Tyler Cohen, SOURCE Director of Special Events

 

By: Katie O'Laughlin

              Spring semester has arrived! With this spring semester, there have been some changes within the SOURCE Special Events team. The previous Director of Special Events, Shea Mason graduated in December 2011. With Mason’s graduation, the SOURCE welcomes the new Director of Special Events, Tyler Cohen. Cohen is a sophomore from Franklin, Tennessee majoring in MIS (Management Information Systems) with a minor in Computer Science. As Director of Special Events, Cohen oversees all event planning, works with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership on events, collaborates with student organizations, and helps with the SOURCE physical space.

            Cohen’s main goal for this year is for student organizations’ voices and opinions to become louder and more recognized on campus. Cohen said one of his most proud moments with the SOURCE is being apart of Spring Get On Board Day. He said that Spring Get On Board Day takes a lot of hard work and planning and to be apart of it was one of his favorites experiences with the SOURCE.

           In addition to his role as Director of Special Events, Cohen is also involved with the organization AIMS (Alabama Information Management Society). When asked what Cohen’s favorite class at UA was he said, “My favorite class was my English 215 Literature class. I enjoyed reading classic British authors like Chaucer and Shakespeare. Plus, we brought back the idea of forming our desks into a circle every day when we discussed. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?”

          After graduation, Cohen’s “dream job” would be working for a company back home in Franklin but is open for change and a new environment. Cohen said after graduation he would be ready to start working and begin his life.

         Cohen said some upcoming events that the Special Events team is planning includes working on hosting an SGA presidential debate, hosting new officer training for organizations and also partnering with the athletic department to help sponsor an organization relay race at Alabama’s home track meet.

         If any of these events or if event planning for the SOURCE sounds like something you’d be interested in, please send Cohen an email at tmcohen@crimson.ua.edu. Cohen said he is looking for team members to volunteer and help out! 

FEBRUARY STUDENT ORGANIZATION OF THE MONTH: LITERACY IS THE EDGE (LITE)

By: Emily Dowdell

            You might have heard about Literacy is the Edge. They have a catchy acronym (LITE), which actually manages to describe a little bit about the organization. LITE attempts, through communication materials (like a campaign to raise awareness) and the recruitment of tutors, to create a light in the darkness for the illiterate of Alabama. The organization partners with the Literacy Council of West Alabama to fight illiteracy in the state.

            The organization began in 2008, when a group of graduate students enrolled in Dr. Bruce Berger’s Persuasive Communications (APR 572) class recognized a need. About one in four Alabama residents are functionally illiterate. This means that 25% of Alabamians lack the basic reading and writing skills necessary to function in society. Functionally illiterate adults cannot help their children with their homework, read the labels on prescription drugs, or fill out a job application by themselves. After this realization, the students essentially made the class into a campaign, and according to current president Jessica Carlton, “the students in the class all join Literacy is the Edge, becoming officers and running the campaign.” “The major focus is awareness,” Carlton said. “People don’t realize what kind of impact they can have as a tutor, or even just as someone who spreads the word.” Carlton says that this year, the campaign focused its efforts on fundraising, and has raised over $4,000, nearly doubling their goal of $2,500. This doesn’t mean, however, that the group has done away with recruiting tutors. The organization also doubled their goal of 100 tutors, having recruited over 200 tutors.

            According to Carlton, currently there is more of a need for tutors for adults, than for children, “mostly because people generally feel more comfortable with children.”  However, the group can accommodate all interests, as tutors may choose to tutor adults or children in reading, in addition to becoming a GED and English as a Second Language (ESL) tutor. The organization emphasizes that just one hour of tutoring a week can make a difference, though students may dedicate as much time as they want.

            Interested students may email literacyistheedge@gmail.com to indicate their interest, or visit the group’s website at lite.ua.edu. Training sessions are held monthly, with the next training occurring on February 22^nd, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Tuscaloosa Public Library. In the training program, “students get everything they need to become a tutor,” said Carlton, including instruction techniques and tips.

            To see the Empower Literacy campaign in action, visit the LITE website, where students can see PSAs created by the group, a promotional video for Quidditch on the Quad that the group put together with TCF (telecommunications and film) students, and much more. 

Student Health Fair 2012

On behalf of Project Health, the peer health educators of The University of Alabama, we would like to invite you to join our efforts in sponsoring the health and wellbeing of our students. Our annual student health fair is scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. in the 2nd floor lobby of the Ferguson Center. 

This is an exciting time for health and wellness at the Capstone. Endless efforts are being made to produce the “Best and Brightest” students, not only in academics but also, in health and wellbeing. Since we know that ‘health’ involves much more than merely the absence of disease or infirmity, we are planning to approach the fair from a comprehensive health perspective. We hope to expand our fair’s selection to include not only physical health options (flu vaccines, screenings, and health information), but also activities and information that relate to the mental, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental/vocational aspects of health.  
 
We hope that you will join us in making this year’s Student Health & Wellness Fair a great success. The theme for this year’s fair will be "Warm Up To Your Health." The fair is open to all students, and we hope that everyone has a chance to come by and gain a healthy insight for the new year! For more information, please visit www.projecthealth.ua.edu or email projecthealth@ua.edu.

