Ceremony marks anniversary of University of Alabama’s desegregation
Tuscaloosa News – June 12
When Vivian Malone and James Hood walked through the “schoolhouse” door at Foster Auditorium on the University of Alabama campus 50 years ago this week, it opened the door for thousands of black students who followed in their footsteps. It took courage, change and progress for that to happen. But 50 years later, the progress is still happening and must continue, said university leaders and representatives at a commemoration event Tuesday night marking the anniversary. “I’ve been inspired by the courage of all those people who came before me and those who were here when I was here,” said Judge John England, a trustee of the UA system who was admitted to the University of Alabama School of Law in 1969. Today, university students, leaders and the community need to ensure that no doors will ever be closed again, England said. “Today, we are talking about going through those doors,” England said. “I’ve been inspired to do all that I can do and hope you, too, to ensure the flagship institution is a leader, not a follower, to ensure diversity, inclusion and tolerance.”
Al.com (photo gallery) – June 11
Athens News-Courier – June 11
Daily Mail (U.K.) – June 11
Montgomery Advertiser – June 11
Crimson White – June 12
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The ‘stand in the schoolhouse door,’ 50 years later
NBCNews.com – June 11
At the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama, 300 children with unbridled energy are ordered to scream at the top of their lungs, three times. As their joyous shrieking fills the auditorium, Tyler Merriweather smiles and joins right in. Ten years ago Merriweather was a “club kid,” as he affectionately calls them. He found security, escape and emotional release from struggles at home. Today, the 18-year-old works as a mentor and counselor for their summer program. “I see a lot of myself in them,” he said. “I have to make sure that every day is a great day for them. Because I don’t know what their family situations are.” A proud product of the club, Merriweather knows that the program is much more than an after-school program for these children. “That is their safe haven.It’s a place that gives them hope and gives them a sign that they can be greater than their circumstances,” he said. Hope is something Merriweather knows a lot about. A sophomore at the University of Alabama, he is the first in his family to go to college. Instead of attending a historically black college, Merriweather deliberately chose to attend a state school still scarred by an ugly moment in history. Fifty years ago, on June 11, 1963, Gov. George Wallace stood in the doorway of the Foster Auditorium, physically barring two African-American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from entering…Today, the student body is 33,000 and minority enrollment stands at 20 percent with African-Americans comprising 12 percent.
Through the Doors (gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – June 12
Darrell Hood, son of James Hood, enters Foster Auditorium for “Through the Doors” an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the stand in the school house door at Foster Auditorium on the campus of the University of Alabama Tuesday, June 11, 2013.
Al.com – June 11
Photos: New plaza honors UA’s first black students
WHNT 19 (Huntsville) – June 11
This week, the University of Alabama is holding events to mark the 50th anniversary of Governor George Wallace’s Stand in the Schoolhouse Door. A memorial plaza is now in front of Foster Auditorium to honor the two African-American students who walked past Wallace, James Hood and Vivian Malone. There is also a new clock tower erected for Autherine Lucy, the University’s first African-American student.
Live chat: Discuss ‘Stand in the Schoolhouse Door,’ Alabama desegregation with AL.com at 2 p.m. today
Al.com – June 12
The “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” and the desegregation of the University of Alabama 50 years ago today were part of a difficult chapter in our history, and the conversation since has often been divisive. Does Alabama’s resistance to integration in 1963 remain an embarrassment or are the strides of Vivian Malone and James Hood through the schoolhouse door an anniversary to celebrate? AL.com reporter Charles Dean describes Gov. George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” as an iconic moment of shame, courage and change. And as part of AL.com’s special coverage, reporter Evan Belanger has looked at whether the state has achieved racial diversity in higher education and what integration meant for those who followed. They’ll both be here online at 2 p.m. CT today to answer your questions about the events of June 11, 1963, and discuss their lasting impact. .
Alabama’s APR scores continue to improve
Al.com – June 11
University of Alabama student-athletes are continuing to shine as students, according to the latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores released Tuesday by the NCAA. Three Alabama teams – men’s golf, women’s golf and women’s tennis – produced perfect scores of 1,000, and scores were down for only four teams: baseball (minus-3), softball (minus-3), women’s swimming (minus-1) and volleyball (-10). The national cut-off standard is 930. As has been the case for several years, no Alabama team is close to that score. “Our mission at the University of Alabama is to, one – recruit and develop student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in intercollegiate athletics, two – educate and prepare our student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in life after graduation, and three – accomplish all this with honor and integrity,” Alabama athletics director Bill Battle said in a news release. “These scores over the last four years are proof that the Crimson Tide is performing at a championship level in all areas, which is a point of great pride for the department.”
