Why Are Mass Shootings an ‘Exceptionally American Problem’?
TakePart.com – Aug. 25
When white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed eight people during a prayer meeting in Charleston, South Carolina’s historically black Emanuel AME Church in June, the country grieved the horrific tragedy and the hatred that motivated the bloodshed. But there was, too, a gross familiarity in the murders of the congregants by a man who was a stranger to them. American schools, movie theaters, military centers, and places of worship have all been scarred by this brand of mass murder. Since 1982, there have been 71 such shootings involving four or more deaths in the U.S.—a prevalence that has led many to wonder if public mass shootings are a uniquely American affliction. That question is at the heart of a new study, “Mass shooters, Firearms, and Social Strains: A Global Analysis of an Exceptionally American Problem,” conducted by University of Alabama criminal justice professor Adam Lankford. Between 1966 and 2012, the U.S. had 31 percent of the world’s public mass shooters, in spite of having just 5 percent of the world’s population, according to Lankford’s findings, which will be presented at the American Sociological Association’s annual meeting this week. The study, which attempts to assess all mass shootings that left four or more people dead in 171 countries, found a country’s civilian firearm ownership rate is the strongest predictor of the prevalence of mass shootings in that country.
Los Angeles Times – Aug. 24
MSNBC – National “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” – Aug. 25
Minneapolis Star-Tribune – Aug. 24
Yahoo! – Aug. 25
WHBY (Appleton, Wisc.) – Aug. 25
Gulf News – Aug. 25
Spokesman Review (Spokane, Wash.) – Aug. 25
Albuquerque Journal (N.M.) – Aug. 25
Southern Miss administrator chosen for UA post
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 25
A University of Southern Mississippi administrator has been named the new vice president for advancement at the University of Alabama. “I am thrilled to be returning to the University of Alabama to join President (Stuart) Bell’s team and lead the development efforts for the Capstone. There is tremendous fundraising potential at UA,” said Robert D. Pierce, the new advancement vice president. Pierce’s appointment was announced by UA on Tuesday. Pierce is currently the vice president for advancement at Southern Mississippi. He will start at UA on Sept. 21. “Bob Pierce is an experienced leader in university advancement who will bring an outstanding record in fundraising as well as energy and enthusiasm to the University of Alabama,” UA President Bell said in comments released on Tuesday. “We are looking forward to having him join our team.” At USM, Pierce has served as the vice president of advancement since 2010. Before that, he was the executive director of the alumni association. He also served previously as assistant director of development for athletic fundraising at USM. Pierce earned his master’s degree in advertising and public relations at UA in 2003. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at USM in 1991.
Student awarded Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship
Crimson White – Aug. 25
In July of 2015, University of Alabama graduate student Nathan Klenke was awarded the Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship. This prestigious honor placed Klenke in the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellow Program. This program is specified to students who are studying within transportation-related domains. The Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship was created in 1953 for the late president Dwight D. Eisenhower in order to exhibit his belief and understanding in the importance of knowledge. According to the award’s official website, the Eisenhower Fellowship allows and pushes for students who have been awarded the fellowship to actively connect in educational experiences, professionalism, knowledge, research and to create relationships with other scholars. “I’m very honored to have been awarded this fellowship,” Kenke said. “I have spent a year researching diamond grinding to find ways to improve practices and make safer and better quality pavements, so it is nice to know that other engineers think this research is important.”
Eight odd things you never knew about college football stadiums
ESPN.com – Aug. 26
Tradition may be college football’s greatest asset, and from the blue field at Boise State to the pink locker room at Iowa, the famed hedges at Georgia to Touchdown Jesus looming over Notre Dame Stadium, the venues where the games are played are filled with the details that make the sport special. … Every year, Ian Brown has to explain to his students where they’ll be heading for their first class project of the semester. It’s Evergreen Cemetery, the University of Alabama professor will say. And more often than not, he’ll be met by a series of blank stares. Someone will inevitably raise his or her hand and ask for directions. “Then I ask, ‘Do you know where the stadium is?’ ” Brown said. “They all know where that is.” So at least they’ll have an idea where to park. While Bryant-Denny Stadium, built in 1929, is the center of campus life in the fall, what rests directly across the street is the exact opposite and goes almost entirely unnoticed. More than 100,000 fans will walk around the iron gates of Evergreen Cemetery on any given football Saturday, but almost no one will go inside. If they did, they’d find a different world. “It seems strange having a place of death located so close to all that life and activity and sports,” Brown said. “But it is a part of our lives.” … Evergreen Cemetery is still being used today, but new burials are limited to existing family plots. Rufus Strickland, an area undertaker and Tide superfan, bought the burial plot closest to the stadium. Rumor has it he switched sides with his wife in order to be closer to the field. Apparently Strickland had a clever side to him. His headstone reads: “Hi. Thanks for stopping by.”
