International Expression: Calligraphy

Last Wednesday night, April 13, I attended International Expressions: Chinese Calligraphy. It was an awesome event. I had a fun time and met a lot of new people. During the event, we learned how to write Chinese characters that represented words such as sun, moon, mountain, love, roll tide, etc., and we were even able to use actual Chinese brushes, ink and paper to write the calligraphy. International Expressions is a great way to learn new things and meet new, great people. Be sure to attend future International Expressions events next fall!

Roll Tide & Love in Chinese Calligraphy

                                               

Hot Topics: Culture Awareness

The Ferguson Center’s Hot Topics series focused on Cultural Awareness as the topic of discussion last Tuesday, April 12. This discussion was by far the most interesting to me! The event started of with the reading of a poem called "I am From" that left everyone feeling bewildered and intrigued. The poem illustrated how each of us is different but how we also may have a lot in common. During the discussion about cultural awareness, questions were posed and in-depth conversation began to unfold. Be sure to check out future Hot Topics events next semester! Have a suggestion for a topic? Email uapgrograms@gmail.com.

This event was catered by 
Moe's Southwest Grill.

YMLP/YWLP Community Service Project

I had the greatest opportunity to help The Ferg host a day full of fun and cheer for the students of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary on March 28. Students of the Young Men's Leadership Program and the Young Women's Leadership Program received first hand experience giving back to the community by assisting with the Community Service Day, and I gained a new appreciation for both groups and the children.

As part of the event, the mentors, volunteers, and students refurbished the basketball court near McKenzie Court Housing Authority and the elementary school, which has been used everyday since the event. The Women's Resource Center of The University of Alabama, in partnership with The Ferg, celebrated the hard work of the students with a festival of fun. The celebration included lunch, popcorn and ice cream sundaes for everyone to enjoy. After eating, the MLK Jr. students took part in various acitivies to win give-aways and prizes, and the best part was that everyone was a winner!

I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to reach out to such a grateful group of children. Be on the lookout for more events hosted by The Ferg that you can take part in!

Movie Series: TRON: Legacy

The 1982 original version of TRON: Legacy has been recreated and revamped! The Ferguson Center was happy to introduce the new movie at this month's Movie Series event in The Ferg Theater. The popcorn and refreshments were, as always, overflowing and so were the students! We are happy to say we had over 70 come out and enjoy the movie.

TRON: Legacy is about "the son of a virtual world designer who goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father's creation turned bad and a unique ally who was born inside the digital domain of The Grid."

The next Movie Series event will be held on Sunday, April 17 in The Ferg theater. We will be showing The Green Hornet with FREE poprcorn and refreshments for everyone to enjoy. Come make Sunday night a movie night!

Druid City Arts Festival 2011

I spent my Saturday afternoon downtown at the Governor's Plaza at the Druid City Arts Festival! The festival was great. There was a main stage line up with different bands, several vendors, and stations for kids to play. While I was there, I was introduced to a new band, Alice and Thunderland. I also stopped by some of the booths to buy little trinkets. I even ran into some old high school friends! Overall, the festival was wonderful. The weather started off rainy but ended with sunshine. UA students, families, and community members seemed to enjoy this event. This is an annual event that will definitely attend next year!

Hot Topics: Sexism and Gender Discrimination

The latest Hot Topic discussion took place on March 8, and addressed the issues of sexism and gender discrimination . The hot topic discussion was very interesting and insightful. Markus Harris, the moderator, for the discussion brought up interesting questions and thoughts that fed your mind. Some of the more interesting questions included, "What determines who you are? Sex or Gender?" and "When you hear gender discrimination, what is the first thing that comes to mind?" After leaving the Hot Topics discussion, I felt like I had a different view on how I identify myself as a woman. As a student at The University of Alabama, I enjoy the Hot Topic discussions. The discussions bring up issues that you do not think of on a daily basis. The next Hot Topic discussion is April 12 and will address Cultural Awareness. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!

Due Date: Leave Your Comfort Zone

If you've jumped on the Zach Galifianakis bandwagon too, then you should have joined the rest of his fans and attended our Movie Series. The Ferg hosted a free showing of "Due Date" to all students this past Sunday, Feb. 27. With more than 150 in attendance, the movie choice was a hit! Since Galifianakis' hilarious performance in "The Hangover" he's been on the up and up, and we're behind him as long as he keeps our theater packed.

"Due Date" is about a high-strung father-to-be, Peter Highman, who is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor, Ethan Tremblay, on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time. If you think you've had a bad road trip experience, wait until you see this one.

The Ferg hosts a movie for all students, faculty, staff, and community members once a month, and we're always looking for student input on what movie to play. The next movie will be "TRON: Legacy" on March 20. The movie will start at 8:00 p.m. Come make Sunday night a movie night!