Tuscaloosa gears up for economic boost from UA football
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 26
With the expansion, Mercedes officials say the company has invested a total of one billion dollars in Alabama. They also say the expansion will equal about 450 to 500 new jobs. Another economic engine that’s purring in the Tuscaloosa area revolves around the University of Alabama football program. The season kicks off at home in just nine days. Fans around Tuscaloosa are gearing up for the tide to take the field.
UA ranks #2 on list of schools selling the most college merchandise
WAKA (Montgomery) – Aug. 26
…The collegiate licensing company says the University of Alabama is number 2 on the list of schools selling the most college merchandise. That’s up from number 5. The owner of Bama Fever and Tiger Pride in Montgomery says that they have seen an increase in Bama sales because of the team’s National football title.
UA football fans guided to neglected parking spots
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 27
Organizers of University of Alabama game days believe there is enough parking on and near campus to handle football fans for the upcoming season. The trick is getting fans to park in areas where few have parked in the past… University and city staff began planning for the 2010 season last year by taking aerial photographs of the area during games and using a study by UA engineering students who walked the ground to grasp parking patterns. They found about 5,000 parking spots barely touched last year, which organizers hope fans find this year. “We really ended up identifying far more parking spots than we anticipated,” Hallman said. “We were pleasantly surprised.” A big part of handling the traffic is downtown, which had sparse parking west of 21st Avenue, an area that includes a 470-space parking deck, said Mayor Walter Maddox. “Clearly, the downtown must be utilized more than in the past to accommodate the additional fans,” Hallman said. About 2,200 parking spots are downtown and, as part of a publicity effort, UA and Hallman’s company are e-mailing maps of Tuscaloosa that show the bulk of downtown within a mile from the stadium, closer than large parking areas on the east side of campus and the former River Road Park. “We are working very hard to promote downtown as part of the game day tradition,” Maddox said. “This will give our downtown businesses more visibility on game day.”…Most of the rest of the parking spaces come from the lot surrounding the Tuscaloosa Magnet School across McFarland Boulevard from UA, spaces taken up last season by construction at DCH Regional Medical Center, 900 reserved spots for Tide Pride members opened by moving some RVs to a new parking lot on campus and about 300 spots identified on campus that can handle game day parking, Palacioz said…
Mobile Press-Register – Aug. 27
Groups push for block seating
Crimson White – Aug. 27
… “Student Organization Seating has always been open to all SOURCE-registered student organizations,” said Stephen Swinson, SGA vice president of student affairs. “However, this year the SGA has enhanced its efforts to recruit more student organizations to apply in hopes that it will result in a more diverse and inclusive student organization section.” Alpha Phi Alpha, a traditionally black fraternity, has decided to apply this year because of SGA outreach efforts. “The openness that the SGA is trying to project is what made us want to apply,” said Teddy Phillips, National Panhellenic Council president and Alpha Phi Alpha member. “Taking the time to change it from
Student Block Seating to Student Organization Seating was definitely something that we felt embraced us. We decided to do it because we felt the SGA is trying to embrace every part of campus.”…The newly formed Honors College Assembly will also be vying for Student Organization Seating. President Hallie Paul said HCA is applying for seating because she feels it is a great way to build camaraderie across her organization. “I think it’s a great opportunity to get to know people and experience Alabama football with your peers, who you’re also in the Honors College with,” she said…
Gates changed due to South End Zone additions
Crimson White – Aug. 27
Fans visiting Bryant-Denny Stadium for the Sept. 4 football game against San Jose State will notice some changes in gate numbers due to the expansion of the South End Zone. These gate number changes affect almost every gate of the facility, not just those on the south end of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Gates 1, 2 and 3 are unchanged, but all other gate numbers have been affected. While the physical location of the gates for most sections remains the same, the numbers corresponding to those points of entry are most likely slight different than in the past, so fans should play close attention to the gate number on their ticket and be sure to enter the stadium through the proper gate so as to assure quick access to their seats. Some areas of note and their corresponding entry gates for 2010:…Gate 30 – Student Entrance for Special Groups. Gate 31 – Student Entrance…Gate 44 – Bands & Cheerleaders…
Sarah Palin wades into campaigns across U.S., including Florida
Miami Herald – Aug. 27
… “Mrs. Palin is using what she has at the moment,” said Janis Edwards, a University of Alabama communications professor who has written about Palin in the context of gender politics. “What makes it especially interesting is the attention she’s drawing to women candidates,” Edwards said of Palin’s “mama grizzlies.” “Until now most of the attention on women in politics has derived from a more liberal outlook,” Edwards said. “Sarah Palin is appropriating the liberal feminism to further conservative interests.”…
UA real estate expert discusses housing market
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 26
Recent reports from the government show tough numbers for the housing market, existing home sales fell to their lowest level in 15 years, and new home sales are down to their lowest level on record. According to experts, new home sales are down 12 percent. Existing home sales plunged more than 27 percent. This new drop comes after the expiration of the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit at the end of April. A rebound in the housing market is considered a crucial element of the overall economic recovery, Joining us now is University of Alabama professor of finance and real estate expert Dr. Leonard Zumpano, here to talk about the housing market, and if the national numbers reflect what’s going on in Alabama.
Students shop to support Rise
Crimson White – Aug. 27
The 7th annual “Buy for Rise” sale to benefit the Stallings’s Rise Center on the UA campus will be held today and Saturday, Martha Cook, executive director of all Rise schools, said. More than 50 local merchants, including Effie’s, Part Two and Solo, donate merchandise that is marked 75 percent off the lowest marked price, Cook said…Last year, proceeds from the sale reached more than $38,000, and both Cook and Hamner expect around $40,000 this year. “We have no operating budget at Rise,” Cook said. “All of the proceeds go directly to the children.”…
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 26
SGA discusses new programs
Crimson White – Aug. 27
David Wilson, a senator for the College of Business and a sophomore majoring in economics…proposed a program called We Are UA, a collection of stories about the University, its students and alumni. The idea for the program was inspired by the University’s You Are UA recruitment drive, Wilson said. “[President] Robert Witt has said that the most effective way to sell something is through storytelling,” Wilson said. “You don’t just hit the mind, you hit their soul.” “Something Witt has stressed is that we’re not just athletics,” Wilson said. “We’re education and research.” Part of the program’s focus would be on famous and successful alumni such as Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, said Wilson. Wales earned a master’s degree at the University’s School of Business. The approval of We Are UA by the Senate was the last step before hiring a paid director for the program, Wilson said. The program would be based off a current UA website for now, Wilson said. He plans for the We Are UA to eventually have it’s own independent site, “weare.ua.edu.”…
Greekfest returns to raise money for Gulf
Crimson White – Aug. 27
The 2010 Costa del Mar U. of Blue Greekfest returns to Tuscaloosa tonight at 7 p.m. with nationally renowned performers Pretty Lights, Slightly Stoopid and Grammy Award-winning Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to raise money for the Gulf cleanup effort. Proceeds from the show will be donated to the Alabama Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association in order to benefit their efforts in protecting the coastline…