Pulitzer EO Wilson lecturing at Univ. of Alabama for 2 days
Associated Press – Sept. 11
A renowned biologist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner is lecturing the next two days at the University ofAlabama. Alabama graduate and Mobile native E.O. Wilson will be serving as a scholar-in-residence at the university in Tuscaloosa. Wilson is best known for his study of small life forms including ants. He will speak on “The Social Conquest of Earth” on Tuesday night, and then address students during a convocation on Wednesday. On Monday, Wilson was the keynote speaker at an awards luncheon for the Alabama Humanities Foundation.
Birmingham News – Sept. 11
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Sept. 11
Tuscaloosa sees opportunities for tourism with Alabama football games
Birmingham Business Journal – Sept. 10
The Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission is working with the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and the University of Alabama in an effort to boost tourism among fans attending UA home games. According to the Tuscaloosa News, the effort involves promoting Tuscaloosa through fact sheets distributed to local hotels, along with sharing information through social media.
Doctor links chronic pain to common virus
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 10
A local surgeon is teaming up with the University of Alabama to find a link among chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders and anxiety with a common virus. After hearing from many patients with a combination of some of these problems, Dr. William “Skip” Pridgen decided to try an alternate way of curing their illnesses, and he found substantial success in the process.
Alabamians to decide budget referendum
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 10
Voters will hit the polls in fewer than eight days to decide how the Alabama Legislature will balance its fiscal budget. Currently the state is facing major budget deficit, and this vote will give Alabamians the option to pull money out of the state s trust fund to balance the budget. . . . Political analyst Bill Stewart (retired University of Alabama professor) says this vote has major implications on this year s budget. Either a chunk of the state s savings will be taken away, or Alabama politicians will have to scramble to make budget. “If this amendment does not pass, you have an unbalanced budget, and the Legislature will have to go back into session as called by Gov. Bentley and either pass new taxes to balance it or make expenditure cuts to balance it.” Stewart says he is expecting a low turnout for the vote.
Uagameday.com helps fans buy parking permit and get to Alabama football games
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Sept. 10
The University of Alabama is taking a new approach to prevent any parking or traffic problems that could potentially occur. A website “UAgameday dot com” allows fans to pre order their parking spaces ahead of time, it also allows you to view alternate routes to get to your destination quicker before or after the game.
Former ambassador and foreign service officers discuss Cuba and CIA
Crimson White – Sept. 11
A former ambassador told students Monday their major would not be a deciding factor in pursuing a career in the foreign service with the State Department at a colloquium on Cuba, the Central Intelligence Agency and Cuba’s Relations with the United States. “They don’t look at what you studied, they look at what you can do from now on,” former Ambassador Lino Gutierrez said. “You just have to look in the mirror and figure out what you really care about.” Gutierrez, who represented the United States in Argentina and Nicaragua, met with students before the event, alongside Cuban analyst and author Brian Latell and Robert Blau, the State Department adviser to Maxwell Air Force Base.
Get On Board Day revamped
Crimson White – Sept. 11
This semester’s Get on Board Day will be Tuesday from 5 to 10 p.m. on the Ferguson Plaza. This will be the first time the biannual event has been held in the evening rather than during the afternoon. The later start time is an effort to merge Get on Board Day and Plaza Live into an event that attracts more students, the Source Director of Organizational Outreach D.J. Jackson said. “What we determined is that we wanted to adopt the feel of Plaza Live, but keep the interactive element of connecting students with involvement opportunities like the Get On Board Days of the past,” Jackson said. “Our goal, that we hope will take place this year, is to create a more engaging experience for both students and organizations.”
Campus meal options decoded
Crimson White – Sept. 11
Campus dining service programs Bama Cash and Dining Dollars are widely used across campus for meals and late-night study snacks, but they can also be a source of confusion for freshmen and upperclassmen alike…Undergraduate students enrolled in nine or more hours are part of the Dining Dollars program. A fee of $300 is automatically charged to their student account for their fall and spring semesters…“Dining Dollars are intended to support on-campus dining needs,” said Kristin Hopton- Jones, director of university dining services. “And [they] provide a variety of options conveniently located around campus to promote community.” Dining dollars can be used at all Bama Dining locations on campus…The Buffalo Phils on the Strip and Dominos accept Dining Dollars. Businesses that are part of the Dining Dollars programs are contracted through ARAMARK food services, not UA, Hopton-Jones said…Bama Cash is the UA dining currency program that functions similar to a debit card. Unlike the dining dollars program, students are able to add funds to their Bama Cash account. Then they are able to use them at over 75 off-campus locations across Tuscaloosa. “Bama Cash was created because community business owners wished to participate in a UA debit program,” Cathy Andreen, UA spokeswoman, said.
UA faculty and staff begin training for Couch to 5K
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 10
University of Alabama staff and faculty are trading in their dress shoes for their sneakers, the office of health promotion and wellness is kicking off their third annual Crimson Couch to 5K… Kimberly Spencer, a third-year participant in the 5k, has lost a total of 106 pounds since she first joined a team in 2009. She says determination is the key to success.
Barre Fitness establishes presence at Rec Center
Crimson White – Sept. 11
The University of Alabama Recreation Center has made a new addition to their fall class schedule, adding two Barre Fitness classes on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:20 p.m. Barre Fitness, an increasingly popular workout among young women, is a progressive workout based on ballet barre exercises, starting with smaller movements and progressing to larger and more involved movements throughout the class period. Jenna Reynolds, a sophomore majoring in Spanish and philosophy said she enjoys how the class is a full-body workout.
National parks topic of Thursday presentation
Gadsden Times – Sept. 11
James Taylor of Tuscaloosa presents “Bear Country USA” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Joe M. Ford Center when he is the guest speaker for the September meeting of the Coosa Valley Sierra Club. “Bear Country USA” is a video/slide presentation of Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park…Taylor is an associate professor emeritus of marketing at the University of Alabama who specializes in problems of marketing management and natural resource conservation.