February 16, 2016 by Kaleidoscope UAB

SCOPE

Inside UABâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fraternity party culture

School

Daze TUESDAY

02.16.16

Volume 49|Issue 34

Dear Kaleidoscope Readers, Howdy Folks, the past few weeks have been very eventful on campus and most of you know why. For those of you that don’t we’ve got an issue that’s packed with

STAFF Brandon Varner editor@insideuab.com

issues of justice, and hopefully represents each side in a way that is fair and equal.

Casey Marley managing@insideuab.com

On Feb. 8, Opal Tometi came to UAB’s campus for an invigorating and inspiring

Thomas Baldwin art@insideuab.com

lecture. Unfortunately, we were unable to fit the full article in this week’s paper, but the online version at uabkscope.com touches on a lot more about Tometi’s inspiration behind joining the movement and more. UAB recently released a study linking the type of fear that minorities may feel with health problems and panic attacks. The work of organizations like Black Lives Matter to assuage some of the horror that minorities feel in the presence of unfair societal treatment will hopefully prove beneficial in eliminating these community stressors. Our spread this week is an article on the fraternity party culture on the UAB campus and how people on both sides feel about it. With people in and outside the culture speaking on how they feel, maybe we’ll be able to gain a deeper understanding of how people feel about their culture impacting the student culture as a whole on campus. In the features section this week, the democrats respond on the Immigration front to the article that ran from the republicans last week. With an election on the steadily approaching horizon, we hope that this discourse on the issues may inspire you to get involved in one way or the other in politics locally and abroad. I hope you made the deadline for voter registration! Enjoy the issue, see ya next week.

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The Kaleidoscope is the official student newspaper of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Unsigned editorials and the opinions of the Kaleidoscope’s columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinions of individual student writers, editors, Kaleidoscope advisers or university administrators. Signed columns and letters reflect the opinion of the writer and serve as expressions of fact and opinion to Kaleidoscope readers. Letter Policy: Letters to Kaleidoscope are always welcome. Unless otherwise directed, all letters will be forwarded to the editor. Letters must be no longer than 200 words and must be typed. A name and a phone number must accompany each letter. Letters will appear at the discretion of the editorial staff and can be sent by mail, fax or electronic mail. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright © 2016 by Kaleidoscope and protected under the U.S. Copyright Laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of the Kaleidoscope.

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Aura Artist Spotlight: Bailey Barrow

ailey Barrow is a junior at UAB pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in studio art with a concentration in graphic design. She also plans to acquire a certificate in web development and a minor in social media strategies. Her interests lie in photography, design, the intertwining of art and technology and creating an art experience that is interactive with the viewer. Barrow has had a passion for art and crafting since she was a young child. Her passion made her decision to pursue an art-related career an easy one. While she considered many art concentrations, she picked graphic design due to her interest in technology. Last fall, Bailey began a sculpture project entitled “Vision, Vitality, Virtue” that utilized technology to create art. “I recorded my voice saying those three words and observed the lines created by my voice on the recording. Then I translated them into sculpture,” Barrow said. She created the piece because she loves the idea of spoken word becoming a physical substance. - Tra’ Martin-Winn Copy Editor of Aura

Bailey Barrow.

Photo courtesy of Bailey Barrow

“Vitality,” part of Barrow’s “Vision, Vitality, Virtue” Photo courtesy Bailey Barrow

Letter to the Editor: WPP President reacts to TKE controversy

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SERIOUS DELIVERY!

hy do we call female leaders “bossy,” “aggressive” or “hoes” while male leaders are respected and admired? When members of the UAB chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon named their initiation party “Corporate CEOs and Corporate Hoes,” they weren’t aware of the bigger issues that young women have to face every day. As the president of Women for Political Progress at UAB, I feel that it is my duty to point out and address injustice against women. However, with this particular incident, the issue was brought to WPP at UAB when our name was inappropriately applied by TKE members after an exchange of comments about the party’s name change. TKE has since issued a formal apology and proposed to work with WPP at UAB to put together a gender equality forum. We appreciate their apology and while their response has been admirable, this incident may not have been addressed the same way at other universities in this state. This goes to show that young women have to keep pointing out when they are being wronged and women’s rights groups have a lot of issues to address on college campuses. In a world where only 23 women hold CEO positions of S&P 500 companies and only 14% of top leadership positions are held by women, young women must work twice as hard to achieve great success in the corporate world. Labels like “hoe” are used to bring women down and make them lose confidence in their own abilities, when in reality, women are

hardworking, dedicated and inspiring leaders. It is time we embraced ambition as part of our femininity and realize that women are the new CEO’s and the next leaders of this country! - Dora Lajosbanyai Women for Political Progress at UAB, President

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016

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Black Lives Matter comes to campus

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Opal Tometi’s most recent visit to Birmingham was one of mutual benefit for her and UAB.

