Students bring help from hometowns

Following Wednesday’s devastating storm, UA students were encouraged by the university to return to their homes. While students departed from the area of destruction, many of them arrived home with one goal—to do whatever they could to help Tuscaloosa, their home away from home, and its people get back to where they were.

“My friends and I have set up several drop-off boxes around the surrounding towns we live in,” said Angela Martin, a senior majoring in photo-journalism and native of Clayton, AL. “I’ve made phone calls to my old high school, churches, offices around town and my dad’s restaurant to see if they could get the word out on a larger scale and become drop-off points for people to donate.”

Martin and her friends have been using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to spread information about drop-off spots they set up as well as how people can volunteer, find lost items and seek help while in the Tuscaloosa area.

Kristen Fisher and Kyle Frazier from Montgomery, Ala. and Atlanta respectively, traveled to their hometowns after the storm. They both have gathered items such as clothing to donate to the people of Tuscaloosa.

“I have made the decision to return to Tuscaloosa and donate because I want to help those who suffered from the tornado get back on their feet,” said Fisher, a junior majoring in telecommunications and film. “I feel that God blessed me to survive this tragic incident so that I can help those in need.”

“I knew that I had more stuff at home that the whole family was not using rather than what was in my dorm room,” Frazier said. “My hopes are that they will help someone who was affected by the storm.”

Like Martin, Corey Smith has sought out donations from members of his hometown. Smith, a native of Opelika, Ala. has collecting mostly clothing items from the people in the city. He has also set up a monetary donation at his home church to aid in relief efforts.

“As a student I know I have home to go to in Opelika, but for residents of Tuscaloosa their homes are gone,” Smith said. “Opelika wasn’t affected by the storm and I know it easily could have been. I believe as Alabamians we should do our part help save those ourselves.”

Some students feel as if taking relief efforts outside of the city are beneficial to the recovery.

“Students don’t have to be in Tuscaloosa to help,” Martin said. “Many can help from home by raising money to donate or collecting other items to send Tuscaloosa’s way.”

“For students who returned home, I hope they remember that Tuscaloosa has been their home for the past 9 months and shouldn’t be erased from their memories just because it is summer,” Smith said. “Even if they can’t return to volunteer, they can be informed and donate money toward recovery efforts.”

The University has coordinated its own initiatives and encouraged support, and students are doing their parts as well from areas outside of Tuscaloosa.

“I feel that my contribution will help the townspeople who lost everything get back to their everyday living and take away some of the stress they may have about how they are going to survive,” Fisher said. “I will be donating clothes and I believe other students should get out and do the same because we need to help our student body and Tuscaloosa family get through this tragedy.”

5.3.11

Campus group contacting veterans

The Campus Veterans Association, UA’s campus organization devoted to fellow military personnel, is reaching out to assist other veterans.

Like many persons affected by the storm on Wednesday, some veterans have lost their homes and are sheltering with friends and family members. Right now one of the main issues CVA faces is communicating with veterans.

“Our biggest problem right now is communication with veterans in the area,” said James Jenkins, vice president of CVA. “We have better communication than we did the other day. Hopefully they can be a little bit better tomorrow since Tyrone Travis will be back in the office on Monday. The biggest thing is communication so we can find out what types of needs veterans have in the area.”

Communication right now among veterans has mainly been through resources such as word of mouth, Facebook and Twitter.

“Right now we haven’t had anyone contact us,” Jenkins said. “Whether there’s people out there that need help, we don’t know yet. That’s just our biggest problem right now—we’re having communication issues with people.”

Founder of CVA Ashkan Bayatpour said, “We’ve pretty much tracked down most of our veterans. One of our advisors, who works for the university, is in a hotel and he’s trying to do what he can for there…we’re going to be able to send out a massive email on Monday and say ‘please everyone respond so we know you’re all accounted for.’ Like everything else, it’s a slow-moving process.”

Bayatpour said there was one veteran in particular whom CVA members had been unable to contact, but he is now accounted for. The veteran lost his cell phone in the storm and soon after the tornado hit was out in the community assisting others in the rescue operation. During this time the veteran bumped into another veteran.

“It’s going to be a couple months process trying to get everyone settled back in, so if you know someone take them in and help them out because a lot of our veterans are actually out there helping in the city right now,” Bayatpour said. “It’s a good distraction for them, but they still need a place to come home to and take a shower and everything like that.”

CVA is currently working on fundraising through the Alabama Veterans and Senate in Birmingham. Jenkins said they should have funds available soon to assist veterans. There are plans of hosting an event in the next couple of days and coordinate efforts such as adopting a family as helping in any way possible.

