UM Bass Anglers Association Hosts First Tournament Series

By: Mary Kate McCarrick

The University of Montevallo's Bass Anglers Association is hosting its first ever tournament series. The series is open to every one, not just college students, and consists of three tournaments. The first tournament kicked off this weekend at Lake Mitchell in Clanton Alabama.

The association is holding this tournament to raise awareness for the team.

Participants weighing in their catches

Team member Thompson Fuller is excited for this new opportunity. "Not a lot of people know that the University has a fishing team. We're trying to raise money, but we're getting our name out there also."

Prizes were given to the participants who finished in the top three spots. There was also a prize for biggest fish.

 Clanton local, Hunter Perry, won first place with as well as biggest fish earning him just over one-thousand dollars.
                                                   
Besides raising funds for the program, team president Brandon Easterling hopes this series will bring in new members. "Anybody that wants to fish or learn to fish can join. Its for everybody on campus."

The final two tournaments in the series will take place on Lake Logan Martin on April 25th, andLay Lake on May 9th.


For more information on the team, search University of Montevallo Bass Anglers Association  on Facebook.

Eclipse Hosts Monthly Night of Trivia

Eclipse Trivia Night by: Madison Imbusch

UM students, professors and Montevallo towns people went to Eclipse on Thurs. March 12 to compete for a monetary prize in Trivia Night.  The categories varied to meet the tastes of many different types of people, including the mathematically smart, the literary educated and the movie lover.  Dr. Michael and Cheryl Patton, owners of Eclipse, hosted the event.

Participants split into teams and created group names.  One team consisted of Montevallo professors.

Dr. Patton emceed the event, while displaying trivia questions on a screen.  Each group wrote down their answers on the back of  a copied comic strip.  They turned in their sheets of paper at the end of each round to Cheryl Patton for her to tally up the scores.

Some of the categories included Cola, Pixar, Weights and Measurements, and Young Adult Books.  Even without knowledge of much trivia, contestants could still have fun learning and being with others.

Eclipse will host Trivia Night again on April 16.  Other events include Poetry Slam, Wine Tasting and Wide Open Mic Night.  For more information, you can go to their website or their Facebook page.

Montevallo's Weekend of Music

By Kiera Hood

The Montevallo Music Department was happy to welcome students to the UM Honor Band Festival. Once the students arrived on campus, they were signed in, split up into groups, and sent to their mock auditions.

Hashtag used to represent UM Honor Band Festival 

Many of the parents were so proud of their students.

Leigh Hempfling, mother of an 8th grade student at Cullman middle school believes that the honor band program at Montevallo is excellent.

In fact, her oldest daughter participated in the program back in 2007.

The students enjoyed learning the different types of music that the Montevallo music department taught them and believe that they could see themselves fulfilling a music degree at the University.

Montevallo music major, Gage Thomas stated that he had participated in the Montevallo honor band festival years ago, and he has grown as a musician through his experiences.

The music department is always hosting events for musicians of all ages. To sign up for future music events, or to lean more about the Montevallo Music Department be sure to visit their website.

UM honor band participants

How to avoid car break-ins

By Alyse Hartdegen

Within the past month, four car break-ins have been reported along highway 280. Each car was unlocked and parked in a neighborhood. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office reports these incidents as evidence of a rise in felony car burglaries across the county.

Due to the recent increase in break-ins, the Sheriff’s Office encourages residents of Shelby County to take extra care in keeping their valuables safe. U-M Police Chief Chadd Adams also cautions UM residents to guard against these “crimes of opportunity.”

“You’ve got a lot of people who don’t want to work, and don’t want to go out and go to school. The easiest way for them to come across money is to break in and steal things,” explains Adams.

Some students are more nervous about burglary than others. 

Items are more likely to be stolen if they are
visible through a window or door.

“I am nervous... I came from a really rural area where we don’t have to deal with anything being broken into,” says Emily Phillips, a student at Montevallo.

Marquel Brown, a student of the University, explained why he isn't worried about locking his car.

"Sometimes I just forget, most of the time I just don't worry about it. I don't really keep anything valuable in my car."

Another student, Tianna Hill, considered locking her car a priority.

"I'm not scared around this neighborhood, it's just something I do."

UMPD, as well as the Shelby County Sheriff’s office, have a few helpful tips to help keep your car safe:

1)      Don’t leave valuable items in plain sight.

2)      Park in well-lit areas, especially around other cars. 

3)      Lock your doors.

