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

All content by Ben Jackson
We should value conservative writers

We should value conservative writers

Ben Jackson December 7, 2017

Conservative writers are disappearing. Outside the narrow confines of Fox News and Breitbart, hardly worthy arbiters of philosophy, conservative intellectuals are becoming increasingly absent from mainstream...

Financial illiteracy is an epidemic

Financial illiteracy is an epidemic

Ben Jackson September 25, 2017

If you are reading this, you are probably bad with money. That’s not meant to be an insult, just a statistical observation. In fact, most Americans are bad with money. The median retirement savings for...

REBUTTAL: In defense of facts

REBUTTAL: In defense of facts

Ben Jackson September 21, 2017

America has a tenuous relationship with the facts. Which is why, when I read Sam West’s piece “Against Facts, Logic and Reason,” I was dismayed. It was particularly discouraging to hear those words...

We arent saving Houston, Houston is saving us

We aren’t saving Houston, Houston is saving us

Ben Jackson August 30, 2017

The Houston storm is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent American history. Unprecedented flooding is ravaging coastal communities, leaving thousands homeless and incurring hundreds of billions...

The true cost of legal marijuana

Ben Jackson April 14, 2016

As marijuana becomes legal in more parts of the United States, it may be time to ask ourselves two important questions: why now, and at what cost? The questions come at a time when the national dialogue...

Tuscaloosa deserves more than a raise: it deserves a future

Ben Jackson January 21, 2016

When presidential-hopeful Bernie Sanders addressed a packed auditorium in Birmingham this week, many UA students listened intently from the crowd. Among them was Kyle Campbell, who wrote an op-ed in The...

What's scarier than Halloween? Student loan debt

What's scarier than Halloween? Student loan debt

Ben Jackson October 28, 2015

This Halloween, I’m dressing up as the scariest thing I can imagine. And no, it’s not Donald Trump – it’s student loan debt. What makes student loan debt so spooky is only partially related to...

Education’s most confusing math problem: funding

Ben Jackson October 14, 2015

Imagine stealing $108 – from a kindergartener. Unthinkable, right? If you’re an Alabama state lawmaker, you’ve already done it.I’m referencing, of course, the conclusion of Governor Bentley’s...

FOMC meeting decision has major impact on college students

Ben Jackson September 16, 2015

Today is important. And I don’t mean that in some sort of motivational, “be positive” kind of way. I mean that September 14, 2015, is uniquely important, because it begins the two-day Federal Open...

Roads and rumbling stomachs: Tuscaloosa faces growing pains

Ben Jackson September 2, 2015

Tuscaloosa is growing, quickly. Last week I visited the new Fresh Market, one of the crowning jewels of Legacy Park, a $55 million project at the intersection of McFarland and 13th street. Across the street...

In midst of severe financial crisis, Greece requires greater assistance

Ben Jackson July 15, 2015

The happy, beach-going Greeks depicted in Saturday’s Snapchat-Live “Beach Bums Part 1” are feeling very different as of Monday morning. And with good reason. It may be a long time before Greeks can...

UA instructor helps write revised state constitution

UA instructor helps write revised state constitution

Ben Jackson March 29, 2015

At 340,000 words and over 800 amendments, Alabama’s State Constitution is the world’s longest functioning constitution. But length alone is not the reason that Robert McCurley, attorney and former...

Coming months mark start of tornado season

Ben Jackson March 29, 2015

As spring rolls into Tuscaloosa, so does the potential for severe weather. In a community that understands the threat of tornadoes, The University of Alabama has provided a number of resources to help...

Farooq connects Muslims, non-Muslims

Farooq connects Muslims, non-Muslims

Ben Jackson March 11, 2015

Muhammad Farooq, a a graduate student in electrical engineering from Peshawar, Pakistan, is the current president of the Muslim Student Association. Farooq said the organization recently returned to campus...

Student-run lecture series Tide Talks celebrates 2-year birthday

Student-run lecture series Tide Talks celebrates 2-year birthday

Ben Jackson March 8, 2015

Members of The University of Alabama community gathered together for the 2-year birthday bash for Tide Talks on Friday. The lecture team celebrated the occasion with piñatas, cake and a wide host of speakers...

Tide Talks celebrates birthday

Tide Talks celebrates birthday

Ben Jackson March 5, 2015

The innovative lecture organization Tide Talks turns two years old Friday and everyone on campus is invited to the birthday bash. Tide Talks X will begin at 7 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Auditorium and...

Talks cover modern medicine

Talks cover modern medicine

Ben Jackson March 2, 2015

Students, faculty and community members gathered with Michael Antolin of Colorado State University to discuss evolution in medicine and how an understanding of the fundamental science can change therapies...

Rodgers hosts lecture series on LED technology

Rodgers hosts lecture series on LED technology

Ben Jackson February 18, 2015

Thursday afternoon, the Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering will continue its “Take a Journey in Science” lecture series with “Let There Be Light: LED Applications from Lighting to Killing...

Rick Bragg speaks at lecture event

Ben Jackson February 12, 2015

Pulitzer-Prize winning author and University of Alabama professor Rick Bragg told stories to a crowded gathering of friends and fans at a lecture event hosted by Alpine Living magazine Wednesday evening....

Bragg to speak on travel

Bragg to speak on travel

Ben Jackson February 9, 2015

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and UA professor Rick Bragg will share his stories of his writing and travels from Miami to the Middle East at a lecture hosted by Alpine Living. The lecture will serve as...

