UA In the News — Sept. 29

Story focuses on UA campus burning
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
For history buffs, or anyone who’s connected to the University of Alabama, the burning of the campus by Croxton’s Raiders is a familiar tale. Coming just five days from the end of the Civil War, in April 1865, the advance by Union troops was dedicated to cutting off Confederate supplies and resources from UA, a military school at the time.

University of Alabama earns $566,000 grant
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
The University of Alabama will receive $566,000 over five years as part of a $3.45 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to a regional partnership that provides education and research infrastructure to help scientific discoveries reach the marketplace more quickly.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 28

“Renew our Rivers Black Warrior River” cleanup underway
Alabama Public Radio – Sept. 28
The Black Warrior River in central Alabama could be looking a lot cleaner after today. The first “Renew Our Rivers Black Warrior River” campaign kicked off today. Thirty two river cleanup events are planned this year and will continue throughout November on the Alabama, Black Warrior, Cahaba, Chattahoochee, Coosa, Mobile and Tallapoosa rivers. Lee Quinn is with the SGA environmental affairs at the University of Alabama. The student group is teaming up with local businesses for the project.  He says the cleanup will be beneficial to the River Walk area in Tuscaloosa.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 28
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – Sept. 28
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 28
 
Fundraiser benefits Zach Koch Memorial Scholarship at UA
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
Friends and family members of a late University of Alabama student have organized a Saturday fundraiser to benefit a scholarship in his name. The fundraiser will be from 2-8 p.m. Saturday at Rhythm and Brews, 2308 Fourth St. The event will include a silent auction in which attendees will have the opportunity to bid on autographed Alabama memorabilia, concert tickets, fine tableware, jewelry, gift cards and more.

Diman students rolling into the future with energy-efficient car project
The Herald News (Fall River, Mass.) – Sept. 28
Diman students have been working, long distance, with students at the University of Alabama to create an energy-efficient Camaro. Tuesday, in the Diman restaurant, members of the Alabama team got together with members of Diman faculty to discuss how to grow and expand the partnership between the two. A lot of it’s about the future. “If there are going to be driverless cars, for instance — and there will — I don’t want this school to become functionally obsolescent,” said Tom Aubin, superintendent-director of Diman.

UA outdoor recreation program adds 150 bikes for students to rent
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Sept. 28
University of Alabama students who don’t have a car on campus are in luck–UA’s Outdoor Recreation Program has 150 brand new bicycles they can rent out to students. The new bikes are additions to the bicycle rental program. Students can rent the bikes for $15 per month. Rentals include a lock and, if needed, a helmet.  Bike shop manager Austin Raney says the goal is to provide alternative transportation at an affordable cost for students who don’t have a car.
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 28
ABC 33/40 – Sept. 28
 
UA Theatre and Dance Department to “jazz” up Hamlet
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 28
The UA theatre and Dance Department is jazzing up Hamlet. This version will be a more modern adaptation and feature jazz music. The play is meant to offer audience members a fresh perspective on a classic tale.

Musical evokes singalong spirit of ’50, ’60s
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 29
The days of sock-hops, diners and doo-wops are a thing of the past. The music of Ronald and Ruby, Connie Francis and Betty Everett is usually met with nostalgia, played by those who experienced it either first-hand, or through their parents or grandparents. Roger Bean’s “The Marvelous Wonderettes” evokes that singalong spirit of the 1950s and 1960s, in a production by Theatre Tuscaloosa, opening Friday. . . . Director Stacy Alley, who previously directed the show for SummerTide Theatre, a five-week professional-show run at Gulf Shores created by the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance, said this show’s a fun night out for audiences. “Leave your troubles at the door,” Alley said. “Either take a walk down memory lane or be open to experience some new, great music that you may not be familiar with.”

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix hopes to use Alabama degree to help kids ‘understand the law isn’t against you’
AL.com – Sept. 29
Tragic events over the past two years have sparked national debate and protests by spotlighting the relationship between law-enforcement personnel and black communities in the United States. Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix grew up in such a community — Eatonville, Fla., one of the first all-black incorporated towns in the nation. “Growing up as a little kid, you’re always told, ‘If you see the police, tell us,'” Clinton-Dix said. “So you’re like, ‘Whoa, are they the bad people or not?’ It makes you think.” The fatal shootings of black men by police in Ferguson, Baton Rouge, Dallas and other places that have been in the news gave Clinton-Dix another reason to work on finishing his degree in criminal justice from the University of Alabama, where he was an All-American before joining the NFL as a first-round draft choice in 2014.

University of Alabama Homecoming Queens – a Look Back
AL.com – Sept. 29
The University of Alabama will crown its 2016 Homecoming Queen on Friday night at the annual pep rally on the Quad. Until then, we wanted to look back at the Homecoming Queens going back to 1949.
Meet the 2016 candidates – AL.com

UA students Paint the Town Red and take part in CanFormation competition
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 28
Residents might be noticing some new artwork along the Strip during this week. Alabama’s Homecoming festivities continue this week with the annual “Paint the Town Red” competition. The University assigns each participating organization a local business to paint a design on their windows … The Homecoming Can Formation competition also took place today. Participating organizations create a design made solely put of canned foods. The judges will look for creativity as well as the amount of cans that were used.

UA holds Dodgeball tournament for Homecoming Week
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 28
Ever wondered what it’s like to be hit by a dodgeball? Some UA students took the challenge tonight. Tonight’s Homecoming Week events featured a game of dodgeball. The co-ed dodgeball competition happened between student organizations to create community and a healthy sense of competition. It was held at the Student Rec Center, and each team had six members.

Expert of the Week: UA Professors weighs in on first presidential debate
Crimson White – Sept. 28
With over 80 million viewers reported by CNN, the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton set a new record for the most watched presidential debate ever. However, the estimate of 80 million viewers does not account for online streaming, so the real figure is even higher … UA Political Science Assistant Professor George Hawley watched the debate intently. Hawley earned his Ph.D in political science at the University of Houston and does research on demography, electoral behavior, political parties, immigration policy and the conservative movement in America.

UA Gallery features photographs of landscapes
Sand Mountain Reporter – Sept. 28
The photography of Ines Schaefer will be displayed from Friday, Oct. 7, to Friday, Oct. 28, at The University of Alabama Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa. Schaefer is a native of Germany. She moved to Tuscaloosa in 2014 with her children and her husband, who works at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International. Soon after arriving in the United States, Schaefer and her family toured the nation coast to coast in a Tuscaloosa-made Mercedes GL SUV. Along their 15,000-mile journey, Schaefer captured images of iconic American landscapes.

Druid City Garden project receives grant
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 28
It is a huge day for the Druid City Garden Project. They received a $35,000 grant from the State Farm Insurance Youth Advisory Board. The goal of the Drid City Garden Project is to create a network of school gardens that will build healthier communities, engage students in learning and increase access to healthy, sustainably grown food. Ten schools within the Tuscaloosa City and County school systems now have their own gardens…The results from a University of Alabama research assessment shows that children from schools with these gardens were 52% more likely to try or eat fresh fruits and vegetables than the control group.