Author: Hannah Richey

This piece first appeared in our March 2021 Magazine Visual and performing arts students had to make big changes when classes went online in March but now these adjustments have become part of their new normal. Levi Sanford, a senior majoring in graphic design, said in an interview last year that canvas discussion boards for critique didn’t work as well for him. But this year he said they work pretty well since students have become more acquainted with them. “It’s definitely been quite the transition for me and a lot of other people as well. Just discussing things with other people…

March 24, 2021 Update: This article has been updated to include new statements from Angela Lee. USGA presented legislation for the first time this year on Tuesday and tabled a resolution in support of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees’ decision to rename the George Wallace Gymnasium and a resolution in support of victims of hate speech. The resolution in support of renaming the George Wallace Gymnasium to the Physical Education Building was authored by USGA president Tyler Huang and CAS senators Cameron Freeman and Rizwan Kahn. After the floor was opened for debate a motion to table was…

Presidential candidates handled questions about transparency and diversity during the USGA Zoom debate. The candidates debated on the improvements that can come from the executive council such as how the cabinets will be diversified and how USGA interacts with RSOs. In her answer to a question about how her administration plans to be transparent and accessible Angela Lee, a junior majoring in chemistry and current executive vice president of USGA said in her answer that USGA needs to be more intentional on how to be more interactive. She said this includes publicizing meeting minutes and initiatives as well as other…

America has passed the need to debate over whether the minimum wage should be raised. On March 5 an amendment in the Senate to add a $15 minimum wage onto the latest COVID-19 relief package failed when 8 Democrats voted against it. One Democrat, Kyrsten Sinema, has drawn the most ire over this because she said there needed to be more debate over raising the minimum wage. She’s become the focus of this in part due to a tweet she posted in 2014. https://twitter.com/kyrstensinema/status/443584873048309760 Sinema, much like many Americans, didn’t say there needed to be a debate over increasing the…

Updated 2/25 at 11:21 a.m. Second Update on Feb. 25 at 4:23 p.m. Birmingham police are investigating the death of a woman who was found near the Children’s of Alabama parking deck on 7th Avenue South. UAB sent out a text and email at 7:44 a.m. notifying students and employees. According to Birmingham Police Department, the body was reported at approximately 6:51 a.m. Officers were sent to the scene and found the woman unresponsive. Birmingham Fire and Rescue and the Jefferson County Coroner arrived and pronounced the victim dead. “Police do not believe there is an active threat to campus,”…

USGA met on Tuesday night to give updates on initiatives from the schools. A resolution against hate speech is being considered in the judiciary and will then move to the senate.CAS mentors has started.Premium tailgate spots will be available for RSOs to rent next fall.The Judicial branch is working on a media literacy campaign.CAS is organizing a virtual “Donuts with the Dean”.The school of nursing podcast is out now.Budget allocation meetings will take place Feb. 27-28.

This piece first appeared in our February 2021 Magazine. The civil rights movement in Alabama was the result of countless hardworking people coming together. Their work culminated in landmark Supreme Court cases and encouraged others to believe that change is possible. This is not an exhaustive list of figures from this movement. For more information you can visit blackpast.org and the King Institute. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Fred Gray Fred Gray is the attorney who represented major figures of the civil right movement including Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama and opened his…

UAB President Ray Watts’s condemnation of Dr. Sarah Parcak, a professor in the anthropology department, is unfounded and based on the brute fact that Watts is out of touch with the culture of UAB. https://twitter.com/UABNews/status/1362229784034607117 UAB purports itself to be a beacon of diversity and inclusion. Touting diversity statistics and claiming the rich history of Birmingham. However, UAB can’t even manage to quickly and strongly condemn the continued presence of white nationalists on our campus. When the revelation became too public UAB’s response to students was that they recognize the free speech of the individuals in question. Email from Sept.…

This piece first appeared in our February 2021 Magazine. Birmingham has been an important location of Black history in the south spanning since before the Civil Rights movement and after it. For the purpose of learning about one of the most important periods in Alabama history, here is a collection of a few place in and near Birmingham. Kelly Ingram Park Photos courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsPhotos courtesy of Picryl Kelly Ingram Park was the central location of the protests organized by Reverend James Bevel in May 1963. In 1992, the park was renovated alongside the founding of the Birmingham Civil Rights…

USGA plans to draft a resolution in support of renaming the George Wallace Gymnasium to the Physical Education Building following the UA Board of Trustees’ decision on Feb. 8. “That’s something I’ve been working on with the board of trustees all year so if we could show some support in regards to the change of that as a resolution I’d love to get some senators behind and we could set up a meeting in regards how to write a resolution and a joint support for the renaming of the building,” said Tyler Huang, USGA president. The Senate issued a reminder…