EDITORIAL: UA makes great impact on economy
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 5
In the early 1980s, Tuscaloosa looked more like one of the floundering Rust Belt communities of the Midwest than a rising star in the Sun Belt. The industries that drove Tuscaloosa’s economy for much of the 20th century, Gulf States Paper Corp.’s paper mill, Central Foundry and other industrial plants, sat idle. Rochester Products, which supplied carburetors to GM, looked shaky, and the BFGoodrich tire plant was aging. The University of Alabama served as an anchor of steady employment. But it would soon play an even more vital role in the economy. Professors at UA’s business school convinced Rochester Products not to close up shop and to allow them to help streamline the plant’s operations. When local industrial recruiters went after JVC and brought international industry to the community for the first time, UA played a key supporting role. A decade later, Mercedes Benz officials noted the University of Alabama’s importance relative to their decision to locate M-Class production here, changing the automotive landscape. UA’s role in the local economy has been vital, and it has extended well beyond Tuscaloosa County. UA President Judy Bonner’s recognition of the part UA can play is the kind of leadership the state needs to create more jobs for its citizens.
University of Alabama theater hosts comedy ‘Lend me a Tenor’
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 2
Comedy is a technique many performers have difficulty executing, according to Jeffery Tangeman, head of the master of fine arts and undergraduate directing programs at the University of Alabama and director of the upcoming farce “Lend Me a Tenor.” When done right, it’s a laugh riot. When done wrong, there’s silence. Tangeman hopes for the riot in his second time directing Ken Ludwig’s hit comedy. Produced on Broadway in 1989, “Lend Me a Tenor” received nine Tony nominations and won two. It’s been performed in 25 countries and translated into 16 languages; Theatre Tuscaloosa performed it in 1993. “Lend Me A Tenor” takes place in 1930s Cleveland, where an opera house awaits the arrival of acclaimed tenor Tito Morelli (Kevin Ryan Williams), who is slated to perform the lead in Verdi’s “Otello.” Following a series of unfortunate events, general manager Henry Saunders (Jordan DeWitt) believes the singer is dead. With the performance about to start, Saunders sends in his assistant Max (David Nicholson), an aspiring singer, to take Morelli’s place, hoping no one will notice the difference. Enter the farce.
The Cavell Trio to host party Monday for release of new CD
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 2
Tuscaloosa’s The Cavell Trio will hold a party for the release of its new CD, “Dialogue,” from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Spirits Wine Cellar, 4851 Rice Mine Road NE, No. 110. There’ll be food and live music by the trio. For $5, patrons can also take part in a wine-tasting. The Cavell Trio includes University of Alabama School of Music faculty members Shelly Myers on oboe, Osiris J. Molina on clarinet and Jenny Mann on bassoon. The new disc includes pieces by Schulhoff, Schickele, Tansman, Chaudoir, Maros, Lutoslawski, Loucheur and a new work by Amir Zaheri.
Exhibit features engravings
Crimson White – Oct. 5
In addition to the John DePol exhibit, which is currently being shown in the exhibit room at the Gorgas Library, the University is hosting a Cuban artist with similar work to DePol’s. Steve Miller, professor for the school of Library and Information Sciences, is in charge of the exhibits shown on the fifth floor of Gorgas Library. “John DePol was one of the greatest wood engravers in the United States in the 20th century,” he said. He said they were really fortunate to have an archive with over thousands of woodprints by Depol, and they were even more excited to have the original wood blocks that the artist had used. He said the exhibits change four to five times a year to highlight a new artist. “Our exhibits deal with hand paper making, book artists, historic book binding structures and many different aspects of the handmade book,” Miller said. The last week of September, the University of Alabama hosted an artist from Cuba, Alejandro Sainz.
ALLELE lecture discusses trace fossils
Crimson White – Oct. 6
Anthony J. Martin, ichnologist and professor of environmental science at Emory University, discussed trace fossils at the first ALLELE lecture of the semester Thursday night. Martin said trace fossils, including, but not limited to tracks, eggs, coprolites and urolites, fascinate him. Scientists use trace fossils to study behavioral changes, such as variations in movement, over long periods of time. They can even calculate hip height and discover how fast the organism moved based solely on its tracks. “[Trace fossils] are normally much more abundant than bodies,” Martin said. “One dinosaur skeleton had about 200 bones in it. Think about a dinosaur that lives, say, 25, 30 years. How many traces it would have made throughout its lifetime?” … The ALLELE seminar series is hosted by The University of Alabama’s evolutionary studies club.
