SPORTS Releford sets the pace for the Tide
9
Wednesday, Februaryy 8 8, 2012
S Serving i the h U University i i off Al Alabama b since i 1894
Vol. 118, Issue 84
No spring concert planned Machine By Ashley Chaffin Lifestyles Editor alchaffin@gmail.com
Make Request
Most Wanted Coldplay
“Coldplay would be my dream concert. They are one of my top favorites. “ Elise Kahn, freshman majoring in biology
Luke Bryan
”I would like to see Luke Bryan because I like big, outdoor country concerts. They are always fun.” Lindsey Green, sophomore majoring in public relations
Bruno Mars
“I’d like to see Bruno Mars because I saw him in concert before and it was really fun and entertaining.” Dallas O’Mara, freshman majoring in biology
The Black Keys
”The Black Keys. Great band that would work well in a smaller venue like the amphitheater.” Walker Donaldson, senior majoring in political science and history
Dave Matthews Band “I would want Dave Matthews Band to come to the amphitheater. A lot of college kids would come to the show and there would be good sales.” Hannah Holt, sophomore majoring in finance
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Book A Group
The Avett Brothers and Band of Horses played the inaugural concert last year at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on April 1. Red Mountain Entertainment, who manages the amphitheater, worked with the University of Alabama SGA and the Ferguson Center staff to bring the acts to Tuscaloosa. The University purchased a block of tickets for students, allowing them to sell the tickets at a reduced student price – $10 compared to the $33 general admission price. All the proceeds from the student tickets went to an SGA scholarship fund. “We took home $20,000 to put into our scholarship endowment through the SGA, and it was a sold out crowd, we were really pleased with it,” said Peyton Falkenburg, SGA director of programming and advancement. By this time last year, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater had announced the Avett Brothers show and the Kenny Chesney show—so far, the Amphitheater hasn’t announced any concerts for the spring 2012 concert season. Falkenburg said different things, none of which can be commented on, have to be worked out between the city, University and Red Mountain Entertainment before the SGA can begin to plan a concert with the amphitheater this year. He said he has been in communication with Red Mountain and the city throughout the school year, and once everything is worked out, hopes the SGA can put on another show. One of the difficulties of collaborating with the amphitheater is finding a band that will appeal to as many students as possible, while still staying in a price range Red Mountain can handle. “Red Mountain books the band they can get in Tuscaloosa for the right price,” Falkenburg said. “There may be four or five shows in the spring, and one of those acts might be appealing to students.” The SGA worked closely with Red Mountain in making the decision to bring the Avett Brothers to town based on what seemed to be a lot students’ interest in the band. “Band of Horses put on a good show, and I wasn’t an Avett Brothers fan, but after hearing them live I became one,” Matt Reid, a senior majoring in marketing, said. “I liked the SGA sponsored concert because general admission concerts are always more fun because you can walk around, and it’s cheaper.”
endorses candidates TNE plans to support nonmembers in SGA elections By Tray Smith Special Projects Editor ralphlesliesmith@gmail.com
Preliminary campaigning for Student Government Association offices begins today, and the Machine, a secret political coalition of traditionally white fraternities and sororities, has picked its candidates for executive positions. According to sources familiar with the Machine’s election plans, the group met Monday night to determine which students it would support in campuswide elections to be held on March 6. In the race for SGA president, sources confirm that the Machine, also known as Theta Nu Epsilon, is supporting current SGA Deputy Executive Vice President Matt Calderone. “Define the Machine for me,” Calderone said when asked how the organization would impact his campaign. “There (are) different interpretations for people throughout campus as to what it is and it’s all speculation and hearsay.”
See BACKED, page 2
MACHINE-AFFILIATED CANDIDATES FOR SGA EXECUTIVE OFFICES • Matt Calderone: President • Matt Harris: Executive Vice President • Will Pylant: Vice President of Student Affairs
• Jimmy Taylor: Vice President of External Affairs
• Denzel Evans-Bell: Vice President of Academic Affairs
• Andy Koonce: Vice President of Financial Affairs
See AMPHITHEATER, page 6
CW | Evan Szczepanski
AU New member joins Tide sets record against 68 50 Board of Trustees Alabama
By Brett Hudson Senior Sports Reporter bbhudson@crimson.ua.edu @Brett_Hudson
Vandervoort will represent third district By Rich Robinson Staff Reporter rarobinson2@crimson.ua.edu Kenneth Luckie Vandervoort was elected last week to the University of Alabama System’s board of trustees. A resident of Anniston, Vandervoort was elected by the current board member’s to represent the Third Congressional district. Vandervoort is a 1978 graduate of Alabama. He was an active student at the Capstone, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board and the prestigious Anderson Society. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science and then attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine where he left with an M.D. in 1982. Vandervoort has been a partner with Anniston Orthopedic Associates since 1987 and received his board certification from the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery in 1989. The Board governs the University of Alabama system, which encompasses UA, UAB and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The website for the board describes the purpose of the organization as to “ensure the effective leadership, management and control over the activile this
• 1978 graduate of UA • From Anniston, Ala.
See TRUSTEE, page 3
Please ec
r
• er
The Auburn Plainsman | Rebecca Croomes UA’s freshman forward Nick Jacobs (15) rebounds a basket.
P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 Fax: 348-8036 | Advertising: 348-7845 | Classifieds: 348-7355 Letters, op-eds: letters@cw.ua.edu Press releases: newsdesk@cw.ua.edu
See BASKETBALL, page 8
Hangout announces headliners Top acts include Dave Matthews Band, Jack White By Lauren Ferguson Assistant Lifestyles Editor ldferguson@crimson.ua.edu The Hangout Music Festival announced its 2012 lineup yesterday revealing two of this year’s headliners as Dave Matthews Band and Jack White. A third has yet to be announced. For its third year, the Hangout Music Festival will bring live music and celebrity musicians to the beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala. This year’s festival will be held May 18-20. The three-day event will feature more than thirty performances. Some of those acts include Wilco, The
INSIDE today’s paper
p
er •
Plea s
yc rec
The Alabama Crimson Tide went on the road to the rival Auburn Tigers and beat them in recordsetting fashion, 68-50. This was the biggest margin of victory Alabama has ever had over Auburn in Auburn, dating back to the first AlabamaAuburn basketball game in Auburn in January of 1949. The record-setting evening did not come without a fight since Auburn got off to a hot start.
• Kenneth Vandervoort
ap
e
FAST FACTS
ties of the three doctoral research universities in The University of Alabama System.” The website’s description continues, “This structure provides for a definitive, orderly form of governance, and secures and continues responsive, progressive, and superior institutions of higher education.” The Constitution of the State of Alabama dictates that the board may be made of three members from the Congressional district where the Tuscaloosa campus falls. Campus is currently located in the Seventh Congressional district. The Constitution further stipulates that two members from each of the other six Congressional districts will serve on the board, giving the Capstone slightly more influence. Kellee Reinhart, spokeswoman for the Board of Trustees, explained how the election process worked.
Auburn
Briefs ........................2
Sports .......................7
Opinions ...................4
Puzzles.................... 11
Lifestyles.................. 10
Classifieds ............... 11
Flaming Lips, Chris Cornell, STS9, Flogging Molly, Coheed and Cambria, Switchfoot and Yelawolf. Many of this year’s acts are new to the festival. Tickets will go on sale Friday at 11 a.m., offering only three-day festival passes starting at $194 and later rising to $209. Last year’s tickets sold out before the festival. VIP, Super VIP, and Travel packages are also available for those wanting a high caliber “hangout” experience. For more information, visit www.hangoutmusicfest.com.
For a full list of bands announced for this year’s festival, see page 10
WEATHER today Partly cloudy
61º/34º
Thursday
Partly Cloudy
56º/32º
ycle
this pa
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GO ON THE
Page 2• Wednesday, February 8, 2012
ONLINE
ON THE CALENDAR TODAY
VIDEO:
THURSDAY
What: Bloom: MA Exhibition by Anne Herbert
What: Homeless Shelter
What: Alabama All-State
Remodel
Orchestra
Where: Art Gallery, Ferguson
Where: 346 Community Ser-
Where: Moody Music Building
vice Center, Ferguson Student Center
When: 8 a.m.
Student Center
THE EARTHQUAKE SIMULATOR
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When: 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Get a tour of the new simulator room that’s soon to be in the SEC.
What: Coffee Hour
What: Short and Sweet Re-
VIDEO: STATE OF THE BLACK UNION COVERAGE
sume Critiques
What: Networking and Profes-
Where: 121 B.B. Comer Hall
Where: 336 Ferguson Stu-
sional Impressions Workshop
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
dent Center
Where: 300 Ferguson Student
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Center
What: Dr. Ethel H. Hall
When: 4 to 5 p.m. What: Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop for Women
For the first time in five years, the Black Student Union hosted its once annual speech.
