UA honors first black student Autherine Lucy
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 16
During the past 60 years, Autherine Lucy Foster has been at the center of two very different crowds at the University of Alabama. On Feb. 6, 1956, Foster experienced the brunt of a crowd that numbered in the thousands who protested her admission to the university, making her the first black student to attend the school. After no more than a couple of days as a student, a mob formed that stood outside her own classroom. The crowd even threw rotten produce at her as she left town in a police car. Not long after, UA decided to suspend her for her own safety and for the safety of other students.
Crimson White – Sept. 18
College and University – Sept. 18
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Georgia) – Sept. 17
NBC 5 (Memphis, Tennessee) – Sept. 15
Historical Marker Database – Sept. 16
ABC 11 (Meridian, Mississippi) – Sept. 16
WTOK-ABC (Meridian, Mississippi) – Sept. 15 and 16
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Sept. 15 and 16
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Sept. 15 and 16
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 15 and 16
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 15 and 16
WALA-Fox (Mobile) – Sept. 15 and 16
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Sept. 15 and 16
Monument to Autherine Lucy Foster is one we can (and should) all love
Al.com – Sept. 18
“The last time I saw a crowd like this at the University of Alabama …,” Autherine Lucy Foster began with a smile. She did not have to finish. The people gathered in the Alabama heat on Friday afternoon, on the lawn adjoining Graves Hall, already knew the rest of the story, and they responded to her with a collective, supportive, laugh.
UA musician wins international competition
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 17
The city of champions adds another to the pantheon: Horn player Joshua Williams, with one year more on his doctoral work at the University of Alabama, won out over every other player in the International Horn Competition of America, best of the best. Every one: Labor Day weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Hillcrest High School graduate blew all competition away, taking first prize in the professional, rather than university, division. For the first time in its 38-year history, the pro level was won by someone who flew back to his day job as a student, said his teacher since ninth grade, and director of UA’s School of Music, Charles “Skip” Snead. It was as if a student won the U.S. Open, said Snead, who deemed it “a stunning, essentially lifetime achievement.”
Adaptive athletics center named for husband, wife
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 16
Brent Hardin, the University of Alabama’s adaptive athletics program director, and his wife, Margaret Stran, the program’s assistant director, arrived at an informal event Friday to watch the revealing of the name of the new facility that will house their program. They arrived at the Bryant Conference Center expecting the adaptive athletics facility to be named for Kathy Mouron, half of the couple who had given $4 million to make the new $10 million center a reality. It was to be a surprise, an honor bestowed by her husband of 41 years, Michael Mouron.
New regional traffic center opens at UA
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Sept. 17
Easing traffic problems on those big game days in Tuscaloosa. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is standing in the new regional traffic management center in Tuscaloosa. More than 50 cameras are keeping watch on roads across Tuscaloosa and Northport. The new facility is a partnership between ALDOT, the city of Tuscaloosa, and The University of Alabama.
New University of Alabama diversity chief sets goals
Seattle Times (Washington) – Sept. 15Christine Taylor, the University of Alabama’s vice president and associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion, is about a month into her new role as the Capstone’s first chief diversity officer. Taylor, who held a similar role previously at other campuses including Purdue University, joined the administration this fall after being hired in the summer.
Al.com – Sept. 16
UA’s relationship with Mercedes evolves into partnership
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 17
As University of Alabama Chancellor emeritus Malcolm Portera tells it, Tuscaloosa was in a “world of hurt” in the early 1980s. The area had lost four manufacturers under the pressure of international competition for steel and the beginning of the end for cut-and-sew textile operations in the state, he said. Then came the announcement in 1983 that General Motors planned to close its Rochester Products Plant, eliminating 200 jobs. Tuscaloosa’s industrial development director at the time, Mike McCain, approached UA about the possibility of keeping Rochester Products open.
Morgan, Lawrence and Limestone jobless rates drop
Decatur Daily – Sept. 17
Jobless rates in Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan counties for August were down compared to July’s rates, and significantly lower than a year ago, according to preliminary state figures … Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting with the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, attributed Morgan County’s unemployment rate decrease to a decline in the labor force, while employment remained flat and the number of unemployed also fell.
On Criminal Justice, Sessions Is Returning DOJ to the Failed Policies of the Past
National Review – Sept. 12
The attorney general’s tough-on-crime mantra may play well politically, but it won’t fix the problems that plague our justice system … rue to form, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has returned the Justice Department to the failed mindset of its past. In implementing his own tough-on-crime mantra, he has required prosecutors, in virtually all cases, to charge the most serious offenses and ask for the lengthiest prison sentences. Americans have seen this one-size-fits-all policy in action before. It doesn’t work. (Joyce Vance is the former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and will join the University of Alabama School of Law in August as a distinguished visiting lecturer in law. Carter Stewart is the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and currently a managing director at Draper Richards Kaplan.)
