07.18.13 edition of The Auburn Plainsman

Regaining our edge: Check out SEC football media days coverage PAGE A7

The Auburn Plainsman A Spirit That Is Not Afraid ThePlainsman.com

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Vol. 120, Issue 10, 8 Pages

ONLINE

Local live music Stay posted July 19 for a Q&A with Overall Co. performer Korby Lenker

NEWS

A3

Zimmerman verdict ignites campus reaction Jeffrey Moore News Writer

Handball Update Open tryouts for men’s Olympic training squad held at AU

INTRIGUE A5

Anna grafton / associate photo editor

Community Outreach An inside look at The Food Bank of East Alabama

OPINIONS A6

TOP: Graduate student April Scott speaks to a group gathered for the vigil she organized on campus to pay respects to Trayvon Martin.

BOTTOM: A moment of silence is observed at the vigil in honor of all individuals who have lost their lives because of violence.

READERS RESPOND

Want your opinion heard? To be featured in our issue, chime in on Facebook, Twitter or ThePlainsman.com

INDEX News Intrigue Opinion Sports

A2 A5 A6 A7

ter conviction. I was hoping he would be convicted for the symbolic value and what it represents for how we’re taking an attitude toward police business and serving justice within our communities.”

President of the Auburn Black Student Union Akilah Williams was also saddened by the jury’s decision, but she said she couldn’t argue that they made the correct legal judgment.

“I do not think justice was served, but I do think that the jury made the correct decision based on the information they were given,” Williams said. “Honestly, they made the right decision, because they couldn’t use any of their own opinion. They had to use exactly what the prosecution and defense gave them. The defense gave a great case; at least one that was better than what the prosecution gave.”

» See Zimmerman A2

No butts about it University announces a campus-wide smoking ban to be implemented in the fall

Justin Ferguson Our View: New campus policies another futile attempt to ban smoking

Following the not-guilty verdict of George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin, Americans everywhere have voiced their opinions on the trial through social media, peaceful demonstrations and in some cases, looting and vandalism.

Thankfully, Auburn students have taken a non-violent approach to expressing their beliefs, no matter their opinion.

April Scott, president of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association, helped organize a candlelight vigil Tuesday, June 16, “to honor Trayvon Martin and others who have fallen victim to senseless acts of violence.”

“I feel like generationally, we’ve missed the boat when it comes to activism,” Scott said. “Social media is great because it can get people together and bring awareness, but a

lot of times it just stops there.

So we’re trying to take this anger and emotion that’s being shown on Twitter, and we’re putting a movement behind it.”

Scott’s opening statements to the crowd were followed by poems and other speakers from the crowd who wanted to express their displeasure with the verdict in the Zimmerman trial.

“I was completely shocked that someone who has a history of violence could get away with killing an unarmed person,” Scott said.

Ben Dillon, a senior majoring in English literature, was at the vigil to pay his respect to Trayvon Martin.

He was not pleased with the verdict either.

“I was upset because I was personally hoping for a conviction,” Dillon said. “I discussed it with many people and read about the trial. I didn’t watch it, but I expected a manslaugh-

News Reporter

With six weeks before the University is scheduled to become a smoke-free campus, Health Promotion and Wellness Services released more information about the upcoming smoking policy Monday, July 15.

On Wednesday, August 21, Auburn’s smoke-free policy will go into effect, prohibiting smoking tobacco products on all University grounds with the exception of private vehicles.

“Smoking is permitted in privatelyowned vehicles (windows up) parked within the perimeter of campus,” the policy reads. The policy will also prohibit electronic cigarettes, which are generally regarded as a safer alternative to smoking for smokers and those around them.

When the policy goes into effect, smoking in University facilities will only be allowed for “controlled research, educational, theatrical, or religious ceremonial purposes” after receiving written approval from a dean, director or department head. The policy will apply to all students, faculty, staff and any visitors on campus.

Eric Smith, director of Health Promotion and Wellness Services, says the feedback his office has received since Monday’s information release has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I don’t have a problem with this new policy,” sophomore Carter Lloyd said. “You can argue about person-

“

Our enforcement efforts that we have discussed throughout this entire process have been about education and communication. We’re also going to ask for voluntary compliance.”

—Eric Smith director of health promotion and wellness services

al liberties, but it is a high traffic area, and there are documented health repercussions from secondhand smoke.”

But some students have voiced opposition to the new policy.

“Because smoking inside 25 feet from a door is supposed to be banned already, this policy sounds unnecessary,” said Caroline McDonald, senior in political science. “I can’t imagine the damage or discomfort from smoke away from buildings for anyone walking around campus would be that severe. It seems like Auburn University is trying to protect us from ourselves.”

According to the policy’s procedures, individuals who are violating

» See smoking, A2

Chelsea Wooten / Photo editor

Aviation management graduate Michael Pfeiffer flies a Cesna 172.

Auburn Aviation back in the air Kelsey Davis Editor-in-chief

A long-winded attempt to reach compromise for the future of the aviation flight degree was ended July 13 when Provost Timothy Boosinger released a letter to the Auburn Aviation community announcing the University’s intent to continue the professional flight management and aviation management degree programs.

Controversy arose during an Aviation Management Advisory Board meeting May 10 when College of Business Dean Bill Hardgrave announced his official recommendation to terminate the flight degree.

With this announcement, students, alumni, industry leaders and more strengthened their campaign to maintain the program.

“I would say I was surprised,” said David Hoebelheinrich, senior in aviation management who helped lead the student end of the campaign.

“The campaign went way further than we thought it could with the amount of support it got and how viral it went,” Hoebelheinrich said.

“We had industry leaders from all major companies come together to help us write letters and make calls.

Parents and alumni and students, it was a relentless effort.”

As movements from students and alumni continued, the College of Business conducted a program review to better evaluate the aviation degrees.

Associate Dean Joe Hanna was introduced as interim director of the aviation programs to facilitate and better lead the process, according to an open letter from Hardgrave.

“Keeping Auburn’s professional flight management degree is a likely path for our students to be

» See Aviation, A2

News A2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Crime Reports for July 11–16, 2013 July 11 – Deer Run Road Second-degree burglary of Dell laptop computer between 2-2:30 a.m.

July 11 – Lee Road 17 Third-degree burglary of HP laptop computer, two Xbox 360 game consoles and TV between 7-11:30 a.m.

July 11 – War Eagle Way Second-degree theft of Samsung cell phone between 9:55-10:05 a.m.

July 11-12 – Oak Meadow Lane Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of handgun and golf club between July 11 at 6 p.m. and July 12 at 5 p.m.

