SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SINCE 1894
WEEKEND EDITION | AUGUST 20, 2015 VOLUME 122 | ISSUE 11
Don’t forget what day it is #BidDay
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and other tips to the freshman class of 2015
CW / Layton Dudley
WELCOME HOME University of Alabama greek life welcomed over 2,200 new members, including 214 minority women and 25 African-American women, on Bid Day 2015. See page 10. Bring your
-game to the classroom.
INSIDE briefs 2 news 3 opinions 4 culture 11 sports 15
CONTACT email editor@cw.ua.edu website cw.ua.edu twitter @TheCrimsonWhite
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THURSDAY August 20, 2015
SCENE ON CAMPUS Kaitlyn Rothkamm, a junior majoring in management information systems, casually reads a book to pass the time before class. CW / Amy Sullivan
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Writers exhibit
Alabama volleyball team ranked second in SEC
WHAT: Alabama Writers Hall of Fame Inaugural Class Exhibit WHEN: All day WHERE: Pearce Foyer, 2nd floor Gorgas Library
Bookstore sale WHAT: Summer clearance: 50% off WHEN: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. WHERE: SUPEstore
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is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students.The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are in room 1014, Student Media Building, 414 Campus Drive East. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published two times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for Labor Day, 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 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. The Crimson White is entered as periodical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright © 2015 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.
One day after receiving votes in the AVCA national preseason poll, the Alabama volleyball team has been ranked second in the SEC in the league’s preseason coaches poll, according to a UA release. The Crimson Tide received one first place vote and 127 points overall, while redshirt junior Krystal Rivers made the preseason allSEC team for the second consecutive year. Florida debuted at No. 1 in the poll, garnering
Men’s golf releases 201516 schedule
Gorgas family exhibit WHAT: North and South: The Gorgas Family, the University of Alabama, and the Divisions of the Civil War WHEN: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Gorgas House Museums
Funding talk WHAT: PIVOT – Identifying Funding Opportunities WHEN: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. WHERE: G-54 Computer Lab Rose Administration
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Library week of welcome WHAT: Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering Reception WHEN: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. WHERE: Rodgers Library
Welcome back social WHAT: Capstone Alliance welcome back social WHEN: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Mellow Mushroom
The Alabama men’s golf team will once again host postseason play, as Ol’ Colony and the Crimson Tide will host the 2016 NCAA Regional, the penultimate event on the team’s 2015-16 schedule, released Friday afternoon. The team will start the year spending the month of September on the road, traveling to the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Georgia, which it has won three times, before attending the Fighting Illini Invitational in Illinois and the Dick’s Collegiate Challenge Cup in Nashville. Alabama’s home event will be its only event in October before closing out 2015 on Nov. 4 at the Warrior Invitational in Kauai, Hawaii. “I am excited about this year’s schedule and it should be a great challenge for our guys,” Alabama coach Jay Seawell said in a UA release. “We made this schedule with the intent of challenging our team while also playing some terrific venues. In addition, we are not only hosting the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, but we are also the host team of an NCAA Regional, which will be played on our home course. I am excited, the team is excited and we are looking forward to getting things started next month.” The complete schedule is available at rolltide.com.
144 total points and 12 first place votes after winning the league last season. Alabama returns every starter from a team that recorded a school-record 26 wins, the first NCAA Tournament win in program history and the first win over a ranked opponent in program history. Compiled by Sean Landry
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UAPD REQUEST REQUEST: Documents related to an ongoing UAPD internal investigation, first reported by The Crimson White in February 2015 BY: Sean Landry TO: Deborah Lane, associate vice president for University relations REQUEST DATE: Feb. 19, 2015 STATUS: Ongoing, pending conclusion of investigation.
Interest meeting WHAT: International Friends WHEN: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. WHERE: Emmanuel Baptist Church, 4612 Rice Mine Road NE
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3 UA Northport Medical Center to hold opening Assistant Editor | Elizabeth Elkin newsdesk@cw.ua.edu Thursday, August 20, 2015
By Kyarra Harris| Contributing Writer
On Aug. 26, the University Medical Center at Northport will hold its grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony. As the new location for the UMC Warrior Family Center, the hope is to be able to provide more services to a greater range of people. “University Medical Center-Northport increases access to health care for people in Northport and Tuscaloosa, giving people in those communities another place to receive their health care,” said Leslie Zganjar, director of communications. “University Medical Center-Northport provides quality, patient-centered care in the areas of family medicine and obstetrics, two primary care specialties that are so important in preventing illness and keeping patients healthy.” The ceremony will be held in the Fitness One building, 1325 McFarland Blvd., Suite 102 at 5 p.m. Though the center opened in the
The new UMC location will cater to students living over the Black Warrior River. CW / Layton Dudley
beginning of July, the grand opening will serve to provide information to potential patients, giving them an opportunity to learn more about what the facility will offer. The facility will also function as a source of education to UA students.
“It’s an expansion of the University Medical Center,” said Candice Biby, administrative director of clinical services. “Because our resident education program expanded, we expanded our clinic in Northport with them to give a greater learning environment. It creates more learning opportunities for students and it also helps the community; it’s a bigger population that we can serve.” Nursing students are encouraged to get outside experience in order to learn how to adapt to new environments, and to learn how to handle situations. Kourtni Walsingham, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said she believes working at the new location could be a great experience. “The new hospital could give students a new place to volunteer and more people to work with,” she said. “I know it’s centered around family care and obstetrics, so if students are looking into specializing in those fields, they could learn a lot from being a part of that hospital. It’s always good to have some experience
out of the program, so I think to work in a brand new hospital would be a great first experience.” Dr. H. Joseph Fritz will serve as clinical director, whose previously practiced at the Warrior Family Center in 2014. There will be a number of clinics and services provided, including an evening clinic for patients who may work or have priorities during the day. This will be held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. by appointment or for urgent care. “University Medical Center-Northport also serves as another patient care site for resident physicians from The University of Alabama Family Medicine Residency,” Zganjar said. “The residency is operated by the College of Community Health Sciences at The University of Alabama and is one of the oldest and largest family medicine residencies in the country. Through the residency, physicians received additional education and training in the specialty of family medicine.”
Alumnus leads fast-food research department By Elizabeth Elkin | Assistant News Editor
Ryan Joy has no typical workday. His only constant: cooking, and a lot of it. Joy, Senior Director of Research and Development at Checkers and Rally’s, grew up in the business. “My father was the first Checkers franchisee ever, and I worked in his office,” Joy said. Before beginning his professional career, Joy received a degree in food science and hospitality management at The University of Alabama. He attributes his ability to work well in the business side of his job to both his hospitality management degree and his experience working at his father’s franchise. Now, Joy may spend all day in his test kitchen developing new products or traveling around the country to look for new and better ways to cook food. “There could be times when my day is traveling to a potato farm in Iowa,” Joy said.
His job wasn’t always so well-funded and technologically advanced. Joy began his career as a marketing coordinator and worked his way up in the marketing department. He loved developing food, but the company did not have a test kitchen. “I morphed it into what it is today,” Joy said. “I would go into the restaurant from seven to around 11, leave during the lunch rush, and work two to four or four-thirty. I went to the CEO and said, ‘We need a test kitchen.’” The CEO said, while they didn’t have the money at the time to fund a test kitchen, if Joy could come up with a way to finance the project, he could create a test kitchen. Today, the test kitchen is where Joy creates all the food for Checkers and Rally’s. “There’s a focus group room where a panel of eight to 12 people give live, realtime feedback,” Joy said. Joy said there are two parts to his job: the technical side and the artistic side.
Ryan Joy spends his days in a test kitchen, planning new recipes. Photo courtesy of Ryan Joy
“You really have to have both,” he said. Joy spoke about Checkers and Rally’s recent success. “We’ve been on fire the last five to eight years,” he said. “A lot of it is doing
consumer work. Sometimes the consumers don’t know what they want, and we have to help them. How do we bring those unique flavors to them? We’ve done things like take a mozzarella stick and twist it a little, use French fry batter to give it that light, crisp, peppery taste.” Terri Snyder, Checkers and Rally’s Restaurants, Inc. CMO and Executive VP, said that Joy is a great leader. “Ryan is the [cause] behind the unique products we have,” Snyder said. “I have been in the business almost 30 years. I’ve worked with a lot of people in product development. He gets the operation and the consumer. He stretches the space. He’s very inventive and very entrepreneurial.” Jennifer Durham, Vice President of Franchise Development, began working at Checkers and Rally’s the same week as Joy. “Literally everything that comes out of the test kitchen has his stamp on it,” Durham said. “It’s not just a job, it’s a brand he’s grown up in and loved.”
