WORDS BY ELIZABETH WIECK
STUCK AT SEA A COLLEGE SPRING BREAK CRUISE TO THE CARIBBEAN BREAKS DOWN, ADDING ANOTHER NOTCH IN CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE’S NOTORIOUS SPRING SEASON
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uring spring break, many make their annual southbound journey to warmer climates to tan, take a break from stressful classes and party with other student spring breakers. Whether it be in a condo, beach house or Caribbean-bound cruise, the getaway is meant to be a weeklong respite. As of late, Carnival Caribbean cruises have been a much talked about subject among news outlets. First, and perhaps most notorious is Carnival’s Triumph, which left from Galveston, Texas, in February and was crippled out at sea due to a fire in the engine room. There was no power and no running water, creating a nightmare with overflowing sewage and spoiled food for the thousands of passengers on board. Then there was the Dream, which departed from Port Canaveral, Fla. and broke down on the Caribbean island St. Maarten mid-trip, forcing the company to fly passengers home from the island. Sara Parrish, junior in political science, embarked on a 7-day cruise out of Tampa, Fla. on Carnival’s Legend on Sunday, March 10 for what was supposed to be an enjoyable trip with friends. Despite the flurry of controversy amid Carnival’s fleet, Parrish said she wasn’t concerned that the nightmare on the Triumph would happen to their ship. “We all thought since that had happened that all the ships would be up to date and they would be really, really careful,” Parrish said. “So no one was nervous at all.” As soon as they boarded the cruise, Parrish said she noticed something was off. “You could tell that something was wrong, because it vibrated and rocked the whole week,” Parrish said. “This was my fourth cruise, and usually you can’t tell you’re on one. At dinner, it was hard to eat, everything was shaking. You couldn’t walk straight.” The plan was to dock at ports in Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Grand Cayman, but Parrish said the experience didn’t exactly go as such. After spending Tuesday as planned in Cozumel, the mishaps began. “Then it happened,” Parrish said. “They gave us letters to our staterooms, and when we woke up Wednesday morning, they said we were having a minor malfunction problem and that it was being taken care of, repairs were being made and the only thing it was going to affect was that we couldn’t make it to Belize.” Wednesday morning, the passengers aboard the Legend were supposed to be in Belize, however, they found themselves making an emergency stop in Costa Maya, Mexico, where Parrish said there wasn’t much to do. The ship made it to Honduras on Thursday as scheduled, but were told that night by ship
management that they couldn’t make it to their final destination at Grand Cayman due to inclement weather. But Parrish and her friends had their suspicions. “We knew some people that were there and they said the weather was beautiful, so we think it was just a cover-up because they couldn’t get us there,” she said. “So they told us there was ‘bad weather’ in Grand Cayman, and they were going to take us to Belize since we missed it.” The ship never made it to Belize. Parrish said after apparent fixes were made to the ship’s system, it broke again, and the crew announced they wouldn’t be going anywhere else except straight back to Tampa at minimum speed. “We all couldn’t believe it, because of everything that happened a few weeks ago,” Parrish said, referring to the Triumph. “We started to hear that it was all over the news, and it was almost a joke to us, that we were on the ship that was making the news. The most frustrating thing was they wouldn’t tell us what was wrong.” According to Parrish, it’s still unclear exactly what happened to the ship and why their port stops were canceled. “They never really told us, other than there was a propulsion issue, so basically one of our engines wasn’t working was what we assumed,” Parrish said. “They never were up front with us about what happened.” Parrish said the problem didn’t lie in the experience itself, but the way she, her friends and even her family were treated. “They actually lied about most of it,” Parrish said. “My dad called Carnival Wednesday morning, after I emailed him to tell him the ship wasn’t working. We were in Costa Maya, and Carnival told him I was lying to him, that we were in Belize and we were never in Costa Maya, and that our ship was not broken. I think they were just trying to cover it up, from everything that has happened.” As far as compensation goes for their unfortunate experience, passengers received a $100 refund, a refund for the day-trip plans they missed in Belize and Grand Cayman and 50 percent off a future 5-7 day Carnival Caribbean cruise. “We missed half of our ports,” Parrish said. “There were tons of stipulations. It didn’t compensate for what we paid to go.” In light of such public catastrophe and criticism, Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill released a written statement that the company is going to do a “comprehensive review of our entire fleet.” However, Parrish said this statement was not enough to remedy her negative feelings about the company. “I’m sure I’ll go on more cruises, because I’ve been on so many before and they’ve worked out fine, but I won’t go back on Carnival,” Parrish said. “Especially, the way we were treated during the whole thing. They didn’t treat us poorly on the ship, they just wouldn’t tell us anything, which was frustrating.”