July 12 – Harmon Drive Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of clothing, baseball caps, sunglasses and handbags between 12:01-4 a.m.

July 12 – Lee Road 57 First-degree theft of horse saddles, bridals and martingale between noon and 8 p.m.

July 12-13 – West Samford Avenue First-degree theft of Dodge Ram pickup truck and chainsaw between July 12 at 4:30 p.m. and July 13 at 3:45 a.m.

July 12-14 – Lem Morrison Drive Second-degree theft of Toshiba laptop computer between July 12 at 5 p.m. and July 14 at 4 p.m.

Auburn at a glance • • •

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•

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The first three home football games of the season are scheduled to be at night.

The psychology graduate program ranked No. 15 in the nation by GraduatePrograms.com.

Auburn Magazine, published quarterly by the Auburn Alumni Association, was awarded a silver medal in the Circle of Excellence Awards by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Auburn tennis player Dan Cochrane played for the Great Britain team at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

Andrzej “Andy” Nowak, professor of civil engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been named department chair of Auburn’s department of civil engineering.

Steve Taylor, biosystems engineering professor and department head and director of Auburn’s Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts, has been named a Fellow in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Auburn graduates Kevin Kocot, Chris Marble and Elizabeth Ndontsa have been selected as winners of the Graduate School’s 2012-13 Distinguished Dissertation Awards.

Zimmerman » From A1

Wi l li a m s a d d e d s h e thought the prosecution attorneys could have been more aggressive in presenting their argument.

“There were so many factors they could’ve really hit on that would have made this case something worth fighting for,” Williams said. “If I was there, I could have just strangled the prosecution.

They were just very passive.”

Andrew Waters, senior in building science, is from Umatilla, Fla., which is approximately 30 minutes away from Sanford, where the trial took place. He said while he was sympathetic towards the victim, he didn’t think the case should have been brought to trial.

“Based on the evidence, there was nothing to convict George Zimmerman,” Waters said. “Trayvon was

Smoking » From A1

the policy will be asked to discard their tobacco product.

Repeat student violators will be directed to the Office of Student Conduct, and staff members will be under the Auburn University Personnel Policies & Procedures Manual’s references to smoking, which will be updated in the future.

Smith said education and communication will be key to enforcing the new policy.

“Our enforcement efforts that we have discussed throughout this entire process have been about education and communication,” Smith said. “We’re also going to ask people for voluntary compliance. I think that’s one thing the Auburn Family is really good at: making good choices.”

Smith also said Health Promotion and Wellness Services will ask people to remind those smoking on campus about the new policy next se-

the aggressor, and there was no evidence to support that Zimmerman started the altercation. I believe that the only reason he was tried in the first place was because of race relations. There was no reason to put this man in jail for simply defending himself.”

Though Auburn students’ opinions about the George Zimmerman trial vary, students have been responsible about sharing their beliefs by peacefully voicing their opinion. Scott, after the vigil, said this was only the beginning of what she hopes will bring real changes to our community.

“Politics is how you make change,” Scott said. “We’re starting an initiative to get people involved locally in politics. We can come together and attend city council meetings and write to our legislators. Once we give people the idea that they have a voice again, I think that’s when we’ll start seeing change.” mester, if they are comfortable doing so.

“I definitely don’t want to make people uncomfortable, but we are going to ask that everyone on campus abide by this policy,” Smith said. “If you see a visitor smoking, it could be as simple as saying, ‘Hey, we’re a smoke-free campus now.’

“Hopefully the communication and signage will take care of that need.”

According to the new Smoke-Free Auburn University webpage, Auburn will become one of 1,160 other colleges since 2003 that have become smoke-free campuses. In the SEC, the Universities of Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and Mississippi all have smoke-free campuses.

“I think it’s also important to note other SEC schools have already done this, and we are following their lead when it comes to enforcement—and that comes down to education and communication first,” Smith said.

July 12-14 – Tichenor Avenue Third-degree theft and illegal possession of U.S. currency between July 12 at 11 p.m. and July 14 at 9 a.m.

July 13-15 – Commerce Drive First-degree theft of car trailer between July 13 at 10 a.m. and July 15 at 7:30 a.m.

July 14-15 – Quail Hollow Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of GPS, phone charger, debit cards, leather ID holder, gift cards and U.S. currency between July 14 at 10 p.m. and July 15 at 5 a.m.

July 15 – Shelton Mill Road Third-degree theft of copper ground wire between 9:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

July 15-16 – West Longleaf Drive Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle and theft of iPod and U.S. currency between July 15 at 10:15 p.m. and July 16 at 9:45 a.m.

July 16 – West Samford Avenue Second-degree theft of iPad and iPhone between 10 a.m. and noon.

— Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

Egyptian students weigh in on their home country’s revolution Corey Arwood Writer

Waves of the popular discontent recently erupted in Egypt have stretched to Auburn and are creating a similar stir among the members of the Egyptian Student Association.

With approximately 17 group members, the ESA could be viewed as a microcosm of the political atmosphere currently spread throughout the state of Egypt.

Haitham Mohammed and Haitham Eletrabi said the ESA is divided in much the same way the citizens of Egypt are divided.

Mohammed and Eletrabi are both administrators of the ESA. Mohammed is a doctoral student pursuing his degree in the School of Fisheries. Eletrabi is a doctoral student in civil engineering and is in the process of getting a master’s in business administration.

According to Eletrabi and Mohammed, the divide breaks down into two camps.

One camp wants the return of the recently ousted president, Mohamed Morsi. The other camp fought for his removal and succeeded with the help of the Egyptian military.

A motivating force behind the revolt that swept across Egypt, which drew larger numbers from both camps respectively than previous protests, is rooted in a dysfunctional state and an ailing economy, Mohammed and Eletrabi said.

Both have family members in Cairo, close to the heart of the protests in Tahrir Square. Some have participated in all the decisive protests in Egypt’s recent history, spanning from Hosni Mubarak’s ousting to Morsi’s actions during his year as president.

“My father and my brother voted for Morsi in the second round of elections.

My brother was in Tahrir Square during June 30. He was one of the guys supporting or collecting signatures for Tamarod.

I talked to him the day he was in Tahrir Square,” Mohammed said.

Tamarod, which translates to “Rebel,” was a grass roots movement to collect signatures of anyone who was in opposition to Morsi. Numbers of signatures collected have been cited at more than 22 million.

One man present at the protests in

Aviation » From A1

considered for a Restricted Pilot certification [a certification Congress requires of commercial pilots] with less than 1,500 flight hours,” Hanna said.

“In light of the recent ruling, we have decided that the professional flight management degree program should be retained since it has the potential to positively impact the ability of our students to realize their goal of becoming a commercial pilot,” he said.

