The Crimson White: Health Edition, March 2022

THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022
VOLUME CXXVIII | ISSUE VII
While college students are young, we are not invincible.
In this edition, The Crimson White discusses how health
is more than just eating vegetables and burning calories
— and what we can all do to create a healthier campus.
Report on Gordon Palmer Hall reveals health risks
From the outside, Gordon Palmer
Hall is just another building on the
University of Alabama campus. For
more than 50 years,UA students have
attended classes at 505 Hackberry
Lane to learn about psychology and
the human decision-making process.
Some of those students are
now questioning University
administration due to two
departmental reviews, performed
11 years apart, which revealed that
Gordon Palmer Hall poses a health
risk to everyone inside.
More than 11 years after the first
report, nothing has changed.
‘Dreary at best’
Cory Armstrong, Caroline
Boxmeyer and Marcia Hay-
McCutcheon are members of the
Academic Program Review Team, a
group of UA employees selected to
review departments at the University.
In October 2021, they conducted a
review of the psychology department
located within Gordon Palmer Hall.
They co-authored a report that
was released to department faculty in
November 2021. The Crimson White
obtained the report in January 2022.
The report first noted that the
ISABEL HOPE
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
psychology department is in a “time
of transition” with professor and
department Chair Thompson Davis
beginning in summer 2021.
The Academic Program Review
Team previously conducted a
departmental review in 2011 and
concluded that significant issues
exist, including mold and asbestos.
“This space is badly in need of
renovation — both from a cosmetic
perspective and from a functional
needs perspective,” the 2011 report
stated. “The space is dreary at best,
and the current layout is not optimal
for the current activities within
the department.”
The authors of the 2011 report also
raised concerns about accessibility
issues for students and older adult
research participants. The building
has one accessible entrance, but it is
located on the opposite side of the
building from high-use classrooms
and relevant research labs.
The authors of the 2011 review
recommended a complete renovation
of Gordon Palmer Hall. They toured
the building during the 2021 review
and found that no changes had
been made.
“All of the facility issues noted in
2011 remain,” the report states. “In
the meantime, they have escalated to
present substantial health and safety
risks. Recurrent mold and mildew
are present in faculty offices and
areas trafficked by a high volume of
UA students. Faculty and students
with asthma and autoimmune
issues reported experiencing health
problems that appear connected to
spending time in the building.”
They reported pooled water
inside of light fixtures that presented
an electrocution risk, as well as
uneven flooring. Psychology faculty
members reported losing valuable
data and files due to flooding.
College of Arts and Sciences Dean
Joseph Messina said an alternative
space was offered to the department,
according to the report, but faculty
and students in the psychology
department said they were never
formally offered that space. The
Academic Program Review Team
confirmed this through a review of
email correspondence.
UA spokesperson Deidre Stalnaker
said this space would have been
the 1 North building on the Peter
Bryce Campus.
“Dean Messina said he raised the
idea of alternate space that would
have required renovations in the 1
North building on the Peter Bryce
Campus to the department’s leaders,”
she said. “The intra-departmental
discussion did not seem to be going
anywhere, and the opportunity was
lost in time as the space was put to
other use.”
The department’s current location
near the center of campus is desirable
due to the large number of students
it serves.
‘Not a good place’
Anna Bending, a graduate psychology
student and president of the
University’s National Honors Society
psychology chapter Psi Chi, said she
is continually disgusted by Gordon
Palmer Hall.
“It’s not a good place,” Bending
said. “It just reminds me of a creepy
old high school or an insane asylum.
It’s very gross and very moldy. When
it’s really, really hot out it gets mildewy
and absolutely disgusting.”
Some professors have told Bending
they don’t go to their offices anymore
because of mold growing on their
chairs and throughout their offices.
“A lot of faculty have kind of been
pushed aside and told to deal with
it on their own,” she said. “I know
a lot of faculty have dehumidifiers
if they’re going to go to the office. I
know a lot of faculty who don’t even
go into their offices anymore because
of the state of Gordon Palmer.”
Lexie Harrison, a doctoral student
in the psychology department, said
the mold has impacted her personally.
SEE PAGE 4A
CONTENTS
5A
Club
SPORTS
sports give
student-athletes a
home on campus
2B
CULTURE
Healthy eating often
falls on the back
burner for
college students
SUMMER AND FALL REGISTRATION
Opens April 8!
Visit sheltonstate.edu to apply and register!
It is the policy of the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees and Shelton State Community College, a postsecondary institution under its control, that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin,
religion, marital status, disability, gender, age, or any other protected class as defined by federal and state law, be excluded from participation, denied benefits, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or employment.
5B
OPINIONS
SB 46 is a good first
step to decriminalize
marijuana

2A
EDITORIAL STAFF
editor-in-chief
managing editor
engagement editor
chief copy editor
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news editor
assistant news editor
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HEALTH
March 3, 2022
ACROSS:
1. Male SOs
4. Serena’s frenemy in “Gossip Girl”
6. Some curly-coated canines
8. “The end of an ___”
9. What a listener lends
10. Part of Reese Phifer Hall
12. Avian abodes
13. Hospital network with a
location on University Blvd.
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reprinted without the expressed, written permission
of The Crimson White.
MARCH EVENTS
DOWN:
1. Swollen
2. Short-lived trend
3. What a ghost and a rhinoceros
have in common?
4. B in chemistry?
5. Consumes, as a story in The
Crimson White
6. “___ my last email”
7. Spanish Mrs.
11. LA school with newspaper the
Daily Trojan
For crossword answers see page 5B
4
Tide Talks
XXXV
Russell Hall 159
7PM
8 8
International
Women’s Day
Student
Health Fair
UA Student Center
Plaza 10AM
12
Spring
Break
March 12 - 20
Town Hall
w/ Student
Life and DEI
Student Center
Heritage Room 5PM
EveryWoman
Book Club
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28
Online at noon
Register for
Classes
Registration for
Summer and Fall
2022 begins
CW / Wesley Picard

HEALTH
March 3, 2022
3A
CW File
OUR VIEW: Take care of yourself!
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Health involves every aspect of an
individual’s life, and college students are
tasked with taking charge of their own
health for the first time.
The World Health Organization
defines health as “a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease
or infirmity.”
The Alabama Student Model of
Health and Wellbeing gives students
the opportunity to examine and
improve their health holistically. The
model was designed by the Division of
Student Life “to promote a multifaceted,
developmental, and holistic approach to
well-being that maximizes each student’s
learning experience.”
The model includes academic, career,
financial, psychological, physical, social
and spiritual well-being.
Academic
The Division of Student Life promotes
academic health resources like the
Capstone Center for Student Success
and the First Year Experience and
Retention Initiatives.
For students new to the atmosphere
of higher education, these resources are
vital to achieving academic health. By
utilizing university resources, students
can demystify this process.
Beyond providing a tangible benefit
for students, these resources are also
meaningful because of the message they
send. Universities often signal to students
that education is elitist and exclusionary.
While students should have to work
hard, any university that promotes
grades and esteem over learning itself
fails in its mission to educate. Equipping
students with the opportunity to succeed
on their own terms reminds them of the
joy and gratification in learning.
The University of Alabama must also
consider ways to improve the academic
health of its students, particularly those
with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
The current process of receiving
accommodations from the Office of
Disability Services is confusing and
lengthy, discouraging disabled students
from achieving true academic health.
Self-advocacy is a valuable skill, but
as long as students have to endure these
obstacles, academic health will remain
elusive. Reforming the process would
require a long and unified effort, but we
can start today by educating ourselves on
the struggles chronically ill and disabled
students face.
Career
Students can practice career health by
developing a healthier attitude toward
their future career paths. In college, there
is an expectation that students are certain
of their career goals and secure a job
immediately after graduation. In reality,
students often take months to secure
employment, let alone their dream job.
College students have to combat this
internalized messaging. There is no use
in comparing our own journeys to others’.
We have only ourselves as competition.
We must learn how to enjoy this
period and live presently. At one point in
our lives, all we thought about was going
to college. Now that we’re here, let’s take
full advantage of it.
The UA Career Center is the main
resource on campus for students
seeking to improve their career health.
The Center offers a wide variety of
services, including career fairs and
personal counseling.
While this resource is undoubtedly
beneficial, many students ignore it. As
college students, it can seem as though
“the real world” is far away, but graduation
is rapidly approaching. Finding a career
doesn’t have to be a stressful process. It
takes work, dedication and sometimes
making many mistakes to find one’s
calling. In the meantime, we can find joy
in any part of our journey.
Financial
Financial health is one of the most
difficult aspects of health to achieve.
While the University offers financial
aid, the financial barrier to college is not
limited to the University; it is a systemic
issue that saddles millions of students
with debt every year.
The student debt crisis has only
been exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic. Facing mass layoffs, many
students decided to continue their
college education, only to find that the
price of college has increased by more
than 25% in the last decade.
