Aysia Berry found direction and purpose at ����Vlog. Her journey was not an easy one. But her love of dance not only kept her on track but also fueled her determination to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology this December.

“My heart, my life, my everything has been the Latin Rhythm Dance Group,” said Berry. “This organization allowed me to express myself and find a moment of relief in the battle of undergraduate life.”

Her battle started when she kicked off her college journey in the fall of 2019. Months later the pandemic upended her life like so many others. She had to return home and complete classes online while working full-time.

“It was a tough period, and I failed most of my classes, taking a massive hit to my GPA,” she said. “By 2021, I was seriously considering dropping out and returning to school at a later time.”

Coming from a household with two cultures, her parents always encouraged her to go to college. Her father is Jamaican, and her mother has Jamaican-Cuban heritage.

“There was so much hope and expectation placed on me and sending me off to college was a production,” said Berry who identifies as Afro-Latina. Back on campus, she felt lost, alone and overwhelmed, which affected her mental health.

“Because my family has a different background, going to college was a completely new experience for us,” she explained. “I made many mistakes because I had no idea what I was doing. The most significant difficulty I faced was enrolling in college without having someone who had been through it before to guide me and answer my questions.”

Berry acknowledged she struggled with self-doubt and experienced moderate to severe episodes of anxiety and depressive attacks. She had additional problems when she changed her major from engineering to sociology. Eventually, she turned to staff in the Counseling Center, the Recreation Activity Center, the Office of  Career and Professional Development, and faculty in the for help and support. She noted the toll on her mental health “was the greatest hurdle I faced, and I spiraled until I sought aid from faculty members I consider gems. The professors in my major showed me another level of compassion that I was not used to.”

She also embraced dance — something she had enjoyed throughout her childhood. Competitions and leadership roles in the Latin Rhythm Dance Group helped her find her footing. She served as the troupe’s secretary for one year and president for three years.

“It also gifted me with my fiancé, so I am extremely grateful for the time I spent in this organization,” the daughter of immigrants said. Her favorite Georgia Southern memories revolve around the dance troupe, which include the first time they performed at the Doo-Dah Dance and Step Show, and when they won competitions in South Carolina. Joining the Caribbean Student Association also provided her with a safe and supportive environment, allowing her to connect with her Jamaican identity and interact with students who shared similar backgrounds.

“My life completely changed,” Berry remarked. “I became someone I did not even recognize, giving speeches, leading programs and events, and instructing groups as large as 50 people. We hosted two large-scale campus events and celebrated Hispanic/Latinx heritage at every event we could.”

After getting help, Berry could concentrate on her educational goals and enjoy her courses in sociology.

“The ability to study how society functions and develops fascinated me from an early age,” she said. “National Public Radio has been my morning listening routine since I began middle school. I enjoy learning how human society functions. This major has challenged my thoughts and opened my mind.”

As she approached graduation, Berry reflected on what she described as four years of “accomplishments, challenges and straight-up battles.”

“Georgia Southern and my experiences here have transformed me into a woman who is more confident, brave and willing to take risks to better my future,” she said. “I never used to dream and try to achieve them. But in coming to Georgia Southern, I found the resources, support and ability to conquer any challenges or new experiences that come my way.”

Berry acknowledged she will miss the relationships she cultivated at Georgia Southern but she feels ready to leave.

“For me, the commencement ceremony represents an outward expression of celebrating an interesting journey — the highs and lows — but still meeting the goal I have had since I was a kid,” she commented. 

As for her next step, Berry will be leaving Statesboro to start a job working with the deputy city manager of planning for Columbus, Georgia, Consolidated Government.

Through , Jorge and his fellow students were able to explore multiple historic sites in search of artifacts. 

Finding his first artifact at an old battle field will be a moment Jorge never forgets.

“My heart was pounding,” he recalled. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness. This is crazy. This is something. I’ve made it.’”

Unlike many other students in the program, Jorge then takes that excitement home to a young family. On top of pursuing a four-year undergraduate degree, Jorge has been raising three kids as a single father.

While studying at Georgia Southern, his professors even made his children feel like they were part of Eagle Nation.