Photo by Angela Hollowell

Brandon Varner Editor-in-Chief editor@insideuab.com

pal Tometi, a cofounder of the Black Lives Matter movement and the founder of Black Alliance for Just Immigration, spoke to a crowd of around 225 UAB students, faculty, staff and Birminghamians during a lecture on Feb. 8. The lecture began with a conversation between the moderator, UAB associate professor Dereef Jamison, Ph.D., and Tometi, and ended with Tometi fielding questions from the audience. During the discussion with Jamison, Tometi gave the crowd a picture of how the movement came to be. Alicia Garza, another cofounder of BLM, wrote a love letter to black people on Facebook on July 13, 2013, the night George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin. Garza ended the note saying, “Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.” Tometi felt a strong connection with the Martin case because of her own family. She told the audience of “praying” her little brother into existence, and the emotional toll that the Martin case took on her. She didn’t want to see her brother, who was around the same age and size as Martin, end up as another person on the news. Groups like BLM, The Black Youth Project, Dream Defenders and Million Hoodies Movement for Justice have all worked towards a common goal of centralizing an African-American voice of humanity and outrage in the face of seemingly frequent high-profile murders of unarmed African-Americans. “Really we’re in a fight for all black lives. We don’t believe that there’s one exceptional, respectable person that deserves to be a leader or the one that we’re fighting for. We’re not only fighting for black men. A lot of black men are obviously being murdered, but this movement is also about black girls, black boys, black women, trans black folks, it’s about all of us,” Tometi told Kscope before the event. “We’re of the opinion that you must bring the voices of the margins front and center and give them the tools and support they need to lead, and have a political framework informed by the margins. Once you do that you actually develop a political framework and an agenda that really speaks to the needs of all people, you’re not leaving people out.” African Americans, and other minorities have a history of being left out. Tometi notices a pattern of political violence against the African American culture that she feels is still not being properly addressed. “I look at things like mass incarceration, the high unemployment rate, the homeless rates, the health disparities, the HIV/AIDS epidemic. All of these things are testaments to our community that something is critically wrong with our society,” Tometi said. Editor’s note: the full version of this article will be available on the Kscope’s website, uabkscope.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016

NEWS

New study researches sources of stress for minorities

It was found that minorities experience stress as a result of discrimination, potentially leading to anxiety or depression. Photo illustration by Spencer Portis, Model: Amber Pope

Mark Linn Staff Writer quiaego@uab.edu

racial and ethnic groups and the incidence of panic attacks. Panic attacks are periods of lex Jones is afraid. He fears the intense fear and anxiety that can day he’ll be stopped by police. last anywhere from minutes to He’s afraid that when that happens, he hours. Symptoms can include heart might end up like other young African- palpitations, trembling and shaking, Americans who have had violent nausea and chest pain, according encounters with law enforcement. to the Anxiety and Depression “I’ve heard all my life that there’s Association of America. going to be a day when you’re The results were not surprising to inevitably pulled over,” Jones said. “And Jones. I’m scared because I feel like I don’t “A lot of people I know walk out think I would know what to do in that of the house and wonder, ‘is this the situation, and I don’t want to end up day I’m going to die?’” Jones said. “So as a hashtag or a statistic I don’t want to end up as a that headline.” absolutely does hashtag or a headline. - Alex not shock me. Jones is a Communications It makes a lot of Jones Studies major at sense.” UAB. He’s also head of BlazeRadio and The study also found that smoking a mentor in the Blazer Male Excellent and abuse of alcohol were significant Network, or BMEN. The BMEN Peer predictors of panic attacks. Those who Mentoring Program seeks to help abused alcohol were twice as likely to African-American men transition have a panic attack. Smokers had 52 to UAB and increase retention and percent higher rates of panic attacks graduation rates. than non-smokers. Additionally, it was The fear and anxiety experienced by found that women had over 2.4 times Jones and others is not unique, and can higher odds than men of meeting the have long-term health consequences. A criteria for panic attacks recent study conducted by researchers “The overall results weren’t at UAB cited a correlation between particularly surprising, but what discrimination experienced by minority was novel was the application of the

healthy migrant effect to explain the health benefits of being an immigrant,” Henna Budhwani, Ph.D., assistant professor and Director of Undergraduate Education in the Department of Health Care Organization, said. “We found that immigrants had lower rates of panic attacks than those born in the United States. In the past the healthy migrant effect has been used to explain physical health outcomes. Applying it to mental health outcomes was a new step.” Budhwani conducted the study along with Kristine Herald, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Health Professions and Daniel Chavez-Yenter, a research associate with the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Their study also found that families of young African-Americans also experience the stress as a result of the discrimination of their relatives. Jones recounted a time during his freshman year UAB when his mother asked him to remove a skull cap on a cold day when they went inside a store.

Alex Jones (left) with his mother, Lisa Jones (rght).

“I asked my mom, ‘why’d you make me take off that skull-cap? And she said, ‘believe me when I say I know it was cold, but I don’t want you to be a target or anybody to think that you are up to no good just for wearing that. And of course it’s not fair or anything, but that’s just not a privilege you can afford to have right now,” Jones said. In light of the deaths of young African-American men like Tamir Rice and Michael Brown, Jones worries that the situations which lead to fear and anxiety in African American and other minority communities have only gotten worse in recent years. However, he believes that things will improve. “I have hope in the future it will get better,” Jones said. “This anxiety this fear that African Americans have, these panics attacks we have that are linked to discrimination, I don’t think they’ll be as bad in the future. Hopefully while I’m still alive.”

