MJP Journal 2011

The

Journal

The Newspaper of the 28th Multicultural Journalism Program workshop at The University of Alabama

Alberta faces long road to recovery DISASTER: After the April 27 tornado, Tuscaloosa communities struggle to rebuild. page 3

The remains of a house destroyed by the April 27, 2011 tornado stand in the wasteland that was once historic Alberta. | Michael Mumpower

INSIDE THE 28TH EDITION OF THE MJP JOURNAL

Residents cling to homes, hope

Amphitheater benefits area

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page 13

Steady tuition hike continues for UA students page 12

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THE MJP JOURNAL

FEMA ‘blesses’ tornado survivors in need Left: FEMA employee Iris Mayol helps Rita Hoskins of Alberta file a claim for financial aid.

Below: A chalking with the message “God is Here” is written outside the Alberta Post Office, which serves as FEMA headquarters. | Beth

BY BETH LINDLY “God is here.”

These words are marked in chalk along the steps in front of the Alberta Post Office, faded like the hopes of the residents of this neighborhood crushed by the April 27 tornado. They are words that Tracy Robinson, a resident of Sawyerville in Hale County, takes to heart.

“I have been blessed,” she said after walking out of the building, which now houses the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Tuscaloosa.

FEMA is basically “helping people get back on their feet after disasters,” said Tim Tyson, the FEMA spokesperson for the region. Stepping in at the request of Gov. Robert Bentley after the devastating April 27 tornado, FEMA provided financial aid for 12,385 Tuscaloosa County residents and counting.

The agency deployed a quick-response team on April 29 to coordinate state emergency response and give money to those in need. Rental assistance may be offered up to eighteen months after a disaster occurs. To make sure the majority of the survivors of the tornado knew about the financial aid, certain FEMA employees traveled door-to-door in the rubble. Not all of the qualified survivors felt they needed assistance—some opted to hire private contractors to repair their houses. Others simply denied the aid.

The need was great, but Tyson said his agency responded as well as it could, providing a combination of funds, housing and food.

“Our job isn’t to hoard money, it’s to give as much as you qualify for,” he said.

Lindly If the damage to a person’s property was caused by the tornado and happened between April 15 and May 31, the repairs may be covered by FEMA. The maximum amount one person may receive from the agency is $30,200, but the average applicant receives much less than that—$3,900. FEMA has awarded $12.8 million in grants statewide so far, with 82,246 people applying for aid. The agency is also working with the Department of Agriculture, due to the tornado’s impact on Alabama’s poultry industry.

According to Tyson, acceptance for federal grants is based on whether an applicant can be contacted, based on the information they gave FEMA,

and overall financial need.

They also have to commit to rebuild the houses they lost, and FEMA employees monitor their progress monthly.

June 27 is the deadline to apply for grants, and according to Stacey Bluford, an employee focused on disaster recovery centers, they have more applicants in the past week than in any previous weeks.

Tyson acknowledged that not everyone is satisfied with the speed of the process.

“For some people, we just can’t move quickly enough,” he said. “In that case I recommend they get private contractors, because we’re doing all we can.”

Denials for financial aid are

a large percentage of the complaints, but they can be redacted if an appeal is made to the agency.

When asked how long FEMA would be centered in Tuscaloosa, Tyson said, “We’re

here till everyone gets what they need.”

Robinson smiled despite the crumbling stores and residences around her and repeats that FEMA has blessed her.

God is here.

In Brief | Full Moon BBQ Tuscaloosa branch set to reopen in August

BY ANTHONY CAVE Starting Aug. 1, Full Moon BBQ returns to Tuscaloosa.

One of eight locations across Alabama, the Full Moon BBQ branch on 1383 McFarland Blvd E. was destroyed in the April 27

tornado. The new location, yet to be determined, will be for catering and deliveries but no dining.

“This temporary building is not convenient for dining,” Full Moon BBQ owner Brian Ahmed said.

Ahmed says that Full Moon will have a fully operational location once they rebuild the one in the works. “[It is] a long process,” he said.

A bent fork remains where the Full Moon BBQ location in Tuscaloosa once stood. | Anthony Cave

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THE MJP JOURNAL COVER STORY

Long road to recovery for Alberta

BY MICHAEL MUMPOWER Residents of Alberta City say they are unsure their neighborhood will truly recover from the April 27 tornado that swept through Tuscaloosa, killing 42 and causing an estimated $100 million in damages.

More than two months after the April 27 tornadoes, residents of the severely damaged neighborhood still feel the repercussions. Damaged stores struggle to stay in business, and people eager to rebuild wonder what will happen next.

“I don’t know [what’s going to happen],” Alberta resident Jamon Smith said. “It could be quite different. We may rebuild green. I’ve heard we will rebuild bigger and better than ever before.”

One thing is certain: the disaster has affected the way Alberta views itself.

“It has pulled people together now, more than ever before,” Smith said. “It makes people want to help others out. I know people helped me out who I know I really pissed off.”

Many in the area have opened their homes and resources for those affected by the tornadoes. They are offering housing, food, running water, and many creature comforts.

“People are staying with other people, churches are worshipping with other churches, and a lot of apartments have opened up for tornado survivors.”

When asked about the city’s rebuilding, Smith was skeptical about the final result.

“It won’t be the same. It’s an old neighborhood. It had an old community feel and spirit and you can’t get that back,” Smith said. “You just can’t.”

Slowly but surely, the historic town is recovering and rebuilding.

“It’s coming along quite well, it’s just taking longer than I imagined. But what can you do?” said Smith.

But to some, the devastation is still daunting. Piles of rubble still line the streets. Power lines hang lifeless, and broken glass litters the gutters like dirty jewels.

“It’s something that I never wanted to experience to begin with,” said an Alberta resident who asked not to be identified.

“And I surely don’t want to

“It won’t be the same. It’s an old neighborhood. It had an old community feel and spirit, and you can’t get that back. You just can’t.”

Top: Remains of buildings destroyed by the April 27, 2011 tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas line streets of Alberta.

Above: Only certain parts of the relatively new Alberta Elementary School remain standing.

