Thursday, March 10, 2011 Serving the University of Alabama since 1894 Vol. 117, Issue 98

NEWSNEWS 33UA reduces housing UA reduces housing options at the Bluffoptions at the Bluff

Plea

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cle this paper • Please recycle this paper•

P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-8036 | Advertising: 348-7845 | Classifi eds: 348-7355

Letters, op-eds: letters@cw.ua.edu Press releases, announcements: news@cw.ua.edu

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

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

Sports .......................8

WEATHER todayINSIDE today’s paperPuzzles .................... 13

Classifieds ............... 13

Lifestyles .................. 14

Partly cloudy

54º/32ºFriday 58º/63ºClear

By Alyssa LocklarContributing Writer

University of A l a b a m a l aw student Allison Bronner died March 3 of an unknown illness, according to a release by the University. Although they suspect the cause of death to be of natural causes related to a recent illness, nothing has been officially deter-mined. It is known that a family friend found her dead in her apartment March 3, Fox Alabama reported. The daughter of Mary Lynn and David Bronner, Bronner, 25, also leaves behind her brother George and sister Courtney, along with many other family and friends. Bronner was a UA graduate who went on to attend the UA School of Law, hoping to pursue a career in security law. “Her phone calls are a favorite memory,” said friend Liorah Camak. “She would call and have these two hour conversations with you about nothing. Like what she hadfor dinner or why she likes Publix better than Bruno’s or what her dog was doing at every changing minute. We always joked about them and just how ridiculous and entertaining they were. She was hilarious.I know anyone who was ever privileged enough to receive those calls would give

By Marquavius BurnettSports Reporter

msburnett1@crimson.ua.edu

T h e S o u t h e a s t e r n Conference Tournament will take place in Atlanta, Ga., this weekend. The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators earned No. 1 seeds in their respective divisions. The Tide and the Gators, along with Mississippi State and Kentucky, all earned first-round byes. For Alabama (20-10, 12-4 SEC), its first matchup of the tournament will be against a familiar opponent. On Friday, the Tide will face the winner of the Auburn/Georgia game, which is the first game of the tournament on Thursday. Alabama has played and defeated both teams in the last two weeks. Head coach Anthony Grant said that will help with preparation. “When you go back and evaluate film, you always look at things like if you had a chance to do it over again, you would do them different-ly,” Grant said. “It’s the same for our opponents. If you look at the first time we played Auburn compared to the sec-ond time, you will see that they made some adjustments that bothered us. I’m sure if we have to play Georgia or Auburn there will be some changes on both ends of the floor. It certainly helps to be familiar with your opponents and to be able to anticipate what is going to happen so that you will be prepared for it.” After having an up and down start to the season, the Tide finally got its season on track and has won 15 of its last

By Karissa Bursch Senior Staff Reporter

kabursch@crimson.ua.edu

By the end of this semes-ter, students will have to look elsewhere for Chinese food options on The Strip. Lai Lai’s lease, which is owned by the University, is expiring, which means the business will have to vacate the property. Jennifer Chen, the manager of Lai Lai, said the University sent Lai Lai a letter in November 2010 notifying them of the expiration of their lease. The letter stated the lease

will end March 31. Lai Lai’s original last day open was going to be March 27. Since then, the University has decided to extend Lai Lai’s lease for another month, so the closing won’t happen until the beginning of the summer. “Now we’re unsure of the closing date,” Chen said. “Most likely it will be at the beginning of the summer. We’ll be able to finish out the semester with the students now.” Chen said they know the University wants the property,

Tide looks to lock up tourney bid in Atlanta

See TIDE, page 9

By Laura OwensSenior Sports Reporter

lkowens@crimson.ua.edu

According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Alabama is still a bub-ble team for the NCAA tourna-ment. As of this week prior to the SEC tournament, Lunardi has Alabama as the NCAA tourna-ment’s first team out on his brack-ets posted at ESPN.com.

The team right below Alabama is Georgia, who the Tide beat Saturday 65-57 in Tuscaloosa. In the SEC tournament, the win-ner of the Auburn-Georgia game Thursday will play Alabama Friday, so there is a possibility of these two teams meeting again less than a week after their first matchup.

Who you should root against:Team:ColoradoVirginia TechMichigan StateBoston CollegeUSC

Next game:Today vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m.Today vs. Georgia Tech, 8:30 p.m.Today vs. Iowa, 3:30 p.m.Today vs. Wake Forest, 1:30 p.m.Today vs. California, 2 p.m.

Tide still hovers on NCAA bubble

See NCAA, page 5

Bubbling with anticipation Student dies ofunknown illness

See BRONNER, page 2

Lai Lai’s lease set to expire this summer

See LAI LAI, page 12

Lai Lai, a chinese restau-rant on the Strip, will be closing by the end of the se-mester.

CW | Katie Bennett

CW | John Michael SimpsonSophomore Tony Mitchell completes a layup, while being fouled during a game against Arkansas on Feb. 19 at Cole-man Coliseum. Mitchell and the Tide will look to win the SEC championship and ensure a spot in the tournament over the weekend in Atlanta, Ga.

By Amanda SamsSenior Staff Reporter

alsams1@crimson.ua.edu

After weeks of hard work campaign-ing, debating and examining the issuesto choose the most qualified candidates,Student Government Association elec-tions are over. At least 32 percent of students chose tovote. Excluding the presidential election,the executive offices were unopposed thisyear, so the winners were settled beforethe race began. This turnout is relatively high forSoutheastern Conference schools. Only 4 percent of approximately 35,000students voted in the most recent electionat the University of Georgia. Ed Mirecki,SGA adviser at UGA, said this low turnoutwas rare and well below the average. UGAusually participates in a party systemwhere the president, vice president andtreasurer run on one ticket with a groupof senators. Since a single party ran unop-posed this year, the winners of the elec-tion were predetermined, much like themajority of the UA executive positions,and voter turnout was low.

UA turnout tops most colleges in conference

See VOTERS, page 7

doesn’t need the beach to have funScenethe

SGA ELECTIONS

Allison Bronner

ON

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The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students. The University of Alabama cannot influ-ence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor, Student Publications Building, 923 University Blvd. The adver-tising mailing address is P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving, and once a week when school is in session for the summer. Marked calendar provided. The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues. Any other papers are $1.00. The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year. Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to: The Crimson White Subscription Department, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White is entered as peri-odical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated oth-erwise, is Copyright © 2010 by The Crimson White and protected under the “Work Made for Hire” and “Periodical Publication” categories of the U.S. copy-right laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of The Crimson White.

Page 2• Thursday,March 10, 2011

ON CAMPUS

What: Global Cafe

Where: Crossroads Lounge, Ferguson Student Center

When: Noon - 1 p.m.

FRIDAY

What: Improbable Fic-tions presents Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s” Lost

Where: 214 Farrah

When: 7 - 9:30 p.m.

Have a great spring break!

Submit your events to calendar@cw.ua.edu

TODAY

What: Jazz Cavaliers and Alabama Jazz Ensemble

Where: Moody Concert Hall

When: 7:30 p.m.

What: Convocation

Where: Moody Music Building

When: Noon

Research and Creative Activity Conference deadline nears Undergraduate students of all majors are invited to enter The University of Alabama’s annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference scheduled for April 11 at the Bryant Conference Center. Students can compete for cash prizes and earn practi-cal experience in defending or perform-ing their research projects before judges. More than 280 students competed in last year’s competition. To participate, an undergraduate student must register his or her project by submitting an applica-tion form and abstract describing the project by March 21.

ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL

• Dana Andrzejewski, Advertising Manager, 348-8995, cwadma-nager@gmail.com• Drew Gunn, Advertising Coordinator, 348-8044• Hallett Ogburn, Territory Manager, 348-2598• Emily Frost, National Advertising/Classifieds, 348-8042• Jessica West, Zone 3, 348-8735• Courtney Ginzig, Zone 4, 348-8054• Robert Clark, Zone 5, 348-2670• Emily Richards, Zone 6, 348-6876• Amy Ramsey, Zone 7, 348-8742• Brittany Key, Zone 8, 348-8054• Nikki Amthor, Zone 44, 348-6153• Will DeShazo, Zone 55, 348-8041• Kelly Sturwold, Creative Services Manager, 348-8042

• Victor Luckerson, editor-in-chief, editor@cw.ua.edu• Jonathan Reed, managing editor, jonathanreedcw@gmail.com• Brandee Easter, print production editor • Will Tucker, news editor, newsdesk@cw.ua.edu• Kelsey Stein, lifestyles editor • Jason Galloway, sports editor • Tray Smith, opinions editor • Adam Greene, chief copy editor • Emily Johnson, design editor • Brian Pohuski, graphics editor • Drew Hoover, photo editor • Brian Connell, web editor • Marion Steinberg, community manager, outreach@cw.ua.edu • Daniel Roth, multimedia editor

anything for one right now.” Bronner was not only impor-tant to her friends and family but to the outside community. Some activities she participated in included honors societies and volunteer projects like a recre-ational dodge ball team, Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society, Gamma Sigma Epsilon Honor Society, Golden Key National Honors Society, the R.I.S.E. pro-gram, the Humane Society and volunteering with the Special Olympics. “Whatever dreams and goals Allison had, she went above and beyond to reach them,” Camak said. Andrew Gearhart, a friend of Bronner, said she was brilliant and spent as much time in the library as he did out on the town. “As long as I’ve known her she has been on the path toward becoming a great lawyer, and I know she have been working

BRONNERContinued from page 1

What: Moundville Knap-in: A Stone Toolmakers Meet - students $6

Where: US Moundville Archaeological Park

When: Untimed event

Applications for Docu-menting Justice available Documenting Justice, a two-semester course in documentary filmmaking, is accepting applicants for next year’s class. During the course, students will explore social issues across the state or, if stu-dents study abroad in the spring, in the country they study in. Students will pro-duce a 10-minute documentary film to be screened publicly at the end of the course. Applications are available online at cesr.ua.edu.

