January 13, 2010

UAB Community Week 2010.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will recognize its diverse campus culture during its annual Community Week celebration Jan. 23-30. Community Week is designed to challenge ideas related to diversity and to spotlight various campus cultures through lectures, films, musical performances and an international bazaar.

The week's events will include presentation of the annual UAB President's Awards for Diversity on Thursday, Jan. 28. The award, named in honor of the first recipient of the Diversity Awards, UAB President Carol Garrison, recognizes the importance of institutional diversity and honors those who nurture diversity of thought, culture, gender and ethnicity on the UAB campus and elsewhere.

Immediately following the awards presentation, best-selling author, sociologist and entertainer Bertice Berry, Ph.D., will present a free, public lecture, "Finding Your Purpose," at 9 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28 in the Hill University Center Alumni Auditorium, 1400 University Blvd. Call the UAB Office of Student Involvement at 205-975-9509 for details.

Bertice Berry. Download image.

Berry is the former host of the syndicated talk show "The Bertice Berry Show." She also hosted the show "USA Live," which appeared on the USA Network. Her best-selling books include I'm on My Way, But Your Foot is on My Head, Jim & Louella's Homemade Heart-fix Remedy, The Ties That Bind and You Might Be Ghetto If. Berry has appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and ABC's "20/20." Berry, a sociologist, specializes in issues of gender, equity and race. To learn more, visit her site at www.berticeberry.com.

UAB Community Week is sponsored by the UAB Division of Student Affairs and the UAB Office of Equity and Diversity. For details, call 205-975-9509. Other scheduled UAB Community Week events include:

Sunday, Jan. 24

UAB's Alys Stephens Center presents Cellist Jeffery Solow with Elise Auerbach on Piano, 4 p.m. in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $35; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. The afternoon program includes Beethoven's "Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano in A Major," Aaron Minsky's "Dead Cello," four Grateful Dead songs arranged for solo cello, Schumann's "Adagio & Allegro, op. 7," and Chopin's "Sonata in G minor, op. 65." Twice Grammy-nominated Solow has toured the United States and Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Far East and performed more than 30 works with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Japan Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and American Symphony, with which he also recorded. Auerbach has performed around the world and enjoys a diverse career as a solo and collaborative artist. This show is part of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series and is sponsored by the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, Jeanne Hutchison, Burr & Forman, Ben and Jessica Johnson, Alabama State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

Monday, Jan. 25

How Do You Say ... ? The UAB English Language and Culture Institute presents a Language Exchange, 2:30 to 4 p.m. in UAB School of Education Room 150, 901 13th St. South. Students representing several nations will teach participants to pronounce various foreign words and phrases. This free event also will feature ethnic music. Free coffee and tea will be served. Call the UAB English Language and Culture Institute at 205-975-6638 for more details.

Coming Out Stories: Closets Are for Clothes, Not People, 7 p.m. in the UAB Hill University Center Great Hall, 1400 University Blvd. Students, staff and others will share their personal stories. The event is free and is sponsored by UAB Safe Zone and the UAB Office of Student Involvement. Safe Zone is a network of faculty, staff and students trained to provide confidential support and information to other faculty, staff and students on issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Tuesday, Jan. 26

Volunteer Fair, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the UAB Hill University Center Lobby, 1400 University Blvd. Representatives from more than 20 local nonprofit organizations will talk with UAB students about opportunities to volunteer in the Birmingham area community. The event is sponsored by the UAB Leadership and Service Council

"Free Food for Thought: Can There Be Morality Without Religion?" 12:30 p.m. in the UAB Spencer Honors House, 1190 10th Ave. South. The discussion is sponsored by the UAB Office of Student Involvement's Diversity Programs. The event is free and open to the public.

The UAB African-American Studies Program presents "Sankofa," 6:30 p.m. in Hill University Center Room 411, 1400 University Blvd. The event is free and open to the public. Call the UAB African-American Studies Program office at 205-975-9652 for details. In this 1993 film by Haile Gerima, a self-absorbed African-American fashion model on a photo shoot in Africa is spiritually transported back to a plantation in the West Indies where she experiences the horrors of chattel slavery.