Right: Church pews stand silent sentry in a ruined church in Alberta after being hit by a tornado. | Michael Mumpower endure it again.”

Smith was not at home to experience the twister firsthand. He was at The Tuscaloosa News, where he works. Other Alberta residents described their firsthand experiences, vividly describing the power of the cyclone, saying it picked up full-size delivery trucks and flipped them over across parking lots and down the roads.

When Smith tried to get back to Alberta, he couldn’t get past Helen Keller Blvd. He described people as dazed and wandering

through the streets, trying to find their way out of Alberta — saying it was gone, that the city was demolished. On Smith’s way to his apartment, he saw injured or possibly dead, people trapped in their homes or random buildings. Going back was one of the hardest things he said he ever had to go through.

“It makes you feel violated in the worst way,” Smith said.

“To leave work one day and the next you come back to see this, it’s just gut wrenching.”

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Be the story Journalists talk about personal tornado experiences

BY ANTHONY CAVE The television screen blacked out with the power.

Meredith Cummings and her 9-year-old daughter, Isabel, seemed to be living in a movie rather than a moment.

The swirls of black that pixelated the television could not describe the oncoming noise.

Hours earlier, the weatherman predicted a “red letter day,” whatever that meant. A freight train, airplane or truck — none fit the criterion.

Cummings, a University of Alabama journalism professor, now refers to that address as her “old home,” for grammatical purposes. Isabel’s toys are gone and so are the trees, which has opened up strange areas of light. She says she wants to rebuild and sell, but the biggest problem is homeowners insurance.

Cummings is one of several journalists who endured and reported on the tornado.

She says her story seems “rehearsed,” but work gives her something to look forward to.

“All good language is driven by some kind of emotion, yet somehow we expect journalists to operate in a passive vacuum,” said Rick Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and University of Alabama journalism professor.

The emotions are constant flashbacks for Cummings.

Almost 60 days later, a sound in Reese Phifer Hall makes Cummings’ heart race – it sounds like a tornado warning.

“I was shocked that I was shocked,” Cummings said of the April 27 tornado.

Now, “home” is an apartment complex. Still, she says, if granted the choice, she would have the tornado hit her house rather than the university.

“This campus would take years to get back to normal,” she said.

For Tuscaloosa News reporter Jamon Smith, home is seven places in a month. Thirty minutes before the tornado leveled Alberta City and its surround-

ings, Smith called his girlfriend so she could come to the office.

After the storm, Smith went into reporter mode.

“Alberta’s gone, they kept repeating Alberta’s gone,” Smith said.

When Smith tried to describe to the Federal Emergency Management Agency where his apartment once stood, it got to him a little.

“It’s hard to get it, when you walk outside everyday — you still see it,” he said.

Smith felt “violated,” his clothes thrown and his son’s toys scattered.

However, Smith was seeing things no other journalists could see. Work helped him not take the time to think about what happened.

A woman laid under six feet of debris screaming, a family seemed to rise from the dirt like a scary movie and people lay on the curb bleeding.

“Apocalypse,” he said.

“Unreal.”

Despite “heavy footsteps,” Smith reported and stayed in a hotel for the night.

“I needed to tell the story,” he said. “I didn’t want to sit back and be a victim.”

A mother of one, expecting another, Tuscaloosa News reporter Lydia Seabol Avant also spent April 27 at the office.

A Facebook photo shows her house relative to the tornado’s path; it was like she dodged a bullet of EF4 magnitude.

Michael, Lydia’s husband, hid in the basement of the University of Alabama’s Business School office with his 2-year-old daughter Kennedy during the storm.

Afterwards, Lydia tried to call her husband, but the cell phone lines were down. Once they made contact, Lydia and her family grabbed belongings from their home, which had no major damage, and stayed at a powerless hotel for eight days because of a gas leak.

“It’s difficult covering the tornado, and living through the recovery process, because you never really get time away

The Downs was one of several historic neighborhoods affected by the April 27 tornado. Journalist Meredith Cummings’ house is in The Downs. | Anthony Cave

from it,” Seabol Avant said.

Seabol Avant, who covered Hurricane Katrina, talked about a family that moved from New Orleans to Tuscaloosa after the hurricane. She kept in contact with them as they put their daughter in kindergarten and bought an apartment.

“I was always amazed at their resolve,” she said. “When the tornado hit, they were the first people I thought of.”

A month later, Lydia received a gift card from them

— they sought out anyone who had helped them in New Orleans.

“God puts you in contact with certain people at certain times,” she said.

The sound warranted an “I’ve never heard anything like this in my entire life” description from Cummings.

Isabel was doing tornado turtles, which she learned in school, while crying as Cummings held on to her daughter for dear life.

“I do not think my ears could hurt anymore right now,” she recalls.

After two minutes, Cummings was afraid to move because of a potential tree falling, but then she heard a calling and knew she was safe.

She was also thankful for Isabel’s one particular stuffed animal.

“Thank God we had her teddy bear; his name is Aardvark because he has a little snooty nose,” she said.

THE MJP JOURNAL

Searching for faith in the storm Alberta residents vow to come back — hold on to homes, hope after the April 27 tornado

BY JOSH EVERETT As a Vietnam War veteran, Abraham Lee has seen his share of destruction.

Throughout his 30-35 years of living in Alberta City, faith has been an integral component of Lee’s life. That stalwart faith was on display more than ever on April 27 when Lee and his wife were praying in the bathroom as the tornado struck.

“We covered up with a blanket in the bathroom asking the Lord for mercy,” he said.

Lee is now using his faith to stay in his neighborhood despite the destruction that surrounds him. Like countless other Tuscaloosa residents affected by the storm, Lee has decided to rebuild amidst the devastation.

Charlie Joe, 60, is a resident of Rosedale Court. His apartment was not badly damaged, but he does not have to travel far to see the tornado’s wrath.

“I hate to look at the devastation outside the front door,” Joe said.

Despite the devastation, Joe does not behave as if he is downtrodden. He attributes his positive attitude to his faith in God. Mike and Flora Thomas have been residents of Alberta for 7 years. Their house suffered minimal damage, but the remains of the tornado’s wreckage surround them.

