The green and gold continue to produce stand up basketball players as freshman blazer guard K.C. Whitaker would have a career night, recording 17 points 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

Leading scorer Cameron Moore would also record his 11th career double double adding his 12 points and 11 rebounds. The two combined for over half the teams points and Jordan swing would add 11 more rebounds to the teams total on the boards.

UAB’s defense dominated the mustangs in the first half only allowing them to shoot 4-26 from the field, A clear statement from the blazers on their ability to lockdown and play a tough game.

UAB’s depth chart contains a host of players willing and able to dominate the game. Our downfall only comes at a point with lack of experience in tough game situations.

“It sure wasn’t pretty but we’ll take it” Head Coach mike Davis said on the win blazer victory. “…We did a great job on the boards especially in the second half…”

UAB records 24 of their total 44 rebounds in the second half and once again holds the mustangs to only 4 made shots from the field.

Most definitely, a record night for both teams in Moody Colliseum, The blazers return home Saturday to ride the Tulane green wave in Bartow at 7.p.m. Go blazers.

LeBaron Thorton
Senior Staff Writer
baronamato@gmail.com

The Bertha and Joseph Smolian International House at 1600 10th Avenue South offers services and activities for international UAB students. File Photo

An array of international flags lines the front stairwell inside the Smolian International House.

The streets of the UAB campus are traversed by students of all races and creeds. Taking a walk down University Boulevard reveals how each “Blazer” is not the same “Dragon.”

The Princeton Review ranked UAB number three in diversity in 2010. But does this ranking reflect the interactions of the student body?

That was the focus of the FreeFood4Thought discussion, “UAB Diversity: Are We Living It?” held on February 16 in the Ireland Room of Lister Hill Library.

Students and staff gathered to express their opinions on campus life being as diverse as the rankings entail.

Agreement was shown most on the issue of student submersion into a variety of cultures that exist on campus, that students should seize the opportunity to immerse themselves into those cultures.

Erica Campbell, coordinator of Student Involvement and Diversity, says that students should strive to get more involved on campus.

“If you are not that interested in diverse cultures, maybe getting involved in a cultural committee will help you to expand your knowledge of different cultures,” she said. “I think we do stand up to the rankings, but there is a lot more that can be done. So not only do we just say it, but we believe it and we seek it out.”

International students from over one hundred countries are finding home at UAB, but many question the synergy of the student body.

Chinazor Iwuaba, a Nigerian undergraduate student majoring in respiratory therapy, believes all students should take the initiative to coexist as one, an effort she claims is lacking.

“When it comes to living up to [the ranking], we are not doing that great,” said Iwuaba. “Yes, there are the people and the potential for good diversity, but right now we just have the numbers. We have the resources but they’re not being invested in the right places.”

She believes that potential lies within every student, even those who come from not so distant places.

“A lot of people hear about an international event and they think ‘oh it’s not for me, I’m not from a different culture’ or ‘I’m from Birmingham.’ That’s the misconception,” she said. “You are from a different culture, your family has a different culture than someone else’s. There is some aspect about you that is different.”

That aspect is what makes UAB such a distinct university. The resources are in each and every classroom and the effort to bind those resources is a crucial one.

When asked how they contribute to the diversity on campus, students explained that it is more a question of how the university contributes to them by providing the opportunity to meet new people from all walks of life.

That is the goal of organizations that host a vast variety of students, particularly within the Smolian International House.

Stacy Fraser Thompson, Immigration Advisor for the International Recruitment and Student Services Office, details the steps taken to provide students coming in from other countries with a sense of comfort.

“The biggest thing for adjustment is knowing that you have a place to go for information,” she said. “One of the biggest things we do from the beginning is offer an international information session, which is basically an orientation for all of our students as they’re coming in.

“We give them personalized campus tours with our international mentors. The mentors are a really important part to the adjustment as well,” said Thompson. “These are student leaders who are trained and volunteer for a year. When a student decides to come to UAB, they will connect with them prior to their arrival.”

Diversity at UAB is continually growing, according to Thompson. “UAB is recruiting internationally now for the first time ever.”