By Jasmine CannonContributing Writer

The Middle Eastern research group will be host-ing the “Revolutions of 2011: Why the History of the Middle East Matters” round table dis-cussion March 10 at 12 p.m. in Gorgas 205. Topics of discus-sion will revolve around the history of the Middle East, such as the 1920s and how it correlates to today. David Michelson is the director of the research group and an assistant professor in the history department. “The general purpose of the event is to spur student inter-est in the Middle East and especially in studying Middle Eastern history,” Michelson said. “For our discussion each participant will explore two topics — first, how their

perspective as historians can help inform our understand-ing of the current revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. Second, each will speak autobiographically about how and why he became interested in studying the region.” Michelson will serve as the moderator for the discussion, in which three guests will be featured. Juan Cole, Richard Chamber and Will Hanley will be the three panelists partici-patingt in the round table. “I am always happy that aca-demic events are held to con-sider the Middle East, which consumes so much of our political and military energy,” said Hanley, associate profes-sor of history at Florida State University, in an e-mailed statement. “This seems like a good opportunity to consider the merits of more in-depth

study of the region. I will be in Tuscaloosa this week to talk about another topic—digital humanities—and I was hon-ored to be asked to join a panel on the Middle East with Juan Cole and Richard Chambers, both of whom are major schol-ars in the field.” Michelson and members of the round table said they hope the lecture will enlighten people on the Middle East and motivate them to learn more. “The Middle East and Islam are at the forefront of the news today,” said Chambers, a UA alumnus and former direc-tor and professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, in an e-mailed statement. “Both are exceptionally contro-versial and both are of vital interest to the United States. There is little knowledge or understanding of either in the

her butt off and going to school to make that dream happen,” Gearhart said. Unexpected deaths can take a toll on family and friends, but Joseph Noojin, a friend of Bronner, said it’s even harder when it’s a young person. “No matter what the cause of death, when a young person’s life is unexpectedly taken there is a sense of unrest in everyone familiar with the situation,” Noojin said. “Allison was a very fun, lov-ing and caring person, and it is going to be really hard for every-one to go on without her,” said Jennifer Spears, another friend of Bronner’s. Spears said Bronner was not only preparing to graduate from law school but was also prepar-ing for the rest of her life. She had already received job offers in Washington, D.C., and was headed toward a bright future. The funeral will take place today at 2 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Montgomery.

Research group hosts Middle East round tablegeneral public despite their importance; rarely are they subjects of study in public schools and not always in insti-tutions of higher education. “Much of what is seen and heard in the public media is subjective and frequently mis-leading or actually incorrect. Many of our political leaders are themselves ill informed about the Middle East and Islam, and they are subject to various degrees of pressure by lobbies representing a wide variety of competing inter-ests. Perhaps the round table will stimulate students and faculty members to face these realities and make an effort to

better inform themselves and others.” Michelson said the Middle East is an important region for the UA community to under-stand. “Events there have a politi-cal significance for our coun-try; the economies of the region and our country are tied together due to fossil fuels,” Michelson said. “Many UA students even end up in the Middle East due to mili-tary duty, thus there are many connections, and it is impor-tant that our students and our community have a sophisti-cated understanding of the region.”

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The Crimson White NEWS Thursday, March 10, 2011 3

By Taylor HollandSenior Staff Reporter

tlholland1@crimson.ua.edu

On Feb. 28, Gov. Robert Bentley announced a 3 percent across-the-board cut in the state education budget, a declaration that will reportedly cost the uni-versity $4.2 million. Despite the cuts, UA System Chancellor Malcolm Portera said he expects no changes in normal operations at the Universty because University President Robert Witt had cre-ated a proration reserve to be used to address possible cuts in state funding. “The recent cuts were not a surprise, although we were all hoping that we might see a con-tinued uptick in the economy and avoid further cuts,” Portera said. “We had put in place plans to minimize the negative effects of more proration, so we had prepared for the cuts.” Last week, Witt sent a cam-pus-wide e-mail to faculty and staff members, addressing the situation. “I am sure you are aware that

Gov. Bentley has announced 3 percent proration in the Education Trust Fund, effective immediately,” Witt said in the statement. “The University of Alabama will use central admin-istration reserves to cover this $4.2 million loss in state funding. Academic and operating units will not be affected, and we will continue to focus on ensuring a quality academic experience for our students.” Including the University’s $4.2 million loss, it has been report-ed that Bentley’s declaration of proration will cost the system $13 million in the remaining seven months of the 2011 fiscal year. Patrick Gray, a junior major-ing in nutrition, said he was happy to learn that the gover-nor’s declaration of proration would not affect the University’s everyday business operations. “When I first heard Gov. Bentley had announced the 3 percent cut in the educa-tion budget, I was a little worried about how that might affect our campus because I knew that it would likely be

Cuts to cost UA $4 millionWitt says University foresight will minimise cut’s negative effects

By Ashley Rucker Contributing Writer

This week is Problem Gambling Awareness Week, and Michelle Harcrow, assistant director of health education and promotion, is helping to get the word out about the dangers of being addicted to gambling. Harcrow said even though gambling is illegal in Alabama, it’s important to take notice of a national problem that can affect the community. Benson Bolling, president of lending at Alabama Credit Union, is also joining the cause of raising awareness. “Gambling is a very serious issue, and many people still gamble even though it is illegal,” Bolling said. “Gambling on cam-pus is as prevalent as underage drinking, though both are ille-gal.” The primary goal for any health and wellness initiative is to be diligent in preventing an issue from becoming a problem on campus, Harcrow said. “Is it our intention to make sure that UA remains cutting edge with proven preventive strategies and education,” she said. Problem Gambling Awareness Week began March 6 and will continue to March 12. Harcrow said during this week they had informational booths in both the Ferguson Center on Monday and the Student Recreation Center on Wednesday and will have other events during the week. “We offered a program,” Harcrow said. “‘Understanding and Improving Your Credit Score,’ for faculty, staff and stu-dents on Tuesday night [led] by a local banking professional. We plan to offer the credit program again in April. Harcrow said another reason for this event is to tell those who are addicted to gambling that there is hope. “According to the National Counsel on Problem Gambling, research finds that 2-3 percent of the U.S. population will have

a gambling problem in any given year,” she said. “That’s 6 million to 9 million Americans, yet only a small fraction seek out ser-vices such as treatment and self-help recovery programs.” Bolling said there are finan-cial consequences to problem gambling that can get in the way of every day life. “Gambling losses lower the amount of income available for other expenses such as rent, utilities, car payments and other normal living expenses,” he said. “It can also result in excessive use of credit card and the accu-mulation of debt. The result is often the destruction of the gam-bler’s credit rating and overall financial standing as more and more resources are consumed by the attempt to recover gam-bling losses.” Bolling said a person could get out of financial debt once he or she has been treated for the addiction. “Full recovery of a credit score can take up to four years depend-ing on the extent of the damage,” he said. “Recovering funds lost to gambling requires a struc-tured savings plan and financial discipline, but it can certainly be done. Harcrow said there are web-sites that tell the signs of a gam-bling addiction if you think you or someone you know might have a gambling problem. Harcrow said the University can help with sending people to treatment, but only if the indi-vidual wants help. “Gambling is an addiction and should be treated as such,” she said. “We have counselors here at UA who are trained to help with these issues. Please con-tact their office to schedule an appointment to talk with some-one more about your concerns, 348-3863.” Bolling said his best advice would be not to gamble at all. “People who decide to gamble should treat it as a recreational expense and never gamble more than they can afford to lose,” he said.

Group addresses gambling risks

NEWS in brief

By William EvansSenior Staff Reporter

wjevans@crimson.ua.edu

Housing and Residential Communities plans to with-draw half of its leases from The Bluff at Waterworks Landing in the 2011-2012 academic year, said Alicia Browne, associate director for information and communication for HRC, in an e-mailed statement. As it stands, HRC leases rooms from The Bluff, an off-campus student living com-munity, so that students can apply for housing there as they would for other residence halls on campus. HRC began leasing spaces from The Bluff in the 2008-2009 academic year with the intention of relinquishing that space in the future. “The agreement the University entered into with The Bluff several years ago included a process by which we would return spaces to The Bluff,” Browne said. “We are entering the first year of that process. Although The Bluff has certainly been a popular

option, there has not been suf-ficient demand to fill all spac-es.” The University plans to return the remaining half of its leases to The Bluff by the 2012-2013 academic year, she said. Before this year’s room selection process when stu-dents apply for housing for the upcoming academic year, HRC informed Bluff residents who would have their leases with-drawn to look for space else-where, Browne said. “We made determinations about which spaces to return based on student demand, so as to disrupt the fewest num-ber of residents possible,” she said. “Students who had recon-tracted and paid their deposit were also notified that they would receive a full refund of their housing deposit if they preferred to lease their spe-cific space directly from The Bluff.” Students will no longer be able to pay for their Bluff hous-ing through their University account for the rooms no lon-ger leased by the University, according to an e-mail sent

UA housing withdrawing Bluff leases

to the residents of The Bluff by property manager Michael Miller. “We can offer a lower rent price and the option for you to stay in the same apartment you’re living in right now,” he wrote. “However, those who have scholarships that cover housing and are billed directly to your student account don’t apply.” Miller said in a phone inter-view that students can still rent the rooms they are cur-rently staying in for next year but must do so through The Bluff and not the University if the space has been withdrawn. He said the monthly rent turns out to be less expensive overall than the rates students

a costly cut to us,” Gray said. “However, it was a relief to learn that President Witt had created a proration reserve to help ensure that nothing would change when something like this actually happened.” Gray said he had no idea what would have been cut had Witt not created a proration reserve. “I’m not sure how the University would have decided what to cut and what not to cut,” he said. “The $4.2 million cut that affected UA is a lot of money. I’m not an expert, but I feel like losing that much would have affected a lot of people on this campus, both students and faculty and staff members. I’m glad, for the University’s sake, that no hard decisions about what to cut will have to be made

this year.” In addition to the 3 percent proration in the education bud-get, Bentley announced plans to declare 15 percent proration in the state’s General Fund after first working with the legisla-ture. “Both our Education Trust Fund and our state’s General Fund budgets are based on unreliable revenue projections,” Bentley said in a news release. “Now, five months into the 2011 Fiscal Year, it is clear that there is not enough revenue to sus-tain either budget. Proration is necessary to balance the bud-gets.” Proration in the Education Trust Fund is effective immedi-ately.

The recent cuts were not a surprise, although we were all hoping that we might see a continued uptick in the economy and avoid further cuts. We had put in place plans to minimize the negative effects of more proration, so we had prepared for the cuts.

— Malcolm Portera

• Housing and Residential Communities will withdraw half its leases from the Bluffs.• Students won’t be able to pay Bluff hous-ing through their UA accounts.

FAST FACTS

pay for the University’s 11.5 month contract for Bluff housing, which is projected to be $11,225 for a three-bed-room unit and $12,100 for a two-bedroom unit, accord-ing to HRC’s projected resi-dence hall rates for the 2011-2012 academic year.

By Brittney Knox Staff Reporter

bsknox@crimson.ua.edu

The Crimson Tide basket-ball team will travel to Atlanta to participate in the finals and the Student Government Association encourages all stu-dents to attend and show their support. “The Tide has a bye on Thursday so we will not play until Friday in the single elimination championship,” SGA President James Fowler

said. “So if the Tide continues to progress they will go on to Saturday and then the champi-onship is on Sunday.” Students can purchase tick-ets at the Georgia Dome and are $10 for one session, which includes two games. Fowler said students should not be concerned about the availability of seats in the Georgia Dome. “They said they haven’t sold out in the past, and they don’t expect it to sell out in the future,” he said.

