The Auburn Plainsman

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Vol. 117, Issue 19, 20 Pages

TOOMER’S OAKS POISONED Eric Austin MANAGING EDITOR

Officials from the Alabama State Pesticide Residue Laboratory have confirmed the live oaks at Toomer’s Corner, landmark icons of the city and the University, have been poisoned and are unlikely to survive.

“It was malicious,” said Gary Keever, professor of horticulture. “There’s no other way to look at it.”

Keever said the trees were poisoned with tebuthiuron, commonly known as Spike 80DF. Horticulture experts reported the lowest amount detected was 0.78 parts per million. Keever said a typical measurement of the substance is taken in parts per billion.

“That gives you some idea of how concentrated it is around Toomer’s Oaks,” Keever said.

The trees, estimated to be more than 130 years old, are not expected to survive such a concentrated dose of the poison.

Soil samples were sent to the lab the day after a caller claimed Jan. 27 on air to have poisoned the trees on the Paul Finebaum radio show out of Birmingham.

“I poisoned the two Toomer’s trees,” said an audibly outraged caller who identified himself only as Al from Dadeville. “I put spike 80DF in them. They’re not dead yet, but they definitely will die. Roll Damn Tide.”

The caller said he poisoned the trees following the Iron Bowl in reaction to Auburn fans allegedly rolling the Toomer’s trees after the death of Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1983 and, more recently, taping the No. 2 Cam Newton jersey to the Bryant statue in Tuscaloosa before the 2010 Iron Bowl.

“That puts it at three months ago,” said Scott McElroy, associate professor of weed science in the College of Agriculture.

McElroy said the effects of the poison will be visible at “greening,” when the tree grows its first leaves of spring.

“We should start seeing them over the next few weeks,” McElroy said. “The trees will drop all of their leaves.”

After several cycles of leaf-shedding, McElroy said the trees will begin to die, but the process could take several years. He did not rule out the possibility of the trees recovering.

“They’re very stressed trees anyway,” McElroy said. “No one really knows how much was taken up by the soil. If they survive, they’re not going to look good.”

Keever said activated charcoal was

“

It is understandable to feel outrage in reaction to a malicious act of vandalism. However, we should live up to the example we set in becoming national champions and the beliefs expressed in our Auburn Creed.”

—Jay Gogue AUBURN PRESIDENT

placed on the trees Wednesday morning and an active transpirent, which will stop the tree from losing water, will be laid down Thursday morning in an attempt to stop the spread of poison.

However, if the trees were indeed poisoned three months ago, Keever said the poison could have spread through the soil to surrounding trees. Keever said samples had been taken at 10-foot increments in a 65-foot radius around the trees.

McElroy said the poison is not harmful to humans in small amounts and said he was not concerned about human harm.

“You would have to eat a pound of stuff for it to kill you and several grams for it to make you sick,” McElroy said.

Keever said the poison was also not harmful to wildlife who nest in the trees.

While the investigation is ongoing, McElroy said he hopes it will not be difficult to determine who purchased the poison.

“This is not something everybody goes out and buys,” McElroy said. “There’s only a small amount of people in the state of Alabama who buy this every year.”

McElroy compared the poisoning of the Oaks to the Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas, which was poisoned by a similar substance in 1989, sparking local outrage. The person responsible was apprehended and sentenced to nine years in prison.

President Jay Gogue urged the Auburn family to use caution before rushing to judgement.

“It is understandable to feel outrage in reaction to a malicious act of vandalism,” Gogue said. “However, we should live up to the example we set in becoming national champions and the beliefs expressed in our Auburn Creed.”

PHOTOS BY EMILY ADAMS / PHOTO EDITOR AND MARIA IAMPIETRO / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

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The Auburn Plainsman

DUI ARRESTS IN THE CITY OF AUBURN FEB. 11 – FEB. 14, 2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

CRIME REPORTS FOR FEB. 11 – FEB. 14, 2011

■ John E. Enslen Jr., 22, of Montgomery

South College Street at Shug Jordan Parkway Feb. 11, 3:35 a.m.

■ James P. Naylor, 19, of Cincinatti, Ohio East Longleaf Drive Feb. 12, 1:06 a.m.

■ Elwood H. Barringer III, 22, of Valley

Feb. 11 — Pleasant Avenue Theft of property reported. $109 in cash.

Feb. 12 — Opelika Road Theft of property reported. Miscellaneous women’s clothing items.

Feb. 13 — Opelika Road Theft of property reported. One polo shirt.

Feb. 11 — North Ross Street Auto theft reported. Gray Honda Accord.

Feb. 12 — Rosie Street Burglary of residence reported. One Xbox, four Xbox games, one controller and one flash drive.

Feb. 13 — South College Street Theft of property reported. One Verizon iPhone.

Feb. 11 — South College Street Theft of property reported. 12 packs of Bud Light.

Lee Road 12 Feb. 12, 2:09 a.m.

■ Eduardo C. Aguila, 29, of Michoacan, Mexico

Feb. 11 — Opelika Road Theft of property reported. One TMobile smart phone.

Lee Road 137 Feb. 12, 7:12 p.m.

■ Lonny E. Niehoff Jr., 20, of Chicago, Illinois

Feb. 12 — East Samford Avenue Burglary of residence reported. Golf clubs and bag, clothing, two iPod docking stations, one iPod and one MacBook Pro.

Cox Road at Dawson Drive Feb. 13, 4:11 a.m.

Feb. 13 — Bent Creek Road Theft of property reported. One Alabama license plate.

Feb. 12 — South College Street Theft of property reported. One wallet with $10, one credit card and Auburn University ID’s.

Feb. 14 — Thach Avenue Theft of property reported. One Mac laptop, one i>clicker, one debit card, one backpack, one wallet.

Feb. 13 — South College Street Theft of property reported. One can of power steering fluid, one can of brake fluid and one pack of fuses.

— Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

Sidewalk project gets green light Strategic plan puts students first Madeline Hall WRITER

Traveling around Auburn by foot or bicycle will soon be easier with the work of the South College Street Sidewalk Project and the Safe Routes to School Sidewalk/Crosswalk Project.

The City Council recently allocated more than $260,000 to Walker Patton Company, Inc. for the construction of new sidewalks.

The largest stretch of sidewalk to be built will begin at Blooming Colors on the corner of South College Street and Donahue Drive and run all the way to Shug Jordan Parkway.

“It fills a missing link,” said Jeffrey Ramsey, director of public works. “Auburn will now have sidewalks all linked between the interstate and Drake Avenue.”

Ramsey believes the new sidewalks will be beneficial to students and residents in the area.

“Obviously, there are a lot of students along South College Street with all the residential living nearby,” Ramsey said. “Putting in these sidewalks will give them a safe place to walk to help connect them with all the businesses there.”

Joe Harrell, owner of Big Blue Bookstore on South College Street said he is glad for the added security for students traveling along the side of the road.

“Traffic is high, and it’s pretty hectic most of the time,” Harrell said. “We have lots of customers coming from both sides, so it is a great plus for them.”

From a business perspective, however, Harrell doesn’t think much will change.

“Anything the city can do to help with safety, we are fortunate for, and I think it will be an enhancement,” Harrell said.

The construction is set to begin in three to four weeks after final details of the project are worked out.

“It is probably going to take 90 days,” Ramsey said. “We’re hoping to be

finished by mid-summer.”

Drivers who frequent the South College Street area should not be worried with problems caused by construction.

“Traffic is always an issue, and I encourage students to avoid the section if possible,” Ramsey said.

“But we know there is still going to be traffic, and we just want to keep our workers safe.”

Sidewalks and crosswalks will also be added in four other locations around Auburn for the Safe Routes to School Sidewalk/Crosswalk Project.

“Some of the schools that will be more accessible by sidewalk are Drake Middle School, Cary Woods Elementary, Dean Road Elementary and Wrights Mill Road Elementary School,” said Charles Duggan, city manager.

The funds came from a transportation grant given by the Alabama department of transportation.

“The project is geared toward helping kids get to school if they are biking or walking,” Duggan said.

Auburn locals have appreciated sidewalk projects in the past.

“Sidewalk projects ranked high in interest and satisfaction in our citizen surveys,” Duggan said.

While the need of more crosswalks and sidewalks was recently brought to attention with the death of Dean Marie Wooten, her accident did not spark the project.

“Although that was an unfortunate accident, our plans were well underway before then,” Ramsey said.

“We could see the need for sidewalks by the paths in the grass beside the street.”

Duggan said he wants to keep the quality if life in Auburn as high as possible.

“We are always on the lookout for places in town that need sidewalks, looking at maps, listening to citizens and councilmen,” Duggan said.

“And we will continue doing it as long as there is a need.”

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Derek Lacey CAMPUS EDITOR

The first nine words of the Auburn University Division of Student Affairs strategic plan for 2010–2013 are, “The student is the most important person on campus.”

The plan is made up of four major goals: student learning, student engagement, student retention and health, wellness and safety.

Ainsley Carry, vice president of Student Affairs, is the driving force behind the DSA initiative.

“The student is the center for us,” Carry said. “We are the unit on campus where that is our No. 1 job.”

When putting together the plan, Carry and his staff began by reading publications like USA TODAY and

Chelsea Harvey ASSISTANT CAMPUS EDITOR

Sen. Richard Shelby’s dream is coming true.

The College of Engineering is in the process of completing its new Shelby Center, a cluster of buildings designed specifically to house engineering students.

The project was the brainchild of Shelby and is one of five Shelby Centers that he has helped fund around the state, said James Killian, director of communications and marketing for the College of Engineering.

“It’s been his dream and his vision to have a science technology and engineering center in each of the universities—major universities,” Killian said.

According to Killian, Shelby was able to secure federal funds for part of the center.

State funding covered another portion of the project, and the rest was covered by private funds.

“We raised nearly 20 million dollars in private funding,” Killian said.

Fundraising in the College of Engineering relies heavily on support from alumni, said Veronica Chesnut, director of development for the College of Engineering.

“Well, we do rely on private donations. We work

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with corporations and foundations, we do solicit from companies, so you know just the whole gamut, anybody that you know would have an interest in supporting the College of Engineering,” Chesnut said. “But we do have over 40,000 graduates, so we do have a lot of alumni and friends that we do rely on for support.”

With financial aid taken care of, the Shelby Center has been divided into two phases. The first phase is already complete and has been functioning for several years. It houses the dean’s office, the student services office and two departments: industrial and systems engineering and computer science and software engineering.

The second phase is a work in progress, and is expected to be in use by next spring.

“The second phase will consist of two buildings.

One of those buildings is the mechanical engineering building, and it’s called the Dwight Wiggins Mechanical Engineering Hall. Currently, mechanical engineering shares a building, Ross Hall, with chemical engineering,” Killian said.

“The other building going up is called the Advanced

NEWS 334–844–9109 news@theplainsman.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Eric Austin

student aid.

“Donations and corporations are what will take us to the next level,” he said.

The strategic plan is in its first year, and while no reports on the success of the plan are available, progress is being made toward the goals it is trying to accomplish.

“We began by saying, ‘What’s our big picture?

Where do we want to take students? What do we want to do that’s intentional?’”

Carry said.

The first part of the plan, a mix of assigning tasks and implementing initiatives, is currently underway.

“The first year, it’s all about figuring out the logistics of it,” Carry said.

“We know these things are

important, but we don’t know how to measure it yet.”

As the plan progresses, more actions will be taken to accomplish goals, and the progress can be assessed in order to ensure its validity and importance.

“We’re still building the foundation for our plans, so we’re still trying to get into place what works and what doesn’t work and exactly how do we want to do everything,” Carry said.

The three-year time frame of the plan allows the DSA to accomplish goals and fix problems so their work will still be relevant when finished. » Read the rest online at www.theplainsman.com

Shelby Center near completion

EDITOR 334–844–9021 editor@theplainsman.com

Rod Guajardo

the Chronicle of Higher Education to find out what obstacles students were facing on a national basis.

To fulfill its mission, the plan states a fundraising campaign will attempt to raise $19 million.

“This is what we’re doing with corporations and alum,” Carry said. “We’re going to go out and have donors, ask donors, people who love Auburn, people who want to support different initiatives.”

Included on the fundraising list is $10 million for wellness and sustainability initiatives; $6 million for a new, state-of-the-art leadership center; and $1 million each for a global service initiative, memorial endowment fund and emergency

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—James Killian DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE COLLEGE FOR ENGINEERING

Research Center. What that building will allow us to do is it will create flexible research space for us so that all departments in the College of Engineering can do research in that building.

So let’s say that you’re a professor and you have a project or a contract, you can arrange to do your research there.”

The space currently occupied by the Shelby Center was previously used for the old student health center and a men’s dormitory, Killian said.

The health center has since been moved to a new location on Lem Morrison Drive, and the men’s dormitory has been accounted for by the new residence halls in the Village.

Scott Gentry, senior in mechanical engineering, said he looks forward to the increased space for future

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We raised nearly 20 million dollars in private funding.”

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mechanical engineering students.

“Mechanical engineers have to know a little about electrical, a little about mechanical, as well as the chemical, so we have to be kind of a jack of all trades in each discipline. So that does us a little bit of good to have that interaction that we gain from sharing buildings, but I feel like as a unique discipline we would gain a lot from having our own little space,” Gentry said.

The Shelby Center is expected to create better working conditions for all departments of engineering.

“So when mechanical moves down to the building here in the Shelby Center, this will not only let mechanical have the kinds of facilities they need (to be a) first rate program, it will also let chemical engineering use up the freed up space in Ross Hall so that they have better facilities too,” Killian said. “You know, our enrollment’s been growing over the years. Right now the College of Engineering’s the largest college at the University. So we need this kind of space to support our student growth and also to support the research that our faculty does.”

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

A Page A3

Daddy, may I have this dance?

Rebekah Weaver / Assistant Photo Editor

A father thrills his daughter by lifting her in the air at Daddy-Daughter Date Night Saturday.

The 22nd annual Daddy-Daugther Date Night sold out, drew more than 1,000 Elizabeth Fite Staff Writer

Couples dressed to impress gathered at the Lexington Hotel on College Street for a night of dining and dancing; however, more noticeable than the elaborate dresses was the significant height difference in the pairs.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were soldout nights for Auburn Parks and Recreation’s 22nd annual Daddy-Daughter Date Night.

Jim Perry has been deployed in Bahrain for six months and took a two-week leave to return home for a date night with his 10-year-old daughter, Rachel.

The couple has attended the event every year since 2005.

Rachel, a fifth grader at Sanford Middle School in Opelika, said she was jumping up

and down with excitement when her dad surprised her by picking her up at school that day.

“My favorite part is being with my dad, and he’s fun to dance with,” Rachel said.

Of all the activities at the date night, the culmination of the evening is the dancing contest, said Alison Hall, community programs director and organizer of the event.

“The dads will take off their jackets and ties—this contest is serious,” Hall said.

“Sometimes I think the dads will have a heart attack.”

Hala Buckhalt, 13, a seventh grader from Drake Middle School in Auburn, and father Joe, 2007 dance contest winners, were also in attendance.

Joe said the pair always enjoys attending the event, and he said he has fond memories of the year they won the dance contest.

