From SACS Principles of Accreditation:

From SACS Principles of Accreditation: 3.2.11 The institution’s chief executive officer has ultimate responsibility for, and exercises appropriate administrative and fiscal control over, the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program. (Control of intercollegiate athletics)

Friday, July 17, 2015

Blazer Boosters fundraising team now in operation

UAB has recently announced the formation of the Blazer Boosters, a fundraising team of UAB fans and supporters. This is a great concept and something that UAB has needed for a long, long time. The system rewards members for encouraging others to donate. There will be competition and rewards, with recognition going to the Boosters who generate the most donation money.

I cannot overstate how wonderful this program is, and how simple it is for the university to provide. Basically, it allows us, the UAB supporters, fans, students, and alumni, the freedom to help promote UAB.

To be honest, UAB needs all the help that we can get. Since December 2, 2014, we have seen the #FreeUAB supporters control social media, generate buzz, shoot down UAB’s counters to our position, and, with the help of some amazing media people, keep the story alive long enough to salvage football.

In a nutshell, the current UAB administration has no concept how to market in the digital age, how to engage electronic consumers and hold their attention, or how to generate and capitalize on social media buzz. UAB needs us to do that job for them.

No, we still do not have the answers that we demand. We do not have a re-start date. We do not have the contract extension that Coach Clark deserves and needs to have in order to rebuild this program. We are still saddled with Watts and his cronies in power, and we have more than enough reason not to trust anything they say or do.

But we do have this. If this is the first act of Mark Ingram as Athletic Director, it is an excellent one. It should be enough for the UAB Family to believe that he does have some concept of what we need to grow. We should encourage all UAB supporters to get behind this program as we continue to demand information and progress in the return of UAB Football, Rifle, and Bowling.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

An upcoming announcement: Saturday, July 15, 2015

By Ralph Harbison

I’ve seen the future and it will be…

Sunday, July 15, 2015, the next stage in the evolution of the #freeUAB movement will be unveiled. While I am aware of what that stage is, I am not going to discuss it here. You will need to be there to see for yourself.

What I am going to discuss is the #freeUAB movement itself. If you believe the movement is mostly about athletics, you are wrong. #FreeUAB is about everything that is the ideal in American life.

  • We oppose obfuscation.
  • We oppose misrepresentation of facts.
  • We oppose oppression.
  • We oppose bigotry.
  • We oppose elitism.
  • We oppose aristocracy and oligarchy in all forms.
  • We oppose being forced to live in the past.
  • We are about freedom.
  • We are about independence.
  • We are about self-governance.
  • We are about equality.
  • We are about fairness.
  • We are about integrity.
  • We are about representation.
  • We are about openness.
  • We are about the future.

At its core, #freeUAB is about the things that make us Americans. At its core, #freeUAB is about the promises made in 1776, that all are created equal and endowed by unalienable rights.

Am I being a bit hyperbolic? Perhaps, but if I tone it down, it still sounds the same. #FreeUAB is about one group of people who want their world to be the best that it can be despite the fact that another, smaller group of people would rather they live in a subservient manner.