Camp Cash teaches preteens about finance
Crimson White – July 8
The University hosted 10 boys, from ages 11-14, at Camp Cash, a program that teaches the importance of money management and budgeting. The camp ran from June 21-July 2. Jan Brakefield, assistant professor of consumer sciences, started Camp Cash three years ago in hopes that students would learn to be accountable and make good financial decisions. “I think the main lesson is that they exercise good stewardship over the money they will have in years to come,” she said…The key to getting the campers to understand complex ideas like budgeting, credit use and investing, Brakefield said, is to break up the ideas into smaller pieces. “We then relate that little bite into something they can understand,” she said…James Roberts, a freshman at Northridge High School, said he heard his dad, a professor at the University, talking about Camp Cash and thought it would be both fun and educational. “No matter what job you want to have, [Camp Cash] can help anybody,” Roberts said. “I would highly recommend it to kids my age.”
Support group helps veterans adjust
Crimson White – July 8
…There are over 500 student veterans at the Capstone, and the Campus Veterans Association is dedicated to helping them adjust to student life at The University of Alabama. The Campus Veterans Association’s goal is to be a support group for students who are returning to civilian life following military service, said Joshua Folmar, vice president of the group. “We want to give our fellow veterans information on the benefits they are entitled to, build a social network for them, and help them out in whatever way possible, but more than anything else, we want them to have a voice that can reach the ears of the people at the Capstone that can make a positive difference for our veterans whether it be the faculty, administration or student media,” he said…More than 50 student veterans like Folmar belong to the UA Campus Veterans Association.
Rapid residential expansion continues with North Bluff
Crimson White – July 8
…North Bluff, which will be located near the intersection of Hackberry Lane and Jack Warner Parkway, will be a seven-story complex featuring a student courtyard and surface parking, opposed to the underneath parking deck featured in Ridgecrest South. The project is scheduled for completion in 2012. Alicia Browne, associate director for information and communication for Housing and Residential Communities, said rooms will be similar to Ridgecrest in layout to play to incoming students’ preferences. “It will be a suite-style facility, continuing to meet students’ desires for more privacy within their living options.”…Upon its completion, the University of Alabama’s on-campus housing space will increase to 8,900, nearly doubling its capacity just 4,500 in 2000. The last decade has seen the construction of Riverside Residential Community in 2005, Bryant Residence Hall and Lakeside Residential Community in 2006, followed by the construction of Ridgecrest East and West in 2007…
Cappuccino and Citizen Journalism
American Journalism Review – July 8
…And that’s an important element of community journalism, says Wilson Lowrey, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Alabama, where students can earn a master’s degree in community journalism. “Journalism should be available to the community,” he says. “It’s a process of journalists listening widely and carefully to their community.” Giving the public the opportunity to see how a newsroom, albeit a nontraditional one, operates could be a learning experience, Lowrey adds. This transparency not only could make citizens more media literate, but also “can shape the journalism, helping journalists see what the community cares about,” he says…
BP’s relief well close to target
Financial Times – July 7
…Peter Clark of the University of Alabama says: “While hitting the well with the relief well is difficult, they have more than one chance. Technology is available to accurately locate the position bit, so the chances of success are high.”…
Oil spill to wash away jobs: Economists say impact won’t be felt for a while
Montgomery Advertiser – July 8
…The Center for Business and Economic Research’s quarterly Alabama Business Confidence Index points to the area around Mobile as having the lowest expectations for the third quarter. The center, which is part of the University of Alabama, reported that the average score for the Mobile area was 50.1, lower than any of the state’s four largest cities. The business leaders scored just 48.3 on industry hiring for the quarter, well below the rates for other parts of the state. Ahmad Ijaz, the center’s director of economic forecasting, said the oil spill contributed to business leaders near the coast not having the confidence of those in other areas. “I am pretty sure it is some of that,” Ijaz said. “People are seeing their businesses lose money, and a lot of people are worried this is just the start of it.” Asked how long it would be before the area’s economy start to recover, he was unable to answer. “That is very difficult to say, but it takes a while for things to come back,” he said…
istockanalyst.com – July 8