Since early February, patrons on the Strip have had a new option to satisfy their late night cravings. A new location of Waffle House, located on University Boulevard between Crimson Cafe and Smoothie King, has had a steady flow of customers — many of them students — since its doors opened on February 6.

Restaurant manager Omar Dinkins has noticed a distinctly different atmosphere from other Waffle House locations.

“It’s different than your typical Waffle House. There are a lot more younger people here during the day,” Dinkins said. “So the attitude around this place is a lot more pleasant, and I think that has a lot to do with why people are happy to be here and why people keep coming back.”

Although the business has been open for only a short period of time, Dinkins has noticed a large and energetic late-night crowd, which is due mostly, he said, to the proximity of the Waffle House to the University of Alabama campus and many local bars.

“Nighttime is pretty exciting. I have a lot of fun when I work nights,” he said. “It’s really busy, with lots of kids coming in.”

While the restaurant’s location is convenient for students, limited parking on the Strip poses a challenge for customers who do not live within walking distance. Customers who frequented the McFarland Boulevard Waffle House, which has been torn down since the location on the Strip opened, have not been able to establish the same dining habits as a result.

“So many of those McFarland regulars don’t believe that they can come in and get a parking space so they don’t really come by very often,” Dinkins said. “We’ve lost a few of them from the old location because of that.”

They have not lost Radford Pruett, a local real estate agent for Prudential Pritchett Moore who has maintained his loyalty through the move.

“I used to go to the Waffle House on McFarland at least once a month,” Pruett said. “I don’t think that is going to change, because the good thing about Waffle House is it’s always going to be prepared the same, and you can always expect it to taste delicious.”

Dinkins said he hopes that the McFarland transplants and the new UA students regulars can help form a new cycle of regulars.

“We see a lot of new faces,” Dinkins said. “Everybody wants to come in and see the new store.”

Jake Murray, a senior majoring in business, has been a frequent customer at the 24-hour diner during the month it has been open.

“The new Waffle House is the best addition [to the Strip] I have seen in a long time,” Murray said. “I love the convenience of being able to walk from class, though I will say that I usually go there after the bars close, because it is one of the better places still selling food.”

William Caudell, a senior majoring in English, has also made several visits to the new Waffle House.

“When I heard a Waffle House was coming to the Strip, I knew I would be a frequent customer,” said Caudell. “It’s about time they smartened up and decided to put in something college kids are guaranteed to enjoy.”

-by Kellie Munts, Mari Johnson, Lynzee Birtsch and Hayden North

Abbey Neilsen and Lance Nenninger take a walk on a sunny afternoon in their neighborhood. ©Miranda Murphy

Photo of Alistair Delchamps fencing against Slavin Mu at the Birmingham Fencing Club in Vestavia Hills, Ala. © John Davdison

Photo of Sydney Smiley and Olivia Lee sharing a laugh at Bryant Dining Hall during the fall 2011 semester. Smiley and Lee eat together at Bryant every Monday and Wednesday. © Anna Ramia

To the Hearst judges:
The tornadoes of April 27, 2011, killed multiple University of Alabama students and caused the University to immediately send home its 30,000 students.
But student editors and reporters at The Crimson White didn’t leave.
Instead, they spent weeks keeping their students—and the rest of the world—updated with what had happened and what was happening in Tuscaloosa. Their continuous updates to their Web site, with stories, videos, maps, photography and social media posts, drew national attention.
The entry by now-senior Jonathan Reed hopes to capture the essence of what The Crimson White did during that time. The speed of posting in the chaos of the post-tornado days, and limits to the CW’s website, meant that the paper did not create a single site for coverage. In consultation with Jan Watten, this page was built specifically to host Reed’s entry for this contest. None of the content has been changed.
This URL includes a link to a video by Jonathan, his story, and a PDF of some of the Twitter traffic he led. I hope it will provide evidence of the stellar and important multimedia work he created in the first few days after our city’s tragedy.
Please contact me if you have questions.