Where: 309 Ferguson Stu-
P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-8036 Advertising: 348-7845 Classifieds: 348-7355
dent Center
African American Heritage Month Celebration
What: The Huxford Symphony
Where: 223 Little Hall
Orchestra of The University of Alabama Concerto & Aria Competition
When: Noon to 1 p.m.
Where: Moody Music Building
When: 3 to 5 p.m.
Victor Luckerson editor-in-chief editor@cw.ua.edu
Will Tucker assistant managing editor wjtucker1@gmail.com Taylor Holland news editor newsdesk@cw.ua.edu
ON THE MENU LAKESIDE LUNCH
DINNER
Montreal Steak Fresh Steamed Green Beans Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes BBQ Chicken Pizza Tofu Fajitas (Vegetarian)
Country Meatloaf Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Steamed Broccoli with Cheese Sauce Ancho Succotash Turkey Rice Soup Vegetable Enchiladas (Vegetarian)
Malcolm Cammeron community manager outreach@cw.ua.edu Ashley Chaffin lifestyles editor Tony Tsoukalas sports editor SoRelle Wyckoff opinions editor letters@cw.ua.edu John Davis chief copy editor Jessie Hancock design editor Evan Szczepanski graphics editor Drew Hoover photo editor Tyler Crompton web editor Daniel Roth multimedia editor Tray Smith special projects editor
ADVERTISING Emily Richards 348-8995 Advertising Manager cwadmanager@gmail.com Will DeShazo Territory Manager 348-2598 Classified Manager 348-7355 Coleman Richards Special Projects Manager osmspecialprojects@gmail.com Lauren Aylworth 348-8042 Creative Services Manager Tori Hall 348-8742 Greg Woods 348-8054 Chloe Ledet 348-6153 Robert Clark 348-2670 Emily Diab 348-6875 Jessica West 348-8735 Mallory McKenzie osmspecialprojects2@gmail.com 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 on the first floor, Student Publications Building, 923 University Blvd. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving, and once a week when school is in session for the summer. Marked calendar provided. The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues. Any other papers are $1.00. The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year. Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to: The Crimson White Subscription Department, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White is entered as periodical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright © 2012 by The Crimson White and protected under the “Work Made for Hire” and “Periodical Publication” categories of the U.S. copyright laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of The Crimson White.
Submit your events to calendar@cw.ua.edu
EDITORIAL
Jonathan Reed managing editor jonathanreedcw@gmail.com
FRIDAY
BURKE
BRYANT
FRESH FOOD
LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH
Harira Turkey Jasmine Rice Steamed Green Beans Fried Cream Cheese Wontons Roasted Red Peppers Chicago Style Hot Dogs Spanikopita
ON CAMPUS Nonprofit Protégé Program continues into spring semester The University of Alabama Community Service Center is partnering with the Career Center to offer the Nonprofit Protégé Program for a second semester. The Nonprofit
Protégé Program is an eightweek experience that allows UA students to work alongside a nonprofit administrator/CEO in Tuscaloosa. Students are required to be at least a sopho-
more and have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA. Applications are now being accepted and are due by Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. to the Community Service Center, 346 Ferguson Center.
Spring 2 registration open Spring 2 registration is open through Feb. 17. Students can pick up extra hours in this shorter semester. Spring
2 classes, many of which are offered online, begin Feb. 13, and end with the regular semester. To register, stu-
dents can log in to mybama. ua.edu and link to course options by clicking on the Spring 2 logo.
Last Lecture nominations due Friday Nominations for the 2012 Last Lecture award must be submitted electronically at graduate.ua.edu/events/lastlecture. html by Feb. 10. Undergraduate students, graduate students and
alumni are invited to nominate the faculty member they would most like to hear deliver a lecture on the following premise: “If this were your last chance to talk to a group of UA students,
what would you say to them?” Retired faculty members are not eligible for the honor. Past recipients include Bebe Barefoot, Lawrence Kohl, Utz McKnight, Jim Salem and Ron Dulek.
ON THE RADAR
Increase in hookah popularity among young people worries health professionals From MCT Campus University of Maryland student Louie Dane was 18 when he first smoked tobacco with a hookah at a friend’s house. “There’s nothing that’s not great about it. You get to be with some friends having a good time,” he said. “I personally think cigarettes are disgusting ... Hookah doesn’t seem as bad ... (because) it’s more of a social thing.” What Dane and most other fans of this increasingly popular method of smoking tobacco do not know is that one 25-minute hookah session is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes, health officials said. “People tend to inhale very deeply when they are using a hookah. They actually, in effect, get 20 times the amount of nicotine than when you smoke a single cigarette,” said Donald Shell, who works on tobacco prevention efforts at the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Hookah – also referred to as a narghile, shisha or waterpipe – allows users to smoke flavored tobacco that is filtered through a liquid, typically water. The tobacco is placed in the bowl of
the hookah and heated with a coal. The smoke is then pulled through decorative hoses after first passing through the liquid. The practice originated in India and the Middle East in the middle of the last millennium and has since found its way into a growing number of college towns in the states. As more hookah lounges open, health officials said they are worried users do not fully understand the risks associated with the pastime. Cafe Hookah, which is set to open in College Park, Md., this month, will be the second hookah bar in the city. The cafe’s owner, 29-year-old Abid Khan, said he chose to open the establishment because the “niche was available.” “I think that it will be unique in the sense that – aside from making money – it’s run by young people that actually care about the students,” he said. Hookah tobacco contains many of the same harmful chemicals found in cigarettes and can cause similar long-term health effects, such as mouth cancer, lung cancer and cancer of the trachea, Shell said. “Hookahs are flavored and put in a nice setting when you
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are sitting and relaxing ... But that kind of socially attractive setting is really the vehicle for delivering a really potent dose of tobacco and carbon monoxide and other chemicals, too,” Shell said. “There is no safe level of tobacco to consume,” Shell said. “If you find that once you start smoking hookah and you feel like you have to go back, that’s kind of a red flag.” Matthieu Drotar, 20, said he first smoked hookah when he was 17. He now smokes hookah once every two or three weeks near the University of Maryland. “People like to try new exotic things, and the hookah bars try to recreate the feeling of being in Lebanon, or somewhere else,” Drotar said. “I don’t know anywhere outside of a hookah bar that you can get that experience.” Despite knowing some of the health risks associated with smoking hookah, Drotar said he was not worried. “If I were smoking every day I would be concerned about it,” he said. Isabel Slettebak, a 21-yearold student at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore City, said she smoked hookah for the first – and last – time when she was 20. “I guess I decided to do it ‘cause I was over 18 and I could. It seemed like a cool, older thing to try out,” she said. “The place, it was way too smoky for me. After sitting for a while, it felt like I wasn’t getting enough air. Then I tried smoking the hookah and it just felt like I had drank a cup of ashes,” she said.
Brunswick Pork Stew Roasted Pork Loin Scalloped Potatoes Mexican Corn BBQ Pinto Beans Eggplant Parmesan (Vegetarian)
Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Sauce Fried Okra Italian Green Beans Macaroni & Cheese Chicken & Provolone Ciabatta Sandwich Grilled Vegetable Quesadilla (Vegetarian)
BACKED Continued from page 1
When asked if he had any contact with the Machine, as defined by The Crimson White’s confirmed facts about the group, Calderone said he had never had contact with the organization. “With the Machine you’re referring to, which is described in the CW, I have had no contact with them ever,” he said. “I’ve never been supported by the Machine in any way,“ he added later. Calderone said he had gathered all of his information about the Machine from The Crimson White. “Again, all the information I have is stuff I’ve gathered from you guys in the CW,” he said. “You know, I’ve read those stories but I don’t speculate and make assumptions about something that I’ve never been a part of. I’ve never been to these meetings that we assume they have, that people talk about. It’s all hearsay to me.” This year, the Machine has also decided to support candidates from non-Machine fraternities, sources said. For the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs, the organization is supporting Denzel EvansBell, a member of the historically black Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Evans-Bell is the only black candidate to receive Machine support for an executive office in this SGA election. He said that his campaign was an individual effort not intended to make Alpha Phi Alpha a part of the Machine. “I’ve seen enough of the University to take this next step but it wasn’t to get my fraternity anywhere,” Evans-Bell said. “This is basically an individual campaign.” Evans-Bell said he had no knowledge of the Machine supporting his campaign. “If I do have that, I would be grateful for any support,” he said. The Machine is also supporting Will Pylant for the position of Vice President of Student Affairs, the sources said. Pylant is currently an SGA senator from the College of Arts & Sciences and a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, which isn’t affiliated with or paying dues to the Machine. “As Vice President for Student Affairs, I promise to work with honesty and integrity as we, the student body, work together
daily to improve our University,” Pylant said in an emailed statement sent in response to a question about how having the Machine’s support would impact his campaign. The Machine is also supporting SGA Senator Andy Koonce of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity for Vice President of Financial Affairs and Senator Jimmy Taylor of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity for Vice President of External Affairs. Both Koonce and Taylor currently represent the College of Commerce & Business Administration in the SGA Senate. “I am running for VP of Financial Affairs because I want to make a transparent impact in our SGA,” Koonce said in a statement. “Through this position, I will reestablish trust in the SGA by thoroughly and accurately doing my duty.” “I don’t know anything about being the Machine candidate but I do know that I officially found out I was a candidate when I submitted my statement of candidacy,” Taylor said in an emailed response to a question about how he found out he was the Machine candidate. “I appreciate all of the support I can get and I certainly am not going to refuse any one person’s support.” For Executive Vice President, the Machine is supporting current SGA Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Harris, a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Harris was unavailable for comment at press time. The Crimson White could not confirm the Machine-supported candidate for Executive Secretary by press time. Calderone said some may assume members of traditionally white fraternities have relationships with the Machine, but that being greek doesn’t define him. “The reason we’re asking all these questions, you’re bringing all this up to me, is because I’m in a white fraternity,” he said. “You know, we assume that that’s a relationship with the Machine … I am a Sigma Nu. I’m proud to be a Sigma Nu, but that does not define me. That does not define who I am. What I also represent is the Blackburn Institute, Honors College, the city of Tuscaloosa, my work after the tornado, my work with nonprofits.”
