The Administrative Connections Continue

     So now as of this Monday, I can scratch another person I want to meet off my list. This is because I’ve had the honor and privilege of meeting Dr. Kathleen Cramer finally. In case you didn’t know, Dr. Cramer is the Vice President for Student Affairs. Believe it or not, she happens to be the VIP I unintentionally ran into right after the memorial service for the six students who died in the storms last April; that service was held one Sunday night in early September out by Lake Palmer on the patio at Lakeside Dining. After the service was over, I started asking around to talk to Dr. Witt for a minute, so I could thank him and the University for bringing closure for me and the entire UA family now that we were all back for the year. 

     That’s when I got one of those sweet and warm but official and academic touches on the hand from a very kind woman who said, “I’m sorry, he’s not available at this time.” I stood there kind of embarrassed for the moment, but soon after I found one of my friends in the crowd and we started out towards the Ferg plaza for the food, the first thing I can recall thinking was, “Who in the heck was the academic Southern dear that just did that?” And I just smiled the whole way there. For months afterwards I wondered who that was. I knew it had to be an important person, not just some random stranger in the crowd. But she was as sweet as she could be. Was it a teacher? A dean? One of the President’s assistants? Or was it even a trustee? 

     As last semester went by, I kind of kept it in the back of my mind, but because I was so stressed all the time, I never could solve that mystery. I’d emailed the president once during the fall, but we never were able to meet. Then came this semester, when I wasn’t taking classes that were nearly as stressful and pressured as last semester. It all started when I went to pick up my first paycheck and I got to meet the President. Then things just went uphill from there fast. Later I got to meet 3 VP’s, including Dr. Bonner. I asked her if that was her I saw at the memorial service, and she said it might have been; she was out there. While her voice sounded similar to the one I remember from after the ceremony, I still thought, “maybe it was her, maybe it wasn’t.” 

     Then just last week, things got more interesting. On Tuesday I went to ask the SGA office a question about making signs to support Dr. Bonner’s continuance of office as president now that Dr. Witt is the new Chancellor. While I was there, we started talking about the service and about the honorable opportunities that had come my way. I told the SGA representative the whole story about what happened after the service, and she immediately spoke up and said, “Ah, that actually may have been Dr. Cramer.” I asked her who she was, and she told me. The next day on Wednesday, I went to sing the National Anthem for a softball game that night. Afterwards, a staff member showed me to a seat with a cup holder. She didn’t tell me I was sitting right near anyone important. But then I met this lady and we were talking about the game and stuff, and then I asked who she was, and she said her name was Olivia Portera. My mouth flew open, and I asked if she was related to who I thought she was. (I told her earlier that I was a student). She said, “Yep, Malcolm Portera; I’m his wife.” 

     A few minutes later, there came the man himself, and she introduced me to him. I told him I still wanted to meet members of the Board of Trustees soon. So the three of us watched the rest of the game, and it went on, and on, and on, and on. Went into extra innings. I told them I couldn’t stay for the next game because I had homework to do. Then in the bottom of the twelfth, we’re tied at 6. We’re up to bat, and Chancellor Portera’s yelling, “Come on, girls, get in the game!” Then one of our best hitters comes up, and she drills it to deep right center field, and no one could get it. You know I was on my feet screaming my head off and Miss Olivia grabbed both my hands and started shaking them furiously, and we both were cheering and hugging. Bama won the first game 7-6 on a walk-off home run! Chancellor then led me to the bus stop so I could go home and get work done, but that was quite a night.

     Then the next day, I called the office of Student Affairs and set up a meeting with Dr. Cramer myself. I met her this Monday, and I looked forward to that day all weekend. The office secretary even gave me a free soda when I got in there. When Dr. Cramer came out and introduced herself to me, the voice sounded very familiar. I asked her if I looked familiar to her, like the blind student who was at the memorial service, and she said I did look familiar, but she didn’t think we’d really officially met. I knew right there that that was her I’d run into. She invited me into her office and we talked for a long while. I showed my appreciation for all that this administration does, and she told me I made her day. At the end of it all, she told me I could come by anytime to see her, without setting up an appointment or dressing up in advance, as long as she’s available. That was cool. I’ll have to go by and see her more often now, because she is just such an angel.