Photo courtesy of Alex Jones

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Norm Reilly, UAB’s Associate Athletic Director: 1959-2016 Casey Marley Managing Editor managing@insideuab.com

n Friday, Feb. 12, UAB’s Associate Athletic Director Norm Reilly passed away after an almost nine-year battle with colon cancer. He is survived by his wife Leslie, and two sons Trey and Graham. He was 56. Reilly began his career at UAB in 2002 when he was hired as the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations. Three years later he was promoted to Associate Athletic Director. He kept his position until his passing. As a longtime UAB employee, Reilly tackled both the difficult and positive athletic situations that arose during his tenure, along with directing the Norm Reilly (left), with his wife, Leslie Reilly. Photo from UAB News Athletics Communication teams. His duties included being the primary media Dr. Sicking tests helmet-to-helmet impacts in his lab. The University of Georgia graduate worked in athletics contact for UAB Football and several media relations for most of his life, acting as the Director of other sports, according to the UAB Sports’ Communications & Public Relations at the National Senior website.

Sports-take: is CrossFit overrated?

The author lifts weights at her local CrossFit gym.

April Oberman Staff Writer Aprildob@uab.edu

uick, name everything that comes to your head when you hear the word “CrossFit.” Hardcore. Muscles. Hardcore muscles. Protein shakes. Kale. Sweat, lots of sweat. Intensity. Soreness. Overrated. Well, the last one is a matter of opinion. CrossFit is a fitness regimen created by Greg Glassman intended to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness. Its purpose is to enhance

Photo courtesy of April Oberman

everyday actions such as lifting heavy items or playing sports. So, a year and a month ago, my mom and I decided to join our local CrossFit gym to see what the hype was about. The thoughts of “hardcore” and “too good for me” disappeared as my mom and I walked in and we saw words on a sign that read “Your ego is left at the door.” My anxiety was reduced immediately. We were greeted by the owner of the gym, Sarah Longshore. Sarah looks like a woman you would see in a fitness magazine, but with the kindest smile and the warmest heart. She showed us the CrossFit area, where she explained our Workout of the Day, or WOD.

Games Association in Baton Rouge, La. and as Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at East Carolina University prior to coming to UAB. With the news of his passing, Reilly’s colleagues reflected on his love of family and of UAB. “Norm was above all else a family man. He loved to talk about his sons, Trey and Graham, and all of their accomplishments,” said Marla Townsend, the Head Softball Coach, to UAB Sports. “That family mentality is one of the reasons he fit in so well at UAB. We are a close knit family. I count it a pleasure to have worked side by side with Norm and have him part of our family for 14 years. His friendship will be greatly missed, but his inspiration will live on forever.” “Norm loved UAB Football, and UAB Football loved Norm,” said UAB Head Football Coach Bill Clark to UAB Sports. “He was the kindest person you could ever meet, and we Screenshot UAB News will miss him and what he didfrom fora video our by young men and our team dearly. He’s in a better place.”

This workout did sound as horrible as everyone said. That part of CrossFit was not a myth. Before we began, Sarah explained to Mom and I how to get the best results from CrossFit. CrossFit has diet plans that go hand-in-hand with the horrible workouts; one that Mom still uses now is called the Paleo diet. This entails items that are all-natural. Food stuffs such as bread, sweeteners or anything processed cannot be consumed during this diet. One of my favorite recipes that Mom makes is Paleo dark chocolate chip cookies with almond meal. “3...2...1...Go!” I begin my first burpee (a workout position that starts by laying on the ground and getting back into standing position) and I think to myself “Well, this isn’t too bad.” Forty-nine burpees later, I was gasping for air while lying in a pool of sweat. Mom looked at me with frustration, as she still had twelve left. After completing my first WOD, I felt indestructible. I felt hardcore. I felt sweaty. However, I did not feel muscle yet. For me, I do not believe the myths of CrossFit, although I did before I began. When you enter the gym every day, you becomes close with other CrossFitters and they soon feel like family. If one day you do not make it to class, someone will surely shoot you a text asking where you are. Yeah, sure, there is healthy eating involved. But, why not make a change in one’s life to put down the greasy burgers? Green is the new brown. Once I saw results, I could walk the path of fast food no longer. It became natural to eat salad rather than fries. I am not saying that one will become a powerhouse overnight. I am a year and a month into my journey, and I am still reaching my fitness goals. I am saying this, however: so what if we CrossFitters brag a little? We are proud of our bodies and our new personal records. Our muscles are extremely sore, too.

School Daze UAB students respond to fraternity controversy Sarah Faulkner News Editor news@insideuab.com On Feb. 2, UAB’s Tau Kappa about the change. And we, as an Epsilon, an Interfraternity organization, were even mocked.” Council fraternity, drew criticism “I took [TKE’s mockery of WPP] as a result of the name of the as a target on women in general,” theme of their initiation party, an anonymous WPP member “CEOs and Corporate Hoes.” said. “I think those brothers After Austin Stone, a member were making fun of women and of TKE, posted on the party’s feminists everywhere. Although Facebook page that the name was changed to “CEOs and Corporate Woes,” the members of the UAB chapter responded with comments such as “Corporate woes... Well this won’t be fun anymore” and “As a proud member of Women for Political Progress at UAB THIS IS A WIN FOR WOMEN EVERYWHERE,” both of which were later deleted. The direct targeting of UAB’s WPP led to further criticism and the probation of several TKE members, who are currently undergoing “sensitivity training,” according to the response TKE issued to WPP in light of the events. Liz Reid, the vice president of UAB’s WPP, Some students consider fraternity culture to be posted the TKE Facebook toxic to campus life. comment thread on WPP’s Facebook page with the caption: the original theme name for “We still have a lot of work the party and the comments to do just on our campus. For that came after the name was those of you that don’t know, changed did aggravate me, it TKE’s Initiation Party’s original wasn’t until WPP’s name was theme was ‘Corporate CEOs dropped and mocked that I felt and Corporate Hoes.’ They were like I had to speak up—And I instructed to change it and did. I’ve been laughed at since now all these boys are upset because of me trying to stand up