“We did a lot of spinning and somehow I found surges of adrenaline and threw her up in the air,” he said.

A total of 1,365 people attended the event, Hall said.

The theme for this year’s Date Night was candy, and there was certainly no shortage » See Date, A4

Rebekah Weaver / Assistant Photo Editor

A young girl jumps in excitement while she dances with her father at the 22nd annual Daddy-Daughter Date Night hosted by Auburn Parks and Recreation Saturday.

Hubbard creates commission to boost job market Liz Conn Associate Campus Editor

Rebekah Weaver / Assistant Photo Editor

Museum curator Jessie Summers talks with another member at Lee County Historical Society’s heirloom cake contest.

Cake contest brings back heirloom tastes Kala Bolton Writer

Heirloom cake recipes may be old, but the Lee County Historical Society made sure they didn’t become stale at its first heirloom cake contest Saturday in Loachapoka.

An heirloom cake must be made from a recipe handed down through at least three generations or one that is 100 years old.

“Each entry had to have some kind of documentation from where it came from,” said Deborah McCord, secretary of the Historical Society Board and chair of the education program, “either a recipe book or a handwritten recipe if it was from a family member,

passed down from generation to generation.”

This is the first year the contest has been held, and McCord said the idea came about when board members were trying to figure out ways to increase awareness of the community’s history and culture.

“We were trying to think of other things we could do to demonstrate our heritage,” McCord said. “Someone thought about the old recipes that our grandmothers and greatgrandmothers used to bake.”

Eleven cakes were entered, the baker of each hoping to win the $25 grand prize. While most recipes were passed down through family members, some

were found elsewhere.

“This recipe is from a book that my daughter and I got when we were in Indiana,” said Mary Ellen Farrington of Auburn. Her entry, which took third place in the competition, is called a “cup cake.” Farrington said the recipe is from the 1830s.

“It only has butter, sugar, flour and eggs in it,” Farrington said. “I’m sure they cooked it in skillets and stuff over the fire, but of course I didn’t have anything like that, so I just cooked it till I thought it was done.”

The first place cake was baked by Peggy Mitchell of Auburn. Her “Lane Cake” included cherries, pecans and, » See Cakes, A4

In a bleak job market, Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the state House of Representatives, is working to give Alabama businesses a boost.

Hubbard has created a commission that will collaborate with state business owners to increase job growth.

“Both sides of the aisle during the last campaign ran on the platform of creating jobs,” Hubbard said, “and we need to prove to the people that that was just not empty political rhetoric, that we actually meant it, and we’re going to do something about it.”

State Rep. Phil Williams said the plan rests on the principle that the people who are most likely to create new jobs are existing business owners.

“They’re the ones that should be supported, strengthened, helped,” Williams said, “so that they in turn can go create another job or two.”

The Commission on Job Creation, led by Williams, will hold several meetings in major cities across Alabama during the next few months.

“We’re actually going to go out and do what the government usually doesn’t do,” Williams said. “We’re going

to go out and sit quietly and listen and let other people talk.”

Williams said the commission will meet with entrepreneurs, CEOs and majority shareholders to brainstorm ways to expand companies’ payrolls.

“These are the folks that, day in and day out, are making a payroll, that are actually creating the jobs out there,” said Todd Stacy, Hubbard’s press secretary. ”The best thing the legislature can do is listen to them and get their input.”

The first meeting was held Feb. 15 in Huntsville.

It was not closed to the public, but Williams said he wasn’t advertising it, either.

“There’s a very different way that a business owner sees the world, and those are the people that are invited and will be invited to speak,” Williams said.

Williams said proposals from business owners might include incentives such as tax credits.

“If suddenly investors were to get a small tax credit for investing in Alabama, they would invest,” Williams said. “Those companies would in turn have capital to go hire people.”

Williams said after the series of meetings is finished, » See Commission, A4

Community A4

The Auburn Plainsman compete globally against China and India,” Williams said. “We’re going to do that by revamping the way we do business in Alabama, and we’re open for ideas.”

Hubbard said the overarching goal is to improve the job outlook for college graduates.

“The job market out there right now is not very good,” Hubbard said. “I understand that in government, we don’t create jobs. What we can do is we can incentivize and enable the private sector to create jobs. I think this is something every Auburn student should be watching and following with interest.”

COMMISSION » From A3

his commission will make recommendations on ways to incorporate the business owners’ suggestions into Alabama law.

The recommendations will go before the Economic Development Committee, led by Rep. Barry Mask.

Williams said the legislature will then use the successful recommendations from this session to pass laws that will aid state businesses or remove regulations that currently hinder them.

“We’ve got to be able to

Dinner was served downstairs, with the upstairs of the hotel ballroom being reserved for dancing to music from DJ Ozz. The DJ played favorites such as the “Hokey Pokey,” Miley Cyrus and Taio Cruz.

However, it was Justin Bieber’s song “Baby” that received the most enthusiastic screams of approval.

Other features of the event included a professional photographer and coupons for other events around town to encourage dads and daughters to have more nights together throughout the year.

DATE

» From A3 in quantity or variety.

Guests were treated to a candy bar consisting of M&Ms, candy corn, Skittles, gummy bears, Sour Punch straws, Hershey’s Kisses, Sweet Tarts and peppermints, as well as Gigi’s cupcakes.

Valentine’s candy decorations adorned the walls, tables and ceilings.

Dinner from Chick-fil-A on Magnolia Avenue, goody bags and numerous door prizes were also provided.

AUBURN GAS MONITOR WEEK OF FEB. 17 Location

Reg

Mid

Prem

Shell — Glenn and Gay

2.969

3.089

3.209

Circle K — Glenn and Gay

2.979

3.119

3.259

Walmart — South College

2.989

3.109

3.229

Shell — Wire

2.999

3.139

3.279

Chevron — South College

3.099

3.299

3.499

Chevron — University

3.159

3.259

3.359

BP — Samford and Gay

3.159

3.259

3.599

Exxon — Wire

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3.299

3.399

Chevron — Glenn

3.199

3.369

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Chevron — Wire

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3.399

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Average

3.095

3.234

3.383

$3.40 $3.15 $2.90 $2.65 $2.40 Jan.27, 2011

Feb. 3, 2011

Regular

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Feb. 10, 2011

Mid

Feb. 17, 2011

Premium

DANIEL FRIDAY / PHOTO STAFF

Disc Jockeys for Dead?Wait! provide entertainment for the masquerade ball hosted by The Layman Group at Pebble Hill.

Carnivále unmasks local artists Molly Montgomery WRITER

Guests at The Layman Group’s Carnivále didn’t want to show their faces.

At the masqueradethemed party inspired by Cirque Du Soleil, guests were greeted with a red carpet and mingled in formal gowns and sequined masks under a romantically lit tent.

The ball was held Feb. 12 at Pebble Hill and benefited artists connected with The Layman Group, a nonprofit art organization whose purpose is to promote local art in the Auburn area and throughout the state.

The night of glamour and mystery was also a showcase for artistic talents.

Doc Waller, founder of The Layman Group, contacted local vendors and artists to create a different experience for attendees.

Waller said the ball was an opportunity for people to come out and have fun as well as learn about what The Layman Group does.

“We deal with visual art, music, dance,” said Ashley Mobley, events ambassador for The Layman Group.

“If people think it’s art, then we want to see it.”

The ball highlighted several artists and merchants from nearby areas

DANIEL FRIDAY / PHOTO STAFF

Kelly Davino and Chase Cox enjoy a night of dancing at the Carnivále masquerade ball Feb. 12. including dancers, musicians, makeup artists and a local brewing company.

The décor was a Southern twist on a masquerade with stylish conversational areas set up throughout the tent. Vintage couches and contemporary tables topped with rose petals mixed together to create the backdrop.

“A lot of smiles on a lot of faces, and that’s what this is all about,” Waller said.

“We just want to make some people happy.”

Brad Wilson, event participation coordinator with Back Forty Beer Company, said he was glad to help The Layman Group support local artists.

“It took a lot of philanthropy for us to get started,” Wilson said. “We wanted to give that philanthropy back.”

The ball featured a performance by Dance Truck,

an Atlanta based contemporary dance company, as well as music by Adventure, a band made up of Auburn undergraduates.

“We’ve done some stuff with The Layman Group before,” said Chandler Jones, freshman and Adventure band member. “We did their Feed the Band series and they asked us to do this, too, so we’re really glad to be here.”

While guests were entertained with musical and theatrical performances, they also enjoyed refreshments provided by Earth Fare and Opelika Pork Tour, a championship barbecue team from the Auburn-Opelika area.

“We’re trying to get out there and let people see who we are and what we do,” Mobley said.

“We’re not all business— we want to have fun—we want people to be involved as much as they possibly can.”

Mobley said proceeds from the event will be used to help The Layman Group fund upcoming art projects in the community, including art exhibits and workshops.

They will also help support Geste, The Layman Group’s company of dancers and local artists.

REBEKAH WEAVER / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

An onlooker waits for the winning cakes to be announced before the cake tasting begins at the heirloom cake contest.

CAKES » From A3

surprisingly, Scotch whisky.

McCord said while not everyone could take home the grand prize, she hoped it was a fun activity for those involved and helped raise awareness about the Historical Society.

“We thought it would be a good way to get people to come out and see what we have to offer,” McCord said.

“There are still a lot of people in Auburn, Opelika, Lee County and surrounding counties that don’t know about us, and we’ve been here since 1968.”

The Historical Society is planning to collect all heirloom recipes used in the contest and compile a book by the end of the year.

“We’re hoping that in a couple of months we’ll have a pie contest,” McCord said. “We might have other

kinds of contests during the year on second Saturdays trying to collect these recipes for an heirloom cookbook.”

The entry fee for each cake was $5, and slices were sold for $1 following the judging. All proceeds went toward renovating parts of the museum, like the cook house.

“Apparently, the building is in need of repair and a new oven,” Farrington said.

“So one of the things that this cake contest is supposed to do is start raising money for that.”

While the cake contest was the main attraction Saturday, other activities included open-hearth cooking, Valentine’s Day card-making, spinning and weaving classes and an open house at the blacksmith shop. These activities take place throughout the year at the museum.

“A lot of parents and grandparents come out

REBEKAH WEAVER / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

An heirloom cake is made from a recipe that is more than 100 years old or handed down through three generations. with their children,” McCord said. “It’s something that’s educational, it’s fun and it’s free.”

Through the museum and reenactments, the Historical Society aims to educate residents on the history of the area.

“Loachapoka was three times as big as Auburn 150 years ago,” said Deena Rowell, board member and Loachapoka resident. “This was the hoppin’ place.

Auburn was nothing.”

With various upcoming events, including the 39th annual Historical Fair, Syrup Sopping Saturday and the heirloom pie contest, members of the Historical Society board said they hope local residents will become more aware of all the Historical Society has to offer.

“This is a secret that we don’t want kept,” Rowell said.

Commentary

A5

www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Community

Battered, but not broken “ Our View

Wednesday, the Auburn family learned the tragic news that its beloved oak trees at Toomer’s Corner have been poisoned.

Though the investigation is ongoing, all of the signs point to the actions of a lone criminal who was outraged following his team’s loss in the Iron Bowl.

While every member of the Auburn family is undoubtedly outraged at the deplorable actions of this man, we must exercise caution and sound judgement in a moment like this.

Now is the time when we show what makes Auburn the classiest school in the Southeastern Conference, and for that matter, the entire nation.

At this time we do not have all of the facts. At the time of this printing, an arrest has not been made in the investigation.

We do not know how long the trees have to live or how far the damage has spread.

Though it is easy to point the finger at the University of Alabama, the crime was committed by a single actor, and though his loyalties may lie with the Tide, his actions do not represent the University of Alabama community.

Nonetheless, another ugly page has certainly been turned in this most historic of rivalries.

Now is not a time for outrage. It is a time for us to come

together as a university.

Following the most exciting season in most of our lives, Auburn has been a city of nonstop jubilation.

Joy is the only word that could be used to describe the spirit this community has felt in the weeks since our NCAA National Championship victory.

Wednesday’s news will not change this. Ours is a spirit that is not afraid. We proved this time and again this season.

When we were written off, we battled back.

Yes, we will mourn. But this community will come back with a roar heard beyond Tuscaloosa.

We do not know for how much longer we have our trees.

In the meantime, we will roll them as we have done with every victory celebration. We will party downtown with our trees towering behind us. We will snap pictures with friends and share in the joy Toomer’s has given this town for generations.

Now is a time to sing the fight song. Now is a time to shake our shakers and pump our fists.

Now is a time to link arms and sing our Alma Mater before the beautiful oaks that hold more than a century of memories.

Now we will raise our voices as one and shout, “War Eagle!”

Let the nation hear us. Again.

Being average is not always a bad thing Christen Harned PHOTO@ THEPLAINSMAN.COM

I don’t see what’s so wrong with being average. I’ve spent my entire life doing just that.

Most people might see this statement as selling myself short, but I call it being realistic.

Tragically, your kindergarten teacher lied to you when she told you that everyone can be exceptional. The truth is that people can only be exceptional when being compared to someone who is less than exceptional.

I don’t mind admitting that I’m average because that’s exactly what I am. Average grades,

average height and an average job equal an average life.

Naturally we all have our moments of staggering kindness, hilarity, brilliance or whatever, but for the most part a lot of us are average, and that’s OK. I imagine that doing otherwise would be exhausting.

I used to get offended at the thought of being average because the word seems to carry a negative connotation when it shouldn’t. Average does not mean bad.

While it isn’t necessarily exciting, there’s nothing wrong with it.

During the summer and winter holidays, I don’t go jet-setting to exotic locales. Instead, I go home and work in a restaurant and save money for the upcoming semester—which is

about as typical as it gets.

Like I said, boring, but not bad.

Have I ever wished that I was the beauty queen or the smartest kid in class?

Sure, with the exception of Miss America and the valedictorian, who hasn’t?

But I feel like people should recognize the word average for what it is. Think about any data, such as test scores, that’s plotted on a bell curve. There’s always some that lie on the low end of the scale and the higher end; however, most of us sit in the middle.

That’s all average is. That’s all it means.

At the end of the day I may fall in the middle of the bell curve, but I can say I’m content with just being myself, and

that’s all that really matters.

Being average is more than just the participation trophy of life; it’s what makes the world go ‘round. You can’t have a world where everyone sits at the top of the bell curve, where everyone is the prettiest, smartest, kindest person because then no one could be that person.

So give being average a chance. After all, that’s what most people are.

I choose not to worry about trying to seem exceptional. Besides, there’s always one thing in my life that I’ll always be exceptional at and that’s being average.

So if it’s all right with everyone, I’ll rest on my laurels of being exceptionally average and take life as it comes.

Girlfriends still want, need friends too Jillian Clair NEWS@ THEPLAINSMAN.COM

Senior year of college may be just as awkward as those wejust-don’t-talk-about-it-anymore middle school years.

I remember back in middle school when all the girls were “going out” with boys (where we went I still don’t know), and everyone seemed to be pairing up like penguins. Social circles began to revolve around who had gone out with Zach or who liked Kevin.

