02 05 14 The Crimson White

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2014 VOLUME 120 ISSUE 82 Serving The University of Alabama since 1894

CULTURE | SCOTTSBORO BOYS

Reframing justice Scottsboro pardon changes future of US judiciary system

By Francie Johnson | Staff Reporter “With liberty and justice for all.” Every day, most elementary and middle school children stand up and recite these words, hands over hearts. However, history has proven them to be a false promise for some Americans.

For three of the nine “Scottsboro Boys,” a group of black men falsely accused of raping two white women in 1931 on a train in northeast Alabama, this promise was fulfilled about 80 years too late. All but the youngest, Roy Wright, were convicted by all-white juries, even in the face of evidence proving their innocence.

An exhibit of the Fred Hiroshige photographs of the Scottsboro Boys will be on display at the Paul R. Jones Gallery until Feb. 21. There will be a reception Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m., featuring a talk by Dan T. Carter, Author of “Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South.”

Haywood Patterson, Charlie Weems and Andy Wright were finally posthumously pardoned in late 2013 after living their entire lives under the stigma of a crime they did not commit.

John Miller, assistant director of New College, worked on the committee that petitioned for the pardons.

“I grew up in Alabama,” Miller said.

“This is something that I’ve known about.

The potential to do something to help change the perception of outsiders of Alabama and the opportunity to lend some measure of justice to these guys’ memories and to potentially ease the minds of their families. It was just something that was the right thing to do.”

The state eventually dropped charges against five Scottsboro Boys, and then-Gov. George Wallace pardoned a sixth, Clarence Norris, in 1976. However, unwarranted felony charges tainted the records of Patterson, Weems and Wright up until the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted to grant them full and unconditional pardons in November 2013.

Photo Courtesty of Morgan County Archives Photographs documenting the trials of the “Scottsboro Boys” will be displayed at the Paul R. Jones Gallery from Jan. 10-Feb. 21.

SEE SCOTTSBORO PAGE 3

Alabama looks to sign top class Rashaan Evans highlights uncommitted Tide targets

By Charlie Potter | Assistant Sports Editor

Community cook-off WHAT: Chili Cook-off WHEN: 6 p.m.

WHERE: Weeping Mary Baptist Activity Center

College of Engineering WHAT: ACEs Info Session WHEN: 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: SERC 1014

Students combat mental health stigma Event allows opportunity to understand health concerns

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Kastner started the program as an undergraduate at The College of Charleston after she heard an NPR story about a similar program at Stanford. She is working as a producer this year.

Students submitted monologues in the fall, and the group has been preparing for the show since October.

For junior Laura Lynn Hortter, who will be acting in the production for a third consecutive year, performing the monologues took on a new significance when she was diagnosed with

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surrounding mental health issues. Eleven student actors will perform monologues submitted anonymously by students, covering topics such as depression, autism, social anxiety disorder and personality disorder.

“I think it’s a great way to get the message out about mental health issues to see what other students might be going through,” said Becca Kastner, a graduate liaison for NAMI who brought the program to the University. “People are so willing to talk about physical health issues that they have, but mental health issues across the board in our society are still not talked about as often as they should be.”

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WEATHER

A group of student actors is raising awareness about mental health issues by performing a series of pieces written by students struggling with mental illness.

The fourth annual Mental Health Monologues, sponsored by the Counseling Center and the University of Alabama chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, are focused on erasing the stigma

WHAT: $2 Pint Night WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Wilhagen’s Tap

SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 8

NEWS | MENTAL HEALTH

By Emily Williams | Staff Reporter

Downtown deals

No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Alabama, according to 247Sports.com.

Evans has narrowed his choices down to three schools: Alabama, Auburn and UCLA. Things are looking to come down

CONTACT

WHAT: Ladies Night with DJ ProtoJ WHEN: 4 p.m.

WHERE: Rounders

— Andrew Bone

Ple a

Out on the town

With National Signing Day finally here, Alabama looks to reel in yet another No. 1 recruiting class.

Twenty-five high school players have committed to the Crimson Tide, with eight early enrollees already on campus in Tuscaloosa. This year’s class is all but complete, but coach Nick Saban and company could see an additional student athlete or two pledge to play for the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.

Alabama’s top target on Signing Day can be found within state lines.

Rashaan Evans is the No. 1 outside linebacker in the 2014 recruiting class and

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WHAT: Brown Bag Lecture Series WHEN: Noon – 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: 115 Woods Hall

to the wire between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers.

“I think it’s really close,” Andrew Bone, recruiting expert for TideSports.com, said.

“I don’t think he’s a lock to Auburn. I think Alabama is certainly in the mix for him, and he could surprise many on Signing Day and commit to Alabama.”

Evans is from Auburn, and both of his parents went to school there, but Alabama has placed Evans as one of its top priorities ahead of Signing Day. “It’s certainly going to be hard for him to turn down Auburn with him being a local star and the family legacy for the Tigers,” Bone said. “But I definitely think that Alabama has a real good shot at him.”

The Crimson Tide received its 26th

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I think Alabama is certainly in the mix for him, and he could surprise many on Signing Day and commit to Alabama.

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WHAT: African-American Campus Heritage Tour WHEN: 10 a.m.

WHERE: Reese Phifer front steps

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TODAYON CAMPUS

SPORTS | FOOTBALL

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editor@cw.ua.edu

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CAMPUSBRIEFS

Wednesday February 5, 2014

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J-Day previews journalism careers

SCENEON CAMPUS

By Rachel Brown | Staff Reporter The College of Communication and Information Sciences will host its annual J-Day event Thursday. The event is designed to be a preview of career possibilities for journalism students and an opportunity for students to hear from experienced journalists.

“We’ve been doing this for several years now where we bring in professionals to talk about all of the cool stuff we do and all of the cool stuff journalists do,” Chris Roberts, associate professor in the department of journalism, said.

The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with speaker Scott Jones. Jones is the former executive editor of Southern Living as well as a chef. He has been featured on several TV shows, including “Paula’s Home Cooking.”

Late in the morning, Scott Parrott, assistant professor in the department of journalism, will moderate a panel of speakers discussing “How to Get Your Bearings” in the world of journalism. Speakers will include Lyons Yellin of The Tuscaloosa News, Ana Rodriguez of AL.com and Bobby Atkinson of The Idaho Press Tribune. All speakers are former graduates of the University.

Around noon, students can grab lunch and get a sneak peek of the new digital media center, which is being built in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“One of the first times we will show it off is this time,” Roberts said.

The afternoon will feature another panel of speakers discussing the various job possibilities for journalism students. Speakers include Aisha Mahmood, a third-year law student at the University; Kristen Mather, a content strategist for JWT Atlanta; Ethan Summers, an MBA graduate and Chance Gray, merchandise manager for country music singer Jerrod Nieman.

Photojournalist Gabriel Tait will speak about his experiences in Africa and as a veteran photographer later in the afternoon before J-Day concludes with keynote speakers Frank Sikora and Nathan Turner Jr. Sikora covered racial issues in Alabama 50 years ago, and Turner was the first black journalism graduate. Sikora and Turner both worked at The Birmingham News for many years. Sikora is the 2014 winner of the Clarence Cason award for nonfiction writing.

All students, regardless of year or major, are invited to attend J-Day. “We do this for [the students],” Roberts said. “This is about teaching [them] things better taught outside of traditional classroom time.”

A detailed schedule of J-Day events can be found online at jnews.ua.edu.

CW | Austin Bigoney Members of the Alabama lacrosse club team scrimmage at the recreation fields Tuesday night.

THURSDAY

TODAY WHAT: African-American Campus Heritage Tour WHEN: 10 a.m.

WHERE: Reese Phifer front steps WHAT: National Signing Day Event WHEN: 4 p.m.

WHERE: Rounders

P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-8036 Advertising: 348-7845 Classifieds: 348-7355

WHAT: $2 Pint Night WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Wilhagen’s Tap

FRIDAY

WHAT: Journalism “J-Day” WHEN: 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.

WHERE: 338 Reese-Phifer Hall

WHAT: The Avenue Pub Ribbon Cutting WHEN: 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: 405 23rd Ave.