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COMING MONDAY Where: Ferguson Center 2nd Floor (by Theatre) When: Mon. Aug. 24 thru Fri. Aug. 28 Time: 9 A.M. - 5 P.M. Sponsor: The SOURCE
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Editor | Leigh Terry opinions@cw.ua.edu Thursday, August 20, 2015
COLUMN | TRANSPORTATION
Campus transportation falls short in efficiency Kyle A. Simpson Staff Columnist
Tribune News Service
COLUMN | ALPHA PHI
To Greek women, by Greek women By Leigh Terry and Sarah Huff Moore
We all know the names of the major Greek scandals of recent years. The University of Oklahoma Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s racist chant. Georgia Tech Phi Kappa Tau’s “luring your rapebait” email. The University of Maryland Delta Gamma’s email. Insert your favorite Snapchat scandal here. And now, the Alpha Phi rush video scandal. Or, really, the scandal that wasn’t. We have watched with increasing incredulity over the past two weeks as a light-hearted video geared towards recruiting new members into a sorority (one of many such videos that debuted last week) has become the object of ridicule, condescension and censure by state and national media outlets and, as of today, their own university. They and their video have been called “unempowering,” “reductive and objectifying,” ”commodities,” “bimbos” and “detrimental stereotypes and clichés.” While the trend of sorority recruitment videos is a national phenomenon, this video has attracted the critiques of the entire genre on its head simply because the presence of a star football player made it an object of interest beyond its normal campus sphere. However, this video is essentially no different from any of the numerous videos, Instagram posts and Tumblrs sororities now use to attract new members by highlighting their house’s personality, interests, sisterly love and, yes, beauty. If there is a legitimate question of whether or not these images are “reflective of UA’s expectations
for students to be responsible digital citizens,” then this university’s administration should address it directly with all sororities who share this same toolbox. However, we believe that as of now, these criticisms are baseless, as these women have done nothing of major consequence wrong. They were not videoed participating in any illegal activities such as drugs or underage drinking. They did not volunteer to be in a Playboy centerfold, wave confederate flags, or sing offensive songs. Honestly, they were videoed looking like pretty college women having a fun day together. Since when is that a moral travesty? Yes, from the frames we can see, it looks racially homogenous, but the entire sorority system has faced those issues and is still addressing them, with minority enrollment growing year over year. That issue has historic roots and to use this video as evidence of those problems has more to do with conjuring moral outrage than actually examining the rate of minority enrollment or considering the possibility that the women you see are just a small slice of this house’s large membership. We believe that it is respectable for young women to be videoed having fun, even if that fun is occasionally in bathing suits on dock or while giving each other piggyback rides or while blowing glitter. These women did not surrender their dignity, injure their career prospects or teach men that it’s OK to treat them as sexual objects by doing so. It is difficult to believe these are all actual criticisms that have been leveled
at this organization over one lighthearted video. It is also difficult to believe that these critiques are coming from women who identify as feminists. Feminists who have shoved a group of unsuspecting women into an undeserved spotlight and placed the weight of all womankind on their shoulders. As self-identified feminists ourselves, these writers scoff at the notion that this video has done any damage to women’s rights or progress. All women have much bigger issues to contend with than this distraction. As does this university. The Capstone and its Greek system face more challenges than can fit in one editorial. Sorority women having legal, harmless, sisterly fun with each other is not one of them. This university should not forget that many of the women it denounces today are the ones it depends upon to recruit the students of tomorrow and feed its unending growth. To the women of Alpha Phi, we wish we were in a position to give you the apology you deserve or make the negative attention you never deserved go away sooner. Unfortunately, that is not in our power. However, we congratulate you on your most recent pledge class, thank you for your contributions to this university and stand beside you. Greek women to Greek women. Leigh Terry is the Opinions Editor of the Crimson White. Sarah Huff Moore is the Lead Designer of the Crimson White. This editorial represents the views of both writers.
EDITORIAL BOARD
WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONS
Sean Landry editor-in-chief Alyx Chandler features editor Peyton Shepard print managing editor Noah Huguley visuals editor Kelly Ward digital managing editor Alexis Faire chief copy editor Leigh Terry opinions editor
Send submissions to letters@cw.ua.edu. Submissions must include the author’s name, year, major and daytime phone number. Phone numbers are for verification and will not be published. The Crimson
White reserves the right to edit all guest columns and letters to the editor. The opinions contained on this page do not represent the editorial position of The Crimson White Media Group.
It’s 9:55 a.m. on a Monday, and campus is a nightmare. Pedestrians are dodging cars, intersections are sites of mass confusion and the parking services attendant is (gleefully, we like to imagine) putting tickets on the haphazardly parked cars. The sea of cars, trucks and SUVs makes one wonder if they are in Tuscaloosa or Atlanta during rush hour. You’re late for your 10 a.m. class and turn down an offer for a ride from your roommate, as sitting through the seemingly endless traffic will just make you even later. On the Crimson Ride app, you see the next bus comes in 18 minutes. With a sigh, you resign yourself to the awkward half-jog it will take to get to class on time and all the back sweat that comes along with it. With enough patience, time management and antiperspirant, The University of Alabama can be a suitable “walking campus.” However, with campus growing ever larger and hot Alabama summers that seem to last far longer than they’re wanted, many students elect to drive and risk getting a parking ticket or have a friend take them to class. As the student population swells past 36,000, transportation is becoming a real problem. The Crimson Ride is a very good bus service and, in my experience, it is better than what most other college campuses have to offer. However, I would like to see the University make it even better, as an effective and speedy bus option would be beneficial to students and would cut down on campus traffic. Many Crimson Ride routes seem to go the same direction around campus. Streamlining the routes, along with a few more buses and bus stops, could make the Crimson Ride a more viable transportation option than it already is. UA’s most glaring issue is the lack of support for bikers and skateboarders. The presence of bike lanes on campus is erratic; some roads have excellent space for bikers, but others have either only lanes for one direction or no lanes at all. This wouldn’t be too big of an issue, but the UA Police Department seems to have declared war on bikers and skateboarders. Unfortunately, the Alabama Code treats bicycles as motor vehicles, and it is not uncommon to see police officers pulling over bikers and skateboarders on campus. From personal anecdotes from friends and classmates, I’ve found usually these “traffic” stops result from traveling the wrong direction in a bike lane, traveling on a sidewalk, or cutting through grass—seemingly harmless activities, most of the time. An example— Colonial drive, a one-way street, is easily the fastest way to ride a bike from the southeast side of campus to the northwest side of campus, and being forced to go all the way around to Hackberry Lane is needless and adds around five minutes to a trip. If UAPD’s strict bicycle crackdown seems ridiculous to you, I agree; becoming a more bicycle friendly campus seems to be the best way to improve the transportation situation. As it stands right now, UA’s campus during class change resembles something like a cross between a zombie apocalypse movie and a Best Buy Black Friday sale, and I think we would all like to see that improve. Kyle Simpson is a junior majoring in biology. His column runs weekly on Thursdays.