Fowler said the SGA moni-tors students’ interest in events like this to see if they could pos-sibly offer more opportunities for other sporting events such as this one as they did in the past for football games with “Ride with the Tide.” “The SGA is very involved in supporting athletic events including the game this week-end,” Fowler said. “We want to provide information on how to get in the game for students so they can go if they want to sup-port the team.”

Students encouraged to attend basketball tournament

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Editor • Tray Smithletters@cw.ua.edu

Page 4

WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONSLetters to the editor must be less than 300 words and guest columns less than 800. Send submissions to letters@cw.ua.edu. Submissions must include the author’s name, year, major and day-time phone number. Phone numbers are for verification and will not be published. Students should also include their year in school and major. For more information, call 348-6144. The CW reserves the right to edit all submissions.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Victor Luckerson EditorJonathan Reed Managing Editor

Tray Smith Opinions EditorAdam Greene Chief Copy Editor

YOUR VIEW { }

By John Davis

Self-loathing is a fickle mistress. On the one hand, the perpetrator can seem acutely aware of faults. On the other, it’s an excellent method of aligning oneself with the problems and not any foresee-able solutions. Such is the case of Wednesday’s piece titled “CW caters to thought-less student body,” a column that started out with what appeared to be a solid message before show-ing its true face as an 800 word insult hurled at “this, my gen-eration…the generation that is so self-involved, so uninformed…that, in their mind, getting drunk on Sunday actually is the most important thing that happened this weekend.” (There are many aspects of this letter to address, so please forgive me if my thoughts seem to jump from one place to another.) Let’s get one thing out of the way from the start: The Crimson White is a local newspaper. Yale, Princeton, Harvard – their news-papers also cover local news. If you take a quick glance at the Harvard paper’s website, you will very plainly see this. In fact, as I write this, the only piece in The Crimson (Harvard’s paper) that deals with anything outside the Harvard community is on the Opinions page, a place where any-one can literally write about any-thing. Which brings me to my next point: if you are oh-so disconcert-ed over the downfall of civilization via Generation Text, why don’t you offer your services to The Crimson White as a columnist? It’s simple enough – I, a member of the generation that has made the white trash cast of Jersey Shore a household name, did it; so clearly, someone with the infinite wisdom and self-importance that can only be achieved through attending law

By Ross Owens

Ben McGough’s letter titled “CW caters to thoughtless student body” is unfair and misin-formed. The Crimson White is first and foremost a student-run university newspaper produced for students of the Capstone. By definition, The CW is concerned primarily with issues facing students on a local level. If you want to read about the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa then reach six inches to either side of theCrimson White stand and pick up a USA Today or similar paper. Do you really think any fledgling reporters working for The CW are qualified to report and comment on such a complicated issue?Any story on this subject matter would either be shallow and pedantic, grossly underdeveloped, or a re-print of a professional news story. While I also thought Alex Cohen’s article on Sunday alcohol sales was somewhat immature and read more like a live journal or blog post than a news story, the recent vote directly affects the Tuscaloosa area and by proxy the University and its students. I make a conscious decision toreach for The CW when I want to read about cam-pus news because it’s the only place I can get it.When I want to read about international affairs, I go elsewhere. Another rather ignorant comment McGough made is that The CW is “selling a product.” I havepersonally never paid a dime for a copy of TheCrimson White. It is a free newspaper. You should complain less and study more, because if you are any indication of the quality of law students this University is producing, we have more serious problems than newspapers.

Ross Owens is a junior majoring in anthropologyand German.

By Michael Patrick

The Machine, or Theta Nu Epsilon, is an orga-nization of white sororities and fraternities thatuse collaborative efforts to elect SGA representa-tives and homecoming queens. There are people who question why the Machine is a negative thing; after all, it is just ahighly organized and efficient voting bloc from the greek system. However, the Machine is not like a political party because it tries to deny its existence and uses coercive tactics in order to get votes in elections. The Machine uses threatswithin the greek community to get voters to turnout in support of their candidates and uses bribes in the independent community to solicit votes. The use of stickers and chalking have in the past been cheap, easy and effective means to obtain name recognition and the new campaignrules that ban these practices only further silencethe whispers of the independent community, making it harder for them to gain the name rec-ognition needed to win elections. The Machine does not, as the Capstone Creed suggests each UA student should, “act with fair-ness, honesty and respect.” In fact, it does the opposite of that. We saw this on Monday, when our SGA President-elect Grant Cochran refused to answer yes or no concerning his support fromthe Machine, which is contrary to his promise ofmore transparency. Honesty and respect for thestudent body is something that we should value in a SGA presidential candidate. What Grant Cochran overlooked in his refusal to simply say yes is the same thing that former SGA president Mary Margaret Carroll encoun-tered in her presidency. The Birmingham News reported in 2006, “Entering office, [Carroll] helpedorganize a task force on renovations to histor-ic Foster Auditorium, the site of Gov. George Wallace’s stand in the schoolhouse door protest-ing integration of the school. Carroll said she felt the diverse task force was unified and enthusi-astic about renovation plans but, as time went on, detractors criticized the effort because of theSGA’s involvement. Throughout the year, Carroll observed how the SGA was distrusted because it was viewed as an extension of the Machine.” This is going to be an obstacle Cochran will deal with for the rest of his presidency, as he faces obstacles in the same way Carroll did when she was promoting the renovation of Foster Auditorium. His lack of regard for honesty and transparency is already weighing on the minds ofthe student body. But as Wesley Vaughn pointed out yesterday, the SGA President is not the end-all indicator of progress on campus, because progress has beenmade since Mary Margaret Carroll was SGA President. The emergence of Greeks T.I.D.E and the Progressive Potluck are huge strides in theright direction. Both promote openness and prog-ress in campus politics, be that within the SGA orjust dialogue with trustees and administrators. This campus could benefit greatly from a transformational SGA President and a renewedtrust within the students’ own governing body, but that in and of itself is not the only thing that will benefit the student body. Student initiativesfrom all corners of campus have been working to create a more positive climate by tearing down the oppressive walls that have been put up by theMachine. What is specifically unique about all the prog-ress that has been made is that it lies mostly with the student body, and that is something that stu-dents past, present, and future should be proudof. However, it is time that administrators recog-nize this shift in interest and work openly withstudents to support their efforts. For this to hap-pen, the UA administration needs to openly rec-ognize the existence of the Machine, because the first step in fixing a problem is admitting that wehave one.

Michael Patrick is a junior majoring in politicalscience. His column runs biweekly on Thursdays.

MCT Campus

Haters everywhere we go

The problem is The Machine

McGough unfair, misinformedLETTER TO THE EDITOR

school should have no trouble. On a side note, whatever the youngest job-seeking generation is at the time is the absolute worst in history; whichever generation directly follows that one is the harbinger of the apocalypse. Shifting focus, let’s discuss the idea that college students don’t care about what’s going on around the world. It’s completely accurate, but it’s not because we’re apathetic or self-absorbed. It’s because we can’t relate, and we can’t relate because we lack the perspective one can only gain through a life of experiences. My father can better understand (and thus be more interested in) rising fuel costs because he lived through the crisis in the 1970s. I, on the other hand, am not only less directly impacted by this (what with still largely being dependent on my parents), but I also have no real personal history that allows me to view it from anywhere but the outside. Of course one way to gain per-spective is through the study of history. I know studying the 1910 Mexican Revolution happens to be significantly more interest-ing and engaging when similar events are currently taking place in Tunisia (among other nations). That being said, one without the other becomes background noise because I simply lack any real point of reference. Thomas Nagel once wrote (and I’m simplifying here) that to be conscious is to have a subjective character that can only truly be experienced by the organism. Thus, as Nagel wrote, we can

know everything there is to know about the physiology of a bat, but we can never know what it is actu-ally like to be a bat. The relevance of this is that while I can keep up with the union battles in Wisconsin, I can never know what it’s like to be a union worker until I actually am one. Personally, I don’t think it’s fair of me to have any substantial opin-ion on the matter if I cannot fully understand the perspective of one side or the other (obviously this isn’t true of everyone). Not to mention that even if I wanted to know everything there is to know about the situation, it’s impossible to find a news outlet that somebody somewhere won’t decry as being a liberal mouth-piece or a conservative puppet. Any real discussion becomes nothing more than “Oh, you got your information from Outlet XYZ so clearly you’re just a liberal/conservative nut job.” So excuse me and my generation for being a little cynical, a little disenfran-chised when any attempt at actual dialogue or fact-finding becomes a shouting match between two extremes of insanity. So yeah, maybe I do want to go to Publix on a Sunday, buy a six pack, and plop down on the couch to watch something that will make me laugh, because in the year 2011 comedy is the only thing that doesn’t induce teeth-grinding frustration. But hey – Libya, am I right?

John Davis is a junior majoring in anti-social entrepreneurship. His column runs on Thursdays.

Yale, Princeton, Harvard – their newspapers also cover local news. If you take a quick glance at the Harvard paper’s web-site, you will very plainly see this. In fact, as I write this, the only piece in The Crimson (Harvard’s paper) that deals with anything outside the Harvard community is on the Opinions page, a place where anyone can literally write about anything.

By Robert Maxwell

So what’s worse than waking up early for class on a dreary day with the entire campus tense from the election of yet another Machine candidate last night? Having it topped off by having to read “CW caters to thought-less student body” about how much news this guy reads and how little he drinks. I agree that understanding world situations is very important, especially for students. Currently our world is changing rapidly and we need to be up to date on how it’s chang-ing and try to ascertain why it’s changing. But to say that the students of the University of Alabama are uninterested and uninformed because The Crimson White covers mostly campus and community events is astounding-ly stupid. Probably the most mindbog-gling aspect of the column was his complaint about the lack of global coverage in The CW. Someone please tell the author that if he looks to the right of the stack of CWs there will probably be a New York Times or a USA Today with all the global news he wants. Business students get the Financial Times for free; the University Library System has wonderful resources for all kinds of news; you can get a RSS feed of BBC news directly to your brows-er; or you can download news apps that get you the BBC, Bloomberg,

Local newspapers cover local news

Yahoo!, CNET, CNN and so on for a whopping $0. If you’re relying on The CW for global news, all the sources above provide more global and national news faster and without any asinine columns about how informed and sober the author is. Obviously neither UA nor Alabama taxpayers feel like send-ing students to Libya to report on the situation for The CW. Of course they could reword AP sto-ries but, when news is as avail-able as it is today, why bother? For better or for worse, The CW covers things around campus and around our community that stu-dents are interested and involved in. If that’s the Sunday alcohol sales for which we utilized the democratic process, so be it. So, if there are better sources of “real” news, why do we have The CW? Because it covers UA exclu-sively and gives us a chance to have a dialogue with each other about unique events that we as students at UA face. Look at the second page of The CW. You can see all the ideas that students are forming to discuss these events and solutions to rising problems. Just imagine students creating

events to really unite other stu-dents and address current local and global crises instead of throw-ing a temper tantrum in The CW because you assume you’re the only person aware of what’s going on. In the same paper in which the column was printed, there is news of a Middle East scholar who is speaking on campus, arts festivals, SGA elections, opinions on hate and racism specific to UA and more. I think Mr. McGough’s column should be taken as a challenge for the students at the univer-sity. Let’s show everyone, even people as uniformed as Ben here, that not only are we aware of our world, but that we under-stand our role in these situa-tions and how we can positively impact them. Let’s show the Ben McGoughs of the world that what you know about global issues isn’t nearly as important as what you do with that knowledge, and that being aware of what is going on is no longer enough, at least, for the “thoughtless” students of the University of Alabama.

