CULTURAL INTERACTION
The
Home Away From Home
49
By Molly Cory
owhere is the University of Alabama’s national recruiting effort more obvious than in a dorm shared by four Honors College roommates, each from a different part of the nation. Initially attracted by scholarship offers, the four—from California, Idaho, New York and Tennessee—have returned to campus for their second year as undergraduates. Each has experienced the initial challenges of being away from home and is learning to adjust to life on campus. One of them, Michael Carton, a National Merit Scholar, moved from San Diego, Calif., to study metallurgical and materials engineering. As a half-Japanese student, Carton said he takes pride in his minority status and has adjusted without much difficulty. “I got involved with St. Francis Catholic Church and especially its intramural teams, which is how I met my roommates for this year,” Carton said. Matthew Lambert, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is also a National Merit Scholar who hates grits and is unaccustomed to humidity. Despite his aversion to these two Southern staples, Lambert said he came to the University to “take advantage of the scholarship and watch good football.” Lambert, a finance and accounting major, has since become highly involved with the business school. As a member of the Culverhouse Investment Management Group, he helps run an investment fund with a stock portfolio of about $400,000. He is also conducting research alongside Dr. Robert Brooks of the finance department. Lambert has adapted to the distance from 6
Mosaic Spring 2013
home and seized the opportunity to develop his interest in business. Another roommate, Tee-Jay Greene from Long Island, N.Y., stepped onto campus last year expecting people to embrace his markedly different style. “Before college, I always envisioned what life as a Yankee living in the South would be like,” Greene said. “ I figured that everybody would like me because I was unique.” Although Greene did not receive quite the reception he hoped for, he has found many people who have accepted him and is now excelling within the Honors College. “Even though I am still adjusting, I have loved each and every minute that I have been here,” he said. Ten years ago, less than a quarter of the student body at the University of Alabama was from out of state. Now, as the 59 percent out-ofstate majority of the Honors College class of 2016 indicates, students from across the nation have gained a commanding presence on campus. As the fourth roommate in this out-of-state dorm, Douglas Fair from Knoxville, Tenn., has decided to focus on this significantly increased enrollment of out-of-state students. While Fair has not experienced much difficulty adjusting to campus, he noticed that most out-of-state students, including his roommates, face a variety of challenges. With these challenges in mind, Fair has teamed up with Alex Chase, a sophomore from Springfield, Ohio, to lead a new organization geared towards assisting out-of-state students: The 49. The 49 was founded in October of 2011 by advisor Josh Burford and several students,
ASIDE FROM HIS ROLE AS THE FINANCIAL COORDINATOR OF THE 49, CHASE IS MAJORING IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND HAS PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS SERVICE ACTIVITIES.