University of Alabama system

Simone Biles held off Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade for all-around Olympics gymnastics gold. At 27, she’s the oldest Olympic women’s gymnastics champ since 1952. Biles isn't the only women in the all-around final. Luisa Blanco, a Texas native and recent Alabama graduate, made the final while competing for Colombia.

The University of Alabama has joined the STARS College Network, a coalition of 32 of the nation’s most prominent institutions. These are outlets dedicated to ensuring that students from rural and small-town communities have the resources they need to be successful throughout their college journey.

The three University of Alabama System campuses have shuttered diversity, equity and inclusion offices_ and shifted staff and functions to new programs. The moves were taken to comply with a new Republican-backed state law that seeks to ban so-called DEI programs on public college campuses in Alabama.

Republican lawmakers in Kansas have joined their GOP counterparts in other states in trying to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on university campuses, but the proposals they've advanced are written to avoid having to agree on how to define DEI. These moves follow Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signing a ban on diversity programs at State schools, Universities, and agencies.

In Antarctica, the Thwaites Glacier is the widest glacier on the planet. Its stability is in jeopardy due to the massive landform losing about 50 billion tons of ice more than it is receiving in snowfall within a year. Accelerating ice loss has been observed since the 1970s, but it is unclear when this significant melting initiated, until now.

Saturday will be celebrated by much of the world as the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. Tuscaloosa is no exception. This year the celebration will be hosted by the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars on the UA campus.

The University of Alabama Systems' chancellor is spearheading a coalition from kindergarten to four-year institution leaders to advocate the state's…