<p>I am mom of Kraziespaghetti and we are thinking of doing spring break trip in April as she has gotten the UA presidential /full tuition scholarship. We are from S calif. </p>
<p>Is UA racist at all or would feel racist to someone from california where diversity is the norm? (we heard UA has “Old South” week, which I understand is somewhat controversial). </p>
<p>Also, best way to get to UA from Birmingham airport? – is it true that UA is an hour away?. . Easy access to airport --or lack thereof --may also make a difference on our decision whether she will attend this UA fall. </p>
<p>She is choosing between scholarships offered at UA, Univ of Miami,etc --and other schools like ucla and uc chapel hill that aren’t offering scholarships (Trying to weigh whether paying less for college vs going to higher tiered schools at full cost would be best for her).</p>
<p>I don’t think UA is racist. The campus seemed overwhelmingly white, so it’s not diverse-but it’d definitely not racist. </p>
<p>It is about an hour from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa. I know that the University seemed more than willing to shuttle kids to and from the airport if need be</p>
<p>“Old South” is not a University event. It is an annual social event put on by the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. Many of their chapters across the country hold this event. Here is an explanation from their Auburn chapter’s website:
Last year there was some controversy. The KA’s had a sort of caravan of flat bed trucks carrying the guys dressed in Civil War regalia. They travelled down sorority row and stopped to pick up their sorority dates who were also dressed up. For those familiar with Magnolia Dr, that meant stopping in front of the AKA house (an NPHC sorority). The problem was the AKA’s were having their 35th Anniversary event at the same time.</p>
<p>Some folks, especially reporters, thought this was an intentional racial slight considering the event theme and the guys’ attire. In reality it was a matter of the guys poor planning and a failure to check out ahead of time if any sorority had an event going on where their trucks would block traffic. Still, the KA’s offered an official apololgy.</p>
<p>As for the Bham airport, yes it is only about an hour drive to Tuscaloosa depending on the time of day and traffic.</p>
<p>UA is 11% Black so it’s not really mostly white. </p>
<p>UA is trying to grow its Asian and Hispanic numbers which are low. The Hispanic numbers are a bit lower than they should be because some students who are part Hispanic and part white, don’t identify themselves as such</p>
<p>We are native Californians (actually from quite near where you live.). I have 2 kids at UA. Many of the kids at Bama were not born in Alabama or their parents weren’t born in Alabama, so its “southerness” has been diluted. Many/most of the profs aren’t from Alabama, either.</p>
<p>Are there some racist people at UA? Probably. Are there some racist people on every campus in the US? Probably. (My H got his degrees from Big 10 schools, and he insists that there was more racism there then there is here.) I know that when we visit the midwest where he’s from, I’m shocked by the racism I see there.</p>
<p>Are most people racist at UA? No. Are most people racist at other colleges? No. Recently, a frat at UC San Diego held a racist event. No one is calling the campus racist for what a stupid bunch of kids did. </p>
<p>The university was Obama-land during the November 2008 election. I wouldn’t think that would have happened if the campus was racist.</p>
<p>I realize that UA, because of its history, is going to be assumed to be a racist school. Therefore, anytime someone does or says anything inappropriate, the entire school gets label. </p>
<p>I hope you and your D enjoy your visit at UA. :)</p>
<p>I am a minority from the Bay Area and goes to a high school that is 60% Asian, just visited UA last week and stayed over-night in the honors dorm, people are very nice and I was very comfortable there, couldn’t tell I was in the south, other than southern accent here and there and sweet tea everywhere. Should go visit and check it out.</p>
<p>"UA is 11% Black so it’s not really mostly white. "</p>
<p>Since when does 80% mean it’s not mostly white?lol. But yeah, like rocket said, the campus is overwhelmingly white, but I wouldn’t call it racist.</p>
<p>Actually, compare the percentage of Black students at UA with any of the top schools, and you will find that UA is indeed, more diverse! This constant stereotyping of the South is really getting tiresome, and needs to end. It is unfair. Yes, there is a history, but it is 2010. There are more opportunities, including affirmative action, in Alabama, than in supposedly more progressive states like California. I have lived in both Los Angeles, and several cities in the South, and the daily interaction between Blacks and Whites is greater in the South than in LA.</p>
<p>And there is a growing prescence of Hispanics at UA. Several years ago, UA attracted almost 100 Hispanics from Texas alone. Please come check out UA and be pleasantly surprised. Of course racism still exists, but it exists over the entire country, and the younger generations really want to move on.</p>
<p>When driving, the directions to campus are pretty simple: from the airport (Exit 129 when coming back), take I 20/59 (same road) to exit 73, and follow the signs to the University of Ala., it’s a very simple drive that takes about an hour. On breaks, Housing runs a airport shuttle (currently $30 each way).</p>
<p>Concerning the racist stereotype of UA, there is no more, probably even less racism than I have seen on other campuses and in other cities around the US. I’m also from the West Coast (WA) and what I notice more is that the ethnic makeup of the school is different from what I’m used to, but I was expecting that. Tuscaloosa itself is around 40% Black/African American, so many if not most of the non-students I interact with (which is a lot) are not white. To add to that, I know many people with the NHRP scholarship and love UA.</p>
<p>The age-old question on CC seems to be whether to take the scholarship or to pay full-freight at a higher-ranked school. Even without considering finances, I fell in love with the school that ended up being the lowest-priced option. It is essential to visit the schools, IMHO, that one was accepted to. I know my mom was nervous about me going to Alabama, but I convinced her to visit campus and she loved it almost instantly.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to imply that the majority of the students aren’t white. I meant to say that a school that has 11% (or more) of black students can’t be considered a white (non-diverse) school. </p>
<p>If you have a school where more than 1 out of 10 students is of color, it can claim diversity. Very few schools are perfectly diverse. The UCs certainly are not. Their diversity numbers do not reflect the Calif population.</p>
<p>UA is a white school, but it’s not racist by any means. Coming from California you will notice a cultural difference especially in the interactions amongst various races. That isn’t a sign of racism from any group, it’s just that the South in general is still not as progressive as California in many aspects. </p>
<p>I guarantee that UA’s education will be what you make of it. Motivated students have access to a prime education and opportunities that students from top tier universities have.</p>
<p>*Coming from California you will notice a cultural difference especially in the interactions amongst various races. *</p>
<p>Unfortunately, campus social interactions between blacks and whites is no better in California (or really anywhere else in the US). There have been articles and articles written about how although America’s colleges are integrated, socially they are largely segregated. </p>
<p>In California, a prof did research on the subject of “self-segregation”. Dr. Anthony Antonio, a professor at Stanford, questioned students at UCLA about “racial balkanization” on UCLA’s campus. The UCLA students did view their campus as racially balkanized. More than 90% of students in his surveys agreed that students predominantly cluster by race and ethnicity on campus. </p>
<p>My intention is not to pick on my beloved California. My point is that across this country, we have a problem with blacks and whites not socializing much with each other on and off campus. Nearly every year, an article gets written on the subject in some major mag like Time, USNews, etc. </p>
<p>The “balkanization” on America’s campuses is much less of an issue (if it’s an issue at all) with whites and Asians or whites and Hispanics.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies. D is wanting to go into a field related to “Human Rights”, so going to a “at least moderately” diverse campus is important to her.</p>