WHAT: “Darkroom” Graphic Novel Presentation WHEN: Noon – 1 p.m.

WHERE: 205 Gorgas Library

WHAT: International Coffee Hour WHEN: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

WHERE: 121 BB Comer Hall

WHAT: Environmental Stress in Nature: Case of Bumble Bees WHEN: 2 p.m.

WHERE: Nightingale Room, Rodgers Library

WHAT: Glen Templeton and the Mojo Trio WHEN: 4 p.m.

WHERE: Rhythm N Brews

WHAT: Mental Health Monologues: Erase the Stigma WHEN: 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Ferguson Theater

WHAT: Scottsboro Boys Reception WHEN: 5 p.m.

WHERE: Paul R. Jones Gallery WHAT: After Dark Party WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: Hive Bang Gaming

EDITORIAL editor-in-chief

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John Brinkerhoff Christopher Edmunds

video editor

Daniel Roth

photo editor

Austin Bigoney

lead designer

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community managers

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LUNCH

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The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students.The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are in room 1014, Student Media Building, 414 Campus Drive East. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.

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LUNCH

DINNER

Steak Buffalo Chicken Sandwich Macaroni & Cheese Fresh Collard Greens Okra and Tomatoes

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Cheeseburger Pie Italian Vegetable Blend Scallion Mashed Potatoes Grilled Eggplant Pizza Southwestern and Black Beans

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IN THENEWS CORRECTION

FDA emphasizes ‘real costs’ of smoking in campaign 100,000 smokers to quit after airing for just 12 weeks, The US Food and Drug according to a 2013 study in the Administration wants teenagers journal Lancet. to know the “real cost” of California’s long-running antismoking – and it’s not measured tobacco campaign is credited in dollars. Teens who pick up a with pushing the smoking rate cigarette habit will wind up in the Golden State below 12 paying with their skin, their teeth percent, the second-lowest in and even their freedom, a new the country. But Tuesday’s ad campaign warns. public education campaign is Other government agencies the FDA’s first foray into antiand public health groups have smoking advertising. produced commercials about It’s an example of how the the dangers of smoking. The federal agency is using some of $54 million “Tips From Former the powers it received as part of Smokers” campaign from the the 2009 Family Smoking Centers for Disease Control Prevention and Tobacco and Prevention prompted Control Act. The “Real Cost”

campaign is aimed at the estimated 10 million kids between the ages of 12 and 17 who are not yet hooked on tobacco but may be tempted to use cigarettes.

Given that nearly 90 percent of adult smokers picked up the habit before they turned 18, reaching kids in this age group is crucial, said Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the FDA’s commissioner.

“If, through this educational campaign, we can help kids make really important, informed choices not to smoke, that will matter for the rest of their lives,” Hamburg said in an FDA video.

inspire action.

“In one way or another, everyone is impacted in some way by mental health — whether it is personal, a loved one or friend, even a co-worker,” Ernsberger said. “It is important to have a better understanding so we can not only learn how to be supportive, but also have a better understanding of and empathy for what that person is going through in his or her life.

“We want to give the audience a sense of hope as well,” he said. “We don’t want people leaving the performance feeling like there is nothing that can be done. We want them to see that there is help and there are ways to improve things for

about so much in our day-today lives, we think we know what it is, and we think we know what it’s about, but we really have these kind of surface-level understandings.

That’s one of the really big and important things about this is bringing light for students to know that these are serious issues, but if I get help and if I get treatment, I can live with it, and I can be okay.”

The Mental Health Monologues will be preformed Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theater.

Admission is free with an Action Card, though donations are encouraged. A raffle and question-and-answer session will follow the show.

From MCT Campus

In the Feb. 4, 2014, edition of The Crimson White, Baxter Burke was incorrectly named in the story titled “The Pressure is on.” The Crimson White regrets the error and is happy to set the record straight.

Mental health acts promote awareness HEALTH FROM PAGE 1

ADHD. One of the biggest challenges, Hortter said, is presenting the monologues in an authentic way.

“I research what the disabilities are, because you want to get to know the people better,” Hortter said. “For me it’s always preparing to understand what these people go through, how they go through their everyday lives and how they cope with it.”

Director Brian Ernsberger said the message of the monologues is both to educate and to

those affected, and maybe they will go out and help someone they know is struggling.”

According to NAMI, one in four people will struggle with a mental illness in their lifetime, and these issue often arise in college. Student actor Elise Goubet, who is on the NAMI UA executive board, said one of the benefits of the monologues is they make the issues real for students, instead of just being words in a psychology textbook.

“I think it’s sometimes difficult for people to understand that [mental illnesses] are diseases and they’re very serious,” Goubet said. “I think sometimes, especially things like depression that get talked

p.3 Mark Hammontree | Editor newsdesk@cw.ua.edu

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 government officials, including Sen. Robert Orr, the law passed in April 2013, paving the way for the pardons to be granted in November.

“This is about trying to give the state the opportunity to do something right after something wrong happened,” Miller said. “It’s also about [pointing] out that the justice system can be improved and about clearing the names of these folks in history. People can make the argument that this is largely symbolic and it doesn’t have any actual effect, but I would disagree with that because I think that there are important community-level effects, state-level effects and public policy effects that come out of issuing these pardons.”

More than 80 years have passed since the Scottsboro Boys’ wrongful convictions, but to this day, many feel that racism still permeates the United States’ criminal justice system. This racism can take the form of personal

Posthumous pardon creates opportunity SCOTTSBORO FROM PAGE 1

“Posthumous pardons are not common,” Miller said.

“They are a relatively recent phenomenon, so the idea of a posthumous pardon is part of the reason that it took this long. The other issue is the last of the Scottsboro Boys was released from prison in 1950. So, to an extent, the case fell out of public imagination.”

Posthumous pardons aren’t usually legal in Alabama. To combat this obstacle, Miller and the other committee members proposed legislation allowing posthumous pardons for individuals charged 80 or more years ago for certain felonies if racial prejudice is believed to have influenced the conviction.

Backed by several historians, civil rights attorneys and

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prejudices, but it can also be systematic social inequality upheld by societal institutions, otherwise known as institutionalized racism.

“I think the criminal justice system is somewhere between individualized and institutionalized racism,” said Ebony Johnson, an instructor in the criminal justice department. “You have individual acts of racism that exist on behalf of police officers, judges and prosecutors, and sometimes it’s unintentional and unconscious.

When institutionalized, racism is embedded in the dayto-day practices of social institutions such as schools, businesses and the criminal justice system.”

According to a 2005 study conducted by the Sentencing Project, young black and Latino males are more likely to receive harsher sentences than white males for committing similar crimes.

According to the Equal

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Justice Initiative, 65 percent of murders in Alabama involve black victims, but 80 percent of death row inmates in Alabama were sentenced for killing a white victim.

While six percent of murders in Alabama involve black defendants and white victims, over 60 percent of black death row inmates were convicted of killing a white person.

The Equal Justice Initiative also states that although 27 percent of Alabama’s total population is black, blacks constitute 63 percent of the state’s prison population, and only one of 42 elected district attorneys in the state is black.

However, because people tend to think of racism as overt acts and prejudices rather than subtle systematic inequalities, not everyone realizes the full extent to which racism still exists, Johnson said.

“Research shows that racism can be conscious or unconscious, intentional or unintentional,” Johnson said.

“Individuals working within these institutions may or may not be aware of the policies’ existence and impact. In essence, modern racism is more subtle and indirect and operates outside of our conscious awareness. Even the most well-intentioned people perform racist acts, and they don’t realize it.”

The war on drugs also exemplifies institutionalized racism, Johnson said.

According to the Seattle Medium, blacks represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, but they make up 62 percent of incarcerated drug offenders. The Seattle Medium also states black men are incarcerated for drug charges 13 times more often than white men. “[Racism in the criminal justice system] has created a lack of trust between minority groups and the criminal justice system,” Johnson said.

“Furthermore, it has created a sense of hopelessness within [minority] communities.

The sentencing disparities that we see related to the war

on drugs have become a war on families. As a result millions of mothers and fathers have not been able to contribute to their communities.”