In view of the wreckage, the Thomases stand firm in their house and in their faith.

“The enemy won’t get me from my home. God left me with water and a top on the house,” Mike Thomas said.

Flora Thomas sees a blessing in the storm. She was thankful to have a house amid destruction, but she also sees an opportunity for renovation.

“I’m thankful because some of the houses need to be gone.

Poor people have to settle for unlivable houses. Why not beautify houses for people of less means,” she said.

Jim and Nancy Patrick have been living in Glendale Gardens for 15 years. They are in the process of rebuilding the relatively minor structural damage done to their house.

Patrick admits it can be disheartening living in a neighborhood wrought with damage.

“It looked like a war zone.

It’s depressing living around destruction,” Jim Patrick said.

Despite the condition of their neighborhood, the Patricks have no doubt about returning.

“It’s a great location and we have great neighbors.”

Like his fellow Tuscaloosa residents, Lee has faith that his house and his life will be reconstructed. Lee noted that the house was completely paid off and that he does not plan on going anywhere else.

As Lee was standing on his porch recalling the moments immediately following the tornado, two chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team began talking to Lee. Among other things, the two women asked Lee about his faith.

“I can’t remember when God wasn’t with me,” Lee said.

Top: Mike and Flora Thomas reveal their trepidations when the tornado attacked their home in Alberta.

Above: This sign hanging in Alberta expresses the town’s faith in God. Left: Abraham Lee, a tornado survivor, receives counsel from a worker from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. | Hansol Hong

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Hope remains Residents of Berry, Ala., recieve aid after suffering an EF1 tornado touchdown

BY MITCHELL BIRD Shirley Roach lost her home, the lives of her neighbors and at least briefly, her dog Shelby, in the April 27 storms that killed 4 people in the tiny Fayette County community of Berry. After calling and looking for five days, Roach’s son spotted Shelby and brought her home. Roach told that her beloved dogs return filled her with joy and she spoke about God’s little miracles. The Roach family resides in Berry.

The Berry community, with 1,100 people in northwest Alabama was hit directly by a tornado, one among a string of storms in Alabama in April.

The Berry tornado, an EF-1 according to National Weather Service surveys, was 200 yards wide, traveled seven and a half miles and had winds up to 100 mph. It destroyed homes, businesses and lives.

The Roach family had taken shelter at the local volunteer fire department and when they returned they had lost their 16x80-foot trailer when the tornado picked it up, and threw it against a hill that caused it to explode. The tornado had torn out of the ground all of the trees preventing the Roaches or anyone from proceeding forward to help those nearby who had been injured.

Mr. Jim Roach, the fire chief of the local volunteer fire department, and a few other volunteers grabbed tools and started to cut their way through the debris. When they had cut a path through they found most of their possessions gone, after looking they found out one of their two dogs were dead, and their car had been crushed into the size and likeness of a bowling ball.

In the weeks to months that would follow Mr. Roach told he had received the most help in the beginning from the citizens of Fayette, Walker, and Tuscaloosa counties, who would donate items such as food and clothing. Mr. Roach said when asked about the help he had received, “that’s people in Alabama. If you need help you can count on getting help from people in Alabama.”

“That’s people in Alabama. If you need help you can count on getting help from people in Alabama.”

Above: The tornado devestation can be seem from all over Berry, Alabama.

Far left: Jim Roach stands at the new tornado shelter his neighbor has built in preparation for another storm.

Left: Heather “Red” Litz continues to rebuild the K9 training facility. | Mitchell Bird The Roaches were not the only individuals who were deeply affected by the after effects of the tornado. The Tuscaloosa K9 Training Facility, which specializes in training service dogs, lost most of its facilities and lost several of their beloved dogs in the storm. April McQueen a trainer at the facility was on the scene as the tornado went through.

She described the experience as “completely horrible.”

“It was about four o’clock, there had been a tornado at about five thirty, we had lost

power and we were listening to our car radio, at about four thirty we were told it wasn’t safe and we needed to go to our safe area,” McQueen said.

“Me and my boyfriend ran into a field and we were literally hiding in a hole, and there is no way to describe how crazy it is. It’s just 300 mile per hour winds with dirt and everything hitting you and then everything’s gone in seconds.”

The head of the K9 facility Heather “Red” Litz showed concern for the service dogs in training. With facilities

destroyed and no place to house the new dogs that were being donated to the facility, she said she was scared that the new puppies they were receiving instead of being trained for a greater purpose would be put to sleep in the pound.

Litz also showed great appreciation to the people who have donated and the volunteers who have came out to support and rebuild this facility, telling that the desire to rebuild the facility and the donations keep them going mentally and physically.

Mr. Roach when asked if there were any lessons learned from the after effects of the tornado said to “live for today, enjoy your family, your friends.

Don’t worry about tomorrow, enjoy today.” Berry may have suffered a traumatic loss, but due to all the support the community has given and the willingness of the people themselves, it is well on the way of recovery. Hope still remains for the citizens of Berry.

Neil Chakraborti contributed to this report.

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THE MJP JOURNAL

Agencies serve as support system after tornado

AmeriCorps steps up after disaster

BY ASHLEY MONTGOMERY With a newborn baby recently out of the hospital and no insurance Brandy Miller returned home where a tornado left nothing but remains.

“Everything was demolished,” Lee Munsell, Miller’s mother said. “You couldn’t tell a house was ever there.”

Most of the Tuscaloosa community of Alberta was leveled, and Munsell turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help.

FEMA gave Miller a $1,000 check and helped her move into a new apartment.

With 13,624 homes left unlivable, 2,375 homes destroyed, 2,200 people injured, and 240 lives lost, the April 27 storms not only changed Alabama’s landscape but also dramatically altered the lives of thousands of people across the state.

FEMA became a leading supporter for these unlucky inhabitants.

“She’s really appreciative of FEMA,” Munsell said of her daughter.

FEMA’s mission is to provide a quick response in helping them back on their feet after a disaster, said Tim Tyson, spokesman of FEMA. More than 82,000 people in Alabama registered with FEMA and $12.8 million in grants have been awarded. The agency is expected to spend about $1.6 billion in both recovery assistance and cleanup.