The Crimson White
NEWS
‘It’s Your Move!’ health campaign kicks off today By Jasmine Cannon Senior Staff Reporter jmcannon@crimson.ua.edu
Public relations students have coordinated a healthy initiative for kids to help fight childhood obesity. The “It’s Your Move!” campaign kicks off today at the YMCA in downtown Tuscaloosa. The campaign urges children to be conscious of their activities and make healthy lifestyle choices between the hours of 3-5 p.m. “We really wanted to create an empowering campaign for the kids that was something for them to have a lot of fun with, but still learn a lot,” said Leighton Brown, a senior majoring in public relations. A team of four students is behind “It’s Your Move!” Alongside Brown are Jessica Colburn, Carolyn Dawson and Jessica Wiger. “Childhood obesity is an issue that needs to be addressed,” said Wiger, a senior majoring in public relations. “We want to reach beyond our campus to educate healthier lifestyles into the college town that supports us so greatly. Our team wants Tuscaloosa to be empowered to make healthier decisions, and it starts with moving from 3 to 5. Dawson said, “We are doing this to get them involved in making a choice of what their future will hold. I hope that the entire campaign will reach out to the community and make adults and children want to change the direction our nation is headed,” Dawson said. Wednesday’s schedule includes presentations, activity sheets and an educational obstacle course. Kids will also spend time with local celebrities including UA students and
athletes. Children from the after school program at the Central and Benjamin Barnes branches of the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama will be involved in the kickoff occurring today. “At the Y, we are for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility,” said Walt Larisey, CEO of the YMCA. “[It’s Your Move!] falls under youth development, healthy living and social responsibility because we are helping Tuscaloosa’s youth to fight obesity.” Brown said the campaign would occur throughout the entire month of February with different events at different locations around the community. The group will visit Holt Elementary, Cottondale Elementary, the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama and Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama to encourage kids to commit to being active and making smart decisions. “I hope that we really impact the children in a positive way,” Brown said. “We realize kids are not going to change in one day, but what we really want is for the kids to remember overall this campaign and to make those healthy lifestyle changes everyday of their life so that they become healthier in the long run.” Brown, Colburn, Dawson and Wiger are competing in the nationwide Bateman competition sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society of America. United Way is this year’s client for the 2012 competition. “Fighting youth obesity helps everyone,” Larisey said. “You can combat youth obesity easily because there are numerous ways you can do it that aren’t expensive.”
Thursday, February 8, 2012
3
CSC remodels homeless shelter, seeks volunteers By Brett Saunders Contributing Writer The Community Service Center will be giving students at the University of Alabama a chance to aid in rebuilding a homeless shelter for those who are without a place to live across Tuscaloosa. This service project, which is in support of the Tracy Dent Foundation, will take place on Feb. 9 and 15, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. “There is a need in Tuscaloosa for homeless shelters; there used to be only two and now we need more space for people who are homeless,” said Wahnee Sherman, director of the Community Service Center. The remodeling of the home-
less shelter will include volunteers building a foundation for the home and installing interior and exterior walls along with cleaning out a donation house. Volunteers are encouraged to wear closed - toe shoes and appropriate clothing for work involving construction. “After the tornado, there have been more people who were immediately homeless, and due to the economy there are people who are temporarily homeless,” Sherman said. The Tracy Dent Foundation was created to give homeless young men a second chance through education and employment. The Community Service Center has been working with the Tracy Dent Foundation for over a year on projects and has
maintained a relationship with the foundation. “We have greatly expanded service opportunities to each student,” Sherman said. “We have had large events like Beat Auburn Beat Hunger. On average we have about 25-30 students come to volunteer.” Along with the opportunity to remodel the homeless shelter, the Service Center has been giving students occasions every week and month to participate in community service events. “Most students take for granted the luxuries they have here, and for those who have not seen poverty before it will be an eye-opening experience,” said Harrison Roberts, a junior majoring in management. “Because of the tornado, there
should be more homeless shelters being built.” Students who wish to volunteer for this event can visit slpro.ua.edu and reserve a spot. Students will be able to use this volunteer opportunity to log community service hours. There will be a shuttle at the Ferguson Center on both days for registered students. The shuttle will leave at 2:30 p.m., and transport the participants to and from the homeless shelter. The homeless shelter is located at 15769 Thomas Chapel Rd. in Cottondale, Ala. For more information about the community service center and this volunteering opportunity, visit www.volunteer. ua.edu.
TRUSTEES Continued from page 1
The Board of Trustees is comprised of fifteen elected members and two ex officio members, the Governor and the State Superintendent of Education. The elected Trustees must reside in the Alabama Congressional District they represent; there is no requirement about where they attended college. Due to the recent Congressional redistricting, there was a Board vacancy in the Third District. Vandervoort’s term begins immediately. With the election of
Vandervoort, fourteen members of the board attended UA, while only two attended UAB, including Vandervoort. None attended UAH. The Third District stretches from the Georgia line in the east to Talladega County in the west. The cities of Auburn, Tuskegee, Talladega and a portion of Montgomery are in the district. Vandervoot is married to wife Martha, another UA graduate, and both of his sons, Kenneth and Will, attended the Capstone.