Students cannot be expected to
navigate this process alone. While there
is no shortage of financial advice out
there, much of it is not feasible for the
average college student.
The U.S. is facing an epidemic of poor
financial literacy. When we graduate
college, we must tackle our massive
debt and new careers. Without the
tools to navigate this process, we may
face decades of mental strain to achieve
financial well-being.
The University must take an active
approach in promoting financial literacy
on campus. There are many ways to
do this, but the most obvious is to
implement courses dedicated to financial
literacy. The University offers a minor in
personal finance, but students who can
not afford the expense or the 22-credit
hour commitment need alternatives.
The financial literacy website is a good
starting point.
Psychological
The resources for mental health on
campus are numerous and effective,
spanning multiple types of treatments
tailored to each student’s needs, but
there are still many ways the University
can further promote mental health
on campus.
Despite widespread student activism,
the University still falls behind in funding
for the Counseling Center. It remains the
only university in the SEC that charges
students for therapy sessions after LSU
began offering mental health services
for free.
The Student Government Association
passed a resolution last year calling for
increased funding for the center, but the
resolution has seen little action since.
Rhetoric promoting student mental
health isn’t enough. The University must
take an active role in promoting mental
health on campus. The lives and wellbeing
of students depend on it.
Physical
The University of Alabama boasts
many spaces where students can enjoy
physical activity. The exercise machines
offered at the Student Recreation
Center, coupled with engaging group
classes, allow students to take charge of
their fitness.
But physical health extends beyond
fitness and diet. The most pressing
physical health concern for college
students is lack of sleep.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 35% of adults
do not get enough sleep. For college
students, this metric is no surprise.
We regularly sacrifice sleep for our
education, performing all-nighters just
to achieve the grades we desire.
This lack of sleep to achieve success
is a norm in college. It contributes to an
overarching “hustle culture” that values
productivity over well-being.
Burnout must not be glamorized.
We can combat this culture in our own
lives by confronting this rhetoric. When
you hear someone brag about their lack
of sleep, don’t engage in a battle of who
slept the least. Instead, encourage those
around you to value their sleep schedules.
A full sleep schedule, rather than
robbing us of our time, allows us the
energy to perform to the best of our
ability. Sacrificing our basic needs isn’t
strength. Strength is found in our ability
to recognize our needs and honor our
minds and bodies.
Social
There are many opportunities for
students to improve their social health
on campus.
The main obstacle to pursuing social
health is ourselves. In high school, we
had the luxury of seeing our friends every
day. When we’re in charge of our own
schedules, maintaining adult friendships
becomes more difficult.
The best thing students can do to
improve their social health is to meet
new people. This task can be daunting
and exhausting, but it is the only way to
cultivate meaningful connections.
Students often have limited mindsets
about social interaction, falsely believing
that friendships are only worth pursuing
during their freshman year. In truth,
most people want to feel appreciated and
valued. The best way to make friends is
to extend these feelings to others, and
you will surely receive them in return.
The objective of social interaction
doesn’t have to be gaining a lifelong
friend. It can simply be to serve others.
When we think of how we can improve
the lives of those on campus in our daily
interactions, we will create a healthier,
more enjoyable campus culture.
Spiritual
The University of Alabama benefits
from many religious organizations. The
SOURCE is a great way for students of all
religious backgrounds to connect.
However, the University can further
promote spiritual health by recognizing
the diversity of spirituality that exists
on campus.
To promote the experience of all
students, we must implement religionfriendly
practices in all aspects of
campus, from classrooms that permit
prayer breaks to dining hall menus that
offer religion-friendly menus.
In 2019, the SGA Executive Cabinet
announced the placement of a prayer
mat in the UA Student Center Quiet
Reflection Room for students who
need a place to pray. These kinds of
considerations and actions go a long way
to make our campus a more accessible
place for all.
Conclusion
Health is a comprehensive concept. If
we are to truly achieve health in our own
lives, and on campus, we must address all
its aspects.
While the Alabama Student Model
of Health and Wellbeing divides health
into seven aspects, true health is some
combination of these traits. Actions
that promote physical health are bound
to inspire mental health. Habits that
improve academic health now will
improve career health in the future.
To view health critically, we must
understand that continued growth, while
an admirable goal, isn’t the ultimate
end result of healthy habits. When
we relentlessly pursue growth, we can
quickly become fixated on the flaws in
our lives. We can become dissatisfied
with our comfort.
We must view healthy habits as a
slow process, and forgive ourselves for
the ways we fall short. We are not alone
in pursuing health. A healthy campus
will involve the collaboration of many
dedicated individuals.
We often say we are a family at The
University of Alabama. Let’s make this
true, offering support and guidance
for the health of our peers, campus
and community.
The Crimson White Editorial Board is composed of Editorin-Chief
Keely Brewer, Managing Editor Bhavana Ravala,
Engagement Editor Garrett Kennedy, Chief Copy Editor Jack
Maurer and Opinions Editor Ava Fisher.

4A
The Academic Program Review Team released a report on Gordon Palmer Hall in November 2021. CW / David Gray
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
“The mold is something that I
personally had to deal with,” Harrison
said. “Even trying to get tiles replaced in
that office space that we're in took over a
month to get the mold out of our office.
We had to contact people multiple times
to get it removed.”
Harrison works in a narrow space
and said the poor conditions can be a
problem for those spending long hours
in the space.
Besides the mold, Bending said
the overall condition of Gordon
Palmer Hall is not conducive to a
learning environment.
“There are almost no outlets,” she said.
“There’s literally chairs that are broken.
You go into some of the classrooms
and the AC is so broken that we walk
in and it feels like you walked into a
sweat room.”
‘Into the future’
The November 2021 report was
shared with University administration,
but the authors have not received
a response.
The review recommended
“addressing the department’s aging and
unsafe facilities as soon as possible, while
minimizing disruptions to teaching
and research,” revisiting discussions
about moving to an alternative space,
and developing formal spaces for the
research centers housed within Gordon
Palmer Hall.
UA spokesperson Shane Dorrill said
that UA Facilities and Grounds are not
aware of any current mold issues in
Gordon Palmer Hall.
Dorrill said the University has
made some improvements, including
inspecting all HVAC systems, inspecting
for leaks, checking roof systems,
installing dehumidifiers, replacing
fluorescent light bulbs with LEDs and
adding new paint to some rooms.
Bending said she feels that the
University is not putting effort into
upgrading Gordon Palmer Hall
because of financial disparity despite
the psychology program bringing in
significant donations.
The psychology department
generated $5.56 million in external
grant awards in 2020 and $4.56 million
in external grant awards in 2021, making
it the top-earning department in the
College of Arts and Sciences, placing it
among the top 10 grant-earning units at
the University.
Since 2011, the department has
submitted an average of 30 grant
proposals per year, with a high of 53
HEALTH
March 3, 2022
proposals submitted in 2020-21.
“UA wants all their big money
coming from athletics,” she said. “It’s
coming from business and coming from
engineering, and they don’t want to
acknowledge that the psych program is
one of the biggest undergrad programs. I
don’t think UA is really giving the muchneeded
credit to the psych program.”
The psychology program has about
1,200 undergraduate students enrolled
as psychology majors and 900 enrolled
in the minor. The graduate program has
about 100 students. There are more than
45 faculty members in the department.
The 2021 report concluded that
those who work in Gordon Palmer Hall
deserve better conditions.
“While all of these options will require
a significant financial investment, the
department is functioning at a high
level (in terms of credit hours generated,
graduates produced and research
productivity) and is consistently
described as one of the strongest
departments at the university. Thus,
the department deserves a facility that
reflects this and will continue to raise
its prominence into the future,” the
report concluded.
Bending said the issues surrounding
Gordon Palmer Hall have made her
question why she would give back to the
University after graduating.
“I think UA just needs to revise
their vision, because I think they're
getting away from being an institution
that really focuses on creating a
great research institution,” she said.
“You can't have these great research
aspirations if you're not providing the
necessary resources.”
Psychology department Chair
Thompson Davis did not respond to a
request for comment.
Authors of the report Cory Armstrong
and Marcia Hay-McCutcheon declined
to comment. Caroline Boxmeyer did not
respond to a request for comment.
How does UA make COVID decisions?
AINSLEY PLATT
STAFF REPORTER
Since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, the University has been
navigating a changing landscape. As
the University approaches the two-year
anniversary of sending students home
for half of a semester of virtual learning,
information about how COVID-19 policy
decisions are made is scarce.
College of Community Health Sciences
Dean Richard Friend confirmed on a
phone call on Jan. 19 that UA President
Stuart Bell has final say about COVID-19
policy decisions at the University. Friend
said the Situation Response Team is
advisory to Bell’s office.
Bell’s office did not initially acknowledge
his role in the decision-making process
surrounding COVID-19 policy on campus
in his first statement on Feb. 19 released
through Beverly Baker, administrative
assistant to the president.