Food app offers more options

Ben Jackson February 9, 2015

Starting this week, hungry Alabama students will have a new option for fast late-night fare. Crunchbutton, a new app-based food delivery service, will begin serving students this Thursday at 6 p.m. “This...

UA in Cuba program sees benefit in lifted embargo

UA in Cuba program sees benefit in lifted embargo

Ben Jackson January 28, 2015

United States diplomats continue talks this week with Cuban officials over President Barack Obama’s recent lessening of sanctions that began over 50 years ago. More than 765 miles from Havana, students...

New dining spot opens

Ben Jackson January 21, 2015

Tuesday night at Presidential Terrace, students and Bama Dining staff gathered together for the grand opening of the Presidential Terrace Market. The market, a continuation of the University’s commitment...

College students face potential technology insecurity

College students face potential technology insecurity

Ben Jackson January 21, 2015

As students return to campus with their laptops, smartphones and tablets, some may fail to realize the risks they face with technology. Blackhat hacking, which can have destructive implications for victims,...

Godoreccis foster growth in UA Italian department: Maurizio brings Italian culture, flair to classes

Godoreccis foster growth in UA Italian department: Maurizio brings Italian culture, flair to classes

Ben Jackson January 8, 2015

After over two decades of teaching Italian, professor Maurizio Godorecci has become something of a legend in the University of Alabama Italian Language Department.“It has been a pleasure to be able to...

2015 to see further debate over net neutrality

2015 to see further debate over net neutrality

Ben Jackson December 1, 2014

As 2014 draws to a close, Washington politicians and the tech-savvy are filling the media with a phrase most Americans know next-to-nothing about: net neutrality. And yet, an early 2015 ruling by the Federal...

Washington Post reporter discusses US health care

Washington Post reporter discusses US health care

Ben Jackson November 16, 2014

Physicians, community members and students congregated Nov. 13 at the Tuscaloosa River Market to listen to Washington Post journalist T.R. Reid discuss health care in the United States and around the world....

UA graduate donates $1.5 million

Ben Jackson November 4, 2014

The Culverhouse School of Accountancy, recently ranked No. 8 in the nation by the 33rd Annual Survey in “Public Accounting Report,” continues to make news this fall as alumnus Gary Fayard announced...

Midterm elections approaching

Ben Jackson October 27, 2014

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, registered voters across the nation will visit their local polling stations as they cast ballots for a wide array of offices and issues. Contested offices in the state of Alabama include...

Department of Criminal Justice to host community forum

Ben Jackson October 27, 2014

The Department of Criminal Justice will host “From the Station to the Sidewalks: An Informed Discussion of Police and Community Relations in Light of Ferguson” on Monday. The forum will be held from...

Council passes demolition order

Ben Jackson October 15, 2014

Tuesday night’s city council meeting saw the public hearing concerning a routine demolition order turn into a heated battle as Pamela Richardson, lessee of the property at 2818 17th St., argued to prevent...

Local support raises awareness

Ben Jackson October 14, 2014

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, businesses around Tuscaloosa are showing their support in a variety of ways. Both Ulta Beauty and Hungry Howie’s are offering special promotions to...

Students discuss US actions against Islamic State

Students discuss US actions against Islamic State

Ben Jackson September 30, 2014

U.S. fighter pilots were joined yesterday by British allies in the fight against the Islamic State, whose violence paralyzed large parts of Iraq and Syria over the past few months. Nearly 7,000 miles away,...

UA researchers study Parkinson's

UA researchers study Parkinson's

Ben Jackson September 29, 2014

Thanks to research co-authored by University of Alabama researchers, Americans can likely expect to see a decrease in the nearly 60,000 patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease each year. Parkinson’s...

Joe Hubbard talks campaign strategies

Joe Hubbard talks campaign strategies

Ben Jackson September 24, 2014

Tuesday night, Representative Joe Hubbard met and mingled with 
students and community members at the College Democrats meeting 
as he addressed the subjects of authenticity and accountability 
in...

Student earns NASA scholarship

Student earns NASA scholarship

Ben Jackson September 23, 2014

By Ben Jackson | Contributing Writer Lauren Howell is aiming for the stars – a bit more literally than most of her classmates. Howell, a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering at The University...

Students decide between PA and MD schools

Students decide between PA and MD schools

Ben Jackson September 21, 2014

UA student Tyler Jones may diagnose a condition, prescribe medication or even perform a surgery, but he will do all of this without an M.D. behind his name. Jones, a junior majoring in psychology, is one...

Tuscaloosa City Council votes on Jinsei location

Tuscaloosa City Council votes on Jinsei location

Ben Jackson September 14, 2014

Tuesday night’s City Council Meeting ran unusually long as representatives and supporters of Jinsei, a high end sushi restaurant chain, battled with the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society and other...

Parker Griffith hopes for debate

Parker Griffith hopes for debate

Ben Jackson September 2, 2014

A historically conservative state with a Republican supermajority in both houses, Alabama often finds its Democratic gubernatorial candidates without much traction. Tuesday night at Ridgecrest South courtyard,...

Business school ranks high in recent surveys

Ben Jackson August 24, 2014

The University of Alabama’s undergraduate and masters accounting program was ranked eighth in the nation by “Public Accounting Report’s” 33rd Annual Professor’s Survey.The new ranking jumped...

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