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My suggestion is to wait until graduation has been dismissed and immediately upon dismissal let the graduates start the Fire Ray Watts chant. Again after they have been honored and upon completion of their day

(04-16-2015 08:15 AM)linus Wrote:  My suggestion is to wait until graduation has been dismissed and immediately upon dismissal let the graduates start the Fire Ray Watts chant. Again after they have been honored and upon completion of their day

I graduated in the winter and my whole row had brought football sprinkles to put into Watts hand when we walked but he didn't partake in shaking hands.

(04-15-2015 07:50 PM)nicknitro19 Wrote:  Watts won't hand out diplomas just like last time. Too bad Provost Lucas has made an arse of herself lately. I wonder if she will be regretting that when graduation day is here.

I agree. Watts is a coward and won't face the students. Lucas should receive the same treatment as Watts.

I am rooting for maximum ugliness on the 25th of April if he shows his face at graduation!

(04-16-2015 02:07 PM)Matrix Wrote:  I am rooting for maximum ugliness on the 25th of April if he shows his face at graduation!

Are you sure you want that? "Maximum ugliness" would surely involve the deaths of everyone present and the burning down of Bartow Arena. Not sure how that brings football back.

Maybe you don't know what maximum means.

(04-16-2015 02:07 PM)Matrix Wrote:  I am rooting for maximum ugliness on the 25th of April if he shows his face at graduation!

Any interpretation of the term "maximum ugliness" would be counterproductive and work against what you're trying to do.

It depends on what your criteria are for "ugly."

I thought Maximum Ugliness was Hillary Clinton.

(04-15-2015 05:01 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(04-15-2015 04:39 PM)blazerwkr Wrote:  IMO ultimate protest would be for everyone to walk up w/ a blue bottle in hand & walk past him not shaking his hand (nor Lucas's) & but shake others hands. Quiet & everyone gets to walk but message clearly sent

How about carrying a #FREE UAB bumper sticker and handing it to him on stage.

or attache it to the back of your green robe so everybody can see what you are promoting as you walk up on the stage and as you march into the arena too.

Being real, we know that no one wants anything bad to happen. It's just that some kind of crazy antics play into the way they want to frame our efforts. They want to be able to point at juvenile attempts to embarrass or humiliate them and then turn it around so they'll have something to point at and diminish what we're trying to accomplish. It's exceedingly easy to have something stupid become a flashpoint that can cause people that would normally be on your side to completely change their mind. Sometimes, all it takes is just one action by one person to disrupt all the momentum that has been steadily building up. Just a single mistake can change the narrative and take away from what we're trying to do.

On a more personal level, it's a day for the students. It's the culmination of years of work that paying off in the form of a degree being received in front of friends and family and hopefully more in the future. I was on the fence last time this discussion happened, but now I firmly believe that this really isn't the time or the place. #FreeUAB has been going on before graduation, it's going to keep going on afterwards, and it's not going to stop until our goals are achieved. I think it'd be safe to let up for a day.

(04-16-2015 07:24 PM)Hopeful Wrote:  Being real, we know that no one wants anything bad to happen. It's just that some kind of crazy antics play into the way they want to frame our efforts. They want to be able to point at juvenile attempts to embarrass or humiliate them and then turn it around so they'll have something to point at and diminish what we're trying to accomplish. It's exceedingly easy to have something stupid become a flashpoint that can cause people that would normally be on your side to completely change their mind. Sometimes, all it takes is just one action by one person to disrupt all the momentum that has been steadily building up. Just a single mistake can change the narrative and take away from what we're trying to do.

On a more personal level, it's a day for the students. It's the culmination of years of work that paying off in the form of a degree being received in front of friends and family and hopefully more in the future. I was on the fence last time this discussion happened, but now I firmly believe that this really isn't the time or the place. #FreeUAB has been going on before graduation, it's going to keep going on afterwards, and it's not going to stop until our goals are achieved. I think it'd be safe to let up for a day.

Let Ray worry, lose a few more fat rolls, spend sleepless nights and keep screaming at the office staff (which apparently is happening). Bring the security. Hide behind a potted tree. And then absolutely nothing unusual happens at graduation.

Ray's overreaction - and we all know he'll overreact - is far more potent than anything the students can do.

During the graduation ceremony, someone should place a giant water bottle the size of the dragon statue onto the lawn in front of Bartow.

As people exit Bartow, the influx of people would prevent school officials from removing it quickly.