Tamara Imam Copy Editor copyed@insideuab.com to them and speak for all women and feminists, but that doesn’t bother me. Those members laugh because they don’t know how to respond to a woman who doesn’t mind facing them head on.” TKE has since apologized to WPP and proposed “hosting a gender equality open forum session on campus with TKE and WPP,” in their letter to WPP. The forum would address the party theme and the discourse surrounding it, as well as “highlight things [TKE] learned recently such as the ‘pink tax’, where the same exact product costs more for women than men.” “I feel that TKE’s apology has been adequate, mainly because of the speed of their reply and the degree to which they went to rectify their mistake,” Dora Lajosbanyai, the president of WPP, said. “They placed the members responsible for the comments on probation, removed any theme from their initiation party, and proposed to work with WPP at UAB on a gender equality forum. We are going to use this forum as an opportunity to educate the public and members of TKE on women’s issues, which is consistent with our mission.” The general response to the incident was that the actions of a few are not representative of fraternities and sororities as a whole.

“As an alumna of a UAB sorority I am disappointed more than anything,” Courtney Roberts, a public relations graduate student and Alpha Xi Delta alum, said. “People trying to paint us as horrible, racist, stupid people who do nothing but party in general have continually attacked Greek life. So, it’s sad to see actions on my own campus that feed into those stereotypes that we try to combat. I definitely don’t think these actions are representative of the entire fraternity. Members of TKE reached out to WPP immediately after everything happened and began working to correct what had been done. I have never been to any party with the title of CEOs and Corporate Hoes—and it was really disappointing to see so many young women defending that as a theme.” However, the controversy also raised questions about the culture of misogyny by UAB fraternities in general. “[Fraternity parties] most definitely [promote misogyny]. They put a lot of alcohol (usually Everclear) in their hunch punch because they want girls to get drunk,” the anonymous WPP member said. “They encourage women to dress [promiscuously] by having parties with a theme that typically insinuate women to dress more provocatively. I don’t want to sound like a prude, because I fully believe a woman has the right to get drunk, dress how she wants, and dance with who she wants how she wants—but at the same time, it’s obvious fraternities promote this kind of behavior for their own benefit of getting laid. I want to stress that not all brothers in fraternities are like this: but fraternities in general (I believe) are.” This sentiment was not shared by everyone, though. “I have been to numerous fraternity parties as an undergraduate. My overall experience at them has always been positive,” Roberts said. “[...] I think some fraternities do intentionally promote misogyny, but none of the ones at UAB, even considering some of the bad apples who made fun of WPP. The UAB Greek community is so unique from other campuses. There is a lot of diversity within each of the organizations, which you would never see on a big SEC campus, such as UA.” Roberts went on to explain what she believed was a factor in the theme name and the comments made by TKE members. “I don’t necessarily think stuff like this gets looked over, but it continues to happen because sometimes both fraternity and sorority members get wrapped up in the ‘Greek’ world, which is completely different from the real world,” Roberts said. “In Greek world if you say something stupid someone might tell you you’re an idiot but nothing more. When comments like the ones from [Feb. 2] get made, people sometimes forget that we live in the real world where there are potential consequences for your actions.” Editor’s Note: KScope reached out to TKE officials for a response, but did not receive one before going to print. The online version of this article will be revised with a quote from the organization.

We have to remember that during college people do and say stupid things all the time, but we usually grow out of it by the time we enter the workforce. Those who haven’t matured by the time they graduate will just have to face the consequences of what they say and do, not even a fellow brother or sister can fix all of your problems. (Courtney Roberts, member of WPP, Alpha Xi Delta alum, grad student majoring in public relations) I don’t really know of anyone against WPP except for some of these fraternity members, but if I had to guess why, I would say it’s because they don’t fully understand what this organization is about. We’re not just a bunch of withered up old prudish women that shake their heads at everything and constantly judge everyone for their actions. We’re actually an intelligent group of people that want to see change in the current patriarchal society and rape culture we live in. Why do some people think it’s bad to go against the current grain? I don’t know. Maybe they’re just comfortable with the way things are now. I would like to add that I’m sure there are people out there that think I shouldn’t have called out TKE on what happened, but in my heart I really feel like I did the right thing. Also, I can’t emphasize enough how much a few people’s actions can affect the way an entire group is perceived. I personally know that there are some really genuine TKE brothers that are just as infuriated as I was about what happened, but unfortunately they are typically overshadowed because of the inappropriate actions of a few. (Anonymous WPP member)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Business school joins the sciences in requiring experience

