MONDAY, DEC. 8 – SUNDAY, DEC. 14, 2014
BEST BETS
UA TO HOLD WINTER COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES – The University of Alabama will hold its winter commencement ceremonies Dec. 13 at Coleman Coliseum on the UA campus. The first ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. and will feature graduates from the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education, College of Human Environmental Sciences and the Capstone College of Nursing. The final ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m., when graduates of the Culverhouse College of Commerce, College of Communication & Information Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Social Work and the School of Law will be awarded diplomas. Contact: David Miller, UA Media Relations, 205/348-0825, dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
UA’ LIBRARIES’ CENTER FOR THE BOOK & ALABAMA WRITERS FORUM SET TO ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER HALL OF FAME CLASS ON WEDNESDAY – Twelve Alabama writers, including novelists, poets and authors of creative nonfiction, will be named to the inaugural class of the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. The full list of inductees will be released Wednesday, Dec. 10. Contact: Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu
NEW OPTION ALLOWS UA PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS TO USE FUNDS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL – University of Alabama students who have been awarded Presidential Scholarships and complete their undergraduate degrees early will now be able to use their remaining scholarship funds for graduate school. Presidential Scholarships provide tuition for a full-time undergraduate student for eight semesters. They are awarded to outstanding first-time freshmen based on ACT or SAT scores and high school GPA. “Many of these highly qualified students come to UA with AP credits or college credits earned while still in high school and are able to complete their undergraduate degrees in less than eight semesters,” said Mary Spiegel, executive director of undergraduate admissions at UA. “Under our new guidelines, these students may use their remaining scholarship semesters if they enroll in graduate school at UA after completing their undergraduate degrees.” Contact: Cathy Andreen, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8322, candreen@ur.ua.edu
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: WHAT KINDS OF FOOD DO LOCAL FOOD BANKS REALLY NEED? – In the past year, the West Alabama Food Bank and its cooperating partners distributed 1.22 million pounds of food. This included 95,373 emergency food boxes and 133,215 meals, serving approximately 98,000 Alabamians in nine counties. During the holiday season, when many people contribute to food banks, The University of Alabama’s Dr. Jennifer Kenney, assistant professor of social work, provides tips on the kinds of food local hungry families and individuals really need in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320
UA MATTERS: PLANNING A HOLIDAY PARTY WITHOUT GOING CRAZY – The University of Alabama’s Susan Newman, events coordinator for the Culverhouse College of Commerce, offers easy ideas to make your holiday party seamless and stress free in UA Matters. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320
CURRENT COMMENT
PROTECT YOUR MONEY WHILE SHOPPING ONLINE – Each year, the FBI estimates the financial cost of cybercrimes to total more than $781 million, impacting millions of people around the world. Recent hacks of debit card transactions and financial information at Home Depot and Target have resulted in more than $200 million in losses. Dr. Diana Dolliver, assistant professor of criminal justice at The University of Alabama, said online shoppers need to be all the more vigilant during the holiday shopping season. “Limit the number of online payments you make, and limit the number of websites that store your credit or debit card information,” Dolliver said. “ … Using open wifi networks gives bad guys an easy way to capture your information during online transactions.” Contact: David Miller, UA media relations, 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu; Dr. Diana Dolliver, assistant professor, Department of Criminal Justice, UA, 205/348-2062 or dldolliver@ua.edu.