     After that, I got to go down and meet Mr. Emergency himself, Shane Dorrill. He’s the guy that operates the PA system. We were talking about how the PA works behind the scenes and about where I was and what I was doing on April 27. It was cool to get to find out lots of interesting stuff from him, and I demonstrated my test message voice-over, and he said, “Man, we should get you recorded on there sometime!” I also gave him my suggestion so that everyone would know what they’ll hear in the event of an emergency. He said that was a wonderful suggestion actually.

     So in closing, I’ve just got to say, I LOVE Dr. Cramer. If I could stay with either her OR Dr. Bonner over the summer I would. I’m not joking. Dr. Cramer, I know you’ll read this, so please know you are an absolute dearheart. I’m the biggest Cramer boy in this university. Folks, this administration does so much for this UA family, and so in your spare time, I invite you to show them some appreciation. And the next time the Board of Trustees are on campus, don’t worry; I’ll have my suit and tie ready.

ROLL TIDE!

-David Rissling

This is Just a Test

                 Next week, the University of Alabama will test UA Alerts and the emergency public address systems on Wednesday between 11:55 AM and 12 noon. The test will coincide with the Tuscaloosa Emergency Management Agency’s test of the outdoor tornado warning sirens, including the campus siren located on top of Gorgas Library. While the test will last about 30 seconds and should not be disruptive, the way they’ve been testing the emergency notification system beginning this year has changed. For all who are first-years at UA, let me explain.

                  When the indoor PA system is tested, you usually hear a chime struck 4 times in succession. This is actually the signal that is generally used to begin an all-clear announcement. The signal is followed by a message from the officials. In this case the message will be, “This is a test of the University Of Alabama emergency notification system. This is only a test.” That message will only be spoken once usually. In an emergency, however, another signal is used. This is the “danger” signal, and it sort of sounds like one that you might hear in an alien movie or in a federal building like the Pentagon or the White House. This alert signal is followed by an important message, which is usually taped. The message is spoken 3 times. In extremely serious emergencies such as a major tornado outbreak like the one that happened last April, the officials may come on live. In this case, you might hear the emergency signal sounded twice with a pause in between before they are on. When the emergency is over, the all-clear will be sounded with the chime and an all-clear announcement spoken 3 times as before.

                  The neat thing is that the system can be activated in one building, a select group of buildings or the entire campus. The outside PA system was just installed throughout various parts of campus after the tornado last April. There is just one tone for everything on that, and it consists of a high tone followed by a lower-pitched tone, then a higher-pitched tone and then the message is read by a person or a computer. The message is usually taped, but they can come on live if necessary. And it’s all managed through the use of one computer in a vault inside the office of University Relations on the first floor of the Rose Administration building. UAPD can also operate the system from the police station in the event of an emergency after hours.

                  I do think the system test should consist of a test message with the bell first to avoid freaking everybody out, followed shortly by another test message using the emergency alert signal. This way everyone knows what they’ll hear in the event of an emergency, because in an emergency, you will most definitely not hear a bell. Just a suggestion. Please stay safe, and remember that next Wednesday at 11:55 AM, it’s only a test. Also, this is a great time to make sure your information is correct on MyBama for UA Alerts. If you don’t get a text message and/or a phone call during the test period between 11:55-12:00, you need to check to make sure your information is correct so you’re alerted in the event of an emergency.

ROLL TIDE!!!

