Bama Bound, Roll Tide on the River, Alabama Action, & WOW week

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>Thought it might be good to have a thread about these new freshmen activities.</p>

<p>Bama Bound -<a href=“http://orientation.ua.edu/”>http://orientation.ua.edu/</a></p>

<p>Bama Bound is a comprehensive, personal orientation program aimed at connecting you with the academic culture, campus climate, and student community at The University of Alabama. </p>

<p>Bama Bound is a 2 day orientation. You choose which Bama Bound session you want to go to. They start in May, the last session is shortly before school starts to accomodate kids who are coming from far away, and who couldn’t come to an earlier session.</p>

<p>The Honors Bama Bound sessions are usually in May and June. The other Bama Bound sessions are in June, July, and August. We liked attending an Honors session, so that our kids would meet other honors kids… For honors kids who are coming from OOS, I think that (if you can), your child should try to attend an honors session. </p>

<p>See this post for more detail… <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063385059-post10.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1063385059-post10.html</a></p>

<p>Schedule for Incoming Freshmen Fall 2010 not been posted yet.</p>

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<p>** Roll Tide on the River **
[The</a> University of Alabama Student Recreation Center](<a href=“http://urec.sa.ua.edu/rtotr.cfm]The”>http://urec.sa.ua.edu/rtotr.cfm)</p>

<p>Roll Tide on the River (RTOR) is an adventure orientation trip exclusively for incoming freshman. RTOR enables new student to meet and develop friendships with classmates before arriving on campus. </p>

<p>** Students will learn basic canoeing and camping skills, plus the ins and outs of college life from upper class students. **</p>

<p>The trip begins with facilitated icebreakers & other group initiatives. To be followed by canoe safety and instruction. Participants will navigate on Lake Tuscaloosa to Treasure Island. Camp will be set up and dinner will be prepared as a group before dozing off to nature’s music. The following day, participants will break down camp and paddle back to the launch site and return to the Outdoor Recreation Department located within the University Recreation Center.</p>

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<p>Outdoor Action
[Dialog</a> - UA Faculty & Staff News Outdoor Action Takes to the Water](<a href=“http://dialog.ua.edu/2008/09/outdoor-action-takes-to-the-water/]Dialog”>http://dialog.ua.edu/2008/09/outdoor-action-takes-to-the-water/)</p>

<p>Outdoor Action is a program for incoming UA Honors College students who come to campus a week early to work on environmental projects to benefit the community. It also includes many fun activities including a canoe trip. See below schedule for details.</p>

<p>Here’s some info from last August’s Outdoor Action</p>

<p>We hope your summer is going well so far. It is about time for your college years to begin, so get excited! It is great to know that before your classes even start, you will enjoy a week full of memorable experiences with other incoming freshmen. We would like to inform you of a few things to expect during your upcoming week with Outdoor Action.</p>

<p>Residential Life will be allowing all Outdoor Action participants to check into their permanent residences beginning at 8:00-2:00 on Sunday, August 9th. Res Life personnel will be available in each residence hall to issue keys, etc. You and your parents may move your belongings in to your permanent room and get set up as much as possible.</p>

<p>Check in day for Outdoor Action will begin on Sunday, August 9 from1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. in the Riverside Commons. From there we will have a week full of activities ranging from canoeing to camping. You will be fully occupied with OA activities during the week. On Friday morning, August 14th, Outdoor Action will conclude.</p>

<p>We will be providing breakfast and lunch, but you may want to bring extra food (i.e. granola bars, crackers, etc…), which can be stored in your room and carried with you in your backpack. If any of you have a special dietary requirements, please be sure to let us know as soon as possible. We will be eating dinner as a group at local area restaurants; please budget accordingly. $8.00 per night is a good estimate for meal costs.</p>

<p>Let us know if you are a female and are interested in participating in Panhellenic Fall Recruitment. Due to our daily field trips, it is possible, though with some effort, for OA participants to take part in both.</p>

<p>Your readings in preparation for Outdoor Action 2009 are four chapters from Thomas Friedman’s bestselling book Hot, Flat, and Crowded. Those chapters can be read here, but you may certainly buy and read the entire book if you are motivated to do so. </p>