Robert Maxwell is a senior major-ing in economics.

For better or for worse, The CW covers things around campus and around our community that students are interested and involved in. If that’s the Sunday alcohol sales for which we utilized the democratic process, so be it.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE OUTCOMES OF THIS YEAR’S

SGA ELECTIONS?

“If everyone would come out and vote the results wouldnʼt be so predictable.”-@christiew09 Christie Wilson, sopho-more, elementary education

“This is not the end, itʼs only the beginning.”-dannyboy1717 Daniel Connors, sopho-more, global business management

“What election?”-@badun Brian Dunlap, sophomore electrical engineering

“Itʼs going to be a nice change of scenery to see a white guy whoʼs involved with the greek system as our presi-dent. Wait...”-@chrispgriffi n Chris Griffi n, senior, mathematics

The Crimson White Thursday, March 10, 2011 5

6 Thursday, March 10, 2011 NEWS The Crimson White

By Jennie KushnerSenior Staff Reporter

jfkushner@bama.ua.edu

Students charged with alco-hol or drug-related violations off campus may face repercus-sions on campus. “If a student is involved in an alcohol or drug-related incident off campus, the law enforce-ment agency that handles the incident may notify the University,” said UA spokes-woman Cathy Andreen. She said such violations could involve the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. “If the Office of Student Judicial Affairs is made aware of an incident that adversely affects the University through law enforcement channels, Judicial Affairs will generally meet with the student,” she said. According to the Judicial Affairs website, disciplinary action may be taken against stu-dents with an off-campus viola-tion of federal, state or local laws. Sanctions can be imposed for misconduct that is detrimental to or demonstrates disregard for the University community or its pursuit of University objectives, the website said.

By Alyssa LocklarContributing Writer

To many students at the University, the Premier Awards may sound like just another prestigious set of honors that com-mend students’ intellec-tual accomplishments and high grade point average. However, the Premier Awards take on a much different role. “UA presents these awards to recognize stu-dents who have made a tangible difference in our University community,” said Marshall Houston, an Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award winner. “These awards differ from purely academic awards because each award weighs differ-ent contributions to soci-ety, while also factoring in academic achievement.” The Sullivan Award is given to one male and one female who display a character that exemplifies scholarship, leadership and service, according to the University’s Premier Awards description. Some past winners of this award include Kendra Key, Alex Flachsbart and Trey Hayes. Along with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the other Premier Awards include the William P. Bloom Award, the Morris Lehman Mayer Award, the Catherine J. Randall Award and the John Frazer Ramsey Award. “The day I found out I won the Ramsey, I spent hours researching John Fraser Ramsey and read-ing stories of his students and past winners of the award,” said Lindsay Lindsey, the John Fraser Ramsey Award winner. “I realized just how influen-

University can act on off-campus violations

“What if a student gets in trouble for doing heavy drugs such as meth? The University needs to know to help protect the fellow community of students.”

— Sarah Jenkins, junior, fashion retailing

If a student is turned over to Judicial Affairs, the charges will be investigated and a hear-ing can be held, according to the website. There are several sanctions that may be imposed upon any student who is found to have violated the student code. Those sanctions include warning, probation, loss of priv-ileges, fines, restitution, discre-tionary sanctions, residence hall suspension, university sus-pension and expulsion. If a student is sanctioned to expulsion, he or she has no right to request a review, the website said. Jacob Monroe, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engi-neering, said he understands the University’s tough laws but thinks a student deserves more privacy. “I understand why the University feels like they should know everything about students legally, but I think if

they get in trouble off campus, it should be handled off cam-pus,” he said. “If a student gets in trouble off campus, they will have to face the consequences; I just don’t understand why the University would want to get involved and fuel the fire.” Monroe said he has several friends who got in trouble off campus, yet the jurisdiction did not turn in the student. “I have had several friends get things like MIPs off campus, and I have never heard of the police turning them in to the school,” he said. “They did get in trouble out of state, so that may have been why, too.” Sarah Jenkins, a junior majoring in fashion retailing, said she thinks the University reserves the right to know a student’s legal standing. “What if a student gets in trouble for doing heavy drugs such as meth?” Jenkins said. “The University needs to know to help protect the fel-low community of students. The University should be able to know if a student has a drug problem or gets in trouble for drugs because that person could flip out and hurt other students.” Jenkins said she thinks the University has done a good job protecting students thus far and hopes they will continue. “Words cannot express how thankful I am that we have not had a shooting or something bad happen like at Virginia Tech a few years ago,” Jenkins said. “I think that is due in part to the University regulat-ing students. That would only be possible if they reserve the right to know about us.”

Premier Awards honor student role models

tial a man and professor he was. He inspired his students, pushed them to greatness and he became a patriarch of a family of likeminded people.” Although the recipients are hand-selected for their specific awards, many of the recipients had admiration for them long before they had ever applied. “When I was a freshman at the University, I had the oppor-tunity to meet Dr. Mayer at a dinner,” said Ellyn Hamm, the Morris Lehman Mayer Award winner. “Throughout the din-ner people were surrounding him. People were even waiting in line to get to talk to him and everyone walked away with a huge smile on their face after getting the chance to catch up or meet Dr. Mayer.” Hamm said for her person-ally, this award was so signifi-cant because it meant that the committee saw the same self-less, humble and influential qualities possessed by Mayer, in her. She said she hopes to touch as many lives as Mayer. The Premier Awards not only include cash prizes rang-ing from $1,000 to $6,000 and University prestige but also comes with more long-lasting

• The William P. Bloom Scholarship Award: Seema Kumar

• The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award: Marshall Raymond Houston, Meg McCrummen and Louis C. “Pat” Whetstone Jr.

• The Catherine Johnson Randall Award: Darryl A. Outlaw

• The John Fraser Ramsey Award: Lindsay Jones Lindsey

• The Morris Lehman Mayer Award: Ellyn Louise Hamm and Dr. Frank M. Thompson Jr.

WINNERS

benefits. “This award introduces me to the Randall Award Family,” said Darryl Outlaw, the Catherine J. Randall Award winner. “This consists of the group of previous award win-ners, as well as Dr. Catherine Randall, who has already served as a great role model and friend. Dr. Randall is always willing to mentor and help her students. As a hope-ful medical oncologist, this award will always tie me to The University of Alabama and Randall family.” Outlaw said the Catherine J. Randall Award is present-ed to a student who exceeds in scholarship, course study and extraordinary scholarly endeavors. “One of my favorite quotes is ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” Hamm said. “I have been given many opportunities and experienc-es during my four years at the University. I hope that over that last four years I have already started to give back to this community that has already given me so much and winning this award only fur-ther compels me to continue giving back.”

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The Crimson White Thursday, March 10, 2011 7

By Brittney Knox Staff Reporter

bsknox@crimson.ua.edu

Students received spring break safety kits on Wednesday that were filled with sunscreen, hand sanitizer, Band Aids, Tylenol and candies with healthy messages on them encouraging them to make healthy decisions this break. This week, there may be rain drops and rain boots

everywhere, but next week stu-dents hope to enjoy sunshine as they travel to beaches for vacation or home to rest. “We encourage students to think critically about the decisions they are making before they make them,” said Michelle Harcrow, assistant director of health educa-tion and promotion. “There was once a saying we used: ‘Today’s decisions are tomor-row’s memories, so how do you

want to remember today?’” Dean of Students Tim Hebson sent a University-wide e-mail on March 4 including some ways to remain safe, over spring break. The e-mail included tips, such as locking doors and win-dows at all times, even when at home, always being aware of your surroundings and calling the police in times of emergen-cy. Harcrow said while there is

always talk about the larger scale things, such as alcohol and date rape, there are little things students should remem-ber to do, as well. “Students should remember to stay in groups, have a plan, wear sunscreen if you are going to be in the sun for long periods of time and wear your seat-belt,” Harcrow said. “Students should even remember simple things like getting rest, sleep-ing and remaining hydrated.”

Hebson also advised stu-dents to always be aware of their surroundings, look out for each other and walk in groups in well-lit areas. He said it’s important to remember that students who are impaired are at greater risk for harm to person and prop-erty. Harcrow said spring break should be a time when students rejuvenate themselves for the second half of the semester.

“Oftentimes students don’t realize the importance of these statements until some-thing goes wrong, but students should listen because we are the University’s health profes-sionals and want all students to be safe,” she said. Harcrow said her office offers the safety kits every year around spring break. She saidshe wants all students to come back to the University after break better than ever.

Safety kits, tips offered for spring break

By Jennie KushnerSenior Staff Reporter

jfkushner@bama.ua.edu

As some states are chang-ing the layout of their driver’s license, local bouncers and bars are adapting accordingly. States like Georgia and California have recently changed their licenses to make replication more difficult. Despite such drastic chang-es, co-owner of The Red Shed bar Aaron Zucker said his staff is prepared. “We advise our security team to pick up on trends from

common states that come in to The Red Shed,” he said. “Our staff is very familiar with Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Florida and other pop-ular out-of-state IDs,” Zucker said. “Recently, there has been in an influx of fake Texas and Georgia IDs. Our security are very aware of their flaws.” Zucker said bars are respon-sible for knowing current iden-tifications. Although the trans-formation can be hard to rec-ognize at first, Zucker said the adjustment time is brief. “Our security is expected to be able to tell if an ID is fake

or not,” he said. “Our manage-ment stresses the importance of blacklighting, feeling out the material of the card, matching the face on the card with the patron and doing other tests, such as asking the customer about the information on the ID or providing a second form of identification.” Cordario Eatmon, a bouncer for Stand Alone Security, said the recent changes of identifica-tions aren’t too complicated to detect. “They give you a booklet with what the state IDs look like, so you are familiar with all the

changes,” Eatmon said. “The changes don’t make my job harder at all.” Eatmon, who usually works at the Brick House downtown, said he rarely sees people using an older state identification as a fake. “I never see people trying to use an old state ID to get into the bar,” he said. “I don’t see the recent changes as a problem at all.” California native Jessica Buchholz, a senior majoring in marketing, said many restau-rants and bars were unfamiliar with her driver’s license.

