11.20.09

A&E

GAMEDAY Check inside today’s paper for coverage of Saturday’s game

Friday, November 20, 2009

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Famous keyboardist comes to town

Serving the University of Alabama since 1894

Vol. 116, Issue 62

UA choir gives concert collegiatevoters.com screenshot The SGAs at the University and Auburn University have created a Web site to better inform student voters.

Voter Web site to help UA students

By Karissa Bursch Staff Reporter

FAST FACTS

For the first time since the presidential elections in 2008, Alabama is buzzing with political debate. The gubernatorial election for the state of Alabama is coming up Nov. 2, 2010.

The University and Auburn University have teamed up to provide students with relevant political information to help them make their choice in the upcoming election.

This information will be offered on the Web site collegiatevoters.com, which the SGAs at Auburn and the University created in a joint project. The official launch of the Web site was Wednesday, according to a news release.

When students open up the Web site, they will be greeted by a letter from UA SGA President Steven Oliver and AU SGA President Jacob Watkins.

The letter states that it is

• SGAs at Auburn and Alabama worked together to create collegiatevoters.com.

• Alabama will have statewide elections next year. the “civic responsibility of young adults and collegiate students to vote and take part in their government.”

The letter goes on to encourage the usage of the Web site and participation by UA and AU students.

Collegiatevoters.com will feature detailed candidate biographies, columns from state newspapers, a countdown to Election Day and a link for voter registration, according to the news release.

See VOTERS, page 3

CW | Katie Bennett

Members of the University Chorus prepare before Thursday nightʼs show in Moody Music Hall.

By Kyerra Dexter Staff Writer The University Chorus performed on Thursday night at 7:30 in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building. The School of Music presented the free concert.

Audience members said they were enthralled by the selections and talented cast, including Rustin Laird, a freshman majoring in dance.

“The performance was

great,” Laird said. “It was very moving and showed great talent.”

“I think they did a wonderful job,” said Casey Ferguson, a sophomore majoring in music performance. “I enjoyed the high school performance as well.”

Marvin Latimer, assistant professor of choral music education, directed the performance.

The concert included “Missa Brevis St. Joannis de Deo” by

two soloists and an orchestra.

The Hillcrest Middle School Women’s Ensemble, directed

by Khristina Motley, accompanied the University Choir for the Rutter composition.

Voice professor Paul Houghtaling performed the baritone solo, while Professor Jennifer Cowgill performed the soprano’s solo in the “Mass of Children.”

Houghtaling said he enjoyed

Joseph Haydn. Latimer said Haydn composed this Mass for the Eisenstadt house of the Order of the Brothers of Mercy, with whom he had a long-standing friendship. The missa brevis, with its compact form and smaller performing forces, was popular in mid-18th century Austria.

The concert also included “Mass of the Children,” composed by John Rutter, which included a children’s choir along with an adult mixed choir,

See CHORUS, page 11

Students make travel plans UA kicks off Toys for Tots

By Kelsey Hendrix Staff Reporter

As Thanksgiving break approaches, students are turning in final assignments and completing their last tests of the semester in preparation for dead week. Many students also are planning how to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy their break.

Classes are dismissed on Wednesday and Friday, with Thanksgiving on Thursday, and classes resume on Nov. 30. The annual Iron Bowl football game will take place on Nov. 27 in Auburn. The Friday game is causing the holiday festivities to be cut short for

some students.

For many native Alabamians, coming back early for the game is not a major hassle, since students can travel just a few hours to Auburn for the game and return home if needed before coming back to school for dead week. For some like Corey Lollar, a senior majoring in art history and a member of the Million Dollar Band, having the game on Friday this year is a major disruption.

“I’m going home on Thursday to Pinson for Thanksgiving lunch and then driving to Auburn on Thursday night to stay with some friends,” Lollar said. “Friday morning, I have to be up way early to prac-

FAST FACTS

• Classes are dismissed on Wednesday for Thanksgiving break.

tice in Auburn with the band before the game, so having the game on Friday cuts my break very short, seeing as I’m only allowed to go home for the afternoon.”

Elizabeth Holdorf, a senior majoring in consumer affairs, said she decided not to go home to Orlando, Fla. over the break

• The Iron Bowl is Nov. 27.

• Classes will resume Nov. 30. so that she could go to Auburn for the game.

“It would be really hard for me to drive nine hours to go home to Orlando, just for me to turn around and come back two days later to go to the Iron Bowl,” Holdorf said. “Even if

See TRAVEL, page 5

New program to increase research

By Patty Vaughn Senior Staff Reporter

• The University is introducing a new program to recruit doctoral students.

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• Initial funding for the program will be $500,000 with plans to increase to $1 million.

“We’re going to try to and other areas of the state.”

Earlier this month, UA increase opportunities for President Robert Witt said the students to be involved program is being put into effect in research,” Witt said. to help students as well as faculty.

See RESEARCH, page 5

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FAST FACTS

FAST FACTS

Signs the holidays are upon us are springing up across campus, one of which is a long-standing tradition associated with the holiday season – Toys for Tots.

The Library Support Staff Association kicked off its seventh annual Toys for Tots drive Monday.

Students and faculty, along with members of the community, are invited to donate new, unwrapped toys in drop-off boxes across campus. Students can find donation boxes in the Hoole, McClure, Bruno and Rodgers libraries. Donations also can be made on the first and second floors of Gorgas Library.

Allyson Holliday and Barry Sartain, two UA libraries employees, are in charge of the campus drive that runs until Dec. 18.

“In the seven years that we’ve been doing this, we’ve collected over 3,500 toys and put them in the hands of local children who may not have had a Christmas at all,” Sartain said.

There is no price restriction for toys, but coordinators ask that no toy guns, toy knives, food, clothing or toiletries be

• Toys for Tots provides Christmas gifts for needy children.

INSIDE today’s paper

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The University is introducing a new program next fall that will benefit research projects for students, faculty and staff.

The new program is a postdoctoral program that will bring recently graduated doctoral students to campus to work with the faculty, said Joe Benson, vice president for research. The research stimulation program will be funded by the Office of Academic Affairs

and implemented through the Office of Research.

“Initial funding will be $500,000, with plans to increase funding to at least $1 million in the future and to establish a long-term program that will significantly strengthen and expand our research programs,” Benson said. “While details are still being worked out, this program is designed to support research areas that have the potential to significantly expand their external funding and to provide economic stimulus to West Alabama

By Taylor Holland Staff Writer

P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-4116 | Advertising: 348-7845 | Classifieds: 348-7355 Letters, op-eds: letters@cw.ua.edu Press releases, announcements: news@cw.ua.edu

Briefs ........................2

Arts & Entertainment 10

Opinions ...................4

Puzzles.................... 13

Sports .......................8

Classifieds ............... 13

• The goal for this year’s campus drive is 500 toys.

donated. Toys for Tots accepts only new, unwrapped toys.

Homemade toys should be new as well.

Holliday said the goal of this year’s drive is to have 500 toys, the average for the seven years they have helped run the event. After being collected, all donations are given to Tuscaloosa children in need.

Despite the recession, organizers said interest in donations has not declined.

“While we realize that many have been tightened by the economy, people have still participated,” Sartain said.

Sartain e n c o u r ag e d Alabama students to participate, saying boxes that have been placed in University libraries over the last two

See TOYS, page 5

WEATHER today Clear

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Saturday Rainy

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The Crimson White

NEWS

Friday, November 20, 2009

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Chemistry professor wins award

By Carolyn Bero Staff Writer

Robin Rogers has been honored for his advances in the field of ionic solvents with the UA Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor award.

This award is given annually to a professor who has made an exceptional contribution to his or her field of study.

Frederick Moody Blackmon started the award to honor his grandmother, Sarah McCorkle Moody. “[The Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor award] recognizes a faculty member

whose exceptional work has brought national recognition to himself and UA,� said Lowell Kispert, a retired UA chemistry professor.

Rogers is a leader in the relatively new field of ionic solvents. The work he received the award for specifically deals with the use of an ionic solvent to dissolve cellulose, according to a news release.

Cellulose is an organic compound found in nature and is difficult to turn into useful material.