It certainly hasn’t stopped since then, but up until now, balancing friends and relationships was kind of easy—it’s not like people were talking about getting married or anything.

Well, now they are. We are.

Everyone is. I’m one of them, and I’m not ashamed to say it.

I love my boyfriend.

But it suddenly seems like a girl’s gotta pick between being in a relationship and having friends.

My friends are great, and this isn’t an angry rant aimed at them, but let’s face it: when they think about who to call for a Friday night hangout, it’s generally not me.

“Oh, I thought you’d be hanging out with Scott, so I didn’t call.”

That makes total sense, of course, because at this point in so many women’s lives, they’re so wrapped up in Mr. Right that they ditch their friends who haven’t found him yet.

There’s reason behind the stereotype. Girls with boyfriends are known to decline invitations, leave parties early and talk too much about how wonderful their boyfriend is.

We’ve been groomed for this day all our lives, and when it actually comes, a lot of women buckle under the pressure and stay glued to their boyfriends’

sides, afraid to leave him alone for even a second.

But there are some of us who don’t drop everything for a man, and we still get the shaft based solely on principle.

That group of friends you used to crush on boys with— generally called the “Fab Four” or something like that—looks different now that one of the boys actually made a move.

Tension arises.

Part of that is because of the newly-in-love girl’s sickeningly repetitive stories about her perfect romance (when she doesn’t flake out all together on your plans), and part of that might be just a twinge of jealousy from the others. No one is completely to blame.

Fellow girlfriends, we have to realize that he’s not the center of our world. Our friends have been around a lot longer than him, and, in many cases, they’re going to be around long after he’s gone. Make time for them.

Their love for you is valuable

and can’t possibly be replaced by any man, no matter how wonderful you think he is.

Face it, he will never actually enjoy watching Julia Roberts movies with you, and he probably tunes you out when you talk for more than five minutes straight about the new dress you want to buy. Sometimes, you just need girlfriends.

All the single ladies, give your friend some grace. You’ll be just as giddy and flaky when you find your guy. The first couple of months of a friend’s new relationship will test your patience, but as the newness wears off, she’ll probably stop talking about him so much. Be patient.

Most of all, keep calling her. Tell her you miss her.

Ask her to go to lunch or have a sleepover. Don’t assume she’s busy before you even ask.

Love and the idea of marriage are beautiful things, and so is friendship. We all want both, and everyone has to work to keep the balance.

Your View

Chubb’s slap on the wrist shameful for Auburn basketball team, family Loved your letter on Chubb letting his team and the school down.

Unfortunately, Coach Barbee seems to think that an apology to the team is sufficient enough to let him back on the team to play.

How about an apology to the Auburn family and an apology

to the officer that he injured while resisting arrest?

We talk about how integrity is such a large part of the Auburn family. His actions showed me that he has no integrity.

He was a coward running from the police taking no responsibility for his actions.

Has Auburn basketball become so concerned with winning that they throw aside their integrity for a win?

Your last line of your editorial stated, “the unlawful actions committed last week have more than likely guaranteed Chubb will never wear an Auburn uniform again”.

When I heard he was kicked off the team (not suspended) I thought, “Good for you Coach Barbee. Show the AU family what we stand for and what we won’t tolerate”.

Guess I spoke too soon.

—Jan King

No one really knows how much (poison) was taken up by the soil.

If they survive, they’re not going to look good.”

—Scott McElroy, professor “TOOMER’S CORNER POISONED” A1

Last week’s question:

How did you spend your Valentine’s day?

With my significant other 36% With strangers at the bar 35% With a pint of ice cream 29%

This week’s question:

How did you react to the news about Toomer’s oaks? ❍ I broke down and cried. ❍ I was angry, but calm. ❍ Pitchforks and torches!

Vote at www.theplainsman.com

Keep close the ties that bond Lindsay Rife INTRIGUE@ THEPLAINSMAN.COM

is.

I wouldn’t say my heart is where my home

Don’t get me wrong—I love my hometown. I love everything about it. But the thing is: I’ve had a lot of hometowns, met a lot more people along the way and as a result have said a lot of goodbyes.

Some people were born and raised in the same town their entire life, maybe calling people their best friends on and off, maybe having the same one since preschool.

To those people, their heart is where their home is. Everything they may know and love is in that one special place. But to me, home is where my heart is.

And my heart is all over the place.

I haven’t lived in the same state as my two best friends since the third grade.

Is it strange that I’ve kept the same best friends since first grade? Sure. But I can’t see my life being any other way.

That’s why home is where the heart is— home is who, not where, has your heart.

Family and good friends held over the years should be above all.

Through relationships like those with good friends, we can be constantly reminded of the solid rocks on which we will always have to stand and be reassured that any move made in life will signify no separation from the people we love.

This philosophy helped me tremendously during the move away from my family and friends to Auburn—keeping those “solid rocks” of relationships close to my heart helped me move on.

College is a huge step in everyone’s journey, and I am sure we are all enjoying new relationships to hold on to. Let this be an encouragement to both you and myself to keep in touch.

We humans are social creatures with a need for attention and affection. But so many times, we let relationships fade. We put off keeping in touch until it’s too late.

Please don’t let it fade. Take it from someone who knows—investing time and love in a friendship or any relationship is the most valuable investment you could possibly make.

With this in mind I will hold onto the special people of my past, but move forward with everything in me.

Won’t it be great to look back in 50 years and see that long after the work is finished and goals are or are not achieved, the people you love are still by your side?

The Editorial Board

Mailing Address

Submissions

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Rod Guajardo

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EDITOR

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DESIGN EDITOR

Eric Austin – chair

Miranda Dollarhide Emily Clever

Auburn Student Center Suite 1111H Auburn, AL 36849

MANAGING EDITOR

INTRIGUE EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

Contact

Jillian Clair

Crystal Cole

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NEWS EDITOR

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Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334–844–4130 Email . .opinion@theplainsman.com

The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students as well as from faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University. Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on the Monday for publication. Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length.

The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. These unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the 9-member editorial board and are the official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.

Community A6

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Traffic lights to receive updates Jeremy Gerrard ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Traffic lights and pedestrian signals at the intersections along College and Gay streets in downtown Auburn will be updated in the coming months.

The Auburn City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the old incandescent halogen bulbs and replace the lights with LEDs. According to city manager Charles Duggan, the new LEDs will be brighter, help the city conserve energy and will last longer.

Duggan added the pedestrian signals will feature new button fixtures and a countdown sequence to help pedestrians use caution when crossing the street, stressing that safety

is the city’s main concern.

Stone Electric Company Inc., who supplied the lowest bid, received the contract for the project.

While many cities around the country are switching to LED traffic lights, northern cities have experienced problems with snow accumulating on the lights, making their colors indistinguishable to drivers. The heat produced from the old halogen bulbs melts the snow on contact, but the new LEDs do not generate enough heat to melt snow.

This will generally not be an issue for Auburn; however, as the last few years have yielded some snow accumulation, should a problem arise the city would be at a disadvantage as far as

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The Council also agreed to amend a zoning ordinance for the city, which stipulated the placement and size of signs that can be placed outside shopping centers. The new amendments will allow for bigger signs proportional to the total space occupied by the shopping centers.

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Sheriff Jones finds intrinsic rewards in his work for the county Elizabeth Fite STAFF WRITER

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, a 35-year employee of the department, just began his fourth term as sheriff.

Jones was elected sheriff for the first time in 1998.

“I really work hard to educate people on what the sheriff ’s office really does,” Jones said. “We do so much more than just law enforcement.”

Jones is originally from Montgomery and graduated from Lanier High School.

He graduated from Auburn in 1976 with a degree in law enforcement, making him the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Jones said his law enforcement career began as a result of his senior internship at the old Lee County Sheriff ’s office on Ninth Street in Opelika.

“I reported to the sheriff ’s office, and my first assignment was to clean the bathroom,” Jones said.

After his fall internship, Sheriff Jim Pearson offered Jones a paid position.

During his early years at the department, Jones worked in the jail as a communication officer receiving 911 calls, and he was later offered a commission as a deputy sheriff.

The two sheriffs who preceded him, Pearson

EMILY ADAMS / PHOTO EDITOR

Sheriff Jay Jones has had four terms in office since 1998. and Herman Chapman, were major influences in Jones’ decision to pursue the position of sheriff.

“I just admire both of those men for their dedication to public service, and they both were advocates of service to the people, and that stuck with me,” Jones said. “They were great mentors.”

Jones said there are many aspects of his job that are rewarding, but some of his most enjoyable moments come from working with the people in his office and being able to make a positive impact on their lives.

“It really bothers me to see somebody treated unfairly, and that goes a long way to motivate me,” Jones said. “If someone makes it their business to cause injustice to others, then it’s our job to try and set that straight.”

As for the challenges of being sheriff, Jones said they have evolved during

the years. Currently, the biggest challenge is the budget.

“The economy affects our funding, and our level of funding affects our ability to provide services,” Jones said.

He said even though the balance between budget and services is a constant struggle, the lack of funds does promote creativity and improvisation that seem to unify the department.

Jones said having the University in his jurisdiction has an impact on his job as sheriff, but that impact is a positive one.

“It keeps the community vibrant—you’re exposed to new ideas from different segments of interest,” Jones said. “Plus, there are opportunities to partner with the University and develop better ways to do what we do.” » Read the rest online at www.theplainsman.com

Campus Thursday, February 17, 2011

Choir show

Disney program

» PAGE B5

» PAGE B3

www.theplainsman.com

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Bullying brought full circle with KARMA foundation Liz Conn ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR

When it comes to bullying, Jessica Brookshire believes what goes around comes around.

Brookshire, graduate student in Spanish, hopes to teach children this lesson through the foundation she started in 2009, Kids Against Ridicule, Meanness and Aggression.

“You have to understand that every decision you make is going to come back to you,” Brookshire said. “The way life works, it comes back tenfold. If you choose to ignore your teachers and you choose to hurt your classmates, one day you’re going to find you’re in a situation you don’t want to be in.”

Brookshire, 23, said her epiphany to start KARMA happened when a girl at Smiths Station Intermediate School asked her what to do when other students are mean to her.

“I said, ‘You have to kill them with kindness. You be the nicest person in the room so it makes them look foolish to be mean to you,’” Brookshire said. “And she said, ‘If I was as pretty as you, they wouldn’t make fun of me.’ My heart just broke.

I realized that I had blocked out all these memories.”

Brookshire said she faced extreme amounts of bullying in school.

“I would fake illness so I didn’t have to go to school,” she said, “and when I did have to go to school, I really would get sick from anxiety from being around my classmates.”

“

You have to understand that every decision you make is going to come back to you. The way life works, it comes back to you tenfold.”

—Jessica Brookshire GRADUATE STUDENT IN SPANISH

The effects of being bullied followed her to college, Brookshire said.

“I was afraid to walk in crowded rooms by myself,” Brookshire said. “Walking into a classroom late wasn’t even an option. If I was late to class, I skipped it because I was scared of being made fun of.”

Through KARMA, Brookshire has spoken to more than 70,000 students at school assemblies. She recently spoke to the sixthand seventh-graders at Drake Middle School.

“Jessica will talk to kids on a level where they really get it and understand it,” said Sandy Resa, assistant vice principal at Drake. “It was a really great experience for our children.”

Resa said bullying isn’t a major problem at Drake.

“Many times it’s teasing,” Resa said, “but she did a great job of explaining the difference. If it makes somebody uncomfortable, it’s bullying.”

Brookshire said victims of bullying generally either implode or explode.

“When they explode, they lash out with acts of violence,” Brookshire said.

“When they implode, they hurt themselves, which is when you get kids that will cut themselves, eating disorders, anxiety, panic attacks and suicide.”

Brookshire recently shared her story at a town hall meeting in Montgomery.

After she spoke, a 14-yearold girl approached Brookshire backstage and pulled up the sleeves of her shirt.

“Her arms were just mutilated,” said DiDi Henry, public relations director for KARMA. “It was horrible.

The girl said she was contemplating suicide because of the bullying she had gone through.”

Henry said the girl is now going through counseling to help her cope with the pain of being bullied.

“It’s overwhelming,” Brookshire said. “I always say that out of a thousand kids at an assembly, if one kid listens to me or one kid feels better or one kid is talked down from suicidal thoughts or one kid changes the way they talk to somebody, I’ve accomplished enough.”

After she earns her master’s from Auburn, Brookshire said she plans to go to law school.

“We’ve forgotten how to be nice to each other,” Henry said. “Jessica is school-byschool, student-by-student, teaching them the value of human kind again.”

CHRISTEN HARNED / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Jessica Brookshire started Kids Against Ridicule, Meanness and Aggression, a foundation to help kids deal with bullying.

Fifth women’s conference helps build leadership skills Kate Jones WRITER

The Women’s Resource Center is holding the fifth annual Women’s Leadership Conference Feb. 22–23.

The theme for this year’s conference is Woman2 Rising to the Next Power.

Carrie Kilpatrick, diversity initiatives coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center, said the mathematical theme was created to match the workshops’ names to the conference name and to promote women in math and science.

“We’re also talking about how together we are so much infinitely stronger and bringing ourselves to a new level of leadership because we are connecting,” Kilpatrick added. “Women are actually building networks now, so leadership is being brought to a whole new level.”

Women as leaders in

today’s society are becoming more prevalent.

Kilpatrick said women now make up 51 percent of the workforce and hold 30 percent of the CEO and executive positions, but most are still in lower level positions.

“So what we really want people to know and what we want to instill in young women: you can take those leadership roles, you can hold higher paying positions, and you can break that glass ceiling,” Kilpatrick said. “We’re trying to encourage because more women are working now, but more women can take a hand in their organization and in the group that they are actually working for.”

Through workshops, panel discussions and highlighted speakers, women will have the opportunity to build their leadership skills and connect with

professional women.

The conference will begin with a panel discussion titled “Be the Change: The Possibilities are Endless.”

Panelists will be professionals from the community including n o n profit and social work leaders.

Kilpatrick said most of the questions they receive c o n cern women want- ing to bring about change, but not knowing where they want their focus to be.

The panel will discuss “tips for finding what you are interested in, tips for

organizing after you find what you are interested in a n d ways to get together with your community,” Kilpatrick said.

As a part of the Women of Auburn Helping Women p r o gram, the Miss Auburn Wo m e n’s Leadership initiative will present ESPN A n chorwoman and host of First Take Dana Jacobson to conclude the first day of the conference.

The WOAH Women program was started to give back to the student body

and to help give women the chance to network and bring various speakers to talk on issues that affect women today.

Kristi MeGahee, Miss Auburn 2010–2011, said Jacobson will speak on what it is like to be a woman in a “man’s world” and the trials and tribulations she has faced in her career.

“We hope that through Dana coming to speak, women see that they too can follow their dreams and achieve them by staying true to who they are,” MeGahee said.

The second day of the conference will provide several workshops on topics including self defense, healthy relationships, financial stability and food sustainability.

Leading the food sustainability workshop will be 2011 Miss Auburn candidate Courtni Ward, whose

platform was food sustainability.

The workshops will be divided into two parts; the first hour will be instructional and the second part will be interactive.

The conference is designed for women of all ages, not only college-age and older.

