University of Alabama board of trustees moves new academic building at UA ahead to next step
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 7
Trustees for the University of Alabama during committee meetings Thursday gave preliminary approval to a resolution to begin planning for a new $31.4 million academic building at the Capstone … The resolutions and other agenda items approved Thursday will go before the full board today. The Physical Properties Committee approved a resolution to begin preliminary planning work on a new 72,500-square-foot, two-story academic building with 12 classrooms and a large auditorium. The project would be funded with future revenue bonds. The new building would be located off Hackberry Lane on the old Bryce Hospital grounds near the engineering complex. The new building will have a seating capacity of 2,000. The Honorary Degrees and Recognition Committee approved a resolution to name three roads on the old Bryce Hospital campus. The proposed names include Peter Bryce Boulevard, Kilgore Lane and North Campus Way. Peter Bryce Boulevard and North Campus Way are new routes that are part of the planned road network to be constructed on the old grounds with the help of federal grant funding awarded to the university in April 2013 as part of the Alabama Department of Transportation’s Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program. … The proposed new academic building would be located near the planned intersection of Hackberry Lane and Peter Bryce Boulevard
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 6
UA exhibit on campus slavery opening in Tuscaloosa
Chattanooga Times-Free Press (via Associated Press) – Feb. 6
The University of Alabama is opening an exhibit that looks into the history of slavery on the campus in Tuscaloosa. An opening event is scheduled this evening at Gorgas Library for “Unchaining Alabama.” The temporary display is based on work by a senior at Alabama, Benjamin Flax. Flax is researching the university’s ties to antebellum slavery as part of an independent research project. He is using 40 original documents, transcriptions and other research materials in his work. Alabama was founded in 1831, when slavery was the norm across the South. Previous research found that two university presidents and some faculty members owned slaves, and several of the oldest buildings on campus contain bricks made by slaves. The Faculty Senate apologized for the university’s role in slavery a decade ago.
CBS 12 (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – Feb. 6
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 6
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Feb. 6
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Feb. 6
University of Alabama theatre presents ‘Blood Wedding’
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 6
Theatergoers might get to see a different and darker side of the University of Alabama’s Theatre and Dance Department when it presents Federico Garcia Lorca’s “Blood Wedding.” “Blood Wedding” centers on the love of a family, a loveless marriage and the passion between two lovers, but in a way it is similar to a dark Spanish soap opera, said Brittany Steelhammer, who’s in the cast. “There’s a lot of comedic moments in the show to help lighten it up, and of course there is scandal,” Steelhammer said. Although she has performed in UA and other shows, Steelhammer, who plays The Moon, said “Blood Wedding” is different from any other she’s been a part of. The play, originally written in Spanish, is beautifully poetic, but might have lost some of its flavor in the translation for American audiences. The director, John Nara, turned some scenes into songs to bring back the beauty of Lorca’s words, she said.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 6
UA Hosts “Eyes to See from the Other” Photo Exhibit
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 6
Understanding another person’s vision through photographs is the centerpiece of a new exhibit at The Capstone. It’s part of the university’s celebration of African-American History Month. The exhibit is called “Eyes to See From the Other”, a presentation by photo-journalist Dr. Gabriel Tait, a veteran photojournalist and professor of multi-media journalist at Arkansas State University.
University of Alabama students to compete in Miss Alabama, Miss America preliminary
Al.com – Feb. 7
Seventeen University of Alabama students will compete for the 2014 Miss University of Alabama crown next week, a preliminary for the Miss Alabama and Miss America pageants in the coming year. The competition, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in Tuscaloosa’s downtown Bama Theatre, will feature 2013 Miss Alabama and fellow UA student, Chandler Champion, in addition to Miss Alabama’s Outstanding teen, Jessica Proctor. In addition to going on to compete in statewide and, potentially, nation-wide contests, Miss University of Alabama receives full-tuition and book scholarships. The competition, an official preliminary, is sponsored by the UA National Alumni Association. Tickets may be purchased at the Bama Theatre box office the night of the competition. Prices are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, $5 for children ages 10 and under.
Is it Global Warming? Global Cooling? UA Professor Discusses Climate Change
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 6 (No video available)
A recent article citing several scientists suggest our planet could actually be in for a global “cooling” period. Dr. Matthew Therrell is a professor of geography at the University of Alabama and he joins from our Tuscaloosa newsroom.