To find more tips on how to protect your property, visit UMPD's websites, or the Shelby County Sheriff Office’s website

University officially unveils new 3-D arts building

By Connor Bucy

UM's newest on-campus addition was finally officially unveiled on Feb. 14 as part of the University's Homecoming celebrations. President John Stewart gave a speech thanking those that contributed to the construction of the new arts complex.

Construction of the new building came as a response to growing enrollment in the arts. The previous building was becoming cramped as the 3-D arts classes were forced to share space with the theater department.

While architects originally considered simply renovating existing space, major structural flaws forced builders to reconsider their plans and start anew.

Students have already begun taking advantage of the
new facilities that the building offers.

In addition to new classrooms, the building features new ceramics facilities, a new metalworking shop and general amenities that the previous building was missing, such as hot water.

"In terms of what I teach, the big thing is having a space dedicated for 3-D design students," said Professor of Art Lee Sommers. "We shared space, and I don't think the students ever really felt like they had a home."

While construction may be complete, there's still room for the complex to evolve, as the art department as already begun constructing

"It's a professional space," says Professor of Ceramics Scott Meyer. "It's all thought out, and the students just respond to it."

Construction of the building was made possible by contribution from Conrad and Barbara Blackerby and Chris and DeAnna Smith

For more news on UM's fine arts, visit the UM Art Department Facebook page.

Guys Get Glamourous For a Cause

by Hannah Bell

It is not uncommon for a beauty pageant to be held to raise awareness or money for a charitable cause. What is uncommon is for that beauty pageant to feature only men. On Feb. 26, Alpha Gamma Delta hosted the annual He’s a Lady womanless pageant to benefit juvenile diabetes awareness and research.

Taylor Kosman as Susie Stars-and-Stripes

Members of the Greek community chose male representatives to take the stage with a female alter ego. Fiji Taylor Kosman represented his brothers as Susie Stars-and-Stripes. “My idea was very American,” he said. “I wanted to portray America as decently as possible.”

The contestants competed in a beauty walk, a short interview and a talent portion. The men strutted on the stage in sequined gowns and flashy accessories. Then the hosts asked each contestant two questions.

In the talent portion, the “ladies” each prepared a short performance to showcase their unique abilities. From College Night cheering to live song mixing, the contestants demonstrated a variety of skills.

At the end of the night, a panel of judges made up of three members of the University of Montevallo faculty chose a winner. “They pick whoever best represents ‘He’s a Lady,’” said Alpha Gamma Delta Emily White.

"Anna Conda" answers an interview question

This year the winner was Marcos Cruz of Lambda Chi Alpha. Cruz represented his brothers as Anna Conda. He says he felt honored that his brothers chose him to compete for their fraternity.

Tickets to the pageant were $3. The proceeds went to the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation, which raises awareness and education for prevention of type one diabetes.

Alpha Gam Shelby Lee says that one of her favorite things about the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation is how it helps children. “It donates money to diabetes camps which actually help sponsor children with type one diabetes go to a camp and learn how to deal with their disease.”

Guys 'Dress' to Impress: A Philanthropy Event

By: Candice Crutchfield

The University of Montevallo's Alpha Gamma Delta sorority hosts the "He's a Lady" philanthropy event during the spring semester. This event, along with "Lip Jam" during the fall semester, raises money to help with juvenile diabetes. 

The 8 male contestants pose as representatives for each of the UM sororities. They dress out in full drag and compete for first place. Two other contestants are given the titles first runner up and second runner up. There is also a Miss Congeniality reward. 

One by one the contestants are introduced. Each of the "ladies" were asked two questions such as, their role model, their favorite activity to do, and their biggest fear. Then, the ladies dance, sing, or perform their skills for the talent portion.

Anna-conda after hearing she won

The performances ranged from hula-hoops and guitars to jazz instruments and dirty dancing. At the end of the night the judges had a tough choice to make. The winner Anna-conda aka Marcos Cruz wooed the crowd with her complex dance routine and won first place along with the title Miss Congeniality. She danced to a diverse range of music and did not miss a beat!

At the end of the show, last years winner, Kevin Britt took to the stage and played his ukulele. As the judges prepared the votes, the crowd got to hear Britt's slowed-down ukulele version of "Ms. New Booty".

This years "He's a Lady" pageant was a success. The entry fee was $3, and Alpha Gamma Delta raised $1,114.90 in charity money. Last years event took place in LeBaron, says Alpha Gamma Delta member Leah Swinford. "I think it went really well, we actually had to move it to Palmer this year, because it filled out LeBaron last year."