“UA Situational Response Team
evaluates conditions on campus and
surrounding communities and consults
with [the Alabama Department of Public
Health] when making recommendations
about campus guidelines, processes and
protocols,” the statement read.
Bell’s office said on Feb. 24 that, as with
all campus policies, campus units propose
policies to senior leadership for approval.
“By nature of his position, President Bell
is responsible for the overall leadership of
this institution,” the statement read.
On the University’s official coronavirus
website, the Situational Response Team is
described as “consisting of representatives
and experts from [Bell’s] office, Academic
Affairs, Finance and Operations,
Health Sciences, IT, Research, Strategic
Communications, and Student Life.”
According to a list provided by Bell’s
office, two of the 15 members of the team
are medical professionals — Friend and
Karen Burgess, the interim executive
director and medical director of the
Student Health Center.
Bell’s office noted that the list of
members provided to The Crimson White
consisted of current members and did not
include previous members of the team
or members added to address issues at a
specific time.
Other members of the team include
Steven Hood, interim vice president for
student life; Ryan Bradley, vice president
of strategic communications; and Donald
Keith, director of emergency management.
In its initial statement on Feb. 19,
Bell’s office said that “campus responses
to COVID-19 have adapted to meet the
policies, guidance and mandates issued by
local, state and federal governments, the
Alabama Department of Public Health,
and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.”
There have been multiple documented
instances of COVID-19 policies not
following the recommendations issued
by the CDC. In November 2020, the
University lifted a mask mandate
despite county transmission being above
the CDC’s threshold to recommend
indoor masking.
At the time, the CDC’s guidelines
said that individuals in communities
where transmission levels were over the
“substantial” threshold should wear masks
indoors. According to the ADPH, high
transmission was defined as at least 100
cases per 100,000 people, or a 10% or
greater positivity rate.
As of Feb. 25, the CDC has changed
its masking guidelines to reflect
hospitalizations and bed availability
instead of community transmission.
Under the old guidelines Tuscaloosa
county would have “high” transmission,
but with the new guidelines the county
falls into the “medium” category, which
allows for unmasking indoors, regardless
of vaccination status.
In early February the University
announced that it would begin phasing out
COVID-19 services over the course of the
semester, starting with the end of the mask
mandate implemented in response to the
omicron variant. When the announcement
to lift the mandate was made, and when it
was lifted on Feb. 21, CDC regulations
still recommended masking indoors,
regardless of vaccination status, in areas of
high transmission.
The announcement scaling back the
University’s COVID-19 response —
including the end of the mask mandate —
came a week after the State Health Officer
Scott Harris expressed reluctance to declare
victory over the pandemic.
“We still know that there’s a lot we don’t
know, and we’ve seen previous surges
before, so we’re just a little careful to declare
victory at this point,” Harris said in an
interview with WFSA 12 News.
The Crimson White submitted two
open records requests last semester
seeking information about COVID-19
policymaking decisions. In one response,
the University provided a list of groups
who made recommendations on policies,
but did not disclose the decision
making process.
The University’s coronavirus website
frames the Situation Response Team as the
the decision makers for COVID-19 policy,
but Friend, a member of the team, said Bell
is the one with that power. The website
does not mention that final decisionmaking
power lies with Bell.
Some SEC schools have shared
detailed information regarding who
makes their policy decisions. Auburn
University spokesperson Mike Clardy said
in a statement that “COVID-19 related
decisions at Auburn ultimately lie with
the president.”
“Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020,
the University has relied on the guidance
and expertise of an advisory committee,
which includes the medical director,
among others, and follows guidance set
forth by the CDC,” Clardy said.
In contrast, the University of Florida’s
policies are constrained by multiple state
laws curbing pandemic response options
available to schools. Under these laws,
schools are prohibited from enacting
mask or vaccination mandates for their
employees or their students.
Alabama has similar laws curbing
vaccine mandates made by schools and
employers. Act No. 2021-493 details
rules regarding vaccine passports and
prohibits universities in the state from
requiring vaccinations as a condition for
attendance for students, with exceptions
for immunizations that were required
before Jan. 1 2021.
Act No. 2021-561 prohibits employers
from firing employees due to not having
a COVID-19 vaccine and requires
employers to provide religious and medical
exemptions for a mandate to anyone who
fills out the proper paperwork.
UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldán
Hernández said “only the state of Florida
can mandate vaccines” in an email.
“UF has begun treating COVID as
other contagious illnesses such as the flu,”
Hernández said. “The university continues
to monitor the campus environment and
will change along with it when needed.”
Richard Friend did not respond to
multiple interview requests for this story.
Friend’s confirmation on Bell’s decisionmaking
power came from an interview
before this reporting process began.
UA President Stuart Bell spoke at a COVID-19 press conference in August 2020. CW File

HEALTH
March 3, 2022
5A
It takes a support system to build a student-athlete
MARTHA GLEN SEASE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Becoming an athlete requires
training, a proper diet and conditioning,
but a person can’t become an athlete
alone. It takes a support system.
Laura Thomas, the director of
professional development in the
University’s Division of Student Life,
knows all about creating a support
system around athletes.
Before Thomas transitioned to
the Division of Student Life, she
was the assistant director of club
sport programs.
The director
Thomas works with students in all
club sports and intramural programs
offered at The University of Alabama.
She knew this was the job for her
since she was an undergraduate student
at Texas State University where she
majored in recreational administration
with a business minor.
While a student at Texas State
University, Thomas was an official in
intramural games, which led to a job
with the sports club program.
“I fell in love with the work,”
Thomas said.
She paired her undergraduate degrees
CW / Autumn Williams
with a master’s degree from Ohio
State University in higher education
administration with an emphasis in
college student personnel. Much of
that program focused on supporting
students via counseling, making sure
she “meets students where they are.”
Thomas is working on a Ph.D. in
general higher education administration
through The University of Alabama.
The why
Thomas’ main draw to club sports at
the University is the relationship she has
with the student-athletes.
“I love sports and I love being around
all that stuff, but there’s also just so
much more to working with student
organizations,” Thomas said.
She loves the culture that surrounds
sports and the energy that students
bring to club sports teams.
“It’s high competition, and everyone
is taking it seriously, and it means a lot
to a lot of people,” Thomas said.
Thomas spent most of spring 2020
checking in with individual athletes
when the COVID-19 pandemic first
hit Tuscaloosa to make sure they were
okay — both physically and mentally
— while also communicating how each
team’s season would be different in the
middle of a pandemic.
The work
Thomas’ hours are flexible, not to
accommodate her schedule,
but to accommodate
the schedules of
each sport she
oversees.
“Students don’t operate on an 8-to-
5, and so I need my schedule to reflect
that,” she said.
Thomas’ typical hours span from 10
a.m. to 8 p.m., but sometimes she works
from noon to 10 p.m if there's practice
or a game. She has extra flexibility built
into her schedule to accommodate
weekend events.
At times, Thomas will be on campus
all day on a Saturday or Sunday if a team
is hosting a home game or tournament.
Her role is largely administrative with
the purpose of supporting students.
The club sports office works closely
with the executive officers from each
team. Officers must submit travel
schedules and request forms that
Thomas and her staff monitor weekly.
She reviews and approves event
requests and works with the University
Recreation Center to reserve fields.
Thomas said most of the work she
does is behind the scenes, and “students
may or may not know that somebody
has to be doing that.”
Her staff manages about 60 students
who work under club sports as officials
or assistants. These students supervise
all events, from practices to games.
She manages the risks and liabilities
associated with many of the club sports
teams and ensures that an athletic
trainer is on-site for student-athletes
to use.
She described all these tasks as “little
things” she has to monitor before a fan
can see a weekend rugby game.
The relationship
There are 35 sports clubs on campus.
Thomas, along with the assistant director,
the sports program coordinator and the
sports program graduate assistant, split
the 35 clubs between the three of them
to serve as a liaison for each club.
Seth Ballew, a former UA club
baseball athlete who is now in his second
year of medical school at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham, said the
system streamlines communication.
Ballew was the treasurer of the club
baseball team during his sophomore
and junior years, and he was elected
president his senior year. He said his
liaison at the time was always there
for them.
“If we needed anything, we could call
or email or text her, and I did it often,”
Ballew said.
He relied on his liaisons to deal with
the University and his sport-specific
governing body as his team navigated
logistics and competitions. His liaison
provided logistical guidance as he
worked to manage his teammates.
Thomas said trust is important to
her as she forms working relationships
between sports club officers and liaisons.
“I would say the hardest part of my
job is when I realize they didn’t hold up
their end of the bargain,” she said.
Thomas said that if she learns a team
printed a T-shirt without getting it
approved through club sports or if there
is a disciplinary issue on a trip, “it hurts
a little bit.”
She and her team “work our butts
off for these teams and these athletes.”
Many teams and athletes do hold up
their end of the bargain, but when they
don’t, it can feel like they don’t care.
