Who’s the best interior lineman? Schneider Scale aims to calculate it
USA Today – Sept. 11
Can the impact of an interior offensive or defensive lineman be measured through statistical analysis? A group of graduate students from the University of Alabama is trying to find out. The Schneider Scale, a ranking the group developed, is being promoted this season by the Outland Trophy, which is awarded by the Football Writers Association of America to the best interior lineman in the country. Though the ranking will not necessarily affect who wins the award, it’s an interesting discussion point for the one position in football that is difficult to quantify with numbers. “We wanted to develop a statistical way to look at these players rather than just, ‘He knows how to block well,’ ” said Sam Sugarman, who started working with Henry Schneider in late June on the ranking … “Our hardest problem to figure out was trying to equal the playing field for offensive and defensive linemen and find a scale to record the points for each,” Schneider said. “In a perfect world you’d be able to watch the game like a coach and give each player a grade on each play. if they had pancake blocks in the box score that would be a huge help.”
Prosecutors Planning Retrial of Officer in Civil Rights Case
ABCNews.com – Sept. 11
Federal prosecutors said they plan to retry the Alabama police officer charged with violating an Indian man’s civil rights after a jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared in the case Friday. Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Madison police officer Eric Parker, who was accused of violating the civil rights of Sureshbhai Patel, 58, and using unreasonable force by slamming him to the ground in February. Parker has said Patel resisted officers multiple times and he took the man to the ground out of concern for his safety and that of a second officer who was on the scene … University of Alabama assistant law professor Stephen Rushin used video of the encounter in lessons on police misconduct and said prosecutors’ burden of proving an officer’s willfulness in criminal cases makes it very difficult to secure convictions. “The best course of action in both kinds of case, civil and criminal, is to use the department’s rules of conduct, manual, or training guidelines as the standard of care and go on to show that the officer violated his department’s own rules,” Richard Delgado, University of Alabama John J. Sparkman Chair of Law, said in an email.
Elkart Tribune (Ind.) – Sept. 11
Puff, puff, don’t pass
Ashtabula Star Beacon (Ohio) – Sept. 13
This week ResponsibleOhio, the group backing a measure to legalize marijuana in Ohio, brought their tour bus to Ashtabula County pushing the benefits of decriminalization and seeking support for Issue 3. We believe Ohio voters should have the opportunity to decide for themselves in a straightforward measure if marijuana should be legalized in the state. Unfortunately, the mess on the November ballot is anything but straightforward, and we think voters need to pass on pot — at least for now. There are many legitimate reasons to support and oppose legalizing marijuana. Most people support its medicinal use, while legalizing it for recreational purposes is a more split proposition, and Issue 3 opens the door to both at once — a rare approach among states that have decriminalized marijuana … “By providing [a] loan and placing the proceeds in [a] checking account, the institution would be conspiring to distribute marijuana,” University of Alabama law professor Julie Andersen Hill wrote in a paper, according to Forbes. “By facilitating customers’ credit card payments, the institution would be aiding and abetting the distribution of marijuana. And by knowingly accepting deposits consisting of revenue from the sale of marijuana, the institution may be acting as an accessory after the fact.”
Termination memo detailed more than 50 allegations against Calhoun V.P.
Decatur Daily – Sept. 13
Calhoun Community College’s president accused his second in command of more than 50 instances of misconduct and recommended her termination before agreeing to a settlement in which she will receive full pay until her retirement. “Her behavior has been described by staff and faculty at the College as ‘intimidating,’ ‘threatening,’ tyrannical,’ ‘vicious,’ ‘disrespectful,’ ‘retaliatory,’ and ‘bullying,’ “ wrote President James Klauber Jr. about his vice president for instruction and student success, Alicia Taylor. Klauber’s July 7 memorandum recommending termination is among the documents released last week in response to The Decatur Daily’s requests for information pertaining to the Taylor case under the Alabama Open Records Act … Stephen Katinas, a University of Alabama professor who specializes in higher education and is director of the Education Policy Center, said the federal government is increasing its regulatory review and enforcement over federal funding. He said Alabama colleges are particularly dependent on Title IV financial aid because of a 34 percent cut in state funding between 2008 and 2012. “Any prudent college leader would want to settle an outstanding problem with federal education officials as soon as possible,” Katinas said.