Richard Parrish
Contributor
riparris@uab.edu

“The Student Forum is the best place for students to have a voice,” said Kristen Davis, USGA Chief Justice. “It is a face to face with the administration.”

Students from all walks of life and majors shared concerns involving Greek life, parking and housing, along with others, to the administration.

USGA Presidential Candidate Josh Powell said he wanted to see Greek life expanded on campus.

“We want Greek housing,” said Powell. “We would like facilities to call our own in the future.”

Other students called the lack of parking to the forefront, and Richard L. Margison, Vice President of Financial Affairs, said that the university is moving to more remote parking the future.

Margison added that within 3-5 years a “transit system taking students to and from remote parking” could be possible.

With on-campus housing full almost every semester, and record breaking freshmen class sizes, numerous students voiced concerns about housing.

“We would love to see developers build apartments that we would feel comfortable about our students living in,” said UAB President Carol Garrison.

Garrison added that there may also be new dorms in the future.

She encouraged students to email her with questions anytime.

Garrison said she gets her email directly and responds to each student individually.

“I look forward to coming to this event every semester,” said Garrison of the Forum. “It is really an opportunity to hear directly from students.”

Eric Roberts
News Editor
news@insideuab.com

The UAB Visual Arts Gallery is presenting the "I Have a Secret Wish..." exhibition featuring mixed media works by ten different female artists from Feb. 13-March 9, 2012.

From Feb. 13-March 9, 2012, the UAB Visual Arts Gallery is presenting the “I Have a Secret Wish…” exhibition featuring mixed media works by 10 female artists.

The Visual Arts Gallery’s new Interim Gallery Director, John Fields, organized the exhibition to incorporate a combination of paintings, installation art, sculptures, and film. Together, the various pieces unify to express the secrets of the individual women and society as whole. Whether the secret expresses sexual objectification or identity/gender roles, each artist has created a visual representation of a secret wish.

Featured artists are Sharon Louden of New York, N.Y., Gina Phillips and Nina Schwanse of New Orleans, LA., Carolyn Sherer of Birmingham, Valerie Corradetti, Grace Mikell, Marlo Pascual and Susanna Starr of New York, N.Y., Karen Ann Myers of Charleston, S.C. and Babs Reingold of St. Petersburg, FL.

Artist and Professor Sharon Louden is displaying her 3D collection, “Cathedras.” The installation works include 2 chairs and her grandmother’s footstool with strands of rubber spiraling out of the chairs’ bases.

To Sharon, the chairs represent power and stability—the resting points in her life. The rubber, one of Sharon’s favorite materials, symbolizes the empowerment she feels in a state of relaxation.

“This is the only figurative piece that I have made. It is the most truthful, vu—,” she stutters on the word ‘vulnerable,’ “and centered pieces that I have used to express my life. That’s what is so secret about it,” says Sharon.

Like Sharon, artist Gina Phillips also presented works to express a secret. Phillips’ Native-American/pilgrim and male/female opposition pieces explore the contrast of identities.

“My work is not so much about a dialogue as it is about confrontation,” says Phillips.

The opening reception included a brief introduction speech. Most featured artists were available to converse about their works with the audience.

President Carol Garrison attended to admire the diverse collection of works that were brought to UAB from across the nation.

The gallery is free and open to the public. For information, call 205-934-0815 or visit the gallery blog at www.uabvisualartgallery.com. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Kaylyn Alexander
Staff Writer
kaylynbalexander@gmail.com

When President Carol Garrison returned to UAB in 2002 from the University of Louisville, she took control of the Alabama’s largest employer.

“UAB is dynamic and young, and is better connected to its community than other universities,” said Garrison. “Here at UAB we do not talk about things we cannot do; we roll up our sleeves and get things done.”

During her ten year run as President, UAB has seen unprecedented growth and now boats 21,000 employees with an annual economic impact of $4.6 billion.

In the midst of her success, Garrison said that she still values students’ opinions and feedback.

“I asked a student to tell me why they chose to come to UAB,” says Garrison. “They said ‘you guys are a world class research university, but you have a small liberal arts college feel.’

“We offer experiences that are unrivaled anywhere else in the United States,” added Garrison.