While statistics show that our justice system tends to work in favor of whites, the system’s unequal treatment of minorities can be attributed to more than just blatant racism, Miller said.

“I think that there are issues [in our justice system] that are related to racism, but I also think that part of this is wealth-related,” Miller said. “People who can afford criminal defense by attorneys who specialize in given areas of criminal defense law are more likely to be treated favorably by the judicial system than those who get appointed councilmen.”

According to a study by the U.S. Census from 2007-2011, 26 percent of blacks and 16 to 26 percent of Latinos fall below the national poverty level, compared to just 12 percent of whites. Higher poverty rates among minority groups prevents many minority defendants from accessing specialized criminal defense attorneys who could help them achieve more lenient punishments.

Additionally, district attorneys and appellate court judges are elected for office in Alabama, which can provide an incentive for them to pursue greater punishments for criminals, Miller said.

“The only way to win an election [is] to show that you are tough on crime, and the only way to show that you are tough on crime is to try to achieve the harshest possible sentences you can on criminals,” Miller said. “The system is tilted in favor of getting the harshest possible sentences. It’s tilted in such a way that people who can afford the best possible defence achieve [more lenient] sentences.”

Both individualized prejudice and the uneven distribution of wealth among minority groups can contribute to

the phenomenon of minority groups receiving harsher sentences, Miller said.

“There are cases in which the individual prejudices of a given juror can affect the operation of a jury,” Miller said. “If you have that as a factor, and if you have as a compounding factor the influence of access to legal resources, then what you’re gonna get is basically an amplification of that. So these things are going to tend to react with each other to make things more severe.”

Miller said he hopes the Scottsboro pardons will increase awareness of the prejudices and injustices that influence our justice system, rather than provide an excuse for anyone to deny these prejudices’ existence.

“One of the criticisms of efforts like these is that they are a feel good pat on the pack for a state like Alabama that has a very fraught history with racism,” Miller said.

“But that’s certainly not the intent that we entered into this with. The intent that we entered into this with was to start a community dialogue about the impact of things like racial prejudice on outcomes in trials. I hope that nobody looks at this and thinks, ‘Well we can wipe our hands of that. Racism is over.’

I think that that would be the wrong conclusion to draw from this.”

Although pardoning the Scottsboro Boys can’t make up for what happened to them, the pardons will hopefully provide an opportunity for the state to move forward, Miller said.

“I don’t think you can make up for something like this,” Miller said. “If anybody starts with the impression that the purpose of the pardons is to make up for the past, then I think that that’s an inaccurate starting point. You can’t undo a wrong in history. But that doesn’t’ mean that you shouldn’t do the right thing when the opportunity presents itself.”

p.4 John Brinkerhoff | Editor letters@cw.ua.edu

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

COLUMN | EVOLUTION

Missouri’s debated law on evolution is completely absurd

By Maxton Thoman | Staff Columnist

crime-fighting model that hinges on the constant threat of violence from one’s fellowman is to become a weaker, baser culture. It isn’t a stand against mass shootings. It’s a concession to them.

What are we conceding, you may ask?

The answer is many things, ranging from the practical to the spiritual.

We would be giving up on hope that America – like other countries – can transcend the threat of domestic terrorism. We would be betraying the ideal that violence is better fought with discourse than with more violence. We would be giving up the ideal of a country free from mass shootings and replacing it with a world where we just kill violent offenders as quickly as possible.

And for the record, we should never assume, as Parks does, that mass violence is irascible. America is the only first-world country to experience regular mass shootings, which indicates that they are a symptom of our unique culture.

So maybe, if we really want to reduce gun violence, the answer isn’t to bring in more guns. Maybe the problem stems from the fact that we glamorize and fetishize guns in the first place.

For the people who want a derringer in every pocket at the University, I hope that’s food for thought.

There is a little- known, old school phrase that simply states, “I’m from Missouri.”

It’s meant to be a play off the lore that coined the state’s nickname – Maxton Thoman the Show-Me State – and, apparently, is supposed to represent skepticism or disbelief in something or a request for some sort of proof to back up a particularly questionable statement.

Let me assure you, though, it’s no coincidence that you haven’t heard of this phrase, and it’s certainly no mistake that it has dropped out of colloquialism.

Why? Simple. It’s because Missourians have completely abandoned their pursuit of evidence.

Instead, the state has elected to shy away from its history and renounce its namesake, in favor of supporting theories fundamentally lacking any substantiation at all and in favor of removing any sort of stimulating intellectual challenge from its classrooms.

Currently, the state of Missouri has a bill (arguably, two) passing through its state legislature that would effectively hamper an absolutely necessary – not to mention internationally accepted and scientifically backed – education in evolution.

House Bill 1472 would mandate that, “Any school district or charter school which provides instruction relating to the theory of evolution by natural selection…[have] a policy on parental notification and a mechanism where a parent can choose to remove the student from any part of the district’s or school’s instruction on evolution.”

By ensuring that its students have the opportunity to exempt themselves from any instruction even just pertaining to the theory of evolution by natural selection, House Bill 1472 will completely undermine almost every lesson in biology at the K-12 levels. The fact is, evolution is an inherently accepted – perhaps even assumed – precursor for the study of biological processes and theories.

From the most specific discussions, that could hypothetically pertain to such studies as the development of mitochondria within cells, to the most basic and broad topics, such as of the basic kingdoms of living organisms, the theory of evolution runs throughout all of our sciences.

Instead of excusing students from these studies, we should be mandating prerequisites in the study of evolution.

If students are excused from any part of an evolutionary education, and if we consider evolution to pervade the majority of a scientific education, where will the line constituting what pertains to a lesson in evolution be drawn? And, for that matter, who will draw it?

My fear is that every mention of a fossil, every conversation about the development of organs and vital structures, every single discussion about the genetic similarity that we share with other organisms could potentially be systematically whittled out of these students’ education.

But, I guess for them, the Lord only knows.

In the end, a lack of an education in this field will put students behind the rest of their class, and the rest of the world for that matter, in a way that they will not be able to recover from – much like leaving out multiplication would severely hinder any further advancement in mathematics.

The scary thing is that at this moment, both Virginia and Tennessee also have similar antievolution legislation passing through their congresses as well. And we wonder why the United States ranks 26th out of 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations in education.

Granted, this is a voluntary exemption and will not entirely inhibit the learning of other students (though it may disrupt it). Still, with the importance of evolution, it cannot be denied that this will be an injustice for those students, who oftentimes do not know the importance of the decision being made by their parents.

In the end, evolution is a theory, yes, though it is one of the most well researched, well-supported theories in scientific history. From genetic DNA code similarities to behavioral and physical fossil traces, this theory has worked its way deep into every facet of our lives. Any child removed from an education in this discipline is robbing them of vital knowledge that will be absolutely invaluable in their scientific lives.

Let them follow the evidence. Let them learn.

Let them say, as I am able to, “I’m from Missouri.”

Nathan James is a junior majoring in public relations. His column runs weekly.

Maxton Thoman is a sophomore majoring in biology. His column runs weekly.

MCT Campus

COLUMN | SEXUAL ASSAULT

Addressing sexual assault in college

By Patrick Crowley | Senior Staff Columnist One of several omissions in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address last week was the lack of commentary on his recent efforts to raise awareness on the sexual assault epidemic affecting college campuses across the nation. It is a glaring omission because on Jan. 22, President Obama signed a memorandum creating a task force to renew pressure on universities to better prevent and police sexual assaults on campuses.

The next day, the White House Council on Women and Girls released a deeply concerning report titled, “Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action.” The startling statistics will shock everyone: Twenty-two million females have been raped in their lifetime, 1.6 million males have been raped in their lifetime, and 1 in 5 females have been sexually assaulted while in college.

Now let’s take it to the sphere of this campus. According to the demographics of The University of Alabama, there are 34,852 students enrolled as of fall 2013.

Approximately 55 percent are female, or 19,168 students. If the 1 in 5 females has been sexually assaulted statistic is true, the correlating number on the UA campus should be around 3,833 female students.

That is 3,833 too many assaults.