Thomas and Ballew both said it
is up to the officers and individual
athletes to form that trust and
working relationship.
Jack Mulkerne, a junior on the
club golf team, said his team has had
some issues along these lines. He
said this stems from failure on the
officers’ part to get club sports the
necessary paperwork.
“It’s a bunch of kids who just want to
play golf, so they don’t really understand
that we have to have waivers and all this
other stuff in case someone gets hurt or
something happens,” he said.
Mulkerne recognized that the
working relationship between club
officers and liaisons was imperative to a
team’s success.
The goal
For some, club sports provide a way to
continue an athletic career. For others,
it is the highest level of competition
before going professional. Club sports
are meant to provide student-athletes a
home outside of varsity sports.
This is important to Thomas, but she
said it’s not her main goal. Thomas’ ideal
world is for all student-athletes to leave
with similar experiences to Ballew’s
and Mulkerne’s — to form lifelong
friendships, build leadership skills along
the way and create a support system
within The University of Alabama.

6A
HEALTH
March 3, 2022

HEALTH
March 3, 2022
How to Health:
A discussion of insurance, primary care and more
SARAH CLIFTON, JOSEPH HOFFMAN, MARY CLAIRE WOOTEN, & CLAIRE YATES
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
1B
Balancing health and wellness can
be difficult for college students who
are thrust into the adult world for the
first time. Between classes, clubs, jobs
and social lives, the mundane daily
activities required to maintain a basic
level of physical wellness often slip
through the cracks.
Dr. Thomas Weida, the chief
medical officer at the UA Student
Health Center, said that when it comes
to personal health, being proactive is
the name of the game.
Weida said having a health
insurance plan is central to staying
on top of every aspect of wellness.
It provides a security blanket in case
of emergency and increases your
flexibility to see primary doctors and
specialists year-round.
When you’re less
stressed, you are less
likely to get sick, and
it’s just easier to put
working out in your
everyday life in my
opinion.
BELLA MARTINA
But insurance can be expensive.
Despite the passage of the Affordable
Care Act, cost continues to be the
leading factor for individuals who
remain uninsured.
According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, private, employer-based
coverage is still the most prevalent
form of insurance, making up
over half of all plans and leaving
those without a job with insurance
benefits in the dark. Navigating the
complex world of insurance can be a
daunting task.
A 2017 study done by
AgileHealthInsurance found that 72%
percent of college students reported
having difficulty finding insurance.
High monthly premiums combined
with the lack of centralized
resources for comparison
between plans make the
process
daunting
f o r
students.
The three basic aspects of any
insurance plan are premiums,
deductibles and copays.
Premiums are monthly
installments paid directly to the
insurance company. A deductible
is the amount an individual is
required to pay out of pocket
to care providers before
insurance coverage
kicks in, and a copay is a fixed amount
paid for a health care service after the
deductible has been reached.
The difference in these three costs
is mainly what sets insurance plans
apart from one another. Deciding
which to pay for is a matter of
personal calculus.
“It’s a balancing act, like stocks:
How much risk are you willing to
accept?” Weida said. “Most plans
by reputable insurance companies
are going to be decent and probably
proceed about the same. If you find
one that’s really, really cheap, you get
what you pay for.”
The Affordable Care Act now
allows individuals to remain on their
parents’ insurance up to the age of
26. The open insurance market it
established at HealthCare.gov is a free
resource with detailed information
about different insurance plans and
allows price comparison between
qualified plans.
At a minimum, Weida said students
should have a plan that covers
significant illness if they end up in
the hospital.
The Student Health Center offers
a University-sponsored insurance
plan through UnitedHealthcare,
available to all students currently
enrolled in five or more credit hours.
Beyond that, open-market plans are
available through HealthCare.gov
with enrollment from Nov. 1 to Jan.
15 of every year.
Despite the barrier that high
deductibles and premiums can place,
the consequences of being uninsured
can prove catastrophic. Medical
debt is the leading cause of personal
bankruptcy, and can build up quickly
if you’re paying for all care out of
pocket. It also lowers the cost for
regular doctor visits, which helps
prevent larger health problems from
building up in the future.
“Most health insurances will cover
preventive care without a copay, so
that makes it easier to access the right
things to do,” Weida said.
As much as personal health and
insurance should be a
part of every student’s
health, there are
many other aspects of
health that students
should care for on a daily basis.
“Working out is good for you
because it not only helps physical
health, but it also manages your stress
levels and increases endorphins in
your body which makes you an overall
happier person,” said Bella Martina,
a freshman news media major and
employee at HOTWORX.
Working out is also mentally
beneficial since it can increase
endorphins, which can make people
happier and relieve stress.
“When you’re less stressed, you
are less likely to get sick, and it’s
just easier to put working out in
your everyday life in my opinion,”
Martina said.
Working out everyday isn’t always
an accessible option for everyone,
whether that be because of schedule,
disability or location. Even though
Martina works at a workout studio,
she’s also struggled with working out
on a day-to-day basis. In high school
she was always “on it,” but in college, it
can be hard to keep up with a routine.
“Now I have completely changed,
and I’ve noticed it in not only my
personality, but physically as well,”
Martina said.
Working out helped Martina create
a better sleeping pattern that’s turned
her into a morning person.
The transition from high school
to college was difficult, but Martina
adapted to a new schedule and made
time for her workouts that have
benefited her. When Martina started
making working out a part of her
routine, it helped make working out a
“mindless act.”
Properly caring for one’s health
requires college students to become
aware that they’re not invincible and
that they won’t be young forever.
“Health is definitely something I
think all students take for granted,”
said Alaina McDuffie, a sophomore
majoring in public relations. “Really,
most of us don’t think about it
until it impacts other parts of our
life, like our social lives or other
school obligations.”
Approaching physical activity and
your diet in a more mindful way can
help you take steps to make your
health a priority.
In terms of primary care, keeping
prevention in mind is key. Weida said
small, daily changes to the routines
and habits of young adults can make
all the difference.
“Activity or exercise, getting
proper sleep, because pulling these
all-nighters, that’s not good for you,”
Weida said. “In other words, if on
the weekend you stay up until 4 in
the morning and Monday you get up
for an 8 o’clock class,
that’s not going to
work out so well.”
Weida said the
most dangerous
thing a college
student can do is
hold the belief
that nothing
bad could
happen to
them.
“At your age, you’re invincible, or at
least, you think you are,” Weida said.
“It’s not necessarily expressed, but a
lot of people seem to think ‘Well, I’m
fine now, why should I change?’ But
you don’t realize how much paying
attention now sets you up for later
in life.”
Health is definitely
something I think
all students take for
granted. Really, most
of us don’t think about
it until it impacts other
parts of our life, like
our social lives or other
school obligations.
ALAINA
MCDUFFIE
Some students struggle with this
more than others. Cameron Heiser,
a sophomore majoring in creative
media, said he stands in the middle
ground between healthy choices and
overindulgence.
“I count myself lucky that I
haven’t had any serious medical
issues, but I think it’s because I
don’t completely think ‘Oh, nothing
can happen to me,’” Heiser said.
“Every time the consequences of my
actions catch up to me, it’s a pretty
humbling experience.”
Maintaining health doesn’t stop at
keeping up with appointments and
listening to your body.
Weida said finding one primary care
physician greatly impacts a patient’s
overall ability to care for their health.
The trust built in a strong relationship
with one’s primary care doctor, as well
as the wealth of knowledge accrued,
results in more thorough and accurate
diagnoses and care.
For many students, taking time to
find one physician is a struggle that
prevents them from seeking the care
they need.
“I’ve had an extreme fear of doctors
for a while, and anything medical
freaks me out,” said Gabrielle Gunter,
a sophomore majoring in English.
“I’ve definitely gone to the doctor less
since being here ... because at home,
I know there’s a doctor there who I
trust, but I don’t have that at school.”
Taking care of your body today,
especially while you’re still in college,
helps ensure that minor issues don’t
compound into life-threatening
conditions. College doesn’t last
forever, so it’s best to begin creating
healthy habits while there are plenty
of University-provided resources to
fall back on.
The University’s Student Health
Center is a wellspring of services,
offering everything from wellness
visits to psychiatric care, catered
toward UA students. While it can
be daunting, take the next step in
personal care and wellness. Your body
will thank you.
Graphics CW / Autumn Williams
Why UA system removed vaccination data
CAT CLINTON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The percentage of students, faculty
and staff who have received their
COVID-19 vaccinations was removed
from the University of Alabama System
COVID-19 dashboard on Jan. 18.
The dashboard is a digital campus
performance indicator aimed to
increase University awareness of the
spread of COVID-19.
The UA System reported that 62%
of students had received at least the
first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of
Jan. 10.
UA System spokesperson Lynn Cole
said vaccine data was removed because
it was self-reported.
“Due to the largely voluntary nature
of this self-reported data, we do not
have updated System wide data to
report at this time,” Cole said.