Achievieving this certification, and others, of its type was addressed in the letter from Boosinger to the aviation community.

Other points of concern such as the need for improved facilities and the necessity of additional faculty.

Boosinger also stated in the letter the intent to search for appropriate means of

contributed by haitham mohammed

Maher Ismail, Haitham Eletrabi, Haithan Mohammed, Sherif Hammad and Emad Mansour, members of the ESA raising awareness for turmoil in Egypt in 2012.

Cairo said he had nothing to do with politics, but without enough gas to drive his vehicle to work and make money to support his family, he had nowhere else to go, according to Mohammed.

Mohammed said he also had friends in Egypt who waited more than six or seven hours in lines for fuel, taking lunch breaks and having food delivered to the gas station as they waited.

One ESA member who disagreed with Eletrabi and Mohammed was a supporter of Morsi and expressed the view that the current state of affairs in Egypt preceded Morsi and had been used opportunistically by opposition groups.

The ESA member did not wish to contribute to the article, but acted as a moderator posing questions during the discussion.

Mohammed and Eletrabi agreed it was going to be difficult to find one leader who would satisfy and represent the various political and religious groups defining Egypt’s political landscape.

However, there was consensus in an opposition to a Muslim Brotherhood presence at the helm of political power in Egypt.

Regardless of the Brotherhood’s back-

fundraising to facilitate additional resources needed to strengthen these programs.

This could mean a raise in tuition or fees to cover rising operational costs along with requesting support from “alums, friends and [the aviation] industry” for scholarships and equipment.

Despite potential tuition hikes, the decision to maintain the flight degree was enthusiastically received by both students and alumni.

“I’d like to commend the Board of Trustees, president and provost for their vision and leadership to maintain and enhance the aviation programs at Auburn,”said Jason Mohrmon, a United Airlines captain who has helped lead the alumni campaign to maintain the program.

“We’re ecstatic and encouraged by this positive news, and we’re looking forward to building Auburn to be the premier aviation program in the world,” he said.

ing of Morsi, both Eletrabi and Mohammed said at the outset of Morsi’s time in office they were both hopeful he would succeed.

They said the notion of supporting or not supporting Islam is a divisive ploy and does not accurately represent the situation Egypt faces and the sentiment of all its Muslim population.

Who the next president is does not matter according to Mohammed and Eletrabi.

“If we have a good parliament, good constitution and good government, then we’re not going to be very worried about who takes the presidential,” Eletrabi said.

However, what does matter is inclusiveness; that all sides somehow find common ground.

“What we are trying to say is basically everyone, everybody, should be represented,” Eletrabi said. “We are not going to exclude any group of parties like what happened last year. Everybody should count. The Christians, the women, the youth, the Islamists, any group that basically presents their ideas in a peaceful and nonviolent way should be represented because this is all Egypt. Even pro-Morsi.”

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A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

News A3

The Auburn Plainsman

“

After seeing the facilities and the connections we could have with the School of Kinesiology, I am very positive about the possibility of us being here.”

—Javier Garcia Cuesta head coach of U.S. National Handball team

Local athletes score big during USA Team Handball’s campus visit Justin Ferguson News Reporter

Although there is a small amount of experience with team handball on campus, Auburn has grabbed the attention of USA Team Handball.

After a multi-day visit to The Plains that ended with an open tryout for the men’s O ly m p i c t ra i n i n g squad, representatives from both the University and the national team were optimistic about the partnership that could make Auburn the home for team handball in the United States.

“I am pleasantly surprised with the offer we have received from Auburn,” said Javier Garcia Cuesta, head coach of the U.S. men’s national team. “After seeing the facilities and the connections we could have with the School of Kinesiology, I am very positive about the possibility of us being here.”

Auburn’s connection to Team USA Handball is Reita Clanton, director of the School of Kinesiology’s new Performance Optimization Center.

Clanton played on the first women’s U.S. handball team at the Olympics and has several years of experience on its coaching staff.

“From our perspective, we think the visit from USA Team Handball has gone very well,” Clanton said. “We are very, very optimistic about the residency programs coming here.

There are still a few details left to hammer out, but we all think this would be a win-win setup for the national team and Auburn.”

Clanton said the amount of feedback and participation for Saturday’s open tryout for the Olympic training squad was highly beneficial for Auburn’s

Chelsea Wooten / photo editor

U.S. National Handball Team Head Coach Javier Garcia Cuesta (pictured left and above) instructs players during tryouts for the Olympic training squad at the Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Saturday, July 13.

bid to become the home of the national teams.

“With the short time frame we had to get the word out and get people to say that they were interested—not even knowing what the game was—I’m thrilled and (Cuesta) is thrilled,” Clanton said.

“The enthusiasm was what was so impressive to me. Everyone was so eager and open to learning the game.”

Saturday, July 13, 29 people, from recent high school graduates to University students to local professional athletes, came to Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum for a chance to be a part of a potential Olympic squad. After a lesson on the rules and fundamentals, participants went through almost two hours of drills and scrimmages.

The national team’s coaches said they were impressed with what they saw on the court.

“First of all, the number of people we had and the amount of enthusiasm for the sport

was encouraging,” Cuesta said.

“Second, we found three or four players that are the type of athlete we are looking for, so I’m very excited.”

Because team handball has similarities to more popular sports like basketball, soccer, water polo and ultimate Frisbee, tryout participants had a grasp on the skills needed to succeed.

However, there were some transitions that had to be made.

“This tryout was very eyeopening,” said Ryan Norman, Auburn senior and tryout participant. “There was a lot of raw talent out there. A lot of us had the muscle memory from playing other sports, so it was weird to adjust to a new but similar sport in a short amount of time.”

Clanton knew some of the area’s best young athletes were going to try out, but said she was impressed with more than just the physical skills of those on the court.

“A lot of these great athletes we had out here also had a great amount of court sense and tactical awareness,” Clanton said. “Overall, this was better than the average open tryout.”

Cuesta said there was not a set date for a decision on the future of USA Team Handball in Auburn, but the staff had an “as soon as possible” mindset.

The final meetings between the School of Kinesiology and the national team were held after the tryout. Auburn’s proposal will be presented to the sport’s national board in the coming weeks.

Even if USA Team Handball decides to choose another location for its residency program, the response from Auburn showed team handball could easily become a part of the athletic setup on campus.

“I’d love to keep playing team handball,” Norman said.

“You know, a club team, intramurals—anything to get it going here.”

‘High Tech, Low Life’ puts Chinese censorship in spotlight Aaron Lake Writer

The Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship featured “High Tech, Low Life” at its meeting Thursday, July 11.