-David Rissling

Support President Bonner

                   Attention, all University of Alabama faculty, staff, administrators, members of the Board of Trustees and all students: Please join me in supporting Dr. Judy L. Bonner being fully accepted as the president of The University of Alabama. As we already begin to approach the close of another academic year, the University is undergoing some major changes to its leadership. Dr. Bonner has already been named as our interim president as Dr. Witt was selected as chancellor of the UA system. Now, I need your help in endorsing and supporting Dr. Bonner fully becoming the leader of this academic institution. As I wrote in my last statement, I was honored and blessed to have the privilege of meeting Dr. Bonner in person. I love that woman; she is an academic angel! The support she has given to me and the rest of the student body has been absolutely tremendous. She has worked to improve the quality of teaching so that learning can improve, and I believe she is just one of the many reasons that the enrollment rate at UA has increased dramatically. Her kindness, her generosity toward us, her love for what she does and her love for the UA family is inspiring to me as a student, and this is exactly what this school needs in a leader. I believe the work she has done as provost and her long history of success in all she has done here at UA and beyond demonstrates that she deserves this position.

Dr. Bonner was promoted to executive vice president and provost in April of 2006, after serving as provost and vice president of Academic Affairs since March of 2003. She holds two degrees from UA—a B.S. in Nutrition and an M.S. in Food and Nutrition—and a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Ohio State University. She was named Dean of the College of Human Environmental Studies at UA in 1989, prior to which she served as Special Assistant to the President, Assistant Academic Vice President and Head of the Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management. She has also held faculty positions at UAB and Ohio State. On top of that, she is an active member of civic, scientific and professional organizations and has written a number of articles.

I am an out-of-state student from Maryland and am trying to stay in Alabama long enough to be classified as an in-state student since I plan to settle in Tuscaloosa when I graduate, and personally, IF I COULD stay with her over the summer, I WOULD. That is how much her leadership and dearness to everyone has meant to me. Besides, if she’s got multiple degrees in Food and Nutrition, coupled with the fact that I know from experience that Southern women can cook as it is, I don’t know about any of y’all, but I’d think staying with a woman of those letters would mean one summer of darn good eatin’! If any members of the Board of Trustees are reading this, I’d like to meet some of you one day to thank you also for what you do. But in the meantime, please know that Dr. Bonner has my support in her role as president of UA. This is why I’m asking all students, faculty and staff to join me in asking the Board to keep Bonner in as president of The University of Alabama. ROLL TIDE!!! 

--David Rissling

Changes on Campus: New Interim President of UA

          Just today, the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama announced that UA President Dr. Robert E. Witt was chosen to replace retiring Chancellor Malcolm Portera, effective immediately. The Board also announced today that one of my most favorite administrators, Provost Dr. Judy L. Bonner will now serve as interim President of UA. This is exciting news for the entire UA family. Folks, being Chancellor is a HUGE deal. When you’re chancellor, that means you’re in charge of the entire UA system—that’s UA Tuscaloosa, UAB, UAH and the UA health system. This is the highest position that one can hold in the University system, so as you can imagine, this is quite an honor for Dr. Witt. Dr. Witt has served as UA President for the past 9 years. Over the years, Dr. Witt has worked successfully in increasing the enrollment at UA and has worked to create a higher academic standard here at UA, along with the rest of our administration. Words cannot even begin to express what this means to me as a student; this is excellent news for the UA family. I was also thrilled to hear that one of my most favorite administrators, Provost Dr. Bonner, is now the interim President. I hope she is accepted as President altogether as next year begins. I know she will do just as good and even better.

          Believe it or not, I’ve gotten to meet Dr. Witt 3 times now, all in one semester too. I first met him at the President’s Office as I went into Rose Administration to collect my first paycheck on the ground floor. There I met Janice Palmer, a Human Resources staff member who had seen me before at the Ferg inside Fresh Foods. I told her that I wanted to meet Dr. Witt personally one day, and once the process of collecting my paycheck was complete on the ground floor, you can guess what happened next. Next thing I knew, I found myself in an elevator with Ms. Palmer on my way to the second floor where the President’s office is. We waited for a little while for him to return to the office, but he did; and that was the first time we met. We then met again just before the wheelchair basketball game the Friday night before this past week just before I sang the National Anthem before the game. He would present the girls’ team with their National Championship rings from last season after the girls’ game. . I informed him of my desire to meet the rest of the high administration and even some of the trustees, and he said he would try to arrange that. Then just this past Friday morning, he arranged for me to come into his office and meet three of the vice presidents. I got to meet and talk briefly with Dr. Joe Benson, vice president in charge of research and development, Vice President Dr. Linda Gilbert and Provost Dr. Judy Bonner. I gave Dr. Bonner a big handshake and hug and thanked her and the entire administration for all they do to make this University what it is today. Dr. Bonner is an absolute angel; I must say I LOVE THAT WOMAN! I can truly tell you I’m a huge Bonner boy. (ROLL TIDE!) She has done a great deal to make sure each and every faculty and staff member at UA is committed to us and our success, and for that I’m forever indebted. I still hope to meet the trustees sometime soon.

