Behind the Hedges...

Behind the Hedges...lurks secret deals, out of control personal spending, adultery,feuds, cover-ups, backstabbing, corporate shenanigans!

No I'm not talking about an episode of Days of Our Lives or Bernie Medoff's Wall Street firm! The phrase "between the hedges" refers to the famous football field at the University of Georgia in Athens. The late Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Rich Whitt has entitled his book Behind the Hedges, mowing down the duplicitous facade of the University of Georgia's President, Michael Adams.

Whitt alleges and presents evidence of misuse of funds($138,000 spent on parties in Hawaii and Georgia, for example). He presents many incidents of the rampant misconduct that occured on a personal and official level! Various constituencies such as the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board,even officials at the state capital level become players in Whitt's investigation.

The book's publicity has upset students and faculty who fear a drop in donor support and a tarnishing of their school's reputation.

Let us appreciate the University of Montervallo's continued reputation for integrity and transparency. And let us wish our neighboring University the best and a swift plan to get their hedges out of the mud!

Sheldon Hackney, historian, former provost, Princeton University, former President of Tulane and the University of Pennsylvania writes about this book:

" This authoritative tale of colorful characters thrashing about in a tangled web of compromised moral principles should be required reading for everyone in higher education. Behind the Hedges is a clear demonstration that within our universities, the highest ethical precepts should be the foundation of both good politics and effective leadership."

There have been allegations that the book has been mysteriously disappearing from places that could sell it. I received my copy from amazon.com.

Patsy Sears

Spring Reading Photos Now Online

Today marked our third library reading in as many weeks and we now have photos from all of them posted to Flickr and Facebook. Here's a sample:



University of Alabama Professor of English and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, Hank Lazer, read his poems here on Tuesday, March 31^st.



Mary Ward Brown read from her award-winning collections of short stories here on Friday, April 17^th as part of the seventh annual Montevallo Literary Festival.



Lastly, Carmichael Library's own Alan May read from his recent book of poetry, Dead Letters, Tuesday, April 21^st.

Check out our other online spaces to see more photos!

Alan May Reading

Alan May will be reading selections from his poetry on Tuesday, April 21, at 3:30 in the Carmichael Library lobby. Alan has authored two books of poetry, Notes toward an Apocryphal Text and Dead Letters.

Poet Hank Lazer describes Alan’s work as "poetry rich in a nightmarish beauty made of music, image, and vision." His works have appeared in The New Orleans Review, and others. Alan is the editor of the online poetry journal Apocryphal Text. Alan holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama.

2009 Montevallo Literary Festival, April 16-17

This week brings the seventh annual Montevallo Literary Festival.

This year's headliners include Rebecca Gilman, Anthony Grooms, Maurice Manning, and Mary Ward Brown. The festival will also feature Daniel Anderson, Emma Bolden, Christopher Chambers, Hartford Gongaware, The EatingAlabama Bloggers, Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, and Michael Morris.

More information is available at the MLF website.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2009

This is the second year that the library is teaming up with our partners in the Counseling and Career Center to raise awareness about sexual assault.

Just inside the library's doors you'll find brochures, books, and other resources designed to educate you, your friends, and your loved ones. All of the brochures are free for you to take and share with friends, and all of the books in the display are available for checkout.

In addition to the materials here in the library, you may consider the following list of organizations, which were compiled by Kassie Doggett of the Counseling and Career Center:

• SafeHouse of Shelby County - www.safehouse.org Crisis Line: (205) 664-SAFE or 1-800 650-6522
• Crisis Center - www.crisiscenterbham.com Rape Response Line: (205) 323-7273 (RAPE) or 1-888-323-7273 (RAPE)
• Alabama Coalition Against Rape - www.acar.org
• Rape Abuse Incest National Network: The nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization - www.rainn.org
• National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1 (800) 656-4673 (HOPE)

Thanks to Kassie and her colleagues for their continued efforts on this important issue.

Related on Carmichael blog:

• Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2008