<p>thanks montegut… he is already saying he wants to go off campus 2nd year. (he has lived in dorms since 10th grade so i certainly understand… but his scholarship includes housing so i’m not sure yet) i think uab now offers penthouse 3 br suites in rast? for honors students after 1st year so i may steer him that way if i can.</p>
<p>Parent56, With respect to safety, I would definitely encourage him to stay on campus. Birmingham is definitely a more urban area than Tuscaloosa, and may be more urban than the town he attended boarding school in, so I’d encourage him to stay in those penthouse suites before moving off campus, especially if he’s got a housing scholarship.</p>
<p>actually montegut, crime stats for uab are very good, minimal in fact. some of the areas around campus i agree are not the best. more than crime i would be worried he would miss classes when tied up in b’ham traffic. i hate driving through bham! i like the idea of staying on campus primarily from a money point of view.</p>
<p>Good to hear it, p56. I agree. It’s so much easier to walk to class than having to worry about traffic and parking and tickets, etc.</p>
<p>Sorry I hijacked this meal plan thread so long, but good issues raised tangentially related to meal plans.</p>
<p>With regards to chicken nuggets (my youngest’s food of choice, so unfortunately I know WAY too much about them 
Publix generally has two types: the ones in the fresh food case (close to hot dogs, bacon, etc.) and that’s where you can pick up the Purdue Done It fresh chicken nuggets (also available in fun and dinosaur shapes.) In the frozen meat section (which is not always in the same aisle as frozen dinners) Tyson & Banquet have the bags of frozen chicken nuggets. We always buy the Tyson brand & generally get the crispy chicken strips. Not sure how well they microwave as we always put ours in the oven which is an option if you’re living in the Ridgecrest complex (not sure about others.)</p>
<p>Thanks, RobD. Tyson is son’s favorite, and as a mom, I prefer them over Banquet. I was sure to look for them when I got our breakfast for CBH and did not see them. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong place. When we go back for Alabama Action, I’ll look again, and if I don’t find them, we’ll talk to the manager.</p>
<p>I am hoping that eventually, a Wal Mart or Target bus will be added for the students. There were a large number of OOS kids at Bama Bound, and I would believe that there would be a serious demand for such a bus.</p>
<p>Tulane, our local uni, has 75 percent OOS, and they have a nice coach bus that takes the kids to Wal Mart and Target every weekend. I’d be happy to pay a fee for bus tickets for such a service. Wonder who we can email that suggestion to?</p>
<p>It always helps if you can bring an empty container of the product that you want Publix to carry. So, if you like Tyson frozen, bring the empty box with you.</p>
<p>The non-frozen Purdue are good and they freeze well, too. </p>
<p>As for the Crimson Ride suggestion, you can contact Crimson Ride with that.</p>
<p><a href=“mailto:crimsonride@bama.ua.edu”>crimsonride@bama.ua.edu</a></p>
<p>Bama has tried various things in the past and there just hasn’t been a good enough response. I think there are just too many kids who either have cars on campus or have a friend who does. Even though Bama’s OOS numbers are growing, many OOS kids bring cars to campus…even some of the far away ones. I know a PA frosh who’s bringing hers, and I saw a student driving a car with a NY license plate. </p>
<p>I think unless Bama ever limits cars to upperclassmen, there won’t be a big demand. It’s probably not cost-effective even if they charged a ticket fee.</p>
<p>Oh, yes, you’re right, mom. Tulane does not allow freshmen to have cars. Forgot about that. However, Tulane is right on the streetcar line, so it’s easy for kids to get to a grocery store without a car.</p>
<p>Publix and The Strip are on the Crimson Ride route, so kids can get to a grocery store and various shops and restaurants.</p>
<p>It’s probably easier to walk to Publix than ride, but good to know it’s on the Crimson Ride route if it’s raining or you have a heavy load. </p>
<p>What kind of shops are on The Strip, other than the tshirt shops and restaurants?</p>
<p>I guess really, all a college kid needs is food and casual wear, but in the event he needs something nicer or a particular item, he’ll need to get over to McFarland. Does Crimson Ride connect to public transportation?</p>
<p>What’s sparking this interest is the discussion of having a printer in the dorm. As you know, printers run out of toner and paper, and those are not likely available at Publix. I noticed an Office Max on McFarland and was wondering if there was transportation available to that area. And there did seem to be some good restaurants that way. And of course, the ever popular Arby’s with the tree in it.</p>