Chris Roberts |croberts@ua.edu
Head, Newspaper and Online News Division
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Assistant professor, Department of Journalism
The University of Alabama

Video: Alberta neighborhood, Tuscaloosa, April 30, 2011

Examples from the Crimson White Twitter feed

by Avery Driggers

Hipsters. What are they? More than just an aggressive breed of twenty-something’s who wear tight pants and unnecessary glasses, hipsters also belittle anything cherished by the mainstream, enjoy music no one else has ever heard of, and ideally maintain no more than 2% body fat.

There are seven shades of hipster. Although unified by their love for thrift stores and irony, the following seven categories highlight the subtle, yet crucial differences that make all of these hipsters so unique.

If you find yourself relating to any of the seven hipsters profiles, then congratulations! You are different– which is true of all hipsters. And if you don’t, then congratulations! Your ignorant, mainstream consumerism chopped down the rain forest, ­­­­­screwed over the ozone, and cancelled Arrested Development. You and your Taylor-Swift-singing-Nike-tempo-short-wearing self is the reason there is no more beauty or independent thinking in this world.

So let’s just hope you can relate.

The classic hipster

Enjoy poetry, home-brewed beer and $40 v-necks

The Hippie-hipster

Loves hitchhiking, organic farming, and may or may not bathe regularly

The nerdy hipster (nerd-sters)

Is too school for cool. And are intentionally or unintentionally a part of the hipsterdom

The f*** you hipster

Enjoys tattoos, mustaches, shocking others, and are commonly confused with rednecks

The eco-chic hipster

Rides their bike to work (after doing their morning yoga and meditation session) and they end the day with a trip to Whole Foods and their local art-gallery opening.

The young, upwardly mobile hipster (yup-sters)

Drives hybrids, secretly like Starbucks, and want to be as successful as possible without looking like they care too much

The elitist hipster

Is an artist, and they hate the term hipster almost as much as they hate Republicans and Walmart

The trendy hipster (trend-sters)

Tragically trendy, they wear glasses without a prescription, probably own a flannel shirt, and are most likely to be seen shopping at Urban Outfitters

By Amanda Bayhi

In response to the USDA’s switch in June from the nearly 20-year-old pyramid food guide to MyPlate, Harvard University released its own version, the Healthy Eating Plate, on September 14.

Harvard researchers based their Healthy Eating Plate on the same visual guidelines as the USDA’s MyPlate, and it even follows the same guide of half a plate of fruits and vegetables–with more veggies than fruits. That’s where the resemblance ends; Harvard takes its Healthy Eating Plate in a different direction than the USDA’s MyPlate, even adding textual guides.

P.J. Skerrett, Editor of Harvard Heart Letter, wrote on the Harvard Health blog that it was necessary to modify MyPlate because of inaccuracies. He says the MyPlate leaves out important details and is influenced by the politics behind agriculture and food industries rather than by science.

Skerrett points out the areas the Healthy Eating Plate changes in MyPlate:

“…. MyPlate recommends milk or dairy at every meal, even though there is little evidence that high dairy intake protects against osteoporosis and substantial evidence that consuming a lot of milk and dairy foods can be harmful. It says nothing about healthy oils, which are good for the heart, arteries, and the rest of the body. And it is shockingly silent on sugary drinks, which provide far too many empty calories.”

Skerrett adds that Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate, unlike the USDA’s MyPlate, is completely research-based, with no influence from commercial sources.

However, Boston Globe reporter Deborah Kotz interviewed New York University nutrition professor Marion Nestle and discovered some discrepancies in Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate. Nestle says that Harvard unnecessarily limits consumers’ intake of dairy products to two servings per day, including even low-fat dairy products. Nestle also points out other flaws, such as a lack of eggs, which are a great source for high amounts of protein, and the exclusion of all potatoes. Nestle says not all potatoes should be forbidden, since some, like sweet potatoes, provide plenty of nutrients without spiking blood sugar levels.

Nestle also points out that diversity is as important as nutrition:

“I think the emphasis on diet quality — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats — is terrific but I’m also a foodie. I care a lot about the way food tastes and its diversity. I want more room for both on my plates.”