Vaccination data was available during
the fall 2021 semester, when vaccination
reporting was voluntary. The University
initially offered students $20 in Bama
Cash to self-report their vaccination
status in July 2021, eventually doubling
the amount offered and introducing a
raffle of prizes in the following month.
The University temporarily removed
the online vaccine reporting tool that
students, faculty and staff used to selfreport
their COVID-19 vaccinations
in December 2021. They removed
the tool in response to the vaccine
mandate instituted by President Joe
Biden on Sept. 9, 2021, which would
have required all federal employees to
be vaccinated.
The University fell into that
category due to the federal funding it
receives, so the reporting tool was no
longer necessary.
“It is necessary to require COVID-19
vaccination for all Federal employees,
subject to such exceptions as required
by law,” Biden said.
The University restored the
reporting tool after the decision
and did not mandate
vaccines at any time, b u t
campus vaccination rates are still absent
from the dashboard.
The mandate was overturned in the
United States District Court for the
Southern District of Georgia. As a result
of the injunction, the University of
Georgia student vaccination percentage
was also removed from its dashboard.
The University of Alabama System
removed vaccine percentages from its
dashboard prior to the announcement
that the mask mandate would end
starting Feb. 21 and that all existing
protocols for COVID-19 would be
phased out.
“Our campus team has thoroughly
reviewed the best available information
and considered our
own experience in
addressing COVID over
the past two years,” Dr. Richard
Friend, the dean of the College of
Community Health Sciences, said.
UGA also suspended certain
requirements, including notifying
employees of the federal vaccine
requirement and enforcing
mask-wearing and physical
distancing requirements.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention has determined that
the best way to slow the spread of
COVID-19 and to prevent infection by
the omicron variant or other variants is
to be vaccinated.
As of Feb. 22, 50.1% of Alabama
residents had received at least one dose
of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 52.3%
of Tuscaloosa County residents had
received at least one dose of a vaccine
as of Feb. 23.

2B
HEALTH
March 3, 2022
How college students can find balanced nutrition
EMILEE BOSTER & MARY CLAIRE WOOTEN
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
College students are often busy with
classes, friends and extracurriculars, often
placing nutrition on the back burner.
Students either believe it to be impossible
to eat a healthy, balanced diet while in
college, or they simply do not know how.
According to the fall 2021 American
College Health Association report, 39%
of college students said they believed their
overall health to be very good, but 59%
reported that they ate on average less than 1
cup of vegetables each day — far lower than
the 2.5-3 cups of vegetables recommended
for college-age people based on the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans.
Sheena Gregg, a licensed dietitian in
the Department of Health Promotion and
Wellness, said she has made it her mission
to inform UA students of ways they can
learn about nutrition.
“We cover key health areas that are very
strategic for college students,” Gregg said.
“I do a lot of programming on campus
related to educating students about healthy
eating and having a healthy relationship
with food.”
For many students, consistently eating
healthy, or consistently eating at all, tends
to be a struggle when they are balancing so
many other things.
“In the college years, when people
are making significant food choices for
themselves rather than relying on their
parents or guardians, erratic, inconsistent
eating patterns is kind of a hallmark of
college students and that can be skipping
meals,” said Kimberly Stran, a registered
dietitian and an assistant professor in
the department of human nutrition and
hospitality management.
In her doctoral dissertation, Stran
researched how caloric numbers on
restaurant menus affect college students.
Her research showed that although
students would read the information, they
wouldn’t necessarily choose foods with
lower calories.
She said some of these choices may have
stemmed from students not understanding
how many calories were needed in a daily
diet or specific meals, even if the menu
does include the average number of
calories needed in a human’s diet.
Consuming a certain number of
calories, though, is not the only important
element of a person’s diet.
Stran said that although intaking
enough calories is important, consuming
a variety of foods — like fruits, vegetables
and lean meats — is equally necessary.
However, many nutrients found in
these foods are not present in restaurant
meals alone.
Morgan Abercrombie, a first-year
human nutrition graduate student, said
college students can learn how to eat fast
food in a healthy way.
“It’s totally fine to include fast food in a
well-balanced diet,” Abercrombie said. “It’s
just about also having fruits and vegetables.
Rather than cutting out things, you are
adding fruit and vegetables to what you
are already eating.”
Abercrombie said students should not
feel ashamed to have snack meals, each
of which should include a protein and a
carb, throughout the day to intake those
necessary nutrients.
“Food is a social experience, so you
do not have to feel guilty for eating
with friends or viewing it as a pleasure,”
Abercrombie said.
These fruits, vegetables and snack
meals are easy to make in dorm rooms or
apartments because they usually require
little cooking, if any at all.
Stran said many students hear
nutritional information from external
sources, such as roommates, social media
or friends, but she recommends students
consult a registered dietitian with any
nutritional questions they may have.
The Department of Health Promotion
and Wellness has started initiatives to assist
with the transition into grocery shopping
and cooking on your own.
UA Health Promotion and Wellness
also hosts an Ask the Dietitian program,
which allows students to ask a registered
dietitian personal questions about their
diet, take grocery store tours and watch
cooking demonstrations. The division also
provides cooking tips on its social media
account and in a digital cookbook called
“Cooking Through College.”
Gregg and colleagues have, also, created
guidebooks that show students around the
grocery store, going section by section to
incorporate all food groups and sharing
tips about everything from picking
produce to shopping on a budget.
Many students also struggle with diet
culture. Fad diets often cut out entire food
groups or limit the hours during which
you are allowed to eat.
“This time of the year you have students
engaging in questionable diet practices
to prepare for spring break,” Gregg said.
“I like to work with students about how
to approach weight loss and weight
management in an appropriate way.”
Fad diets can prevent students from
performing their best since they are
operating with less vitamins and nutrients
than they would have while eating from
every food group. These actions can
have negative effects both academically
and socially.
Gregg often promotes intuitive eating
among students.
Intuitive eating encourages students to
put their health first instead of focusing on
weight loss.
Holly Grof, a registered dietitian and
the UA dining services coordinator, wants
to make sure all students get to enjoy the
social experience of eating by specifically
working with students who have food
allergies or other dietary restrictions.
“As a dietitian, I want to make sure that
everyone is nourished, happy and healthy,
and that they have those experiences in the
dining hall because not only is it getting
your nutrition, it’s also a social experience,”
Grof said.
If a student has a medically documented
food allergy or a dietary restriction,
the student can submit documentation
through a special diet accommodation
form, which will be reviewed on an
individual student basis.
Students who receive accommodations
CW / Jo Dyess
get access through their ACT Card to a
food allergy room at Lakeside dining. The
room has two distinct sides: one is glutenfree,
and the other is allergy-friendly.
Students must wash their hands upon
entry and wear gloves while preparing
their meal inside the room.
Students with accommodations also
receive a text-ahead ordering option for
the dining hall. This lowers the chance of
cross contamination.
Grof said any students with
accommodations can contact her if they
desire different meal options.
“For a student with food allergies,
food can literally kill them, so we take
on a responsibility to take care of those
students,” Grof said. “We want to make
sure they can take full advantage of their
meal plan and full advantage of their
campus experience.”
UA Student Care and Well-Being
also has options for students needing
food assistance through their “Got
Meals” meal donation program and a
food pantry, which is currently taking
monetary donations.
Students who would like to request
meal swipes through either the “Got
Meals” program or the food pantry can
submit an online form.
“Nutrition is, I feel, the backbone of
good health,” Stran said. “There are so
many chronic diseases and things like heart
disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure
that are influenced by what we eat, and
if we can improve the general nutrition
status of people around us, that can help
reduce that risk of chronic disease.”
Representing Students in Tuscaloosa Municipal Court,
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Tuscaloosa District Court, Northport Municipal Court, and
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705 27th Avenue Tuscaloosa Alabama 35401
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No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is
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No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is
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HEALTH
March 3, 2022
3B
Honesty in therapy is the key to better mental health
CARSON LOTT & EMMA SOWER
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Access to convenient and effective
mental health services has always
been important for college students,
especially during the COVID-19
pandemic. However, mental health is
surrounded by certain stigmas that
prevent many from seeking help.
Even when they do, honesty between
therapists and their clients can
be missing.
According to a 2021 Mayo Clinic
study, up to 44% of college students
reported having symptoms of
depression and anxiety, but only 15%
engaged in college-offered counseling
in the past year.
Studies show that depression and
anxiety rates are skyrocketing among
younger age groups and across tax
brackets due to a “decrease in social
interaction” and “America’s culture
of hyperachievement.”
Honesty, in any
relationship, is built on
a foundation of trust,
and it’s crucial to find a
therapeutic relationship
that you feel is safe,
secure, confidential
and trusting.
GREG
VANDER WAL
“When we meet people, especially
new people, it’s our human nature to
want to protect our sense of self,” said
Charice Calloway, a UA alumna and
licensed marriage and family therapist
practicing at Thrive Therapy. “We tend
to want to present the best version of
ourselves, and in therapy that’s not what
always happens. The goal is to want to
be vulnerable and to tell your therapist
everything that’s going on so that they
can truly help you.”