“The California license has several holograms and two pho-tos of the driver,” Buchholz said. “Although I was 21, many busi-nesses did not recognize the license because it was so new.” Buchholz said her license was repeatedly denied when she attempted to purchase alcohol or enter a bar. Buchholz said she changed to an Alabama license to make things less com-plicated. “I was having so many prob-lems with people not recogniz-ing my license,” she said. “I went to the Alabama DMV and got a state license. Since then, I

have had no problems.” Georgia native John Theriot, a senior majoring in finance, said when he first got the new license Tuscaloosa bouncers did not recognize it. “When I first changed to the new ID bouncers thought it was fake,” he said. “Once they saw many students had the same one, they realized the state had changed their ID. “I think bouncers in Tuscaloosa do a great job,” Theriot said. “A lot of students are from out of state here, and I’m sure it is tough to regulate in the heat of the moment.”

New IDs no problem for most local venues

“Eighteen percent of the student body voted last year,” Mirecki said. “This is more typical of what we usually see. Our numbers fluctuate between 18-20 percent. In talking about SGA elections in general across the country, that seems to be on the high end of things.” University of Arkansas SGA Adviser Jessica Morgan said they also experienced a drop in voter turnout, topping out at 5 percent of 21,000 students, because three of the four execu-tive positions were uncontest-ed. “We usually have at least two

VOTERSContinued from page 1

candidates for each position,” Morgan said. “Last year, one of the presidential candidates was disqualified and a vice presi-dential candidate dropped out with him.” Troy Jackson, the attorney general for the Associated Student Body at the University of Mississippi, said the number of candidates and level of com-petition definitely correlates to increased voter turnout. Around 20 percent of students

at Ole Miss voted in their most recent election. “Personally, I think 20 percent is very low voter turnout,” Jackson said. “The national average is around that per-centage [with young adults being the least active], so I guess it’s normal. I think other SEC schools will have around 20-25 percent voter turnout. It’s hard to get students motivated and car-ing about programs when they have hun-dreds of other things going on.” Jackson said one way to increase turnout is to spot-light what the ASB is doing to improve stu-dent life. “If more students understood how much the ASB has affected their time at college and how much they can do with ASB in

the short amount of time they are here, people will be more inclined to look at issues and make an educated decision dur-ing the election,” Jackson said. “Ole Miss is so diverse, and it makes it difficult to connect with every single person. However, we share, like other SEC schools, a bond with our university; and it is up to students to make sure this bond is strengthened and never broken.” Laurel Parker, student gov-ernment elections commis-sioner for the University of South Carolina, attributed a low turnout of less than 10 per-cent of the student body in the last general election to a clean race, The Daily Gamecock reported. “It was very respectable, and it’s sad, but a lot of stu-dents want scandal,” Parker said, according to The Daily Gamecock. “That drives more people to vote.” Another aspect of the per-centage of students voting in SGA elections is the method in which they are asked to vote. Rhett Hobart, student asso-ciation president at Mississippi State University, said they tran-sitioned to a complete online election this past year and elim-inated the need for students to go to a polling station to vote. As a result, they experienced a vastly increased turnout in every election including senate and homecoming. “We were excited that rough-ly 26 percent of the student body voted because we want to do our best to make sure the most students can vote in our

elections and that the most stu-dents possible have a voice,” Hobart said. The University of Florida still uses a paper-and-pencil ballot system where students can go to the polls at different loca-tions on campus. The president and vice president run on a single ticket together, so if one wins, they both win. Following along with the average, UF had a 20 percent turnout in elec-tions this year. The University of Tennessee had a 17.2 percent voter turn-out, and Auburn University reported 30 percent, just two percentage points behind the University of Alabama. Vanderbilt University sets the

record for the highest voter turnout in the SEC, with 58 per-cent of their 12,714 students vot-ing. When the University of Alabama first began using the online voting system in 2009 the percentage of students voting jumped from 5,240 to 14,469 or 56 percent of campus. However, this leap could be attributed to the controversial election between Steven Oliver and Kendra Key. In 2010, 28 percent of students voted online, according to Kelli Knox-Hall, senior assistant director of the Ferguson Center and convener of the SGA elec-tions board. “Just a click of a button sitting

in your dorm room could sway the vote,” said Molly Griffin, a junior majoring in political sci-ence. “It’s your civic duty as an active member of society to vote, and if you choose not to, you have no room to complain when people make decisions you don’t agree with.” While the University of Alabama is above average at 32 percent, some students said they believe the turnout is still not high enough. “It’s sad that only 32 percent of students voted in the elec-tion,” said Courtney McAdams, a sophomore majoring in second-ary education. “Even if a student writes in their candidates, they should at least vote.”

“It’s your civic duty as an active member of so-ciety to vote, and if you choose not to, you have no room to complain when people make decisions you don’t agree with.”

— Molly Griffin

SEC Sudent Government Elections Voter Turnout

0%

100%

Student Enrollment 50,0000

**

* President ran unopposed**Louisiana State University had less than 20% voter turnout

32% Alabama | 30,232

58% Vanderbilt | 12,714

Florida | 50,000

17% Tennessee | 27,107

10% South Carolina | 29,597 5% Arkansas* | 21,0004% Georgia* | 35,000

30% Auburn | 25,000

Ole Miss | 18,34420%

26% Mississippi State | 19,644

12% Kentucky | 27,102

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Page 8 • Thursday, March 10, 2011

Editor • Jason Galloway crimsonwhitesports@

gmail.com

By Jason GallowaySports Editor

crimsonwhitesports@gmail.com

Since the NFL Combine, some have speculated that no running backs will be taken in the first round of April’s NFL Draft. Mark Ingram may have changed those opinions Wednesday. The Heisman Trophy win-ner ran “between a 4.47 and 4.53” in the 40-yard dash at Alabama’s Pro Day, a signifi-cant difference from his 4.62 at

the Combine just weeks earlier. “I saw the race that I ran at the combine. I looked at it plen-ty of times,” Ingram said. “I just really wasn’t happy with how I ran it… I knew I could run fast-er. Any small thing can make your time go this and there.” Ingram also said he weighed in at 214 pounds Wednesday, seven pounds under his play-ing weight at Alabama. He said he feels more explosive now, and he very well could be considering he ran among the fastest 10-yard split (first 10 yards of the 40-yard dash) of all

FOOTBALL

Ingram improves stock at Pro Day

On top of Rivera and Fox, other notable NFL executives in attendance Wednesday included Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway, Cleveland Browns general manager Tom Heckert, San Francisco 49ers general man-ager Trent Baalke and Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix. Other Alabama players who participated alongside Ingram and Dareus in Wednesday’s Pro Day included James Carpenter, Earl Alexander, Luther Davis, Brian Motley and Chavis Williams. Julio Jones (foot), Greg McElroy (hand) and Preston Dial (unspecified) did not participate due to inju-ry. Jones, who ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine with a broken bone in his foot, said he will not participate in any more workouts before the draft. McElroy said he – along

with Dial and Alexander – will compete at Alabama’s second Pro Day on April 5. “I just want to go out there and do everything I possibly can,” McElroy said. “In the nextcouple weeks, I’ll be able to throw 100 percent every route that I’m going to be asked to throw at Pro Day.” Former players Javier Arenas and Roy Upchurch were also in attendance, along with many current Crimson Tide players, to show support for the athletes participating. “The fact that we get to come back and watch these guys, I think it means a lot to them,” Arenas said. “[I would tell them] just continue to have fun and play good football. Don’t get caught up in all the hype and the money and the thingsof that nature.” The 2011 NFL Draft will be held in New York April 28-30 and will be televised by ESPNand the NFL Network.

running backs at the combine. “I just feel better this way,” he said. “Today was an overall success.” It was not difficult to find out who was paying attention to defensive lineman Marcell Dareus at Pro Day. Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and Denver Broncos head coach John Fox – whose teams own the top two picks in April’s draft – were in Tuscaloosa Wednesday. Dareus has been in the conversation to become the first overall pick. “I’ve never been in the top of anything,” Dareus said. “For people to acknowledge me for what I do and put me that high is kind of unheard of. I didn’t think I’d ever be in that posi-tion. “They say I’m doing pretty good. They say I’m going to be a good player and that I can play at least 10 years in the league. That sounds good to hear from other teams.”

ABOVE: Running back Mark Ingram runs the 40-yard dash in front of pro scouts at Alabamaʼs Pro Day Wednesday. He said he ran between a 4.47 and 4.53, a signifi cant improvement from his 4.62 at the NFL Combine.

LEFT: Quarterback Greg McElroy talks to the media at Wednesdayʼs Pro Day. McElroy did not participate because of an injury to his throw-ing hand, but he plans to have his own Pro Day on April 5.

CW | Drew Hoover

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The Crimson White SPORTS Thursday, March 10, 2011 9

By Mike AlbaneseContributing writer

As the men’s track and field squad heads into the NCAA Championships, they faced stiff competition at the Alex Wilson Invitational, held at the University of Notre Dame March 4-5. During the event, several members of the Crimson Tide bolstered their rankings for the NCAA Championships and solidified their spot to compete alongside other great athletes. Continuing his stellar fresh-man season, long jumper Kamal Fuller became one of only three freshmen to qualify in the field of 16 for the long jump

category during the National Championships. He set a new personal best and recorded the best jump since 2002 and fourth best jump in Alabama history, with his leap of 25-6.25. Fuller recorded this critical jump on his last chance, which further enhances his standing with head coach Harvey Glance, who relishes in his ability to suc-ceed early in his college career. “He hit his best jump at a time when he’s trying to get to the National Championship. That says a lot about his char-acter,” Glance said. “He showed poise and got up on his final jump, whether he’d get to the Championship and he nailed it.

We like that, it gives us hope that we can trust him in the future and he could do great things.” The distance medley relay squad nabbed the 12th and final spot for the National Championship as they ran to a fifth-place finish. The quartet of sophomore Kirani James and seniors Joel Rop, Emmanuel Bor and Fred Samoei ran to a time of 9:33.77, which ranks as the third fastest in school history. Although the squad ran the fastest time of the season, the Tide dealt with losing a leadoff runner who fell ill before the race. Despite the effort, Glance pointed out that there is always room for improvement.

