Crowd welcomes new Jewish center at UA
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
University of Alabama students, alumni and friends on Saturday celebrated the grand opening of the Bloom Hillel Student Center. The new Jewish student center, which is about 4,200 square feet, is separated by about 10 feet of sidewalk from Temple Emanu-El synagogue on Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street on the UA campus. The new building houses a student lounge, a multipurpose room, a kitchen, a library and courtyard for the growing Jewish student population at UA. Star Bloom, treasurer of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation board, shares in the building’s namesake with her husband, Stan. She spoke shortly before the building’s dedication Saturday. “This all started with a vision that (UA President Robert E.) Witt and the Tuscaloosa Jewish community had about how wonderful it would be to have the student Hillel house so close to the temple,” Bloom said. “We were even able to hire a Jewish architect to design it and the process has gone just as well as it could have.” After Bloom spoke, Pam Parker, UA’s vice president for advancement, untied instead of cutting the ceremonial ribbon. Because the event occurred during Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, scissors are not allowed to be used because doing so would be considered labor, which is prohibited during Shabbat. “This has just been a great experience for me to be a part of,” Parker said of the new student center…
Montgomery Advertiser – April 4
Associated Press – April 3
Crimson White – April 4
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 3
A-Day Approaches; Nick Saban Statue to be Unveiled
Tuscaloosa News – April 2
The statue of University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban commemorating the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national championship will be unveiled on April 16, before the kickoff of A-Day, the spring football game…
WAKA (Montgomery) – April 1
The making of the story of the making of the Nick Saban statue
Tuscaloosa News – April 2
But the process of creating this statue was unique from all the others. The pose, the attire and the action are all different, featuring Saban in game gear, clapping his hands in encouragement, rather than formally standing in a suit. But most perhaps unique is the artist behind the work. Instead of the design and sculpture being done off-site and out of state, it was created on campus, by a University of Alabama undergrad. Art student Jeremy Davis, who calls the rural town of West Blocton home, was given the commission of a lifetime when he was tapped by faculty to sketch and sculpt the image of Saban. For seven months, Tuscaloosa magazine has followed along as Davis and Art Department faculty members first sketched, then sculpted the image of the coach. We documented each painstaking step of the process in word, photos and video as it progressed each week, and followed to Oklahoma City as it was taken from model to 9-foot statue. The story is on the cover of Tuscaloosa magazine, which goes on sale Monday…
Sculptor’s work unveiled at center
Tuscaloosa News – April 2
In the University of Alabama’s version of the popular children’s fable, it’s the hare that beat the tortoise in the race to the UA Child Development Research Center. On Friday, sculptor Frank Fleming, a UA graduate, alongside members of the College of Human Environmental Sciences and students from the center, unveiled his latest contribution to the school, a sculpture of a tortoise, which was placed right beside his previous work, a hare. Fleming said he was proud of the way the turtle, named John and given on behalf of John and Ann Rhoads, turned out…Amy Baker-Parton, director of development at the College of Human Environmental Sciences, said Fleming’s tortoise, or land turtle, was appropriate for the sculpture garden and will be enjoyed by all of the children at the center. “Frank primarily does animal sculptures and the idea of adding a turtle just sort of evolved from that,” she said. “Ann has seen some of Frank’s prior work, one of which was of a turtle, and that’s where we got the idea for the piece. Although I’m not sure what comes next, I’m excited to see it.”…
Tuscaloosa grows alongside the University
Crimson White – April 4
The University is not alone in its rising population. The city of Tuscaloosa experienced a 16 percent growth in population from 2000 to 2010, gaining about 12,500 more residents to reach a total of 90,468, according to U.S. Census estimates released in February…Student enrollment growth played a key role in Tuscaloosa’s population increase, said Carolyn Trent, socioeconomic analyst of the University’s center for business and economic research, in an emailed statement. Enrollment rose from 19,318 in 2000 to 30,232 in 2010, bringing 10,914 more students to campus. The expansion of the student body has stimulated the local economy during the doldrums of the recession. “[T]he larger student body contributes to retail demand and sales in Tuscaloosa, which has helped Midtown Village add stores and restaurants even during the recession,” she said. “The University enriches the community with its cultural offerings and provides student volunteers for many local social service needs.”…
State ethics bill amendments specify that ‘corruptly’ is a bad thing
Anniston Star – April 3