The documentary is part of a series Auburn is screening in conjunction with the Public Broadcasting Service and Point of View.

“PBS lets organizations like [Auburn] screen these documentaries before they air on cable,” said Maiben Beard, outreach associate for the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities.

“This was the second screening of the series, which will be running through November.”

The documentaries, which were selected from a list of POV documentaries that will premiere this year, were chosen with discussion modera-

tors and topics in mind.

“We were definitely looking at the films while thinking about which faculty members could lead meaningful discussion following the showing,” Beard said. “These films all expand your worldview and there’s an excellent chance to engage in meaningful conversation with others, and we want to take advantage of that.”

The second documentary showed in the series was “High Tech, Low Life.” The cameras followed two citizen journalists as they reported what they saw in China, where censorship is prevalent and penalties for those reporting on unfavorable topics can be strict.

Makiko Mori, assistant professor in the department of foreign languages and literatures, led the discussion.

Contributed

Point of View has worked in conjunction with PBS to produce numerous independent documentary films. Among other awards, POV has earned 32 Emmys and three Academy Awards since its inception.

“This film shows the contrast between the government media and the feelings and sentiments of those normal, faceless people within the country,” Mori said. “There’s been an emergence of citizen reporters, or bloggers, who are

armed with laptops and antispying technology to tell their stories.”

The film focused on the two main characters, a young, energetic blogger named Zola, and an older, calmer reporter named Tiger Temple. Al-

though they do not work in coordination with each other, their reporting brings news and changes to the country.

Because of the efforts of citizen reporters, Chinese citizens are aware of current events, according to Mori.

“Blogging allows a person sitting in a dark room to join and contribute to a networking community,” Mori said.

“The citizens there are not naïve. They are aware of what is going on and how things are reported outside of the staterun media.”

The documentaries have had an impact on those who watched it, and anticipation for the future screenings is present.

“I thought the screening was interesting,” said Blake Evans, graduate assistant for the director of civic initiative.

“I know it’s my job to be here, but I have enjoyed the first two films. They have been great cultural views, and I’ve learned a lot from having the opportunity to view them here.”

The series was previously held at The Gnu’s Room, but relocated to the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, according to Beard.

“The center’s mission is to connect the university to the public,” Beard said. “We had co-sponsored the screenings at The Gnu’s Room, but we took over the screenings and found a home at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.”

“High Tech, Low Life” will premiere July 22, and the next screening will be “Best Kept Secret,” Aug. 1. More information regarding this film series can be found at Auburn.edu/CAH.

Master of education program ranked No. 1 in country Jeffrey Moore Writer

Auburn University’s online Master of Education program was recently ranked first in the nation by TheBestSchools.org, a higher education and career resource organization.

School rankings were based on criteria including academic excellence, course offerings and incidental benefits.

Leane Skinner is the special projects coordinator and chair of the distance education and outreach technology committee for the College of Education.

She said the personal care given by Auburn’s online instructors is what led to such a high ranking.

“Our faculty is very committed to our distance program, and they make sure the dis-

tance students get the same experience that the on-campus students get,” Skinner said.

“They feel like they’re part of the Auburn Family. In our college, our faculty really works hard to make sure that the distance students, even though they’re not on campus, really can come and feel like a part of the family.”

Skinner said the interaction between students and teachers is what sets Auburn’s distance education courses apart from other programs.

“There’s an emphasis on making certain that our online programs increase the interaction among the faculty, the students on campus and the distance students.”

Sue Barry, graduate program officer in curriculum and teaching, echoed Skinner’s

“

In our college, our faculty really works hard to make sure that the distance students, even though they’re not on campus, really can come and feel like a part of the family.”

—Leane Skinner College of Education Special Projects coordinator

sentiments.

“I think that the instructors who are doing this are willing to put in a lot of extra hours to give a lot of personal attention to students who aren’t on campus,” Barry said. “When you’re teaching distance students, it’s very different than having students that live in Auburn.

They need to be taken care of, and when they want attention, they need it right then.”

The college endeavors to make online students feel like they are in an actual classroom by being placed in small classes, which facilitates personal contact between instructors and their students.

Barry said the small class setting also encourages interaction between distance learning and on-campus students.

“We always have on-campus and distance students con-

nected in one class that meets at the same time, whether it’s live stream or through connecting through something else,” Barry said. “It’s like being in class; we’re connecting oncampus and off-campus students.”

Online distance education programs make it possible for business professionals to pursue a master’s degree while also working their current job.

“Some of the people out in the business world decide that they really want to teach,” Barry said. “So they want to go back to school, but they don’t want to quit their job until they’re certified and can find a job in teaching.

“It gives an opportunity to people who are already out working professionally, and they want to either change

jobs or move up on the pay scale; therefore they’re able to do that, where they wouldn’t be able to if they had to find a school that’s close enough to drive to.”

Although Auburn’s online Master of Education program was only recently recognized for its prestige, it came as no surprise for the College of Education faculty. Since the program’s inception in 2001, it has made an effort to strive for excellence.

“We’ve worked at it very hard. We’ve spent a lot of years, and we have a lot of experience,” Barry said. “I think we have a lot of professors that are willing to put in the time to work individually with people when necessary to make sure that things are organized and well-run.”

News A4

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Thursday, July 18, 2013

The purchase of a new automated parking system for the downtown area was a topic of lengthy discussion at the July 16 meeting of the Auburn City Council.

The new system, part of Phase I in Auburn’s Parking Project, is serviced by VenTek International and will manage 93 spaces in the recently constructed lot on Gay Street in the combined space from the old Colonial Bank and Auburn Bank drive-thru tellers.

Assistant City Manager Kevin Cowper explained that the system will use payment kiosks instead of traditional coin meters.

For the past several months, there has been a test kiosk at the municipal parking deck behind Moe’s Barbeque and Little Italy Pizzeria.

The seven new kiosks will accept coins, bills and credit cards, which Cowper noted would be a popular option for college students and other young adults. Users will walk to the nearest kiosk, type in their parking space number and pay for their time, which will be measured in normal 30-minute allotments.

The system will allow users to pay for up to four hours of parking time at once. The traditional parking meters have a two-hour time limit, and Cowper noted those meters were not ideal for those working or staying downtown for extended times.

Most of the discussion involving the new parking system centered on its price tag.

According to the City Manager’s office, the system will cost $215,740.96.

“I understand what (the

council members) are saying (about the price), but we think there will be a good return on this investment,” Cowper said. “It’s hard to say exactly how much money this system would generate—I am estimating around the $40,000 range annually, which would give us around a five-year payback for this system.”

