University of Alabama commencement to kick off Friday night
Al.com – May 2
More than 4,000 University of Alabama students will walk across a stage in Coleman Coliseum, shake hands with President Judy Bonner and graduate from college this weekend. Spring commencement ceremonies will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday, with undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Social Work. At 9 a.m. Saturday morning, students from College of Commerce & Business Administration and College of Engineering will walk. At 1:30 p.m., College of Communication & Information Sciences, College of Education, College of Human Environmental Sciences, and Capstone College of Nursing students are slated to walk. For family and friends who aren’t able to make the trip to see the ceremony in person, UA will live-stream them online here. UA has also provided a parking map for graduation attendees here, and a map for the best drop-off locations here.
Alabama Law School Dean Emeritus Ken Randall to give school’s commencement address Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – May 1
University of Alabama Law School Dean Emeritus Ken Randall will be the commencement speaker for the law school’s graduation ceremony Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. The ceremony for the 163 graduates will be at 5 p.m. Saturday. The law school graduation follows earlier ceremonies for the colleges of business, engineering, nursing, communication and information sciences, education, and human environmental sciences. Commencement activities begin Friday evening at 6 in the coliseum with the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Social Work. More than 4,411 students are scheduled to graduate during the spring ceremonies. Randall, who joined the law school’s faculty in 1985 and was named dean in 1993, retired last June to work in the private sector after leading the school for 20 years. His leadership is credited with helping UA become one of the nation’s top ranked law schools.
Alabama establishes scholarship fund in honor of John Servati
Al.com – May 1
In the wake of junior swimmer John Servati’s tragic death, Alabama has established a scholarship fund in his honor. The university announced the establishment of the John Servati Memorial Scholarship Fund late Thursday — less than three days after the 21-year-old Servati was killed when a retaining wall in his basement collapsed onto him during a severe thunderstorm. As alums of the Crimson Tide swimming and diving program sought a way to honor Servati –who was called “a hero every day” by his coaches and teammates for his volunteer work away from the pool — they were inspired by the “outpouring of support that followed Servati’s death that came from next door to around the world,” an Alabama spokesman wrote in an e-mail. The goal is to endow one of the men’s swimming and diving team’s scholarships.
Campus pastor says Crimson Tide swimmer was ‘always helping others’
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – May 1
Thursday night, the University of Alabama community remembered John Servati in a prayer service at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa. John Servati’s campus pastor Jeff Norris met Servati two years ago. Back then, Norris said he saw something special. Norris says Servati was the type of person who puts others before himself. “Always helping others, and serving others,” Norris said. Servati was member of the swimming and dive team at the University of Alabama who set many records in and out of the pool. But during Monday’s storms, in a heroic move, Servati held up a retaining wall from flash flooding waters to save his girlfriend’s life. Afterwards, that wall came crashing down on him. He was rushed to DCH but died later that night. “The strength that he showed physically to so what he did to save her life was unreal,” Norris said.
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – May 1
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – May 1
WXTX-Fox (Columbus, Ga.)– May 1
Fox 6 (Birmingham)(5 p.m.) – May 1
Fox 6 (Birmingham) (6 p.m.) – May 1
WVUA (Tuscaloosa)– May 1
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham)– May 1
CBS 42 (Birmingham)– May 1
Services scheduled for University of Alabama swimmer killed in Tuscaloosa Monday night
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – May 1
Family and friends will gather to say goodbye to 21-year-old John Servati, the University of Alabama swimmer who was killed Monday night in Tuscaloosa. Servati, who died when a retaining wall of his off-campus home collapsed on him while he and his girlfriend took shelter from the storms, will be remembered tonight at a Celebration of Life service at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa. The service is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. On Friday, a viewing and visitation will be held at the church from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Saturday, a funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. in Servati’s hometown of Tupelo, Miss. Prior to his tragic death, Servati served as a veteran on the Crimson Tide swim team and excelled in the classroom as a business major. During his sophomore year, he was placed on the Dean’s List with a 3.55 grade point average. “John Servati was an extraordinary young man of great character and warmth who had a tremendously giving spirit,” Alabama head coach Dennis Pursley said in a university release. “During this incredibly difficult time, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all who had the good fortune to know him. He will forever be in our hearts and a part of the Crimson Tide legacy.” Servati was also a member of Campus Crusades for Christ.
Small changes could save structures, lives during tornadoes: Safe rooms, quality garage doors critical
Science Daily – May 1
Surviving a tornado in a wood-frame residential home is enhanced by an intact roof and standing walls, but light-weight garage doors can be the weak link to allowing high winds and pressure changes into a home that can lead to the removal of the roof and collapsed walls, according to a study of damage left behind by a powerful tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013 by researchers from The University of Alabama and other institutions. “Once the roof over the garage is blown off, there usually is a significant hole into the main portion of the house,” said Dr. Andrew J. Graettinger, associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering and lead author of a report by a team of researchers. Researchers from six institutions traveled to Moore at the end of May 2013 as part of the National Science Foundation Rapid Response Grant for Exploratory Research awarded to UA to investigate and gather data about the damage to, and performance of, woodframe structures in the affected areas due to strong winds. As part of the grant, the research team also studied whether social media and engineering can combine to influence future building practice. Other NSF grants funded work by researchers at three other institutions, and their work is included in the final report.
Minnesota Star-Tribune – May 1
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – May 1
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – May 1
Author Interview: Ellen Griffith Spears on Anniston PCB Fight
Alabama Public Radio – May 1
A new book from an assistant professor at the University of Alabama focuses on pollution problems in Anniston in the mid 1990’s. The book titled “Baptized in PCBs: Race, Pollution, and Justice in an All-American Town” tells the story of the town’s struggle with PCB contamination. Monsanto had been accused of dumping PCBs in the predominantly black community and people were getting sick. A lawsuit was eventually settled in 2003 with seven hundred million dollars for the plaintiffs and the clean-up. Author Ellen Griffith Spears began interviews over ten years ago.