…however, Professor of Law Susan Pace Hamill of the University of Alabama said that in her experience, the more defined a law is, the harder it can be to enforce. For instance, in tax law, an elaborate definition can allow a taxpayer to find a way to skirt the letter of the law, she said. “My experience has been that more often than not, the elaborate definition leads to planning around the elaborate definition and you end up with more problems enforcing the law, not less,” Hamill said. “That’s not a blanket, across the board, 100 percent scenario statement. But generalized statements sometimes, can often lead to greater enforceability or at least a greater lid on temptation.” Her suggestion — leave out the word “corruptly.” Then the legislators wouldn’t need the definition. “We started watering down the ethics reform when we added the word corruptly and this further elaboration does not cure the watering down,” Hamill said…
Targeting a growing sector
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
…For retailers, the rapidly growing Hispanic population is an important trend and one worth responding to, said Kristy Reynolds, a marketing professor and retailing expert at the University of Alabama. “The Hispanic market is an important target market for many companies, including Wendy’s, State Farm, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Procter & Gamble, Home Depot, L’Oreal and many others,” she said. “In 2008, General Mills tripled its spending on commercials on Spanish-language television. “That said, it is important for any retailer to know its target market and its local clientele. If a large portion of the customer base is Spanish-speaking, then it will be important for the store to employ bilingual employees. I don’t think it would turn off other customers,” she said. “The Hispanic population is growing in many states, not just Florida, Texas, and California. So, I think you are likely to see more bilingual employees in Tuscaloosa stores and more specific targeting of Hispanic customers,” Reynolds said. “There is another important fact about Hispanic shoppers — they have huge buying power because of the sheer size of the segment.”…
FBI confirms preliminary investigation of Amerson
Anniston Star – April 2
…Bryan Fair, a constitutional law and civil rights professor at the University of Alabama’s School of Law, called Amerson’s actions “shocking” and “inexplicable.” “I certainly hope that this is being investigated fully as a constitutional violation and a civil rights violation,” Fair said Friday after watching the video. “It has to be a violation of due process for a law enforcement worker to engage in this type of behavior. Yes, it needs to be investigated.”…
The Crimson White named best newspaper in region
Crimson White – April 4
The Crimson White was honored Friday at the regional Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon in Birmingham. The Crimson White won first place in the category Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper at a 4 Year College/University. The region consists of newspapers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina…
Music therapy class helping young, old alike
Montgomery Advertiser – April 2
rofessor of music, founded the program in 1985, and it is still the only music therapy program in the state. The program at Alabama takes a little more than four years for students to complete. There are 30 students in the program seeking to obtain a degree in music therapy. “Music therapy has been deemed a formal profession for 60 years now, and I have been a part of the profession for 40 of those years,” Prickett said…
Tuscaloosa opens new amphitheater to sell-out audience
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – April 1
FOX6 (Birmingham) – April 1
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 1
A sellout crowd of about 7,500 people came out to see Band of Horses and headliner Avett Brothers. Some proceeds from the concert actually went to help fund scholarships at the University of Alabama.
UA student station to air music festival
Tuscaloosa News – April 2
The University of Alabama’s student-operated radio station — WVUA-FM 90.7 The Capstone — will broadcast a live 12-hour music festival, beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. The on-air concert, called Tuscapalooza, will feature local music talent, including a variety of bands and individual performers…
UA Arboretum holding its annual plant sale
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
The University of Alabama Arboretum is holding its 29th annual plant sale Sunday afternoon and there will be plenty of tomato plants on hand. “I have looked for the best tomatoes for our area that can stand the heat,” said Mary Jo Modica, horticulturalist at the arboretum. Some of the names hint at their heat-loving qualities, like the Tropic and Arkansas Traveler…
UA students raise awareness of hunger, homeless issues
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
The weather was cool and the wind was blowing, but that didn’t stop some University of Alabama students from sleeping on the Quad to promote awareness of homeless and hunger issues on March 30. The Community Service Center brought students together to package 10,000 meals to benefit Stop Hunger Now, an international hunger relief organization, before the sleep-out…
Inaugural ‘Iron Roll’ benefit supports Montgomery Center for Independent Living
Montgomery Advertiser – April 3
…Instead of the Iron Bowl, it was the “Iron Roll” and was held at the Huntingdon College gymnasium, where a small but appreciative crowd watched the University of Alabama Wheelchair Basketball team overwhelm a small, outclassed squad representing Auburn University. The final score was Alabama 64, Auburn 7…The real winner of the game was the Montgomery Center for Independent Living — a facility that includes residents who use wheelchairs as well as others with a variety of disabilities…
UA’s Japan Club raises money for Japan
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – April 1
The Japan Club at the University of Alabama is raising money to help the country. Students are now accepting donations at the student-center on campus. They’re calling-it, The Drive.