Clean Water Campaign shares a little bit of hope
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 3
Cow manure turns a bucket of water into a murky brown liquid unfit for the human body to consume. But with a hole drilled into the bucket, a blue tube and a Filter of Hope attached at the end, the water comes out clear, clean and ready to drink. In developing countries, families bathe, cook, clean and drink from rivers and streams alongside cows and pigs because they don’t have access to clean water. The contamination makes them sick and even kills. Multiple University of Alabama organizations have joined with Filter of Hope in the UA Clean Water Campaign to raise awareness of the water problem in developing countries and to raise money for water filters. UA students will travel to the Dominican Republic in May to distribute water filters to families living in abject poverty, meaning they make less than $2 a day.
Tuscaloosa News (gallery) – Feb. 3
Winning Worldwide: IRC receives ‘Outstanding Large Delegation’ award
Crimson White – Feb. 4
In early January, the University of Alabama International Relations Club arrived in Lima, Peru, for the Harvard National Model United Nations conference. The group left with top awards at the conference, including Most Outstanding Large Delegation. The conference was held in Peru for the first time. While there, 26 schools and approximately 500 participants, known as delegates, debated and voted on mock international issues. Harvard co-hosted with La Universidad del Pacífico … In Model United Nations, delegates each represent a different country and use parliamentary procedure to create a mock version of real United Nations assemblies. At the close of the conference, individual and group awards are announced. The University’s International Relations Club received the award for Most Outstanding Large Delegation, honoring the significant contributions of an institution with 10 or more delegates.
Bryce Hospital Demolition
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Feb. 3
Demolition will continue tomorrow on part of the former Bryce Hospital as The University of Alabama converts the historic building for campus use. The plans for the property include new classrooms and residence halls, as well as new recreational facilities. UA bought the property from the state five years ago for about $77 million. They also agreed to pay an extra $10 million for environmental cleanup and historic preservation.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Feb. 3
UA leads salvage project
Crimson White – Feb. 4
In an attempt to continue excavating artifacts, The University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research has started a new archeological project along the shore of Moundville Archeological Park. … Because there are no written records of Moundville during its height, everything learned about the site has come from ancient artifacts and excavations done mostly by The University of Alabama’s students and faculty members since the 1890s, who have answered the questions scholars have been asking for thousands of years. Matthew Gage, the director of the Office of Archeological Research, said Moundville Archeological Park contains the remains of one of the largest prehistoric Native American settlements in the country. “Moundville has major significance for both the Native American and archeological communities,” he said. The portion on the outside bend of the Black Warrior River has been experiencing a major erosion problem since 2010. Gage said the site is one of the most important to preserve, considering less than a fifth of the area has been excavated. “Moundville Archeological Park is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin a feasibility study – the first step in the effort to stabilize the shoreline and protect the site from additional damage,” he said. “The [Office of Archeological Research] has begun salvage excavations intended to save the most threatened portion of the shoreline from loss.”
Who is Harper Lee?
USA Today – Feb. 3
She has published one novel and one novel only in her illustrious career. And that has been part of Harper Lee’s mystique all these years. But that’s all changing now. The author of To Kill a Mockingbird is back in the news. In a big way. Her publisher, HarperCollins, announced that a new (old) novel — a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird — will be out in July. Key things you need to know about her: Nelle Harper Lee is 88 (she turns 89 on April 28). A descendant of Robert E. Lee, she was born in Monroeville, Ala., and lives there now. She went to the University of Alabama, but dropped out six months before graduating. She wrote for the school newspaper and humor magazine. She thought she might want to be a lawyer, until she realized writing was her first love. She moved to New York City to follow her dreams.
The Telegraph (U.K.) – Feb. 3
Harper Lee to publish 2nd book
Crimson White – Feb. 4
Author Harper Lee’s name is instantly recognizable due to her one iconic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In the 50-plus years since the book’s 1960 publication, Lee has never published another novel – but that will soon change. Before the University of Alabama alumna wrote “To Kill a Mockingbird,” she had already completed another manuscript, “Go Set a Watchman,” featuring the character of Scout as an adult. Now, more than half a century later, the book is set for a mid-July publication … Andy Crank, an assistant professor of American literature at the University, said people knew Lee had written “Go Set a Watchman,” an early version of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” However, it wasn’t until recently people learned a copy of the manuscript still exists or how different the two storylines really are, he said. “[We didn’t know] that while it was an early version of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ [‘Go Set a Watchman’] has a very different story and setting,” he said. “The setting takes place in the mid-1950s as opposed to the mid-1930s. This story is about an adult Scout Finch and not a child.”
Why aren’t school buses required to have seat belts?
KWQC-NBC (Davenport, Iowa) – Feb. 3
University of Alabama researchers studied seat belt use on buses in 2010. They found that students would wear seat belts on buses 62% of the time. Their research says that seat belts would help reduce the severity of injuries and reduce deaths. However, their study found replacing buses in Alabama over 10 years would cost $117 million. That far outweighed the estimated benefit of saving one life worth $38 million.
Black Warrior Film Festival to screen ‘Mud,’ ‘The Great Invisible’ doc alongside student films
Al.com – Feb. 3
The University of Alabama’s Black Warrior Film Festival will kick off Friday, Feb. 13, highlighting 44 student films from around the Southeast. Student filmmakers will be joined by three industry professionals: Tom Heller, an executive producer of Oscar-nominated “Foxcatcher”; Ya’Ke Smith, whose next short film is set to premiere this month on HBO; and Margaret Brown, who will present her award-winning documentary on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Coast. The student films will fall into narrative, documentary, music video and experimental categories. According to a BWFF release, universities represented include Duke University, Florida State University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Texas at Austin and UA.
Free clinic to serve West End community members
Crimson White – Feb. 4
Some of The University of Alabama’s pre-med students are heading up a clinic in town along with the West End Health Project. The WEHP was originally founded through the Blackburn Institute and has a relationship with Diabetes Education Team and Medicine in the Community (DiET), an Honors College class. Anyone in the community can come to the clinic and get blood pressure, weight and glucose screenings, along with diet and exercise education and counseling. DiET provides diabetes education and all the services are free of charge. Andrew Davis, a senior majoring in music performance who is a student director for the clinic, said the hopes for the clinic have started to become a reality. “We’ve had one patient who has been to WEHP almost every week,” he said. “When he first came in, his blood pressure was through the roof and he had some other health problems. After the students talked about ways to reduce his blood pressure and weight, he told us how hard it was because of his job, which requires him to sit behind the wheel of a truck for most of the day, but he promised us he would try.”
Black Student Union helps minority students
Crimson White – Feb. 4
The Black Student Union is a student-led organization on campus that works to represent minority students and connect them with administration. Alvin Lockett, a junior majoring in accounting, is the current president of BSU. What is the purpose of the Black Student Union? The mission of BSU shall seek to establish and innovate perennial relationship opportunities and expectations for minority students at The University of Alabama. We serve as liaison between students and administration in effort to uphold the values stated in the Capstone Creed. How long has the University had this organization? The Black Student Union was founded in April of 1968 as the African American Association by Dianne Kirskey, so almost 47 years.