Samuel Addy, director and research economist at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research, said tornado damage in Alabama totaled $3 billion to $5 billion.

Addy praised FEMA’s response to the disaster, calling it a dramatic improvement following the agency’s action after Hurricane Katrina.

However, FEMA does not act alone.

“There are a lot of charities that help out,” Addy said. “We call them non-governmental organizations, and there are also volunteer activities that

AmeriCorps volunteers organize water bottles in the TES Warehouse on 15th Street.| Photo courtesy of Andrea Zeritis FEMA is expected to spend about $1.6 billion in both recovery assistance and cleanup. | Beth Lindly

are done. Then you have the insurance claims portion of it.”

Addy said there are three parts of the recovery: cleanup, assistance and rebuilding. He expected cleanup to be completed this year with rebuilding well underway next year.

“Reinvesting is key,” Addy said. “We shouldn’t just try to rebuild; we have to reinvest.”

Individually, FEMA provides assistance rebuilding homes or temporarily providing a new home or mobile home, which Tyson called, “avenue of last resort.”

Disaster Recovery Center, a partner with FEMA, also assists storm survivors. DRC assists with funeral expenses and work more consistently with those with insurance. Agency workers also search through destroyed homes and communities, trying to find victims in need of assistance.

The average amount given out to each individual is $3,900 with the maximum being $30,200.

Stacey Bluford, a DRC worker, said the second phase of “moving on” is the most difficult because of the posttrauma survivors go through.

Between 35 and 60 people have come in daily to FEMA and DRC offices seeking help.

“We can’t make you whole, but we can get you back on the road to recovery,” Tyson said.

While FEMA is a safety net for some, others are left with rejection notices. Gary Minder, of Tuscaloosa, said he was denied FEMA assistance because he had private insurance.

Minder’s house and car were heavily damaged by the tornado, but more than a month later he’s still left with fallen trees on both sides of his house and seeking financial help.

Minder’s applications for federal assistance and a loan were denied.

“FEMA has not made a difference in my life until I receive the loan for damages,” he said, six weeks after the storm.

Although some do not qualify for DRC or FEMA assistance, individuals are encouraged to “not take no for an answer,” Tyson said.

Being persistent, coming back and questioning denials, is a necessary step to getting needed help he said.

BY REBECCA ROBBINS They came in droves — wave after wave of volunteers. They came in cars, in vans and buses loaded down with personnel and materiel.

The tornado that ripped the beating heart from the city of Tuscaloosa hit town on April 27. Within hours, people turned to their only option: They began to help one another.

“It takes a while to realize how much it took a toll,” said Tuscaloosa resident Michael King. “This place we knew growing up changed immediately —forever.”

Volunteers who rode into town found a city bruised, but not broken. Residents were already turning to one another to help ease their pain.

“We’re just a missionary group of guys helping get trees out,” King said about his friends. “We were in such an adrenaline rush it didn’t kick in until later.” “ It takes a while to realize how much it took a toll… It really felt like a death in the family.”

Things were so bad in the hours and days following the tornado that outside help was desperately needed. The Federal Emergency

Management Agency doled out more than $12 million in relief money. Just as important to Tuscaloosa’s recovery was the help that volunteers offered.

A group of about 80 volunteers from AmeriCorps came in to help.

“At first everything was overwhelming.” said Andrea Zeritis. “It was easy to feel like there’s nothing you can do. But as time went on you could feel a sense of hope.”

Zeritis works with AmeriCorps in the Temporary Emergency Service Warehouse on 15th Street where donations are accepted and clothes and food are given out to those in need.

“The magnitude of damage nowhere compared to what I see in Alabama,” said Barry Clark, an AmeriCorps team member.

That damage — carnage that left 42 dead and more than 1,200 injured — could have crushed the residents of Tuscaloosa. Instead, the people in this city refused to fall. They did the improbable: they grew.

“I’m very proud of the leadership and the Tuscaloosa that came out of this,” said King.

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Windblown To some, loss of trees more devasting than homes

BY YMANI WINCE Isabel Retsinas spent almost every day climbing the 45-foot oak tree in her front yard. She prefers climbing trees rather than riding a bike, because she knows she won’t fall.

Like any other fourth grade girl, Isabel loves Barbies, owning more than 106, which she keeps at “CC’s” house, her grandmother. At 9 years old, she adores Justin Beiber, soccer, and “Dancing with the Stars.”

When an EF4 tornado hit the Tuscaloosa area, Isabel and her mother took refuge in the closet of their home’s master bedroom. As the wind threatened their lives in The Downs neighborhood, Isabel’s beloved oak tree was uprooted and blown away.

Isabel is just one of the many residents in Tuscaloosa whose trees are lost or damaged. According to Neil Letson, assistant division director of the Alabama Forestry Commission, it is “estimated that about 5,000 trees have been destroyed, just in inner Tuscaloosa.”

Letson was one of many attendees at the “meeting with state foresters,” event Wednesday morning.

In the meeting, homeowners, as well as environmental organizations, discussed the effects the tornado had on their trees.

Overall, 90 percent of those in attendance agreed their trees were either uprooted or are “hangers”— trees that have “limbs that have broken but remain loosely attached to a portion of the tree,” according to the Homeowner’s Guide to Safer Trees.

Since the April 27 tornado, the citizens of Tuscaloosa have been rebuilding their lives in addition to rebuilding homes.

But in a place known as the Druid city, it is difficult to overlook the missing centerpiece of T-town’s landscape: its trees.

Tuscaloosa is referred to as the “Druid City” in reference to the Druids, a Celtic people

GUIDELINES FOR REPLANTING • Because the ground is currently too dry for roots to grow, wait until November to replant trees.

• Be patient. It will take years to restore the tree loss in Tuscaloosa. who worshipped trees during the ninth to 12th centuries.

With winds of 175 mph, historic oak trees in neighborhoods such as The Highlands were destroyed.

For Betty McGiffirt, a longtime resident of The Highlands, losing her oak trees has been an emotional experience.

