The Crimson White Print Edition - September 21, 2023

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
VOLUME CXXX | ISSUE III
My standards were
a little bit too high
with what the room
they showed us was
like.
Ivan Soto
Junior at UA
I have to
consistently clean
every part of my
bathroom every
day or else the mold
will grow. I have
a health condition
where the mold can
impact it severely.
Olivia Harvey
Junior at UA
CW / Riley Thompson
Quality at student apartments
Josie Wahl
Contributing Writer
For Jaleel Washington,
a May 2023 graduate
of the University, seeing
rats in the trash room
down the hall from his
apartment at The Lofts at
City Center was normal.
Washington said that
in June, his roommate
not meeting ‘standards’
noticed a leak in the
ceiling. The Lofts’
management then
removed the part of the
ceiling that was leaking,
leaving an open hole.
“After that, we started
seeing rats in various
places,” Washington said,
mentioning seeing the rats
in his bathroom and his
living room. “We ended
up having to buy glue
traps and a bunch of other
stuff trying to like rectify
the situation ... and trap
the rats that were in our
apartment.”
Washington is one of
several former and current
UA students experiencing
subpar living conditions.
Amid rising rents for
student apartments in
Tuscaloosa, students
are struggling to find
budget-friendly places,
but some say the quality
of apartments has not
kept up with the price
increases.
SEE PAGE 4A
sheltonstate.edu
INSIDE NEWS 3A SPORTS 6A
CULTURE 2B
OPINIONS 5B

2A
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Engagement Editor
Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion Chairperson
Chief Copy Editor
Assistant Copy Editors
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Ashlee Woods
editor@thecrimsonwhite.com
Carson Lott
managingeditor@thecrimsonwhite.com
Ronni Rowan
engagement@thecrimsonwhite.com
Jeffrey Kelly
dei@thecrimsonwhite.com
Jack Maurer
Sarah Clifton
Cassie Montgomery
Victor Hagan
letters@thecrimsonwhite.com
Ethan Henry
newsdesk@thecrimsonwhite.com
Assistant News Editors Maven Navarro
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Culture Editor Savannah Ichikawa
culture@thecrimsonwhite.com
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sports@thecrimsonwhite.com
Assistant Sports Editor Bella Martina
Photo Editor Natalie Teat
Assistant Photo Editor Riley Thompson
Chief Page Editor Natalie Marburger
Chief Graphics Editor Shelby West
Multimedia Editor Augustus Barnette
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The Crimson White, Copyright © 2023
Our View:
Reaffirming our commitment to
diversity, equity and inclusion
The Crimson White
Editorial Board
With the 10th
anniversary of The
Crimson White’s “Final
Barrier” story, The Crimson
White’s editorial board
would be remiss not to
take this opportunity to
reflect and address The
CW’s past and future as a
publication.
“We have called out
administrative silence, but
we have also legitimized it.
We have raged against the
Machine, but we have also
excused it. Throughout
those 125 years, we have
centered white students
and white stories. We are
not enemies of the people.
But we are not always
heroes either. It’s long past
time that we look inward
and make sustainable
changes to the way we do
news.”
The 2020-21 Crimson
White editorial board
wrote those words three
years ago during a period
of political turmoil, social
unrest and uncertainty
that spurred several
companies, organizations
and groups — like The CW
— to address their internal
diversity issues.
Now, in 2023,
The Crimson White
is addressing our
shortcomings since that
piece was published, in
an effort to reaffirm that
promise those five women
made to the University in
2020.
What has worked
At the time that piece
was written, only two
Black men and no women
of color had held the
position of editor-in-chief.
Since then, two women
of color have taken up
the task of leading the
student newspaper. If The
Crimson White desires to
put more diverse voices
in and throughout the
framework of the paper,
those same voices must
be in leadership positions
helping create the
necessary relationships.
The Crimson White
has also taken the time
The Crimson White editorial board consists of Editor-in-Chief Ashlee Woods; Managing Editor Carson Lott;
Engagement Editor Ronni Rowan; Opinions Editor Victor Hagan; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chairperson Jeffrey Kelly.
to ensure that minority
voices are included in
our stories and images.
Under the direction of
former Editor-in-Chief
Rebecca Griesbach, two
race and identity reporters
were added to our staff,
designed to carry out
robust and nuanced
reporting of minority
issues and topics on
campus. The Crimson
White also added the
regular practice of source
reporting modeled after
publications like NPR and
Wisconsin Public Radio.
This was another way The
Crimson White ensured
that diverse voices were
at the forefront of our
reporting.
What we’re
changing
However, what
the current editorial
board has found is that
although you may have
leaders of different
shades, ethnicities
and socioeconomic
backgrounds,
intentionality will
always reign supreme
in implementing true
diversity, equity and
inclusion.
The Crimson White
must strive to adhere to
an ethical guideline built
around care, nuance and
tactfulness. With this in
mind, The Crimson White
has decided to create a
mission statement that
has been shared among
the staff and now will
be shared with the UA
community.
Staff members and
contributors will work
together to create and
maintain a safe, diverse
and collaborative newsroom
that prioritizes accurate
and compelling storytelling.
The Crimson White will also
be committed to covering
historically underrepresented
communities in media with
tact and nuance. To best
prepare staff members
for professional jobs and
internships in media, The
Crimson White will also
work to give contributors
the chance to add bylines,
while also giving them tools
and training with industry
professionals.
This statement is a
foundation for many of
the new practices and
elements The Crimson
White has adopted this
year.
Arguably the most
important move The
Crimson White has made
in our efforts to address
our internal issues of
diversity, equity and
inclusion is the addition
of a diversity, equity and
inclusion chairperson.
In the past, The Crimson
White has not done an
adequate job ensuring that
these issues remain at the
forefront of our minds in
everyday coverage. The
addition of this position
not only to the staff but
also to the editorial board
is an intentional decision
that underscores this
year’s staff’s desire not
only to grow as reporters,
but to prepare our
newsroom for the future.
The Crimson White’s
editorial board also
acknowledges our
failure in the past to be
completely transparent
about our diversity, equity
and inclusion efforts. That
is something we want to
rectify this year, so below
is a list of other practices
The Crimson White is
implementing this year.
Reworking our sourcereporting
system.
Under the careful
guidance of The CW’s
diversity, equity and
inclusion chairperson,
staff members and editors
will record the race,
identity and background
of sources we use in our
stories with a voluntary
anonymous survey given
to sources after interviews.
These records will be
compiled into a monthly
source report available
to the editorial staff to
help us track our progress
and hold ourselves
accountable.
In addition, The CW will
create an end-of-year staff
diversity report and source
diversity report that will
be available to the public.
Increasing the diversity
of sources and staff.
This year, The CW
aims to increase the use
of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+,
women and other minority
sources. Our goal is to
incorporate at least two
in our articles where
their voices are needed
and valuable, with one
being an “expert” voice (a
professor, faculty member,
coach, player, etc.).
With our recruitment
efforts, the managing
editor has updated the
application process to
collect demographic
information, so The
CW better understands
what communities
we’re not reaching and
can strategize how to
best recruit and retain
diverse contributors. The
information is shared only
with the editor-in-chief
and managing editor.