Last Week’s Poll: Do you think Tuscaloosa will be able to enforce its upcoming ban on tobacco in 2016? (Yes: 38%) (No: 62%) This Week’s Poll: What did you think of the Alpha Phi recruitment video? cw.ua.edu
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OPINIONS Thursday, August 20, 2015 GUEST COLUMN | RACISM
Alpha Phi controversy sidesteps bigger issue of institutional racism By Amanda Bennett | Guest Columnist
“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me...[I]t is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves or figments of their imagination, indeed, everything and anything except me. ” The unnamed protagonist of Ralph Ellison’s seminal novel “Invisible Man” makes this statement from his place in the underground as he waits for the right time to make himself visible to the society that marginalized and distorted his identity. Although Ellison’s novel is over fifty years old, the ideas that his protagonist grapples with—his belief that his voice cannot be heard accurately and clearly in his society because of institutional forces that are dependent on his erasure— are still remarkably relevant in 2015. By now, many of us have seen the Alpha Phi recruitment video, which features a group of smiling young women in a series of casual group settings that are designed to encourage young women to take interest in their
sorority. They’ve been criticized for their appearances, their bodies, their clothing choices and their hair color. I am not interested in talking about that. Women are allowed to dress, behave and look however they wish— their aesthetic choices should have no impact on their individual value or whether or not they deserve to be respected or exploited. Women do not exist at the largesse of the male gaze. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about institutional racism and structural violence. When we choose to dwell on our collective understanding of racism in American society, we immediately conjure up images of burning crosses, white hoods and other horrific atrocities that our U.S. history classes take care to assure us are simply figments of a long-dead collective imagination. However, we often forget that once it became unacceptable to be a known member of the Ku Klux Klan and other anti-black terrorist organizations (although that is debatable), many of the organization’s members returned to their day jobs as politicians, lawyers, doctors and businessmen. Racism and violence against black people and other people of color never really went away. They simply adapted
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to their changing environments. Structural violence, a term coined by Johan Galtung, is defined as an “avoidable impairment of fundamental human needs.” Institutional racism, a term that was developed by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton, refers to any race-based system of inequality. This term can be used to understand practices such as police brutality against African Americans, the history of redlining that barred African Americans from obtaining home loans after World War II, and the poor quality of visual representations of African Americans in the American public. There are no black women in Alpha Phi’s recruitment video. However, Alpha Phi is not alone in this crime. To myopically focus on the failure of Alpha Phi to include women of color in their video also bars us from having the significantly more important discussion about who exactly is behind the camera and why we as a student body condone the continuation of a structure that allows us to think that any presentation of a racially homogeneous group or society would even be a good idea in the first place. Penalizing an individual or a single group effectively derails this discussion. It allows
us to neatly sidestep our collective guilt about doing very little to improve the lives of people of color on this campus and, on a larger scale, nationwide. It would be unfair and remiss of me to say that there are not people on this campus who either actively fight for the rights of others, or are at least receptive to the idea of racial and social equality. They are here, in small pockets and in fits and bursts, waiting to make themselves visible. But they are afraid, and rightfully so. They are afraid of the backlash, the ostracization and the social and physical acts of violence that are often associated with speaking out against injustice. This university has a long history of student activists who gave of themselves both personally and professionally in order to achieve change. We as students are our own greatest resource in advocating for the changes in policy that many of us want to see. We’ve done it before. Let’s do it again.
Amanda Bennett is a senior majoring in English and African American Studies. She is a past president of the UA chapter of the National Council of Negro Women.
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THURSDAY August 20, 2015
7 Professor studies children’s imaginative play NEWS Thursday, August 20, 2015
By Patrick Smith|Contributing Writer
A UA professor received a $200,000 grant from the Imagination Institute to study the correlation between imaginative play and cognitive development in children. Dr. Ansley Gilpin, assistant professor of psychology and lead researcher at UA’s “Knowledge in Development Lab,” will lead the research along with Dr. Jason DeCaro, UA associate professor of biological anthropology, and a team of graduate students. Several interdisciplinary consultants have also contributed to the development of the study. “A major part of this project is the development and validation of approaches to measure imagination in preschool-age children,” DeCaro said. Gilpin’s grant is one of 16 out of nearly 250 applications considered and the only one concerning child development. This project is the first to use experimental investigations to examine the direct link between imaginative play and boosts in cognitive function. The study will include 750 Tuscaloosa-area children between the ages of three and five and will last around two to three years. “Although there has been much research on the developmental advantages of children’s imagination, few studies have actually used
experimental designs to determine the cause and effect relationship between imaginative play and development,” said Rachel Thibodeau, Gilpin’s graduate student and assistant. “That’s essentially the overall goal of our study; we want to determine if engaging in imaginative behaviors actually causes developmental benefits in young children.” The team will develop and test imagination in the children by including various kid-friendly physiological measures that are sensitive to individual differences. “This is something that has never been done before and it is our hope that this new component will provide us with a robust measurement of imagination,” Thibodeau said. The team will use the measures they find to help test the effects of an imaginative play program. “In this program, children will be tested on various constructs prior to participating, such as their current propensity to engage in imagination, emotional understanding and cognitive ability,” Thibodeau said. The children will participate in a five-week play program that encourages them to participate in highly imaginative daily play. After the program, children will be tested again, comparing their scores to children participating in controlled conditions. When asked why there are so few of
WHAT TO KNOW • Gilpin received a grant to study the correlation between imaginative play and cognitive development in children. • Children will participate in a five-week program. • Researchers will include kid-friendly physiological measures that are sensitive to individual differences.
Ansley Gilpin Photo courtesy of Ansley Gilpin
these specific type of studies on children, DeCaro said it’s because preschool age children present unique challenges to researchers. “They express imagination differently than adults, they communicate differently,” DeCaro said. “They change very fast, and it’s not always obvious what aspects of behavior or experience in a four-year-old are going to matter in the long-term. But there’s also a wonderful opportunity
to make a difference at such an early age because we know basic social/ behavioral and cognitive competencies are actively and continuously being established as children interact with their environments in more and more sophisticated ways.” Findings from the study should allow for the understanding of the role imagination plays in human development, as well as the potential to influence curriculum development and interventions for at-risk children. “There are a number of distinctive elements that make this study significant,” DeCaro said. “Developing approaches that foster imagination is difficult in the absence of really good measurement tools – you need to know how to define and assess this phenomenon, ‘imagination,’ that you’re hoping to support.”
UA theatre student’s memory celebrated by peers By Elizabeth Elkin | Assistant News Editor
Friends, classmates and faculty agree Peyton Trueblood was, in one word, positive. “She was a ray of sunshine,” said Stacy Alley, assistant professor of musical theatre and dance. “Both as a person and a theatre practitioner, she was the kind of person you wanted to have around. It’s still surreal.” UA students, faculty and staff mourn the loss of Trueblood, a senior majoring in theatre. She was working as a stage manager on the show “Texas” at the Pioneer Amphitheatre in Canyon, Texas, and was taking inventory in a warehouse containing fireworks when an explosion occurred. She was a member of the Alpha Psi Omega national theatre honors society. “It was hard not to know Peyton once you met her,” said Sarah Kathryn Bonds, UA theatre and dance alumnus and member of Alpha Psi Omega. “She was very genuine and caring. She made time for everyone.” Friends remember her as someone they not only respected, but who respected everyone else as well. Luke Haynes, fellow stage manager and Alpha Psi Omega member, worked
It was hard not to know Peyton once you met her. — Sarah Kathryn Bonds as her assistant stage manager and became very close to her. “She became my APO ‘Big,’” Haynes said. “To be honest, I was strongly considering dropping out of pledging APO at the time, but seeing how excited Peyton was to have me got me to keep going. She had a unique way of pushing me, and everyone she came in contact with, to be the most they could be. Sometimes it was to make her happy, more often it was to keep from making her mad, but mostly it was because I knew she believed in me and that gave me the inkling that maybe I was worth believing in.” Haynes said Trueblood was an excellent leader. “Peyton wasn’t the type to shirk her responsibilities, but she wouldn’t hold your hand through yours either. Everyone had to do their own job; that’s how you grow. Peyton probably helped me grow more than anyone
else in the department. Her ambition and drive were contagious and it was sometimes a struggle to keep up...but she made me want to try.” Abby Gandy, a senior majoring in theatre and stage manager, first met Peyton the first week of their freshman year at a meeting for the department’s stage managers. “She stage managed the first show of the semester that year, and was wonderfully helpful when I came to her asking questions about the forms we were supposed to use and where stuff was in the AB,” Gandy said. “We then worked together on a monster of a show, ‘Showboat.’ Peyton was always willing to lend a hand if you needed one, and she knew what she was doing when it came to stage management (which is very high praise).” Friends expressed disbelief in the accident. “I don’t really have one specific big memory with Peyton,” Gandy said, “just a large series of small ones: chatting in the halls of Rojo, how excited she was that she’d figured out how to make all the Merrily furniture fit backstage, sitting in meetings together, and her driving me home after a long night of rehearsal. She was just always there, and it’s so strange to me that now she isn’t.”