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PLAYING WITH MAGIC STUDENT COMBINES LOVE OF DISNEY, PEOPLE AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERNSHIP AT THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY
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usie Bridges, junior in public relations, landed the opportunity of a lifetime as an intern for Walt Disney World’s Disney College Program. Last fall during the six months she was there, she was a tour guide for The Great Movie Ride, made friends from all over the world, took special interns-only classes, spent free time in the parks and learned the inside details of the Disney company. Bridges is no stranger to Disney world. Not counting her sixmonth stay in the park this past fall, she has visited the parks
with her family ten times. “I loved learning all the behind the scenes Disney stuff,” Bridges said. “I’ve been going to Disney since I was little so it was neat to see a different side of it. A lot of people said it would ruin the magic, but it didn’t ruin the magic for me, it only made it cooler. I got to know how everything worked and it was neat to know people that worked at all the different rides in all the different parks. I really appreciate everything all the cast members put into it.”
It’s important to note that those who work at Disney are got to go to the Christmas parties which had snow,” Bridges not called employees. said. “We are called cast members because Disney is a show and Despite being so far away from Auburn, Bridges said she our role, not our job, is to be cast members because we are put- did see plenty of Auburn fans during her internship. ting on a show. We are not employees. People are called guests, “Every time I saw someone from Auburn, we would say because Disney is our home and we are welcoming guests into ‘War Eagle!’, because my name tag says ‘Susie, Auburn Univerit,” she said. sity.’ Auburn people were always so nice. One man hugged me. Bridges was relieved when she landed a spot working at He was like, ‘You’re from Auburn, I want to give you a hug. I The Great Movie Ride in Hollywood Studios. hope you’re doing well.’” “My ride didn’t have as many interns, there were about Perhaps the most magical moment Bridges had during her 15 of us, but other rides had 30 or 40. My ride was selective stay was when Johnny Depp, dressed in full costume as Captain because there are only three rides at Jack Sparrow of “Pirates of the CaribWalt Disney World Resort where you bean,” rode the Great Movie Ride. At have to do a spiel, and fortunately I “I’VE BEEN GOING TO DIS- first, she and her coworkers were was at one of those rides because I NEY SINCE I WAS LITTLE skeptical. like acting. It was a big deal for an in“They opened a new thing called SO IT WAS NEAT TO SEE The Captain Jack Sparrow experience tern to get a spieling ride,” she said. This spiel Bridges speaks of is A DIFFERENT SIDE OF IT. and you go into a pirate ship that has part of the 22-minute ride that she a hologram of Johnny Depp. They A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID IT were filming for it, and we heard all narrates as she takes guests on a journey into the movies, with scenes from WOULD RUIN THE MAGIC, these rumors that Johnny Depp was “Mary Poppins,” “Indiana Jones,” “Tarat Hollywood Studios that day. We BUT IT DIDN’T RUIN THE zan” and “Singing in the Rain.” were all like, ‘whatever,’” she said. An upside to working at an interUpon further thought, though, MAGIC FOR ME. IT ONLY active ride was the camaraderie she Bridges realized that there was a MADE IT COOLER.” formed with her fellow cast members. good chance this man was actually “I worked not only with college Johnny Depp. students, but also with people of all different ages,” Bridg“Disney has this huge rule where you cannot dress up as es said. “It was hard working with different age groups, but a character and look like them, or they’ll kick you out. So we thankfully everyone in my ride got along and we became a lit- knew it was not a regular guest,” she said. tle family together.” “It was so funny, he walked up to me and I almost had Occasional long hours during the busy holiday season, a panic attack. It was Captain Jack Sparrow! He even did his could be trying when you have to entertain an expectant crowd. drunken walk,” she said. “My longest shift was 14 hours long. It was on New Year’s As far her future goes, Bridges hopes to go back to Disney until three in the morning,” she said. after graduation. Such hard work did have its perks, however. “I would love to work in media relations. They put on the “I got into the parks for free every single day,” Bridges said. special events and that kind of thing.” “So on my days off, I would just go play in the parks, so that was To commemorate a bittersweet end, Disney held a graduafun. Also just knowing people in different jobs and different tion even for interns in the college program. areas of the parks were fun.” “You receive a diploma and Mickey ears that have a gradBridges said she doesn’t regret missing football at Auburn. uation tassel. You get to meet Minnie and Mickey in their cap The fall is a much more exciting time to be at Disney, with the and gown,” Bridges said. “It’s so worth the experience, and Dislong holiday season full of special events and appearances. ney looks great on your resume.” “Even though it was hard missing football season, it was Those that are interested in learning more information neat because I got to go to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween about the Disney college program are encouraged to visit the party, which is cool because they have all the villains out. I also website, cp.disneycareers.com.