The UAB Foreign Film Series presents "Drifters," 8 to 10:30 p.m. in the Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The event is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-4652 for more details. This 2007 film from China was directed by Xiaoshuai Wang. In this film, Er Di is a town celebrity for the none-too-exceptional feat of having been a stowaway and a multiple failure. One time he succeeded and lived abroad for a number of years before he was caught and repatriated. Back in his hometown he spends his days as a slacker. But there is one person on his mind: Xiao Nu from a travelling Shanghai opera troupe, another lonely soul leading a listless life. The film is in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles.

Wednesday, Jan. 27

The UAB International Bazaar, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hill University Center Great Hall, 1400 University Blvd. The ninth annual UAB International Bazaar will feature exhibits showcasing arts and crafts and information about specific countries. Students and members of the Birmingham community will present musical performances and folk dances. Vendors will have items for sale. The UAB International Bazaar is presented by UAB Interculture; it is free and open to the public. Call 205-975-9509 for more details.

Volunteer Fair, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the UAB Hill University Center Lobby, 1400 University Blvd. Representatives from more than 20 local nonprofit organizations will talk with UAB students about opportunities to volunteer in the Birmingham area community. The event is sponsored by the UAB Leadership and Service Council

UAB Distinguished Alumnus Award and Lecture, noon in Ryals Public Health Building Room 407, 1665 University Blvd. This year's winner and speaker is Cora E. Lewis, M.D., MSPH, professor of medicine and public health in the UAB School of Medicine, Division of Preventative Medicine. The event is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-7799 for more details.

The UAB Department of Music presents the Faculty Potpourri Recital, noon in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. Members of the UAB Department of Music faculty will perform in concert. Free admission. Call 205-934-7376.

The UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures presents "Foreign Languages for the Professions," 7 to 8 p.m. in the UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. This panel discussion is free and open to the public. Guest speakers will discuss the critical need for knowledge of foreign languages in a global society and workforce. Speakers will include immigration attorney Dagmar W. Rick, Michael Roby with the Peace Corps Southeastern Regional Office and Jamika Kirk, assistant director of Experiential Education in the UAB Career Services Office.

UAB Black Student Awareness Committee presents "Trouble the Water: A First-Hand Account of Hurricane Katrina," 8 p.m. in the Hill University Center Alumni Auditorium, 1400 University Blvd. The documentary film was co-produced and directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, who also co-produced the Michael Moore films "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bowling for Columbine." The event is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-9509 for more details.

Friday, Jan. 29

"Lunch and Learn," 11:30 a.m. in Hill University Center Room 411, 1400 University Blvd. The event is sponsored by the UAB Leadership and Service Council and is free and open to the public. Council members will discuss their volunteer experiences with various nonprofit organizations in Birmingham.

The UAB Haddin Humanities Forum presents "Horatio Alger and Stephen Crane on the Sidewalks of New York" by Peter Bellis, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of English, at 11:45 a.m. in the UAB Mervyn H. Sterne Library Henley Room, 917 13th St. South. The event is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-2290 for details. The lecture will examine two contrasting visions of New York City street life in the late 19th century. The UAB Haddin Humanities Forum, founded by Frederick W. Conner in 1973, provides an informal setting for dialogue between students, faculty and the public. Attendees are encouraged to participate in discussions. The event is sponsored by the UAB Department of English and the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.

UAB's Alys Stephens Center present the McCoy Tyner Trio with special guest Savion Glover at 8 p.m. in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $65, $55, $45; $20 for students. A limited number of VIP tickets are available. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and five-time Grammy-winning pianist McCoy Tyner is joined by Tony Award-winning, tap-dancing genius Savion Glover for a unique jazz exploration that showcases both artists at the top of their game.

Saturday, Jan. 30

The UAB Department of Music presents the UAB Honor Choir Concert, 3 p.m. in the Alys Stephens Center Jemison Concert Hall, 1200 10th Ave. South. Admission is free. Call 205-975-2787 for more details.

The UAB Department of Music presents "Marimba Madness," at 4 p.m. in UAB Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th St. South. The recital will feature music for marimba by UAB music students, directed by UAB Assistant Director of Bands Gene Fambrough. Admission is $5. Call 934-7376 for more details.

About UAB

Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center and the state of Alabama's largest employer. For more information, please visit www.uab.edu.