Part of former Bryce Hospital being demolished
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 2
The demolition of the outermost wings on the former Bryce Hospital is part of preparations to convert the historic building for use on campus. … Phase 1 would include demolition of sections of the north, east and west wings of the main Bryce Building. The demolition would not include the amusement hall rotunda on the north side of the main building. Phase 2 would include demolition of 12 structures, including the dairy barn, greenhouse, engineer’s office, morgue and piggery. The demolition is part of a campus master plan for the historic hospital grounds, which includes new academic and residential buildings and recreational facilities. The plan includes a $60-million, 109,017-square-foot performing arts center that will connect to the historic main Bryce Hospital building via a new lobby. The center is planned as a state-of-the-art venue for the Department of Theatre and Dance.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 2
New study reveals the enormous amount of money smokers burn each year
Jackson County Daily Sentinel – Feb. 3
This past week was National Tobacco-Free Awareness Week, and health experts across the country focused on spreading awareness of the dangers and financial cost of smoking. In conjunction with this campaign, the financial experts at WalletHub released a study revealing the estimated total lifetime cost of smoking, and the data shows these figures easily top the $1 million mark. According to WalletHub, the economic and societal costs of smoking-related issues in the U.S. total more than $301 billion a year, and that figure continues to rise. Broken down, the total includes $116.4 billion in direct healthcare costs, $67.5 billion in workplace productivity losses and $117.1 billion in early deaths related to smoking … Dr. Alan Blum, professor of family medicine at the University of Alabama’s College of Community Health Sciences and director of the university’s Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, says they do but not enough to serve as a significant motive to stop smoking. “The amount smokers spend on their habit does register because people often buy discount-brand cigarettes, and I’ve had people tell me what other things they could have spent their smoking money on,” Blum said.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Bragg to speak Feb. 11 at University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 3
“An Evening with Rick Bragg” will be held Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the University of Alabama campus. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer will give a speech and answer questions from the audience. Admission is $5 for students and $10 for the general public. Proceeds will help with printing costs for Alpine Living, a student-created travel magazine. Bragg was a reporter and national correspondent for The New York Times, where he won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. He has written a half-dozen books, including best-sellers “All Over But the Shoutin’ ” and “Ava’s Man,” and has won more than 50 writing awards, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Distinguished Writing Award twice. His latest book is “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story.” He now teaches writing at UA.
Freshman fights cystic fibrosis
Crimson White – Feb. 3
Flawless, extraordinary and perfect are just a few of the adjectives friends of UA freshman Sabrina Kelley use to describe her. Just like many other students, Kelley came to the University with aspirations to join Greek life, meet new friends and experience college for the first time. But Kelley’s story is different than most. At just six weeks old, Kelley was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. “When I first moved in during the fall, Sabrina mentioned cystic fibrosis, but I didn’t really know what it was,” said Meghan Nash, a freshman majoring in political science and one of Kelley’s roommates. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, over 30,000 people struggle with this terminal disease in the U.S. “It wasn’t until I saw her taking 10 pills in the morning, 13 pills at night and having to wear a nebulizer mask to help her breathe and do all of these things did I realize how serious her condition was,” Nash said. “She is the most optimistic and positive person I know though and has such a great outlook on life. When I think of something bad happening, she will try to make a joke about it or lighten the mood.”
App helps find UA buildings
Crimson White – Feb. 3
Many different options exist for students when it comes to finding a way around campus and locating classes. In 2011, the Campus Maps smart phone app launched out of a dorm at The University of Maryland. The app licenses maps from Google and Apple to allow users to view an image of their destination. According to the Campus Maps website, the app is constantly updated and allows students and visitors to find any building on campus. Since the launch of the app, many different universities have been added across the country, including The University of Alabama. Kathleen Bodle, a senior majoring in telecommunication and film and marketing, said she is familiar with the app. “Back in freshman year I would actually use a physical map in order to locate my classes,” she said. “I found it to be really difficult and eventually I lost the map all together.”
Spectrum molds Knight’s career
Crimson White – Feb. 3
Luke Knight, president of Spectrum, is a junior majoring in history and Latin from Madison, Mississippi. Spectrum is a group for LGBT students and allies that seeks to promote community and advocate for equality. Q. Did you ever think you would be the president of Spectrum? A. Not from the start. Spectrum was one of the first things that I came to as a freshman, and I got involved with it then. My sophomore year I became the secretary. So then after that it kind of became more clear that I would take the leadership role. With the work I was doing as secretary, it was a good transition into a bigger role. Q. What have you enjoyed most about serving as the president of Spectrum? A. I really love the opportunity to get to create the community here and provide outreach. And to give people somewhere to learn, and to be with other people and kind of celebrate and respect all our different identities. Q.How would you describe your organization in three words? A. Community. Activism. Fun.
Dismukes runs for Republican position
Crimson White – Feb. 3
On Jan. 21, University of Alabama student Dalton Dismukes announced his decision to run for chairman of the College Republican Federation of Alabama. Dismukes, a junior majoring in political science, made his announcement via Facebook, and within the first five days, he received endorsements from seven of Alabama’s 15 College Republican chapters. Dismukes is running unopposed in the campaign, which will culminate at the statewide convention on March 7. He said his primary goal as chairman will be rebranding the Republican Party. “We’re going to change our outreach by not changing our message,” he said. “We’re going to keep the same message, but we’re going to do things a little differently.”