The Crimson White Print Edition - October 12, 2023

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023
SPORTS
Doris Lemngole’s ‘improbable’ journey
VOLUME CXXX | ISSUE IV
Theodore Fernandez
Staff Writer
If you had told crosscountry
runner Doris
Lemngole three years
ago that she would be a
two-time SEC Freshman
of the Week destined for
NCAA and Olympic glory,
she would have started
laughing.
The concept is just
so improbable. She was
an 18-year-old living in
Kapenguria, Kenya, with
no clue how her life would
pan out.
But then she started
running. And she realized
she was good at it. Really
good.
“I started running in
high school,” Lemngole
said. “I liked running. And
I was fast. Very fast. Then I
went to camps. We trained
at these camps during
school breaks. And then
I graduated in 2021 and I
went to camp in Iten.”
Iten, Kenya, is one of
the most significant places
in the history of running.
It’s where Colm O’Connell,
“the godfather of Kenyan
running,” settled down in
1976, leaving his home in
SPORTS
Tommy Camp
Contributing Writer
With less than two
weeks until the RGK
Tide Tipoff, the men’s
and women’s wheelchair
basketball teams are ready for
their 2023-2024 campaign
to begin.
Both teams are defending
national champions for
the men’s and women’s
leagues and look to keep
the program’s well-known
winning culture going for this
year’s season.
“The ultimate goal is to
win a national championship
again this year. That’s the
big one. Also, to just play our
best and live up to the Bama
standard,” freshman Mary
McLendon said.
One reason that Alabama
stays so far ahead of the
Ireland to become one of
the greatest trainers of
all time.
He has coached 25
world champions and
countless Olympians. And
he has also ensured that
Iten is the place that any
Kenyan with any chance
of becoming a big-time
runner will be sent
to train.
So that’s where
Lemngole went. She ran
there for over a year
in preparation for her
upcoming NCAA career.
She started competing in
the Diamond League, an
elite series of track and
field races and events.
She even placed fifth in
the Kip Keino Classic in
Nairobi back in February,
earning herself $1250 in
prize money (this is not an
NCAA violation, as bylaws
allow runners to earn
money in Diamond
League events.)
But this year it was
time to move on. She
signed with the Crimson
Tide on July 6 to the
excitement of all of
UA wheelchair basketball teams look to repeat as national champions
competition with its 20
national championships
across all adapted athletics
sports is its facility. Stran-
Hardin Arena is the biggest
facility in the world dedicated
to adapted athletes.
It is one of the many
reasons incoming freshmen
like McLendon and Gabriel
Taylor chose to bring their
talents to Tuscaloosa.
State-of-the-art facilities,
including weight training,
are essential when picking a
college to play for, especially
in a sport that requires as
much upper-body strength as
wheelchair basketball does.
“Majority of our workouts
focus on shoulders, arms and
chest so that we can get the
wheels going fast and get the
ball in the hoop,” Taylor said.
With these facilities, the
program can use them as
Alabama cross-country runner Doris Lemngole participating in a race at the Joe Piane Invitational on Sept. 29, 2023. Courtesy of UA Athletics
her future coaches and
teammates.
“We knew she was
something special coming
in,” assistant coach Nick
Stenuf said.
Lemngole’s first race
came in the Southern
Showcase back in
September. To say that
she dominated would be
an understatement. She
finished first in the 5K
with a time of 16:12.10,
a full 30 seconds ahead
of second place. In fact,
the gap between second
place and her teammate
McKenzie Hogue, who
finished 17th, was closer
than the gap between first
and second.
The performance
earned Lemngole her first
SEC Freshman of the
Week award.
And how did she
follow that up? By going
to South Bend, Indiana,
and winning the women’s
blue 5K at the Joe Piane
Invitational, beating out
North Carolina State
senior Kelsey Chmiel by
10 seconds to secure her
second career win in as
many races.
leverage when recruiting
players to come to The
University of Alabama instead
of other schools. Alabama
can get cream-of-the-crop
players and bring in high
school national champions,
like McLendon and Taylor,
and keep the winning culture
going by bringing in winners.
Both the men’s and
women’s teams return a
majority of their players from
their national championship
runs the season before. One of
the returning players, junior
Eric Francis, is excited for his
new leadership role on
the team.
“This year, I want to be a
good team leader and bring
up the younger guys. We
want to play as a team and
play as a brotherhood and
win UA another national
championship,” Francis said.
“To be honest, she’s still
raw talent,” Stenuf said.
“What she’s doing right
now, she’s just scraping
the surface of what she’s
capable of. I don’t think
she’s anywhere near her
full potential.”
That is a scary thought
for opposing runners
everywhere. Rarely do
freshmen come into a
program and have the kind
of immediate impact that
Lemngole has had.
“She takes every bit
of coaching advice and
adapts to it,” Stenuf said.
“That’s what will help
her get to that next level.
And she will. You look at
her talent-wise and workethic-wise,
and it’s clear
that she’ll not only be one
of the best NCAA runners,
but she’ll also make a
mark on the world stage.”
And there is no event
in sports that signifies
“world stage” more than
the Olympics.
“That is my goal,”
Lemngole said. “I want to
run for Kenya.”
Her coach once again
backed her up.
“I know the Olympics
are on her mind. And
Alabama’s winning culture
is not just because of the
players or the facility, but
also the coaching staff the
program has put together.
Both head coach Ford
Burttram and assistant coach
Michael Auprince played
their collegiate wheelchair
basketball careers for
Alabama before becoming
coaches.
Burttram and other
Australians on the team at
the time recruited Auprince,
who is from Australia, to
Alabama and Auprince went
on to play overseas afterward.
Auprince returned to the
United States, heard about an
open coaching position with
UA Adapted Athletics, and
took the job.
“When the previous
assistant coach left, I got
a call from the guys here,
I think that 100% is a
realistic goal for her to
pursue, and we’re going to
help her get there,”
Stenuf said.
At the end of the
day, the Olympics are
very far away. And in
the meantime, there is
business to attend to
in Tuscaloosa.
“I want to win. I want
to be a champion here,”
Lemngole said when
asked about her goals at
Alabama.
And her teammates are
right behind her.
“Her smile is super
contagious,” junior Macy
Schelp said. “She’s really
had a positive impact on
this team. We all love her
and we love seeing her
succeed.”
The sky is the limit
for Lemngole.
“Her work ethic and
her character match her
talent. She’s the kind
of person that anybody
would be blessed to meet
and get to know,” Stenuf
said. “I’m really excited to
continue working with her
and see what she’s capable
of, not only as a runner
but also as a person.”
and they knew I wanted to
coach and that I knew the
system they were going to be
running. Now I get paid to do
something I love,” Auprince
said.