“My yard is a mess,” she said. “I had a beautiful yard.”

McGiffirt stated that out of the 200 or 300 oak trees in her historic neighborhood, there are maybe two or three that remain. Some of the oak trees were over a hundred years old.

The tornado winds left trees laying on McGiffirt’s house, car and garage. Now, she doesn’t have a place to shade her yard on hot afternoons.

Although the trees can be replanted, the time it will take to fully restore Tuscaloosa’s beauty is measured in years.

Citizens who would like to replant will have to wait. The ground is too dry for roots to grow. Planters will have to wait until November. For example, White Oak trees, one of the 21 different species of oaks, only grow 10-15 feet over a span of 10-12 years.

“Trees do not heal,” said Letson. “They are not like

Above: Ripped from the roots, this tree was forced from its home like many Tuscaloosa residents during the April 27 storm.

Left: On June 22, the Alabama Forestry Commission meeting was held to inform residents how to replant their trees. | Chelsea James human beings. When they decay, they are dead.”

For now, Isabel lives in an apartment with her mother

until her home can be restored.

Of all of Isabel’s possessions: her pink bed sheets, toys and clothes. She misses the oak

tree from her front yard.

“It was the one tree I loved to climb,” she smiled. “I miss that the most.”

THE MJP JOURNAL TUSCALOOSA TOURISM

Drish house encapsulates history

The Drish house, a mansion that was once admired by all of Tuscaloosa now stands empty, inhabited only by bats, insects and stray animals. | Bekka Hartline

BY BEKKA HARTLINE Look in the oldest part of any city in any southern state, and you’re sure to find a house with a past more tragic than you can imagine.

In Tuscaloosa, people have whispered about the old Drish place for years. Some folks say it’s haunted. Others scoff at the idea. One thing’s for sure, though: It’s a very old house where very bad things happened.

The history of the Drish house dates back to the early 1800s. Dr. John Drish built the luxurious estate for his second wife, Sarah.

Drish had no children of her own, but she helped to raise Drish’s daughter from a previous marriage, Catherine.

The family lived happily in their home until around

1837. Catherine Drish became involved with a young man that her father did not approve of, and the doctor forbade the two to see each other.

Legend has it that Dr. Drish drove the young man out of town before marrying his daughter off to William Woodson King, a man that Catherine barely knew.

After the wedding, King took his unhappy bride on a tour of New Orleans for their honeymoon.

As the newlyweds stood on the balcony of their hotel room, Catherine caught sight of her ex-lover standing in the street and promptly fainted. This was the beginning of her mental deterioration.

Catherine had two sons with King, but the state of her mental health kept her from properly taking care of them. Eventually,

William Woodson King became tired of putting up with his mentally diseased wife, so he divorced her and remarried, leaving Catherine and their two young sons in the care of and Drish.

Drish was angry that his daughter had lost the Drish family’s only connection to the South’s high-society. Partly as punishment, and partly out of shame over having a mentally ill daughter, Drish locked Catherine inside the tower of the Drish Mansion.

They very rarely let her out, but when they did, she never spoke to anyone except the children. But, even then, just barely.

Eventually, Catherine stopped talking altogether.

The last full sentence that she ever spoke was to her stepmother, Sarah. Drish asked her “Catherine, do you know who

“Some folks say it’s haunted.

Others scoff at the idea.” made you?”

Catherine fixed her with a piercing stare for a moment before replying, “He who had the burning coal laid upon the lips of the prophet Isaiah made me.”

Drish was very cruel to his daughter up until a few months before his death. He made his wife, Sarah, swear that she would take care of his disturbed daughter after he died, and never have her institutionalized.

So the story goes, Dr. Drish, who had taken up drinking and gambling, began to have night

terrors, which he would wake from, screaming.

One night, he was having one of his episodes, and leapt from his bed, charged out of his bedroom, over the banister of the staircase, and plunged to his death.

Sarah kept true to her word and took care of Catherine until her death.

The house today is a crumbling reminder of a lavish past.

The stately mansion that once stood so proud is now just an empty shell.

Or is it?

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Greeks show community unity Students stay in Tuscaloosa, work together to aid tornado survivors and families

BY WILL PARFITT After the fear and pandemonium caused by the EF-4 tornado on April 27, University of Alabama students worried whether they should take officials’ advice and go home or stay to help with relief efforts.

Though students were instructed to go home, fraternities and sororities alike decided to come together for a cause. Patrick Morris and James Fowler are co-chairmen of the Greek Relief fund that provided food and money for those affected by the disaster.

Morris and Fowler decided that the unused food left in the fraternity houses from the evacuated students could be used for the help of those who needed it.

“School was canceled and we knew the food was not going to be used so we cooked the remaining food and got the help of other fraternities and sororities,” Morris said.

Many UA students and volunteers decided to help the Greek Relief cause.

“It started out as a small operation and quickly expanded to fraternity and sorority houses all across campus and from there the entire UA community was involved, so it spread pretty quickly,” Fowler said.

An enormous number of people provided support for the community and helped with the Greek Relief cause.

“Over the course of the weeks we had over 600 volunteers, were able to have hands on-site and transport the food to the Tuscaloosa community,” he said.

Morris and Fowler were able to communicate with the community by social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

“The local media and school newspaper really helped us out a lot [by] spreading the word,” Morris said. “We’ve now raised over $150,000.”

Members involved in the Greek Relief efforts are still discussing what to do with the collected money.

“We’ve created a board of trustees with student

Patrick Morris and James Fowler, members of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, founded the Greek Relief fund, which raised $150,000 to help Tuscaloosa tornado victims. | Will Parfitt university administration, city representatives, and alumni representatives,” Morris said.

“We are meeting weekly to figure out who needs the money most.”

Because there is immediate support from the community, there is also hope for future involvement in the Greek Relief funds.

“We’ll continue our fundraising efforts to the end of the calendar year,” Fowler said. “We are working with the city officials to figure out where the biggest need is in the city.”

Support and help is still needed throughout the Tuscaloosa community. For further information please go to uagreekrelief.com.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH UA GREEK RELIEF • Donate to the UA Greek Relief Fund at uagreekrelief.com.