Rogers said he found the potential use of ionic solvents to dissolve cellulose in the

midst of a different project. “We were approached by a company about removing the color from processed shrimp shells using our then-new ionic liquid solvents,� Rogers said. “We found we could do this easily, and that started us thinking about other biopolymers similar to the chitin in shrimp shells that we might work with and of course, being from Alabama, we thought of cellulose a major component in trees. In a series of experiments, we were amazed to find that cellulose [the main component of paper] could be

dissolved directly in the ionic liquids.�

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, has patented this procedure, although the industrial usefulness still is being investigated. Thanks to the research, Rogers said the University has become a leader in the field of ionic solvents. “The field of ionic liquids has rapidly developed in the last decade with major developments and thousands of publications and patents worldwide,� Rogers said. “It is a major focus of research in focused government

programs in China, Japan and Germany among others. The University of Alabama has been at the forefront of this research area, and UA is one of the top producers of ionic liquid papers and patents.

Our students and staff are among the most highly cited scientists in the field today.�

Although the technology is still new, there is great potential. There also are positive environmental implications in the discovery of a non-volatile solvent for the direct dissolution of cellulose. The use of a textiles product of cellulose instead of the current use of

rayon could save the world from a great deal of pollutants and contamination, as rayon is produced in a less environmentally friendly fashion, he said.

Rogers graduated from the University summa cum laude with a degree in chemistry and returned for his doctorate from the University in inorganic chemistry. He serves as the Robert Ramsay Chairman of chemistry at the University, and he also works at The Queen’s University of Belfast, where an ionic liquid laboratories research center is located.

Barbecue tailgate to raise money for needy families

By Tayler Reid Staff Writer The Canterbury Episcopal Student Forum will host a barbecue Saturday before the Alabama vs. UT-Chattanooga football game to raise money for Deacon’s Deli, which provides groceries weekly to needy families in the Tuscaloosa area. The Deacon’s Deli is a food pantry operated

by Canterbury Chapel. The pantry opens Tuesday mornings at 8:30 and typically serves anywhere from 15 to 18 families who are in need. “It’s easy for students to forget about the part of Tuscaloosa that isn’t the University and

VOTERS Continued from page 1

Jimmy Young, the deputy vice president of external affairs and a senior majoring in history and finance, said the Web site also will feature a profile of different state figures or officials every two weeks. “The whole idea is that it gets students engaged in state

especially the families in this city who are hungry,� said Genevieve Turkett, Canterbury parish administrator. “It’s important for the student population of Tuscaloosa to recognize that community and reach

out to help.�

Canterbury students agreed. “Deacon’s Deli is important because everyone needs food, but not everyone has the money to buy food,� said Emily Hubert-Wallander, vice president of the student forum.

The program works closely with the Tuscaloosa Health Department, Tuscaloosa One Place, Temporary Emergency Services and the Community Services Center of West Alabama.

The Canterbury Episcopal Student Forum is a UA student organization. The students involved participate in the Canterbury Chapel by attending church, chaplain’s class

— a weekly discussion group — and other various church functions.

The weekly student service is held at 6 p.m. on Sundays and is followed by a free homecooked dinner provided by one of the adult parishioners.

The chaplain’s class is held every Wednesday at 9 p.m.

On the first Wednesday of every month, there is a movie night at chaplain’s class that includes free food and a service immediately afterwards at 10 p.m.

The Canterbury Episcopal Student Forum participates in many different events. “Finals by the Fire� will be held during finals week. A coffee and

snack bar will be set up in the student center where students can socialize, relax or study.

Free printing, binding and report supplies will be available, as well as prayer sessions.

The Student Forum gathers at Camp McDowell each November with other Episcopal college students from around the Southeast.

Service projects are held at various times during the school year to raise money for Deacon’s Deli.

All students are invited to participate in the barbecue fundraiser this Saturday outside of the chapel and any other events held throughout

the year. Canterbury Chapel is located on the corner of Hackberry Lane and University Boulevard. “I would like to emphasize that Canterbury Chapel can be a home for anyone, whether you’re Episcopal or not,� Hubert-Wallander said. “Rev. Marc Burnette is here for the students, and he would nothing more than to see students stop by, whether it be to attend church or just to lounge around.�

Tickets are $10 for the general public and $7 for students.

Robertson’s Barbeque will cater the event. To order tickets, call 345-9590 or e-mail canterburychapel@gmail.com.

elections,� Young said.

Young said the idea was based on the fact that there are enough student voters at the University and Auburn to potentially swing the election. “With a joint population of over 52,000 individuals, we recognize that the students of Alabama and Auburn will have an impact on the 2010 gubernatorial election,� said James Fowler, the vice president of external affairs, in a

news release. “Students feel they aren’t informed and voting in the gubernatorial election doesn’t apply to them,� Young said. “On [collegiatevoters.com] students can register to vote, get engaged and see how it matters to them.

There will be 10 to 15 news articles on the Web site, which will make it easier for students to stay informed, Young said.

“It’s easy to fall behind on news,� Young said. “Now students get on the Web site, read the article or even just read the headlines, know what happened and then you won’t be behind anymore.�

Young also brought up the fact that as college students, getting a job and having a governor make sure the state keeps jobs is a worry. “This is also applicable to students because we’re all

looking for jobs. We need to take that into account as we’re voting,� Young said.

Young said there was an ecstatic response from all the different campaigns. “It’s outlet for them to reach young voters,� Young said.

Another part of the Web site will be a competition between the University and Auburn to see which university can get the most students registered to vote.

“The slogan will be Beat Auburn, Better Alabama,�

Young said.

UA SGA spokeswoman Anne Elizabeth Davis said the Web site will help reach out to those students who usually don’t get involved in politics. “We can tap into a group of people who usually don’t care about politics,� Davis said. “It makes it that much easier for them.�

IF YOU GO. . . • What: Barbecue • When: Saturday before the game

• Why: To raise money for Deacon’s Deli, a local food pantry

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OPINIONS

OUR VIEW

Friday, November 20, 2009 Editor • Alan Blinder letters@cw.ua.edu

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IF THE FERGUSON CENTER FOOD COURT WERE TO OPEN UP A NEW RESTAURANT, WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER IT TO BE? “Well, there really isnʼt a Chinese restaurant in there, so that would be really cool.”

— Daniel Whittemore, freshman, economics

“I love Chick-fil-A, but thatʼs already there. Itʼs my favorite, and itʼs already there.”

— Chason Shackelford, senior, business management

“Iʼve always been addicted to Taco Bell.”

— Kelsey Sides, freshman, fashion retail

“Quiznos, maybe. I think it would bring more variety” — Lindsay White, sophomore, dance

EDITORIAL BOARD Amanda Peterson Editor Will Nevin Managing Editor Alan Blinder Opinions Editor

WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONS Letters to the editor must be less 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. For more information, call 348-6144. The CW reserves the right to edit all submissions.

On Wednesday, In short: “Better a group of student leaders from the Relations Day” University traveled is little more to Auburn for the than a public reannual charade of lations charade. feel-good politics known as “Better Relations Day.” While we support a cooperative relationship with our friends from the Plains, we fail to see the value of a day featuring, among other activities, a luncheon at the Auburn president’s mansion, a tour of the football stadium and a pep rally.

The SGA presidents of the University and Auburn University signed yet another agreement promising to be respectful rivals — since such an agreement has such practical applications on campuses filled with thousands of free-spirited students.

Perhaps we are overly pessimistic, but when UA student leaders travel on behalf of the institution, we want them to return to the Capstone with tangible results. We suspect “Better Relations Day” is a lot like the high-level political summits, like September’s G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, that we’ve criticized: high on flair and low on substance.

Our relationship with Auburn should be a friendly rivalry that is conducive to doing good in our state.

“Beat Auburn Beat Hunger” is but one example of a terrific program stemming from that natural contention.

We hope leaders from both institutions will spend more of their time planning opportunities to serve, not touring athletic facilities and planning publicity opportunities.

Students of both schools deserve far better.

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MCT Campus

Doping for Dead Week

By Will Tucker

Page 4

YOUR VIEW

Do we need a UA/AU day?

Some UA students will cash in during Dead Week. In fact, it may give them the best business of the year if they’ll just ignore their sense of right and wrong.

Adderall, Vyvanse or Biphetamine can go for $2 to $3 a pill on campus. The math is so easy, you don’t need a calculator.

Get a prescription for Adderall or Vyvanse, get your bottle filled with the typical 40 pills, and if your parents pay the tab under their health insurance, you have yourself a potential profit of up to $120.

Simple mathematics shows a profit. Simple ethics should show that it’s wrong.

UA students who sell or use unprescribed Adderall or Vyvanse to either make a buck or help them study should consider the ethical question behind what they’re doing.

First, in case you haven’t realized, it’s illegal to use drugs not prescribed to you. Generally, people call that abuse.

Second, consider the act of using attention deficit disorder drugs to do better on tests cheating.