“I’ve brought my kids to campus a couple times,” he said. “The professors are very welcoming and let them look around. It’s definitely fostered an interest in them and potentially growing up and doing this kind of work.”

Just a month before walking across the stage as a Georgia Southern alumnus, Jorge learned he would be staying in Statesboro for a few more years. He earned a position in the .

From a high school dropout to being the star of his children’s career day, Jorge is uncovering his own path; a path he could’ve never imagined just a few years ago.

����Vlog Associate Professor of Sociology Ned Rinalducci, Ph.D., has been named Sociologist of the Year by the Georgia Sociological Association (GSA). This lifetime achievement award recognizes an outstanding sociologist who has made a significant impact in the field of sociology in the state of Georgia.��

Rinalducci said he is honored and humbled to be recognized by his colleagues from around the state of Georgia. 

“It is a great feeling to know that my peers appreciate the work that I do in the state, in my community, at my university and for my discipline,” he said.

While he acknowledges the honor of the lifetime achievement award, he added he’s not done making contributions.

“I’ve always felt that it is my mission as a sociologist to use my knowledge, skills and expertise towards the goal of increasing community and civic engagement, and to strengthen the communities I am part of, be they academic or civic,” Rinalducci explained. “Whether I am working with organizations and government entities, organizing and coordinating political candidate forums or serving as a media expert, the goal is to increase civic engagement and increase issue knowledge and understanding.”

Rinalducci served as president of GSA in 2004 and 2013, and received the GSA Meritorious Service Award in 2008.

“Dr. Rinalducci has been a valuable member of the sociology community in Georgia and has exhibited a great commitment to the Association as well as to the discipline,” the GSA Board expressed in a statement. “We appreciate all of your hard work over the years.”

The ����Vlog Department of Sociology and Anthropology is partnering with the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center (WHHRC) in Portal, Georgia, to help families in Bulloch County get access to technology and the internet., Participants who need to access the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic will check out and use equipment at an outdoor facility with tables, electricity and fans.

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Heidi Altman, Ph.D., said student volunteers will assist with checking laptops in and out, greeting families and facility users, and assisting users with signing in to the Wi-Fi, among other responsibilities.

“Families in Bulloch County have the choice of face-to-face or virtual school, but that choice is not a real choice for families who do not have access to the internet,” Altman said. “If the family is living in the digital divide, they may not have adequate access to the internet at the speeds needed to participate in virtual learning. If families have to share a device, especially if that device is a smartphone or tablet, their access is further limited.”

WHHRC’s initiative to expand internet access and technology is being funded by a $109,420 CARES Act grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The grant requires documentation of user data in order to make sure the program is sustainable.  

“Our anthropology students will collect the anonymous user data, compile and analyze it and provide a report back to the WHHRC board for inclusion in the grant reporting,” Altman said. “In addition to providing necessary data for the grant, this is an opportunity for our students to gain hands-on experience working with actual data from an applied anthropology project.”

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology has worked with WHHRC before helping digitize archives, taking inventory of collections and volunteering at events. Altman said she’s happy to continue the partnership with the important task of getting underserved people the technology they need.

“Without adequate internet access, it is hard for adults to seek employment, to conduct banking business or to stay up to date with information about their children’s school,” she said. “In an era where the internet has come to be seen as a necessary element of life, many of our neighbors are being left out.”

For more information or to volunteer, email Altman at haltman@georgiasouthern.edu.

The ����Vlog Department of Sociology and Anthropology is partnering with the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center (WHHRC) in Portal, Georgia, to help families in Bulloch County get access to technology and the internet., Participants who need to access the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic will check out and use equipment at an outdoor facility with tables, electricity and fans.

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Heidi Altman, Ph.D., said student volunteers will assist with checking laptops in and out, greeting families and facility users, and assisting users with signing in to the Wi-Fi, among other responsibilities.

“Families in Bulloch County have the choice of face-to-face or virtual school, but that choice is not a real choice for families who do not have access to the internet,” Altman said. “If the family is living in the digital divide, they may not have adequate access to the internet at the speeds needed to participate in virtual learning. If families have to share a device, especially if that device is a smartphone or tablet, their access is further limited.”