Hosting multiple
diversity, equity and
inclusion training
sessions spread
throughout the year.
The diversity, equity
and inclusion chairperson
and the editorial board
will plan two to four
training sessions centered
on issues of diversity in
media. These training
courses are designed to
help contributors, staff
members and editors
learn how to spot these
issues and resolve them
in a healthy manner. The
trainings will also include
writing and reporting
workshops led by minority
media professionals.
Updating the current
CW house style guide.
The chief copy editor;
the diversity, equity and
inclusion chairperson; and
the editor-in-chief will
work together to update
the current CW style guide.
This will include a detailed
section on how to ethically
report on groups, events,
organizations and issues
that involve minority
groups on campus. The
updated style guide will
pull inspiration from
professional style guides
from organizations like the
National Association of
Black Journalists, NLGJA:
The Association of LGBTQ+
Journalists and the Native
American Journalists
Association and adapt
coverage techniques and
terminology into our own
style guide.
Creating strategic
partnerships.
The Crimson White
will look to build
relationships with student
organizations and leaders
on campus.
These relationships
will serve two purposes:
to provide the newspaper
with a more diverse pool
of potential applicants and
repair relationships with
certain community groups
on campus.
To further our efforts
toward transparency, The
Crimson White would
like to share our in-house
diversity statement that all
editors have signed.
The Crimson White
would also like to
acknowledge that the last
three years show that
while working toward
creating sustainable
change within our
publication and upholding
diversity, equity and
inclusion in coverage,
we’ve hit stumbling blocks
and suffered various
growing pains that are
synonymous with the
learning that’s needed
to be truly equitable and
inclusive.
These growing pains
will not deter us from
continuing to work toward
our goal of ethical and
equitable coverage of the
UA community.

news
Tuscaloosa businesses rely on football season
Ava Morthland
Contributing Writer
The economic impact of
the football season in
Tuscaloosa cannot be ignored.
In 2022 tourists spent $895
million, with each home
game weekend that year
bringing in $20 million to
$25 millionon average.
Not only do game days
completely change the
atmosphere of Tuscaloosa, but
they also leave a lasting effect
on businesses on the Strip.
However, the season can
pose many challenges for
business owners, and for
some, the surge in game
day sales is necessary to
keep their businesses afloat
throughout the summer and
academic breaks.
“Football season absolutely
catapults us to another level
as far as an increase in the
sales and stuff,” said Tiffany
Lewis, the current manager at
the Publix location on
the Strip.
She said that part of
managing a store like Publix
during home game weekends
is knowing how to prepare
your stock to make sure you
don’t run out.
Lewis also said that
students, families, alumni and
fans start getting into town
on Friday afternoons and stay
throughout the weekend.
She said Publix usually earns
an extra $100,000-$150,000
during game day weekends.
Although overcrowding
and safety concerns have
created an ongoing debate
surrounding business closing
times, local bars receive
a boost from game day
weekends.
Daniel Shannahan, the
general manager of Hoppers
Corner Bar, described
University-related tourism as
“the lifeblood of this town.”
Although Hoppers has a
smaller occupancy and many
local patrons, Shannahan
has worked at other bars
in Tuscaloosa where the
approximately seven annual
game days make a
big difference.
“In some places I’ve
worked, you could pay
your rent, your insurance,
everything else on seven
weekends, 14 days,”
Shannahan said.
Chris Coleman, a co-owner
and general manager of
Unique, said that although his
bar is by no means dependent
on game days, football helps
bring in patrons.
“Game day is really good
for the city,” Coleman said.
“The entire city takes a big
bump with every hotel,
restaurant, everywhere, bars,
they’re all filled up.”
Jimmy Wendlandt, a junior
majoring in kinesiology, has
been working at BamaStuff,
a small business on the
Strip that sells Alabama
merchandise, for the past
two years.
“I know a lot of people
come in. It’s kind of huge for
the business,” Wendlandt
said.
James J. Cochran, a
professor of statistics at
the Culverhouse College of
Business, said that without
game days, a lot of businesses
would be hurt and might
go bankrupt.
Rita’s Italian Ice and PJ’s
Coffee are owned by Bill
Getchell and share a location
on the Strip. The businesses
are enjoyed by students
throughout the entire year,
but during football season,
they see a growth in sales
and customers.
“We have to make sure
that we have enough money
to get through December and
into mid-January before we
get started up with students,”
Getchell said. “So yeah, we
really need game days to help
us get through.”
Lewis expressed a similar
view, saying that not having
football season was “not an
option” and that without it,
there would be no need for
the store to stay open.
Businesses saw reduced
football activity early in the
COVID-19 pandemic, when
tailgating was not permitted
on campus and the stadium
was only 20% full. However,
even with the pandemic going
on, Alabama football boosted
the travel and tourism
economy.
Cochran said there are
negative aspects to the boost
to business brought about
by Crimson Tide sports. One
challenge he mentioned was
preventing damage caused by
overcrowding in businesses.
“Keeping a place clean,
and getting it cleaned at the
end of the night, is a whole
different story if you have
a restaurant that’s full,”
Cochran added.
On game days, parking
is frequently a logistical
problem for employees.
“Foot traffic is absolutely
welcome. Is parking a
nightmare? Yes,” Shannahan
said, adding that his staff
sometimes has to come to
work an hour or more ahead
of time “just to find parking in
the area.”
Safety is also a concern for
some business owners.
“Of course, you got
adequate police officers and
all that stuff out on the street,
but we don’t have a presence
coming in, walking through,
you know, and that’s when
we have most of the issues,”
Lewis said.
The increase in customers,
and therefore sales, during
football season, causes new
owners, and even some
experienced ones, to rethink
strategies on how to best
handle the situation.
“We have to really start
looking at our plan and
going over it right and fill all
the paperwork out on the
last week in June because
the middle of July is when
we need to start having an
inventory increase,”
Lewis said.
3A
CW / Shelby West
She added that game days
require extra support from
staff.
“Game days are what we
call all hands on deck. Game
days, man, we probably have
about 30 [associates] total just
on the front end,” Lewis said.
For Getchell, getting
enough workers to take shifts
on game days is “one of the
biggest tasks” his businesses
have.
“It’s pretty daunting,”
Getchell said. “The amount of
people that come in is triple
to quadruple the amount on a
regular daily basis.”
While any surge in
business comes with
additional challenges,
many local vendors believe
the benefits outweigh any
logistical concerns.
“It does make it hectic, but
the payoff is good enough
that when you have enough
business coming into town,
it’s worth it to have a little
bit of gridlock to make sure
that you have a busy day,”
Shannahan said.

4A
news
continued from 1A — apartments
CW / Elijah McWhorter
The Lofts at City
Center
After finding multiple
rats in the apartment,
Washington’s roommate
emailed the complex
several times to ask them
to fix the problem and
received no response.
Washington then emailed
the property manager
about the problem and
received no response.
Around two weeks
later, he emailed the
property manager twice
again, once with a video of
a rat in his apartment, and
the manager responded
saying that Washington
would be moved to
another unit. Washington
moved units two days
later.
According to the
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
rats can carry diseases
and also carry ticks, mites
and fleas that can act as
vectors for diseases.
