A map of the UAB campus green and surrounding areas. (Illustration by Jessica Middleton)
Sarah Faulkner – Features Editor
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When it was established in 1969, UAB was nowhere near the size that it is today. Originally spanning only 15 city blocks, UAB now covers 82 blocks of downtown Birmingham. With a campus this large and rapidly growing, new students, as well as veteran students, may feel overwhelmed or perhaps just curious as they traverse the campus during the first week of classes. Here’s the crash course in case you missed or need a refresher of the undergraduate campus tour:
Heritage Hall
Completed in early 2008, Heritage Hall (referencing the Heritage of Samuel Ullman) became the home of many occupants of the Ullman Building. Heritage accommodates the School of Social and Behavioral Science and faculty from the Department of Communications, as well as a variety of services such as student advising, Study Away, the African-American studies programs and Honors programs. Boasting multiple lecture and seminar rooms, laboratory and computer lab spaces, along with a digital editing suite, Heritage Hall is a stop for many students from a wide range of majors and interests.
“Heritage Hall is so modern and fun,” said Minda Swicord, junior. “It has one of my favorite lounge areas because of the furniture. I always sit in the green egg chairs.”
Campus Recreation Center
UAB’s Campus Recreation Center Olympic-sized indoor pool, multiple court spaces, a 1/8th-mile indoor track, a massive indoor climbing wall and four different exercise studios. Ranked 18 in the Best College Review’s list of the Top 25 Most Amazing Student Campus Recreation Centers, not only does the UAB Campus Recreation Center provide a variety of spaces for activities, but it also has made available personal trainers and exercise classes for members.
“I think us, as Blazers, are extremely lucky to have such a wonderful rec center,” said Megan Benton, nursing major. “It’s a great place to work out all that college stress and focus on a healthy lifestyle.”
The Commons Dining Center/The Den
The Commons on the Green is UAB’s dining hall. The Commons is an all-you-care-to-eat facility, offering choices of international cuisine, allergen-free, deli classics, pizza, pasta, home-style meals, soups, salads and grilled foods. There is also a four-cereal dispenser, fruit cart and dessert bar with an ice-cream machine. The Commons also provides marked “MindFul” options that must meet a litany of health guidelines. Connected to the Commons by stairwell, the Den by Denny’s is also a popular location for students to grab “hand-smashed” burgers and breakfast, open most days from 10:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. Normal Commons hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays, and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekend.
“The Commons has a wide variety of options and some pretty great menus. And it’s all you can eat, which is pretty awesome,” said Luke McClintock, senior.
Blazer Hall/Camp Hall/C-Store
Open to freshmen and sophomore students with less than 45 credit hours, Blazer Hall is a suite-style residence hall that offers space for over 700 students, grouping the student rooms into two to three bedroom suites with private baths for each room. In Blazer, students benefit from close proximity to many on-campus sites such as the Commons and One-Stop. It also provides amenities such as a multimedia room, two study rooms per floor and a large event room on the bottom floor. Having opened in 2008, this is one of the newer residence halls on campus.
Originally called the Twin Towers residence hall, Camp Hall was opened in spring of 1980 and renamed in 1991 to honor Ehney A. Camp, former member of the Board of Trustees. Camp Hall is a freshman-only residence hall that offers one shared bedroom apartment-style dorms for two students priced at $2700 per semester. Students in Camp can also take advantage its computer lab and coin-operated laundry. This residence hall is also connected to the C-Store, a convenience store that offers candy, snacks, refrigerated food items, toiletries and other household necessities. The C-Store is open on Mondays to Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 11 p.m.
One Stop Student Services
Currently located across from Blazer Hall but scheduled to move to the new Hill University Center, UAB’s One Stop Student Services is a catch-all facility that offers students services dealing with their information (such as immunization requirements, academic records, BlazerID, and changes in their name and address) financial aid (as well as Blazer Bucks, Books for Bucks, and Dining Dollars), registration (as well as student schedules and transcripts), student accounting, parking, residency, changes in majors, and ONE Card. It’s intended to make students’ lives easier and provide a place to start asking questions and more often than not, have them answered.
