UA dedicates restored Foster Auditorium
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
After serving as the backdrop to Gov. George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” in 1963 and then falling into disrepair in the succeeding decades, Foster Auditorium was restored Wednesday as a symbol of the University of Alabama’s desegregation…The tower is named for Autherine Lucy Foster, the first black student to be accepted and enrolled at UA, while the plaza where it stands is named for James Hood and the late Vivian Malone Jones, whose enrollments marked the official end of segregation at the university. Foster, Hood and their family members were on hand for the dedication and a moderated discussion Wednesday morning. Representing Jones at the dedication were her daughter, Monica Jones-Shareef, and son, Michael Jones. Speaking for Jones at the discussion were her brother, Elvin Malone, and sister, Sharon Malone Holder, who was accompanied by her husband, U.S. Attorney General Holder… “Am I in heaven or is this still earth?” Foster asked those inside the auditorium for the dedication. “I don’t know any sight that has been so inspiring than the one I see today.”…Foster would return to the university in 1988 after the UA board of trustees overturned her expulsion. She graduated in 1992 alongside her daughter, Grazia Foster, with a master’s degree in elementary education.… Of her late sister, Sharon Malone Holder said Jones “felt she had the right to enter” UA and “never had any fear.” “There was this amazing lack of bitterness about Vivian,” Holder said. “She talked about her time here at the University of Alabama very matter-of-factly…During the dedication, Jones’ daughter, Monica Jones-Shareef said that although her mother could not be present, she would be proud of how far the university has come. “We are certain that our mother is wearing a huge smile that hundreds of African-American students and faculty are now at the University of Alabama,” she said.
Birmingham News – Nov. 4
Montgomery Advertiser – Nov. 4
Crimson White – Nov. 4
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Nov. 4
Gadsden Times – Nov. 5
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Nov. 3
Fox6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 3
CBS42 (Birmingham) – Nov. 3
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 3
WSFA (Montgomery) – Nov. 3
WAFF (Huntsville) – Nov. 4
WAKA (Montgomery) – Nov. 4
Former secretary of state recalls childhood segregation: Rice visits UA to sign books, talk to students
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Tuscaloosa on Thursday, the latest stop in a whirlwind national tour promoting her book that chronicles, in part, her childhood in segregated Birmingham. Rice, who served under President George W. Bush, spoke at the University of Alabama’s Ferguson Center in the morning, then signed copies of her book at UA’s Foster Auditorium in the afternoon. Audience members began assembling early outside the Ferguson Center Theater in hopes of gaining entrance to Rice’s 10:30 a.m. address, which was sponsored by UA and Stillman College.
AL.com – Nov. 5
Crimson White – Nov. 5
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Nov. 4
NBC13 (Birmingham) – Nov. 4
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 4
UA boosts enrollment goal to 35,000
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
Because the University of Alabama has met three of the four goals he set in a 2003 strategic plan, President Robert Witt on Thursday presented the school’s board of trustees with an updated plan for the next decade. The four goals — boosting enrollment, attracting the best students and faculty, increasing community service and becoming a Tier 1 research institution — have not changed. But their scope has broadened. Witt’s initial enrollment goal of 28,000 students was met in the fall of 2009. The university now has 30,232 students enrolled. By 2020, Witt hopes to increase that number to 35,000. Witt said the university came to that number after finding it could be accommodated with current university resources.
Al.com – Nov. 5
New construction projects
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 4
The University of Alabama board of trustees is considering new construction projects across the Capstone. The board committees met today to look at several proposals. Some of the projects under consideration include construction of new sorority houses, an indoor tennis stadium, renovations at Moore and Russell halls and the design of the North Bluff residential community. . . .
Sororities to acquire four new houses
Crimson White – Nov. 5
The UA system board of trustees approved a Stage I resolution to build new housing for the sororities Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Delta Delta and Delta Gamma, Thursday. As the separate resolutions for the houses stipulate, the houses will be built behind the President’s Mansion in the new Magnolia Development.
UA improves green report card
Crimson White – Nov. 4
…The College Sustainability Report Card of 2011 has given the University a B+. The report card is a part of The Sustainable Endowments Institute, which is a nonprofit organization involved in the research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices, according to a press release…The University’s grade has risen since 2007, according to Nancy Whittaker, associate vice president for administration. “The first year the survey was completed in 2007, the University received a D,” Whittaker said. “The continued improvement is very impressive and demonstrates The University of Alabama’s commitment to sustainability.”…According to Whittaker, the University spends more than 20 percent of it’s food budget on products grown or processed locally, as well as participating in a “trayless program,” reducing hot water use, within Bama Dining…
Looking back at Tuesday’s surprises
Montgomery Advertiser – Nov. 4
… Bill Stewart, a longtime political observer in the state and retired professor at the University of Alabama, said that the Republican sweep was “impressive,” but it also was a protest vote against a Legislature that was perceived as corrupt. “I think the indictments hurt,” he said. “They gave the impression the Legislature was corrupt, even though that is not necessarily true because you’re not guilty until you’ve been proven guilty.” Stewart said the indictments tainted the Legislature, and because the Democrats controlled the Legislature when the indictments came down they suffered a lot of the repercussions…
Birmingham News – Nov. 4
Florence Times-Daily – Nov. 4
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
Birmingham Business Journal – Nov. 4
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 3
Sen. Del Marsh of Anniston to be president pro tem of Alabama Senate
Anniston Star – Nov. 5
The new Republican majority in the Alabama Senat on Thursday selected Sen. Del Marsh of Anniston as president pro tem, effectively giving Calhoun County residents and leaders the ear of the most powerful person in the Senate. … William Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama, agreed that Calhoun County residents could benefit from having a president pro tem in their district. “Even though the person would not show gross favoritism, it helps local leaders to have access to someone they already know,” Stewart said.