Those named after legendary coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant gather to tailgate
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 12
Bryant Duane Wales, 20, is attending school to be a teacher and football coach. It runs in his blood and his name. Wales’ father is a football coach, loves to play the game and is named after the legendary college football coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant. “We have been Bama fans for years. His dad is a football coach. We just thought it would be a great way to pay tribute to coach Bryant and to the sport his dad loves,” said Wales’ mother, Kim Wales. “Had his sister been a boy, her name would have been Stallings after coach Stallings.” Almost 100 of the Pauls, Williams, Bears and Bryants whose parents revered the former University of Alabama coach enough to name their kids after him gathered for the 19th Namesake Reunion Party on Saturday at the Paul W. Bryant Museum to celebrate Bryant in a different fashion than houndstooth.
New York Times – Sept. 12
Tuscaloosa News (gallery) – Sept. 12
COLLEGE NEWS: September 13
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 12
Impact 360 Institute Gap Year: Russell Motsch, a recent high school graduate from Tuscaloosa, has earned his place at a leadership program. He will begin his college career at Impact 360 Institute Gap Year, a program that prepares high school graduates to be Christ-focused leaders on their college campuses; University of Alabama: Betsy Plank, public relations legend and the namesake of the University of Alabama’s Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, has been inducted posthumously into the 2015 Southern Public Relations Hall of Fame. The Southern Public Relations Hall of Fame was established in 2010 to recognize the distinguished accomplishments, commitment and leadership of professional public relations practitioners and educators from the Southeastern United States.
WellBama to host free health screenings
Crimson White – Sept. 11
WellBama is hosting a free, voluntary health screening open to all eligible faculty and staff members employed by the University in an effort to help promote good health and wellness within the community. “WellBama is designed to promote health and improve the quality of life for all UA employees,” said Dr. Melondie Carter, ambassador within the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness. “It is a free, personalized program for employees that includes health screenings and coaching. Financial incentives are available.” There will be a health screening from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Bryant Conference Center. According to WellBama’s site, they help encourage University employees to make healthy eating choices. They also provide health coaches, upon request, that will work with employees to create a program that suits their individual nutritional needs. By providing personally tailored exercises given by assigned health coaches, WellBama strives to strengthen its community through physical activity.
Maddox speaks on leadership
Crimson White – Sept. 11
For the second event of the Leadership Speaker Series, External Affairs brought Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox to campus. Maddox, who has been in office for 10 years, spoke on leadership and topics such as current local and state politics. Within Maddox’s address to the student and faculty, he spoke on important qualities such as vision, implementing the vision and understanding that everyone counts. “Vision is a term we use a lot in today’s society. It is something that is the crucial element when it comes to leading an organization,” Maddox said. Maddox referenced the city’s dealings with the aftermath and devastation of the 2011 tornado. The New York Times even wrote that Maddox helped execute one of the most effective responses to a natural disaster. “That night while we were dealing with all the life-safety issues, I asked our Director of Planning and Development Services to walk down the hallway with me because I needed to talk to him, and I said ‘We have to create a vision for us to make it out of this,’” Maddox said, “Never underestimate the framework and vision that you can create in an organization to make effective change happen.”
Circle K remembers 9/11 attacks
WVUA – Sept. 11
The UofA Circle K and UA Student Government Association commemorate 9/11.
Renting Tents on the Quad / Game Day on the Quad / Walk of Champions / Game Day Fashions / Game Day Dishes
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 12
Ever wonder how fans reserve their tailgate tents on Saturday home games? WVUA 23’s Yostina Banoub took to the Quad to find out.
Fans could see traffic delays
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Sept. 12
Football fans heading to Tuscaloosa for Bama’s first home game tomorrow could encounter some longer than normal traffic delays unfortunately. AL-DOT is working on some the game day routes to Tuscaloosa. The main construction projects are along Interstate 20/59 near mile marker 79.