Hannah Richey Opinion [email protected] UAB’s inclusion of a pass/fail option is an important step in what students need in order to be successful in this unprecedented emergency, but the job isn’t done yet. UAB student Michael McMillan introduced a petition on March 19 demanding pass/fail grades for the Spring 2020 semester and five days later the school responded with an opt-in system for pass/fail. This is just a number of steps the university has to take to help students succeed with the switch to online and loss of jobs for students. USGA also introduced an emergency grant for students affected by COVID-19. This is a $500 aid opportunity…
Author: Hycall Brooks
Sufia AlamEditor in [email protected] Less than three days ago, student Michael McMillan started a petition demanding UAB to issue pass / fail grades for the semester. Today the petition has over 1,700 signatures. “Online classes pose a number of problems for students,” McMillan wrote in the description of his petition. “First being that success in online classes often requires a completely different skillset than those of in person classes. The switching to online classes additionally requires students to have access to the internet. This may not be readily accessible to every student thus requiring them to reveal information about their financial status…
Sufia AlamEditor in [email protected] the first Muslim and Indian Editor in Chief of the Kaleidoscope, I have great pride when it comes to this paper. As a publication, we have highlighted the incidences of nationalism on campus, the stories of students who don’t know their future through the rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Action program, and shared the journeys of people who have impacted our culture such as Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Sr., or as we know him, Carelton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air In honor of Black History Month, this issue will solely highlight the black voices of…
Organization that encourages black entreprenuership Through community events, Elevators aims to inspire black creatives within the Birmingham area. Photo Courtesy of Elevators. Emma Owen Blazernews [email protected] With a goal of promoting creative culture within Birmingham’s African American community, Elevators on 4th has been celebrating black entrepreneurship since 2017. Carmen Mays, founder of Elevators on 4th, said the organization got its start due to lack of diversity and representation during Birmingham’s Innovation Week. “I could not understand how and why they were centering events inside the Birmingham City Limits but they weren’t actually including people from Birmingham,” Mays said. “As a form…
Photo by Cade Pair, staff photographer Emma OwenBlazer News [email protected] MahitaTekumalla, junior in digital marketing and president of the Student Justice Advocacy Council, said she joined SJAC to make a difference on her campus. “SJAC’s mission is to empower and celebrate marginalized communities while also educating the UAB community through various inclusive events throughout the year,” Tekumalla said. “I wanted to join SJAC because I felt it is important to be a leader and not only educate myself but my UAB peers about the importance of social justice and intersectionality.” Tekumalla said she enjoys advocating for inclusivity during her favorite SJAC event, Coming Out on the Green. “This…
Photo by Julie Mauldin/ Staff photographer Emma OwenBlazer News [email protected] USGA recently held a forum that featured department heads from across the university, in order to bring awareness to upcoming changes and programs at UAB. Below are highlights from the meeting. Opening regardsfor the UASGA Student Forum camefrom President Ray Watts, where he talked about UAB’s community engagement steadily increasing and announced the State of the University Address that will take place on October 29. Bradley Barnes, Ph.D and Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at UAB, said since 2015, enrollment as increased by 20.44%. Barnes also announced that the academic quality of new…
Photos by Cameron McPhail/ senior staff photographer Students gather on campus for National Coming Out Day events Emma OwenBlazer News [email protected] With LGBTQ History Month and National Coming Out Day occurring during the month of October, student organizations at UAB are holding events with hopes to create an inclusive atmosphere for the student body. Coming Out on the Green, hosted by the Social Justice Advocacy Council, is one of the many events hosted on campus centered toward highlighting National Coming Out Day. VishGunda, senior in Philosophy and Volunteer Coordinator with the Social Justice Advocacy Council, said Coming Out on the…
https://www.uab.edu/studentmedia/images/Sept.17.19/DSC07554.jpeg Locations on campus honor prejudice Whitney SidesSenior Staff [email protected] UAB is home to many historically significant events such as housing Martin Luther King, Jr., as he preached from the pulpit of Second Presbyterian Church, in what is now the UAB Honors House on campus. It is also the home where ithonors individuals who believed in the slogan, “segregation now, segregation forever.” On June 11, 1963. George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama stood at the door of the Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama to try to block the entry of two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. Ironically, Wallace’s name is on top of the doors of Bell-Wallace Gymnasium here on campus, as students…
Illustration by John Hiller/ Staff Illustrator Jordan SmithContributing [email protected] The University of Alabama announced that Jamie Riley, assistant vice president and dean of students, Ph.D., resigned by “mutual agreement” last week. Riley’s resignation came after images of his tweets resurfaced concerning systemic racism in America. Riley’s First Amendment rights were infringed upon by the university. A university that has such a racist history, a university that offers privileged space only to again serve to the disadvantage of a black man. One of his tweets read, “American flag represents a systemic history of racism for my people. Police are a part of that system.” Another…
******* Update******* 2:23 p.m. The UAB Faculty Senate Executive Committee has released a statement that addressed racism on campus. “As a faculty, we fully contend that any speech that marginalizes members of our diverse community is inconsistent with UAB’s core values of diversity and inclusion,” the statement said. “Therefore, we reject all forms of racism, xenophobia, and sexism–as well as bigotry in all of its forms.” Full statement can be found below Faculty_Senate_Executive_Committee_Statement_Diversity.pdf *******Update******* 11.21 a.m. At 10:24 a.m., an email blast was sent to the entire university addressing white supremacy on campus. “We want to assure you that UAB…