Axe hangs over prestigious university course
Herald Scotland – Aug. 25
A SCOTTISH university is facing an international backlash over fears it is planning to axe an acclaimed degree course. Academics from across the world have spoken out after moves by Stirling University to review the future of religious studies. Lecturing unions have also gone on the attack accusing the university of trying to close the course “by the back door” without proper consultation … Professor Russell McCutcheon, from the religious studies department at the University of Alabama, said: “People internationally are watching this and are rather dismayed….. that a major university can end its students’ ability to engage in the academic study of religion. A truly unfortunate decision.”
University of Alabama to host public viewing of the night sky
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 25
There will be a free public viewing of the night sky on tonight at the observatory in Gallalee Hall at the University of Alabama. The impromptu viewing hosted by UA astronomy professor Ron Buta will be from 7:30-9 p.m. using the department of physics and astronomy’s 16-inch telescope as well as other telescopes. The viewing will include Saturn, the moon, and other celestial objects, Buta said. The event offers a chance to observe Saturn before the planet moves behind the sun for the rest of the year, astronomy professor Bill Keel said. Buta is still working on the formal schedule for public night viewings for the fall semester, which will be released later. The observatory is on the fourth floor of Gallalee Hall, which is at the corner of University Boulevard and Hackberry Lane.
UA to host Get on Board Day
Crimson White – Aug. 26
Are you a new student that wants to get involved on campus? Is it too much effort to find clubs that pique your interest? Do you want all these clubs to be in one place at one time? Well student you’re in luck. This Thursday is Get on Board Day at the University of Alabama. Get on Board Day is an event that allows students to find clubs and organizations that they will be interested in joining. As a result of the additions to the Ferguson Center, this Get on Board Day will be bigger than the last. Students will be able to preview over 400 different clubs and local businesses, and approximately 60 percent of all student organizations will be represented at the event. There will be a wide range of clubs present, from the UA Feminist Caucus to the Young Conservatives, the Riptide Dance Crew to the Food Science Club and much more. Sophomore Nick Jackson attended Get on Board Day last year. “It’s a great opportunity to meet new people,” Jackson said.
All Alabama state parks in danger of closing over budget woes
Al.com – Aug. 25
The budgets passed by the legislature in June and earlier this month – both vetoed by Gov. Robert Bentley — would have resulted in the closure of all 22 Alabama state parks, the parks director said Tuesday. That danger remains in place as lawmakers and Bentley continue to haggle over how best to solve a state budget shortfall. In an interview with AL.com following a news conference Tuesday at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville, state parks director Greg Lein said the potential impact of the budget shortfalls in Montgomery are more dire than when he first said in April that 15 of the parks could be shut down … Lein cited a University of Alabama study from two years ago that assessed the economic impact of the 22 parks on the state at about $400 million annually.
Student organization promotes deaf-friendly culture
Crimson White – Aug. 25
EAF Hands Speak is a new organization on campus this year that aims to promote deaf-friendly culture and teach sign language, as well as forge bonds with the deaf community of Tuscaloosa. It is the only organization of its kind at the University. “The biggest thing is making sign language and deaf culture a bigger thing on campus,” President Delphanie Wu, a sophomore studying communicative disorders, said. DEAF Hands Speak will host their first Deaf Chat of the year on August 31 at 1:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center. Deaf Chats are an opportunity for students to learn and practice sign language with their peers. Those interested in joining the organization can attend an informational meeting on September 2 at 5 p.m. in Reese Phifer 104C. DEAF is an acronym standing for development, education, accessibility and fellowship. They want to make the student body more aware of deafness and other hearing issues. By teaching sign language, they hope students will take an interest and make communication with their deaf peers easier.