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OPINIONS
Super Bowl commercials selling something new to Americans
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Editor • SoRelle Wyckoff letters@cw.ua.edu Page 4
{ YOUR VIEW }
“One of the girls I graduated with danced in the halftime show and Madonna actually sang this time.” — Ericha Turner, majoring in interior design
“I found it was a great game. I really laughed when he sat on the line.” — Simon Olden, majoring in computer engineering
Let’s talk about Super Bowl commercials. These are the best of the best of the worst thing about television. These commercials tell us a lot about America’s year. They reflect our interests and attractions. A record-breaking number of viewers turned into the Super Bowl this year, over 111 million – close to a third of our country. And the commercials revealed a lot about the culture of America. We like sex, obviously. In one commercial, Adriana Lima convinced us Kia is sexy, an impressive feat. She also convinced every male to buy Teleflora flowers. And while I could have done without the GoDaddy soft-core porn featuring Danica Patrick (not only degrading to women athletes but weird in general), advertisers hit it spot-on. It’s a no-brainer: sex sells. We like to laugh. Budweiser, Doritos and M&M aimed to hit the funny bone hard. Some fell shorter than others, but a continual focus throughout these commercials was making us associate their products with laughter. We like cute things, especially babies, puppies and cartoons. E*TRADE recycled their talking babies, and Coca-Cola used those precious polar bears. But the thing that was surprisingly present in the messages to America were the messages about us, about our country. The timing of the Detroit-based car industry giant Chrysler’s commercial, the final slot before halftime, probably cost a fortune, but “it’s halftime in America” was much more than a play on words about the football game. The two-minute Clint Eastwood monologue narrated Detroit’s industrial struggles of the past year and associated their spirit of hope and courage to the American heart as a whole. His dark shadow and raspy voice were unrecognizable within the first half, and the conversation in the room was muted in order to hear the television. I was pulled in even further when I found myself associating with some of his sentiments that were true to my own. I sympathized with the America he described and found the metaphor of halftime applicable. The year ahead will be pivotal, just as the last few have. There is no denying the shadow of
politics in the “car” commercial. Two minutes of praising the turn-around of the industry that was bailed out by Obama’s administration concluded with a reminder that “the second half” is coming up – hinting to a political connection. The Detroit-made car company denies the commercial’s pro-Obama message, but it’s not hard to see the reference. Ultimately, the commercial tells us more about Americans than it does about Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. The words: “the fog of division, discord and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead,” were illustrated by signs of protest, televised politicians and then, their counter-opposite: black and white stills of families supported by cowboys, single mothers and factory workers. The contrast between those in charge and the working-class American was not singular to the Chrysler/ Dodge/ Jeep commercial. General Electric highlighted how industrial America is the true heart of America. “There are construction workers everywhere, and that means work – work for more people” one G.E. worker said, with her Louisville factory in the background. So what are these commercials trying to say? They’re saying their products emulate America. But they’re also saying that we are a new America. One centered on industrialization and a job force of skilled labor. This isn’t an unusual idea, but it is unusual to see this idea sold to us in the form of a car. Yet, it is an encouragement to Americans to pursue such jobs and embrace skilled-labor as a career, redefining the American middle class. And contrasting to Obama’s call for college for all, these commercials narrate
and illustrate a labor force that has the potential to save America’s jobs and economy. Eastwood’s face fills the screen, “this country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up and when we do everyone’s going to hear the roar of our engines. Yeah, it’s halftime America, and our second half’s about to begin.” Overly dramatic, prophetic and political? Perhaps. But the appeal to the American spirit appealed to me,
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CW | Kevin Pabst
Internet media don’t aid democracy By Evan Ward As citizens of the twenty-first century, we have never held back when lauding the Internet as a democratic force. Surely, we believe something that has destroyed so many barriers to information flow will do nothing but enhance our democracy. That is, after all, what democracy is about, right? We should embrace a mechanism that destroys artificial monopolies on information and makes that information accessible to all. Plus, the Internet will contribute to a well-informed citizenry, a prerequisite for democracy. It then seems natural to assume that the Internet, if unleashed upon the political process, will carry us toward a more egalitarian society. Well, we may be wrong. In actuality, the Internet is beginning to create a number of problems for citizens of democracy. For instance, the added burden of sifting through the massive amount of new content gifted to us by the Internet makes it even harder, not easier, to separate truth from trivia. Even when we do seize credible information, we are easily distracted. Reading an article on the latest happenings in government is difficult when one is constantly being peppered by ads specifically tailored to the reader, or being linked away to related stories, or even tempted by raw video footage of a
candidate being glitter-bombed. Is participation really up? Social media is especially dangerous because its greatest power is in creating the illusion of political participation while simultaneously promoting apathy. This stems from the fact that we are able to freely link ourselves to as many political figures, causes and movements as we like. If so inclined, I could brand myself a Romney supporter with the click of a button. With the move of a mouse, I become a committed Libertarian, or worse – a Democrat. Expending next to no effort at all, I can craft my own political persona, back mass movements and adopt religious views. Why would one be tempted to actually participate (i.e. meetings, rallies, actively campaign, etc.) in democracy when you can pretend to on Facebook? Human beings, and especially young people, are notorious for doing just enough to get by,
and if we can feel validated by clicking a “follow” button, you can bet we’ll do just that and nothing more. What about those views that we supposedly care so much about? With all of that meaningful human interaction aided by the web, surely we are becoming more empathetic and moderate in our beliefs. Might we even become more willing to compromise, given that we are being exposed to more and more foreign viewpoints that contrast with our own? In fact, the opposite is true. The vastness of it all allows for a kind of escapism – the ability to cower in our own political corner and surround ourselves with users who hold the same views we do. This positive reinforcement of prior-held views, combined with the freedom granted by anonymity, tempts us into becoming hardliners. We can say what we want, to whoever we want and not be asked to identify or explain ourselves. Rather than coming closer to consensus, the Internet seems to be driving us apart. An environment like this is not democratic at all – it is anarchy. This fact is reflected in the Middle East’s Arab Spring of last year. Right or wrong, this brief episode now serves as the poster child for massive political action fueled by internet communication. But as any Egyptians present at last week’s vio-
By Eta Sigma Gamma The countdown to spring break has begun! With thirty-one days and counting, a number of students are taking measures to reach their “beach body” physique. Diet and exercise are important; however, they should not be crammed into your daily routine the month before spring break. This kind of regimen could potentially lead to eating disorders and a number of other health issues. Rather, they should be habits of a healthy lifestyle. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting. 22% dieted often or always. Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents and 25% of college-aged women engage in bingeing and purging as a weight-management technique.” Anorexia nervosa is when an
individual has an intense fear of weight gain and limits their food intake to unhealthy measures, often starving oneself. Exercising excessively can also correspond with someone who is suffering from anorexia’s fear. Bingeing and purging are characteristics of bulimia. Bulimia is when an individual overeats and feels as if they do not have control over how much they eat. Following the episode, the individual forces the food to leave his or her body by means of vomiting or laxative abuse to prevent weight gain. These eating disorders do not only affect women, but men as well – as many as 10 to 15 percent of men are affected by anorexia or bulimia. Also, many people are affected by unspecified eating disorders. These disorders are when individuals exhibit irregular eating patterns that do not fall into the category of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. Eating disorders not only result in a distorted body image but also cause physical, mental and emotional health problems. Some of the physi-
lent Port Said riots will attest to, the Internet hasn’t helped much in restoring order. Online social networks may be useful in tearing down your government, but they don’t seem to be all that helpful when trying to run one. The Internet has greatly improved certain aspects of life and will continue to do so through its ability to facilitate the rapid spread of information. However, this feature alone will not raise the level of our democratic discourse. That would presume the most fundamental problem facing America’s political system – that its citizens don’t have access to enough information. This is simply not the case. No, the greatest problems facing our political system are moral ones. These problems include questions on how to handle our nation’s mounting debt, how to best care for those who cannot care for themselves and how to ethically draw to a close our mismanaged wars in the Middle East. The issues are complex and require every active participant to carefully consider their implications before communicating his or her conclusions with civil restraint. Unfortunately, careful consideration and self-restraint are things the Internet doesn’t seem to value. Evan Ward is a senior majoring in history. His column runs on Wednesday.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Being skinny not the same as being healthy EDITORIAL BOARD
as I’m sure it did many other viewers. These commercials say a lot about our America; while I may not agree with the subliminal political message behind it, I do agree with the work ethic it attempted to evoke in viewers. It’s odd to see “American spirit” packaged and commercialized, but I’m sure people would rather buy that idea more than a new car.
cal health problems caused are: heart and kidney problems, irregular menstruation for women, esophagus disintegration, malnutrition, dehydration, low blood pressure, bruised and cut up knuckles and fingers and dental problems. Mental and emotional problems that may result are depression, anxiety, chronic stress and insomnia. If you or someone you know is suffering from body image issues or an eating disorder, help is available. Sheena Quizon, a Registered Dietitian in the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness at the Student Health Center, can provide nutritional counseling for students dealing with these body issues. The Women’s Resource Center and Counseling Center are also great recourses if you or someone you know is struggling with any of these issues. It is about being healthy not skinny! Eta Sigma Gamma is The University of Alabama’s health honor society.
In response to: ‘State of the Black Union addresses racial dynamics’ By Casey Butler
title is just another way of separation. I do not walk around calling myself a CaucasianAmerican). The United Negro College Fund is one of my least favorites because if there were a white-only scholarship fund, the proprietor of the said scholarship would be sued within weeks of it being advertised. I say this all to get down to one point: if you want to join a group to address the isolation of races on this campus, then DO NOT isolate yourselves as a group by limiting the group to only the race you feel is isolated. It all seems counter-productive of what every single minority group is striving to achieve. I am now done with my rant. God Bless America and have a good day.
Time for me to get on a soap box: in Tuesday’s issue of The Crimson White, there was an article about the State of the Black Union sponsored by the Black Student Union, and the discussion of racial tension and issues of our campus. This article irritated me, not because I’m some cross-burning skin-head, but because the group isolates itself by using the word “black” and then complains that the rest of the university seems to isolate them. I understand that this is Black History Month, but think about all the isolated Black groups (I refuse to use AfricanAmericans simply because we are all Americans, Black Americans, White Americans, Green Americans it doesn’t Casey Butler is a senior matter we are all Americans majoring in mechanical and adding your race to that engineering.