Another student, Ivan
Soto, a junior business
management major,
described other issues
with moving into
The Lofts.
“I came into a really
dirty apartment,” Soto
said.
Students from
different units say that
the room they were
shown while touring was
completely different than
what they moved into.
“My standards were
a little bit too high with
what the room they
showed us was like,”
Soto said.
Other students
also report that their
expectations during their
initial tour differed from
the reality of their current
apartment.
As of Sept. 18, the
cost of an apartment at
The Lofts is between $409
and $655 a month per
occupant depending
on layout.
When reached over
the phone, an employee
at The Lofts declined to
comment.
Here
The apartment complex
Here had several students
report issues with mold.
“I have to consistently
clean every part of my
bathroom every day or else
the mold will grow,” Oliva
Harvey, a junior news
media major living at
Here, said. “I have a health
condition where the mold
can impact it severely.”
The molding issue in
Harvey’s apartment is
new, according to her. She
said she has made Here’s
management aware of the
issue but had yet to hear
back at the time of the
interview.
The CDC does say
there’s “always some mold
around.” However, the
organization also states
that people with asthma
or who are allergic to mold
may have severe reactions.
Immunocompromised
people and people with
chronic lung disease may
get infections in their
lungs from mold. It also
says that those sensitive
to mold may experience
stuffy nose, wheezing and
other symptoms.
Harvey revealed that
she has consistently been
ill and traces her recent
health problems to the
mold in her apartment.
While this is a new issue
in Harvey’s apartment, she
said she had made Here’s
management aware of the
issue but had yet to
hear back.
Lauren Bell, another
tenant at Here, feels
like the issues at the
apartment complex spawn
from a lack of care from
upper management.
“The issue is not the
people who work in the
building, but the people
who own the building
because all they care
about is money and not
the tenants,” Bell said.
Here did not respond to a
request for comment.
Redpoint
At Redpoint, when
some students moved
in this fall, they also
were met with unclean
apartments, as well as
visible mold.
“It was kind of
disheartening to move
into your first apartment
and then it’s dirty
already,” Marissa Wilson,
a sophomore nursing
student living at Redpoint,
said.
Makenzie Johnson, a
junior criminal justice
major, said she moved
into an unclean Redpoint
apartment that had mold
in the vents.
“As we were moving
in, they were cleaning our
apartment,” Johnson said.
“You can imagine how
hectic that was.”
Sanaa Taylor, a junior
news media major living
at Redpoint, said she had
to ask Redpoint to clean
her room.
Johnson and Taylor
recalled hearing other
residents complain about
their apartments having
mold in vents, on couches
and in fridges.
Wilson said that when
students were moving in,
several parents crowded
around the clubhouse
trying to get ahold of
the building manager to
address the issues, but the
manager was unavailable.
“I just think that, like,
a general manager or
the top managers should
just be more accessible,”
Wilson said.
Wilson also noted that
the security gate, which is
supposed to prevent nontenants
from entering,
has been broken since she
moved in.
“Being a girl living
without her parents for
the first time, I would like
to just feel more secure,”
Wilson said. “At the end of
the day, I don’t hate living
here. It’s just different
than what I thought.”
As of Sept 18, the
cost of an apartment at
Redpoint ranges between
$425 and $799 a month,
depending on layout.
Redpoint could not be
reached for comment.
“My advice to those
looking for an apartment:
Do not get tricked,” Taylor
said.
Editor’s note: Olivia
Harvey, although not
currently an active
contributor, has previously
written for the sports desk
of The Crimson White.
A broken security gate
at Redpoint Tuscaloosa
is one of the several
issues students living
in the apartments have
to deal with.
CW / Elijah McWhorter

Zara Morgan
Contributing Writer
A
local publishing house
is empowering future
generations of writers by
giving them an inside look at
what the publishing process
is like
Red Rook Press was
created last year to provide
opportunities for student
authors and future publishers.
The organization publishes
two books, one poetry and
one prose, per academic year
and collects submissions
from students in a variety
of majors.
Last year, Red Rook
published “The Blood, the
Love and the Uninterpretable”
by Abby Armstrong as the
poetry manuscript and
“When the Flowers Breathe”
by Maureen Edwards, who
writes under the pseudonym
Attalea Rose.
Maya Mungo, a sophomore
majoring in marketing and
a liaison for the promotions
team, said being a part of Red
Rook Press gives students an
opportunity to gain valuable
experience in possible
future careers.
Mungo said she enjoys
her position because of the
valuable experience she’s
gained in social media
marketing. She’s been able to
practice differentiating what
graphic design elements look
good on Instagram compared
with flyers. Additionally,
she’s been able to learn how
to discern what’s trending
currently and capitalize on it
through TikTok.
Anna Kate Moorer, a senior
majoring in English and the
acquisitions liaison for Red
Rook Press, said that she
has gained valuable editorial
experience through her work
at Red Rook Press.
In her time at Red Rook,
Moorer has sorted through
manuscript submission,
evaluated writing based on
marketability, and edited
manuscripts while keeping
student authors’ true
intentions intact.
“That’s the great thing
about Red Rook Press,”
Moorer said. “You get
to learn all these
different facets
of publishing
instead of
just being
tied down
to one
role.”
Additionally,
Moorer said
that she enjoys
publishing because
she loves helping authors
craft their work and realize
their potential. When sorting
through work, Moorer said
she focuses more on whether
the author has a true vision
for their writing rather than
how well written a piece is.
She looks for an author
who’s comfortable with what
they’re writing and has a
clear direction for what they
want it to look like.
“I think for me, when I read
news
Red Rook Press empowers students to gain
real world experience in publishing
through, I try to determine
if an author has a specific
vision for the work, or if it
seems like they’re still trying
to find their true purpose in
writing that specific piece,”
Moorer said. “I know I look for
something that’s going to be a
little more direct for our
Courtesty of Red Rook Press
editing team to work with.
Also, it just depends
not on necessarily how long
it is or how well it’s written,
but majorly just the author
seeming comfortable with
what they're writing.”
Anna Kate Baxter, a senior
majoring in English and
serving as a prose editorial
liaison for Red Rook Press,
described the process of
polishing a manuscript into a
final product as rewarding.
“When we see their book,
we see ourselves as more
official,” Baxter said. “It’s not
a New York Times bestseller,
but it’s somewhere being sold,
and people are reading. And
it’s really cool.”
Armstrong, a senior
majoring in English, wrote
the poetry manuscript chosen
for publication last year,
“The Blood, the Love
and Interpretable.”
Armstrong
described
the process
of working
with Red
Rook
Press as
enjoyable.
“It’s
super
easy and
wonderful,”
Armstrong
said. “It’s
nice to know
that if I have any
questions about
anything, I can just
send an email.”
Armstrong said the
experience of having her
writing published and out in
the world was surreal.
“I don’t think I fully have
realized that, like, yeah, I
have an actual book that’s out
there,” Armstrong said. “It’s
also really exciting. ... It’s one
thing just typing on a laptop,
but being able to hold an
actual book. It’s ... such a
good feeling.”
5A
Armstrong’s piece of advice
to people thinking about
submitting is to have friends
look over your work and
encourage people to try.
