UAB’S OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER
TUESDAY, JANUARY, 14 , 2020
VOLUME 64, ISSUE 9
We are Birmingham
Kidd Rifft rides into the music scene Emma Owen Blazernews Editor emmaowen@uab.edu
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUBIN STINSON
“My older brother and my dad (are) good singers but they’ve only (performed) in choirs,” Stinson said. “They’ve never jumped off the ledge and tried to make their own song, so I figured I would be the one to try it out.” Rubin Stinson, junior in marketing, has been writing music for two years now and said his inspiration comes from his family. Under the artist name, Kidd Rifft, Stinson said the first single he distributed on major platforms was inspired by the idea of spending quality time with someone he admired. “This song is based (on the) idea of just riding with somebody in the car and enjoying their company,” Stinson said. “(Because) I enjoy driving and playing music, I thought (I’d) share the emotion of that quality time with somebody and make it into a song.” Along with making music, Stinson is number 58 on the football team, and said there is a similar discipline between singing and playing football. “I’d say the main discipline is that with music, you have to be self-reliant,” Stinson said. “I have to be disciplined and just finish one song at a time. In a certain season I grind out, so I have enough to put out later on in the year.”
See MUSIC Page 2 OPINION
P. 5
An entire continent is burning - we need to take action now.
BLAZERNEWS
P. 3
New semester, new you. Here are tips to help you reach your 2020 goals.
CITYLIFESTYLE
Need a favorite nonprofit organization? Take our quiz.
P. 7
TUESDAY, JAN. 14 , 2020
PAGE 2
blazer news MUSIC from FRONT Stinson said throughout his time of making music, his close friends have encouraged him to accomplish his goals. “I’m always singing when I’m in a good mood,” Stinson said. “Just rapping and putting things together and my friends were like, ‘Hey, you should try this out’.” Stinson said between keeping a close group of friends and managing time, he has been able to accomplish his musical goals. “My advice is to plan out what you want to accomplish,” Stinson said. “If you have a project that you want to put out, just organize your thoughts and your timetable for when you want to do things and just stick to (it). It also really helps to have a team that has the same goal as you. I have a friend that I make a lot of songs with and he helps make sure I’m on track.” For Stinson, that friend is Jarrett Anthony, a musician that has worked with Rubin throughout his time making music. “When it comes to music alone, Rubin is very gifted,” Anthony said. “His rap style is different from what people predominantly tend to listen to today. He shoots for sharing a message rather than just throwing anything on a track and releasing it.” Anthony said he admires Stinson’s passion because he puts in extensive effort to achieve the result. “I think it’s important to mention that he just has a God given talent,” Anthony said. “He’s able to freestyle with ease all while being lyrical and including metaphors. This gift allows him to provide a quick and quality turnaround time when you need a verse or you are working on an entire project all together.” Anthony said that beyond music, Stinson has a determined attitude that contributes to his success. “Rubin knows what he wants and how he wants it done,” Anthony said. “This is nice because I know that when I work with him, the job will get done.” Justin Byrd, senior in information systems, said throughout his longtime friendship with Stinson, he has enjoyed seeing him pursue music. “I met Rubin in middle school,” Byrd said. “He sat behind me in class and we became friends on the first day of school. I remember when he would play me melodies and songs that he would come up with in class.” Byrd said he encourages others to give Stinson’s music a listen, due to his original sound.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RUBIN STINSON Stinson’s music is available through Apple Music, Spotify and additional streaming platforms. “(He) makes the type of music that will last,” Byrd said. “He is developing his own style and chooses not to follow the trends in music right now. Most importantly, he is good. He has a great singing voice along with the ability to rap.”
In the know Kidd Rifft” said he created his artist name by honoring his mother’s maiden name, “Kidd” and adding the letter ‘T’ to the end of the musical melody, “Riff”.
Latest song: Ride
Stinson and Anthony will soon release an EP under their duo name, LUXe.
Listen on: distrokid,com
The EP is set to be released during the summer.
Follow him on: Instagram, @_rifft
Police incident reports highlights Sunday , 1.05. Incident Theft of propertyperson Building Name Women and Infant Center 1700 6th Ave S Item(s)/Comment Bicycle Light
Monday, 1.06.
Tuesday, 1.07.
