Parent & Family Weekend Tailgate: Pre-event Blog from the Ferg Bloggers

EXCITED much for some more Alabama football this weekend?! To add to the game excitement, get ready for our first Family Weekend Tailgate on September 17^th! The Ferguson Center Programming Office will be working in conjunction with Parent Programs this Saturday at Presidential Park, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be a small raffle for registered parents and family members. So if your parents or family have not registered yet, make sure they sign up and get ready to Roll with the Tide. To maximize the tailgate experience for our families, Full Moon BBQ will be served along with great music from the band Two and Half White Guys.  So remember to sign up and come out and ROLL TIDE!

--Joycelyn Kennedy

The Whole Shebang:

This Saturday, September 17^th,  is the Family Weekend Tailgate. It’s a tailgate that Parents Programs is throwing for students and their families who are making the pilgrimage to our capstone dearest to spend the weekend in all out, total UA style. (Parent Programs is a part of Student Affairs, for anyone who doesn’t recognize the name) Anyway, I’ve heard that there are about three thousand people coming to this shin-dig, and I can say that impresses me a whole lot.  As my friends have said, “UA goes big, or stays home.”  

I have only ever been to one football game (don’t get mad, I watch on TV when I can!), and I definitely can’t say that I am a seasoned tailgater.  But I will say that in all my time here, experiencing a game-day (the way you see it depicted on all those nifty UA brochures and online) is one of the things I am determined to do at least once before I graduate.

And so we’re off! I am buckling down and really going for it—the whole shebang-- the complete game-day tailgating experience. I’m going to get that washable tattoo put on my cheek, and I’m going to take pictures of random people in copious amounts of houndstooth and crimson, and if I’m lucky, I am going to find that guy with all those UA tattoos.  

So, this Saturday at Presidential Park, at 3PM, three thousand people (students and family alike!) and I will be rolling with the tide, getting ready to see our school make us proud. Roll Tide!  

--Dominique Duerr

Perspectives on Family Weekend: Interview with Litsa Orban, coordinator of the First Year Experience and Family Weekend staff member

September is always an exciting time of year for students at UA. School has barely begun and the sights and sounds of football season can be all seen across campus.

However, September is also a very exciting time for families of UA students as well. Every year, the Office of Parent Programs hosts Family Weekend (hyperlink: http://parents.ua.edu/familyWeekend.cfm), a weekend geared towards offering the families of UA students a chance to visit the campus and really experience what it means to be a part of what we call the “UA Family.”

I had the pleasure of talking with one of our newest members of the UA Family. Litsa Orban is the new coordinator of the First Year Experience and a staff member for Family Weekend. Though Litsa did not graduate from the University of Alabama, she has actually been involved with the UA Office of Parent Programs since 2010, when she was a graduate intern.

She has a deep love for UA, and that is most apparent through her work on Family Weekend:

Q: What is your role or involvement with Family Weekend? How long have you been involved with this event?

LO: Family Weekend planning is a team effort with all staff of First Year Experience and Parents Programs. My specific responsibility was to plan the Family Weekend Student Affairs Brunch. Truly, the execution of this large event is a team effort with all areas of the Division of Student Affairs.

Q: What is Family Weekend about? Why is it important to the UA community and families?

LO: Family Weekend is about sharing. It is about students sharing their lives at UA with their family members; it is about the UA family sharing the place we love with our students’ families; it is about families sharing their lives with the University. At the end of the weekend, we are all family.

Q: Has attending or working Family Weekend changed or deepened your perspective on what the “UA Family” is? How so?

LO: UA is special and Family Weekend reminds everyone exactly how special it is. Although our students’ family members may not always be on campus, they are our family. So, it’s nice to have the whole family together.

Q: What are you looking forward to from this event?

LO: Family Weekend is a time for family members to experience The Capstone. It is always fun to witness others falling in love with UA.

With Family Weekend coming up this Saturday, we are all very excited to meet more of our UA Family!

--Tiara Dees

Hey, Crimson Tide family! Join us this Saturday, September 17, for our Family Weekend Tailgate party! This is an exciting way to meet up with all your friends here in our UA family and have a good time before the game.  Bring your family and introduce them to your friends, and show them what weekend life is really like here at UA.  It's fun, family friendly and it's absolutely free.  Then, join us afterwards at 6:30pm Saturday evening, when YOUR Alabama Crimson Tide marches onto the gridiron to take on North Texas at the famous BRYANT-DENNY STADIUM! A limited number of tickets are still available for that game, so don't wait.  If you or your family don't have tickets, order today by calling the UA Ticket OFFICE at 348-2262; 348-BAMA.  So come on out, bring your family, and join your UA family for the Family Weekend Tailgate Party, this Saturday afternoon only, here at the University of Alabama.  It's free, it's fun, and you don't want to miss it.  You and the University of Alabama: ROLL TIDE!