We can debate guides such as MyPlate and the Healthy Eating Plate all we want, but in the end they are simply guides, and they will likely change as our knowledge about food changes. It’s like First Lady Michelle Obama says in Kotz’s post: as long as our plate is “half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we’re golden. That’s how easy it is.”

By Katherine McClellan

From my mother I learned the importance of loving others, the art of writing a good thank you note and the absolute necessity of looking someone in the eyes. She taught me that getting up early lengthens the day, especially if you exercise first, and that waiting to speak will spare me awkward conversations and tension.

From my mother I learned to read at night, pray throughout the day and store a collection of presents in case a friend’s birthday sneaks up on you. From her example, I learned to eat lots of vegetables, to pick a good attitude regardless of the situation and to listen to what others said without interrupting.

From my father I learned that hard work isn’t complete without perseverance, tasty food isn’t finished without spices and spending money isn’t fine without saving some too. He taught me thrift, critical thinking and respect for authority. He encouraged me to dream about my future career, possibilities and passions. He made sure I could pursue my interests, attend good schools and have innumerable opportunities.

From my father I learned to read instead of watch television, to collect the loose coins in my pocket at the end of the day instead of tossing them aside and to follow politicians instead of celebrities. From his example, I learned that the radio couldn’t compete with the classics—Elvis, The Beatles, The Animals, The Beach Boys, Janis Joplin and Johnny Cash.

From my Mimi I learned to laugh often, to travel when the opportunity arose and to treat people to a cup of coffee. She taught me that friendships and pets are invaluable. If you have the opportunity to visit a foreign country, you’d better bring everyone a souvenir.

From my Grandma I learned gratitude, humility and determination. Orphaned, without a high school diploma or money, she put herself through night classes to get her G.E.D., cosmetology school to support her kids, and the courses to get her builder’s license. I learned not to be embarrassed about anything, unless it was something I chose to do. I learned to be fiercely loyal, incredibly thankful and consciously mindful of others.

From my brother I learned that persistence and a teachable spirit compensate for the lack of natural abilities in most areas. I learned that integrity and honor might not be popular, but they worth far more than popularity and last longer. I learned that one’s reputation isn’t fixed, but can change with one’s actions. He taught me the importance of being well hydrated, the value of being a camp counselor instead of a summer intern and the worth of having fun, being goofy and including everyone.

From my sister I learned the importance of being myself. I learned that laughter, constant chatter and borrowing someone else’s clothes without asking can bring people closer together, but only after they begin to ask before borrowing. I learned that mimicking someone is the highest compliment, that my actions have weight because they affect others and sometimes people chose to follow my lead. My sister taught me the importance of forgiveness and the ability that apologies have to mend broken relationships.

Along with all the serious lessons I have learned throughout life, I have learned countless practical and trivial things.

My hairdresser taught me how to cut my hair without it looking like I cut it myself. Counselor training taught me that bed-wetters should be assigned a bottom bunk, preferably nowhere near the counselor’s bed. My grandmother taught me that Mr. Pepper is married to Mrs. Salt; the two must never be separated. When they travel to someone else’s plate, they insist on traveling together.

Dogs shouldn’t be fed before their first car trip; puppies get upset stomachs very quickly.  Leftover food belongs in the refrigerator, not the trunk of the car. Being late never pays.

I’ve learned many more things throughout my life, but most things of value I’ve learned from the church, my family and friends. Relaxing is important, enjoying, serving and loving people matters more than grades and resumes, schedules aren’t everything, patience saves relationships, spares you from road-rage and high-blood pressure. Being stressed out and worrying accomplishes nothing, instead it leaves you with gray hair, wrinkles and health problems. Accidents happen. Integrity matters.

By Ramey Edwards

As the university set its record enrollment this fall with 28,807 students, it makes sense that Bryant-Denny stadium will set its record attendance as well. In the past few years, the stadium has expanded from 92,000 to almost 102,000 seats. There is now a new rule for the student section that after a certain number of students have swiped in at the gate, they will completely close off the lower level of the stadium. It makes sense to start sending students to the upper deck when the seats are full down below, but there are still some serious flaws with the system.