“Having another pair of
eyes on your work is always
great,” Armstrong said. “I
think that starting is the
hardest part. Especially for
me, that was just literally
clicking on the website and
clicking ‘Yes, I’m going to
submit this.’”
Maureen Edwards is a
junior majoring in English
and wrote the prose
manuscript that was chosen
last year. Edwards said that
she’s excited for students to
read the fun Easter eggs in
her book that nod toward
Tuscaloosa.
“I think, for me, personally,
the point of my writing is
to share the storylines with
other people,” Edwards said.
“I mean, the reason is so the
story doesn’t just exist in
my head. It goes on paper
and then it goes out to the
world. So, I’m not in it to be a
famous published author. ...
But writing is connecting with
other people through written
language.”
Whether a student thinks
they’re ready or not, Edwards
encourages all students to at
least try.
“I encourage people to
submit even if you don’t think
you could get it, because I did
it on a whim and they picked
me,” Edwards said. “So don’t
count yourself out.”

6A
sports
Alabama women’s tennis eager ahead of 2023-24 season
Members of the Alabama women’s tennis team huddle up before a match. Courtesy of UA Athletics
Conner Davis
Contributing Writer
A s the 2023-24 tennis
season kicks off,
there are some significant
changes bringing
excitement and eagerness
to the players and coaches
of the Alabama women’s
tennis team.
“It is about having
the right intensity, body
language and the right
attitude, and that is what
we are focusing on,” head
coach Jonatan Berhane
said.
This season, the
Crimson Tide will have a
familiar but new coaching
staff. First-year head coach
Berhane will lead the team
after being with the team
for five seasons as he
replaces Jenny Mainz, who
retired at the end of last
season after 26 seasons.
Assistant coach Alba
Cortina Pou is also making
her coaching debut after
playing for the Crimson
Tide from 2017 to 2021.
“For me the transition
felt pretty organic because
I’ve been here for five
years as a coach, so I'm
used to sports oversight,
all of the administration
and everyone we work
with on a daily basis,”
Berhane said.
The team is returning
seven of the 10 players on
the team and adding one
freshman and a transfer
from Charlotte. New
freshman Priya Nelson
comes in as the No. 1
recruit out of California
and one of the top five
nationally. Transfer
graduate student Margaux
Maquet is making the
transition from the
Conference USA to
the SEC.
Maquet is embarking
on a new journey by
joining the Crimson Tide
this year, coming from a
Group of Five to a Power
Five program and starting
a new team. During the
2022-23 season she had an
overall singles record of
23-10 with a doubles team
record of 27-10.
“[Alabama has a] good
program, facilities are
great, nice girls and good
coaches. I’m excited to
see how the season goes,”
Maquet said. “Everything
is made for the athlete.
There are so many people
around us to take care of
everything.”
Returning senior Anne
Marie Hiser was a five-
star recruit coming out
of high school and has
stayed with the Crimson
Tide ever since. During
the 2022-23 season, Hiser
had an overall singles
record of 11-4, going 6-3 in
conference play and had
an overall doubles team
record of 10-10. When
talking about the team
chemistry this season,
Hiser had a lot of good
things to say about
the team.
“The team chemistry is
awesome,” Hiser said. “We
are really close; we do a lot
of things together outside
of the court and that’s
really showing on the
court. I’m really looking
forward to the girls and
team aspect, playing
together and playing for
Bama and having fun.”
The 2022-23 team did
not have a great year.
It had an overall record
of 12-12, going 5-8 in
conference play and
losing at Auburn 3-4. They
seemed to play better at
home with a home record
of 7-3. This year’s team is
excited to play Auburn as
the match will be held in
Tuscaloosa on Alabama’s
senior night.
“I am looking forward
to the Auburn match
because it’s senior night
and it is a Friday night,
so we are looking forward
to having all the fans out
supporting us,” Hiser said.
The team will start
off its season at the
Debbie Southern Furman
Classic, which is the first
tournament of the fall.
This tournament will be
a good start for the team
as they will get to see how
they play together and
where they can improve
going forward during
the season.
“I am excited to see
where the girls are, and
it is going to be a good
test because there will be
basically be top 25 teams
with Georgia, Georgia Tech,
Miami, Duke and UNC —
all the best teams in the
country. I feel like this is a
great opportunity for our
girls,” Berhane said.
The team has been
working hard, putting
in time and effort to get
better, and now, with the
season starting, they will
have the chance to prove
to everyone how hard they
have been working.
“Our team’s phrase for
this year is ‘maximum
effort.’ Everything we do,
we do to the best of our
ability. It’s about working
hard putting in the time
and effort,” Berhane said.
FAST FACTS:
7/10
2022-2023 team had
7-3
an overall record of
players are returning
to the team this year.
12-12
was the home
record of the
2022-2023 team.
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Jeans, & Hats
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sports
The transformation of Alabama soccer
7A
Alabama soccer head coach Wes Hart thanks fans after the game against North Carolina on Sept. 10 at the Alabama Soccer Stadium in
Tuscaloosa, Ala. CW / Riley Thompson
Theodore
Fernandez
Staff Writer
The Alabama soccer
team played North
Carolina to a 1-1 draw this
past Sunday in a relatively
unremarkable game.
Sure, there were some
big moments, notably
sophomore forward
Gianna Paul’s late gametying
goal, which had the
whole stadium on its feet.
But in the grand
scheme of things, it was
a regular-season nonconference
matchup that
may end up forgotten.
Only those who have
been around the team the
longest understand what
this game truly meant.
The histories of these
two programs could not
be any more different. The
Tar Heels are the class of
college soccer, 21-time
national champions who
have produced icons such
as Mia Hamm, Tobin Heath
and Crystal Dunn.
Meanwhile, the
Crimson Tide is
perennially mediocre.
Three years ago, Alabama
held an all-time record
below .500. And forget
about championships; this
program had never even
won an NCAA tournament
game.
Yet here we are. The
year is 2023, and these
two teams are on equal
footing. The fact that
Alabama can even hang in
this game is a miracle. And
there is one man at the
center of it all: head coach
Wes Hart.
“Before you worry about
tactics, or formation,
or strategy, or anything
like that, you have to be
ready to compete,” Hart
said following the North
Carolina game.
For Hart, individual
plays and moments
are insignificant, as
he reiterates that the
difference between a win
and a loss is competitive
drive.
“It all comes down to
our willingness to compete
and battle and fight,” Hart
said. “Once we’ve got that,
then we can worry a little
more about tactics and
style and all that other
stuff.”
He preaches mindset
over everything,
something that was
hammered into his mind
as an assistant coach for
the Florida State men’s
team, where he won a
national championship
in 2014. Taking over
a program that had a
grand total of two NCAA
tournament appearances,
he won just five games
in his first season in
Tuscaloosa.
“The biggest thing is
shift in our mentality and
our mindset,” Hart said of
the program’s turnaround.
“We’ve got a program full
of players right now that
have belief, that have
pride in the program, in
themselves, in the team,
a group that wants to play
for each other. They’re
less concerned about
individual accolades,
knowing those will come
with our team’s success,
but we have a team right
now that is hungry to
compete, and I think that
goes a heck of a long way.”
