Gearing up for game day: Campus changes at UA, AU create new transit dynamics
Birmingham News – Aug. 31
…Auburn University and the University of Alabama have made changes to their parking areas and regulations, traffic patterns and amusement offerings - enough changes that they have set up Web sites to help fans plan their game days…Gina Johnson, UA's associate vice president for auxiliary services, said the university is coping with growth in enrollment and the building of dorms and classrooms. Plus, last year's stadium addition, which added about 9,000 seats, has meant more people coming to games, while at the same time taking up some of the land that once was used as stadium parking.
"The stadium has grown in size and our campus land has not grown and we have not been able to keep up with the growth in terms of the parking areas," Johnson said. People also increasingly are coming to town just for the game-day experience. "There are a lot more people that come to Tuscaloosa with no intention of going to the game. It is exciting just to come for the atmosphere," Johnson said…

UA ticket demand `unparalleled'
Birmingham News – Aug. 31
…But with enrollment increasing and excitement high after the hiring of Nick Saban as head coach, tickets are scare. The allotment of 48,000 season tickets are sold out, with 5,000 people on the waiting list. Faculty and staff have 4,500 seats allocated to them, but requests for 9,300 tickets came in, forcing a rationing of tickets. Students gobbled up their allotment, too…
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 31

Going to the game? Here's what you should know
Birmingham News – Aug. 31
…What's new: Campus expansion and activities on the Quad have pushed parking to the edge of campus…

Tuscaloosa Prepares for 'Saban Nation'
Crimson White – Aug. 31
That sound you hear is the Crimson Tide faithful approaching with all deliberate speed - and the University is getting ready for them. "Our biggest challenge when you roll it all together is that people will be coming in at different times over the week, but they will all want to leave at once," said Gina Johnson, associate vice president for auxiliary services. Johnson said she expects 120,000 to 130,000 fans to stream into Tuscaloosa for the Tide season opener, depending on the weather. Right now, Saturday's forecast calls for rain…

Tuscaloosa Police Prepare for Gameday
Fox 6 (Birmingham ) – Aug. 30
Tuscaloosa police prepare for the start of the Saban era. The more RVs that pull into town, the more officers you’ll see come game day.

Season of Fandom
Florence Times-Daily – Aug. 31
…At the University of Alabama, an expanded transit system for transportation to the games and a jumbo-screen TV set up on the Quad are new this year for football fans, said Chris Bryant, assistant director of media relations. Both services are free…

Opinion: Gameday has arrived
Crimson White – Aug. 31
…The editorial board of The Crimson White hopes that excitement carried through the summer and fall training camp. With a new coach, some things are bound to not go smoothly, though expectations for this year are as high as ever…Give all of your excitement and energy in order to pump up our players. Make sure they know we support them, no matter what happens.

Today is 'College Colors Day’
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 31
…Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has proclaimed today “College Colors Day,"…Riley is joining what amounts to a large-scale marketing effort by the Collegiate Licensing Co., the copyright and trademark arm of more than 200 colleges, several bowl games and the NCAA…

Pop goes the Tide
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 31
…But Bear Bryant and other images in crimson and white resound throughout pop culture. Some are small and seemingly nonsensical, while others are bold enough to be singing “Yea Alabama!” at the top of their lungs…

Education Briefs
Birmingham News – Aug. 31
Ed Mullins, a retired University of Alabama journalism professor, is the recipient of the 2007 Robert P. Knight Multicultural Recruiting Award…School of Social Work is planning the first social work conference to focus on the needs and challenges faced by men in American society. "The National Conference on Social Work With and For Men" will be April 28-29…John Lochman, professor and holder of the Saxon Chair of clinical psychology at the University of Alabama, has been elected to the board of directors of the international Society for Prevention Research…

Constitutional reformers honor Thomson
Mobile Register – Aug. 31
…About 400 people gathered at the Harbert Center for the first Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon. Thomson, a journalist who worked as a writer and editor at the Press-Register and later as a journalism professor at the University of Alabama, helped found the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation in April 2000…
Huntsville Times – Aug. 31
Birmingham News – Aug. 31

Workplaces team up for good health
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 31
…The city of Tuscaloosa, University of Alabama, DCH Health System and Nucor Steel Inc. are among the employers participating in the “Strive for Five" wellness program to encourage people to exercise and eat healthy…“ “If we can create that mission and share a consistent branded message, we think we can make a difference," said Rebecca Kelly, director of the office of health promotion and wellness at UA. “There are lots of wellness programs but they do not always carry that same brand and level of connectedness. We think that connectedness is important because together we can make significant changes."…

International trade growing trend in Alabama
Florence Times-Daily – Aug. 31
…Robert Stackpole, international trade specialist with the Alabama International Trade Center at the University of Alabama, said large firms are the majority of the trade volume in Alabama, but smaller businesses are stepping on board as well. "Trade is good, trade is growing and we need to do more to increase trade," Stackpole said. "Small firms are getting involved like never before."…

Filmmaker to speak on campus today
Crimson White – Aug. 31
…filmmaker Albert Maysles's Oscar nomination and pair of Emmy statuettes were more than enough for the department of telecommunication and film to jump at the chance to have him speak at the University…today at 11 a.m. in 216 Reese Phifer Hall. The event is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility…

Alabama A-Plus
WCBI (Columbus, Miss.) – Aug. 31
University of Alabama is announcing a new donation program for athletics entitled Alabama A-Plus where alumni and fans can donate money to the Crimson Tide athletic program.