After Sunday's convocation, many incoming freshmen discovered a new tradition at the University of Cincinnati. Inside a bag, each new student received a first edition copy of The Red & Black book as part of Welcome Week at the university.
"This is our first ever, provided by our Student Alumni Council. It is historic. It is filled with facts, and it has lots of pictures and it talks about ritual and being a true Bearcat," President Nancy Zimpher said during her convocation speech Sunday.
The idea for The Red & Black book came about during the summer of 2006 when UC Student Alumni Council member Brittney Hyde attended a presentation on the University of Florida's The F Book, said Brad Johnson, president of the UC Student Alumni Council.
"It was a traditions book created by students and given to their incoming freshmen. We thought it was an awesome idea and decided to do it at UC," said Ryan Vose of the UC Student Alumni Council.
The Student Alumni Council began work during the 2006-07 Winter Quarter, and worked continuously to have the first edition ready for the incoming freshman class. "The goal of these books is to get freshmen students excited and proud about their university from the very start," Vose said.
The edition of The Red & Black book that incoming freshmen received included information on the history and traditions of the UC campus, details about current events, athletics information and a guide to off-campus locations that might be of interest to students not yet familiar with the Clifton Heights area.
The UC Student Alumni Council already has plans to create a new version of the book for the next year's incoming class in the attempt to continue the tradition for the following years.
Funding for this project came from the UC MasterCard Grant. The grant was central to accomplishing the project because the UC Alumni Association administers the grant.
"They bought into this project early and really allowed us the opportunity to make this book the best it could possibly be, the MasterCard affinity funds provided the foundation for the book and enabled us to focus primarily on the content and organization of the book and its peripheral elements," Johnson said.
The 10-member team assigned to work on The Red & Black book received support from the Student Alumni Association, which was included in the base process helping to keep the project grounded, Johnson said.
"I can't say enough about how much the Alumni Association supported and encouraged us throughout the process," Vose said. "They made a concerted effort to make sure we had everything we needed as they are very engaged with current student life in addition to alumni affairs."
In addition, the team met with a number of high-ranking UC officials during the production. "So far the feedback has been extremely positive, with praise coming from President Zimpher, Athletic Director Mike Thomas, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jeff Wyler and many more," Vose said. "We obviously hope to improve the book and make it even more useful and appealing next year."
Copies of The Red & Black book are available for sale at a regular rate of $15 per book, and can be purchased at the UC Alumni Center, UC Bookstore and UC Alumni Center Web site.
Proceeds from the sale of The Red & Black book go directly to fund next year's edition.
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