But while Bama Rush changed how people saw the public university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s rise as a national destination for out-of-state students was already well underway. Jonathan M. Norris The University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama. Damron doesn’t think TikTok created interest in Alabama Greek life (or Greek life nationwide) so much as it pulled back the curtain. Before Bama Rush, recruitment was something relatively few outsiders understood. Despite the growing number of Bama influencers, though, the version of Alabama most people see online isn’t necessarily representative of Alabama campus life.