For some students, though, ethics seem to take a back seat to profits and better grades. According to one UA freshman who asked that his name be withheld, “[Adderall] isn’t hard to get. At all.”

And how could it be?

With such a wide-open, overly stressed market composed of student customers who will swear by

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Simple mathematics shows a profit. Simple ethics should show that it’s wrong.

the drug’s effectiveness at providing them the ability to focus and study harder, sellers will be sellers and buyers will be buyers.

“Everyday people are the sellers,” the freshman student buyer says. “And they usually have a prescription for it. I haven’t run across anybody who hasn’t had a prescription.”

Under this system, supply stays low and under the figurative control of the people who have prescriptions. Add that to a high demand, and you’ve got an equation for the perfect market.

That doesn’t mean, though, that you should get in on the business.

That certainly doesn’t mean you should find a way to get a prescription in order to sell the pills. That is, if you consider yourself to have a working ethical compass.

Doctors prescribe the drugs, of course, with the intention of combating the effects of ADD. They don’t intend for it to be used to “earn” better scores, and much less sold after being prescribed.

So, it’s illegal business, for one.

Of course, people to whom the drug is prescribed don’t belong to this unethical cycle. They don’t have to be secretive because an official diagnosis of ADD and a prescription for the drug obviously legiti-

}

mizes use. Nothing legally legitimizes use without a prescription.

Nothing ethically legitimizes it, either. Not from any perspective, point of view or even any argument making an appeal to moderation. In the end, they all fall to the fact that using Adderall to help with studying is downright unethical, too.

Why? Easy. By definition, when somebody cheats, they give himself or herself a fundamentally unfair advantage over everybody else who follows the rules. Can everyone taking the test use Adderall? No. That’s probably because use, sansprescription, is very much illegal.

Using illegal means to secure an unfair advantage over everybody else? That should sound like cheating. But whether you consider it so or not, buyer-seller cycle goes on, and will no doubt intensify the week before finals.

In fact, it goes on seemingly unchallenged by anyone.

Should the administration take action? Or should doctors prescribe the drugs with more regulation? No. They shouldn’t have to.

UA students should just make the ethical choice.

Will Tucker is a freshman majoring in international relations. His column runs weekly on Fridays.

Strike out against rising costs Thursday, the University of California Board of Regents approved a 32 percent increase in student fees, stating California’s budget crisis has pushed the university system to raise costs to support student services and basic operating functions.

As deliberations transpired over the past few days, students held massive anti-increase protests across the state. At UCLA, where the board’s negotiations were taking place, students banded together outside the administration’s building, chanting, “We’re fired up, can’t take it no more,” and, “Shame on you.” Across campus, student protestors took over an academic building, chaining the doors shut and forcing classes to be canceled. Students from other UC campuses across California descended on Los Angeles to take part in the protests leading up to the decision.

In the end, the protests didn’t affect the board’s resolution. The university system’s leaders were forced to make what could easily be described as a tough decision because the state’s fiscal house is in such disorder that they were left with no other choice.

Here in Alabama, we’re facing a looming budget crisis. Our expenditures are creeping higher and higher, while our revenues continue to shrink. Tax revenues have decreased, and the costs of education and health care are rising. Our state officials are being pushed to the extreme to find solutions that will stabilize our budget.

Our University and the entire UA System have seen significant cuts from the state budget. To balance these problems, the administrations and Board of Trustees have increased tuition and fees

and cut u n ive r s i t y jobs, among o t h e r things.

I have no doubt that UA leaders, including President Robert Witt and the Ian Sams Board of Trustees, are desperately seeking to increase revenues to create the best possible university experience for students.

But where is the student concern for rising costs of attending college? Tuition, fees and room and board have consistently gone up over the past few years. Students complain, and The Crimson White always hosts some opinion against the increases.

But where are our protests?

Where is our massive student movement saying, “Wait a minute, I shouldn’t have to wreck my own financial house to get a degree.”

If Alabama’s leaders continue to dither on solving our state’s financial crisis, the UA System will be forced to raise the cost of attendance at all our state’s universities to astronomical levels. How can we, as students, prevent that?

We need to call on our student and administrative leaders to find alternative solutions to slowly and consistently raising students’ costs. We need to support SGA efforts to freeze or put a cap on certain aspects of tuition and student fees by calling administrators when we read about those efforts in The CW. We need to set up meetings with professors, deans and UA administrators to share our concerns and demand a

different course of action.

We need to make this a grassroots effort.

We’re all busy, and we all struggle to get our work done while balancing our often hectic extracurricular or work schedules. But if we all took up some kind of proverbial cross on this issue, I know we could impact this university’s short- and long-term future.

In many ways, it’s simply wrong to divert these costs onto students.

While many top-level administrators cash in inflated salaries and many university bureaucrats continue doing jobs that, in reality, are expendable and unnecessary, we as students shouldn’t be forced to face the brunt of the costs of increasing revenue.

These are, at least on a small scale, injustices. Robert Kennedy said any time a man strikes out against injustice on any level, “he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls.”

It’s time for us to stand up for our ideals and strike out against these decisions and these looming crises. It’s time for us to sweep down this wall, this wall that so often keeps young people from receiving a quality higher education and stunts their ability to lay a foundation for a prosperous and beneficial life.

It’s time for us to take a page out of California’s playbook and demand a less expensive, more equitable higher education for students at the Capstone and across Alabama.

Ian Sams is a junior majoring in political science. His column runs weekly on Friday.

Bryce suit forgets patients On a Wednesday filled with publicity stunts, the city of Tuscaloosa couldn’t resist joining the fun.

The city filed a preliminary injunction against the state to prohibit the move or sale of Bryce Hospital or the release of any patients. City attorneys made the filing in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court until a court can rule on Tuscaloosa’s lawsuit over the Bryce issue.

Tuscaloosa’s fight to keep Bryce is embarrassing.

The city is sensing economic danger if Bryce is to leave. In doing so, in seeking legal action to prohibit the movement of patients, Tuscaloosa might very well be doing more harm than good.

The state has an obligation to provide the best care for patients, even if that care is not in Tuscaloosa.

The city’s self-serving tactics, while understandable, are disgraceful.

If Tuscaloosa wants to prove it is the place for quality mental health care in Alabama, it should earn the distinction. It should not seek protection from the courts. Such protection harms patients, the University and the city itself.

Tuscaloosa needs a new strategy if it wants to remain the mental health capital of Alabama. The current strategy is not passing muster.

Our View is the consensus of The Crimson White’s editorial board.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Tuscaloosa curfew should be left to parents, not city

By Brandon Chalmers I think the city’s proposed implementation of a city-wide curfew for teenagers sounds great in theory, because who doesn’t want decreased juvenile delinquency and a tighter rein on those dubious adolescents?

However, my question is, where do the rights of parents to be able to parent their children end and the city’s right to police the streets take over? I am all for keeping my Tuscaloosa safe, but not at the expense of parent’s rights. Issues such as teenage curfew are best left to Mom and Dad in the household, not city officials. What’s next? Is Walt Maddox and crew going to mandate a minimum allowance parents must dole out to their kids?

Also, what kind of impact will this have on college-aged students? I know that in the proposal college students will be able to flash a student I.D. and drive away scott-free, but why should we have to suffer the inconvenience of being pulled over by the police because of the grievous error of a few irresponsible parents? I think this is classic case of the city overstepping its bounds in an attempt to police people’s actions, much like the ban of alcohol sales on Sunday, which has never actually stopped anyone from drinking on the Sabbath.

I think it would be wonderful to reel in kids and keep them from the allure of the night life, but I think that is a job best left to their parents, not the city government.

Brandon Chalmers is a senior majoring in English.

The Crimson White

NEWS

UA departments see benefits in iTunes U

By Amanda Bayhi Staff Writer

For students on the go, the University has a wide variety of podcasts and videos on iTunes U. Ivon Foster, the interim director for the Center for Instructional Technology, said iTunes U was created for institutions of higher education and originated at Duke University.

Though it began as a site for universities only, Foster said iTunes U has spread to other institutions, including libraries, museums and K-12 schools.

Foster said everything on iTunes U is educational and all of it is free. Foster said people don’t have to download a podcast to listen to the entire file because anyone can preview the entire podcast before downloading it.

The University alone has more than 500 tracks on iTunes U, he said. The tracks are categorized by topic rather than by the school, Foster said.

“It’s really a pretty broad spectrum,” Foster said.

The University has been featured on the iTunes U homepage twice since first beginning to use the site in August, he said. One of the featured tracks in October

was UA instructor Sean Hoade’s “Zombies!” podcast.