Luke Haynes and Peyton Trueblood Photo courtesy of Natalie Nichols and Alpha Psi Omega
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NEWS
Thursday, August 20, 2015
From us to you: Tips for the class of 2019 By Arielle Lipan | Contributing Writer
The beginning of the year is upon the student body at The University of Alabama, along with a new wave of freshmen. Here are a few tips and tricks for the new students, who have probably been hearing them all summer, and possible refreshers for the more veteran students. BE PREPARED TO BE PRODUCTIVE People threw advice Jackson Knight’s way all summer before starting his freshman year as an environmental engineering major. In his mind, the most prominent piece of advice was to learn efficient time management. “A bunch of my friends never had to study, so now they have to kind of learn how to split up their time,” he said.
CONSULT THE WEB Jenna Toler, a sophomore majoring in finance, uses RateMyProfessor.com religiously. “If you’re going to succeed in a class, you have to have the right professor in your corner.” RateMyProfessor isn’t the only web tool available to students. UA sponsored sites like DegreeWorks also help keep students’ years and classes on track.
GROW UP AND SHOW UP
LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE
Zac Swanner, a junior majoring in music education, highlighted attendance as the number one thing for freshmen to focus on. “Go to class. Always go to class. No, seriously, always.”
“Lay down a towel when you dye your hair,” said Grace VandeWaa, a sophomore majoring in theatre and dance. “I know it sounds dumb, but you have to take care of where you live.”
CW / Shelby Akin
THURSDAY August 20, 2015
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NEWS
Thursday, August 20, 2015
The Alabama sorority system welcomed 2,261 new members on Saturday, including 214 minority women and 25 black women. CW / Layton Dudley
Minority bid numbers increase 13 percent By Arielle Lipan | Contributing Writer
The University of Alabama’s new sorority recruitment tradition of being the largest in the nation continued this year for the sixth time in a row. The number of women who registered for recruitment this year increased by 7 percent, bringing the total up to over 2,400. Of those who registered, 214 selfidentified as minority women, a 13 percent increase from last year and the third year of increased minority enrollment since The Crimson White published “The Final Barrier,” exposing on-going segregation within the UA greek system.
“We are very proud of our young women and their commitment to continue to move forward with resolve, energy and enthusiasm,” said Dr. David Grady, the vice president for student affairs. “While numbers are not the only measure of success, they do indicate that we are making progress. We will continue to focus on creating and sustaining a welcoming and inclusive campus for all students.” This year, each sorority gave bids to at least 120 freshman and seven upperclassmen, but some sororities exceeded that quota in order to place all of the women who went through recruitment. UA Panhellenic President Olivia Acker
attributes the growth to the already immense size of the Greek system. “It offers every single person who wants to join a Greek organization here the opportunity to find one that fits their needs,” she said. The sororities doled out 2,261 bids, ending with a 93 percent acceptance rate, about a 10 percent increase from last year. “We were very proactive this year in making sure that the women who do want to participate in active recruitment know there are no barriers to deter them from coming to the University and joining a sorority,” Acker said. According to a statement from Andreen,
the number of African-American women who received bids increased by 19 percent for a total of 25 women out of 34 initial participants. Two out of 34 failed to show, four withdrew and three did not find a home among the 16 UA Panhellenic sororities during the “mutual selection process.” As overall numbers continue to rise, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life prepares for possible changes to the rush process by adding another day to the process, thereby reducing the commitment required. “Recruitment week is the best week you only want to do once,” Acker said.
Alpha Phi video removed after national criticism By Elizabeth Elkin | Assistant News Editor
The University of Alabama’s Alpha Phi chapter deleted a recruitment video posted to YouTube after criticism that it objectifies women and is “racially and aesthetically homogenous.” The video gained 500,000 views in its first week on YouTube. A variety of news outlets including NBC, ABC, BuzzFeed and The Daily Mail Online picked up the story, quoting AL.com columnist A.L. Bailey’s views. According to Bailey, the video is “worse for women than Donald Trump.” In her column, Bailey claims
the video does not accurately depict college life and objectifies the women of Alpha Phi. In a statement about the video, Deborah M. Lane, associate vice president for university relations, said, “This video is not reflective of UA’s expectations for student organizations to be responsible digital citizens. It is important for student organizations to remember that what is posted on social media makes a difference, today and tomorrow, on how they are viewed and perceived.” Bailey also called the video “a parade of white girls and blonde hair dye,” a
criticism of the video’s, and chapter’s, lack of diversity. The criticism comes after a recruitment period in which 214 minority girls were given bids to various sororities, including 25 AfricanAmerican women. It’s not the first time racial issues in the UA sorority system have made national headlines. In 2013, The Crimson White’s The Final Barrier drew national attention after detailing the systematic segregation of the UA sorority system. One year later, the University’s chapter of Chi Omega drew national attention after a member sent a Snapchat containing a
racial slur. While Alpha Phi removed the video from its web pages, numerous news organizations and individuals posted and shared the video online. Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story claimed the video featured 72 members of the Alpha Phi chapter. The Crimson White has been unable to confirm this number, and it is possible that number was originally publicized because that is the number of women staying at the Alpha Phi house. The story has been updated to remove this claim - SL
11
Editor | Matthew Wilson culture@cw.ua.edu Thursday, August 20, 2015
Sarah Dougherty interned for Southwest Airlines. Photo courtesy of Sarah Dougherty
Junior Christina Irion spent her summer working for the Television Academy, which awards the Emmys. Photo courtesy of Christina Irion
UA students return from summer internships By Becca Murdoch | Assistant Culture Editor
It’s been said by parents, teachers and the media, internships are the way college students get the best experience, quality educational experiences and, for the lucky ones, a job. This summer, many UA students were accepted into highly competitive and edifying internship programs. Christina Irion, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film, and Sarah Dougherty, a sophomore majoring in public relations and Spanish, were fortunate enough to work as interns this past summer. Irion was selected for the prestigious Television Academy (Emmy) Internship program in Los Angeles, California, for the Scripted Television Development category, Dougherty was accepted into the Southwest A i r l i n e s I n t e r n s h i p Program in the Corporate Co m m u n i c at i o n Department. Irion applied to 27 internships including the Emmy Internship. After waiting weeks and weeks for the call to come, Irion received good news in midMay that she had been selected to work in development at Wolper Entertainment, where she would work as a desk assistant reading scripts and hearing pitches for possible television shows. “It was very fast paced. Not every day was the same,” Irion said. Besides answering emails and phone calls and making notes on the scripts they received, Irion also had
the opportunity to engage in meetings with writers and producers and even write her own pitch for an unscripted show. “[Writing a pitch] was very nervewracking,” Irion said. “Reading and critiquing are not as difficult as actually making material, but it went over well even though it made me nervous for a bit.” Though she loved the hands-on industry work she did at Wolper Entertainment, Irion argued the best part of her experience was the people – both her fellow Emmy interns and her bosses at her host company she met in L.A. “These are TV nerds like I am who I can sit down and talk to them for hours about where we think the TV industry is going, how it’s changing and the shows we love and grew up with,” Irion said. “Those are the kind of moments that really hit home and made me feel like I belonged there. — Sarah Dougherty When you have a whole group of people, not only in the same boat that you are in, but who are also supporting each other and trying to make sure we are all working out here, it’s fantastic.” Dougherty had similar kind things to say about the people she worked with at the Southwest Airlines Internship in Dallas, Texas. With 128 interns spread over 30 departments, Dougherty got the chance to grow close to the several of the communications interns and employees in her department. “Whether you were working
I never did a coffee run.