The Crimson White
NEWS
As the University of Alabama grows and expands, new buildings are erected, and facilities are renovated to raise the standards of UA life. UA’s admission standards have followed suit, enacting a slight raise in accepted standardized test scores. The hike in standards raised UA’s national test score average to 21.1, according to ACT, Inc., but above the average score of Alabama high school students, which is 20.3. For UA students who applied in 2009 or earlier, the strictest admissions standards were a 20 ACT or 970 SAT. “A student with a 21 ACT or 1000 SAT [math and critical reading only] along with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 should be successful at the University,” Mary Spiegal, executive director for undergraduate admissions, said of current standards. Spiegal said decisions regarding admissions are based on GPA and course schedule as well as standardized tests, but the 3.0 remained the same through-
By Briana Harris Contributing Writer
“A student with a 21 ACT or 1000 SAT [math and critical reading only] along with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 should be successful at the University.” — Mary Spiegal, executive director for undergraduate admissions out the changes. These admissions standards call for a higher score than the Alabama state average, which has varied between 20.2 and 20.4 since 2006. The state’s stagnant progress stands in contrast to the average ACT scores of entering UA freshmen classes, which have been several points above the national average for the past five years and steadily rising every year. Beginning with an average of 24.3 in 2006, the average score rose to 25.4 in 2011, according to a chart provided by Spiegal. Freshmen classes since 2006 have also been increasingly larger and, as of 2011, have included more out-ofstate students than in-state. Though these numbers might initially worry potential in-state recruits and parents, Chris Joiner, a junior majoring in biology, believes the Capstone’s standards can reflect well on the state as much as on the University. “Its no secret that our state’s education system has its problems and, in many areas, is below par,” Joiner,
from Seminole, Ala., said. “That said, I believe the University is one of the leaders in the state on pushing forward on the education battlefront. By raising standards, UA is sending the message that high school students need to push themselves. UA has not raised its standards to unachievable heights but merely raised the bar.” While scores have remained below average, Alabama has seen marked progress in ACT participation in the past five years. More than 32,000 Alabama students took the test in 2011, as opposed to 28,000 in 2008, according to an August 2011 Alabama Department of Education press release. “We continue to see consistent, steady progress in our students’ ACT participation and scores,” said Joe Morton, former State Superintendent of Education, in the press release. “The fact that more and more students are taking the ACT indicates that a two- and/or four-year college education is a priority for many Alabama students— a very encouraging sign for their future as well as for the future of our state.”
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Time Warner Cable executive scheduled to speak tomorrow
UA’s ACT average rises as state’s stays constant By Melissa Brown Staff Reporter mbrown104@crimson.ua.edu
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Ellen East, executive vice president and chief communications officer for Time Warner Cable, will address students tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and deliver the 15th Koten Distinguished Lecture. East’s lecture, “Is this the golden age for public relations?” will be in Reese Phifer, Room 216, said Bruce K. Berger, professor of advertising and public relations and board member of The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. The Koten Distinguished Lecture aims to introduce students to distinguished professionals of various backgrounds, Berger said. “[East] will probably talk
about public relations as it pertains to our world today, the challenges that exist in public relations and possible implications for the field,” Berger said. East, who graduated from UA in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is sure to be a great role model for UA students, Berger said. “She is very interactive and engaging, and I think the students will really appreciate her energy,” he said. “We use the lecture to bring in diverse leaders in the field of communications to come share their knowledge and experiences with our students. Ellen East has a very rich background in the field, and she is very recognized for her work.” East began her job as executive vice president and chief
communications officer at Time Warner Cable in 2007. Time Warner Cable is the secondlargest cable provider in the U.S., serving about fourteen million subscribers in twenty-eight states. East has received various industry awards, including being named a “Woman to Watch” by Women in Cable Telecommunications. She was also awarded two Silver Anvil Awards from the Public Relations Society of America for her work regarding issues management and integrated communications programs. The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, located in the department of advertising and public relations, is sponsoring this event.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2011
NEWS
The Crimson White
Whole lotta shaking going on in Tuscaloosa Engineering professors, students replicate earthquake damage with seismic simulator By William Evans Senior Staff Reporter wjevans@crimson.ua.edu
An earthquake with the force to collapse a two-story building will erupt on campus in May 2012, according to a prediction made by John van de Lindt, an earthquake engineering professor. He even knows where it will take place: Room 1035 of the Southern Engineering Research Center facing Shelby Hall. Is Lindt worried? Not in the least. A 17-by-17-foot seismic simulator, or shake table, is expected to be ready for use in the Large Scale Structures Laboratory in the research center by May of this year. The largest of its kind in the southeast, the shake table will be able to simulate natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes and the damage such disasters can inflict on buildings up to two-stories in size. “Of course the idea of collapsing these structures isn’t just to be destructive,” Lindt said. “It’s to understand the collapse mechanism so we can design them so they don’t collapse.”
CW | Pete Pajor Left: John van de Lindt is a leading force behind the new earthquake simulator in the South Engineering Research Center. Above: All of the components of the earthquake simulator are ready and waiting to be assembled.
Instead of placing entire buildings on the shake table, Lindt and his students will build representative samples of the buildings they want to study. With a portion of a building on the shake table, lab computers can predict how the entire building would collapse in a natural disaster. With four 14-foot pumps feeding 720 gallons of hydrau-
lic fluid per minute to move structures with 140,000 pounds of force, the shake table will need all of the stability it can get. A 32-inch concrete slab weighing more than one million pounds will hold the shake table in place. The heavy weight of the slab is intended to prevent other vibrations from interfering with data col-
lection during testing. The floor of the lab is intended to stabilize the shake table as well. Birdwell & Associates of Lakeland, Fla., won a 2011 Golden Trowel Award from FACE Companies for its use of precision equipment and a handheld laser to finish the floor that is flatter than most residential slabs, according to Adam Jones, director of pub-
lic relations for the college of engineering. “The floor is part of the test so with the floor it is easier to set up tests at the precision we want,” said Ken Fridley, professor of engineering, in a magazine article to be released in Capstone Engineer, the alumni magazine for the college of engineering. “We’re not starting out with a problem.”
Besides the shake table, the lab includes a soil pit to test how structures behave on the ground when undergoing an earthquake. The soil pit is a 10-by-10-by10-foot depression in the lab that allows Lindt and his colleagues to place the foundation of a structure in a specific sediment. The shake table will change its movement to align with how the foundation of the structure settles into the soil. The simultaneous use of the shake table and soil pit allow for University engineers to model what is called soilstructure interaction with a proximity that has never been accomplished before, Lindt said. Although few earthquakes happen in the city of Tuscaloosa, the shake table and soil pit hybrid testing will produce research that other universities and professionals can use in the field of engineering. “Earthquake engineering kind of lends itself to discovery well,” Lindt said. “A lot of the discoveries we make in earthquake engineering spread throughout the profession of structural engineering and even civil engineering.”
SaveNow WinLater gives $10,000 to tornado victim By Jessica Ruffin Contributing Writer Birmingham resident Myra Jackson recently won $10,000 from the SaveNow WinLater initiative put on by the University of Alabama Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility. Jackson, whose home was destroyed by the tornadoes on April 27, became eligible to win the prize money because she invested part of her 2010 income tax refund into federal savings bonds for her child. According to an article in the Birmingham News, Jackson was surprised with the news at Hygia Health Services, where she works. “We lost everything,” Jackson told the Birmingham News. “This is an answer to a prayer. I am so shocked.” Heather G. Christenson, who serves as the center’s research project coordinator, spoke about the program on behalf of Stephen Black, the director of CESR and the president and founder of Impact Alabama. “Anyone statewide can participate in the program,” Christenson said. “For every $50 families invest in a federal savings bond, they earn a chance to win the grand prize, as well as smaller monthly prizes during the tax season.” Christenson went on to say that Black created the SaveNow WinLater initiative in January 2011. The idea behind it is to create an incen-
“For every $50 families invest in a federal savings bond, they earn a chance to win the grand prize, as well as smaller monthly prizes during the tax season.” — Heather G. Christenson
YouTube Screenshot tive for families to save more money by allowing them to participate in a grand prize contest. Especially during this time of economic crisis, Christenson said, it is very important for families to recognize the importance of saving. “The vast majority of low-income families live paycheck to paycheck with little or no savings to shield against unforeseen emergencies or plan for future needs,” Christenson said. “Savings play a critical role in insulating people from financial shocks.” Christenson also said families with lower incomes can participate in a different initiative, SaveFirst, which operates with SaveNow WinLater. “Families making less than $50,000 a year with one or more children in the home or less than $20,000 annually without children are eligible to participate in the free tax preparation initiative [SaveFirst] the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility operates in collaboration with Impact Alabama,” Christenson said. Because of the initiatives
AMPHITHEATER Continued from page 1
Falkenburg said students’ opinions of who they would like to see play at their concerts are always welcome, but it’s difficult because many bands students hope to see just aren’t realistic for the amphitheater. “Obviously we can’t adhere to the majority of students because the majority of students
put on by CESR, Christenson said that Alabama students were able to make a big difference in the lives of many. “In the 2011 tax preparation season, UA students assisted in the preparation of more than 3,000 returns – helping families claim more than $6 million in refunds and save nearly $850,000 in commercial preparation fees.” CESR also hopes to get more students involved in its activities by offering a variety of courses at the university. According to the center’s website, these courses range from filmmaking classes to servicelearning initiatives. In looking to the future of the program, Christenson and the rest of the center are hoping for improvements in the manner in which families handle their finances. “We hope SaveNow WinLater will continue to encourage Alabama families to save,” Christenson said. “During the SaveNow WinLater’s inaugural year, 552 Alabama families purchased 1,030 savings bonds and invested $51,500 through the program.”
want a Dave Matthews, a John Mayer or something huge that’s so far out of the price range that is feasible at the Amphitheater,” he said. For now, the SGA is working with Creative Campus to help put on the Druid City Arts Festival. This year’s festival will last from March 19-24 . The SGA teamed up with Creative Campus after a senator brought up the idea. They are using their funding to help bring a headlining band to the festival.
