ǧÃŬAV students win national "Pledge Against Plastic Straws"
Article By: Staff
University of North Georgia's (ǧÃŬAV) Dahlonega Campus placed first in the "Pledge Against Plastic Straws" national competition, conducted by Simply Straws.
About 550 ǧÃŬAV students agreed to not use one-time-use plastic straws in April.
Dr. Jessica "Jess" Hartel, a lecturer of biology at ǧÃŬAV, identified this action as a way for students to make a small, daily step to impact the world's environment.
"It was a way for students to get involved and active," she said. "And we competed with schools like UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)."
Students who pledged received an $8 coupon off a reusable glass straw from Simply Straws. One such student was Emily Bottoms, a freshman majoring in criminal justice from Dawsonville, Georgia. She said she watched a video about a sea turtle injured by a plastic straw that made her rethink her usage.
"I've always grown up using plastic straws and didn't know how big an impact they had on the environment," she said. "They can really hurt animals."
Bottoms signed the Pledge Against Plastic Straws and enlisted others to do the same. The Sustainability Club and Scuba Club also made significant strides on campus to help ǧÃŬAV win the competition, said Dr. Justin Ellis, director of the Environmental Leadership Center.
Grads prepare for their next steps
ǧÃŬAV will award almost 1,000 degrees and certificates this fall, and more than 600 graduates are scheduled to take part in the Dec. 7 commencement ceremonies.
24 are Distinguished Military Graduates
Twenty-four cadets have been named Distinguished Military Graduates for the 2024-25 academic year, including five who are in the top 70 out of more than 5,000 in the national ROTC class.
Blue Ridge students earn scholarships
ǧÃŬAV honored 28 of its Blue Ridge Campus students with almost $15,000 of scholarships and celebrated the philanthropy that made those scholarships possible at the Tomato Sandwich Supper on Nov. 7.
Chemistry student groups earn grant
ǧÃŬAV's Dahlonega and Gainesville chapters of the American Chemical Society received a $1,000 ACS Student Communities Engagement Grant.