with [the people] or eating with them or traveling, everyone was so nice, welcoming and different,” Dougherty said. Like Irion, Dougherty got her hands dirty with actual experience in her chosen field. Dealing in mostly internal communications and external media relations, she witnessed firsthand how the corporate environment handles public relations without the typical intern grunt work. “Every day was really different, which was cool, especially as an intern to be doing things that actually mattered,” Dougherty said. “I never did a coffee run.I made copies, but they were for myself for a meeting.” Dougherty applied to roughly 30 internships before landing on Southwest Airlines. With so much demand for public relations internships and so many students looking to break into the industry, she said it was a long and competitive process. Irion and Dougherty are also some of the lucky few to receive paid internship experiences. With legal battles and heated debate over paid versus unpaid internships, it has become even more difficult to get selected as an intern, said professor Rachel Raimist, an associate professor in TCF. “If a student can’t get hired to work for free or for very low wages, they need to get more experience while they are still a student,” Raimist said. Raimist started the TCF in LA program in 2013 for students in TCF who wanted to study the media industries in the entertainment hub of America. After student request for an expansion to include industry internships, Raimist started the TCF in LA summer sessions. Irion participated in this program in a previous summer, during which she interned with
WHAT TO KNOW WHY STUDENTS INTERN
1. Work experience 2. Add skills to resume 3. Potential for full-time employment 4. Making new contacts 5. Compensation
Wayfarer Entertainment. Because of the competitive nature of applying for internships, it may seem discouraging to students desperate to break into their respective fields. Irion, Dougherty, and Raimist all suggest casting a wide net when hunting down the perfect internship. “Be a very hard worker and stay organized,” Irion said. “Also be outgoing and optimistic; this is your opportunity to show who you are. You want to be genuine, that’s the most important thing.” Making the most of an internship especially means staying in contact with the internship host. Raimist sees many of her students continue to connect with their hosts via email and social media, as well as sending congratulations emails when their boss has a new success and sending brief “here’s what I’m doing now” emails in order to stay fresh on their boss’ mind. When done right, a summer internship could be one of the first major stepping stones in a bright and successful career.
12
CULTURE
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Week of Welcome offers students information from organizations on campus. CW / Shelby Akin
WoW events to begin By Ellen Johnson | Staff Reporter
University of Alabama students are once again ringing in the new school year with a free week-long event extravaganza. The Division of Student Affairs is hosting Week of Welcome (WOW), a series of events set to welcome first-year students to The University of Alabama, this week until Thursday, August 27. WOW gives freshmen and transfer students the chance to connect with one another and get involved during their first week on campus.
Welcome Back Breakfast The SGA will pass out free Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast beginning at 7 a.m. in the Ferguson Plaza. Students are invited to stop by the Ferguson Center on their way to class and grab a treat. Crimson Compass/Thursday Aug. 20, 7 a.m.- 3:30 p.m./The Quad Beginning today at 7 a.m., Crimson Compass volunteers will be stationed around campus to answer any questions new students may have about the geography of our large campus. If you need help finding your classes or have any questions about campus, look out for Crimson Compass volunteers on the quad for assistance. Late Night at the Ferg: Onyx/Friday Aug. 21, 7 p.m./Ferguson Center - The Black Student Union and University Programs presents Late Night at the Ferguson Center: Onyx this Friday at 7 p.m. This late night program will showcase events hosted by different cultural and Greek organizations on campus. Events include games, a gospel show, a fashion show and performances by Greek organizations to finish the evening. Food will also be provided.
Fun at the Rec WOW will host a night of Fun at the Rec this Saturday at 8 p.m. Come down to the Student Activity Center at Presidential Village for a high-energy night of music,
Greekfest is only open to students and proceeds benefit UA Greek Relief and The Billfish Foundation. Photo courtesy of Costa Sunglasses
PLAN TO GO WHAT: Welcome Back Breakfast WHEN: 7 a.m. Thursday WHERE: Ferguson Plaza
Jam band to play Greekfest By Ellen Johnson | Staff Reporter
WHAT: Crimson Compass WHEN: 7 a.m - 3:30 p.m. Thursday WHERE: The Quad WHAT: Late Night at the Ferg WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday WHERE: Ferguson Center WHAT: Fun at the Rec WHEN: 8 p.m. Sunday WHERE: Student Activity Center at Presidential Village WHAT: Get on Board Day WHEN: 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 WHERE: Ferguson Plaza
PLAN TO GO The most-anticipated music event to kick off the school year will showcase WHAT: Costa Greekfest three different acts and give students a WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday, August 22 chance to see bands perform live right WHERE: The University of Alabama here on The University of Alabama camPRICE: $40 pus. Costa Greekfest is this Saturday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m., with performances continuing until 11:15 p.m. General admission wristbands are $40 and can be purchased online. This year’s headliner is Moe, a popu- young people and encourage young peolar jam band that rose to popularity with ple to get out in the outdoors and on the bands such as Phish and Widespread water,” Barker said. Panic. Moe will be supported by Shwayze Courtney Anderson, a sophomore and Mother Funk. majoring in MIS and management, attendCosta comed the event last bines with the IFC year and is looking (Interfraternity forward to the new Council) to bring lineup this year. students the music “The bands were they want to hear really fun and it was at Greekfest. a great first week of “The students school experience,” choose the acts, Anderson said. “I’m and this is seventh — Courtney Anderson definitely looking year Costa has forward to going been involved,” again this year.” said Todd Barker, All students are Costa’s College Community Manager. “We invited to come out and experience this partner alongside the IFC and we run musical event and help charity while the event.” doing it. Greekfest is more than just a fun con“It’s a party with a purpose,” Barker cert experience. Ticket proceeds will said. “Everyone is out there having a good be split among two charity groups: the time, hanging out with friends, listening Billfish Foundation and a local charity, UA to awesome music, while raising money Greek Relief. for good causes. It’s very much a student “The Billfish Foundation is a non-profit event, and we [Costa] care a lot about it.” group dedicated to the conservation and Wristbands can be purchased online protection of billfish and other game fish but must be picked up in advance from the around the world,” said Barker. Ferguson Center. Each student can purWhile Costa sponsors the event, all pro- chase a maximum of three wristbands and ceeds go to the charity organizations, with must have their student IDs to pick them over $300,000 raised to date. up. Gates open at 5:00 p.m., and Mother “We get to attribute Costa to all these Funk takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.
The bands were really fun and it was a great first week of school experience.
food, dancing and experiencing all that the Recreation Center has to offer.
Get on Board Day Week of Welcome concludes with a favorite event among UA students, Get on Board Day (GOBD). GOBD will showcase a variety of organizations, departments and vendors, giving students an opportunity to check out all that the University has to offer. Organizations such as club sports teams, political groups, service clubs and religious groups will all be present and excited to recruit new students to get involved. GOBD is a great way for both new and returning students to discover new ways to get involved on campus.
13
CULTURE Thursday, August 20, 2015 COLUMN | FILM
Toronto Film expansion intriguing By Drew Pendleton
In late July, the Toronto Film Festival became the first major organization to release its film selection to the public. With films from directors like Tom Hooper (“The Danish Girl�), Michael Moore (“Where to Invade Next�), Ridley Scott (“The Martian�) and others set to premiere at the festival, this year’s lineup was already highly anticipated. However, on Aug. 18, the festival announced they weren’t done, revealing over 100 new titles slated to screen there, several of which could be players in the awards race later this year. Perhaps the most intriguing of the new selections is “I Saw the Light,� directed by Marc Abraham. This biopic of country star Hank Williams is interesting not only because it is another musical biopic in a year where several like it have landed to critical acclaim (“Love & Mercy,� about the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, screened at last year’s festival and opened earlier this summer, while “Straight Outta Compton,� about rap group N.W.A., won last week’s box office with a $60.2 million haul), but also due to its casting. Tom Hiddleston, who’s become a household name for playing Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sir Thomas Sharpe in Guillermo Del Toro’s “Crimson Peak,� due to hit the silver screen later this year, takes the role of Williams here, with Elizabeth Olsen (“Avengers: Age of Ultron�) as his wife, Audrey. If “I Saw the Light� lands big at Toronto, Hiddleston and Olsen may be looking at their first Oscar nominations with the backing of Sony Pictures Classics. However, it might face some competition in the studio’s other musician biopic “Miles Ahead,� with Don Cheadle (making his directorial debut) as jazz legend Miles Davis, which will close the New York Film Festival in October. Although “I Saw the Light� seems to be the film that could stand out the most from this slate come Oscar time, the rest of the films have plenty of potential as well. David Gordon Green’s public relations historical drama, “Our Brand Is Crisis,� is about an American PR firm hired to help win the 2002 Bolivian
Wikimedia Commons
WHAT TO KNOW • The Toronto Film Festival annoucned over 100 films for its 2015 lineup. • Among them is “I Saw the Light,â€? a Hank Aaron biopic, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen. • Also annoucned was public relations drama “Our Brand is Crisis,â€? featuring Billy Bob Thornton and Sandra Bullock. • “Mr. Right,â€? a romantic vehicle for Anna Kendrick, will close the festival.
presidential election. “Our Brand is Crisis� shows plenty of potential and features an impressive ensemble cast including Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan. The festival will also premiere Dito Montiel’s “Man Down,� with Shia LaBeouf as a former Marine searching for his estranged wife and son in a post-apocalyptic America alongside Kate Mara & Gary Oldman; Gaby Dellal’s “About Ray,� starring Elle Fanning as a teenager transitioning from female to male; and James Vanderbilt’s “Truth,� a drama about the CBS News scandal with Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. The new slate also revealed the festival’s closing film: Paco Cabezas’ “Mr. Right,� a romantic comedy starring Anna Kendrick as a woman who discovers that her “Mr. Right� (Sam Rockwell) is actually a hitman. While Toronto won’t start until Sept. 10, there’s plenty to look forward to, especially after this new slate. While some of these films won’t be out until later this year or even until 2016, this year’s festival is a perfect chance to get a sneak peek at what’s coming soon to cinemas.
