CW Monday | Homecoming election, masks come off, vaccine mandate

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Vol. CXXVIII, Issue XXXI

Monday, November 1, 2021

Hi. Here's the news.

McLean Moore was crowned homecoming queen on Oct. 22, but several concerns about the campaign and election processes have cast doubt on the outcome. CW / David Gray

Homecoming coverage continues. VP for Student Life Myron Pope sent out an email on Saturday addressing “misinformed narratives” about the homecoming queen election. The email failed to address key concerns, and the Student Government Association hasn’t responded to the controversy.

The Elections Board didn’t post an election timeline at least 21 class days in advance, making the election invalid from the beginning.
McLean Moore was named the winner even though she did not receive a majority of votes and committed several errors on her financial disclosure forms.

Mask off. Fully vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear masks on campus beginning Nov. 5. The mask mandate remains in place for unvaccinated individuals, and masks are still required for everyone in buses and clinical settings.

Vaccines on campus. The University has developed a portal for faculty, staff and student employees to provide proof of their vaccination status.

The portal will help the University enforce the federal requirement for all employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 8.

Sammy SAFE boxes. Sigma Alpha Mu is spearheading a partnership with the Tuscaloosa SAFE Center through donation boxes. The chapter has already raised $9,000 and hopes to meet its $30,000 fundraising goal so the center can hire a second nurse.

The road to playoffs. Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M may have been painful, but Sports Editor Ashlee Woods says the team’s strength of schedule could lead to a playoff spot as long as there are no other losses.

Crimsonettes are back. The homecoming game marked the Crimsonettes’ first halftime performance since 2019. After a year of being relegated to the stands, being back on the field was an emotional experience for returners and newcomers alike.

The Iron Bowl of women's soccer. Alabama beat Auburn on Thursday, securing a first-round bye in the SEC tournament. With the regular season over, the team will face Ole Miss on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Opinion: LGBTQ history is year-round. As October ends, the president of Capstone Alliance wants the University to recognize its queer history.

Opinion: Too many reboots. Many beloved horror franchises are receiving modern reboots or sequels, but one columnist is not impressed with the trend.

CW / Wesley Picard

Here are the off-campus goings-on:

The University of Florida is prohibiting three of its professors from testifying in a voting rights lawsuit, claiming that doing so would be a conflict of interest with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Alabama has joined a Republican-led coalition challenging President Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal employees. Currently, the vaccination rate in Alabama is the lowest in the nation at 44.7%.
American Airlines has canceled over 1,500 flights since Friday, as it deals with weather issues and staffing shortages.

From the Newsroom
notes from inside the video calls and group chats of The Crimson White

The CW's coverage of the homecoming election has spread beyond campus. Kyle Whitmire pf AL.com explained how our campus elections influence state and national politics.

Hot Takes

The campus mask mandate is set to expire on Nov. 5. Staff columnist Alex Jobin argues that changing the policy this late in the semester is pointless:

“The most obvious flaw in the University’s plan is its assumption that all unvaccinated students will adhere to the rules and remain masked while they are indoors and at crowded outdoor events. It seems doubtful that the University is expecting staff to continually verify students’ vaccination status to ensure they are following the new guidelines — so how will we know if the maskless are really vaccinated or not? We won’t.”

Hot Dates

Join the weekly Cinnamon Rolls, Not Gender Roles discussion on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. in the Safe Zone Lounge. Pastries will be provided for students of all identities.

Make sure you can get credit for your study abroad with Education Abroad’s Course Equivalency Workshop. Stop by on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m. in BB Comer 144.

Celebrate the renaming of Wade Hall by attending the official rededication ceremony on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in front of the building.