University of Alabama announces record enrollment for fall semester
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 16
The University of Alabama again posted a record enrollment for the fall semester, increasing 3.7 percent over 2013’s record class. Enrollment for the fall was 36,155, according to figures released by UA on Tuesday. Enrollment increased by 1,303 over fall 2013. The 2014 enrollment includes 30,754 undergraduates and 5,401 graduate and first professional students. The increase in fall enrollment continues trends of rapid overall growth and a continuing demographic shift to a majority of students coming from outside Alabama. The growth was part of a strategic plan in 2003 instituted by UA System Chancellor Robert Witt, then president of UA. The Capstone’s enrollment has surpassed Witt’s benchmark for growth in 2013 by more than 8,000. The 2014 freshman class of 6,856 students represented an increase of 5.8 percent, or 378 students, compared to fall 2013, which had a class of 6,478.
Al.com – Sept. 16
Crimson White – Sept. 17
Gadsden Times – Sept. 16
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 16
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Sept. 16
Dinner to honor veterans set Friday on University of Alabama campus
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 16
An Army veteran who lost two legs and the use of an arm while deployed in Afghanistan inspired a University of Alabama alumnus and his fraternity to do something special to thank veterans for their service. Army Sgt. Corey Garmon was being treated for his injuries at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after he returned from Afghanistan. While there, he met Bill Crawford, a Vietnam War veteran, UA graduate and an alumni member of Delta Chi fraternity. They became good friends, and Crawford has since been involved in helping build a handicap-accessible home for the Garmon family in Guntersville. Knowing Garmon is a Florida Gators fan, Crawford invited him and his wife to have dinner at Delta Chi on Friday night before Saturday’s Alabama-Florida football game. Haden Henderson, Delta Chi’s corresponding secretary, said that when he learned the Garmons would be coming, he got the idea to expand Friday’s dinner beyond one veteran.
BP Lawyers Use Old-School Trick; Judge Not Amused
Alabama Public Radio – Sept. 16
Back in school, did you ever fudge the spacing on a report to meet the teacher’s page-length requirement? Lawyers representing oil company BP tried something similar in a recent court filing connected to the company’s 2010 drilling rig accident and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier was not amused. In his ruling Monday, Barbier issued an order and then reminded BP’s lawyers that their brief was supposed to be limited to 35 pages, double-spaced: “BP’s counsel filed a brief that, at first blush, appeared just within the 35-page limit. A closer study reveals that BP’s counsel abused the page limit by reducing the line spacing to slightly less than double-spaced … University of Alabama School of Law Professor Montré Carodine clerked for Judge Barbier 15 years ago and tells NPR this may not be the first time BP’s lawyers have used such tactics. “The subtext seems to be Judge Barbier saying, ‘Look, every time I give you an inch you take a mile, and I’m tired of it,’ ” Carodine says. She concludes that BP is lucky because some judges would have stricken the entire brief for not following the rules.
WUSF (San Francisco) – Sept. 16
WWNO (New Orleans) – Sept. 16
Old debts, fresh pain: Weak laws offer debtors little protection
Central Valley Business Times (Sept. 16)
Like any American family living paycheck to paycheck, Conrad Goetzinger and Cassandra Rose hope that if they make the right choices, their $13-an-hour jobs will keep the lights on, put food in the fridge and gas in the car. But every two weeks, the Omaha, Neb., couple is reminded of a choice they didn’t make and can’t change: A chunk of both of their paychecks disappears before they see it, seized to pay off old debts. The seizures are the latest tactic of debt collectors who have tracked the couple for years, twice scooping every penny out of the Goetzinger’s bank account and even attempting to seize his personal property. … When garnishment protections do exist, the burden is usually on debtors to figure out if and how the laws protect their assets. “In an awful lot of states, the information that the employee gets is going to be very, very confusing,” said William Henning, a law professor at the University of Alabama and chair of a committee drafting a model state law on wage garnishment.
KOSU (Tulsa, Okla.) – Sept. 16
Startup weekend to bring business pitches
Crimson white – Sept. 17
Eager to encourage entrepreneurial ideas, The University of Alabama will host the first Startup Weekend, a global event, from Sept. 26 to 28, open to all students and members of the community. Startup Weekend is a 54-hour event aimed to assist hopeful entrepreneurs with any ideas they might have and want to pursue. The Culverhouse College of Commerce, College of Engineering and the STEM Path to MBA program, are welcoming people with ideas for a startup.
Rob Morgan, the executive director of innovation initiatives for Culverhouse College of Commerce and a marketing professor, said since this is their first time, he is curious to see how it all plays out. “It’s kind of a nervous excitement,” he said. “We are hoping we’ll have around 35 this first time.” Throughout the weekend, people with startup ideas will pitch them to their peers and form teams. Once the teams are established, participants will receive guidance from local entrepreneur leaders to build on their ideas by doing things such as designing, coding and market validation. Bringing Startup Weekend to the University was the idea of fourth-year STEM program student Melissa Jenkins, a senior majoring in computer science. Jenkins thought it would be a good opportunity for UA students after she saw how successful the same program in Tennessee had been for her father.
Student interns with White House Associates Program
Crimson White – Sept. 17
During the all-too-familiar scramble to secure the perfect internship, few would think to expect a chance to bowl in the Truman bowling alley or attend a private meeting with a Supreme Court justice, but for Dana Sweeney, a sophomore majoring in English and political science, the reality of one summer internship in the nation’s
capital became that and much more. Sweeney’s experience began with an email sent to all pre-political science students informing them of an opportunity to intern with the White House Associates Program. Although a freshman at the time, Sweeney decided to apply for the internship. After submitting the application, Sweeney received an invitation for a phone interview and was shortly after accepted into
the program. “For any other student, I would be surprised that a freshman would receive such a prestigious internship, but I was not surprised Dana was selected,” said Richard Fording, a professor of political science at the University. “He is one of the best students I have taught in 18 years.” Sweeney credits much of his success with the application to Fording, who first notified the students of this opportunity and encouraged him to apply even when Sweeney said he felt his own chances as a freshman were unlikely.
Creative Co-op to host open house sale
Crimson White – Sept. 17
For those looking for something different than the standard movie and celebrity posters found in the Ferg poster sale, Creative Co-op will host their Second Annual Open House on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. in 206 Woods Hall. The event will not only celebrate the organization’s birthday month, but also serve as an opportunity for students to meet current members and learn more about Creative Co-op. All items for sale are handmade by students at the University. Works at the open house will range from traditional art pieces to T-shirts and dream catchers. Almost all pieces will be priced to meet a college student’s spending budget. Once rooted in Creative Campus, The University of Alabama’s art advocacy organization, Creative Co-op is now an independent organization that provides an outlet for creating, selling and purchasing artistic works between students.
Students host weekly dinner for international students
Crimson White – Sept. 17
Every Tuesday night Toria Hedrick, a senior majoring in social work, opens her home to students from all over the world for the simple purpose of sharing a meal. “Both of my roommates, Meghan Walker and I have spent time overseas, and we were welcomed in by locals,” Hedrick said. “It was life-changing that they helped us when we were internationals in their home. We both know we needed to do the same in our country and university.” Hedrick started organizing Tuesday dinners with her roommates in their house last August. Hedrick said she saw the need for international students to become acclimated to American university life, so she decided to start hosting dinners. She invited international students she met in class, coffee hours or anywhere else to come to her home. For Hedrick and her roommates, the task of cooking
dinner, giving rides and coordinating so many different students was difficult but rewarding. “Every week when we would prepare, it was always chaotic,” she said.