Grant will help students adjust in group that aids those with intellectual disabilities
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 31
The University of Alabama’s CrossingPoints program for students with intellectual disabilities plans to expand its size and scope using a five-year, $2.5-million federal grant awarded earlier this month. The grant will allow the program to expand its existing transition program for intellectually disabled students ages 18 to 21 years old in the Tuscaloosa area by increasing the spots available for students and adding additional support staff. The grant also will allow the university to start a new summer bridge program in 2016 that will help prepare students for college. “I can’t think of a place where the university could better spend money than these kids who are so often forgotten,” said Frank Larkin. Larkin’s daughter, Heather, who has Down syndrome, is a graduate of the transition program that helps students with significant intellectual disabilities prepare for adult life, including employment, living as independently as possible and social skills. “It helps them to be more independent and to have confidence in being independent,” Larkin said. The Larkins’ story is similar to those of other families in the program who have seen their children grow in the three-year transition program.
Easing Pain
American Psychological Association – Nov. 2
If cancer is “the emperor of all maladies,” as physician and author Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote, chronic pain may be the empress, affecting 100 million people in the United States and costing up to $630 billion each year in treatments and lost productivity, according to a 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). For many, pain digs in and cuts deep. A 2012 survey funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative … Pain drugs may make things worse. In a recent study of 1,176 people taking opioids, conducted by Jenna Goesling, PhD, of the University of Michigan and colleagues, more opioid users reported symptoms of depression compared with those not taking opioids for pain, an association that increased over time (Journal of Pain, 2015). That’s another reason why therapy is an asset, says Beverly Thorn, PhD, chair of the psychology department of the University of Alabama. “I would argue these folks aren’t being appropriately treated for depression,” she says. “They’re presenting to their primary care clinics and they’re getting opioids. A bonus with the cognitive behavioral therapy [for pain] is that there are no negative side effects and it also works for mental health.”
Auto industry drives state forward
Montgomery Advertiser – Nov. 1
Montgomery has built more than 3 million cars in the past decade. It has also built a new economy, one that’s fueled by the suddenly resurgent auto industry. Alabama’s Capital City has long relied on state and military jobs, but everything started changing in 2002 when Hyundai announced it would open its first America production plant here. The $1.7 billion Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama assembly plant makes the company’s two most popular vehicles in North America. A web of auto suppliers spread throughout region over the next decade, feeding parts to the plant as part of its “just-in-time” assembly line model. More than 3,000 people now work at HMMA, building Elantra and Sonata sedans around the clock each weekday. The local supplier network employs even more than the plant itself and regularly add jobs as demand for the cars continue to grow … That could be a wise investment, said Sam Addy, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama. “What we shouldn’t forget is that Boeing has been here for a long time, and they’re looking to expand, too,” Addy said. “Aerospace is a big opportunity for us. It’s going to affect the whole state, there’s no question.”
David Cicilline mixes up shooting data in a call for stronger background checks
Politi Fact – Nov. 1
On the floor of the U.S. House, Rep. David Cicilline reached for a statistic to bolster his argument for stronger background checks on gun buyers. “There have been more than 300 mass shootings in the United States this year – more than any other country in the world,” the Rhode Island Democrat said. It’s clear the United States has a problem with rampage shootings carried out in schools and workplaces. But more mass shootings than anywhere else in the world? Had Cicilline considered any of the world’s war zones? Richard Luchette, the Cicilline staffer who had sent us a YouTube video of the congressman’s remarks, provided two sources that Cicilline used in his speech: a website called Mass Shooting Tracker and a recent Wall Street Journal article with the headline “U.S. Leads World in Mass Shootings.” … The Wall Street Journal article cited by Luchette refers to research assembled by Adam Lankford, an associate professor of at the University of Alabama Department of Criminal Justice. Lankford examined “public mass shootings” in the United States and around the world from 1966 to 2012. He did not consider mass shootings in war zones or mass shootings motivated by gang rivalries. He identified a total of 292 shooters whose violence met his specific criteria for a public mass shooting, including at least four deaths.
Providence Journal (Rhode Island) – Nov. 1
NACC graduate wins prestigious award
DeKalb Times-Journal – Oct. 30
Northeast Alabama Community College is pleased to announce that one of its graduates, Jonathan Millican, has received the Jack Davis Professional Achievement Award given by the University of Alabama College of Human Environmental Sciences. The award was presented during homecoming activities on the UA campus recently. Millican was among eleven honorees for this year’s award.
2015’s Best and Worst Cities for Halloween
Wallet Hub – Oct. 30
It’s that spooky time of year again when everyone gets to play dress-up and devour sweet treats. Indeed, Halloween’s just around the corner, and nearly half of all Americans plan to get freaky with their celebrations this year … Halloween is more than just a fun holiday. It’s also a big holiday expense for many American households. We’ve asked a panel of experts to share their financial wisdom and strategies for parents and local governments to ensure the safety and health of young trick-or-treaters this year. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions: Laura Bloom, assistant professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at The University of Alabama – What are the biggest Halloween money-wasters? Expensive, elaborate costumes. There are many simple, inexpensive costumes that can be made at home.
Alabama football bus trips to Starkville, Auburn help fund student scholarships
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Oct. 30
The University of Alabama Retirees Association (TUARA) wants to help people got to Tide games- and help students get textbooks. The group is organizing charter buses to the game against Mississippi State in Starkville on November 14 and the Iron Bowl in Auburn on Nov. 28. The ride to Mississippi costs $50 and the trip to Auburn costs $60. Money raised will help fund the Robert E. Witt Book Scholarships for First Generation UA students. The packages includes a bus ticket, water, soft drinks, snacks and shakers. Tickets to the game are not included. To reserve your seat or for additional information call Mildred Switzer at 205-886-7619 or email her at 4switzer@att.net.
Social media fosters loneliness among youth
Crimson White – Nov. 2
It is fascinating: the constant desire and fraught feelings of people to get out of their own heads. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Learning how to be alone is something that is essential in becoming a healthy, active adult. When you came to college, you likely did it alone. When you get a job and have to move to a new city, you will also likely do it alone. For a lot of young people in college, there seems to be a consensus of lonely and indignant feelings as evidenced by social media, there are many ways to eradicate feelings of loneliness and make use of one’s down time for the better. Social media is not a healthy way to do it. Elliot Panek, a professor in the telecommunication and film department, is doing content analysis research of the app Yik Yak to determine what kind of things students are saying at different times of the day, which he will complete in December. “Yik Yak is great because it allows students to reach out behind the veil of anonymity about issues they might not otherwise want to talk about in person,” Panek said. “Most of it is humor and an outlet for social support.”
University kickstarts food donation initiatives (print edition only)
Crimson White – Nov. 2
Two food drive initiatives on campus hope to make dietary donations a year-round act from the students at The University of Alabama. The newest initiative is Second Helping from the SGA. It has already donated 1,300 pounds of food to the West Alabama Food Bank in the organization’s first month, said Virginia Pittman, director of the initiative.