Assistant Vice President for University Outreach and Public Service, Dr. Hollie Cost participated in a panel conversation at the Alys Stephens Center in Downtown Birmingham on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. This event, Locked up in Alabama: Stories and Solutions, presented projects and perspectives aimed at improving Alabama's prison system.
The following was written by Andrew Yeager with WBHM, a non-commercial public FM radio station in Birmingham, Alabama
On Tuesday evening I sat in the Alys Stephens Center and heard from a woman who had been incarcerated at Tutwiler prison in Alabama. She was pregnant while serving her sentence and described giving birth to her son while her ankles were shackled to the stirrups and her wrists handcuffed to the bedrail. After the delivery, the nurse let her see her son, but she could not hold him.
That story from Faye Mitchell was one of many shared by formerly incarcerated individuals at our program "Locked up in Alabama: Stories and Solutions" which developed from our podcast Deliberate Indifference. That podcast broke down the crisis in Alabama’s prison system which is overcrowded, violent, understaffed and faces a lawsuit from the Department of Justice.
We heard from a man who served more than 30 years about the lengths he went to maintain his Scrabble board and dictionary which he said allowed him to keep his sanity. We heard poetry from those in and outside prison. We heard about second chances. And we hear from those on the policy side and thinkers on how to improve the system.
As I reflected on the program, I noted what I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear demonization of anyone around this troubled system. I didn’t hear political catch phrases. I didn’t hear quick, simple solutions. What I did hear was an acknowledgement of the humanity of those involved and a recognition of how flawed our prisons are in Alabama. The Department of Corrections currently has a poor record of “correcting” those within its walls, much less serving its role effectively for those of us on the outside.
In his opening remarks, our executive director Will Dahlberg noted the evening might leave the audience with more questions than answers. That’s ok. But what wasn’t missing was hope, whether from those who experienced prison first hand or those working to improve the system. Things do not have to be the way they are right now. Creating that change will take working together and building trust, something that’s often lacking in public life in Alabama.
Activist, T. Marie King (left), Auburn University Assistant Vice President of University Outreach and Public Service, Hollie Cost (middle-left), Aid to Inmate Mothers mentor coordinator, Deborah Neal (middle-right), and Alabama Appleseed Executive Director, Carla Crowder (right), discuss their ideas for improving Alabama's prison system at WBHM's "Locked up in Alabama: Stories and Solutions."
OLLI Spring term classes: March 28 - May 6 (six weeks)
OLLI will offer about 40 classes this Spring term including "The Secret Life of Trees", "All-Star American Baseball Novels", and "Color: Why We Cannot Live Without It". We will also offer long-time favorites "Writing Our Lives", "Hiking", and "Spring Mysteries". A new activity that OLLI is offering are workshops. Spring term will highlight "Coffee Bean Roasting at Home" and "Carnivorous Plants." Join us and enrich your life.
Outreach Global Office received stuffed animals from the Crawfordville United Methodist Women’s fellowship on March 7, 2022, at the O.D. Smith Hall lobby. The stuffed was donation was in support of the Outreach Global’s office annual healthcare program in Ghana, West Africa.
JoAnn Laney, President, and Linda Self, Secretary of the Crawfordville United Methodist Women’s fellowship presented the stuffed animals to Dr. Elizabeth Quansah, Director of Outreach Global at a brief ceremony in O.D. Smith Hall. Special thank you to Dianne Pope, Treasurer, and the entire women’s fellowship members at the Crawfordville United Methodist for their support.
During the 2021 Involvement Awards, The Campus Kitchen at Auburn received the Fred & Charlene Kam “Human Touch” Service Award which is given to the organization whose philanthropic and community service activities exemplify the power of the “Human Touch.” This award recognizes organizations that enhanced the student experience, was innovative in their philanthropic and community service activities, and fulfilled the organization's mission. Despite facing unprecedented COVID related restrictions and challenges, Campus Kitchen at Auburn continued to reduce food waste by collecting leftover food from dining facilities and address food insecurity by distributing more than 600 meals per week.
The Government and Ecnomic Development Institute recently provided a hybrid certification course for the Alabama Association of Public Personnel Administrators (AAPPA). The course, ACRMS: Risk Management Legal Foundations, was held on Friday, February 19, 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama. This course was successful thanks in part to the use of their Rally Video Conferencing system that allowed some users to participate remotely while others were able to attend on location.
GEDI plans to continue offering hybrid courses such as this to accomodate all of its participants both remotely and in-person!
On November 30 and December 1, CEOE provided training in the Culture Bump Approach to educational leaders in the Trussville City Schools. Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill, assistant superintendents, other educational leaders and teachers engaged in two days of Culture Bump training to enhance the learning experience for students in the suburban Birmingham district.
Last Updated: October 9, 2025
