Students headed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham have good reason to look forward to school with Blazer Welcome, a month of free activities and events set to kick off Aug. 22.
Students can download the Blazer Welcome app to keep track of the many events, or explore the events online. Events include a concert by Los Angeles rapper Kid Ink in the amphitheater outside the new Hill Student Center on Aug. 28, UAB Blazers Football Green and Gold Game on Aug. 29, and a free lecture Sept. 20 by Jamie Tworkowski, founder of the To Write Love on Her Arms movement.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, from 7 a.m.-3 p.m., students, faculty and staff volunteers will come together to move incoming freshmen into their new homes at Blazer Hall and New Freshman Residence Hall for Freshman Move-In Day.
That evening, students can enjoy the Student Center Takeover and WelcomeCon, sponsored by the University Programs Board and Good Games UAB, at the Hill Student Center. Students can relax in the “university’s living room” and enjoy a Pokemon game lounge, karaoke, a dance party and the film “Captain America: Civil War” in the Alumni Theater.
Kid Ink The Welcome Back Concert from 7-11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, will feature a UAB student performer or group to be voted upon by students as the first opening act, followed by hip-hop artist Kenny Loften and headliner Kid Ink. Known for his mainstream breakthrough song “Time of Your Life” as well as “Show Me” with Chris Brown and “Iz You Down” featuring Tyga, Kid Ink’s latest full-length debut is “My Own Lane.” Admission is free for students with Blazer ID. Faculty, staff and the community may purchase tickets for $10 online through the Alys Stephens Center website. The concert is set for the outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the Hill Student Center on University Boulevard across from the Campus Green.
Students can play Diningopoly, a fun and interactive way to learn more about UAB campus dining, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 29 in the Commons Plaza. If students visit all the properties set up at tables, they can visit the grand prize table for a spin at the prize wheel and register for the grand prize giveaway, a tablet.
The UAB Blazers Football Green and Gold Game is set for Monday, Aug. 29, on the BBVA Compass Field. A Blazer Fan Fest will precede the game at 5 p.m., featuring a free pre-game tailgate including food trucks, inflatables, interactive games, UAB student athletes and more on the West Campus Athletic Fields. Blazers will take the field at 7 p.m., cheered on by the Marching Blazers and Spirit teams. The event is free for students with a Blazer ID. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth. Tickets may be pre-purchased at the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at Bartow Arena or at the event.
Students in the market for employment can attend the Part Time Job Fair from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, in the Hill Student Center Ballroom. The part-time job fair is an opportunity to meet employers looking for UAB students for their part-time positions.
More UAB Blazer Welcome events:
- Student Life Day, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1. Student Life Day is an organization/department fair designed to inform students about life beyond the classroom at UAB. At least 65 organizations and departments on campus will participate, and all are invited to reserve a table and staff it to answer questions from students.
- RECstravaganza, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 1, a carnival-themed showcase of what Campus Recreation Center has to offer students, with inflatables, carnival games, free food, raffles and more.
- Black Student Awareness Committee Back-to-School BBQ, 12-4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2. In the UAB Mini Park.
- Birmingham 101, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13. Birmingham 101 is a series of panel discussions highlighting communities and using local high schools as the main focal point. Students will have the opportunity to participate in community outreach programs in the corresponding neighborhoods.
- Open Mic Night on the Campus Green, 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15. Come share music, spoken word, poetry and more. Free coffee. Rain location is the HSC Performance Lounge. Contact Monica Skinner at monica.skinner@cru.org.
- UAB Lecture Series presents Jamie Tworkowski, 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the HSC. He will deliver his lecture “Pain, Hope, Questions and Community: An Evening with To Write Love on Her Arms.”