          Anyway, in all seriousness, Dr. Bonner, congratulations to you on becoming our interim president, and I hope you’ll be fully accepted as our next president soon. You truly are the best. Your academic and general support means so much to the UA family, and we’re grateful to have you as our leader. May God bless all you do, and may God continue to bless the University of Alabama. ROLL TIDE!!! 

-David Rissling

Mardi Gras and Hereafter

Well, Mardi Gras has come and gone, and I hope everyone had fun. For those of you that have just moved to the Deep South and might not know what the heck all the hoopla was about this past Tuesday, let me explain. Mardi Gras is a festival that is celebrated on a Tuesday shortly before the end of February in some countries. However, nowhere is it more famously celebrated than in New Orleans. It’s celebrated on a day that is commonly known as Fat/Shrove Tuesday and is marked by fun, feasting and a whole lot of partying. It’s customary to wear beads on Mardi Gras, although I’m not sure exactly who or what started that tradition and when; I’ll have to get back to you on that one. Mardi Gras was formerly a religious holiday, but is now known as the feast before the fast. The fast that I’m referring to is that which many Christians observe the day after Mardi Gras, which is Ash Wednesday. This marks the transition into the season of Lent.

What is Lent? Lent is the forty days preceding the Easter weekend. It begins on Ash Wednesday, when many Christians go to church for a service of repentance, during which they are anointed with ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. As the minister traces the ash cross on one’s forehead, the minister may say, “Remember that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return,” or a similar message. This is part of what God said to Adam after he and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. It is a reminder to all of us that no one is perfect, but we should do what we can to live the life God wants us to live. Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday. During this forty day period or shortly after Easter, Jews celebrate the Passover, which commemorates the beginnings of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. The highlight of the Passover week for Jews is a traditional dinner called the seder, which is a prayer service and dinner all in one basically. Usually the main course of this meal is a leg of lamb and unleavened bread. Believe it or not, more than ever, even Christians are starting to get into this Jewish tradition during Holy Week. As a matter of fact, St. Francis Church, the Catholic church on campus, will have a seder dinner sometime during Holy Week. I think I might go this year if I can get a ride.

Lent culminates for Christians all around the world during the week immediately before and including the Easter weekend, which is known by many as Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday. The Sunday before Easter Sunday is traditionally called Palm Sunday because on that day, Christians commemorate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, during which thousands of people followed him and waved palm branches in the air in celebration. It’s like when we follow Nick Saban and the team from the Walk of Champions into Bryant-Denny Stadium before a big game and we wave pompoms in the air. Many churches have a procession into the sanctuary, during which worshippers similarly carry palm branches. The day before Good Friday is known as Holy/Maundy Thursday, the day which commemorates the Last Supper. Then there’s Good Friday, when Christians all over the world commemorate the Passion and crucifixion of Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. Many fast on Good Friday. Holy Saturday is Easter’s Eve. On that night some churches may hold services in which new converts are baptized, confirmed and receive Holy Communion for the first time. Finally of course there’s Easter Sunday, when believers joyfully celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