• Checks should be made to Rampant Lion Foundation, which is partnering with UA Greek Relief. Checks should be mailed to: UA Greek Relief P.O. Box 1880 Tuscaloosa, AL 35403 • Stay updated by following on Twitter @UA_Greek_Relief, and join the group UA Greek Relief on Facebook.

• UA Greek Relief directs volunteers to the City of Tuscaloosa, United Way of West Alabama, Salvation Army, Temporary Emergency Services and Red Cross of Alabama.

THE MJP JOURNAL

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Illustrating the past, educating the future Artists record city, state history in murals

BY BRITTAN JARMON Inside of the University of Alabama’s College of Arts & Sciences lies a small art studio. Paint is splattered on the floor. A collection of large, 14-by-9 foot canvases is stacked against the walls.

A ladder leads to an elevated platform. There, a man paints steadily on the top of a colossal canvas, while another man works on a bottom platform.

The two men are a part of a team led by Caleb O’Connor. He has been working on 16 murals that will line the Tuscaloosa Federal Court House. He and his team frequently work 12-hour days in order to finish the murals before the grand opening of the building on Dec. 12. So far, he has completed 11 paintings.

The murals chronologically portray monumental moments in the history of the city, state, and country.

“Part of my goal in life is to beautify locations,” he says.

O’Connor recognizes that beauty can be found even in tragedy.

One of the murals, though not yet finished, features a collage of more than 12,000 photos from the devastating tornado that barraged Tuscaloosa on April 27 and wiped out homes, buildings and people.

O’Connor explains that he wants to depict the unity of the city, which is something that is crucial to the restoration of the community. The tornado mural will replace an image of

Bryce Memorial Hospital and will be the second-to-last in the series.

Among the few compositions that can be seen in the studio is a piece featuring an 1850s family on a subsistence farm and a portrayal of the community’s reunion after World War II. The mural also features photos of former Tuscaloosa residents who fought in the war.

O’Connor’s other murals involve events such as the Indian Removal, effects of the Civil War and the burning of UA. Planning for the murals was not easy. It took months of planning and meeting with local historians in UA’s history department. O’Connor uses local people for the models in his drawings. Even his wife and two children are featured in some of his paintings.

Art was not his original career plan, but it has influenced O’Connor’s life. “It was just an inherent talent that I had,” he admits.

O’Connor left his home state of Hawaii at 17, and attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. He spent much of his time in Italy carving marble.

Outside of this two-year project, he creates religious pieces. He also creates and sells self-portraits. He is currently working on another project: a Notre Dame sculpture series.

O’Connor said his favorite mural is the painting of subsistence farming, because he grew up on a farm and he can relate to the painting.

O’Connor’s passion for art and history have changed his outlook on life. He believes that humans need to acquire as much knowledge as possible to thrive.

“If you’re a human being, sitting right here in this room, there are only some things you can see and do” he said.

“My enemy is ignorance.”

Top: Caleb O’Connor mixes his paint for the large-scale murals on his palette.

Above: Caleb O’Connor’s partners use scaffolding to reach a piece depicting the tragic tornado that ravaged Tuscaloosa. | Bekka Hartline

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THE MJP JOURNAL

Education at a cost

Bama Bound freshmen discuss how tornado affected decision to attend

Board of Trustees increases tuition by 7 percent, some students upset by decision

BY JAMES BANKS A decrease in funding at the University of Alabama has raised in-state tuition by 7 percent.

“I find it uncalled for; we go to school to put money back into the economy,” said Erica Johnson, a Bama Bound student.

When asked about the tuition increase, Johnson said she was outraged about the fact she will have to pay more money for school her freshman year. She is an instate student who will attend the university in the fall for nursing.

The trustees for the University of Alabama system voted to raise in-state tuition by nearly 7 percent, or $700, at a meeting in Mobile on June 17. For nonAlabama residents, tuition will increase 6.8 percent or $1,400, to $21,900 for two semesters. Tuition at the University of Alabama in Huntsville will increase $602 dollars, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham will increase by $566.

While students are upset about the increase, it could have been higher.

“We were pleased to get the increases in tuition as low as we did this year,” UA President Robert E. Witt said. “Given that the university was operating last year with state cuts in funding of $62 million, if we did not increase tuition it was clear that we could not continue the academic quality at the university.”

Students will have to find a way to pay for school now.

“I will have to get a second job in order to even finish my school year and that makes me really mad,” said Johnson.

There are scholarships and grants the students can seek.

“The SGA also will work to enhance students’ awareness of the financial assistance options available to them,” said Grant Cochran, President of the UA Student Government Association.

The increases are lower than those that were approved for the past school year.

This time last year, UA saw a 12.9 percent increase for Alabama residents. While many students are upset, they are trying to find a way to pay for their studies and pray that the tuition will decrease.

A group of incoming freshmen walk through the Ferguson Center during Bama Bound freshman orientation on June 22. The April 27 tornado was still on the minds of many. | Tiffanie Herron

BY TIFFANIE HERRON Throughout the summer, incoming freshmen come to UA orientation known as Bama Bound before they start their hectic college lives.

After touring the campus on June 22, several incoming freshman said they were still very much aware of the destruction caused by an EF4 tornado that ravaged Tuscaloosa on April 27.

Incoming freshmen from the farthest regions of the country were touched by the aftermath of the tornado.

Jon Colon, an incoming freshman from New York City, visited the UA campus three days before the tornado hit. After returning back to his home, he heard word of the deadly tornado through New York media.

Back in Tuscaloosa for freshman orientation, he saw the piles of rubble still left about the city.

“Wow,” Colon said. “It was a wall of destruction. It was amazing to see it first hand.”

Colon said he hadn’t seen a community come together in a time of cri-

sis since 9/11.

Britney McCormick, an incoming freshman from Trussville was also impressed by the community participation in the aftermath of the tornado.

“It made me want to come even more,” she said, “just to know that everybody came together to help was really awesome.”

When the tornado hit Tuscaloosa, McCormick was in the basement of her family’s home in Trussville, which was in the path of a separate tornado.