Ken Gaddy, director of the Bryant Museum, said the museum uses iTunes U for podcasting about sports and sports’ history.

Gaddy said the Bryant Museum does a weekly podcast during football season in which local sports media, such as the Tuscaloosa News and WVUA, talk about the Southeastern Conference, Alabama football and activities at the museum.

When football season ends, Gaddy said the Bryant Museum is going to upload more podcasts about other sports. These podcasts will be monthly, as opposed to football’s weekly podcasts.

“Whatever sport’s in season, that’s what we’ll be talking about,” Gaddy said.

Gaddy said he hopes people outside of the campus will use iTunes U. He said it also is great for alumni and the general public.

“The more people that use it, watch it and listen to it, the more we’ll do,” Gaddy said.

Aaron Latham, spokesman for the UA School of Law, said the law school has approximately 70 videos and podcasts on iTunes U. Most of the content is from events hosted on campus, he said.

Latham said the law school always records podcasts of important speakers and events and will sometimes upload videos of the events.

Latham said 25 of the segments on iTunes U are of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ visit to UA in October.

The lecture, which lasted about 90 minutes, was cut into 25 smaller segments. Latham said the smaller segments allowed people to more easily look for specific content.

“It makes it more easily digestible for iTunes users,” Latham said.

Latham said the UA law content is on both iTunes U and the law school’s Web site, but he said iTunes U reaches a lot more people.

“It’s become a nerve center for the exchange of ideas to the extent that the law school can make real, substantive contributions that put us in a stronger position,” Latham said.

According to a news release by the Office of Academic Affairs, the University saw more than 52,000 previews and downloads during one week in October.

Foster said there have been more than 120,000 previews and downloads since August.

TRAVEL Continued from page 1

you were flying, you couldn’t do it easily, so it’s really just not worth it, especially with the Christmas break being so close.”

Other students, especially those who are from out of state, are opting to miss the game in order to spend more time with their families and friends during the break.

“Last year, I came back to Tuscaloosa early to go to the Iron Bowl, and even though I had a great experience at (205)342-4868

On Hill Behind Wal-Mart on Skyland

RESEARCH Continued from page 1

“Post-docs are brand new Ph.D.s who are brought in not to be faculty members, but to be highly qualified research assistants for current faculty.”

Benson said the program will benefit both graduate and undergraduate students because, through expanded research programs, it will enable them to conduct research with a post-doc mentoring and helping them.

As for the faculty, the program is designed to help them as well, he said.

“The program is designed to support faculty research by providing faculty with highly qualified, productive research assistants who can assist faculty in carrying out cutting-edge research [and] obtaining external funding,” Benson said.

TOYS

Continued from page 1

years have generated the most donations yet. Two years ago, Toys for Tots received 781 toys from student and community donations.

Coordinating the drive is Gunnery Sgt. Ryan Leach of the Marine Corps Reserve.

“Times are tight,” Leach said. “We’re just trying to make sure that we have

the game, I thought it was a hassle to get back to town just for the game with traffic and everything,” said Lisa Elizondo, a sophomore majoring in American studies and a native of Burleson, Texas. “So this year, I wanted to spend my extra time over break to relax with my family at home.”

Despite the attendance policies set forth by many professors at the beginning of the semester, some professors are cancelling classes the Monday and Tuesday before break or giving exceptions to students wishing to go home early for the break.

Friday, November 20, 2009 Faculty will be able to apply for research stimulation program funding in the spring, he said.

“The areas of research that will be included will depend on the proposals that are submitted and accepted,” Benson said.

Students also will see a benefit with more people to help oversee research projects, Witt said, by expanding the number of undergraduate and graduate students who can work on the projects.

“The real cap on how many students can be involved in research is the number of faculty doing research because there is a number that varies by area beyond which you can’t go because the faculty member doesn’t have the time to supervise,” Witt said.

He used Parkinson’s disease research, which is being conducted by UA biology professors Guy and Kim Caldwell, as an example.

Witt said the Caldwells have hundreds of options they could explore, but because of time, they say they focus only on the ones with the highest likelihood of success.

With more students and researchers, they could explore more possible solutions, Witt said.

“That is why they are so committed to involving students in their research because everyone one of those students over there is finding out if that is an option that could lead to a solution,” Witt said.

As for the future, the growth in externally funded research is expected to fund the program, Benson said.

“As a student-centered research university, increasing research productivity and opportunities for research for our faculty and students are high priorities at the University of Alabama,” Benson said.

enough toys for the needy.”

Toys for Tots began in 1947 in Los Angeles when Major Bill Hendricks and his wife Diane collected and distributed more than 5,000 toys to people in need.

Diane came up with the idea after she realized there was no organization to supply needy children with presents for Christmas. The idea was so successful that the Marine Corps Reserve adopted the program in 1948 and implemented it nationwide.

Now, in its 62nd year, the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program has distributed more than 400 million toys nationwide to needy children at Christmas.

In addition to collecting new toys, Toys for Tots also accepts monetary donations, which can be made through the Toys for Tots Web site at toysfortots.org.

For more information, contact Barry Sartain at bsartain@ua.edu or Allyson Holliday at a hollida@ua.edu.

{

“I decided that choosing to go home early to see my friends and family was more important than attending my non-attendance-taking lecture classes because this is my first time all semester being able to go home.”

— Cara Lutzow, sophomore, nursing

Cara Lutzow, a sophomore majoring in nursing, is from Crystal Lake, Ill., and said she regretted not getting to spend more time at home over the break last year and was leaving on Friday to ensure more time with her family this Thanksgiving break.

“I decided that choosing

}

to go home early to see my friends and family was more important than attending my non-attendance-taking lecture classes because this is my first time all semester being able to go home,” Lutzow said. “I also have friends who will take notes in those classes and ensure that I don’t miss anything.”

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NEWS

The Crimson White

Patrons ood library during recession

By Katie Koenig Staff Writer

While some businesses are struggling or even closing down during rough economic times, there is one place in Tuscaloosa where numbers have been increasing across the board -- the public library.

Vince Bellofatto, public relations coordinator for Tuscaloosa Public Libraries, said there has been a 30 percent increase in circulation in the past year, as well as a 17 percent increase in registered borrowers.

Bellofatto also said there has been a 64 percent increase in walk-in customers in the last year, which can create an issue for library staff. “The increase in the walkin traffic and circulation numbers puts a lot more strain on staff members in circulation

The increase in patrons typically leads to an increase in revenue at other businesses, but the library actually has seen a decrease in funding since they get their operating money from tax revenue, Bellofatto said. “It’s a catch-22 with the way the recession is,� Bellofatto said. “Demand is up, but funding is down because of local economies. There are less people spending money, which means less taxes, which means less revenue.

As their budgets are cut back, the funding at the library is cut back.�

Bellofatto said the library CW | Bethany Martin would love to hire more staff members but does not have The Tuscaloosa Library has the money. He said they have rows of books, DVDs, magahad the same size staff for two zines and newspapers for years while patrons and use of patrons to enjoy. the libraries have increased.

Bellofatto said he has or librarians,� Bellofatto said.

noticed a lot of people coming using the library’s Internet connection and computers.

But since Internet service can cost patrons up to $50 a month, many have had to discontinue their service, Bellofatto said.

And he said people also are using the library as a resource to find jobs. “I know that our reference desk has been handling a lot of people who have been displaced through their work, so they have been working with them to find jobs online, working on rĂŠsumĂŠs and searching online databases for jobs or classes,â€? Bellofatto said.

But among college students, local library usage has decreased.

Jerry Spector, head of circulation at the public library, said they keep track of circulation numbers by the fiscal year that runs from October

to September. He said they issued 160 new student cards during the 2007-08 fiscal year.

During the 2008-09 fiscal year, 148 new cards were issued to students.

Spector also said numbers were decreasing over the months. In October 2007, 20 new student cards were issued. In the same month in 2008, 17 cards were issued and last month only 14 cards were issued to students. “Any way you look at it, the numbers have actually decreased over the past few years,� Spector said.

College students can get a library card for free as long as they fill out an application and can show proof of local residence, either with their driver’s license or a utilities bill, according to the Tuscaloosa Public Libraries Web site.

Another resource students

SDS speaker asks for end to resource wars

By Jennie Kushner Staff Writer Students for a Democratic Society sat in a circle and bonded with James Jordan, a speaker who preached for an end to the war over resources and oppression in Colombia, Thursday night in the Ferguson Center.