During the November University of Alabama System Board of Trustees meetings, the bid for a new on-campus football stadium was removed from the agenda without a formal vote.

State legislators, alumni, students and local supporters have vowed to protest for equal treatment from the Board of Trustees in a fight for “fair treatment for UA campuses.”

“The FreeUAB folks are so respectful,” says Garrison. “We have to be appreciative of the Board of Trustees for their time. It is a big commitment. Every campus wants to feel that their Board understands and values what they do.

“The Board of Trustees is here to guide, to support and to advocate,” added Garrison. “I enjoy working with the Board.”

During Garrison’s time at UAB, conference alignment has quickly changed at rapid pace. On the topic of a potential conference merger between Conference USA and the Mountain West, Garrison said the possibility is “a great opportunity.”

“Athletics does not run this university, and it shouldn’t run any university,” said Garrison.

Garrison added that sports are a part of the institutions visibility and appeal, but UAB exists for higher education, cutting edge research and world class healthcare.

“There are a number of options in conference realignment. The potential is very exciting to be in a conference with a national presence,” said Garrison. “As a national research university it would benefit us to be part of a national conference.”

Though Garrison added that the “conference shake-up has put UAB in a positive place,” no decision has or will be made until a proposal has been placed on the table, and then each school will have to make its own decision.

Communication with the university about events and the health of UAB are important to Garrison.

Garrison has recently turned to Twitter to communicate with an evolving generation.

“As President I need to communicate well internally and externally with the constituents,” said Garrison. “Social media is just putting out information in different way. It’s fun.”

After ten years on the job, Garrison says UAB has a “great future” and the overall health of UAB is good.

Garrison pointed to record enrollment, record fundraising, quality of incoming freshmen, and research, along with other factors, as signs of how great UAB is faring.

“UAB is doing well, even in tough economic times,” said Garrison.

Eric Roberts
News Editor
news@insideuab.com

It’s too early to call Jeremy Lin the next Michael Jordan, but the newly minted New York Knicks star is the best thing to happen to basketball on TV in a long time. The question is how long the “Linsanity” will last.

The Harvard-educated point guard has averaged more than 24 points per game during a seven-game winning streak, a sudden rise to fame that’s boosting TV ratings.

For some fans, it’s bringing back memories of Jordan, who during his glory days in the 1980s and 1990s drove huge ratings.

Last week’s matchup between the Lin-fueled Knicks and the Lakers on ESPN had more than 3 million total viewers, making it the most-watched Friday night game this season on the network, according to Nielsen.

In the New York area, Lin has boosted viewing of Knicks games on ESPN and MSG by 73 percent. (Sunday’s Knicks game against Dallas will air nationally on ABC starting at 1 p.m. EST.)

His sudden stardom calls to mind some past sports phenoms, experts say, including Wayne Gretzky, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

“In all three cases, the media scrutiny quickly became intense, yet all three continued to perform at virtually unimaginable levels,” said Rick Burton, the David B. Falk Professor of Sports Management at Syracuse University.

Some observers see a racial component to Lin’s celebrity. Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. tweeted: “Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.”

Lisa Burns, a sports expert and professor of communications and media studies at Quinnipiac University, said that race may indeed be part of the story, adding: “Asian Americans are notoriously underrepresented in all aspects of the U.S. media. So to have an Asian American Harvard grad crashing on his brother’s couch as the rising star of the NBA is grabbing a lot of people’s attention.”

According to NM Incite, a Nielsen company, “Online mentions of Lin went from zero prior to February 4 to 0.32 percent of all online conversation on February 15 _ more than the Knicks, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant combined.” However, a survey of more than 1 million tweets by PR firm Powell Tate found that fewer than one-quarter mentioned Lin’s Asian heritage.

Many sports fans have suggested that his rise will end when Knicks star Carmelo Anthony returns from an injury. But for now, all eyes are on Lin.
“Nothing lasts to this magnitude in sports,” Andrew Billings, a sports expert at the University of Alabama, wrote in an email. “Part of the reason people tune in, though, is because there’s a feeling that this could end in the not-too-distant future. When people say they want to ‘ride this wave,’ they are tacitly admitting that it is like a wave _ terrifically fun, but temporary.”