Ally Middleton Opinions Writer allym95@uab.edu

hen people hear the name UAB, they think of diversity, leadership and rigor. They also might think of the success rate of students and the university’s ability to constantly produce graduates who exceed their own expectations. The Collat School of Business is no exception to the theme of success at UAB, and recently, the business school has stepped its game up even more by becoming the first in the state of Alabama to require all business students to complete an internship before they can graduate. Eric Jack, Ph.D., dean of the Collat School of Business, said that this change will provide students “experience in their field of study” as well as to ensure the students are “prepared to contribute to the workforce after graduation.” The new requirement seems like it will overall improve the business school and the quality of students who graduate from it. Hands-on experience is one of the most important aspects of learning because it allows students to get a feel of what their work environment will be like out in the real world. It also allows them to practice their skills and identify strengths and weaknesses so they can optimize their education moving forward. This set-up reminds me a lot of my experience as a neuroscience major. By their junior year, neuroscience majors are expected to actively be doing research under the supervision of a faculty mentor or to write a literature-based thesis. At other schools, students might not get the chance to work alongside world-renowned researchers and discover their passions as early as sophomore year of undergrad, but UAB makes this possible.

The BEC is familiar to any business student.

Photo by Jackson Hyde

Likewise, if we weren’t required to be in a lab, many students probably wouldn’t have the resources or willingness to find a lab on their own, and they would lack the hands-on experience by the time they graduate, putting them at a disadvantage to other students applying to graduate and professional schools. The idea for the business school is similar and offers tremendous chances for students to find their niche and make the most of their time in college. It also creates built-in networking opportunities in addition to interactive learning. UAB’s DragonTrail website is available to help students find internships and opportunities available in the area that are specific to their interests and areas of study, and the internships earn the students three hours of class credit.

OPINIONS

However, there could be a few potential problems. For example, it is unclear in the Collat E-News article how this process works for online students. UAB’s online business school is extremely popular because the school offers several different degree paths that can be pursued 100 percent online. Most people choose to take online classes for the convenience and how it fits with their busy lives, so how would mandatory internships be incorporated into this? Similarly, with all of these students attempting to find internships in the same area, there is a risk of not every student being matched with their ideal work setting. There will inevitably be competition and possibly more students than available internships. Fortunately, the benefits of this new program absolutely outweigh the cons. Raizel Coiman, a business student leader at UAB, is overjoyed about the new requirement. “Requiring internships is going to be the best thing for not only students but for the Birmingham business area as well. Requiring internships is only going to prepare even stronger students,” the senior said. This innovative process for students as undergraduates is going to revolutionize UAB’s business school even further and provide students with amazing experiences that will encourage them to grow personally and professionally. Hopefully this change will inspire other schools within UAB, and possibly other business schools in Alabama, to incorporate real-world opportunities to supplement in-class learning as part of the curriculum.

Blazing blue: A Democratic response to immigration Caleb Carter Contributor cscarter@uab.edu he debate surrounding immigration is one that we can no longer afford to ignore. We have a moral obligation to provide a permanent solution to our broken, outdated and inhumane immigration system. I must be honest in saying that I could hardly stomach reading the senseless garbage that appeared in the previous issue of this newspaper and I feel convicted to offer a brief response. The position taken by the Vice Chairman of the College Republicans of UAB is morally repugnant and a reflection of the bigoted, American privilege he calls imaginary. His statements completely disregard the disturbing history of the U.S. immigration system and the circumstances that immigrant families face on a daily basis. He offers no solution but the enforcement of laws that have been proven ineffective and inconsistent with the American values of tolerance, inclusion and equality. Simply because we have a written set of laws does not mean those laws are just. We have a responsibility to stand against unjust laws that deny people dignity. I challenge anyone who agrees with the right-wing position on immigration to read up on invalidated and reformed laws that remain weaved into our written code of law. Maybe then you will appreciate judicial activism and executive

action. Maybe then your “sympathy” for immigrants will move you to advocacy instead of self-righteous talking points. The stories of immigrants are inseparable from the American story because all immigrants, legal or not, have become an integral part of our social fabric. They are our neighbors, coworkers and friends. Despite the hate-filled rhetoric coming from far right fractions of the Republican Party, immigrants have historically spurred economic growth, fueled innovation, defended us abroad and added to the richness of our society and uniqueness of our national character. Immigrants deserve better; they deserve justice and genuine welcome. The Democratic Party believes that comprehensive immigration reform is absolutely essential if we are going to continue the social and economic progress we have made in recent years. We believe in a more permanent solution, one that welcomes diversity and gives a voice to those long silenced by systematic discrimination. Jimmy Carter once said that the concept of human rights lies at the heart of our foreign policy. So too, should that concept be at the center of the debate on immigration. We must no longer settle for the status quo but must fight to streamline the citizenship process so that immigrant families no longer have to worry about their future. We long for an America

where families are not abused and torn apart through detention centers and mass deportation raids. We long for an America where hard working mothers and fathers are able to come out of the shadows and begin the process of becoming full and equal citizens. We desire to see DREAMers have the wonderful opportunities that we often take for granted. The debate on immigration is not just a policy issue; it is a human issue. We are living in a country with a broken immigration system that denies justice and dignity to our immigrant brothers and sisters. The time for change is now. We cannot continue to wait on others to make change happen. We must be the change that seek by using our voice and our vote. John Lewis says that “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It’s the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society and we’ve got to use it.” I am proud to call myself a Democrat and I unashamedly stand with immigrants. Caleb Carter, VIce President of UAB College Democrats Courtesy of Caleb Carter

