UA In the News — April 7-9

UA In the News — April 7-9

Volunteers pave way to healing of JSU students after March 19 Alabama storms
Alabama News Center – April 6
With the havoc left by tornadoes and severe storms, many Jacksonville residents are facing many uncertainties after losing homes and possessions … But volunteers for the Center for Service and Leadership at the University of Alabama are helping ensure that Jacksonville students can return to class on April 9. A poster implored students to help: “Jacksonville State shouldn’t have to do it alone. Let’s help our neighbors.”
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6
 
UA Facilities and Grounds Crew helped renovate buildings at JSU
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6
Members of UA’s Facilities and Grounds Department helped renovate some of the damaged buildings. They even taught the JSU Volleyball Team some painting basics. They teamed up and got about 4,000 square feet of painting done in just two days. JSU plans to resume operations on Monday.

UA training for ROTC Ranger Challenge
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 6
Whether doing pushups or running with bags weighing 35 pounds or more strapped to their back, Army ROTC cadets at the University of Alabama are driven to prove they have what it takes to win. “You’re moving almost 24 hours and you’re moving 30 miles up and down mountains in cold weather,” Cadet Capt. David Edwards said.
Tuscaloosa News – April 9
ABC 9 (Columbus, Georgia) – April 6
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – April 6
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6
 
Druid City Arts Festival held at Government Plaza
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 7
The Druid City Arts Festival also known as “DCAF” began as an idea by Creative Campus at the University of Alabama with one goal in mind, celebrate not only the arts and music but the community of Tuscaloosa.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – April 6
 
UA students compete in Tuscaloosa Rocketry Challenge
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 6
Water rockets filled the skies above recreation fields at the University of Alabama on Friday. “OK, you use a bottle and you fill it up with water and you just put pressure in it and it shoots,” Avery Reynolds said. That’s the easiest way to explain the Tuscaloosa Rocketry Challenge. It’s a competition University of Alabama engineering students started to encourage hundreds of middle school students to think about learning and doing more when it comes to science and engineering. “It shows engineering can be fun. It’s not all about just building stuff cause we can it’s about cause it’s cool,” Karson Holmes said.
Tuscaloosa News – April 7
NBC 5 (Memphis, Tennessee) – April 6
ABC 10 (Albany, Georgia) – April 6
WTOC 11 (Savannah, Georgia) – April 6
WDAM 7 (Moselle, Mississippi) – April 6
ABC 9 (Columbus, Georgia) – April 6
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – April 6
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6

New banks on horizon?
Banking Exchange – April 6
De novo activity is picking up across the country, with industry veterans finding opportunities in market gaps left by a decade of community bank consolidation … Julie Hill, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, said that, for now, the people forming new banks have experience in the process and “just really, really enjoy the serial de novo.” She anticipates more individuals will enter the space as the spread between “capital paid upfront” and “what you can get out of a bank if you sell it in 10 years” widens.

University of Alabama wraps up Honors Week
Tuscaloosa News – April 7
The University of Alabama on Friday has wrapped up Honors Week, which recognizes the achievement of outstanding students and faculty. The week culminated Friday on the Quad with the Tapping on the Mound ceremony, a tradition that dates back to the early 1900s. During the ceremony, UA honor groups Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board, the Blue Key National Honor Society and the Anderson Society inducted members.

Italian comedy and fanfare rule in ‘I Gelosi’
Crimson White – April 9
The end of the semester is racing towards us. Before the deadlines and exams all come crashing down, now is the time to embrace some comic relief. What better way to do that than by seeing a play complete with juggling, masks, fun costumes and an Italian flare? Beginning Monday, April 9, through Sunday, April 15, the UA Theatre and Dance production of “I Gelosi” will hit the stage at the Allen Bales Theatre. Tickets are on sale for $10, with the performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. nightly. The show on Sunday, April 15, will begin at 2 p.m.

Computer science department grows with technology
Crimson White – April 9
The UA department of computer science has about 250 undergraduate students, but Jeff Gray, a professor in the department, said the department believes the number could be higher.  Gray said the mantra of the department is “Everyone should learn computer science.” Even though current enrollment doesn’t reflect the total population of the University, Gray said the department has seen impressive growth.  “Ten years ago, we only had 27 computer science students in the entire state,” he said.

Why skipping debates may help, not harm, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey
AL.com – April 8
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s decision to skip the upcoming GOP primary debates this month fueled criticism from her opponents, some media outlets and campaign strategists. But it may do little to impact Republican primary voters, according to political pundits who analyze Alabama politics. In fact, they claim Ivey made a smart decision less than two months before the June 5 primary. “It is very common for the frontrunner to limit participation in debates with their opponents,” said Richard Fording, a political science professor at the University of Alabama. Ivey is the most well-funded candidate within the four-way GOP race for governor, and pundits view her as the favorite to win the primary.

Flood control engineering likely has worsened floods, study concludes
Hattiesburg American – April 7
Flood control work in the Mississippi River and its tributaries has likely made floods worse in Mississippi and Louisiana, researchers say … The scientists also used tree-ring data from a 2015 study by University of Alabama scientist Matthew Therrell, including three floods not described in that report.
Clarion Ledger – April 7
Quad City Times – April 7
Insurance Journal – April 6

Sale features plants that thrive in Southeast
Tuscaloosa News – April 6
Babara Hollingsworth, president of the George Wood Chapter of the Alabama Wildflower Society, advises customers to arrive early for the best selection in the group’s plant sale Saturday … Smaller amounts help support the Cahaba Lily Society and its annual Cahaba Lily Festival as well as local projects, including support for the Wildflower Garden and rhododendron collection of the University of Alabama Arboretum.

