Supreme Court justice speaking at Ala law school
WFTV 9 (Orlando, Fla.) – Oct. 4
Law students at the University of Alabama are getting a chance to hear from a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Associate Justice Elena Kagan will address students at the law school on Friday morning. Kagan is only the latest Supreme Court justice to speak in Tuscaloosa. Ten justices have spoken in the past at Alabama, which often is ranked among the top U.S. law schools. Kagan will speak as part of a lecture series named for retired U.S. District Judge W. Harold Albritton of Montgomery. Albritton helps brings justices to Alabama through his contacts and his family funds the visits.
Sarah Patterson honored with University of Alabama plaza
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 4
When she took the job 35 years ago, Sarah Patterson, then Sarah Campbell, never imagined where her career would take her. She had big dreams, but she never dreamed this big. Patterson, the University of Alabama six-time national championship winning gymnastics coach, will be honored today with the dedication of the Sarah Patterson Champions Plaza today at 4 p.m. Patterson will be honored beside her NCAA champion colleagues Patrick Murphy (softball), Mic Potter (women’s golf) and Jay Seawell (men’s golf). UA president Judy Bonner and Director of Athletics Bill Battle are scheduled to speak
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 3
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 3
University of Alabama announces schedule for homecoming Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 4
The University of Alabama has announced the Saturday morning pregame schedule of events before the homecoming match-up with the Georgia State University Panthers. Public parking lots will open and Crimson Ride shuttles will begin running at 6 a.m. The homecoming parade will begin at 7 a.m. at Second Avenue and University Boulevard, proceeding west toward downtown. The parade will end at 19th Avenue and University Boulevard. The parade will be televised live locally by WVUA-TV, with commentary by news anchor Lynn Brooks and Terry Saban, wife of Tide head football coach Nick Saban. The parade will be re-broadcast at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Common Core: Standards divisive in Alabama
Decatur Daily – Sept. 29
It is called Common Core. Yet despite the name, there is little common ground between those on opposite sides of the debate about Alabama’s new education standards…Jeremy Zelkowski is a high school math teacher turned professor at the University of Alabama. Recently, he and two other professors have been reviewing the new standards with high school teachers in several west Alabama school systems. “The difference is there is a higher level of expectation,” Zelkowski said. “That’s really what Common Core does: It raises expectations. The old course of study only expected student understanding at a basic skills level. The new course of study expects students to be at a proficient skills level and have a deeper understanding of the curriculum.” Students can’t get by with just retaining information long enough to regurgitate it on an exam, proponents said. “In the previous way, they could know enough to pass the test and move on, but not take any real knowledge with them,” Zelkowski said.
UA is a leader in adaptive athletics
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 3
The University of Alabama is a leader in adaptive athletics. With national championships won in both men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball, UA is turning its attention to winning championships in other sports such as tennis. Earlier this year, the Alabama Adaptive Athletics achieved a first as the men’s wheelchair basketball team won the national championship in their home state. The newly formed tennis team hopes for a repeat of history and they host the wheelchair tennis national championship Oct. 11-13 at North River Country Club.
Author Rick Bragg to talk books, tell stories at Tuscaloosa Public Library
Al.com – Oct. 3
Pulitzer Prize-winner and University of Alabama writing professor Rick Bragg will appear at the Tuscaloosa Public Library on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. The former New York Times reporter has written several books including author of “All Over But the Shoutin’,” “Ava’s Man,” “The Prince of Frogtown” and “The Most They Ever Had.” The event will take place in the Rotary Room of the library, which is located at 1801 Jack Warner Parkway. Bragg will discuss his books, tell stories and take questions. Books will also be available for signing.
Holocaust scholars plan community presentations
Daily News Journal (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) – Oct. 3
Participants in the Middle Tennessee State University’s 25th Biennial International Holocaust Studies Conference, slated for Oct. 15-18, also will be making presentations in the community. Steven Jacobs, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Alabama, will be a guest on WMOT’s “MTSU on the Record.”…Jacobs will participate in a panel discussion on teaching about genocide at the Holocaust studies conference.
Anniston residents rent at higher rates than the rest of the county
Individual.com (via Anniston Star) – Oct. 4
Renter-occupied housing is much more common in Anniston compared to the rest of the county, according to 2012 estimates based on 2010 Census data compiled by Esri, a geographic information systems software company…According to 2010 Census data accessed through the Alabama State Data Center at the University of Alabama, nearly 69 percent of Calhoun County families live in owner-occupied homes.