Kilpatrick said faculty, staff, high school students and members of the Young Women Leaders Program, a mentor program for girls at Auburn Junior High School, are attending.

“All walks of life are coming,” Kilpatrick said. “We have something for everybody.”

Katy Battle, who was mentored in the YWLP, attended the conference last year with her mentor.

“It was pretty fun,” Battle said. “We did all these workshops and learned about » See WLC, B2

College of Agriculture distinguishes five in banquet Destiny Brown WRITER

Alabamians who have supported the state’s agriculture are to be recognized at the Agriculture Alumni Association annual meeting and Hall of Honor banquet for their contributions to the industry.

Five individuals will be inducted into the alumni association’s Hall of Honor on Feb. 22 at the Auburn Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.

The Hall of Honor was established in 1984 with the purpose to bestow honor and recognition upon living

Alabamians who have made significant contributions to the agriculture industry in Alabama.

“It’s a great way for the College of Ag to honor and give something back to the people who have done so much for the advancement of the College of Agriculture and agriculture in general,” said Kirk Cogle, senior in agriculture communications.

Jerry Newby, Dallas Hartzhog and Harold Pate will be recognized by AAA for their contributions in three sectors of the industry.

Jerry Newby of Athens will be recognized for his

work in the agribusiness sector of agriculture.

Dallas Hartzhog of Headland will be honored for his work in education and government.

Harold Pate of Lowndesboro will be recognized for his work in production agriculture.

The biographical plaques of these Hall of Honor inductees will be displayed on the first floor of Comer Hall.

Along with the Hall of Honor inductions, the AAA will present the 2011 Agricultural Pioneer Award to the families of two recipients. The 2011 recipients of

the Pioneer Award are the late John “Doc” Cottier, former poultry science faculty member at Auburn, and the late B.W. “Buck” Appleton, a leader in the Alabama poultry industry.

The Pioneer Award was established in 1995 to posthumously recognize individuals whose lives and work impacted the Alabama agriculture industry.

Past recipients of the Pioneer Award have ranged from faculty administrators to farmers and ranchers.

The brass plate that lists each year’s recipients of the Pioneer Award can also be

found on the first floor of Comer Hall.

In past years, the banquet has had a large turnout, with attendees ranging from students to agricultural leaders and politicians.

“No doubt many in attendance will be future recipients of the Hall of Honor award,” said Donald Mulvaney, associate professor for the department of animal sciences.

Behind the scenes of the banquet, Elaine Rollo and Martha Patterson, both administrative support specialists for the College of Agriculture, work to organize

and script the annual event.

“Agriculture Alumni Association members are nationwide. Our association hosts around 1,700 members,” Rollo said.

Most members are from Alabama, but have moved elsewhere in the country.

“We already have 220 guests attending, and I expect there to be many more in attendance by next weekend,” Rollo said.

Tickets to the 2011 Hall of Honor banquet are $50 and are available to the public.

For more information, contact Elaine Rollo at 334844-3204.

Campus B2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Record number of Merit Scholars shows AU quality Annie Faulk STAFF WRITER

The Plains just got a little brighter with record enrollment of National Merit Scholars.

“The enrollment of 134 National Merit Scholars summer and fall 2010 is a record, up from 64 last year,” said Velda Rooker, director of University scholarships.

The significant increase in National Merit Scholars places in third, with the most National Merit Scholars in the Southeastern Conference.

Out of the 343 schools at which these scholars were enrolled, the University ranked 16th.

The Scholars not only bring intelligence and prestige to Auburn, but they also represent diversity throughout the student body.

“These students are also enrolled in nine of Auburn’s 10 undergraduate colleges and schools, affecting student academics by demonstrating interest in a broad range of majors,” Rooker said.

Annually, more than 10,000 students enter the National Achievement Program and approximately 4,800 receive recognition.

Of the recognized students, 1,600 are deemed semifinalists and proceed to the next level to compete for the National Achievement Scholarships.

Last year, the National

PLAINSMAN ARCHIVES

Participants crowd last year’s Women’s Leadership Conference at AU Student Center.

WLC

» From B1 relationships. My favorite part was the workshop on self-respect and boundaries.”

Amy Hecht, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon, and the Women of Distinction Awards will be presented at that time.

In addition, there will be an award given to Marie Wooten, former dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, who was killed in a pedestrian accident in November.

The conference will take place in the Student Center, and the deadline to register is Feb. 21 and can be completed online.

Cost is $30 and $20 for students.

For more information, visit http://www.auburn. edu/wrc and click on the Women’s Leadership Conference graphic.

PLAINSMAN ARCHIVES

Alexis Jones, former Survivor contestant, was the keynote speaker at last year’s Women’s Leadership Conference.

“

Auburn is pleased that so many National Merit Scholars recognize the academic quality of Auburn University.”

—Wayne Alderman DEAN OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Merit Scholarship Corporation awarded $51 million to more than 10,000 eligible students from across the United States.

To be qualified for the National Merit Scholarship Program, students must: take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), be enrolled in high school and be a United States citizen.

During the 11th grade, students take the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test or the PSAT/ NMSQT. The test is made up of three sections: mathematics, critical reading, and writing.

“Auburn is pleased that so many National Merit Scholars recognize the academic quality of Auburn University,” said Wayne Alderman,

dean of enrollment management.

Auburn University National Merit Finalists are awarded with tuition for four years, a technology allowance, on-campus housing for four years, invitation to the Honors College and an enrichment experience stipend.

“The enrollment of these students affects the campus by providing geographic diversity with 20 states represented,” Rooker said.

The record enrollment is not only a feat for the University, but in regional representations as well. Among the 77 public schools which enroll the Scholars, Auburn is ranked second.

National Merit Scholars may be few and far between, but celebrities and political figures such as Stephanie Meyers, Bill Gates, Ben Bernanke, Elena Kagan and Jerry Greenfield (co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s) are all National Merit Scholars.

National Merit Scholars bring promise to the student body, enriching the University, not just academically, but through their talents.

“The enrollment of National Merit Scholars raises the overall academic profile of Auburn’s student body, a goal of the Board of Trustees, and promotes the academic reputation of Auburn University nationally,” Rooker said.

AU View

EMILY ADAMS / PHOTO EDITOR

Jake Sparkman, freshman in engineering, plays Cupid, shooting math professor Gary Sampson with a love arrow on Valentine’s Day, in front of the Science Center Auditorium.

CALENDAR: THURSDAY, FEB. 17 – SATURDAY, FEB. 26 SUN.

MON.

TUES.

WED.

THURS.

FRI. 17

JCSM Third Thursday: Late Night ■ Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art ■ 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

20 BSU “Life Through Literacy” Gospel Concert and Book Drive ■ The City Church ■ 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

21 Disney College Program Presentation ■ Lowder Business Building Room 19 ■ 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

22 AU Federal Credit Union 51st Annual Meeting ■ Auburn University Federal Credit Union ■ 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

23 Softball vs.

Georgia State ■ Jane B. Moore Softball Complex ■ 5 p.m.

SAT. 18

Tiger Nights: Winter Wonderland ■ AU Student Center ■ 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

19 A Wren by Any Other Name: Selections from the Miller Audubon Collection ■ Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art ■ 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

24

25

Southern Outsiders Film Series presents Idlewild ■ Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art ■ 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Gymnastics vs.

Pittsburgh ■ Auburn Arena ■ 7 p.m.

26 “Zap Out Hunger” Laser Tag Tournament ■ AUSC Ballroom ■ 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Campus B3

The Auburn Plainsman

Disney College Program offers fairy tale endings Annie Faulk STAFF WRITER

For some college students, “happily ever after” is just an internship away.

The Disney College Program offers students paid internships to learn about the corporation through education and job experience.

“The Disney College Program offers a unique and valuable experience to gain leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills,” said Meaghan Weir, career adviser for Career Development Services.

The Disney College Program will hold information sessions Feb. 21 and 22 at 6 p.m. in room 019 of the Lowder Business Building. If students are unable to attend the information session, there will be an EPresentation recap on the

Disney website.

“At the information sessions a Disney recruiter along with the Disney College Program campus representatives will describe the program and basic expectations in regard to housing, employment and educational opportunities,” Weir said. “They will also explain the process for applying to become a Disney College Program participant.”

Students are encouraged to RSVP to the information sessions in Tiger Recruiting Link (www.jobs.auburn. edu).

“Students should consider our paid internship program for a variety of reasons, but one of the main reasons is Disney’s reputation for excellence,” said Wayne Hampton, Disney internship and program

recruiter.

The program is a good resume booster, said Julia Walsh Howell, Disney College Program participant who is also a campus representative.

“Every job interview I have been to asks me about my experience at Disney, and it can be the

foot-in-the-door that some students can use to begin a career at Disney,” Howell said.

The Disney College Program is open to students regardless of major or year.

The program is an internship where participants have the opportunity to work at the Disneyland

Resort in Anaheim, Calif., or Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando.

“All of us campus reps did the program,” Howell said.

“I feel so strongly about its merits that we now recruit other students to participate.”

Participants in the Disney College Program receive benefits including theme park admission, discounts on selected merchandise, discounts on admission to certain parks, resort discounts and opportunities to participate in certain holiday celebrations.

“And some students are able to earn credit for our internship or for classes that we offer—or both,” Hampton said.

Through the program, participants earn up to nine credit hours.

Participants are required to complete college coursework, write papers, create projects and read textbooks. The coursework will be directly applied to the participants’ jobs.

Participants can enroll in a variety of courses ranging from hospitality management to corporate communication.

Students can also work with different aspects of the Disney parks.

“Students can gain a number of transferable skills, which are highly valued by employers, communication skills and customer service skills ,” Hampton said.

For more information on the Disney College Program visit www.disneycollegeprogram.com.

Cooking class celebrates Valentine’s Day Jenna Moran ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR

Executive Chef ’s Kitchen will be hosting a free cooking class Feb. 17, teaching all who attend how to cook up some delicious Valentine’s treats.

The class will begin at 6 p.m. at Terrell Dining Hall on the Hill and will be hosted by executive chef Dennis Neuhring.

Executive Chef ’s Kitchen offers free cooking classes once a month, and generally one chef is featured at each of the classes, said Gina Groome, Tiger Dining marketing manager.

“We try to switch up themes a lot and come up with any new ideas, like

holidays or anything else going on,” Groome said.

T h i s m o n t h ’s cooking class theme is Vale n t i n e’s sweets.

Most of N e u h r i n g ’s classes tend to be dessertoriented, and this month’s featured sweet will be a red velvet brownie.

Neuhring will probably have a few other dessert ideas up his sleeve as well, Groome said.

No cooking experience is needed to attend the 30-minute class, Neuhring said.

“Usually the classes are hands-on, but because of the popularity for this class, it’s just going to be a demonstration style,” Neuhring said.

Neuhring explained that it is more effective to teach demonstrationstyle classes when there is a larger number of attendees because not everyone can use the cooking equipment all at one time.

Education advocate gives lecture on action, responsibility Chelsea Harvey ASSISTANT CAMPUS EDITOR

The message is about responsibility.

Steve Perry, CNN education contributor, will speak at Auburn Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center ballroom. The lecture will be hosted by the Black Student Union.

“I will call him more so one of the African American leaders from our generation that’s actually getting some light,” said Shawntell Pace, president of the Black Student Union. “We didn’t want to bring a Cornel West or a reverend; we wanted to bring somebody nowadays where five years from now when our students look back, they’re, ‘Oh, he came to our school, and he spoke really, really well.’”

Perry is a regular figure on CNN and speaks frequently on issues regarding education and the AfricanAmerican community. Perry is also known for a number of accomplishments, including founding Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford, Conn., in 2005 and publishing a best-selling book.

Capital Preparatory is recognized for having a 100 percent graduation rate.

“We didn’t believe that poverty or race or where you were born had any indication as to whether or not you could be successful,” Perry said. “It’s not that we believe it’s where you start life, but where you end that determines how successful

“

Many a generation has been defined by what they did when they were kids.”

—Dr. Steve Perry CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR

you will be. And so, therefore, we wanted a school that would change the direction of history, not just for the individuals, but education as we know it.”

Perry’s best-known book, “Man Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us,” was published in 2006. “‘Man Up’ is a call to action for the African American community,” Perry said.

“It says that black people, we need to stop blaming everybody and everything else for the circumstances that we find ourselves in.

We have to own the pieces of it that are truly ours, and with that accept full responsibility and the power to do something. So it’s as much a call to action as it is an introspective look into who we are and who we should be. It talks about everything from black churches to black parenting, the way we eat, drink and engage in intimate relations.”

Perry, who often speaks at universities, said his message to the college

community is a call to action as well.

“Many a generation has been defined by what they did when they were kids,” Perry said. “A new generation is the consumer. You guys take technology, but don’t create. You participate, but don’t lead. I think that this is a sleeping lion of a generation. I think that there’s never been a generation that has had more access to resources than this one.”

Perry said the resources to which students now have access give them the power to revolutionize their generation.

“We don’t need this generation to necessarily promote as much as we need the American college students to perceive the great position they find themselves in and make it better for those people that are in front and behind,” Perry said.

Pace said the Union’s purpose for hosting the lecture is to encourage students to take initiative.

“Who would have known that this guy who was raised in the projects would own a high school, and at that a 100 percent graduation rate?” Pace said. “Like, this can be done. And not only this can be done, but other things out there that you imagine or dream can be done as well.”

The lecture is free to anyone who wishes to attend.

Guests are encouraged to arrive early for seating.

“We’ll have some samples, so everybody gets to eat, and that’s the best part,” Neuhring said.

During a demonstration-style class, the chef stands in front of the class and cooks while the participants observe and take notes.

Neuhring has previously hosted a hands-on truffles class as well as a creme brulee class, where the students learned to use a blow torch and formed their own scorched sugar crust, he said.

Katelyn Ward, junior in human development and family studies, has attended an Executive Chef ’s Kitchen cooking class before, and

said she is also planning on attending the Valentine’s cooking class.

“I really enjoyed the last cooking class that I went to, so I’m definitely looking forward to attending this month’s class,” Ward said.

“The Valentine’s theme is such a great idea for February’s cooking class.”

The Valentine’s cooking class will be held in Terrell Dining Hall because of the convenient number of parking spots available around the building and the sufficient space inside of Terrell, Groome said.

Sign-ups are available online through both Facebook and the Tiger Dining website, www.auburn.edu/

dining.

“Tiger Dining has created an event on Facebook, and then we are posting the link to a survey that’s set up on the Facebook wall of the event. You can just go straight to the Facebook page and sign up,” Groome said. “Or people can go to our website and we have links there under our event page.”

Groome stressed the importance of signing up quickly to reserve a spot since space is limited.

Neuhring said he is looking forward to teaching February’s Valentine-themed cooking class and is excited about the expected high attendance for this class.

Campus B4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Class explores conflict in Middle East Madeline Hall WRITER

The recent revolution in Egypt has brought new appeal to the International Relations in the Middle East class, which helps students better understand current events around the world.

The class, taught by professor Jill Crystal, covers domestic politics in Middle Eastern countries, including the series of wars that have taken place in the last 50 years.

“I focus first on historical background, and after that we look at Israeli and Arab conflicts, then Arab and Palestinian conflicts,” Crystal said, “then on to the three Gulf wars.”

