MONDAY, JUNE 29 – SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2015
BEST BETS
UA’S UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER TO OPEN NORTHPORT LOCATION – University Medical Center, which is operated by The University of Alabama’s College of Community Health Sciences, will open a new location in Northport July 1. University Medical Center-Northport will be located in the Fitness One building, 1325 McFarland Blvd., Suite 102, and will provide the community with comprehensive patient-centered care in family medicine and obstetrics. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu
UA’S NURSING SCHOOL GRANT HELPS PREPARE NURSE EDUCATORS – The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing has a new funding program that will make doctoral nursing education more affordable for currently practicing or teaching nurses who are committed to educating the next generation of nurses. The nearly $264,000 grant allows the Capstone College of Nursing to offer loans for reasonable educational expenses at a low interest rate with subsequent partial loan forgiveness to borrowers who complete the program of study and then serve as a full-time nursing faculty for a period of four years. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: KEEP FUTURE EMPLOYERS IN MIND WHILE USING SOCIAL MEDIA – Social media has turned many of us into experts on online impression management: we understand intuitively how to modify our appearances and messages in order to appear more attractive, get more attention, more “likes,” more followers. If you’re looking for a job (or considering looking for one in the future), you need to use these impression management skills while taking the perspectives of potential employers. The University of Alabama’s Dr. Elliot Panek, assistant professor of telecommunications and film in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, offers some suggestions in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA MATTERS: AVOIDING POISONOUS PLANTS IN SUMMER, FALL – Summer and fall are popular times for outdoor activities such as hiking, gardening and playing outside. Unfortunately, poisonous plants can get in the way of enjoying your time outdoors. The University of Alabama’s Monica Watkins, director of the Arboretum, suggests ways to avoid poisonous plants. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu
CURRENT COMMENT
CHARLESTON, OTHER CURRENT EVENTS DEMONSTRATE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL MEDIA – “Good local journalists, like those reporting in Charleston and Baltimore, are immersed in the local context — the history, the people, the politics and economics,” said Dr. Wilson Lowrey, chairman of UA’s journalism department. “This is their community, and that’s one reason it’s so important to have journalists on staff with a long tenure in the community. But they’re also able to keep some distance and represent different groups within the community. At their best, these local journalists listen and lead. They listen carefully and widely to their community, and they also lead by helping the community know who they are — what’s in bounds and what’s out of bounds, what’s OK and what’s not OK. This is something no national news outlet that parachutes in could hope to do.” Contact: Dr. Wilson Lowrey, 205/348-8608, wlowrey@ua.edu, or Misty Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-6416, mmathews@ua.edu.
CHARLESTON SHOOTER’S REPORTED STATEMENTS BASED ON RACIAL MYTH – “Historically, the myth that black men rape white women was a racial red herring that would be brought up to justify violence or legal tactics to oppress African Americans,” says Dr. Lisa Lindquist-Dorr, UA associate professor of history. “One that wasn’t based in reality. It’s a trope that’s trotted out to justify oppression. The myth insisted that black men were driven to assault white women and that, as a deterrent, ‘black beast rapists’ should pay with their lives.” Survivor statements indicate the white gunman made comments including, “you rape our women,” before opening fire in the South Carolina church, killing nine. For more information, contact Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu
EVENTS
VENUS, JUPITER SHARE A STAGE – Only the moon outshines Venus and Jupiter in our night skies, and these two planets will appear paired later this month, says a UA astronomer. “This will be the closest conjunction of Jupiter and Venus we’ve been able to see since 1999,” said Dr. William Keel, UA professor of physics and astronomy. Visitors are invited atop Gallalee Hall from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. June 30 to use UA’s 16-inch, research grade telescope to view the pair. Though the planets will appear to be in close proximity as seen from Earth, they are actually 516 million miles apart, Keel says. The event is free, and it is dependent upon the weather. Contact Chris Bryant, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu for more details. Contact Keel directly at 205/348-1641 or wkeel@ua.edu.