 For many, Lent is a time for charitable giving and personal sacrifice, which can change one’s life for the better in the long run. Some may choose to give up a bad habit or something that isn’t always healthy or good for them, like cussing, smoking, alcohol and sweets. Some people find that once they’ve gotten used to not doing those things, it becomes a habit to not do those things, and therefore they’ve changed their life and the lives of others for the better. Some may also choose to be more involved with their church or synagogue or even their mosque. In fact, you can choose to be more involved in your community or school of all things. I invite you to think about what you can do to improve your life and the lives of others this Lent. As we go through Lent, may all of you find this season to be an enriching one for you. I will keep you posted about the goings on at the different houses of worship on and near campus, as well as ways you can help throughout the community and right here on campus as we go through this season of Lent. Of course I will always continue to keep everyone posted on what’s going on on campus as well, in case you wish to become more involved in your school. ROLL TIDE! 

-David Rissling

Wheel Chair Basketball and More!

Come one, come all, to Wheelchair Basketball! Wheelchair basketball begins tonight and runs through Saturday. The first game will be held tonight at 7 PM at the historic Foster Auditorium. The Saturday night game will be held at 7 PM Saturday at the Rec Center. Both games are free and open to all, and yours truly will be singing the National Anthem at both those games. This is a great way to support those students with disabilities, and it just proves that people with disabilities can do anything they set their minds to. I’m totally blind and people say I get around this campus better than most of my sighted peers; now that’s saying something. So come show your support this weekend for our students as they literally roll to victory this Friday and Saturday.

Also, while I’m at it, there are a lot of other sporting events going on this weekend here at the Capstone. Women’s softball will play a double header on Friday beginning at 4 PM, when they’ll take on East Carolina, followed by North Dakota State at 6 PM at Rhodes Stadium. They’ll play the same two teams respectively Saturday afternoon at 1:30 PM and 4 PM. They’ll also play SIU on Sunday at 1:30 PM. Meanwhile, Coach Mitch Gaspard and the Tide men’s baseball team will take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday at 6:05 PM, on Saturday at 2:05 PM and again on Sunday at 1:05 PM at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Coach Anthony Grant and the Tide will take on Mississippi State at Coleman Coliseum at 5 PM. Remember that all games are free to all students with a valid action card.

So come on and watch the Tide roll to victory all weekend long here at the University of Alabama. You and the University of Alabama: ROLL TIDE! 

-David Rissling

A PSA Regarding In-Class Activities

Greetings to the UA family once again. 

Look, I need to address something that has become quite a concern to me over the last few weeks of the semester and that is our in-class conduct. This is important because our faculty and staff work very hard to ensure that we have the best education of the finest quality; and make no mistake, UA has some of the finest teachers around, and as a result, many of the graduates from this university are some of the finest and brightest individuals around. I’m proud of that.

Now, ever seen the AT&T commercial where a guy and a girl are out at dinner or something, and they’re having this intimate conversation and all of a sudden out comes this phone? And the girl says, “Did you just check the game on your phone?”, and the guy tries to hide the fact that he’s doing it and just can’t. And he’s doing it because he just can’t help it. 

Well, as funny as that is on a TV commercial, in the real world, it’s not funny; in fact it’s kind of rude. Most importantly, it’s rude in class, especially if you sit right up front of the teacher. I’ve seen two instances within the past 3 weeks or so, where I’m sitting there paying attention and really just starting to understand what the teacher is saying, when suddenly he looks over in a certain direction and inserts into the lecture, “Now unless you’re texting someone who’s texting you about the subject matter, I’d put that away.” It’s embarrassing to be called out in front of everybody like that, isn’t it? Plus when you do that, it’s not conducive to your performing well in the class because you’re obviously not paying attention. 

Folks, let’s try not to text in class, please. If it’s an absolute emergency, then my advice is to take it outside if at all possible. Let’s show our teachers our appreciation by being respectful towards them and not texting, e-mailing or doing other things in class. And try to pay attention as best you can for obvious reasons. As a student, especially one whose mother taught at UA, I know that the people who perform most poorly on tests and quizzes are the people that don’t pay attention and come to class unprepared. I want everybody to do well in their courses, and that’s why I wanted to bring this to everyone’s attention. 

-David Rissling