by Amber Roldan, Georgia Recorder
August 18, 2025

Canceled pride graduation celebrations. Eliminated resource centers for LGBTQ students. Tighter rules for using a preferred name on class rosters and student IDs. These are some of the casualties on Georgia college campuses as a national push to erase DEI initiatives and programs takes hold.

University System of Georgia schools across the state have adopted a variety of changes in response to a flurry of federal orders from the Trump administration. Republican state lawmakers have also pursued a ban on DEI programs and policies in Georgia’s public schools and universities. 

Georgia Southern was one of the first universities in the state to roll back DEI initiatives according to Chanel Haley, deputy director with Georgia Equality, which advocates on behalf of LGBTQ Georgians. Concerned students reached out to Haley after the school cancelled graduation ceremonies that previously celebrated the achievements of LGBTQ+ students.

“I think that people need to realize it’s harm for everybody, not just LGBTQ students,” Haley said about DEI rollbacks.

In Atlanta, Georgia Tech dissolved their LGBTQIA+ Resource Center, Women’s Resource Center and Black Culture, Innovation and Technology team and moved them under the university’s Arts, Belonging and Community Department.

“Every university had a DEI office, and now we don’t, that’s a 180 degree turn,” said Matthew Boedy, who is president of the Georgia chapter of the American Association of University Professors. 

‘A place they can go’ 

With a student population over 45,000, Kennesaw State University is one of the larger public universities in the metro Atlanta area. Located towards the north end of Cobb County, KSU’s wider community has earned a progressive reputation in recent years. New policies at KSU have inspired a wave of opposition on and off campus as the community continues to express disappointment. 

Some of the changes have affected programs and policies that once benefited LGBTQ+ students. 

Ames West, a KSU senior, grew up in an evangelical household where being a part of the LGBTQ+ community was considered a “grave sin.” At KSU, West became a familiar face at the LGBTQ+ resource center and befriended numerous peers who shared similar stories. 

Last spring, KSU internally announced that the center would no longer cater specifically to LGBTQ+ students and would be rebranded as a part of a new Department of Student Engagement and Support. 

“This shift includes reorganizing various student programs into targeted support hubs focused on key areas like career readiness, academic success, mentorship, and well-being. KSU remains committed to student success, transparency throughout the transition, and full compliance with federal, state, and University System of Georgia guidelines,” KSU’s assistant vice president of communications, Tammy DeMel, said.

As someone who visited the resource center up to three times a week, West worried about friends and students who would no longer have a place to be themselves. Fueled by fear, West helped mobilize the Kennesaw Pride Alliance, a support network for LGBTQ+ KSU students, to look for solutions.

“I just couldn’t sit back and do nothing,” West said.

“We don’t care how much it costs, we don’t care how much it takes, we’re going to make sure our community on campus has a place they can go that has the support they need so that they do not feel left alone or like no one’s there to help them,” West added.

After spending the better part of their summer searching for a LGBTQ+ friendly space on campus, the alliance opened the doors to their new Kennesaw Pride Center in late July.

The new location is on the top floor of Kennesaw’s First United Lutheran Church, and the alliance hopes the student-run community hub and pride center becomes an inclusive spot for KSU’s LGBTQ+ community. 

Decorated with colorful flags, posters and an assortment of thrifted furniture, the center is ready to welcome students back to campus this fall. While the center will serve as a refuge to visitors in between classes, the alliance also plans to use the space to host social events including their annual pride gala.

Preferred name changes

Evelyn Priddy, a transgender sophomore studying computer engineering, expects to be directly affected by a new preferred name policy at KSU.

The change stems from a University System of Georgia policy. According to the USG Business Procedures Manual, the policy aims “to respect individuals’ preferred names while providing consistent identity management standards and reducing the risk of fraud by impersonation.”

USG notified institution presidents of the change last November and policy enforcement began July 1. Critics worry that the change has the potential of outing transgender students who no longer use their government-recognized names. 