Burttram and Auprince
both bring experiences to the
Alabama Adapted Athletics
program they can spread to
their players, turning them
into role models for the team.
“Right now, I look up to
Coach Auprince the most
because he has played
internationally for years so
he just knows more about the
game,” Taylor said.
After the RGK Tide Tipoff
scrimmages on Oct. 13, the
Crimson Tide hosts the ABC
Medical Classic at Stran-
Hardin Arena with the
women playing a game each
day Oct. 27-28 and the men
playing two games on Oct. 28.
Take classes at Shelton State as a Transient Student.
Visit sheltonstate.edu to apply and register!
INSIDE NEWS 2A SPORTS 5A
CULTURE 2B
OPINIONS 4B

2A
news
How Reading Allies is helping literacy in elementary students
Makayla Maxwell
Race and Identity
Reporter
EDITORIAL STAFF
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The Crimson White, Copyright © 2023
Reading Allies is a
nonprofit literacy
program developed to
help children reach gradeappropriate
reading
levels. Through oneon-one
individualized
tutoring, the program
aims to help first, second
and third grade students
through community-based
teaching.
Claire Stebbins, codirector
of Reading Allies,
explains why this program
is so important to young
students.
“There’s a ton of
research and data that
says why reading on
grade level by the end of
third grade is so critical,”
Stebbins said. “One of
these being that students
who are not reading on
grade-level by the end of
third grade are four more
times likely to drop out of
high school.”
Since beginning the
organization in 2017,
Stebbins has seen a lot
of growth. It started with
15 kids, and now there
are over 350 elementary
students in the program.
“It was a collaboration
of the Rotary Club of
Tuscaloosa, the Honors
College and just a few
really engaged civic
leaders that asked, What
would happen if we took
our lowest, struggling
readers and individualized
lessons for them?”
Stebbins said. “We really
took it and started just as
an informal process where
the Rotary Club provided
the initial funding, and we
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
Maven Navarro
Jacob Ritondo
Savannah Ichikawa
culture@thecrimsonwhite.com
Gabriella Puccio-Johnson
Abby McCreary
sports@thecrimsonwhite.com
Bella Martina
Natalie Teat
Riley Thompson
Natalie Marburger
Shelby West
Augustus Barnette
worked with 15 children
at Martin Luther King
Elementary and it was just
a wild success.”
Since then, Reading
Allies has expanded
to different schools
across Tuscaloosa, and
has amassed over 600
volunteers.
According to Dalis
Lampkins, a doctoral
student studying political
science, volunteers first
help the kids with reading
activities, then a few
writing exercises to help
them reach the required
literacy level.
“Volunteers work with
the same student every
week, so that they have
that familiarity, and they
are always really excited
when we come in the
morning and get to spend
some time with them,”
Lampkins said.
Lampkins has
volunteered with Reading
Allies for three years
now and has loved the
experience so far.
“It’s been really
wonderful for me because,
being a Ph.D. student,
I’m obviously very busy,”
Lampkins said. “So, I like
being able to take that
time each week to go
where I’m not working
on my dissertation or
anything on campus.
I’m just at Southview
[Elementary School]
spending time with a
student, working with
them on their reading
and writing.”
According to both
Stebbins and Lampkins,
Letter from the editor:
When will guns become less
important than students’ lives?
Ashlee Woods
Editor-in-Chief
This fall, colleges across
the country will partake
in homecoming festivities.
Students, parents and
alumni come together to
celebrate each other and life
at the college they attend.
But, for some,
homecoming looked vastly
different.
On the night of Oct. 8,
two students were shot
at Bowie State University
in Prince George’s County,
Maryland, in the midst of
the university’s homecoming
celebration.
This happened five days
after five students were shot
45 minutes away at Morgan
State University on Oct. 3.
Following the shooting, all
homecoming activities were
canceled.
“This was such a
senseless act of violence
perpetrated on our
community after what
was a family-filled and fun
evening of celebrating the
pageantry and beauty of
our students,” Morgan State
University president David K.
Wilson wrote in a statement
following the shooting. “But
Morgan is a strong family
and we will march on with
determination to keep
moving on.”
A time meant for bonding
a community further
together was instead spent
in mourning. Once again,
lives were permanently
changed. A campus was
changed, and once again,
there’s little hope that true
Courtesy of Reading Allies
the time requirement
for all volunteers is one
30-minute session a week.
The organization allows
volunteers to choose the
days and time that they
wish to attend, but most
volunteers end up wanting
to do more than one
session.
“A lot of volunteers are
returners, people that I
have been with the entire
time,” Lampkins said. “And
even my people who didn’t
return to Southview, it’s
because it didn’t fit their
schedule. I know that they
are at other schools.”
Programs such as
Reading Allies are growing
in importance since the
Alabama Literacy Act went
into effect earlier this
year. Proposed in 2019, the
act went into effect at the
beginning of the 2023-24
school year.
change will come.
While these events aren’t
connected, they underscore
a deeply rooted problem
in the U.S. — a lack of gun
control.
Mass shootings have,
unfortunately, become a
microcosm of American
society. A shooting occurs,
people mourn, there are
cries for gun reform, gun
reform doesn’t come and the
cycle restarts.
A constant, vicious cycle
that only continues to
happen because people in
public office in the U.S. have
made this one thing clear:
Guns will always be more
important than people's
lives.
Some leaders in the U.S.
have made efforts to unite
a campus community after
a shooting has occurred.
In Florida, governor Ron
DeSantis directed $1.1
million toward campus
security at Edward Waters
University and funds
for the victims’ families
following a shooting at a
local Dollar General. The
Florida Department of Law
Enforcement started visiting
the campus, monitoring
social media for threats and
working with the university
to assess its security.
Following the shooting at
University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper stated that
the state would provide
support to the institution
and Chancellor Kevin
Guskiewicz would offer
counseling services for the
campus.
According to an article
from WSFA 12, between
10,000 and 12,000 third
grade students are at
risk of being held back in
Alabama due to this new
law. In the article, Alabama
State Superintendent
Eric Mackey says that the
current score needed to
advance to the fourth
grade is a 435, and he
expects the Alabama State
Department of Education
board will raise it next
year.
“That will mean by the
end of the school year, a
student that’s not reading
at a certain level will have
to repeat the third grade
until they meet that level,”
Stebbins said.
According to Stebbins,
the ultimate goal is
to expand outside of
Alabama, and hopefully
grow to be a national
These steps are decent
measures, but in the grand
scheme of life in the U.S.,
these measures address the
symptoms of a problem, not
the root cause.
While attacks on higher
education campuses are
somewhat rare, hard to
define and not tracked, that
doesn’t mean they don’t
happen. Furthermore, it
shouldn’t mean that we
should continue to sit idly
by while people's lives are
constantly ripped away
needlessly.