After 18 years of teaching the course, Crystal has learned to make room in the syllabus for unexpected lectures.

“Inevitably, something blows up, like Mubarak,” Crystal said. “Last week, we took a detour and spent an hour talking about nothing but Egypt and what was going on.”

The discussion tried to

explain the reasons for the Egyptian riots and uprisings.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t understand half the stuff going on over there if I didn’t know the background and history of Egyptian politics,” said Laura Fleming, junior in political science. “Now I understand the dynamics of their situation.”

Crystal said what happens in Egypt will have reverberations across the Middle East.

“What goes on there is important because of the effect it has on the area,” she said. “It is the most powerful central country in that region.”

International relations gives students an introduction into foreign policy.

Crystal said it is difficult for many people to pick up on foreign policy concepts .

“I think that understanding foreign policy is something that people have a hard time acquiring if they haven’t already by the end of college,” Crystal said.

C.J. Henley, junior in political science, is taking the

“

What’s interesting about the Middle East is that there’s always something going on.”

—Jill Crystal PROFESSOR, POLITICAL SCIENCE

class because of his focus on international relations.

“The amount of knowledge that the teacher has is pretty substantial to any other class,” Henley said. “It is interesting because you can apply it to today, and politics in general is really enjoyable to me.”

Crystal was drawn to the Middle East because of the weather.

“I like studying in places where it’s warm—same thing that brought me to Alabama,” Crystal said.

The weather might have brought her, but the politics kept her there.

“What’s interesting about the Middle East is that there’s always something going on,” Crystal said. “It’s always new and completely unexpected.”

Crystal can’t say the same for the United States.

“I find American politics deeply boring because it’s elections every four years, this one or that one,” Crystal said. “But in the Middle East we’ve got coups, uprisings, wars and revolutions.”

Learning about the Middle East is one thing, but traveling there is another matter, according to students in the class.

“I don’t really want to go there since it is such a highconflict area,” Fleming said.

“It would definitely be an experience, though.”

Crystal, who has lived in the Arab states off and on over the years, said the Gulf area, such as Qatar and Dubai, is her favorite.

Fleming and Henley both recommend the international relations class to students as a way to stay informed even if one is not a political science major.

CHRISTEN HARNED / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Courtney Rogers, junior in political science, takes notes in International Relations in the Middle East.

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Social work professor gives young adults with disabilities an artistic outlet Morgan McKean WRITER

Jake, 11, has nonverbal autism, meaning he doesn’t use spoken language in the traditional way.

However, he gets to express himself every other Monday night when he attends Brave Hearts.

Auburn social work professor Angie Burque started “Expressions of a Brave Heart” in January 2010 as a program for young adults with disabilities to express themselves creatively through art, music or dance.

“I felt like kids who have moderate to severe disabilities have less opportunities than typical kids,” Burque said.

One of the driving forces behind the program is Burque’s experience with her two sons, one of which has autism.

“Growing up, I’ve watched as the oldest one gets to participate in band and sports and make friends and perform, while

the younger one has had fewer and fewer opportunities for these things,” Burque said.

She wanted to design a safe place where young adults with disabilities could have fun with their peers.

“He’s been a lot less shy,” said Emily Burkett, senior in social work who has worked with Jake at Brave Hearts since last fall.

Jake’s mother Luanne Helms said he enjoys the program and always looks forward to it.

“We always tell him on Sundays, ‘You’ve got Brave Hearts tomorrow night,”’ Helms said. “And then when he comes home from school the next day, he gets his stuff together and is geared up and ready to go.”

The program lasts from 5:30–7 p.m. and the participants, ages 11 to 21, choose to engage in two of three sessions from art, music or dance.

Last Monday, art included decorating Valentine’s cards and painting and twisting pipe cleaners until they resembled a flower or letter. Music sessions incorporated rhythmic drum beating, while dance took a more modern approach, teaching the participants moves to Miley Cyrus’ hit “Party in the USA.” In its third season, Brave Hearts has 22 participants

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and more than 60 volunteers. Most of the volunteers are students, but fine arts specialists, Auburn professors and local special education teachers also help.

Burque said her biggest success is knowing the participants look forward to coming to a place they call their own.

“They know this is their club where they can make friends, see old friends and get to know some college students,” she said.

Hope Lollis said her son seems happier and more self-confident since beginning Brave Hearts.

“Professor Burque is a wonderful lady,” Lollis said. “She is very passionate about children, and she also works with families very well.”

Kristin Lupton, junior in social work, works with Burque both as one of her students and Brave Hearts’ volunteers.

“She’s just really fun and really good at making you believe in yourself,” Lupton said.

After last season’s final performance, two special education teachers from the local junior high told Burque that Brave Hearts was a huge thrill for their students.

“It’s just one wonderful stream of neat experiences,” Burque said.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Campus B5

The Auburn Plainsman

Exhibit showcases prints from renowned naturalist Jade Currid WRITER

Colorful prints of birds with scientific names commemorating individuals will be on display at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in the exhibit, “A Wren by Any Other Name: Selections from the Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Collection.”

The exhibition, showcasing the prints of 19thcentury American naturalist and artist John James Audubon, will be held Feb. 19–June 11.

As one of the Southeast’s largest collections, the museum’s Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Collection holds more than 100 of Audubon’s most valuable prints.

“It is a cornerstone collection,” said Scott BishopWagoner, JCSM curator of education for the museum’s permanent Louise Hauss and David Brent Miller Audubon Collection.

The collection contains Audubon’s greatest illustrated work, “The Birds of America.”

According to BishopWagoner in her explanatory piece on the exhibit, the number of known plants and animals increased in the 18th century, and scientists attempted to create a standardized system for classifying and

organizing species.

Bishop-Wagoner said Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus developed a system of binomial nomenclature that allows for a standardized classification and naming system.

Each name is composed of the genus and species names, and as a whole is known as the scientific name or the Latin name.

Bishop-Wagoner said the species name is sometimes derived from the proper name of a place or person.

The occasion arises for a scientist to immortalize himself, a friend or a historic figure when he is describing and naming a new species, according to Bishop-Wagoner.

Bishop-Wagoner said the names of 39 people appear in the nomenclature of “The Birds of America.”

“It’s always an opportunity to see Audubon prints in a new light,” BishopWagoner said.

Andrew Henley, also a JCSM education curator, said the museum’s newest Audubon exhibit will provide biographical sketches.

He said the exhibit will focus on the context in which the birds were named.

Marilyn Laufer, director of JCSM, said she considers the collection to be one of the greatest treasures of the museum.

Bishop-Wagoner said the upcoming exhibit will feature smaller birds.

“It’s a particularly pretty exhibition,” Bishop-Wagoner said.

According to JCSM’s website, Audubon’s works were originally appreciated most for their scientific value.

Around the time of his death, his art was perceived to be among the most accurate and earliest accounts of wildlife.

Historians consider Audubon’s drawings, paintings and engravings some of the finest artistic achievements of the 19th century, During the first half of the 20th century, David Brent Miller, who spent much of his life operating a successful family-owned lumber business in Brewton, obtained the Audubon collection now found at JCSM. After his death, his wife, Louise Hauss, continued to add to his collection.

The Miller’s granddaughter, Susan Phillips, donated the Audubon collection to Auburn University, according to JCSM. She carried out her grandparents’ wish to ensure the accessibility of the collection to Alabama citizens by providing funds to the museum for the conservation, study, care and continuous exhibition of the prints.

CHRISTEN HARNED / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

William Powell introduces the Auburn University Chamber Choir at Saturday’s concert.

Universities unite in song Christina Santee WRITER

A unique collaboration took place Feb. 12, unifying both the Auburn University and The University of Southern Mississippi choirs for a public choral performance at Auburn United Methodist Church.

With the ensemble, USM continued its semester tour titled “The Southern Chorale,” conducted and organized by Gregory Fuller.

William Powell, director of choral activities at Auburn, was responsible for coordinating Auburn’s 45 vocalists.

The USM choir of 55 individuals completed four concerts during the weekend, including its feature with Auburn.

“One of the biggest values of doing something like this is that it gives our students the opportunity to hear what’s going on outside of Auburn,” Powell said. “Having the opportunity to hear

a group outside the state of Alabama helps us to figure out where we stand in the midst.”

The USM choir has completed 10 concerts since January.

“We’re very active,” Fuller said. “It’s just a combination of being visible regionally, nationally and internationally.”

More than 75 individuals filled the pews of the 126-year-old church.

The show opened with both choirs singing “Dread Farewell” by Dan Forrest.

The two groups also harmonized in singing their second and final combined number, “Ave Maria” by Franz Liszt.

The performance included the men’s and women’s choirs from both schools.

Jody and Missy Powell, parents of two of the vocalists, made the trip from their hometown of Mobile to see their sons sing.

Their youngest son,

freshman Marc Powell, sang with the Auburn chamber singers group, and their eldest son, junior Joseph Powell, with the USM choir.

Jody, choral director at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile, and Missy, assistant choral director, said they were proud to witness their sons carry on the family tradition.

“I’m just ecstatic that we could come and have the opportunity to hear both of our kids perform on the same program in two totally different choirs under two totally different directors,” Jody said.

The USM choir also presented The Spirit of Southern, its men’s a cappella ensemble, and The Southern Belle Tones, its women’s a cappella ensemble.

The performance ended with “I Can Tell the World” arranged by Moses Hogan.

Both groups received a standing ovation from the audience.

Auburn says ‘bienvenido’ to newest student society Ellen Weathers WRITER

The Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers now has a student chapter at Auburn.

A group of Los Angeles engineers created the SPHE in 1974 to serve as professional role models to the Hispanic community. Auburn’s student chapter was started in November 2010.

Khristine Pizarro, senior in chemical engineering, is the chapter’s president and said she became interested

in the society after speaking with a friend who is a member at Florida State University.

She then spoke to Virginia Davis, associate professor of chemical engineering and adviser to the group.

“I started researching about the national organization, their purpose, their objectives,” Pizarro said.

“Then Dr. Davis and I started talking about how we should have a chapter here on campus because there are no real professional

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their members aren’t Hispanic,” Pizarro said.

Katie Mantooth, career counselor for career development services, said involvement in organizations like the SPHE is a great way to network while building skills for use after college.

“I think it’s an opportunity for students with similar interests to encourage one another and share ideas,” Mantooth said.

Pizarro said networking, scholarships and the SPHE’s annual career fair are the

three best benefits of membership.

“I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of networking through the national organization,” Pizarro said.

“They also have a really big career fair with different companies from oil to pharmaceuticals to aviation.”

Auburn’s chapter will be monitored for a year before it will be eligible for promotion from its current provisional status to an official campus organization.

Pizarro said the SPHE will

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Membership and benefits aren’t only open to Hispanics and engineers. Although it has a strong Hispanic base, the SPHE mission statement says it obtains excellence through integrity, empowerment, achievement, diversity and continuous improvement while enhancing America’s position in science, technology, engineering and math.

“A lot of the other national chapters, the majority of

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focus on recruitment and fundraising while waiting for its promotion. It will also participate in this year’s EDay and the Big Event.

The SPHE’s first general meeting is Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. in Ross Hall 136. Mantooth is also the guest speaker for the upcoming meeting.

“When I went to the national conference, they were all a big family,” Pizarro said.

“People love that the SPHE has such a huge career fair and different opportunities to become a good leader.”

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Campus B6

The Auburn Plainsman

On the Concourse

Thursday, February 17, 2011 Question:

What do you think about the construction of the new Student Act?

“I think that’s awesome.

Compared to other colleges, our activities center is pretty sad.”

“I don’t ever go there.

I don’t really care.”

“I think it might be a little extravagant. I hate that I’m having to pay for it when I’m graduating.”

—Brooke Van Dyke, freshman, early elementary education

—Garrard Conley, graduate student, English

—Bethany Cochran, senior, social science education

“I’m naturally buff. I didn’t even know it was being built.”

“I think it needs to hurry up. The one now is crowded.”

“I think it’s going to be awesome. That’s what I think.”

—Grace Moss, junior, English

—Jamie Madere, freshman, apparel merchandising

—Owen Meadows, freshman, business

OLIVIA GLASSCOCK, 18 Born and raised in Auburn, this week’s Loveliest could just as easily fit in on the streets of a big city as in small-town Alabama. “Diverse” is the word to describe Olivia’s wide range of interests. “I’m interested in art of every form,” she says, expressing her inner creativity as a member of the AU Circle staff. In addition, Olivia stays spiritual with Dive Campus Ministry and even gets political as a member of Young Americans for Liberty.

Can you say Renaissance woman?

Think you know an Auburn woman who has what it takes to be the Loveliest Lady on the Plains? Send submissions, with names and contact information, to campus@theplainsman.com

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Intrigue Thursday, February 17, 2011

Dean’s dual citizenship

Headphone review

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REBEKAH WEAVER / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn MMA fighter Malcolm Hardmon takes a break from training to drink his required two gallons of water for the day. Hardmon will compete for a state title Saturday.

What a knockout REBEKAH WEAVER / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Because of hearing loss, Hardmon’s tunnel vision gives him an advantage in the ring.

MMA fighter wrestles with everyday life Miranda Dollarhide INTRIGUE EDITOR

Like many mothers, Malcolm Hardmon’s mom doesn’t like his current love interest.

“My mom, she does not want to watch me fight,” said Hardmon, junior in psychology and mixed martial arts fighter. “Her last fight, she said she was absolutely nervewracked.”

That hasn’t stopped Hardmon from pursuing his love of MMA fighting.

“I’m not a violent person by any means; I’m actually one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet,” Hardmon said. “But to be completely honest, it is just fun beating people up.”

A football player in high school, Hardmon wasn’t really looking to start a new sport, but after he broke his back his senior year of high school, that all changed.

“I was going to play football in college—a broken back puts a stop to that, but it healed up, and I found MMA,” Hardmon said. “It has been love at first sight.”

Hardmon started his career in MMA three years ago after being approached by trainers outside of Winn-Dixie.

“They had just gotten done working out, so they were outside cooling down,” Hardmon said. “They saw me in the parking lot and told me to come over there and train with them. “ He said he returned the next day, and thus began his journey.

“It wasn’t anything that I expected,” Hardmon said. “I was instantly good at it as far as the wrestling and striking.”

Since his first day, Hardmon has competed in three fights, winning all three, and is competing for a state title Feb. 19.

Keith Johnson, Hardmon’s trainer and professional MMA fighter, said he attributes Hardmon’s undefeated streak to commitment and heart.

“He won’t quit,” Johnson said. “He’ll go until he pukes. He pushes his body to that limit

MMA QUICK HITS

“

It wasn’t anything that I expected. I was instantly good at it as far as the wrestling and striking.”

—Malcolm Hardmon JUNIOR, PSYCHOLOGY

every time.”

Hardmon is so committed he does little else besides train in the gym and work at Jimmy John’s.

He wakes up at 5 or 6 a.m. and drinks a protein shake. He eats a good breakfast and two hours later, eats again.

Then he works out with weights, relaxes and goes to Nutrition First to spar.

Shortly after, he drives to Auburn MMA to train with Johnson and ends the day at work.