--David Rissling

Week of Welcome Recap

Movie on the Plaza:

“Is it free? Is it FREE? IS IT FREE?” was used quite often Saturday night at the “Movie on the Plaza” Week of Welcome event. It was great to be able to walk around and see so many newcomers to UA’s campus, in addition to all of the returning students that came out to experience this event. The Movie on the Plaza gave off a friendly/homely environment that drew a large amount of people. Snow cones and popcorn were served throughout the night, as well as soft drinks and water-- all for FREE. Members of Team Ferg were excited to be passing out unique UA Remembers bracelets along with Week of Welcome goodie bags filled with coupons, Frisbees and other give-a-ways. With all of those great FREE items in hand, event attendees then got to experience a FREE showing of the movie “Despicable Me”. This event was one of the first major Week of Welcome events available to all students, and it started and ended in a great way. After last night I’m glad to attend a university that gives to its students and does not expect anything in return, expect for you to excel and enjoy yourself.

Bama Belle Riverboat Cruise:

On Sunday, August 21^st, a couple of friends and I went on the Bama Belle Riverboat Cruise. The Bama Belle Riverboat Cruise takes you up a little ways up and back down the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa. The hour and a half cruise consisted of a free drink and a tour guide who gave interesting facts about the Black Warrior River and some history of Tuscaloosa. Definitely an interesting and soothing experience, but boy was it HOT!  My two friends and I sat at the bottom of the boat and looked out at Tuscaloosa & Northport and talked amongst each other. The given opportunity to go on that cruise was amazing. How often do you get a chance to kick back and relax with some friends on a FREE cruise?

Fun at the Rec:

Fun at the Rec….was truly fun at the Rec. The new freshman class has so much life. They were so full of energy, even on a Sunday night! The UA Rec Center had so many things going on at one time-- from dancing, to playing real live Battle Ship in the indoor pool, to playing laser tag and rock climbing! Students came and enjoyed the games and the free give-a-ways. Fun at the Rec was a success to me and a really good opportunity for students to meet each other. 

Splash of Crimson:

On Monday, August 22^nd in the Ridgecrest South Community dorms and in the dorms in Tutwiler, “Sips n Strokes” came and gave the Tide a Splash of Crimson. The instructor guided the students in how to paint a cute little owl, while other students learned to paint their own unique paintings. Jimmy John’s was served as the snack at the event. 

Convocation:

On Tuesday, August 23rd, the incoming class of 2015 joined with current UA students to begin their journey of excellence. During Convocation, the incoming freshman learned that they are the largest freshman class with the highest GPA's to ever enroll in at The University of Alabama. That was my first Convocation here at UA, and it was a memorable and inspiring event. I would like to congratulate the incoming class here at the Capstone and give them a big Roll Tide!

Week of Welcome Breakfast:

What better way to start off your morning than with a free breakfast? On Wednesday, the first day of classes, Krispy Kreme doughnuts were served outside the Ferg as a part of Week of Welcome. The fun continued on Thursday when Chick-Fil-A chicken minis were served. Water, Gatorade, and soft drinks were also given out in addition to the free breakfast. Once again, everything was free and given out with a smile. I liked the Welcome Back Breakfast. I overheard students saying how awesome it was to attend UA because of all things they had experienced during Week of Welcome. They believed that if they had gone anywhere else for college, they would have not had such a amazing first experience.  

UA Students Go To Hollywood

Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival, held its International Grand Finale in Hollywood, Calif. on June 23-26, 2011. The Campus MovieFest red carpet finale at The University of Alabama was held on Feb. 10, 2011, at the Ferguson Center Theater. Five teams who won Best Picture, Best Comedy, Best Drama, the AT&T Audience Choice Winner and Staff Pick at The University of Alabama were invited to attend the International Grand Finale in Hollywood. 

Several UA students went to Hollywood and came home with top awards including the Best 3D Movie, Top 5 Comedy and two films placed in the Top 28 films of hundreds of films from 75 universities across the globe.