Grad student sends actress dance invitation via YouTube By Jordan Cissell Staff Reporter jrcissell@crimson.ua.edu It’s the cinematic and literary plotline passed down through the ages: average guy meets beautiful girl and attempts to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles standing between him and his goal of accompanying her to The Dance. It usually ends up working out for characters on the big screen and between the bindings, but University of Alabama student Robert Burgess is leaving nothing to chance in his dance-partner request to actress Jennifer Lawrence. In fact, he fabricated the very dance to which he has invited her. “The UA Library Ball does not exist at this moment,” said Burgess, a library science graduate student. “If [Lawrence] accepts the invitation, then we will make it happen. We’ll put something together in the library or here on the Quad.” Of course, one can’t simply call up a busy Hollywood actress – she may not be home. Burgess decided to employ a more conspicuous route to deliver his message. Last week he filmed and uploaded a video to YouTube conveying his request to Lawrence. The one minute-long clip, recorded by fellow library science graduate student Beth Dobson, features Burgess perched strategically on a
Gorgas study-area chair before a loaded bookshelf and has accumulated 129 views as of Tuesday. “I hit record and that’s about it,” Dobson said of her production role. “Robert did most of the planning. Though, I did make sure the furniture was arranged as optimally as possible.” Burgess is confident the respect he shows Lawrence in the video significantly enhances the chances of the actress responding in the affirmative. “I’m not inviting her just because she’s pretty, even though she is a very pretty woman,” he said. “I respect her art. In her movies, Jennifer embodies a literary figure that is a very positive female role.” Lawrence’s most recent cinematic portrayal of a literary character served as the primary inspiration for Burgess’s YouTube proposition. She stars as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming “The Hunger Games” movie, based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins and set for theater release on March 23. “This all got started when I jokingly posted on Facebook that I wanted to marry Katniss from ‘The Hunger Games,’” Burgess said. “So my friends said, ‘Hey, we can do this. Why don’t we try to really put this thing together?’” Graduate student Miranda Webster said the invitation spawned from a playful challenge from Dobson and herself. “I think the idea came about
when we were actually teasing Robert,” she said in an emailed statement. “I eventually dared him to ask her out on YouTube.” Burgess said he has tentatively scheduled the Library Ball for Wednesday, April 28, but he is willing to accommodate Lawrence’s schedule. If the dance is held, an admission price will be charged, with proceeds set to benefit Tuscaloosa tornado relief efforts. Webster said her job has been to get Burgess’ message out to the public and generate as much attention as possible. “I’ve tweeted, emailed and shared the video across most forms of social media to get the word out,” she said. Lawrence’s Los Angeles agent declined to respond to questions regarding whether or not the actress is aware of the video. Burgess could not predict the number of views necessary for the appeal to come to her attention, but he and Dobson agree his proposition’s chances for success could only stand to benefit from a larger audience. “I hope Lawrence will respond,” Dobson said. “I really think it’s going to have to get picked up outside of [the School of Library and Information Sciences] and UA for her to see it.” Burgess encouraged students to check out the clip on YouTube. “Hopefully it’ll work out,” he said, “but if not, we had a fun time doing it.”
MEN’S TENNIS
SPORTS
Tide prepares for bouts with Furman, Troy
Both of Alabama’s struggling opponents hope to overcome season-opening losing streaks with wins By Chad Troyan Contributing Writer Coming off a 4-3 loss to Texas Christian University, the men’s tennis team has been preparing for its upcoming matches against Furman and Troy on Feb. 11. The men enter this weekend with one win and three losses. During their first four matches, the Crimson Tide compiled a 1-3 record and kept the losses close with the exception of a 4-0 loss at UCLA on Jan. 28. Alabama’s other two losses this season, Northwestern and TCU, ended with a final score of 4-3. Their lone win thus far came against UC Irvine, whom the Tide beat 4-1. Furman enters its match with a 0-4 record. Three of Furman’s losses have come in shutout fashion against Wake Forest, South Alabama and Florida State. The single match in which Furman was able to score a point was against the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Jan. 21, when Furman lost 4-1. Alabama head coach Billy Pate said he is not overlooking Furman despite the early season struggles.
Alabamaʼs menʼs tennis team dropped a “They’ll be good,” Pate said. “They had a good coach retire recently and [they] are going through some changes.” The Tide will also face Troy on Feb. 11, at 3 p.m. Both of the Trojans’ losses were 7-0 shutouts on the road to No. 44
When it came to Troy, Pate did not put too much stress on the Trojans’ 0-2 record. “They are a pretty good team and we know them well,” Pate said. “They have faced quality opponents in Florida State and Auburn.” Pate said that he expects to see some good matches this upcoming weekend and hopes to experiment with his team. “I expect to put different guys out there,” Pates said. “Some guys will have good matches.” While Pate compared wins to basketball, stressing the importance of playing quality opponents, he still pushes the need to win. “You want to be successful,” Pate said. “We need to get some wins as well.” Pate said that he is not sure whether CW| Jingyu Wan they will play the matches outdoors or 4-3 match to TCU last weekend. in the new indoor tennis facility yet. “We’re seeing what the weather will Florida State and No. 21 Auburn. be like,” Pate said. “If it is going to be as Alabama’s 1-3 record going into this nice as it has been, we could play outweekend’s matches could be a misrepside.” resentation of the Tide’s abilities. After the upcoming doubleheader, “Of course, we would have anticiAlabama will participate in the Blue pated a better record,” Pate said. “But Gray National Tennis Classic beginning we’ve played quality opponents so far.” on Feb. 24.
Page 7 • Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Editor • Tony Tsoukalas crimsonwhitesports@ gmail.com
SPORTS
COLUMN
this week
‘Finishing’ a good theme for football, but every sport? Everyone wants to finish. It isn’t original. Making it the motto of every single sport on campus takes away from the individuality of all the other sports besides football.
By Tony Tsoukalas Sports Editor @Tony_Tsoukalas I had a talk with chief copy editor John Davis on Monday about how, at Alabama, football is so entrenched in everyone’s mind that there is little room for other sports to develop their own identity. A good example of this is the term “finishing,” which has become so commonly thrown around with every sport after being planted into our minds by Nick Saban. By no means is this column a shot at what has become the M.O. of the football team. Finishing, grinding out victories, “making his ass quit,” are all a part of what makes Alabama football so successful. But can’t that remain a football thing? However, it has often been said that “finishing” is now the official motto of Alabama sports, but is that really true for every one of them? Does finishing really have to be the motto of the softball team, the swimming team and the basketball
team? I’m not saying it isn’t important, just that every team on this campus is unique. Why can’t softball’s saying be different? What if head baseball coach Mitch Gaspard goes to his team every game and says, “Look, let’s blow these guys out by the second inning and be done with it?” Heaven forbid that at Alabama we grind out victories and we finish. And for that matter, who doesn’t want to finish games? Other than possibly Miami Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, what coach sits down in front of his team and says, “Alright guys, I want a hard fought three quarters from you tonight, give me all you got. Come the fourth, though, I want you to slow it down, kind of fade into oblivion.