Patrick Crowley Based on the UA Police Department Crime Statistics for 2012, though there were 13 reported incidents of forcible sex offenses on campus or in residence halls.

That leaves us with the extremely difficult thought of trying to estimate just how many incidents of forcible sex offenses have gone unreported, occurred off-campus or a combination of the two. Using the estimate of 3,833 sexual assaults on females, which could be incorrect, there could be more or less than 3,820 occurrences of sexual assault that have gone unreported.

Furthermore, these sexual assaults are usually committed by serial assailants with most victims knowing their

assailants. One study found that of the men who admitted to committing rape or attempted rape (7 percent of college men), some 63 percent said they committed an average of six rapes each. The impact of these rapes on a person are physical, psychological and economic. They often suffer from a wide range of physical and mental health problems that can linger for life and are more likely to commit suicide.

The economic cost of rape is staggering, as several studies estimate the range from $87,000 to $240,776 per rape in medical and victim services, loss of productivity and several other costs.

Everyone has to do their part in stemming the tide of sexual assault and start addressing the simple fact that rape is a crime and illegal. For men, President Obama challenges us to be better: “Men have to take more responsibility. Men have to intervene. The measure of manhood is the willingness to speak up and speak out, and begin to change the culture.”

Still, I encourage everyone to think of ways, whether through student organizations, events or personal changes, to raise awareness of the sexual assault epidemic and do their part, whatever that may be.

Patrick Crowley is a junior majoring in mathematics, finance and economics. His column runs weekly.

COLUMN | GUN CONTROL

Solution to campus shootings is not more guns

By Nathan James | Senior Staff Columnist In the wake of shootings at Purdue and near Michigan State University last month, Andrew Parks wrote a column supporting concealed carry on The University of Alabama’s campus. He claimed in this column that gun-free zones like college campuses create “prime targets for mass shooters,” and that the solution to this problem is to arm students to fight back against violent individuals.

In his piece, Parks doesn’t address the possibility of banning deadly weapons – like military-style rifles or pistols with extended clips – that were used in the Newtown, Conn., Milwaukee, Wis., Minneapolis, Minn., and Aurora, Colo., shootings to kill 118 since last year. He also doesn’t address the fact that extended magazines were used in the Virginia Tech and Columbine massacres, which seems relevant to the issue of shootings on college campuses.

Parks also doesn’t address the fact that there is no recorded instance of an American civilian stopping a mass shooting with a gun.

I’m sure he would argue that this is because mass shootings take place in gun-free zones.

All the same, at this moment the only evidence that armed civilians can and would kill mass shooters exists in gun advocates’ heads.

Parks also overlooks the fact that only a third of U.S. gun deaths are homicidal, and that the proliferation of handguns in the University could lead to a cost in suicides and

Nathan James accidental deaths that would dwarf the safety benefits.

And finally, Parks does not discuss the possibility that more guns in a low-crime area like our campus might lead to the escalation of otherwise nonviolent conflicts. He doesn’t seem concerned that the introduction of handguns into stressful situations could cause an attempted theft to turn into a selfdefense killing.

Parks’ appraisal is, in short, incomplete.

However, what disturbs me most about his proposal isn’t its impracticality. What disturbs me most is its moral implications.

Our current social model rests on a trust between all civilians, which is upheld by proper authorities. To instead adopt a

EDITORIAL BOARD

WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONS

Mazie Bryant editor-in-chief

Letters to the editor must contain fewer than 300 words and guest columns less than 800. Send submissions to letters@ cw.ua.edu. Submissions must include the author’s name, year, major and daytime phone number. Phone numbers are for verification and will not be published. Students should also include their year in school and major. The Crimson White reserves the right to edit all guest columns and letters to the editor.

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Last Week’s Poll: How do you feel about your relationship with Siri?

(Who is Siri?, 28%) (We’re not on speaking terms, 22%) (Aquaintances, 22%) (Frenemies, 20%) (Besties, 8%) This Week’s Poll: Do you know how Bitcoins work? cw.ua.edu/poll

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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

‘Lightning Talks’ to include lecture about climate change, bees

By Jason Frost | Contributing Writer According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the bee population in the U.S. hit a 50-year low last May and continues to drop indefinitely. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Association, nearly 64 percent of the world’s food is bee-pollinated and worth nearly $207 billion.

This will be the topic of the first of four “lightning talks” on science topics held in February. “Environmental Stress in Nature: Case of Bumble Bees” will be hosted Thursday outside the Nightingale Room in Rodgers Library. This talk features Jeffrey Lozier, a researcher on bees and their adaptation to climatic change.

“We’re studying a few things here, but the most relevant to these talks is adaptation to climate variations. How do these populations survive in such a variety of environments,” Lozier said. “We have evidence to suggest populations on top of mountains are more isolated than those at lower elevations, and we can track their thermal patterns. This [isolation] can lead to inbreeding or hurt flying habits.”

All four talks will be held every Thursday in February at 2 p.m., covering topics as diverse as searching for earth-like planets to geological rock formations. The talks were designed by head of Rodgers Libraries John Sandy.

“We had a couple of goals in mind,” Sandy said. “First, to highlight research activities of faculty and second, to create excitement for science in students and even for faculty who don’t usually think about science in that way.”

Lozier, who wrote an article on the subject that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will be addressing numerous hypotheses about the decline of bee populations, including climate change, pesticides and disease.

“There’s this one hypothesis that there’s an invasive fungus causing a decline in population, including the extinction of one entire species in the United States,” Lozier said.

After the speech, a short question-and-answer session will be conducted. Students and faculty are invited to this free event.

“You can say a lot in 10 minutes,” Sandy said. “If this catches on, we hope to expand this program to the engineering and nursing schools, which is who Rodgers services.”

Lozier, who started studying bees for his postdoctoral studies, said he hopes students and faculty take two things away from the talk.

“Not all bees are honey bees,” Lozier said. “We have a huge diversity of bees in the U.S. And also, I’d like people to think about where food comes from and the animals involved in its growth and pollination … They’re fascinating organisms to study, from a variety of angles.”

PLAN TO GO WHAT: Environmental Stress in Nature: Case of the Bumble Bees WHEN: Thursday, 2 p.m.

WHERE: Nightingale Room in Rodgers Library

Graphic Obtained from Career.ua.edu; Photo by Austin Bigoney

Career Center offers professional aid

By Lauren Robertson | CW Staff While many students view the Career Center as a tool only for seniors approaching graduation, the staff of the on-campus resource said the center is beneficial for all University of Alabama students and alumni.

The Career Center aims to connect students with future employers and internships, but it also has advantages for students of all stages of academia.

Tiffany Goodin, program manager for Student Services, said one of her favorite parts of the job is the variety of appointments she has, from resume critiques to interview preparation and salary negotiation. The Career Center offers more than just the occasional career fair.

Gillian Richard, a senior majoring in public relations, said she met with an advisor in the Career Center several times to talk about her future, both at the University and in the professional world.

“We talked about the best way to contact people in organizations that I wanted to work for, how to write a cover letter and how to build a personal network and use it effectively in the job search,” Richard said.

The Career Center is an effective tool in applying not only for jobs and internships, but also campus organizations, leadership opportunities and

scholarships.

John Bruhn, graduate student in the College of Business, said he used the Career Center when applying for graduate schools.

“The Career Center was a huge help when it came to graduate school essays,” Bruhn said. “They are very helpful because they do this all the time and they know what graduate schools are looking for, so they provided excellent feedback.”

Although resume critiques are the most-used service through the Career Center, Goodin said there are many useful programs that students don’t take advantage of, usually because they are unaware of them.

One of the most interesting programs offered by the Career Center is the virtual mock interview resource, Interview Stream. This program allows students to watch a recording of themselves during the mock interview, which greatly increases self-awareness.

Students simply log into career. ua.edu with their student email to access the resources the Career Center offers. They are free to current students and alumni, yet most students have not taken advantage of them.

“Some students wait too late to put together a resume and don’t have time to take it to the Career Center,” Bruhn said. “That is why it is better

to go see them as early as possible and put together a plan for future opportunities.”

