Organization Spotlight: The Indian Association of Tuscaloosa

           Nonprofit organizations are widespread across the University’s campus, but the Indian Association of Tuscaloosa is much different from the typical club.

           “We are all together all the time,” said Nischit Kadari, the organization’s president.
           Kadari, a graduate student in the mechanical engineering program, said he came to the University in 2009 after learning about its top program in aerospace engineering.
           After being accepted, he contacted the Indian Association via email after locating their website online. They quickly replied and assured him that he would be taken care of, even offering Kadari a temporary apartment for the first week.
           Narendra Chaganti, the association’s webmaster, said these apartments are offered to all incoming students who contact them through email.
           Entrants are paired with Indian roommates, with whom they normally room for the remainder of their campus stay.
           “Most of them just want to stay close to anybody who is from India,” he said.
           Gaurav Mehta, the association’s treasurer, said about 10 to 15 students come from India each year. He said entrance has decreased over the years, which may be associated with rising tuition.
           Mehta came from Bombay, India to get his Ph.D. in civil engineering at the University.
           Besides helping newcomers find accommodations, the association celebrates Indian culture with festivals such as Diwali and Indian Independence Day, Mehta said.
           The association makes sure others understand the Indian culture and shows them how good it is, he said. Events they hold share the customs and history of the nation, including traditional food and dance.
           Despite the name, the association maintains diversity. Mehta said they’ve reached out to other Asians who come to the University and may not be familiar with the customs.
           Though all three board members have engineering focuses, Mehta said they have people from many majors, ranging from business to science.
           Chaganti stressed that the association is not solely for those from India and is largely a learning environment.
           “We are open to anyone who wants to come and know what’s happening here,” he said.
           The association also participates in the Crimson Cricket Club, which competes in championships with other Southern schools.
           The club incorporates students from many nations, including Ghana and Trinidad.
           Kadari said the Indian Association is not a very big community, numbering around 100 students.
           This contributes to a very tight knit community, however. Though the group does not meet very often, Mehta said everyone is quick to help each other.
           He said they keep a mailing list, and everyone is contacted whether somebody wishes to sell a car or celebrate a happy moment in their life.
           Chaganti said they also have potluck dinners and get-togethers. Seniors leaving the University also address the community with advice to the students staying behind.
           Though he soon graduates, Kadari said he has bright hopes for the association.
           “I hope in the future it keeps continuing,” he said, “and that it will really contribute on our behalf to the University.”
           This article was taken from the University of Alabama school newspaper, the Crimson White.

First Student Organization of the Month: Rip Tide Dancers

As twenty-seven students dressed in sweatpants and T-shirts file into the Miles studio of the Recreation center, they make an about-face after their president instructs them to sign in and run laps for warm up.

They are the Rip Tide Dancers and you’ll get to see them perform soon at the University of Alabama’s Homecoming step show.

The group is primarily a hip-hop dance team, but also incorporates contemporary and lyrical dance.

The president, Matthew Hutchins, said the dancers also perform per request. Last year, they performed at an event with Hawaiian themed dances and costumes.

Christina Webber, whom you may have seen on BET’s Born to Dance competition, started Rip Tide in 2005, Hutchins said.

He said Webber looked around UA and noticed a lack of hip-hop dance teams. She decided to create one to enable dancers to continue the art post-high school.

However, not just anyone can be apart of this team. Rip Tide will host yearly auditions each fall to determine admittance of new members.

Syleah Allen, the group’s public relations manager, said that candidates are not judged solely on their ability to replicate a one-minute dance but also on the interview that is held afterwards.

Allen and Hutchins agree that even if a participant isn’t the best dancer, personality and passion will take them pretty far in the audition.

Asserting this, Hutchins pointed out that very few of the members are majoring in dance―a select three members. Even as the president, Hutchins is majoring in fashion.

 The team is bigger than ever this year, but that has not created a hierarchy of member influence.

Allen said that the team does everything together, from performances to choreography. They also practice three times a week for at least three hours.

“Sometimes we’re here till midnight,” she said.

Allen said the dancers show the fruits of all their practice at various competitions and perform as opening acts and features for other performers. This year, the team hopes to host their own competition at UA, inviting other university teams to join them for the event.

Membership dues are $30 and the team also organizes fundraisers to raise money.

Uniforms vary based on the event and performance type, and the leaders said it is a lot of fun getting prepared.

Most recently, the team performed in a flash mob at UA’s Get on Board Day. You may have passed their table on your way to the Ferguson Center.

If you didn’t get a chance to see them at Get on Board Day, you can also see their artful pictures on display in the Ferg window boxes.

They also got students situated on campus by helping with student move-in days.

If you want to find out more about the team, you can find them on Facebook under “Rip Tide” or on Twitter at “Rip Tide Dancers”.

Meet more SOURCE Directors

Alex Karagas, Coordinator of Student Involvement and Leadership

            Depending on how much time you spend in the Ferguson Center, you may have heard the name Alex Karagas once or twice. A slightly frantic and perhaps frazzled student might have mentioned needing to show something to her on their way up to the third floor in the weeks before Get on Board Day. But who is she?