One of those players
is senior defender Sasha
Pickard. Recruited out
of Saratoga, California,
she was a part of the
transcendental 2019
recruiting class that also
included fellow senior
Macy Clem and current
Portland Thorns defender
and Mexican national
team member Reyna
Reyes.
“I remember from when
I was getting recruited
that Wes Hart brought us
in and he was like, ‘Look,
we’re looking for players
that are going to win us
an SEC championship,’”
Pickard said. “When I
first came in and met the
[2019] team and we started
playing, I think even
though the results weren’t
what they are currently,
we were building this
great culture that we have
right now.”
How far can this team
go? Only time will tell. But
people across the country
are taking notice.
“They’re [Alabama]
going to be an excellent
team for years to come,”
North Carolina head coach
and National Soccer Hall
of Famer Anson Dorrance
said following the Tar
Heels’ game against
Alabama.
Everything is going to
plan in T-town. Alabama
soccer is having its
moment. Everybody — the
players, the coaches, the
1,500 fans who showed up
to last Sunday’s game — is
loving it.
In the words of Pickard,
“We always knew the
championship potential
was there. It just took the
rest of the nation a little
while to see it.”
Alabama soccer player Sasha Pickard (#6) kicking the ball in a game against Georgia on Sept. 14 at the Alabama Soccer Stadium
Courtesy of UA Athletics

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The power of a picture:
CW photographers share their favorite sports shots
CW Photo Desk
sports
photo can encapsulate various emotions and actions while evoking some of the fondest
A memories one person can have. As powerful as a good photo can be for the people captured in it,
it’s just as powerful for the people behind the lens. Members of the 2023-24 Crimson White
photography team share their favorite shots.
1B
Natalie Teat
Photo Editor
This photo is one of my favorites of all
the sports that I have covered because
of the emotion within the photo. During
the last regular-season gymnastics meet,
against Boise State, senior Makarri Doggette
performed what was believed to be
her last vault routine. Doggette stuck the
landing and had the biggest smile on her
face, showing that she was proud of her
routine. It just goes to show that there
is a lot of pride and dedication that goes
in gymnastics routines, which is a great
representation of Alabama athletics as a
whole. It was a privilege to be there and
capture this memorable moment.
Riley Thompson
Assistant Photo Editor
I love how this photo shows how ecstatic
the atmosphere is in Bryant-Denny Stadium
on a Saturday night. After tight end
Amari Niblack dodges the Texas defense,
you can see the defeated looks of the
other team watching on. Meanwhile, the
Alabama sideline is going crazy while Niblack
jumps for joy as he scores. It showcases
what Alabama is all about on game
day and how excited everyone gets for it.
Jennifer Stroud
Staff Photographer
My favorite sports photo I’ve taken so
far is probably this one from the second
round of baseball regionals. That’s
2023 graduate Caden Rose celebrating
in the foreground celebrating after scoring,
and the rest of the team is going
crazy behind him. Rose is always really
animated, so I made sure to stay on
him after he scored, and this shot was
just perfect. This game against Troy was
really back-and-forth, so scoring here
was huge. That weekend was so fun and
historic for the team — and the Joe was
packed for every game, even with rain
delays. I was really glad to be back in
town over the summer and be there
for it!
Emma Grace Fobas
Contributing Photographer
The reason I chose this photo as my
favorite is because I love seeing action
shots when it comes to sports. With this
picture, I loved capturing wide receiver
Ja’Corey Brooks attempting to catch the
ball during the Middle Tennessee game. I
felt a rush of excitement when I captured
this photo. When I positioned my camera
on him, I noticed how well it lined
up with the ball being thrown to him
and how I timed it up perfectly. I was
extremely proud of how well this picture
came out when I edited it.

2B
Zara Morgan
Ava Morthland
Contributing Writers
A fter working within
local churches for
years, Lori Maxey felt
the need to serve the
community in a more
hands-on way. Her
husband always had a
dream to own a used
bookstore, and that’s when
The House Tuscaloosa
was created.
“We started a literacy
center and used bookstore
with the hopes of creating
a third space for people
who need community,”
Lori Maxey, co-founder and
executive director of The
House Tuscaloosa, said.
“We wanted it in the West
End community because
this is an area of town
that doesn’t have a lot of
services in it.”
The House Tuscaloosa
is a local used bookstore
and literacy center located
in Stillman College and
exists to promote literacy
educationally, spiritually
and musically throughout
the West End community.
To promote reading,
The House Tuscaloosa
partners with local
middle and elementary
schools by giving students
access to free “Birthday
Books.” Additionally,
the organization sells
books through First Book
at reduced rates. After
purchasing the first book,
students can trade books
in at the bookstore for a
free second book.
The service is available
at Central Elementary,
Martin Luther King Jr.
Elementary, Oakdale
Elementary, University
Place Elementary and
Westlawn Middle School.
“People who are
interested in buying books
can do so for cheap, and
we do that to get books
into the hands of the
community,” Maxey said.
“Literacy rates improve and
reading rates improve just
by having access to books,
and when you’re living at a
low-income level, you don’t
have money to go buy
books.”
Along with promoting
educational literacy,
Maxey also has the goal of
increasing spiritual literacy
in the community.
“I had worked in local
churches for years and
years and was feeling that
I really needed to get out
of that and serve in the
community,” Maxey said.
The House offers a
weekly Bible study for
individuals high school
age or older over Zoom.
The Bible study is currently
going through the Gospel
of Mark. From Aug. 8 to
Nov. 7, the organization is
also hosting a community
Grief Share at the facility.
Maxey said that
ensuring that the
bookstore acted as a third
space for individuals who
are seeking community
was a priority. That
sentiment rings true for
Adebola Aderibigbe, a
sophomore at Stillman
College majoring in
journalism. The House has
become Aderibigbe’s mini
oasis from her day-to-day
responsibilities.
culture
The House Tuscaloosa promotes
educational, spiritual and musical literacy
Courtesy of The House Tuscaloosa
“It’s like my getaway
from campus,” Aderibigbe
said. “Being an
international student who
doesn’t have access to a
car, I get bored easily. So,
this place is like my
mini getaway.”
Literacy rates improve and
reading rates improve just
by having access to books.
Lori Maxey
Co-Founder &
Executive Director
The House consists of
reading rooms and study
spaces. The rooms are a
variety of sizes and include
various personalized
touches. In addition to
the study spaces, there is
a kids’ room dedicated to
children’s books for
all ages.
“It’s good [to have these
study areas] because you
have the whole place
to yourself, it’s quiet
and most times I bring
my laptop to do my
assignments here,” Daphne
Ayodele, a sophomore
majoring in biology at
Stillman College, said.
Community members
who are seeking a spot
to gather or study with a
group can reserve a place
by filling out the form on
The House’s website.
The use of the original
structure of The House
creates a peaceful oasis for
all visitors to enjoy.
Peyton Joos, a freshman
majoring in hospitality
management, started
volunteering at The House
on Sept. 13 and enjoys
The House’s welcoming
environment.
“I love it here, it’s so
cute,” Joos said.
“There’s a lot of great
opportunities to find books
of any genre here.”
Maxey wants to
continue improving the
atmosphere of the center
through add-ons like rugs
and an upgraded kitchen
area.