<p>I gave my kids extra unopened printer cartridges and reams of paper for such emergencies. Kids tend to run out of ink in the middle of the night anyway. Sams and Costco sell multi-paks.</p>
<p>Crimson Ride doesn’t connect up with public transportation. So, for your son to get to McFarland, he’d need to rely on a friend with a car. </p>
<p>However, it’s really better to have some emergency things on hand because sometimes these things are needed when stores are closed or there’s no time to get to a store. </p>
<p>And, of course, kids can always use the campus printers when necessary.</p>
<p>Yes, it can be easier to walk to Publix…but if you’re having to carry back a bunch of groceries, you may appreciate the Crimson Ride.</p>
<p>Your kids will get in the habit of emailing their homework to themselves so they can always retrieve it wherever they are. LOL</p>
<p>There’s also a Best Buy in the shopping center on McFarland by the Barnes & Noble & Five Guys for printer supplies.</p>
<p>All the Publix in my area carry Tyson frozen chicken, but as I said it’s usually in a separate case. We didn’t stop in the Tuscaloosa branch so I can’t say for sure they do, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t.</p>
<p>I’m sure that the Publix near campus sells Tyson chicken nuggets. IIRC, they are sold in a freezer case near the restrooms in the back corner of the store (not the corner with the produce). Technically, the Crimson Ride does connect with public transportation, but public transportation in Tuscaloosa is very limited and is an experience to say the least. Hopefully the new buses which are coming in September will be standard-sized and more comfortable, but I don’t know if I would consider them reliable for a student with a busy schedule as I have spent the better part of a day going to Wal-Mart that way.</p>
<p>After reading this post I decided to select the lowest number of meals I could for my son. That appears to be the silver plan. I noticed on his mybama account that the silver plan is already entered for him. Is that the “defaut” plan if you don’t select one?</p>
<p>When do we have to enroll in the meal plan? Is there a deadline before we’re put into a default plan?</p>
<p>I’ve read of the Thrifty 20 as well. Is there a limit on how many Thrifty 20’s you can buy, in case you underestimate the meals you’ll need?</p>
<p>Is the Arby’s near the Rec Center on the Crimson Ride route? It’s right next door to Newk’s.</p>
<p>Do Arby’s and Newk’s take dining dollars or Bama Cash?</p>
<p>Also, where is this famous IHOP y’all keep mentioning?</p>
<p>*I noticed on his mybama account that the silver plan is already entered for him. Is that the “defaut” plan if you don’t select one? *</p>
<p>Yes, it’s the default plan.</p>
<p>I don’t think there is an upcoming deadline. I think you can change up to the time your child arrives at school.</p>
<p>Do Arby’s and Newk’s take dining dollars or Bama Cash? </p>
<p>They don’t take Dining Dollars. Dining Dollars are really for on-campus retail purchases (Starbucks, Ferg Food Court, etc). If you run out of meals, then Dining Dollars are used at the Dining Halls.</p>
<p>Places that take Bama Cash…
[url=<a href=“http://www.actcard.ua.edu/pages/locations.shtml]Locations[/url”>http://www.actcard.ua.edu/pages/locations.shtml]Locations[/url</a>]</p>
<p>But, again, many, many places don’t take Bama Cash, which is why we don’t use Bama Cash for these things. We only use Bama Cash for laundry and copies and such.</p>
<p>IHOP is by the interstate. It’s by the Hollywood 6 theater.</p>
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<p>Kinda. The Blue line stops at the Soccer Field Lot. The Green 2 line stops in front of Moody. Both of those are walking distance to Arby’s.</p>
<p>Montegut: You made mention that kids really only need casual clothing. That is not true. There are plenty of times when students dress in business casual attire. There also have been other times when kids interview for certain things that they need more formal clothing. Send your son with two pairs of dress slacks, a couple of dress shirts and a couple of ties, along with dress shoes. My son was very glad that I packed them, because he wore them to several different events.</p>
<p>^ what about a navy blazer - necessity or not?</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Students need to have some kind of “presentation” outfit…shirt, tie, suit, belt, dress shoes/dress socks. Probably 2 dress shirts and 2 ties and maybe also an extra pair of “nice” pants and sports coat… </p>
<p>Females need some equivalent outfit.</p>