It was recently announced that a group from Team Rubicon will be teaming up with CVA and assisting in relieving some of the stress on veterans. As stated on the Rubicon website, teamrubiconusa.org, TR has activated a team of veterans and firefighters to provide disaster relief in Alabama. As a part of TR’s initiative to “engage returning veterans in disaster relief projects across the country,” the team will focus entirely on cleanup efforts.

The city of Tuscaloosa asked for military volunteers to assist in the rescue and recovery of the damaged community. Many CVA members are now out helping others in the community including handing out food and water in Alberta City.

“We’ve been helping people in the community and CVA members–trying to get their houses tarped up before it rains tomorrow,” said Will Suclupe, president of CVA. “We’re trying to get a volunteer contracting permit. We’re going to get some chainsaws and we’re going to start helping people move debris from around their homes. We’re definitely involved in some form every day.”

If there are any veterans who have been displaces or are in need of relief contact Jenkins at 205-534-8926 or at 205-462-3544. If you’re a veteran and you need some assistance Suclupe can also be contacted through email at wdsuclupe@crimson.ua.edu.

When the University resumes normal business hours on Monday, CVA will be sending out an email to all members to ensure everyone is safe.

“If any veteran—whether they’re a student veteran, faculty member that’s a veteran or a staff member at the university—could contact us, we’ll try to get people out there to help them and just try to get their life back to as normal as possible,” Jenkins said.

“We’re also doing a veteran’s relief fund for veterans who lost during the storm. We’re going to try to help them out with financial stuff,” Suclupe said.

5.1.11

First Year Council recounts past year

The 2010-11 school year marked the second year of activity for First Year Council. At the beginning of this year, FYC set goals and had activities in place that would allow the freshman class to have an active voice on campus.

“Last year’s FYC set a precedent that gave this year’s FYC a lot to live up to,” said Mary Sellers Shaw, president of FYC, in an emailed statement. “With the guidance of previous FYC members, FYC this year was able to continue its positive impact on the UA community.”

FYC was able to bring students together through a number of their projects, Shaw said. Projects this year included a tailgate during football season, collaboration with the Student Recreation Center to encourage exercise among students, and working alongside University grounds crew members through the campus beautification initiative.

“First Year Council went above my expectations,” Director Kelsey Kurth said. “They decided on their own initiatives and did everything they could to accomplish them. I am extremely proud of their accomplishments this year, and I am excited to see what is to come from them in the future.”

FYC also had a civility campaign where councilors worked to bring awareness to vandalism in residence halls. They collaborated with the Dean of Students office and Judicial Affairs to organize a statute of limitations for student policy violations. An upcoming release is set for a redesigned freshman website and Student Government Association database.

“We did all of the things [we set out to do], but Fist Year Council’s value exceeded all of our expectations for the year,” Shaw said. “These projects, and many more, allowed this year’s FYC to make a significant impact on campus while also allowing its members to come together as both leaders and as friends.”

Legislation authored by FYC members was passed and put into effect throughout the school year. Resolutions include: encouraging freshmen to attend workshops, participate in campus philanthropy projects and congratulating fellow students and student organizations.

Next year, there will be changes in FYC through the new SGA constitution. The director of the council will now be a member of the SGA executive council.

“I think this will aid the council in getting an inside look on all the branches of SGA,” Kurth said. “This change will help to connect the council to the entire SGA.”

Shaw said FYC would look to work closer with senators as well as SGA executive officers and directors.

“Next year, FYC will continue as it strives to make a positive impact on the first year experience here at UA,” she said. “There are exciting plans in store to not only continue previous years’ legacies, but also to instill new legacies of its own.”

Councilman Davis Vaughn said he looked forward to seeing all the exciting changes and ideas that next year’s freshmen will bring to the table.

“As FYC continues to grow and develop, more measures must be taken to ensure that the freshman voice is represented properly,” Vaughn said. “Whether it be through joint sessions or training workshops, senators must take an active role in ensuring that the new class of campus leaders is adequately prepared to serve their constituents and the University as a whole.”

4.25.11

Advertising professor wins award

Some students say it’s the teacher who makes the difference in the classroom. While there are some who have bad reputations, others are popular for good reasons, like showing their care for and reaching out to students.

Each year, there are awards to honor professors who have exemplified these unique traits.

Professor Susy Daria received the 2011 American Advertising Federation District Seven Donald G. Hileman Award in recognition of her teaching and service to advertising students. The award covers five states, including Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee.

