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Thursday, August 6, 2009 Serving the University of Alabama since 1894 Vol. 116, Issue 10

A & EA & E 99‘Food, Inc.’ opens in

Tuscaloosa

By Katie KoenigStaff Writer

Five students from the University have earned fund-ing and distinction for their research on neurological disor-ders. Nathan Roberts, a sopho-more from Huntsville double majoring in chemistry and biol-ogy, and John Ricketts, a senior from Birmingham majoring in biology, were named as Alabama Dystonia Scholars for 2009-10. Sophomore Paige Dexter of Enterprise, senior Susan DeLeon of San Antonio, Texas, and sophomore Mike Zhang of Tuscaloosa were named Parkinson’s Association of Alabama Scholars. These students are under-

graduates working with Guy and Kim Caldwell in their research lab, using microscop-ic transparent worms to study these diseases. Roberts and Ricketts were awarded research scholarships that will allow them to study dystonia, which is a movement disorder which involves painful muscle contractions for a pro-longed period of time, Ricketts said. Roberts said the disease can also be characterized by twisting and abnormal pos-tures. Dystonia can be focused on a specific body part, such as the hands or neck, which is known as focal dystonia. It can also be spread throughout the body, which is known as generalized

By Lindsey Holland Staff Writer

Beginning 12:01 a.m. Friday, students, parents and shop-pers alike can purchase certain clothes, school supplies and electronics tax free. According to the Alabama Department of Revenue Web site, the tax-free exemptions end at midnight on Sunday. This is Alabama’s fourth annu-al sales tax holiday. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 back to school survey, the aver-age family with school-aged

By Amethyst HolmesCampus Life Editor

On a hot afternoon on the corner of University Boulevard, Derryck Gleaton, a junior simply known as D-Sharp, keeps his cool while pulling out his electric-blue violin from its case. With Snow Patrol’s ballad “Chasing Cars” playing on the outdoor speakers of Buffalo Phil’s, he effortlessly picks up the melody and plays along by ear. Supporters show their appreciation for his craft by honking their horns in ado-ration and yelling “D-Sharp! Woo!” out of their car windows. Gleaton humbly smiles as he realizes that he has con-nected with yet another audience. Gleaton, now majoring in viola per-formance, was introduced to the viola in sixth grade and has been playing

ever since. To his own surprise, he counts on his fingers that he has been playing for ten years. While in the ninth grade, he and his family moved from Columbus, Ga. to Anniston where the high school he attended did not have a program for him to develop his instrumental abili-ties. “They didn’t have any string pro-grams in the school, so I started taking private lessons and played in three dif-ferent orchestras,” Gleaton said. Growing tired of the classical sheet music that he regularly memorized, Gleaton decided to try something new by playing songs that he heard on the radio. With his own renditions and com-positions of everything from Michael Jackson and Kanye West to Taylor

Swift and Linkin Park, he works to show people that he has versatility. “I just want to show people I can play any type of music,” Gleaton said. “I don’t just play Hip-Hop. I do it all.” Through dsharptheviolinist.com as well as his YouTube, Twitter, Myspace and Facebook accounts, he connects with thousands of viewers at a time. Hesaid many of his supporters commend him for bringing a new sound to such atimeless instrument and have crownedhim as the Jimi Hendrix of the violin. Unlike Hendrix, he doesn’t ignite flames on his instruments. He said theburning desire to be successful is what keeps him on fire. On a recent trip to Atlanta, Gleaton played for four hours straight in hopes

By Amanda PetersonEditor

Tuscaloosa residents have until Aug. 15 to register to vote in the Aug. 25 municipal elec-tions, but UA students must also make sure they have ful-filled residency requirements, officials said. Kathy Viselli, chairwoman of the Tuscaloosa County Board of Registrars, said voters must have lived in the county limits for at least 30 days before the election. “If they’ve been here and can prove that they’ve been here… then they can update their reg-istration and they would be eli-gible to vote,” she said. Students who live on campus are eligible as well, but Viselli said they must have a physi-cal address for their dormitory and a local post office box. While most transfer stu-dents and incoming freshmen will not meet the residency

requirements, James Fowler, SGA vice president for external

Students win research grants, honors

D-Sharp never falls flat

CW | Bethany MartinWhitney R. Foster, an accounting major, is getting ready for back to school and taking advantage of the tax-free weekend.

Ala. tax-free weekend starts FridayShoppers likely to spend less than last year

SGA to hold registration for UA voters

See FUNDING, page 2

See TAX FREE, page 6

See D-SHARP, page 5

See SGA, page 2

Gleaton improvs on his untradi-tional violin. He said he wanted something that was eye-catch-ing, so he bought his blue violin fi ve years ago. Glea-ton has had many musi-cal accom-plishments already, including playing on Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.