            Other than someone who loves gyros and Fight Club, officially, Ms. Karagas is the Coordinator of the Office of the Student Involvement and Leadership, and the Advisor to the SOURCE Board of Governors. Essentially, Karagas deals with student organization management (the SOURCE) here on campus. Under those official titles, Ms. Karagas is a woman who does so much more. On a larger, group level, she helps student organizations with daily management, which can include anything from fundraising and programming to collaboration and other general daily needs. As the advisor to the SOURCE Board of Governors, Karagas advises on projects like the ReSOURCE Fair and Profiles in Service and Leadership. But, on a more personal level, Karagas works one-on-one with individual students to create four-year leadership plans and get involved on campus.

            As an advisor to the SOURCE, Karagas hopes to create more resources for student organizations on campus, and make the SOURCE more visible to students and student organizations. She hopes to promote the virtual SOURCE space, and ensure student leaders and students know where leadership opportunities exist on campus. Karagas has been involved with student organization management since 2005, when she was a sophomore at UA and the SOURCE was called CCSO. She still chooses to do this job now because, according to Karagas, “I have seen the growth of student organizations and the importance of involvement for students across all academic majors and classifications. I am very lucky to have a passion for what I do because I see the benefit not only from my personal experience at the University of Alabama but students I have worked with over the past several years,” she said.

            While the SOURCE is her home base, students might also run into Karagas in class, where she teaches New 222, or working in various leadership programming on campus, like leadership UA.

            The moral of her story? The SOURCE and the SOURCE Board of Governors are always there to help any student. 

Daniel Connors, Director of Communications

            Who is Daniel Connors? A junior from Enterprise, Alabama, Connors is double majoring in Global Business Management and Marketing, with a minor in Chinese. You might catch him in the Ferguson Center one day eating mousakka (his favorite food), and reading his favorite book Tuesdays With Morrie or maybe watching one of the Back to the Future trilogy, or High Society, his favorite movies. His favorite part about High Society? Frank Sinatra, who is coincidentally, one of his favorite musicians. After putting in his time here at UA, Connors intends to move to Australia, where he hopes to work in either the banking or the mining industry, two industries, which, according to Connors, have close relationships with China, explaining his interest in the Chinese language.

            Connors’ dedication to learning the language shows when you find out that thus far, Connors states that his most difficult class has in fact been his Chinese 102 class. Showing some diversity, he says that while it was difficult to choose, he has most enjoyed both his Accounting 210 class and a Cultural and Human Experience class he took for the International Honors program.

            Lending new meaning to the clichéd phrase, “a man of many hats,” you might also run into Connors at a HearUA meeting, a student organization of which Connors is the president and founder. Connors is also an active volunteer for READ Alabama and the SGA Director of Graphic Design.

            Between learning to speak Chinese and preparing for his future life down under, Connors works on the Board of Governors for the SOURCE, as the Director of Communications. As Director of Communications, he is responsible for all of the publicity, marketing, and promotion for the SOURCE, which includes graphic design, advertising, and social media, among others. If it’s from the SOURCE and on Facebook, Twitter, or the blogosphere, chances are, Connors is probably behind it. With such a broad reach, one must have a focus. Overall, Connors’ goal for the SOURCE this year is to create a new image of the SOUCE, and make sure the SOURCE brand truly represents the student body. According to Connors, “I want the SOURCE to be more visible to students and be more student oriented,” he said. “I want students to know that the SOURCE is a voice for student organizations.”

Sigma Lambda Gamma

Sigma Lambda Gamma seeks members, partnerships   

     

Sigma Lambda Gamma is UA's largest multicultural sorority and is currently seeking interested women and organizations that may wish to partner with our sorority for events in the future. SLG promotes their five principles of academics, community service, cultural awareness, social interaction and morals and ethics. Given these principles, we seek women who value those principles and organizations that promote similar programming. 

     The women in the Tau Gamma Chapter at UA alone represent over 13 different ethnicities and the organization nationwide represents over a hundred. After only being founded nationally in 1990, Sigma Lambda Gamma has been deemed the fastest growing fraternal organization to date. 

     To find out more about the Tau Gamma chapter here at the Capstone please visit www.bamagammas.com and fill out the interested page or contact bamaslg.recruitment@gmail.com. 


Service Learning Pro

SERVICE LEARNING PRO

If your student organization participates in community service, please create an SL Pro profile for your organization. SL Pro is the online volunteer database at UA, and all service completed by student organizations needs to be logged through this system. You can use the site to find volunteer opportunities for your organization, post your organization's projects, communicate easily with  volunteers, and track your members' service hours.

Setting up a student org profile is easy!

1.      Go to http://slpro.ua.edu.

2.      Click on "Information" in the "Student Organization 
         Representative" box.

3.      Select "If you are registering a student organization, 
         "Click here to Register"

4.      Complete a brief profile form for your organization and 
         click "Submit"

5.      You can now exit the system. You will receive an email 
         from an SL Pro administrator when your organization is 
         approved.

6.      Once your organization is approved, you can log into 
         SL Pro using the username and password you created 
         to access your organization's profile and begin posting   

         community service projects.