She said she was concerned about the safety of the people she knew in Tuscaloosa. She was also worried that the UA campus might be damaged.

The UA campus was spared, but a nearby shopping mall received damage. McCormick planned to move to Tuscaloosa well before orientation for a job at the mall. Due to the damage, McCormick was unable to come as early as she had planned.

During a break from orientation, incoming freshman Dylan Eklund of McLean, Va., went out into the city and saw the walls of debris.

“Holy crap,” he said. “It was very emotional.”

Seeing all the damage, Eklund said viewing natural disasters on TV are much different than viewing them in person.

Among the devastation in the city, Eklund also witnessed the many people who were out cleaning up damage.

“It just shows the strength of the community,” Eklund said. “The community was there. It was pretty impressive.”

Apart from the views of incoming freshmen, several returning UA students also voiced their concerns about the tornado.

Blaine Davis, a junior who was working as a tour guide for freshmen orientation, recalled his thoughts when the tornado hit.

Davis said the moment was unreal.

Many familiar places had vanished.

After the storm had passed, thousands of people came to help Tuscaloosa and begin to restore it to its former glory.

Davis said that if he learned anything from this event, it was to always take heed of tornado warnings.

A i w c p t

i r s i b t t f p

i A h r

R A d t h b r i

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Amphitheater impacts community

The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater opened April 1 with a sold out concert by the Avett Brothers and Band of Horses. | Bekka Hartline

BY VICTORIA LINDBERGH Although the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater opened on April 1, it seemed like the grand opening was on May 25 when acclaimed country singer Kenny Chesney performed a concert to benefit tornado recovery.

“This town has always been incredible to me and they are really hurting now,” Chesney said to the crowd. “I didn’t know if we were doing the right thing by doing the show but after tonight I am convinced that this town needed something to look forward to and I am so glad we played tonight.”

Chesney’s decision to perform in Tuscaloosa benefited the city.

After the concert, he donated his portion of proceeds back to recovery efforts.

“We were thrilled,” Wendy Riggs, director of the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater said of Chesney’s donation. “Kenny actually contacted us originally saying that he wanted to do some sort of benefit for the victims. We were really thrilled and thought that it was a very noble gesture for

UPCOMING EVENTS July 8: Jeff Dunham July 22: T-Town’s Blues Brews Music Festival the town.”

Wendy Riggs is one of three full-time employees the city of Tuscaloosa hired. Riggs serves as director for the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, overseeing the venue’s happenings and teaching students wishing to follow in her footsteps.

Although it may seem as if the amphitheater runs itself, there are many part-time employees that do behind the scenes work.

The city of Tuscaloosa hired people for security, housekeeping, lighting, emergency management and parking/traffic control, among others.

Riggs said that there are around 350 to 400 part-time employees. Some are paid around $8-10 an hour, while most are volunteers. All employees,

• July 22: Miranda Lambert with special guest Gary Allen paid or unpaid, must be trained before they start working.

On the night of a show, the director deals with everything.

Riggs arrives half an hour to an hour before the first guest is supposed to arrive and departs about an hour after the last guest leaves.

Since they are new, the theater still faces growing pains. These problems range from the staff still learning the venue to customer service issues. Box office, security and parking workers are the lowest paid employees, who are the first people to interact with guests, thus causing problems with customer service.

Problems between the staff and the public are not the only issues that go on in the venue.

Theater employees will often go

Tuscaloosa Amphitheater Director Wendy Riggs oversees the venue’s day-to-day activities. | Tiffanie Herron to Riggs with their own problems pertaining to other staff members. Riggs has said that she often times plays liaison or the mediator for “challenges in a boxing match.”

Despite growing pains, the theater is looking ahead to create a diverse schedule to serve

the greater Tuscaloosa community.

UA students are looking forward to upcoming performances such as My Morning Jacket and Pretty Lights. For more information or to find a list of upcoming concerts, visit: www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com

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THE MJP JOURNAL

CONTRIBUTORS

The MJW class of 2011

James Banks

Joshua Everett

James Banks is a rising senior at Greensboro High School in Hale County, Ala. He works on his school newspaper Greensboro News and their literary magazine Earth Shadows. He plans on attending the University of Alabama and working as a writer for the Crimson White. Banks also hopes to publish his own magazine.

Joshua Everett recently graduated from Leeds High School where he was part of two state championship football teams.

While in high school, he was the Opinions and Viewpoints Editor for his school newspaper, The Wave. Everett will attend Vanderbilt University in the fall. At Vanderbilt, he plans to double major in economics and communication studies. His interests include music, reading and exercising.

Mitchell Bird

Bekka Hartline

Mitchell Bird is a junior at Blue Valley West in Overland Park, Kansas. He has an active interest in writing, both in journalism and creative writing fields. He has a very “can-do” attitude, and is known as a caring person, which is a quality he brings to the newsroom daily.

Bekka is a native of New Orleans who currently resides in Millbrook, Ala. She is a senior at Stanhope Elmore High School.

She enjoys photography, modeling, cooking, acting and reading. Hartline collects vintage and retro-style clothing and loves animals.

Anthony Cave

Tiffanie Herron

Anthony Cave is an aspiring student journalist from Miami, Fla. Since June 2010, Anthony has written for The Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Teenlink, Outloud Multimedia, and the Broward/Palm Beach New Times. He covers the Miami Heat for Examiner.com and writes for wegotthiscovered.com. Cave will major in journalism and mass communication at Florida International University in the fall.

Tiffanie Herron is a senior at Murrah High School in Jackson, Miss. She is a member of the National Honor Society, The Power Academics and Performing Arts Dance Department, and The Varsity Flag Line of the Murrah Sound of Perfection Band.

Herron has been involved in journalism for two years. Currently, she is the opinions, social media, and copy editor of the Murrah Hoofbeat Newspaper Staff.

Neil Chakraborti

Hansol Hong

Siddhartha “Neil” Chakraborti graduated in 2011 as the Valedictorian from Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Neil will attend the University of Alabama in the Computer-Based Honors Program. Since 2005, he has contributed to the former “Pulse” section of The Tuscaloosa News.

