Encore reception to honor UA student killed by tornado
Gadsden Times – May 26
Morgan Sigler’s parents will be at the Walnut Gallery this evening for an encore closing reception of “Dimensions Variable,” a show including their late daughter’s sculpture, “Spine Cone.” Sigler died during surgery following the April 27 tornado outbreak that swept through the state, reports attributed to CNN say. She was a senior art major at the University of Alabama, concentrating in graphic design…The encore reception is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. today and is sponsored by the University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to Sigler’s parents, friends and fellow students are expected to attend. The community is invited to view the show and support those dealing with this loss.
Alumna organizes volunteer effort for Memorial Day weekend
Crimson White – May 26
…Maegan Fuller, a 2009 graduate of the University, is organizing a group to aid in relief throughout the city during the weekend. The effort began with a Facebook event in the immediate aftermath of the tornado titled “Memorial Day Weekend in Tuscaloosa – Let’s Save Our Town.”…Fuller currently has about 150 people who have signed up to come help volunteer over the weekend. She created a website where people could register and is working with the city to credential volunteers…Volunteers will work with Samartian’s Purse, Temporary Emergency Services and various church groups to help with debris removal and donation sorting and delivery. Fuller said she has worked with the University to acquire volunteer housing in Rose Towers. Certain volunteer groups can stay in the campus dormitory for $10 a night, according to UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen. Priority is given to different groups in the following order: official UA-affiliated or sponsored groups, then unofficial UA-affiliated groups (such as self-organized student, parent, staff ,or alum groups; UA employees acting of their own accord), then volunteer groups affiliated with other institutions of higher learning, then national and state volunteer agencies and then independent volunteer groups. Fuller estimated that 95 percent of the people in her group were affiliated with the University in some way…
UA continues to play a role in tornado relief
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – May 25
…Hartin says now the EMA is set up in three different locations, thanks to the generosity of the University of Alabama and the Alabama Fire College. Hartin says the new locations help officials with managing their day to day operations, by being near the geographic center of Tuscaloosa…
Why do so many people watch violent videos?
Montgomery Advertiser – May 26
…”Everybody loves to hear a story, and violence is the simplest form of drama,” said Shuhua Zhou, professor and associate dean for graduate studies in the college of communication and information sciences at the University of Alabama. “If you look at the ancient Greeks — at Aristotle, they talk about drama, and in order to tell a good story, you have to have conflicts and dilemmas and dramatic elements that will appeal to people.” The violent videos, he adds, are a form of entertainment, going back to the storytelling technique. “But it has another dimension to the entertainment appeal,” Zhou said. “The amount of emotion, or the intensity of emotion is very high. Fighting has consequences, and anytime you have something that has consequences, we as humans will pay attention.”…