*If you need assistance with SL Pro, please contact 
 Amy Buchanan at aabuchanan@aalan.ua.edu or (205) 348-1691. 
 You can also access SL Pro by going to slpro.ua.edu.

                Meet SOURCE Directors

Michael Forst, Director of Organization Outreach

            Michael Forst’s favorite color is orange, but don’t be quick to assume he supports Auburn or the University of Tennessee.

            He’s actually a Tide-cheering junior at the University of Alabama majoring in Economics and English.

Forst is also the Director of Organization Outreach at the SOURCE.

In his spare time, he enjoys hobbies such as playing tennis, watching sports, and going to plays. He’s seen several on Broadway, including Spamalot and Beauty and the Beast.

When he gets the opportunity, Forst likes to delve into books like “A Separate Peace,” “The Alchemist”, and “Same Kind of Different as Me”.

Forst isn’t very familiar with the concept of free time, however.

            He’s part of the University Fellows Experience, a community aimed at change through leadership and service. Last year, he was a director for the Honors College Assembly and continues to be active in the organization this year.

            He is also a member of the University Honors Program.

            Before deciding on UA, Forst visited several colleges, including Auburn, one of UA’s biggest rivals. As he paid more visits to UA, he developed a love for the whole atmosphere and people on campus.

            He said the school really goes beyond the classroom to teach students valuable lessons.

Some of these lessons have come from various speakers that have attended campus. Last year he was able to see former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speak at the Ferguson Theater.

            Forst said he had to rush to class before the book signing that followed, and would love to meet Rice someday.

            As a true Tide fan, some of the best experiences he has had on campus have been the opportunities he’s had to see head basketball coach Anthony Grant receive standing ovations at the games.

However, if you attend football games with him, you might be giving Michael the ovations. Waiting for the game to begin, one is able to detect a few sweet strains emanating from his melodic voice.

He enjoys all varieties of music, but particularly likes acoustic songs. His favorite movies are “Lost in Translation” and anything by director Wes Anderson.

            Michael himself gets lost in the busy work that comes with his role of being a SOURCE director.

            In this position, he helps plan and organize Get on Board Day and several college-specific Get on Board Days, such as the one occurring next week at the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.

            He also plans advisor appreciation activities, which normally occur during a week in the spring. Forst also coordinates the spring Awards Banquet.

Additionally, Michael works directly with clubs and organizations to help them facilitate whatever needs they have. He also contacts the clubs for projects that might suit their description.

The Special Topics meetings are one of his projects. These meetings invite student leaders and organizations to come and discuss their opinions and concerns. A recent topic centered on opinions of the new layout for student football seating.

Forst also works very closely with the rest of the directors at the SOURCE. The ability to joke around and spend long hours together lends to a relaxed atmosphere where the directors work to serve the UA community.

“I have an awesome team,” he said. “I look forward to having their help in the future.”

Selena "Shea" Mason, Director of Special Events 

            If home is where the heart is, Selena “Shea” Mason has chosen quite a place to call home.

            The Alabama senior has had scores of memorable experiences at the university, not least of which has been her role as Director of Special Events for the SOURCE.

            Her life reflects the true character of a Southern girl from her favorite book (“Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer”) to her favorite color (red, a convenience when living in Tide country).

The senior is majoring in business management with a minor in computer science.

            She will graduate in December and plans to return home to develop her management skills by working in Human Resources.

When it came to selecting a college, Mason had no doubt that she would call UA home. Growing up in Moulton, Ala. she developed a love for the university, further strengthened by her four years in attendance.

            True to Alabama form, “Forrest Gump” is one of her favorite movies, based on the book by university alumnus Winston Groom. She also loves watching “Cars” and “Finding Nemo”.

            If you ride with Mason to her internship at B. F. Goodrich, you can probably catch her singing along to favorite country songs.

            Mason has a particular affinity for the band Sugarland. She said she finds the lead singer Jennifer Nettles particularly inspiring and hopes to meet her some day.

Of the many places she’s been, the Bama girl said home is still her favorite place to be. If she’s back in Moulton, she relishes the opportunity to visit her favorite Italian restaurant Ricatoni’s for a dish of alfredo.

            When she’s not spending her hours at the SOURCE and Goodrich, Mason enjoys watching and playing sports. She especially enjoys basketball and football.

            In fact, one of her best moments at the university was during the 2009 football game against the Tennessee Vols when UA blocked a field goal in the final seconds of the game, earning a win for the history books.

            As SOURCE Director of Special Events, Mason plays a role in developing more great moments for students on campus.

            She collaborates with students organizations for events such as the new officers’ reception in mid April. She also serves as a guide to the organizations, directing them to the appropriate SOURCE director according to their problem.

            Mason additionally created the policies and procedures that govern university organizations and designed a handy resource guide telling clubs all they need to know.

            She’s exactly the person to design the book, too. This is her third year working for the SOURCE, where you can find her every day.

            If you need laptop or equipment rentals, contact Shea for help and guidance. The self-proclaimed mama bird is always ready to lend a hand.