JANUARY STUDENT ORGANIZATION OF THE MONTH: CREATIVE CAMPUS ASSEMBLY

By Hunter Holt

            Conversation and coffee–these two symbols of connectivity and community–will most likely greet you when you visit Maxwell Hall, the home of Creative Campus. A student-centered arts advocacy organization, Creative Campus is dedicated to building relationships that will serve as a voice for the cultural arts. The interns at Creative Campus–forty students with various majors and personal backgrounds–are constantly working with students, faculty, and community members in order to engage the University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa with innovative ideas. Interns partake in this process, with each year at Creative Campus unique and organic in its own way, that usually results in a cultural event or an on-going project. Over the past few years, projects and events have included, for instance, a Quidditch World Cup, an LGBTQ art show, a putt-putt golf hole design contest, and a UA Sketchbook Project. Additionally, interns have worked to bring speakers to campus, such as Daniel Pink, Neil Gaiman, and Norman Fischer. However, none of these ideas would have happened without the collaborative help of well-established partners. The interns, by developing cross-campus relationships, not only learn how to work as a team but also build skills in work-ethic, organization, planning, and marketing, which, ultimately, culminates into a new-found sense of professionalism that translates into any field of work.
            Some of Creative Campus’ current projects include The Nest and the Druid City Arts Festival (DCAF). With The Nest project, Creative Campus will build a larger-than-life nest to be displayed as a symbol of rejuvenation in the midst of the tornado's destruction. Working with Kelly Shannon, a new grad student in the sculpture department at the University of Alabama, we'll collect branches and other tornado debris, have businesses, organizations, schools, and individuals in and around Tuscaloosa paint the branches, and then re-collect and re-assemble the painted branches into a brightly-colored nest sculpture. According to Naomi Thompson, a second-year intern at Creative Campus, “The Nest will be a really creative way to help Tuscaloosa re-build itself, literally and symbolically, and it’s something new that we all kind of need concerning the rebirth of our community and ourselves.” She hopes that, by weaving together the pieces of our fragmented community, The Nest will provide those affected by the April tornado with a compelling symbol of recovery, comfort, warmth, and growth. On February 4th and 5th, Creative Campus will meet at the TVARC in Alberta, go out into the community, and collect remaining debris for the project. Any volunteers are welcome to assist in this service. The assembling and painting of the Nest will take place as a community event in mid-February at a currently unspecified location.
             After The Nest, the third annual DCAF, a celebration of local art, music, and storytelling in downtown Tuscaloosa, will commence in March. Through a partnership with the SGA, there will be a week of activities–poetry readings, theatre performances, visual art displays–aimed at highlighting regional art to the University of Alabama student-body. Following this arts-engagement week, Creative Campus will present a Music Crawl in local bars, galleries, and alternative venues throughout Downtown Tuscaloosa on Friday, March 23. The festival will then culminate in an all-day, FREE, multi-genre, family-friendly arts festival in Government Plaza on Saturday, March 24, 2012 from 11 am - 7 pm. Kurt Key, an intern working on sponsorship for the festival, feels that this year’s event will “differentiate itself from the past two years with an amped emphasis on community and an increased presence of local businesses and street vendors.” Applications for bands and artists to participate in the festival can be found at www.druidcityartsfest.com. The deadline for band applications is January 27 and the deadline for artists is February 1.
            If you’re interested in joining the conversation at Creative Campus, intern applications for the 2012-2013 school year will be available at www.creativecampus.ua.edu in mid-February. Additionally, if you’re simply interested in developing an idea with us or assisting us on a current project, visit our website or stop by Maxwell Hall, and we’ll gladly drink some coffee, share our interests, and discuss how to take the possibility of your idea or contribution from “What if?” to “Why not?”.

Spring Get On Board Day Through the Eyes of a Senior

By: Katie O'Laughlin

When I was a freshman, Spring Get On Board Day was very beneficial for me. During my first semester at UA, I joined quite a few organizations that I found very interesting. By second semester of my freshman year, I knew what my major and minor were and also different future jobs that fascinated me. As I walked through Spring Get On Board Day my second semester of freshman year, I found many organizations that were more relatable to my major as well as very interesting. The organizations that I have joined have provided me with valuable tools for future jobs as well as being introduced to many people that share the same interests as myself. Spring Get On Board Day provided me with many opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. 

Spring Get On Board Day Through the Eyes of a Sophomore

By: Emily Dowdell 

With Spring Get On Board Day 2012 approaching, I thought I might take this time to share my experience with last year’s event. Much like Fall Get on Board Day, the purpose of this event is to give students an opportunity to see some of the organizations the University has to offer. And just like in the fall, students can browse tables, learn about the organizations, and sign up to receive more information about joining. However, Spring Get on Board Day is decidedly more casual, with organizations that at this point in the year would like to gain a few more members, and are serious about that goal, and luckily, it’s inside! As a freshman last year, I used Spring Get on Board Day to talk to a few organizations I was interested in joining after dropping half of the organizations I joined in the fall and decided weren’t for me, in a less hectic situation. I really do strongly encourage everyone to go. At the worst, you’ll have spent ten minutes out of the cold, and at the best, you might find an organization you’ll enjoy for the rest of your college career.

Spring Get On Board Day Registration

            We would like to invite your organization to be a part of this event. Spring Get on Board Day provides a great opportunity for your organization to reach many members of the UA community all at once. After December 16th the cost will be $15. The final deadline to sign up is January 19th @ 4:45pm. Payments can be cash, check (made out to The University of Alabama), or DTA delivered to 355 Ferguson. Space is limited and tables will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Only those who sign up before Jan. 19th will be guaranteed a table.

            We hope that you are able to participate in Spring Get on Board Day. To sign up for this event please go to The SOURCE and log into your organization.  From here click “Organizations” to choose a particular group and then “Forms.” We look forward to seeing you at Spring Get on Board Day! If you have any questions, please let us know.