MCT Campus

Girls, back me up on this. When we’re feeling the blues now and then, especially if it’s Singles Awareness and Forever Alo—I mean, Valentine’s Day—or life just doesn’t seem to be going our way, there’s always that one method to put us back on our feet. That’s right, I am referring to our go-to solution— retail therapy.

This is something that boys just don’t understand about us. “So how does going out and shelling out money on clothes and shoes lift a girl’s spirits again?” guys might ask. It’s really quite simple. Besides distracting us from our anxieties, fears, and blunders, shopping gives us back a sense of control in our lives when everything else is going astray. Putting together a cute outfit redeems us and makes us feel far more accomplished for the day.

The short-term psychological effects of such indulgence are undoubtedly beneficial. After all, if we can’t change our sorrowful lives, why not at least look fabulous living them, right? But “in today’s economy,” (truly the sad, cliché phrase of the new decade), girls just can’t afford to cope with the depressive elements of their lives in the same manner. The United States is full-throttle into Saving Mode, and the shopping that makes you smile today may make you and your wallet cry when paying that bill at the end of the month.

Not to worry, ladies! There’s still chocolate, and now a little website called Pinterest to use as a girls’ new therapeutic device.

I’ve found that it’s difficult to define Pinterest. I can call it a virtual pin board but that simply does not do justice in capturing the essence of something so influential to girls (and even some guys) in the last few months. One site perhaps best described it by saying, “It’s one part social network, one part digital scrapbook and one part browser bookmark bar.”

Essentially, Pinterest allows users to share interesting, artsy, and funny photos and cutouts, which they categorize by different boards. Followers of these boards may then “repin” a photo they find charming or humorous, and share it with their friends.

From hairstyles to fashion advice to words of wisdom, Pinterest covers it all. Do-It-Yourself enthusiasts especially beware: this site will consume your life.

Besides making you feel ingeniously creative while simply sitting in your dorm room on a Friday night, Pinterest has also been shown to fill the void in girls’ hearts previously occupied by retail therapy.

Now, this may definitely seem counterintuitive. Wouldn’t viewing cute things all day simply feed your desire to get it? The funny thing is, it seems that the act of looking at these cutouts and filing them away onto pin boards seems to be rewarding enough for users.

Megan Garber of the Nieman Lab explained this bookmarking phenomenon by saying that “a click on a Read Later button…provides just enough of a rush of endorphins to give me a little jolt of accomplishment, sans the need for the accomplishment itself.” 

Using Pinterest enables people to collect, something we as Americans are infamous for, but without the same guilt or clutter. We can secretly amass and stow away items, without spending moolah or being featured on “Hoarders: Buried Alive.” It’s the same rush of endorphins and the same sense of achievement, without the loathsome aftereffects.

By allowing users to bookmark the recipes they want to try or outfit they want to put together one day all at the same place, Pinterest is resurrecting the innovativeness and Do-It-Yourself attitude of the States. Hand-made and home-made are the new “in things” and there’s no denying it. Good things do come out of bad times, and Pinterest is Exhibit A of that.

Ramya Singireddy
Contributor
ramyas@uab.edu

Considering the indisputable detriments of secondhand smoke, UAB should ban tobacco smoking on campus — both indoors and outdoors.

At 639 colleges in the U.S., smoke-free air policies have already been implemented.

At Indiana University, a two-year study demonstrated that its campus-wide smoking ban positively influenced students, decreasing the prevalence of smoking. After employing a smoke-free policy, the University of Michigan also saw a considerable decline in smoking.

Smokers may claim a right to smoke. But everyone who steps onto UAB’s campus shares the open air. Those who light a cigarette do not have a divine right to pollute our shared space with puffs of carcinogens. In fact, the Surgeon General reports that “there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.” Those who pass by a smoking person cannot just cover their noses without being harmed.

Furthermore, people should not have to cover their noses every time they see a trail of smoke. Rather, it should be the smoker who should desist from engaging in a self-indulgent activity that kills not only himself, but everyone around him.

A campus-wide smoking ban could effectively enforce healthy behavior at UAB. From elementary school to high school, teachers educate their students about the harms of smoking; such health lessons should continue at the university level. By turning smoking into a socially unacceptable behavior, students will be more likely to choose not to smoke after they graduate.