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INTO THE WILD LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER SCOTT COUCH TRAVELS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO FIND WILDLIFE AND CAPTURE THE PERFECT SHOT
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or Scott Couch, being a photographer is a lifestyle. Despite having a full-time job, the ’94 Auburn grad dedicates as much time as he can to his part-hobby part-business venture in outdoor photography. Growing up in Pine Bluff, Ark., a place he refers to as the “duck capital of the world,” Couch spent a lot of his time hunting and fishing outdoors, which later inspired him to pursue nature photography. During his time at Auburn, Couch studied psychology and political science with the intention to go to graduate school. After studying abroad in Nottingham, England his senior year, he decided to change plans and pursue work elsewhere in Birmingham. Couch moved back to Auburn in 1998 and began running, mountain biking, hiking and backpacking. At one point, he was running 30–40 miles a week. “I was a machine,” he said. While going on a run down Gay Street, Couch suddenly went numb from the waist down.
“I talked to a few people, and they told me to eat a banana because of cramps from sweating (too much),” Couch said. But Couch needed a bit more than a banana. Upon going to another clinic, he found out he ruptured his L4 and L5 discs in his back– a nearly debilitating injury that forced him to have major spinal surgeries and two artificial discs put in. With sadness, he realized he could no longer continue with his active lifestyle. “After that, it really left my crippled,” Couch said. “I couldn’t run, I couldn’t bike. I couldn’t do most of the stuff I was used to doing.” While in recovery at a Birmingham hospital, Couch was trying to figure out what he could do and recalled a defining moment on a solo backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail. On his journey, he walked around a corner and saw a mother bear with her three cubs up in a tree, who climbed down right in front of him. With haste, he pulled out an ordinary film camera– a camera he brought for the same obligated reason-
ing any person might take a camera on a trip with them– and snapped a quick picture. Such an experience sparked an epiphany in Couch. “It hit me, and I was like, I can still camp, I can still travel, do what I like to do,” he said. “Rather than backpacking, I can camp in one place. I was an outdoorsman, I kind of transitioned from hunting and fishing to more photography.” At the time of this decision, Couch knew very little about photography. During the next year, he immersed himself in the field and took online classes through the New York Institute of Photography. Initially, Couch started out simple, traveling to nearby states like Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana to capture photos of ducks, geese, eagles, deer and Labrador retrievers. The hunger for more, however, quickly kicked in and he decided to venture to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. “I spend about 50 percent of my time (there),” Couch said. “That’s kind of my home base. I know everything and everybody up there. Simply by being there, I get unique pictures. It’s like anything you do; you get out what you put into it. I’m willing and able to put in more time than most people.” In recent years, Couch has made an annual trip out to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Park in the fall. While many might consider going to such a beautiful part of the country a vacation, he insists it’s not easy work. “Some people say, ‘you’re on vacation,’ but if you’re with me, you wouldn’t call it (that). You’re up at four in the morning, going to bed late, it’s tiring. It’s butt–kicking when you go for 12 days nonstop, 16 hours a day.” Such hard work, though, has paid off, Couch said. “Having done that, I’ve got the best pictures of my life out there this past year when it comes to bears, owls and some other stuff,” he said. “That is by far my favorite place in the world. I hope to move there some day.”
