December Student Organization of the Month

Forza Financial

Contributing Writer, Elisabeth García

            Forza Financial isn’t your average student organization. It’s an innovative lending institution mirrored in only two other universities in the U.S.

            Forza, “strength” in Italian, is an organization designed to help low-income entrepreneurs get their start, said David Bailey, the organization’s president.

He said many of these people have poor or no credit scores and cannot find loans.

“Almost none of our borrowers have a banking relationship,” Bailey said. “They don’t even have a checking account.”

That’s where Forza, a nonprofit organization, steps in. Bailey said many times, the reason entrepreneurs cannot get a loan is not their ability to pay it back but the circumstances in their lives. Forza works to re-gauge an applicant’s credit score and approve them for a loan.

Bailey said Forza only charges 10-20 percent compared to the rates of money lenders- 50 percent/month- and cash advance- 453 percent/year.

The company was started in the fall of 2009 when Bailey presented his idea to faculty at UA. Two other students, Alex Murray and Matt Miller, had similar ideas and the three formed Forza Financial.

From there, it’s become a company staffed entirely by more than 24 students, which might seem like an impossibility when you hear words like “microfinance” and “lending institution.”

“It is business-based but students do 100 percent of the work,” he said. “The beauty of what we’re doing is we use student labor.”

Even the company’s website was completely designed by students. These staffers earn independent study credit through the Honors College, Bailey said.

Eventually, he would like to introduce a microfinance class on campus. This is quite an advancement for UA considering the fact that a microfinance minor doesn’t exist.

The company also offers free classes to their lenders that cover issues from tax returns to creating a budget. Bailey said they hope to build a calendar with other companies to offer more classes.

The classes are one condition that lenders face in order to get a loan. Bailey said many of the loans are recommended from community leaders, such as church pastors. This makes social collateral, the company’s insurance, work so well.

Bailey said six people will be grouped into threes as borrowers. The second three cannot receive their loan until the first three have paid off a substantial portion of their loan.

This creates a peer pressure that makes the borrowing system so successful. The fear of a whole church judging you for not repaying your loan and inhibiting a fellow member’s loan is a big motivator, Bailey said.

            He also emphasized the fact that Forza isn’t just seeking outside lenders in the community.

“We also lend to students,” he said. “One of the most underserved populations for credit is students.”

Bailey said the company’s goal is to establish this kind of business throughout the southeast. They also want to build their research, making the more marketable to banking partners.

A possible reality TV show is also rumored but details are yet to be released, he said.

For now, members are working hard and empowering each other to go further, Bailey said. Chief officers meet every Sunday, the whole group meets monthly, and each team meets once a week to develop ideas.

“At the bare minimum, the least that someone spends is three hours,” he said.

Some members spend as much as 20-30 hours a week, speaking to the dedication of the staff. Bailey said the ability to change lives is a driving force that excites so many Forza workers.

“I could not speak highly enough about the quality and caliber of everyone in the program,” he said.

Bailey said more UA students are welcome to be part of this with several areas of involvement. First, students should go to Forza’s website and check out the company’s history.

Next, students should connect through Facebook or Twitter and contact one of the chief officers.

Bailey said they’re seeking independent applicants with good people skills but who aren’t over-committed.

“When you commit to something in Forza, it is paramount that you do it,” he said.

            Forza is currently accepting applications for affordable business loans. Local and student entrepreneurs are encouraged to see for themselves at www.ForzaFinancial.com.

Daniel Connors's Farewell Address

A New Foundation 

For all who don’t know, I took an exciting opportunity to study in China next semester. However, it saddens me because as of today I will be stepping down from my position as Director of Communications for the SOURCE. Being Director of Communications has given me the chance to experience the memorable journey of transforming the image of a resource center that over 400 student organizations have called home. My team and I were given the task to redesign the SOURCE logo and other related advertising materials. I believe that we have fully accomplished this goal. We created a new logo, built an advertising campaign that will kick in full swing next semester and increased awareness via social media and our blog. We also increased the communication outlets between the student organizations with newsletters and increased publicity for the new and current SOURCE events. We have finally finished building a new foundation to help to continue and expand its resources to be the voice for all student organizations.

