UA swimmer makes a splash as Girl Scout mentor
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 15
There have been two constants in Justine Panian’s life: swimming and Girl Scouts. As a senior at the University of Alabama, Panian swims freestyle and butterfly for the swimming and diving team. “She’s a swimmer that really wants to do all things as well as she can do them,” UA head coach Dennis Pursley said. Panian’s best times are 22.88 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle, 50.12 in 100 freestyle and 54.30 in 100 butterfly, but swimming isn’t her only passion. When she came to UA, Panian kept it simple. She focused on her sport and her degree in chemical engineering, but those weren’t enough. She wanted to be more involved, so she started looking at different service opportunities on campus. Nothing stood out. “My mind kept going back to Girl Scouts,” Panian said.
Tuscaloosa listed among top 10 cities in nation to reduce its rate of poverty
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 13
Tuscaloosa has been named as one of the top 10 U.S. cities to buck the national poverty trend. SmartAsset.com, a New York City-based economic advisory company, released a its study this week that placed Tuscaloosa in ninth place nationally for reducing its poverty rate over a 10-year period of 2005 to 2014. Whereas the national poverty rate has increased by 2.2 percent — about 1 million people — in the past decade, the Tuscaloosa metropolitan area’s rate of poverty has actually decreased by 5.3 percent, said SmartAsset data editor Nick Wallace. “Tuscaloosa is home to the University of Alabama which, with a student body of over 37,000, is a key driver of the region’s economy,” SmartAsset’s study said. “The manufacturing industry is also important, as the area is home to a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant and factories for a number of other major employers.”
Alabama baby’s death raises questions about child’s criminal responsibility
The Guardian (U.K.) – Nov. 14
The neat green trim on the Birmingham home matched the color of the bountiful trees hanging over its roof. There were stones plastered across the front of the residence so that children inside could imagine that they lived in a castle. A neighbor said that the sloped yard served as terrain for children to slide down on pieces of cardboard – “typical kids”, he said. In one of the most dangerous big cities in the country, Second Avenue South is a relatively safe place during the day. But at night, a neighbor warned, “the goblins come out”… John Lochman, the Saxon chair of clinical psychology at the University of Alabama, said that intent would be the key question for the case. Lochman directs a lab that researches how to prevent youth violence and said instances like this case are very rare. “It just doesn’t occur in normal life for an eight-year-old to be killing other children,” he said. When young children are suspected of murder, it makes global headlines. But recent cases in the US still bear few similarities to what police say happened in Birmingham last month.
Top takeaways from the BBJ’s 2016 Economic Forecast panel
Birmingham Business Journal – Nov. 13
Questions about the state’s future in the automotive industry, the impact of the Affordable Care Act and changing demographics in the workplace topped the list of what to watch for 2016 at the the Birmingham Business Journal’s Economic Forecast panel earlier this week. The panelists, University of Alabama research economist Sam Addy, RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas, Samford University economics professor Art Carden, and Burr & Forman attorney Warren Matthews discussed various economic issues at Samford’s new Brock School of Business building. Here are some top takeaways from the panel.
Missouri controversy highlights academia’s free speech struggle
USA Today – Nov. 15
As college administrators across the country move to crack down on hate speech on campus, First Amendment advocates say that universities are becoming increasingly squeamish about exposing students to ideas that they may find offensive or collide with their world view. In a nationwide poll published by the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program at Yale University last month, 50% of students said they often felt intimidated to offer views that differ from their classmates’ or professors’. Sixty-three percent of students said that they thought political correctness was a problem on campus, while 50% said they favor their school banning political cartoons on campus that criticize a particular religion or ethnicity … Universities plainly have a legitimate interest in maintaining an environment where it protects its core missions of teaching, learning and research, said Ron Krotoszynski Jr., professor of law at the University of Alabama. But at the same time, universities can’t pursue maintaining that environment without regard to First Amendment rights, he said.
Audrey Niffenegger, author of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” to visit Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 15
Audrey Niffenegger thinks visually. Even when focusing primarily on language, she sees an image of the moment before translating to words. So an accidental pun can be forgiven, especially when she’s typing quickly on a phone. In setting up an interview before her visit to Tuscaloosa next week, she wrote: “It might work better if you call me. I occasionally lose track of the time.” In case that joke didn’t land, jump back a few paragraphs and pretend you remembered, before, that Niffenegger is most famous as author of the worldwide bestselling novel “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” … “Audrey is a friend, an inventive book arts and graphic novel creator and understands book arts from the inside,” said Steve Miller, coordinator of the UA program. In addition to a public talk at the Bama Theatre on Tuesday, she’ll be working with UA students in both creative writing and book arts during the week.
Highway named after Mal Moore
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 13
Born and raised in the small town of Dozier. The late Mal Moore never forgot where he came from. Now residents and visitors in the area will remember him as they travel along his highway. U.S. Highway 29 in Crenshaw and Covington counties is now named the Mal Moore Memorial Highway. Moore passed away in 2013 after serving much of his to the state and The University of Alabama.