“I don’t think we were really on top of our game even though our time indicated we ran fast. We still have great room for improvement,” he said. Individually, the Tide’s relay squad is comprised of runners who can run alongside any athletes in the nation. Two of the four members, James and Samoei, have qualified for indi-vidual events at the National Championship. However, in a sport where play-ers often battle themselves indi-vidually, the Tide comes together to form a team that ranks as one of the best in the nation. “Track and field is an indi-vidual sport, but there are some things that bring you together as

a unit.” Glance said. “The relays make you understand that we’re also a team. When they get it together in the relays what I think they end up doing is fight-ing for each other. You can throw the selfishness away, you don’t feel sorry for yourself at any point in time. You fight for the next person that has Alabama across their chest and that’s what makes this thing so wonderful.” Along with Fuller and the rest of the relay team, James will compete in the 400-meter and Samoei will compete in the 800-meter during the National Championships. Going into the National Championships and competing against several of the best run-

ners in the world, the acceptable margin of error is slim. The tal-ent field is even, and as Glance points out, there are things that they must do in order to be suc-cessful. “The most important thing because the talent level is so level, we not only have to, we must be able to run in traf-fic, because that traffic will be there,” he said. “If we can exe-cute like we’re capable of execut-ing from start to finish, we’ll get so me positive result. If we do not, the talent is too good for us to make mistakes.” The National Championships will be held in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University, March 11-12.

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Tide poised for National Championships

individually and collectively. We also want our team to understand the preparation that goes into trying to win against the caliber of competi-tion that we are playing. That has been the theme all year, and we have high expecta-tions for the things we want to do and accomplish.” Junior forward JaMychal Green, sophomore forward Tony Mitchell and freshman point guard Trevor Releford will look to lead the Tide to their first SEC tournament championship since 1991. Green earned first team All-SEC honors while Mitchell was selected to the second

team. Releford earned all-freshman honors. “It was a great honor for each of those guys and also for our team,” Grant said. “Those guys will tell you that it is a result of the success that our team has enjoyed this season and they were a big part of that success. I’m really proud of them for getting the recog-nition. It’s well deserved.” Other first round games include South Carolina versus Mississippi, Tennessee ver-sus Arkansas and LSU versus Vanderbilt. The tournament’s championship game will be Sunday, March 13 at 1 p.m. EST.

Cecil Hurt, the sports editor of The Tuscaloosa News, said he doesn’t think the winner of that game will automatically get in. He said he believes, as long as Alabama can make it to the SEC championship game on Sunday, the Tide will be in good shape to make the tournament, regard-less of the outcome of the cham-pionship game. “If they get to the finals and lose, that’ll be a 14-5 record in the conference, and it would certainly be unprecedented and historic if a team with that kind of success in a major conference was left out,” Hurt said. Head coach Anthony Grant said the team’s goal from the beginning has been to have a chance at the SEC title, and that’s as far as they’ll be able to control. “Our goals at the beginning of the year were for us to have a chance to win the [SEC] West, to have a chance to be overall champs and to have a chance to go to the SEC tournament and compete for the championship there,” he said. “In this league,

TIDEContinued from page 1

NCAAContinued from page 1

19 games, including an undefeat-ed record at home. During the regular season, the Tide led the SEC in opponents points per game, opponents field goal percentage, turnover margin and steals per game. Despite the hot streak and the accomplishments, Grant has kept the team focused on the task at hand. “Our focus is on control-ling the things we can con-trol,” Grant said. “We want to make sure that we are play-ing the best that we can play

if you can do those things, you’ve got a pretty good team. Whether somebody else feels that our overall body of work warrants that – I can’t control that.” Hurt said he believed Alabama does deserve to go to the tourna-ment, but that not every team that deserves it gets to go. “I think based on the last 20 games of their season, they probably do deserve it,” he said. “Hopefully things will work out where they get an opportunity to go because I do think they’re a team that can win games in the tournament. That’s really the first criteria they’re supposed to be looking at. They’d be a diffi-cult matchup for almost anybody they’d play.” The team’s mentality all year has been to concentrate only on the next game at hand, and despite questions about whether they’ll get a bid, they said they aren’t focusing on that. “I think we’re worthy, but it’s not in our hands, so all we can do is patiently wait and just take one game at a time,” junior for-ward JaMychal Green said. Grant shared the sentiments of his team, saying they had to keep focusing on the day-to-day process.

“You naturally hear some things [about our NCAA Tournament chances], but I guess I’ve always been a one-day-at-a-time guy and just try to stay focused on the task at

hand,” Grant said. “I really don’t get wrapped up in that because if that was the case, we would have been the ninth best team in this league because that’s where everybody said we were going to

be at the beginning of the year. “I’m just proud of our guys, the way we competed and the way we stayed the course, the way they allowed myself and our staff to coach them and the way

they played for each other. We will move forward with the SEC tournament and try to focus on doing what we can to advance in that tournament and try to win a championship.”

Keys to Selection SundaySelection Criteria

Momentum

RPI/Strength of Schedule

Quality Wins

Bad Losses

Eyeball Test

Conference Record

Explanation

Alabama has won 10 of its last 13 games.

Alabama is ranked with an RPI of 83 out of 345 teams.

The Tide has only three key wins: Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia

Early season losses to Seton Hall, Iowa, St. Peter’s and Providence hurt the Tide.

The Tide’s hot play and strong defense make them a tough match in the tournament.

No team since the SEC expanded in 1992 has had more than 11 conference wins and

not made the tournament.

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10 Thursday, March 10, 2011 SPORTS The Crimson White

By Brett HudsonContributing Writer

Scheduling for the men’s ten-nis team was not very advanta-geous for the Crimson Tide, to say the least. Alabama opened up Southeastern Conference play against Georgia and Tennessee, the two best teams in the SEC. The strength of the competition showed, as the Tide dropped both matches, falling 6-1 to the Volunteers and 7-0 to the Bulldogs. On March 4, the Tide went to Knoxville to face the Volunteers, who ranked No. 2 in the nation. Estonian freshman Daniil Proskura got the Tide’s only point of the day, beating No. 41 singles player senior Matteo Fago. “It was good that I won my match,” Proskura said. “But overall, of course we’re dis-appointed. We didn’t use the opportunities we had well.” Though the final score does not indicate it, the Tide felt as if it had chances to win some individual matches throughout the weekend. “We had a chance to win singles versus Tennessee,” head coach Billy Pate said. “We were pleased with the fight and effort we displayed. In matches as close as we had, they can be decided by just a handful of points. We just did not play the key points well.” Pressure opportunities were a big part of the Tide’s tough weekend, but there were other areas of concern as well. “Doubles play has always been a concern for us,” Pate said. “We did not play that great in doubles against Tennessee, but the effort was improved against Georgia.” The overall skill level of last weekend’s competition surely

was a big contributor to the Tide’s struggle as well. Both teams are ranked in the top 15 nationally, with Georgia ranked No. 13. “This year’s Tennessee team is probably the best team they’ve ever had,” Pate said. “They’re likely to win the national cham-pionship this year.” The losses against tough competition didn’t shake Proskura and the rest of the Tide from its confidence. After all, the Tide is ranked No. 29 in the nation. “[Georgia] is better than us right now, but they’re not good enough to beat us 7-0,” Proskura said. “If we’re all play-ing good, we can beat anyone in the country. We should’ve won both of those matches.” Looking forward in Alabama’s SEC schedule, the Tide has two home matches this weekend, starting on Friday against Florida. “Florida is a top-10 caliber team,” Pate said, “but we defi-nitely have a good chance to beat them. Being at home will help.” Proskura said he is dialed into making sure the Tide avoids losing any more match-es this weekend. “We’re just going to focus more in practice, get our confi-dence back,” Proskura said. Even if Alabama was not looking for its first SEC win of the year, this would still be a very important weekend in the grand scheme of SEC tennis. “This is a very crucial week-end for us,” Pate said. “This weekend could give us a lot of momentum, if we do well.” After playing Florida on Friday, the Tide continues com-petition against South Carolina on Sunday at Alabama’s Tennis Stadium.

By Miranda MurphyContributing Writer

The newly reinvented paint-ball club is looking forward to its one and only tournament this season at the National Collegiate Paintball Associat ion National Championships. Club President Cory Smith said he re-founded the club last semester because he wanted to get people interested in the sport again. The new club marks the first time that paintball has been a club since 2008. “[Cory] loves the sport and wanted Alabama to have that much more diversity,” said junior Will Dobbs. “We are a very athletically driven college, and we are a very athletic sport so it fits.” The team has surpassed the minimum requirement of five players needed to compete, with seven players committed to the national championships. All of the players plan to return to the sport next year. “I’ve made some of the greatest friends through this sport that I’ve ever had,” Vice President Cameron Pletcher said. “It’s just incredibly com-petitive. Anyone can pick up a marker, go out and win a tourna-ment. It’s what you want to put into it.”

CLUB SPORTS

Paintball returns to capstone

The team started to prac-tice this past Sunday. Team members said one of the main problems was getting the word out about the club. They had a hard time finding players who are dedicated enough to the club. While they are looking for members to have fun, they are also looking for them to take it seriously. “We tried to form everything and get it going in October, but it’s been a slow process,” Dobbs said. “We’re not looking to com-pete that much this season. It will be next year before we really kick in.” The club is part of the NCPA, and it will compete against

Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Dobbs said he is looking for-ward to playing against Florida because it will be tough competi-tion. The object of the game is to capture the other team’s flag and return it to their flagstaff to get points. There are 16-minute halves. If a player is hit with a paintball, he is automatically eliminated. The winner of the game is the team with the most points at the end of the 32 min-utes. “It’s kind of like capture the flag and tag rolled into one game,” Pletcher said. The players said they want

students to know that paintball is a lot of fun to watch and play. Dobbs said his overall enjoy-ment of the sport is what moti-vates him to go out and compete. “Just the thrill of being in a five-man tournament and being the last guy left and outwitting everyone left on the field is like sheer luck and adrenaline com-bined,” Dobbs said. The team said they hope the club will stay around for 20 years or more this time. Players encourage inter-ested students to come out to Splatzone Paintball in Cottondale and see them practice, or to contact Cameron Pletcher at cspletcher@crimson.ua.edu.

Submitted photo Members of the University of Alabama paintball team pose for a picture. The recently formed club team looks to bring back paintball to the Capstone.

MENS TENNIS

Bama suffers big losses to SEC titans

• Great Moment: Broke the Alabama single-game home run record by belting three over the wall against Western Michigan on Feb. 26.