While the resolution was later unanimously passed by the Council, the financial concerns from several members remained.

“I would hope that, in the future, we look at more vital projects first,” Councilman Arthur Dowdell said. “I’m going to go ahead and vote for it, but it’s hard to digest the price of this system…I’m not saying this is not a good project, but it’s hard to digest this.

It seemed like the old system worked.

“I know we live in a modernized age, but we need to be good stewards of how we spend the city’s money.”

Parking meters downtown currently cost 25 cents per hour with a two-hour time limit and a “no refilling” policy.

Dowdell raised more concerns right before the meeting was adjourned, but they had nothing to do with spending city money.

The Ward 1 Councilman read part of a letter he received from an African-American doctoral alumna of Auburn University who never received a response from the city’s school system two years after applying for a job.

Dowdell called for a closer look into racial discrimination allegations all across the Auburn government, from the Auburn Police Division to the school board.

Justin Ferguson / News Reporter

The new kiosks will cost the same for those parking, but Auburn will not see any profit on the city’s now-approved $215,740 investment until five years from now, according to the assistant city manager.

Other notes from City Council • • • • • •

• •

•

The Council approved an alcoholic beverage license for Jenni’s Kitchen on 901 S. College St. Supplemental law enforcement services were approved for Auburn sporting events for the next year.

A zoning ordinance for the Farmville Lakes area was approved.

A contract was finalized with Dixie Electric Cooperative for underground electrical service and street lights at the Auburn Technology Park.

Another contract was finalized with Machen, McChesney & Chastain LLP for an annual independent audit.

A motion for a full-time school resource officer for LeeScott Academy was approved. According to the Auburn Police Division, the school will pay for the officer’s salary, and the City of Auburn will provide 22 percent of the benefits.

A mutual aid agreement was approved for the City of Opelika, the Lee County Commission and the Lee County Sheriff ’s Office.

Two motions from the Water Resource Management Department were approved for the purchase of two clarifier drives for Thickener Drive and for Phase 2 of the City’s Sewer Project.

A motion for drainage and utility management acceptance across Lot 7 of J. Cary Woods Subdivision (Sanders Street) was approved.

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Intrigue Thursday, July 18, 2013

A5 ThePlainsman.com

Intrigue

Labor of love and fighting for hunger: behind the scenes with the Food Bank of East Alabama Chandler Jones Writer

A 15-minute drive from Auburn’s campus is the Food Bank of East Alabama.

According to Feeding America, in 2011, 49 million people, which is more than 15 percent of the population, lived in poverty. Fifty million Americans lived in food insecure households, with 33.5 million being adults and 16.7 million being children.

According to the FBEA, in America, one in six adults and one in four children deal with hunger and food insecurity everyday. Food insecurity means people are unsure of where their next meal comes from or lacks the access to adequate nutrition.

The food bank’s work is to resolve that issue by collecting and distributing food to agencies in contact with those in need.

Martha Henk has heroically led the FBEA for the last 18 years. Her daily 6 a.m. routine can be compared to missionary work.

She works with 190 agencies and oversees the distribution of approximately 5 million pounds of food. They average approximately 360,000 pounds per month, which is the equivalent of 14 fully loaded 18-wheelers.

“My food bank basically is involved with feeding people,” Henk said. “Our job is to gather together the best supply of food that we can – donated food – and then make that available to churches and nonprofit organizations that have some kind of outreach. We help to supply them with food.”

FBEA warehouse consists of 20,000 square feet with three loading docks, a salvage and repackaging center and a shopping area. The 25,000 cubic feet refrigerator houses perishables such as mangos and peppers.

It operates with four trucks and a van for deliveries.

“A lot of times people come in and they walk into the warehouse in the back and they see it’s not just a few can goods sitting on a shelf,” Henk said. “They have this picture that it’s a food pantry where needy people come in, they pick a few little cans and then they leave and not realize it is actually much larger than that.”

Henk said more than 60 percent of their agencies rely on the Food Bank of East Alabama for 100 percent of their food supply.

The Food Bank is stocked by local grocery stores such as Kroger, WinnDixie and Publix; food and financial donations, food drives like Beat Bama and surpluses from restaurants such as Panera Bread. The “best buy,” “best sold by” and “best used by” dates on boxes force establishments to discard their food. In reality, it is still edible and may be donated to the Food Bank. “[We] get product that is close to its ‘use-by date’ – it’s usually perishable food – and then we bring it back here

Contributed by Chandler jones

TOP: Leigh Baswell, volunteer, loads boxes for packaging.

BOTTOM, LEFT: Food products are readied on the delivery dock. These are destined for the Community Market on Glenn.

BOTTOM, RIGHT: Tony Lacey and Leigh Baswell explain the process behind the packaging station.

and sort it, organize it and get it out as quickly as we can,” Henk said.

Henk lends the success of FBEA to the staff. They work with 27 people with 20-30 volunteers.

“Most of us are strongly motivated by the idea that we want to make

The week in Tweets

a difference and we want to help people,” Henk said.

Tony Laney, salvage director, begins the food processing. The salvage department ensures that food is fit for consumption. He organizes and inspects each donation. He works

with the volunteers to box all foods for storage. After the food is inspected it is separated into different categories. Then, the food is put into boxes and recorded.

“We check for expiration dates, check for leakages, make sure there

is not damage to the product and then we’ll put it in a case,” Laney said.

“The case is then put on a palate. After we have a full palate of a product, then it’s recorded and we take it to the back of the warehouse and it’s slotted.

Once it’s slotted, at the end of the day, it’s recorded onto our hard drive and customers can go check our food list online, and they can order the product from there.”

Each case’s content is gauged by weight, and weights vary by product.

Laney said on a slow day he packages approximately 60,000 pounds of food.

“Our hands touch everything that’s donated,” Laney said.

Food that doesn’t pass is taken to the compost. The Food Bank stays true that nothing should ever go to waste.

Kevin Thomas, distribution manager, is the next step. He packages and distributes each order and is the last stop before the truck.

Thomas’s area comprises six rows, three-tiers high of cases and pallets.

This area is the main source of noise in the warehouse. At any moment a machine is sorting, stacking or loading a delivery.

“The main thing we do is get the food out to the people,” Thomas said.

“Everyday we come in and we’re pretty much pulling orders for that day and the next day and the rest of the week.”

Thomas keeps everything tidy and follows strict regulations for stocking.

Thomas interacts with the customers firsthand. He said meat and bread are always highest in demand.

His favorite part is customer interaction. He said he makes a point to get to know everyone that comes through.