Tell Our Legislators Cutline. to Vote “YES� Photo courtesy of Ryan Joy to Fund Vital State Services!
The Alabama Shakes will perform at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on Aug. 20. Wikimedia Commons
Alabama Shakes to play Tuscaloosa Amphitheater By Bailey Shoenberger | Staff Reporter
PLAN TO GO This fall semester in Tuscaloosa is off to a rocking start. Three-time Grammy-nominated band Alabama Shakes will perform at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on Aug. 20. The band, composed of lead singer Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, keyboardist Ben Tanner, bassist Zac Cockrell and drummer Steve Johnson, formed just two hours north of Tuscaloosa in their hometown of Athens, Alabama. “The Alabama Shakes are one of the hottest touring bands in the country right now and put on an amazing live show that their Tuscaloosa fans will not want to miss. It’s going to be a great way to kick off the fall semester,� said Betsy Kiser, marketing director at Red Mountain Entertainment. Alabama Shakes has gained fame and recognition for their powerful sound and extensive touring. Though their first album was praised for its soulful blues-rock, the band said they believe their second album, “Sound and Color,� demonstrates how the band has grown. “We were able to sit down and think about what’s exciting to us, explore all the things we wanted to on our first album. This record is full of genrebending songs – it’s even harder now when people ask, ‘What kind of band are you?’ I have no clue,� Howard said in an official press release. “Everybody has really advanced on their instruments,� said Fogg, a UA alumnus, in an official press release. “Brittany’s vocals have gotten so much stronger, she’s able to do more things than she even knew she could.� “I feel like I’m capable of anything,� Howard said in response. “It took a lot of patience to make this record, and to
WHAT: Alabama Shakes WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday WHERE: Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
communicate so well with each other. I know now we’re the kind of band that can do that.� The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater has partnered with the Department of Telecommunication and Film to produce performances such as the Alabama Shakes’. UA students, faculty and staff operate every show, Tuscaloosa Arts and Entertainment manager Christy Bobo said. “We have maintained a terrific partnership that fosters education and hands-on experience while providing show-goers with an amazing show,� Bobo said. The open-air amphitheater seats just under 7,500, providing patrons with an intimate concert experience. “The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater is special because of the level of pride that employees and citizens of Tuscaloosa hold for the venue,� Bobo said. “When we have the support of the students, faculty and staff of our local universities, we can’t fail.� The Alabama Shakes concert will open with a performance from the Drive-By Truckers, another local band formed in Athens, Georgia. Tickets are still available online through the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater website or on Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7 p.m.
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www.StandTallAlabama.com !
14 Druid City Music Hall to replace Jupiter Bar CULTURE
Thursday, August 20, 2015
By Lauren Lane | Staff Reporter
Hosting Moon Taxi on Aug. 26, Tuscaloosa’s iconic and currently-closed Jupiter Bar will rise from the ashes as a live music venue once again, reincarnated and rebranded into Druid City Music Hall. After Jupiter Bar lost its lease at the beginning of the year and frustration at the lack of options for live music in Tuscaloosa grew, entertainment agency Red Mountain Entertainment decided to update the venue with a new name and look. In addition to Moon Taxi, GRiZ and Corey Smith are scheduled to perform at the venue in October. “We felt like there was a need for an events and music venue of this kind in Tuscaloosa,” said Betsy Kiser, director of marketing at Red Mountain Entertainment. “The location on the strip is a perfect opportunity to fill that void.” College students and locals alike hope the music hall will bring success and popular artists to Tuscaloosa as Jupiter Bar once did. Performers such as Kenny Chesney, Big Gigantic, Dave Matthews Band and Luke Bryan were a few of the wide variety of acts that played at Jupiter Bar over the years. Kiser said Red Mountain Entertainment hopes to bring just as many diverse artists to town.
Anthony Franks, a junior majoring in nutrition, believes Druid City Music Hall will be a great addition, not only for the students, but also for the growing city. “Generally in the past, students had to travel outside of Tuscaloosa to see many of the big-name shows, but the city has recently started bringing in bigger name artists here that students would normally have to travel to Birmingham or Atlanta to see,” Franks said. “Adding this venue will only increase the opportunities students have to see artists who are popular with our age group.” Kiser said she believes Druid City Music Hall will offer a fresh option in a historic venue for hosting private parties and events on the strip that will draw in local, regional and national acts to Tuscaloosa. The venue will also host football-viewing parties on Alabama game days. It gives students, particularly those under 21, the opportunity to see live music in a more intimate setting besides the local bar scene. Red Mountain Entertainment is in the process of installing a brand-new sound and lighting system for concerts, as well as a high-definition projection screen to accommodate Alabama football fans. Red Mountain Entertainment is partnering with Nashville-based MarchOne Music, Ed Webber, owner of Bar 31 in Vestavia Hills and Steve DeMedicis from Birmingham’s
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Druid City Music Hall hosts big name artists in Tuscaloosa. CW / Amy Sullivan
Iron City for help managing the venue operations. Tuscaloosa has been the birthplace of several bands popular with college students including CBDB and Mother Funk, and has built a strong music community over the past few decades. Druid City
Music Hall hopes to continue fostering a musical community in town, and Kiser said appealing to local bands will be just as important as larger acts. “Druid City Music Hall will host bands that will appeal to every musical preference,” Kiser said.
15 Football continues camp on first day of class Editor | Kayla Montgomery sports@cw.ua.edu Thursday, August 20, 2015
By Kelly Ward | Digital Managing Editor
Every year, the first day of class marks the end of fall camp for Alabama football. This year, it cuts fall camp about a week short due to the season starting the first weekend of September, a week later than usual. “Our focus this week is to improve,” head coach Nick Saban said Wednesday. “How much you improve between the first scrimmage and the second scrimmage goes a long ways into saying who and what your role in this team is going to be because we’re going to have to make some decisions about who we’re going to coach and who we’re going to get ready to play.” Classes just add to the mix with the team’s second scrimmage Saturday. “It just comes with being a college athlete,” sophomore left tackle Cam Robinson said. “That’s just something you have to deal with and something you have to do.”
Quarterback Jake Coker, who missed two days due to a foot injury, was back in practice Wednesday. Saban said he shouldn’t be out more than a day or two. “Some other players that got back to practicing today — some of the injured guys that were here for rehab during camp,” Saban said. “Kenyan Drake is recovering and did a nice job in practice today in a black jersey. Cam Robinson was in a black jersey only because he sprained his shoulder a little bit or something. I’m not going to — Nick Saban make an explanation for every guy that wears a black jersey. It’s the way we practice that we don’t want to have a lot of contact, so every player knows that he doesn’t have contact, and there’s not going to be an explanation for that.” Saban also addressed players using private quarterback coaches in the offseason when they can’t work with the Alabama coaches. “I personally think that a lot of guys have their own guys that they grew
I’m not going to make an explanation for every guy that wears a black jersey.