GYMNASTICS
Junior gymnast Marissa Gutierrez has been a standout for the Alabama gymnastics team. Along with being a top athlete, Gutierrez earned placement on the SEC Academic Honor Roll for two years. During our talk, she spoke about why she chose Alabama, and what it’s like to compete for Sarah Patterson. Crimson White: How long Marissa Gutierrez have you been doing gymnasing here.” Just the campus and tics? the atmosphere, just everything Marissa Gutierrez: I started they had to offer was so much when I was four and a half more than any other school. years old, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I started out at a CW: What’s it like competing local gym just down the street for Coach Patterson? from my house. I did all my compulsory level gymnastics MG: Everything that she has levels 4-6. Then I switched to offer is more than what we do on the gymnastics floor. She gyms to the Clear Lake Area. In fact, Robert Ladanyi, the helps us so much in the gym, assistant at the University of but she also makes us strong Florida, was my coach for four women. She helps us in the years. Then my junior year in future with our majors and high school, I started driving anything she can do to help all the way to the Woodlands, us after our career here. She’s which is about an hour away, much more than just a coach. to train with the Texans and trained with them. That’s CW: Coach Patterson said you had the best meet of your where I graduated. career against Auburn, which CW: What made you choose you followed up by posting career-highs on all three of Alabama? your events against Florida. MG: I was leaning towards LSU What has this season been like just because it was close, but I for you? visited there and it just didn’t feel right. It was really ques- MG: Going into the season, tionable, and I kept giving hints it was a little rough. Over to my parents that this wasn’t a Christmas break I was having good choice. And I had already issues on beam with consisbeen to Florida’s campus for tency, and it definitely hurt my camps because I was visiting ego a little bit to be pulled out my old coach. And so my dad so fast of the lineup. But it defitold me, “You know, you should nitely put a reality check that at least go to just one more our team is so good, and we do school. Just to say you didn’t have so much depth that if I’m have any regrets.” And then I not being the best I can be, then came here and the minute I got it is what it is. You have to suck here I was like, “yeah I’m com- it up and get over it. I think it
• Women’s Basketball at Ole Miss: 7 p.m.
FRIDAY • Softball vs Memphis in Mobile, Ala.: 3 p.m. • Women’s Gymnastics vs Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.: 7 p.m.
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Gutierrez dominates on the mat and in the classroom By Marc Torrence Sports Reporter @marctorrence
Quit on three, let’s go.” Everyone wants to finish. It isn’t original. Making it the motto of every single sport on campus takes away from the individuality of all the other sports besides football. Yes, at Alabama we have the best football team in the nation, but we also have one of the best gymnastics teams, as well. I don’t see coach Sarah Patterson telling her girls to go out there and “make their ass quit on the beam tonight.” It’s a different kind of sport and should be treated that way. This spring season looks to be a promising one for the Tide. Gymnastics is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Softball looks like a legitimate title contender as it begins its season over the weekend. I challenge the student body to not only continue to support Alabama’s other successful programs, but also allow them to develop identities of their own instead of relating them to football. Let us be finished with trying to tie all of our sports into one expectation, and allow them to develop their own beginnings.
TODAY
pushed me further to continue to do better and try harder and be more consistent. And when I get put in a spot where, going up after two falls, that I have the mental capability and confidence to go up and hit a routine that, if I didn’t, probably would have cost us the meet. CW: You’ve made the SEC Academic Honor Roll the past two years. How important is the other side of being at Alabama for you? MG: It’s a very important thing to me. Throughout high school, I didn’t take honors classes, didn’t do anything to go above and beyond. So coming here, it was definitely a little bit of a struggle my freshman year, taking the math courses and having to do so much work just for one math class and then trying to balance out other classes. But once I got an AllAmerican award for vault, it’s been my goal to be a Scholastic All-American again – to have a 3.5, and I got a 3.6 this last semester. So academics are definitely a huge part. CW: Your major is early childhood development. What do you want to do with that? MG: I’ve always wanted to teach. I’ve always had some teacher-like qualities. I had a class where I had to mentor at a middle school last year, and the director came up to me and said, “Are you going to be a teacher?” And I was like, “Well sort of, kind of.” And he said, “You just have that look about you.” So all my classes this year, I’m doing lab hours at the child development center. I’m leaning to try to do an internship with RISE next year, my senior year, and if all goes well, hopefully transfer that to the RISE center in Houston which is not that far from my house.
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SPORTS
BASKETBALL Continued from page 1
The early surge was led by junior center Ron Chubb, who made four straight field goals, establishing Auburn’s early 10-4 lead. “It was a great atmosphere in the building,” head coach Anthony Grant said. “Obviously, when you put our two teams together, there’s going to be a lot of excitement. Our guys understood the task they had and came out with a lot of energy.” Grant reminded his players that they had to play 40 minutes of basketball in the first media timeout of the game, at which point the Tide turned things around on what it does best: defense. Alabama held the Tigers to 36.8 percent shooting from the field in the second half and 28.6 percent three-point shooting for the entire game. “They just kept their pressure up,” Auburn head coach Tony Barbee said. “We got a
little fatigued and got sloppy with the ball. It led to 20 turnovers that led to 26 points for them, and that’s the game.” Alabama’s defensive discipline was simply too much for the Tigers, but Auburn’s lack of offensive discipline also played a role. Auburn had three technical fouls in the first half alone, two on players for hanging on the rim after dunks and one on Auburn head coach Tony Barbee for arguing an illegal screen call on junior center Rob Chubb. In the resulting free throws, freshman point guard Trevor Releford was a perfect 6-for-6, and the Tide was able to score a two-point basket in the ensuing possession two times, including a jumper from senior forward JaMychal Green to end the first half. “I had to step up and make
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those free throws to put our team in the best position to win,” Releford said. Coming into the game, Alabama had to find a way to fill the hole in its line-up and its on-court production that junior forward Tony Mitchell left in the wake of his suspension. The man who rose to the occasion against the rival Tigers was Charles Hankerson, who was 3-for-5 behind the three-point line and ended the night with 14 points in 23 minutes. Hankerson was one of only three Tide players to score in double-digits. “Obviously, we’ve had our struggles from the perimeter,” Grant said. “So, for Hank to come in, be able to knock those down when they were in zone obviously helped us a lot.” Hankerson’s presence
proved to be important enough to keep him on the floor for longer than two of the night’s starters, Levi Randolph and Nick Jacobs. Freshman guard Rodney Cooper filled in for Mitchell nicely as well, not missing a single shot in the process of scoring eight points, his highest point output since the fifteen against Alabama A&M on Nov. 23. “I thought he was terrific,” Grant said. “He came out with great energy, did a great job defensively and rebounded the ball for us. He was very active and that’s what we need out of him. “It’s great for him to see the ball go in. We work extremely hard and we know he’s a very talented player. He’s been struggling offensively, so tonight, he was due and it was good to see that happen for him.”
Forward Nick Jacobs (left) attempts a rebound while guard/forward Charles Hankerson (below) blocks an Auburn player.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
9
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Defenses struggle to contain the speed and power of Alabama sophomore Trevor Releford. By Marc Torrence | Sports Reporter
T
revor Releford has the ball at the point. There are five seconds on the shot clock. Releford has to make a split-second decision. He looks for a pass; there’s nobody open. Four seconds on the shot clock. B.J. Young, the Arkansas defender guarding Releford, blinks. Bad decision. Releford fakes left, cuts right and drives to the basket. Three seconds on the shot clock, but it doesn’t matter. Young can only watch as Releford finishes the layup. Continues below
The basket capped a 7-1 run for Alabama and put the Crimson Tide up 37-30 to end the first half of its game against Arkansas last Saturday. “When you need a win like Alabama does, you go to the guys that can make plays,” said Dave Baker at the time, who was calling the game for the SEC Network. Releford is in his second year playing for Alabama and head coach Anthony Grant. He saw significant playing time his first year, starting at point guard for most of the season. Even as a freshman, he wowed fans and teammates alike with his clever cuts and blazing speed. “He’s more experienced than he was last year,” Grant said. “He’s grown in a lot of different areas—offensively, defensively, his overall understanding of the system. There’s a lot that’s different for him.” The ‘shake-and-bake’ move was not the first time the sophomore point guard has made something out of nothing, nor was it the last. Releford has made a habit of making dazzling plays like the one against Arkansas – even his teammates say they’re amazed at what he can do. “We’ve kind of come to expect that from him,” junior Andrew Steele said. “Sometimes there’s still a couple of plays where it just shocks me how good he is, but that’s what we expect from him.” Playing 22 games this year so far, Releford is averaging 12.3 points per game – up one from last year. He’s also on pace to average more free throw attempts, which is evidence of his aggression and willingness to go right at the defense.
We’ve kind of come to expect that from him. Sometimes there’s still a couple of plays where it just shocks me how good he is, but that’s what we expect from him. — Andrew Steele
“The thing he’s learned this year is the difference between good shots and great shots,” Steele said. “He’s realized that he’s got such a great ability to get to the rim.” “I’ve been doing that ever since I was little, but I feel like it got stronger when I got to college,” Releford said. “Coach Grant is helping me find different ways to get into the lane, just put my head down and go into it. I think that was the biggest thing to help me out at the next level.” Releford’s game doesn’t stop on the offensive end either. Take the Tide’s game against Ole Miss, for example. Alabama fell behind early, so Grant called for a full court press on defense. Releford was able to make a steal and immediately convert it into two points to tie the game. He leads the team in steals per game with 2.1. “It gives us a lot more offensive opportunities and gives us better chances,” Steele said. “I’ve been seeing him do it for the last two years. Even when I was in high school, I saw him do it.”