A study conducted by Barry Farber,
a professor of clinical psychology at
Columbia University who has studied
dishonesty in therapy for decades,
found that out of 547 psychotherapy
clients, 93% said they lied “consciously”
at least once to their therapist.
“It’s not common, it’s ubiquitous,”
Farber said in the study. “Lying is
inevitable in psychotherapy.”
The internal struggle between trying
to be the idealized version of oneself
and embracing vulnerability is one that
therapists understand.
“It can be really hard to be completely
open and transparent about internal
concerns, things that roll around in
our brains but rarely get articulated to
anybody else. Sometimes that can be
just because it’s scary,” said Greg Vander
Wal, the UA Counseling Center’s
executive director. “Sometimes we don’t
even really know what being honest is.”
Vander Wal said since people often
struggle to be honest with themselves, it
can be even more difficult to be honest
with friends, family and therapists.
“Honesty, in any relationship, is built
on a foundation of trust, and it’s crucial
to find a therapeutic relationship that
you feel is safe, secure, confidential and
trusting,” Vander Wal said.
Layered on top of this struggle
are harmful stigmas that can place
unwarranted social pressure and
negative stereotypes on people seeking
help, such as being emotionally
and mentally unstable, inadequate
or dangerous.
A 2017 study found that a greater
awareness and internalization of mental
health stigmas resulted in poorer
recovery from mental illnesses.
Architha Bommena, a sophomore
majoring in psychology and the copresident
of Active Minds, a mental
health club on campus, said it is
important for people to know how to
discuss mental health issues directly.
In particular, she referred to the
Question, Persuade, Refer method
for preventing suicide, which the UA
Counseling Center shared with Active
Minds at a recent event.
The Question, Persuade, Refer
method asks friends and family to
question a person about suicide,
persuade the person to get help, and
then refer them to help. By being open
about mental illness, the QPR method
aims to deconstruct stigmas that silence
those who suffer and to foster important
and life-saving dialogue.
“The thing that I think shocks a lot
of people is that they think that if they
ask someone if they’re thinking about
killing themselves, that will spark
the idea or make them want to do it,”
Bommena said. “It doesn’t have to be in
a flowery, subtle way. Asking explicitly
is going to be so much more helpful
for them.”
Although stigma can affect people of
all races, it has a particularly powerful
impact on minority communities.
Asia Dewalt, a senior majoring in
exercise science, is the president of My
Mind Matters, a campus organization
focused on the mental health of
minority students, and said that people
of color, specifically Black people, face
unique cultural struggles when it comes
to receiving support for mental health.
“I’m not going to say that their
parents and their communities do not
believe in mental health, but they’re not
open to the fact that it’s something that
needs to be talked about and people
need help with,” Dewalt said.
In a 2018 Mental Health America
study, over 50% of Black participants
from 18 to 49 years old weren’t
receiving treatment for their
serious mental illnesses, due to a
combination of medical racism,
social ideas surrounding treatment,
and finances.
According to the Kaiser Family
Foundation, nearly 55% of uninsured
Americans under the age of 65 are
people of color. Being uninsured makes
access to medicine financially difficult
or impossible.
Aside from the social barriers to
medication, minority communities face
economic barriers as well.
Vander Wal said part of decreasing
the stigma around mental health and
encouraging honesty in counseling is
understanding that not only people
with diagnosed mental illnesses can
benefit from therapy.
We tend to want
to present the best
version of ourselves,
and in therapy that’s
not what always
happens.
CHARICE
CALLOWAY
For Bommena, being truthful with
her therapist started with being truthful
to herself.
“You only have one hour to try to
explain [in therapy],” Bommena said.
“So I journal, and for me it’s really
important to write out everything, even
if it’s really ugly or it sounds bad or I
hate that I’m feeling all these negative
emotions. Once you admit it to someone,
CW / Anna Butts
even just
yourself, it can be easier
to talk to someone.”
Bommena and Dewalt agreed that
self-care can be an alternative for or an
augmentation to help from a therapist.
Dewalt said self-care doesn’t have to be
ritualistic, either.
“You can definitely prioritize yourself
in so many situations, and that doesn’t
mean that you care for other people
less. Cutting yourself slack is okay,”
Bommena said. “I think that honestly
helps you remind yourself that you’re
in control.”
Calloway said instead of treating
mental health services like a last resort,
it can be beneficial to view mental
health and therapy treatments as a
preventative to health problems, both
mentally and physically.
“We’re shifting our view of things to
recognize that mental health is part of
everybody’s day-to-day functioning,
and we could all sometimes use support
for helping us function as well as
possible,” Vander Wal said.
The University offers several mental
health resources to students for free or
a discounted cost. The UA Counseling
Center and its ThrivingCampus
software are available for students
seeking traditional counseling or
therapy sessions, both on or off campus.
The Women and Gender Research
Center is available to support victims of
interpersonal violence and abuse, and
the Safe Zone Resource Center provides
resources and support to LGBTQ+
community members.
Additionally, the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
and the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration
National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) are
available 24/7 for no cost.
OPINION: Student-athletes must find balance
BLAKE BYLER
STAFF REPORTER
Student-athletes today are faced
with a difficult task.
That task? Being a student-athlete.
CW / Andrew Stovall
A “student-athlete” is a person
taking part in an organized
professional sport put on by an
educational institution. In essence, a
person who has to train, compete and
perform well in competitive sports,
as well as study, learn and perform
well in the classroom.
This is no easy feat, and figuring
out the delicate balance between
these two priorities can be daunting.
“The biggest challenge is trying to
find time to study,” Alabama rower
Ter’ria Howard said. “Finding time to
get the correct amount of rest while
still showing up and giving 100%
in practice.”
Performance is constantly
on student-athletes’ minds.
Performance in the classroom and
in their respective sporting events
is important and can lead to mental
challenges when things start to go
awry on either side.
“You’re in college, but you’re
not like other students,” Alabama
women’s basketball guard JaMya
Mingo-Young said. “You have to be
places all day every day, and you
don’t really have the freedom that
other college students have. Then if
you’re not performing well, you can
get lost in the middle of all of it.”
These pressures can begin to wear
on their mental health.
Nearly 30% of male studentathletes
and nearly 50% of female
student-athletes reported feeling
overwhelmed, according to a wellbeing
survey conducted by the
NCAA in the fall of 2020. Roughly
12% of males and 30% of females felt
overwhelming anxiety, and nearly
10% of males and 15% of females had
feelings of hopelessness, according to
the same study.
Many student-athletes develop
their own methods to deal with the
stresses that arise.
“I try to maintain a basic schedule
because every day can be pretty
much the same,” Mingo-Young said.
“You schedule around your things
and plan your days ahead; that way
you’re prepared every day.”
While the balance will always be
difficult to take on alone, studentathletes
have teammates embarking
on the same journey alongside them,
experiencing the same things, and
can provide counsel to those who
are struggling.
“A piece of advice I would give is: If
you feel like everything is exhausting
or overwhelming, the best thing to
do is reach out,” Howard said. “A
teammate who’s been there, who
knows the ropes, talk to them and ask
them for advice. Watching somebody
lead by example is way better than
trying to figure it out on your own.”
Good mental health is a challenge
to maintain, especially for those
juggling as many things as studentathletes
do. While having teammates
and coaches by their side doesn't
make everything easier, it helps ease
the load.

4B
HEALTH
March 3, 2022
Stigma causes issues for women’s health
MADISON DUBOISE & HALEY TAYLOR
STAFF REPORTER & CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Many young girls are taught to keep
their periods a secret, hide their tampons
when they go to the bathroom, or use
code words to discuss issues regarding
their menstruation to avoid scrutiny
or disapproval. This aspect of women’s
health is often left behind closed doors.
But, menstruation, sexual health and
reproductive systems are an important
part of women’s health, and a lack of
open conversations embeds a stigma in
the discussion.
According to the New York Post, 58%
of women feel embarrassed when they
are on their periods, and 42% of women
have experienced period-shaming.
The more open society is about topics
like menstruation cycles, the easier it is
for people who deal with them to feel
comfortable getting help.
“I feel like a lot of girls are getting hurt
because of the stigma that surrounds
women’s health,” said Ally Ferrara, a
sophomore majoring in public health.
“Without the right information, girls
might do the wrong thing, and that can
be dangerous. If they don’t know these
important things, they won’t be able to
get the help that they need when they
need it.”
The stigma around these health topics
creates a sense of embarrassment for
women when it comes to addressing their
health issues. The more women suppress
the issues, the worse they can get.
“We have been almost trained to not
talk about period or sexual health, and
it is normal,” said Kaylin Robinson, a
sophomore majoring in history and
public relations on the pre-med track. “It
is so important that we are educated on
these things and that we talk about them
openly so nobody feels ashamed to talk
about these natural things.”