From screen to stage: Opera scenes to feature music used in film
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 5
Opera pops up in some unlikely places outside concert halls, from Bugs Bunny cartoons to “The Shawshank Redemption.” Some might still consider Tuscaloosa one of those implausible spots. And yet there on the website map for National Opera Week is the University of Alabama Opera Theatre and its performances of “Real to Reel: Opera Goes to the Movies,” continuing Paul Houghtaling’s mission to bring opera down from the mountaintops and out to the masses.
ARDT pushes bounds of dance
Crimson White – Nov. 5
Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre will dance its way back into Morgan Auditorium for its fall performance next Tuesday. Performances will be held Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and on Friday at 5:30 p.m., and will showcase choreography from the department of theatre and dance staff, as well as the talents of ARDT members. Tickets are $12 for students, $15 for seniors, faculty and staff and $18 for adults.
SGA resolutions honor students, alumni
Crimson White – Nov. 5
The Senate had seven new resolutions. Senator Jonathan Thompson authored and presented two resolutions regarding Dr. Robert Bentley and the College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame. “Dr. Bentley’s resolution was needed because we are honoring a great University of Alabama graduate and our next governor so it was very important to do that,” Thompson said. Bentley is the 53rd governor of Alabama and holds an undergraduate and graduate degree from the University. There have been 10 governors from the Capstone, including the last three.
Part of M-21 may soon be named after Flint’s Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram
Flint (Mich.) Journal – Nov. 5
Former Flint Southwestern and current University of Alabama running back Mark Ingram may soon have a stretch of state highway named after him. According to a Chicago Tribune report, the Michigan Senate “overwhelmingly approved” a bill Thursday that would attach Ingram’s name to a portion of M-21 (Corunna Rd.) in Genesee County.
University of Alabama to host Quidditch tourney
Mobile Press-Register – Nov. 2
They can’t fly on brooms. They’re not even witches and warlocks. They are, in Harry Potter language, muggles. But that won’t stop the University of Alabama’s Creative Campus from holding a World Cup Quidditch tournament from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, on the UA Quad. Based on the broomstick sport from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books, quidditch has been modified into “ground quidditch” or “muggle quidditch” to be played in the real world.
South’s longstanding love affair with football
World Business (PBS) – Nov. 4
Throw in a live tiger mascot, a bizarre mix of pageantry, color and noise, and you’ve got a pretty good representation of the South’s longstanding love affair with football. . . . In Tuscaloosa Bryant-Denny Stadium is home of the nation’s reigning college football champions, the University of Alabama. With 102,000 seats, it’s the fifth largest stadium in America, but despite that, match tickets are as rare as hen’s teeth. Every game this season is already sold out.
UA astronomy professor studies abandoned coal mine to learn what the world was like 300 million years ago
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 3
…Ron Buta, professor of astronomy, the University of Alabama:
Students call AlcoholEdu effective tool
Crimson White – Nov. 4
The University offers a web-based alcohol prevention program required for all freshmen…The program, AlcoholEdu, is recognized nationally for its effectiveness, as it uses the latest prevention techniques and scientific research to educate students about the impact of alcohol, according to a letter Executive Vice President and Provost Judy Bonner wrote to students… “AlcoholEdu is designed to empower you to make well-informed decisions about alcohol and to help you better cope with the drinking behavior of others,” Bonner wrote. “The program has been helpful to many college students seeking ways to balance their new freedom living away from home with their need to establish a healthy lifestyle as young adults.”… “[AlcoholEdu] was extremely informative and made me actually think responsibly before drinking,” said Jordan Doss, a freshman majoring in nursing…Though an educational program doesn’t guarantee an alcohol-safe environment, Bonner wrote, AlcoholEdu has proven to be helpful to thousands of college students. “If the program helps just one of our students make a good decision about alcohol and personal safety, then we will have been successful,” she wrote.
Garden project promotes local produce
Crimson White – Nov. 4
The Druid City Garden Project seeks to build community through food and to increase access to fresh, locally grown produce, Rashmi Becker Grace, one of the founders of the project, said…In conjunction with the project there is a course taught through the Honors College called “Reading into Sustainability” in which students go out one hour each week to work in the garden. Adam Weinstein, the course instructor, said the beginning of the garden project and the creation of the class came into effect around the same time. “We seek to foster community through the gardens and connect people through food,” he said. “There was no garden on campus to do that so we decided to create our own.”…
Bama Buddies provides stuffed animals for children
Crimson White – Nov. 4
The SOURCE is bringing back a program to provide Tuscaloosa children with new stuffed animals. According to an October SOURCE newsletter, the Bama Buddies program is an initiative to benefit the community and provide an opportunity for student organizations to participate in meaningful service…Bama Buddies offers an experience similar to that found at Build-a-Bear stores, Ballard said. Students pay $10 and pick one of eight stuffed animals to stuff and give a heart to. Instead of taking the stuffed animals home, however, they are donated to four charities around Tuscaloosa to give a child in need a better Christmas holiday. In addition, $3 of the $10 paid goes directly to the charities, she said…
Woodwork with whimsy
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 4
Most of the furniture Norm Ellis builds is unusual yet classifiable: A poplar wood storage chest resembling an old-fashioned bee box, curio stands with stacked round shelves staggered at odd angles and a bench — with a high back and arms — based on a 10th-century Scandinavian bed. But one of the pieces, set to be displayed in Kentuck’s annex this month, had the retired University of Alabama professor stumped until his wife, Kay, started reciting nursery rhymes over it.