How Stephen Bannon looms large in Alabama’s GOP Senate race
Al.com – Sept. 17
Stephen Bannon, the former White House chief strategist and current executive chairman at Breitbart News, has zeroed in on the Alabama Senate runoff with hopes of unseating Luther Strange and delivering a blow to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s power structure … “Recent polls, if accurate, show that Moore doesn’t really need outsiders to come to his assistance,” said William Stewart, professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama.
FBI, CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE TO HOST CONFERENCE IN BIRMINGHAM ON HATE CRIMES
Birmingham Times – Sept. 17
Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be the keynote speaker for the opening session of the 2017 annual Conference on Civil Rights and Law Enforcement sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Division, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) … Monday’s program also will include a panel discussion addressing what hate looks like from the perspective of various minority communities within the Greater Birmingham metro area. Dr. G. Christine Taylor, Vice President and Associate Provost, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, at the University of Alabama, will moderate the panel.
Grandmother and grandson march at UA football game
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Sept. 16 and 17
A Homewood woman and her grandson shared a special moment in front of thousands of football fans. Ethan Standard is use to performing with The University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band, but the college sophomore is not use to performing with his grandmother. His grandmother, Faye Black, is part of the Million Dollar Band alumni. She performed back in the 1950’s when she was a student, and says getting to come back and perform with her grandson on alumni band weekend is a real treat.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Sept. 15
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Sept. 15
Goldie the Fallen Robot
True Viral News – Sept. 16
When the Sloss Blast Furnaces closed in 1971 the site had been an anchor of Birmingham ‘s industrial life for nine decades. As one of the South’s largest manufacturers of pig iron, the obsolete hulk that was left behind was an inspiration for then-graduate student Joe McCreary, who created a rusting giant for the University of Alabama campus.
Cheers for Sept. 17
Gadsden Times – Sept. 17
Recent Gadsden City High School graduate Madeline Mills has been awarded this year’s Inns of Court Scholarship, Presiding Judge David Kimberley announced. Mills, now a freshman at the University of Alabama, recently received the $1,500 scholarship at an awards dinner attended by her parents, Roger Mills and Elizabeth Haney, and grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Mike Haney.
Community members honor Prisoners of War and missing in action in Cottondale
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 17
Prisoners of War and Missing in action veterans honored in Cottondale Friday. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6022 shared a special ceremony dedicated to our Veterans who fought overseas but never made it back home …This is the first year The University of Alabama Air Force ROTC cadets participated in the Recognition Day program.
NBC 5 (Memphis, Tennessee) – Sept. 15
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 15
Tuscaloosa News — Sept. 16
Luther Strange touts ethics, anti-corruption team during Robertsdale appearance
Al.com – Sept. 16
U.S. Sen. Luther Strange is touting his approach to ethics, calling his former anti-corruption unit the “best public integrity unit” in the country during the waning days of a campaign ahead of the Sept. 26 GOP runoff … William Stewart, a professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama, said Strange’s recent messaging comes with some risks. “Alabama voters are not known for insisting on the highest standard of integrity when they vote,” Stewart said. “Otherwise, Alabama would not be ranked as one of the most corrupt states in the nation.”
Meet the Teacher
Hartselle Enquirer – Sept. 16
A Burleson Elementary fourth grade teacher knew from a young age that she wanted to teach, and although there were several setbacks keeping her from teaching over the past decade, her career is now in full swing … “I am also the teacher sponsor for the robotics and programming club at Burleson Elementary. We have attended the University of Alabama Robotics Competition for the past two years. In the spring of 2017, one of our teams placed third.”
Special assistant to Reagan to discuss North Korea and nuclear weapons
Crimson White – Sept. 17
What: North Korea, Nukes and Nuts: Is Donald Trump or Kim Jong-un the more dangerous threat? Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute who previously served as a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan, will be speaking about the current situation regarding North Korea and nuclear weapons … Where: ten Hoor Hall room 116.
Students able to learn about Peace Corps opportunities at information session
Crimson White – Sept. 17
The Capstone International Center will host a Peace Corps information meeting Monday. Jody O’Dell, The University of Alabama’s first Peace Corps campus recruiter, will speak at the meeting … Where: B.B. Comer room 244.
Tailgating
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 16
The first night game of the year gave Tide fans the perfect excuse to hit the Quad. Even Colorado State fans had to appreciate a Tide tailgate. The first night game of the season had fans pumped up for week 2 in Bryant-Denny. The University of Alabama Quad has a tailgating reputation that precedes it, and for some fans it’s a tradition.
Volunteers help clean up historic cemetery
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 16
A group of University of Alabama students dedicated their Friday afternoon to landscape and preserve Darden Cemetery, a historic Tuscaloosa cemetery. The special project manager, Zachary Heard, said Friday that it is their responsibility as the UA student volunteer club to preserve historical sites and give back to the community. The students trimmed grass, cleaned headstones and raked leaves for several hours.