Until this country truly
and effectively addresses the
gun control problem it has,
it tells its citizens that the
access to guns and weapons
of mass destruction are
always more important than
their safety. This country
is telling students across
the country that they don’t
deserve the peace of mind
at school they so desperately
want.
My heart aches for the
victims of the Morgan State
and Bowie State shootings.
Those campuses will never
be the same after this. It’s
times like this where we
feel the most helpless,
wondering if there is
anything we as citizens can
truly do.
But it shouldn’t have to be
up to us.
The leaders we elect
need to step in and ensure a
safe and protected learning
environment. Otherwise, the
violent cycle will continue to
permeate all aspects of our
lives.
nonprofit organization.
“The goal in Tuscaloosa
city and county has always
been to serve every single
Title I school in those
school districts,” Stebbins
said. “And, by next fall, we
will have accomplished
that goal faster than we
ever thought possible. ...
We’ve created trainings to
go to other communities
around the state of
Alabama and outside
as well to show that we
have a proven model. So
hopefully one day there
will be a Reading Allies
Birmingham, or a Reading
Allies Montgomery.”
Stebbins encourages
anyone who wishes to
volunteer to visit the
Reading Allies website and
fill out the volunteer form.

news
UA works on finding a space for first-generation college students
3A
CW / Shelby West
Ava Morthland
Staff Writer
University of Alabama
officials have made a
concerted effort to make
the University a more
welcoming institution for
first-generation college
students.
Despite this progress,
however, some students
still see room for
improvement.
At the University,
first-generation college
students are defined
as any students whose
parents did not graduate
with a four-year degree
in the United States. This
includes students whose
parents graduated with
a two-year degree and
students whose parents
graduated outside of the
United States.
Legacy Scholars is
a program for firstgeneration
UA students.
Randi Hamm is the firstgeneration
program
manager and has been
in her position for a
year now.
I have a vision and dreams
for the first-gen community
at UA, and it’s been
beautiful to be able to start
to implement them.
Randi Hamm
First-Generation
Program Manager
“We find that firstgen
students need a
community in their first
year so that they find the
sense of belonging here at
UA as quickly as possible,
which is a basic need
for all college students,”
Hamm said. “We look at it
as our first-gen students
are creating a new legacy
for their family and for
anyone who’s going to
follow behind them.”
According to Hamm,
first-generation students
make up nearly 25% of
the UA undergraduate
population.
Legacy Scholars holds
community dinners,
scholarship and FAFSA
workshops, and, for the
first time this year, a week
of celebration for firstyear
students.
Hamm said that it
has been a challenge
to share the program’s
message and resources
with sophomores and
upperclassmen because
before this year Legacy
Scholars hadn’t existed in
the same capacity.
Hamm said that they
were able to meet over
500 students during Bama
Bound this summer and
that Legacy Scholars has
evolved its event itinerary.
Along with Legacy
Scholars, there is also a
dedicated space on the
third floor of Hewson
Hall for first-generation
students.
For its efforts to
support first-generation
students, the University
was recognized as a Firstgen
Forward Institution
by the Center for Firstgeneration
Student
Success in 2022.
“The First-Gen
Forward designation is
a national honor that
recognizes institutions
of higher education
who have demonstrated
a commitment to
improving experiences
and advancing outcomes
of first-gen college
students,” Monica Watts,
associate vice president of
communications for the
University, wrote in
an email.
However, firstgeneration
students still
have concerns about their
place on campus.
Applying to college and
finding resources
For some students,
knowing about the college
application process and
the resources available to
them once they arrived on
campus was a challenge.
Adriana Cadavid, a
sophomore from Colorado
Springs, is a member of
Legacy Scholars who came
to the University for its
political science program.
While applying to
college, Cadavid relied on
her counselors, peers and
teachers for help because
her parents didn’t
attend college.
Similarly, Meghan
Kellem, a freshman
majoring in business
management, said that
she was unsure of where
to start when applying
to college as a firstgeneration
student and
was unaware of the full
extent of the opportunities
that were offered at
the University.
Clarissa Ramos, a
freshman majoring in
Spanish and member of
Legacy Scholars, said that
while her time at Legacy
Scholars thus far has been
helpful, she wasn’t told
about many opportunities
for first-generation
students
on campus.
Ramos also stated that
she feels that most of the
support first-gen students
need but don’t get is
support before setting foot
on campus.
“Making more
prospective students
aware of these
opportunities and
programs to help them
thrive on campus can
encourage them to see
themselves here,” Watts
wrote.
Fourie van Rooyen is
a sophomore majoring in
aerospace engineering.
He went to high school in
South Africa and said he
applied to the University
after a couple of friends
recommended it.
Rooyen said that during
Bama Bound, scholarships
for international and
first-generation college
students weren’t talked
about.
Similarly, Kellem said
she isn’t aware of any
scholarships available to
her now.
For first-gen students,
there are six dedicated
scholarships which the
University describes as
“highly competitive.”
Resources for first-gen
students can be found on
the Capstone Center for
Student Success website.
Hamm said that
through Legacy Scholars,
she tries to connect
students to existing
opportunities and
resources that are in their
specific colleges.
Even when some firstgeneration
students’
families are made aware of
scholarship opportunities,
not all of them may be
able to understand them.
Cadavid said that
information about
scholarships is offered
only in English, but that it
would be helpful for it to
be in other languages.
Hamm said that Legacy
Scholars does not have
any formal programming
in Spanish but has several
students who would be
“more than happy” to
help any student and
their family who need
communication
in Spanish.
“I think there’s always
some more things that we
could change because I’m
not in any first-generation
organizations on campus,”
Kellem said. “I don’t
receive as many of those
resources and so I do
think they should be more
widely accessible to people
who aren’t necessarily in
those clubs or groups.”
Support and community
on campus
Finding out how to fit
in on campus was the
biggest challenge, Ramos
said.
Some first-generation
students have said that
although their parents can
offer a general sense of
support, it is not the same
support that students with
college graduates in their
family can receive.
Adam Brooks is an
associate professor of
communication studies
at the University and
is a mentor for Legacy
Scholars.
“Sometimes first-gen
students think that they
have to solve all the
problems themselves
because they oftentimes
don’t have that
First-generation
students make up
— Randi Hamm
25%
of UA
undergraduates.
supplemental resource by
their families to be able
to call to say, ‘Hey, this is
whats happening,’” Brooks
said.
Hamm emphasized that
the program is optional,
but that she encourages
students to join if they
recognize its benefits.
Hamm said that her goal
is to develop a community
of support that students
can turn to and feel safe
asking questions and
expressing concerns.
“I have a vision and
dreams for the first-gen
community at UA, and
it’s been beautiful to be
able to start to implement
them,” Hamm said.