Legal Marijuana Will Hit Incredible Milestone by 2030, Say Experts
Constitution.com – April 6
Despite the antiquated and silly beliefs of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Americans are more than ready for the green gold rush that legal marijuana could provide the nation … Julie Hill, a University of Alabama Law School professor who specializes in cannabis and banking regulation, said it’s still not clear how federal agencies will react.

A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories
Portside – April 6
Readers of the May 24, 1796 Pennsylvania Gazette found an advertisement offering ten dollars to any person who would apprehend Oney Judge, an enslaved woman who had fled from President George Washington’s Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon … The other two historians are Joshua Rothman of the University of Alabama and Edward E. Baptist (author of the 2016 The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism) of Cornell University.

8 Small Things People Use to Judge Your Personality
Kopitiam Bot – April 8
The human brain is hardwired to judge. This survival mechanism makes it very hard to meet someone without evaluating and interpreting their behavior … It’s common for people to associate a weak handshake with a lack of confidence and an overall lackadaisical attitude. A study at the University of Alabama showed that, although it isn’t safe to draw assumptions about someone’s competence based on their handshake, you can accurately identify personality traits.

Science behind a fart
Navhind Times (India) – April 8
An interesting scientific experiment took place last year. Interesting because it was about the air expelled from the anuses of living beings, popularly known as farting and scientists investigating asked the public to send them information through a twitter handle called #doesitfart; this was published in a book with the same name … Hundreds of biologists, researchers, wildlife enthusiasts and laypersons have written in from all over the world. Nick Caruso, a PhD student at the University of Alabama, created a spreadsheet. Each entry was submitted to researchers to verify.
The Statesman (India) – April 8
The Island (India) – April 8
 
Setting the Standard for Sensor-Driven HVAC Control
ACHR News – April 9
Supported by the Saving Energy Nationwide in Structures with Occupancy Recognition (SENSOR) program of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), a University of Alabama team of researchers aims to ensure sensors work efficiently when detecting human movement and occupancy to control HVAC systems and applications.

Ron Jackson: Targeting gun violence
Daily Journal (Kankakee, Illinois) – April 7
It is a rare occasion when a female goes rogue and commits a public mass shooting. It is so rare that when it happens, we brush it off as an anomaly and quickly end the short conversation … Two years ago, a criminal justice professor from the University of Alabama reported “one woman was among 292 public mass shooters worldwide.” So, it is rare.

Gun Data: Handgun waiting periods and suicide
The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) – April 8
About the Numbers: While the nationwide debate on gun control often centers on violent crimes, the majority of gun deaths occur in a different circumstance … A University of Alabama research paper published in 2015 found handgun waiting periods reduce firearm suicides by 3 percent without a subsequent rise in suicide deaths by other means.

Gun data: Waiting periods could reduce firearm suicides
The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) – April 8
While the nationwide debate on gun control often centers on violent crimes, the majority of gun deaths occur in a different circumstance … A University of Alabama research paper published in 2015 found handgun waiting periods reduce firearm suicides by 3 percent without a subsequent rise in suicide deaths by other means.

UA Public Relations class puts on Spinning Wheels for Secret Meals
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 7
A University of Alabama public relations class laced up and locked in to feed Alabama children. Spinning Wheels for Secret Meals partnered with the Alabama Credit Union to raise money for Secret Meals for Hungry Children. The organization provides meals for children facing hunger on the weekends when they do not have free or reduced meals at school.

Crimson Tide Ballroom Dancers host masquerade ball
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6
You are cordially invited to their masquerade ball on campus this weekend. Attire is semi-formal. Black tie and masks are welcome, and be sure to bring your dancing shoes … The Crimson Tide Ballroom Dancer’s masquerade ball is tomorrow night at the Ferguson center on the UA campusThe fun starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $15, and $5 for students.
 
UA Local Entertainment Promotion Student Group holds event to benefit all-inclusive playground
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 6
The event benefits the all-inclusive playground project. It is planned by the University of Alabama group “local entertainment promotional team,” which encourages student participation in the community.

Free legal clinic held at Tuscaloosa VA
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – April 6
The Tuscaloosa VA medical clinic is working with the University of Alabama Law School and Tuscaloosa County Bar Association to host the clinic. It’s happening at the sports building from now until 2:00. Lawyers will provide free legal advice and legal representation will be available for those who qualify.

Take a look inside every type of University of Alabama dorm
AL.com – April 5
With almost 40,000 people enrolled at the University of Alabama right now, the campus needs one or two places for some folks to live. Approximately 8,400 residents currently live on campus in 35 total residence halls. Thanks to UA’s Student Life division, we can offer a sneak peek into what dorms look like today on campus, which might seem a little different than what you and I experienced way back when. We also see the brand new $53.2 million freshman hall currently under construction. Take a look below.

COLLEGE NEWS: April 8
Tuscaloosa News – April 8
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has selected two University of Alabama students as Goldwater Scholars for 2018-2019: Elizabeth Rowe of Chicago and Donna Xia of Tuscaloosa. . . . A team of University of Alabama MBA students won second place in the recent KeyBank and Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University’s fourth annual Minority MBA Student Case Competition in Cleveland.  . . . The Honors College has selected 51 students to serve as college ambassadors for 2018/2019. Honors Ambassadors represent the Honors College at alumni and recruiting events on and off campus and host prospective students during on-campus visits.