South Florida ABA Gives Words of Wisdom at Destination Gainesville

Twenty-seven thousand.

According to University of Florida Admissions staff, that was the approximate number of applications received from students wanting to join the Gator Nation. But, it was only about 11,000 students who were admitted. For those of us who have traveled this road before, we know that getting into UF is only the beginning.

Now that our baby Gators have had a minute to digest the fact that they’ll soon step foot on one of THE best campuses in the country, it was time for alumni to step in and offer a bit of perspective.

Each year, admitted UF students from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties come out to Destination Gainesville to gain insight into everything from student life to housing to financial aid. This year’s program took place March 20-22 at locations throughout the tri-county area. For the second year, members of South Florida ABA were on hand to talk to students about some of the things that they wouldn’t be able to find in a brochure.

Some topics included: the power of networking and how those who get out and meet other students, faculty, and staff are at a better advantage when it comes to internships and jobs; the strategy behind choosing classes like taking into consideration time of day, who the professor is, and what that means for students who live on vs. off campus; and how the college experience may be a student’s first real taste of adulthood and the responsibilities that come with that.

Needless to say, when it came time to mix and mingle, students were in line to make sure that alumni left with their contact info. We look forward to playing a role in helping our new family transition into life as a Gator and continuing to offer support throughout their college careers.

Thanks again to alums Damian Daley, Kelli-Anne Lane, Reshunda Mahone, Steadmond Smith and Katrina Louis for speaking as part of the Destination Gainesville program as well as other Gator grads who made themselves available to students.

It’s Great to be a Floria Gator!

Volunteers Wanted: South Florida Youth Summit with MSNBC’s Jeff Johnson

We’re partnering again with the Young Professional Network of Broward County for the 2012 South Florida Youth Summit. We are in need of volunteers to work the Youth Symposium and College Fair featuring MSNBC Political Commentator Jeff Johnson.

Friday, March 23, 2012
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Miami Carol City Senior High School
3422 NW 187th St., Miami Gardens
**Volunteers will be assisting with setting up the event, the registration desk and guest services/crowd control.**

If you are interested in participating, email us at UFABA.SoFla@gmail.com with “Youth Summit” as the subject by 3/16/12 @ 9pm. In the body of your email, please give your name and cell # to keep abreast of the project’s developments and carpool opportunities.

Gators Put ‘All Hands on Deck’ for the Arts

When the South Florida chapter of UF’s Association of Black Alumni signed up for the “All Hands on Deck” joint community service project with the Urban League of Broward County Young Professionals Network (YPN) on February 18, we saw one of the many reasons it’s great to be a Florida Gator.

Urban professionals from organizations throughout the county gathered at Bethune Elementary School of the Arts in Hollywood to help sort and organize costumes and props in the school’s drama department. Even though we came sporting our Gator gear, we ran into more Gator fam who were members of YPN as well as greek organizations.

“It was fun to bond with everybody and it was a good opportunity to come out and help,” said alum Kelli-Anne Lane (c/o ’11).

Click to see event photos from South Florida ABA and Broward Urban League YPN

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2012

Did You Know? (info according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• In 2009, African-Americans accounted for 44% of all new HIV infections
• Almost 20,000 black men and women test positive for HIV every year
• 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection in their lifetimes

In 1999, five grassroots organizations established National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Celebrated February 7, African-Americans are urged to use the day to focus on four points:

• Get Educated. Learn the facts about HIV/AIDS and how it impacts your community.
• Get Tested. This is important for those who are sexually active and/or high risk for contracting HIV. Know your status every year.
• Get Involved. Find others in your community to help spread the word and host events to promote HIV/AIDS awareness.
• Get Treated. Help those living with HIV, or those who test positive, connected to the resources they need.

To find a testing site near you, visit www.hivtest.org

Related Links

• National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (National Organization)
• Article: HIV Among African Americans (CDC)

Kicking Off Black History Month

By Bethy Pierre (BS ’10, MS ’11)

Friday marked one, full year since we’ve established our chapter in sunny South Florida. We’ve got a year under our belt and it feels mighty good.  But let’s not keep the celebratory feeling to ourselves; let’s spread it to the rest of South Florida by ushering in Black History Month at some great events.

Listed below are a few happenings taking place in the next week or so.

Miami-Dade

• Take it back to the late `80s and early `90s with Decadancetheatre, a female group of b-girls highlighting hip-hop through theatrical performance, on Feb. 4 at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Tickets are $35.  Click here for more info.

