The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Fellow UAB fans,

Like many of you, I was shocked, outraged, and upset by BOT's decision to kill the proposal for UAB's OCS. Unlike many of you, I have been largely silent when it comes to matters of advocacy for our alma mater. I've tolerated the elitism and entitlement of certain elements in our state university system's leadership, feeling unable to affect any change in a system designed to render UAB powerless at every level.

And I owe all of you, my fellow fans and true believers, an apology. I have been part of the problem. That ends today.

I spent time reading the other various threads on this subject, and one of the commenters here mentioned how we are at war. He's right, and the stakes are, as many of you have guessed, far bigger than our football program.

Our OCS was a key piece of the Birmingham's economic development plan. And like many other of these initiatives, the good 'ol boy network of old money and antiquated interests is fighting desperately to prevent a revitalization of Birmingham. Many people around the state would prefer to see the Magic City fester and rot, ignorant of the simple concept that a raising tide lifts all boats.

And so, in the midst of our grief and anger, we're left with the question: What now? Many of you have called for immediate action. Something big. Winning this war requires a long term strategy. One that forces us to look beyond the upcoming Basketball season, and I say that to myself as much as anyone.

Protests, e-mail campaigns, letter writing, calling in to JOX, etc. All of these tactics have their place, but its what everyone expects. Sound and fury alone won't do it. A couple of suggestions:

1. Organize for the long-term: UAB needs an advocacy group that will build alumni support and persue the interests of the wider UAB community. I haven't gotten a single letter from the alumni society in almost 7 years. That's pathetic. The friends and alumni of UAB will need to put our wallets where our mouths are if we're to have the independence we deserve.

2. Learn how the UA System works: How the body is constituted and funded, how it is organized, what powers it has, what powers it doesn't. This is a system designed to prevent outside change at almost every level. We need to understand the system in order to separate UAB from it, or at least be treated as a coequal member of the system.

3. Recognize the opposition: We all know this, but it bears repeating--the UA System Board is very powerful, with powerful allies at all levels of government and business. It is no less than the beating heart of the good ol boy network in this State. Alabama fans are NOT our enemies here, and let's be clear about that. The best way to deal with the "Bammers" is to ignore them, as any Auburn man or woman would tell you.

Bryant Jr. and his cronies are terrified of UAB. They see the old football duopoly as the last vestige of a way of life they cherish. An independent, diverse urban university with a proud tradition of its own is the stuff of their darkest nightmares.

The UAB community deserves the same quality of life that our sister school in Tuscaloosa enjoys. But it's going to take all of us, our alumni, and our City to stand up to these people. They don't think we care enough. Let's give hell, Blazers.

Ever faithful, ever loyal

- JLayne

Best post I've read all day

great 1st post...
as to the alumni society, i think its a huge part of the problem. its poorly run and doesnt reach out to the alumni base at all. i have served as an active recruiter for the alumni society in the past, and i have been unsuccessful at getting them to respond to requests over the past several years. they are a joke.

i dont understand why the entire state isnt outraged, even if they have no interest in uab at all. earlier, i was chatting with a friend of mine whose a big uab supporter, and heres part of what i argued...



Let's put it a little more into perspective by completely eliminating football from the discussion (as I've said before, it has nothing to do with a game).

Recall that during the Great Depression, the country was pulled out by investing into huge construction projects that created jobs and stimulated the economy. Now, fast forward to a significant recession in what has historically been one of the most fiscally irresponsible states in the country. In that scenario, imagine that somebody proposes to go to the city in which 25% of the states population resides and move forward with a $75,000,000 construction project, completely privately funded, with no taxpayer money...
Think about the economic impact of that.
Now, imagine that a board of 14 says, "no"...,for no reason whatsoever (I can go into detail about why the "it costs too much" argument doesn't hold water.)
Let that sink in--a 75 million dollar, privately financed, non taxpayer utilizing project, blocked by about a dozen people, for no reason other than it doesn't fit with tradition.

What an amazing economic blow to an already struggling economy.

If that doesn't make a state citizen want to stand up in outrage and call their congressmen right away, I don't know what would.

(11-01-2011 07:21 PM)JLayne Wrote:  Fellow UAB fans,

Like many of you, I was shocked, outraged, and upset by BOT's decision to kill the proposal for UAB's OCS. Unlike many of you, I have been largely silent when it comes to matters of advocacy for our alma mater. I've tolerated the elitism and entitlement of certain elements in our state university system's leadership, feeling unable to affect any change in a system designed to render UAB powerless at every level.