One advantage Malcolm has that most of his opponents wouldn’t consider a benefit in MMA fighting is hearing loss.

Hardmon was born hearing impaired and wears a hearing aid when he isn’t in the ring.

“You get serious tunnel vision during a fight, so it is just you and that guy,” Hardmon said. “You are completely focused on him.”

Hardmon said it obviously has disadvantages, too.

“My trainer is yelling at me, and I’m like, ‘I can’t hear you; I don’t know what you are saying,’” Hardmon said. “The tips that he would give me I can’t follow because I can’t hear them.”

But like other difficulties, Hardmon finds a way to work it out.

“What I try to do, say we go to the ground, is drag him over to my corner so I can hear them,” Hardmon said.

ROD GUAJARDO / EDITOR

Andy Roberts, trainer at Auburn MMA, wrestles with Hardmon into a headlock.

Another advantage he has is his background in psychology.

“You have to play a psychological factor with your fighter,” Hardmon said, “like Muhammad Ali—he was the greatest simply because of the psychological games he played on his opponents. “ One trick he uses is adding an opponent on Facebook.

“Not in the case that I want to get to know him because we definitely aren’t going to be friends in the ring, but to loosen him up,” Hardmon said. “Get him to underestimate me a little bit.”

Johnson said psychologically, fighting is like a human chess match.

“There are so many variables at any

given time, so if you’re not dialed in, you’ll get punched in the head or choked out or any number of scenarios,” Johnson said.

Recently, Hardmon has been fully committed to preparing for his next fight.

He has maintained a diet of no sugar, fat or carbs and drinks two gallons of water a day.

After taking a year off from MMA in 2010, Hardmon said he is glad to be back.

“I took a hiatus for at least a year, and it kind of messed me up,” Hardmon said. “I am a very physical person, and I didn’t even work out for a long time. It messes with you mentally.”

Hardmon said his break from MMA was » See KNOCKOUT, C2

•

Rear naked choke: A type of choke that is applied behind an opponent upon capturing his back.

•

Guillotine choke: In this maneuver, you are facing your opponent and you have your opponent in a headlock either standing or on the ground with hands clasped together.

•

Anaconda choke: This choke is made by trapping an opponent’s arm with an underhook and clasping hands on the other side of his neck, squeezing his neck and arm together to cut off air supply.

•

Grappling: A general term used to describe wrestling and ground-oriented martial arts.

Intrigue C2

The Auburn Plainsman

KNOCKOUT » From C1

because of an ex-girlfriend.

“She broke up with me and messed me up for a while,” Hardmon said. “We dated for a year, and things changed. She just came out of left field one day and just cut it off.”

Hardmon said he is emotionally driven, and after the breakup, he was devastated.

“If I have something I

can hold on to emotionally, I can go pretty far,” Hardmon said. “I put all my eggs in one basket. I put them all on her, so I was pretty emotionally drained after that.”

Since the breakup, Hardmon is channeling all his emotion on winning his next fight.

“I think he likes getting back into something competitive again,” Johnson said. “There is a void there for most guys when they get done with high school.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

If they don’t do something the next level, you know you’re either going to get fat and drink a beer or you’re going to start fighting in bars.”

One thing Hardmon is looking forward to is finishing his degree and getting a fighting nickname.

“I want one so bad,” Hardmon said. “A lot of people back home call me the giant teddy bear. I want to do something like Malcolm ‘The Eclipse’ because I’m black.”

MARIA IAMPIETRO / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Turkey Meatloaf

Kerry’s recipe of the week

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ cup onion, diced finely 1 pound ground turkey salt and pepper, to taste 1 egg white ¼ cup water ½ cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided ½ cup ketchup

Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F. In a skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and onion. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, salt and pepper, egg white, water, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce and cooked onions until incorporated. Shape into a loaf and place into a loaf pan or on a greased baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Pour on top of the meatloaf. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.

Contributed by Kerry Fannon

Joe Random Sam Joshi

Junior, entrepreneurship ── Favorite snack?

I like sweet yogurt.

Hardest class you’ve taken?

Business Cal 2 Any tattoos or piercings?

I have a tattoo. It’s just two days old. It goes with my zodiac sign, Taurus.

Favorite spot on campus?

Foy. I eat here every day.

Best band you’ve seen in concert?

Gorilla Zoe.

If your life was a movie, what would the title be?

Perplexed. Most of the time I’m confused.

What song gets stuck in your head?

Just a Dream by Nelly.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

The egg.

How about a fun fact?

I’m from India. I moved here two years ago.

Anna Gramberg, CLA dean, stands by a mural of famous German scientist Albert Einstein.

Dean pledges to dual flags Jillian Clair NEWS EDITOR

On a tiny island off the coast of Germany, a young Anna Gramberg watched “Gone with the Wind” and dreamed of one day living in a place where it was hot at night.

Years later, that dream came true. Gramberg, who is now dean of the College of Liberal Arts, has enjoyed the sweltering heat of Alabama summers since her arrival at Auburn in 1993.

Gramberg became a U.S. citizen Feb. 1.

As Gramberg said the Pledge of Allegiance and listened to a school choir sing the National Anthem, she said she felt a connection with all the immigrants who had come to the United States throughout its history.

“I think sometimes a lot of people who were born here really forget that this has always been the country of opportunity for so many who came here and arrived by boat, by ship,” Gramberg said. “It links you back to those times, so that’s what was going through my head—that this country has

always stood for opportunity. It’s big.”

Gramberg said she had expectations of the U.S. before she arrived.

The lifestyle of Americans along with the weather was always appealing to her, she said. “(My expectations) were not only met, they were exceeded because I always saw the United States as a country where immigrants came with a real chance to succeed, and America is still the country of multiple opportunities, where if you work real hard, you can be successful,” Gramberg said. “The countries in Europe are much older, and you have a lot more bureaucracy.”

Freedom is also something Gramberg values.

“The freedom here—not just freedom in terms of speech—they have that in Europe too—but more freedom from the shackles of ‘We’ve always done it this way’—It’s still fresh and new in comparison to the very old traditions in Europe,” Gramberg said.

After earning her Ph.D. in German with a

concentration in business from Michigan State University, Gramberg began teaching German for business and economics at Auburn. She has been an administrator in the College of Liberal Arts since 2001 and became dean in 2005.

Gramberg said she enjoys living in the South and has even developed an appreciation for football.

“I didn’t grow up with it, so it’s not in my blood like it is for many of you all, but I certainly have grown an understanding for it,” she said.

“I mean, you have to be on somebody’s side when you live in Alabama, right?”

Gramberg said she is excited about the future of the College of Liberal Arts.

“We are doing very, very well, especially considering we have all gone through hard times with the budget cuts, and thanks to our faculty, we have met the challenge of serving our students very well with less resources,” Gramberg said.

“And also our students are really very, very good, and they work with us, so that’s really the key. I hope we can just continue in this path.”

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Intrigue C3

The Auburn Plainsman

christen Harned / assistant photography editor

Christen Harned / Assistant photography editor

Christen Harned / Assistant Photography Editor

Chelsea Appleget, freshman in civil and materials engineering, leans back on the walls near the Science Center.

William Riley, undeclared freshman, shows his love for lacrosse with an AU Lacrosse T-shirt and playing stick.

Sarah Evander, freshman in anthropology and Spanish, relaxes on the rocks of the AU amphitheater.

National Merit Scholars talk testing, extracurriculars Alison McFerrin Associate News Editor

A record total of 134 National Merit Scholars were admitted to Auburn summer and fall 2010, according to National Merit Scholarship Corporation Annual Report.

One of those Scholars is Chelsea Appleget, freshman in civil and materials engineering.

“This way I don’t have to worry about money,” Appleget said. “I can just focus on school.”

Auburn’s provisions for a National Merit Scholar include preferred housing and a housing stipend.

“It saves so much money that you don’t even really consider living off-campus,” Appleget said. “I’m a little bit worried about being a senior and being surrounded by freshmen in the dorm, but it’s worth it.”

William Riley, also a National Merit Scholar and freshman in biochemistry, said the housing stipend has been a relief for him.

“I’ll probably be staying on campus for four years and won’t have to pay for it,” Riley said. “I don’t know of

anybody that wouldn’t take a $2,500 housing stipend every semester.”

Appleget said she didn’t even know she was taking the test for National Merit Scholarship until the day of the test.

“My mom had signed me up for it and forgot to tell me,” Appleget said. “Once I got to a certain point I knew how important it was, so I started getting nervous about whether I was going to get it or not.”

Students must first take the PSAT to become semifinalists in the competition.

Other requirements include good grades in high school, a PSAT score of more than 200, an essay and recommendations from school officials.

“I totally cried,” Appleget said on finding out she was a National Merit Scholar. “I was really excited because I knew what it meant.”

For some, the National Merit Scholarship is in the family. Sarah Evander, freshman in anthropology and Spanish, has two older brothers who were also National Merit Scholars.

“When I got it, I was

really happy,” Evander said.

“It just opens up so many more possibilities.”

Although Evander said she felt confident she would qualify, she said she tried not to get her hopes up.

“It’s better to not expect it and not be disappointed than to think you’re going to get it, and then not get it,” Evander said.

Riley said he wasn’t sure he would be able to make the grade because of his SAT score.

“I made barely the minimum,” Riley said. “But I was pretty confident with my essays and my recommendations and my grades from high school.”

Riley said waiting to find out whether he had qualified wasn’t stressful.

“I figured at that point, if I got it, I got it, but if I didn’t, there was no reason to be too upset about it,” Riley said. “It wasn’t something that kept me up at night.”

Evander said in her experience, being a National Merit Scholar means you can set higher goals, but it’s no guarantee.

“I feel that because I’m a National Merit Scholar,

people expect that I’m able to do a lot of things,” Evander said. “I’m able to do what I’m able to do, and what I’m not able to do, I just don’t worry about.”

Evander said the National Merit Scholarship indicates one of two things.

“It really just means that you’re either intelligent, or you’re a good test-taker,” Evander said. “I have friends who are just as smart as me, work just as hard, and they just don’t test well because they get stressed out about it.”

Appleget said she studies a lot, but still makes time for extracurriculars.

She is a part of the Auburn High Altitude Balloon Team, which launches and tracks balloons that fly to the edge of space.

“It’s a lot of time and a lot of work,” Appleget said. “It has a lot of benefits and you get to see results.”

Appleget isn’t the only Scholar with interests outside the classroom.

Riley said he spends most of his free time playing on the lacrosse team.

“It’s like the movement of soccer and the physicalness

of football and plays like basketball,” Riley said.

This is his fifth year playing lacrosse, and he said he hopes to get more playing time next year when this year’s goalie graduates.

“If I’m not doing lacrosse or homework or class, I just like to relax a little bit,” Riley said.

But making time for hobbies doesn’t mean these National Merit Scholars slack off of schoolwork.

“School is important; that is why we’re here,” Evander said.

Even though the minimum requirement to keep the scholarship is a 3.0 GPA, personal goals may be higher.

“I’m expecting myself to keep a 4.0,” Riley said.

“I don’t like to talk about school and scholarships and stuff like that a lot because, I don’t know, I feel like I’m bragging a lot of the time. So I just kind of keep it to myself.”

Appleget said she also has high expectations for herself.

“So far it hasn’t completely taken over my life,” Appleget said, although

Crossword Puzzle

she is taking 17 hours this semester and plans to take 18 in every future semester.

“Maybe next year will be a different story.”

Evander said finding out someone is a National Merit Scholar gives her a new respect for that person.

“You just randomly find out that other people are National Merit,” Evander said. “There’s actually a lot more than you think. It’s just really cool because you have a connection with them.”

Appleget said she is glad Auburn has enrolled so many National Merit Scholars.

“It’s nice that Auburn is getting recognition for that,” Appleget said. “That’s the most appealing thing because a lot of colleges have cut their scholarships for National Merit.”

Evander said the National Merit program confirmed her decision to attend Auburn.

“It really took coming to visit for me to realize how perfect Auburn was for me, and I feel like National Merit just made that possible,” Evander said.

Octo

Instructions 1. Place the numbers 1–8 in each of the octagons such that the numbers are not repeated in any row, column or diagonal.

2. The numbers along the edges, top and bottom are the sums for the numbers in the diagonal that begins or ends at that number.

3. The number in each diamond is the sum of the numbers of each of the four faces that border that diamond. The numbers that border the diamonds do not have to be unique.

4. 50 numbers are provided in this Octo.

© 2009, Doug Gardner Patent Pending Check www.theplainsman.com for the answers. For more OCTOs, go to home.comcast.net~douglasdgardner/site

Sudoku Across

1. Between ports 5. Janitors’ tools 9. Kind of student 12. “Devil Inside” rock band 13. All thumbs 15. Sushi wrap 16. Reindeer 17. Longhorn 18. Furry red Muppet 19. Booty 21. Galoshes, e.g.

23. Hair style 25. Widen a hole 26. Greenspan stat 29. Jungle crushers 31. Nod off 35. Grain crop 36. Gain admission 38. Puts in the fridge 39. Woe is me!

41. Bundle 43. Van __, California 44. Olympics symbol 46. Scope 48. Open meadow 49. Haphazardly 51. Trig function 52. Kind of humor 53. Air-show stunt 55. Soap target 57. Bahamas cruise stop 61. Skulks about 65. Like a dishrag 66. Very reluctant 68. Talking bird 69. Belief systems

70. Minaret 71. Remove snow 72. Asian export 73. Insult 74. Equine fodder

Down

1. Has a fever 2. Crackle 3. World’s fair 4. Savory jelly 5. Embassies 6. Hamilton’s prov.

7. Social equal 8. Asparagus morsel 9. Burrowing animal 10. Ms. Bombeck 11. Designer label 14. Made an effort 15. Lunar phase (2 wds.)

20. Brain part 22. Drug-squad cop 24. Earl Hines’ nickname

Answers to last issue’s crossword

26. Persona non __ 27. Stocking material 28. Polar explorer 30. Looks as if 32. Is willing to 33. More cagey 34. Montaigne opus 37. Extreme 40. Moves laboriously 42. Successful marathoner 45. Basketball rim 47. Gull cousin 50. Cashmere and merino 54. Braces 56. Speed 57. Dart about 58. Hilltop 59. Jane Austen heroine 60. Plane part 62. Auel heroine 63. Shoelace annoyance 64. Cuts into pieces 67. Play about Capote

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3 9

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3 4

1 9

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7 8

8 1

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basketball Scrambler Clue 1: rblibde

Clue 4: sfneofe

Clue 2: nd u k

Clue 5: enrcte

Clue 3: z b u re z

Bonus: Use circles to solve

Technology

C4

www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Intrigue

Headphones go head to head CONTRIBUTED

The guys of Blame Sydney! met in Auburn University’s Department of Theatre in 2008.

Bands rock Facebook Rachel Hampton WRITER

Local bands are using all the right keys to create their own promotional Facebook pages.

“Facebook is just so structured and easy,” said Luke Sheehan, rhythm guitarist for Blame Sydney!.

“You can message and invite a thousand people to a show with two clicks of the button.”