Nick Saban answers questions at a press conference held at Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. CW / Amy Sullivan
up with — call them tutors, call them coaches, call them personal coaches — and that has helped them be successful, that really kind of knows their game and knows what works for them,” Saban said. “Most of these guys that do this that I know, that we’ve had players work with, are very good at what they do. I think it’s been helpful to the players.” Saban cited Blake Sims, Alabama’s
quarterback in 2014, who went to a private coach before the season. He said the coach helped Sims improve. “I trust our players,” Saban said. “They’re just trying to get better and they’re trying to improve their chances of being successful college players and developing a career of their own. I personally think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what these guys do. It’s very beneficial.”
16
SPORTS
Thursday, August 20, 2015
WE NEED A
HERO
Wes Hart Stepping in the right direction Wes Hart took over as coach of the Alabama soccer program in April. CW / Shelby Akin By Caroline Gazzara | Contributing Writer
Alabama’s newest head coach Wes Hart stood out on the pitch, eyeing practice. At midfield, Hart could watch his players square off against each other without any issues. In less than a month of practice, Hart has watched his newfound team change at an impressive rate. The energy on the field is like no other. The fervor of excitement is something the players haven’t seen in years. Minutes later, Hart runs into the throng of players to give hands-on advice. Alabama’s sole exhibition game against Vanderbilt exposed a lot of holes in the Crimson Tide’s defense, something Hart wants to fix. Hart doesn’t just yell out what needs to improvement from midfield, he demonstrates it for his girls. As senior Abby Lutzenkirchen said, the team has more of a drive this year than in the past. The team captain witnessed the abrupt departure of the former coach, Todd Bramble, and although the seperation was sudden, Hart’s leadership has steered the team in the right direction. “I’ve felt like more of a family this year than I have in the past three years I’ve been here,” Lutzenkirchen said. “Coach Hart makes it known that he didn’t recruit us, but he believes in us. He believes in our strengths. He’ll tell us when we’re doing something wrong and he’s confident in how he tells you. He’ll praise you, but he’ll also tell you what you’re doing wrong, so he balances that out really, really well.” After taking the helm of the Alabama soccer program in April, Hart has revitalized the once-struggling program. Although having only played one exhibition game this season, the Crimson Tide is already playing better soccer. Alabama kicks off its season opener tonight at Memphis. Hailing from Littleton, Colorado, Hart lives and breathes soccer. He has played soccer for most of his life, both in college at The University of Washington and on the professional level for the Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes in MLS. The amount of experience he brings to Alabama can only empower the team. He can even relate to what the team has experienced over the past few months.
As a college athlete, Hart experienced his head coach getting fired from the program shortly before his sophomore year. The incoming coach made it a point for Hart and his fellow teammates to know they “weren’t his players.” Having gone through that, Hart knew it was important to show his new team they were his players, even if he didn’t recruit them. “The coach did exactly opposite of what I did [here], I think I learned from him,” Hart said. “He was more of the type that vocally spoke about how we weren’t his team and how he couldn’t wait to get his team in and his players in. … So for me, I remembered that. I wanted to come in here and embrace the players and let them know that they are my team.” Hart is also a national championshipwinning coach. As an assistant coach at Florida State University, Hart helped steer the program to win the 2014 national championship. He’s humble, though; he doesn’t want to take much of the credit for that win. “I’ve said this to some of the girls, you know I’ve been a part of some conference championship teams and certainly try to draw off of those experiences but has been a part of national championship teams at the college level, at the youth level as both a coach and a player. So if I have a masters degree in championships then Wes has a Ph.D in championships,” assistant coach Jerrod Roh said. Trying to create a winning mentality and a positive culture, Hart wouldn’t expect anything from his team he himself couldn’t do. He’s hands-on for this reason: to show his team what they are capable of doing. Now, after only a few weeks of training, Hart is ready for his season debut. Unsure of what to expect, he said he wanted to create the right culture and a winning mentality. He also said he wasn’t going to focus on winning a specific amount of games, he just wants to see what the next ten weeks have in store. Overall, Hart is excited. “I think coaching for me is similar to when I was playing,” Hart said. “You can get the same nerves and the same excitement and I think that’s why I am involved in coaching is because I like that feeling. There’s more excitement than nerves but certainly there’s some nerves in there as well.”
Will it be you? Send us a lip sync video. The favorite video performers will appear live on stage Sept. 25 competing for the top prize that includes a Yeti cooler.
Enter today. Submit your best lip sync video at
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September 25 7 pm Ferguson Center Theatre
17
SPORTS Thursday, August 20, 2015 COLUMN | NFL
Cooper looks to make NFL mark By Marquis Munson
Last season, Amari Cooper electrified fans with his big play skills on the field of Bryant-Denny Stadium and the rest of the SEC. Now the 6’4”, wide receiver from Miami, Florida, looks to do the same in the Bay Area in the NFL. Cooper was drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft to the Oakland Raiders, a team that usually doesn’t make the smartest decisions with their draft choices. But, during training camp, Cooper has already impressed the fans of Oakland, his teammates, various sports analysts and some wide receiver greats. In an interview with the Raiders’ team website, Pro Football Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice said Cooper could be the Raiders next Tim Brown. That is a ton of pressure to put on a rookie but, if any wide receiver on the current Raiders roster has the potential to live up to that expectation, it’s Amari Cooper. Last season, Cooper was the centerpiece of Alabama’s offense. He finished the season with 124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns, won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and came in third in the Heisman Trophy voting, so there is no doubt in Cooper’s ability to perform on an NFL level. Switching gears to the team Cooper
Amari Cooper runs a play against Southern Miss. CW File
will be lining up for, the Oakland Raiders, struggled last season to find their rhythm on offense with a struggling running game and mediocre wide receiver core. General manager Reggie McKenzie has done a great job these past two NFL drafts, drafting linebacker Khalil Mack and Derek Carr last year and a solid draft class that included Cooper this year. The team is making strides to become contenders in the NFC West—not now, not next season, but very soon. Many fans believe Cooper can’t flourish in that organization, looking at the Raiders as a graveyard for NFL players to never be heard from again. With new head coach Jack Del Rio and a quarterback like Derek Carr going into his second season, and after showing tons of potential last season, Cooper is in the best position to succeed as a premier wide receiver. As for the next Tim Brown, only time will tell.
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The UA women’s basketball team traveled to Italy to compete against the Camroon National team. UA Athletics
Women’s basketball team plays foreign foes in Italy By Elliott Propes | Staff Reporter
From Rome to Como, the Alabama women’s basketball spent 10 days and played three ballgames in Italy. The University of Alabama is able to send the program overseas every four years, and Coach Kristy Curry is eager for the opportunity each time. “The real benefit for our sport is the fact that our freshmen can join us, so every class has an opportunity as a part of the program to do this once every four years,” Curry said. “So for us to have that commitment from our administration and boosters to do these type things really benefits our program and recruiting.” After several practices in Tuscaloosa, the team boarded a plane at the Atlanta airport on Aug. 1 and arrived in Rome nine hours later to begin their first day in the Eternal City. For many athletes on the trip, it was not only their first trip to Italy, but also their first trip overseas. “It was such a cultural experience. I’ve never been out of the country to Europe,” senior Nikki Hegstetter said. “Seeing all the architecture and the history and how old the cities are, is just crazy to see and being able to play while we were over made it that much better.” Alabama played its first game on the second day in Italy. The team traveled to Florence to face the Cameroon National Team, which featured many players a lot older and more experienced than those on the Crimson Tide’s roster. Alabama responded well though, coming up just short 65-62. “The Cameroon National Team that we lost to was actually their Olympic team, so it wasn’t some university team that wasn’t very talented,” Curry said. “They had a 6’9” kid that dunked in warm-ups and was 31 years old. So it was a very talented team we played against and we played well.” Alabama later traveled just outside of
Venice to play its second game against Basket Montecchio Maggiore, an Italian all-star team that featured players from that region. Alabama dominated with a score of 113-33. Alabama did not play again until it reached the last stop in city of Como. There they played a Lithuanian university team. The Crimson Tide again was victorious in a closer matchup of 67-55. “The teams that we played were good teams, and I was happy that we actually got to play great competition and give the [underclassmen] more of a feel of how college will be,” Hegstetter said. Alabama will actually be welcoming five new freshmen to the team this season. The Italy trip was the first opportunity for the new freshman to play alongside the rest of the team. Hegstetter and Curry both acknowledged the importance of team chemistry and how the trip helped strengthen that bond. “[The freshmen] are great people and great basketball players, too. I think they are going to help us a lot this season and it was a great experience for them,” Hegstetter said. “We stayed in the hotel with each other and we would go out in the city with each other. It was just a really great start up for the freshmen.” Alabama is looking to bounce-back from a disappointing last season with a record of 13-19. The new freshmen will have to be a key piece in the mix if the Crimson Tide wants to bounce back. There is a long road ahead, though, and the Alabama players are just grateful for the experience of Italy. “Everyone on our team kind of came back in awe, just because of the stuff we were able to see,” Hegstetter said. “A lot of us would have no opportunity to go out of the country if it wasn’t for the university. We are beyond thankful to the university, the boosters and everyone that helped fund this trip. It was a trip of a lifetime.”
