With COVID-19 policies continually changing all industries in all areas of life, there’s been some rules that people have found do more harm than good. 

For example, Piedmont College has implemented a rule that there must be masks worn in the gym, the cardio area and pickup basketball. Some say this is a necessary measure due to the idea that the space is too small to be able to social distance. That space might be a little too small to get precisely 6 feet of distance. There are other ways to be able to distance yourself from other people while lifting. 

These policies can cause harm to my body more than the virus does. Having to train with a mask on is like altitude training. The lack of oxygen going to the lungs causes one to train and perform better at high altitudes due to the lack of oxygen. The first disadvantage of altitude training, ironically enough, is that it affects immunity. “One of the drawbacks of training in high altitudes is a person’s immunity to diseases. With a weakened immune system, an athlete can be susceptible to pathogens that can lead to ailments.”[DJ1]  The thing that is supposed to be keeping the gym users safe is the one thing that is exposing them to pathogens. 

On top of that, the inhalation of one’s carbon dioxide is hazardous and can cause one to hyperventilate and pass out when doing intense training. A professor of pulmonary medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine states that “it can impair venue as returning to the chest and heart reducing left ventricle output possibly causing syncope or passing out.” [DJ2] 

Forcing students to wear the mask due to the fear of disease is understandable. Still, in making students wear a mask while doing these physical activities, you put their lives at risk. 

 [DJ1]

 [DJ2]

Writer  Julian Hazen

Contact  Joe Dennis 

Telephone 706-778-8500

Cell 706-296-3832

Email jdennis@piedmont.edu For Release Time

Website http://www.joedennis.com October 15th, 2020

Global Handwashing Day

Piedmont College to bring awareness to hand washing on Oct. 15

Demorest, Georgia, Sept. 20, 2020 — With a global pandemic threatening everyone’s well-being, Dr. Julia Schmitz and Piedmont College are hoping to spread awareness about the importance of handwashing.

“Y’all are going to think differently about washing your hands, that’s my goal,” said Dr. Julia Schmitz, associate professor of biology at Piedmont College.

With COVID-19 running rapidly through the world for the last couple of months, a small holiday like Global Handwashing Day has brought a new seriousness with it. People usually wash their hands every once in a while when they remember, but unfortunately, that’s not enough to stop the spread of coronavirus. With even more dangerous diseases out there spreading by the minute, something like washing your hands is not as trivial as it used to be. Piedmont College will be celebrating Global Handwashing Day on Thursday, Oct. 15 to bring awareness to the importance of handwashing. 

It is not only about how, when washes their hands, it is also about how often. The consistency and frequency play large roles in how effective washing your hands can be. 

“I tried to wash my hands every time I use the restroom before eating and after touching public surfaces,” said Doctor Joe Dennis, assistant mass communications professor at Piedmont College.

Through an on-site event, handwashing day is not only going to teach people how often and how to wash their hands properly; it’s also going to teach them the importance of this in different workspaces. Schmidt is also using her microbiology class helps conduct experiments to show how improperly washing your hands can leave you at risk from multiple different germs. This event will be able to provide students with plenty of educational material to be able to understand and change how they have been conducting their handwashing so far.   

For more information on how to properly conduct handwashing, please come out to the global handwashing day event on October 15th at Piedmont College if you are a resident or staff. For more information about Global Handwashing Day, visit https://globalhandwashing.org/global-handwashing-day/.

About Piedmont College One of the most dynamic small colleges in the Southeast, Piedmont, is an independent liberal arts college of more than 2,260 students. The college’s four schools—Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, and Nursing & Health Sciences—develop tomorrow’s leaders by engaging students in the classroom, in their community, and around the world. Founded in 1897, Piedmont offers bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, and doctoral degree programs at its Demorest residential campus in the foothills of the northeast Georgia mountains and at its Athens campus in the heart of Georgia’s Classic City. Information can be found at http://www.piedmont.edu.

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Abigail Cox, a mass communication major, is striving to change the very essence of how mental illness is displayed on social media. Her presentation, “Beautiful Suffering Turned to Dark Dismay: Glorification of Mental Illness on Social Media,” was presented at Piedmont College’s 2020 Symposium and shines a light on an issue that people deal with every day. 

“Many college students suffer from a mental illness, whether their family and friends are aware of it or not, and social media can be an outlet where they can express what they are feeling,” she said.

Her research shows that people who do not suffer from these mental illnesses often use the illness for attention. Not only do people with mental illnesses tolerate direct harassment from the people online, but they suffer a belittlement of the sickness that they do have. 

Dr. Melissa Tingle, mass communications professor and adviser for Cox’s research project, said that she has seen social media used on both ends of the spectrum. “Sometimes, they are constructively written and helpful to others, and some smack of false humility and pity that feels like the individual is seeking attention,” Tingle said. 