Brooks said being
a mentor for Legacy
Scholars has a personal
significance to him.
“As a first-generation
college student myself,
who’s now a professor, it
is a wonderful full-circle
moment to be able to kind
of be the support system
that maybe I wish I would
have had when I was a
student,” Brooks said.

4A
news
NPHC to take a step back in time for annual step show
Makayla Maxwell
Race and Identity
Reporter
The UA National Pan-
Hellenic Council will
host its annual step show on
Friday, Oct. 13, at Coleman
Coliseum.
The show will feature
performances from the
eight NPHC organizations
on campus; this year, the
show is titled “A Step Back in
Time,” and the performances
will draw inspiration from
’90s and 2000s sitcoms.
According to a description
on the University’s ticket
office website, the step show
will feature performances
with “series of intricate
dance steps, vibrant music
selections, and elaborate
show themes.” The show will
also include performances
from other on-campus
organizations.
TJ Rodgers, a senior
majoring in news media,
serves as the vice president
of NPHC and the director
of this year’s step show.
Rodgers said he hopes
everyone who attends gets a
sense of nostalgia from the
sitcoms being highlighted.
“This year, the name of
the show is ‘A Step Back in
Time,’ and we plan to pay
homage to the Black sitcoms
we grew up on,” Rodgers
said. “The fun part about
that is the crowd is able to
figure out which one they’re
[the performers] doing and
get excited. I feel like it’s
going to be a very fun
atmosphere.”
Rodgers said his role this
year means a lot to him
because he’s following in the
footsteps of his sister, who
directed the step show
in 2021.
“Last year was so much
fun, and the year before that,
when my sister did it, was
amazing too,” Rodgers said.
“She did it her senior year,
and I just want to put on a
great show as well, but also
one-up her a couple
of times.”
Rodgers, a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,
Inc., said he hopes audiences
will appreciate the hard
work of the performers who
he says have been practicing
their routines since
Zeta Phi Beta performs during the 2022 step show. Courtesy of the UA NPHC
school started.
In a joint statement,
the members of Zeta Phi
Beta Sorority, Inc., last
year’s winners among the
sororities, expressed their
excitement to perform
this year.
“We’ll forever cherish
that unforgettable moment
when our names were called
on stage,” the statement
read. “It was the realization
that not only had we
seen something special in
ourselves, but others did as
well. We can’t wait to show
everyone our hard work
again this year!”
Some students are excited
to see how organizations will
interpret this year’s theme
following last year’s
step show.
“This is something I
look forward to every year,”
Sydney Williams, a senior
majoring in psychology,
said. “Every year it keeps
getting better and better, and
it’s always fun to see how
the different organizations
include the theme.”
Williams said she’s
excited to see all of the work
put into the performances,
especially from her friends
who are performing.
“They’re spending hours
trying to put on a good show
for everybody, and have been
for months now, so I hope
everyone who goes to the
show will appreciate that,”
Williams said.
The show will start at
7:30 p.m.

news + sports
5A
New sports-themed resort coming to Tuscaloosa
Abby McCreary
Sports Editor
Josie Wahl
Contributing Writer
Sports Illustrated and
Travel + Leisure have
joined forces to start a chain
of sport-themed resorts in
college towns and decided
that Tuscaloosa will be their
starting point.
News of the resort, which
is planned to be built in 2025,
was met by differing reactions
from the student body and
Tuscaloosa community.
“It’s a mixed-use
development: It’s condos,
it’s a hotel, it’s dining, it’s
restaurants, which is on the
forefront of where most new
venues and new athletic
venues are going,” Carla
Blakey, the undergraduate
program coordinator of sport
management, said.
According to the Travel +
Leisure website, many of the
resort’s features, including
the vacation ownership
clubs, were designed based
on previous Sports Illustrated
content.
A variety of entertainment
options will be available
to Tuscaloosans, such as a
fitness center, an indoor area
for concerts and parties, an
upscale club ideal for alumni
gatherings, and a spa.
A Hall of Champions will
also be included in the resort,
commemorating the legacy
and heritage of local leaders
and legends through an
integration of iconic Sports
Illustrated content, according
to Steven Goldsmith, a
spokesperson for
Travel + Leisure.
“The Sports Illustrated
brand will drive engagement
A rendering of the new Sports Illustrated Resort slated to be built in Tuscaloosa. Courtesy of Sports Illustrated
and interest with loyal sports
travelers looking to have
a long-term relationship
with their teams and
communities,” Goldsmith
said. “This resort is going to
make Tuscaloosa an even
more desirable destination.”
According to Kimberly
Severt, the director of the
UA hospitality and sport
management programs,
experiences have been shown
to drive purchasing behaviors,
and this resort wants to
capitalize on sporting
experiences.
“If people are coming here
for game day, having another
immersive experience
only adds to that overall
experience,” Blakey said. “If
anything, when you look
at the college fanbase, it’s
unique. There’s just a different
level of passion when it
comes to college fans.”
Tuscaloosa is able to
depend on the passion of the
Alabama fanbase since, on
average, each home football
game in 2022 brought in $20
million to $25 million.
Not only is the resort
expected to have an economic
impact, but some expect it to
have an educational one
as well.
“They’ve reached out
to me wanting to get our
hospitality students and
sport management students,”
Severt said. “It’s going to be a
great place for our students to
do internships.”
However, not all students
are excited about the
new resort.
TJ Rodgers, a senior news
media major, said the resort
will cause more issues
for students.
“You have to think about
the students,” Rodgers said.
“There’s barely any parking
and there’s barely any places
to live.”
Allison Sanchez, a junior
news media major, agreed
that Tuscaloosa is running out
of room.
“It’s going to be a big new
attraction,” Sanchez said.
“It’s going to bring a lot more
people, and we don’t have
space for more.”
Jacob Pickle, a senior
majoring in economics and
the president of Crimson
Chaos, sees the attraction
as a positive. Pickle said the
resort has potential to drive
interest for Alabama sports
like basketball.
“There’s a lot more traffic,
and I think the resort will help
with that too,” Pickle said. “I
think it’s going to be awesome
to have the resort as another
way to boost up the city
of Tuscaloosa.”
The resort is planned to be
located on Rice Mine Road.
At this time the pricing for
rooms is unavailable.
“It's only fitting for Sports
Illustrated to launch their
OnCampus resort concept
in #Tuscaloosa, home to @
AlabamaFTBL and one of
the best college game day
experiences in the country,”
Mayor Walt Maddox wrote in
a post on X, the social media
platform formerly known as
Twitter. “I appreciate the work
of Councilor Crow and the
City team to bring this to life.”
