Author: Lewis Bruce

Update (1/9/24): This story has been updated to include a statement from Jalen Kitna. Over 1000 people have signed a petition urging UAB and the Department of Athletics to reverse their decision to allow Jalen Kitna to commit to the Blazers football team. “To students, this seems indicative of UAB’s failure to protect its students in favor of their athletic programs,” said Brookelyn Stoves, the author of the petition, in an accompanying statement. “The student body is greatly disappointed and disturbed by Kitna’s admittance, and are prepared to boycott all UAB football games in the upcoming semester if Kitna is…

Students gathered around the Hill Student Center amphitheater last Thursday to express support for Palestine in its recently escalated conflict with Israel and protest Israel’s offensive efforts against Hamas, the governing body over the Gaza Strip. The protest, organized by UAB’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) and led by a group of Palestinian students, called attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza created as a result of Israel’s ongoing airstrike campaign and blockade of the region, harming Gazan civilians and blocking access to food, water, electricity, medical supplies and fuel supplies. Students shared accounts of how the conflict has affected themselves…

By Garrett Jones and Raimi Liebel Garrett Jones and Raimi Liebel are members of Young Democratic Socialists of America at UAB. Flyers promoting a neo-Nazi affiliated group were discovered on campus infrastructure on Tuesday, September 27. Members of Young Democratic Socialists of America at UAB (YDSA) organized to remove and cover the signage. The flyers, which read “European Blood,” “America First,” “United We Stand” and “For A New American Nation State,” included a URL to Patriot Front’s website. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes Patriot Front as “a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed…

At its meeting last Tuesday, USGA’s Senate approved the budget for the 2023-24 school year. The Senate also passed a resolution requesting additional microwaves on campus and a bill expanding its authority to approve new positions created by the executive branch. The budget, which can be viewed in its entirety at this link, breaks down money allocated to each member, department, and fund under USGA. It also lists every student organization that requested funds, how much each organization requested, and how much each organization was allocated. Registered student organizations (RSOs) received a combined total of $26,250. RSOs on average received…

In Tuesday’s USGA Senate meeting, student legislators passed the Preparing Undergraduates for Testing Success (PUTS) Act. The bill authorizes the use of unspent funds from USGA’s textbook scholarship to help juniors and seniors pay for practice tests for exams like the LSAT, MCAT, PCAT and several others. The bill calls for the creation of an online application for upperclassmen to describe their status as a student, their desired practice exam and their capability to pay the fees associated with it. The application can be accessed at this link. If USGA determines the PUTS Act to be successful at the end…

UAB’s USGA Senate convened for its first meeting of the fall semester last Tuesday in the Hill Student Center. Senators passed four resolutions, introduced one bill and passed another bill. Senators first voted on two resolutions addressing LGBTQ+ issues on campus. The first resolution called for the installation of permanent pride flags on campus. “This sends a clear message to all LGBTQ+ students that they are welcome and protected on this campus, while also deterring anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech,” said Garrett Jones, a co-author of the resolution. Raimi Liebel, another co-author of the resolution, recounted the University’s recent history of raising…

UAB’s undergraduate student government voted to confirm USGA President Kyle Adams’ Presidential Letter of Appointment in early July after failing to reach a two-thirds majority in support of the letter in early spring. The functionality of the student government was predicated on the confirmation of Adams’ letter, which included appointments for 30 USGA positions. One of those roles was that of Chief Justice, which carries the sole authority to swear in the year’s newly elected senators. The letter called for the creation of four new positions within the Executive Cabinet. These positions were the subject of concern among senators and…

A handful of sign-wielding evangelists were at the center of a commotion outside the Hill Center on Friday. The demonstration was led by Daniel Rusk, who was arrested in 2021 for engaging in an altercation with a UAB student at a similar demonstration. The group set up at the same spot on the same sidewalk that saw Rusk’s arrest nearly two years ago, this time waving signs bearing phrases like “Love is not lust” and “Young women: You don’t need college, you need faith, a Bible, and a good cookbook.” They called to counter-protesters and unwitting passersby alike, shouting about…

I sat down with two of UAB’s up-and-coming art students to learn more about this year’s juried student exhibition at AEIVA and develop a broader understanding of Birmingham’s storied art scene in the present day. The exhibition’s sole juror, or curator, is award-winning ceramics artist Donté K. Hayes. Em Slawson is a graphic design major with two selected pieces, 3.5 Million and Untitled. Lawrence Schultz is an art studio major whose painting, Leaving Marks, was also selected for the exhibition. Was it difficult or vulnerable submitting to the Juried Exhibition? Em: It definitely felt vulnerable, but the process was very…

This week is the first full calendar week of fall, and it’s obvious to anyone who’s stepped outside. The cool northern breeze has finally graced campus, Starbucks is once again offering its iconic pumpkin products and the trees on the Green have started their yearly transition from green to yellow to orange. To honor this long-awaited departure from another brutal Alabama summer, we at Kaleidoscope thought it best to recommend some of the best fall-themed music, movies, TV shows and more centered around the penultimate season of the year. Music RaeAnne Alexander: “Red (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift’s…