Blame Sydney!, a skastyle band which combines big band horns to a fast Bob Marley beat, has been promoting on Facebook since the fall of 2009.

“I probably wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now, with connections in New Orleans and Atlanta, without Facebook,” Sheehan said. “I don’t know if Facebook is directly the reason, but we’re starting to play bigger shows now.”

The social network gives bands the bonus of being able to reach thousands of users without having to do all the legwork.

“The ability to create events on Facebook is the biggest advantage to using Facebook,” said Caleb Thomas, lead guitarist for Bottle Up And Explode, a 50s- and 60s-inspired garage rock band. “I make an event; I invite my friends;

they invite their friends.

Then we have hundreds of people attending an event that would have been pretty difficult to promote if we had just put posters around town.”

Composer and pianist Rodney King of the band Therapy created a Facebook page before the band was officially formed.

King said he wanted to make sure the Facebook world knew they were coming soon.

“We just felt we can get a lot of people to know who we are just through Facebook,” King said, “even people that can’t come to shows because they’re so far away. We put videos online, and they can see that and just support us through there.”

As with personal Facebook pages, the group can give Facebookers a sense of who they are as a band.

“You kind of need an online persona, so that way people who have never seen you before will see a picture of you and be like, ‘Oh, they look interesting,’ and, ‘Oh wait, I like this band under their influences,’” Sheehan said. “It gives you a sense of our style.”

The usability of the network allows bands to tune up their pages wherever

they are and connect with users on an individual level.

“It’s pretty easy these days with phones,” Thomas said. “We keep it updated with the things we like and that inspire us, whether its other musicians or just little things we see throughout the day.”

For these local bands, playing outside of the Auburn area means playing outside of their usual fan base.

“It’s really good when no one in the area has ever heard your band before, and you find people within that town to be like, ‘Hey, get your friends and send them to the Facebook page,’” Sheehan said.

Out-of-town shows give bands a chance to amplify their fan base.

An increase in fan base is a key for success, and Facebook allows for a more genuine approach than its predecessor, MySpace.

“It’s not so much a digital sensation thing like MySpace, where suddenly you’re adding all these kids, and they don’t even listen to your music,” Thomas said. “I feel like the people on our Facebook page really care and come out to our shows and really listen to our music.”

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With so many headphones on the market, it can be difficult to choose—Harrison Smith, portable technology sales associate at Best Buy, gives some insight into which headphones are best for different activities Best bang for your buck:

Skullcandy Hesh These over-the-ear headphones have good sound quality, and they come in numerous designs, from the trademark skulls to your favorite basketball team’s emblem.

“I listen to a lot of classic rock and a lot of blues, and it handles that just fine. And they have a double frame, so it won’t break.”

$49.95

Best for running:

Beats by Dr. Dre, Power Beats When headphone cords get caught on your pumping elbow as you run, the buds will be pulled out of your ear.

Power Beats will solve this painful struggle.

$179.95 COURTESY OF VR-ZONE.COM

“They hook over the back of your ear, and when you’re running they’re not gonna fall out.”

Best all around/Best for travel:

Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones These headphones have it all. The cushion goes all the way around your ear, and the noise cancelation is high quality. And even though they’re bulkier than earbuds, the silver and black coloring doesn’t draw too much attention.

$299.95

“I was on a plane to Washington, D.C., and there was a kid behind me who was screaming and crying, and I plugged those into my iPod, and I couldn’t hear a thing.

Bose are the absolute best for noise canceling.”

Most discreet:

Skullcandy Titan If you don’t want to attract a lot of attention with large headphones or brightly-colored buds, the Titans will stay subtly hidden so you can listen without all the stares.

$39.95

“It goes directly into your ear, but the outside is just a small little silver thing so it’s not as noticeable.”

ALL PHOTOS BY CHRISTEN HARNED / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

10% off purchase with Student ID

Sports Thursday, February 17, 2011

Basketball preview

Bass fishing

» Page D3

» Page d4

www.theplainsman.com

D Page D1

Big expectations ahead for Tigers After winning the West in 2010, hopes are high for Auburn baseball in 2011 Taylor Jones Writer

After an exciting end to last season, the Auburn baseball team is not content with being satisfied with their SEC Western Division championship and making the regionals.

The Tigers have bigger plans for the future—plans to get on the board as a national force.

“We want to have a chance to go to the SEC Tournament, play in the postseason and win a national championship,” said coach John Pawlowski.

Pawlowski isn’t the only person who is “all in” on this plan. Senior pitcher Cory Luckie and senior outfielder Justin Fradejas both expressed high hopes for this team.

However, it will be difficult to match last season’s team.

In 2010, the Tigers not only won the SEC West Division Championship, but posted a 43–21 overall record with a 20–10 SEC record and hosted NCAA regionals.

The 2010 Tigers led the

SEC in team batting average and home runs and set an SEC record by having 11 players drafted into Major League Baseball.

Not only are the 23rdranked 2011 Tigers faced with matching a stellar season from last year, they are also dealing with key losses such as Trent Mummey, Hunter Morris, Cole Nelson, Grant Dayton and Austin Hubbard, all of whom were taken in the first 15 rounds of the draft.

The Tigers face a loss of batting power and must look to a different style of play to win games.

The NCAA has installed a new rule requiring teams to use bats with heavier aluminum, resulting in less carrying power on hits.

Losing key players hurts, but several new additions to the team will help ease the pain.

The Tigers are welcoming 17 new players to the team including freshman infielder Zach Alvord, freshman Jay Gonzalez and junior Andrew Morris.

Alvord was drafted in the 18th round by the Atlanta Braves, but chose to take his chances at the college level before entering the pros.

Alvord attended South Forsyth High School in Alpharetta, Ga., and was named a 2010 AFLAC, Under Armour, Rawlings and Louisville Slugger AllAmerican. Alvord set South Forsyth’s school record with 16 home runs as a junior and was an invitee to Team USA.

Todd van emst / media relations

Auburn celebrates its 18–4 win over Ole Miss after winning the SEC West May 21, 2010.

Gonzalez also chose to come to Auburn out of high school after being drafted in the 27th round by the Boston Red Sox. Gonzalez is an outfielder coming from Freedom High School in Orlando, Fla. He holds the Freedom High School single-season record for runs scored and stolen bases.

Gonzalez also participated in the 2009 National Showcase and in the 2009 National Underclass Showcase.

Junior pitcher Andrew Morris chose to transfer to Auburn from Gulf Coast

Community College after being drafted in the 44th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and in the 16th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Brewers.

Playing for Prattville High School in Prattville, Morris was named the 2008 Metro Player of the Year.

In his years at Gulf Coast Community College, Morris was named the 2010 JUCO Pitcher of the Year and earned All-American honors in 2009 and 2010.

Adding a power hitter

like Alvord, a speedy base runner in Gonzalez and a pitcher like Morris should increase Auburn’s chances for success.

When asked about team attitude, Pawlowski said he was impressed with the team’s attitude and work ethic.

While Pawlowski applauded the players, Luckie gave his coach most of the credit.

“I think one of the things that Coach Pawlowski was trying to change when he came in here was to create

a winning attitude because we didn’t really have that before he came,” Luckie said.

The eleven-year coaching veteran has compiled a 412–238–1 record in his coaching career, including a 74–46 record in his two years at Auburn.

Pawlowski led the Tigers to their first SEC Western Division title since 1995 in his second year at Auburn.

He has also helped create some serious interest in Auburn’s program.

This season Pawlowski guaranteed the first 500 students will be admitted to each game for free. After the first 500, students can purchase tickets for $2.

During the regionals hosted by Auburn last year, the Tigers saw incredible fan support.

Fans showed up in throngs, selling out every game at the regional and even spilling out of the stadium and crowding into the parking deck and onto the hill behind the outfield wall to get a chance to support the Tigers.

Tim Penix, president of Auburn’s student section (110–111) is optimistic about this season.

“We just want as many people to come out as possible to enjoy themselves and to take part in trying to repeat what we did last season.” Penix said.

Penix stressed the importance of getting students involved and mentioned several promotions, including » See baseball, D2

Adaptive sports program has eye on expansion Brian Woodham Assistant sports editor

After winning a national championship at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jared Rehm brought his passion for basketball to the Plains.

Rehm, graduate student in kinesiology, doubles as point guard and coach for Auburn’s wheelchair basketball team.

“I’m a really competitive guy,” Rehm said. “I really love winning, so it’s an outlet to compete.”

Rehm, who has been involved in adaptive sports programs for 12 years, has worked with Nathan Waters, graduate student in rehabilitation counseling, since the fall of 2008 to build an adaptive sports program at Auburn.

“I got used to practicing every day and playing every day,” Rehm said. “And so when I came down here, I kind of thought that that was done and over with, but having this program now is

an opportunity to get back into it and be competitive again.”

Waters said the Adaptive Recreation and Athletics program is a permanent organization.

Rehm said the games can get intense and physical.

“It’s just like able-bodied basketball—like, the chair’s part of your body, and so you see guys running into each other and bumping each other down the court,” Rehm said.

Waters said the program became a member of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association last fall.

For now, the team is in Division III, a league that isn’t limited to students, allowing community members to participate as well.

The association also has a more competitive Division II classification, as well as an intercollegiate division for university students, according to Waters.

“We hope to, in the next couple years, have enough

students on campus to have an intercollegiate team,” Waters said.

With that goal in mind, Rehm said he will soon be going on the road to high school tournaments and camps to recruit players to Auburn.

Rehm is also Auburn’s only wheelchair tennis player and plays singles matches against Waters.

“The great thing about tennis is that a wheelchair player can play anybody,” Waters said. “The rule difference on it is they get two bounces—everything else is the same.”

“He can go play anybody he wants to, and he’s good enough—he can hang with a lot of people.”

Rehm, who started playing wheelchair tennis at the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham when he was in high school, said he hopes to see other players come out to join him.

“I would love for someone to come out and play

Emily Adams / Photo Editor

Jared Rehm and Nathan Waters practice defense at a wheelchair basketball practice. some tennis,” Rehm said. “It would be awesome to have some guys in chairs come out and really start a program here for that, too.”

Waters said the program has nine sports wheelchairs in a variety of sizes that are available in the Student Activities Center.

Sports wheelchairs,

which range in cost from $1,500 to $3,500, have angled wheels and a wider base, which provides more balance and better handling, allowing players to make quick cuts and even 360-degree maneuvers.

The wheelchair basketball team is open to students, faculty, staff and interested

community members.

The basketball practices are held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the auxiliary gym beside the Aquatics Center.

For more information on the Adaptive Sports Program, go to its website at www.auadaptive. org or e-mail Jared Rehm at jmr0020@auburn.edu.

Sports D2

The Auburn Plainsman

BASEBALL » From D1

fireworks after every Friday night SEC game.

Michael Bazzy, vice president of the student section, said he is excited about this season, especially about the new rule concerning bats.

“This team is going to have a different feel than what most people are accustomed to,” Bazzy said.

“And it’s exciting because you get more of that minor league feel with the new bat, trying to play small-ball and use your technique to get an advantage.”

A large part of getting the crowd excited is the involvement of the Diamond Dolls.

“The Diamond Dolls goal is to get as many people here as possible and to pump up the crowd and be very loud,” said Morgan Powell, public relations representative for the Diamond Dolls.

Powell also said they are holding a 5K race April 2 before the Vanderbilt game to raise money in honor of Coach Pawlowski’s daughter Mary Louise, who battled cancer.

Fradejas and Luckie said they hope fan support will carry over from last year’s regionals.

“Last year was so exciting, and we are very appreciative of our fans, Pawlowski said.

Pawlowski said he would love to see fans spilling over into the parking deck again.

According to Penix, there are plans to add seating to Plainsman Park, possibly resulting in 500 more seats.

The new seats would raise the total amount to 2,000.

While there are numerous obstacles that the Tigers will have to overcome, the team is confident going into the season behind leaders such as Tony Caldwell, Justin Fradejas, Cory Luckie and Bradley Hendrix.

The leadership of the veterans combined with the enthusiasm of the newcomers could be a successful formula for the Tigers as they hope to repeat a victory in the SEC West championship.

While the players will do all they can to end up in Omaha at the end of the season, they are also expecting fans to do their part and be “all in” this season.

The Tigers will open their season with a tournament in Auburn, playing Arkansas State Friday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., facing the University of Virginia Saturday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. and UAB Sunday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m.

The biggest test for the Tigers in the weekend tournament will be the 13th ranked Virginia Cavaliers, who finished the 2010 season with a 51-14 overall record.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

TODD VAN EMST / MEDIA RELATIONS

Head coach Greg Williams discusses strategy with the team. Williams is currently in his ninth year as head coach.

Equestrian saddles up for South Carolina Alexandria Smith WRITER

After a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday, the Auburn equestrian team will take on South Carolina this weekend.

During the Georgia meet, Auburn came back to an 8–7 lead following the horsemanship event, after being down by two points.

The Tigers lost that lead during the reining event, though, and Georgia pulled out the win with a final score of 11–9.

Auburn will face the South Carolina Gamecocks Saturday at home at 10 a.m.

“We have lost to South Carolina the last two times at home, but we do not want that to happen again this weekend,” said

Anna Schierholz, senior hunt seat rider. “We have a lot of seniors and fouryear starters so we hope to go out with a bang.”

Sixth-ranked South Carolina faced thirdranked Georgia Feb. 5.

The meet was tied going into the last event, but the Gamecocks pulled out a comeback win with a final score of 10–9.

South Carolina’s Western riders were key in the victory against Georgia.

At the end of the meet, the Western riders in both the reining and horsemanship event came out undefeated.

“South Carolina has swapped back and forth between which team is the strongest, Western or English,” said Greg Williams, Auburn equestrian

coach, “but recently their Western team has been stronger, which could be a challenge for us, but I am confident in the team and how they have been riding.”

Home meets are easier because the riders are more familiar with the horses they ride, Williams said.

At away meets, every rider is required to ride the home team’s horses.

Williams also said he was very proud of the way the athletes rode at the Georgia meet, and this week of practice will be focused on staying unified and upbeat.

If Auburn wins the meet against South Carolina Saturday, they will hold the best record in the SEC and will enter the

postseason in the firstseed position.

To prepare for the South Carolina meet, the team will focus on fixing small mistakes.

“We will review the videos of the Georgia meet, and fix every little detail,” Schierholz said.

The SEC teams will always come in strong and be tough to compete with, Schierholz said.

Williams said after a hard week of practice, the Tigers hope to be in the right state of mind to take on South Carolina at home.

Along with being the equestrian team’s senior meet, there will also be a tailgating competition and other activities for children.

Admission is free.

Innis brings excitement, experience to team Mackenzie Cogle WRITER

Senior Auburn gymnast Rachel Inniss has become a crowd favorite this season after incorporating the song “All I Do is Win” and striking a Heisman pose in her floor routine.

Inniss said she considers gymnastics to be one of her greatest passions, but admitted it was something she tumbled into by accident.

At age 7, Inniss attended a cheerleading clinic with her cousin, where the two received passes for a free gymnastics class at a local gym.

Inniss quickly found she enjoyed all aspects of the sport.

Fourteen years later, she continues to pursue her passion as a member of the Auburn gymnastics team.