• Celebrate current black artists with “The Love & Laughter Tour” on Feb. 10 at the James L. Knight Center.  Featured soul and R&B artists include Chrisette Michele, Carl Thomas and Case. ComediansMarvin Dixon, Damon Williams and Luenell will be there as well. Visit Ticketmaster for price info.

 Broward

• Tonight (Feb. 1) share a night with The Temptations and The Four Tops at the Broward Center of Performing Arts. Tickets range from $29.50 to $79. 50 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

• Nova Southeastern University is hosting Black History Month events where many are free and open to the public. On Feb. 2, events include a Grand Opening reception for “Contemporary African Diaspoa Memory in Motion,” African Presence 2012 Ninth Annual Art Exhibition. The event will feature painters and sculptors of African descent and will entertain through music, dance, and step performances.

Palm Beach County

• Spend a Saturday night on Feb. 4 with one of the mothers of soul music Ms. Patti Belle at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts starting at $25. More information can be found here.

From the Comfort of Your Home

• If stepping out isn’t on the agenda, throughout the month, WPBT has a list of movies and documentaries worth catching. Watch stories of the Freedom Riders, Daisy Bates: The First Lady of Little Rock, The Black Power Mixtape, and more. Find something that may catch your interest here.

For those of you traveling to Gainesville for the Florida Invitational Step Show weekend, make sure to take part in the IBC’s 40th anniversary celebration on Friday, Feb. 17 at the Arredondo Café in the Reitz Union. Contact IBC Director, Dr. John Johnson, for more details.

This is only a glimpse of what’s happening. Let’s get active at some of these events and make our ABA presence be known. And if you want to make it group event, leave a comment.

No Longer a Newbie! Happy 1st Birthday to South Florida ABA

Dear Gator Fam,

It’s been a year of highlights for the South Florida ABA chapter. From the Kick-Off Mixer to International Gator Day to our first High School Celebration, it was great to meet, and reconnect, with our Gator family.

As we celebrated our 1st birthday, we sat around eating cake and ice cream reliving some of the moments that made us realize why it’s so important that this organization is here. If you’ve never had the chance to get to know us, come see what we’re about. We work hard for our community. But, we sneak in time to play hard, too!

Take a minute to look back on our first year and know that this year will be bigger and better! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Love,
South Florida ABA E-Board

Job Searching in 2012? Use Your Resources

Quick question: How many of you made a New Year’s resolution that centered around some type of career goal?

“I’m going to start my own business.” “I’m going to make more money.” “I’m going to move where the jobs are.” “That internship is mine!” Sound familiar? It seems like people are more career-focused than ever.

As Gators gear up for another Career Showcase, we thought now would be a good time to highlight some job tips for 2012. Hopefully, following this advice will put you that much closer to reaching your goals.

1. Take advantage of your university. As a current student or Gator Grad, you have access to such a variety of resources, including the UF Alumni Association and the UF Career Resource Center.

Your UF Alumni Association has nearly 350,000 members! It’s not just a saying that “The Gator Nation is everywhere,” it’s reality. There are UFAA members in every state and in more than 100 foreign countries.  Do a little research to find the Gators in your neighborhood. Attend alumni events, which is an easy way to match names with faces, and possibly, be pointed in a direction that can assist your career moves. You’ll never know until you try.

The Career Resource Center has just about everything a job/internship seeker can ask for. List of hiring companies, check. Résumé help, check. Workshops, check. That’s just to name a few. Not to mention, a career showcase held twice a year where hundreds of companies attend to specifically talk to Gators.

CRC Assistant Director of Employee Development, Nadene Reynolds, offered this career advice and explained how the CRC can help Gators looking to land a job.

2. Make sure you’re visible…in a professional way. According to BusinessInsider.com, “Social networking platforms are the pre-interview, pre-hire tools that will get you noticed by more people most effectively and efficiently.” So that means once you send in a job application, hiring managers have already put your name in a Google search. If you haven’t adjusted the privacy settings on your social networks, what will they find?

Just as bad as unflattering results, are no results at all. In an age where companies are looking to build their online presence, so do their employees. Check the websites of companies you like. Chances are you’ll see those Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn icons on there. Those are accounts that you should have, too. Join their networks so you can stay up to date with company info (And the info serves as good talking points in the interview).