Cox has spent eight weeks working intensively on this project to make sure that she has done her duty to present the correct message. She decided to do this topic because she wants “to inspire positivity online, as well as spreading awareness of the harmful effects of glorifying mental illness to seem ‘relatable.'” 

An example given in her presentation is someone saying that “they are completely depressed because they can’t go to a party.” This is what she defines as “beautiful suffering” — the way that people on social use terms affiliated with mental disorders as a way to describe a disappointment or a certain mood.

Cox said she applied concepts from her mass communication theory and research class in her project. Her goal is to show that people with legitimate illnesses are being belittled, emphasizing  that their mental health disorder is just a personality trait, and not as dangerous as it is. She also hopes that people will change the way people they use social media. 

Cox said that people can begin to express how they legitimately feel without using somebody else’s mental illness to benefit themselves. They can express their sadness without belittling a mental illness. 

“I would love to erase the stigma of mental illness around the globe,” she said. “Every individual on Earth has their difficulties that they face every day, and for a lot of people, including myself, that includes anxiety and depression.” 

Percival graduated for Troy University’s broadcast journalism program and minored in sports information. While at Troy, she worked in their sports information  department and built up her network. As a result of the contacts she built up at Troy, when ESPN was looking for someone to report some of the Sunbelt conferences games , Percival’s name came to the front of the conversations. At the young age of 22, Danielle Percival was on ESPN, which for most people in the sports broadcasting industry, is a dream.  “It was always a dream of mine to work ESPN so being able to accomplish that was monumental for me.”

Being such a young female in the field did not set up Percival for an easy path into the industry. Sports media is dominated by male voices, and Percival needed to breakthrough. “Realize that everyone was where you were at some point” says Percival. She says this when asked how she dealt with the difficulty of being a young woman in her industry.

Percival came to Piedmont in 2013 to head up the college’s sports communications department. She has a solid team of Chuck Tidmore and Joseph Garwood and several student workers to help her out. “it takes a special person to be able to work for a young female and also something very important to be in the hiring process” Percival says the key to success is remaining confident in your abilities. “Be confident in who you are. Authenticity is something people connect with.”   

Hello fellow Homosapien, you have found yourself reading my autobiography. Why are you here? Well, most likely, you are in Joe’s class, but if you are not CONGRATULATIONS! You have achieved a state of being able to do absolutely nothing with your life. Well, now that you have been humbled, I can now dive into the dark secrets of my life. Just kidding, we don’t have time for that, but let us begin.
Once upon a time in the realm of Libertyville, Illinois, a woman was giving birth. On December 16, 2001, Julian Hazen was born. That is the start of my life as you can tell there was nothing stated about a father in this story, and just like him, the explanation will be unfound. I was a fun, energetic child, yet I had some trouble paying attention in school. Which my mom, the former marine for 11 years, sorted out reasonably quickly. Growing up, the son of a nutritionist was not a sad life as I would say it was more of a green life were most kids had cool name-brand cereal I was eating raisin brand like I was 80 years old.
The middle of my life was a lot, and I mean a lot of me figuring out who I was. The kids at my school told me who I was, and I wanted to find out what was the more profound meaning of “You’re annoying.” So I did; basically, I found out I talked too much, which growing up, a lot of people use to say it was a disadvantage, which my mom then told me she was the same way. Of course, since she was explaining that we both talk too much, she was going on and on, but she did encourage me to use it to my strength.
Now that takes us here; I am a Mass Communications major and collegiate track star writing an autobiography about my life. Throughout life, there will be times where you ask your self, “Why am I here?” and “How did I get here? “. And in college, this is the perfect time to find that out. I am here cause I want to change the world. So now I ask you, why are you here?

Another year has been added on to my life, and I am here to continue my adventure of finding out “Why am I here?”. This summer was extremely different between Covid-19 and Black Lives Matters, and for me personally living in my own space for the first time. Currently, there is no solution to any of these dilemmas even though it is no longer summer. As of now I am an RA in my college dorm, which basically means I am a big brother to all my fellow peers. It is a fun yet labor intensive job. I love it, but enough of that, now to the reason why I wrote this passage “Why am I here?”. The answer is… nobody knows. I am here to enlighten my self in the ways to best communicate with the masses, but “what masses? Who will be in the audience when I am speaking? Will I be successful?” These are questions that no one but God can answer. What I can tell you that I learned is the fact that one has to stop worrying the small details. Life is short and can be taken at any time. Unfortunately, that is the truth and when seeing a worldwide pandemic ensue and you have no idea whether or not you are the next one to die you begin to question whether or not anyone will remember you if you were to die. “Did you impact anyones life?” “Were you significant in anyway?” If you answered no to both of these questions, this is your sign. Put the screen down and change lives. Cause I can say with all my heart that is why I am here.