Dialog, UA Faculty and Staff News

American Religion Discussion Group to Discuss Alabama Baptists
March is Sakura Month
Sister of '63 Church Bombing Victim to Lecture at UA School of Social Work
UA to Host Alabama Autism Conference
Run for the Roses Set for March 1
Bankhead Visiting Writers Series Welcomes Robert Creeley
HES Opens J.J. Doster Café

American Religion Discussion Group to Discuss Alabama Baptists

Booker cover - Alabama Baptists, by Wayne Flynt A meeting of the American Religion Discussion Group will take place on the UA campus on Saturday, March 1, in the Anderson Room (3rd floor) of the Ferguson Center from 9 a.m.-noon. The American Religion Discussion Group is a semi-annual gathering of American religion historians. The topic for discussion at this meeting is the UA Press book Alabama Baptists by Wayne Flynt of Auburn University. People who are interested in participating in this breakfast and discussion should read Flynt's book in advance (available from the SUPe Store or by ordering from the UA Press). To register, contact Dr. Ted Trost, professor of religious studies in New College, at 348-7534 or ttrost@rel.as.ua.edu. The number of participants is limited to 25.

March is Sakura Month

Cherry blossom During the entire month of March, UA will celebrate the 17th annual Sakura Festival. The festival's goal is to help people understand Japanese culture. Watch for more details in the Feb. 24 issue of Dialog Extra. In Japanese thought, the ohanami, or viewing of the cherry blossoms, reminds the viewer of the fleeting yet enduring nature of life, symbolized in the single moment that a blossom petal detaches itself to float earthward. This year's theme is Takara, or "treasure." The celebration will inspire reflection on the special treasures of life, spiritual or material.

Sister of '63 Church Bombing Victim to Lecture at UA School of Social Work

Dr. Shirley Wesley King will be the featured speaker for the School of Social Work's 15th Annual Celebratory Colloquium Friday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. in 223 Little Hall. The colloquium series, held during African-American Heritage month, celebrates the significant contributions of African-American social workers.

King, president and co-founder of Southwest Behavioral Systems Inc. (SWBS) in Dallas, is the sister of the late Cynthia Wesley, one of the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. In addition to King's lecture, the event will feature a tribute to the four girls on the 40th anniversary of the bombing.

SWBS is a behavioral healthcare organization specializing in minority mental health, individual, family, group, and substance abuse counseling. King has previously served as associate dean and associate professor of social work at The University of Texas at Arlington; program specialist for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare's Administration on Aging; and a research associate at the National Center and Caucus on Black Aged in Washington, D.C.

UA to Host Alabama Autism Conference

Some of the nation's leading experts in autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders will participate in the Alabama Autism Conference Feb. 18 at the Bryant Conference Center. The theme for this year's conference, which begins at 8:30 a.m., is "High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome." Registration is $130 per person. Student and group registration discounts are available. More information is available at http://pmdp.ccs.ua.edu/sessions.cfm?courseid=AAC&groupid=HHS. Conference co-chairs are Dr. Laura Klinger, associate professor of psychology, and Meredy Hogue and Philip Young, both of the Autism Society of Alabama.

Run for the Roses Set for March 1

Project R.O.S.E. (Recycled Oil Saves Energy), the volunteer used motor oil recycling program for the state of Alabama, is inviting the public to participate in the sixth annual "Run for the Roses" 5K race at The University of Alabama on March 1.

The certified race begins at 8:30 a.m. and will be followed by the Rosebud onemile fun run, an awards ceremony and door prizes. The cost is $12 before Feb. 26 and $15 on the day of the race. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. near the UA Riverside Amphitheater on race day. The cost for the Rosebud one-mile fun run is $5. For more information, or to pre-register, call 348-4878. Online registration is available through www.active.com.

Proceeds from the race will help Project R.O.S.E. increase awareness and provide collection tanks for recycling used motor oil in Alabama. For more information about Project R.O.S.E., visit the Web site at www.eng.ua.edu/~prose.

Bankhead Visiting Writers Series Welcomes Robert Creeley

Robert Creeley

UA's Bankhead Visiting Writers Series will host acclaimed "Black Mountain" poet, fiction writer and essayist Robert Creeley Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in 10 Mary Alston Hall. Creeley also will lecture at noon on Friday, Feb. 21, in 301 Morgan Hall. Creeley has published more than 60 books. During the 1950s he edited "Black Mountain Review," one of America's more innovative literary journals. His many awards include the Levinson Prize, two Guggenheim fellowships, the Shelley Memorial Award, the Robert Frost Medal and the prestigious Bolligen Prize in Poetry. He was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1987 and served as New York State Poet from 1989 to 1991. For more information, contact UA's creative writing program at 348-0766 or visit http://bama.ua.edu/~writing/.

HES Opens J.J. Doster Café

J.J. Doster Café, a student-operated cafeteria on the ground floor in Doster Hall, functions as a lab for students in the restaurant and hospitality management curricula. Doster Café serves approximately 6,000 meals annually. It is now open for business. Entrée prices vary. Options include a vegetable plate, a meat-and-vegetables plate and salads. The Café is open for lunch Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. during the spring 2003 semester. For the current lunch menu, visit the Web site at www.ches.ua.edu/doster/.