18 Practice Report: QB Coker battles foot injury SPORTS
Thursday, August 20, 2015
By Sean Landry | Editor-in-Chief
The Alabama football team continued its fall camp this week. Take a look at practice notes from the Crimson Tide’s practices.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
• QB Jake Coker was not in practice today.
• QB Jake Coker worked on the sideline after missing with a “minor foot injury.”
• QB Jake Coker returned to full practice today.
• RB Kenyan Drake returned to practice today. Drake ran next to last in drills, in front of Bo Scarbrough, who wore a black non-contact jersey. Derrick Henry led the line, followed by Damien Harris.
• WR Cam Sims returned to practice in a non-contact black jersey and a brace on his left knee. He appeared to be limited, running some routes but sitting out other drills.
• Alec Morris led the quarterbacks, followed by Cooper Bateman, David Cornwell and Blake Barnett, in order.
• DL Anfernee Jennings also wore a black non-contact jersey in his first practice of the year. Jennings failed his physical after slipping a disc before his arrival on campus.
• RB Kenyan Drake stood to the side of Alabama’s RB drills. Alabama coach Nick Saban said Drake tweaked his hamstring before last Saturday’s scrimmage. • Wide receivers Robert Foster and Chris Black returned to practice. Foster wore a brace on his right knee after spraining his knee during Saturday’s scrimmage, but was not limited and seemed fully mobile. Black, with a heavily taped ankle, remained limited, noticeably struggling with his cuts. • Freshman OL Lester Cotton returned to practice after missing several days. He appeared to have no limitations. • Alabama worked in its Nickel package:
Blocking drills from Monday’s practice. CW / Amy Sullivan
• CORNERBACKS: Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cyrus Jones • SAFETIES: Geno Smith and Eddie Jackson • STAR: Maurice Smith. • LBS: Reggie Ragland and Reuben Foster
• WR Chris Black, with a heavily taped ankle, ran passing drills but only at about half-speed. • WR Reuben Foster worked without a knee brace.
• RB Kenyan Drake was second in line on the running back drills he did run, but was limited
• Alabama worked in its Dime package:
• Alabama worked in its Dime package:
• CORNERBACKS: Cyrus Jones and Marlon Humphrey • SAFETIES: Eddie Jackson and Geno Smith • STAR/MONEY: Minkah Fitzpatrick and Maurice Smith • MACK LINEBACKER: Reuben Foster
• CORNERBACKS: Cyrus Jones and Marlon Humphrey • SAFETIES: Geno Smith and Eddie Jackson • STAR: Minkah Fitzpatrick • MONEY: Maurice Smith • MACK LINEBACKER: Reuben Foster
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19 Quarterbacks unsettled after first scrimmage SPORTS Thursday, August 20, 2015
By Kelly Ward and Sean Landry | CW Staff
Alabama football hosted its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium. There were no stats provided from the closed scrimmage. Following the scrimmage, Head Coach Nick Saban addressed the media. He said he was pleased with a lot of the effort he saw. “Execution for a first scrimmage was probably OK, not where it needs to be,” Saban said. “Certainly we have a lot of things to work on. The defense is probably a little ahead on the offense, which is not unusual in terms of their ability to execute and do their job, have a little more experience which certainly helps, especially early on.” Saban said the secondary was better, and he likes the way the group plays. “Having Eddie [Jackson] and Geno [Smith] at safety makes us a little
more athletic, little more speed, little more range on the field,” Saban said. He said the younger players have started to gain confidence in what they’re doing and why. The quarterback question has not been answered. Blake Barnett, Cooper Bateman, Jake Coker, David Cornwell and Alec Morris all did good things and some not-so-good things, Saban said. He said he’s seen guys start to take steps to become “the guy,” but they haven’t kept it up. “I’m just waiting for somebody when they sort — Nick Saban of break out and they’re having a couple good days that they say, ‘OK, I’m ready to do this’ and you’ve got to win the team, and I see guys starting to win the team and then something happens, but that’s going to happen,” Saban said. “And somebody’s gotta make it happen. I can’t make it happen. As bad as I’d like to make it happen, I can’t make it happen.”
Execution for a first scrimmage was probably OK...
Saban is yet to name a quarterback after the fall scrimmage. CW / Layton Dudley
WHAT TO KNOW • Dillon Lee was working alongside Reggie Ragland with the first group of inside linebackers. Shaun Dion Hamilton and Reuben Foster were the second group.
• Freshman OL Lester Cotton was absent from practice.
• RB Kenyan Drake was not wearing a black no-contact jersey, but was not warming or participating in RB drills.
• RS-Sr. Jake Coker led the quarterbacks, followed by Alec Morris and Cooper Bateman.
• Sr. WR Chris Black was absent from practice, recovering from a turned ankle.
• Freshman RB Bo Scarbrough wore a black no-contact jersey and did not participate in drills.
TODAY’SDIVERSIONS
SUDOKU
HOROSCOPES Today’s Birthday (08/20/15). Your touch is golden this year. Live frugally and stash the change. A windfall (after 10/13) reveals new educational options (after 10/27). Buy or sell to grow family investments after 3/8. Resolve old upsets (after 3/23). Speak your heart. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 6 -- Attend to finances for the next two days. Study money, and review your resources. Strategize your budget. Heed a call to action for something you feel passionate about. Cash in your coupons and favors. Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -Work with a partner today and tomorrow. Get your message across. Stick to basics. Figure out who will do what. Wait for developments. Consider purchases carefully. Can you make do with what you have? You’re earning brownie points. Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Get the facts. Concentrate on a new assignment today and tomorrow. The pace quickens. Navigate temporary confusion or frustration. Uncover the underlying motivations. Make a miraculous discovery and get farther than expected. A professional marathon produces results.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Reserve the next two days for fun and romance. How about a picnic in natural beauty? Play beloved activities with beloved people. You’re developing a new perspective. Don’t buy toys. Save up for a dream. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 5 -- Time to clean up a mess at home. You’re good at problem solving. Focus on family today and tomorrow. The gentle approach works best now. Changes bring confusion. It’s not worth arguing over. Let a loved one help. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is an 8 -You’re especially smart today and tomorrow. An imaginative assignment pays well. Invest in music to get your creativity juiced. Imaginative strategies get results. Amp up the passion. Avoid annoying someone cranky. Look before leaping. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is an 8 -Tap another source of revenue. Today and tomorrow could get quite profitable, although tempers could flare briefly. Make budgets and estimates. Send invoices. Avoid frivolous expense. Have a heart-to-heart conversation. The impossible seems accessible. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Lights, camera, action! Use your power responsibly today and tomorrow, to provide for family. Take the show on the road? Stay
objective in a tense situation. Keep passion backstage for now. Dreams reveal your true feelings. Meditate. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 5 -- Get into a peaceful planning phase for the next two days. Be sensitive to a loved one’s wishes. Retreat from the world and take things slowly. Try not to break anything. Align your itinerary to your heart. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Confer with allies over the next two days. Your friends are your inspiration. Guard against being impetuous. Committees are especially effective, and provide a wider perspective. Leave nothing to chance. Question obscure concepts. Collaborate. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Focus on your work, and a career rise is possible today and tomorrow. Someone important is watching ... dress well and give your best effort. Crazy dreams seem possible. Confer with a decision-maker. Expect new directives. Investigate together. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Get adventurous. Today and tomorrow are good for travel and exploration. Stifle automatic snark, if ruffled. Save time and money by avoiding an argument. Exciting opportunities present themselves. If you can’t go physically, study your subject online.
20
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