• Key Stats: Hit 10 home runs in her first 21 career games; leads the SEC in home runs; leads the Tide in RBI with 32; second on team with .472 aver-age; currently 8-0 with 0.94 ERA

• Honors: Won two straight SEC Freshman of the Week honors in February

No. 21 JACKIE TRAINA, softball, pitcher/utility

“She hates to lose. It’s her will to win and her competitive fi re that makes her successful. She has a lot of raw strength, but once she gets used to the routine of building up her strength more with weights, she’ll be even better.”

— Head coach Patrick Murphy

CW File

UA’s top 25 athletes

22. Robert Lester, football23. Courtney Upshaw, football24. Justine Bernier, soccer25. Justin Hightower, football

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The Crimson White LIFESTYLES Thursday, March 10, 201111

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract.2. Heat on stove over medium heat until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.3. Unroll pie crusts and use a pizza cutter to slice them into 1 1/2 by 2 inch rectangles .4. Place a wooden stick on top of half the cut rectangles, then spoon a small amount of cooled cherry filling into center of half the pie squares, taking care not to get it near edges.5. Gently lay the rest of the rectangles over the top of them and press edges of the rectangles together with a fork.6. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake Pop-Tart pops in oven for 8-10 minutes, or just until edges begin to brown.7. In small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make glaze. Tint with food coloring, if desired.8. Spoon over cooled pops, sprinkle with colored sugar, and allow to the glaze to harden slightly before serving.

Homemade junk food offers outlet for the health-consciousCOLUMN | FOOD

By Avery Driggers

Cheez-Its, Oreos, Sour Patch Kids and Pop-Tarts are not healthy foods. They won’t help you lose weight, they won’t help build strong bones, and they aren’t a good source of

vitamins and minerals. But you know what they are? Delicious.As a conscious eater, I often grapple with my convictions towards the food industry, sus-tainable eating and healthy meal preparation. Other times, I just want the junk food. So

how do these two warring urges come to a truce? Homemade junk food! These recipes may not be as healthy as celery sticks, but they are fun, tasty and can always be adjusted, unlike their packaged counterparts.

Ingredients:To make the chocolate wafers:1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter1 large eggTo make the filling:1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter1/4 cup vegetable shortening2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Makes 25 to 30 cookies

Directions:1. Set two racks in middle of oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.2. In food processor or mixer, thoroughly mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt and sugar3. While pulsing on low speed, add butter and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.4. Take heaping teaspoons of batter and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten dough.5. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.6. To make cream, place butter and shortening in mixing bowl, and at low speed gradually beat in sugar and vanilla.7. Turn mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.8. To assemble cookies, cut off small corner of a Ziploc bag and pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into center of one cookie. Place another cookie on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work filling evenly to outside of cookie.9. Continue this process until all cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Homemade Oreos

Ingredients:1 8-oz. block extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature1 teaspoon kosher salt1 cup flour2 tablespoon ice water

Makes 15 dozen crackers

Ingredients:1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and diced3 tablespoons sugar2 tablespoons cornstarch2 tablespoons water1/2 teaspoon almond extract1 package prepared pie crusts

To make glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar1-2 tablespoons milk1/2 teaspoons vanillafood coloring and sprin-kles (optional)

Wooden Popsicle sticks

Directions:1. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix cheddar, butter and salt until incorporated.2. Add flour and mix on low speed; the dough will be dry and pebbly.3. Slowly add water and continue to mix as dough comes together.4. Pat dough into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.6. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll each into thin rectangles.7. Cut rectangles into 1-inch squares and transfer to baking sheets. Punch a hole into the center of each square.8. Bake for 17 minutes or until puffed and browning at edges, (Watch carefully, they can burn quickly.) 9. Immediately move the crackers to racks to cool.

Homemade Cheez-Its

Ingredients:1 bag of cranberries2 tablespoons honey2 tablespoons hot water1-2 cups powdered sugar1-2 cups granulated sugar1 orange peel, grated 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste)

Directions:1. Mix 2 tablespoons of honey with 2 tablespoons of hot water in a bowl.2. Add grated orange peel, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less) and 1 tea-spoon (more or less) vanilla extract.3. Rinse bag of cranberries and add to bowl, mixing to coat.4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and pour a mix of 1-2 cups of powdered sugar and granulated sugar.5. With a slotted spoon, add cranber-ries to sugar mix and coat well.6. Let sit about 30 minutes or until sugar hardens. Store in a jar for 3 to 4 days.

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12 Thursday, March 10, 2011 LIFESTYLES The Crimson White

By SoRelle WyckoffContributing Writer

When a state trooper walked into newly opened tattoo parlor All Inkd Up, its owner didn’t know what to think. But his worries were in vain. The state trooper, who already had several tattoos, was famil-iar with the tattoo artist’s work and simply walked in to get another tattoo. “In fact, he liked his tattoo so much his brother, who’s a cop in Birmingham, is coming down, too,” said the tattoo and pierc-ing artist Chewie, as he likes to be called.

After growing up in Tuscaloosa, Chewie considers it to be his hometown. “I’m a hometown, local guy,” Chewie said. “That’s about it.” It was with this mindset that he decided to open his own tattoo parlor, after working at other tattoo parlors around Tuscaloosa. “I was tired of working for other folks,” he said. “I finally decided enough was enough and opened my own.” So, with business part-ner Wes Fortenberry, the two opened All Inkd Up this February. The new store is located at 1700 Greensboro

Ave., across the street from Piggly Wiggly. But the store is about more than just tattoos, Chewie said. And looking at the art on the walls and decorative furniture, his goal of making it more than just a tattoo parlor is apparent.Chewie’s wife and store man-ager, Elizabeth, decorated tables and other pieces of furni-ture using a collage of work by Chewie, Fortenberry and pop culture icons. Tuscaloosa artists are also on display on the store walls, which Chewie said would con-tinue to grow with artwork. “Art is art to me,” he said.

“Having a tattoo shop is more about art than it is about tat-toos.” Both artists chuckled when asked how many tattoos they had, saying they lost count. “I think mine are about to turn into one big tattoo,” said Fortenberry, who has been a tattoo artist for more than 11 years. However, both artists are serious when it comes to safety.“Safety is number one here. We do it all ‘by the book,’” Chewie said. “We are trying to give Tuscaloosa good prices and good quality.” The close-to-campus location

has brought in many students, he said. “Lots of football players come in here, and in this town, that means something,” said Chewie, who said he believes in catering to each customer indi-vidually. Chewie said All Inkd Up is a place for all Tuscaloosa resi-dents. “I just want it to be a local, hometown tattoo parlor,” he said. “No chains or big build-ings, just good prices and good quality.” So far, business has been normal, according to both Chewie and Fortenberry. But

Fortenberry said he has had an interesting customer or two. “My favorite request was for a tattoo of a flaming piece of broccoli,” Fortenberry said. “I didn’t ask.” All Inkd Up is open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weeknights, and until 2 a.m. on weekends and offers tattoos starting at $40 and piercings starting at $30. “We’re here for our custom-ers,” Fortenberry said. “We have the best customer service around.” Chewie had one bit of advice for UA students: “Come by here. I promise we’ll hook you up.”

New tattoo parlor opens in Tuscaloosa

By Alexandra Ellsworth Contributing Writer

Improbable Fictions aims to help students uncover the majesty of the bard, William Shakespeare, by performing a staged reading of Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” tonight at 7:30 in Farrah Hall room 214. “The plays of Shakespeare are not novels or even short stories,” director and dramaturge Scott Free said. “They are studied as literature, and rightfully so, as it is some of the finest writing in the English language, but they were never intended to be read. They were intended to be per-formed.” The turnaround for this per-formance is very quick, which Free said is a benefit of doing a staged reading. The actors do not have to memorize their lines, and there will be limited use of props and costumes. The rehearsal process is short and began Monday with a read through. However, Free has been working on cutting and adjusting the script for about six or seven months to make it more understandable and fit the desired length. “I feel that this particular play

Shakespeare reading tonightis uniquely suited for this form,” Free said. “There are no big bat-tle scenes, no sword fights. It is charming, witty, people saying charming, witty, things.” Free said the show should run about 90 minutes with-out intermission, and admis-sion is free. The cast is a mix of students, faculty and other mem-bers of the community. Mark Hughes Cobb and Nic Helms will perform pre-show music. The music will begin at 7:00 p.m. and should last about 20 to 25 min-utes. English classes on campus will be studying “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “Hamlet” this semes-ter. Nic Helms, who started Improbable Fictions with Alaina Jobe in 2010, said he hopes that by providing staged readings of Shakespeare’s work, English students who are currently studying Shakespeare can have a chance to hear it, as opposed to just reading it. “The text is just the blueprint of the building, not the build-ing itself,” said Jean Fuller-Scott, who will play the part of Rosaline. “It’s a guideline for how it’s supposed to be done… but it’s nowhere near the final, finished product.”

Free said, “The performance students will see tonight is a bit like taking a trip to the building site, better than looking at just the blueprints but not the fin-ished product. “A staged reading is a strange animal. It is a performance, but not a complete one. You are visitors at what can only be described as an early rehearsal for the play,” he said. This staged reading can pro-vide a good jumping off point to do a full production at a later time because it allows the direc-tor to hear his cut of the script

but beyond that they weren’t given any more information. “[The University] had pur-chased it, and we’re not sure what they’re planning on doing with the property, but because they want it back we’re unable to renew our lease,” Chen said. Lai Lai, which opened in July of 1998, is in its thirteenth year of business on The Strip. Chen said she was unsure of the status of other busi-nesses on The Strip, but when Pepito’s and Pita Pit, which are located on either side of Lai Lai, were called, employ-ees at both restaurants said there are no plans for closing or moving. Before Chen knew that she had until the end of the semester instead of the end of March, she said she wasn’t sure if Lai Lai would be doing something special on March 27, the previous closing day. “Right now, we’re just slowly letting our custom-ers know,” Chen said. “If we do something special, we’ll announce it. Right now we’re just focusing on moving.” Lai Lai does plan on re-opening in the future, Chen said, but a location still has to be found.