WNCF-ABC (Montgomery) – Nov. 13
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) & WDFX-Fox (Dothan) – Nov. 13
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 13
Get to Know an Organization: CURE BAMA Makes A World of Difference
Crimson White – Nov. 15
For many college students, it is hard to imagine being able to make a difference in the world. If you’re not trying to survive four tests a week, you are most likely looking for summer internships or job opportunities. However, one organization on campus does change lives, with its focus to help children in many different nations. CURE International is a Christian organization that raises funds for hospitals in developing countries, such as Uganda, Kenya, Afghanistan and the Philippines, to help children afford surgeries they desperately need. Here at The University of Alabama, we have our own chapter, called “CURE BAMA”. CURE BAMA is partnered with a CURE International hospital located in Uganda that focuses on neurological surgeries for children.
Anniston native, telecom tycoon inducted into Alabama Business Hall of Fame
Anniston Star – Nov. 14
A favorite son of Anniston can now claim membership to two different halls of fame. Sam Ginn, the Anniston-born businessman who for seven years headed up one of the wireless telecommunication companies that would become Verizon Wireless, was inducted into the University of Alabama Culverhouse School of Commerce’s Alabama Business Hall of Fame Thursday night, according to a release from the university. Six other Alabama-born or -bred businesspeople were also inducted.
Opposition to Medicaid expansion may be crumbling in Alabama
Anniston Star – Nov. 15
Since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, Debra Foster has had to tell at least 200 Calhoun County residents they still can’t get health insurance. Some couldn’t find work, but still weren’t broke enough to meet Alabama’s stringent criteria for adults on Medicaid. Others worked for minimum wage, but still fell short of the minimum income needed to get subsidies for private insurance under Obamacare … Even so, by 2020 expansion could add about $220 million per year to the state’s cost for Medicaid, according to the mid-range estimate by the Center for Business and Economic Research,or CBER, at the University of Alabama. Bentley last week estimated the price tag at $710 million over the next six years.
Insurance News Net – Nov. 15
Pharmacy Choice – Nov. 15
Student growth spurs campus-wide construction
Crimson White – Nov. 16
The University of Alabama recorded its highest enrollment ever for the 2015-2016 school year, with over 37,000 students, according to a news release from UA News from September. As the number of students has risen in the recent past, there has been an increase in building construction and renovations on campus. The University is currently involved in several major projects across campus, one of the largest being the renovations and expansion at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The project will cost $42 million, some of which will be funded through donations. According to its website, the Crimson Tide Foundation has collected an estimated $9.2 million for the project, with a goal of $20 million.
Allele lecture series hosts “Baptizing Dinosaurs” seminar
Crimson White – Nov. 16
Students filled 125 Ten Hoor hall this Thursday, Nov. 12, to hear Ron Numbers talk about the revolution of dinosaurs in Creationism for the Allele lecture series. Erik Peterson, an assistant professor in the history department, introduced Numbers. “Not only amazing for what he’s written and his mind, but an exemplar of a kind human being,” Peterson said. Numbers began by explaining that when dinosaur fossils started gaining publicity in the 1860s, many creationists tried to explain the phenomenon. “A large swath of conservative Christians thought dinosaurs had been created by Satan,” he said. They used this explanation to enforce the idea that Satan was trying to ruin people’s faith in God. “We’re going to talk about how dinosaurs went from Satanic creatures to being the Darwins of creationism,” Numbers said.
Eastwood Middle School Donates food for Beat Auburn Beat Hunger
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 14
There’s only seven more days to donate to the Beat Auburn Beat Hunger campaign. Eastwood Middle School brought up Alabama’s food donations by 2,000 cans. The cans are collected by both The University of Alabama and Auburn University until the Iron Bowl, which is on November 28. Whoever collects the most, wins.
Don’t turn the page on UA’s book arts program
Crimson white – Nov. 16
The fifth floor of Gorgas Library is filled with beautiful leather-bound books of art, iron cutting boards, and giant wheels that apply wet ink to crisp paper. One of the floor’s well-fenestrated halls looks out over the Gothic towers and spires of the oldest buildings on campus. It’s a tiny section of the modern University that reflects the sensibilities and craftsmanship of an art form that goes back millennia. This is the headquarters of the University’s School of Library and Information Sciences and the home of the oldest book arts program in the United States. This master’s degree instructs students in the craft of creating handmade pamphlets, journals and books. It might seem antiquated in an era where more and more people get information and entertainment online. But Anna Embree, a bookbinding teacher at the college, says the rise of electronic media have made people hungry for the intimacy of artful printing.
University Student Helps American Heroes in VA Internship
Crimson White – Nov. 16
Recently, we celebrated a holiday to honor those men and women who have served our country. But for those who work with our retired soldiers and pilots, everyday is Veterans Day. Katie Neaves, 21, works as an intern at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center – commonly referred to as “the VA.” “It’s where the veterans go,” Neaves said. “[The VA] has every single field. They have physical therapy, normal practitioners, there’s an eye doctor… there’s everything you can go to.” In honor of Veterans Day, Neaves said the hospital closed – except for the inpatients and the emergency room. Celebrations included a parade, trivia and other games for inpatients to enjoy and participate in. “There were American flags from McFarland Blvd. all the way to the Veterans Hospital,” Neaves said.