“I was completely shocked,” Daria said. “I had no idea I had been nominated. It feels great. I still can’t believe that it happened. I can think of many other people who probably deserve the award more than I do, but I certainly appreciate it.

“It meant a lot coming from the American Advertising Federation because I’ve been involved with [AAF] since I was a student.”

Daria is known around the Advertising and Public Relations Department as being a professor who really shows passion for her job and love for her students.

“To be a recipient of the Hileman award is, I think, a fantastic honor,” said Joe Phelps, department chair of the Advertising and Public Relations Department. “You have five states with multiple really good programs…you have all of these states with really good programs and to be named the best teacher out of that whole region, it is incredibly impressive and well deserved on her part.”

Amber Parker, a junior under Daria’s advisement, said she’s known Daria since her freshman year.

“She welcomed me with opened arms; we sat there and talked about what I wanted to do and different ways I could make that happen,” Parker said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done, where I would be right now if I hadn’t had those types of talks with Ms. Daria. She is more than well-deserving of the award.”

Daria was presented her Hileman award at a luncheon last week that was attended by colleagues and President Witt. The Ad Team was presented and a couple of students were awarded scholarships. Daria has been featured on the College of Communications and Information Sciences website as a spotlighted professor and was a part of the Ad Team in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations.

“I love teaching,” Daria said. “I love to be around students. I think that they teach me just as much as I teach them. They keep me abreast of what’s going on in the industry…I really enjoy interacting and being a part of a college community. I think that when you love your job, hopefully that comes across. I think that my students are something that make me happy, and I enjoy helping them to become future leaders in the industry. I’ve got great students and I’ve got great colleagues.”

4.27.11

Show student athletes the money

It seems as if the topic of whether or not college athletes should be paid arises every year, and rightfully so. As I was traveling to the Google search bar and typed in “college and athletes,” the first options that popped up were about college athletes getting paid. Time and time again, we hear of former college athletes speaking of the benefits that some sort of stipend would have brought. Providing athletes with some sort of compensation for their hard work and dedication is something I see as plausible. So, why not pay them?

I ran across an article from Imprint Magazine, where the writer feels as if college athletes should not be paid. One of the writer’s main points was that athletes should not be paid because all of their education is being paid for; he uses J.J. Redick and Duke paying him $31,000 as an example. He later goes on to say that companies like Nike should share a piece of their earnings with athletes for the paraphernalia they make millions of dollars off of.

I disagree and agree with some of the things he says. Yes, Redick’s education is paid for, but what about the additional funds one needs to make it on a day to day basis? Not every college athlete comes from an affluent family that can provide him or her money on a regular basis. I recently ran into an ex-college athlete who was in obvious distress deriving from his college career. The words that came out of his mouth were something along the lines of “don’t go to college unless your parents have money.” Here was this 30-year-old man, driving around in a nice SUV, who was still upset about what he went through during and right after college. I take it as if he felt like he was property more than a person.

Furthermore, these athletes are not recruited based upon their academic prowess; they are first sought out because of their athletic ability and how they can benefit a college’s program. It can be determined that student-athletes are actually more athlete than student. A college athlete’s entire school days revolve around their respective sport.

Yes, big companies like Nike should share a piece of their multi-million dollar pie with the athletes they are making this money from. This was talked about in the recent documentary “Fab Five” when former Michigan basketball players talked about how they felt somewhat exploited. This exploitation was more than likely one of the reasons Chris Webber made the jump to the NBA early, where he probably felt like he was fairly rewarded for his efforts. But, the main benefactors of this plan would more than likely only be the popular players, like a star running back or fancy point guard. What about the linemen that help make that running back a star; how many jerseys would they sell, honestly?

According to ncaa.org, college athletes are “not University employees paid for their labor.” I see this as totally contradicting the purpose of a scholarship. Aren’t athletes receiving their scholarships for the work they put in? And they cannot slip up or take it easy, because each year there is no guarantee that the athlete will have the scholarship – their contracts only last for a year. The website also states that many athletes receive grants-in-aid; these grants are only for certain instances. I have heard some people say that athletes receive a small stipend each semester: further research allowed me to discover how true this is. Most athletic programs show up in the red at the end of each fiscal year, but that is not the fault of the athletes—they still do their duties. Maybe these programs need to spend more wisely.

If everyone else is getting big bucks, don’t let the athletes—the reasons for the seasons—get the whammy.

My first column. Printed 4.27.11