SOURCE Collaborative Grant

The SOURCE is offering a new initiative, the Collaborative Grant, for student organizations. The aim of this grant is to foster partnership and communication between student groups, while building a better, stronger community on both the University and Tuscaloosa levels.

Eligible student organizations that partner together to host an event can receive up to $3000. In order to be eligible, a few requirements must be met:

• Both groups must be registered and in good standing as a student organization with the University of Alabama.
• The event must be co-sponsored by at least two eligible student groups.
• The donation request must be for a program or event. General organization meetings (including recruitment) will not be approved.
• The application must be submitted at least one month prior to the event.

Applications are available on mySOURCE, here. 

SOURCE 101

by Kathleen Cook

Most students at Alabama have never heard of The SOURCE, but it is the key part to every extracurricular activity you, as a student are involved in.  Without the SOURCE, activities would be floating around like a lost balloon.  So, how does the SOURCE work and who is behind the scenes?  Well, here’s a crash course on the SOURCE.

You could say that the SOURCE’s mission statement in a nutshell is to advocate for effective policies, build a strong community and connect students to get involved.  Being a student at the University of Alabama means you can get involved with a variety of organizations that interest you.  Because of so many opportunities, going to The University of Alabama will assure you to graduate a well rounded person.  

The SOURCE’s big event that most students know about is Get On Board day, which occurs twice a year, once at the beginning of the school year and once in the spring semester.  From activities like hockey club, countless campus ministries, to giving back to the community through teaching kids how to read with READ Alabama, incoming and returning students are offered opportunities for a unique college experience.

The SOURCE is the backbone of activities at Alabama.  The Board of Governors is made up of six different directors that assist leaders of activities with their Financial, Partnering, Public Relations, Print and Social Media as well as Organizational Leadership and Outreach teams.  Organizations are also encouraged to become their best by being offered awards each year for their excellence both on and off campus.

So, check out our website at thesource.ua.edu and find an organization that best fits your personality.  With over 500 clubs and organizations, we are sure you will find the best fit!

Student Organization Spotlight: Viking House

by Gillian Richard

                  They aren’t Greek. They’re Norse. For those who don’t know, Viking House is a co-ed student group that serves as an alternative to traditional Greek life. The focus of the group is to bring together students from all walks of life.  Taylor Pierson, treasurer for Viking House, said that the group has given her a chance to meet new people. 

“Viking House has created opportunities and friendships for me that I wouldn’t have had on my own,” she said.

The group focuses on member involvement by meeting twice a week and hosting special activities. One of these activities is checking out the weekly movie showings at the Bama Theater. The meetings take place on Mondays at 8 and Fridays at 5:30 in the Ridgecrest South common room. There are no membership fees, and attendance at meetings isn’t required.  Pierson, a freshman majoring in civil engineering, said that this reflects the group’s atmosphere.

“Our group is really laid-back in comparison to the sororities and fraternities on campus,” said Pierson.

You can find out more about Viking House by joining the group page on Facebook (facebook.com/VikingHouseUA) or following them on Twitter (@UAVikingHouse). 

SGA Homecoming Information

From the SGA Director of Rules and Regulations for Homecoming...

Homecoming is just around the corner and the Directors and committee members are very excited for  "Timeless Traditions" serving as the theme for Homecoming 2012. We want to invite all students organizations to participate in the University of Alabama's Homecoming during the week of October 21st through October 27th to help us celebrate.

This has been a year of champions with the Crimson Tide family winning four national titles, a timeless tradition of our own. With another exciting year of athletics among us, we know that the tradition is in good hands. 

Homecoming will kick off with the annual "Roll Tide Run," followed by the Crimson Kickoff . With competitions such as dodge ball, basketball, and dance, the student body has a chance to unify as we celebrate our great university. A local art show, can formation competition benefiting Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger; a lawn decoration competition, and more are also among the weeks exciting events. The annual pep rally will take place on the steps of Gorgas Library, where the Homecoming Queen will be crowned with a bon fire to follow. Game day will kick off with a parade featuring Crimson Tide teams, Big AL, the Homecoming Court, and many local bands led by the University's own Million Dollar Band. The Homecoming game against Mississippi State will conclude our celebration of "Timeless Traditions."