TideSports.com – June 11
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ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – June 11
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – June 11
Shelters, research prevent tornadoes’ effects
Crimson White – June 12
Moore, Okla., is an unlucky town. Situated in the Midwestern “Tornado Alley,” an informal term for the areas of North America where tornadoes are most common, the community has been hit by five devastating tornadoes in the past 15 years. While there’s nothing residents can do to prevent these deadly tornadoes, that doesn’t mean they haven’t learned a few tricks for surviving them. Andrew Graettinger, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, has worked with research teams to assess the disastrous effects of tornadoes in New Orleans, La., Tuscaloosa, Joplin, Mo., and Moore, Okla. After receiving a multi-institution grant from the National Science Foundation Rapid Response Grant for Exploratory Research, Graettinger made the trip to Moore, Okla. He said he noticed tornado shelters saved the lives of many residents, a factor that contributed to a lower death toll there than any of the previous communities he had researched. Graettinger said his research suggests there is more residents can do in the future to potentially save their homes. “We would see evidence that the roof had been lifted off the houses,” Graettinger said. “Once you lift the roof off, there’s really not much support holding the wall up. It’s not really connected well to the foundation. In that 15 percent in the center of the storm, you still need a safe room or storm shelter. Even though the storm was EF5, probably 85 percent [of the impacted area] was [hit] at EF2 wind speed. Those areas we can start to engineer for, to protect.”
UA museum to offer art, nature camp
Tuscaloosa News – June 12
The Alabama Museum of Natural History is offering an art day camp for third- through fifth-graders June 17-21. Participants will explore a new nature theme every day and create art around that theme. Campers will take nature hikes across campus and visit the engineering department’s 3-D printing lab. “Discovering Alabama” producer and young adult book author Roger Reid and “Discovering Alabama” editor Lance Holloway will help guide students through the media arts. Participants will have a chance to paint, sculpt, photograph and turn recycled materials into works of art. All snacks and materials will be provided. Drop-off will begin at 8 a.m. at the Museum of Natural History in Smith Hall on the University of Alabama campus. Pick-up will be at noon. The cost is $125. For information, contact Amanda Espy-Brown at 205-348-6383 or aespy@bama.ua.edu.
UA hosts ASM materials program
Crimson White – June 12
Twenty-one high school science teachers from across Alabama and Georgia are headed to The University of Alabama’s ASM Materials Camp from June 3-7 in Shelby Hall. The weeklong camp is co-hosted by Martin Bakker and Greg Thompson and facilitated by three master teachers from Ohio. Ben Miller, a high school science teacher at Marion Academy, said the experience is a learning opportunity for teachers. “I have come several times to this program and the master teachers are knowledgeable and help you learn and be able to show your students,” Miller said. “The week is a hodgepodge of different ideas, lectures and experiments that are fantastic.” The program is a first-come, first-served application process until the quota is met. The U.S. Air Force funds the program and allows teachers to bring back starter kits to use in their classrooms.
Author to lecture, host UA tour highlighting change
Crimson White – June 12
University of Alabama alumnus Earl Tilford will be holding a lecture on his book, “Turning the Tide: Birth of the ‘Third,’ The University of Alabama,” and conducting a coinciding tour around campus. Tilford, who spent his undergraduate and graduate years at the University, chose the title in what he calls “the changing of the tides,” which refers to the changes in the University after segregation was eliminated June 12, 1963. The University eventually began to lose its stigma as a “white” college, and this change led to the third era of the University, which was crucial to making the school what it is now. “In 1994, while vacationing in the South, I read E. Culpepper Clark’s ‘The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation’s Last Stand at the University of Alabama.’” Tilford said. “Having written several books about institutional change in the U.S. Air Force resulting from the Vietnam War, I decided it would be interesting to pick up where Clark’s story left off immediately after desegregation in 1963 and explore what happened throughout the rest of the decade.”
Mobile students to attend Alabama Girls State
Al.com – June 11
Several Mobile County students have been selected to attend the American Legion Auxiliary’s Alabama Girls State event on the campus of the University of Alabama. For one week, the girls will become citizens in an imaginary state, taking part in the political life of the community, primarily through campaigning for and electing city, county and state offices. Participants will learn the operation of government by participating in party caucuses and through the election process. Featured during the week will be well-known speakers and other state, county and city officials.