He shadowed at the T- News, interned at “Inside Tuscaloosa City Schools” and served as a weather anchor for Bryant-CentralNorthridge TV (BCN-TV).

Hansol Hong is a junior at Booker T. Washington Magnet School in Montgomery.

Fluent in both Korean and English, Hansol enjoys biology and writing fiction works and plays. He is also the SGA Junior vice president and serves as captain of the tennis team. Despite the fact that his school has no newspaper, Hong has interests in journalism.

THE MJP JOURNAL

Victoria Lindbergh Victoria is a sophomore at Vestavia Hills High School. Victoria is the layout editor for her school’s newspaper, The Vedette.

She also enjoys writing feature stories and reviews. In college, she plans on studying journalism and business with the hopes to own her own magazine some day. Some of her other hobbies include dancing, reading, writing, and hanging out with her family and friends.

Beth Lindly Beth Eleanor Lindly is a resident of Tuscaloosa, Ala. She graduated from Northridge High School and will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall, with a journalism major and a theater minor. She starred in Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio, and she also won an Oscar for Best Director of The Hurt Locker. She also lies a lot.

Chelsea James Chelsea is a senior at Gadsden City High School in Gadsden, Ala., home of Riverfest and Noccalula Falls Park. She is the head cheerleader of her school’s varsity squad, and she also enjoys being a sprinter for her track team. She relishes in taking photographs and writing about many topics. Her career path is set on pharmacy, but writing will always be her first love.

Brittan Jarmon Brittan Jarmon, a 15-year-old resident of Muscle Shoals, discovered her passion for writing at a young age. In the fall, Brittan will serve on the staff for Invictus, Muscle Shoals High School’s yearbook. Though she is only a rising junior, she knows that reporting is definitely in her future. She hopes to one day write for Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine, or to establish her own magazine for African-American teens.

Ashley Montgomery Ashley Montgomery has explored her passion for journalism since age 9. In 2012, Ashley will be attending the University of Alabama with a major in Telecommunications and Film, and a minor in French.

She dreams of writing for Rolling Stone or anchoring for “Good Morning America.”

Michael Mumpower Michael Mumpower is from Millbrook, Ala. He is a rising junior at Stanhope Elmore High School. His only journalism experience is from what he has learned from the 2011 University of Alabama MJW. Mumpower wants to attend UA where he hopes to major in journalism. For fun he likes to hangout with his friends, swim, fish and golf.

Will Parfitt Will Parfitt is a rising senior at Landmark Christian School, in Fairburn, Ga. He enjoys watching, as well as playing, sports. He also enjoys writing and broadcasting sports.

His media involvement includes morning announcements for his school and being elected as a student prefect for his school’s media department. He hopes to one day become a sports broadcaster or radio host for ESPN.

Rebecca Robbins Rebecca Robbins is a junior at Stanhope Elmore High School. Rebecca is the EditorIn-Chief of her school’s newspaper, The Mustang Post. She was the Associate Editor during her freshman year and became editor her sophomore year. Robbins is a lifelong Alabama fan. After graduating high school, she would like to attend the University of Alabama with a major in education and a minor in journalism.

Ymani Wince Ymani Wince is a senior at McCluer North High School in Florissant, Mo. She is a staff writer and opinion editor of her school’s newspaper, the Star Gazer. She currently pens a high school geared column for Florissant patch.com. She hopes to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia and receive a degree in convergence journalism.

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16 THE MJP JOURNAL

2011 MJP Journal Staff The MJP Journal is produced by the Multicultural Journalism Workshop participants. The workshop is offered each summer to a select group of outstanding high school students with an interest in media in a multicultural society. This program is a service provided by the University of Alabama's Journalism Department in cooperation with the Alabama Scholastic Press Association.

SCAN THIS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JOURNALISM AT ALABAMA

• James Banks Jr., Greensboro High School, Greensboro, Alabama • Mitchell Bird, Blue Valley West High School, Overland Park, Kansas • Anthony Cave, Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, Miami, Florida • Siddhartha “Neil” Chakraborti, Paul W. Bryant High School, Tuscaloosa, Alabama • Joshua Everett, Leeds High School, Leeds, Alabama • Bekka Hartline, Stanhope Elmore High School, Millbrook, Alabama • Tiffanie Herron, Murrah High School, Jackson, Mississippi • Hansol Hong, Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, Montgomery, Alabama • Victoria Lindbergh, Vestavia Hills High

School, Vestavia Hills, Alabama • Beth Lindly, Northridge High School, Tuscaloosa, Alabama • Chelsea James, Gadsden City High School, Gadsden, Alabama • Brittan Jarmon, Muscle Shoals High School, Muscle Shoals, Alabama • Ashley Montgomery, MacArthur High School, Lawton, Oklahoma • Michael Mumpower, Stanhope Elmore High School, Millbrook, Alabama • William Parfitt, Landmark Christian School, Fairburn, Georgia • Rebecca Robbins, Stanhope Elmore High School, Millbrook, Alabama • Ymani Wince, McCluer North High School, Florissant, Missouri

Meredith Cummings, director, Multicultural Journalism Program

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FINANCIAL SUPPORTERS Alabama Press Association

Dow Jones News Fund

Mercedes-Benz Endowment

The Tuscaloosa News

UA College of Communication & Information Sciences

UA Department of Journalism

UA Center for Community Based Partnerships The Montgomery Advertiser

And to Marci and Louis Henna Jr. and the estate of John Brooken Gaines for their generous contributions to the MJP endowment fund.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR TIME AND SUPPORT

University of Alabama Journalism Department jn.ua.edu

• al.com

• Birmingham Magazine

• Marie Parsons, ASPA

• Cecilia Hammond

• The Birmingham News

• Dr. Loy Singleton, Dean,

Director Emeritus

• Crechale Stevens

• The Crimson White

C&IS

• Paul Wright and the

• Scott Parrott

• The Mobile Press

• Dr. Jennifer Greer,

Office of Student Media

• Ashley Johnson

Register

Chair, Department of

• Jody and Greg Evans

• John McWilliams

• The Huntsville Times

Journalism

• Breanna Thackerson

• Haley Namie