The Honors College Assembly will begin a new film and social media campaign tonight titled “What If?” The assembly will host monthly screenings of films based on education in the Ferguson Center Theater at 7 p.m.
“[Education] definitely seems to be a hot topic in this country right now, and the Honors College is no exception,” said Hallie Paul, president of the Honor’s College Assembly. “It’s something that many students feel passionate about, so hopefully these films will help to bring some new perspective to a dialogue about education that I believe is already well under way on this campus.”
This month’s film is “Perry County,” which documents the controversial decision to dump millions of tons of coal ash waste into a landfill in rural, predominately black Perry County, Ala.
“The coal ash is composed of a litany of hazardous materials including arsenic, boron, beryllium, cadmium, lead and mercury,” said Ian King, a University Fellow with the Honors College. “I visited the landfill this summer. The pile of ash was so enormous that it reminded me of the Rocky Mountains, and it was blowing directly into people’s homes less than 100 yards away.”
A panel discussion featuring social justice leaders and advocates will take place after the film. A UA student from Perry County, a representative from the University’s Environmental Council and Andrew Grace, a professor in the department of telecommunication and film, will all be featured panelists.
“Hopefully with this screening we can, at the very least, spread information about what is happening in the backyards of our fellow Alabamians,” King said.
The social media campaign is also designed to get the UA community talking.
“The goal of the ‘What If’ social media campaign is to promote the ‘What If’ film series, while also bringing attention to the power of asking questions and generating new ideas,” said Christy Boardman, vice president of the Honor’s College Assembly and director of the social media campaign.
Students can post their “what if” hypotheses on Facebook or Twitter, tagged to the Honor’s College Assembly’s account, Boardman said.
Students have posted questions such as, “What if Sunday alcohol sales pass on February 22nd?” and “What if the whole world was on Dining Dollars?”
“After all, the sky is the limit when you ask questions and challenge the norm,” Boardman said.
