Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Alex Jobin, Staff Reporter

All content by Alex Jobin
Break the status quo at UA

Break the status quo at UA

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist May 29, 2023

As a somewhat insular community, The University of Alabama has some unspoken norms. We are a diverse school with students from all over the country, and even from across the globe, but when you set foot...

CW file

Opinion | Blunt brilliance in modern rap

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist May 18, 2023

I grew up in a predominantly white suburb in New Hampshire — needless to say, my adolescent finger was not exactly on the pulse of rap and hip-hop.   My first introduction to the genre of...

Opinions in quotation marks

Opinion | Advising can (and should) be improved

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist April 2, 2023

It is once again that time when a dark scary cloud descends upon campus: advising season. Students scramble to compile their course schedule for the upcoming semester while some faculty and staff try to...

Opinion | Stop worshiping billionaires

Opinion | Stop worshiping billionaires

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist March 1, 2023

As Americans, we pride ourselves on the separation of powers and checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution. We boast that no single individual can possess an excess of political power within the...

Derrick Barnes at BookExpo Convention in 2019.

Opinion | Baseless fears of critical race theory lead to real discrimination

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist February 12, 2023

Hoover City public schools planned on honoring Black History Month this February by inviting award-winning Black author Derrick Barnes to visit three of their elementary schools. But come January, the...

Opinion | The filibuster stands in the way of justice and democracy

Opinion | The filibuster stands in the way of justice and democracy

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist February 2, 2023

Since 2020, the U.S. Senate has narrowly favored the Democratic Party, which effectively holds a 51-50 majority by way of independents who caucus with Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking...

Kanye West performing at a Washington, D.C. show in 2013.

Opinion | How should we react when our favorite art is tainted?

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist January 11, 2023

Kanye West (who now asks to be referred to as “Ye” but by no means deserves the pleasantry) is the most recent, and perhaps most potent, example of why fame and wealth do not equate to morality.  The...

Opinion | UA needs more good trouble

Opinion | UA needs more ‘good trouble’

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist November 6, 2022

Thursday, Oct. 27, saw a rousing display of collective action as students from a multitude of organizations congregated on the Quad to protest transphobe Matt Walsh’s visit to campus. By itself, this...

Opinions in quotation marks

Opinion | Anyone should be able to create a student organization

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist October 9, 2022

Joining a student organization may be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have at The University of Alabama. Clubs and organizations provide opportunities to connect with others, pursue extracurricular...

Opinion | UA Owes More to Students and Our Organizations

Opinion | UA Owes More to Students and Our Organizations

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist September 7, 2022

In October 2021, the University of Alabama Equestrian Club created a GoFundMe campaign to stay afloat after being demoted from a varsity sport to a club sport in March 2020 — despite 22,000 petition...

Parking problems: Improving campus accessibility for commuting students

Parking problems: Improving campus accessibility for commuting students

Victor Hagan and Alex Jobin August 24, 2022

Some things are a constant at The University of Alabama. Alabama football head coach Nick Saban will always lead a dominant team, students will always flood Gorgas Library during finals week and campus...

Opinion | Banning Abortion is About Power, Not Life

Opinion | Banning Abortion is About Power, Not Life

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist July 6, 2022

The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States is catastrophic, if unsurprising. In early May, an original draft opinion was leaked suggesting that abortion rights were...

Opinions in quotation marks

Opinion | It’s Time to Take on Alabama’s Draconian Anti-Trans Laws

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist June 1, 2022

In May, Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law which “makes it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical treatment to transgender youth” in Alabama, according to NBC News. Currently, the law bans...

Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | Stop checking boxes

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist April 6, 2022
Higher education is replete with little boxes pleading to be checked off: credit hours to be attained, clubs to be joined, resumes to be built and of course, most importantly, a degree to be earned.
Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | Dismissing complaints of corruption doesn’t make it go away

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist March 27, 2022
The Student Government Association Elections Board recently dismissed a formal complaint of sororities incentivizing voting. This dismissal ignores overwhelming evidence that reveals that incentivizing is pervasive.
Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | SGA elections disappoint yet again

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist March 9, 2022
Yet again, this year’s elections were dominated by representatives of the Machine rather than representatives of campus.
Opinions. The Crimson White.

The Olympics reveals inequalities in sports

Alex Jobin, Contributing Columnist February 13, 2022
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games provides a stage for the best athletes from around the world to showcase their talents and often fosters a unique sense of pride in the nations and communities these athletes call home. 
An illustration of a campus building with a cardboard sign reading TBD covering the hall name.

Opinion | UA’s activism is performative

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist February 2, 2022
This recent movement to rename University buildings has not been the only reminder that the University still has a long way to go in terms of racial progress. 
Opinions. The Crimson White.

New semester, new opportunity

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist January 23, 2022
Although it might be easy to forget, the education available at The University of Alabama is not limited to our classrooms. 
Opinions. The Crimson White.

Another mask mandate was the best decision for campus

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist January 12, 2022
At this point, there is no good excuse for sitting idly by as the pandemic not only continues but thrives.
Opinion | Our Auburn rivalry fuels action outside the stadium

Opinion | Our Auburn rivalry fuels action outside the stadium

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist November 28, 2021

As we celebrate another victorious Iron Bowl, discussion around The University of Alabama’s undying rivalry with Auburn University is obviously buzzing. But no matter how much we love to hate Auburn,...

Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | Thanksgiving break is a time to destress

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist November 14, 2021
Thanksgiving break is fast approaching, and I urge you, University of Alabama students, to take full advantage of this brief respite before we head into the last leg of the fall semester. 
A photo of Garrett Walker and a dog.

Opinion | A tribute to Garrett Walker

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist November 10, 2021
The loss of Garrett Walker is an absolutely devastating tragedy. 
Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | The University of Alabama is fighting the infodemic

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist November 7, 2021
This Thursday, Nov. 11, the University will reinstate the Alabama Lectures on Life’s Evolution series of seminars, or ALLELE.
Opinion | COVID doesn’t end on Nov. 5

Opinion | COVID doesn’t end on Nov. 5

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist October 31, 2021

Beginning Nov. 5, all vaccinated individuals will no longer be required by the University to wear face coverings indoors. The only exceptions apply to “Crimson Ride buses and in clinical settings.” Up...

Opinions.

Opinion | Homecoming elections need a remodel

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist October 24, 2021
From campaign finance mishandlings to racially insensitive PR moves, this year’s homecoming queen competition was a debacle.
Opinions.

Opinion | The University should not give a platform to Charlie Kirk’s misinformation

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist October 17, 2021
Right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk is coming to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 3, but we must talk about it now, and the implications of Kirk’s event must be addressed.
SNaHP. Students for a National Health Program.

Opinion | UA must expand the reach of the Counseling Center

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist October 6, 2021
As we are in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Week, we must acknowledge that college students are suffering from poor mental health in alarming numbers, and this issue is being inadequately addressed.
Opinion | Football games don’t have to be superspreader events

Opinion | Football games don’t have to be superspreader events

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist October 3, 2021
Imagine if last Saturday’s Ole Miss game leaves fans hospitalized and intubated. We should never allow such consequences from an Alabama football game.
Rama Jamas storefront.

Opinion | Students need to support local businesses

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist September 19, 2021
Now more than ever, the local businesses of Tuscaloosa need our help. 
Opinion | Never forget 9/11 or its disastrous consequences

Opinion | Never forget 9/11 or its disastrous consequences

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist September 15, 2021
Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Opinions. The Crimson White.

UA should embrace the mask mandate extension

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist September 12, 2021
At this point, saying “COVID-19 isn’t over yet” feels like beating a dead horse, but beating a dead horse is better than believing that horse dewormer will protect you from a virus that already has an FDA-approved vaccine.
Opinion | Hurricane Ida is not an isolated incident

Opinion | Hurricane Ida is not an isolated incident

Alex Jobin, Contributing Columnist September 1, 2021
Hurricane Ida just stormed its way through the Gulf Coast, leaving destruction in its wake.
Opinion | UA’s vaccine outreach in the Black Belt is a promising step 

Opinion | UA’s vaccine outreach in the Black Belt is a promising step 

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist August 29, 2021

Alabama currently has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation, with a mere 38% of Alabamians fully vaccinated. However, the numbers are even lower in some of the state's more vulnerable...

Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | Prioritize your mental health this semester

Alex Jobin, Staff Columnist August 22, 2021
Whether this is your first year at The University of Alabama, your last or somewhere in between, the beginning of a new semester is guaranteed to stir emotions.
Opinions. The Crimson White.

Opinion | COVID isn’t over. The University of Alabama needs to stop acting like it is.

Alex Jobin, Contributing Columnist August 5, 2021
As the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel started to shine, a new swell of cases and virus variants reminded us that we are not yet free from our pandemic nightmare. This reminder should ring especially loud for those who live in Alabama, the state with the lowest vaccination rate in the country at about 34%.
Virtual concerts are a bonus, not a substitute 

Virtual concerts are a bonus, not a substitute 

Alex Jobin, Contributing Columnist July 20, 2021

Even in the age of streaming and digital content, concerts are cornerstones of the music industry. But, as was the case with many things during the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity of the traditional concert...

Opinions.

Opinion | UA should embrace critical race theory

Alex Jobin, Contributing Columnist June 23, 2021
Contrary to the talking points and fearmongering of some conservative lawmakers, critical race theory is not focused on attacking white people for their whiteness. Instead, it exposes the disenfranchisement and oppression of people of color by American systems that are based in the nation’s indubitably racist past.
Opinion | The Death Penalty: Whats the real cost?

Opinion | The Death Penalty: What’s the real cost?

Alex Jobin, Contributing Writer March 24, 2021

Brandon Bernard died on a Thursday.  On Dec. 10, 2020, in Terre Haute, Indiana, an employee of the federal government gave Bernard a lethal injection that ended his life. He was 40 years old. About...

Opinion | Why police brutality violates the Constitution

Opinion | Why police brutality violates the Constitution

Alex Jobin, Contributing Writer March 24, 2021

The eighth amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Its most frequently cited clause...

Courtesy of Interscope Records.

Review | This 2020 rap album will age like fine wine

Alex Jobin, Contributing Columnist March 11, 2021
Music recommendation alert! One opinions columnist is here to say that there's one album you may have missed in 2020, and it only gets better with every listen.
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