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“Sex Signals”: The birds, the bees and the Blazers

Tessa Case and Abbott and Zeronte addressed the audience to ask Transgender and queer people also face many Staff Writer when and why they felt the scene should have ended. unique issues as victims of rape. Abbott cited lack tessmc@uab.edu Objectification, according to the two, was the issue of victim support, as well as fear of rejection if the he scene: you’re at a party where music blares and given the spotlight, as well as the idea of consent. individual hasn’t revealed their sexuality or their alcohol flows freely. People are moving, talking In the skit, lack of consent was obvious to the gender identity, because coming forward about rape and dancing. Something catches your eye: two people audience. However, the pair wanted to address will cause them to have to “out themselves.” in the corner, one is aggressive and one is obviously situations where consent is unclear, or entirely So, what can be done, and what should be done? uncomfortable. What do you do? What should you do? invalid. Abbott and Zeronte both emphasized that victim Understanding the difference between consent In the next skit, Abbott played a student journalist support is key. A victim has to be supported, and has and coercion and feeling empowered as a bystander and Zeronte played a student at a party where to feel like they are believed. “There’s this myth- it’s are imperative in preventing campus sexual assault, another student had been raped. Abbott, in character, crazy- that there are these hordes of people who lie according to two “Sex Signals” performers. Courtney questioned her counterpart about the rape, while about being raped,” Zeronte said. “It’s not true. In fact, Abbott and George Zeronte used comedy and Zeronte’s character defended his friend, the alleged most rapes go unreported.” The next step would be improvisation to bring awareness to these issues rapist. Consent and objectification were explored to safely intervene in questionable situations, they during a performance at UAB on Tuesday, Feb. 9. in a different manner, as well as the idea of victim continued. The idea of direct intervention is not The performance was geared toward college blaming. Abbott asked the audience how they felt always ideal, but there are other options, explained students, who are overwhelmingly a part of the “party, about it, whether they believed the host of the Abbott. Distracting the aggressor or the victim is an hook-up” culture, according to the pair. The sexual imaginary party was a rapist and why victim blaming option, as well as just being an obstacle or witness to assault prevention program was brought by Catharsis is a problem. any problematic behavior. Finally, making consent an Productions. According to their website, they utilize “’You should have seen what she was wearing,’ integral part of every relationship is imperative. an “unorthodox, humor-facilitated approach to ‘she was flirting with me all night,’ ‘she was drunk,’” examining our culture, sex, and the core “If consent becomes the norm, then issue of bystander intervention.” lack of consent stands out,” Abbott said. “What did you learn?” Zeronte asked The program was put together as the audience, referring to sex education part of UAB’s Sex Education Week, during middle school and high school. sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Students responded similarly: abstinence and Diversity Programs, and Gender only, STDs and babies. Zeronte followed and Sexuality Diversity. The Office of up by asking if students had ever learned Student Advocacy, Rights and Conduct, how to have sex, how to have sex safely along with the Coordinated Community or the difference between healthy and Response Team also co-sponsored the unhealthy relationships. The response event. “UAB is a caring community. was largely negative, and Abbott and The goal of tonight’s program was to Zeronte used this as an opportunity, reach out to students to explore our through improvisation, to show how beliefs and behaviors. We encourage this can affect students in potentially students to look out for each other and dangerous or uncomfortable situations. safely intervene when they see or hear They also reminded spectators that something they know is inappropriate,” individuals are more likely to be raped Debbie Morgette, SARC’s assistant by someone they know, rather than by a director, said. stranger. “There are support services and Culture and gender stereotypes were resources on and off campus that are addressed next. “It’s like wearing a available for all students,” Morgette thong,” Abbott said. “Nobody in their said. “I don’t ever want any of our right mind wants to wear it, but a lot of students to feel like they’re alone, facing people feel like they have to.” Zeronte a distressing situation and feeling like continued by staying that it is not just there isn’t anyone on campus they can women who have enormous social turn to for help.” pressure. He explored how society If you or anyone you know has expects men to constantly want sex, been a victim of domestic or sexual and those who don’t are often seen as assault, resources are available in the outsiders or are heckled with derogatory Birmingham area and on campus. These remarks. Women face the same issues as resources can be found through the well, said Abbott. “It’s every woman too. Non-explicit actions include nodding and undressing. Info from Washington Post. Infographic by Jackson Hyde SARC website, uab.edu/sarc, the Title IX Doesn’t matter if you have sex every day, website, uab.edu/titleix, at the Student or you’ve never had sex. Everyone has something to Abbott began, listing off the excuses she said she has Health and Wellness Center, and the Birmingham say about it.” often heard people give to avoid labelling a friend Crisis Center 24 Hour crisis line, 205-323-7777. The performers conveyed this through another as a rapist. “It doesn’t matter, and saying that makes skit. The scene was set at a campus recreation center, the victim scared to come forward, and it lets the where Abbott, performing as a freshman working out, predator think their behavior is okay.” was approached by Zeronte, a stereotypical, hyperZeronte and Abbott also wanted to address that masculine male. Spectators in the audience were this is not an issue unique to cis-gender females. Men given stop signs to indicate when they felt the scene often feel uncomfortable or unable to come forward, should stop. Zeronte, in character, approached Abbott Zeronte explained, because of the popular myth that and immediately invaded her personal space, acting “men can’t get raped.” Zeronte also added that most and speaking lewdly, and eventually grabbing her men are raped by other men or groups of men, which without clear consent. Every stop sign was in the air, can serve as another deterrent to coming forward.