Some transgender people refer to the names they were assigned at birth as “dead names.” For many, being referred to by a dead name can be hurtful or bring back painful memories. 

In previous years, KSU students hoping to go by a different name could submit a request to use a preferred name. Once approved, this name replaced the legal name associated with student registration. While official transcripts and degrees would still use the legal name, the policy allowed preferred names to display on student IDs and class rosters. 

Policy enforcement will now require a student’s preferred name to be placed in parentheses next to their legal name on all identifying documents.

“My legal name is going to be on every roster because I can’t file the forms to change it fast,” Priddy said. “I mean at this point I’m just gonna have to explain it. I hope I’ll be okay, but also, you could see how that could be a bit of a safety risk.”

For transgender students like Priddy who were given a name at birth that they no longer identify with, pursuing a legal name change is one of the only options. 

A legal name change process in Georgia is often a time-consuming ordeal. From paperwork to notary requirements and legal publishing policies, a name change can take weeks and become a costly feat. In Cobb County, notices must be published in the county’s local newspaper to notify community members that a petition to change a legal name has been filed. These notices must be published once every four weeks to meet the legal requirement.

In an effort to assist students directly affected by the new policy, The Southern Legal Center for Youth partnered with student organizations to host a virtual name change clinic to help students seeking a legal name change start the process.

Liz Harding Chao, the center’s founder and president created the organization after noticing a lack of local legal representation for youth in the South. As a LGBTQ+-led organization, the group noticed an increased need for legal assistance with name changes and offered support to KSU students. 

“For a lot of trans and gender-expansive folks, their dead name has a lot of baggage associated with it. It’s from a time that they often rather not remember or think about it,” Harding Chao said. 

Clinic clients represent themselves but law students and attorneys from the center help clients fill out the appropriate paperwork. The center also helps interested applicants fill out a poverty affidavit to combat any financial barriers.

Last week, KSU’s virtual clinic served seven students and accumulated a wait list with an additional 10. While the clinic helped students start the process of officially registering their preferred name, the legal change will not be completed before the first day of classes.  

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.

The post LGBTQ-friendly resources, policies recede on Georgia’s college campuses as DEI rollbacks continue appeared first on georgiarecorder.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content highlights the impacts of conservative policies on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, particularly those affecting LGBTQ+ students in Georgia’s public universities. It presents the rollback of such programs negatively, emphasizing the harm and challenges faced by marginalized communities, while also showcasing efforts to support these groups. The language and perspective lean toward progressive values that advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and maintaining DEI initiatives, reflecting a center-left political viewpoint.

SUMMARY: Goodwill of Middle Georgia and CSRA is celebrating National Thrift Shop Day with a Thrift Week Passport Challenge through August 24th. Shoppers can visit various Goodwill stores, collect stickers, and enter to win a $100 gift card. Haley Wesley, Goodwill’s Associate VP of Marketing, highlights how thrifting supports community workforce development and keeps over 14 million pounds of goods out of landfills annually. Donating clothes and household items gives them a second life and offers shoppers unique treasures. Wesley hopes participants enjoy the fun and nostalgia of thrifting while supporting environmental and local job initiatives.

Read the full article

The post Goodwill promotes thrifting with Thrift Week Passport Challenge appeared first on www.wjbf.com

SUMMARY: Just over a week after Dekalb County Police Officer David Rose was killed responding to an active shooter at the CDC, the Atlanta Police Foundation and Atlanta Track Club dedicated their annual Five K to support his family. Officer Rose leaves behind a wife, two children, and a third on the way. Registration proceeds from the event, which usually fund Crime Stoppers, were redirected to his family, raising over $40,000. Hundreds of runners and police officers participated to honor his sacrifice. Memorials continue to grow as the community unites to support and remember Officer Rose’s heroism and family.

The Atlanta Track Club raised more than $40,000 for Officer David Rose’s family. Officer Rose was killed in the line of duty while responding to an active shooter outside the CDC on August 8th. He leaves behind a wife and two children, with another child on the way.

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