It Takes Less Than You Think....To Read This Blog

So, we lost on Saturday.

There. It’s said. Now we can all look past that and remember that that was one heck of a game to watch, and we played it well.  (I don’t even like football, and I can tell that!)  And we can remember that there was a whole bunch more to Saturday than the game—like the entire morning and afternoon, for example.

And speaking of Saturday afternoon, who checked out the Rising Tide Tailgate I mentioned? 

If you did go, I do not need to bother saying how completely intimidating it was at first to see so many people there.  But, initial shock being processed, it was so much fun to see everyone pumped up for the game, talking about anything and everything, and of course, breaking out into shouts of ‘ROOOOOLLLLLLLLL TIIIIIIIIIIDE ROLL!’ every couple of minutes.

 And aside from the school spirit pumping through everybody’s system, the free Moe’s burrito bar, and the live band pumping out tunes, I even got to learn a little while I was there.

As it turns out, the student-based LessThanUThink campaign, www.LessThanUThink.org , was there helping put on the alcohol-free tailgate (which I really liked, as I am no fan of the smell of spilled beer all over the place). They were giving out yellow hammers that said “RAMMER JAMMER” (nifty!) and really working hard to get their name out there for students to hear about.

Believe it or not, this tailgate was the first I’d heard of LessThanUThink. Their big thing is about educating students about the consequences of drinking even just a little too much, and it’s not like they’re trying to tell anybody what they should and shouldn’t do. It just seems like they care enough to want students to just play it smart.  You know we’ve all seen some poor soul make themselves ridiculous because they just didn’t know when to stop themselves.  The idea of LessThanUThink, or at least the idea that I got, was ‘Be smart enough to not be that guy.’ 

--Dominique Duerr

Crimson Culture

Crimson Culture... 진홍 문화... cultura carmesí... قرمزي ثقافة... Crimson Kultur...

No matter what language you say it in, Crimson Culture means the same thing all across The University of Alabama campus. While working on our last event of the year, which was called Crimson Culture, I was finding myself questioning what culture even meant. While everyone has their own perspectives, I believe a person can define his or her culture as the aspect of themselves that distinguishes them from everyone else. While preparing and planning for Crimson Culture, I found the answer to what UA culture is.... It is the merging of all of the cultures throughout campus. In essence, the university can be viewed as a melting pot.

On Thursday, April 21, The Ferg was happy to host Crimson Culture at the Coleman Coliseum in an effort to expose students and community members to different aspects of Tuscaloosa's diverse culture. The Ferg also wanted to recognize and celebrate cultural diversity across The University of Alabama campus. Through Crimson Culture, students had the opportunity to learn about various cultures and express their own culture as well.

If you were not one of the 2,500 people at Crimson Culture, you missed out on an assortment of cultural activities, including henna tattoos, origami, martial arts demos, Chinese calligraphy and several other activities. Andy Hall, Blaine Duncan & The Lookers, The Lamb Family Violins and many other entertainers were also there to spice up the event. Plus, there were krump and hip-hop performers, as well as salsa and tango demos to keep everyone on their toes.

Overall, Crimson Culture was a hit and turned out better than we could have ever imagined. Sadly, it was the last event of the school year, but be prepared for bigger and better events to come starting in August 2011!

Pictures and video from Crimson Culture coming soon...