Career consultants can assist students by assessing interests, preferences, values and skills to discuss how they influence career planning. This can help undecided students choose a major, upperclassmen search for internships or seniors and alumni look for jobs. Consultants use personality, preferable work environment and interests to successfully identify a good fit for a major or job.

“It is difficult to give a percentage of hiring through Crimson Careers,” Goodin said. “However, during the fall 2013 semester, 6,641 students logged in to Crimson Careers, and at any given moment, there are approximately 700 postings for jobs or internships listed.”

With the ongoing construction of the Ferguson Center, the Career Center is temporarily located in the Old Capstone Medical Building at 700 University Blvd. for spring and summer 2014 semesters.

While appointments are available for meeting with a career consultant, walk-in hours are also available during specific times.

“Students who don’t have a Crimson Careers account might be missing out on some great opportunities,” Richard said. “It’s a free service. Why wouldn’t you use it?”

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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Women’s Resource Center hosts Brown Bag Lecture Series

By Maddison McCullough | Contributing Writer

Submitted The Medicine and Community class provides students with hands-on experience through training with doctors and patients.

Class offers pre-med experience

By Greg Ward | Contributing Writer Over the course of four years, one Honors College class and its students have helped thousands of people across the state of Alabama. Medicine and Community is a year-long course at The University of Alabama designed to give pre-med students real-world experience and get them on the right track for medical school.

The two-credit hour per semester course offers hands-on experiences, one-on-one training with doctors and patients, and the opportunity to listen to various speakers who work within the field of medicine.

“Medicine and Community provides experience and insight that would be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain otherwise,” Andrew Davis, a student currently in the course, said. “We work in four-week blocks and rotate through parts of the course that include shadowing physicians, volunteering at a hypertension clinic in Marion, and working on an independent research assignment.”

The course has a one-hour lecture section and a mandatory four hours of hands-on experiences each week. The hypertension clinic where the students work is in Marion County, which is a part of Alabama’s Black Belt region.

“The hands-on experience of Medicine and Community helps students decide whether becoming a physician and having others put their trust in you is something they would like to pursue as a career,” Davis said. “For those further along in that decision-making process, Medicine and Community helps to decide which area of medicine feels comfortable and which they might like to strive for once in medical school.”

Hannah Zahedi, a junior majoring in biology, said areas like Marion County are where courses like this are needed.

“You get to work one-on-one with patients who really want to listen and take your advice and you learn how to

communicate better with patients,” Zahedi said. “This course gives you volunteer hours, shadowing opportunities and helps you understand the role of different medical positions.”

The course has seen growth in participation and interest every year it has been offered. Students who have been accepted into this course have a 100 percent acceptance rate into medical programs around the country and one of the first students to take this course is now in his third year at Harvard.

While this course could potentially put students on the fast track to medical school, it also has a very strict selection process. There are 12 students enrolled in the current class, but the class size will shrink to seven to nine next year.

“Last year, the program had 42 applicants,” Zahedi said.

With applications only being open for less than a week so far this year, they have already had two people apply.

Ashley Gilchrist, a junior majoring in biology, applied to be in the program this fall and said she is excited at the possibility of being accepted.

“I think it will serve as a building block in my journey to become a good doctor. I will be able to gain valuable experience in health care, volunteering and shadowing through the multiple opportunities the class offers. You get to learn about the many roles doctors play, especially in rural communities,” Gilchrist said.

The application process consists of an online application, which includes the student’s general information plus a couple of essay questions. Once that is submitted, if chosen, the student will go through an interview to ultimately decide if the student is accepted into the class or not. The class is a twosemester requirement, so students accepted in the fall also take it in the spring as well.

Students who are interested in learning more about the class and what it offers are encouraged to go to honors.ua.edu/ medicineandcommunity to get more information and apply.

NEWSIN BRIEF Hands-On Family Night to host grad student exhibits Children and their families are invited to attend the third annual Hands-On Family Night event Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. The program will feature exhibits by graduate students from various departments and there will be food and door prizes. The event is free and open to all students, faculty, staff and community members. The program is hosted by the Graduate School, Graduate Student Association, Graduate Parent Support and the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

UA accepting nominations for educator award The Capstone Inspiring Educator Award recognizes high school teachers who have inspired UA students to achieve their academic and career goals through outstanding teaching, mentoring and support.

Nominations will be evaluated by a UA committee representing faculty, staff, students and high school teachers, with final selection by the Office for Academic Affairs.

Winners will be recognized during UA Spring Commencement activities May 3.

The deadline to submit a nomination is March 5.

For more information, contact the Offi ce for Academic Affairs, 205-348-4890 or janet.griffith@ua.edu.

The Brown Bag Lunch Series, which has been running for more than 17 years, highlights topics of feminist activism, scholarship, leadership, diversity and advocacy. The series has been jointly hosted and managed by the Women’s Resource Center and the department of women’s studies since fall 2008. Lectures have included a variety of topics, from fairy tales to quilting, but recently have shifted to include more feminist activism discussion.

The WRC will host the next installment of the monthly series, “Feminism Spoken Here” Wednesday.

Two lectures will be given during the hour-long presentation, which will take place in 115 Woods Hall at noon. The first lecture, “Gender Gap In Academia: Evidence from the U.S. and The University of Alabama,” will be presented by Viktoria Riiman, a member of the Socioeconomic Research Group in the Center for Business and Economic Research at The University of Alabama.

Riiman’s lecture will focus on one of the paradoxes facing women in academia: although the share of female graduate students continues to be larger than the share of male students, the share of female faculty members remains smaller.

“The problem is that when high-achieving women students look around campus for faculty mentors and role models, they find that there are less women in the most prestigious and well-paid positions in academia,” Riiman said. “UA students will find out that situation on our campus is similar to other American universities.”

The second lecture, “We are All Imposters: Creating Affirming Spaces Through Shared Narratives,” will be presented by Maureen Flint, a graduate student studying higher education, in collaboration with Jason Garvey, assistant professor of higher eduction. The lecture will focus on the importance of sharing our personal stories and creating an environment that is accepting of those who feel like they cannot be who they truly are.

“Imposter Syndrome refers to feelings of inadequacy and being an outsider, even when a person has had previous successes,” Garvey said.

Garvey said Imposter Syndrome is suffered by more faculty and students than many believe.

“When we share our stories with others, the goal is to create a safe and welcoming environment where it is okay to be different from one another,” Flint said. “Everyone should [share their stories]. By doing so, it will improve the culture on campus.”

Jessi Hitchins, assistant director of the Woman’s Resource Center and a co-coordinator for the program, said she sees the lecture series as a place where members of the community can come together and discuss gender without prejudice.

“The series offers a space for women and men of all areas of expertise to speak about issues related to gender politics,” Hitchins said.

Jennifer Purvis, co-coordinator for the program, said she hopes the program can be beneficial for all members of the community, not just those whose fields are related to gender studies.

“I hope students will be inspired by the exciting research going on around them and learn more about issues affecting women’s lives, the workings of gender, and an array of strategies and theories of feminism,” Purvis said.

Got the design bug?

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There is a possible hiring at the end of the internship for any intern who has shown strong creative skills, a willingness to learn, and dedication to their work.

Email Hillary at: cwcreativemanager@gmail.com February 6 Noon - 1:00 pm Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library - Room 205

Lila Quintero Weaver author of

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White

for more information or to set up an interview

p.7 Abbey Crain | Editor culture@cw.ua.edu

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Shirtless cowboy plays guitar for campus

CW | Austin Bigoney Chase Bodiford spends his free time strumming his guitar outside for others to enjoy.

By Reed O’Mara | Staff Reporter Chase Bodiford sits talking about his anthology of British poets that’s back in his dorm room in Paty Hall while sipping his cinnamon latte from Starbucks, the only clue to who he is being the guitar nestled against the window behind him.

To some, he’s the strange shirtless cowboy who plays guitar around campus. To others, he’s merely Chase. To himself, he’s nothing to be taken so seriously.

“I got my first guitar Christmas of 10th grade. For six months, I thought all you could do was hit the strings. I didn’t know about the other hand doing anything,” Bodiford, a freshman majoring in journalism, said. “I took three lessons where I learned three chords from this drunk redneck named Josh who took $100, and that was it. I was on my own.”