Initially, people may find this policy a hassle to regulate; smokers in particular may feel frustrated. When UAB first installed its indoor smoking ban, smokers decried the change. It can be anticipated that smokers will respond in similar ways to an outdoor ban.

However, imagine if UAB yielded to the whims of smokers, allowing them to smoke inside the classroom. As someone huffs and puffs on tobacco, everyone else would be suffocating, probably more worried about dying from lung cancer than their grade in the course.

UAB could reinforce the ban by first warning violators and then fining individuals for subsequent offenses. If planned thoroughly, a comprehensive smoking policy may prove to be a worthwhile endeavor to help smokers confront their unhealthy habits.

In the long run, UAB should strive to develop an educational environment in which everyone can breathe freely. In the interests of all students and faculty, UAB should clear the air by making its campus smoke-free.

Michelle Chang
Forum Editor
mechang@uab.edu

Dispensing contraception on college campuses endorses social progressivism. I applaud Shippensburg University for selling contraceptives in their vending machines and encourage UAB to follow in similar footsteps.

In last week’s Kaleidoscope issue, an article claimed that contraception is too widely available, illustrated by the casual availability at Shippensburg’s vending machines.

However, contraception is only available to those who know about it, understand how to use it, and have the financial means to acquire it. Moreover, Guttmacher Institute reports the following statistics on contraception access and knowledge among teens in February 2012:

1/3 of teens (15-19 years old) do not receive any formal instruction about contraception.

Many sexually experienced teens (46% males and 33% females) do not receive formal instruction about contraception before they first have sex.

Among teens aged 18-19, 41% report they know little or nothing about condoms and 75% say they know little or nothing about the contraceptive pill.

The statistics clearly illustrate that contraceptives are NOT readily available to the most vulnerable segment of the population.

Nature magazine states that there is actually no ideal contraceptive available. Ideal contraception is characterized as inexpensive, readily available, effective and easy to use, free from “the medical system,” and requiring minimal planning at present. Arguably, Shippensburg University’s contraception vending machines model the ideal contraception youth need.

An argument against the contraception dispensaries was that “the presence of such machines negatively reflects upon the image of women.” As a female, I would argue that the machines actually empower women.

The International Center for Research on Women states, “A woman who can choose from easily accessible, widely available contraceptive methods to control when and how many children she has could be better poised to take on roles outside the domestic sphere.”

Now, most women no longer desire to have as many children. The average family size worldwide has declined, and the availability of contraception assists in stabilizing population growth. Women are actually voluntarily using contraception, and contraception availability on college campuses promotes gender equality and the autonomy of women to enjoy sex as much as men without bearing the consequences of childbirth (BBC).

The claim that male condoms should be readily available but female forms of contraception, such as Plan B, should only be available in health clinics encourages a double standard deeply embedded in American culture. If men can openly explore their sexual desires and not be condemned, why should women’s sexuality continue being taboo? Female contraceptives provided in “disclosed areas” challenges gender equality, neglects the purpose of feminism, and promotes sexual discrimination.

It is also a concern of those against the contraception dispensaries that readily available contraception “may encourage children as young as 8 years old to be sexually active.” This argument begs a question.

Contraception dispensaries will be available on college campuses. How would children have access to the contraception?

Wearing a seat belt does not encourage reckless driving. Then how can the use of contraception, a form of protection, encourage sexual activity? As stated earlier, contraception is only available to those that know about it, and the best means to allow for that is through comprehensive sex education, which has actually been shown to delay onset of intercourse (Advocates for Youth).

The claim that Plan B is a “low-key form of abortion” is similarly invalid. Plan B only works to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of intercourse. Biologically, the time it takes the sperm to fertilize the egg varies and can range anywhere from one to five days. Plan B works within this time frame and does NOT work if one is already pregnant.

Shippensburg University contraceptive dispensaries serve to enhance the sexual health of their undergraduates. We need to increase the availability of contraception nation-wide. Shippensburg has taken the first step; I encourage UAB to follow!

Sadhvi Batra
Staff Writer
sadhvi010@gmail.com