Big Al encourages reading at elementary school in Selma
CBS 8 (Montgomery) – Oct. 4
University of Alabama mascot Big Al stopped in at Clark Elementary School in Selma today to encourage students there to become champion readers. Big Al pumped up the crowd and got students excited about books and reading. Every child who reads six books will get a chance to win tickets to this year’s Iron Bowl. The event was sponsored by the Alabama Education Association.
Sacred Heart University hosts anti-binge drinking campaign
Hearst Media Group – Oct. 3
For the second straight year, students at Sacred Heart University will be hosting the LessThanUThink campaign, an effort to curtail binge drinking. The campaign combines humor and entertainment to remind students about the negative social consequences of binge drinking. This year the program kicks off Friday, Oct. 3, with a pre-concert event inside freshman dorms, including Seton, Merton and Roncalli halls. … LTUT was created by advertising and public relations students at The University of Alabama and addresses the national problem of college-age binge drinking for the 2009 National Student Advertising Competition, hosted by The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol and Responsibility (FAAR) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
UAB lands $49 M education grant
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Oct. 4
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been awarded a seven-year grant worth $49 million to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter college and succeed. The grant to UAB’s Department of Education will allow the university and its partners to work with more than 10,000 students from 53 schools in low-income areas of west Alabama. The U.S. Department of Education will put up $3.5 million a year and that will be matched by the state and UAB’s project partners, including the state Department of Education, Alabama State University, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Montevallo and Regions Bank. Gov. Robert Bentley says the grant is welcome support for Alabama’s Black Belt region and will help build a solid foundation for students in high-poverty schools.
LOCAL Q&A: Victoria Beale: Dancer
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 3
This week, meet dancer and writer Victoria Beale. Q: Who are you? What do you do? A: Victoria Beale. Dance major, minor in creative writing. I picked this major because I’ve been dancing my whole life. Dancing is always something I have loved to do, and it has always been something I have enjoyed doing. Q: Where are you from and what brought you to Tuscaloosa? A: I’m from Houston, Texas, and what brought me to Tuscaloosa was the University of Alabama’s dance program. The well-known artistic program director Cornelius Carter is one of the reasons I came here. He is well-known in Houston and ultimately one of the reasons I came to Tuscaloosa.
Far from home, Combs finds independence at UA
Crimson White – Oct. 6
Rebecca Combs sat inside Bryant Denny Stadium Saturday, Aug. 16, with over 2,000 women anxiously waiting to finally open their bid day envelopes. At 10 a.m. the girls were given permission to open the envelopes. An outpouring of shrill joy drowned the stadium and the surrounding areas. Combs discovered she was invited to join Kappa Delta sorority and smiled. Throngs of girls poured into the tunnels of Bryant Denny in search of their new sorority letters. Combs hastily, but slower than the others, navigated the crowds with a walker, which had became an inherent part of her life since birth. She found her letters, KD, and a golf cart, adorned with signs, “We Love Becca” and “Welcome to KD,” waiting to take her through the crowds. Combs was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that effects muscle movement, and she has used a walker to help with mobility since she was three. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, she decided to come to The University of Alabama after a campus visit. Despite the protests of her parents, who originally wanted her to stay home, Combs moved eight hours and 450 miles away
to Tuscaloosa. “This is where I felt most at home,” she said.
Students turn from TiVo to Philo for entertainment needs
Crimson White – Oct. 6
Evolution might be more in Darwin’s sphere of study, but it’s nothing new to the entertainment world. For TV aficionados, options to record favorite shows were born as VCRs, which evolved to Tivo and now to a program called Philo. Philo is a service offered to students living in UA residence halls at no cost, allowing them to view TV channels on their electronic devices, including computers, laptops and phones wherever they are on campus. “We do expect it to be a popular option for students with these added features and flexibility, as well as no cost,” said Janine Gascoigne, the marketing coordinator for housing. In the first week after the program’s launch at the University, more than 1,000 students logged into Philo, which offers 20 hours of recording capability. Different from Netflix, Philo allows live television to be recorded and viewed later, with available shows including “Suits,” “House” and college football. Philo, which is sponsored by the University’s cable provider Campus Televideo, chose several pilot schools like the University to test the program.