Since then, Bodiford has scanned YouTube to learn cover songs and used his ear to figure out the basics of playing guitar. It is only now, in his third year and with his third guitar, that he’s begun to go “behind the mechanics of what sounds good” and study music theory, though he still said he doesn’t think theory should rule the guitarist’s playing.

“My first guitar was an electric Gibson [named Lady]. I would really recommend anybody not start on an electric, because you think you sound more like a badass than you

do honestly,” Bodiford said.

When Bodiford stepped on campus in August, he left his PlayStation 3 behind so he could focus on three things: school, guitar and making friends. So despite being busy balancing a GPA boost and an application to New College, Bodiford said he still finds time for his acoustic guitar, named Tamara, by playing it around campus, something that’s earned him friends and disgruntled looks alike.

“I’ve heard a lot of critics of me, if you want to call them that – because it’s not like they even know my own name – ‘It’s just the guitar dude walking around looking for attention,’” Bodiford said. “I like to get out to go around and to play outside. It just feels good to me.

I can go outside and basically do whatever I want within reason, which some people might call walking out without a shirt on outside of reason, but I’m not really receptive to negativity being thrown my way.”

Bodiford said he doesn’t play guitar to earn tips or get attention. It’s an action that’s not only convenient, but something that links him to the reason he began playing guitar.

“I really, really wanted it that year. There was something beautiful about music that I found before I ever played anything. I didn’t know what I liked in music until about eighth grade or so, and I’m the type of guy that when I find something that I like, I obsess over it for an unhealthy amount of time. So for that

period, I needed a guitar,” said Bodiford. “I wanted to make beautiful noise more than anything. I thought the guitar could let me put some order to this.”

Bodiford started playing shirtless outside his first day on campus because he said the weather was great, and he’s a big fan of “getting your vitamin D and a tan.”

Though he’s had some bad run-ins while playing guitar, such as an awkward stint down fraternity row where he “pushed some buttons” or a time where someone threw a beer bottle at him, he said he’s had more good reactions than bad. For example, on the Strip a week before Thanksgiving break, Bodiford ran into some of his fans.

“This group of admirers, apparently, of five girls came up to me. [This guy in the group] just walks up to me and hands me 20 bucks, you know, ‘Here, take it.’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t do this. I’m not this good to be taking tips right now.’ So I said the least I could do was give him a cigarette, so we had a nice little talk and smoke,” Bodiford said.

Jordan Millwood, a freshman majoring in pre-law and a close friend of Bodiford’s, met him at Bama Bound and said she was not sold on him completely at first, calling him “that random kid that acted a fool.” The two ran into each other when classes started and have been friends since.

“I always complain about the guitar ‘cause

he just wants to play it in front of everybody.

It’s Chase. Without [the guitar], it wouldn’t be Chase. I’ve come to realize that,” Millwood said.

Though Bodiford has friends such as Millwood, he said being ultimately alone on campus and having his “own back corner” is what makes him able to play guitar without being nervous.

“I applied to 42 colleges. I was very spread out. My top choices were Santa Barbara, Texas and Arizona State. But it came down to scholarships. I have full tuition here, and plus, in state, this was my number one choice. I did not want to go to a small college. I went to a small high school. I like not knowing everybody I see. It’s fresh. I like making as many friends as I can, but I like space,” Bodiford said.

Bodiford started on campus like many other freshmen – alone and looking to find a niche. Bodiford said he’s found his place on campus through his guitar and can only hope people become more accepting of it, because he said there is no way he can stop now. His mantra has quickly become “positive vibes” and a rejection of negativity.

“I’ve heard people say things about him, and I’m just like, ‘You’ve got to love Chase.’

That’s how he is. He loves his guitar. It’s like his best friend,” Millwood said. “He’s his own person. Chase is what everyone is scared to be.”

CULTUREIN BRIEF Honors College to host Moonlit Masquerade The Honors College Assembly will host its spring social, a masquerade, Thursday at the Cypress Inn pavilion. DJ Proto J will DJ the event from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Honors College students are encouraged to wear a mask. Food will be provided.

Granger Smith to play at Jupiter Friday Country music artist Granger Smith will perform at Jupiter Friday. The Texas A&M alum is known for his current single, “Miles and Mud Tires.” In 2013 he released his ninth album since he was 19, which debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes country chart. Doors open at 8 p.m., and it will cost $5 to attend.

Graphic novelist to speak Thursday Lila Quintero Weaver, author of “Darkroom,” an autobiographical graphic novel about growing up Latina in the Black Belt during the Civil Rights Movement, will speak Thursday at noon in 205 Gorgas Library. Students, faculty and the public are invited and encouraged to bring a sack lunch to the event.

p.8

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Signee changes still possible Wednesday

Student theater group performs to educate

FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 1

Photo Courtesy of 277Sports.com

WHAT TO KNOW WHO: Rashaan Evans POSITION: Outside linebacker HOMETOWN: Auburn, Ala. DECISION TIME: 10 a.m. CT on ESPN U STATS: • No. 1 OLB • No. 2 prospect in Alabama • No. 15 player in country

By Alyx Chandler | Contributing Writer With statistics as high as one in five college students being sexually assaulted per year, it is safe for everyone to assume they have known at least one victim of sexual or domestic violence on campus, said Wanda Burton, the peer education coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center and co-teacher of Unscripted.

Unscripted is an interactive group of peers dedicated to educating students on the problem of oppression and interpersonal violence through the Theater of the Oppressed model, which advocates for social education and change by performing reactions of plausible situations in front of an audience.

“I think it’s important to understand there are systems of power in place.

There are ways to benefit, but some people typically — Wanda Burton have challenges that are associated with other’s benefits,” Burton said.

Last spring, 10 students were part of a class on social action and performance through New College. The Unscripted troupe is advocating to make another class next fall.

Volunteer positions are currently available for this spring.

“Art speaks to a larger community,” Burton said. “[It’s] something we all have in common. It’s a new way of sharing yourself and your perspective outside of a class setting.”

Unscripted was created in 2005, derived from a group called Voices Against Violence in the University of Texas, but it was also done in other countries before the U.S. The Unscripted theater troupe trains small groups of 10 to 15 students on social justice issues for two hours once a week. The training session lasts for 10 weeks, and then the group can perform. It addresses all different types of oppression, but specifically covers interpersonal violence and how people cope and react. Detailed training on these issues is required so the troop is able to go out and improvise an interactive conversation with the audience.

“It allows everyone’s voice to be heard, and it allows you to see it from another perspective,” Burton said.

Unscripted trains for two basic performing methods, one being image work, and the other a form called “spect,” which is more of a forum and was dubbed by Augusto Boal, who started the Theater of the Oppressed. In both, the audience can ask questions and comment on how the actors are dealing with their situation. In image work, the actor plays a statue where they only relay body language as they work through certain scenes. In “spect,” the actors freeze and listen to the audience’s input as they suggest different ways for troupe to act out scenes. This way, the students can work through how they personally would deal with these situations in their life.

“It’s not about trying to offer a one-time solution. It’s about engaging students in conversations,” Elle Shaaban-Magana, director of the Women’s Resource Center, said.

Last semester, Unscripted students performed at Take Back the Night in the Ferguson Theater and in several different classroom settings. Unscripted partnered with academic departments and Greek affairs for their performance at the Ferguson Theater to get more people involved. More than 100 people attended, and after the performance, the Unscripted students answered questions in the roles of the characters they played.

Students do not need theater backgrounds, and many don’t have experience, such as senior Morgan Embry, who is now a spokesperson for Unscripted.

“The natural instinct [is] to fight back, but that’s not the best form,” Embry said. “Learning ways to address it in a calm matter than doesn’t rise to conflict is the key.”

Embry’s interest in counseling through movement is one of the reasons she said took the class. Although she has no acting experience, she said she is passionate about teaching people how to maintain healthy relationships. She said her combined majors, dance and interdisciplinary studies, with a Christian perspective and emphasis on community outreach, aided her ability to improvise and teach through body language.