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sports
Power of Pink games empower women fighting breast cancer
1B
Bella Martina
Assistant Sports Editor
Former Alabama
gymnastics head coach
Sarah Patterson never
battled breast cancer, but
she felt strongly for those
who were affected and
didn’t have the means to
treat themselves.
As a consistent helping
hand in the Tuscaloosa
community, Patterson
inspired her athletes
and fellow colleagues to
give back to those less
fortunate as well.
“I feel that if we can
instill that quality, that
characteristic of giving
in our athletes when
they are 18 to 22, and
they have the sense of
accomplishment that
working in the community
gives,” Patterson said in
an interview with the
Medalist Club, the booster
organization for Alabama
gymnastics. “Then when
they graduate and go out
into the world, they will
have gained so much
from that experience that
they will always be giving
people.”
So, the Power of Pink
initiative was born.
Every year, several
Alabama athletic
programs, such as soccer,
volleyball, gymnastics and
women’s basketball, host
Power of Pink games and
meets to show support for
breast cancer victims
and survivors.
Power of Pink history
Patterson hosted the
first Power of Pink meet
in February 2005 against
Auburn. She dedicated
the meet to breast cancer
awareness while asking
attendees to “Think Pink,
Wear Pink.”
The stands of Coleman
Coliseum were blushed
as fans showed up and
showed out to the meet
in their various shades of
pink. That season, many
of the top gymnastics
programs in the nation
followed Alabama’s lead
and hosted events of
their own.
Then, in 2007, the
cause spread outside of
gymnastics to include
women’s basketball.
The “Think Pink” week
was introduced by the
Women’s Basketball
Coaches Association
in February to support
breast cancer research
on campuses and in
communities.
Other sports, such as
soccer and volleyball, have
also begun hosting Power
of Pink games during
the month of October.
Some schools even have
Members of the Alabama soccer team lift the Iron Bowl of Soccer trophy. CW / Riley Thompson
special pink jerseys for the
athletes to wear, including
Alabama.
2023-24 Power of
Pink preview
This year, Alabama
soccer hosted its annual
Power of Pink game on
Thursday, Oct. 4, against
Auburn. The Crimson Tide
is approaching even more
competitive play with the
progressing season, but
head coach Wes Hart said
this game meant a lot,
not only for the in-state
rivalry, but the cause it
supports as well.
“The fact that there’s
a trophy on the line,
the Iron Bowl of soccer,
makes for some energy,”
Hart said before the
game. “And Power of Pink,
our team always gets
really excited about that
game, it’s a special game
raising awareness for
breast cancer. It’s a fun
opportunity to play a great
opponent, a great rival
on a special day. We’re
excited.”
Coaches, athletes and
fans alike look forward to
the games every season,
with each one holding
a different aspect of the
game as their favorite. For
midfielder Macy Clem,
her favorite part of the
Power of Pink games is the
famous pink jerseys.
“I love October and the
pink games and being able
to celebrate anyone who
has breast cancer, had
breast cancer, and pink is
my favorite color,” Clem
said.
At last year’s Power of
Pink match for Alabama
volleyball, the Crimson
Tide faced LSU and walked
away with a three-set
win. Although any SEC
matchup is guaranteed
to draw attention, libero
Victoria Schmer touched
on the game’s alternate
importance.
“It’s a great opportunity
to represent something
bigger than ourselves,”
Schmer said. “It’s a great
way to bring awareness
to the subject and play
for something bigger than
ourselves for one game
out of the year.”
This year, volleyball’s
Power of Pink match
will be played against
Mississippi State on Oct.
27 at 6 p.m. CT.
The other Power of
Pink events this 2023-24
season will be Alabama
gymnastics against
Georgia on Feb. 23, and
women’s basketball, but
the program has not
announced its date yet.
The Pink impression
An idea that was born
almost 20 years ago still
impacts countless women
today, and athletes across
the board recognize the
deeper meaning of the
games that honor them.
“It’s valuable to
recognize breast cancer
survivors and people
battling breast cancer
right now, and so I think
just knowing there’s
something more to play
for beyond just the game
is also powerful,” Alabama
soccer defender Marianna
Annest said.
Patterson’s impact
has helped raise over
$2.1 million for the DCH
Breast Cancer Fund,
which has changed the
lives of countless women
in the West Tuscaloosa
community who are
fighting breast cancer.
If you would like to
donate to the Power of
Pink cause, a check can be
mailed to:
DCH Foundation,
809 University Blvd. E.,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
The DCH Breast Cancer
Fund should be noted
on the memo line of the
check.
Power of Pink Events
Women’s Volleyball vs. Mississippi State
Oct. 27 @ 6 p.m. CT
Gymnastics vs. Georgia
Feb. 23 @ TBA
Women’s Basketball
TBA
Alabama gymnastics team celebrating against Auburn in Coleman Coliseum on Feb. 3, 2023.
CW / Jennifer Stroud

2B
culture
The Divine Nine and the creation of a more inclusive campus
Brandon Smith
Race and Identity
Reporter
Zara Morgan
Contributing Writer
The National Pan-Hellenic
Council, also known
as the “Divine Nine,” is a
group of nine historically
Black sororities and
fraternities, eight of which are
represented at the University.
The Divine Nine has a
rich history, starting even
before the NPHC’s founding
at Howard University. While
the NPHC was founded in
1930, member organizations
such as Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, Inc., were
founded in 1908 and 1906,
respectively. The Divine Nine
serves as an agent to raise
“community awareness and
action through educational,
economic and cultural service
activities,” according to the
NPHC website.
The founding sororities and
fraternities were Alpha Kappa
Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi
Fraternity, Inc. and Omega Psi
Phi Fraternity, Inc..
In 1931, two fraternities
were added to the NPHC,
Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi
Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
In 1937, Sigma Gamma Rho
Sorority, Inc. was added to
the roster and the NPHC was
incorporated under Illinois
state law.
The youngest member
of the Divine Nine, Iota Phi
Theta Fraternity, Inc. was
added in 1997.
The University of Alabama
gained its first chapters of the
Divine Nine in 1974, which
was also the same year that
the majority of the NPHC
sororities and fraternities
began at The University.
The NPHC starts its year
off with a convocation that
all interested members are
required to attend. From
there, each sorority and
fraternity has its own process
for membership intake during
various times throughout the
school year.
Car’Liz Mims, a senior
majoring in management
information systems and a
member of Zeta Phi Beta, and
Jade McGee, the vice president
of Delta Sigma Theta and a
management information
systems major, spoke about
the NPHC’s three pillars:
scholarship, sisterhood and
brotherhood, and service.
“Education is a
requirement to be a part of
the organization,” Mims said.
“Any student should at least
be pursuing a bachelor’s
degree at the bare minimum.”
Mims and McGee
emphasized the importance
of sisterhood and
brotherhood by looking back
at the origins of the NPHC.
