University of Alabama to hold graduation exercises Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 8
The University of Alabama will award more than 2,100 diplomas during commencement exercises on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. The ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. with graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, College of Human Environmental Sciences and the Capstone College of Nursing. At 1:30 p.m. graduates from the Culverhouse College of Commerce, College of Communication & Information Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Social Work and the School of Law will be given their diplomas. Rona Donahoe, professor of geological sciences in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as commencement marshal.
University of Alabama to join global fight against hunger
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 7
University of Alabama President Judy Bonner is scheduled to join leaders from the other universities including Auburn University for a ceremonial signing of the Presidents’ Commitment to Food and Nutritional Security at the United Nations in New York City on Tuesday. “While Alabama and Auburn may battle it out on the football field, I am so proud of the young men and women from both schools who work in partnership each year to combat hunger in our communities,” said Bonner in a released statement. ”By signing the Presidents’ Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security, I am pleased to work with (Auburn University) President (Jay) Gogue and nearly 50 other presidents from around the world who are standing together to say that hunger and malnutrition have no place in the 21st Century.” The symbolic signing is meant to affirm the universities’ commitment to make addressing food insecurity a priority and collaborating to increase their collective impact in teaching, research, outreach and student engagement, according to a draft of the commitment.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Dec. 7
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Dec. 7
University of Alabama Educator Hall of Fame inducts four
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 5
Four educators were recently inducted into the University of Alabama College of Education’s Educator Hall of Fame. The 2014 inductees are Marian Loftin, Joe Morton and posthumously Marcus L. Roberts Jr. and N. Joyce Sellers. The hall of fame was established in 2012 by the college board of advisors to honor the accomplishments of distinguished leaders and dedicated supporters in the field of education. Loftin, a UA graduate, is a lifelong advocate for children and families and serves on the boards of the Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers and the Children First Alliance of Alabama. Morton, who earned his doctorate at UA, is the former state superintendent of education. Sellers, a Holt native, was the first female superintendent of the Tuscaloosa County School System from 1994 until her retirement in late 2003. Roberts, a Jacksonville State University graduate, served a variety of roles in the UA College of Education from 1954 until he retired in 1987.
Types of food needed at the West Alabama Food Bank
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 8
If you’re thinking about donating food to a local food bank or church pantry for the holidays, here’s some tips on which kinds of food are needed, according to a news release from the University of Alabama: Peanut butter, including brands with no sugar added; Canned meats, like Spam, canned beef, canned pork, and potted meat; Soups, like chicken-noodle soup, especially those with low sodium; Bags and boxes of rice, pasta and grits; Sugar-free, shelf-stable products for diabetic clients, like sugar-free grape, strawberry, and apple jellies and jams … This past year, the West Alabama Food Bank in Northport and its cooperating partners distributed 1.22 million pounds of food, according to the UA news release. This included 95,373 emergency food boxes and 133,215 meals, serving about 98,000 Alabamians in nine counties, according to the UA news release.
Dempsey earns UA degree at age 60
Moulton Advertiser – Dec. 4
On Saturday, Dec. 13, Timothy Michael Dempsey of Wren will walk across the stage at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree. He is not a young twenty-something who hopes his degree will lead him to a good paying job. No, he is more mature than that. Dempsey is 60 and the degree is a fulfillment of a promise made to himself. “It was for my own personal satisfaction and I am glad I waited until I was older,” he said. “Waiting let me enjoy the experience without worrying about a job afterwards.” Dempsey, who is single, has been a Lawrence County resident living in Wren since 2003. Before that he spent 31 years in the Army and a year working for Jack Daniel’s. He decided to retire to Wren because Lawrence County is where he considered home to be. His family comes from Youngtown and the Jones Chapel areas of Lawrence County. “I spent many of my summers in Lawrence County visiting relatives,” he said. His mother, Marie Armstrong, was the woman who had the most influence of his life he said, so maybe going to school late seems natural to him. “My mother didn’t go to nursing school until she was in her 40s in Michigan,” he said. “But she got her degree and she even worked a Lawrence County Hospital.” During his time in service, Dempsey knew he wanted to get a degree and he wanted it to be from the University of Alabama.
The Absolute Best Way to Relax Tonight
Men’s Health – Dec. 5
Get cozy: Sitting by a fire can reduce your blood pressure and help you relax, suggests a new study from the University of Alabama. When people spent 15 minutes watching a video of a crackling blaze, complete with sound, their systolic blood pressure dropped by 6 points and their diastolic BP dropped by 3, on average. The study took place during daylight hours, so it might even underestimate the relaxing effects of sitting fireside at night, says study author Christopher Dana Lynn, Ph.D. Lynn suggests cuddling up with your partner or bonding with some buddies while you watch the flames. He found that people who are prosocial, or “positively disposed toward other people and social gatherings and social interactions,” were more likely to relax by the fire. People with a larger capacity for absorption, which Lynn describes as “how easily you can zone out,” also felt more at ease, probably because they became entranced by the fire. Why does the warm glow and crackle calm you down? Lynn says humans may have evolved to find fire relaxing because people who could find ways to manage stress lived longer and reproduced more. “Stress can kill you, literally, and having means of reducing stress is going to be critical for the survival of species,” he says.
UA scientists study Pyrex dishes
WSB-ABC (Atlanta, Ga.) – Dec. 7
After complaints dating back years, two scientists from the University of Alabama studied the type of glass Pyrex is made from. And concluded it does not appear to be adequate for all household cooking.
It’s Not Just the Cops—Racism Is a Problem for the Secret Service, Too
The Daily Beast – Dec. 6
The track record of the U.S. Secret Service in protecting President Barack Obama has come under intense scrutiny in recent months due to several major security lapses, the most recent of which prompted the resignation in October of Secret Service Director Julia Pierson. A recently released Department of Homeland Security report about that incident determined that a number of “performance, organizational, technical and other” factors contributed to the security breach. What is not mentioned in that DHS report is another long-running issue within the Secret Service—one which, according to several experts, creates the conditions for a breakdown in agency morale that could ultimately compromise the security of President Obama. That threat is embodied in a long-running lawsuit filed by a group of African-American Secret Service agents who allege the agency’s culture is replete with racism … Professor Richard Delgado, the John J. Sparkman Chair of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law, warns that it would be a mistake to discount the effect that racism can have on an institution and its ability to function effectively. Delgado is a leading scholar in the field of Critical Race Theory, which focuses on the ways in which racism is embedded historically in the nation’s laws and legal system. When racist activity is claimed, “it creates a terrible environment for both sides of the color line,” Delgado explained.
Jim Oakley named Centerville’s Citizen of the Year
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 5
Leading the parade as citizen of the year tonight was long time University of Alabama employee Mr. Jim Oakley, who’s lived in Bibb County his entire life and says he wouldn’t have it any other way.