University of Alabama President responds to executive order on immigration
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 30
Stuart Bell, President of the University of Alabama, has released a statement reaffirming the university’s support for its international community. “We are offering support to our to our international faculty, students and researchers for their continued success and well-being in light of the recent Executive Order,” Bell said.
Crimson White – Jan. 31
WAKA-CBS (Montgomery) – Jan. 30
WNCF-ABC (Montgomery) – Jan. 30
WHNT-CBS (Huntsville) – Jan. 30
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – Jan. 30
Déjà Vu? Ocean Warmth Melted Ancient West Antarctic Ice Shelf
EOS News – Jan. 31
Scientists sailing on a research cruise in the Amundsen Sea, off the coast of western Antarctica, have found evidence of massive, ancient loss of ice in the region, resulting from contact with warmer seawater. Sediment cores the team collected by drilling in front of the current Cosgrove Ice Shelf indicate that relatively warm ocean waters dissolved the vast ice shelf and even some of the glacier behind it about 2000 years ago, they recently reported. This melting occurred even though air temperatures were too cold to melt the shelf and neighboring ice shelves were stable or enlarging. . . . The clues found in sediments deposited during the late Holocene suggest that an ocean current that circles the southern polar region, known as Circumpolar Deep Water, flowed underneath the Cosgrove Ice Shelf and melted it. Today, the shrunken shelf covers an area nearly as large as the state of Rhode Island, but it was much larger before this melting event. “This circumpolar water isn’t like a hot tub. It’s only about 2°C warmer” than the surrounding ocean, said lead research author Rebecca Totten Minzoni, a paleoclimatologist from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Still, that’s enough to have a major impact on ice dynamics, she explained.
UA kicks off book drive
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 30
The University of Alabama is kicking off a month long book drive later this week, The book drive starts on Wednesday, February 1, and the goal is to put books in the hands of children in some of Alabama’s poorest communities. This is the Alabama Center for Economic Development’s Books for the Alabama Blackbelt Campaign.
Decatur has much to lose in trade war
Decatur Daily – Jan. 31
In the event of a trade war, Decatur could be among the most vulnerable cities in the country because of its above-average reliance on exporting goods to foreign countries, according to an analysis released Monday by the Brookings Institution. . . . Regardless of the reasons, there can be no winner in any trade war, said Samuel Addy, senior research economist for the Center for Business and Economic Research and associate dean of the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama. “Nobody wins and actually the opposite is true,” he said. “Everybody gains in trade liberalization. I don’t think we’ve managed to teach people that well.” According to Addy, free trade allows all companies to specialize, which means they use the best resources globally to get the best outcomes. That results in decreased costs for consumers, which allows them to spend more, boosting the U.S. economy and others simultaneously, he said.
AL.com – Jan. 30
11 arrested during latest ‘sit-in’ outside Jeff Sessions Mobile office
AL.com – Jan. 31
Eleven protestors, including the head of the nation’s NAACP, were arrested Monday outside the Mobile office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. . . . William Stewart, a longtime political observer in Alabama and a professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama, said he doesn’t think the last minute protests will make any impact on the Senate’s decision to confirm Sessions.
PREVIEW: UA to showcase Dance Alabama! Film Festival
Crimson White – Jan. 31
The artistic talents of the University’s dancers, filmmakers and composers will be showcased at the inaugural Dance Alabama! Film Festival 2017 on Wednesday, Feb. 1. WHO: The event is open to the public and is free of charge. It will be hosted by Dance Alabama, a student-run organization that provides students the ability to dance outside of the structure of a dance major.
‘Freedom’ gallery is open in downtown Tuscaloosa
Crimson White – Jan. 31
A new gallery in downtown Tuscaloosa is asking the question, “What is freedom?” The Paul R. Jones Gallery opened the new “Freedom?” gallery Jan. 23. The exhibit showcases pieces from Jones’s personal collection and is the end result of a two-year project that involved members of The University of Alabama’s Black Faculty and Staff Association and Dalila Scruggs, a curator from New York. “A sizable contingent of faculty has been involved in virtually every stage of the process – from choosing the theme and the works to be included to writing text for the catalog and planning class visits to the show,” said Stacy Morgan, BFSA member and associate professor of American studies.
University of Alabama museum offers programs for kids
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 31
The University of Alabama’s Museum of Natural History will begin its spring children’s programs Friday with “Growing Up Wild Preschool Morning” from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is open to preschoolers and their caregivers, who are invited to explore the museum and learn about nature through activities, crafts and stories. Admission is $2 per person. On Monday, the museum offers “Museum Monday,” an after-school program for kindergarten through second-graders. The program will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. This month features “Physics is Phun,” where students will conduct physics experiments and learn about concepts such as kinetic energy, ramps, velocity and more. Admission is $8 per person.
Colleges, society bestow honors
Coastal Courier (Hinesville, Georgia) – Jan. 31
Joshua McCullan of Hinesville was among some 2,270 students at University of Alabama who were awarded degrees during winter commencement on Dec. 10. McCullan received a bachelor’s degree. With this graduating class, UA has awarded more than 257,000 degrees since its founding in 1831 as the state’s first public university.
PREVIEW: UA Crossroads to host Inclusive Campus Breakfast
Crimson White – Jan. 31
UA Crossroads, a division of the Department of Community Affairs will be hosting their monthly Inclusive Campus Breakfast this Wednesday. WHO: The breakfast is sponsored by UA Crossroads and is open to all students, faculty and staff at the University.