The Crimson White

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8

Tuesday, December 6, 2 2011 011

Mary’s Cakes is baking goodness

7

Women’s basketball looks to continue success after Kansas

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V Vol. 1 118, Issue 64

Gold: ‘They’re the best two teams’ With controversy surrounding BCS selections, Eli Gold weighs in on the system

By Taylor Holland News Editor newsdesk@cw.ua.edu The Alabama-LSU rematch in the national championship may not be popular around the nation, but Eli Gold, the Crimson Tide’s play-by-play announcer, said not only is the match-up necessary, it’s mandatory.

“As a voter, which I am not, you vote to establish who the top two teams in the country are,” Gold said. “You’re not a matchmaker. You don’t determine, ‘Yeah, it’d be great but

Eli Gold has been the voice of Alabama football for 22 years.

“As a voter, which I am not, you vote to establish who the top two teams in the country are.”

— Eli Gold they already played,’ or ‘The ratings won’t be as good.’ You take and reward the top two teams.

There’s nobody that doesn’t think Bama and LSU are No. 1 and No. 2. They’re the best two teams. There’s no but.”

CW | Katie Bennett The start of the new year has students crowding the Student Recreation Center.

See GOLD, page 5

Submitted Photo

@UA_Lately

@UADennyChimes

1,316 followers

6,316 followers

You might think you know U of A, but we know better. Love it or hate it, this is UA_Lately.

Born on May 27, 1929… I stand 115 feet tall… I see all that happens at UA.

Featured Tweet: “@Mark_Ingram28 is there any local hotspots or attractions that the Saban nation should look into when we come to visit January 9th? #RollDat”

Featured Tweet: “@julieonssi so lets make #Trent4Heisman trend my girl maZm l paZm he^ =^ggr bl phkdbg` hg'

@QuadSquirlProbs 1,180 followers Running the Quad. One Nut at a time. ?^Zmnk^] Mp^^m3 Pah l k^Z]r mh paaaaarrr-ddddeee?

9N:=^ggr<abf^l Mhgb`am B ee [^ rhnk gZn`amr ljnbkk^e' JLI ;^rhg\^lmre^'

@Shacker_Probz

@NotRobertWitt 584 followers

378 followers

President of The University of Alabama – Dedicated to students… I promise.

]Z]]r l ebmme^ `bke bl Zee grown up now Featured Tweet: “using a ladder to climb out a frat house so i wouldn't be seen by ma^ hma^k[khma^kl b laZ\d^] pbma8 \a^\d' #stepupyourshackinggame”

Featured Tweet: “Some stupid driver on the Crimson bus route almost ran me over mabl fhkgbg`' Lh B _bk^] a^k Zg] \Zg\^ee^] ma^ khnm^ mh]Zr' ]hgm]hbmZ`Zbg

@UACopyMachine

@NotCrimsonWhite

323 followers The real source of power at The University of Alabama. ?^Zmnk^] Mp^^m3 Bm l `Zf^l ebd^ mabl hg^ that make me fondly remember the day B fZ]^ \hib^l h_ FZkd @hmm_kb^] l m^kfbgZmbhg iZi^kl' N:<aZm'

930 followers The student newspaper of the University of Alabama… Sucks. ?^Zmnk^] Mp^^m3 ;K>:DBG@3 : k^\^gm lmn]r lahpl @=B l Zk^ bg^qieb\Z[er Zkhnl^] [r FZ\abg^ @hllbi'

Rec Center gears up for increased January traffic

By Jordan Cissell Contributing Writer Students may be waiting to get one more shot at the pecan pie before starting on the spring break beach-bod chiseling, but the Student Recreation Center is already getting in shape to handle the increased traffic that accompanies the return to campus in January.

According to data compiled by the Rec Center for 2011, the first two months back from winter break are its busiest. Computers logged 68,722 and 79,441 visits, measured by Action Card swipes, during January and February

of 2011, respectively. These tallies substantially outpace 2011’s monthly average of 52,574.

Rec Center Executive Director George Brown said the staff is currently taking several steps to prepare for the post-break influx.

“What people most get frustrated about is not being able to use equipment,” he said. “We always stock up on more replacement parts for equipment in December.

Also, we make sure all of our maintenance people are trained and ready to fix something when needed.”

See REC, page 6

@UAFashionPolice 1,896 followers because someone had to do it...

BUT this is purely for funsies don't take me too seriously ! if you have pics or see anything tweet at me & i'll retweet !”

Featured Tweet: “If your scarf is longer than your knees you need to do something about it #25dollarfine #UAFPD”

CW | Evan Szczepanski

By Jasmine Cannon Senior Staff Reporter jmcannon@crimson.ua.edu

are funny, but some of them are definitely better than others,” Breanna Swims, a junior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, said. “The ones that surpass Satirical handles and accounts for the quality of others are the ones that social commentary have taken hold on constantly deliver funny and up-to-date Twitter with the microblogging site’s tweets regarding what is happening on rise, and the Twitterverse around the campus. I think the Twitter accounts have a positive effect on the University University of Alabama is no exception.

“I think the UA-related Twitter accounts because they serve as a form of satire

through which we can express our concerns with the University as a whole while also connecting with other UA students.”

Po p u l a r accounts include @NotRobertWitt, @UADennyChimes, @UglyTusk, @UAFashionPolice, @UA_ Lately and more.

See TWITTER, page 3

City dancers team up for Nutcracker ballet

By Sophia Jones Contributing Writer

IF YOU GO ...

For the first time ever, the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers will collaborate with The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance to perform The Nutcracker ballet at the Bama Theatre this December. Over 20 UA dancers will perform.

TCD has staged The Nutcracker for over 30 years.

This timeless holiday classic has become a worldwide sensation since its premier in 1892.

“It’s not Christmas without The Nutcracker,” said Leslie Cheek, a freshman majoring in dance who has been performing with TCD since she was 14. “It‘s a Tuscaloosa city tradition, as well as a holiday tradition.

• What: The Nutcracker

le this

• Where: Bama Theatre • When: Dec. 8

By Laura Owens Senior Sports Reporter lkowens@crimson.ua.edu @laurako_O

through 9 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.

Everyone in the community comes out to watch, and dancers can feel the love from the town.”

Performances will be at the Bama Theatre on Dec. 8 and 9 at 7 p.m., Dec. 10 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. For tickets, call TCD’s Box Office at (205) 752-4220.

Submitted Photo The Nutcracker will feature Tuscaloosa Community Dancers and dancers from the University.

See BALLET, page 10

Please ec

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• er

After the team’s first loss of the season last Thursday, the Alabama men’s basketball team will try to bounce back Wednesday night when they travel to Dayton, Ohio, to face the Dayton Flyers.

Though the team played in Puerto Rico earlier this season, the game on Wednesday will be their first true road test, something that senior forward JaMychal Green said

INSIDE today’s paper

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Plea s

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Tide finds solution for zone defense

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CW | Pete Pajor Alabama’s JaMychal Green elevates over a Hoya defender for a rebound.

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, announcements: news@cw.ua.edu

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

Lifestyles....................8

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

Puzzles......................9

Sports .......................7

Classifieds .................9

can be hard to prepare for.

“I don’t know what to expect myself, from never being there,” he said. “What I heard is that it’s a sold out game, so I know it’s going to be a tough game.”

Since the loss to Georgetown, the team has been working on how to overcome a zone defense. Head coach Anthony Grant said he thought other teams may try to use it against them since Georgetown did so successfully.

See BBALL, page 7

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GO ON THE

Page 2â&#x20AC;˘ Tuesday, December 6, 2011

EDITORIAL

ONLINE

ON THE CALENDAR TODAY

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: CONFIRMED FACTS ABOUT THE MACHINE

What: Alabama vs. Dayton

What: Chemical and Biologi-

menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball game

Where: 120 Farrah Hall

Where: Coleman Coliseum

cal Engineering Distinguished Lecture- Fall 2011

When: 7 to 9 p.m.

When: 7 p.m.

What: Writing Center

What: Burnout in Health Care:

Malcolm Cammeron community manager outreach@cw.ua.edu Stephanie Brumfield lifestyles editor

John Davis chief copy editor Kyle Carey design editor Evan Szczepanski graphics editor Drew Hoover photo editor Tyler Crompton web editor Daniel Roth multimedia editor

Library

When: 8 to 10 p.m.

What: Volunteer at Temporary

Where: 111 AIME Building

Where: Temporary Emergency

When: Noon to 1 p.m.

Services

Brittany Key 348-2598 Territory Manager Amy Ramsey 348-7355 National Representative Classifieds Coordinator Lauren Aylworth 348-8042 Creative Services Manager Nikki Amthor 348-8742 Greg Woods 348-8054 Tori Hall 348-6153 Rob Clark 348-4367 Will DeShazo 348-8041 Jessica West 348-8054 Ben Gordon 348-8042

Emergency Services

When: 1 to 3 p.m.

What: Writing Center consultants available in Ferguson Center Starbucks Where: Ferguson Center

Submit your events to

Starbucks

calendar@cw.ua.edu

ON THE MENU LAKESIDE LUNCH

DINNER

Chicken Fried Steak Mashed Potatoes Carrots Linguine with Roasted Red Peppers Baked Potato Soup Szechuan Tofu (Vegetarian)

BURKE

BRYANT

LUNCH

LUNCH

Pork Cutlet with Onion Gravy Cilantro Lime Rice Chicken Tacos Glazed Carrots Cadillo Pork Stew Farfalle Pasta with Broccoli & Ricotta (Vegetarian)

Ham Rice Pilaf Sauteed Herbed Veggies Chips and Dip Spicy Orange Chicken with Broccoli Cream of Tomato Soup (Vegetarian)

ON CAMPUS Charity group gathers toys for tornado victims Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elves is a charity organization in its third year running that provides toys to designated children K-5th grade in the Tuscaloosa area during the holiday season. In previous years, they provided over 600 children with nearly 2,400 presents. This year though, the main focus has shifted to the children affected by the events of April 27.

All the toys that are donated and purchased will be organized in a store in Midtown Village (across from Old Navy, next to Longhorn). Then, on Dec. 13, 14, and 15 parents will come to pick out toys for their children and get them wrapped for free.

There are drop-off boxes for toys at some sorority houses as well as at the Univesrity

Recreation Center. There are also drop-off locations for toys at Wings U, Baumhowers Wings, Innisfree, and Tuscaloosa and Northport fire departments. Toys are due by Dec. 9. Students interested in volunteering to help Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Elves can visit the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page www. facebook.com/santaselvestuscaloosa or call (205)758-0638.

y a d i l Ho g The

n i p e p d o i u h

S

FRESH FOOD LUNCH

Chicken Breast parmesan Roast turkey Home fried potatoes Buttered noodles Cheddar cheese soup Jalapeno pizza

Steak Seasoned Corn Steamed Broccoli Corn Chowder Pico de Gallo & Tortilla Chips Vegetable Chimichanga (Vegetarian)

ON THE RADAR

ADVERTISING Emily Richards 348-8995 Advertising Manager cwadmanager@gmail.com

Engineering Complex

Why We Need to Address and How We Can Start

When: 6 to 8 p.m.

Tony Tsoukalas sports editor Tray Smith opinions editor

Where: 3437 Science and When: 11 a.m. to noon

consultants available in Java City

Jonathan Reed managing editor jonathanreedcw@gmail.com

Taylor Holland news editor newsdesk@cw.ua.edu

THURSDAY

What: Screening of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Social Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Where: First Floor of Gorgas

Check out an outline of the known operations of Theta Nu Epsilon, commonly referred to as the Machine, confirmed through coverage by The Crimson White during the 2011-2012 school year.

This is a working document that will be updated as The CWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverage continues.

Victor Luckerson editor-in-chief editor@cw.ua.edu

Will Tucker assistant managing editor wjtucker1@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY

G

Lauren Gallas 348-8042 Coleman Richards Special Projects Account Rep

As more choose nursing, shortage less likely, study finds From MCTcampus Good news for aging baby boomers: Fears of a nursing shortage may be turning around.

Between 1979 and 1991, the number of young nurses declined nearly 50 percent. It continued to drop for another decade, hitting a low of 102,000 in 2002. Looking at the numbers, analysts worried that as older nurses retired, there wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be anyone to replace them, leading to a shortfall.

But when economists David I. Auerbach of Rand Health, Peter I. Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University and Douglas O. Staiger of Dartmouth University revisited the census data, they found that the tide had turned: The number of full-time registered nurses between the ages of 23 and 26 increased 62 percent between 2002 and 2009, growing faster than it had since the 1970s.

If that trend continues, they wrote in the December edition of the journal Health Affairs, people born in the 1980s could one day

make up the largest group of registered nurses ever. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The spike weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen in young women becoming registered nurses is dramatic,â&#x20AC;?

Auerbach said in a statement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the trend continues, it will help to ease some of the concerns about future nursing shortages.â&#x20AC;?

Unanticipated changes in nursing may have fueled the shift, the authors wrote. Interest in nursing did not continue to decline as some feared it might.

That may have been a result of campaigns to draw people into the field or changes in nursing programs that accommodated different training styles and schedules.

The sagging economy probably played a role too; as other jobs became scarce, nursing looked more attractive.

Declining numbers of primary-care physicians, combined with a rising population of older people, might mean that demand for nurses could skyrocket even beyond where it is today.

CORRECTION

In the story â&#x20AC;&#x153;Senate debates titles, appoints new execâ&#x20AC;? in the Dec. 5 edition of The Crimson White, the 23-8 vote, with three abstainers, was on the question of considering the bill immediately, and the motion carried. When the bill came to a vote to pass the floor, it failed unanimously. The Crimson White regrets the error and is happy to set the record straight.

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.

New this Season!

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.

Snap-T Fleece in assorted colors F^g l3 22 EZ]b^l3 **2

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 Š 2010 by The Crimson White and protected under the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Work Made for Hireâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Periodical Publicationâ&#x20AC;? categories of the U.S. copyright laws.

Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of The Crimson White.

on newsstands

December 8

www.theshirtshop.biz Mon.-Fri. 7-6pm Sat. 9-5pm Open Sunday: 11-3 %PXOUPXO t (SFFOTCPSP "WF

The Crimson White

NEWS

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

3

Alabama ranks low in opportunity measures Lack of employment options and ‘brain drain’ contribute to tough times for the Southern United States

By William Evans Senior Staff Reporter wjevans@crimson.ua.edu

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The state of Alabama ranked HNM H? *)) 47th in a scale measuring the G:MBHG:E economic mobility afforded to LM:M> Economy :O>K:@> citizens of all 50 states and the Ng^fiehrf^gm kZm^ *)'* 2'* District of Columbia, according to the Opportunity Index F^]bZg ahnl^ahe] bg\hf^ -*%+*/ .*%-+. released by Opportunity Nation */'02 Ihi' [^ehp iho^kmr ebg^! " *,'-0 and the Human Development )'-/ ;Zgdbg` bglmbmnmbhgl i^k *%))) ihi' )'-+ Project.

The Index pulls information .*'-1 K^gm^kl li^g]bg` 5,) ahnl^ahe] bg\hf^ hg k^gm -2'21 from sources such as the U.S. .+'.

Ab`a&Li^^] Bgm^kg^m ! h_ ahnl^ahe]l" /,'2 Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and the National Center for Education Education Statistics to complete its ranking --')1 -0',, Ik^l\ahhe ^gkheef^gm of the 50 states and Washington D.C. /0 0- Hg&mbf^ A'L' `kZ]nZmbhg Alabama fell below the nationLmZm^ Ab`a^k >]n\Zmbhg Ln[lb]r ! h_ ZggnZe i^k inibe al average in 14 of the 16 catego-1 .+ ^]n\Zmbhg Zg] k^eZm^] \hlml \ho^k^] [r lmZm^" ries measured, with the unem+*'., +0'., ;Z\a^ehk l =^`k^^ hk Ab`a^k ! " ployment rate near 10 percent compared to the national averCommunity Health & Civic Life age near nine percent and the number of residents living below ,+'/, ,.')2 @khni F^f[^klabi ! h_ Z]neml *1 Zg] ho^k bgoheo^] bg the poverty line near 17 percent lh\bZe% \bob\% lihkml% Zg] k^eb`bhnl `khnil" compared to the national aver2'1 1')+ M^^gZ`^kl Ghm bg L\ahhe Zg] Ghm Phkdbg` ! Z`^l */&*2" age near 13 percent.

Twelve of the lowest 15 states ++'., +-'1/ Ohengm^^kblf ! h_ Z]neml *1 Zg] he]^k" ranked in the Index came from --2'1 -+2'Obhe^gm \kbf^ i^k *))%))) ihi' the South. *). **0'12 “I think what it shows is that IkbfZkr \Zk^ ikhob]^kl i^k *))%))) ihi' at the moment the zip code that @kh\^kr Lmhk^l Zg] Lni^kfZkd^ml .2'1 .1'. a child is born into does impact ! h_ sbi \h]^l pbma Zm e^Zlm hg^" their future long-term success,” Lhnk\^3 hiihkmngbmrbg]^q'hk` said Christopher Cashman, communications director for told me, ‘You can be whatever 16 categories measured to generOpportunity Nation. “That is not you want to be in this country as ate an Opportunity score, offers a holistic view of the economic the opportunity dream that my long as you live in this region.’”

The Index, by combining the opportunities present among the parents taught me. They never

TWITTER

Creators of these sites feel they are Continued from page 1 performing well on sharing the news about the University that people need to know about. @UglyTusk is not only on Twitter, but also has a website, uglytusk.com. “[We don’t hope to accomplish] much really,” @UglyTusk said in an emailed statement.

“We’ve talked about putting on some shows, have put on some but want to do more. I really

want to put on two of my favorite dance parties from back home: MMP – Madonna, Michael and Prince – and a soul dance night because if I hear another band doing awful Sublime covers I might lose it. How is Sublime still even remotely popular?”

The Ugly Tusk is a blog, group of people and movement. As stated on the website, “Mostly, the Ugly Tusk are some kids who live in Tuscaloosa and are tired of the fact that this town appears to have no culture.”

They look to change this.

“Thought this town could use a cranky commentator of some sort before The Crimson White started acting like a real paper, which it has done a fine job of this year,” @UglyTusk said in an emailed statement. @UA_Lately has all of the latest news and words on the important happenings at UA and in Tuscaloosa. Their name derived from their undying love for Chelsea Handler’s show, “Chelsea Lately.”

Their goals for the account are clear.

states and D.C. “There are a lot of different measures of the unemployment rate and the poverty rate, but we haven’t seen any other measure of opportunity,” Cashman said.

“To us, the Index is a unique measure, a unique tool, because there’s really no comprehensive measure to look at them all holistically.”

The Index, as a measure, does not prescribe solutions, but Opportunity Nation will use the Index to draw the attention of politicians and community leaders to the issues facing economic mobility in America.

“Our hope is that community leaders and concerned citizens and certainly elected officials use the Opportunity Index as a way to say, ‘Where can we make improvements?’” Cashman said.

“Our goal is to make sure every elected official and every candidate for office from local to the President are asked the question, ‘What’s your plan to improve opportunity in America?’”

Opportunity Nation consists of 200 coalition members ranging from non-profits to corporations and to faith-based and military organizations. Its campaign to craft and disseminate a policy agenda launched in early November.

The Index supplies college students with a forecast of the economic horizon upon graduation and, as such, gives college students a database of

information to use in making requests of their elected politicians.

“College students offer a unique perspective on this,” Cashman said. “There’s a lot of elected officials and community leaders, but the voice of individuals in higher education is critical because you guys are inheriting this world.”

Gary Hoover, professor of economics, said economic mobility can be defined broadly as the ability to move up in the economy’s income distribution.

“When you talk about mobility, what you’re really saying is, ‘What’s the probability that you’ll move out of your income class?’” he said. “Some people are just really immobile, meaning that their ability to move up the income distribution is basically nil.”

He said the state of Alabama does a poor job keeping intellectual talent within the boundaries of the state because of its low rate of job opportunities for college graduates. The college-age generation has shown a trend of fleeing the state upon graduation, a trend he called a brain drain.

“Let’s say you do all the right things,” he said. “You go to school and you try to do the right things and you enter the job force, but you’re in a state that has a very high unemployment rate or one that doesn’t cultivate the types of jobs that fit your edu-

cational background. If you want to succeed, then you will need to retrain, which means more or different training, or move away.”

Part of the reason for the state’s stagnant economy can be traced to its constitution still in place since 1901 that contains an antiquated tax system, he said.

Unlike other states that fund public schools with property taxes, Alabama funds its public schools with sales taxes.

“As a result, when times are bad, like now, schools suffer,” he said. “What you want is a more stable taxing system so we don’t go through these boom and bust cycles in education.”

Monika Gerhart, executive director of the Equity and Inclusion Campaign, one of the coalition-members of Opportunity Nation, said in an emailed statement that policy makers and politicians should invest in the human capital of the state.

“That means investment in the very fabric of society that ensures people can move up, economically speaking,” she said. “People can’t be productive if they’re sick. It’s hard to go to school or work if you don’t have a stable place to live. People don’t expand the economy or tax base if they’re not well educated. Equitable investment in this fabric ensures that more people become wealth generators – you’re not just landing a job, you’re also creating new ones.”

“UA_Lately is not meant for any nefarious or malicious purpose,” @UA_Lately said in an emailed statement. “Our goal truly is to say what we think.

It just so happens that what we think is extremely funny and usually also happens to be what other people are thinking and not saying.”

Many of these UA-inspired accounts are aware of each other, but what do they think about one another? “[@UAFashionPolice] seem to be real into dressing like their

parents and have zero interest in dressing like young folks,” @ UglyTusk said. “I think a real @ UAFashionPolice Twitter that doesn’t use phrases like fratdaddy and actually knows something about fashion could be a worthwhile venture. I don’t think this person actually knows anything about fashion.” @UAFashionPolice and @ UA_Lately are somewhat like counterparts, and frequently exchange mentions on Twitter.

“We consider ourselves on equal footing with her and that

is completely fine with us,” @ UA_Lately stated.

Some students feel these accounts add entertainment to a sometimes monotonous college life.

“I think someone created these accounts because they wanted to not only provide humor for the student body, but also to connect with other UA students in a manner other than academics,” Swims said. “Twitter allows people to discuss things they have in common in a way that is easy, efficient and portable.”

OPINIONS

Teach for America offers valuable experience

By Walker Donaldson

From MCT Campus

Gender-specific titles create unnecessary division

Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Editor • Tray Smith letters@cw.ua.edu Page 4

{ YOUR VIEW } WEB COMMENTS

IN RESPONSE TO “TEACH FOR AMERICA DAMAGING THE PROFESSION” “This program is a highly selective program with less than 11 percent acceptance rate.

To say that veteran teachers and TFA alumni are not qualified to determine whether someone has the characteristics to be a good teacher when they are that selective about it, is to criticize a lot of people that have been in the education system for quite a while.”

- Chris KK Holbrook

“The idea that the main problem in education is ʻbad teachersʼ who need to be rooted out is a false one; a far greater problem is keeping and developing good teachers. So TFA members might be really smart, but being really smart is a poor substitute for experience. Who do you want performing surgery on you, a licensed doctor with experience, or a Harvard English major who happens to be very bright? To keep and develop teachers, we need to recruit people who want to make teaching their career, not TFA members who often see TFA as a good thing to put on a law school application.”

- 2up2down

EDITORIAL BOARD Victor Luckerson Editor Jonathan Reed Managing Editor Will Tucker Assistant Managing Editor Tray Smith Opinions Editor John Davis Chief Copy Editor Drew Hoover Photo Editor Sarah Massey Magazine Art Director

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.

By Michael Patrick @MikeJohnPat Last week, First Year Councilor Robert Pendley proposed a bill to the University of Alabama’s student senate that would change their enumerated titles from “councilor” to “councilman” or “councilwoman.”

Councilor Pendley cited that this bill was meant to replicate the standard the United States Congress uses, and went on to suggest that the SGA should focus on imitating higher forms of U.S. government.

The proposed bill does a fantastic job of meeting this U.S. standard of legislation. It almost precisely emulates the absolutely useless bills that have been flowing from the bowels of Representative Boehner’s Congress this past year.

We saw a Republican Party that promised job creation manage to capture the House of Representatives, and then watched those same representatives propose no legitimate job legislation.

Instead, we witnessed social reform legislation that ranged anywhere from draconian to arbitrary.

I am not sure anyone should hope our student government ever becomes that useless and that out of touch with their constituents’ needs and desires.

Gender-specific labeling is not something the student body at the University of Alabama needs or wants. Students at the Capstone already bear a burden of almost Atlas-like proportions as a racially

These gendered titles only serve to create an atmosphere where women and men are separated, which is never something that a place of higher learning should strive for.

—Michael Patrick divisive greek system sits on our shoulders. We do not welcome any more division.

In a legislative body each representative should maintain an equal amount of power and opportunity for representation, and their nomenclature should reflect that.

These gendered titles only serve to create an atmosphere where women and men are separated, which is never something that a place of higher learning should strive for. A person’s gender should have no bearing on their position as councilor, and therefore has no place in the chambers of the legislative bodies at the University of Alabama.

The Student Government Association should actively seek ways to create more inclusivity for all students; that includes men, women and those who associate with neither gender. If passed, this legislation would have established an atmosphere where students who associate with different gender identities would be excluded and uncomfortable if they chose to participate.

I applaud the efforts of the SGA student senators who voted against this divisive bill, proving that they understand how this bill would

work to actively exclude individuals from the legislative process. The University should always hope to establish a safe and inclusive atmosphere for all students regardless of how they identify themselves.

The Student Government Association at the University of Alabama should always consider principles and pragmatism when legislation is presented; of which this bill has neither.

We should hope that our SGA should not strive to be like higher forms of the U.S. government, but rather that higher forms of the U.S. government would strive to be more like our SGA. UA Housing and Residential Communities could also take a lesson or two from our student senators and work toward creating a more inclusive atmosphere for all students in housing communities.

This is important, because words are important. Just as language can be empowering, it can be equally debilitating. Let us only choose titles for our representatives that have the potential for empowerment and not debilitation.

Michael Patrick is a senior majoring in political science. His column runs on Tuesday.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We should express our appreciation

By Mary Sellers Shaw One morning before Thanksgiving break, I stopped by the Bidgood bathroom between classes, where a University custodian was cleaning. Trying to stay out of her way, I entered a stall, left to overhear this conversation. Another student entered the bathroom and said to the custodian, “I just want to let you know how much I appreciate everything you do.” The custodian thanked her, saying the customary, “You just made my day!” and the student left. This random act seemed nice enough to me but nothing to be noted as particularly exceptional.

It was when I emerged from the stall that I realized the impact the student’s words had – as I washed my hands, I heard sobbing coming from the end of the room. The custodian, so moved by the student’s words, had burst into tears. I was left speechless – who knew that one

Let’s make a commitment, as students of The University of Alabama, to also give thanks – not only on Thanksgiving, but every day.

— Mary Sellers Shaw person’s words would make such a difference in the woman’s day? And not only that, but why had it not occurred to me to do the same?

I know this story sounds like the age-old adage of “do unto others,” but I think there’s something to be remembered in this occurrence.

Far too often, we all just go about our day-to-day business on campus and forget to pay attention to those around us. Two weeks ago we celebrated Thanksgiving, a day when we all stuff ourselves with turkey and dressing and watch football all day. Let’s make a commitment, as students of The University of Alabama, to also give thanks – not only on Thanksgiving, but every

day.

So I’d like to say thank you, from all of us, to everyone who helps keep this campus running. To the custodians, the Bama Dining staff, the librarians, the professors, the administration and everyone in between. It sounds sappy, I know, but without all of you our lives at the University would not be the same.

But I’d also like to say thank you to that anonymous student in the bathroom, whoever you are, for reminding me how important it is to just give thanks.

Mary Sellers Shaw is a sophomore majoring in communication studies.

The Party System Key in Making an Impact

By Robert Christl 2011 will surely go down as the year when progressives suddenly remembered that being politically involved means more than just voting in November. As unions, students and Occupy protestors hit the streets throughout the country, I can’t help but notice the political apathy that permeates this campus.

Sure, groups have had some luck with dedicated membership protesting HB-56 and environmental issues, but where are the rest of us?

More importantly, why are we not taking sides? I can understand the desire not to be affiliated with a political party given the polarizing times, but policy picks up where protests leave off. And who passes policy?

“The public cannot be totally absolved from this responsibility.

They picked us,” said Congressman Barney Frank, D-Mass., in a recent interview.

And he’s right. If you don’t like the direction the country is heading, do something about it. But don’t stop at the street. Take your plight into the government – local, state and federal.

That’s why I encourage fellow progressives to get involved with the party system. The parties are here to stay. With the way our electoral system is structured, Democrats and Republicans are your two options. Joining a party may mean we know who you are checking in the ballot box, but I’m telling you not be ashamed of it.

If you want politicians to listen, you need strength in numbers. A Democratic congressman or congresswoman won’t drive from Montgomery to talk to 10 students.

A Democratic congressman or congresswoman will drive out to talk to 50 or 60 college students.

Politics is gritty – always has been, and it always will be. Our generation needs to fix the mistakes the previous ones have made. We need to start the dialogue between the two parties. So this is a shoutout to all the environmentalists, LGBTQ advocates, feminists, economic justice advocates and even to the curious moderates – join your party.

Laws are passed by Republicans and Democrats. Those are your options. The College Democrats meet every Monday night at 7 in Lloyd in Room 226. We want to help, and the ball is in your court. Come and make a difference.

Robert Christl is the membership director of UA College Democrats.

An alarming crisis exists in public education today. American students fall short on testing in comparison to their international counterparts. Great disparity plagues school systems across the United States, bringing socioeconomic inequalities into the classroom. Graduation rates are falling, and the number of students completing college degrees, especially in Alabama, is terribly low.

Too often, concerned citizens place the blame for this kind of crisis on one specific group. Teachers, parents, administrators and policymakers are constant objects of criticism for their response, or lack thereof, to the problems that we as a nation are facing within our educational system. And while picking a scapegoat is easy, it is not necessarily ameliorative, nor is it fruitful.

The urgency of the situation indicates that there is no time to play the blame game.

Instead, we must take action.

Upon my arrival at UA in the fall of 2008, I was a political science major with aspirations of going to law school and working in Washington, D.C. However, by my sophomore year, I was beginning to reconsider my postgraduate plans. I started to recognize that the life I was living as a college student was incongruous with the experiences of those outside of the campus. Poor and underperforming school systems, a regressive tax structure and a host of other problems face Alabamians, and I could not fathom why more was not being done to improve these situations.

Curious to gain more knowledge of the inequalities the state and nation were facing, as well as ways to address them, I began working with the nonprofit organization Teach for America in the spring of my sophomore year. In interacting with teachers, as well as TFA staff in Alabama, I was inspired by their commitment to real change, and felt like they were in a position to positively impact the Black Belt, a region that is consistently neglected.

Eager to find out how I could personally help the cause, I did more research on Teach for America and decided it was something I would like to do after graduation. After observing these teachers and their fire for teaching, the thought of being in a classroom appealed to me in ways it never had before. I knew that my love of learning, and the desire to share it, would help me become a teacher who could not only improve students’ classroom performance but also instill in them a drive to succeed.

In the fall of 2012, I will begin teaching secondary English in Colorado. While I am admittedly nervous about the prospect of standing in front of my students for the first time, I am also bursting with excitement. My students, whoever they may be and whatever background they may come from, will have my full and undivided attention as their educator. My greatest commitment in life will be to them, and I will do everything in my power to give them the best opportunity to succeed. Some might dismiss my optimism as the naïveté of an inexperienced college student, but I would beg to differ. When I accepted my offer to Teach for America, it was not only with the knowledge that there would be challenges involved, but also with the knowledge that I would have the necessary resources to harness my greatest potential as a teacher, and in turn help my students realize their own.

I look forward to learning from the veteran teachers who are also committed to the betterment of students and the educational system as a whole. I go in not as someone who is looking to build my resume or to delay my entry into “the real world,” but as someone who truly desires to be a student of the science and pedagogy of teaching, regardless of whether I choose to continue in that occupation for the entirety of my professional life. My time in the classroom will undoubtedly provide me with valuable skills applicable to any profession that I may choose, but no matter where I end up using them, it will always be to the end of reform. When I enter the classroom this fall, I will enter it as a member of a movement, and I will leave it the same way. I may not have single-handedly solved the problem of educational inequality, but I will be armed with the experience and knowledge necessary to be a leader in that movement, and that is invaluable.

Walker Donaldson is a senior majoring in political science and history.

#TFAdebate

The Crimson White

NEWS

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

5

Student to play tennis in 2012 Para-Olympics

By Adrienne Burch Contributing Writer

Mackenzie Soldan, a sophomore majoring in advertising, took home the gold medals for singles and doubles tennis at the 2011 ParaPan American games and was offered a bid to compete in the Para-Olympics in London next summer.

It was a tournament she did not expect to play in, but when Soldan received a phone call in late October telling her a girl had dropped from the roster of the games, she discovered she was next in line to compete.

Soldan was a member of the U.S. Junior Para-Olympic tennis team until she was 18, but when she accepted a scholarship to play wheelchair basketball for the University of Alabama over a year ago, she thought her days of playing tennis were over.

“I hadn’t practiced [tennis] since April,” Soldan said. “I was focused on school and basketball; that was it.”

Despite her lack of practice and initial shock, Soldan accepted the offer and in mid-November travelled with the team to Guadalajara, Mexico to compete.

“I didn’t expect to win,” Soldan said. “I was just going to

enjoy not being at school for a few weeks and take in the sunshine. But I am very competitive, and once I was out there I wanted to win.”

Soldan played her first match of the tournament against Mexico’s Claudia Taboada. It was her first match in months, and she was playing the crowd favorite.

“I was extremely nervous,” Soldan wrote in a blog post about her first match-up. “That night I probably woke up at least 10 times.”

After losing the first set of the game, Soldan fought back and defeated Taboada to advance to the next round. Soldan then fought her way through three more matches, and won them all, including a victory over the No. 2 seed.

In her last match, she was set to face her doubles teammate and tournament roommate in the finals, top-ranked Emmy Kaiser. Soldan said that it was difficult playing someone she was so close to, but her competitiveness took over in the end and Soldan won the match.

Those victories gave her the gold medals for singles and doubles tennis at the games as well as a bid to compete in the Para-Olympics in London next

summer.

“I had a tryout for the basketball team this spring,” Soldan said. “I was planning on trying to play basketball in 2012.

However, winning this tournament changed everything.”

Soldan decided last week that she will accept the bid to play tennis at the 2012 games, and she said she feels it is what she was meant to do all along.

“Basketball was my first love, but right now I would say that both sports are about even,” Soldan said.

She said that the competition would be more difficult in 2012 because most of the top 20 players worldwide would be competing. Only two of the top 20 were present at the tournament in Mexico.

Soldan said she knows she has to focus on basketball throughout the winter. The UA women’s wheelchair basketball team is coming off a national championship win this past season, and Soldan will be an essential part of their pursuit to win again.

“It is going to be tough to get any [tennis] training in,” Soldan said. “One weekend we will be in Wisconsin, then in Tennessee, but when basketball season ends in March, tennis will become my focus.”

Mackenzie Soldan returns a volley while competing in the 2011 ParaPan American games in Guadelajara, Mexico in November.

CW | Submitted Photo

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GOLD

Continued from page 1 Gold said rematches are not unprecedented in any sport, as rematches in the Super Bowl and the World Series have happened in the past.

“If a team deserves it, whoever they are, they should be in,” said Gold, who has been broadcasting major sporting events for more than 35 years.

Originally hired as a weekend sports reporter with the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1976, Gold said he moved to Birmingham to cover the Birmingham Bulls, a team in the now-defunct World Hockey Association, and for more exposure.

After spending time as the play-by-play announcer for the UAB Blazers basketball team and Birmingham Barons, among other teams, Gold came to UA as the voice of the Crimson Tide basketball team in 1988. The

next year, Gold began his run as the Crimson Tide’s play-by-play football announcer, a position he still holds today.

Gold, who hasn’t missed a UA football game since being hired in 1989, said one of his most memorable calls at UA came in 2009 when defensive lineman Terrence Cody blocked his second field goal of the game to secure an Alabama victory over Tennessee.

“I’ll blatantly say that I carried that one around with me in my Blackberry,” Gold said.

He said another call that many people still talk to him about is his call at the end of the game against Texas in the 2009 National Championship.

After the crew spent the entire broadcast focusing on the history of UA at the Rose Bowl, Gold exclaimed, “And the roses in this grand ol’ stadium are once again Crimson,” after the final second ticked off the clock.

Despite making many of the Crimson Tide’s most infamous

calls, Gold said he still doesn’t think he has “the voice.”

“My voice is distinctive, but I’m not one of these guys with a set of pipes that sound like the voice of God,” he said. “I never really thought about it, I just did what I did.”

The biggest piece of advice Gold said he could offer students looking to have a career in sports broadcasting is to practice calling live ballgames.

“There’s not a single textbook or classroom that can teach you how to broadcast a ballgame,” he said. “That’s not to say that class isn’t important, but rather to stress the need to take a tape recorder and go to ballgames and practice. That’s what I did.

You can either do it or you can’t.

You must go to class, but the actual act of calling the game can only be learned onsite.”

Prior to the start of the 2011 season, Gold signed a four-year contract extension to remain the football team’s play-by-play announcer through 2017.

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FAMOUS ELI GOLD QUOTE UA-Tennessee 10/24/09 “The fans are cheering with that feeling in their stomach that’s hard to explain. Morgan Cox will snap it. Bram Cannon will hold. Daniel Lincoln from 45-yards out to win it for the Volunteers. Snap, the spot, it is blocked by Alabama! The Crimson Tide wins. The Crimson Tide wins. The Crimson Tide wins. Terrence Cody for the second time, I believe, got a piece of that one. The Crimson Tide wins and Bama remains undefeated.”

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

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The Crimson White

Bama football team wins Disney Spirit Award Prize recognizes the team members’ contributions to relief efforts after the April 27 tornado

that was effected by probably as devastating of a circumstance as I’ve ever had to deal with in my life.”

For Tinker, the Spirit Award is much needed recognition for the entire team.

“I’m not the only one that’s gone through something. There’s a lot of people that went through the same thing,” he said. “I don’t like how the spotlight has been on me in particular. We’re trying to take this opportunity to be a blessing to someone else.”

Saban said he is proud to receive the award, and he believes other people should be as well.

“I’m proud of the example we try to set in helping in our community,” he said. “And I’m talkCW | Mitchell Hughes ing about the University as a Coach Nick Saban led the Crimson Tide on the field during the whole and the football program Georgia Southern game Nov. 19. The team will be awarded the as a whole.”

Disney Spirit Award on Dec. 8.

REC Continued from page 1

Stress Free Daze Follow SGA (@UASGA) on Twitter for healthy study tips and suggestions to maximize your productivity during exam week!

Tuesday Dec. 6:

Candy Buffet 6:30pm @ The Ferg 2nd floor Elf movie showing 7pm @ Ferguson Theater Holiday card making 9pm @ The Ferg 2nd floor Late Night Breakfast & Holiday Bingo 10pm-11:30pm @ The Ferg East Dining Room

The logistics extend beyond simply ordering new parts and knowing how to use them, however. Employee schedules and duties are being worked out for the next semester, and come January the Rec Center will be operating at maximum staffing.

“We want all of our staff ready,” Brown said. “We have employees in the weight room, on the basketball courts and throughout the rest of the building. Our goal is to have mobile supervision everywhere to help deal with any issues that may arise.”

Brown also said the group exercise department is formatting a new schedule for the spring semester featuring additional class times and quicker turnaround between sessions.

For students looking to avoid a packed post-holiday gym, Brown suggested coming outside of the Rec Center’s peak traffic hours between 4 and 9 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The discrepancy between January and February totals and the rest of the year’s averages suggests the increase in usage is rooted in customers’

New Year resolutions to quickly lose weight in preparation for beach season.

Psychology professor William Hart cautioned against setting unrealistic goals and expecting instant results, citing the results of a paper showing 60 to 70 percent of people give up on their quick fix plans early on.

“Data suggests most people fail to maintain their resolutions over the year,” he said in an emailed statement. “Most people abandon their resolutions by three months.”

Hart emphasized the importance of long-term, conscientious self-regulation in achieving goals like New Year weight loss. He outlined the following three “tricks” to a successful resolution.

Make “implementation intentions” by writing down concrete goals for improvement, “think big picture” to stay on track in the long run and remember, “practice makes perfect.”

“Sometimes people forget the reason why they made the resolution,” he said. “When you are struggling to go to the gym, don’t focus on how hard or annoying it feels to work out. Think about why you need to go to the gym: I want to be happy, healthy and attractive.”

Brown also stressed the

the

h t o bo r 8th e b m e c e y, D Thursda

c i g o L J D y v a r G with

Counseling Center

significance of the big picture and recommended fun, varied workouts to maintain longterm interest in an exercise regimen.

While he acknowledged the significant role New Year resolutions play in his facility’s spike in attendance, Brown felt the steady pattern of increased Rec Center usage represents a sustained emphasis on health and fitness than a fleeting seasonal inspiration.

“Exercise and positive nutrition are a lot more mainstream,” he said. “Students are sticking with their fitness programs longer. Five years ago we would have seen a much more substantial dropoff in people coming in March and April. Our numbers show that more students are using [the Rec Center] more often.”

He referenced Rec Center figures showing 82.7 percent of the student population had used the facility at least once in 2010, the culmination of a multi-year upward trend.

Brown encouraged students to make fitness and health a lifestyle facet rather than a holiday backup plan.

“The big thing to recognize is that when you start doesn’t matter as much as how long you stick with it,” he said.

“We’ll be ready for you whenever you come.”

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long snapper Carson Tinker, who lost his girlfriend, Ashley Harrison, in the tornado. “That’s not anything that anyone would argue with. I’m really proud of how our team pulled together to help.”

And it was a team effort— linebacker Courtney Upshaw worked to raise thousands of dollars in relief funds in his hometown; former player Preston Dial filled a truck with supplies to bring to Tuscaloosa from Mobile; Barrett Jones helped clean debris and repair homes around town.

“I think that it really speaks well for the University of Alabama,” Saban said in the Disney press release. “I really think it speaks well for a lot of people in the organization who made a significant contribution to trying to help a community

@TheCrimsonWhite

Before travelling to New Orleans to compete in the BCS National Championship, Nick Saban and the football team will be going to Orlando, Fla., where they will receive the 2011 Disney Spirit Award.

The Spirit Award, given by Disney Sports to an inspiring player or team annually, will be accepted by Trent Richardson, Dont’a Hightower, Barrett Jones, Mark Barron, Carson Tinker and Coach Saban.

The players and coach will accept the award on behalf of the entire University of Alabama football team during The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.

According to a Disney Sports

press release, the team was chosen because of its efforts to aid and rebuild the community after the events of last April. Past recipients include Tim Tebow, Tulane University and Mark Herzlich.

“The compassion and generosity that these young men displayed were instrumental in the rebuilding efforts of a community in dire need of physical as well as emotional help, and Disney Sports is proud to honor them for their contributions,” said Disney Sports executive Faron Kelley. “The Crimson Tide and the University of Alabama have shown that sports can have a healing power far beyond the field or court.”

This will be only the fourth team recognition since the Spirit Awards’ inception in 1996.

“It was a team effort,” said

For all your local news

By Melissa Brown Staff Reporter mbrown104@crimson.ua.edu

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

By Jasmine Cannon Senior Staff Reporter jmcannon@crimson.ua.edu

Head coach Wendell Hudson and the Alabama women’s basketball team have a 7-2 record and are undefeated at home.

The team defeated previously unbeaten Kansas in its last game, and now they will travel to Denton, Texas to face the Mean Green of North Texas Wednesday, Dec. 7.

“Well, I think what it proved to us, when we play together, and we’ve talked about this over and over and over, we’re a pretty good basketball team,” Hudson said. “And so beating

Kansas, which is a really good basketball team, should have proved to us that when we play together, we are a pretty good basketball team too. And get that maximum effort. I think that’s the big key. I think this is one of those games at the end of the season where we look back and say, ‘This was a game that kind of catapulted us on to another level,’ because if we continue to play with that kind of effort, good things can happen.”

Alabama defeated Kansas 80-76 in Foster Auditorium. The Tide out-rebounded Kansas 42-35 and out-scored the Jayhawks in the paint 48-38. UA

BBALL

Continued from page 1

“You look at the VCU game, and I believe you saw some zone in that game,” he said.

“You look at Georgetown and saw extended periods of zone, and we struggled. So I would anticipate that we’d better be ready for teams to play zone. We’ve got to do a better job of handling zone.”

Grant’s philosophy on handling the zone doesn’t mean only trying to make outside shots.

“I think the fallacy there is people think you’ve got to shoot the ball from the perimeter,” he said. “I disagree with that. I think there’s obviously a lot of different ways, but no matter what you’re doing, the ball has to work inside down, no matter if it’s a man or a zone.”

Green said the team was taking good shots against Georgetown but they just weren’t falling.

“Our freshmen, they’re still working,” he said. “They work every day after practice, so the shots will start falling.”

Sophomore guard Trevor Releford said Georgetown’s zone was different from any others they had seen.

also had a positive night at the free throw line, shooting 75 percent. Sophomore guard Jasmine Robinson led Alabama with a career-high 24 points. Robinson also had five rebounds.

“I thought Jasmine grew up. She’s been growing up this whole year. She’s not there yet, but she’s getting closer to being there. One of the things that she’s done, she’s under control when she’s going to the basket.

And not letting the bumps and the little nagging stuff [get to her]. She’s now understanding, ‘Now I can go ahead and play without all of that.’”

After a big win over Kansas, the team says they must stay in

“You definitely have to attack the gaps and knock down shots and just keep the ball moving,” Releford said.

Grant will be battling against his alma mater in this matchup. He played for Dayton from 1983-87 and made two NCAA tournament appearances with the Flyers.

In the 105 games Grant played at Dayton, he averaged 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds.

Grant said this game wasn’t about him but rather about about the team coming back from the loss and playing a good opponent on the road.

“You look at Dayton, they’ve had some quality wins on the year and obviously a very tough team at home, so for us it’s an opportunity to try to get a win on the road,” he said.

The last time he visited the city was last year. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been inside the arena, though he said he has been back since his playing career.

While Grant said he expects Wednesday’s starting lineup to stay the same, the different lineups throughout the game are still a work in progress.

“We’re still looking at different things,” he said. “At this point in the season, I think as a coach, I’m still trying to figure that out.”

SPORTS

Tide travels to North Texas for second road test of the season

Junior guard, Meghan Perkins, lays the ball up against Georgia Southern on Nov. 21.

CW | Margo Smith the right frame of mind.

“Keeping that intensity level [is important],” junior guard Meghan Perkins said. “And, the aggression. Intensity level and aggression – as long as we have

that, every time we step out on the floor, we’re gonna be fine.”

Alabama will be the first Southeastern Conference team that North Texas has faced since the 2002-2003 season.

SPORTS BRIEFS Tide football boasts five All-Americans

Alabama placed five players on the 2011 AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-American team released on Monday. Safety Mark Barron, offensive lineman Barrett Jones, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, cornerback DeQuan Menzie and running back Trent Richardson were all selected as First-Team All-Americans.

Five selections in 2011 marks the second most in AFCA All-American history.

In the past four years, Alabama has placed 15 First-Team All-American athletes The AFCA has chosen an All-American team since 1945, and players are selected exclusively by NCAA coaches.

Richardson finalist in Heisman race Alabama running back Trent Richardson was named one of five finalists for the 2011 Heisman Trophy on Monday.

“It is a dream to be selected as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy,” Richardson said on Monday afternoon. “There are very few people that can say they were a candidate for the Heisman Trophy and even less that can say they were a finalist.

This is a tremendous honor, but one that wouldn’t be possible without my teammates, especially my offensive line. As far as I’m concerned, this is a team award.”

The junior from Pensacola, Fla., rushed for 1,583 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season and leads the SEC with 131.9 rushing yards per game. Richardson’s 23 total touchdowns rank second in SEC history.

The Heisman winner will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Best Buy Theater in New York City’s Times Square on ESPN. The other finalists are LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Wisconsin running back Montee Ball.

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Page 7 • Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Editor • Tony Tsoukalas crimsonwhitesports@ gmail.com

SPORTS this week

WEDNESDAY • Women’s basketball vs North Texas: Denton, TX 7 p.m.

• Men’s basketball vs Dayton: Dayton, Ohio 6 p.m.

Left: In September, Mayr’s Cakes and Pastries won the National Get Back to Scratch Contest.

Below: Cesar’s new 60-quart mixer holds 75 pounds of cake batter.

Submitted and Pastries won the National Get Back to Scratch Contest.

The contest included more than 450 baking establishments across the country entering a signature scratch-baked item.

Mary’s entered their decorated shortbread cookies, featuring such decorations as a houndstooth hat, a football, an elephant and others. Officially, the contest spanned six months.

According to Cesar, the contest was essentially 93 days, when contestants were accepted and given a chance to win through online voting. People voted for Mary’s every single day.

“They did it for us,” Cesar said.

While the voting numbers weren’t released, it is clear from comments alone that Mary’s was the winner. She had 136 comments on getbacktoscratch.com, the official contest website, which was far more than any other bakery.

The grand prize was either an 80-quart or a 60-quart Hobart Legacy mixer. The 60-quart mixer holds 75 pounds of cake batter, which is enough to make 80 quarter-inch cakes. It took

eight Hobart representatives two and a half hours just to get the 60-quart mixer in the door.

It only took two minutes to get it set up.

“We don’t need the 80,” Cesar said. The 60-quart mixer is still quite a spectacle to see and is worth roughly $20,000.

Cesar said winning is especially cool because she didn’t just buy the mixer. She feels in many ways the mixer belongs just as much to her loyal customers as it does to the business itself.

Cesar also gives back to her community, having donated the old mixer to the East Tuscaloosa Community Soup Bowl, as it was displaced by the tornado. She is also friends with many of her customers.

Glenn House Sr. is one such example, and he visits the bakery regularly, despite living in Gordo. He said it “seems like forever” that he’s known her, probably as long as she’s been here. When pressed for his favorite item, he said, “It’d be hard to pick one. We try to pick something different every time.”

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business. Some key points are making what customers want, selling it at a price that makes money, knowing when to say no and self-reliance.

“I don’t need to be rich,” she said. “I just need to be in the black. “[Many businesses are] undercapitalized, and they have this false sense of what it takes. It costs a lot more than people think.”

She noted she isn’t married and doesn’t have kids, an important advantage. To be successful, she said, the business has to be the most important thing.

“You gotta really want to do it,” she said. “I’m here every day. This shop, I want it to be something I like.”

Despite the fact that Mary’s Cakes and Pastries is in Northport, she has felt the weight of the EF-4 tornado that hit Tuscaloosa on April 27. She said 30 cakes were cancelled after the storm, a substantial amount of business. Mary has business insurance, but insurance does not account for what happens when you lose serious business weeks and months after a tragedy.

Cesar said people can’t be faulted for not needing celebratory food when many lost their homes, but she said perhaps the biggest hit was the University of Alabama cancelling graduation. Cesar said business was OK in April and slow in May, but not terrible.

June was probably the slowest month ever. By August, things began to pick back up, and October through December is one of the busiest periods of the year.

Despite the loss in business, Mary is adamant about supporting her staff.

“You can’t just cut hours,” she says. To employees who’ve worked at corporations that routinely cut employees’ hours to help the company line, Cesar is a breath of fresh air.

“I think the best thing about Mary’s is the people I work with and the interaction with customers,” said Mary’s employee Maury Holliman. “This place is like a small family. We get to interact with great customers.

This place is a home away from home.”

In September, Mary’s Cakes

@TheCrimsonWhite

There’s no better place to experience holiday warmth than at a bakery. Stroll through the entrance, and the oven provides instant heat.

Beyond body temperature, Mary’s Cakes and Pastries gives a sensory treat for the eyes and nose too. Gingerbread cookies, Yule log cake, stollen and bread pudding are just some of their holiday specialty items.

On Dec. 1, owner Mary Cesar said, the store turned into a “cookie factory.” They are already booked for wedding cakes each weekend in December and even had to turn one offer down.

“I expect it to be very busy,” Cesar said, right up until Christmas Eve. When a group of three young men strutted through the doors to Cesar’s shop, one commented that it smelled good. Cesar snapped back, “Of course it

does. It’s a bakery!”

Cesar took an unusual route in becoming the owner of the bakery at 412B 22nd Avenue in Northport. Before coming to Alabama, she lived in Atlanta and had previously been in places like New York, California, Finland and Paris.

After work one night, she happened to see an ad for Culinard in Birmingham on late-night television. Cesar said it was always her dream to go to culinary school. So, she took the plunge, from making a good salary to being in school with student loans.

“It’s kind of like jumping off a cliff,” she said.

Cesar, 53, has been in business since 2006. She believes having a business background and years of experience have been critical to being a business owner.

“I wouldn’t still be in business today,” she said.

According to her, people seriously underestimate the costs of starting and maintaining a

For all your local news

By Erich Hilkert Contributing Writer

NS04798273

LIFESTYLES Page 8 • Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Editor • Stephanie Brumfield lifestyles@cw.ua.edu

Mary’s Cakes and Pastries offers award-winning sweet treats

DOWNTIME

TUESDAY DECEMBER 6, 2011

PAGE 9

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10 Tuesday, December 6, 2011

LIFESTYELS

The Crimson White

Submitted Photos For the first time, dancers from the University of Alabama will be collaborating with Tuscaloosa Community Dancers for TCDʼs annual production of “The Nutcracker.”

BALLET

Continued from page 1

Chanse Jones, a sophomore majoring in dance from Jackson, Miss., said he’s excited to be involved with a Tuscaloosa holiday tradition, especially because he is from outside the state.

“It’s great to be able to dance for this college town that I now

consider home,” Jones said.

More than 20 UA dancers will perform in TCD’s production as the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Flowers, Snow Queen and King and various variations, alongside the community cast.

“The Nutcracker is TCD’s first true collaboration with the University,” said Milla Green, a member of the Board of Directors of TCD. “UA has a phe-

nomenal dance program. It is so exciting for TCD’s dancers to get to work alongside talented dancers from the University to put on a true community production.

This Nutcracker is going to be our best yet.”

The UA Dance Department has grown rapidly over the past several years due in no small part to the dance faculty’s quality teaching. The collaboration

with TCD gives UA dancers more performance opportunities, and it gives the community another opportunity to see topcaliber performers.

This performance also marks the last Nutcracker to be staged

by TCD’s longtime artistic director, Rebecca Tingle, who is retiring. Tingle has directed 30 productions for TCD and 23 productions of The Nutcracker.

“Rebecca Tingle has been my teacher since I was four,” Cheek said. “She cares about TCD’s dancers and her girls more than she cares about herself. Her studio is her life, and that’s what makes the performances she directs so compelling. She is one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met in my life.”

The UA dancers in The Nutcracker urge students to

come and support their peers in the show.

“These young dancers are flawless,” Jones said. “Even on stage I can’t help but gawk at them and how breathtaking they are in the smallest movements they make. Everyone needs to come and support the young dancers of Tuscaloosa - see what amazing talent this town has to offer!”

Give yourself the best gift this year.

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