And I owe all of you, my fellow fans and true believers, an apology. I have been part of the problem. That ends today.

I spent time reading the other various threads on this subject, and one of the commenters here mentioned how we are at war. He's right, and the stakes are, as many of you have guessed, far bigger than our football program.

Our OCS was a key piece of the Birmingham's economic development plan. And like many other of these initiatives, the good 'ol boy network of old money and antiquated interests is fighting desperately to prevent a revitalization of Birmingham. Many people around the state would prefer to see the Magic City fester and rot, ignorant of the simple concept that a raising tide lifts all boats.

And so, in the midst of our grief and anger, we're left with the question: What now? Many of you have called for immediate action. Something big. Winning this war requires a long term strategy. One that forces us to look beyond the upcoming Basketball season, and I say that to myself as much as anyone.

Protests, e-mail campaigns, letter writing, calling in to JOX, etc. All of these tactics have their place, but its what everyone expects. Sound and fury alone won't do it. A couple of suggestions:

1. Organize for the long-term: UAB needs an advocacy group that will build alumni support and peruse the interests of the wider UAB community. I haven't gotten a single letter from the alumni society in almost 7 years. That's pathetic. The friends and alumni of UAB will need to put our wallets where our mouths are if we're to have the independence we deserve.

2. Learn how the UA System works: How the body is constituted and funded, how it is organized, what powers it has, what powers it doesn't. This is a system designed to prevent outside change at almost every level. We need to understand the system in order to separate UAB from it, or at least be treated as a coequal member of the system.

3. Recognize the opposition: We all know this, but it bears repeating--the UA System Board is very powerful, with powerful allies at all levels of government and business. It is no less than the beating heart of the good ol boy network in this State. Alabama fans are NOT our enemies here, and let's be clear about that. The best way to deal with the "Bammers" is to ignore them, as any Auburn man or woman would tell you.

Bryant Jr. and his cronies are terrified of UAB. They see the old football duopoly as the last vestige of a way of life they cherish. An independent, diverse urban university with a proud tradition of its own is the stuff of their darkest nightmares.

The UAB community deserves the same quality of life that our sister school in Tuscaloosa enjoys. But it's going to take all of us, our alumni, and our City to stand up to these people. They don't think we care enough. Let's give hell, Blazers.

Ever faithful, ever loyal

- JLayne

great post it's time to push back.

"as to the alumni society, i think its a huge part of the problem. its poorly run and doesnt reach out to the alumni base at all. i have served as an active recruiter for the alumni society in the past, and i have been unsuccessful at getting them to respond to requests over the past several years. they are a joke."

It may be your opinion, but mine is that this is the most ridiculous statement of the year. Ask one of the kids that received over $750,000 in scholarships that were handed out by this same alumni society.

(11-01-2011 09:24 PM)Blazer86 Wrote:  "as to the alumni society, i think its a huge part of the problem. its poorly run and doesnt reach out to the alumni base at all. i have served as an active recruiter for the alumni society in the past, and i have been unsuccessful at getting them to respond to requests over the past several years. they are a joke."

It may be your opinion, but mine is that this is the most ridiculous statement of the year. Ask one of the kids that received over $750,000 in scholarships that were handed out by this same alumni society.

i understand your point, and im one of those kids. im very grateful, as i couldnt have attended college without such scholarships. further, as one of those recipients, i'll feel free to make such statements.

the "problem" that i refer to is that they do a terrible job of keeping in touch with the alumni base. in the first several years after i graduated, i recruited over 50 new members to the alumni society. however, these days, i get virtually no communication from the NAS. as ive mentioned many times on this board, i have actively tried to communicate and get a response from members of the NAS office on multiple occasions and have been completely unsuccessful.

i attended uab for 8 years. since then, ive obtained postgraduate training at 2 other institutions (neither as a tuition paying student--1 for 3 years and 1 for 1 year). i receive infinitely more communication from the alumni societies of those other 2 institutions. i even receive more communications from various universities to which i have zero ties, other than having purchased tickets to 1 game through their ticket offices.

im not saying the alumni society doesnt do anything useful...im just saying that what they do could be multiplied by 100 times with just a little bit of effort and leadership in the alumni society office.

many of the uab graduates i know feel virtually no connection to uab. if the alumni society did a better job, i think this would be less true