3. Have your cover letter/résumé ready to go. In the MSN Careers article, “Résumés in 2012: What’s old, what’s new?” writer Justin Thompson offers tips like don’t forget the tailored cover letter; use keywords from the job posting in the cover letter and résumé; and try standing out with a visual résumé.

What other tips do you have?

Related links

• Slideshow: Reinventing your job search in 2012 (Cachinko)
• Article: How to Market Untraditional Work History (Black Enterprise)

NEWS FLASH: UF is the Best in the State!!

But we knew that already, didn’t we?

According to Kiplinger.com’s list of Top 100 public colleges released earlier this month, the University of Florida has ranked #2 for best value in public colleges and universities for 2012.

Based on a more strict criteria due to “hard times in higher ed,” new areas have been included to determine “best value” such as:

• % of students who return for their sophomore year,

• 4-year graduation rate,

• low cost of attendance,

• amount of available financial aid, and

• % of students who borrow

Numero uno went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which means UF has state bragging rights. It’s Great to be a Florida Gator! Here’s just another reason why.

Related Links

• Article: UF named a 2011-2012 best-value public college by Kiplinger’s (UF News)
• Slide Show: 10 Top Values in Public Colleges, 2012 (Kiplinger’s)

Don’t Go Looking For UFL.XXX

Posted in The Independent Florida Alligator on January 10, 2012

UF buys .xxx domain names to protect trademarks

By Samantha Shavell, Alligator Writer

The Gator name will not be a part of the adult entertainment industry — at least for the next 10 years.

UF paid a one-time fee of $200 per name to block 17 trademarked names, including Gator Nation, Gators, Rowdy Reptiles and University of Florida, from being purchased as .xxx domain names. The university additionally purchased OrangeandBlue.xxx because it is not a university-owned trademark.

Websites with the .xxx suffix, which went on sale to the public in December, are reserved for adult entertainment.

The university spent about $3,600 total, said Janine Sikes, spokeswoman for UF.

In order to block the names, the university had to prove it had a registered trademark and provide the date of the trademark. By blocking the adult-oriented .xxx domain names, UF ensured no one else can purchase them for the next 10 years.

“UF did not wants its name or any of its trademark names to be used with inappropriate content,” Sikes said.

She said UF plans to do nothing with the domain names.

Psychology junior Jessenia Guerra, 20, doesn’t consider UF’s investment a big issue.

“I don’t know if other people would be disturbed by it, but I’m happy a porn website won’t come up,” she said.

Gone For A Minute…But Cheers to 2012

Hey Gators!!

We know it’s been a little while since we’ve updated our page, so please accept our deepest apologies. But, we’ve been cooking up ways to make South Florida ABA the best chapter out there! Now, don’t think of us as the relative you only see at reunions or only hear from during the holidays. Instead, from now on, we’ll be more like the brother/sister you call when you have news that can’t wait. Or, the friend you meet up with for Happy Hour. We’ll even be that neighbor that you check on just to make sure they’re breathing!

The point is, we are FAMILY.  With that being said, 2012 will be a year to celebrate for the Association of Black Alumni!

First, your South Florida chapter will be turning “1” on January 27th! How many of you can say that you remember your 1st birthday? It’s been such a great year for us and we want to thank everyone who has been a part of anything that has brought us to this point. So, put a reminder on your calendar to tell your fam Happy Birthday. We’ll be sure to retweet, Facebook like, and comment on your well wishes.

Next, how many of you worked at the Institute of Black Culture while at UF? Went there for tailgating or free printing? Hosted events for your organizations? Well, did you know that this year marks the IBC’s 40th anniversary? It opened its door in Fall 1971 and was officially dedicated on February 11, 1972. To celebrate this special occasion, there will be a celebration in Gainesville on Friday, February 17th, from 5-7p at the Arredondo Cafe in the Reitz Union. So for all of you, who will be traveling to FISS weekend, make sure you’re there for this milestone. For more info, contact IBC Director, Dr. John Johnson at johnj@multicultural.ufl.edu.

Finally, and the biggest news so far, 2012 also marks the Golden Anniversary of the 1st black UF graduates! This is definitely a big deal, and we plan to do it justice. For those of you who didn’t attend Black Alumni Weekend 2011, let’s just say you don’t want to miss it again.

Didn’t we say it’s going to be a big year? So, don’t forget to K.I.T and we’ll be talking again real soon!