UA in Ghana

Foreign students from Tuscaloosa University arrive in Sunyani to study socio-cultural practices: The Ghanaian Standard – June 27

Thirteen students from The University in Alabama have arrived in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, to gain insights into the socio-political and cultural practices of the region… Prof. Appiah-Opoku expressed optimism about the student’s learning experience in Ghana, highlighting The University of Alabama’s efforts to extend its reach to other educational institutions in the region.

Ancestral Ties

Reuters report: 6 Alabama politicians have slaveholding ancestors: Al.com – June 28

… University of Alabama’s history department chair Joshua Rothman said he wasn’t surprised Reuters’ findings given the “long-standing family backgrounds” of politicians in the United States. He thought there’d be more than 118. He said this report isn’t a critique of these politicians. “We have no control over the people we are descended from,” Rothman said. He added that because slaveholders had more wealth and influence than the average person, it’s unsurprising that modern politicians are descended from slaveholders. Rothman said some people would learn a lot from this project. He said for many Americans, “it hasn’t really quite sunk in yet, no matter how many times they’ve heard it.”

Healthcare Benefits

United Campus Workers of Alabama petitions for affordable health care for adjuncts, grad students at UA: The Crimson White – June 28

On June 8, members of the United Campus Workers of Alabama delivered a petition to the University of Alabama System board of trustees demanding that the University give better health care benefits to adjunct faculty and graduate student and part-time employees. Brett Shaw, an English instructor and UCW-AL member, said he has had undergraduate students who have seen “the raw end” of the University’s health insurance system.