Blount/Rast Halls
Blount Hall, completed in 2001, offers two and four bedroom apartments that feature full kitchens, a lounge area and two bathrooms for sophomores and upperclassmen. Similar to Blount, slightly older Rast Hall offers four bedroom apartments for four residents.
“I really liked living there compared to Camp Hall because it was really nice having a room to yourself,” said Casie Rochell, a senior.
“Whenever you needed to read or do homework you could escape to your own place and focus.”
“Rast Hall isn’t the newest dorm, but the attentiveness of the staff and the variety and extensiveness of the programs offered by the RA’s more than make up for any shortcomings one might see in the rooms themselves,” said Ginny Henry, senior.
Hill Center
Scheduled to open intermittently during Fall 2015, the new student center is a full reconstruction from the former Hill University Center, which was torn down in Fall 2013. Primarily constructed for student affairs and the student community, the HUC will feature locations for students to get involved in their community, utilize student services and enjoy their time between classes. These locations include: Barnes & Noble, The Grid, Mein Bowl, Student Media, Panera Bread, Multicultural & Diversity Programs, One Stop Student Services, a new Starbucks, the Transfer Center, Disability Support Services, Full Moon Bar-B-Que and Career and Professional Development.
The Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center
This site hosts the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and other performing arts events, as well as provides a home to UAB’s Theater Department. It contains multiple sections, including concert halls and theaters.
“I spend a great deal of time in the Alys Stephens Center,” said Ali Ribe, a theater major. “As a theater major, it’s like a second home. Hands down the best performing arts center in the state.”
Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts (AEIVA)
AEIVA is a new addition to UAB, having begun construction in early 2011. It houses the Department of Art and Art History and boasts an expansive permanent art collection. Between a gallery to show the permanent and loaned collections and multiple new media and graphic design studios, AEIVA serves not only as an environment that fosters creativity for students, but also a stand-alone gallery that promotes the visual arts in Birmingham.
Hulsey Center
Primarily the home of UAB’s Department of Music, the Hulsey Center provides students with multiple teaching and recording studios, music technology, practice rooms and rehearsal areas. It also contains workshops for some art classes, such as sculpture and three dimensional design, and areas to study and hang out with other students.
Kelsey Templeton, senior, said, “Hulsey is a great place to go between classes to listen to classical music. The people who practice in there are so talented and it’s a great way to relax.”
Business and Engineering Complex/Zime
UAB’s Business and Engineering Complex is the location of classes from a wide range of majors. Hosting classes in Engineering to Sociology, the BEC provides space for both lectures and labs. With a recently renovated lounge area, the BEC is also a location to relax and work with peers or alone, and also somewhere to grab a quick bite. Zime—a sandwich, salad and soup shop—offers food that may be purchased with dining dollars, and also carries pastries, coffee and tea. Zime is open on Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mervyn H. Sterne Library/Starbucks
The Mervyn H. Sterne Library is a popular location for students. Offering quiet areas, group study rooms, direct access to Starbucks and volumes of academic resources numbering over 1 million items, including a broad selection of books from all the disciplines except medicine (see Lister Hill Library). While Starbucks closes at 1 a.m. during the bulk of the semester, the main library stays open until 2 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. A UAB security guard will circulate the building beginning at 10 p.m. in order to keep the general public out and allow students to study safely and undisturbed. During this time, you must have your One Card on your person. During final exams, the library stays open 24/7 for students.
“When you’re beyond stressed and you need somewhere to hang, Club Sterne is where it’s at,” said Senior Shane Thomas. “To be alone with a thousand people also pulling their hair out reminds you that we’re all in this together.”
