By Charles Gray

The University District was birthed a little over a century ago, but in the short time since, it has grown and flourished to be a unique and defining part for the city. When visiting the Highland Strip or University of Memphis campus, it's important to realize that the amount of culture and progress is able to be defined.

Enter historian Jimmy Ogle. 

The native Memphian and historian of the Bluff City recently gave a walking tour of the University District. He began his tour on the Normal Station Depot plot, walked to Highland Street, walked up the commercial street, then traced Midland Avenue back to the campus where he ended the tour at the Administration Building. 

For those who were not able to attend his walking tour, here's a list of the 10 fun facts about the area as gathered from Jimmy Ogle's tour.

Christopher "Dumma Boy" Gholson is a well-known music producer from Memphis, Tenn. He has worked alongside top Hip Hop artist such as Young Jeezy,
T.I. and Two Chainz.

He is the founder of Drum Squad Foundation and an activist in his community. Recently, Drumma presented a grand opportunity for Shelby County School (SCS) students to participate in a contest and have a chance to win $2500. 

The "Dream Summit" was a competition that served as a way for Drumma to give back to his community and provide young entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their talents. 

The event was held Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the University of Memphis in the FedEx Institute of  Technology. 

SCS students, parents and teachers attended the event to learn more about opportunities in the music and sports industries from a panel of industry leaders.

Ron Highsmith, Executive Director of Drum Squad, detailed the importance of the event is to expose the youth to understanding curricular development and gain knowledge about the business side of multi-million dollar industries.

"It is important to present more opportunities and careers they may not learn about in school,"
  said Highsmith, "This is such a broad and diverse industry, and they will benefit tremendously from this summit."

The objective for the contest required students to create and present a business plan of their choice, including branding, budgeting and other market strategies that strive to benefit the
community.

By Cormac Parker

The University of Memphis has had a number of performances on campus, but not many like the one held in the Rose Theatre on Tuesday, April 22.

They go by the name Golden Dragon Acrobats. These young adults are highly skilled and full of energy, as they woo the audience with their jaw dropping acrobatics.

Unlike the famous Cirque du Soleil, this event was free and open to the public. Take a look at what happened that night.

By L. Taylor Smith

Shelby Farms was filled with people eager to learn more about going green and living a more eco-friendly life. With performances by musicians and acrobats, plenty of fun activities and vendors selling everything from hand-carved furniture to scented candles, the coast of Patriot Lake was buzzing with activity.

By Darnesha Cotton

Rapper Preauxx, pronounced "Pro," has been busy  perfecting his craft and making a name for himself since 2008.  With a growing fan base and plenty of enthusiasm, he still has the ambitions of a new artist.

His hard work has not gone unnoticed as the Student Activities Council asked him to perform at the first Spring Fling Music Festival opening up for Big Sean. Here is what he had to say about his fans, inspiration, music and the future of his career.

By Akilah Speaks

U of M students participated in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament on Saturday, April 26. The proceeds were donated to Best Buddies, a non-profit special education program that pairs individuals with learning disabilities with high school and college students. The mission of the organization is  to bridge the gap between normal and indifferent by building friendships. 

David Specht, a U of M graduate, coordinated the event for a fundraising competition called Champion of the Year. The location of the event was held in the Recreational Center intramural field from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"I knew alot of people in the Frisbee community and I feel this will not only be good for people with special needs but also a benefit to the community by spreading the word and contributing," Specht said.

Program manager, Brian McNulty, attended  the event and provided UDistrict with more information regarding the organization and how this event was beneficial to the program.  

By Charles Gray

A group of students have joined together to better the environment at the University of Memphis. 

Common Cents is a student organization that has events and functions to raise money for a variety of causes ranging from campus beautification to supplying the school with computers. 

Common Cents President Rachel Brandon along with member Eudarius Jones and U of M director of annual giving, Elisa Campbell Shaw, spoke with the UDistrict about Wieners for Seniors—a pop up event where Common Cents gave away free hotdogs in hopes of donations that would go to adding a tree and a bench to the campus landscape. 

By Courtney A. Smith

The University of Memphis men's basketball team is already taking shape for the 2014-15 season. Coach Josh Pastner is losing four senior guards (Joe Jackson, Geron Johnson, Chris Crawford, and Michael Dixon Jr.) but is looking to replace them with a 2014 recruiting class that features Helen Cox High standout Dominic Magee.

Magee and 17 other top high school seniors participated in the Fifth Annual Jack Jones Shootout at Lausanne Collegiate School located on 1381 W. Massey Road in Memphis, Tenn. Before Magee took the floor to participate in the Jack Jones Senior Showcase, he was busy receiving handshakes from the fans while doing interviews with local reporters.

Dominic recognizes that he will be looked at as only a basketball player by many in Tiger Nation, but he wants to achieve things both on and off the court.

"I want to be taught things that I never been taught," Magee said. "I think I want to major in business because I want to learn more about business in college. I just want to have fun in college, but do my work on the court and do what I've got to do to get minutes."

Before Magee's arrival to Memphis, he was already living the life of a star athlete. He's accustomed to people coming up to him for autographs and pictures, but tries not to allow the fame to throw him off of the opportunity he has in front of him.

"Not to be cocky, I been having that spotlight since I was young," Magee admitted. "That's just being blessed. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a hard worker and I be in the gym a lot. I take basketball serious and people (have) got to understand that I have a 1-year-old son and we've got to eat. I promised him that we're going to be rich one day and I can't let my son down."

By Jamesa Y. Alston

After watching a YouTube tutorial on how to make distressed denim, a University of Memphis student decided she would create and sell them as a way to pay for her tuition.

Gabrielle Mosley, a 22-year-old fashion merchandising major, created her first pair of distressed denim pants when she was a senior in high school as a final project for her fashion merchandising class.

After seeing her denim, her classmates wanted her to make them a pair and even offered to buy them.

“I never intended on making them for profit,” Mosley said. “I was only trying to make a good grade in class.”

Upon entering college, Mosley was giving the advice to steer away from student loans if she could.  Because she was about to be a full time student, she didn’t have a job. She then decided to continue to make and sell denim and eventually developed a passion for it.

“I thought I was going to get tired of cutting and bleaching jeans,” Mosley said. “But it helps me pay for my tuition and I haven’t had to get a job.”

By L. Taylor Smith

During the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship’s Spring Ideas weekend, one team won $1,000 for an idea they developed over a 48-hour period.

Friday, anyone with an idea had the opportunity to pitch an idea in two minutes. Afterward, each participant voted on the ideas they liked best until only five ideas were selected to be built into a rough business model throughout the weekend.

Flyover Footage was one of those ideas.

Darrin Devault, a University of Memphis journalism professor, and Tom Willcox, senior public relations major, developed the idea.

They have been working together through Meeman 901 Strategies, a student-run PR firm that operates through the Crews Center.

“I remember he was like ‘Should we pitch something?’ and I asked him what we would pitch, and he said ‘Drones,’” Willcox said. “I didn’t even think that was allowed.”