CW | Sydney Prather

• What: SGA voter registration drive

• Where: middle fl oor of the Ferguson Student Center

• When: Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Requirements: Students must have lived in the county for at least 30 days, and on-campus students must have a physical address for their dorm and a local post offi ce box.

IF YOU GO ...

SPORTSFootball Football

fall camp fall camp kicks offkicks off

1111

PAGE TODAY

• Artrageous Riverfront Arts Tour: arts at galleries in Tuscaloosa and Northport, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• The Birmingham Seven: Little Willie’s, 8 p.m.

• Battle of the Bands finals: Jupiter Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m.

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY• The Hillbilly Circus: Jupiter Bar & Grill, 9 p.m.

• Freshman move-in begins

• August commencement ceremo-nies: 9 a.m., Coleman Coliseum

• Cinema Nouveau presents “Food, Inc.”: Bama Theatre, 5:30 p.m. recep-tion, 7 p.m. movie

Thursday August 6, 20092

QUOTE OF THE DAY“We have lots of Jack linebackers. Fanney didn’t participate in spring practice and we didn’t drop football at Alabama…we’ll take every linebacker that we have on the team, inside or out, and try to make sure we get the best four linebackers on the field.”

— Alabama head football coach Nick Saban on the dismissal of linebacker Brandon Fanney. See story on page 11.

ANNOUNCEMENTSSend announcements and campus news

to cwnews@sa.ua.edu

The Crimson White is the community newspaper of The University of Alabama. The Crimson White is an editorially free newspaper produced by students. The University of Alabama cannot influence editorial decisions and editorial opinions are those of the editorial board and do not represent the official opinions of the University. Advertising offices of The Crimson White are on the first floor, Student Publications Building, 923 University Blvd. The advertising mailing address is P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White (USPS 138020) is published four times weekly when classes are in session during Fall and Spring Semester except for the Monday after Spring Break and the Monday after Thanksgiving, and once a week when school is in session for the summer. Marked calendar provided. The Crimson White is provided for free up to three issues. Any other papers are $1.00. The subscription rate for The Crimson White is $125 per year. Checks should be made payable to The University of Alabama and sent to: The Crimson White Subscription Department, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. The Crimson White is entered as periodical postage at Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Crimson White, P.O. Box 2389, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403-2389. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated other-wise, is Copyright © 2008 by The Crimson White and protected under the “Work Made for Hire” and “Periodical Publication” categories of the U.S. copyright laws. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permis-sion of The Crimson White.

ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL

• Drew Gunn, advertising manager, 348-8995, cwbizmanager@sa.ua.edu• Jake Knott, account execu-tive, (McFarland and Skyland boulevards), 348-8735• Dana Andrezejewski, account executive, (Northport & downtown Tuscaloosa), 348-6153• Andrew Pair, account executive, (UA Campus), 348-2670

• Rebecca Tiarsmith, account executive, (The Strip and Downtown), 348-6875• John Bouchard & Ross Lowe, account executives, (Non-traditional advertising), 348-4381• Autumn Winsett, classifieds coordinator, 348-7355•John Mathieu & Emily Ross, creative services, 348-8042

• Amanda Peterson, editor-in-chief• Will Nevin, managing editor• Avery Dame, metro/state editor• Amethyst Holmes, campus life editor• Lindsey Shelton, student life editor• Alan Blinder, opinions editor• Tyler Deierhoi, arts & entertainment editor• Jason Galloway, sports editor• Spencer White, assistant sports editor• Brandee Easter, design editor• Emily Johnson, assistant design editor• Sydney Prather, photo editor• Peggy Rossmanith, chief copy editor• Aaron Gertler, graphics editor• Andrew Richardson, web editor

2nd Street converted to one-way

Transportation Services and Construction Administration has closed the westbound lane of 2nd Street and converted the street from a two-way street to a one-way street (west-bound) from McCorvey Drive to the new Marr’s Spring Road. The change was made to more effectively serve the students living in the Ridgecrest Hall and Paty Hall communities. Also, 2nd Street at McCorvey Drive is closed for resurfac-ing. To accommodate the resurfacing project, all vehicles on both sides of 2nd Street from McCorvey to the entrance to the Blount/Paty parking lot will need to be moved to the Ferguson parking deck or the north Ferguson parking lot. No vehicle traffic will be allowed on 2nd Street until Sunday morning, Aug. 16, except for those students moving into Somerville and Palmer halls Sunday or Friday, Aug. 14. The gates to the Ferguson parking deck will remain open until traffic in this area, which has increased due to construction and students moving into residence halls, returns to tradi-tional levels. For more information, visit www.bamaparking.ua.edu/pages/announcement.html.