Jordan said many people call the war in Colombia many things, but it is a world war for natural resources. “What shocks me about this is the silence of the people, not so much what’s going on,� he said. “Knowing what is happening, the worst thing we can do is to be silent. We have a responsibility to stop this for our own sake. We need to demand democracy in our own country and our own world.�

Jordan said the farmers are the most targeted group of Colombians. He said three of every five farmers are killed for their land. Jordan said he

IF YOU GO ... • What: A speak-out for education rights

• Where: Denny Chimes

• When: Dec. 3 from 12:20 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

blames these killings on the funding of the U.S. government. “Once a farmer is killed, there are major U.S. companies ready to move in and take their recourses,� he said.

Colombia is the home of the world’s largest freshwater resource and the largest untapped oil source, he said. Jordan has traveled to Colombia several times in the past three years. “Five million people are displaced,� Jordan said. “It’s the largest group of

{

“Knowing what is happening, the worst thing we can do is to be silent. We have a responsibility to stop this for our own sake. We need to demand democracy in our own country and our own world.� — James Jordan, advocate for ending Columbian oppression

displaced people. “I’m shocked at the oppression, but I’m amazed by the fight back of these people,� he said.

Jordan ended by inviting everyone to Colombia to experience what he has seen and realize how the U.S. government is the source of millions of deaths. “He provided some beneficial information about what’s going in Colombia and the specifics of what’s happening with the political prisoners and the student, and the oppression of farmers and also connecting that with the bigger pitcher of how the U.S. government is funding oppression in a lot of places world wide,� said Laura Langley, a junior majoring in

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social work.

SDS meets Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center to discuss upcoming events.

SDS is a national organization that originated in the 1960s, said Chapin Gray, a graduate student and member of SDS. She said it started up again in 2005 around the time of the Iraq war.

Members of the program have participated in rallies in Birmingham, partaken in antiwar protest and fought for education rights. “We want UA to be transparent,� Gray said. “We don’t want tuition cost rising here, especially when the top administrative people make upward of $500,000.�

On Dec. 3, from 12:20 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., SDS will host a speak-out for education rights at Denny Chimes. They invite everyone to demand a freeze on tuition and fees and stand up for Alabama’s Prepaid College Tuition Program.

can take advantage of at the public library is the Friends of the Library bookstore. Horace Haynes, a member of the library Board of Directors and volunteer at the bookstore, said the store has a wide range of used books, records, tapes, DVDs and CDs. Haynes said students also come in at the end of the semester to donate old textbooks, while other students come at the beginning of semesters to purchase used textbooks. Students also can find other books for entertainment at a deep discount at the store. “We have a big literature and classics section, and a lot of them come in for that,�

Haynes said.

The main branch of the Tuscaloosa Public Library is located on Jack Warner Parkway.

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The Crimson White

NEWS

Friday, November 20, 2009

7

Experts: radical measures won’t stop swine flu

By Maria Cheng The Associated Press LONDON — Health experts say extraordinary measures against swine flu — most notably quarantines imposed by China, where entire planeloads of passengers were isolated if one traveler had symptoms — have failed to contain the disease.

Despite initially declaring success, Beijing now acknowledges its swine flu outbreak is much larger than official numbers show.

China’s official count of nearly 70,000 reported illnesses with 53 deaths is dwarfed by estimates of millions of cases with nearly 4,000 deaths in the United States, a nation with about a third of China’s population.

Dr. Michael O’Leary, WHO’s top representative in China, says there has been a dramatic spike in Chinese swine flu cases recently and those reported by the government are only “minimum numbers.”

AP Passengers wear masks as a precaution against the swine flu arrive at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China.

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“We have new cases occurring all the time,” he told The Associated Press last week.

“There’s always more deaths than we could possibly know about.”

He said there is little data to prove interventions like mass quarantines and school closures slow down disease transmission.

China’s Health Minister Chen Zhu defended his country’s aggressive quarantine policy, telling the AP Wednesday that the measures helped slow the spread of the virus long enough for China to develop a vaccine, which authorities are now scrambling to administer.

“With initial efforts of containment, actually we not only reduced the impact of the first wave to China, but we also won time for us to prepare the vaccine,” Chen said in an interview on the sidelines of a meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research in Havana.

He said China was vaccinating 1.5 million people a day against

swine flu as part of a massive effort to try to reach as many as 90 million people — about 7 percent of the country’s population — by the end of the year.

“We know this is not enough for a population of 1.3 billion, but at least for the vulnerable people, for the students, people with underlying basic diseases and ... for pregnant women, we have vaccines,” Chen said.

On Thursday, Zhong Nanshan, director of Guangzhou’s Institute of Respiratory Diseases, said in a local newspaper he believed government officials were covering up swine flu deaths to appear as though their handling of the epidemic had been successful.

“I totally don’t believe the current number of swine flu deaths that have been reported in the country,” Zhong said in Guangzhou Daily. He was one of the doctors who openly challenged China’s 2003 cover-up of its outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Pentagon looks for Fort Hood management lapses, mistakes

By Anne Gearan The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Thursday it will scour its procedures for identifying volatile soldiers hidden in the ranks following the Fort Hood shooting rampage and lapses that might allow others to slip through bureaucratic cracks.

“It is prudent to determine immediately whether there are internal weaknesses or procedural shortcomings in the department that could make us vulnerable in the future,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

A 45-day emergency investigation will examine personnel, medical, mental health, discharge and other policies in all corners of the vast Defense Department. It will also look at ways to improve security and emergency response at Defense Department facilities.

“The shootings at Fort Hood raise a number of troubling questions that demand complete but prompt answers,” Gates told a Pentagon news conference.

The quick review will be led by two former Pentagon officials, former Army Secretary Togo West and former Navy chief Vernon Clark.

A longer, second review lasting about six months will look at what Gates called “systemic institutional shortcomings.”

Gates, who has fired several top officials in three years heading the Pentagon, did not address any possible consequences of the inquiries he announced Thursday.

Gates broached little new information about the case of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 in the shootings at the Texas military post on Nov. 5.

Gates called it disturbing that Hasan has e-mail contact with a radical cleric in Yemen, but stressed that his review is separate from the

criminal investigation into Hasan and should not be interpreted as a finger-pointing exercise against Muslims or anyone else.

Investigators have said e-mails between Hasan and the imam, Anwar al-Awlaki, did not advocate or threaten violence.

After the shootings, al-Awlaki’s Web site praised Hasan as a hero.

Both Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the chief goal of the Pentagon probe is preventing another such attack and improving future responses by disaster teams.

West was Army secretary in the mid-1990s and later became secretary of veterans affairs.

Clark was the chief of naval operations from 2000 to 2005.

In 2007, Gates named West co-chairman of a panel created to review rehabilitation care problems at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In 1995, as President Bill Clinton’s Army Secretary, West ordered a review of the Army’s racial climate, including whether there were ties between extremist groups and members of the military. The investigation was prompted by the arrests of two paratroopers in connection with the murders of two black people and concerns that the two men may have had ties to white supremacist groups.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, questioned whether the government failed to connect dots about Hasan.

“We must better understand why law enforcement, intelligence agencies and our military personnel system may have failed in this case,” Collins said.

A joint terrorism task force overseen by the FBI learned late last year of Hasan’s repeated contact with al-Awlaki, who encouraged Muslims to kill U.S. troops in Iraq.

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AP Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon Thursday to discuss the Fort Hood shootings.

SPORTS

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

Tide heads to Knoxville after Auburn

By Marilyn Vaughn Staff Writer In most sports, losing by 41 points would not be considered a close margin. However, for the Alabama men’s swimming and diving team, this was not the case. The Crimson Tide can hold its head up high even after

falling to in-state rival Auburn Thursday 142-101. It was the Tide’s first loss of the season and brings the men’s record to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference.

“We were ahead after four events,” said Alabama head coach Eric Mcllquham. “If you miss a first or second [place],

Page 8 • Friday, November 20, 2009 Editor • Jason Galloway crimsonwhitesports@ gmail.com

it’s a 10-point swing. We had a couple races that were really close, so you can look at points, you can look at places or you can look at times. It was a very close meet going against the No. 1 team in the country.”

The Tide players acknowledged the caliber of their competition.

“We did some good things and we raced hard, and that’s all that matters,” said junior Catalin Cosma.

The Auburn meet was a dual meet, where Alabama and Auburn were the sole competitors. The Tide now is in Knoxville, Tenn., competing against several teams in an invitational hosted by Tennessee.

“This weekend will be different because it’s an invitational, so it’s a three day meet,” Mcllquham said. “We’re competing against Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.

