University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

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By Allison Stack A SIMMKR TO RKMKMBKR. hoi, HimIsjcs m ( AnIiIi-v Unli Ii ilis( iiss iIu- li;iil woikiliK lor llx ' l | iii|ii( ' (i iiiii ' iiiii«ia IMiolo t)V Sli;iiirniii Ui ' lls STOPPING FOR A MOMKNT. S.- i Si.u Ih.ii i r. (l ;i.v I ' rsiilrs |)isliiliiiiii n SiipfiAisoi loi lli ' i l ' ' ( illsilc.il iIm- ! ' )! ' (, SiiMiiiiii nlvmiiirs I ' liiilo ■ mil 1371 I ' ' ' liiMiMliiiiiitiiii ft iii i Miii liiiii ii i i ' viii:ri: tmi x tiov is . Ml ' M;iiiiiui li.ihh cix) ' it.r.ii lii ' di ' t.. Seize the moment S OI in|ii s

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9 : - i ' K V.1 JI tv • -. f t i J ' fe!S - ir ' - V V. ' L ' ' t; :? . .,.-i ' . ' ■ •Sim Stopping on the sidewalk to talk to a classmate while listening to Leo II serenade the campus with his roar. Standing in line for what seems like a year while waiting to get a new student ID made. Sitting in the University Center dis- cussing that English test you think you just failed. Going out with your friends on any Friday night and forgetting about a tough week of school for a few hours. Laughing as your friends reveal their secret danc- ing talents in front of a packed auditorium at Step Sing. As of this moment, these times are ever-present in our lives. Although this stage in our life passes quickly, the memories will remain forever in our minds as Lasting Moments. A MOMENT MADE TO LAST. Students gathered on the lawn of the Memorial Amphitheatre aifter Fall Convocation to eryoy a pic- nic Iimch provided by the univer- sity. Photo by Shannon Wells. Student Life 7

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DAY OF DKPARTl RK. )l( (i.llllCS Ml I It ' SS STACiINc; A I ' RKSS CONFERKNCE. Spoil- Inriillllillidll IllKM llil Icfl llilllUcs MT C(I ;ls Wlllli I ' lcss ( liicl ol Ihc volli ' vliall sili ' iit llii ' Iflilli Siiiiiiiici Olyillpio I ' liDli) i(iiii1( ' s 1)1 .Icir IIihIki ' S liking twenty lionrs a day, vvasliing clotlic ' s at 2:00 a.m., f Wf spcndiiifi five weeks away from W W your ianiily, and coordinating a press aiva of over 8(M).j()unuilists for the cen- lennial Olympic games in Atlanta. (Jtvtigia, werejn.st a poilion of the wild schedule that was kept by four peoi)le. Sounds hectic? You l)et, hut for fotu nunuhers of the I ' NA com- munity, it was an opi)oi1unity to exp( rience the Olympics. This golden opportunity was ■ieized hy .Jeff Hodges, Don McHrayer. .Vsliley [?alch, and Stacy Hair Spoils Information I )ii( cto! -leff Hodges l)egan working with the Olympics in 1!IS7 at the Olympic Festival in Noith ( arolina. During this tV stival, Hodges woiked on press releases, gathered statistics and gained iii alual)le expeiience that he would us( in the ye.us to ( onu- at future 01ym|)i( s In !5M»:!. Hodges worked again m the same •apacit.v for the ( »lympi( Festival which was lield in San Antonio. Texas It was in late UHt.5 when Hodges re( eived he phon( call wlii( li would give him an iinhehexahle oppoHunilv Hodges said. 1 got 1 phone all wliii h asked me to come to Soivvay Ibi th( month of Fehmai-v iwhere the HKH Winter Olympics would take place] md I was asked to he the press offi -er for ihe e ( ' Mts ot the hialhlon and i los-; (ounl|-y ■ikiing I also would coordinate inlei iews lot the I S athletes This oppoHunily was loo great to pa.ss up. ■;o Hodges took the job While he was in ( iA ,iv M)ikmg for Ihe I ' S ( )|ympic nam. lie h ' -lpeil roordinate press ( onfeiciK es foi sui h athletes as ancv Keingan and Dan (anssen This cxpenence IS whai l ' d lloilees to (he |olior eiiiie Press Chief () ei (lie ■, ollevjiall site of the UtiUiSumnir As Venue Press l i ' f iVUHIfPI ' ' ' tVir the Atlanta Committee for the Olymjiic (iames which meant lu had even more re.sponsibility than in his previous jobs. In order to prepare for this Job, Hodges attend- ed training sessions for a year, and he spent five weeks in Atlanta for the actual Olympic games. Hodgt ' s put in twenty-hour days at the Omni where he set uj) and ojierated the press area where membei-s of the prt ss from ;m)uiid the world gathered to cover seventy- two volleyball matches. Hodges .said, 1 went in at ():00 a.m. eveiy day iuid got back to my room at p]mory I ' nivcMsity at 2:00 a.m. It was then that Hodgc s found Ihe time to wash his clolht s. I would throw my clothes in a washer at 2:00 a.m. and hope that no one would want to steal them because 1 was going to sleep ' Although this was a dilTicult schedule to mainlaln. it was made easier by ha ing fri(Mids there. Hodges recriiit( d Don MiBiayei, assistant professor of physical education and health, and Stacy Hair and Ashley Balch. who worked for Hodges as student workers in the university ' s Sports Infonnation office. These three lucky peop l sened as volunteers under Hodges but also held e(|ually d( manding .jobs McHiayer was th( intervi( w ro(jm manager at the Omm which meant he coordinated the press who waited for inteiviews while a.ssisting in mov ing the volleyball playeis and coaches in and out ol this area. .Slacy Hair, a senior majoring in marketing and public relations, worki ' l as iiUa « 1 9 9 6 .4(lan Atlanta 1 9 9 ■ Atlaui Senior Ashley Balch acted as Pre.ss Tribune Manager by coordinating the- press seating which was beside the volleyball courts Balch was respon.sible for checking televi- sions, phones, and assigning seats to over SOO niembei-s of the pr( ss. Hodges feels that he was lucky to liav( had these three jieojile working for him. I had sev( nty two people working for me. Sixty-six of them w( re volunteers. Some of these volunteeis had no experience because their real-life Jobs were anything from house- wife to bank president It was great to have people like Don, , ' Vshlev, and Stacy, because they had experience in sports media and they were tnistwoilhy. 1 knew they weren ' t going to (|uit even though the houis were dif ficull, and Ihe work was hard Of course, there were other concerns toi the group besides their jobs There was Ihe poteiillal for bomb Ihreals at Ihe 01ymi)i( s. but luckily Ihe group workt-d ,il the well guarded Omm Balch s.iid. We were m one security was even when as the militaiA lieadiniai to ov« ' i iOO broadcasters, and she coordinal ed other volunteers to make the copit-s and give Ihe infonnation out as fast as possible Overall the Olympic experieni e was won deifiil for eveiyone involv( d. but Hodges i(lmitled, It was exciting, but it was Hat out work ' Di ' spiir iln loiio huurs and heavv workload (liev would all do it again, il given Ihe oppoiiiinilv Hodges sai l ■The Olvmpics was a Mni(|Hc espcrieiK r (or all of us, and il was well orlh the loss of sli ' ep to pailici pale in an cvcnl vlii li v as ,eri imimd ihe