The organization was created
to unite the Black community
and organize social action as
they faced the “problems of
history,” referring to American
segregation, racism and
gender inequality.
It was because of
brotherhood that the first
Black SGA president was
elected. Cleophus Thomas
was a member of Kappa
Alpha Psi. His election was
made possible by the support
of his fraternity and NPHC
brothers and sisters.
The Divine Nine has played
a major role in the Civil Rights
Movement. On the national
level, Alpha Phi Alpha has
notable alumni who helped
change the civil rights
landscape, including Martin
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The Theta Sigma chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. was one of the first Black Greek
organization on campus. CW / Caroline Simmons
Luther King Jr., Andrew Young
and Jesse Owens.
The NPHC also has various
programs that promote
higher education within the
Tuscaloosa area.
“We have our ‘Go to
High School, Go to College’
program, which promotes
secondary education and
college education amongst
our communities to younger
children in elementary,
middle and high school,”
Kenneth Kelly, a junior
majoring in news media and
a member of Alpha Phi
Alpha, said.
Another historic tradition
for the Divine Nine
fraternities and sororities
is the annual step show, a
celebration that is at least
40 years old. According to
McGee, the event serves as a
recruiting effort, and students
and alumni are encouraged to
attend. Stepping and strolling
is a traditional art form that
has origins in the African
diaspora.
“It was an art form
amongst the tribes that lived
over in the West African
region, to use their body
to make different types of
sounds and movements to
communicate with each
other,” Kelly said. “That was
one of the various things that
have been passed down from
what survived the Atlantic
Slave Trade, and it has been
passed down throughout
generations of slavery.”
Service is the social action
and philanthropy that NPHC
organizations do to give
back to the local community.
Delta Sigma Theta hosts
educational forums in
Tuscaloosa, and members do
service projects for Tuscaloosa
and the surrounding areas.
Every year, the NPHC has a
“give-back” event, usually
a gala to fundraise for the
American Heart Association.
Malea Benjamin, a senior
majoring in political science
and communication studies
and a leadership fellow for
Alpha Kappa Alpha, said
she takes a lot of pride in
being a member of the NPHC
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and enjoys being in Alpha
Kappa Alpha because of
the educational and service
opportunities that it provides.
Some of the opportunities
that Benjamin has come
across include donating
women’s sanitary products,
educating high schoolers
on voter registration, and
community service at the
Salvation Army.
To Benjamin, having a visible
presence, especially on
sorority row, is an important
part of showing the progress
that the University of
Alabama has made toward
making all students feel seen
and heard.
“Not that it’s as bad as it
used to be, but I still think it’s
important to show how much
things have changed and the
strides that we’re making to
make Black students feel seen
and heard and uplifted, and
to be authentically Black,”
Benjamin said.
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culture
3B
Mercedes-Benz International hosts Oktoberfest 5K in Tuscaloosa
Angel Scales
Contributing Writer
On Oct. 28, Mercedes-
Benz International will
be holding an Oktoberfestthemed
5K race to benefit
the American Cancer
Society. The event will
start promptly at 9 a.m. at
Temerson Square and will
last about an hour, ending
back at the Square.
Tanya Cabiness,
a representative for
Mercedes on the board
of the American Cancer
Society, gave a brief
overview of the event.
“The American Cancer
Society is very special to
Mercedes-Benz because
cancer affects everyone,
and it can affect you,
affect your family, friends,
loved ones, colleagues,
and probably has, and if
it hasn’t, it probably will,”
Cabiness said. “So, we
feel it’s very important
to be a good steward of
our community, as far as
programs that affect the
community around us.”
Mercedes
works with
several outreach
programs and
nonprofits to
stay involved in
the community.
The
Oktoberfest 5K
is one of the programs
that the company has
started to get community
involvement in.
This is the biggest
run they’ve done so far,
according to Mercedes-
Benz event director
Carmen Eichhorn. She said
the event generally starts
with the runners meeting
at Temerson Square about
30 minutes before. The
University of Alabama’s
ROTC program, along with
some singers from the
University, will play the
national anthem before
the bell goes off to signal
the start of the 5K
at 9 a.m.
At the Oktoberfest
celebration following the
run, traditional German
snacks will be served, such
as German sausage and
chocolate-covered fruits,
provided by Peterbrooke
Chocolatier.
Cabiness said there will
be live music before and
after the race.
“Our DJ is Anderson
Brooks; he will be set up in
Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz International
front of Jack Brown’s
Beer and Burger Joint,
getting the crowds excited
and pumped up, ready to
run,” Cabiness said.
After the race,
Oktoberfest will take place
at Druid City Social. There
will be a medal ceremony
for the top runners. Mayor
Walt Maddox will speak,
and a representative from
Mercedes-Benz will tap a
keg to signify the start of
the official Oktoberfest
celebration.
When asked what they
think Oktoberfest is best
known for, Cabiness and
Eichhorn both agreed that
beer is a big part of the
tradition. Eichhorn noted
the cultural impact of
the festival.
“Mercedes employees
that are in the German
culture at a German
company, you hear about
German traditions, you
talk to German colleagues
at work,” Eichhorn said.
“It should be something
for our expats. Or even
American colleagues,
something that everyone
is excited about because
it’s a very German culture
that we push forward even
within an American or a
German company, being in
America trying to combine
various cultures.”
The event has several
sponsors, including
Buffalo Rock, Rusken
Packaging Inc., Ingenics
Consulting and Piggly
Wiggly. These companies
are partnered with
Tuscaloosa Tourism
and Sports, which
will be sponsoring the
Oktoberfest festival.
Cabiness and Eichhorn,
along with Molly
Blomeley-Hamby,
a wellness supplier
for Mercedes-Benz, all
expressed why they feel
the cause is important to
the community.
“For me, it’s personal,”
Cabiness said. “I lost
my mother to breast
cancer a little over four
years ago. I just think
it’s really important
for Mercedes because
we want to make sure
that we are connected
to our community and
environment.”
Cabiness said she never
had cancer in her family
prior to her mother’s
diagnosis, and getting that
awareness out, especially
since October is breast
cancer awareness month,
is important to her.
“Get your screenings,
get your mammograms,
and do what you need
to do to make sure that
you’re healthy,” Cabiness
said. “Make sure you're
doing things to catch
cancer or symptoms early.
Make sure that you're
taking care of yourself,
and it will be well
worth it.”
Blomeley-Hamby
mentioned the importance
of community and
togetherness.
“I think it’s good to
get us all together, doing
something fun instead
of working and sitting
around and working
on a computer,”
Blomeley-
Hamby said.
The
Oktoberfest
5K shows that
Mercedes wants
to create bridges
internally
between team
members, the community
and the German culture.