Maxey said that this
experience has taught her
how to handle unexpected
difficulties. She wants
others to gain confidence
in the realm of literacy
and beyond.
“If you have a vision or
a dream, don’t give up on
it. You have to keep going
and keep pursuing it, even
if nobody around you is as
excited as you are,”
Maxey said.
UA students who
want to volunteer can go
through BamaPulse or can
go directly to The House
Tuscaloosa’s website.
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culture
Mark your calendars:
Upcoming events in the UA theater and dance programs
3B
Gabriella
Puccio-Johnson
Contributing Writer
A labama’s theater and
dance programs are
looking to maintain a high
level of prestige with the
fall semester’s lineup
of shows.
Every show is unique
and requires hours of
dedication from its
cast members, dancers,
choreographers and crew.
But this talent stretches
beyond the cast and
crew and even includes
the people who run the
programs and market
the shows.
The first event of this
semester is the Broadway
Cabaret on Thursday, Sept.
28. The event is directed
by Matt Davis and will be
held in the District Room
in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Doors will open at 6:30
p.m. for bar purchases and
seating, and the show will
begin at 7:30 p.m.
Broadway fans will love
this event, as the night
will be filled with talented
musical theater students
singing their favorite
songs.
This is the second year
the Broadway Cabaret has
been held, as last year’s
event was a fundraiser for
Courtesy of the Department of Theatre and Dance
Rusty Chorba, a member
of the department who
died. After a successful
show, the program’s
organizers decided to
continue it this year.
The second event of
this semester will be the
annual Alabama Repertory
Dance Theatre show,
which has been held on
campus for nearly three
decades. The show will
occur from Oct. 17-20,
located in the Dance
Theatre in the English
Building. There will
be five choreographed
pieces — two by guest
choreographers and three
by UA faculty members
— each featuring
contemporary dance
and ballet.
Attending the ARDT
show is a great way to
support members of
this campus, as each
dancer is a student at The
University of Alabama.
Additionally, every
year the show changes,
offering something new
and exciting to
its viewers.
Hannah Hall, the
manager of marketing for
the Department of Theatre
and Dance, said that one
of the most impressive
facets of the ARDT event
is the diversity of all
the pieces.
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“The diversity of the
pieces and the quality
is a reason in itself that
students should attend
this show, but also it is a
good culmination of what
we do in the department,”
Hall said. “Especially all
the hard work and passion
that encompasses what
these programs are about.”
Shortly after the
ARDT event, the theater
department will have its
first production of the
semester, “The Rocky
Horror Show.” The show
will take place Oct. 31-
Nov. 5, in the Marian
Gallaway Theatre.
This musical, created
by Richard O’Brien,
features music, lyrics
and a book by the artist.
It playfully pays homage
to the B-grade science
fiction and horror films
of the 1930s through the
early ’60s. At its core, the
story follows a recently
engaged couple who find
themselves caught in a
storm and seek refuge
at the residence of an
eccentric scientist known
as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Robert Fuson, a third-
year MFA directing
candidate, is the director
of this show. He shared
that he is beyond excited
to bring this show to
campus, because it
Courtesy of the Department of Theatre and Dance
is one of his favorite
productions. He shared
that this show will be a
mature production, as it
covers self-exploration.
“The show has
a lot to do with the
understanding of personal
desire, pleasure, and
experiencing your fullest
self and its authenticity,”
Fuson said.
“The Rocky Horror
Show” is a diverse
production that covers
progressive topics of this
generation. It is a must-
see show that will have its
audience gasping at every
witty line and clever twist.
The last event of the
semester will be the
production of “Julius
Caesar” on Nov. 6. The
show will be directed by
Seth Panitch, the head
of the acting program,
and held at the Allen
Bales Theatre. This show
is highly anticipated by
acting students, as a part
of their degree is to take a
Shakespeare class.
According to Panitch,
this will be a strippeddown,
cut-down, fast-
paced “Caesar,” focusing
tightly on how rapidly the
actors succumb to their
baser instincts. It will
not be a political take on
the script, but a personal
one, which will invite the
audience into a fiercer
connection with the
terrible tragedy.
Panitch is also
interpreting the battle
sequences into visceral
movement and threading
that style throughout
the piece. This will
provide a new perspective
through which to view
the play, even for those
who have seen previous
productions.
Panitch, who has
passionately reimagined
this work, highlighted the
immense dedication the
students have put into
such a titanic production.
“Somewhere just
past the halfway point
of a rehearsal process,
the actors begin to truly
inhabit the world of the
play, and when they
transform into that world,
it allows them a more
personal knowledge of the
action of the play, which
allows them to have a
deep ownership over
their roles,” Panitch said.
“When this happens, I can
back away as a director,
and the play takes on real
life from the framework
I develop as a director.
This new life is always
richer than my single
interpretation of the
world of the play.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 28
Broadway Cabaret
@ District Room
October 17-20
Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre show
@ Dance Theatre in the English Building
October 31-November 5
The Rocky Horror Show
@ Marian Gallaway Theatre
November 6
Julius Caesar
@ Allen Bales Theatre

4B
culture
UA welcomes new faculty members to the School of Social Work
Anna Hill
Leah Peacock
Contributing Writer
The University of Alabama’s
School of Social Work
welcomed 12 new faculty
members this fall. The new
members of the School of
Social Work include assistant
professors, instructors and
associate professors from
various research fields and
areas of expertise.
The School of Social Work,
established in 1965, is located
in Little Hall and offers four
degree programs in social
work.
The School of Social Work
aims to “lead the country in
community-engaged research
in health, behavioral health,
and social and economic
justice solutions for Alabama
and the nation,” according to
its website.
With new faculty, the
School of Social Work strives
to maintain its mission
of “ending adverse social
conditions and promoting
societal well-being through
teaching, research and
service.”
“I came to UA because
of the School of Social
Work’s mission and vision
to be active participants
in interdisciplinary and
community-engaged research
and practice,” Lindamarie
Olson, an assistant professor
in the School of Social Work,
said.
Olson specializes in
exploring how childhood and
trauma change the brain,
specifically with justiceinvolved
adolescents or
those in the child welfare
system. Olson explained
the importance of finding a
school that looks at the public
impact its work has, and how
the University fits the criteria.
“UA has the resources,
community partners and
infrastructure to make this
vision a reality,” Olson said. “I
am excited to join a diverse
group of scholars, researchers
and practitioners leading the
charge for change to happen!”
The School of Social Work’s
focus on community research
and impact has not gone
unnoticed. Hyunjune Lee, a
new assistant professor in
the School of Social Work,
shared how the University’s
community-engaged research
caught his eye during the job
search process.
“I learned that UA,
especially the School of Social
Work, has strong ties with
the local communities here,
which I very highly value,”
Lee said. “I thought that this
would be a place where I
could learn and grow in terms
of conducting research that
could actually benefit the
communities and people
we serve.”
Lee’s area of expertise
includes the behavioral health
of children and adolescents,
and he looks forward to
building his research agenda
over the next couple of years
at the University. Ultimately,
Lee’s goals for the school
year include settling into
Tuscaloosa and learning more
about the school, his students
and his fellow staff.