WHHRC’s initiative to expand internet access and technology is being funded by a $109,420 CARES Act grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The grant requires documentation of user data in order to make sure the program is sustainable.  

“Our anthropology students will collect the anonymous user data, compile and analyze it and provide a report back to the WHHRC board for inclusion in the grant reporting,” Altman said. “In addition to providing necessary data for the grant, this is an opportunity for our students to gain hands-on experience working with actual data from an applied anthropology project.”

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology has worked with WHHRC before helping digitize archives, taking inventory of collections and volunteering at events. Altman said she’s happy to continue the partnership with the important task of getting underserved people the technology they need.

“Without adequate internet access, it is hard for adults to seek employment, to conduct banking business or to stay up to date with information about their children’s school,” she said. “In an era where the internet has come to be seen as a necessary element of life, many of our neighbors are being left out.”

For more information or to volunteer, email Altman at haltman@georgiasouthern.edu.

Few Civil War battlefield sites relating to Gen. William T. Sherman’s march through Georgia have been investigated archaeologically or preserved, but ����Vlog anthropology professor Ryan McNutt, Ph.D., is hoping to change that by leading a project that will uncover and preserve two skirmish sites in Jenkins and Burke counties. 

McNutt said the project, which is funded through the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program’s Battlefield Planning Grant, will benefit the students working on the project, tourism in Jenkins and Burke counties, and it will solidify the history of the Civil War in Southeastern Georgia.

“The project will result in a documented inventory of both historic conflict sites, information and data for heritage managers at the state and local level, and the presentation of aspects related to the underrepresented story of Sherman’s War in rural Southeastern Georgia,” McNutt said. “This will aid in preserving the past buried beneath the soil and potentially aid in drawing heritage tourism to Jenkins and Burke counties by raising the profile of both battlefields within the state and region.”

McNutt said graduate and undergraduate students will gain unique experience through the different aspects of the project.

“A graduate assistant will be hired and involved from the start to help analyze data and identify targets, assist in site reconnaissance and visual ground checks of targets, and work as supervisor during the field school,” McNutt said. “On the undergraduate side, training in archaeological field techniques will be received through field schools focused on the data identified, training and educating our students on how and why archaeology is important, the power of preserving history, and creating the next generation of citizen scientists.”

McNutt and his students will investigate the sites using laser imaging, detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology and traditional shovel and trowel archaeology to reconstruct the 1864 conflict landscape and investigate two battlefields. LiDAR works on similar principles to sonar; a LiDAR package in a drone is flown over the target area, and multiple laser bursts are pointed at the ground surface. LiDAR can then generate a bare-earth model that can show any undulation in the landscape bigger than about 50 centimeters, such as old road systems, house foundations and bridges.

McNutt said LiDAR will allow the team to identify Lawton Station, a lost rail depot where one of the skirmishes happened, as well as potential bridges over Buckhead Creek, which were the focus of two of the battles. He said LiDAR could help show forgotten transportation routes, historic structures and environments not used in battle, and field fortifications associated with both conflicts that happened in the area. 

“We can then use a GPS to locate these anomalies exactly in the field to basically go right to them,” he said.

The grant will pay for the ability to secure the LiDAR data, as well as scholarships for graduate and undergraduate students for 2021 field schools. The scholarship funds will help students who might not otherwise be financially able to partake in field training and archaeological excavation, including students who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economically, Jenkins and Burke counties currently rely a lot on Civil War-related tourism, but it’s mostly related to Camp Lawton, a military prison in Burke County that past Georgia Southern faculty and students helped discover and preserve. McNutt said the project aims to tie documents to local topography and to movement, deployment and action within the battlescape. Tourism related to the Battle of Buckhead Creek and the Battle of Waynesboro, which took place in Jenkins and Burke counties respectively, is currently based solely on historical documents.

McNutt said that while the project will benefit various groups of people, he hopes students will get the most out of it.

“There’s no point in performing research if you’re not using that as an opportunity to educate, improve and engage with your students in order to produce critical thinkers, experienced graduates and qualified professionals,” McNutt said. “To me, the most benefit from the grant is the opportunity for more students to have the chance to travel back in time with each scrape of the trowel and to read the secrets that centuries have spoken into the earth.”