Incident Burglary
Incident Assault
Building Name Avondale Bus Center, 720 39th St N
Building Name Center for Psychiatric Medicine 1713 6th Ave S
Item(s)/Comment Copper, damaged window and lock
Item(s)/Comment None.
Wednesday, 1.08. Incident Theft of propertyperson Building Name Jefferson Tower 625 19th St S Item(s)/Comment IRS Check
Thursday, 1.09. Incident Unlawful breaking and entering of a vehicle Building Name Parking Lots and Decks 901 13th St S Item(s)/Comment Damaged window, GPS
TUESDAY, JAN. 14 , 2020
PAGE 3
Be SMART with a fresh start Goal setting styles to ring in the new year Juhee Agrawal Contributing Reporter jagrawal@uab.edu You are SMART. Your resolutions should be, too. “New year, new me.” It’s a familiar cliché that often becomes obsolete a month later. New Year’s Resolutions are fun to create, but decidedly less easy to continue for the rest of the year. Change is hard, and while expecting to restart along with the calendar is nice to hope for, it often doesn’t happen. But, with some extra planning along the way, you can turn your resolutions into reality.
1. Carefully write your resolutions. Statements like wanting to exercise more, get more sleep and study more are common, but vague. Changing the way you word your goals is the first step in approaching them intentionally. You can use the SMART model to do so. Your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (SMART). For instance, consider rewording a goal of “I want to get more sleep” to “By February, I want to get at least 7 hours of sleep at least 5 nights a week.” To see if your goal fits the SMART model, ask yourself, “Is it Specific? Measurable? Attainable?”.
Why set SMART goals? -Writing down goals can help a person visualize what they wish to accomplish. -Organization can help prioritize which goals are most important and when they need to get done. -The feeling of accomplishing one goal can encourage you to accomplish the next one on the list.
2. Monitor your progress. This can be as elaborate as a color-coded bullet journal or as simple as a note on your phone. If you are sticking to your goal – great. If not, ask yourself if the goal is realistic. It is easy to feel like you have failed, but if the goal itself was near impossible to meet, it simply needs to be re-thought. If it was too lofty, perhaps write mini-resolutions to get to the big one. For instance, if your resolution is to run a marathon in 2020, then your mini goals could be purchasing new running shoes, making a schedule and finding a buddy to train with.
3. Plan for accountability and rewards. If you really want to stick with your goal, it can help to tell someone you trust to check in frequently on your progress. Friends, coworkers or family members can help boost accountability, while encouraging you along the way. For staying on track, or completing your goal, remember to celebrate yourself! Finally, just because you didn’t follow your plan doesn’t mean it’s over. You don’t have to wait until next year – every day is a new opportunity to have a fresh start.
We asked on the socials, what What you missed while you do you like most about the UAB were gone and Birmingham community? “We are fortunate to have world class medical facilities here that people may not realize how unique that is. Also, the entire area is a true campus, which is very exciting to see how far UAB has come as a whole in a relatively short time.” -Amy Royer
“The scenery/view. Such a beautiful city.” @uabclarinets “So many good small businesses! Especially restaurants and bakeries.” @carsnid
National News: Iran General Qassem Soleimani was killed in an air strike by the United States. Australian fire season began and has continuously devastated parts of the continent. President Trump became the third U.S president to possibly be removed from office due to impeachment. The House voted on articles of impeachment for President Trump, making him the third U.S president to be impeached.
“There is so much to do!” @autumn_white97
Puerto Rico was devastated by earthquakes reaching 6.4 magnitudes.
“How diverse it is! I love meeting people with totally different experiences than me.” @no_im_not_percy_jackson
Local News:
“The variety of restaurants and amazing street markets!” @lashumphreys “The UAB Football Practice Facility. It was long overdue.” @freeuab1993
UAB releases the Fall 2020 football schedule under the direction of head coach Bill Clark. UAB Football competed in the R+L Carriers Bowl Game on December 21.
PAGE 4
TUESDAY, Jan. 14 2020
“I think that the community means that people come together and help each other when they need help and see the needs of other people in the community as well.” - Hosain Ebrahim
What does community mean to you? “I think a community is of different races, different cultures coming together for the shared goal of living together and making life much better.” - Geoffrey Ngigi
“We all carry forth our lives in the context of others and building a community means having a sense of your place within those that are important to you and around you. Most of us are part of many communities and it gives us an anchor; it gives us a way to trust and to be able to make things happen that we couldn’t make happen on our own. - Dr. Diane Tucker
What community means to me is unity, people that come together, you don’t necessarily have to be family just people who came together and work towards a goal or just encourage each other. I would say that we all have different sets of skills that we use and different ideas and we kind of bring that together. We just have a very spontaneous community here. - Jaye Hughes
New year, new campus organizations Different ways to discover your new favorite hobby of the year Odalys Parrish Contributing Reporter ordenezo@uab.edu Spring signifies new beginnings and a fresh start, so with this upcoming Spring semester here are a few great ways to get involved in our community as a UAB blazer.