Dalila John, a clinical
assistant professor, was also
welcomed into the School
of Social Work this fall,
bringing with her a wealth
of knowledge and a tangible
passion for her profession.
Little Hall is the main building for the School of Social Work. CW / Natalie Teat
John was interested in
coming to the University to
advance her career because of
the opportunity to join such
an established university
with a multitude of resources,
services and support, as well
as the opportunity to conduct
research.
At the University, John
has taken advantage of the
opportunities to engage in
research by examining the
retention and recruitment of
racially diverse faculty.
“For me, I like that the
social work profession is
diverse,” said John. “It’s a field
in which you can pretty much
work just about anywhere,
and so it allows students
to really explore various
different areas.”
Currently she teaches
one class, SW 500, Social
Welfare Policy. The course is
designed to help students
understand the importance
of policy, policy development,
policy implementation and
policy analysis to ensure its
intended purpose is fulfilled.
“I entered this field because
I was really into recognizing
the issues related to equity
and justice,” John said. “So,
with this particular Social
Welfare Policy course, we can
look at some of the challenges
we face in this world and how
it’s connected to policy, so we
can think about things from a
much larger scale.”
Apart from her academic
responsibilities, John also
helps to better students and
their chances of success
after graduation with the
organizations she is involved
in. She serves as the advisor
of the Graduate Social Welfare
Organization, a student group
within the School of Social
Work for graduate students,
and the co-adviser for Phi
Alpha, an honor society for
students in the social work
program.
John shared that the
thing she was most excited
about this year was building
connections with students,
faculty and staff, and getting
to know the University better.
Transitioning into a new
area can be challenging,
and learning to navigate
a workplace can be
intimidating. New members
of the School of Social Work
highlight the welcoming
environment and reassuring
energy they have received
since arriving at the
University.
“I am feeling good about
the institutional and personal
support that I have,” said Lee.
“I feel good about the work
culture.”
Similarly, Olson expressed
her gratitude to her
colleagues as she navigates a
new school and city.
“The warm welcome
and southern hospitality I
have received has made the
transition to Alabama so
much easier than expected,”
she said.

Amanda Dunlap
Contributing Columnist
O ver the past few
years, women have
increasingly spoken
out about experiencing
situations where they have
felt unsafe, and awareness
surrounding the general
topic of our protection
has risen.
According to
the National Crime
Victimization Survey,
there were about 1.2
million female victims
of violent crime in 2021.
This includes rape,
sexual assault, robbery
and assault. To put this
already large number
in perspective, it does
not include the ample
amounts of crimes that go
unreported each year.
As of 2022, about 57% of
UA students are women.
The increasing number of
women in our student body
should make initiatives
toward safety abundantly
imperative.
We must prioritize
believing women, hearing
their stories and offering
support regarding safety,
especially in a college
environment where rape
culture and victim blaming
can heavily exist.
Should this issue be
ignored, the ongoing fears
and struggles experienced
by women will become
societally normalized.
This normalization would
significantly hinder
progress toward creating
a safe space for women.
If we believe that our
awareness, resources
and support are “good
enough,” we risk lack of
development, which would
leave women vulnerable to
a repetitive cycle of harm
and injustice.
Creating a conversation
regarding this issue has
made many realize how
often crimes against
women happen yearly
or even daily. People
are sometimes naive in
thinking that just because
a crime has happened to
someone else, it could
never happen to them,
which is a dangerous
mindset to have. This
awareness begs the
reminder that we must
stay informed of our safety
resources because crime
can happen to any person
at any time.
The University of
Alabama offers many
opinion
Women’s safety:
Prioritizing prevention over reaction
safety and support
resources to students,
including the UA Safety
App, the Title IX Office,
the Women and Gender
Resource Center, the
Counseling Center, and
many more.
There are also more
than 200 emergency
“Blue Phones” spread
across campus in outdoor
areas, parking lots and
decks. If at any time you
feel unsafe while on
campus, you can reach
the University of Alabama
Police Department using an
emergency phone.
As we continue the 2023
fall semester, a good rule
of thumb is to travel with
a friend or group as much
as possible, especially
at night. It could also be
beneficial to share your
location with your close
friends, family members
or roommates for peace
of mind or in the event
that you are in a high-risk
situation.
If you have to go
somewhere alone, you
should always let someone
you trust know the details
of where you will be and a
time estimate of when you
expect to be back.
Women should never
feel afraid to prioritize
their safety by asking
someone to accompany
them to their car or
alerting others if they feel
unsafe in a public setting,
as these actions should
not be seen as a sign of
weakness, but proactive
measures to ensure
security.
If you live or are on
campus and need a ride
to somewhere nearby,
I suggest using Joyride
instead of Uber.
It is no secret that Uber
has had its fair share of
scandals surrounding safe
transportation for women
and lone passengers.
Joyride is a great,
affordable alternative used
by college students, which
eliminates the stress of
finding a safe ride home
that is not overpriced.
For more general safety
tips and information, I
recommend exploring
the topic on TikTok
and Facebook. These
platforms can allow
you to hear what other
women have experienced
and crime tactics to be
5B
conscious of. You could
also join GroupMe chats
or community pages to
stay up to date on what is
happening in your
residing area.
I chose to include tips
and resources in this
article because they can
be somewhat challenging
to come across unless
you’re actively searching.
I also believe it’s crucial
to be reminded of these
resources to ensure they
consistently catch the eye
of those who could benefit
from them.
Unfortunately, women
cannot afford to be
overly trusting and must
constantly navigate their
surroundings with a focus
on personal safety, which
can be a daily struggle.
According to Statista,
the National Crime
Information Center had
194,673 missing-person
cases regarding women
under 21 years old, and
62,552 over 21.
For the safety of women
on our campus, we must
foster a safe environment
for all, and that begins
with prioritizing
prevention over reaction.
The University of Alabama
Statistica
CW / Shelby West
An emergency telephone
box located at the
Northeast Commuter lot
on campus.
CW / Natalie Teat

6B
opinion
Calls for term limits are undemocratic and counterproductive
Chance Phillips
Contributing Columnist
America is a gerontocracy.
According to Pew
Research Center, the median
voting House member is 57.9
years old and the median
senator is 65.3 years old.
President Joe Biden is 80,
and if he’s reelected in 2024,
he’ll leave the White House
in 2029 at the tender age of
86. The presumptive 2024
Republican nominee, former
President Donald Trump, is
77. If he is elected in 2024,
he’ll be 82 when his second
term ends.
While the U.S. Census
Bureau reports that the age
of the median American is
slowly rising, it’s still only 38.9
years old. Both of the current
frontrunners for the major
party nominations in 2024
will be more than twice the
age of the average American
during the 2025-2029 term.
However, it’s Sens. Dianne
Feinstein, 90, finishing out
her fifth and final full term,
and Mitch McConnell, 81, in
the middle of his seventh
term, who’ve drawn the most
attention for their age.
According to many
inside sources, Feinstein,
D-Calif., is basically being
puppeteered by her staffers,
often unaware of where she
is and what’s going on. On the
opposite end of the country
and the political spectrum,
McConnell, R-Ky., has frozen
and been completely unable
to speak during live press
conferences twice now.