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FEATURES Darwin Day: Why do animals play? UABkscope.com @UABKscope facebook.com/uabkscope

Palagi’s lecture highlighted the contributions Darwin has made to modern research.

Myah Clinton Staff Writer mkc16@uab.edu

Photo by Ian Keel

n honor of Charles Darwin’s birthday, UAB held its annual Darwin Day. The two day event took place on Thursday, Feb. 11-12 and featured guest lectures on various topics pertaining to evolutionary biology. Darwin was an evolutionary biologist most well-known for formulating the theory of evolution by natural selection. Elisabetta Palagi, Ph.D., was invited to give a guest lecture, “The Strategic Functions of Play: Modality and Communication,” on Friday, Feb. 12. Palagi spoke of the importance of play in animal behavior and how it connects to the adaptation aspect of Darwinism. “When I go around to a conference and ask people why do animals play? Normally, the answer is because it is fun,” Palagi said. “Play can fulfill many needs of animals.” She also presented in-depth discoveries on how several species of primates play and what factors affect how they play. Palagi has done extensive research on the Bonobo species and referenced that research frequently throughout her lecture. In one study, she compared the Bonobo to its sister species, the chimpanzee, by obtaining data on one colony each of both species. Her findings support Darwin’s theory that different species have evolved to fit their specific environments. Palagi discovered that adult-adult play between Bonobos is much more frequent than chimpanzees. She conducted another experiment afterwards with four different colonies of Bonobos and three different colonies of chimpanzees. This time, she analyzed the absence of adult play in the two species. Adult-adult play was still higher in Bonobos, so her results were proven to be accurate. Palagi displayed some of her research findings with lemurs. She and her team followed and observed a group of the primates in Madagascar during their mating season to see how they interacted with a new group of lemurs after play. When the observed group’s resident male met the new lemur, there was an initial increase of aggression, but afterward the two lemurs became friends and began to play together, according to Palagi. “The frequency of play reported between the resident male and the newcomer was higher compared to the play performed by the resident male in presence or in absence of the new subject,” Palagi said. “After the first play session, aggression between the in and out male decreased [and] became comparable with aggression between [the] resident group.” This brought Palagi and her team to the conclusion that the observed lemurs’ play “seems to be used to reduce xenophobia.” After the lecture, the floor was opened for questions. There were a few questions on how the play in monkeys was connected to play in children. Palagi’s answer was that children and monkeys can not be compared because children use language. According to Palagi, comparisons would have to be done with monkeys and babies.

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Weekly Wellness: Decluttering to decompress and destress Jared Jones Staff Writer jrdjns@uab.edu

Have you ever noticed the people that seem to have it together – eating right, exercising, drinking water, the whole shebang – typically also have killer digs? I’m talking about the living quarters that are immaculate and beautiful – the kind of homes you pin to your Pinterest board under ‘Goals.’ If you look at wellness at a holistic level, it makes sense that health-minded individuals have beautiful homes. According to an article by Psychology Today, your state of mind is reflected in your surroundings. When you’re distracted, you lose things. When your mind is disorganized, your belongings might be, too. I get it, some people thrive in a messier environment: it feels comfortable and stable. And that’s great. What’s important here is how you respond to your environment: does your living condition bring you joy or stress? Do you look around and see things that need to be sorted, filed or thrown away? I’m talking to those people. It seems that we can organize and sort all day and feel accomplished, but it seems that no matter what we do, disorganization is bound to happen.

Cleaning up improves mental wellbeing.

Photo by Casey Marley

It’s because organization is only masking the issue, parading as a quick fix for your woes. The answer is decluttering.

Your Game Plan

In the same way that there are countless ways to tackle a problem, there are countless ways to tackle decluttering. Cleaning is not a one-size-fits-all approach. What I suggest is adopting a few different, triedand-true approaches and stick with the one that feels

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most natural for you. Option 1) Take as You Go: Every time you leave a room, you find one thing that you can throw away: papers, documents, whatever. Option 2) Replacements: Buy a shirt you love and get rid of two shirts you don’t. This will help you whittle down your wardrobe to only your favorites. You can adopt this philosophy in almost all categories of purchases, so long as you throw away from the same category. Don’t buy a t-shirt and throw away two books. Buy a book and find homes for two old books. Option 3) Categories: You can tackle decluttering by categories: clothing one day, trinkets the next and so on. That way you aren’t trying to clean each room separately. You find all your clothes and decide what should stay or go. It cleans each room in increments. Smart, right? After you’ve decluttered, you’ll find that organizing is much easier and much more fulfilling. It’s easy to organize with less things. And with less things, you learn to treasure what you keep. Let your surroundings bring you joy. You deserve it.