The food bank is a facet of Feeding America, a national organization founded in 1967 by John van Hengel.

When van Hengel struck up a conversation with a mother of seven living on the streets of Phoenix, Ariz., he was inspired to create the first food bank. In more than 50 years, it has grown to more than 200 food banks across the United States.

FBEA is one of eight in the Alabama Food Bank Association. Altogether, the state’s food banks deliver more than 30 million pounds of food per year to those in need. FBEA services the populations of east and central Alabama.

After the food is loaded on to the trucks, it is taken to 190 churches, nonprofits and markets around eastern Alabama to be distributed to the food insecure. Henk said the level of need has only risen in the last few years due to hard economic times, but remains faithful that one day food insecurity could be cured.

For more, see the video at ThePlainsman.com

Snapshot

Auburn-related chatter on Twitter from July 11-17 @FootballAU: “The great thing about it is we’ve done this before.” #Auburn’s Malzahn on looking for 8th starting QB in 8 years @CampusRecAU: Check out the new 200,000 gallon pool at the Recreation and Wellness Center! @TrackemTigers: Auburn’s had 2nd hardest conference schedule n 21 yr. history of the SEC’s - 8 game format - Bama’s had 3rd easiest @ESPNNFL: Cam Newton has thrown for 7,920 yards in his 2 seasons, the most EVER by a player through his first 2 years in the NFL. @VanAllenPlexico: Was about 21 years ago they painted JordanHare & overspray got on the cars of me & other @aubookstore employees. Took my paint right off ! @bmarcello: Welcome to Springdale High, home of Gus Malzahn’s 2005 state champs, which might be best team in Arkansas history. @AU_History: 7/15/1959: @FootballAU public season ticket books on sale tomorrow for $21, includes Hardin-Simmons, KY, FL, Miss St & Miss Southern. @WarBlogle: For Auburn tickets online, Alabama is most expensive homegame, $376 average. UGA #2, $245. Least FAU, $51.

Sarah Herndon, senior in interior design; Kelsey Woodworth, senior in public relations; Sarah Keithly, senior in interior design and Julie Myers, senior in apparel merchandising, visit Florence, Italy while studying abroad with the Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy program in the spring.

Want to see your photo here? Email your best shots to photo@theplainsman.com

Opinion

A6

Thursday, July 18, 2013

ThePlainsman.com

Opinion

Our View

Behind the smoke screen of health and wellness on another.

Now, you probably think secondhand smoke is inflicting harm on others, and we believe that too. But we think making a compromise, such as the “25-foot rule,” is a lot more effective and democratic than prohibition.

None of that seems to matter though. The opinions of smokers are rarely, if ever, considered.

Auburn will officially become a smoke-free campus Aug. 21, and we can’t help but shake our heads. The University began a gradual push to this prohibition last year, and the laughable regulations it’s had up to this point have been ineffective.

We want to believe the smoking prohibition will be ineffective as well. It has all the ingredients for an underwhelming influence on campus life.

“We are going to take an educational approach to enforcement because education will be key to implementing this process. We’re also going to ask people for voluntary compliance,” said Eric Smith, director of health promotion and wellness services.

Perhaps, taking an educational approach will foster an atmosphere of comprise and smoking will never truly be eliminated from campus, which is fine with us. Unfortunately, the delivery

Health regulations can save lives and generally make the United States a better place to live.

Compare the beef and pork industries of the early 20th century to their present counterparts.

When Upton Sinclair wrote “The Jungle,” germ theory was still in its infancy, and it was commonplace for meat packers to send diseased meat through to the public. Packing plants were so bad men and women would frequently die at work from exposure to all kinds of filth in factories that were little more than giant sewers.

Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since the days of the meat packing barons. There are all manner of health and safety regulations that, for the most part, keep us from dying off by the hundreds of thousands from completely preventable diseases.

But what happens when these regulations go too far?

Of course, we’re talking about smoking bans.

If you’ve read our editorials during the past year, you know we believe smoking bans to be an unnecessary show of authority that infringe upon the personal freedom of a minority.

Smoking is not a right, but it’s also not a revocable privilege. We believe if you are a consenting adult, then you should be able to smoke, drink, party, etc. as long as you don’t inflict harm

of said education seems flawed.

Along with cessation programs and signs, non-smokers will be gently encouraged to do the nagging.

“If you as a member of the Auburn Family see someone smoking, we are going to ask that you maybe say something to them,” Smith said. “If you don’t feel comfortable, that’s fine. I definitely don’t want to make people uncomfortable, but we are going to ask that everyone on campus abide by this policy.”

Maybe that will work. It probably won’t.

But what about game day? What about the fans who like to smoke on the ramp and socialize?

“If you see a visitor smoking, it could be as simple as saying, ‘Hey, we’re a smoke-free campus now.’ Hopefully the communication and signage will take care of that need,” said Smith.

Again, we are all about compromise. Cooperation seems to be a dying value in American culture. However, smoking prohibition, enforced by passive-aggressive comments and a multitude of signs doesn’t come anywhere close to teamwork.

If you don’t feel like quitting smoking, then don’t. If you do, then go for it. It’s that simple.

Don’t let an authoritarian form of control dictate how you live.

Rachel Suhs

Her View

Racial differences still create segregation, even in college Anna Grafton photo@ theplainsman.com

College is meant to shape and educate us as individuals, the transition between youth and adulthood.

At first glance, campuses are extremely diverse, consisting of different ethnicities and cultures. But do we, as students, take advantage of the cultures that we are immersed in?

Or do we come into this new experience with preconceived notions and stereotypes that lead us to only befriend those who look, dress and act like ourselves?

As much as we would like to overlook the fact and make the claims

that segregation is a thing of the past and racism is long gone, it’s just not true. For all of our progress, including having a multi-racial president in office, America is still largely divided, specifically in the Southern states.

This year an analysis of the 2010 U.S. Census Date revealed Southern cities, including Birmingham; Houston; Memphis, Tenn.; New Orleans; and Miami, among the 21 most racially segregated major cities in the nation.

My high school was comprised of only 30 percent Caucasians. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a culture of multiple ethnicities. Even as a minority within my school, I never experienced racism or the segregation of cultures that seems so much more common in college. I have come to realize acceptance of multicultural rela-

tionships and friendships are not as orthodox or well-received by everyone. I have quickly found out that not only are some people unaccepting of biracial relationships and multicultural interaction; it often provokes anger and strong emotion.

Since I’ve begun my college career, I have been in utter shock at the lack of interaction between races. Greek systems are racially divided, classrooms seem to be a seating chart based on skin color, and when I go out on the weekend, I find clusters of colors divided around the bar.

