 21. *Actress Tallulah 23. *Place to catch a flight 25. Memo opener (2 wds.) 26. Beer ordered by its initials (abbr.) 27. Cyclist’s headgear 30. Cease and ___ 32. Cali neighborhood with the Latino Walk of Fame (2 wds., abbr.) 36. Margarita option (2 wds.) 38. Layer of eggs 39. Lengthy account 42. *London’s theatre district (2 wds.) 44. *Chicago neighborhood where Dad’s Root Beer was established 47. “Would ___ to you?” (2 wds.) 48. Some soda bottles 49. One going downhill fast? 50. What the answers to the starred clues are, as many in the GSU community can tell you (2 wds.) 53. Had lunch 54. Portland’s home 55. Sgt. or cpl., e.g. (abbr.) 56. Homer’s neighbor 57. Cries from the congregation 58. Roget’s entry (abbr.) DOWN 1. The Shirelles classic that name-checks 1-Across (2 wds.) 2. Like a black banana (hyph.)
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 16. 17.
Some dessert wines ___ Bell Historic period Zero, in soccer Griddle sizzler Publix scanner Robert Pattinson, Ben Affleck and Christian Bale? Like most Bluetooth headsets (hyph.) Walked confidently Police rank (abbr.) Part of a perfect game (2 wds.)
21. Author Harte and wrestler Hart 22. Home to GSU’s main campus (abbr.) 24. Very, very (2 wds.) 28. Chaotic brawl 29. Has lunch 31. How some butterflies are caught (3 wds.) 33. Detroit’s football team (2 wds.) 34. Mercy from a judge 35. “Black-ish” star Anthony 37. Punching tool
A professor at the College of Law who creates crosswords on the side, Samuel A. Donaldson has published more than 120 puzzles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and more. Donaldson contributes a crossword to each issue of Georgia State University Magazine. Check your answers at magazine.gsu.edu.
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39. Author Rushdie 40. Pilot a plane 41. Showed shame, maybe (2 wds.) 43. Torch type 45. Serious play 46. Indian region famous for silk and tea 49. Holy women of France (abbr.) 51. Trite Father’s Day gift 52. Taylor of fashion
The Panther Retention Grant program provides micro grants to cover students’ modest financial shortfalls. To date, we’ve provided grants to more than 14,000 students, 70 percent of whom have remained enrolled or gone on to graduate. For many recipients, just a couple hundred dollars was all they needed to stay in school. A college degree can be life-changing and improve the economic trajectory of families for generations.
HELP A PANTHER GRADUATE. FUND A PANTHER RETENTION GRANT. giving.gsu.edu/prg
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