It’s kind of an invitational meet,

{

“We just come [to practice], train hard and try to get better every day. That’s all that matters.

— Catalin Cosma, junior

similar to track and cross-country contests. So it’s not going to go on the actual dual meet record, because that’s a different format. It’s more of a championship format, so it’s going to be where you place at the end.”

Mcllquham said the meet at Tennessee will be a good gauge of where the team is right now.

“It will be a great opportunity to see exactly where we are ranked,” he said. “The Tennessee men were a top-10 team last year, and Kentucky and Virginia Tech were in the top 25 last year. It will be a good midseason meet, kind of like mid-term examinations for us as to see where the team is. It will

}

set us up for SECs and NCAAs in March.”

Gearing up for this week’s meet, swimmers said they were confident about the coaches’ abilities to get the athletes back on track.

“The coaches should be the ones to say what areas we can get better in,” Cosma said.

“We just come [to practice], train hard and try to get better every day. That’s all that matters.”

When the Tide return from Knoxville Saturday, it will have exactly two weeks off before another away meet at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 4-6.

SPORTS

this weekend FRIDAY • Men’s basketball vs. Providence: Tuscaloosa, 7 p.m.

• Swimming and Diving: Tennessee Invitational, Knoxville, Tenn., all day

SATURDAY

• Women’s Basketball at Belmont: Nashville, Tenn., 5 p.m.

UA Athletics Senior Aaron Fleshner dives against LSU on Nov. 6. The Tide currently is in Knoxville, Tenn., competing against Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

• Football vs.

TennesseeChattanooga: Tuscaloosa, 11:20 a.m.

The Crimson White

SPORTS

Friday, November 20, 2009

9

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

Non-SEC opponents Tide prepares for Tennessee important for Tide

By Thomas Yerby Staff Writer

Many people see teams like Tennessee-Chattanooga, Florida International and North Texas on Alabama’s schedule and wonder why the Crimson Tide play those kinds of teams.

Is Alabama just looking for easy wins, or is it deeper than that?

Doug Walker, director of media relations for UA athletics, said scheduling opponents is “marketdriven and a combination of many factors.”

In today’s college football world, Walker said it is tough to fill the limited non-conference spots, especially with only three remaining Football Bowl Division independents.

Walker said there are three categories of opponents. There are the high-level teams (Virginia Tech), the mid-level teams (Florida International and North Texas) and the lower-level teams (TennesseeChattanooga). Walker said a late season non-conference slot is especially difficult to fill, which forces Alabama to take what it can get.

When Alabama looks to schedule non-conference opponents, it is a balancing act. When the schedules expanded a couple of years ago, Walker said it made things easier.

But it isn’t just Alabama calling all the shots. He said the teams Alabama plays have financial demands as well, and knowledgeable negotiations are a big part of it.

He said Alabama “tries to be considerate and a good neighbor and not put anyone in a bad situation.”

Those teams have their own costs, Walker said, especially to travel and play a road game.

The money that those programs receive aside from expenses also is beneficial to them, and the smaller programs are tremendously helped.

Walker said it is a tough situation because Alabama doesn’t want to play non-conference road games. He said the team is lucky to have a great stadium and fans, which can help attract non-conference opponents. While Alabama is still forced to pay a team for them to come to Bryant-Denny Stadium, the money Alabama makes for each game in its home stadium is enough to cover the cost.

But why does Alabama play teams like Tennessee-Chattanooga, Florida International and North Texas? In all actuality, it is because the Tide has to. On any given weekend, the best team with an open non-conference slot very well may be Tennessee-Chattanooga. While these teams may not compare to a Southeastern Conference opponent, non-conference games have proven to be an important part of any season.

With Auburn in the Iron Bowl and Florida in the SEC Championship game coming up, Saturday’s non-conference game against Tennessee-Chattanooga could be the perfect springboard for Alabama into a late-season push.

If the Tide builds an insurmountable lead early in the game, it would give many young players a chance to gain experience that will be beneficial for years to come while also allowing the starters to rest.

By Cyrus Ntakirutinka Senior Sports Reporter

The Alabama women’s swimming and diving team will be in Knoxville, Tenn., for the Tennessee Invitational from Thursday until Saturday. The Crimson Tide looks to bounce back from a close 134-107 loss to No. 1 Auburn. The meet against the top program in the Southeastern Conference has given head coach Eric McIlquham reason to feel optimistic about the Tide thus far.

“It’s something we have been working on,” McIlquham said. “We’ve been working on our depth to compete at a higher level.

The SEC conference from top to bottom is unbelievable. We can be top 5 in the conference and be top 15 in the country all in the same breath. Our conference is very steep from top to bottom. We had several races that were pretty close. You look at points, places and look at times and it was a very close meet going against the No. 1 team in the country.”

Alabama will compete against some good programs this weekend, including Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Tennessee.

Although a close loss to Auburn might have been considered a sign of progress, McIlquham said he sees this meet as a measuring stick for what the team wants to do this season.

UA Athletics Senior Allyson Angle competes in a backstroke event against LSU on Nov. 6. The womenʼs team is coming off a close loss against No. 1 Auburn, the Tideʼs first defeat of the season.

“This is a great opportunity to see exactly where we are,” McIlquham said. “The Tennessee women were a top 10 team last year, as was Kentucky and Virginia Tech was also a top 25. So we’re looking at four teams that were all in the top 25 last year, so it’s going to be a good mid-season/midterm examination for us as to where the team is to set ourselves up for SECs and NCAAs in February and March.”

On the Tide women’s side, several players have stepped

up to the plate and made large contributions in different events.

Senior Agustina de Giovanni won two events against Auburn and sophomore diver Carrie Dragland took first place in the one-meter board event.

With a number of players ranked high in some events, McIlquham can see the potential that Alabama has this year.

“Agustina is ranked No. 2 in the country overall,” McIlquham said. “Our divers are ranked top 3 in their events overall. We have more than 15 athletes ranked in the top 50 in their events. So it gives us a good barometer as to where we are on a national setting. That’s the bottom line as to where we finish in the NCAA [Championships]. It’s a good gauge for our kids right now

and see where they rank. This weekend is going to be a very good opportunity to pin ourselves up against other people who are ranked in the top 25, top 10 in the country.”

While the meet will help serve as a measuring stick for the Tide, McIlquham also sees the invitational as an opportunity for his swimmers and divers to try and qualify for the NCAA championships.

“We’re going up there looking to make some NCAA qualifying standards,” McIlquham said.

“Try to see how many of those we can put up on the board. The kids have been working hard and this has been our focus meet for the fall coming into the finals, and we’re going to give it a run up there.”

SPORTS in brief Cody named finalist for Nagurski Trophy

FRIDAY, 11/20

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TUSCALOOSA — Alabama senior nose guard Terrence Cody has been named one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

The Football Writers Association and the Charlotte Touchdown Club in North Carolina announced Thursday that Cody was a finalist for the award, which the writers association gives to its defensive

player of the year.

Other finalists include Iowa linebacker Pat Angerer, Tennessee strong safety Eric Berry, TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes and Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Cody received national attention for his play against Tennessee, when he blocked two field goal attempts in the final 10 minutes.

Magic backs plan to retire Jordanʼs number NEW YORK — Magic Johnson would go along with LeBron James’ plan to have NBA players stop wearing No. 23.

James said last week he would change jersey numbers next season in honor of Michael Jordan, and said no other players should wear it, either.

Critics of his plan said other

players before Jordan deserved the honor at least as much, with some using Johnson and Larry Bird as examples. But Johnson, speaking to a small group of reporters during a video conference, said if there was a decision to retire No. 23, he and Bird would “be the first ones to say it should happen.”

NFL fines Quinn for low hit

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BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has been fined by the NFL for his low hit on Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs.

After throwing an interception in Monday night’s 16-0 loss to the Ravens, Quinn dived at Suggs’ knees while trying to bring down cornerback Chris

Carr, who had picked him off.

Suggs had to leave the game and could miss significant playing time.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis accused Quinn of a cheap shot.

Quinn received a letter from the league but would not disclose the size of his fine, saying only that it was “a good amount.”

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‘Left 4 Dead 2’ still has Engineering students spoof room for improvement reality tv in play

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 10 • Friday, November 20, 2009 Editor • Steven Nalley smnalley@crimson.ua.edu

A&E

this weekend FRIDAY • ARDT Fall Concert: Morgan Hall, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

• Capstone String Quartet: Moody Music Building, 5:30 p.m.

• “The Bachelor King” by COE Does ART: 126 H.M. Comer Hall, 7 to 9 p.m.

