A student prepares to ask a question during the post-viewing Q&A with "Join or Die" director Pete Davis.This fall, UAB's entering class of freshmen had the opportunity to take part in a new tradition. The UAB Freshman Common View gathered students just before and after the annual Connect Fest, the university's biggest campus involvement event of the year, for a screening of the documentary "Join or Die."
The Emmy-nominated documentary profiles social scientist Robert Putnam, who wrote the landmark 2000 book "Bowling Alone" about the decline of engagement in civic groups and associations in American life. Or, as the film's website puts it, “Join or Die” is "a film about why you should join a club... and why the fate of America depends on it."
The film was paired with ConnectFest, which gives students the chance to learn more about 250-plus clubs and other opportunities at UAB and in the Birmingham community, to help illustrate why getting involved matters.
Chris Minnix, Ph.D., director of the UAB Blazer Core Curriculum, led the committee made up of students, faculty and staff from across UAB who collectively designed the Common View program and selected the film. In addition to the screenings, the committee is working with faculty to incorporate “Join or Die” in their courses.
“It can be taken in a lot of different directions”
The idea for a common film program came to Minnix while he was attending the opening night of Birmingham's well known Sidewalk Film Festival. "We were watching a fun and amazing documentary, and I was looking at the crowd and how engaged they were," Minnix said. "A film is more easily integrated into a class, and it can be taken in a lot of different directions." (Chloe Cook, executive director of the Sidewalk Film Festival, and Jessica Chriesman, the festival’s education and outreach director, also were a part of the Common View Committee.)
The six students on the Common View Committee were particularly enthusiastic. "They wanted a film that was an introduction to academic life and connected with the community but also spoke to resilience and making connections with other students," Minnix said. "We looked at about 10 different films, and selected 'Join or Die.'"
Finding your own support system
UAB graduate JaColby Jones (right), now working as a VISTA fellow, interviews a student after the viewing of "Join or Die."One of the student committee members is JaColby Jones, then a senior majoring in Digital Marketing and now a graduate who is working as an outreach and engagement fellow with the year-long AmeriCorps VISTA program in UAB’s Office of the Blazer Core Curriculum. “‘Join or Die’ showcases this theme of ‘finding where you belong’ with the stories of people who either joined a club or created an organization,” Jones said. “The film describes how being a part of something bigger than yourself not only benefits your wellbeing, but the community as a whole.”
Part of Jones’ responsibilities as a VISTA fellow include interviewing students. Those he spoke with about “Join or Die” said “it highlighted how important it is to get out of your comfort zone and find your people,” Jones said. “They felt like the pandemic made it very hard to socialize, and that is something a lot of young people still struggle with years later. They also mentioned loneliness being something they deal with and how finding a support system helps give them direction and helps them carry some of the burdens in life.”
Staff, as well as students and faculty, have already been inspired by the message of “Join or Die.” Rachel Daniel, program manager in the Office of the Blazer Core Curriculum, watched the film over the summer in advance of the August screening. Daniel said that the film inspired her to “find a new way to build community and connect with others in meaningful ways — beyond social media.” Ever since she moved to Birmingham and started working at UAB more than a decade ago, Daniel has put together “various social groups based on my interests,” she said, including ones focused on food, cycling and walking.
After watching “Join or Die,” Daniel reached out to friends, colleagues and friends-of-friends to launch a women’s walking group. “I've always been big into getting outside and hiking/walking as a positive form of self-care,” Daniel said. “The purpose of the group was to have a consistent way to socialize with fellow women while getting in some steps each week — a win-win,” she explained. “We averaged around 3-5 miles during our walks at places like Shades Creek Greenway, Vulcan Trail, Jemison Park Nature Trail and the Hugh Kaul/Rotary Trail.”
Getting students talking — throughout the year
During the screenings in August, Pete Davis, the director of the Emmy-nominated film, joined students for a live discussion and Q&A once the movie ended. Common View also secured a link to the film that any Blazer can view for an entire year with a special password. "That way faculty can use it in their classes; instructors can drop that link and password into their courses, and their students can watch whenever they want," Minnix said.
Stacy Moak, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, plans to incorporate “Join or Die” in her City as Classroom: Mural Arts as Expressive Speech in Birmingham course, PSC 267. “I will be using the film to supplement the idea of ‘community engagement’ that we have focused on during this semester,” Moak said. “Murals are a way to engage with the community, promote inclusion, make people feel seen, document history, and project into the future. Art generally speaks to people in different ways. More community engagement promotes a more democratic environment where marginalized groups have more voice and are more included. We will watch the film and discuss the ways that democracy is enhanced by joining and participating in local culture.”
Sparking discussions is a central focus of the Common View program. The goal is to "get students talking with other students about the themes and ideas of the film," Minnix said. "Those themes of community and connection come from the Education pillar of Forging Ahead, UAB's strategic plan.” “Join or Die” connects with other elements of the strategic plan as well, Minnix added, including its focus on student wellness. “We want to get people talking about why it is important to have in-person, real-world communities and how they need to start building those,” he said.
Common View also addresses elements of UAB's SUCCESS Initiative, which called for the creation of a set of common traditions that define what each incoming UAB student does, Minnix notes.
As the Common View committee prepares for next year, the goal is to expand. "We really want to get as many students as we can to take part," Minnix said.
UAB faculty, staff and students can watch "Join or Die" for free until June 30, 2027. Contact Minnix at
Common View Committee Membership
UAB Faculty and Staff
Christopher Minnix, Director of Blazer Core Curriculum
Gareth Jones, Service Learning and Undergraduate Research
Delores Carlito, UAB Libraries
Dana Hettich, UAB Libraries
Rachel Daniel, Blazer Core
Meredith Gartin, School of Public Health
Kathryn Morgan, College of Arts and Sciences
Kristin Johnson Chapleau, Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center
Mary Blanchard Wallace, Student Affairs
Stephanie Yates, Collat School of Business
Brooke Walker, First Year Experience
Gabe Miller, College of Arts and Sciences
Christopher Jones, Campus and Community Engagement
Michele Forman, College of Arts and Sciences
Yenni Cedillo Juarez, School of Health Professions
Larrell Wilkinson, School of Education and Human Sciences
Student Members
JaColby Jones, Collat School of Business
Sam Smith, College of Arts and Sciences
Maribel Marrero, School of Engineering
Larry Broddy, School of Health Professions
Daisy Pham, School of Nursing
Juhi Arora, College of Arts and Sciences
Community Members
Chloe Cook, Executive Director, Sidewalk Film Festival
Jessica Chriesman, Education and Outreach Director, Sidewalk Film Festival