Freshmen take part in Ripple Effect 2013
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Aug. 20
Freshmen at the University of Alabama today put in a hard day’s work before classes start tomorrow. The community service project is called Ripple Effect 2013. It allows freshmen to volunteer across the Tuscaloosa community. About 150 students helped with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. “I really enjoy helping people and like doing community service work and I’ve never worked with Habitat for Humanity. So it’s like this is even a more direct way for me to help other people because it’s like you’re giving them a home again.” The goal of the service project is for the freshmen to encourage their peers to volunteer and create a ripple effect.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Aug. 20
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Aug. 20
Week of Welcome connects new students with campus life
Crimson White – Aug. 21
Starting this week, The University of Alabama will host a Week of Welcome, which consists of two weeks of programs designed to ease first-year and transfer students through their transition into being a part of campus life. The events kicked off Sunday at Coleman Coliseum with carnival-style activities and free food from Tuscaloosa restaurants. Monday, the 49 hosted a social inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for out-of-state, international and transfer students, who received words of encouragement from UA athletic director Bill Battle. “He’s an amazing speaker,” Doug Fair, president of the 49, said. “I would say this was a success.” Fair said the goal of the event was to make it easier for students to get to know each other and get a foothold in the community.
Fall classes start at UA on Wednesday
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Aug. 21
Fall classes start tomorrow at the University of Alabama.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 21
Rush week breaks past records
Crimson White – Aug. 21
On trend with record-breaking numbers seen in previous years, this year’s Panhellenic sorority recruitment at the University of Alabama made The University the first to surpass 2,000 for the number of women registered, said Director of Greek Affairs Kat Gillan. A total of 1,895 women received bids out of the 2,081 who participated in recruitment, an increase of 208 more bids handed out than those in 2012. “Having worked in greek life since 2002, I can recall a time when the thought of 1,500 women participating in recruitment was unfathomable, and now here we are at 2,081,” she said. A total of 2,113 women registered for recruitment; however, 2,081 actually participated in the first round, Gillan said. Along with an increase in the number of bids issued, this year the overall match rate also rose from 86 percent in fall 2012 to 91 percent this year. “The national average for women receiving a bid is 79 percent, and UA is always well above that average,” Gillan said.
New Campus Mail Service, center more student friendly
Crimson White – Aug. 21
Where the Ferguson Center USPS post office used to be, now sits the new Ferguson Mail Center – open and offering a more efficient, personalized process for students. Manager of Campus Mail Service Laura Rice said the University decided to make the change from USPS to Campus Mail Service because USPS was unable to provide necessary services. The P.O. boxes formerly in the Ferg Post Office have been moved to the downtown post office, Mail Operations Supervisor Tommy Robertson said. “The USPS was not able to give the service the University wanted – students had to go elsewhere to receive UPS and FedEx packages,” Rice said. “All services are now available to be received at the Ferguson Mail Center; FedEx, UPS, USPS and DHL. We are a private entity and are not bound by USPS regulations in that respect.”
Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, Assistant Professor, University of Alabama
Forensic Focus – Aug. 16
Kathryn, you’re currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama – can you tell us more about your role and how you entered academia? First, I should start by saying that I never thought I would be a professor – I fully intended on becoming a law enforcement officer. While pursing my Bachelor of Arts degree, I double majored in Psychology and Law and Society and minored in Forensics. During my summers, I even worked as a jail officer in Indiana and interned for New York City’s Department of Corrections.
Take a look at the Walnut Gallery’s new home (photos, video)
Al.com – Aug. 20
Gadsden’s Walnut Gallery will have a new permanent home – and while renovation work begins, a temporary one. The art gallery, which has hosted dance performances, poetry readings and exhibitions, will move out of its present location at the end of this month. But Gallery Director Mario Gallardo announced the purchase last month of a new location just down the street – the former Christian Science Church on Walnut…He hopes to raise about $70,000 over the next year to renovate the building…He got a big boost this week with a $7,000 donation from Sarah Marshall, a University of Alabama art professor whose work has been exhibited at the gallery.
Fanmade content keeps ‘Ghostbusters’ alive
Crimson White – Aug. 21
It has never been a better time to be a hardcore movie, TV or book fan with conventions like Comic-Con and Dragon*Con increasing in popularity each year and the Internet giving fans a way to share their own art, stories and other creations based on their favorite series. The Alabama Ghostbusters, a fan-community based around the popular 1984 film “Ghostbusters,” are no exception. Through their original nonprofit web series, charity work and participation in community events, the group is keeping the “Ghostbusters” story alive long after the credits have stopped rolling. University of Alabama professor and Alabama Ghostbuster Adam Schwartz wanted to do some sort of fan film based on “Ghostbusters” and the opportunity arose to do so in the fall of 2012. Schwartz’s advanced television production class, which produces a TV pilot, faced difficulties with their own production Schwartz gave them his script for the “Alabama Ghostbusters” web series to produce instead. “[The students] all jumped on board, and they were eager and excited to work on it,” Schwartz said. After the semester ended, Schwartz and some of the students continued work on the pilot and released it online at youtube.com/AlabamaGhostbusters in February 2013. The initial three, nine-minute episodes of the series have been well-received by the “Ghostbusters” community, currently having received over 12,000 views between them. Schwartz anticipates making nine episodes for the first season and plans to starts filming the fourth episode this fall.
Bayside Academy to host special speaker at Senior Challenge Aug. 23
Al.com – Aug. 20
Bayside Academy will hold its annual Senior Challenge at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 23 at the Pilot Center Theatre at Bayside Academy. Jo Bonner, vice chancellor for government relations and economic development of the University of Alabama will make a special introduction for guest speaker, Dr. Judith L. Bonner, the new president of UA.
Student filmmaker documents college life
Crimson White – Aug. 21 (Print edition only)
Hoping to capture the real college experience on film, Daniel Barnes, a senior majoring in telecommunication and film, has found a niche in all sides of the Tuscaloosa film scene. Barnes has been screened in the top 16 films at Campus MovieFest for the past three years, featured in the Black Warrior Film Festival and made it to the international film festival his freshman year.
University of Alabama in the mix for ‘South’s Best Tailgate’, vote online thru Sept. 30
Al.com – Aug. 20
After finishing third to top-ranked Clemson last year, the University of Alabama is once again in the running for Southern Living’s South’s Best Tailgate competition. Fifteen schools are featured in the competition, including SEC rivals like Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M. Other schools include Marshall University, Oklahoma State University and Florida State. More than 510,000 votes were cast in last year’s competition, according to a post on the magazine’s Daily South blog, The competition, which began five days ago, will run through Sept. 30. Votes are limited to one per day per email address. On Saturdays, votes cast will count double.
Alabama Alumni Association to host tailgates at three away games this season
Al.com – Aug. 20
The University of Alabama Alumni Association is set to host tailgates before the Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and University of Kentucky games this football season. The first, on Saturday, Aug. 31 in downtown Atlanta, will be from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in an area adjacent to International Plaza. The Alumni Association’s tailgate is one of several events planned for UA fans in Atlanta for the Virginia Tech game, including a season kick-off party and a pub crawl the night before. On Saturday, Sept. 14, alumni will host a second tailgate in College Station on the Simpson Drill Field. According to a UA press release, the tailgate will be adjacent to the set of ESPN College Gameday. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for kids and include a Tex-Mex buffet and appearances by Alabama cheerleaders and Big Al.