Although there is still work to be done, I have confidence that Katie O’Laughlin, the new Director of Communications, and her team (Emily Dowdell, Elisabeth Garcia, and Cate Roepke) will continue these efforts of building awareness for the SOURCE. These efforts will be continued through the new advertising campaigns, maximizing publicity for Spring Get on Board Day and other events and also offer advice to new and old student organizations. The SOURCE grows and our voice becomes stronger through every newsletter, student organization of the month articles, posters and handbills, logistic documents, leadership programs, tweets and Facebook updates. Student organizations who continue to use the resource center as guidance for their clubs are guaranteed a successful year. Networking and the resources we have to offer will develop stronger relationships between the SOURCE and student organizations. The short seven months that I have been with the SOURCE has been eye opening because it showed me the true face of the University of Alabama with all the interests and passion that embodies within it. I want to make sure I leave this resource center with its unique perspectives that always has been the voice for student organizations for the past twenty five years.

Correction to Wheelchair Basketball Article

The name of Wheelchair Basketball Director, Brent Hardin, was incorrectly stated in the previous post as Brent Watkins and has now been corrected in the original post. The SOURCE apologizes for the mistake and is happy to correct it! Thank you.

UA Wheelchair Basketball

            What do five wheels, an orange ball, and the University of Alabama have in common? That would be the University of Alabama Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball teams. According to the Women’s team President, Lindsey Metz, these teams function just like any other UA athletic team, with practices Monday through Friday, lifting weights three times a week, and voluntary extra practices where athletes can work on their game shots in small focus groups with the aid of Brent Hardin, the Wheelchair Athletic Director.

            Metz, in her first year as President, got involved with the team after coming to a wheelchair basketball camp run by UA while she was in high school. Metz, like many of her teammates, was recruited by Hardin, made a campus visit, and eventually committed to the program. “I played in high school, and decided I wanted to go on to the next level,” she said. However, a number of Metz’s teammates followed a slightly different route to the University and the team. According to Metz, the United States is currently the only country with college wheelchair athletics, so some international students came specifically to play. The women’s team currently has members from Canada and Germany who came to play at the university.

            In order to play wheelchair basketball, an athlete must have a certifiable disability. However, that disability does not necessarily mean the athlete must require a wheelchair. “You essentially have to have a doctor say that you can’t perform regular sports,” Metz said. So while any legally disabled student may tryout for the team, at this moment, an “able-bodied” person cannot play for a university team. Sorry, everyone.

            So what’s the difference between wheelchair basketball and the basketball most people are familiar with? The main differences between wheelchair basketball and able-bodied basketball deal with dribbling and travelling and fouls. In wheelchair basketball, a player must dribble every two pushes of his or her wheelchair, or else it is considered travelling. As far as fouls are concerned, the essential difference is in the way they are called. There are still five fouls, but in wheelchair basketball, most fouls are chair fouls, of which there is a variety. Also special in wheelchair basketball? The type of wheelchair that the athletes use. The wheelchair used in a game is much lighter than an everyday wheelchair, to help with speed, and has a bar across the front near the player’s feet to prevent players getting tangled during contact. The game chair also has angled wheels to allow for faster turns, straps for safety, and a fifth wheel for both stability and balance.

            Metz encourages students to come see a game and get a feel for how the game is. “It’s totally different than you’d think, it’s really a new experience.” The frequency of Wheelchair Basketball games depends on the semester; however, both teams usually play roughly 30 games a season, with many games coming from tournaments. Because wheelchair basketball teams are few in number and spread out, the teams play at a variety of different levels in some of their games in order to play as much as possible and prepare themselves for the games against other schools with established wheelchair athletics programs. For example, the women’s team will play both men’s teams and club teams for as much play time as they can get. Both teams will play at home on Saturday, December 3^rd and Saturday December 10^th, and the games against other college teams begin in the spring semester. Both teams’ schedules can be found on the Wheelchair Athletics website at http://uads.weebly.com.