Education is key to breaking the
stigma around these topics. The more
comfortable people become about
educating youth and teens about their
bodies, the better young girls can identify
health issues they are having.
Sexually transmitted diseases, breast
cancer, cervical cancer, heart disease,
menopause and other common health
issues for women often go untreated.
Learning how to check for breast
cancer, knowing the signs of STDs and
understanding menstrual cycles are all
key when it comes to diagnosing these
health issues.
While there is some education in
schools, there is still a lot missing.
Health classes do not always cover all of
these important topics when it comes to
understanding women’s anatomy.
A report by Thinx in 2020 said 76%
of students surveyed believed they were
taught more about the biology of a frog
than the biology of the female body
in school.
“There is a lot of stigma around
women’s health and lack of education
around periods and sexual health,”
said Priya Nangia, a junior majoring
in chemistry. “There is so much stigma
around talking about those things with
young girls which definitely needs to
be rectified.”
Discrimination in women’s health
care creates obstacles on top of health
issues. Discrimination stemming from
gender identity or race and ethnicity can
impact health care services and resources
women are given.
Pain is often handled differently in
women of color, which can lead to lifethreatening
situations.
According to the Centers for Disease
and Control and Prevention, Black
women experience maternal mortality
rates three times higher than their white
counterparts. Due to this, there has been
a push for more accountability with
obstetricians, and in other medical fields,
to check racial biases.
Mistreatment of women, especially
women of color and Black women,
can make women weary of seeking
treatment, which can worsen the issues
they may be having.
Misdiagnosis creates issues for
women when it comes to taking care of
themselves and seeking treatment.
A 2021 article by MedMalFirm.
com, said there is an epidemic
of misdiagnosis among women
because doctors view women as too
emotional or as medical mysteries.
“It really frustrates me that there
are so many problems in the women's
health care system,” said Elle Standish,
a freshman majoring in criminology
and criminal justice. “There are a huge
number of OB/GYNs that overprescribe
the pill. They are treating symptoms and
not issues that are affecting women. It is
like they are throwing darts at a wall and
hoping that something sticks.”
Pregnancy is another key element of
women’s health that can be a struggle for
women to understand and process. All
aspects of pregnancy, from ultrasounds
and complications to delivery, require
health care and assistance.
Choices Pregnancy Clinic is a local
nonprofit pregnancy clinic that offers
free resources to the public.
“We are like a stepping stone for
women that need assistance when it
comes to pregnancy,” said Brook Morrow,
the clinic’s nurse manager. “We offer free
CW / Shelby West
ultrasounds, free pregnancy tests and
free pregnancy and parent education
classes where both mothers and fathers
can earn money to use on baby supplies
just for taking these classes.”
Choices Pregnancy Clinic also offers
information about abortion, adoption
and sexually transmitted diseases at
no cost.
“We have also resourced out to
a number of different groups or
organizations when it comes to other
aspects of pregnancy that can be
challenging, including pregnancy loss
and post-abortion counseling,” Morrow
said. “Having someone you can talk
to openly about anything involving
pregnancy is extremely important.”
Pregnancy can be hard to deal with
and understand at first, especially if it
is unplanned. Morrow pointed out that
college is already difficult and finding out
you are pregnant can cause you to go into
crisis or panic mode.
According to the CDC, unintended
pregnancy rates in 2011 were highest
among women between the ages of 18
and 24, mainly college-age women.
“We want to be there just to let a
woman ever sit and talk. Sometimes that
is all they need. Sometimes all women
need is for someone to listen to them
without judgment, because they may not
have that somewhere else, so we are here
to support,” Morrow said.
Resources like the ones at Choices
Pregnancy Clinic are also offered by
similar organizations and are often
overlooked because people do not know
they are available.
“These resources are here, and we
want to be able to give them to those
that need them. A lot of people use the
emergency room as a way to go get a
pregnancy test, which is good, but they
won’t be getting all the resources that we
offer here,” Morrow said.
Physical health can directly correlate
with mental health, which suffers greatly
when women are expected to be able
to control their emotions and carry on,
especially for mothers.
“I think we shouldn't make being a
woman one more thing to worry about.
Women statistically are more likely to
be depressed, which is incredibly sad
because mental health is so important
on top of the other aspects of being a
woman,” Standish said.
There have been discussions among
businesses and school boards lately
about whether women should be allowed
leave when necessary for their menstrual
cycle, which can include severe pain
and discomfort.
“I think personally women should be
allowed time off of school and work for
their periods. I think people that don’t
think that are almost saying your pain
really isn’t that bad, which really can
invalidate people that are in severe pain,”
Standish said. “Contraceptives can also
lessen symptoms for some but can also
really impact women’s mental health.”
Stigmas around women’s health will
be around until education and openness
and the things that impact women are
normalized. This stigma and misogyny
are rooted in health care practices and
the lack of research done on women’s
health issues.
Focusing on wellness includes seeking
help when necessary. The UA Student
Health Center has medical professionals
who focus on a plethora of different
needs, including women’s health.
We have been almost
trained to not talk
about period or sexual
health, and it is normal.
It is so important that
we are educated on
these things and that
we talk about them
openly so nobody feels
ashamed to talk about
these natural things.
KAYLA
ROBINSON
Peggy Fogg, a CRNP and women’s
health provider at the Student Health
Center, said period pain is an issue a lot
of women come in about.
“Often, I discuss options to improve
their menstrual cycle such as birth
control pills, the contraceptive patch or
vaginal ring, the Depo-Provera shot, an
IUD, or the Nexplanon arm implant,”
Fogg said. “This is a conversation to
discuss if one of these options is the right
fit for the patient.”
There is also a newfound autonomy
for women in college. Problems that may
have been brushed under the rug while
growing up can finally be addressed in a
more private matter.
“Once at college, women are busy and
want a solution. They are able to address
their health care needs themselves and
decide this is the time to meet with a
health care provider and discuss their
options,” Fogg said.
Get tested: Sexual health doesn’t have to be scary
CW / Jo Dyess
BIANCA MCCARTY & ETHAN HENRY
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
The CDC reports that 1 in 5 people
in the U.S. have a sexually transmitted
infection. Additionally, according to
a 2022 report by Innerbody Research,
Tuscaloosa is No. 57 on a list of cities in
the U.S. with the highest STI rates.
While many illnesses are openly
discussed, sexually transmitted infections
remain a stigmatized topic, despite their
prevalence among college students.
According to Hartford Healthcare in
2021, 1 in 4
college
students have a sexually
transmitted disease.
However, due to laws protecting student
privacy, exact statistics for The University
of Alabama are seldom published.
The Alabama Department of Health
reports that Tuscaloosa County has a
significantly higher rate of chlamydia,
gonorrhea and all stages of syphilis.
“I know [the UA STI rate] is high, but
I can’t give an exact number,” said Megan
Williams, a doctoral student studying
health education.
Considering that this issue is
highly prevalent, it’s as important
to make students aware of how
it’s being combated and the
resources that are available in
Tuscaloosa.
In the state of Alabama, sex
education is not required to be
taught in public schools, and
the schools that do teach it are
required to emphasize abstinence.
Last year, the Alabama Legislature
passed HB 385 to revise the focus
of sex ed content, indicating that this
issue has the attention of government
officials. However, this bill mostly clarified
and changed terminology, continuing
the state’s emphasis on delaying sexual
activity and declaring premarital sex
to be abnormal.
In order to combat the effects of such
minimal education and provide a safe
atmosphere in which students can discuss
sexuality freely, The University of Alabama
offers courses such as the Sexuality and
Society class in the New College.
Alongside teaching this class, Williams
conducts her own research on STI rates
and sexual health within the 18-to-24
age range.
“Even though it’s the Bible Belt, people
want to talk about it, they just don’t know
how to. And, so, having that safe space
allows them to use their curiosity and get a
lot of questions answered that maybe they
wouldn’t have otherwise,” Williams said.
Discussion and education allow
for students to learn about preventive
measures and how to effectively
communicate with sexual partners, thus
lowering the STI rate.
Charlotte Petonic, the assistant director
of Health Promotion and Wellness,
said she recognizes that sex education
experiences differ greatly among
new students.
“When students come here to Alabama,
their sexual health education varies so
greatly across the country,” Petonic said.
Even in a single state, a student’s school
district or county can determine the type
of sex ed they receive. Some programs
teach that condom usage is ineffective,
which can discourage students from
using them.
As a result, campus organizations like
Project Health are attempting to give
every student a baseline understanding of
this topic in order to even out the level of
knowledge on campus.
“When I think of college towns in
general, we have a lot of access for our
students. We have the health center here,
there’s several great nonprofits, and then
there is the health department that’s really
great,” Petonic said.
Those nonprofits and organizations
include University Medical Center,
Whatley Health Services and Five
Horizons Health Services. The latter
provides preventative education as well as
STI care.
There’s also a level of personal
responsibility in the lowering of STI
rates that includes communication and
preventive measures.