Both men and women are encouraged to volunteer or commit to a complete semester of training. Interested students can sign up at wrc.ua.edu/forms.cfm.

Art speaks to a larger community. [It’s] something we all have in common.

CW | Lindsey Leonard Local restaurant Epiphany will host the Farm to Table Dinner, which raises money for the Black Warrior Riverkeeper.

Fundraiser dinner to benefit riverkeeper

By Tara Massouleh | Staff Reporter Tuscaloosa’s Black Warrior River will be the focal point of the meals served at Epiphany’s upcoming Farm to Table Dinner, a fundraiser for Black Warrior Riverkeeper, a nonprofit clean water advocacy organization that works to restore and protect the Black Warrior River and its many tributaries.

The dinner, hosted at Epiphany on Thursday, will feature tapas-style dishes created by Epiphany’s chef and owner Tres Jackson. The dishes will be prepared using fresh produce donated by Snow’s Bend Farm and Katie Farms. Attendees will also have the opportunity to try an exclusive wheat brew by Druid City Brewing made with Snow’s Bend Farm strawberries and water from Lake Tuscaloosa.

“That beer represents two important waterways that Black Warrior Riverkeeper protects in the Tuscaloosa area, the Black Warrior River and Lake Tuscaloosa. Snow’s Bend Farm is situated along the Black Warrior River, and the water for Druid City Brewing’s beer comes from Lake Tuscaloosa,” Charles Scribner, executive director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper, said.

Scribner said the Black Warrior River is a central feature of Tuscaloosa, but its importance spans beyond Tuscaloosa as it drains portions of 17 counties in Alabama.

Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city, obtains half of its drinking water from the Black Warrior River basin, and Tuscaloosa’s drinking water comes solely from the river and its tributaries.

Margaret Ann Toohey, co-owner of Snow’s Bend Farm, one of Epiphany’s major sources of local produce and a contributor to the Farm to Table Dinner, said the work the Black Warrior Riverkeeper does to keep contaminants out of the river ensures that she can grow healthy food on its banks.

“This river is unique to our area, and every time I see it, I realize how nice it is that we have it,” Toohey said. “I hope that members of the community feel this way about our farm, and I know we feel this way about Epiphany and Druid City Brewing. Bringing all of these elements together for a night will be special.”

With the water from local water sources used to nourish the foods grown at Snow’s Bend Farm and used in the beer brewed at Druid City Brewing, Toohey said there has never been a better time for people to eat – and drink – local.

“It is the freshest, tastiest and healthiest food to get, but it also keeps folks like us around and ensures a more vibrant community to live in,” she said.

When Jackson opened Epiphany nearly 11 years ago in 2003, he said one of his main goals was to promote eating local and raise a level awareness in Tuscaloosa residents for where their food comes from.

PLAN TO GO WHAT: Farm to Table Dinner WHEN: Epiphany WHERE: Thursday, 8 p.m.

“We wanted to be different, first, but we also wanted to build relationships with local farmers and try to constantly evolve,” he said.

Epiphany buys produce from 18 different regional and local farms, with its two biggest contributors being Snow’s Bend Farm and Katie Farms, both of which are located within the Tuscaloosa area. Additionally, Epiphany only serves draft beer made in Alabama, particularly brews made by Bo Hicks at Druid City Brewing, another collaborator for the Farm to Table Dinner.

In working with local farms, Jackson said Epiphany’s menu is largely dependent on what is available and in season as dictated

by Tuscaloosa farmers.

“I think it gives you a sense of place when you see the actual food come in the door from one of the farmers and you know the person bringing it in,” he said.

The symbiotic relationship between the Farm to Table Dinner’s collaborators is illustrated through Jackson’s description of how Druid City Brewing saves leftover beer grains to give to Epiphany’s major local pork distributor. Epiphany serves both products.

“There’s no middle man. There’s no warehouse. There’s no 18-wheelers. It’s kind of a full-circle, closed-loop thing,” Jackson said.

Due to the freezing temperatures over the past week, many of the plans for the night’s menu will have to be reworked depending on what vegetables survived the recent snow and ice. Epiphany will continue to use predominately local products for the dinner but will outsource regionally to fill out some of the menu items.

The efforts of Epiphany to promote community support for local food and beverages in Tuscaloosa have been echoed in other areas of town over the past five years. For example, five years ago, there were no true farmer’s markets in Tuscaloosa, and now, three days a week for eight months of the year, the Tuscaloosa community has access to local farmer’s markets.

Tickets for the Farm to Table Dinner at Epiphany on Thursday at 8 p.m. are on sale for $39 and can be bought through Epiphany.

A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will go to Black Warrior Riverkeeper, and additional donations to the organization will be taken online the night of the event. The dinner will be capped at 80 to 100 guests.

“Come in and mingle, talk to the guy who makes the beer, talk to the guy who raises the vegetables,” Jackson said. “We’ll turn the music up real loud and have a big party.

That’s the way every day should be.”

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commitment from junior college tight end Ty FlournoySmith late Monday night, essentially eliminating itself from landing a multitude of commitments on Signing Day. However, Alabama is still considered a long shot for a couple of prospects.

Malachi Dupre is the No. 2 wide receiver and No. 17 overall player in the country, as well as the No. 4 prospect in the state of Louisiana.

Alabama has had success in Louisiana this recruiting season with four commitments from players from the Bayou State, but that success may come to a halt Wednesday with Dupre. The Crimson Tide is thought to be a long shot, because Dupre is still considering Alabama, Florida State, LSU and UCLA. “Dupre was long considered an LSU lock, but he’s open to leaving, and those close to him say he had great visits to Tuscaloosa, Tallahassee and Los Angeles,” Charles Power, recruiting expert for 247Sports.com, said.

The nation’s No. 3 weak-side defensive end, Chad Thomas, is currently committed to Miami, but that could potentially change Wednesday.

Thomas is a Miami native, but he recently took an official visit to Alabama. However, Bone said things are still up in the air and fans should not count on Thomas to flip his commitment to the Crimson Tide.

“I think one of the things is that his mom did not come on the trip with him. He just came on the visit by himself,” Bone said. “But he said after the trip that it was the best visit that he’s ever been on.”

Alabama has solid verbal pledges from most of its 25 commitments, but some players may still look to go elsewhere.

Tuesday, three-star safety Chris Williams flipped his commitment from Alabama to Central Florida. Williams visited UCF this past weekend before changing his mind.

Three-star defensive tackle O.J. Smith will reportedly not sign a letter of intent Wednesday because he did not meet academic requirements. It was also reported that Smith was offered a grayshirt by Alabama, but he was not fond of the offer, Bone said.

There will be some player movement for Alabama, but for the most part, it will be a relatively quiet Signing Day for Saban. With much of this year’s class solidly committed to the Crimson Tide, he and his coaching staff will sit back and hope for a few surprises.

“We could see Alabama land a few more prospects, but for the most part, the class is set, and barring a surprise will be No. 1 come Wednesday,” Power said.

p.9

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Men’s basketball team begins crucial stretch against Arkansas

By Sean Landry | Staff Reporter The Alabama men’s basketball team has had a rough couple of weeks.

Coach Anthony Grant said the Crimson Tide’s recent form has been distressing, but the program is moving forward competitively. “Any time you lose, it’s always disappointing, but ‌ like I always say, you take it one game at a time,â€? Grant said. “You compete to win,

and when you lose you’re disappointed. As a competitor, you dust yourself off and keep moving. Our vision is to build a program that can compete for championships. We’re not there yet, but we’re gonna keep building, and we’re gonna keep grinding every single day.�

The team will face an uphill battle to turn things around, with the team beginning a stretch that includes four of five games on the road.

Alabama will tip off this critical

period against a high-scoring Arkansas team Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. “We’re impressed watching Arkansas on film,â€? Grant said. “They’re a very talented team, a very deep team. ‌ I think they lead the league in scoring.â€?

Both programs have similar basketball philosophies and look to run the floor and force turnovers whenever possible. Sophomore guard Retin

Obasohan said the team looks forward to playing opponents with that style. “Obviously it’s a lot of fun if you play teams with the same style of play as we play,�

Obasohan said. “At the same time, every game has its own game plan, and that’s what we’re focused on doing.�

Alabama – which is 1-12 when opposing teams score more than 65 points – will be taking on a Razorback team averaging 82 points per game.

