ROTC members ready to guard homecoming bonfire
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 24
The work was done, the bonfire complete. Now, the real job begins. On Tuesday, the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at the University of Alabama began its watch over the wooden structure it spent hours building that morning. With nothing more than a few pop-up tents and some chairs, the cadets will spend the next three days standing guard over the area to ensure the structure is not tampered with or lit prematurely. While the cadets earn volunteer hours, many help out because they have fun. In years past, the cadets rolled out extension cords, plugging in televisions and video game systems, creating somewhat of a tailgate party atmosphere, but 19-year-old Cadet III Class Richard Ledson said his crew did not have those luxuries last year. “We apparently weren’t that prepared,” he said. “But we’re planning a bit better this year.” Ledson plans to bring a light-up Frisbee to throw around while standing guard, even though he is not able to stay out all night this year…The ROTC unit has been involved in all aspects of the Capstone’s homecoming bonfire, from design to construction to serving as watchdog, for as long as most can remember…With about 400 wooden pallets donated by Cottondale Wood Products, the cadets typically begin construction early in the week…After the structure is built, at least three cadets will guard it at night and two during the day. In addition to watching for suspicious activity, the cadets have to watch for rain and they keep tarps on hand in case the weather turns misty.
Homecoming events at UA
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 24
If you’ve driven through campus this week you’ve probably noticed some little changes – chicken wire and wooden frames in front of the sorority houses, and the foundation for a massive pyre on the quad. The university is getting ready for Homecoming. The fun starts on Friday. You can find out more about all the activities online at Homecoming.ua.edu. And don’t forget, you can catch the UA Homecoming parade live, right here on WVUA TV. That’s happening Saturday, Oct. 27th at 2 p.m. The first lady of Alabama football, Terry Saban, will be our special guest. She’ll co-host the parade coverage with our very own Lynn Brooks. Live coverage starts at 2 p.m., this Saturday, only on WVUA TV.
UA students take part in Canformation
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 24
Some University of Alabama organizations showed off their creativity while donating food for needy families. It’s Canformation! Student organizations took donated cans and created designs in a competition. All the cans used in the designs are going to be donated to the west Alabama food bank. The top three design winners were “Pi Phi”, “Alpha Chi”, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Organizers and participants both enjoyed helping out for a good cause. “I think we had about 9,000 pounds of cans this year so that all goes to Beat Auburn Beat Hunger and it’s really great, so we’re really happy about it.” All the proceeds from Canformation as well as Beat Auburn Beat Hunger go to West Alabama Food Bank, which is the local food bank in our community.
Crimson Tide senior is racking up water-ski titles
Crimson White – Oct. 24
Water has taken Caroline Hensley, by the tender age of 21, to four continents. Her ability to glide, balance and perform a litany of acrobatics upon its slick surface has been her passport. Hensley is a world champion water-skier. She’s from Hixson, Tenn., just outside of Chattanooga, and is a senior on the University of Alabama’s club water-ski team. The chemical engineering major with a 4.0 grade-point average is a national collegiate ski champion, winning top honors overall and in slalom in 2011 and repeating as slalom champion this year while finishing second overall. A competitive skier since she was 9, Hensley has grown from the little girl who always wanted to outperform her older sister to the skier to beat in any national, collegiate or worldwide competition. “I don’t remember the first time I ever skied, but I do know I was 8 years old. We live on a public lake in Chattanooga, and it would have been when I was out on the water with my family one weekend on the boat, skiing around on two skis,” said Hensley, who now masters slalom, trick and jump skis.
Hubbard reflects on GOP takeover
Crimson White – Oct. 24
At a lecture sponsored by The University of Alabama Honors College on Tuesday night, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Mike Hubbard told students how he headed the 2010 Republican campaign that ended 136 years of Democratic control in the Alabama legislature. Bill Poole, representative of the 63rd district, Tuscaloosa, introduced the speaker and praised Hubbard’s efforts in the 2010 election…Regan Williams, president of College Republicans and a senior double majoring in political science and communication studies, also lauded Hubbard’s efforts in the 2010 election. “Without Mike Hubbard, there is no Republican state,” Williams said. “He raised over $5 million to help with campaigns. He brought the party together under a central idea.”