Check out ENGAGE The easiest way to find out what events are going on by logging on to your engage website with your Blazer ID. Learn more about what clubs professional organizations and events are happening around campus this semester.
Volunteer and gain experience Keep an eye out for local events and messages from your professors or advisors. Also, don’t be afraid to email organizations for volunteering opportunities, like the Children’s Hospital, Planned Parenthood or Birmingham’s Veteran Affairs Hos-
pital. Get involved outside of UAB and earn volunteering experience.
Come out and support our teams Coming out to support our sports teams makes all the difference. There’s still a chance to check out our upcoming Basketball games and show your Blazer spirit. Players play because they love the game but seeing fans in the stands can make a world of difference.
way to get involved), then there are also food drives and donation centers around our campus like Blazer Kitchen. Located at the Hill Student Center and at the Medical Towers, Blazer Kitchen provides students in need of food and hygiene products.
Join a class at the Recreation Center The UAB Recreation Center offers cardio, cycling and dance-based classes (among many others) all semester long. This is another great way to meet new people within our community and get a good work out in. The schedule can be seen at the Recreation center’s website.
Too busy? Donate If you want to help out the community but are too busy this semester (or just want another
Watch the latest episode of On the Spot on @uabtelevision on Instagram and Twitter.
PAGE 5
opinion LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Let’s let our differences unite us Sufia Alam Editor in Chief sufia@uab.edu In my last letter to the editor, on the first day of school of this school year, I challenged my fellow Blazers to keep an open mind. In the spirit of the new year, I want to issue a new challenge; use your differences to expand your community. Keeping our Birmingham community united is important now more than ever. Many of us have marked 2019 as the year we were all divided. During winter break, President Donald Trump was impeached, an entire continent has been constantly on fire, talks of a possibility of a war with Iran is ongoing and Puerto Rico has been in a relentless uncertainty of when their country will
stop shaking. ment around us. In fact, much of what I stated appeared in As a university, we are ranked No. 3 as the breaking news in the past two weeks. most diverse campus in the country, according All of these events represent a larger converto Princeton Review. As a city, we all come from sation in which we all have such passionate different backgrounds, convictions and beliefs. views on – but can’t seem to reach an This has given Birmingham and our campus a agreement on. unique opportunity to use our backgrounds 2019 for some of us, was the year to create a better UAB and Birmingham. some friendships were lost because This year, I challenge my fellow Blazers of political ideology or beliefs of major to really listen to one another. When differtopics. We let one another’s views on ences rise, use that opportunity to genersmaller topics set a precedent for all ate a conversation of creating new ideas current controversial topics. that can cater to both sides. The reason we have been able to stand May 2020 be known as the year we listened, out as a city and university is not because invented and improved. Alam of luck or outside influences, but our desire to strive to achieve more and better our community. Our innovations, scientific break throughs and establishing new social norms have all come from a desire to improve our environ-
AUSTRALIA FIRES
The problem will not stop at Austrilia a disaster should not have to come from everyday citizens. The possible impact that we can make as an individual is minimal. It is often preached that every person must do as much as they Over 25 million acres of land have possibly can to reduce their carbon already burned across the Australian footprint. Online, you can find any continent. It is a destructive, once number of listicles promising betin a lifetime sort of event that ter living and a better planet resembles a plague more with a few simple practices. than a traditional fire season. The reality is more comUnfortunately, it also looks plicated. The average perlike it may become the new son is not creating a large normal. enough carbon footprint These fires, and other catwhere reducing it would astrophic weather events, like even make a difference. the fires in the Amazon and the Reducing your personal carbon torrential downpours in cities footprint can ease people of Wood like Houston and Miami, are their conscience, but shorter becoming significantly more showers and skipping straws common as we directly feel the imcan only do so much. pact of climate change. Governments must be the ones to As the world’s climate changes, lead action on climate change. And the effects of traditional weather are they need to do it before disaster exacerbated. It Is not the sole reason strikes. In Australia, experts warned that Australia is burning, – Australian of increasingly dangerous fire seabushfires are a frequent occurrence sons as early as 2008. Waiting until during their summers – but climate an emergency arises to start helping change has made the situation so battle the effects of climate change much worse. does little to prevent the next one. To help combat the disaster, The response to such natural money has flowed into Australia disasters, however, should not and en masse. It’s not just millionaires cannot start after they have ocgiving, either. Millions have poured curred. Leaders across the world in from regular people across the must be the first to lead action globe. against climate change. Their reAnd while the outpouring of supsponses must come before these port is great, the response to such major events occur. Even now AusCaleb Wood Senior Staff Columnist calwood@uab.edu
VOICE YOUR OPINION
IMAGE COURTESY BY GOOGLE IMAGES
tralia’s prime minister will not commit to making reductions in the nation’s carbon emissions and invest in more renewable energy sources. These dramatic changes in the world’s climate will not always occur in far-away nations. In Alabama, climate change is expected to bring more severe droughts and harsher flooding. And we need our leaders at
Have an opinion on a subject that may be important to our readers? Send us your opinion piece to have it published online or in our next issue.
