Elliot Spillers to lead SGA at University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – March 10
University of Alabama students on Tuesday elected the second black Student Government Association president in the organization’s 100-year history. Elliot Spillers, a junior from Pelham, was elected president for the 2015-16 school year, defeating junior Stephen Keller of Baton Rouge, La. Spillers will succeed SGA President Hamilton Bloom. Spillers could not be reached Tuesday night for comment. He will be the first black executive to lead the student organization since Cleo Thomas, who was elected in 1976. Thomas, a 1977 graduate and trustee emeritus, was UA’s first black president of the student organization, which was founded in 1914. Students cast 14,931 votes Tuesday. Spillers received 8,602 votes, according to Richard Le Comte of UA Media Relations.
Al.com – March 10
Inside Higher Ed – March 10
Crimson White – March 10
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – March 10
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – March 10
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – March 10
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 10
WALA-Fox (Mobile) – March 10
ABC 31 (Huntsville) – March 10
ABC 13 (Biloxi, Miss.) – March 10
Daily Reporter (Greenfield, Ind.) – March 10
CNN “Out Front” – March 10
Survey says Alabama has 22nd top law school
Tuscaloosa News – March 11
The University of Alabama’s School of Law ranks 22nd among the nation’s top law schools, according to U.S. News and World Report’s annual “Best Graduate Schools.” This marks the third straight year that UA’s law school has been ranked in the nation’s top 25 law schools. “We are pleased with this national recognition,” Mark E. Brandon, the law school’s dean, said in a news release. “The ranking is an indication that the faculty, administration, and staff of Alabama Law continue to attract outstanding students, provide them a first-rate education, and see them begin successful legal careers.” The magazine ranked 198 accredited law schools, both public and private, based on a weighted average of 12 factors, including quality, selectivity and placement success. UA’s law school is tied for 22nd with law schools at George Washington University, the University of Iowa and the University of Notre Dame. Last year, UA’s law school ranked 23rd.
White House education official to visit Tuscaloosa
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – March 10
An official with the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities will visit Tuscaloosa Tuesday and Wednesday. Deputy Director Dr. Ivory A. Toldson will visit Shelton State Community College, Stillman College and The University of Alabama. During his visit, Toldson will meet with three local students, selected as HBCU All-Stars. These students provide communication and outreach to their fellow students about the value of education. Morgan Curry, a former Shelton State student who now attends The University of Alabama, says being in the All-Star program has not only allowed him to reach others, but it has provided him with advantages. “Networking-wise, I have met numerous people,” Curry said. “We discuss things going on on their campuses, on our campuses, and with those doors being opened, I can basically go out and meet anyone I need to put my foot in the door.”
WTOK 11 (Savannah, Ga.) – March 10
CBS 5 (Mobile) – March 10
Greenfield Daily Journal (Ind.) – March 10
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – March 10
Computer Science Course Draws in Arts Students
Product Design and Development – March 10
Last December, the College Board launched a new Advanced Placement (AP) course designed to teach Computer Science Principles (CSP). The course, developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), intends to make computer science accessible to all students and to increase participation by females, underrepresented minorities and students with disabilities. For courses like this to be offered across the country, schools need instructors who are able to teach computer science. The CS10K initiative, led in part by NSF, aims to increase the number of computer science teachers to 10,000, and teacher professional development is critical to accomplishing this goal … Jeff Gray has been piloting a college-level version of the CSP course at the University of Alabama since 2011 and has helped in facilitating a unique form of CSP professional development. Working with his co-principle investigators, Mary Boehm and Carol Crawford of A+ College Ready, on an NSF grant, their design of the CS4Alabama professional development adopts a teacher leader model, where a cohort of lead teachers mentor new teachers. In CS4Alabama, the majority of the teaching resources are developed and shared by the teachers themselves.
Why Do People Talk In Their Sleep?
Huffington Post – March 10
Sure, you can have my phone number. It’s like having a direct line to God. But better, because I answer. Hold me. I want you to feel greatness. I’m like medicine. Take me twice before going to bed. Warning: I will cause sexiness. I’m not fat. It’s just my awesomeness swelling up inside me. These sound like bad pickup lines or something you might read on a T-shirt, right? Well, they did eventually make it on T-shirts, but the egomaniacal zingers were first uttered by a man who spewed out jokes (and not-fit-for-print phrases) in his sleep. Sleep Talkin’ Man — the name Adam Lennard and his wife use to refer to his alter ego — was born in February 2009 when he shouted, “Enough with the cheese! Enough!” … To find out more about the sleep disorder and what you should do if you or your bed partner starts cracking jokes or uttering nonsense in the middle of the night, U.S. News talked with Ilene Rosen, an associate professor in the division of sleep medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Natalie Dautovich, a National Sleep Foundation environmental scholar and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Alabama … “For most people, the talking won’t do any physical harm,” Dautovich says. “It could just possibly be embarrassing and disruptive to other people who share the same bedroom.”