An informational meeting will be held on Monday, October 8th at 7 p.m. in 301 Ferguson for all organizations interested in participating.

SGA Academic Passport

The Student Government Association is launching an Academic Scavenger Hunt initiative which will give students a chance to win prizes while encouraging them to use their academic advisors and other academic resources on campus.

This initiative will take place from October 1 to October 26 during the academic advising period. Students are encouraged to stop by the SGA office to pick up a passport, fill it out, and return it by October 26 at 5pm to the SGA office.

To fill out the passport, students must meet with two of their professors on two occasions to receive two signatures. They also must schedule an appointment to meet with an academic advisor for a third signature. For a fourth signature, students must visit an academic resource on campus, such as The Writing Center, the Center for Academic Success, Paty Engineering Lab, Tutwiler Math Lab, or B.B Comer Foreign Language Lab. Finally, students must complete an academic planner on DegreeWorks, print it out, and sign their name.

Prizes include a 16GB iPad, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and $1,000 and $500 scholarships.

If you have any questions, contact Meagan Bryant, executive press secretary at mdbryant@crimson.ua.edu

Beat Auburn Beat Hunger

Beat Auburn Beat Hunger will start their annual food drive soon, and is working hard to ensure its success! Last year, Beat Auburn Beat Hunger raised 237,079 pounds of food for the hungry of West Alabama and beat Auburn by over 100,000 pounds! The goal this year is to collect 250,000 pounds. This year's drive will be from October 8th to November 16th.

As always, the success of the food drive is dependent upon the efforts of student organizations, and there are many ways for organizations to get involved. Don't forget, the organization that collects the most pounds of food wins their respective category award and will be honored at a BABH Thank You banquet in the spring. The BABH Committee is making an increased effort this year to highlight organizations and business that support BABH, so your organization's efforts won't be forgotten!

For your information, here is a brief list of events for BABH 2012:

Kickoff -- October 8th, 11-2 pm


Pie in Face -- October 10th, 12 pm 


“Stamp Out Hunger” Letter Send Out – October 10th


Cold Stone Fundraiser – October 16th, 6-10 pm 


BABH @ Soccer Game – October 19th, 7 pm


BABH @ Volleyball Game – October 21st, 1:30 pm


CanFormation – October 24


Buffalo Wild Wings Fundraiser -- October 24


Blood Drive – October 30-31, Time TBA


Can Or Treat – October 31st, 6 pm


BABH @ Men’s Basketball – November 9th


BABH @ Women’s Basketball – November 11th, 2 pm


BABH Hunger Games -- November 12th 


Closing (at Ferg Plaza) – November 16th 


5K – November 18th, 2 pm

New SOURCE website

The SOURCE is excited to introduce our brand new website! We hope this new website will be a practical, dynamic, and easy to use resource for both students and student organizations alike!

Check it out and let us know what you think!

http://thesource.ua.edu/

May Student Organization of the Month: Bama Paws

Bama Paws is a university organization that works directly with T-Town Paws to promote pet rescue, adoption, spay/neuter, and community education on campus and throughout the Tuscaloosa community. T-Town Paws was founded in 1997 as Tuscaloosa’s Animal Welfare Organization.

Since a majority of the T-Town Paws volunteers come from The University of Alabama’s campus, Bama Paws was formed as the student division of its organization. Along with the Humane Society of West Alabama, T-Town Paws is one of only two no-kill animal shelters in Tuscaloosa.

At Bama Paws, community education is our most important work. By educating the community, we are able to help spread the message about the importance of pet rescue and adoption. In addition, Bama Paws serves to inform residents about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets.

 Tuscaloosa is notorious for stray animals, particularly cats. The odds of these homeless animals living a happy, healthy life are not likely. Sadly, over 4,000 animals are euthanized in Tuscaloosa each year and this number is steadily increasing. T-Town Paws has worked for many years to place as many of these animals as possible into good, loving homes. Unfortunately, the shelter can only successfully place a small portion of these strays each year.