Few Civil War battlefield sites relating to Gen. William T. Sherman’s march through Georgia have been investigated archaeologically or preserved, but ����Vlog anthropology professor Ryan McNutt, Ph.D., is hoping to change that by leading a project that will uncover and preserve two skirmish sites in Jenkins and Burke counties. 

McNutt said the project, which is funded through the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program’s Battlefield Planning Grant, will benefit the students working on the project, tourism in Jenkins and Burke counties, and it will solidify the history of the Civil War in Southeastern Georgia.

“The project will result in a documented inventory of both historic conflict sites, information and data for heritage managers at the state and local level, and the presentation of aspects related to the underrepresented story of Sherman’s War in rural Southeastern Georgia,” McNutt said. “This will aid in preserving the past buried beneath the soil and potentially aid in drawing heritage tourism to Jenkins and Burke counties by raising the profile of both battlefields within the state and region.”

McNutt said graduate and undergraduate students will gain unique experience through the different aspects of the project.

“A graduate assistant will be hired and involved from the start to help analyze data and identify targets, assist in site reconnaissance and visual ground checks of targets, and work as supervisor during the field school,” McNutt said. “On the undergraduate side, training in archaeological field techniques will be received through field schools focused on the data identified, training and educating our students on how and why archaeology is important, the power of preserving history, and creating the next generation of citizen scientists.”

McNutt and his students will investigate the sites using laser imaging, detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology and traditional shovel and trowel archaeology to reconstruct the 1864 conflict landscape and investigate two battlefields. LiDAR works on similar principles to sonar; a LiDAR package in a drone is flown over the target area, and multiple laser bursts are pointed at the ground surface. LiDAR can then generate a bare-earth model that can show any undulation in the landscape bigger than about 50 centimeters, such as old road systems, house foundations and bridges.

McNutt said LiDAR will allow the team to identify Lawton Station, a lost rail depot where one of the skirmishes happened, as well as potential bridges over Buckhead Creek, which were the focus of two of the battles. He said LiDAR could help show forgotten transportation routes, historic structures and environments not used in battle, and field fortifications associated with both conflicts that happened in the area. 

“We can then use a GPS to locate these anomalies exactly in the field to basically go right to them,” he said.

The grant will pay for the ability to secure the LiDAR data, as well as scholarships for graduate and undergraduate students for 2021 field schools. The scholarship funds will help students who might not otherwise be financially able to partake in field training and archaeological excavation, including students who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economically, Jenkins and Burke counties currently rely a lot on Civil War-related tourism, but it’s mostly related to Camp Lawton, a military prison in Burke County that past Georgia Southern faculty and students helped discover and preserve. McNutt said the project aims to tie documents to local topography and to movement, deployment and action within the battlescape. Tourism related to the Battle of Buckhead Creek and the Battle of Waynesboro, which took place in Jenkins and Burke counties respectively, is currently based solely on historical documents.

McNutt said that while the project will benefit various groups of people, he hopes students will get the most out of it.

“There’s no point in performing research if you’re not using that as an opportunity to educate, improve and engage with your students in order to produce critical thinkers, experienced graduates and qualified professionals,” McNutt said. “To me, the most benefit from the grant is the opportunity for more students to have the chance to travel back in time with each scrape of the trowel and to read the secrets that centuries have spoken into the earth.”

The ����Vlog Department of Sociology and Anthropology will screen Border South, a documentary about migration in Mexico and parts of Central America. The screening is part of the Undocumented Migration Project’s global pop-up exhibition, “Hostile Terrain 94,” which will be featured on the Statesboro and Armstrong Campuses during the upcoming fall semester.

“As an anthropologist, I believe in the power of film to connect us to people with different lived experiences and perspectives,” said Kara Bridgman Sweeney, Ph.D., lecturer of anthropology. “This film has the potential to shine a light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the southern border of the United States.”