dystonia, Ricketts said. There is currently no cure for dystonia, and physicians can only prescribe treatments to manage the symptoms of the disease. There are estimates that upwards of 300,000 people in North America suffer from dystonia, Roberts said. Ricketts said he has been working in the research lab with the Caldwells since his

freshman year. Roberts said he learned about the Caldwell lab before he came to the University. While working at the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Roberts learned many of the skills needed to work in a lab while creating kits used in high school labora-tories. It was there that Roberts said he found an article about the Caldwells winning a Hudson Alpha Innovation Prize. The scientist Roberts worked

with, Dr. Bob Zahorchack, told Roberts he knew the couple and would recommend Roberts to work in their lab. Roberts said that while he was excited about being a part of the lab since he loved science and research, he didn’t know anything about dystonia before joining the Caldwells’ lab when he came to the University. However, the more Roberts studied the disease, the more he said he realized he was fighting for victims of the dis-ease. “I am only 19 years old, yet I have been put in a position where hard work and deter-mination can affect people’s lives,” Roberts said. “That’s pretty huge for me. It is no lon-ger about just doing science.” Ricketts said he had a similar reasoning behind his desire to work with the Caldwells. “I wanted to participate in this research because the Caldwells give undergraduates a chance to do real, hands-on work in helping to cure diseas-es on a level that is not avail-able in most labs,” Ricketts said. Ricketts is preparing to apply to post-graduate programs to fulfill his desire of becoming a medical scientist. Zhang, DeLeon and Dexter are working with the same type of worms to study Parkinson’s disease. They are all biology majors. Zhang said he was involved in several research programs while in high school. One such program was an internship with the University of Alabama Center for Materials for Information Technology. That research focused on develop-

ing nanoparticles for hypother-mia therapy, a form of cancer treatment that can selectively target cancer cells. Zhang said this research led to him being named one of 300semifinalists selected nation-ally to participate in the Intel Science Talent Search, which he said is often referred to as the “Junior Nobel Prize.” It seems no surprise, then, that Zhang became involved in disease research at the University. “I remember being wowed back in 2004 by the discovery of a gene that affected immunity in monkeys to SIV, the mon-key version of HIV, and of the potential discoveries and treat-ments that could be found in humans,” Zhang said. Working in the Caldwell’s lab was the first research expe-rience for both DeLeon and Dexter. Dexter said her team investigates the possible thera-peutic role of small molecules known as “microRNAs” or “miRNAs” that control expres-sion of genes, including those related to Parkinson’s disease. Dexter said being a part of the research gives her experi-ence for her career plans of pursuing medical research while simultaneously making a positive impact on the lives ofothers. This will be DeLeon’s fourth year working in the Caldwells’ lab, and she said she had no research experience before working with them. “I’m really happy they gave me a shot back then and brought me so far to where I am now,” DeLeon said. “With them, I have grown immenselyas a research scientist and a person.” DeLeon said she hopes to continue research after gradu-ating as well as becoming the first person in her family to receive a Ph.D. While many students may think biology and research are boring, DeLeon said she finds it exciting. “I know it’s weird, but work-ing on gene regulation in worms is my life right now and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.

FUNDINGContinuned from page 1

SGAContinuned from page 1

“I know it’s weird, but working on gene regulation in worms is my life right now and I wouldn’t have it

any other way.”

— Susan DeLeon, a senior{ }

affairs, said being gone for the summer will not count against returning students who want to vote. To help students register before the election, Fowler said the SGA is holding voter registration drives on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the middle floor in the Ferguson Student Center. He said he hopes students take advantage of the chance to register and fulfill their civic duty in the municipal elections. “By casting your vote, stu-dents have an opportunity to allow city leaders to gain a better understanding of the wishes and desires of our University,” he said. Viselli said the two main precincts that include the UA campus in their districts are the polling place at the Student Rec Center and the Tuscaloosa County court-house annex. Councilman Lee Garrison, whose District 4 seat includes the campus, was unopposed, as was Mayor Walt Maddox. Kelly Horwitz is running for the District 4 Board of Education seat against incum-bent Bryan Chandler. On Aug. 24, the SGA will host a municipal meet-and-greet with candidates running for city council, mayor and the school board in the Zone, the upper level of Bryant-Denny Stadium, Fowler said. For additional information about registration guidelines and polling places, Fowler said students can visit sga.ua.edu for a link to the Voting Tide Web site.

Taking Back Sunday to perform at UA concert in September

Taking Back Sunday will perform at the University Sept. 18 for the Fall Concert presented by the Division of Student Affairs. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Fall Concert will go on sale Friday exclusively at www.crimsonartstickets.com. Student tickets are $15 and floor seats and general admis-sion tickets are $30. Free parking for the Fall Concert will be available at the UA Soccer Complex with shuttles provided by Crimson Ride.

Center for Teachingand Learning

• Free tutoring for many UA courses

• Supplementary videotapes and digitized videos for many UA courses

• Study Skills courses and workshops

• Math, Chemistry and Physics help sessions and / or test review sessions

• Educational television: CTL-TV channel 75 (on campus)

• Graduate School entrance exam preparation

Let the CTL help youstudy smarter - not harder.

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