Working out in the wild does have its risks. Couch said he hasn’t had any life–threatening encounters with animals, but has had a few scary run–ins with bad weather. While camping in a tent underneath a tree, a thunderstorm blew a large branch off the tree and onto his tent, crushing it and barely missing him. “All in all, I use my best judgment,” he said. “Even though I push it, it’s not insanely crazy, just a few calculated risks.” While Couch is a hunter, he is also a conservationist and tries to affect his animal subjects as little as he can. “There’s a very fine line when you’re photographing animals, like deer or bear,” Couch said. “The second that you affect the animals behavior is the second that you’ve pushed too far.” Juggling his desire to blend in as naturally as possible with the unpredictable behavior of wild animals, Couch said it’s often difficult to get a good shot. “You know how you get to know your dog or your cat?” he said. “You get a general sense of how they’re going to act. All the animals I photograph are wild and are scared of people. Even though I’ve spent thousands of hours with animals, you like to think you know what’s going to happen, you don’t.” Couch explains being a wildlife photographer requires a unique way of living due to so much time spent traveling. “I’ve had to rebase my life on the way that I want to live and travel,” he said. “If I chose to travel and do all of this, on the other end when I’m back, my social life is off. I’m happy with spending three weeks in a tent, with no electricity or running water, I love that. But that does set me apart from a lot of people.” The rewards, he insists, are entirely worth it. “You have to reinvent yourself and what you do to make it,” Couch said. “I don’t limit myself– anywhere or anything. For me, it’s a lifestyle. It’s who I am and how I live. You just go with it, good or bad, make the best of it.”
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HITTING CLOSE TO HOME
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lthough hundreds of miles away from Auburn, the tornado that hit Moore, Okla. on Monday, May 20 was far too close to home for Carson Stroud, junior in aviation management. While Stroud grew up in Greenwood, S.C., his parents and younger brother currently reside in Moore, and were there when the storm struck. A 2.5 mile wide tornado with reported winds up to 200 miles per hour and an EF-5 ranking – the most powerful type of tornado – hit Moore at approximately 3 p.m. Thousands were displaced from their homes, with hundreds injured and 24 people killed. Stroud said his family’s home was about a mile from the tornado’s destructive path. “We’re extremely blessed, our house wasn’t damaged,” he said. During the storm, Stroud said his mom and brother were at home while his dad was at work, which was approximately 40 minutes east of Moore and out of the tornado’s path. His mom and brother actually watched the tornado descend and come through their town, Stroud said, and then went down to their storm shelter to ride it out. While his family was out of harm’s way, Stroud said he didn’t know until a few hours after the tornado was over that they were O.K. because of power outages and poor cell phone service. “It was incredibly stressful for me,” Stroud said. “I was at work when I found out and I couldn’t get in touch with my mom for several hours. I didn’t know if she was alright.” Stroud’s home and his brother’s school were not damaged during the storm, but many areas, particularly in east Moore,
have substantial damage. “There used to be blocks and blocks of houses, and now there’s sticks where the houses were,” Stroud said. “My mom said there’s flipped up cars everywhere, there’s telephone poles that are bent at 90-degree angles. It looks like a bomb went off.” The community and national support, however, has been incredibly, according to Stroud. “From what I understand, everyone’s banded together pretty much. They’re helping each other out as best as they can, whether it means a meal or clothes.” Stroud said his family is doing everything they can to help out others in their community. “One of my brother’s best friends lost his house completely, so they’re sheltering him and getting him some clothes because he has nothing left,” he said. Additionally, his family has garnered support from friends back in South Carolina. Stroud said they’re getting clothes together from the Greenwood community, and have an account set up at a bank for people to donate money through. Stroud said he wanted to go out to Moore to help, but it would be too chaotic so close after the disaster. He hopes to visit within the next month. There are many ways for people in Auburn to help out, Stroud said, and that the Red Cross and Salvation Army are great organizations to donate through. “If people can help, please help,” Stroud said. “It hits kind of close to home (for) people that live in Alabama, seeing what happened in Tuscaloosa. We just don’t realized how bad that really is. It’s very scary. If I could sum it up in one word, it’s unreal. You don’t realize how bad it is until you go through it.”
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