“It also shows that a big
company like Mercedes
focuses on community
outreach programs, and
they encourage team
members to be involved,”
Eichhorn said. “Especially
the fact that our CEO is so
supportive of this, I think
says a lot about working
at Mercedes.”
Cabiness said she
wants everyone to know
that Oktoberfest is open to
families and people of all
ages. The event is based
around fun and overall
celebration.
A celebration of Native American history at Moundville
Caroline Simmons
Contributing Photographer
From Oct. 4-7, people gathered at the Moundville
Archaeological Park to partake in the 35th annual Moundville
Native American Festival. Known as one of the largest
celebrations of Native American communities in Alabama,
the four-day event offers attendees the chance to meet Native
American artisans, see traditional dances and listen to stories
and music. The festival also featured ways to support local
Native American businesses at the ancient city on the Black
Warrior River.

4B
opinion
The garbage in, garbage out of campaign finance
Chance Phillips
Contributing
Columnist
Sen. Robert Menendez,
D-N.J., was indicted Sept.
22 for allegedly pocketing
hundreds of thousands of
dollars in bribes, including
literal bars of gold. However,
those who pay attention to
Alabama politics may have
some trouble figuring out
what exactly Menendez
did wrong.
In Alabama, ever since
Gov. Robert Bentley signed
Senate Bill 445 into law in
2013, corporations are free
to donate as much money
as they want to political
candidates.
Thanks to SB 445, Gov.
Kay Ivey’s reelection
campaign received an
eye-popping $235,000 in
donations from Alabama
Power. That’s almost a
quarter of a million dollars
from the same Alabama
Power that, according to the
American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy, is
in contention for the least
efficient utility company in
the country.
In 2018, Alabama Power
was fined $1.25 million
for polluting groundwater.
Five years later, in 2023,
the Alabama state
government is still trying
to give Alabama Power
a sweetheart deal so the
company doesn’t have to
properly and safely dispose
of their coal ash.
Bentley allowing
corporations to flood
elections with cash
has supercharged this
seemingly quid pro quo
approach to policy making.
Of course, political
campaigns need to raise
money somehow: to pay
for ads, to hire campaign
staff and to host rallies. I’ve
personally donated to more
than a couple candidates
for public office in my home
state of Virginia.
But a system where
corporations, PACs and the
super rich handpick which
candidates have a fighting
chance is both unjust
and undemocratic. When
companies getting lucrative
public contracts donate
thousands upon thousands
of dollars to the campaigns
of the people who approve
those contracts, we need
to be asking some hard
questions.
Here in Tuscaloosa,
every single sitting city
councilor accepts donations
from companies that do
business in Tuscaloosa,
including businesses that
bid for public contracts.
For example, J.T. Harrison
Construction Company
was recently awarded a
$7.3 million contract to
build a new YMCA. J.T.
Harrison Construction and
its founder and president,
Tim Harrison, donated
to the campaigns of City
Councilors Cassius Lanier,
Norman Crow and Raevan
Howard in 2021, as well as
Mayor Walt Maddox.
They might not have
received bars of gold, but
I would sure feel awfully
grateful to anyone who gave
me $500 or $1,000. Councilor
Lanier was absent from
the Sept. 12 City Council
meeting, but neither
Crow nor Howard recused
themselves from the vote to
tentatively award the YMCA
construction contract.
Both voted to give $7.3
million to J.T. Harrison
Construction Company.
Am I saying the
Tuscaloosa City Council
isn’t following Alabama’s
competitive bid law to
the letter? No, I’m not. J.T.
Harrison Construction was
the lowest of five bidders
for the YMCA contract.
But federal government
contractors are expressly
barred from making any
political contributions for
good reason.
Democratic politics don’t
just require the absence
of impropriety. They
require the absence of the
appearance of impropriety.
When Tuscaloosa
residents know real estate
companies donate tens
of thousands of dollars
to the mayor and to City
Council members, they may
start doubting whether
the city government has
purely selfless reasons for
its horrifying inaction on
Tuscaloosa’s housing crisis.
Worst of all, some members
of Tuscaloosa’s current city
council haven’t even tried to
avoid the appearance
of impropriety.
Going into the last week
of May 2021, more than
a month after the runoff
elections, City Councilor
Matthew Wilson’s campaign
had a balance of $0.65.
That week, he received two
donations of $1,250, one
from Pride PAC II and one
from T-Town PAC II. On May
28, Wilson repaid $2,500 in
loans he had made to his
own campaign, leaving the
campaign once again with a
balance of $0.65.
Did anything illegal
happen? No, of course
not. PACs are meant to
give money to campaigns,
Wilson had loaned a
lot of money to his own
campaign, and paying off
debt is a valid campaign
expenditure.
It is also completely
accurate to say that a
month after Wilson was
elected, thousands of
dollars from two PACs run
by Michael Echols ended up
in Wilson’s pockets. Before
the election, Echols’ PACs
had exclusively been giving
money to one of Wilson’s
opponents, Katherine
Waldon, and not to Wilson.
Free from impropriety?
I believe so. Free from the
appearance of impropriety?
Of course not. After all,
donating to a campaign a
month after an election
won’t change which
candidate was elected.
In my opinion, the only
thing it could possibly
change is what the new
city councilor thinks of you
and your business interests.
Politicians can and should
refuse donations that
come with strings or from
unethical sources.
Josh Taylor, the treasurer
for Pride PAC II and T-Town
PAC II, said in an email that
“all contributions to and
expenditures from each
PAC are properly disclosed
and in compliance with the
Alabama Fair Campaign
Practices Act and are public
record available from the
Alabama Secretary of State.”
Wilson did not respond
to The Crimson White’s
requests for comment.
Besides helping
politicians pocket
thousands of dollars from
The Tuscaloosa City Hall is located downtown. CW / Jennifer Stroud
wealthy donors, laissezfaire
campaign finance
regulations make it almost
impossible for dissatisfied
voters to enact meaningful
change.
On the rare occasion
that a sitting city councilor
is ousted, voters will find
the same monied interests
backing the new candidate.
Freshman City Councilor
John Faile, dubbed a
“political newcomer” by
Tuscaloosa News, was
supported by the same
PACs and businesses that
bankrolled just about every
other candidate: United
PAC, BIZPAC, Pride PAC II
and Weaver Rentals.
Even though a fair
percentage of donations
in the 2021 City Council
races were from individual
donors, the average
donation from an individual
was $426.91. People able
to donate hundreds of
dollars to a candidate for
City Council simply aren’t
representative of the wider
Tuscaloosa population.
For voters and not
wealthy political donors
to pick Tuscaloosa’s
City Council, we need
campaign finance reform.
But if campaign finance
regulations with real teeth
could even get passed
when Alabama politicians
love their corporate cash
so much, they’d have
to pass scrutiny with a
Supreme Court irrationally
squeamish about public
election financing and limits
on campaign contributions.