G aBrRoEuAnKd SPriRgIN ht
! R E N R O C THE is
10 Wednesday, February 8, 2012
LIFESTYLES
BANDS AT THE HANGOUT MUSIC FESTIVAL Dave Matthews Band • Wilco • The String Cheese Incident •
•
The Flaming Lips - performing Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon
Chris Cornell • Skrillex • Dispatch • STS9 • Steve Winwood • Gogol Bordello • Michael Franti and Spearhead • Mac Miller • Flogging Molly •
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Shpongie • Gary Clark Jr. • Rebelution • Allen Stone • Big Freedia • Paper Diamond • Futurebirds • Tribal Seeds • Hey Rosetta! • Sleeper Agent • The Lumineers • Archnemesis • Rich Augoin • Jamie Bergeron and the Hickin’ Cajuns •
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Band brings house party atmosphere to Tuscaloosa The Blue Party will play at 10 p.m. on Thursday at the Green Bar.
By Alexandra Ellsworth Senior Staff Reporter amellsworth@crimson.ua.edu Folk-rock band The Blue Party is coming to Tuscaloosa to play at the Green Bar this Thursday evening. The band describes their sound as “Ameriparty,” a combination of Americana and party music they believe is sure to get listeners on their feet dancing. The band is composed of six members, all from different places around the country who came to New Orleans for the music scene and met while attending school at Loyola University. The band consists of the following members: Reid Martin, lead vocals and guitar; Natalie Mae, vocals, keyboard and fiddle; Alex Bachari, electric guitar; Rob McIntire, drums; Al Small, also known as “T,” on bass; George Stathakes on the Bouzouki, an instrument Reid describes as a Greek mandolin. After graduating from Loyola, none of the band members expected to be touring with The Blue Party. “We all said ‘Screw it! We’d rather do this!’” Reid said when it came down to deciding what to do with their lives. The Blue Party describes themselves as not just a band, but a traveling party, according to their website. This description is fitting due to their early performances being primarily at house parties in New Orleans three years ago. “House parties need to be really upbeat so our music is ordinarily happy,” Reid said. “We still just rock out and make you want to dance.” The band began as an alternative bluegrass band, hence the name, The Blue Party, but they have since moved away from that. “We do not sound anything like bluegrass anymore,” Reid said. “We have definitely become an electric band.” The Blue Party’s music could be described as folk-over-rock-rhythm sections, but Reid said that was not his original intent. He wanted to keep the band more acoustic, but as the band was forming, it developed a more electric feel due to influences of its other members. Max Bonnano, the band’s manager, said “tangible” is the word he would use to summarize what The Blue Party’s music is like. “It is accessible music,” he said. “If you see this band play, you will really like them.” Lyrically, Reid feels that the band’s songs are honest. “I really like lyrics that are straightforward,” he said. “In fact, it might make you a little queasy how straightforward they are, but they don’t beat around the bush and they are not flowery. “Often songs reflect what is going on in my life. Like on the surface, in terms of questioning what the hell I am doing with my life, the uncertainty, and how that fits into my life, plays out in my
Submitted Photo
IF YOU GO ... • What: The Blue Party • Where: Green Bar • When: Thursday, 10 p.m. songs.” Tuscaloosa has a special place in the hearts of the band members because it became the band’s first big out-of-town market. The band began playing house parties in Tuscaloosa and developed a following, and they hope to rekindle their past with Tuscaloosa. “This spring we want to try to replant ourselves,” Reid said. “[Tuscaloosa] being a college town made for a great place to develop a fan base, but then people graduate and move on.” Joe Tanner, a senior majoring in secondary education, said he began following the band a couple of years ago when he randomly heard their music from a friend. “They are a really fun, upbeat, and energetic band,” he said. “Their music puts me in a good mood, and they are fun to dance and drink to, too.” Because it has been awhile since the band has played in Tuscaloosa, Reid said he does not have huge expectations for this show, but he does have big expectations for the year. The band is really looking to push their new album and tour around the country more this year. The show begins at 10 p.m. at the Green Bar, and The Blue Party will be the second band to perform on Thursday evening. For more information about The Blue Party visit bluepartymusic. com.
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11
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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COLUMN | MUSIC
LIFESTYLES
HRC to host Bama Idol Cohen gets better with By Sophia Jones Contributing Writer
age in ‘Old Ideas’
Page 12 • Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Editor • Ashley Chaffin lifestyles@cw.ua.edu
LIFESTYLES this weekend THURSDAY • Blue Party, Green Bar: 10 p.m.
FRIDAY • The Suex Effect, Wheelers, Green Bar: 10 p.m. • Kadesh and the Perfect Strangers, Bo’s Bar: 10:30 p.m.
By Jefferson Fabian
I shudder to think about what I could possibly be doing when I’m 78-years-old or even if I’ll live to be that old at all. Call me cynical, but rarely do my thoughts bring up the image of a rich, wise and healthy elderly man playing out the last of his days sharing his years of timetested wisdom with the younger generations and enjoying the fruits of his lifelong labors in retirement. Instead, the number “78” brings to mind a delusional, broke, ailing coot whose day-today existence is spent yammering about the good old days, the president being terrible and the terrorists invading his house, as his nurses feed him apple sauce and prune juice through an IV. Frankly, I don’t have high hopes for myself in old age. If I’m anything short of a raving, decrepit lunatic, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. Leonard Cohen, on the other hand, has proved he ages like that ideal first example I gave, or rather like fine wine. At the tender age of 78, Cohen is not only still producing music, but it’s new, original, and most importantly, excellent. Last week’s release of “Old Ideas” marks the 11th studio album Cohen has written and recorded since his 1967 debut, and he’s not a cent less of an artist than he was over 40 years ago. With each song on this album, Cohen proves he’s still the songwriting legend that crafted “Hallelujah” in the early 80s. The album’s title is reflective of Cohen’s songwriting style on the album. Nothing really varies stylistically from what he’s done in the past. It’s more or less the same brand of chamber folk and pop he’s always stuck to playing. Thankfully, however, that’s indicative of top-notch quality. Lyrically, it doesn’t disappoint. “I love to speak with
Submitted photo Leonard. He’s a sportsman and a shepherd, he’s a lazy bastard living in a suit,” Cohen sings in the opening lines of the album, quickly revealing his signature sarcasm and wit. Each line is masterfully crafted with the care and precision with which he’s treated all of his classics. The instrumentation and songwriting themselves are fairly typical of Cohen as well. He covers the spectrum of cabaret-tinged, teary-eyed folk ballads and more upbeat blues rock numbers, most of which merely serve as a backdrop to his exquisite poetry. Perhaps the only immediately noticeable change in the elements of Cohen’s music is his voice, which started out as a much higher monotone and has since been chiseled into the gravelly, smoky, Tom Waitslike rasp that it is today. As a whole, “Old Ideas” is certainly much more than its title suggests. While the style hasn’t changed much, the quality remains unparalleled in the songwriting world. The ideas may be old, but they’re built on the rock-solid foundation that Leonard Cohen spent the last four decades assembling. If someone else had recorded this album, it’d be regarded as a benchmark for modern songwriting. With Cohen, it’s just more of the same.
University of Alabama Housing and Residential Communities are putting on their second annual Bama Idol singing competition, modeled after the popular show “American Idol.” Like “American Idol,” there is an audition round and a finale night. The top ten competitors from the audition round will compete in the finale, and the winner will be determined by audience vote via text message. The finale will take place at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the Ferguson Center Theater. Bama Idol, which premiered last year, is currently in the audition stage of the competition. The final audition round will take place tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Ferguson Center in Room 313. Any UA student is eligible to try out and is
required to sing one song in front of a panel of judges. “We try to mirror ‘American Idol’ as much as we can,” said Jenn Glenn, the programming and civic leadership coordinator for HRC. “Bama Idol is so fun because the audience gets to participate in choosing the winner. There are so many students on this campus with amazing singing talent, and Bama Idol is a great opportunity for students to showcase that.” Glenn and Sara Webb, two UA students, formed the concept for Bama Idol last year. Symone Johnson, a sophomore and programming assistant, also helped with last year’s competition and has been working on this year‘s competition since December. “Bama Idol is different than most other community events,” Johnson said. Bama Idol is making some
major changes for this year’s show. It opened up auditions to all students, while last year’s auditions were only available to students who lived on campus. Instead of taking place in the Ferg’s ballroom, the competition will be in the Ferg Theater. “The theater has better presence in terms of acoustics, and the singers will look better performing live on stage,” Glenn said. The Voice, an a cappella group, will perform throughout intermission. This year’s first place winner will get an iPad 2; second place will receive a Kindle Fire; and third place will get a swag bag with $500 worth of goods from the SUPe Store. “Students should try out because Bama Idol is a wonderful opportunity to show off their singing talents and win great prizes,” Johnson said.