The film, which will be shown on the Armstrong and Statesboro campuses on Feb. 19 and 20 respectively, follows Mexican-immigrant filmmaker Raúl O. Paz Pastrana on a four-year journey along migrant routes. Pastrana connected with people who shared their experiences along the way. It was awarded the Best Feature Award at the Society for Visual Anthropology and the Audience Award at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.

“We get an intimate view of different experiences along migration trails from southern Mexico to the southern border of the United States,” Sweeney said. “The people who so generously shared their stories for this film are often dealing with harsh conditions and realities. Still we observe acts of kindness and mutual support, and we see there are benefits to finding humor in stressful situations.” 

“Hostile Terrain 94” is a participatory art exhibit that will take place in more than 100 locations around the world between June and November 2020, including the Armstrong and Statesboro campuses of Georgia Southern. The exhibit features 20-foot-long maps of the Arizona-Mexico border populated with 3,500 hand-written toe tags that represent the recovered bodies of people who have died between 2000 and 2020 crossing the U.S./Mexico border through the Sonoran Desert.

Border South will be shown on the Armstrong Campus at 6 p.m. in the Armstrong Center Auditorium and on the Statesboro Campus at 6 p.m. in the Interdisciplinary Academic Building room 1020. For more information on the film, visit .

The ����Vlog Department of Sociology and Anthropology will screen Border South, a documentary about migration in Mexico and parts of Central America. The screening is part of the Undocumented Migration Project’s global pop-up exhibition, “Hostile Terrain 94,” which will be featured on the Statesboro and Armstrong Campuses during the upcoming fall semester.

“As an anthropologist, I believe in the power of film to connect us to people with different lived experiences and perspectives,” said Kara Bridgman Sweeney, Ph.D., lecturer of anthropology. “This film has the potential to shine a light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the southern border of the United States.”

The film, which will be shown on the Armstrong and Statesboro campuses on Feb. 19 and 20 respectively, follows Mexican-immigrant filmmaker Raúl O. Paz Pastrana on a four-year journey along migrant routes. Pastrana connected with people who shared their experiences along the way. It was awarded the Best Feature Award at the Society for Visual Anthropology and the Audience Award at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.

“We get an intimate view of different experiences along migration trails from southern Mexico to the southern border of the United States,” Sweeney said. “The people who so generously shared their stories for this film are often dealing with harsh conditions and realities. Still we observe acts of kindness and mutual support, and we see there are benefits to finding humor in stressful situations.” 

“Hostile Terrain 94” is a participatory art exhibit that will take place in more than 100 locations around the world between June and November 2020, including the Armstrong and Statesboro campuses of Georgia Southern. The exhibit features 20-foot-long maps of the Arizona-Mexico border populated with 3,500 hand-written toe tags that represent the recovered bodies of people who have died between 2000 and 2020 crossing the U.S./Mexico border through the Sonoran Desert.

Border South will be shown on the Armstrong Campus at 6 p.m. in the Armstrong Center Auditorium and on the Statesboro Campus at 6 p.m. in the Interdisciplinary Academic Building room 1020. For more information on the film, visit .

The ����Vlog Armstrong Campus will be the site of forums for all of the Savannah city council races, including mayor, district candidates and at large candidates. The forum for mayoral candidates and for districts one and three candidates is Oct. 10, while the forum for at large candidates and for districts two and six candidates is Oct. 17.

“We see hosting this type of forum not only as a public service to the community but as part of the mission of the university,”  Ned Rinalducci, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, said. “����Vlog has a civic responsibility to the citizens of Southeast Georgia, and we take pride in engaging with our communities.”

WSAV news anchor Tina Tyus-Shaw will moderate the forum on Oct. 10, while reporter Martin Staunton will moderate on Oct.17. A committee that includes faculty, students and members of the press will compose questions for the forums. Questions from the public are welcomed but must be submitted to the committee for approval at erinalducci@georgiasouthern.edu.

“The forums continue a tradition at Armstrong of having political candidates for local office come to campus and answer questions related to their policy positions and platforms,” Rinalducci said. “We held our last mayoral forum four years ago and have held several for Savannah-Chatham County School Board and school board president since then.”

Both forums are from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Armstrong Center auditorium, and they’re sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and the Department of Political Sciences and International Studies.

��
����Vlog, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit .