Monday, December 3, 2012
Serving the University of Alabama since 1894
Vol. 119, Issue 64
SPORTS | FOOTBALL
Alabama set to play for 15th national title
CW | Caitlin Trotter
BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Nine SEC teams will play in a bowl game
Jan. 7 Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Fla.
By Marquavius Burnett Sports Editor
Alabama vs. Notre Dame BBVA COMPASS
AT&T COTTON
Jan. 5 Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field
Jan. 4 Arlington, Texas Cowboys Stadium
Ole Miss
vs.
Pittsburgh
Texas A&M
vs.
Oklahoma
ALLSTATE SUGAR
CAPITAL ONE
Jan. 2 New Orleans, L.A. Louisiana Superdome
Jan. 1 Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl
vs.
Florida
Louisville
vs.
Georgia
Nebraska
OUTBACK
TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR
Jan. 1 Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium
Jan. 1 Jacksonville, Fla. Everbank Field
South Carolina
vs.
Michigan
Mississippi State
vs.
Northwestern
CHICK-FIL-A
MUSIC CITY
Dec. 31 Atlanta, Ga. Georgia Dome
Dec. 31 Nashville, Tenn. LP Field
LSU
vs.
Clemson
Vanderbilt
vs.
NC State
Alabama football and the word destiny seem to go together. The Crimson Tide (12-1 overall) faced its toughest test against Georgia (11-2 overall) in the Southeastern Conference Championship game, narrowly escaping with a 32-28 victory. In a game that featured six lead changes, including three in the fourth quarter, Alabama found a way to make one more play than its opponent. The Tide pounded away at Georgia’s defense for an SEC Championship record of 350 rushing yards. Most of the damage was done behind right tackle D.J. Fluker and right guard Anthony Steen. “Up front, we’re based on pride,” Steen said. “We look at each other, and we know we’re about to get a first down. We’re looking in the other guy’s eyes, and they know they can’t stop us. That feeds me and D.J.” Eddie Lacy earned the honor of Most Valuable Player with his 181 yards and two-touchdown performance. Lacy averaged an otherworldly 9.1 yards a carry, showing speed, power and toughness throughout the game. “I came a long way from the surgeries and the offseason injuries, and to be able to come out
NEWS | SEXUAL HEALTH
CW | Austin Bigoney
As Alabama players celebrated on the field in Atlanta, Alabama students flooded the street on The Strip in Tuscaloosa to celebrate. and be the MVP of the game is a great feeling,” Lacy said. “I thank God for it, because without him, I wouldn’t be able to do that or accomplish things I have.” Two of the biggest plays of the game came from true freshmen. On a third-and-five in the fourth quarter, T.J. Yeldon got just enough to pick up the first down. On the following play, Amari Cooper got loose for the 45-yard go-ahead touchdown, putting the Tide up for good. “It’s a dream come true,” Cooper, who finished with seven receptions, 162 yards and a touchdown, said. “This is the stage I dreamed of being on in high school. That’s why I came
to Alabama.” Cooper’s touchdown set up a national championship matchup even Hollywood producers couldn’t have scripted. Alabama clinched its spot by winning the SEC Championship, but it was made official Sunday when the final BCS standings were announced. No. 1 Notre Dame (12-0 overall) will face No. 2 Alabama in the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 7, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla. The game will be televised by ESPN and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (CST).
SEE CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE 2
NEWS | MCNAIR SCHOLARS
Free contraception limited Without federal funds, UA’s SHC does not hand out condoms By Chandler Wright Staff Reporter Although there are locations in Tuscaloosa to access free condoms, the University is one of only three schools in the Southeastern Conference that doesn’t provide free condoms to students. Jessica Vickery, assistant director of health education and prevention at the Student Health Center, said the University used to provide free condoms, but the policy was changed because of mistreatment. “We offer condoms really cheap, and I’m the first one to tell a er • Plea s
er • Plea
ap
“
ecycle this p
ap
er
student where to go to there are people who have get them for free. There grabbed them to give to a were a lot of issues in the friend to embarrass them past when condoms were or blown them up like balgiven out,” Vickery said. loons, taped them to walls, “There were multiple rea- etc.” sons why Per patient this was privacy, the changed, S t u d e n t one of Health Center Most students are aware of t h e m d o e s n ’ t STIs and STDs... so I found being that release stuthat as far as a knowledge students dent health base that’s where our stud i d n ’ t data but, dents are; they have that. trust the V i c k e r y quality said UA stu— Jessica Vickery and were dents are on not treattrack with ing the SEC schools, resources as well as appropriately. When con- nationally. doms are free, students According to the treat them as though A m e r i c a n Co l l e g e they are free – this means Health Association’s that while a large major- National College Health ity may save them and Assessment from spring use them appropriately, 2012, 57.1 percent of stu-
INSIDE today’s paper
dents polled used a form of contraceptive the last time they had vaginal intercourse. “Most students are aware of STIs and STDs and what’s what and what symptoms are, so I found that as far as a knowledge base, that’s where our students are; they have that,” Vickery said. “But, as far as what works and what doesn’t in pregnancy prevention and proper use of contraceptives, that’s where we’re not.” Vickery said whenever she does a sexual health program for students, she recommends that student groups and RAs get condoms from free sources to provide to students. SEE SEXUAL HEALTH PAGE 3
Briefs ........................2
Sports .......................8
Opinions ...................4
Puzzles......................9
Culture ...................... 7
Classifieds ................ 9
McNair program cut
Now focusing on current students By Adam Mills Staff Reporter In the wake of the loss of all federal funding, The University of Alabama’s McNair Scholars program is focusing entirely on the last generation of scholars. According to the program’s website, the organization helps first-generation college students in financial need and those from underrepresented groups for successful admission to doctoral programs. “Ordinarily, we would
WEATHER today
“
We’d all love to keep it going if we can. At this point, however, there is no provision after spring. — Nancy Campbell
be interviewing [the next class of scholars] right now,” Nancy Campbell, director of the McNair Scholars program, said. “Our focus now is working with our current students.” Campbell said the loss of funding was not a total surprise. “We’ve known for about a year,” she said. “We’ve been bracing ourselves and working with University
Partly cloudy
75º/52º
administration.” Although funding was cut in October, Campbell said the University’s Office of Academic Affairs has agreed to help support the program through the spring semester. “We’d all love to keep it going if we can,” she said. “At this point, however, there is no provision after spring.”
SEE MCNAIR PAGE 2
Tuesday 75º/52º Chance of T-storms
cl e recy this p se
GO ON THE
ONLINE
ON THE CALENDAR TODAY
VISIT US ONLINE AT CW.UA.EDU
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @THECRIMSONWHITE
TUESDAY
What: ‘Hilaritas’
What: Dickens Downtown
Where: Moody Music Build-
Where: Historic Downtown
ing
When: 6 p.m.
When: 5 - 8 p.m.
What: West Alabama Christ-
What: ‘Hilaritas’
mas Parade Kickoff
Where: Tuscaloosa County Courthouse
Daniel Roth online editor magazine editor
Marquavius Burnett sports editor SoRelle Wyckoff opinion editor Ashanka Kumari chief copy editor Shannon Auvil photo editor Anna Waters lead designer Whitney Hendrix lead graphic designer Alex Clark community manager
ADVERTISING Will DeShazo 348-8995 Advertising Manager cwadmanager@gmail.com Tori Hall Territory Manager 348-2598 Classified Manager 348-7355 Coleman Richards Special Projects Manager osmspecialprojects@gmail.com Natalie Selman 348-8042 Creative Services Manager Robert Clark 348-8742 Emily Diab 348-8054 Chloe Ledet 348-6153 Keenan Madden 348-2670 John Wolfrom 348-6875 Will Whitlock 348-8735 Amy Metzler osmspecialprojects2@gmail.com Jake Morrow osmspecialprojects2@gmail.com The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students. The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor, Student Publications Building, 923 University Blvd. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving, and once a week when school is in session for the summer. Marked calendar provided. The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues. Any other papers are $1.00. The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year. Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to: The Crimson White Subscription Department, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 354032389. The Crimson White is entered as periodical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright © 2012 by The Crimson White and protected under the “Work Made for Hire” and “Periodical Publication” categories of the U.S. copyright laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of The Crimson White.
Where: Green Bar When: 7 p.m.
What: Tarantino XX Reservoir Dogs 20th Anniversary Event
Where: Cobb Hollywood 16 Cinemas
What: Men’s Basketball v. Dayton
Where: Coleman Coliseum When: 8 p.m.
calendar@cw.ua.edu
ON THE MENU BURKE
LAKESIDE LUNCH
DINNER
LUNCH
BBQ Pork Sandwich Chicken Fajita Pizza Baked Macaroni & Cheese Vegetable Medley Home-style Baked Ziti Curried Cauliflower Soup Garden Burger (Vegetarian)
Meatloaf with Gravy Chicken Gumbo with Brown Rice Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Vegetable Pizza Delmonico Potatoes Moroccan Vegetable Stew (Vegetarian)
Meatloaf with Gravy Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wrap Sausage Pizza Minestrone Soup Grilled Red Potatoes Cauliflower Au Gratin Spicy Vegetarian Lo Mein (Vegetarian)
Melissa Brown news editor newsdesk@cw.ua.edu Lauren Ferguson culture editor
Mic
Submit your events to
Will Tucker editor-in-chief editor@cw.ua.edu
Mackenzie Brown visuals editor
What: Price of Comedy Open
When: 7 p.m.
EDITORIAL
Stephen Dethrage production editor
ing
When: 6 p.m.
P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-8036 Advertising: 348-7845 Classifieds: 348-7355
Where: 360 Ferguson StuWhen: Noon - 1 p.m.
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Nott Hall Lobby
Series dent Center
Where: Moody Music Build-
When: 7 - 9 p.m.
Ashley Chaffin managing editor
What: Brown Bag Lecture
Northport
What: Art Speaks
Page 2• Monday, December 3, 2012
WEDNESDAY
FRESH FOOD DINNER
LUNCH
Beef Burgandy Pepperoni Pizza Egg Noodles Squash Gardenburger Grilled Vegetable Pizza Vegetable Lo Mein (Vegetarian)
Chicken Fried Steak Chicken Enchilada State Fair Corn Dog Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole Steamed Green Beans Squash Medley Black Bean Corn Salad (Vegetarian)
“I’ll probably call some friends and laugh with them,” said Temple junior Samira Ford, 20, a broadcast major. Gayle Cutler, who is auditing the Rutgers-Camden class, is booked on a flight to Israel – a ticket she bought before the semester started and she learned the significance of the date. “If they’re flying and there’s no war, I will be going,” said Cutler, a retired English teacher. Charme said that whether people believe is the least important issue. “What’s more interesting to me is what are the reasons why people take on certain beliefs that may or may not be unusual,” he said. Every day, there’s fresh material on the Internet, Charme said. In class one day last week, he shared the latest: The “rapture index” had reached its highest level – 186. Billed as “the prophetic speedometer of end-time activity,” the index considers 45 factors, such as moral standards, unemployment, drug abuse, earthquakes and “liberalism.” The Israeli conflict tipped up the anti-Semitism metric. “What 186 really means we don’t really know,” Charme said, tongue-in-cheek, “other than that it’s way, way, way worse than it’s ever been before.”
ON THE RADAR
This year’s final exams may be the Final Exams From MCT Campus When religion professor Stuart Charme decided to teach a course on the end of the world this semester, he knew he had a compelling hook: the Dec. 21 conclusion of the “Long Count” Mayan calendar that doomsday believers have latched on to as proof that time will end. But Charme had no idea what the next few months would bring: the cataclysmic Hurricane Sandy, a fiscal cliff some have dubbed “debtmageddon” and an intensifying conflict involving Israel, the place where Christian end-time theorists believe the apocalypse will commence. “I didn’t realize this was going to be the most apocalyptic semester that has ever been,” Charme told students at Rutgers-Camden University last week. “If you look at what’s been going on in the world today as we’re down to 30 days and counting, this has been a really good time. And remember that bad is good for the apocalyptically minded.” And he’s not the only professor offering “end of the world” courses this semester, theoretically the last semester ever. At Temple, associate professor Barry Vacker is teaching “Media, Culture, and the End of the World.” Each week, students explore apocalyptic themes, such as nuclear war,
Program prepared future grad students MCNAIR FROM PAGE 1 One of the most disheartening things about the loss of funding is that the McNair Scholars program works, Campbell said. “McNair is a proven program,” she said. “It’s a very good program in helping diversify graduate schools. There’s data saying it works. Universities all across the
zombies, viruses and germs, and global warming. “We looked at why these ideas proliferate over time,” he said, and how they provide “what if ” scenarios to help guide human behavior. If nuclear material falls into the hands of terrorists, for example, a war could start. This month, students analyzed apocalyptic movies and how they measure up against real-world examples. “I’ve been trying to inform the students on what’s possible, probable, likely and impossible,” Vacker said. On Pennsylvania State University’s main campus, Latin American history professor Matthew Restall and his colleague Amara Solari, an art history and anthropology assistant professor, have teamed up on a course, titled simply “The End of the World.” “We didn’t put 2012 (in the course title) so that we always have the option of teaching the class again,” Restall said, “in case the world doesn’t end.” Despite the impending doom, students must study, produce projects and take finals. At Penn State, the final will be given on apocalypse eve, leaving students no choice but to work “right up to the very night the world is supposed to end,” Restall said. The courses proved wildly popular.
“It filled in two hours,” Restall said of his honors course, which was capped at 35 students. “We had emails for weeks and weeks into the summer from people asking if there was space.” Students said the course was among their most interesting. “I find it fascinating to see what people do to comfort themselves,” said Bridgid Robinson, 23, of Haddonfield, N.J., a religion and sociology major at Rutgers-Camden, “because apocalyptic thinking, secular or religious, is all about comfort, or lack thereof.” Will Wekesa, 25, a psychology and nursing major from Sayreville, N.J., said he had seen all the apocalyptic movies. “I never heard of a class that could teach that,” he said. “I enjoy it.” But not one student interviewed said he or she actually believed the Dec. 21 expiration date. “Our first project was about the Mayan prophecy and so we kind of debunked it,” Temple senior Julie Zeglen, 21, of West Chester, Pa., said. The Mayans never predicted the end of time; it’s just a turning point in the calendar, Restall said. But there’s an apocalyptic anxiety in Western culture, going back many centuries, in which people react to the
changes around them by predicting time will end, he said. The Internet has caused that speculation to boom. “It isn’t elsewhere that people are latching on to this,” he said. “It’s mostly the English-speaking world.” Brother Joseph Dougherty, a La Salle University religion professor teaching in the Philippines, promptly replied to a question about whether he knew of any “end of the world” courses there. “The Philippines will not participate in the end of the world,” he wrote, suggesting intervention by a higher authority -- “an indult from the pope.” Restall noted that over time, there have been hundreds of scheduled doomsdays. In 1260, a friar in Italy cited the Book of Revelation. In 1843, a farmer in Vermont predicted the second coming. Then there was Y2K. And American Christian radio broadcaster Howard Camping predicted a fiery end would begin in May 2011. And if nothing happens on Dec. 21, “people will immediately begin to move to the next date,” Restall said, or philosophize that Dec. 21 is the beginning of a seven-year period that will bring about the end. Students and faculty are making lighthearted plans for the fateful day. Several said they were attending “end of the world” parties.
U.S. actively recruit McNair scholars.” Akeem Borom is the current student president of the UA McNair Scholars, and the loss of federal funding has stunted his duties, as well. “The entire point of being the president is to prepare for the next generation of scholars,” he said. “It’s like [the loss of funding] has pulled the rug out from under my feet.” Borom now spends his time as president connecting with McNair Scholars at other institutions.
“It’s all we can do now,” he said. Borom plans to attend medical school and said he’s seen multiple benefits from the program, including access to conferences and increased communication with graduate schools. “Just to have ‘McNair’ attached to your name is so beneficial,” he said. “In the last 10 days, I’ve been emailed by at least 100 graduate schools.” Borom said the ‘McNair’ distinction helped him achieve a rare opportunity of backto-back prestigious internships with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The program, he added, has helped him continue research, and he will graduate with multiple publications. In particular, Borom was thankful for Campbell’s contributions. “It’s incredible how ready she gets you [for graduate school],” he said. “You know everything and become really competitive.” Borom said he was much more organized and knew how
to make himself stand out in N.Y. admissions competition. “We went as a group and Brass Bralley, a senior major- had a lot of fun while getting ing in Spanish, shared Borom’s to experience a taste of what sense of indebtedness to the conferences will be like as we program and Campbell. progress along our academic “I – and past scholars – owe careers,” Bralley said. “We each a lot to this proorally presentgram, and to ed our research Dr. Campbell, and got to meet The entire point of being the in particular,” other McNair president is to prepare for the Bralley said. scholars from next generation of scholars. It’s “It has been all over the like [the loss of funding] has an extremely country who pulled the rug out from under beneficial prohad worked gram to me on their own my feet. and the other individual proj— Akeem Borom scholars as it ects.” has given us Bralley, who the experience is not quite and guidance that we need sure of her plans after gradubefore pursuing graduate edu- ation, said Campbell and the cation – including devising and McNair Scholars program have executing our own individual been supportive, even in her research projects, presenting indecision. this research at a national con“Honestly, I couldn’t be more ference and preparing articles disheartened that the cohort to be published in the McNair of 2012 will be the last year at journal next year.” Alabama,” Bralley said. “I hope The program allowed Bralley that we can somehow find a way to attend and participate in an to get the program to return academic conference in Buffalo, within the next few years.”
“
NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS
NEWS
Page 3 Editor | Melissa Brown newsdesk@cw.ua.edu Monday, December 3, 2012
Professors take stances on Fiscal Cliff solutions By Rich Robinson Assistant News Editor The looming confluence of economic forces known collectively as the “fiscal cliff” is probably not on the radar of most folks at The University of Alabama. But for some UA professors, the selfimposed crisis serves as a case study of what ails the American government and economy. “I think the cliff is more like a slope that we may or may not go down,” J. Norman Baldwin, professor of political science, said. “It’s an embellishment for political purposes.” That “embellishment” has the potential for very real economic consequences. The Christian Science Monitor reports that the cliff adds up to be $600 billion in a mixture of government spending cuts and tax increases for fiscal year 2013. The largest part of the cliff would come from not extending benefits ensured under the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts signed into law by President George W. Bush. The cuts were temporarily extended two years ago by President Barack Obama and are due to expire at the end of 2012. If allowed to expire, the tax cuts would increase government revenue by $221 billion in 2013 alone. While Democratic and Republican leadership seem supportive of extending tax benefits for the middle class, the
real fight is over those who make more than $250,000 a year. That fight extends back home to the Capstone. “It is absolutely unclear that raising taxes on productive people would raise more tax revenue,” said Robert Brooks, a professor of finance and the Wallace D. Malone, Jr. Endowed Chair of Financial Management at the University. “It may very well be the case if you were to extend the Bush tax cuts and actually cut taxes on the wealthy that the tax revenues would go way up because of the innovations that are coming down the pike. We really don’t want to send the innovators to other countries.” Anne Williamson is an assistant professor of political science at the University. She teaches a course on governmental budgeting and thinks that the Bush tax cuts for the highest income bracket should increase. “Ultimately, we may go back to the 39 percent [marginal tax rate] for the upper income bracket,” She said. “I would expect allowing the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy to expire as being one step.” Also included in the cliff is a $109 billion across-the-board cut in government spending, known in Washington parlance as the “sequester.” $55 billion would come from Defense Department cuts, while $45 billion would be divided between all remaining non-
defense discretionary spending. The remaining $9 billion in cuts would come about by reducing Medicare pay rates to doctors. But that’s not all. At least $200 billion of additional tax increases and government cuts will expire by the end of this year. The potential damage to Alabama could be great, according to a recent Pew Center on the States report. The report says 8.9 percent of Alabama’s annual production comes from federal spending, almost twice the national average of 5.3 percent. The majority of that funding goes to defense employees and projects, while 1.9 percent goes to non-defense spending. Economics professor Gary A. Hoover thinks that going over the cliff would destroy a generation worth of workers’ equity. “Immediately, the effects are going to be dramatic, but if you ask me about it, the more telling story is going to be what happens 10 years down the line, not one year, and no one seems to be thinking about that,” Hoover said. “The same way interest compounds, these problems that are going to be caused by this fiscal cliff won’t hit their full impact for at least four or five years.” Hoover does not think this is the time for a large-scale “grand bargain” to solve the budget crunch because it could harm the economy.
“When times are flush, and there will come a time when the economy is humming along again, that’s when you’re supposed to address these types of issues. But when the economy is doing well, that’s exactly when no one wants to talk about this,” Hoover said. “It’s the oddest thing, and now, when the economy is just barely limping along, everyone is thinking about these draconian measures.” Brooks thinks the government needs to act immediately to bring down the deficit. “It doesn’t matter if we’re in a recession or a boom,” he said. “We’re out of control at the governmental level at spending
money, and the best time to stop that is right now.” Ahmad Ijaz, the director of economic forecasting for the Center for Business and Economic Research, felt something needed to be done to ensure a healthy economy for the future. “If we don’t do something about it now, younger people will have to bear the burden, meaning living with high government deficits. They will have to pay higher taxes, live with reduced benefits, they will have to suffer the consequences of huge debt levels, which will have to be repaid in one form or another,” Ijaz said. “There are too many
serious consequences for the next generation if some sort of fix is not in place today.” Perhaps most damaging of all the potential consequences of going over the fiscal cliff would be the long-term loss of trust and prestige for the United States around the world. “I think that it would harm us on the world stage if we are unable to avoid this,” Williamson said. “If we wind up harming our economy because our politicians cannot agree, then I think it sends a very negative signal to the world about our ability to work together, and that, frankly, harms us in terms of our global position.”
Some say more sex conversations needed
constraints can always pose problems and some students cannot afford contraception,” Wilson said. “To address this, we provide those free resources and safe place to come and ask questions about sexual health or STDs and even determine if a student needs to see a physician.” Wilson said they sometimes encounter students who abuse the resources, but usually they are able to monitor this. “Well, for our fraternities, sometimes pledges will come in at the beginning of the semester and empty the condoms outside of our office into their backpacks for rush stuff. We cannot always police that,” Wilson said. “If we’re in the office, we’ll stop students who do this. Otherwise, though, there is not a lot of abuse.” A native of the northeast U.S., Vickery said she thinks that students at the Capstone are more uncomfortable talking about sexual habits than elsewhere. “I would say it’s a comfort gap. People up North are a lot more open to talking about it and being open about it, but that does not mean that they know
what they’re talking about,” Vickery said. “So, I think our students have an okay knowledge base, but I think most students walking into a college campus have an okay knowledge base. They might have had sexual health education in the past, but how much do you actually remember?” Vickery said she hopes to increase the number of opportunities to engage in conversations about sexual health and educate students on campus about sexual health, sexual transmitted diseases and healthy relationships. “I personally think more education is a big thing. Our administration wants more education as well,” Vickery said. “I think the more classrooms and times we can get into classrooms to talk about it, that would be great. Those are some basics that may be reminders for some people, but might be new to other people. Sexual health has become only STIs and STDs, but it’s a lot more. Sexual health is about getting consent for your partner, knowing your protection options and being comfortable with your partner.”
SEXUAL HEALTH FROM PAGE 1 “They’ve been really great about helping to provide that to students,” Vickery said. “Students can get them for reduced price at the Student Health Center pharmacy. They can go to the West Alabama AIDS Outreach or the Department of Health down on Hargrove Road. We have access to that stuff for our students as well.” The University of South Carolina Office of Sexual Health offers students various forms of free male and female contraceptives. Shameka Wilson, USC sexual health program coordinator, said her office provides these resources and opportunities for sexual education for their students. “I deal with a lot of first year students in my position and they oftentimes come in with misinformation, so they need to be educated about sexual health and what resources are available on campus. Also, financial
HERE. THERE.
EVERYWHERE.
Take your NEWS with you.
NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS
OPINIONS
Page 4 Editor | SoRelle Wyckoff letters@cw.ua.edu Monday, December 3, 2012
‘Catfish’ reveals common truths about human desires By Chris Beacham Staff Columnist
MCT Campus
Kendrick Lamar a refreshing voice in rap music By Brad Tipper Staff Columnist In today’s music world, an artist with a message containing much depth is hard to come by, it seems. Look at the top artists in any given genre right now and you can sum up a majority of their songs in even just one word. Taylor Swift? Boys. Justin Bieber? Girls. Ke$ha? Partying. This is especially true for the current hip hop and rap world. Artists like 2 chainz, Big Sean or Wiz Khalifa are mostly one-trick ponies whose songs revolve around money, cars, girls, drugs and partying. Their lyrics and beats all work well inside bars and nightclubs, where people are less worried about artistic ability and more concerned about who’s buying the next round of drinks. Unfortunately, to the masses, those are the names and faces that mostly represent today’s rap scene. But who people need to be paying attention to if they’re looking for music that contains substance, emotion and soul are rap artists like Kendrick Lamar.
Raised in Compton, Calif., Kendrick Lamar grew up idolizing Tupac, not only for his artistic ability, but also for the way he tried to live his life. One listen through his debut album, “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” the legendary rapper’s influence on what Lamar chooses to speak about in his lyrics becomes quickly apparent. Instead of following many of today’s rappers in writing lyrics centered around superficial things like cars, jewelry and money, he decides to focus on the personal issues he faces and the problems experienced growing up on the streets of Compton. The big topics Lamar focuses on throughout his songs are ones that anybody can relate to, whether you grew up in the inner city or in the suburbs. One of the most prolific of the subjects he speaks about is the peer pressure to do things like drink, do drugs or commit crimes and how the decision either to do or not to do these things can affect somebody for the rest of their life. One of the most popular songs off his album is “Swimming Pools
(Drank),” and though it might be used as a song at a party, a closer look at the lyrics reveals Lamar’s family history of alcoholism, along with his own personal struggles with drinking and an examination of the reasons why people drink. The most interesting thing about Lamar and his debut album is the way he presents it to the audience. While many artists today throw a random mix of songs into an album, hoping a few will become radio hits, Lamar tells a story about himself throughout his entire album, with each song adding another individual piece to the puzzle of his life. While those who didn’t grow up in areas like Compton might not be able to relate to all the problems he talks about, not only does he give a deeper insight into those problems he and his friends faced, he also allows for you to look inside yourself and the struggles that you might be going up against. It’s encouraging to see young musicians such as Lamar in today’s music business, and even more exciting when they are
finding success like he is (“good kid, m.A.A.d city” is currently number 3 on Billboards hip hop/rap album chart, number 12 on its digital albums chart, and sold close to 250,000 copies in the first week alone). With backing and support from music legends like Dr. Dre, it’s not a stretch to say that this success will only continue to grow over time. Hopefully, as artists such as him begin to make a bigger name for themselves, it will not only encourage future artists to follow in their footsteps, but also for audiences to begin to relate the hiphop/rap genre with names like Kendrick Lamar, instead of those who make much less memorable statements. I encourage every music lover to check out Lamar’s album and listen to it from start to finish; I think that you’ll quickly become a fan of the smart and powerful music by the West Coast rapper.
civilians tells us that random bombing by the United States to “protect” Vietnamese against communists were more feared than the Viet Cong themselves. The similarities between the current drone program and Vietnam bombing are unsettling. The objectives are the same. Attack the “enemyinfested” area with a show of military might to either intimidate or kill. And, like the word “communist,” applying the word “terrorist” to the enemy incites fear, and is used to justify possible civilian deaths by assumed “terrorist” association. Because the attacks are based on location, civilians are put in harms way for the death of a few known terrorists. The use of drones in place of ground forces prevents any risk of U.S. forces or casualties. While this is a positive, no doubt, it was also the reason the bombing of the Vietnam countryside was ordered (despite the fact troops were eventually sent in). There are notable differences between the bombs dropped under Lyndon B. Johnson and those dropped under Obama. Technology has changed, and arguably improved. Pilots are able to operate the aircraft from miles away, sometimes even over the ocean, and the attacks are more specific.
Also, drones now are used for surveillance, not just combat. But while drones in areas like Afghanistan and Pakistan are killing thousands of potential enemies, they are creating many more. Civilians are living under skies that have flying robots observing and attacking. How do you think the people of these areas feel towards the country manning these aircrafts? Aggressive American presence should be very limited and well justified. Drones are neither. And from a humanitarian standpoint, how do we know the “2,000 suspected terrorists” are really all terrorist? These vague numbers go unchecked, and because of the secrecy of the program, the little that we do know lacks credibility. Drones have another argument against them: their cost and necessity. As we near the edge of the dreaded fiscal cliff, conversations are being made about areas of the government we need to cut back on. Our representatives, president and fellow constituents need to be honest about military spending, and seriously consider cutting back on programs like drone operation. Leaders like Republican Congressman Rand Paul are forcing questions about our unnecessary spending and the freedom we give the military when it comes to price tag requests. We need
to listen. Governor Romney had an opportunity to raise an argument against Obama’s extensive use of drones. But, unfortunately, both Republicans and Democrats are nervous about limiting funds to the military. Yet at the same time, both candidates emphasized the need for “domestic” improvement. Drones not only strain our overextended budget, but harm American citizens by encouraging animosity towards us from the rest of the world. For something created for American protection, it seems to be doing the exact opposite. We should learn from our previous mistakes, especially when it comes to foreign relations. In a world where U.S. enemies are becoming stronger, we must make smart decisions for not only ourselves, but also the rest of the globe. Bombing in Vietnam only intensified our relationship, not to mention caused countless civilian deaths. The disregard for death count for the sake of “fighting communist” has become one of the darkest blots on our history. Yet, while is easy to look back and criticize, it is even easier to make the same mistakes again.
this is profound is because I feel that this is the case for many of our relationships in life, even with those we may have physical contact with. A great example of this is the celebrity culture in America and the unhealthy obsession around it. It is based on nothing real, but on similar projections that gives us the illusion that we really know someone we have never met, or that this person is meant for us. The reason why most relationships fail is because of identification with images. We may be around a person, but we see them through the veil of our own desires, wants and expectations, much of which leads to pain and disappointment when reality does not meet them. The romantic feelings of wanting to be completed by another are also based also on illusions, because we’ve been conditioned to feel that unless we’re with someone, we’re less of a human being. The people in this show feel the need to feel whole, be appreciated, feel worthy and be happy, simply because they cannot give themselves these things. The drama of relationships may be fun for some people, but the honest truth is that no one can give you what you can’t give yourself. The things you are seeking, you already have in a reservoir deep within yourself, and the desire to get fulfillment from someone else is a barrier to you experiencing these things. The people on this show are looking for another person, conceptualized mentally as an image, to bring them salvation and make their lives fuller. Eastern philosophy talks about working out your own salvation and learning selfreliance, while also saying, “You, as much as anyone else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” You can only give yourself the things you desire, not anyone else.
I recently came across a television show called “Catfish” that has been getting attention since parts of the first episode were filmed in Tuscaloosa. This show, along with the movie it is based off, is about people developing “relationships” through social media, via internet, texting, etc. Each episode consists of a central person who wants to meet their mystery partner, whom they’ve never spoken or had direct contact with, but are convinced they are in love with — that this is something special and they have to meet this person. Although I’m not sure how real the show is, the idea of this being common does not surprise me at all. When the person finally has direct contact with the other they wanted to finally meet, it almost always isn’t what the person thought it would be, sometimes drastically different. A girl thinks she’s been communicating with an attractive young model in Malibu, and has fallen in love with him, when in fact upon direct contact, it’s an awkward young girl. This girl has many other people she’s also been leading on to believe she’s something she is not. As weird, funny and sad as this is, it’s also strangely profound. The show, although dramatic and strange, shows how many people operate. The central person in each episode has convinced themselves they are “in love.” They have a Facebook page, a few photos and over a year’s worth of texts, much of which are very emotional, intimate and provocative. Their startling realization is that they were really in love with a self-created image of the other person. They created this fiction in their minds and become infatuated with it, to the point of feeling they had found their “soul-mate.” This leads to expectation, obses- Chris Beacham is a sophomore sion and pain from the disappoint- majoring in psychology. His coling truth of it all. The reason why umn runs biweekly on Sundays.
Brad Tipper is a junior majoring in economics and political science. His column runs biweekly on Mondays.
Passion should not be only Drones: The Vietnam bombings of today’s wars motivation for educational choices made during college By SoRelle Wyckoff Opinions Editor
During the third presidential debate between President Obama and Governor Romney, the two were asked about drones. Both candidates, shockingly, agreed and supported the use of unmanned combat vehicles to “fight terrorism.” Apparently these politicians, and others who continue to support the use of drones, haven’t read their history. Since the drone program under President Obama, it has nearly doubled in size and there have been over 300 drone strikes in six countries, killing over 2,000 “suspected terrorists.” The administration and military has admitted that occasionally, this means some civilian deaths. Our not-so-distant past provides a comparable example. During the Vietnam War, bombing preceded the ground troops in order to avoid U.S. deaths and costly logistics. The bombing of Northern Vietnam was aimed at “suspected communists,” hitting communities associated with Viet Cong forces. Reexamining former decisions with a lens of 20-20 hindsight, it’s clear that much the bombing of “suspected communists” killed unsuspecting civilians. And historical accounts of Vietnamese
SoRelle Wyckoff is the Opinions Editor of The Crimson White. Her column runs on Mondays.
By Cheyenne Paiva Staff Columnist
Follow your heart, and you will not get lost. Do what you love, and the money will follow. Leap, and the net will appear. Find your passion, and run with it. Lies. All lies, I say. Wellmeant but stupid fairy tales told by generations over and over – to young adults like us, the one group of people who most deserve the truth. College is not the time to find your passion, nor can it be. It is the four years we have to apparently decide our specialty for the other threefourths of our lives. So, what if most people get jobs unrelated to their major? If that is the case, then a college degree is worth no more than that sheet of paper bought with tens of thousands of abused dollars. An unused degree is a useless degree and, frankly, a criminal waste of effort put into a major you thought would be relevant or at least worth your time. Tacky advice applies to few people, people so extraordinary that we make up motivational sayings for those with little chance of following in their footsteps. Achieved dreams are only delusions gone right, and those who get there encourage theirs fans’ delusions without announcing how close they were to likely failure. I blame my cynicism on being advised as if my passion would be obvious. I blame my unhappiness Cheyenne Paiva is a sophomore on this idea I cannot get out of my majoring in biology. Her column runs head – that we should never settle for biweekly on Mondays.
EDITORIAL BOARD
GOT AN OPINION?
GOT A STORY IDEA?
TWEET US AT
Will Tucker Editor-in-Chief
Submit a guest column (no more than 800 words) or a letter to the editor to letters@cw.ua.edu
cw.ua.edu/submit-your-idea
@TheCrimsonWhite
Ashley Chaffin Managing Editor Stephen Dethrage Production Editor Mackenzie Brown Visuals Editor Daniel Roth Online Editor
Alex Clark Community Manager Ashanka Kumari Chief Copy Editor SoRelle Wyckoff Opinion Editor Tray Smith
anything less than our passion and that we should never stop searching until we have found our passion. We are extremely young adults; I do not see how it is even remotely possible to find our passion without having tried everything. We are asked to make a decision we do not have enough experience to make, and it is enraging that I only realized this years after I needed to. It is not fair that I had to major in biology in order to realize what I should have done, and it is pathetic that I am disappointed with a good major because I do not know what could have been. I am no more qualified to give advice than those who wronged me with theirs. Rather, I serve as an example of everything that can go wrong. I carry the damage brought by either a void of passion or an insatiable desire for something which I do not know even exists. If anything, my passion lies in my lack of it. I know the value of an education, and I have a good idea of what it will bring me in the future. I still have plans – I just did not need to follow my heart to make them. I condemn the idea that passion is the only legitimate source of motivation. It may be relevant, but it certainly is not necessary. It does not make college any more or less easier, just more or less confusing.
The Crimson White reserves the right to edit all guest columns and letters to the editor.
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
Monday, December 3, 2012 | Page 5
Holiday stress targeted in 12 Days of Wellness By Judah Martin Contributing Writer Instead of the two turtle doves or the partridge and pear tree of the traditional 12 Days of Christmas, The University of Alabama Office of Health Promotion and Wellness promotes exercise, nutrition and emotional strength of the participants of their 12 Days of Wellness. The program includes 12 days of activities for University faculty and staff that encourage wellness and alleviate the stress of the holiday season. Participants are given a
calendar of events and asked to complete at least twelve of the activities. Upon completion, participants will be entered in a drawing for a free massage. These events kicked off on Saturday, Dec. 1. The office offered participating UA faculty and staff a Snowflakes Saturday and Elf Workshop at Tuscaloosa Children’s Hands on Museum and a $30 Saturday in the Park: Ornaments from Nature class at the Moundville Archeological Park. On the second day of wellness, participants met at Moody Concert Hall for a showing of the Christmas
musical production Hilaritas and later visited Tuscaloosa’s Christmas Open House at Gorgas House. On the third, fourth and fifth days of wellness, participants will attend the West Alabama Tree Lighting Ceremony and Christmas Parade, the outdoor ice skating rink on Jack Warner Parkway, a yoga class and downtown Northport’s Dickens Downtown event. “This is not a program to encourage people to do more but instead step back and renew our spirit,” said Rebecca Kelly, director of the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness. The sixth and seventh days
of wellness include a Toys for Tots Holiday Acoustic Night, an exhibit at Canterbury Church Gallery and Bama Theatre’s presentation of A Christmas Carol. On the eighth day, the office promises participants a Candyland Breakfast with Santa and the Snowflake Saturday and Elf Workshop at the Tuscaloosa Children’s Hands on Museum. Later that day, the program gives the opportunity to run in the Crimson Christmas 5K. On the ninth and tenth day, the office will invite participants to watch the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of Christmas
Around the World and an encore presentation of A Christmas Carol. Later, participants will be invited to take part in the city’s Home for the Holidays event. They will also distribute WellBAMA reward cards, which are $25 Visa cards awarded for participation in health events. Employees can earn up to $200 in rewards cards based on their health status or involvement in health screenings. The office will provide a WellBAMA health screening on the eleventh day in the Russell Hall lobby from 7:30 to 11 a.m., a free Art With Friends event at the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art and Pooches on
the Porch at Innisfree Irish Pub later that evening. Finally, on the twelfth day of wellness, the program will conclude with a free yoga class at the Aquatic Center, a luncheon with the team captain of the American Heart Association and a free horse-drawn carriage ride in Midtown Village. Alicia Whites, coordinator for the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, said participants in the 12 Days of Wellness are asked to attend these events in order to accomplish three goals. “The 12 Days of Wellness is a program to encourage three goals: reflect, relax and renew,” Whites said.
UA rarely hires recent graduates By Sarah Robinson Contributing Writer Although The University of Alabama prides itself on molding good thinkers and workers, department heads are reluctant to hire their own doctoral students as professors. 13 percent of all faculty with Ph.D.s earned their doctorate from The University of Alabama, and 87 percent earned their doctorates from other institutions, according to Cathy Andreen, director of media relations. “Most universities do not hire their own Ph.D. graduates,” said Clark Midkiff, interim department head of the UA mechanical engineering program. “It’s not a bias, but it is a widespread unwritten rule.” He said the mechanical engineering department avoids hiring its own recent Ph.D. graduates to prevent ‘academic inbreeding’ within the department. “Academic inbreeding occurs when the only ideas you have been exposed to is
the local university’s, and you current clinical-teaching fachaven’t had much experience ulty — non-tenure track — with different universities earned their doctorate here, and systems,” Midkiff said. “If Beverly Thorn, chair of the graduates have gone out out- psychology department, said. side and worked for another However, several UA Ph.D. university for a number of graduates are hired on as partyears, they have a different set time, temporary instructors. of experiences. Then we would “Most research-intensive view them as institutions an acceptable value heterocandidate, geneity in facMost research-intensive institutions and they will ulty,” Thorn value heterogeneity in faculty. If be held to the said. “If we we hired many of our own gradusame stanhired many ates, we would be considered too dards.” of our own Catherine graduates, insular. Davies, chair we would be of the English considered — Beverly Thorn department, too insular.” said it is There are enriching for e xc e p t i o n s , her department to bring in though, if a really outstandsomeone who is educated in a ing UA applicant has special different environment. research expertise that the “We like spreading ideas and department needs, Thorn said. perspectives, because it allows Davies and Midkiff said their us to grow,” Davies said. hiring processes benefit their In the psychology depart- students. ment, one of 34 tenured or For Davies, hiring other tenure-track faculty earned a graduates motivates UA studoctorate from the University, dents to work hard in their whereas two of the three field. She said that if students
“
I AM THE
EVIL
ROOMMATE!
Don’t let ME happen to YOU. Why rent by the bedroom when you can rent the ENTIRE APARTMENT for less?
MANAGEMENT CO.,INC. 205-391-6000
w sealyrealty.com w 1200 Greensboro Ave.
could always depend on getting a job at the University, they may not put as much effort into their work. The uncertainty pushes students to do well. Also, Davies said the tight job market for the English literature-oriented creates pressure for graduates to publish as many works and get as much exposure as possible before earning their doctorates. In mechanical engineering, working at a research lab, military lab or an industrial research lab gives graduates experience they would not have received if they worked with the Capstone right after graduation, Midkiff said. “It helps broaden our students,” he said. Additionally, Midkiff said the transition from student to professor may be difficult at the same university when one’s professors become colleagues. “The faculty should have different perspectives,” Davies said. “We want access to others’ ideas, because we are an intellectual enterprise.”
Page 6 | Monday, December 3, 2012
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
CDC study illustrates caloric cost of alcohol intake By Adrienne Burch Staff Reporter American adults consume an average of 100 calories per day from alcoholic beverages, with young adults racking up the most calories from alcoholic drinks, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This calorie intake from alcoholic beverages ranks almost as high as American’s calorie intake from sugar drinks like sodas, which is on average 178 kilocalories a day for men and 103 kilocalories for women, according to a 2011 CDC study. “Given the current state of health of Americans in terms of weight status, I believe it’s important for us to recognize all areas in which Americans may have a tendency to get unneeded calories, which can often include alcohol consumption,” Sheena Quizon Gregg, registered dietician and assistant director for Health Promotion and Wellness Nutrition at The University of Alabama, said.
One third of men and 18 percent of women aged 20 and over consume alcoholic beverages on a daily basis. These consumers obtain approximately 16 percent of their total caloric intake from alcoholic beverages on any given day. Twenty percent of men and 6 percent of women consume more than 300 calories from alcoholic beverages daily. These 300 calories are the equivalent to two or more 12-ounce beers or more than two and a half glasses of wine. This calorie intake exceeds the recommended amount to sustain a healthy lifestyle. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that women should not exceed one drink per day and that men should not have more than two. “Although the risks of excessive alcohol consumption in terms of injury and chronic disease are well known, less is known about the calories consumed from alcoholic beverages,” according to the CDC study conducted in November.
The highest category for excessive calorie intake from alcoholic beverages is young adults, including college students. On average, men aged 20-39 consume the greatest number of calories from alcohol, at 174 per day. Yasmine Neggers, a UA human nutrition professor, said some college students have been reported to be heavy drinkers or to binge drink during social occasions. This excessive consumption of alcohol could result in a rapid increase in the caloric intake by college students from alcoholic beverages. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking five or more drinks on a single occasion for men and four or more drinks on a single occasion for women, generally within a two-hour span. “This type of drinking is very detrimental to health and general wellbeing,” Neggers said. Quizon-Gregg said this study
could certainly support a possible assumption that excess calories from alcohol can play a role in the weight gain that college students often incur during their college years. “An imbalanced lifestyle of eating too many calories compared to those expended from exercise and general movement can lead to weight gain,” Quizon-Gregg said. However, when it comes to comparing calories consumed by Americans from alcohol consumption to soda consumption, sodas still provides much more ground for excessive calorie intake. There is a difference between the number of kilocalories provided by alcohol and the carbohydrates used in sweetened drinks, Neggers said. “Alcoholic drinks will have approximately 100 to 120 kcals per serving, while sugar sweetened beverages like 12 oz. Coke provide 150 kcals per serving,” Neggers said. “So, usually, per serving, alcoholic drinks have fewer kcals per serving than
weetsugar sweetened beverages.” Quizonaid it Gregg said mporis also imporememtant to rememat the ber that cy of frequency c o n su m p t i o n of soft drinks out the throughout day can be quite higher than that hol since of alcohol sodas are often ed during all consumed u times of the day, thus leading to a higher ration of concentration calories overall. “This study could emind and also remind prompt not only s, but the students, general public that calories from alcohol need to be considhen one is ered when CW | Austin Bigoney trying to manage their weight,” she Study says both men and women can consume as many as 300 calories of alcohol daily. said.
Student opinions heard through course surveys By Ashley Tripp Staff Reporter From now until Dec. 9, students are given the chance to voice their feedback about their courses and instructors through the Student Opinions of Instruction course evaluation surveys that are available each semester. These ratings help professors improve their teaching. John Acker is the coordinator for student assessment in the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, which serves as the institutional administrator for the online Student Opinions of Instruction system. Acker said all of the surveys are confidential and that
students’ names are not revealed to the professors. “Student confidentiality is our main concern,” Acker said. Acker also said only professors, departmental chairs and deans are able to have access to the surveys. “Most of the deans don’t sit through every single comment made by the students on the surveys,” Acker said. “However, if there was an extreme matter regarding the professor, it would be up to the faculty to discuss the situation, but thankfully, we never have had to deal with it and hopefully never will.” The new online system allows students to complete the surveys at their own leisure. As a result, the
submissions are filed and delivered to the faculty in a more organized manner. “Since we’ve gone from old paper forms to online, we’ve accumulated surveys from as far back as 2009,” Acker said. “The old paper forms have been discarded, but we’re not sure how long we’ll keep the surveys online on the record.” Katrina Sharpe, a junior majoring in marketing, said a lot of her classmates commented on the surveys asking the professor to do away with online homework for her economics class. “The next semester, I noticed the same professor did away with the quizzes,” Sharpe said. “I was so excited that the
In many classes, ‘Dead Week’ alive with final tests, projects By Jordan Cissell Staff Reporter “Dead Week” often proves much more lively than its nickname may suggest. Many students spend as much time during the period immediately preceding the week of final exams, officially deemed Study Week by the University, with exam booklets as study materials, despite limitations on Study Week testing. Ac c o r d i n g to the U n i ve r s i t y ’s Fa c u l t y Handbook, “The week immediately preceding the final examination period each semester is reserved as a time in which students may concentrate on completing course work and preparing for final examinations. Only laboratory examinations omitted from the Final Examination Schedule are permitted during Study Week. The University prohibits all other examinations and extended assignments during Study Week.” The Fall 2012 Academic Calendar denotes Friday, Nov. 30, as the “last day for all tests, etc.,” but Kristin Clark, a sophomore studying advertising, said her professors don’t always check their calendars. “I think ‘Dead Week’ is a great concept. No tests, quizzes, etc. – just studying,” she said. “The problem is, my teachers have never followed that protocol. I always end up having work due on ‘Dead Week,’ in combination with tests, which makes it impossible to study for finals during that time.” According to Mark Nelson, vice president for Student Affairs, some forms of academic assessment are admissible throughout
“
I think ‘Dead Week’ is a great concept. No tests, quizzes, etc. – just studying. The problem is, my teachers have never followed that protocol. I always end up having work due on ‘Dead Week,’ in combination with tests, which makes it impossible to study for finals during that time. — Kristin Clark
Study Week. “Some assignments are permitted during Study Week,” he said in an emailed statement. “For example, a standard reading quiz or pop quiz may be administered during this week – the types of things that are part of the standard preparation for class. Likewise, if there is an assignment that requires work throughout the semester, then the due date may be during this week.” Errin Maye, a junior majoring in English, said she recalls taking final exams during the respective Study Weeks of the fall and spring semesters of her sophomore year. She feels taking exams during “Dead Week,” though not officially allowed, is not entirely negative in nature. “For you to have exams spread out through the course of the two weeks would be a great thing if you were a lucky one to have the hardest classes during the last part of the exam week. But, most importantly, you are able to focus more,” she said. “For those who are easily overwhelmed with work, you are able to study more for a specific assignment, get more one-on-one help from your professors and book your plane ticket early.”
Maye said exams scheduled outside of their designated week can throw a wrench in students’ calendars, especially those folks booking plane tickets for holiday travel. “The downside is if you were not able to plan out a study plan, you would have all of Thanksgiving break and the week before Dead Week to truly prepare for the exam. No one wants to study over turkey and gravy,” she said. Colby Moeller, a freshman majoring in finance, will be flying home for winter break. Thanks to exams available during Study Week, Moeller said he will be able to catch a plane nearly a week early. “I’ve got online finals in my music appreciation class and my math class, so I can knock those out next week,” he said. “Then I just have to turn in a final paper for English the Monday of Finals Week, and I can go home for break.” Ultimately, Maye said, students just have to do what it takes to pass their classes and move forward. “Everyone has their own opinions and experiences, but whatever the professor does and chooses for the placement of the exam, we have no decision but to study, study, study everyday and every chance possible,” she said. Nelson said students should not feel completely resigned to accept what they perceive as invalid final exam scheduling, although no formal, University-wide system exists for reporting alleged transgressions. Nelson advised students who feel improper scheduling has occurred to approach their professor or department chair for discussion.
teacher took the comments into consideration.” Sharpe said she doesn’t mind filling out the surveys, even with her busy schedule. “I think the surveys are useful for the teachers and that it’s important because some professors may not realize what influence they have on their students,” Sharpe said. Stacy Alley, assistant professor of musical theatre and dance, has been teaching at the University for three years and has been required to have her students take the Student Opinions of Instruction Surveys every year. “For my classes, I don’t think a lot of the questions in these particular surveys are relevant to dance classes, but
some of the comments are beneficial, so it is useful for feedback,” Alley said. Alley said she agrees that the rating system is fair for her dance classes. “I do not see the students’ names on the surveys,” Alley said. “It is completely anonymous, as it should be.” If an extremely negative trend is noticed, Alley said, to her knowledge, administrators are notified. Alley said the dance faculty wasn’t required to use class time to have students fill out the surveys, but were encouraged to since students are less likely to complete them on their own time. “It didn’t disturb my classes very much, as we are now
reviewing for the final, and class time is a bit more flexible,” Alley said. “Whether students fill out these surveys during class or on their own, I wish they would realize that their feedback is important.” For more information, visit http://oira.ua.edu/soi/soi_info. html or soi@ua.edu You can also access your surveys by logging into myBama. From the “Student” tab, select the OIRA Resources block with the computer mouse artwork, and the words “Your Opinion Matters.” The surveys should be completed no later than Dec. 9, except for social work class surveys, which must be completed no later than Dec. 14. After these dates, data collection is closed.
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
Monday, December 3, 2012 | Page 7
SGA’s ‘Got Meals’ revamps meal donation program By Tori Linville Contributing Writer University of Alabama students can continue to donate meals from their meal plans through Student2Student, a program designed by the Student Government Association to assist those in need. The SGA hopes to renew interest in the program by beginning a new campaign known as “Got Meals?” Student2Student, enacted by the SGA in 2010, has not seen the feedback that was hoped for. The “Got Meals?” campaign was set in motion in order to raise awareness for the program and to reintroduce it to students, SGA Executive Secretary Brielle Appelbaum said. “The original thought was to help students out through the Student Government, but it
“
We just had Beat Auburn Beat Hunger, people donate at Salvation Army on Thanksgiving, but this campaign is something that will hopefully withstand the test of time and that will continue every year because people are hungry no matter whether it’s the holiday season or not. — Meagan Bryant
really kind of fizzled out, and not that many people know about it,” Appelbaum said. “What we wanted to do this year was revamp the program, and keep the original programming in place that we had, but make it really cool and really fun to use.” The Student2Student program has seen some success. More than 200 meals were donated during the summertime, and the initative served 70 Oakdale Elementary School students a Thanksgiving meal through the Meaningful Meals Thanksgiving program.
HERE. THERE.
“We’re incentivizing students through Twitter; we’re giving students scholarships out for the people who find the most donated meals throughout their friends, and we’re going to the dining halls and putting up QR codes that will take you straight to the ‘donate a meal’ page; it’s going to be really great and super interactive,” Appelbaum said. “Got Meals?” has gotten off to a less than perfect start with various technical problems. Wanting to give students a one- By Mark Blanton click link to the donation form Contributing Writer on their myBama pages has At the Society of Women Engineers’ national gathering in Houston, The University of Alabama’s chapter won hosting privileges for the Region D conference in 2014. “We are especially excited to host this conference in order to utilize and showcase our new engineering facilities,” Grace Hoover, vice president of membership of the SWE, said. At the conference, Hoover and Lexi Romine, the vice president of outreach, gave a presentation for the Capstone’s bid to host its regional conference, which was then voted on by the SWE region’s members. Several members including Sarah Johnson, Rachel Mitchell and Beth Todd, the faculty sponsor, helped prepare the presentation, Romine said. “A few of the details of the presentation were a proposed schedule of events, workshop and continuing education suggestions, proposed venues and entertainment, hotels and accommodations and a budget,” Hoover said. Mitchell, the president of the University’s SWE chapter, said the event will be hosted
EVERYWHERE.
Take your NEWS with you.
proven harder than it sounds, Appelbaum said. While they face technical issues, Bama Dining is continuing on with its strong support of the program. In a press release in early November, Bama Dining Marketing Director Kelsey Faust explained the support behind Student2Student. “The Student2Student meal donation program is something that Bama Dining
and the University have always been passionate about,” Faust said. “I think the ‘Got Meals?’ campaign is a great revamp of the program that we need in order for students to realize how easy it is to help their fellow students.” SGA Executive Press Secretary Meagan Bryant added that the program is not something students should only pay attention to during the holidays.
“Right now is the time of year where so many people are donating to food banks,” Bryant said. “We just had Beat Auburn Beat Hunger, people donate at Salvation Army on Thanksgiving, but this campaign is something that will hopefully withstand the test of time and that will continue every year because people are hungry no matter whether it’s the holiday season or not.”
Society of Women Engineers awarded bid for 2014 conference sometime in early March. It will primarily take place inside the University’s engineering facilities. In addition, the UA chapter also won a gold level Outstanding Collegiate Section award for its activities last year. Mitchell said the award is judged by a committee and is based on a report of the chapter’s events and meetings last year. Twenty members of the University’s SWE chapter attended the conference. Overall, over 6,000 SWE members attended the conference, Hoover said. During the conference, there were keynote speakers, networking opportunities and workshop sessions, such as “How to Land a Job in 10 Days” and “Rapid Resume Review,” Hoover said. “One highlight of the weekend was the Career Fair, where over 250 companies were represented and recruiting students for internships, co-op positions, and full time jobs,” Hoover said. In the past, the SWE has hosted events such as “WOW! That’s Engineering!,” designed to encourage middle school aged girls to
become engineers. “The event aimed to bridge the gap between girls and engineering by teaching middle school aged girls about different types of engineering and how engineers make an impact on society,” Hoover said. At “WOW! That’s Engineering,” SWE members hosted engineering-based activities for about 150 middle school aged girls, such as building a solar car and cleaning up an oil spill, Romine said. Hoover said she first joined SWE to network with other women engineers. “For the last four years that I have been involved with SWE, I have gained valuable leadership and professional skills, been able to travel to and attend six conferences, been educated on many engineering companies and opportunities after graduation, and gained lasting friendships,” Hoover said. Romine said her membership in SWE has been a very rewarding experience. “I have met other engineers from all over the country, have interviewed for internships for companies as far as California, and have made many great friendships,” Romine said.
NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS
SPORTS
Page 8 Editor | Marquavius Burnett crimsonwhitesports@gmail.com Monday, December 3, 2012
BASKETBALL
Alabama women’s team suffers ďŹ rst loss at Wisconsin, 69-50
Cincinnati buzzer-beater ends undefeated season of men’s team
CW Staff
CW Staff
The Alabama women’s basketball team was unable to get much going offensively, shooting 22.7 percent from the floor, in a 69-50 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday at the Kohl Center. The loss was the Crimson Tide’s first of the season, dropping it to 5-1, while the Badgers improved to 4-3 overall. “Wisconsin had a really good game plan coming in,� Alabama head coach Wendell Hudson said. “We had a lot of open shots, especially early, that we didn’t make. They also did a good job of keeping us from making runs. I thought we played hard and didn’t quit playing. We expected the zone defense and thought we made adjustments, but we just couldn’t score.� Wisconsin started the
game on an 11-6 run and went on to score 11 unanswered points over the next five minutes to build a 22-6 advantage. Alabama would pull within 13 points on two occasions but was unable to get any closer. The Tide hit only five of its 31 attempts from the floor, while the Badgers connected on 14 of their 31 shots. Alabama’s top three scorers went 0-14 over the 20-minute span. Wisconsin continued to distance itself from the Tide, taking as much as a 30-point lead in the second half. Alabama put together a 10-0 run late but was unable to overcome the deficit. Senior Meghan Perkins finished as the leading scorer for Alabama with 17 points, while sophomore Daisha Simmons added another 16 points for the Tide. The Badgers had their best
offensive performance of the season, hitting 43.9 percent of their shots, including six three-pointers. Wisconsin also out-rebounded the Tide 59-38; however, the Badgers committed 31 turnovers compared to Alabama’s 15. The Tide will play its next game on Saturday, Dec. 8, when it hosts Chattanooga in Foster Auditorium. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
IF YOU GO... • What: Alabama vs. Chatanooga • When: Dec. 8, 2 p.m. Auditorium
In ďŹ nal meet before new year, Alabama swimming and diving closes out Georgia Tech Invitational with 11 top-10 ďŹ nishes
The Alabama men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams closed out the Georgia Tech Invitational with 11 top-10 individual finishes on the meet’s final day at the GT Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga. Freshman Brian Westlake once again led the way for the Tide, taking third place in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 15:34.54. Westlake opened the three-day event by winning the 500 freestyle. Junior Brian Carr was
seventh in the mile with a 15:51.77 while freshman Travis Kerner was 10th, clocking a 15:57.28. The Tide also put three swimmers in the top-10 of the 200 backstroke. Freshman Crews Wellford was sixth with a 1:51.16, while senior Reese Shirey and sophomore Phillip Deaton were eighth and ninth, respectively, after touching at 1:51.94 and 1:52.41. Junior BJ Hornikel was fifth in the 100 freestyle with a 44.74 while freshman
(4-of-11) from three-point range. The Tide also out-rebounded Cincinnati, 37-32. Cincinnati (7-0) came into the game averaging 87.0 points a contest, but the Tide defense frustrated the Bearcats all night. UC finished shooting just 39.0 percent for the game and 18.2 percent from beyond the arc. Other notable performances came from sophomore guard Rodney Cooper, who finished with eight points, as well as freshman forward Devonta Pollard, who finished with seven points. Alabama plays Wednesday, Dec. 5, against Dayton in Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.
• Where: Foster
SWIMMING AND DIVING
CW Staff
Sophomore guard Trevor Lacey led the Crimson Tide with 16 points and added seven rebounds and three assists in the losing effort. Junior Trevor Releford added 12 points and three steals, as the Crimson Tide dropped to 6-1 on the season. “Cincinnati played extremely hard and has a very good basketball team,� head coach Anthony Grant said. “We didn’t do some things well, especially down the stretch. This is a great learning opportunity for us and hopefully will make us better. Overall, I’m proud of the effort that our guys gave today, but we just came up short.�
The Tide faced a deficit of 13 points in the first half before making a late rally. Alabama looked to be in trouble just before halftime, trailing 33-24 in the waning seconds. But Releford drilled a three-pointer just before intermission to make it a six-point (33-27) halftime score. That triggered a 14-4 run, which gave Alabama its first lead of the game, 38-37, with 14:16 remaining. From there, it was a back-and-forth affair that featured five ties and eight lead changes – the final one of which came as the buzzer sounded. For the game, Alabama shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the floor, including 36.4 percent
HERE. THERE.
EVERYWHERE.
Brett Walsh was ninth with a 45.56. In the 200 butterfly, junior Andrew Wrist finished sixth with a 1:51.37. On the women’s side of the meet, freshman Michele Rielly was seventh with a time of 2:04.31 in the finals of the 200 backstroke, freshman. Senior Jenna Gallo took 10th in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 17:30.14. Alabama’s swimmers are finished with competition until after the New Year, while the divers will compete at the Auburn Invitational Dec. 17-19.
Take your NEWS with you.
NOW Lea s g for Fall 201in 3!
Live Large. www.HAEDWARDS.com 205-345-1440
‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
%HGURRP $SDUWPHQWV $SSU[ VT IW *DWHG &RPPXQLW\ 3RRO 7DQQLQJ %HGV :RUN RXW )DFLOLW\ *UDQLWH &RXQWHUWRSV :DON LQ &ORVHWV $SSOLDQFHV ,QFOXGHG +LJK 6SHHG ,QWHUQHW /RFDWHG PLOH IURP 8RI$Ň‹V /DZ 6FKRRO
NEWS OPINION CULTURE SPORTS
CULTURE
Page 9 Editor | Lauren Ferguson culture@cw.ua.edu Monday, December 3, 2012
Etsy useful for shopping, selling items online By Courtney Stinson Staff Reporter Many students use Pinterest for finding crafts, recipes and decorating ideas, but Pinterest is also a major platform for promoting items available on Etsy. com. Etsy serves as a website for independent retailers looking to sell vintage, handmade and oneof-a-kind items. Students are taking advantage of the distinctive items offered by Etsy retailers and even using the site to start careers of their own. Etsy seller Dani Beach, a junior majoring in business and entrepreneurship, credits Pinterest’s popularity for Etsy’s subsequent increase in success. Beach sells vintage rake heads, which she turns into jewelry hangers, a process she discovered on Pinterest. “Once Pinterest got more popular, it really influenced what I sell,” Beach said. “It’s crazy to me that you can sell random things like that because somebody saw something on Pinterest that they want to make.” Shoppers can find virtually
everything imaginable on Etsy, from accessories for your fashion-forward cat to iPhone cases that feature images of actor Bill Murray. If users can dream it, chances are, someone sells it. Etsy shopper Britney Howard, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice, is no stranger to finding one of-a-kind items on Etsy. Howard said the oddest thing she has ever come across is reusable hygiene products. “It’s gross,” Howard said. “[The store] even has them in houndstooth. Roll Tide?” Aside from its more distinctive items, Howard thinks Etsy is a good place to look for ideas to fuel her own creativity and to find unique gifts. Howard likes the personalized items Etsy sellers offer. Her favorite purchases are a monogrammed T-shirt and monogrammed infinity scarf. “I usually shop online maybe once a month, and mostly just on Etsy because I’d rather support individuals,” she said. “Plus, I really like the idea of having something unique and the hunt when looking online.”
Some of the most popular items to buy and sell on Etsy are vintage items like clothing, jewelry and home decor. In her Etsy shop, Itch for Kitsch, Beach sells clothes, decor and gifts. Beach found out about Etsy and started her store as a way of sharing vintage pieces she had collected. “I had been thrifting a lot my senior year of high school, and I had been accumulating a lot of fun stuff. I really wanted to share it with other people; I couldn’t keep it all to myself,” Beach said. “It’s a total vintage obsession for me.” Etsy has helped Beach determine her potential career path. Originally an education major, Beach grew more passionate about the world of online retail as her store began to grow. “I realized my passion was really for online retail,” she said. “I went to New College, and they were really excited to have me and were really supportive of me growing my business.” Etsy stores are relatively easy and inexpensive to start. Starting an Etsy shop is free, and it costs
only 20 cents to list an item. Once an item sells, Etsy collects a 3.5 percent fee on the sale price of the item. Though Etsy shops are simple for starters, Beach says maintaining a store entails a lot of work. “At first, I did it as a hobby, but the more I did it, I realized [selling] is like a full time job,” she said. “You have to promote your stuff, you have to list, you have to clean and check your stuff for damages. It’s even worse if you’re handmaking things because you actually have to make the stuff. Aside from school, it eats up a lot of my time.” In addition to providing sellers with an outlet to market their products, for many sellers, the website serves as a launch pad for extending their business into other online markets or brickand-mortar stores. Beach hopes to extend her store into other online markets and has learned a great deal about online retail from fellow Etsy sellers. She said her Etsy store has now become a major
CW | Austin Bigoney
Homemade crafts can come from few resources and little money. part of her income. “The community is amazing,” Beach said. “I’ve met a lot of other sellers – some of them are even in the Birmingham and
Tuscaloosa area – and it’s amazing how much I can learn from them. They’ve really taken me under their wing. It’s been a really helpful community for me.”
Aspiring artists to create recycled art in Blitz Build By Nathan Proctor Staff Reporter Local folk-artist Charlie Lucas, or the “Tin Man,” led a “Blitz Build” in the lobby of The University of Alabama’s Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence, coordinated by Creative Campus, the Honors College and the College of Engineering Friday afternoon. “How do we recycle ourselves?” Lucas said. “How do we recycle our mind?” He proposed this question but set no certain rules to their experiment. The lobby full of students and observers settled into six groups and created projects out of piles of junk from
3 to 4 p.m. Tinkering with scrap items since his youth in rural Autauga County, Ala., Lucas’ interest developed into a full-time passion of forming old metals and trashed items into art after a work-related back injury in 1984. Lucas has since been featured in exhibits across the nation, lectured at Yale University and caught the attention of collectors internationally. “Everything I do is about recycling,” Lucas said. “We’re so wasteful, and we have so many beautiful things in this world and things we’ve built that we just throw away.” Assigned to only create from a pile of scrap gathered over the
past two months from the UA Recycling Center, the students’ efforts began in sifting through their metallic pallet. Some ripped at a bent stage light, another scavenged the innards of a faded Dell computer tower, and the rest took up all manner of tools against unidentifiable oddities. Lucas reflected on the project as he hammered away at the rusted lid of a faded black grill. He said he was impressed spending the previous day with Creative Campus students and the morning meeting students in the lobby of Nott Hall, with the varied backgrounds, thoughtfulness and intelligence of students he met with.
“I don’t need fancy artists and praise around me,” Lucas said. “I need to be here. And I’m honored to be here.” Once materials had been sorted and dibs called, construction began in earnest. Lucas, a broad smile plastered on his face, shuffled between the groups, releasing gasps of excitement, handing out warm endorsements and here and there lending a hand via a dose of inspiration, a roll of duct tape or a power tool. A group of freshman engineering students created a cardboard and metal monolith capped by a smashed-in stage light and translucent spinning pinwheel. “The engineering side of
us asks, ‘How does this fit together?’” Mackenzie Morris, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, said. “And then we have to ask, ‘Why should it?’” The group of four fought to counterbalance strings of junk and determine just what their project was. Playing down their artistic intentions, David Nazworth, majoring in computer science, named the tower the “Tower of Humanity.” “We’re trying to make something interesting out of things that are usually purely functional,” Nazworth said. “You mean, it’s junk,” Morris said. “Awesome junk.” Across the lobby, another quartet of mostly engineers cre-
ated a sprawling cityscape made up of small metal parts, divided in two. “Our story is two-sided,” Brent LaForte, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering, said. “It’s mechanical on one end and natural on the other. It represents the power of industrialism and the difficult push towards environmentalism.” Though another in the group commented the challenge was a nightmare for “functional” thinkers such as themselves, they took great pride in their final product. “[Working with Lucas] requires a completely different way of looking at things,” LaForte said. “It’s refreshing.”
Students offer advice from their own experiences abroad By Meredith Davis Contributing Writer Students interested in studying abroad have enough to worry about: packing, figuring out cell phone plans, budgeting and saying goodbye to friends and family. Forgetting an item once you’re overseas, packing too much or not knowing how to approach the locals are common problems. But seeking advice from students who have done it all before can be the difference in a trip filled with adventure and a trip filled with anxiety. Lindsey Cobb, a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering, studied abroad during summer 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa with 15 other UA students. Her trip was service-led and -oriented, providing a different experience from other study abroad programs. The four-week program focused on an ideology each week. Week one was for adventure and included visiting an ostrich farm, cage diving and
riding elephants. Cobb’s experience with service through Global LEAD is what she believes set her trip apart. “I don’t want to be cliché in saying that it was an eyeopening experience, but it truly was,” Cobb said. “I would definitely encourage students doing study abroad experience to seek out opportunities for service while abroad, as well as take some time to really build relationships with locals.” Cobb recommends carefully paying attention to the weather in your study abroad location. She used packing lists she found online to make sure she had every necessary item and familiarized herself with South Africa’s tipping customs. In addition, Cobb recommends plenty of reading material for long flights and a set of warmer clothing, just in case. Staying active was also important to Cobb. “Insanity workout videos – they require no equipment, and you will eat too much,” she said.
Submitted
Elizabeth Abernathy studied in Florence, Italy in 2012. Cobb also stresses the importance of scholarships for study abroad opportunities. “Now that I am studying abroad for a second time, I have definitely done my research and am hoping these scholarships can cover some of my travel expenses,” Cobb said. During summer of 2013,
Cobb will be studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark on another University-led program. “Go with an open mind; most of your learning will happen outside of the classroom,” she said. “One of my favorite mottos from the trip was, ‘Fear is temporary, but regret is forever.’”
Elizabeth Abernathy, a junior majoring in international studies and French, traveled to Florence, Italy during the summer of 2012. She was inspired by her Italian language classes but then switched back to French, which she had studied in high school. Abernathy lived with an Italian family during her trip. Abernathy focused on packing light for her one-month stay but said she wishes she had bought more items to take home. “I was too focused on not spending money because studying abroad is already an expensive thing to do. However, you have to realize that you might never go back to that place, or at least for a long time, so you should just splurge while you’re there,” Abernathy said. Abernathy had class during the week and spent her weekends traveling to Viareggio Beach, Rome and Cinque Terre. The Alabama in Italy program suggested a phone carrier for the group, which Abernathy said was incredibly helpful
when keeping in touch over the weekends. Despite living in an Italian household and touring the area, Abernathy felt a fundamental part of her trip was missing: meeting Italians. “I lived with an Italian woman and had dinner with her every night, which was really great,” Abernathy said. “But as for people our age, we mostly just met a few other international students at our school and travelers at hostels. If we could’ve had Italian conversation partners or some other way to meet people, that would have made the program more meaningful.” As for general advice, Abernathy encourages students to get to know the people you’re traveling with early on and avoid feeling rushed. “Some of my best memories of Florence are when we just were hanging out somewhere, taking it all in, having a good time,” Abernathy said. For more information on study abroad programs, visit http://studyabroad.ua.edu.
COLUMN | FASHION
Emoticons find their place in 2012 jewelry industry with rings, sunglasses By Becky Robinson
Fashion and technology have always seemed to go hand-in-hand, and the latest trend surfacing is no different. Emoticon jewelry is the latest way to flaunt a quirky accessory with any outfit. Jewelry designers like BCBGeneration and Jeremy Scott have traded traditional spelling of words in their accessories collections and opted for symbols frequently seen at the end of texts. Instead of rocking a “LOVE” ring (that’s so fifth grade), BCBGeneration has
introduced its version of digital adoration to rings: “<3”. Most of the emoticon jewelry I’ve seen is relatively simple in nature, the emphasis being on the design of the emoticons themselves. However, designer Alison Chemla has come out with emoticon jewelry that flaunts pops of color. She has a ring with a pair of bold red lips, just like the emoticon you may send your crush’s way. Chemla even designed a series of rings – some adorned with googly emoticon eyes and some with silly mouths – so that wearers can
mix and match the pieces to perfectly suit their mood. Chemla’s pieces epitomize the fusion of design and technology. The designer studied cybergraphics at Bard and has admittedly always had a love of mixing the two principles. Designer Jeremy Scott’s emoticon accessories have even extended into sunglasses. Who needs a pair of tired old Ray Bans when you can rock lemon yellow smiley faces with red hearts for eyes? Scott also created a pair of hinged glasses for Linda Farrow that call on
Lady Gaga’s “Judas” video for inspiration: glossy black smileys with red cross eyes, anyone? For those who aren’t willing to totally submit to the degradation of the English language, designers have come out with emoticon pieces with just the colon or semi-colon eyes. In this regard, these pieces could function as a cheeky wink face or someone’s favorite punctuation. This would be a perfect gift for any English or creative writing major with an offbeat style this holiday season.
Un fo r tu n at e ly, with designer names come designer prices, but don’t worry. Since texting and online chatting are undoubtedly here to stay, department stores and chains will probably pick up this trend soon for prices that won’t merit a jaw-dropping “:O” face. I can almost promise that places like H&M, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters will have some kind of emoticon selection by spring. If you’re wary of incorporating an emoticon into your looks for fear of being too nerdy or quirky, find
another iconic means of wearing your passion. If it isn’t texting or chatting, there are plenty of other symbols to choose from. I’ve seen handfuls of people wearing wishbone-shaped pieces. Geometric-shaped jewelry is also a huge trend that’s been going strong for a few years now. Take a page from the emoticon accessories and keep your geometric jewels dainty: simple gold settings and small in size. There’s an emoticon – or other meaningful symbol – out there for everyone, so start searching.
Page 10 | Monday, December 3, 2012
Tide will play Irish in Miami CHAMPIONSHIP FROM PAGE 1
The two have met six times in their storied histories but will be meeting for the first time since 1987. Notre Dame owns a 5-1-0 series lead over the Crimson Tide, with two of the games taking place in the postseason. The teams first met in the 1973 Sugar Bowl, when the Irish posted a memorable 24-23 score on the Crimson Tide in a game that decided that season’s national championship. The squads matched up again following the next season with Notre Dame squeaking past Alabama, 13-11, in the 1975 Orange Bowl game to cap the 1974 season. Alabama and Notre Dame met in regular season contests in 1976 (a 21-18 Notre Dame win at South Bend, Ind.), 1980 (a 7-0 Notre Dame win in Birmingham, Ala.), 1986 (a 28-10 Alabama victory in Birmingham) and 1987 (a 37-6 Notre Dame win in South Bend). “The opportunity to play in our second straight BCS Championship Game is special,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “One of the goals that we set for this team at the beginning of each season is to play for a national championship. It has not been easy this season, and there are several different times we could have let the opportunity slip away, but we pulled together, fought CW | Shannon Auvil through adversity and found a way to make it A thriller in Atlanta that saw six lead changes led to an eventual Tide victory, 32-28. to Miami.”
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
FOOTBALL AWARDS Iron Man Award: • T.J. Yeldon • Cade Foster • Kelly Johnson • Jesse Williams Commitment to Academic Excellence Award: • Denzel Devall • Geno Smith • D.J. Fluker • Quinton Dial • Arie Kouandjio Outstanding Senior Scholar Award: • Barrett Jones • Chance Warmack Unsung Hero Award: • Kenny Bell • Quinton Dial • Carson Tinker • Xzavier Dickson • Jeremy Shelley Outstanding Defensive Performer Award: • C.J. Mosley • Dee Milliner Up-Front Award: • Jeoffrey Pagan • Ed Stinson • Cyrus Kouandjio • Anthony Steen Most Inspiring Player: • Damion Square Defensive Achievement Award: • Adrian Hubbard • Deion Belue • HaHa Clinton-Dix • Trey DePriest Offensive Achievement Award: • Amari Cooper • Eddie Lacy • T.J. Yeldon
President’s Award: • Jesse Williams • Robert Lester • Chance Warmack • Kevin Norwood Special Teams Award: • Vinnie Sunseri • Cody Mandell • Christion Jones • Landon Collins Defensive Player of the Year: • Nico Johnson • Dee Milliner Offensive Player of the Year: • AJ McCarron
• Barrett Jones Pat Trammell Award: • Michael Williams • Nico Johnson Jefferson County Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Award: • Bobby Humphrey Most Valuable Player: • C.J. Mosley Captain Awards: • Damion Square • Chance Warmack • Barrett Jones
$1 OFF Dessert Bites
• D.J. Fluker
HERE. THERE.
EVERYWHERE.
Take your NEWS with you.
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
Monday, December 3, 2012 | Page 11
FOOTBALL
SEC Championship shows mistakes, redemption By Marquavius Burnett Sports Editor
BY THE NUMBERS
350
|Alabama racked up an SEC Championship game record 350 rushing yards, with Eddie Lacy gaining 181 yards and two touchdowns and T.J. Yeldon adding 153 yards and a touchdown.
127
|Wide receiver Amari Cooper caught seven passes for 127 yards, including the go-ahead 45-yard touchdown pass. No other Tide receiver caught more than three passes or had more than 30 receiving yards.
5
| Georgia put together a final drive that got them deep into Alabama territory, but the Bulldogs came up five yards short of the goal line.
1
|Alabama is one win over Notre Dame away from claiming its third BCS National Championship in four years.
POSITION GRADES CW | Shannon Auvil
The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 32-28 in the SEC Championship Dec. 1 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Alabama will face Notre Dame in the BCS title game in Miami Jan. 7.
B+ B CC-
Offense
Quarterback AJ McCarron struggled and accounted for two turnovers but made a play late. Alabama’s offensive line deserves a lot of credit for its run blocking that gashed the Bulldog front seven in the second half. The line, coupled with tough running by Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper’s playmaking ability, were the difference. The unit gained 512 yards of total offense.
Defense
The defense allowed its second highest point total of 28 against the Bulldogs (Texas A&M scored 29) and gave up nearly 400 yards of offense. But the unit made some key plays when it counted, including C.J. Mosley batting Aaron Murray’s pass that left the Bulldogs five yards short of the end zone.
Special Teams Special teams allowed a field goal to be blocked and returned for a touchdown, gave up a first down on a fake punt and had a delay of game call on a fake punt.
Coaching Nick Saban had clock management issues at the end of the first half, when the Tide had two timeouts it failed to use and had to settle for a field goal. Initially, Alabama went away from the run and tried to put the game on McCarron’s shoulder’s, but the Tide got back to its bread and butter of downhill running in the second half.
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Running back Eddie Lacy earned MVP honors with his 181 yards and two touchdown performance. Lacy carried the ball 20 times for an average of 9.1 yards per carry and had a long run of 31 yards that went for a touchdown.
Page 12 | Monday, December 3, 2012
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
Bulldogs show great skill, won’t play in BCS bowl By Zac Al-Khateeb Staff Reporter The Alabama football team was on top of the world. The Crimson Tide had just survived to win the Southeastern Conference Championship against the Georgia Bulldogs, winning an instant classic, 32-28. The game, heralded as one of the greatest SEC Championships ever played, was finally over. The Tide won its first conference title since 2009, something
even the 2011 national championship squad didn’t accomplish. Alabama would play in the national championship against No. 1 Notre Dame, earning a shot at a second-consecutive national title and third in four years. While the Tide stood on top of the world, however, the look on the Georgia players’ faces suggested they’d hit rock bottom. While the Georgia Dome itself hailed the 2012 SEC champions, raining confetti and streamers on the Tide, the Bulldogs silently
suffered the pain that comes with being on the losing end of an incredible game. “It hurts,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said after the game. “It’s disappointing. Hurts a lot. I mean, we prepared hard all week, all season, all offseason, to get back to the Dome and to win.” Even with the loss, Richt said he was proud of the way his players played. Indeed, the Bulldogs fell a mere five yards short of a win on the final play. C.J. Mosley batted an Aaron Murray pass
COLUMN
Atlanta offered exciting atmosphere outside of SEC Championship game By Zac Al-Khateeb After Alabama’s thrilling 32-28 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, the Georgia Dome transformed from a battle field to one of the biggest parties in Atlanta. And, in a city like Atlanta, that’s certainly saying something. All weekend long, though, the city was abuzz with excitement – and fans of both teams enjoyed the pre-game festivities. A Friday night trip to the Hard Rock Café, right in the middle of Atlanta, offered a glimpse into the world of SEC football fans the night before the biggest game of their teams’ seasons. First and foremost, the atmosphere in the Hard Rock Café was amazing. The restaurant played their usual hit songs, but added some Southern flavor with songs like Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind.” Needless to say, there was a lot of impromptu cheering and karaoke as the night wore on. Even with the cheering and singing, however, neither fan
base minded letting the other know what they felt about each other. Caught in the middle, unfortunately, was a young fan who, seemingly forgetting where she was, was caught donning an Auburn hoodie. “Are you drunk?” a Georgia fan said, laughing. “Did you lose a bet?” Once the unidentified Auburn victim suffered her good-natured jeering, Alabama and Georgia fans got back to the matter at hand: making sure their fan base was better than the other’s. Cheers of “Roll Tide!” and “Go Dawgs!” – as well as an unnatural amount of barking – could be heard all night, sometimes at the same time. No matter where you went, there was someone delivering a heckling to a fan from the other team. It didn’t let up at all until after the game itself, when the cheers of Alabama fans, mixed in with the rest of the Atlanta nightlife, were the only things heard. Another great venue in town was a little pizzeria and bar called Elbow Room. Though it was a tad out of the way, it was well worth the trip. Unlike the rest of Atlanta,
which seemed intent on staying up all night, Elbow Room offered a quieter, more secluded place for bar goers during the game. It was so hospitable, it deserved a second trip, two nights in a row. Granted, the bartenders were a little less friendly after Georgia lost on Saturday, but overall it offered a great experience. The experience wasn’t just limited to bars and restaurants. Even on the streets, the atmosphere was energized, even more so because of the impending game. Saturday morning, the fans left the bars and restaurants to get back to what SEC fans do best: tailgate. You couldn’t turn around without seeing somebody tailgating somewhere. On the streets, in the parks and even under freeway overpasses, fans were making sure their festivities continued from the night before. Obviously, Atlanta has something to offer for anybody, fan of football or not. But, in the midst of a huge national event like the SEC Championship Game, it proved itself the ideal host for the game. The bars, restaurants, night life, tailgating – all of it – exuded SEC football and fanfare.
at the line of scrimmage, which was caught by sophomore wide receiver Chris Conley. Conley slipped and fell inbounds at the five-yard line, allowing the clock to run out and giving the win to Alabama. The gravity of the play didn’t escape the junior quarterback. “We make one more play,” Murray said, “and it’s the greatest comeback in Georgia history.” Richt said the play itself wasn’t a result of miscommunication. He felt his team had the momentum, and the play would result either in a completed touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell or harmlessly exit the end zone. Even if the play failed, it would give Georgia an opportunity for more plays than simply spiking the ball. Georgia senior linebacker Jarvis Jones, who led the Bulldogs defensively with three tackles for
loss and two sacks, said the game was so much more than the final play, however. “It was a war,” Jones said. “It was a battle all night. You can look at the scoreboard and see.” Heading into the game, many questioned whether the Bulldogs would be able to play up to Alabama’s physical level of play. Not only did the Bulldogs play up to Alabama’s physicality, they matched the Tide blow-for-blow until the end. Freshman running back Todd Gurley became only the second back all season to earn over 100 yards against Alabama, with 122 yards and two touchdowns. Despite what others said about them, Gurley said his team wasn’t trying to prove a point to anybody. “We’re never trying to prove anything to nobody, because what everybody else thinks has
nothing to do with us,” Gurley said. “We came out here and gave it our all. We just didn’t come out on top.” The Bulldogs did prove something to one person, however: Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Saban said he felt, based on the way Georgia played, the Bulldogs deserve a chance to play in BCS Bowl. “I’m going to tell you, that I think it’s a crying shame if Georgia doesn’t get to go to a BCS Bowl game,” Saban said. “That was a great football game by both teams. And they could have won at the end just as soon as us, and it came right down to the last play.” Richt shared Saban’s sentiments on the game. “You know, it was a knockdown, drag-out fight, and everybody swung to the end,” Richt said. “We had a chance at the end. We just didn’t get it done.”
NEWS
OPINION
CULTURE
SPORTS
Monday, December 3, 2012 | Page 13
MARKETPLACE
How to place a classified: For classified line ads visit www.cw.ua.edu and click on the classifieds tab. For classified display
ads call (205) 348-7355 or email cwclassmgr@gmail.com for a free consultation. The Crimson White is published four days a week (M, T, W, TH). Each classified line ad must run for a minimum of four days and include no less than 16 words.
HOUSING
HOUSING
DOWNTOWN NORTHPORT Commercial- Stately brownstone house, 3000 sq feet. $2500 plus 2 bedroom loft with huge deck $900 205752-9020, 205-657-3900
Washer Dryer, New Appliances, Monitored Security System. Great Condition. Just Became Available. Amenities Close By. (404)580-8135
4BR/4B APT AVAIL JAN. 2013 AWESOME APARTMENT, GREAT LOCATION, Walk to Campus, 4 Blocks From Stadium, Plentiful Parking, Big Closets,
ONE ROOM ON CAMPUS Available January, $385 a month plus Utilities, Next to Stadium, email jnpyecha@crimson.ua.edu
JOBS NOW HIRING LEASING AGENTS Enthusiastic, Creative and Outgoing Students Wanted! Take advantage of the opportunity to work at The Avenue at Tuscaloosa, a brand new student housing property being built for Fall 2013. Applicants must have: Ability to work evening/ weekend hours; Superior customer service and communication skills; Must display strong leadership skills
RATES
Best Commercial Rates:
4-8 days is $.50 per word. 9 plus days is $.35 per word.
Student/Faculty Rates:
$.35 per word. You must register with a Crimson Mail address to get this rate. If you enter your ad under student rate without a Crimson Mail address your charge will be adjusted to regular price.
DEADLINES: Classified line ad deadline is the previous business day by 4:00 p.m.
JOBS and the ability to solve problems; Strong internet, word processing, and spreadsheet skills. Send resume to: careers@park7group.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS ADOPT ENGLISH BULLDOG Puppies,2 girls and 2 boys,10wks, vet checked and are current on shots & worming bdavid906@yahoo.com (205)556-6018
ANNOUNCEMENTS CLASSIC COMICS AND ALBUMS: large collection of comic books, albums, movie posters, sports memorabilia, DVDs/CDs, beer signs. In Skyland Antique Mall, 311 Skyland Blvd, and Fifth Avenue Antiques, Birmingham. Details on Facebook. SILVERADO Z71 4X4 2006 with Off Road package. High mileage but in excellent condition. Crimson Red with tan interior, new tires, 4 door. $12000 obo. (205)310-4190 (205)310-4190
2300 McFarland Blvd. East (205) 758-2213
HOROSCOPES
3$/,6$'(6 $ 3$ 5 7 0 ( 1 7 + 2 0 ( 6
1, 2, 3 bedrooms
Text â&#x20AC;&#x153;chicâ&#x20AC;?
to 71441 for Buy One Get One Half Off
FREE â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘
monitored security system gas log fireplaces fitness rooms 2 resort pools
CALL (205) 544-1977 3201 Hargrove Road East Tuscaloosa, AL palisadesapthomes.com
2VFFO $JUZ "WF t '# 7JOUBHF 7JCF #PVUJRVF
The Crimson White
Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Birthday (12/03/12). This year you may savor quiet introspection more than before. Balance freedom with responsibility to make the difference youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re intending. Romance and social life captivates before June 25. Then career builds to a new level. Focus on health. To get the advantage, check the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 9 -- Listen to the competition. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll soon have time to relax. Study the practical aspects, and come up with a brilliant scheme. Ask for more and get it. Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 9 -- Have the party at your house. Friends help you make a solid connection. The way you did it before wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work. Move quickly without rocking the boat. Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Your mood changes dramatically. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re even smarter than usual for the next few days. The very idea you were looking for appears from afar. Use imagination, not money. Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re entering a two-day profitable phase and can afford a home upgrade. Get down to bare essentials: simple and comfortable. Outside obligations interfere with private time. Schedule them. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Expand your resources. Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more confident for the next few days. You can afford to fix things. If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a roadblock, meditate. Entertain suggestions.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- You see your creative path clearly as you enter an intuitive phase. Review plans. Take a page from your partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book. Discipline is required. Get your antiques appraised. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a zinger in your work environment. You may have trouble getting through to someone. Associates provide deeper insight. Spend a little. Limit travel for now. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Attend to career goals today and tomorrow. Anticipate disagreement, and keep at it. Bring playfulness to work, and let your thoughts settle. Stay out of the way. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -Today is a 7 -- Miracles could be possible. Travel is not a good idea, but do make contact. Read the manual, and study a technical subject. Call upon experts. Finish an old job. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Organize your finances today and tomorrow. You get a boost from friends and your partner, who all want your attention. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start the new project yet. Do the scientific research. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Consider all possibilities, and entertain suggestions. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good time to ask for money. Study takes priority over regular chores. Let another represent you. Discover romance today and tomorrow. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much work. Listen to both sides of a controversy. Allow the process to unfold. Put your partner in charge. Good news arrives.
Sudoku
ALABAMA VS. GEORGIA GEORGIA DOME • DECEMBER 1, 2012 ALABAMA 32 – GEORGIA 28 True freshman Amari Cooper caught the go-ahead 45-yard touchdown to push Alabama past Georgia 32-28 in the SEC Championship Game. Cooper finished with seven receptions, 162 yards and a touchdown. | Shannon Auvil