The Supreme Court
has made it more than
clear in recent years that
it thinks any attempt to
help grassroots candidates
compete with corporate
stooges is unconstitutional,
unless it stops corruption.
At the same time, the
court has been gradually
redefining corruption and
making it easier for venal
public officials to stuff their
pockets, all while justices
treat themselves to free
trips on billionaires’ private
jets and yachts.
Thanks to the Supreme
Court, Seattle, Washington,
and Oakland, California,
have had to pioneer a new
way to help candidates
compete with corporate
cash. Both cities are giving
residents free vouchers to
donate to local political
campaigns. Candidates can
cash in these vouchers to
run campaigns without
begging for donations from
local businesses and PACs.
This is an obviously
flawed solution, but we
desperately need to do
something, anything, about
the campaign finance status
quo. Right now, to fund
a competitive campaign
candidates need tens of
thousands of dollars from
businesses, PACs and
wealthy donors, and voters
are supposed to just naively
assume this won’t affect
their decisions once
in office.
Are the businesses
donating tens of thousands
of dollars to Alabama’s
politicians really just
expressing principled
political preferences? Or do
they want a quid for their
quo, a public contract for
their metaphorical gold
bars, a license to pollute for
their $235,000?
Michael Echols said it
best: “Do people expect
anything in return for
making contributions? If
they don’t, I’m proud of
them.”
Contributors to City Councilors’ Campaigns
in 2021 Election Cycle (by Amount Donated)
Student Media Launch Dates
Alice Magazine
November 9, 2023 @
Monarch Espresso Bar
7 to 9 p.m.
1956 Magazine
November 8, 2023 @
John England Hall
6 to 7:30 p.m.
CW / Chance Phillips

opinion
We need to work to make campus a safe place for free speech
5B
Students from various campus organizations gather on the Quad to protest Matt Walsh’s “What is a Woman” tour event on Oct. 27, 2022. CW Archive
Garrett Marchand
Contributing
Columnist
In an increasingly
polarized country, it
is hard for students not
to feel that the same
polarization plagues us at
The University of Alabama.
It seems many of us even
think it is unsafe to share
our opinions, especially in
the classroom.
What is especially
interesting is that much
of this fear seems to come
from a self-perception
that each of us holds a
minority perspective on
any given issue, with
conservative students
seemingly believing that
the campus leans liberal
and liberal students
seemingly believing
that the campus leans
conservative.
This contradiction
causes everyone, on both
the right and the left, to
feel more uncomfortable
sharing their views than
they probably should.
It cannot be ignored,
however, that there is an
issue with free speech
on college campuses,
especially at The
University of Alabama. The
2024 College Free Speech
Rankings conducted by the
Foundation for Individual
Rights and Expression and
College Pulse dropped the
University to 154th out of
248 colleges ranked. This
was a drop from 81st in
the 2022-23 report.
This same study also
found that there are about
1.5 liberal students for
every conservative student
at the University. Although
there are more liberal
students overall, the
University ranked 192nd
in tolerance for liberal
speakers and 65th in
tolerance for conservative
speakers.
It seems that while
more people hold liberal
views on campus,
liberal students do not
feel as comfortable as
conservative students in
sharing their opinions.
Those on the right
often believe that
suppression of free speech
affects them in particular
due to the increasing
prevalence of diversity,
equity and inclusion
policies nationwide. With
a University of Alabama
professor citing campuswide
diversity, equity
and inclusion initiatives
as a reason for leaving
the University, this
perceived left-wing push
by administrators on many
campuses has catalyzed
the fear that conservative
students are unsafe to
speak on campus.
While this fear can
be justifiable, the survey
from FIRE shows it is
not solely a conservative
phenomenon, and a fear
of speaking one’s mind
crosses party lines
and perspectives.
The survey from
FIRE also found that
Shop Boots,
Jeans, & Hats
at The Wharf
in Northport
67% of UA students
are at least “somewhat
uncomfortable” sharing
their views on a
“controversial political
topic during an in-class
discussion.” It found
further that 45% of “very
liberal” students and a
majority of “somewhat
liberal” to “very
conservative” students,
including “moderates,”
share this fear across
campuses nationwide.
Here, we see what
I believe to be a bigger
problem than diversity,
equity and inclusion
policies or a student body
hostile to free speech —
people have a natural
tendency to think they are
in an environment where
it is unsafe to share their
point of view.
Sometimes, this may be
a problem with individual
instructors or classes.
However, it could also be
the case that students
are generally influenced
by what they hear from
the media, their peers
and others who say they
cannot openly share
their views for fear of
retribution.
The thought of
polarization seems to have
created an elevated fear
of retribution for sharing
one’s beliefs that, while
present on some level,
appears to be a bigger
problem in our heads than
it is in reality.
It is important to note
that this perception is
cross-political: Moderate,
conservative and liberal
students are all afraid of
sharing their views. A poll
by Intelligent found that
around 50% of moderate,
liberal and conservative
students “refrain from
speaking up about
political or social issues
in the classroom out of
concern for potential
consequences.”
When students across
the political spectrum
feel fear of speaking their
minds in classrooms, there
is an issue beyond one
side suppressing the other.
This trend is what
many political scientists
call the Spiral of Silence.
In general terms, this
theory suggests that
people fear social
isolation and thus have
an exaggerated fear
of going against what
they perceive to be the
prevailing opinion in a
group environment, thus
causing them to feel that
their perspective is in the
minority and therefore not
share it, preventing others
who may feel the same
from sharing their views.
This can present itself
in settings where the
person who speaks first
sets the trend for how
a discussion goes with
others who speak after
choosing to echo similar
points of view and others
opting to remain silent as
to their actual perspective.
Simply put, there
is a severe problem on
college campuses: People
are afraid to share their
opinions on any issue that
can be perceived
as controversial.
However, this problem
may be exacerbated by an
ever-increasing belief that
the state of free speech on
campus is worse than it is.
The only way to break out
of this cycle is for students
to be more open about
their thoughts in class and
be willing to take a risk
and stand out against the
perceived group belief.
There is always the
chance that a group or
teacher may lean against
one’s opinion politically,
but that is no reason to
hide one’s own beliefs for
fear of being shut down
for one’s thoughts unless
there is actual evidence
of retaliation.
Ideally, professors need
to be increasingly aware
of any perceived bias on
their part or that of the
group. Instructors must
work overtime to ensure
students feel comfortable
sharing their points of
view no matter where
someone may be on the
political spectrum. Yes,
the problem seems to be
worse than it is.
However, perception is
reality, and that perception
needs to be changed by
strong leadership from
professors who set the
environment in which
their class exists.
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