Given these challenges, Bama Paws has recently shifted its focus and efforts to the prevention of euthanization. Bama Paws will still be helping with pet rescue and adoptions, but will be devoting more time to educating our residents about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets. 

Spay and neuter procedures can be expensive which is why Bama Paws will continue donating a portion of the funds raised by our events to sponsoring the spay and neuter of our city’s animals. Each operation is a step in the right direction, and that is the goal of Bama Paws: to make a lasting difference in Tuscaloosa.

We understand that under the current economic constraints monetary donations can be difficult; one of the best ways to help is by volunteering your time! Bama Paws holds a variety of events throughout the year.  These events include: adoption events at Pets Supplies Plus, Dog Splash at The University of Alabama Recreational Center in the fall, and fundraisers at Cold Stone Creamery. This past fall, Bama Paws had its most successful fundraiser at Cold Stone Creamery, raising upwards of $300.  These events are helping Bama Paws reach our goals by saving the lives of animals and educating the community.

Looking for ways to help Bama Paws in ways other than devoting your time? Why not consider fostering an animal in need? Bama Paws and T-Town Paws have animals which are being fostered in the homes of our volunteers. Pictures and information regarding our foster animals are accessible on our website. These animals are available for adoption and accompany volunteers to many of our events. All potential adoptions are screened to make certain the foster parent is fit to care for our wonderful animals. If volunteering or fostering isn’t possible, you may also help by donating money to fund our efforts and the much needed supplies to care of these animals.

If you are looking to get more involved on campus and love animals, Bama Paws is a great way to help out the community. Bama Paws holds several volunteer events each month and we are always in need of volunteers.  Not only do you get to work hands-on with animals, but volunteering with Bama Paws is a great way to give back to the Tuscaloosa community and support it in a special way. Bama Paws accepts student applications year-round. Becoming a member is simple; complete a volunteer application and pay the $5 membership fee. 

The best way to access an application is at our website www.ttownpaws.org. Once the application is completed, it can be sent to Lauren Spivey at lespivey@crimson.ua.edu. You will then be placed on our email list to receive information about upcoming events and meetings. Meetings are held the first Monday of every month at 7:00 p.m. If you are looking to learn more about our upcoming events or would like to volunteer please contact Ashley Kennedy at ankennedy@crimson.ua.edu. 

Campus Veterans Association Banquet

Campus Veterans Association Banquet. Semi-Formal Attire. Hotel Capstone, April 26, 2012 6:00 - 9:00 pm. RSVP no later than April 23, 10:00 am. Student tickets are $10.

CREATE OR RENEW YOUR STUDENT ORGANIZATION THIS SPRING

          The SOURCE is encouraging all student organizations to renew their organization prior to the end of spring semester. Renewing or creating an organization in the spring will allow each organization to hit the ground running in the Fall semester.   

         “We are encouraging student organizations to begin the process of transferring their information over for the new academic year early,” said Rosalind Moore, SOURCE Advisor. “We have some great changes coming up for Fall Get On Board Day this year, so taking care of your organization renewal prior to the end of the Spring will be a great benefit to organizations in the Fall.”

         “We are more than happy to assist in any way with the organization creation and renewal process,” said Kristy Cole, SOURCE Office Associate. “Feel free to visit us in the SOURCE space located on the 3^rd floor of the Ferguson Center with any questions you may have about the process.”

        

         In addition to organization renewal, the SOURCE is hosting a New Officer Reception on April 19^th from 6:00pm-8:00pm in Gorgas 205. This is a great way for new organization leaders to begin to make connections with other organizations.

         “All upcoming presidents and vice presidents of student organizations are invited to attend, dinner will be provided and we will go over what to know of transitioning into a leadership role of your organization,” said Tyler Cohen, SOURCE Director of Special Events.

To register/renew your organization, follow these steps:

·       Log into mybama.

·       Click the Campus Life tab.

·       Click on The SOURCE logo.

·       Update your personal profile- (this step only needs to be done once).

·       Continue by clicking “Next”.

·       Save your profile.