University of Alabama New College/Telecommunication and Film media production student Xavier Burgin, a senior from Columbus, Miss., was awarded the CMF 3D Award for his documentary “Portrait of a Storm: Tuscaloosa, AL.” He won a $5,000 scholarship and a Panasonic Micro Audio System. Below is a short account of Xavier’s experience in Hollywood…

CMF 2011 International Grand Finale on the Warner Brothers Lot in Hollywood.

UA Students at the CMF International Grand Finale in Hollywood.

Xavier Burgin, CMF 3D Winner, giving a speech at the CMF Finale in Hollywood.

The Campus Moviefest International Grand Finale was an amazing experience that was tinged with the faint signs of what it would one day be like if any of the aspiring filmmakers present made it to the Oscars. You’re treated as the best of the best. The brightest individuals from a culmination of film-work toiled over for an entire year. It’s an unbelievable high until you realize every person in the room has the same aspirations as you and some are far more talented.

We were also given the opportunity to speak with industry level individuals who have already established themselves. Panels included award winning American Film Institute graduates, the Funny or Die website and company staff, Gabourney Sidibe (the woman who played Precious), and the director behind the X-Men movies. Overall, the panel experience allowed us an honest insight into the industry, which was also brutally harsh. The main message we received from many was that most of us wouldn’t make it, but the only way to make it was to keep making movies and working.  It seemed as if breaking into the industry (by their standards) was thirty percent hard (very hard) work and the rest was connections and luck.

On Friday, June 24, the morning before the finale, Campus Moviefest screened all of the films that won at 75 campuses across the world and allowed the filmmakers to stand up for a brief period to speak about the films they made. There were so many films made, by a plethora of filmmakers that they had to section off the screening into six separate time periods in three separate theaters. Watching other filmmaker’s work brought to mind an idea I stated earlier: It is only after you get to watch films made by other students that you realize the surmounting abundance of passion and commonality you hold with individuals in the screening with you. You were watching the aspirations of a small community of filmmaker’s working towards making a name for themselves in the industry.

The awards ceremony was set up in the back lots of Warner Bros. Studios. It was exciting yet eerily creepy since the back lot of WB was a fully integrated town with no inhabitants, just a barren place filled with the presence of people when a movie involved its use. A slew of celebrities came out for the awards show. Actors such as Rob Corrdry from Children’s Hospital and The Daily Show came to the premiere and spoke. T.J. Miller from Cloverfield and Get Him to the Greek, Gabourney Sidibe from Precious, and Jeff Goldblum from Jurrasic Park and Armageddon attended the awards and introduced the nominees and winners.

I remember when they began the routine introductory speech for my category. My palms got sweaty, my legs shaked, and I could feel my heart pounding on the inside of my chest. It was literally all the cheesy ideas you see in sappy movies about making movies and bad Golden Globe or Oscar Award’s speeches. When my name was called for Best 3D Film a weight lifted off my shoulders and another rested atop my head when I realized I had to give a speech. Still, I managed to trudge forward and give an outstanding speech on the devastation of the Tuscaloosa Tornado and the necessity of keeping our plight in the limelight of the media’s eyes.

As I walked backed to my seat, I then honestly realized I won something significant to my heart. It felt like a validation of my work. Even though my first film “Bottom of a Glass” didn’t win, if I had not made that movie first, I would have never gotten the chance to work on the 3D film, which allowed me to move on the next level and make my award-winning film.

After the awards ceremony, there was an abundance of congratulations, handshakes and exchanging of business cards. Overall, the feeling of validity through winning draws people towards you, whether it is out of genuine interest or their need to keep in contact with those who have garnered even a small measure of success in this competitive industry.

Overall, I enjoyed myself thoroughly at the Campus MovieFest International Grand Finale. After the awards were over, I got back to my room and counted up the amount of business cards I had. I had given out more than 200 and received around 140 or so. I sat down the next day and emailed everyone I met to keep in touch as well as join an online networking group I started so we could network even after this was over.

This entire event felt like a microcosm of the industry. A smaller version of where I (or any of us) could be if we are successful. I may not meet everyone at the top, and I may not even make it to the top, but these were the people I would later shake hands with if I did. I was introduced to the industry in a sterile environment, but one that gave me a good glimpse of what it means to win and lose all at the same time.

-Xavier Burgin

To Learn more, visit:

Xavier's website

Campus MovieFest Winners

UA News

The Crimson White

Ferguson Center Recent News

Emerging Magazine

The Crimson Culture Experience

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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...