Alabama barbecue about culture, politics
Gadsden Times – March 8
At various times in Alabama, barbecue has served as a social event bringing together rural communities, a political tool, civil rights backdrop and an avenue for entrepreneurship. “What I found really interesting was, over the course of the state’s history, barbecue has really served as an occasion and a vehicle to bring people together who don’t always spend a lot of time together,” said Josh Rothman, professor of history and African-American studies at the University of Alabama. The history of the cooking style is the subject of an essay by UA graduate student Mark Johnson, which was edited by Rothman and published as part of the state tourism department’s Year of Alabama Barbecue campaign, which began recently and highlights Alabama’s tradition and eateries.
Tuscaloosa County School System bans e-cigarettes
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – March 11
No more huffing and puffing on county school campuses in Tuscaloosa. The school board voted to change its tobacco policy to include electronic cigarettes and vaporizers. Dr. Alan Blum at The University of Alabama says the appeal of e-cigarettes could have lasting effects. “When teenagers and kids are taking these things up, there’s no way that we can know now that they’re not going to lead to other addictions. And Nicotine addiction is no fun.”
Is today’s poverty rate in Selma, Ala., nine times higher for blacks than whites?
Politifact – March 10
In its coverage of the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights clash in Selma, Ala., NBC’s Meet the Press talked to several people who live there about “what has changed and what hasn’t,” as host Chuck Todd put it. One of those interviewed was Henry Sanders, a state senator whose district includes Selma. Here’s what he said: “I was elected to the Senate in 1983. So I’ve been here more than 32 years. It’s still two Selmas.” … William H. Stewart, a University of Alabama political scientist, said impoverished communities sometimes “look” worse than the statistics officially say they are. “The mostly poorer housing conditions endured by blacks reinforce the impression that a much greater disparity exists between whites and blacks than is shown from the objective statistics,” Stewart said.
Gulf State Park Enhancement Project
WALA-Fox (Mobile) – March 10
Nisa Miranda from The University of Alabama says, “Eco-tourism is still a way to stay in that tourism sector, diversify and add other components.” The University of Alabama is taking public input on the project, and is in the process of conducting an economic impact study, which should be available in a few months.
UA to bring back Yearbook
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – March 10
The University of Alabama is bringing back its yearbook. Production on the Corolla was halted in 2014 after 122 years. Only 24 copies of the yearbook though were sold in the previous year. The University is going to produce the Corolla with student input as opposed to it being a student-run production.
Driver texting ban goes to Bryant
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, Miss.) – March 10
Legislation banning texting while driving is a gubernatorial signature away from becoming law in Mississippi. The 52-member state Senate – after about an hour of debate late Monday – sent to the governor with three dissenting votes the bill that would impose a $25 civil penalty for texting and driving. … Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven, cited a University of Alabama study that concluded traffic fatalities were reduced by 3 percent in states with texting and driving bans.
Less Than You Think program helps classmates understand dangers of binge drinking
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 10
Spring break starts next week and one group at The University of Alabama is reminding students to relax, have fun and avoid binge drinking. UA students involved in the Less Than You Think Program are helping their classmates understand the dangers of binge drinking. Organizers say it is dangerous to drink too much and they want to educate their peers and the public.
WERC-FM Radio (Birmingham) – March 10
Journalism students travel abroad to England, Wales
Crimson White – March 11
University of Alabama journalists are currently on a two-week expedition to England and Wales to collect stories for the sixth edition of the Alpine Living Magazine. Alpine Living is an international travel magazine produced and edited solely by UA journalism students as a showcase of their writing and photography skills. Every other year, students travel near mountainous regions around the world to create the magazine. This year, the group made their first stop in England. Anna Rae Gwarjanski, managing editor, and Collin Curry, editor-in-chief, are two of 14 journalists on the team. Both Gwarjanski and Curry are first-year graduate students at the University studying journalism. Gwarjanski said travel writing is a career both she and Curry want to pursue after they graduate. “We were both a part of the last issue to Spain,” Curry said. “Anna Rae was a photographer, and I was a writer. Since we’re in grad school now, we decided to give it another go in
leadership roles.”