<p>Schedule: August 9, 2009
Sunday</p>

<p>8:00 - 2:00
Move into Dorms</p>

<p>2:00 - 4:00
Check-in for OA at Riverside Community Center</p>

<p>5:00 - until
Cookout & Evening Activities</p>

<p>Monday</p>

<p>All Day
Canoe Trip</p>

<p>Evening
Dinner and Quad Games</p>

<p>Tuesday & Wednesday</p>

<p>All Day
Service Project</p>

<p>Evening
Camping Tuesday, weather permitting</p>

<p>Return to campus Wednesday afternoon/evening</p>

<p>Environmental Movie night</p>

<p>Thursday </p>

<p>All Day
River Seining Field Trip</p>

<p>Evening
Environmental Engineering Speaker</p>

<p>Friday</p>

<p>Day
Hurricane Creek Walk and UA Arboretum Species Collection</p>

<p>Night
Banquet</p>

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<p>** WOW - Week of Welcome **</p>

<p>Week of Welcome 2009 - August 14-18, 2009 </p>

<p>Enjoy fun activities, live music, free food, games, prizes and more during the week before classes start. </p>

<p>The University held a series of programs on campus this week to give incoming freshmen and transfer students a warm welcome to the campus. The Week of Welcome, also known as WOW, used the motto “One Week, Endless Possibilities” to ensure that first-year and transfer students remained busy with a number of activities as they took their first steps at the Capstone. </p>

<p>With over 40 events, the Week of Welcome provided a little something for everyone. </p>

<p>During WOW, UA hosts many state socials for all OOS students - here’s one example:</p>

<p>1:00pm‐2:00pm
Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania State Social
(Riverside Community Center) :clubs:
If “Sweet Home Alabama” is not your official home, come mingle, enjoy some refreshments and find a travel buddy for your next
trip home! This is an excellent opportunity to make a connection and have a good time.</p>

<p>The 2009 schedule of events is no longer online (or I can’t find it), but here’s part of an old 2008 WOW schedule… </p>

<p><a href=“http://housing.ua.edu/Wowcalendar2008.pdf[/url]”>http://housing.ua.edu/Wowcalendar2008.pdf</a></p>

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<p>Bumped</p>

<p>cuz some prospective parents are interested</p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>bumped for questions… :)</p>

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<p>OK, so between this thread & the one for the 2010 move in dates, I’m starting to get confused :)</p>

<p>Bama Bound is a 2 day event that everyone does, spending a night on campus and they register for fall classes. For Honors college kids, it will be in either May or June. Correct?</p>

<p>Then in August, honors college kids can participate in Alabama Action. This is concurrent with sorority rush. So far so good?</p>

<p>WOW week occurs the week before classes start, but after Alabama action. This is “fun” stuff.</p>

<p>So really, an honors kid who participates in Alabama Action or rush, will move in 2 full weeks before classes start then. Am I playing along at home correctly?</p>

5

<p>LOL…well, it’s not quite 2 weeks ahead of time…</p>

<p>I think it works out to be…</p>

<p>Aug 8 - move in date for Alabama Action or Sorority Rush
Aug 13-17 - Week of Welcome
Aug 18 - first day of classes</p>

<p>So, about 10 days ahead of school starting…</p>

<p>Of course, Alabama Action and Roll Tide on the River are completely optional. </p>

<p>And, some kids move in a little late during Wow week (but I don’t recommend that.)</p>

<p>Anyone with better info???</p>

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<p>Thanks so much M2CK! Just wanted to make sure that we’re understanding the flow of things correctly :)</p>

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<p>Does anyone know of anything else that goes on before classes start? :)</p>

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<p>Bump… :)</p>

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<p>So If you rush can you not do the Outdoor Action Week for honors college?</p>

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<p>It is possible to do both Alabama or Outdoor Action and rush.</p>

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<p>I did Outdoor Action, and that was the best decision I’ve made since coming to UA. I was able to go to school a week early and get a good feel for the campus. Within a day, I had a few friends that were wonderful people and great to hang out with. It was a really fun time, and I was able to make a small difference in the environment while learning about the surrounding environment.</p>

<p>Video for Outdoor Action
[YouTube</a> - Notes from Alabama: Outdoor Action](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF7Jmp2pktY]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF7Jmp2pktY)</p>

<p>Alabama Action
[YouTube</a> - Notes from Alabama: A Freshman’s Note on Alabama Action](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YZ_WKj4h3c]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YZ_WKj4h3c)</p>

<p>I do not believe you can rush sororities during OA and AA because all activities happen at the same time, but I could be wrong. Many of the guys in OA did pledge a fraternity though.</p>

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<p>I think Sea_Tide is right. </p>

<p>I think I recall hearing that there is a way for girls to do both. Maybe the Rush parties are later in the day/evening, and Action activities are early in the day/early afternoon?</p>