home to make moves to lessen climate change’s effects. Green energy, cleaner transportation and better preparation for disaster are necessary to survive in this new world. We just need the people with the power to build these to step up. Today, it is Australia facing disaster. If our leaders don’t act, tomorrow it could be us.
The Kaleidoscope reserves the right to not publish submitted opinions.
TUESDAY, January 14, 2020
PAGE 6
sports OPINION
PHOTOS COURTESY OF UAB IMAGE GALLERY
He won’t be leaving anytime soon An analysis of Clark’s contribution to UAB Payton Parrish Senior Staff Reporter paytonp@uab.edu Over the years, head coach Bill Clark has built a name for himself in the world of college football. Since the return of the UAB Football program in 2017, Clark has taken the program to a new level. Since 2017 the Blazers have finished each season with a winning record, won their first conference championship and gone to a bowl game every season. Before his arrival in 2014, the Blazers had only been to a bowl game once in program history. With all of this success in such a short span of time it is easy to see why
other schools are interested in Clark and everything he brings to the table. Most recently, Mississippi State was looking for a new head coach after firing Head Coach Joe Moorhead. It was no secret that many believed Clark would be the perfect hire. While UAB fans love seeing the Blazers win games, conference championships, and bowl games; hese are is not the only reason they love Clark. His loyalty to the program and to the city of Birmingham is unmatched. When the program was cut, Clark stayed through it all and brought the program back to life. He was put in a situation where it would have been so easy to leave and get another job. Clark was put in the worst position possible as a head coach, but he took it and ran with it. Looking forward, only time will tell how much longer UAB will have Clark leading the Blazers. UAB Football is continuing to grow and
become increasingly competitive each season. The potential is there for UAB to join the Atlantic Coast Conference as the university continues to grow. This would give Clark and his team the chance to compete on a higher level each week and make a name for themselves in a Power Five Conference. This would be big, as it would allow Clark to grow and lead the team in a bigger conference without having to leave UAB. As of now, Clark is here to stay and lead the Blazers in the upcoming 2020 season. The future is bright for Clark and this program. Looking back on these last three seasons, what Clark has accomplished is certainly impressive. Every UAB student and fan should be excited about the future of this program with Clark leading the way. If UAB is lucky, he won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Clark’s Career - Started his coaching career at Prattville High School where he left with a 106-11 record and lead the Lions to back-toback state championships -Served as the first defensive coordinator at South Alabama 2008-2012 as the head coach for Jacksonville State University - In 2014, Clark was hired as the fifth head coach in program history at UAB.
ILLUSTRATION BY JADA NGUYEN
PAGE 7
citylifestyle
HUMANS OF
BIRMINGHAM
What’s your next nonprofit? Do you want to volunteer with children in need?
YES
Would you prefer to work with animals or humans?
Do you want to work in a hospital setting?
YES
PHOTO BY ALLISON BROWN/SENIOR STAFF REPORTER Katelyn Carroll
NO
NO Animals
Humans
Do you want to mentor children?
Do you prefer hands on volunteer work or donations?