LAI LAIContinued from page 1

“We want our customers and Tuscaloosa to know that we’re making plans to reopen, but we’re looking for a place right now,” Chen said. Cathy Andreen, the direc-tor of media relations for the University, explained the pro-cess behind the expired lease and University-owned property. “The University purchased the building where Lai Lai is locat-ed in 2007 and agreed to honor the leases that were already in place,” Andreen said. “Lai Lai’s lease was originally negotiated with the previous owner.” Now that the lease is up, the University will be offering a Request for Proposals, which is the opportunity for any entity that may wish to rent the space to submit a proposal. Lai Lai will get a chance to submit an RFP to regain that location as well, Andreen said. “RFPs are advertised pub-licly,” Andreen said. “The RFP will be sent to Lai Lai when it is ready and they may submit a proposal.” Andreen said the proposal must include detailed informa-tion about how the space would be used, any renovations or work that the renter would do to the space, the amount of rent they are willing to pay and a descrip-tion of how the business would benefit the University commu-nity. In reference to other business-es not experiencing the same closing as Lai Lai, Andreen said the businesses operating on the University’s property on The Strip have different lease agree-ments, and they expire at differ-ent times. Lai Lai’s lease is cur-rently expiring. Chen said she wanted to take this chance to thank all of Lai Lai’s customers over the years. “We wanted to thank all of our customers for their support over the years, UA students and faculty and especially the inter-national Chinese students who have been a big part of our cus-tomer base over the years and the locals for making us a part of their community,” Chen said. “We just wanted to express our gratitude towards them.” Jenae Stainer, a senior major-ing in social work, said she has been in the on-campus organiza-tion Students for a Democratic Society for four years now and, after every meeting, SDS would go to Lai Lai for tofu. “I think that Lai Lai is a valu-able local business that cares about its customers,” Stainer said. “And its customers care about them. I’m not sure why they’re being singled out if there have been no problems with them in the past.”

and work out any problems. “[Shakespeare’s work] is dar-ing and passionate and scary and dirty and mean and poetic and dangerous and romantic,” Fuller-Scott said. “It’s supposed to live and breathe and weep and bleed and sigh.” Both Free and Fuller-Scott encourage those who enjoy the staged reading to seek out full productions to get a better grasp of Shakespeare’s work. For information and a full cast list visit Improbable Fictions at improbablefictions.wordpress.com.

CW | Teresea PortoneKing Ferdinand, Charles Prosser, and the princess of France, Sara-Margaret Cates, argue over her being allowed to stay in his house in a staged reading of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labor’s Lost.

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cw.ua.edu

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Web Design Student Assistant - 0804772. Assistant needed to create graphics, logos, and layouts for web sites supported thru eTech. Applicants must have strong graphic design skills,

2.25 GPA. Job close date: 3/11/2011.

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9339 CAMPUS AREA APARTMENT Available Now.Newly renovated 2 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath No deposit required.$625 a month. All new appliances: W/ D includ-ed. (318) 470-7512

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Today’s Birthday (03/10/11). The sum-mer months (in the northern hemi-sphere) will provide a nesting ground for nurturing family relationships. You may have to work harder (or smarter) than usual, but you’ll reap the benefits before winter.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 9 -- Money comes easier than normal today. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t forget to put some away for tomorrow before you go out and spend it on a whim.Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 9 -- When you got it, you got it. Don’t worry too much about your appear-ance. Your confident presence shows strength and ease. Charm them with your smile.Gemini (May 21-June 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Today you find some relief from the stress of the past few days, but there are still some obstacles to man-age. Take it easy. Tomorrow will be a great day.Cancer (June 22-July 22) -- Today is an 8 -- The best way to avoid procras-tination is to get support from your friends. Do you love hiking but feel glued to the couch? Invite someone to go play.Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- It seems like business as usual, work-ing hard and getting things done. Nevertheless, life is full of surprises,

sometimes pleasant. Pay attention to the details.Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Row your boat gently down the stream. Aim toward your biggest goals. Where will they take you? Peaceful waters or roaring rapids? What do you choose?Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- When life gives you lemons, say “thank you.” When you feel sorry for yourself, squeeze the juice, make a lemonade stand and give it away for free.Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 9 -- Your imagination charges like a herd of elephants to water during a drought. Dreams of love become real. Is it a mi-rage? No. It’s as real as you declare it.Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 9 -- Job promotion, anyone? Keep your ears and your eyes open for pro-fessional advancements. Shift your en-ergy in the direction of greatest effect and impact.Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- A child has the answer. Listen. Play games that challenge your intellect. There are excellent opportunities for growth through childlike exploration.Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- You don’t always have the answer to everything, and that’s okay. Ask for help from a loved one. Be willing to compromise. It will work out.Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Let your graceful words fly out into the world, carried on winds of courage, imagination and joy. Let them inspire others to step into action. Just say it.

LIFESTYLESPage 14• Thursday,

March 10, 2011Editor • Kelsey Stein

kmstein@crimson.ua.edu

Sce

neth

e

Nightlife

THURSDAY• The Booth: The Outcome• Eagan’s: 50s and 60s Dance Party• Copper Top: Nick & Andy• Harry’s: Whiskey River• Moe’s: Chinchillionaires• Green Bar: Seymor Blue• Gnemi’s: Chase Wilson• The Filling Station: Just the Tip

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

• Eagan’s: DJ Bin Rockin• Copper Top: Cooper & Crouch• Green Bar: Many Man-sions, Hurricanes of Love, and Dirty Lungs• Harry’s: Uri• Gnemi’s: Zippy D & Dirty Luv• The Filling Station: Jon Ray & Tracy Williams

• Eagan’s: Mansfi eld, James Spann & the Suspenders, Uri• Copper Top: Matt & Tyler• Green Bar: The Motions, Cory Taylor Cox & The Time Machine• Gnemi’s: Deep South Dread• The Filling Station: Billy Snowden & Briley Sandlin

Flicksto catch

• Just Go With It (PG-13)• Justin Bieber Never Say Never 3D (G)• The Roommate (PG-13)• The Eagle (PG-13)• Gnomeo & Juliet 3D (G)• The King’s Speech (R)• No Strings Attached (R)• Justin Bieber Never Say Never (G)• True Grit (PG-13)• Sanctum 3D (R)• The Rite (PG-13)• The Mechanic (R)• The Green Hornet 3D (PG-13)• The Dilemma (PG-13)• Tangled (PG)• Yogi Bear 3D (PG)

COBB HOLLYWOOD 16

Spending spring break in T-town?

TUESDAY

THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY

By Stephanie BrumfieldAssistant Lifestyles Editor

snbrumfield@crimson.ua.edu

Are you stuck in Tuscaloosa for Spring Break? Don’t worry! The Scene has all sorts of suggestions to keep you occupied and entertained while you’re here. Whether you make a few day trips to Tuscaloosa’s nearby cit-ies, or whether you stay in Tuscaloosa and simply explore all those places you’ve always wanted to visit but simply never had the time to, spring break 2011 has the potential to be memorable. The Tuscaloosa area has an abundance of fun, cheap distractions whether you’re interested in shop-ping, art museums, hiking trails, cool restaurants or nightlife.

SATURDAYSuds of the South Beerfest

Most students will already be miles away from Tuscaloosa come Saturday, but if you’re still in town and over 21, stop by Wilhagan’s between 4 and 7 p.m. for the second annual Suds of the South beerfest. Sponsored by local blog Well That’s Cool, patrons will receive a 3 oz. beer glass to keep for $20, which they can then use to taste as many beers as they desire that are offered by the 12 featured breweries. Craft beers from out-of-town breweries like Birmingham’s Good People Brewing Company will be featured at the event.

MONDAYSUNDAYMoundville Park & PieLab

If you’re looking for a relaxing day in the park, Moundville Archeological Park is the place for you. Located along the Black Warrior River just 20 minutes south of Tuscaloosa, visitors can walk about the park’s more than 300 acres and learn about Indian culture while doing so. Historic Indian mounds line the park’s trails, and the Jones Museum, which closes at 5 p.m. daily, offers further insight into Indian culture. And the best part is, admission into the park is only $6 for students. Travelling south to Moundville is an excellent excur-sion for your Sunday or Monday, as it is open daily starting at 9 a.m. when many other venues around town are closed. While you’re south of Tuscaloosa, you may also want to drive an additional 30 minutes to downtown Greensboro for the unique pies of PieLab, which is also open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuscaloosa-area Parks

Lovers of the outdoors, look no further than the UA Arboretum, Munny Sokol Park and Natural Bridge Park. Admission to all of these parks is free, and each is unique in its own way. The UA Arboretum is the closest of the three, located near at the inter-section of Veterans Memorial Parkway (15th Street East) and Pelham Loop Road. Visitors can walk along several trails, includ-ing the paths of an abandoned golf course, as well as see several gardens. Munny Sokol is a great place for mountain bikers with an 11-mile long trail, and it is located just a few miles north of highway 82 on Watermelon Road. Natural Bridge Park is about an hour drive away going north on highway 43, but it makes for a good little day trip for anyone interested in hiking and climbing. It also has the longest naturally-formed bridge structure east of the Rocky Mountains, and there are waterfalls, trails, a creek, picnic area and gift shop.

WEDNESDAYShopping and art in Birmingham

Taking a small day trip to Birmingham is a good option for your Wednesday because most venues are open then, and many bars downtown offer drink specials on Wednesday nights. During the day, you could visit Reed Books and the Birmingham Museum of Art, both downtown and within easy walking distance (only five blocks) of each other. Throughout March, Reed Books is displaying more than 300 miniature books from all over the world, and they also have a large selection of books for purchase. Its web inven-tory includes 47,500 books, magazines, newspapers and posters, but there are more than 250,000 additional items in the store. After browsing the bookshelves at Reed Books, walk over to the Birmingham Museum of Art, which is currently featuring photography from South Africa, several works of African-American art and works from the museum’s general collection. Admission is free, and the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reed Books is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. By nightfall, make your way over to the intersection of highways 459 and 280 for shopping and dinner at The Summit. For more information, see jimreedbooks.com, artsbma.org and thesummitonline.com/birmingham.

Tuscaloosa-area Art Galleries

If you’ve never been before, the Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art is a must-see. One of the largest collections of American art in the world, the Warner Museum features more than 400 paintings, sculptures and pieces of furniture and decorative arts dating from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. As a bonus, the small drive to the museum is a pretty one, as you have to cross Lake Tuscaloosa and go through North River Yacht Club to get there. The Warner Museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and admission is $7 for students. For directions, go to warnermuseum.org. One you fin-ish browsing through the many rooms of the Warner Museum, you might want to finish your day in downtown Northport either at the Kentuck Art Gallery, the Renaissance Gallery or one of the many locally-owned shops and restaurants of Northport.

Six Flags in Atlanta

For those who don’t mind travelling a few hours, Six Flags Over Georgia kicks off their season on Saturday, March 19, and they’re offering tickets at the special discounted price of $20.11. The only catch is that you must bring six or more non-perishable food items to donate to MUST ministries, and the items must be on the list of acceptable food items located on the Six Flags Over Georgia website. But the deal is still good, as general admission is usually around $50. The park is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., so even with the drive you should have plenty of time to ride as many roller coasters as your heart desires before leaving the park. For more information, see sixflags.com/overGeorgia.

Argyle Images | Gregg McGough

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