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<p>I know for OA, none of the girls were able to do it because we left at 8am and finished the day with dinner at 6pm. One of my friends who is rushing as a sophomore was unable to rush as a freshman because of OA. </p>

<p>I can only speak for Outdoor Action, not Alabama Action.</p>

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<p>I am not certain about Outdoor Action, but Alabama Action always conflicts with the first round of Formal Recruitment. Panhellenic hosts a “Meet 'n Greet” event on one of the 1st round’s evenings where each sorority sends 2 representatives to meet the AA potential new members. Afterwards the chapters consider whether to extend courtesy invitations to them. Keep in mind chapters are not obligated to do so.</p>

<p>AA is a wonderful activity. However, if someone truly wants the best possible chance of going Greek then I suggest fully participating in fall Formal Recruitment Freshmen year. Sorority membership lasts not only for one’s college years, but a lifetime while AA is only a week. This is a highly competitive sorority Recruitment campus. Panhellenic sets a max number of invitations each chapter can extend for the next round. With nearly 1500 PNMs (this past year) early round cuts can happen for simply not having a Letter of Recommendation, not having the minimum GPA, or something as little as “the PNM didn’t wow us”. </p>

<p>Even going to the “Meet 'n Greet”, you risk relying on the opinions of only 2 sorority reps instead of possibly meeting more actives at a Recruitment party. What if your personalities clashed? Plus those reps are trying to meet all the AA participants, not to mention they are tired having spent the whole day already recruiting and may still have a membership selection meeting yet to attend. It’s too easy to get overlooked, forgotten, or just lost in the crowd. </p>

<p>That’s my personal opinion, but it is up to each person to decide for herself.</p>

<p>P.S. Recruitment parties occur during the day. The longest day is Open House (1st) round, starting at 9am and ending after 6pm with breaks included in the schedule. Other rounds have longer parties, but still start a bit later and/or end earlier because there are fewer parties each round.</p>

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<p>My D was the lone person who did Alabama Action and recruitment last year.</p>

<p>She honestly loved both Alabama Action and loves being greek.</p>

<p>She did have a very limited recruitment experience. AAction took a break midday and she would change her clothes, go to recruitment for about two hours then back to Alabama Action.</p>

<p>The Greek Office did set up a meet & greet with all the houses represented. That worked well enough for her, She was very opened minded during recruitment. Coming from Ohio we had no favorites and she just went with her gut feelings. She is very happy with her house, pledge sisters and the whole greek system. </p>

<p>Her roommates are in a total of 3 different houses and she has friends in quite a few other houses. She loves it.</p>

16

<p>More Greek…</p>

<p>We did do the Greek preview weekend. The Panhellenic Association put on a fabulous program.</p>

<p>Her roommate who accepted to UA very early on was invited to some private meet & greet sorority events. But D was late in deciding on UA… but she did with her room mate go to a Frat party on the Preview Weekend which was great fun!!</p>

<p>More Alabama Action:</p>

<p>D is very close with this group, they meet up quite often and try to get some honors classes together. She has been pushing for the Alabama Action Program in Costa Rica all break ;since she did not get to go to Pasadena!! What a great start to a successful freshman experience!!</p>

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<p>Omama: Can you clarify Panhellenic Preview weekend for me? I thought it was a one day Saturday event for incoming freshman girls & their moms. Obviously I am incorrect!</p>

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<p>No you are correct; but since we are from Ohio it took us the whole weekend!!</p>

<p>We had decided to drive down (12 hours ). We left on Thursday night and traveled 1/2 way and finished the trip on Friday. Headed up to campus to see it in action. Meet with admissions and asked a few final questions.</p>

<p>Meet with her room mate & family for early lunch then to the presentation at the Bryant Center.</p>

<p>They took the girls through the houses and had info sessions for the parents. It was informative, I was greek in college and oh my how it has changed!!</p>

<p>After we meet the girls on Sorority Row where they had a Bar b Que (catered) set up all the way down Sorority Row. It was impressive.</p>

<p>I noticed some girls took notes about different houses, my D did not!!</p>

<p>We drove home early in the AM!!</p>

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<p>I believe it will be March 27th this year…</p>

<p>According to the Greek Web site!!</p>

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<p>Thanks so much! It’s a day trip for us now, but I’m originally from NJ and sorority life & protocol is so foreign to me.</p>

<p>BTW, since you’re from Ohio, how did your DD originally meet her roommate? FB group or UA roommate match, or was it someone she already knew?</p>