Sports Management Lecture series begins
Crimson White – Sept. 24
At the first part of the Sports Management Lecture Series last Friday, Travis Tygart and Marty Lyons warned against doping in the sports industry, citing negative effects on the players, the sports and the youth. Lyons is a former All-American football player for the University, CEO for the Marty Lyon’s Foundation and a broadcaster with ESPN. Tygart is a lawyer and the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency. “If you cheat to get there, it’s not a real victory, and it’s not a victory you should be proud of,” Tygart said. Tygart said doping, even in therapeutic doses, can improve an athlete’s performance by 5 to 15 percent. He said the Tour de France is 21 days long, but the difference between the winner and the middleman is only 11 minutes, meaning 5 to 15 percent can make a difference like a donkey to a thoroughbred. USADA views clean athletes as the victims in these situations and offers multiple resources to help prevent possible mistakes.
Women and Gender Resource Center to host Chocolate Festival
Crimson White – Sept. 24
The Women and Gender Resource Center will host the fifth annual Chocolate Festival on Friday, Sept. 25 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Shelby Hall Rotunda. The event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased for $8 at the WGRC before the event and at the door. The purpose of the event is to raise funds and awareness for a variety of women’s health issues. The funds raised help to support services and programs that the WGRC provides to victims of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking, said Paige Miller, coordinator of Campus Violence Programs for the WGRC. “This event is important because it provides information to the community about a wide range of women’s health issues including information about health screening and prevention,” Miller said. “Secondly, the funds raised support the WGRC programs and services which allows our center to offer free and confidential counseling to victims of interpersonal violence, as well as leadership programs on campus and in the community.”
When the Womb Is a Crime Scene
Pro Publica – Sept. 24
Casey Shehi’s son James was born in August 2014, remarkably robust even though he was four weeks premature. But the maternity nurse at Gadsden Regional Medical Center seemed almost embarrassed, and as she took the baby from his exhausted mother’s arms, Shehi felt a prick of dread … Marshall County, at the southern edge of the Appalachians, was one of the areas hardest hit, so awash in addiction that its most prominent landmark was nicknamed Meth Mountain. Nurses, especially, were clamoring for action, said Steve Marshall, the district attorney there since 2001 … Under the statute’s flexible language, they concluded, “a child” could be a fetus, and “an environment in which controlled substances are produced or distributed” could be a womb … Most striking are the enormous disparities in the way prosecutors in the state’s 67 counties have applied the law. The normal tendency toward insularity — “each county is its own little fiefdom,” said John Gross, a professor and director of the criminal defense clinic at the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa — is magnified by huge workloads, meager budgets, archaic technology and divergent priorities. “You get vastly different results in terms of how the cases are prosecuted.”
Alternet.org – Sept. 24
Quad in Motion Day encourages campus exercise
Crimson White – Sept. 24
The Office of Health Promotion and Wellness hosted its inaugural Quad in Motion Day Wednesday on the Quad. The event lasted from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., encompassing the event’s slogan, “Encouraging Exercise at UA for an Entire Day!” Students, faculty and other members of the community turned out to participate in exercise classes, take a free personal training session, get a free flu shot, go on a walk around the Quad or just obtain information on living a healthier lifestyle. “It’s awesome,” said Heather Clayton, Coordinator for the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness. “I’m just excited we’re able to promote health and exercise on campus.” The Quad in Motion tent had an array of tables set up for information, including Bama Dining, the Governor’s Physical Fitness Commission, UA Recreation Center and the Student Health Center. UA Recreation offered 30-minute fitness classes throughout the day. The University of Alabama mascot, Big Al, stopped by to show off some moves during the yoga class, along with several other students and faculty members.