Author: Hannah Richey

The USGA election commission released the spring 2022 election results to Kaleidoscope. Ritika Samant leads the initial results of the election for USGA president with 362 votes out of 707, which is 51.202% of the vote. Kyle Adams, who ran unopposed for executive vice president, leads with 645 votes, which is 91.231% of the vote. The results are not final until the candidates are sworn in. “I should note that while these individuals have accepted their position, the still must be sworn in before they officially take office,” said election commission committee member Derek Dang in an email. Samant, a…

Kaleidoscope sent out a questionnaire to the candidates running for the Undergraduate Student Government Association’s (USGA) vice president of communications, vice president of student services and vice president of finance positions. We are publishing here the responses we have received so that students can get to know the candidates in their own words. President Ritika SamantHannah Syed Executive Vice President Kyle Adams Vice President of Student Services Eunice Choe Vice President of Communications Marcus Curry Jr.Jonathan Baker Vice President of Finance John Ellis Kuykendall Presidential Candidates Ritika SamantJunior, Neuroscience Other Involvements: Active Minds-PresidentTobacco-Free UAB- Community Outreach CoordinatorNeuroscience Research- Parkinson’s Disease…

In an election where the majority of the executive council candidates are running unopposed, the Feb 15 executive council debate served as a forum for candidates to explain their platforms to a small audience. Many candidates included reminders to vote despite most positions being unopposed, as the voter turnout last year was 12%. Voting will be open Feb. 22 at 8 a.m. on Blazernet and close at 8 a.m. the following day. Only the president and vice president of communications positions have more than one candidate running. You can use the list below to skip to debates you want to…

The spring 2022 USGA election will be held on Feb. 22 from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. the following day. Ritika Samant, current USGA vice president of student services and a junior majoring in neuroscience, and Hannah Syed, a current senator for the College of Arts and Sciences and a junior majoring in biology and public health are running for president. Kyle Adams, CAS senator and vice chairperson of the senate, is running for executive vice president. All other executive council candidates are current USGA members. The executive council debate will be held on Feb. 15 in the Hill Student…

Update Jan. 25, 3:10 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the range of dates for positive cases as Jan. 13 to 17. The correct range of dates is Jan. 17 through 23. The below article has been updated to reflect that. The latest update from the UA System COVID-19 dashboard reported 573 positive cases among UAB’s students and non-clinical employees for Jan. 17 through Jan. 23. The update also reported that 16 of UAB’s 75 quarantine and isolation rooms are in use. In the previous week, there were 553 positive COVID-19 cases, and in both weeks students…

UAB announced plans to make masking indoors optional for vaccinated individuals in non-clinical settings in the spring semester based on transmission levels upon returning and suspended the vaccine mandate following a federal court order. “At this time, it is our hope the circumstances will allow us to make indoor masking in non-clinical campus buildings optional for vaccinated individuals as we begin 2022, but that will depend on the latest community transmission data and the safety recommendations that emerge as we learn more about the omicron variant,” the email sent on Dec. 8 said. There will also be no remote or…

USGA approved a resolution in support of establishing a class fund gift account that would support the Student Affairs Emergency Grant and the UAB Human Rights Trail. The passage of the resolution, co-sponsored by College of Arts and Sciences Senator Kyle Adams alongside Chief of Staff Kimmy Chieh and Vice President of Finance Sarah Tran, means USGA will work alongside Student Affairs to establish a class gift account that will support the emergency grant created by Student Affairs and funding of the human rights trail. The emergency grant would eventually replace the COVID-19 Emergency Fund created by USGA, Student Affairs…

UAB employees are required to be vaccinated by Dec. 8, 2021 in accordance with President Joe Biden’s Sept. 9 executive order mandating all federal contractors’ employees be vaccinated. “As a federal contractor, UAB, like most higher education institutions, must comply with the Executive Order and accompanying guidance,” wrote Sarah Nafziger, vice president of clinical support services at UAB Medicine, in an email sent on Oct. 22. “Consequently, UAB is required to ensure all university faculty and staff (Workgroups A and F) are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Dec. 8, 2021, unless they have an approved medical, disability or religious exemption.”…

https://issuu.com/uabkscope/docs/bouab_final_fixed Letter from the Editor Kaleidoscope is proud to finally release our Best of UAB issue for Family Weekend. The winners for this issue were voted on before the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’re still relevant to how UAB students live their lives after all this time. Students continue to live, shop, eat and hang out all over Birmingham.Hopefully this can help you find something new to check out on or near campus, especially students that haven’t been able to experience a “normal” year at UAB. Maybe those of you that have been around will just be happy to see your…

Sept. 16, 2021 12:05 p.m. Update: This article has been updated to include statements from John Jones, Vice President of Student Affairs. On Sept. 15, at around 3 p.m.,  a physical altercation took place between an unnamed student and a man named Daniel Rusk, a self-proclaimed Evangelist who visits college campuses to spread his message. Rusk and his wife set up their chairs and posters on the sidewalk, which is city property, outside the Hill Student Center early in the afternoon with signs condemning women who attend college, lesbians and other groups. Videos of the altercation show a student attempting to…