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HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (02/05/14).

Strengthen and build support this year, especially around health, career and romance. To keep fun and play alive, get inspired by children. Realign your path to include true priorities, physically, creatively and spiritually. It’s profitable. Renew your home around March and April, in between adventures. Love, romance and partnership expand around the solar eclipse (6/10).

Begin a new phase.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -Today is an 8 -- More income is possible today and tomorrow. Friends inspire your move.

Confer with allies, and get in action. Pay attention! There’s an opportunity presenting itself like a low-hanging pear. You can make it happen.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Assert your desires confidently over the next two days. Help comes from above when you pledge with your heart. Keep meditating on what you love. You’re even more powerful than usual. No more procrastination. Take action.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) -Today is a 6 -- Get philosophical today and tomorrow. Something’s coming due. There’s a brilliant insight percolating. Take time for thoughtful introspection. Personal values drive your decisions. Friends help you get farther. Retreat from the world, and set long-term goals.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -Today is a 6 -- Your friends are a big help today and tomorrow.

Follow the rules, and a strong leader. Keep your own goals in mind, too. Discover hidden benefits. Hold off on a household decision. Pay a debt first.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Be prepared for inspection today and tomorrow. Schedule for the unexpected. With increased scrutiny, stay balanced.

Follow rules obediently, and get stronger. A new door opens after you pass the test. Share dreams with friends.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -Today is a 7 -- Let your thoughts

roam. Dream big. Use common sense in your planning. Follow a hunch. Set long-range goals today and tomorrow. New expenses could change things.

More work leads to more benefits. Share your studies when ready.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Consider your next move. Focus on finances for the next two days, and grow your nest egg. You’re getting closer to the truth. Maybe you hit the society page. Fantasies come true.

Allow for miscues with humor.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -Today is a 7 -- Is there a leak?

Check out household items carefully before buying. Your partner’s opinion matters. A new direction in your collaboration develops. Another partner or friend mediates. Try a new flavor.

Consider unexplored options.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Refocus on work priorities today and tomorrow, and ignore distractions.

Let yourself get persuaded to take action. Find unexplainable inspiration. Indulge your inner workaholic, and fuel with hot drinks, creature comforts and a rewarding promise.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 6 -- With confrontation possible, consider how to present your view to erase objections. Keep family in mind. Draw upon hidden resources. Love’s a comfort when money’s tight.

You’re entering a cuddly mood.

Music soothes the savage beast.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -Today is a 6 -- Enforce household rules, and handle home repairs today and tomorrow.

Make a dream come true. Others offer inspiration. Declare, “It can happen.� Research yields a surprising discovery. Invite folks to participate. Share what you’re learning.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -Today is a 6 -- Study and practice today and tomorrow. Explore and challenge assumptions. Go ahead and get philosophical.

Test your theories, and map out a route to a dream. Price it out.

Share it with someone close.

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p.10 Marc Torrence | Editor sports@cw.ua.edu

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

MEN’S TENNIIS

By Leila Beem | Contributing Writer

Crimson Tide men’s tennis team looks to bounce back

UA Athletics The Alabama men’s tennis team hosts Oklahoma State and Oklahoma this weekend.

Alabama men’s tennis coach George Husack said team captain and senior Daniil Proskura lives, breathes and sleeps Alabama, and both are hopeful that this outlook will influence a young Crimson Tide as it competes at home this coming weekend, hosting Oklahoma State and No. 8 Oklahoma.

“I think we have a chance in every match we’re going to play this year, especially this weekend,” Proskura said. “We definitely want to beat both of the teams, and I think we can, and it’s my job to put that fire and belief in the other guys that we can do that.”

Coming off a strenuous weekend on the road in which it fell to No. 14 Texas, the Crimson Tide is seeking to improve its 4-2 record in Tuscaloosa, competing against Oklahoma State on Saturday and No. 8 Oklahoma on Sunday. While the loss to Texas was tough, Husack said it was an opportunity for the young Alabama team to learn and improve its play.

“I think, given the youth of our team, as the saying goes, we learn from our failures. And I wouldn’t say Texas was a failure, but certainly a good lesson for our new guys and just basically the team overall,” he said.

The Tide’s spring schedule is filled with tough competition. Out of its 22 matches, the Crimson Tide will face nationally ranked opponents in 19 of them. More than 60 percent of those matches will be against teams in the top 20.

Husack said this Alabama team welcomes the challenges.

“It’s not setting us up for failure,”

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Alabama heads to Indoor Championships in Virginia

By Elliott Propes | Contributing Writer The No. 12 Alabama women’s tennis team will travel to the ITA National Indoor Championships this weekend. The Virginia Cavaliers will host the tournament in Charlottesville, Va., Feb. 7-10.

After defeating William & Mary and Oklahoma in the qualifying kick-off weekend, Alabama clinched a spot in the championships for the second year in a row.

The tournament features 16 colleges from around the nation. Although No. 1 Stanford did not enter the tournament, Nos. 2-17 in the nation will be represented.

“It’s a snapshot of the NCAA Tournament in May, because it’s the best teams,” Alabama

coach Jenny Mainz said.

Five of the 16 teams are from the SEC, including No. 2 Florida.

“It speaks well for the conference,” Mainz said. “I think that the SEC is even better than last year.”

Alabama, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Georgia played in the tournament last year.

Alabama lost its first match, but won two in the consolation bracket. UGA did the best in the SEC and made it to the semifinals. This year all of these teams are back plus No. 2 Florida, who is expected to be the number one seed.

The Crimson Tide is led by its No. 1 Mary Anne Daines. As the only senior, she has taken a leadership role on the team and hopes to take the team to victory.

“She has been a very good steady leader,”

Mainz said “She’s always going to leave it all out on the court, no matter who she plays.”

Mainz said the lineup for the weekend will be the same as last week, but the lineups are allowed to change in between matches. She also said she will probably make minor tweaks as they go.

Alabama is undefeated so far and hopes to keep that zero at the end of its record.

“I think we have the potential to, definitely,” Daines said. “We need to compete hard and do our best and let the results take care of themselves.”

Mainz said the team hopes to at least improve before the SEC season begins.

“It will pay dividends down the road,” Mainz said. “It’s another chance to face high-level competition to prepare for the SEC season.”

he said. “It’s setting us up for golden opportunities each week, so that’s what we have this weekend.”

With four freshmen on the team – Hayes Brewer, Saxon Buehning, Sean Donohue and Nikko Madregallejo – Alabama is working to harness new talent and to get the new athletes acclimated so they can compete to their fullest. Husack said an important part of the Crimson Tide’s identity as a team this season is the joining of young players and older players, and veterans such as team captain Proskura have a lot to teach the newcomers.

“I couldn’t ask for a better person to fit the role because I know every day he’s bringing intensity,” Husack said of Proskura. “He’s also learning to be a leader to the other guys.”

Proskura, who was recently ranked No. 14 nationally in singles, said he is confident in Alabama’s competitiveness this season, having shown its potential in matches thus far.

“This year I’m really excited about what’s going to happen,” he said. “In San Diego we competed and showed that we can win against good teams.”

As the Crimson Tide prepares to host two competitive teams at home this weekend, hopes for improvement in the matches to come remain high, as do hopes for the Alabama men’s tennis program in general.

“I feel like this team is here to really make a statement about where we want to be,” Husack said. “We want to be a contender in the SEC, and we want to be an NCAA participant at the end of the year, not only in the regional, but also in the final 16. Now it’s just about learning.”

Kevin Connell contributed to this report.

SPORTSIN BRIEF Bailey earns SEC honor Alabama gymnast Katie Bailey was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league announced Tuesday. This is Bailey’s second time winning the award this season.

Men’s track team ranked 10th The Alabama track and field team is ranked No. 10 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I National Team Computer Rankings, which were released Tuesday. The Crimson Tide began the season at No. 24, jumped to No. 17 last week and is now No. 10.

Compiled by Marc Torrence