SGA, CrossingPoints Collabs Create Lasting Impact

For the last few years, The University of Alabama Student Government Association has been collaborating with the CrossingPoints program, which serves UA students with intellectual disabilities, to the benefit of everyone on campus.

Two recent projects created between the two entities will have lasting effects. One was planned and the other arose from a need noticed by Aubrei Grisaffe, SGA’s vice president for belonging and wellness, and Bethany Graham, who graduated last spring.

The Hillard Stop

Grisaffe noticed that CrossingPoints students who routinely start their day in the Hillard Building walked from Anna Avenue near Arby’s to other bus stops. She reached out to Jeremy Reid, external relations coordinator with CrossingPoints, to see what could be done.

“For the longest time CrossingPoints students had to go to the Capstone Parking Deck bus stop,” said Reid. “Bethany and Aubrei reached out and said they wanted to make campus more accessible for all students.”

“After looking at a map of the active bus routes, we confirmed that the closest stops to the building required the students to either cross University Boulevard or walk from the Moody Music Hall stop,” said Grisaffe. “Given that some of the students in the program have physical disabilities, this presented a significant challenge and time constraint for students.”

Reid added that this project was the brainchild of UA students. “This was 100% student-driven. I just told them to tell me what I can do to help.”

The Hillard stop is directly in front of Arby’s on University Blvd. It has since become a regular stop for many on the East Campus 1 Route. “It’s not just a CrossingPoints stop,” said Reid. “We see faculty and staff, band students and everyone using it.”

Grisaffe praised both CrossingPoints and UA Transporation Services for making it all happen.

“I emailed Transportation Services with the findings, including a route map with marked locations of the current stops and the location of the Hillard Building,” she explained. “They were delightful to work with and excited to work alongside students to make positive changes on campus.”

Grisaffe added that the new bus stop represents something even bigger.

“The sign for the stop acts as a physical reminder for me that, at this university, administrators want to promote student work and do what they can to promote accessibility.”

CrossingPoints FYC Delegate

Another project Grisaffe is extremely proud of is the CrossingPoints delegate program within SGA’s First Year Council. This is a project on which SGA and CrossingPoints have worked closely.

“The original FYC collaboration was an idea that I had back in fall of 2023. This took to fruition in February of 2024 when First Year Council collaborated with CrossingPoints for a one-night event in which two CrossingPoints students were invited to observe an FYC meeting,” explained Grisaffe.

She saw something happening in that meeting that Grisaffe wanted to grow for all students involved.

“I realized that while this experience was meaningful, its single occurrence was insufficient for fostering relationships between students in FYC and CrossingPoints. This led to my proposal of creating a full-time position for a student in CrossingPoints.”

CrossingPoints student Jack Robinson was chosen to fill that first-ever delegate position. Although it is a non-voting role, it is engaging in every other possible way. It’s also been an experience he’ll carry with him throughout his UA career.

“I interviewed with Aubrei because I was involved in SGA in high school and I really liked it,” Robinson said. “I like learning how SGA works and I got to help with homecoming last year.

“To be the first to fill this role really means a lot to me,” he added. “I’ve gotten to make more friends in SGA and I want to do more on campus. I hope my experience inspires more of my friends to get involved with SGA here.”

Grisaffe said she expects great things from these initiatives beyond her time in SGA.

“This delegate position will allow first-year leaders to better understand the CrossingPoints program and hopefully open their minds to better empathize and understand the needs of campus more holistically.”