Children’s Hospital Just a swift walk from campus, Children’s Hospital has volunteer positions that assist patients with both physical and mental health.
Donations
YES
Learn more at: childrensal.org/ volunteer.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Become a role model and mentor for a child in the Birmingham area. Learn more at: bbbsbhm.org/getinvolved/
Hands on
Brings cans to Community Food Bank of Bham, AL.
NO
Help provide meals to those who are food insecure by donating or volunteering. Food donations are accepted, along with the opportunity to volunteer your Greater Birmingham time. Learn more at:
Humane Society
feedingal.org/getinvolved/
Help animals in need by volunteering with adoption, pet care and more. Learn more at: bhs.org/ volunteer
Three Hots & A Cot
Located just outside Birmingham, this organization aims to provide support to homeless Veterans. pet care and more.
Learn more at: cotsforvets.org/volunteer/
Allison Brown Senior Staff Reporter
“I can play a lot of instruments. I play violin, saxophone, drums, bass clarinet, just a lot of stuff. I started learning in grade school. My mom started me in violin lessons and I just went from there. I haven’t played in a long time, but I could probably pick it back up if I tried. Violin was my favorite, I played that for about 15 years. I eventually stopped because I didn’t have time for it. I ended up being in band and stuff, which is where I learned clarinet. I went to the Alabama School of Fine Arts. But then, someone in my family got really sick with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, so my mom and I had to move to Louisiana for a while so that my mom could take care of them. I didn’t go to any music schools in Louisiana. I think if I had been able to stay there so much would be different. I would probably have a degree in music or something. I was going to continue doing music in the other high school, I was kind of upset about leaving here, so I just never continued with it. Since then, I’ve had a pretty boring life to be honest.
- Katelyn Carroll
TUESDAY, JAN. 14, 2020
PAGE 8
1.
CROSSWORD
5. 2. 3. 4.
1) Which model is used to increase that chance that someone will follow through with the goals they set?
4) Over 25 million acres of land have already been burned across which continent?
2) This website is used to learn about what clubs, professional organizations, and events are going on around campus each semester.
5) Who is the UAB Football coach that stayed with the program after the program was cut and worked to bring the program back to life?
3) Rubin Stinson, junior in marketing, has been writing music for two years now under the artist name Kidd “-----”.
Editorial Board Spring 2020 Sufia Alam Editor-in-Chief
Emma Owen Blazer News Editor emmaowen@uab.edu
Allison Brown Web Content Editor browna17@uab.edu
Laura Jane Stallo Copy Editor lstallo@uab.edu
Payton Parrish Video Editor paytonp@uab.edu
Drew Crenshaw Photo Editor drewc99@uab.edu
Interested in working with the Kaleidoscope? Contact us for more information. No experience is required.
EVENTS CALENDAR American Red Cross Blood Drive Hill Student Center, 2nd Floor 9 a.m. Antarctica: A Disappearing Continent AEIVA Building 10 a.m. Taco-Bout Getting Involved Hill Student Center, 140 11:30-1:00 p.m.
Goal Setting West Pavilion, Conference Room D 12 p.m. Ablaze: A Community of Light Campus Green 5 p.m.
Student Involvement Fair Hill Student Center, Ballrooms 11:30 a.m. Free Determatology Clinic Equal Access of Birmingham 4:30 p.m. Women’s Basketball vs. FIU Bartow Arena 6 p.m.
MLK 5K Drum Run 4th Avenue Historic District of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Battle Royale 8 a.m. Hill Student Center, Family Day: The Joys Alumni Theater of Japan 6 p.m. ArtPlay-Johnson Alabama Symphony House 12 p.m. Orchestra Alys Stephens, Women’s Basketball Jemison Concert Hall vs. Florida Atlantic 11 a.m. Hill Student Center, 140 12 p.m. Game “Night” Hill Student Center, 140 12 p.m.
First Love Sunday Meeting Hill Student Center, 203 3 p.m.
MLK Day No Classes . MLK’s Beloved Community Campus Recreation Alumni Recital Hansel/Hulsey Center, Center, Center Cour 9 a.m. Mary Culp Recital Hall 7 p.m.
WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS! Interested in joining the Kaleidoscope? We are looking for reporters, photographers and illustrators who can contribute to our online and print production. Contact us or visit our office at the Hill Student Center, room 130, to learn more.
Apply today on our website:
bit.ly/ApplyToKscope @kaleidoscopeuab