Difference in skin color is a result of the same scientific explanation as difference in hair color, melanin. Different skin pigments create different skin color, the exact same way different pigments create blonds and brunettes. I have yet to find the blond-on-

ly sorority on campus, and I see multitudes of hair colors interacting every day.

So why does this stop at hair and not transition to the acceptance of different skin color as well?

Of course, our race is a part of who we are, but it shouldn’t define who we are.

Our experience as the Auburn Family is not based simply on a college education or around a football team. Being a part of this Family is an opportunity to utilize a complete learning experience, including the learning opportunities available from our diverse Auburn Family members.

We are young; we have our entire lives ahead of us, and a great big world to explore. For the most part, students are not taking advantage of the opportunity to open their minds

to the stories and experiences of others. We are moving away from home to attend college, yet remain in our comfort zones, avoiding the very individuals who actually give us the opportunity to learn something new, useful and beneficial that isn’t taught in the classrooms.

We are all a part of the Auburn Family, with our own unique backgrounds, stories, ideas and knowledge.

Next time you go to class, sit next to someone who looks nothing like you, who dresses nothing like you, who talks nothing like you, and open your mind to something more valuable than an education. Learn his or her story, strike up a conversation and leave your comfort zone.

Change begins one person at a time.

His View

Next year is make or break for the athletic department Ethan Brady sports@ theplainsman. com

Auburn’s next athletic year will be one of its most important ever.

The train wreck of football, baseball and basketball seasons put Auburn on the short list of the SEC’s worst teams.

Mix in firing coaches, Selena Roberts and Spice, the athletic department had a difficult few months, but this next sports year is make or break.

Every school has had a

down year, but the ones that return to the top and do it immediately are consistently the best schools in every sport.

It’s become obvious the athletic department knows it cannot repeat a year like last.

The athletic department’s tenacity in hiring new coaches, and the amount of money Auburn is investing in them shows how important winning this year is. Sunny Galloway will be the second highest paid baseball coach in the SEC, and with the combined salaries of the football staff nearing $6 million, winning is the only option.

The hardest part of becom-

ing a top tier athletic university is getting there.

Once at the top it becomes easier to consistently win.

Schools such as Florida and Ohio State are ranked high in many sports every year. Recruits flock to their basketball teams because of their success, guaranteeing wins for years to come.

The same idea goes for schools at the bottom.

A university can fall into a losing cycle, something that takes years and years to escape from.

Luckily Auburn has the resources to make sure it doesn’t fall into that cycle, but this

next year will be extremely important for the University’s image. Winning will show Auburn is back on track to be one of the most competitive schools in the country, but losing next year would once again make Auburn the joke of the SEC. Even though in recent years the schools prone to losing in big SEC sports are becoming more competitive, they’re still known as losing schools. Kentucky and Vanderbilt were always the bottom two universities in football rankings in the SEC. Auburn’s wins and prestige over the past 10 years will keep

them out of this SEC graveyard, but another losing season will put them on the bottom while Vanderbilt continues to improve.

The Tigers don’t have time to rebuild.

Sure it will take a few years for Malzahn to make Auburn a top tier SEC school, but he must be able to at least compete this year. Going 0-8 in the conference in 2012 is embarrassing, and being nearly mercy ruled in most of them makes it even worse.

Winning on the football field also takes some of the pressure off basketball and baseball to be successful. Af-

ter the 2012 season, fans just wanted to see one big sport win and were disappointed by the two teams. Losing in the first games of the SEC Tournament hurt Auburn’s image, and after a year like this Auburn just needs to be competitive again.

Some big SEC wins this year in all of the sports will help people be one step closer to forgetting the embarrassment of last year. Auburn will rebound, and all will be good on the Plains once again. I’m not asking for an immediate national championship, just a competitive and relevant athletic school.

Social Media on The Plains: In response to our post “Tell us your thought on the Zimmerman verdict. Was justice served? Do “stand your ground” laws create a dangerous precedent?

Yvette Phillips: Justice was not served because the prosecution did not charge Zimmerman appropriately. Although I do not believe he intended to kill Martin, his machismo idiocy is responsible for someone’s death

In response to our tweet “How will the new smoking ban affect life on campus? Will it impact the game day experience?”

Carolyn Freeman-Ward: When the smoke clears, then the question still needs to be answered why did a young boy die at the hands of a vigilante that initiated this whole situation? How can you start the fight and when you start to lose you can just shoot the person that defended themselves against your attack. No one should have to report their reasons for being in a certain neighborhood to anyone other than authorities. It’s a very sad situation that would never have happened if Zimmerman had stayed inside his vehicle.

@MRScrashmattb:

@FairyJennifer:

I wish it had been no smoking when I was in school! Would always get trapped behind smoker heading to class.

pretty sure it will affect game day about as much as AU having a “dry campus” affects game day. Not at all.

@ScottMBrannan: No smoking on campus?

Yes! #WarEagle

In response to our tweet Tell us your thought on the Zimmerman verdict. Was justice served? Do “stand your ground” laws create a dangerous precedent?

@CPSBrad: Verdict over and done, let’s move on! Stand your ground wasn’t Z’man defense. It is worthwhile to keep in place!

The Editorial Board Kelsey Davis Editor-in-Chief

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John Burns

Mailing Address

Submissions

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Copy Editor

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Auburn Student Center Suite 1111H Auburn, AL 36849

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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. Please submit no more than 500 words.

The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. This editorial is 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.

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

Sports

A7

Thursday, July 18, 2013

ThePlainsman.com

Sports

Football team must regain edge to succeed Gus Malzahn’s main goal for the fall is to bring back ‘hard-nosed’ Auburn-style football John Burns SPORTS EDITOR

CHELSEA WOOTEN / PHOTO EDITOR

Gus Malzahn speaking about the upcoming season, which highlighted his new coaching staff and a desire to get back the Tigers back to “blue-collar, hard-nosed, hit-you-in-the-mouth Auburn style football.”

The goal is still to get their edge back. At his National Signing Day press conference, Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn stated the main goal of the Auburn football team was to get their edge back, and at SEC Media Days Malzahn said much of the same.

“The number one thing our players have to do to be successful is to get our edge back,” Malzahn said. “That is the mental and physical toughness, the blue-collar, hard-nosed , hit-you-inthe-mouth Auburn style football that is what made Auburn great … History shows if Auburn can regain their edge, they compete for championships and win games.”

When the Auburn Tigers hit the practice fields August 2, regaining confidence after a three win season will be key to the future success of this team, and Malzahn said he and his coaches will be demanding of the squad until he feels they are full of confidence.