·       “Submit”

To create your organization:

·       Select  “Browse Organizations”

·       Select “Register New Organization” at the top of the page

·       Fill out the appropriate information

·       Click Finish

·       Go to thesource.ua.edu and click “Resources”

·       Print a 2012-2013 Hazing Policy and turn it into 355 Ferguson 

The Pomegranate Foundation and Slash Pine Press Encourage You to Submit Your Writing

The Pomegranate Foundation in conjunction with Slash Pine Press is soliciting writing that captures the spirit of the Tuscaloosa, Holt, Alberta, and University communities during and after the April 27 tornadoes that tore through the Tuscaloosa area. The editors of Slash Pine Press will select a cross-section of twenty submitted pieces to represent the Tuscaloosa area, and these pieces will be immortalized in the Community Space to be constructed and opened this summer at the Jaycee Park in Alberta City. 

We welcome journals, essays, poems, reflections, and all other forms of writing from all ages that represent Tuscaloosa's sense of community and spirit in the face of the April 27th tragedies. We do ask that the pieces be less than 100 words and advise that, if selected, it may be necessary for us to make minor edits or formal changes to fit available spaces. For more information about the Pomegranate Foundation and their projects, please visit http://pomegranatefoundation.org.

For information on Slash Pine Press and related projects, visit slashpinepress.com.

Please submit writing inspired by the Tuscaloosa tornado and of less than 100 words to Slash Pine Press at slashpinepress@gmail.com.

April Student Organization of the Month: READ Alabama

By: Emily Dowdell

             READ Alabama is one of those organizations that truly shows how a little initiative and a jump start from the university can grow into something huge. According to the organization’s founder, Colby Leopard, READ Alabama “got off the ground quickly and has not stopped growing.” READ Alabama is a volunteer organization run through the Honors College, in which UA students can help improve reading and communication skills in local, at-risk elementary and middle schools.
            The organization’s roots lie in a service-learning course called Alabama Action, which Leopard participated in prior to and during his freshman year. Leopard and his fellow volunteers moved in a week before classes and participated in a service project planned by upperclassmen at a local elementary school. Leopard enjoyed building relationships with other honors students and volunteered to become a student leader the following year. This next project dealt with turning the elementary school library into a cool reading environment that would encourage the students to read. Through these projects, Leopard got to know the Hillcrest Middle School library very well, began to investigate the problems they encountered, and asked what he could do to help. Thus, the idea for READ Alabama was born.
            Eventually, Leopard created a program in which UA students create a one on one, mentor based relationship with an elementary or middle school student. Students sign up at the beginning of the semester and tutor a minimum of one hour a week. Throughout the semester, tutors work with the same student, and according to Leopard, this relationship is equally as important as the actual work the tutors do. Sustainability is important to Leopard, so while he still remains as an active part of the organization, he no longer holds the position of executive director, in hope that the organization will long outlive his time here at UA.
            Interested students can visit the Facebook page and click the volunteer sign up link, where they will sign up through a Google doc. They can also email readala@gmail.com for more information. READ Alabama is constantly adding new schools to their program, and will need volunteers to sign up for those schools. Currently READ Alabama runs programs in five schools (Cottondale Elementary, Holt Elementary, Maxwell Elementary, Davis-Emerson Middle, and Westlawn Middle) and plans on adding another four schools by next semester. The organization is also starting its first satellite program and will begin training high school juniors and seniors in rural Alabama to work within their own school systems donating a few hours a week reading.
           In addition, for UA students who wish to help but may not have enough time to tutor, READ Alabama has had booths around campus in the past, at events like Quidditch on the Quad and Get on Board Day, and periodically holds book drives. 

Phi Mu Encourages Everyone to Attend their Events!

“Love In Our Kitchen Cookbook Launch Party” on the Phi Mu Lawn 11am-2pm Saturday, April 14th

-Recipes from the cookbook will be served along with live music!

-All proceeds from the sale of cookbooks benefit Project Team Up

"Cookout for the Cause" at the Sigma Chi House 4-6:30pm Sunday, April 15th

-Cost $5

-All proceeds benefit the Ashley Harrison Memorial Scholarship Fund