Imagine this: You have just waited in line for 45 minutes in the 90 degree weather to get into the game. You’re hot, it’s crowded, it takes forever for you to get through the gate because they have to swipe every student’s ID and check every purse that enters. All you want to do is get inside, find a seat and wait for the game to start. You spend the next 45 minutes searching for a seat just to find that there is no way you and your friends will all be able to sit together. As far as you can tell, there is not an empty seat anywhere in the lower deck. At this point, you don’t even care that you’re going to have to go all the way to the upper deck. You and your friends head for the gate that you came in through to try and go up top only to find that you can’t leave. The cops at the gate are saying if you leave, even to try to go to the upper deck, you won’t be able to get back in. You are now stuck in the lower deck, with no seat, the scalding sun, and a four-hour game to make it through. You decide to stay and just stand wherever you can, but the whole game there is constantly someone telling you that you can’t be standing where you are.

Although being forced to stand the entire game is annoying, it is even more obnoxious when you know you have a seat but you aren’t allowed to get to it. On a different game day you might decide you don’t want to go in two hours early for a game that we know is going to be a shut-out. Your friend calls and says he’s going in and saving a bunch of seats for everybody. By the time you make it to the stadium, the lower deck is already closed off and people are being shoved towards the upper deck. It is extremely frustrating knowing that you have a seat saved in the lower deck but being forced to sit in the upper deck.

I will be at every home Alabama football game that I can go to, but something has got to change. It would be best if the stadium would open the lower and upper decks from the time the gates open and leave them both open. That way, if students go and check for a seat down low and can’t find one, it’s no big deal for them to just spill over to the top. We’re all adults here and I think it’s time we start getting treated like it.

By Amanda Bayhi

I believe in writing poetry.

Poetry is an incredible form of expression. It gives writers the freedom to show others their interests and how they feel through images and a variety of verses. It can make the most awful situation appear amazing and the worst words sound wonderful. Poetry is beauty.

The first poem I remember writing was about a butterfly. I cut the paper into the shape of a butterfly. As a seven-year-old, I was proud of myself.

However, I didn’t completely fall in love with words until I was ten years old. At the time, my passion was for writing anything. My teacher taught my class about grammar through color charts and sentence diagramming, and I couldn’t wait to put the tactics I learned to use in my very own essays. My teacher’s support and encouragement pushed me to write more and more.

Over the years, I continued to write essays for school and contests. I used the five paragraph structure my instructors taught me, and had memorized a good bit of MLA standards. By the time I became a senior in high school, I had nearly forgotten about poetry. I enjoyed reading it, but I doubted I could write anything as good as the poems I read. I figured creativity wasn’t my thing—I should just stick to writing about factual topics.

About two years ago, I rediscovered my love for poetry when I started a blog on Blogspot. I took myself too seriously then. I used to write only when I felt negative emotions, and I always tried to make it dramatic because I thought that’s what poetry was supposed to be. But I learned otherwise when I took my first creative writing course. Poetry can be about anything, and that’s why anyone can write it. I can write when I’m heartbroken, if that’s what I want to do. But I can also write when I’ve fallen in love. Or when I’m feeling elated. Or mediocre. Or obsessive. Or, anything at all.

I once heard a writer say that she is always writing, even when she isn’t writing. That is an amazing way to look at poetry. I like to think of it as a sort of song always playing in the writer’s head. Another writer, Susan Mitchell, wrote, “Do I live in order to write? Or do I write in order to live my life as I do?” I sometimes wonder the same thing. I often feel more that I write to live. Writing enhances my life. I can’t go a day without writing at least a piece of something, even if it is only one line. Poetry is my air.

I enjoy many kinds of writing from fiction to journalism to MLA-style papers. But I wouldn’t cut any of them into a butterfly. I can choose from many styles of writing. But none other is poetry.