• The Velcro Pygmies: Moody The Jupiter Bar and Grill, 10 p.m.

By Brett Murph Staff Writer

To escape from the end-of-semester rush of tests and essays, UA students will have an opportunity to unwind when College of Engineering Does ART presents “The Bachelor King” on Friday at 7 p.m. in H.M. Comer Room 126.

“The Bachelor King” is a comedy about a country bumpkin named Yokel who accidentally becomes king.

In the play, Yokel must find his perfect queen, a search that is carried out in a competition playing off famous reality shows. “American Idol,” “Survivor” and “The Bachelor” are parodied.

“We are not a professional acting troupe, and so we tend to pick plays and musicals that are more comedic in nature,” said Jill Hoover, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering and a founding member of COE Does ART. “Our group loves to have fun, so we tend to lean towards comedies anyway.”

Hoover said COE Does ART stands for College of Engineering Does Amateur Radical Theater, and she said the group is primarily composed of engineering students.

Engineering students participating in a theater group is considered to be a “radical” idea by some, she said.

Hoover said the goal of COE Does ART is to show that engineering, math and science majors do have a creative and theatrical side. She said they try to break the typical engineering stereotype that engineers are only math and science people who lack the creativity to perform in a play or musical. COE Does ART shows that engineers actually can sing, dance and act, Hoover said.

Hoover said COE Does ART is more about giving engineering students an outlet to pursue other interests than it is an attempt to fuse engineering with theater.

“Some of us aren’t as dramatic as other people are, but we can still tell a story in our acting,” said Kelsey Dunn, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering who performs as Priscilla Tradewells-Ayers-Hollander-Morley, a four-time married gold digger.

Dunn described Priscilla as the flirtatious and sexual character one typically sees in bachelor shows that viewers don’t like but the bachelor sort of does because of her energy.

Dunn said Priscilla is trendy and wears stylish clothing.

Dunn said each of the female characters has her own style that displays their characters and personality. She said other contestants include a cowgirl, a “rough-and-tumble girl” from New York city and another girl who is very proper and considers herself above everyone else.

Laura Phillips, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, said she performs as one of the king’s maids. Phillips said her character cares about the king but is indifferent to the result of the king’s competition to find the perfect queen, so long as she gets paid. Phillips said she exaggerates her performance with sarcasm, and the maid upsets other characters without taking the blame.

Hoover said the actors don’t stick completely to the script and have added their own twist to some scenes, changing some parts in order to fit the group better. She said they also modified some of the bachelorette songs.

Dunn said one of the girls was going to sing “Cruisin’ USA,” but didn’t know the lyrics. Dunn said she will sing about Barbie instead. Dunn said it’s pretty funny, and everyone on set has a hard time not laughing.

Hoover said engineers have a unique perspective that comes out in the play. They designed their own set and a majority of the props. Dunn said the set includes a throne, a window with curtains and a table. Props consist of a scepter, a portrait of a king, a map and puzzle pieces.

“We tend to be very rational people,” Phillips said, adding that during the play they tend to go all out and get rid of their rational sides.

Students can catch a performance of “The Bachelor King” tonight at 7 p.m in HM Comer 126. An encore will be performed on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be bought at the door, through any cast member or online by e-mailing coedoesart@gmail.com

Southeastern survivors battle an army of zombies in “Left 4 Dead 2.”

IGN.com

By Brad Lake Staff Writer The “Left 4 Dead 2” video game picks up at about the same time as the original, just after an outbreak that turned almost the entire human race into a variety of bloodthirsty mutants. The game’s creators at Valve showed they cared by actually improving on some weak points that were in the original instead of being lazy and making money off of their previous success.

In this game, you get to play as one of four entirely new survivors who have to battle off hordes of mutated human abominations. The game leads these characters through the Southeastern U.S., where the characters have to fight through a series of five campaigns. The game like the original, maintaining the good combination of weapons, med kits and pills, but it also expands in these areas by adding new items such as the bile bomb which attracts the infected to the targeted area. This provides more options for dealing death, or destruction at least, to your undead, nasty-looking foes.

The game also introduces new infected members such as the “Spitter” who spits a pool of acid on the ground that deals heavy damage to the survivors and forces them away from that area temporarily. Then there is the “Charger,” who bolts through the map with blinding speed only to scoop up one member of the group and carry him off to be slammed against the wall repeatedly.

There are several modes in “Left 4 Dead 2.” Scavenger Mode has two teams taking turns collecting as many gas cans on a given map as possible while battling it out.

It’s a great solution for gamers who don’t have a couple of hours to waste and instead want to squeeze in a couple of games before class.

The single player mode, while fun, is not why you should be buying this game.

Instead, the co-op online multiplayer is the prizewinner in this package. While battling side-by-side with three other players over Xbox Live, the game seems to become more intense. It might be the difficulty level being

‘LEFT 4 DEAD 2’ ESRB rating: M Release date: Tuesday CW critic’s rating:

Bottom line: “Left 4 Dead 2” improves on the original’s weapons for the survivors, but not the variety for the infected, which cripples its versus mode even as its co-op is more fun than ever.

higher, or it could be one of your fellow survivors yelling into his microphone for a revival.

The versus mode was disappointing. I was not impressed with the way that the infected characters’ fighting style was set up. It is just too slow and ineffective to really make it hard for the opposing squad. Any four good players on the survivor side can beat any four better players on the infected side, and to me, it seems too unbalanced.

The game is definitely a step in the right direction for Valve. “Left 4 Dead 2” is better in almost every way compared to the first installment, but there still is room for improvement. The graphics are still low quality compared to some games on Xbox 360, even though I understand that having a hundred zombies on the screen at one time limits the graphics a little bit.

I also would like to see a bigger variety of moves when it comes to the infected. Having one ranged move and then a weak melee attack just isn’t exciting enough for me.

After renting the game for this review, I do have an urge to go buy it for solely the co-op mode, which I could play for hours upon hours. What can I say? I have a side that loves ripping through countless infected fleshy bodies with a silenced submachine gun.

The Crimson White

A&E

Friday, November 20, 2009

11

MOVIE REVIEW | ‘PRECIOUS’

Daniels’ pic a contender for film of the year

By Peterson Hill Staff Writer

‘PRECIOUS’

There isn’t a moment in Lee Daniels’ directorial debut “Precious” that is anything but the display of an ultimate craftsman at work. He has made one of the best and most immediate films of the year, a definitive must-see for anyone who has a soul. Daniels takes a story that could have been conventional and mundane and turns it into a story that powerfully shows the limits of human emotion.

In her debut as an actress, Gabourey Sidibe is a revelation as the title character. Sidibe almost is guaranteed a nomination for best actress this year at the Academy Awards (especially with the category looking rather slim).

Her performance is potent because there isn’t a moment of “acting” in it. She grounds herself in naturalism rather than histrionics.

Take the scene where she finds out something about her father and herself and breaks down in a classroom. It is the best scene I have seen this year, because Sidibe invokes sympathy by showing how cruel life can be.

Daniels, who began his career as a producer on the film “Monster’s Ball, doesn’t shy away from the grimmest details of this story, but he doesn’t need to. What makes this work is the way he doesn’t make his film exclusively depressing. He makes it funny, sad and ultimately hopeful in its own way.

The film chronicles the struggles of a Harlem teenager in 1987 who is pregnant for

Runtime: 110 minutes MPAA rating: R Release date: Nov. 6 CW critic’s rating:

Bottom line: “Precious” is just that: a heartrending, uplifting treasure.

Daniels and lead actress Gabourey Sidibe have made an unforgettable debut. Do not miss it.

the second time from her own father. She is overweight and exists in a world that has all but turned its back on her.

School is a ritual of mocking her weight, which seems almost gracious compared with her life at home. Her mother Mary, played with vitriolic depravity and a desperate humanity by Mo’Nique, is a woman who has been beaten by life and takes all the rage she holds for life and targets it at her daughter.

When the school that Precious attends finds out that she is pregnant, they tell her to go to an alternative school.

The classroom is small, and she gets help from her teacher, Rain (Paula Patton), who believes in Precious before Precious believes in herself.

The other woman in her life who believes in her is a child services worker, Weiss, played

by Mariah Carey, who, along

with Mo’Nique, is a frontrunner for a best supporting actress nomination.

The film, which isn’t an easy viewing, is about how Precious is elevated out of her current state by the people who believe in her. What makes this movie work is the way that there is an element of hope that exudes the film. In no way will her life ever be easy, but in its own way, the movie has a hopeful ending.

