New students cannot be fully initiated into the sights, sounds, culture and splendor of The University of Alabama in just one week.
There are requisites for new students: moving in, learning Crimson Ride routes, setting up Bama Cash and mapping routes to class. But there are people to meet, too – new classmates that will become friends, confidants and soul mates. And there’s a city to explore, one that will be a second home long after students graduate.
So, in line with the welcoming spirit of Southerners and UA’s immersive new-student programming, the University has rebranded its annual “Week of Welcome” to “Yea, Alabama! Weeks of Welcome.”
Yea, Alabama! is an extensive series of events hosted by University Programs to help first-year and transfer students transition to academic and student life at UA. Yea, Alabama! begins Saturday, Aug. 17, with “Screen on the Green,” a blockbuster movie showing with free food, drinks and popcorn on the Ferguson Center lawn. A block party, tour of the city and community service activities will follow over the next few days, as well as “Tidechella,” a mega carnival at Coleman Coliseum on Aug. 19. On Aug. 24, Big Boi, of Grammy-winning rap group Outkast, will perform at the Druid City Music Festival at Government Plaza in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Yea, Alabama! programming runs through Aug. 30, and the full slate of events can be found on University Programs’ calendar.
LaToya Scott, director of University Programs, said rebranding WOW is an intentional effort to incorporate the Capstone Creed through programming while keeping students engaged. We want to provide students several inclusive programming options to build community, learn about the campus, and know they have continuous involvement opportunities during the entire academic year.
Yea, Alabama! Weeks of Welcome is reflective of the many partnerships across campus and Tuscaloosa. For instance, UA has partnered with Shelton State Community College, Stillman College and the Alabama Blues Project for TideChella, which will feature live music and fashion shows at Coleman Coliseum.
“We are looking at the complete four-year college experience,” Scott said. “Our goal is to make sure that students are submerged into the entire campus and Tuscaloosa community. When looking at becoming an engaged citizen and building civic responsibility it’s important to be inclusive of all communities and expand beyond our campus walls.”
It’s critical for new students to have Yea, Alabama! options that not only fit their schedules, but also their interests, Scott said. She recalled a conversation with a former student who said she’d met her best friend at a Week of Welcome event, and that friend was later in her wedding and became a godmother to one of her children.
“The student that goes to the block party may not be the same student that wants to go to convocation or the student that goes to the color run,” Scott said. “So, we’re trying to meet everyone’s needs.
“The co-curricular learning experience is at the heart of our program. All should be able to go to class and see how it all connects.”