BlazeRadio presents Red Planet Reviews: Bloc Party – “Hymns”

Jared Chesnut (DJ Red, Mondays @ 2) Staff Writer redc@uab.edu

n a week where the biggest headlines in the musical world were the “leak” of Rihanna’s new album (spoiler alert: We’ll be reviewing that next week) and Kanye West finally deciding on “The Life of Pablo” for his new album title, we quietly, somewhat unceremoniously, received the release of “Hymns,” Bloc Party’s first album since 2012. It’s a far different world from that of four years ago, let alone 2005, when a young quartet from the UK released one of the better debuts in recent memory, “Silent Alarm.” Ever since, Kele Okereke and company have shown an adaptability that has been hard to come by in most bands of their caliber, with 2007’s “A Weekend In The City” adding more pop and hip-hop elements and the following year’s “Intimacy,” exploring electro without a safety net before returning to their roots with “Four” in 2012. While things have been somewhat hit or miss as far as success, the fearlessness needed to embrace change and evolution was refreshing, admirable and in many ways reflected how Okereke, Russell Lissack, Gordon Moakes and Simon Tong grew and changed as people and as musicians. From the very beginning of the album there’s a feeling of nostalgia, evoked in the first line of the first track, “The Love Within,” which lifts “Give me grace and dancing feet” verbatim from “The Prayer,” one of Bloc Party’s classics from “A Weekend In The City.” This sets the tone for the entire album. It seems that there’s some difficulty in letting go of the past, which makes many of the lyrics more personal and introspective than ever before, but the attempt to move on feels like it makes the remaining components far tamer and toned down than what

Bloc’s done in the past. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the raw nervous energy that coursed through some of Bloc’s best works like “Helicopter” and “Banquet” is absent, replaced with a weariness and stoicism that a decade plus can bring.

Once “Fortress” comes along, it mellows everything out again to R&B love song territory. “Different Drugs” takes a detour, building over time on a stripped down piece. “Into the Earth” brings back the guitars for something that I’d expect some group of 40-year-old hangdogs to be playing at a swanky island bar after Weezer’s “Island in the Sun.” All in all this is as close to “Old Bloc Party” sound as the album gets, for better or worse. Okereke then makes a treatise to all his “Exes” in a song that trades the swanky island bar for some hipper, trendier café downtown. “Living Lux” marks the end of the album and the end of a relationship, and honestly it feels like more of what the rest of the album deals with: looking back on past memories and experiences before saying a goodbye in some rainy street a la just about every romantic movie made in the past decade.

Rating: “Hymns” album cover from Bloc Party

“Only He Can Heal Me” is a quiet track driven by drum and keys paired with lyrics that you could have sworn you’d heard in a Sunday service. Short of a brief strumming of an electric guitar at the end of the track, the song feels so minimalist it barely exists. From there, “So Real” seems to pick up a little bit, a more active background for Okereke to work in his vocals. The album’s first single “The Good News” follows that up with an organ haunting in the background, a twangy acoustic almost taking this into country-rock territory while Okereke and company go soulful gospel “for the good, good news.”

Pros:

+ Singles “The Love Within” and “The Good News” are solid and get better with more play + Solid lyrics, without question Bloc’s most personal album to date

Cons:

- Music never quite “wakes up” - Short of singles, no real attentiongrabbing song on album See DJ Red’s full review at blazeradio.org

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Discoveries in the Making TUESDAY|02.16 UAB Softball vs. Alabama

Mary Bowers Field 6 p.m. The softball team will play No. 5 ranked University of Alabama at home.

Bernie Sanders Campaign Volunteer Training

Humanities Building 236 7 p.m. A Field Organizer from the Bernie Sanders Campaign will be training volunteers on how to do phonebanking, phonebank monitoring and volunteer recruitment. Anyone who wishes to volunteer for the campaign can come to this training session.

WEDNESDAY|02.17 Business, Engineering, and Technology Fair

Hill Student Center Ballroom 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. The event provides networking opportunities for students and alumni seeking internships and full-time positions in the Business, Engineering, and Technology fields. The event is free and open to UAB students & alumni only. Professional attire is required.

THURSDAY|02.18 The Art of Storytelling

Lyric Theatre 7:30-8:30 a.m. Birmingham Creative Roundtable hosts speakers monthly and this month they will host writer, editor and teacher Carla Jean Whitley. This event is free and open to the public.

Homewood Public Library 6:30 p.m. UAB Graduate School presents this educational outreach program to share their discoveries and progress with the Birmingham community. This event is free.

FRIDAY|02.19 Alabama Symphony Orchestra Coffee Concert Alys Stephens Center 11 a.m. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra presents Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 “Tragic.” Free coffee and pastries will be available.

UAB Women’s Tennis vs. Mississippi State

George Ward Park Tennis Center 12 p.m. The Blazers will face off in matches against the Mississippi State University Bulldogs.

SATURDAY|02.20 UAB Women’s Basketball vs. Middle Tennessee

Bartow Arena 2 p.m. The women’s basketball team will host Middle Tennessee State University.

SUNDAY|02.21 UAB Women’s Tennis vs. UNC Asheville

George Ward Park Tennis Center 12 p.m. The Blazers will host the Bulldogs of the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

UAB Baseball vs. Arkansas State Regions Field 1 p.m. UAB’s baseball team will play Arkansas State University at home.

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