Because these high-profile
politicians are visibly
struggling due to their age,
people have redoubled their
calls to impose term limits
on Congress. But this myopic
focus on term limits, and
age limits, as the solution
to gerontocracy tellingly
exemplifies the celebrification
of American politics.
If you really do care about
the age of politicians,
though, you still shouldn’t
support term limits. You
should support making
elections far more
competitive.
Politics and politicians
matter only because of their
effects on public policy. How
old a politician is matters only
if it affects how they vote.
If it takes “Weekend at
Bernie’s”ing a literal corpse
out onto the Senate floor to
pass “Medicare for All” or
the Protecting the Right to
Organize Act, sling that body
over my shoulder.
This doesn’t mean
representation is irrelevant.
Being a member of a minority
group can provide special
insights into specific policy
problems facing that group.
What it does mean, however,
is that American politics
wouldn’t be fixed by kicking
representatives from solid
red and solid blue districts
and states out of Congress
every few election cycles and
replacing them with nearly
identical Republicans and
Democrats, respectively.
Modern American politics
revolves around individual
politicians and not political
parties because our political
parties are far too weak. The
offloading of the nomination
process to primaries in the
1970s and the fundraising
process to candidates
(through platforms like
ActBlue and WinRed)
means the Democratic and
Republican Parties can’t
control who gets elected as a
Democrat or as a Republican.
At face value, this seems
more democratic than party
insiders picking candidates
in smoke-filled rooms, but it
means parties can’t discipline
elected officials who sabotage
party priorities. In “party
list” systems where party
leadership picks who’s on the
ballot, elected officials who
vote against party principles
lose their nomination.
In 2017, Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz., was the decisive
vote against the Republican
effort to repeal the Affordable
Care Act. If he hadn’t died in
2018, the Republican Party
would have been powerless
to stop him from running and
winning again in 2022.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.
Va., has consistently been
stonewalling President Biden’s
environmental and prolabor
legislative efforts. Even
though prostrating himself at
the feet of Big Coal probably
isn’t enough for Manchin
to be reelected in a state
where Trump won 68.62%
of the vote, the Democratic
Party is basically incapable of
punishing him while he’s still
in the Senate.
The weakness of both
major American political
parties means that even if
a resounding majority of
American voters support
either party, it’s likely
that party succumbs to
factionalism and fails to pass
the legislation its mandate
demands.
If we really want to see
the proposed legislation that
inspires us to vote get passed,
then we need stronger
parties, not term limits.
What matters isn’t who the
218 votes in the House are,
or who the 51 or 60 votes in
the Senate are, but if political
parties can whip up those
votes.
If you really do care about
the age of politicians, though,
you still shouldn’t support
term limits. You should
support making elections far
more competitive.
Politicians get reelected
dozens of times because
they represent “safe” districts
or states where one of the
major parties is basically a
nonentity. If we want real
turnover in these districts and
younger candidates to get
elected, we need competitive
elections.
This could mean changing
to ranked-choice voting (like
in Alaska and New York City),
where you rank candidates
by how much you want to
see them elected, or it could
mean adopting approval
voting, where voters can
vote for every candidate they
support. Ideally, though, it
would mean switching to
proportional representation,
and every party would get the
same percentage of elected
officials as they got votes.
By making third parties
competitive, electoral reform
in combination with public
election financing would stop
Democrats and Republicans
alike from squatting in
safe seats for decades. The
Democratic and Republican
parties would actually have to
worry about more than just
the handful of swing races.
Term limits would just
mean milquetoast politicians
get replaced with cookiecutter
copies every few
elections. If we want public
policy to actually reflect the
will of voters, we don’t need
half-hearted reform.
We need to make
politicians accountable to
their parties and parties
accountable to voters.
The weakness of both
major American political
parties means that even if
a resounding majority of
American voters support
either party, it’s likely
that party succumbs to
factionalism and fails to
pass the legislation its
mandate demands.
FiscalNote
CW / Shelby West

opinion
Is an accelerated master’s degree worth it?
7B
CW / Shelby West
Alex Jobin
Staff Columnist
In an increasingly
competitive job market,
more and more students are
pursuing master’s degrees
to set themselves apart.
According to Forbes, obtaining
your master’s has been shown
to increase employment
opportunities, improve your
financial prospects, and —
of course — expand your
knowledge and expertise in a
given field.
At The University of
Alabama, there are two
avenues through which
interested students can
pursue their master’s. One
is the traditional route of
graduating with a bachelor’s
and then applying to a
postgraduate master’s
program. However, one
can also take advantage of
various accelerated master’s
programs on campus, which
allow students to tackle both
undergraduate and graduate
coursework simultaneously —
usually resulting in a master’s
degree after five years.
There are both costs and
benefits associated with
either approach.
An accelerated master’s
program is clearly the more
efficient of the two on paper,
letting you earn a master’s
with less time and money
spent. This is particularly
advantageous to those who
might be considering even
further education postmaster’s.
A master’s degree
can bolster your application
to a Ph.D. program, law school
or medical school — an
accelerated program allows
you to gain this advantage
without excessively delaying
your entrance into such
programs and, subsequently,
the workforce.
In addition, accelerated
master’s programs are ideal
for students who may be
discouraged by financial costs.
We all know that excessive
student loans place a major
obstacle before anyone
seeking higher education, let
alone a postgraduate degree.
Saving a year or more in
tuition and other expenses
makes accelerated master’s
programs extremely attractive
for those who want to gain
another degree while limiting
their financial burden. This
route also allows students
on scholarship to take full
advantage of those savings —
if your scholarship covers the
cost of 10 semesters, why not
squeeze as much value out
of it as possible by securing
greater opportunity with that
fifth subsidized year?
The University’s ultimate
goal is to prepare its students
for future success, and the
accelerated master’s program
exemplifies this mission.
Andrew Goodliffe, the
associate dean for graduate
admissions, recruitment
and fellowships, said that
“we would love to see
more students in the AMP
program.”
Even so, an accelerated
master’s is not for everyone.
Adding graduate-level courses
on top of your undergraduate
work can be overwhelming
and absorb time you may
need for work, activities or
recreation.
Goodliffe recognizes
this, speaking on how the
traditional master’s path
may better suit students with
different priorities that an
accelerated program cannot
accommodate. He noted that
students who wait to attempt
their master’s after they have
finished their undergraduate
work might be glad they had
more time to explore different
majors and fields before
committing to a master’s
program. He also understands
that “some students just may
want to work for a couple of
years” before beginning work
on another degree.
Indeed, the traditional
master’s path may be
preferable to an accelerated
program for those who want
more flexibility.
No matter which path a
student finds themselves
interested in, Goodliffe
stresses one thing: “Don’t
overcommit. ... I’m a big
advocate that if someone isn’t
passionate, they won't do
well.”
If you are considering
pursuing a master’s, make
sure that it is something you
really want. Whether through
an accelerated or traditional
route, gaining another degree
is an endeavor that requires
significant commitments
of both time and effort
that should be taken into
consideration when planning
your academic future and
ultimate career path.
That said, the University
has excellent resources
for anyone interested in
continuing their educational
journey, and I strongly
encourage you to take
advantage of them.
University of Alabama President Stuart Bell addresses spring 2023 graduates. Courtesy of The University of Alabama