UA to host candidate for probate judge
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 24
Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ted Sexton, a candidate for probate judge, will speak Thursday on the University of Alabama campus. Sexton will speak at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Ferguson Forum room on the third floor of the Ferguson Student Center. The UA journalism department invited both candidates for probate judge to speak this month. On Oct. 11, incumbent Probate Judge Hardy McCollum spoke at Graves Hall on the UA campus.
Black students encouraged to vote
Crimson White – Oct. 24
A voting rally was held on The University of Alabama campus on Oct. 23 to promote the education and involvement of young voters in the state and around the nation. Both UA chapters of the Future Black Law Student Association and the Collegiate 100 Black Women organization hosted an event titled the “Vote & Be Heard Empowerment Rally.” The organizations, who have only been on campus for a year, wanted to jump right into the election spirit. “The rally’s mission was really a voter empowerment campaign,” Andrea Dobynes, a senior majoring in communication studies and the vice president of both Collegiate 100 Black Women and Future Black Law Student Association, said. “We didn’t try to endorse any one candidate. We just wanted to say, ‘If you are eligible to vote, go register to vote.’
Dinner series promotes community discussion
Crimson White – Oct. 24
The Ferguson Center wants students to engage in conversation with prominent members of the Tuscaloosa community, and they plan to make it happen with food. Planning for the Dinner with Strangers series began in Spring 2012, pulling ideas and inspiration from concepts like Burger Coalition and PushStart Kitchen. The ideas were then molded to fit the UA community. “We employ a number of measurement surveys, and the data from these surveys direct our programming efforts,” Heather Roberts, programming coordinator for the Ferguson Center, said. “I thought back to an event that we hosted on campus a few years ago called 12 Strangers, and we decided to work on merging those ideas together.” This semester will feature forums on local food and music, each of which 12 students will get to participate in. After the 12 students have been selected, they will be invited to participate in a blog discussion on the Dinner with Strangers site from Nov. 4 to Nov. 17 with a group of local experts who will also attend the dinner. “The idea with the blog discussion is to open up conversation before the dinners take place and allow both the students and community members involved more time to think about and discuss the topics,” Roberts said. The local food dinner will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18, and the local music dinner will be Monday, Nov. 19.
Exotic food trip looks to expose students to new tastes
Crimson White – Oct. 24
Chinese spring rolls, Israeli salad, Persian ghorme sabzi and Swahili pilau will be some of the many foods served at the Critical Languages Center’s Exotic Food Tasting Trip this Thursday, Oct. 25. The event will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on the second floor of B.B. Comer Hall. The Critical Languages Center, a division of the Modern Languages Department, has been organizing the Exotic Food Tasting Trip for the past seven years in an effort to expose students to a variety of foreign cuisines, as well as to promote the group’s many language programs. Each year, the Exotic Food Tasting Trip continues to draw larger and larger crowds. In 2010, around 120 people attended the event, and last year’s event drew a crowd of 150 guests…This year’s menu will represent foods from seventeen different countries and will provide students with the opportunity to gain insight into a variety of cultures by sampling their local dishes.
Mental Health Monologues aim to bust stigmas
Crimson White – Oct. 24
Personal accounts of mental illness are being translated into a production at The University of Alabama in the hopes of busting the stigma associated with the diseases. Essay submissions for the third annual Mental Health Monologues are being accepted now through Nov. 18. The show is hosted by the University’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Counseling Center. The show consists of student actors reading locally submitted essays of personal experiences with mental illness…The theme of this year’s Mental Health Monologues is recovery and the process of coping with mental health problems on a daily basis.