Students and other supporters of the University of Alabama at Birmingham have organized a movement to support UAB in the face of a University of Alabama system Board of Trustees that seems to be uninterested in UAB’s progress.  The #FreeUAB movement is resolved in fighting for fair treatment of all schools within the University of Alabama System by the Board of Trustees.

More information about #FreeUAB, the upcoming rally at the UAB Alumni House (February 2 at Noon), and what the movement stands for is provided below.  A special thank you to Andrew Vines for taking time to answer some questions.  Check out the responses below!

1. The #FreeUAB Movement is gaining momentum.  What do you feel are the most important things people need to know in supporting the movement?

The Movement is about more than just an on campus football stadium; it is about fighting for fair treatment from the UA system. We aren’t advocating breaking away from the system; we just want equal representation and an equal voice. There are 15 trustees and only two graduated from UAB. That’s not acceptable.

2. There are a lot of people just now learning more about #FreeUAB and want to get involved.  What do you think are some of the best ways for students to get involved and show their support for the “movement?”

The more people the better! People should go to freeuab.com and sign up for the email list to stay informed about ways to help out. Also like “The FreeUAB Movement” on Facebook and follow us on twitter @freeuab.

And definitely come to the rally on Thursday at noon in front of the Alumni House and Friday morning at 10 to sit it on the UAB institutional presentation!

3. The #FreeUAB Movement started as a protest from the University of Alabama Systems board of trustees’ November decision not to discuss or vote on plans to build a football stadium on UAB’s campus.  It has grown to become much more than that.  What would you like those that are unsure of what this movement is to know?

It’s definitely more than just a stadium. We can’t stress that enough. Yes, it is a large issue, but it is essentially the epitome of how the Board treats UAB as a whole. If you don’t want a similar Board of Trustees action to effect your major, your student organization, your honors program, etc than join the #FreeUAB Movement.

4. There is an on-campus rally before the upcoming February 2 Board of Trustees’ meeting.  The stadium proposal will not be on the board’s agenda.  What do you hope the Board of Trustees’ learn from a strong student, alumni, and community backing to the project?

One of the reasons they cited for not discussing the stadium was a lack of support. We want to show them they are dead wrong. We hope having people show up en masse will begin to change some of their perceptions about how deeply people care about UAB.

5. There is a strong alumni and community investment.  Any more upcoming events you’d like to talk about?

The alumni have definitely been great. Several of them pitched in to provide free food for the rally as well as payed for the TV commercial some of you might have seen (shown below).

We don’t have any firm plans as of now, but #FreeUAB is just getting started. You can expect to see similar rally’s at upcoming Board meetings as well as email/letter writing campaigns to state elected officials advocating for the #FreeUAB message.

6. Anything else you would like to say about the movement, rally, or the cause in general?

We’d love to see as many of you make it as possible! If you can’t make it then sign up for our email alerts as I mentioned earlier.

If you support UAB in any aspect (and I hope you all do since you’re reading this) then join us as we fight for the fair treatment of the University we all love.

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