Inniss grew up in Rio Rancho, N.M. As a freshman at Rio Rancho High School, Inniss was a member of the dance team and she said she still enjoys

recreational dancing.

After taking a break from gymnastics her junior year of high school to focus on track, Inniss said she decided to get back on the mat.

She joined the Albuquerque club gymnastics team her senior year of high school and earned the title of New Mexico’s Level 10 all-around and individual state champion in 2007.

Inniss also placed fourth on the floor at the 2007 Junior Olympic Nationals.

Inniss earned a gymnastics scholarship to Auburn in April of 2007.

Last April, the 21-yearold was selected to compete in the NCAA gymnastics championship after scoring a 9.9 on her floor routine at regionals.

Inniss finished nationals with a 9.7 in the fifth rotation on floor.

“I didn’t perform as well as I would have liked at nationals,” Inniss said.

“That was my drive for this year.”

INNISS

To prepare for meets, Inniss said she prefers to listen to music or dance in order to distract herself.

“I do better when I’m not thinking about what I’m doing,” Inniss said.

Head coach Jeff Graba said he has spent this season getting to know Inniss and views her as a leader both on and off the mat.

“She’s definitely a competitor and a hard worker,” Graba said. “She is someone you can rely on day-in and day-out.”

Sophomore team member Toi Garcia said she considers Inniss to be one of her best friends on the team and someone she looks up to.

“She’s real and upfront,”

Garcia said.

Garcia also said Inniss does not fail to disappoint the team’s expectation that she will nail her routines.

“She’s been a rock for everyone on the team,” Garcia said.

With only a handful of meets left this season, Inniss said the feeling is bittersweet.

She said she will miss the support system her team has given her.

“It’s scary to think it’s ending because this has been my life for four years,” Inniss said.

Majoring in public administration, Inniss plans to graduate next fall. After graduation she said she would like to coach gymnastics and choreograph routines for other gymnasts. She said she wants to stay attached to the sport even if it’s just by judging competitions.

“Gymnastics has given me so many opportunities,” she said. “I still want to continue my career.”

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Sophomore Tim Hewitt returns a serve against Southern Mississippi Friday. Auburn won the match 6–1.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sports D3

The Auburn Plainsman

Tigers to face Tide with postseason on the line Erik Yabor WRITER

The Auburn women’s basketball team will face archrival Alabama Thursday at 7 p.m.

Alabama (13–12, 2–10 SEC) began the season with an 11–2 record, but lost nine consecutive games before its first conference win versus the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs earlier this month.

The Crimson Tide’s losing streak was entirely to conference foes and set them back second to last in the league despite winning two of its last three games.

Auburn (14–11, 7–5 SEC) had an 11–3 stretch in the middle of the season before losing four of five games.

The Tigers’ three-game losing streak was snapped

Sunday when they defeated the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks 64–59.

As a result of their slides, both teams are still fighting to reach the postseason.

“All the players know the importance of this game, and it is important on different levels,” said head coach Nell Fortner. “This is our rival, and you always want to beat your rival, especially when you are playing at home.

“But we are also playing for our postseason life right now, and every win is very important to us.”

Auburn defeated Alabama 66–55 in Tuscaloosa earlier in the season, but Tierney Jenkins caused problems for the Tigers, grabbing 15 rebounds and five steals in addition to

scoring 31 points.

For Auburn, Jordan Greenleaf led the team in scoring with 19 points.

Jenkins leads the Tide in scoring with 411 points, averaging 16.4 points per game. She has lead the team in scoring for all but five games. Jenkins also leads in rebounds and steals.

Besides Jenkins, Fortner cited freshman Kaneisha Horn as a potential threat.

Horn is third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game.

“Alabama is tough, fast, scrappy and athletic,” Fortner said. “They will press you and try to get up the floor quickly on offense. We have our work cut out for us.”

Auburn averages 62.5 points per game, but before

the Arkansas win, the last time the Tigers scored 60 or more points was nearly a month earlier against LSU. Alabama averages 66.6 points per game, but has been outscored by opponents who average 67.3 points per game.

By winning two of their last three games, the Crimson Tide have put themselves back in a position to make a postseason run.

Auburn can earn a firstround bye in the conference tournament by finishing in at least fourth place, though it cannot happen without help from other teams.

Both the Tigers and Tide can possibly make the NCAA postseason tournament with at-large berths without winning the conference championship if they

TIM SIMPSON / PHOTO STAFF

Sophomore guard Morgan Toles shoots for two in Auburn’s 54-47 win Jan. 30 against South Carolina. win out.

“I always look forward to playing Alabama,” Fortner said. “It’s just such a good

rivalry game, and the teams get up for it, and it’s good for the fans, and I’m just looking forward to playing.”

Former player turned coach connects with players Miranda Dollarhide INTRIGUE EDITOR

Whether it’s at home with his twins or at home plate with the baseball team, Scott Foxhall’s “kids” are his life.

“He has a way of comforting us,” said Cory Luckie, pitcher and senior in biomedical sciences. “The way he talks to you lets you know that everything is going to be all right.”

Foxhall, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, said he has loved Auburn baseball since he played on the team in 1990.

After his sophomore year, Foxhall said he transferred to the College of Charleston to pursue more playing time.

After graduation, they offered him a job on the coaching staff.

“It was a quick transition for me—on the job training,” Foxhall said. “I was just in an environment I was comfortable with because I had played there. It was a little bit easier transition, and I knew a lot of the guys that I was coaching that first year because I had played with them.”

Then in the summer of 2008, Foxhall got an opportunity to be part of Auburn baseball again.

“I am definitely an Auburn person,” Foxhall said. “I went to every home football game from the time I was 2 years old to the time I was a senior in high school.”

Not only has Auburn been a big part of Foxhall’s life, but so has baseball.

“Everybody says do what you love and the rest will take care of itself,” Foxhall said.

When he first started coaching, Foxhall said he barely survived, but he didn’t give up.

FOXHALL

“I think the best advice that anyone has ever given me is, ‘Whatever you love, choose that as your occupation, and you have a chance to be happy,’” Foxhall said.

“That’s what I did.”

Luckie said Foxhall has a true understanding and passion for the game.

“I think he is very seasoned,” Luckie said. “He’s experienced and knows how to deal with every situation that comes up. He’s very battle-tested.”

When Foxhall isn’t on the baseball field, he is at home with wife, Laura, and his twins, Kade and Kennedy.

Foxhall said his twins love to dance and sing. Kennedy loves princesses and Kade loves race cars.

When Foxhall gets an offday, he said he likes to spend it with his family.

“We try to have an activity planned where the kids are with us,” Foxhall said.

However, the moments together with his family are limited.

Besides assistant coach, Foxhall is also recruiting coordinator. When he isn’t traveling with the baseball team, he is traveling to recruit new players.

“That is something he spends so much time on— recruiting and bringing us good players,” said Slade Smith, pitcher and sophomore in public relations.

Foxhall said because of all his traveling, his wife has become like a single mom.

“She is a saint,” Foxhall said.” She has the children when I travel recruiting and when we travel with the team. She definitely has to do the bulk of keeping the family together because I am on the road so much.”

Foxhall’s time on the road and field has paid off.

Last year, 11 Auburn players were drafted for Major League Baseball.

Even despite this achievement, Foxhall said their focus is to train the team for Auburn games, not the MLB. “If they are successful here as an SEC player and a player at Auburn, then usually Major League Baseball is going to be interested in them,” Foxhall said. “But we don’t ever coach them or train them with it in mind.”

Foxhall’s coaching style plays a factor in the team’s success.

He said he likes to remain positive.

“I am not a yeller or a screamer at all,” Foxhall said. “My goal as a coach is for my player to be his own best coach.”

Luckie said Foxhall understands the players.

“That is one quality you have to have as an assistant coach,” Luckie said. “You really need to connect with your players and get inside their head.”

Foxhall said he takes pride in seeing his players do well on and off the field.

“I’ve got guys that played for me that are no longer in baseball, but are doctors or lawyers,” Foxhall said.

“That’s very satisfying personally for me to just have seen somebody and been with somebody in their formative years, when they’re trying to figure out their life, maybe as a baseball player but also as a person.”

GETTING TO KNOW FOXHALL

Sports D4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tigers face foe Florida Victoria Rodgers WRITER

CONTRIBUTED

Daniel Holland and Eric Terrell show off after the first day of the second tournament event.

Bass club remains undefeated Nick Van Der Linden ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

The Auburn Bass Fishing Club tops the charts after reeling in another top performance last weekend at Lake Wheeler in Decatur.

The Tigers finished first in the overall standings after handing the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama its first losses of the season last weekend.

Auburn also took first place in individual standings after the team of Daniel Holland and Eric Terrell finished with a total of 21.11 pounds, just above teammates Adam Murphree and Blake Evans, who finished with a total of 18.25 pounds.

“The first day was pretty slow,” Terrell said. “We struggled and only caught four fish—they just happened to be quality fish.

“The second day picked up, and things went a lot better. We caught our fish on beaver bait, which to that point we had not fished before. I caught the two biggest fish on the second day on it and thought if we had thrown that the whole time we could have had an even bigger bag.”

Auburn has an impressive record of 4–0 and is

one of only three remaining undefeated teams along with Bethel and the University of North Alabama.

Jann Swaim, who works with the team, said the team does a lot of prefishing to prepare for the tournaments.

“We usually send boats in four different directions, and at the end of the day, we’ll come back together and discuss what the options are, what bait to use and put together a game plan,” Swaim said.

“The guys work very close together, and I’d say right now we have the best four group of guys that are in it for the team.”

There are three twoday tournaments and one championship tournament in a season, and whoever has the highest win-loss record at the end of the season wins $2,000, a plaque and several gifts for club members such as rods and reels.

“It’s more for bragging rights than it is for prizes,” Terrell said.

Each school brings four two-man teams that compete for team honors.

The tournament also has an invitational where one two-man team competes against all other

two-man teams, including those from their own school for individual honors.

Terrell has been partners with club president Daniel Holland since last year and said chemistry plays a bigger role in fishing together than many may believe.

“Daniel is a slow, methodical fisherman who practically drags bait in front of a fish all day until they eat it,” Terrell said. “I like to run and do things fast and get reaction bites, so we compliment each other. When I throw something fast, he’ll come in behind me and pick up the slower fish.”

The team’s next tournament will take place March 17–19 at Lake Guntersville, and Swaim said he believes the team stands a chance at finishing strong.

“Daniel Holland is an excellent captain,” Swaim said. “The guys have fished together for a few years and have confidence in each other’s abilities.

When you have that confidence it creates a bond, and that has paid off so far. If we get through the matches at Guntersville, hopefully, we’ll be able to win this thing.”

The Crimson Tide rolled over the Tigers in the 110th gymnastics meet at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa Friday night.

No. 21 Auburn (2–4, 2–3 SEC) lost to No. 7 Alabama (7–1, 2–1 SEC) 197.850– 194.850.

The Tigers came to Tuscaloosa fresh off a win in their last meet against Kentucky, but could not clench consecutive victories.

The team started strong on the bars, with Kylie Shields leading the event with 9.875, a career high for the junior, but the Tigers later faltered.

“Well, I thought we did a pretty god job starting out, and we actually didn’t do a poor job through the meet until we got to the very end,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “We let it get away from us on beam.”

The team did well on the bars with a score of 48.950, which ties its highest score of the season, previously set against the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Tigers put up 48.700 on vault and 48.850 on floor. The Tigers tried to catch up with the Tide on the final rotation, but came up short with a team score of 48.350 on beam.

Alabama was in top

form in the rivalry match, scoring a season high 197.850.

“They probably could have won the national championship tonight,” Graba said. “They could be one of the top three or four teams in the country.

“I know they’re a big rival, but basically, how I look at it, we had to have been perfect tonight, and they’d have to mess up for us to win.”

The Tigers performed on the road in front of a sellout crowd of 15,075 in Tuscaloosa and can expect a similar crowd when they travel to Gainesville, Fla., Feb. 18 to face the No. 1 Florida Gators.

“Since we had an away meet this week, we know what to expect,” said sophomore Petrina Yokay.

“Florida is going to be like Bama. It’s going to be a lot of fans. They’ll be obnoxious, but I think we’ll be able to handle it.”

The Gators (7–0, 4–0 SEC) put up a season high 197.725 against Georgia Feb. 12.

So far this season, the Gators have averaged 49.267 on bars, 49.371 on vault, 49.392 on floor and 49.121 on beam per match.

Although the Gators will present a difficult challenge for the Tigers, Graba said he is not worried

“

We only focus on ourselves. It could be Florida, it could be Alabama, it could be any school we’re going up against. But we have our job that we need to do.”

—Kylie Shields JUNIOR GYMNAST

about his team.

“You take a look at the big picture, we started out the season with our major players injured,” Graba said. “You don’t win many meets when you have a lot of your major players with experience injured.”

Although the Tigers are coming off of a tough loss, the team continues to persevere on the road by concentrating on its own part.

“We only focus on ourselves,” Shields said. “So it could be Florida, it could be Alabama, it could be any school we’re going up against.

“But we have our job that we need to do, and it’s the same thing every time we go out.”

Women’s tennis still fighting for first win of the season Morgan McKean WRITER

The women’s tennis team faces off against Alabama A&M and the University of Memphis Saturday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.

They will be the first home matches of the season for the Tigers.

The matches will be at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Auburn has not posted a win so far this season, but each of the team’s four losses was to a ranked opponent, said head coach Tim Gray.

“We have the players who can play at this level, but they just have to believe that they can play and belong at this level,” Gray said.

Out of eight women on Auburn’s team, four are freshmen, three are sophomores and one is a junior.

“We are a young team, and we are still learning,” said Taylor Schreimann, the sole junior on the team. “It’s not that we aren’t doing well, we just

need more experience.

There’s a lot of room to grow.”

Auburn will square off Saturday against a Memphis team that is also mostly made up of underclassmen.

The Memphis Tigers (3–4) have struggled on the road as well, losing each of their four away matches.

In practice this week, Auburn has been focusing on fundamentals and playing at a high level, Gray said.

“We’ve been practicing with the mentality that we’re going to rebound and take these matches this next weekend,” Schreimann said. “We started the week off positively in practice and are carrying it throughout the week, so we are all positive and ready to go.

“I really think this past weekend we improved on managing our emotions and working the points and fighting.”

Last weekend, Auburn lost to both Florida State and Georgia Tech.

Against Georgia Tech, freshman Olivia Bennett lost 6–4, 6–4 to Sasha Krupina.

“It was just a matter of one break in each set,” Bennett said. “I think I did well, and I think with more experience I will be able to pull out closer wins like that next time.”

Sophomore Paulina Schippers boasts the No. 1 position for Auburn.

During the fall, Schippers had a 6–3 singles record and won back-toback matches at the SEC Fall Coaches’ Classic.

Memphis freshman Kathleen Hawkins is on a five-match winning streak and has the best record on the team at 5–2.

Hawkins plays in the No. 5 position.

“Even though we lost our last two matches, we just need to keep our heads up and keep looking for the win because hard work will pay off in the end,” Bennett said.

“I believe that if we keep going the way we are going, good things will come.”