The casting by Daniels is spoton in one of the most unconventional ways I have ever seen in a film. He has cast an unknown as the lead, Lenny Kravitz as a nurse, Mariah Carey as a social worker, Mo’Nique as a monster of a woman and Paula Patton as Rain. The performances in this film are crucial because they are each a testament of humanity.

Mo’Nique is earthshattering as Precious’s mother. She builds such a demonic character for the entire film, and then in one pivotal scene at the end she breaks your heart. This scene is a careful one because it walks a thin line of still seeing her negatively while being able to understand just how she was able to do the things she did.

Another aspect of the film that truly elevates it is the cinematography. Daniels’ camera is truly alive. When the camera is in the apartment that Precious and her mother share, Daniels closes his camera off as if it were in a prison. The women are in a cave of their own isolation and hatred of the world.

It must be said that this movie is a wonderful testament to the power of women. Daniels, like the Spanish director Pedro Almolvòdar, is fascinated by

“Precious” opened in limited release to rave critical reviews. It opens wide today. rottentomatoes. com

women, particularly his black female characters who have never been given a thing in this world.

Daniels also has a fascination with how we can turn a blind eye to this world, a fascination

that isn’t political, but moral.

All Precious wants is someone to love her. She doesn’t think that is too much to ask, and neither does Daniels.

From an opening clip that breaks your heart to a closing

clip that makes you believe people can change, “Precious” takes you through every emotion on the human spectrum. Above all things, the film is about life: the joy, the pain and, in the end, why life is worth living.

CHORUS

choir is the Choral Chamber Music Ensemble. This is a group of student conductors who spent their Friday afternoons preparing the performers for their concert.

The Chamber Music Ensemble members are Katherine Gates, Valery Gwinnup and Wesley King.

King, a junior majoring in vocal choral music education, said he wants to become a high school music teacher and believes conducting is a great opportunity.

“You receive hands on

experience before going into internships and into your career,” King said. “The experience makes you more comfortable around other people.”

The women dressed in long black dresses and the men in black tuxedos, white shirts and bowties. The 75-member choir’s voices filled Moody’s Concert Hall for every song.

After the sounds of “Missa brevis Sti. Joannis de Deo” to the melodies in “The Mass of the Children,” the choir received a standing ovation.

Continued from page 1

performing in the production and working with Latimer.

“He is a terrific musician,” Houghtaling said. “He treats students like artists, and he has a way of poetically bringing the music off of the page to the audience.”

The choral ensemble consisted of non-music majors as well as individuals pursuing degrees in music. Within the

Oprah Winfrey to announce Friday show will end in 2011

By Caryn Rousseau The Associated Press

powerhouse and the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire, will end its run in 2011 CHICAGO — “The Oprah after 25 seasons on the air, Winfrey Show,” an iconic broad- Winfrey’s production company cast that grew over two decades said Thursday night.

Winfrey plans to announce the into a daytime television final date for her show during a live broadcast on Friday, Harpo Productions Inc. said, bringing an end to what has been television’s

¯/,2$%1 1, 6,2 6

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top-rated talk show for more than two decades, airing in 145 countries worldwide and watched by an estimated 42 million viewers a week in the U.S. alone.

A Harpo spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday on Winfrey’s future plans except to say that “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will not be transferred to cable television.

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The Crimson White

Rolling Stones pianist Leavell comes to Bama Theatre

By Jamie Lyons Senior Staff Reporter

Famed musicians Chuck Leavell and Randall Bramblett with the Randall Bramblett Band will grace the stage of the Bama Theatre today at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online at tuscarts.org and range in price from $26 to $31.

Both Leavell and Bramblett have extensive resumés of performances in solo careers, as well as with performing with well-known musicians and groups.

Bramblett, with the Randall Bramblett Band, is opening for Leavell at the show.

He is a singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who has also played with a number of groups and artists, including Steve Winwood and Widespread Panic. His primary instruments are saxophone, acoustic guitar and keyboard.

“Definitely not a lot of constraints… but challenging to jam every night with extended solos,” Bramblett said, speaking of the experience with Widespread Panic, “and the guys were easy to work with and have a really loving and supportive crowd.”

Bramblett said he counted soul singers like James Brown and songwriters like Bob Dylan and James Taylor among his most notable influences.

“Dylan really opened up songwriting, showing it could be

about more than just romantic, cliché stuff and more about reality,” he said.

Bramblett’s favorite part of his career is the process of taking a song from the demo version to a recorded and produced song.

“Playing live is great experience… especially when you have a good crowd that knows and appreciates your stuff,” Bramblett explained.

Leavell, a Tuscaloosa native, said he is excited to return to the place where he enjoyed a “wonderful childhood” and watched Paul “Bear” Bryant coach the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Tuscaloosa also is where Leavell found his start in the music scene, playing with a band called The Misfitz at the YMCA and on Tuscaloosa Bandstand, an imitation of the popular television show American Bandstand.

Before The Misfitz, Leavell taught himself to play the piano by watching his mother and “tinkering around” on the instrument. At the age of 10, his cousin taught him to play guitar, igniting his interest in folk music and later rock ‘n’ roll.

Leavell’s first big break came in 1972 when he began playing with the Allman Brothers Band.

Soon thereafter, he formed a band called Sea Level that recorded five albums between 1976 and 1980.

Bramblett and Leavell both played on Greg Allman’s solo tour and then collaborated again

in Sea Level. The two became friends and have worked together off and on since then.

In 1981, Leavell received a call asking him to audition as a keyboardist for the iconic band, The Rolling Stones.

“When I first got the news, I thought it was a joke,” Leavell said. The next day he was on an airplane on his way to the audition.

“I went with the attitude that I know the music, love the Stones and had been influenced by their talented keyboardists,” he said, “and my main attitude was just to go and have fun.”

Leavell “got the gig” and has been playing with the group for 27 years.

Besides The Rolling Stones, Leavell has played with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Black Crows, Blues Traveler, Miranda Lambert and Montgomery Gentry, among others.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would play with The Rolling Stones and George Harrison, one of The Beatles,” Leavell said.

Leavell had the unique experience of playing with an impressive number of artists, breaching many different genres of music, which has contributed to his own musicianship and style.

“It’s just a part of who I am, playing all different types of music. Perhaps a master of none,” he said with a laugh,

www.chuckleavell.com Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell wil return to his native Tuscaloosa to perform at Bama Theatre. although many music enthusiasts would disagree.

Besides his passion for music, Leavell and his wife, Rose Lane Leavell, actively pursue another passion of theirs: the environment.

When his wife inherited property, the Leavells focused on wildlife management and

began to manage the forest.

This year, the couple started a Web site called the Mother Nature at mnn.com. The Web site is ranked by Alexa, a Web site that ranks Web sites by number of hits, as the seventh most visited environmental Web site.

“We have had a wonderful

journey — both musically and environmentally,” Leavell said.

Leavell offered wisdom from his father, and Leavell’s story in itself is a testament to this advice: “Make your own luck,” he said. “Luck is knowing how to be in the right place at the right time.”

‘Jon & Kate Plus 8’ to end its stormy run

By Frazier Moore The Associated Press

NEW YORK — You might say our national nightmare is over.

Or is it just a TV series?

In any case, TLC’s reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8” will end its spectacular but stormy run Monday at 9 p.m. EST. During this final hour, Jon and Kate Gosselin, the estranged parents of young twins and sextuplets, will venture on separate outings with the kids. (Jon will

take them to a fire station near the family home in Wernersville, Pa. With Kate, they visit a local dairy farm.) Individually, each newly single parent will reflect on what the past has meant and what the future might hold.

And that will be that, says TLC. It would seem the series is going out with a grateful sigh of relief, if not a whimper, after months in the midst of noise and upheaval. The feuding couple’s split came to

dominate the series, as well as helping fuel a firestorm of tabloid coverage.

It was all good for ratings, of course. When the pair made their separation official on a “Jon & Kate” episode that aired in June, it was seen by a remarkable 10.6 million viewers.

After that, production and airing of the series lurched in fits and starts to accommodate the Gosselins’ unraveling home life.

Outside the show, both Jon and Kate made dueling he-said-

she-said appearances on the talk-show circuit.

It was all quite a change from 2007, when the series first clicked with viewers for its heartwarming look at a devoted couple and the challenges they faced rearing eight young children.

For now, a case of viewer fatigue with the Gosselins and their domestic drama might be understandable. A pair of episodes premiering earlier this week averaged 2.1 million viewers.

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14 Friday, November 20, 2009

NEWS

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