“I think the first thing is that students
who are choosing to be sexually active
need to know how to properly protect
themselves,” Petonic said. That means
using a protective barrier during sex.
Protective barriers are available through
the University’s distribution program
on campus.
In the end, the department’s goals
include testing, medical care and better
education for students.
“We have services here where we’ll do
education and outreach for classrooms,
organizations and anything like that,”
Petonic said.

HEALTH
March 3, 2022
OPINION: Decriminalize it!
Alabama’s uncertain future with cannabis
CARSON LOTT
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
What is SB 46?
On May 17, 2021, Alabama became the
37th state to legalize medical marijuana.
A 102-page bill, SB 46 was authored
by Republican Sen. Tim Melson who
represents Alabama’s 1st District.
SB 46 represents history in the making.
It legalizes the use of medical cannabis
for the following disorders and illnesses:
autism spectrum disorder, cancer-related
cachexia, Crohn's disease, depression,
epilepsy or conditions
causing seizures, HIV/
AIDS-related nausea
or weight loss, panic
disorder, Parkinson’s
disease, post-traumatic
stress disorder, sickle cell
anemia, spasticity-related
diseases, terminal illnesses,
Tourette syndrome, and chronic pain.
Under SB 46, medical marijuana can
be sold in tablets, capsules, tinctures, gels,
oils, creams, suppositories, transdermal
patches, nebulizers and liquids, or oils for
use in an inhaler. Marijuana cannot be
sold as “raw plant material,” products to be
smoked or vaped, or in food products.
The Alabama Medical Cannabis
Commission will oversee the
sales of marijuana in the state.
The commission consists of a
14-member board of medical,
legal and agricultural professionals who
will manage a seed-to-sale program.
Alabama’s historical attitude
toward drug use and
imprisonment
In Alabama, possession of marijuana
without a medical marijuana card or a
cultivation license will remain a Class B
felony. Class B felonies typically result in
jail sentences of two to 20 years, with fines
up to $30,000.
Alabama has historically had an
intolerant attitude toward marijuana usage.
With this atmosphere of stringent policing
and harsh punishments, the future of
medical marijuana looks dangerous.
All Alabamians deserve
equal justice under
the law, but from
court fees to civil asset
forfeiture to capital
punishment, our state’s
justice system contains
a range of policies that
often take a heavier toll
on people who live
in poverty.
ALABAMA ARISE
There are many obstacles to medical
marijuana usage in the state of Alabama
that SB 46 will have to overcome. The
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and
Justice writes that “Alabama’s failure to
expand Medicaid limits public funding of
drug treatment and rehabilitation. Options
are patchy and underfunded, leading to
overreliance on prisons for people who
need medical treatment, not punishment.”
Finances aren’t only a barrier to
medicine and health; they’re also a barrier
to democratic ideas, such as voting.
Alabama law denies voting to
thousands of eligible Alabamians
who cannot repay court fines
and fees.
“All Alabamians deserve
equal justice under the
law,” said Alabama Arise,
a nonprofit that works to
promote state policies that
improve the lives of lowincome
Alabamians. “But
from court fees to civil
asset forfeiture to capital
punishment, our state’s
justice system
contains a range of policies that often
take a heavier toll on people who live
in poverty.”
Nonviolent drug offenses,
prisons and people of color
In fact, drug offenses account for more
felony convictions and new prisons than
any other offense, says the AACLJ. The
Alabama Sentencing Commission reports
that felony convictions for drug possession
alone rose 25% from 2017 to 2019.
This strict policing of drug usage has
lasting effects in the state. According to
the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit
aiming to expose the harms of mass
incarceration, Alabama has a ratio of 946
inmates per 100,000 citizens, the fifthhighest
incarceration rate in the world.
This horrifying reality must be remedied.
Unfortunately, the state has no plans of
slowing down its mass incarceration. In
October 2021, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a $1.3
billion prison construction bill into law.
“Achieving a solution to our problems
rather than a court mandate was
paramount, and that’s what happened
today,” Ivey said before signing the bill.
There is nothing paramount about
strengthening a police state. Alabama
politicians completely ignore the prison
crisis in favor of profitable private prisons.
“Our system is in a current
humanitarian crisis. And every question
cannot be answered with new prisons. The
buildings will not do anything with the
culture of corruption in our prisons,” said
state Rep. Chris England, the chair of the
Alabama Democratic Party.
The bill puts the state in debt of $785
million, while another $400 million from
the $2.1 billion COVID state relief funds
went into funding the two men’s prisons.
State Senate Finance and Taxation
General Fund Chair Greg Albritton said
that the bill is a “huge step in curing
many of the difficulties we have.”
This rhetoric is archaic and tired,
and it needs to end. The best way
to cure the difficulties happening
in Alabama prisons is not to
build more; it’s to decrease the
prison population as a whole.
Decreasing the prison
population begins with
expunging all incarcerated
people with nonviolent drug
offenses. This alone will
decrease nearly 15%
of Alabama’s
CW / Pearl Langley
entire prison population, according to
Alabama Appleseed.
Decriminalization of drugs
SB 46 is a surprising step forward, but
it’s an embarrassing compromise that still
restricts and criminalizes marijuana use
for those who do not have life-threatening,
debilitating diseases and illnesses.
A poll conducted by Yahoo! News and
Marist found that around 75% of marijuana
users do not use the drug for medical
or pain purposes but recreationally, for
relaxation, socialization and creativity.
Marijuana deserves decriminalization.
It’s important to note that America’s
attitude toward drugs has been hostile
and dangerous since President Richard
Nixon declared a war on drugs in the ’70s.
The war on drugs, rather than improving
the health of American communities, has
failed, the Global Commission on Drug
Policy said.
“Arresting and incarcerating tens of
millions of these people in recent decades
has filled prisons and destroyed lives of
families without reducing the availability
of illicit drugs or the power of criminal
organizations,” the commission concluded.
The response from states like Oregon
has been to decriminalize drugs, and
sometimes all of them.
“Criminalization keeps people in the
shadows. It keeps people from seeking
out help, from telling their doctors, from
telling their family members that they
have a problem,” said Mike Schmidt,
district attorney for Multnomah County,
Oregon, home to Portland. Schmidt
supported Measure 110, which legalized
5B
and decriminalized all drugs in Oregon.
The result? A decrease in opioidrelated
emergencies, found several
studies. In a state like Alabama, where
the opioid crisis is rampant, especially
in rural communities, the legalization of
drugs, especially marijuana, could be a
game-changer.
Portugal, which decriminalized drugs
in 2001, has seen more than just a decrease
in opioid-related incidents. The nation,
which used to have the worst rates of
drug use in the European Union, now
has rates far lower than the European and
U.S. averages. Drug treatment percentages
increased, HIV diagnoses dropped
dramatically, drug overdose fatalities
declined, and court
cases for drug offenses
dropped by more than
60%, according to the
Drug Policy Alliance.
Not only does drug
decriminalization have
the ability to save states and
countries money, it has the ability
to save livelihoods lost to the dangers
of underground and illicit drug abuse
and addiction.
By decriminalizing drugs, the stigma
surrounding seeking help also drastically
decreases, leading to a more accepting and
healthy society overall.
Only 18% of people with drug use
disorders receive treatment for their
addiction, according to the
National Institute on Drug
Abuse. “Stigma impedes access
to care and reduces the quality of care
individuals receive. People with addiction,
especially those who inject drugs, are often
distrusted when presenting for care in
emergency departments or when visiting
other providers. They are often treated in
a demeaning and dehumanizing way,” the
institute said.
The National Survey of Drug Use and
Health reported that “fear of negative
opinions by neighbors or people in their
community is one of the reasons people
who know they need treatment for a
substance use disorder avoid seeking it.”
Stigma kills. Decriminalization and
compassion are proven to save and remedy
ongoing crises.
What can be done?
There is no better time than now to
decriminalize natural drugs like marijuana.
Not only will it alleviate the ongoing crisis
in Alabama prisons, natural drugs have
an array of health benefits, like reducing
anxiety, relieving pain, killing cancer and
slowing tumor growth, and stimulating
appetites in people with cancer and AIDS.
There are several student organizations
at the University that focus on or feature
issues involving the corrupt prison system
and its relationships to drugs, like Tide
Against Time and AL Students Against
Prisons. This is an issue that students care
about, and it is through their efforts that
we may see the end of mass incarceration.
Every student can be a part of the
solution. Contact your Alabama state
representatives and state senators to let
them know that community health and
safety must be a priority, and that building
more prisons is not reflective of the legacy
we want to build.
If Alabama wants to prove itself to
be a leader in the future, it needs to stop
compromising on what a majority of
Americans want and decriminalize nature,
once and for all.
Shop Boots,
Jeans, & Hats
at The Wharf
in Northport
220 Mcfarland Blvd N (205)-752-2075

6B
HEALTH
March 3, 2022