Lister Hill Library of Health Sciences/Sandella’s/Learning Resources Center/Einstein Bros Bagels
Lister Hill is UAB’s health sciences and biomedical library and is the largest biomedical library in Alabama, not to mention one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. It was one of the first buildings on campus, completed in 1971 and having since been renovated and expanded. Serving as a resource library for the Southeast/Atlantic Region in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, it provides an expansive collection of resources for health science students. It is also conveniently located near Sandella’s Flatbread Cafe, Einstein Bros Bagels and the Learning Resources Center, a facility that offers electronic media services for students and faculty. While the name may suggest otherwise, Einstein’s does not stick exclusively to the stereotypical bagel with cream cheese: they also carry items such as soups, salads, bagel-built deli sandwiches, smoothies, baked goods and the ever-popular pizza bagel. Sandella’s and Einstein Bros are both open Mondays and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Einstein’s is great,” said Macy Stockdill, a nursing major. “All of the nursing students will drop by in between classes to grab a bite. It’s nice because Einstein’s is one of the healthier food choices on campus and I feel less guilty about eating there compared to the Den. Also, they have a decent amount of food choices but truthfully you can never go wrong with one of their bagels.”
Campbell Hall
Across from the new student center is Campbell Hall, the location of UAB’s Human Cadaver Lab. This resource is available to undergraduates at UAB and a select few other universities. Campbell Hall is home primarily to the Biology and Mathematics Departments, but classes in computer science, psychology and astronomy also take place here, among others.
“We did use the cadavers in Anatomy lab,” said Payal Patel, sophomore. “ Honestly, it was an awesome experience to see the things we learned about. It was surreal to be able to see things that would have not been possible if it weren’t for the cadavers. The cadavers enriched the learning process and allowed both myself and my classmates to retain the material better.”
Education Building/Academic Success Center
The School of Education Building was the first building project undertaken by UAB. Along with classrooms, the Education building has psychology and business machine laboratories, lecture and seminar rooms, offices and a television studio. The second floor of this building houses the Academic Success Center, which offers free services to aid students in their university classes and train their academic skills through a partnership with the University Writing Center and the Math Learning Lab.
Chemistry Building
Following the Education Building, the Chemistry Building was UAB’s second major building project. Originally the Natural Sciences building, it was renamed the Physical Sciences building before becoming the Chemistry Building in 1995. As the name suggests, this building is used almost exclusively for Chemistry classes and labs.
Campus Green/Mini Parks
UAB’s spacious lawn is an open green space for students to socialize and enjoy the outdoors. Many students set up Enos and play outdoor games such as Frisbee and hacky-sack. “The Green is a great place to sit and relax—you buy a hammock just for the Green,” said Robert Martin, alumni.
During the weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., students flock to the Green to get food from the local food trucks, which include: Cantina on Wheels, MELT, Off the Hook, Saw’s Street Kitchen and Jump Asian Express. Most of these food trucks, as well as other stationary restaurants, offer Tapingo, an app that allows customers to order their food in advance with either credit cards or dining dollars.
UAB also has mini-parks across from Campbell and between the BEC and the Humanities buildings. The sculptures you will see in the mini park between the BEC and the Humanities building were created by students.
Volker Hall
Volker Hall is the main building for the School of Medicine and is the primary location for first and second year medical students’ classes. Following a renovation in 2003, Volker now offers new security features, enhanced lecture halls with computer-based technology, study areas, improved learning areas and teaching labs with computer-simulation technology.
Humanities Building
The Humanities building is home to Department of English and Department of Foreign Languages, as well as host to classes in studio art, art history and philosophy, among others. There are multiple language laboratories with resources for students such as computers and recording devices.
Robert Vaughn, a computer science major, said, “I had most of my English classes in Humanities. It really helps that there are computer labs in the building—it’s easy to just go to class and then walk across the hall and type my essays.”
World of Wings/Snoozy’s/Subway
World of Wings (WoW), Snoozy’s and Subway are clustered together across from Sterne and Blount in a convenient location for students in the dorms or those studying at Sterne to grab school supplies and food. Snoozy’s, alongside, is one of two primary suppliers of textbooks and school supplies, the other being UAB’s Barnes and Noble. Snoozy’s also has available a wide selection of UAB gear, from sports teams T-shirts to green and gold toboggans. WoW is a grill and wingery, with popular menu items including quesadillas, burgers, wraps, salads and chicken tenders, along with chicken wings, of course. Their wings come in servings of five, seven, or ten wings with 11 different dipping sauces to choose from. WoW is open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the weekends.
“This is a great alternative to the cafeteria for around the same price,” said alum Josh Godwin.
Information provided by the UAB official campus tour and the UAB website.