SummerTide Theatre presents “Jubilee- Songs of and about Alabama” through June 28
Gulf Coast News Today – June 12
SummerTide Theatre players returned to Gulf Shores this spring for the 10th year; University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance students perform “Jubilee- Songs of and about Alabama” Tuesdays through Saturdays through June 28 at the George C. Meyer Performing Arts Center, 2022 West Second St., Gulf Shores. The high-energy show includes songs dealing with the state of, or places in, Alabama. Four men, four women, a pianist, drummer and guitarist light up the stage with a variety of song and dance numbers. “On Mobile Bay” features the four, male players pushing notes into beautiful harmony, while “Down Around Birmingham highlights Michael Luwoye on electric guitar. “When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam’” is performed by Drey Mitchell, “When I Left the State of Georgia” by Will Travis and “Ain’t Alabama Good Enough for You, Sue?” by Will Erwin and Kiley Gipson.
Lectures teach about Tuscaloosa’s history
Tuscaloosa News – June 12
The Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society will begin its second Sundown Lecture Series on Thursday with a presentation by Robert Mellown, a retired University of Alabama art professor. Held at the Battle-Friedman House at 5:15 p.m., “Architecture in Bits and Pieces: A Study of Fragments of Lost Tuscaloosa Buildings and What They Reveal” will provide audience members with a glimpse into Tuscaloosa’s past. Mellown will use artifacts collected from demolition sites and archaeological excavations to examine Tuscaloosa’s architectural history and buildings of historical importance.
Chandler Champion uses passion to win Miss Alabama 2013, learns to ride a bike on the way (photos)
Al.com – June 12
Chandler Champion has danced with the Rockettes, has a library named after her and, as of Saturday night, is Miss Alabama 2013. But it wasn’t until recently that she learned how to ride a bicycle. “I had never been on a bike, “she said. “ I learned in an hour and then the next hour I went mountain biking.” She learned, without falling, competing for an award that’s connected to the Miss Alabama Pageant. As part of the requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh award, she had to go mountain biking. She eventually earned the Duke of Edinburgh gold award, along with three other contestants in the pageant. Whether on two wheels or on foot, she’s ready to begin serving her state both at home and at September’s Miss America competition. “I’m so excited to get out into the community and get out to as many corners and every inch of the state that I possibly can,” she said. The 20-year-old University of Alabama student says her family is proud of her. They’ve also accepted how different her life will be during her Miss Alabama reign.
The ATL Top 50 Law Schools: Top Five Schools for Quality Jobs, Cost, Clerkships, and More
Above the Law – June 12
Law school applicants have no shortage of resources at their disposal to help them in making their decisions and navigating the process: from U.S. News to Princeton Review, from Anna Ivey to Top Law Schools. But we all know that there is no decision-making tool as beloved as a ranked list. People love rankings — such time and energy savers! We suspect more application and matriculation decisions are made by perusing rankings than will ever be admitted to … Cost (cheapest, adjusted for regional cost of living): 1. BYU – J Reuben Clark (28) 2. University of New Mexico (26) 3. University of Alabama Law (27) 4. Georgia State (42) 5. University of Georgia (19) …
Phase 3 of archaeological study at Trussville football stadium site expected to start today
Al.com – June 12
The third phase of an archaeological study at site that will be home to Trussville’s new football stadium site is expected to start today. Weather permitting, the third phase should take 45 days, Mayor Gene Melton said. The city in November approved paying The University of Alabama Office of Archaeological Research $142,577 for the third phase of the study. Researchers have found evidence of prehistoric settlement, such as chipped stone tools and ceramics, at the site. Last week, school system officials opened bids for construction of the stadium, a multi-purpose field for the city’s park and recreation department, the extension of Husky Parkway and relocation of sewer lines and culvert work, said Barry Davis, interim director of facilities for the system.
Students find cyber attacks concerning
Crimson White – June 12
Krista James thought she was doing her job for her high school journalism class by interviewing a Vietnam veteran. She never thought the military email address she used to contact her source would end up hacking her computer. “The U.S. Armed Forces sent me two emails informing me that my email had threatening information,” James said. “Of course my first thought was, ‘Oh my gosh, the Army’s going to come and find me.’” The Army didn’t come for James, but a savvy hacker from Bolivia had wormed his way into her computer and started spamming contacts in James’ account. “I knew that I had been hacked when my father and former high school teacher asked me why I sent them emails about African diet pills,” James said. “Kind of awkward to say the least.” … Seigfried-Spellar said malware can affect both private computers as well as the computers of large corporations and the federal government. “Cybercrime and computer crime used to be separate, but now everything has Internet,” Seigfried-Spellar said. “Most people think of traditional computers – desktops and laptops – that get viruses, but now computers are in cellphones, too.”