Malzahn also spoke highly of his new staff, who will be with Malzahn for at least one full season.

“I feel like we have one of the top staffs in all of college football,” Malzahn said.

“They’re all men of character.

They’re great examples for our players, which is the number one thing for me. And they’re all very good coaches.

Most college staffs have good recruiters and good coaches, and I can honestly say that we have nine guys who can flat out coach. And they will be very good coaches in the future.”

Malzahn first spoke about his offensive coordinator and protégé, Rhett Lashlee, who he claimed to have the utmost confidence in.

“Our offensive coordinator is Rhett Lashlee, a guy that I coached since seventh grade,” Malzahn said. “He knows this offense like the back of his hand. I’m going to be working with the offense and I have a lot of confidence that (Lashlee) is going to allow me to do the things that the head coach needs to do in this league.”

As Malzahn delved into his relationship with the offensive coordinator, he spoke of how the offense itself would work.

“Offensively, we’re a two back run-passing team that will run at a two-minute pace the entire game,” Malzahn said.

“Our goal is to be faster than anybody in college football and we feel like if you can execute your offense at a fast pace it’s a big advantage.”

While the Tigers coach gave credit to the pace of his offense, he admitted that Auburn does not yet have a for sure quarterback to run it.

“Offensively our biggest challenge going into this year is going to be our quarterback,” Malzahn said. “We don’t know who our quarterback is. We’ve got four guys and we’re going to

give them an equal shot. We’re going to figure out who gives us the best chance of winning.

Ideally, we’ll figure that out sooner rather than later in fall camp, but we will not make the decision until we are 110% sure. The positive offensively is we’ve actually recruited guys specifically for this offense.”

Malzahn spoke of former South Carolina defensive coordinator and Southern Miss head coach Ellis Johnson.

Johnson will be changing the Auburn defense from a 3-4 to a 4-2-5 scheme- a measure he hopes will transform the Tigers for the best.

“Our defensive coordinator is Ellis Johnson, one of the best defensive coordinators in all of college football. He’s very sound, fundamentally sound … We’ll be running a 4-2-5 defense which allows us to put three safeties on the field.

It allows us to put a little more speed on the field, and a little more athleticism.”

Malzahn later said the team has a lot of seniors, which is obviously good for the team experience-wise.

He also said there are a lot of freshmen and while they are talented, they need to grow up to contend in the ultracompetitive SEC. Ma l z a h n e n d e d h i s statement with, “we need to improve each practice, and we need to improve each game, and if we can do that we have a chance to have a successful season.”

Prosch excited for no huddle offense

CHELSEA WOOTEN / PHOTO EDITOR

Senior H-back Jay Prosch comments on new offensive style during SEC Media Days.

John Burns SPORTS EDITOR

Senior H-back Jay Prosch has never played in a nohuddle style of offense, but he and the team are adjusting well and thoroughly enjoy it.

“I think the guys love (the no-huddle offense),” Prosch said. “It’s completely different than anything I’ve ever done, because I’ve never done nohuddle before.”

Prosch said he enjoys the high-octane offense, but he also revealed the first week of spring conditioning was a sharp lesson in brutality for him and the team.

“The first week of spring was a tough week,” Prosch said. “Not only is it hard being a player from the sideline, but conditioning wise—(the coaches) stress fast pace, and we’re operating at a very fast pace. Our guys have adjusted to it, and I think it’s going to be a huge advantage for us this year.”

Prosch went on to express that with the new, fast pace the team is going, it is hitting the weights and conditioning drills equally fast.

“It’s extremely hard,” Prosch said about the team’s strength and conditioning drills. “We’ve been working

so hard. We’re probably in the best shape of our lives right now, and I can guarantee we’re going to be one of the most in-shape teams on the field next year.”

Another aspect of play the coaches and team members want to exploit is a new outlook on football after a season with only three wins— none coming in SEC play.

Coach Gus Malzahn called it a new day, and the players truly believe it is.

“Coach Malzahn stresses the new day, and that’s what it feels like,” Prosch said. “The new coaching staff came in and brought a new attitude, a new vibe and brought a fire back. And now our workouts and practices are crazy exciting. Guys have been working hard, and we’re getting our edge back.”

Malzahn has hammered home that players need to get their edge back in this new day he has brought to Auburn, and it is definitely sinking in.

As the coaches changed, so did Prosch’s positional requirements at H-back. He said he will be expected to catch more passes in the open space, and for a player whose nickname is the “Juggernaut,”

that’s not the most appealing prospect for defenders.

“Last year I ran routes and blocked the secondary,” Prosch said. “Now it’s kind of the same thing as last year, except it might be a double (work load). I’m going to be lining up in different positions, blocking different ways, different angles, and I’ll be running more routes and hopefully (catching) more balls. It’s going to be fun; I’m looking forward to it.”

When Prosch, the lone offensive player at SEC Media Days, was asked the question of the offseason: “Who is going to be the Auburn quarterback next year?” he said his guess is as good as anyone’s.

“It’s hard to say (who the quarterback will be),” Prosch said. “They’re four awesome guys. They’re all really football smart; they all have extremely strong arms … They’re all fast guys, level-headed, good, good football players.”

While Prosch said he could not tell the players apart physically, he did say he believes the ultimate decision from the coaching staff will come down to which quarterback makes the best decisions under pressure.

CHELSEA WOOTEN / PHOTO EDITOR

Senior defensive back Chris Davis discusses coach Ellis Johnson’s new defensive strategy.

Defensive improvement a priority in 2013 Ethan Brady SPORTS REPORTER

Auburn head football coach Gus Malzahn’s offense was the hot topic for Auburn at SEC Media Days Wednesday, July 17, but the Tigers’ new defensive scheme has players excited for the season.

Senior defensive end Dee Ford said the Tigers are excited about Ellis Johnson’s 4-2-5 defense and want to get their edge back.

“He makes his system based off of our abilities; it’s all about how quick you can play, and it’s not just about being the pass rusher, it’s stopping the run,” Ford said. “Getting our edge back we have to practice that way, there’s no way around it, we have to put in that work.”

Senior defensive back Chris Davis agrees that Johnson’s defense will cause trouble for opponents this coming season.

“His scheme is the perfect scheme. With the 4-2-5 we get an extra defensive back on the field and the star position that everyone has been bragging about,” Davis said.

The star position in the 4-2-5 defense will be one of the most crucial players on the field.

Designed to be a cross between a linebacker and safety, junior Justin Garrett has emerged as the leader for the position.

“Justin Garrett has made improvement,” Davis said. “He’s going to be one of the

breakout players this season, it’s a perfect fit for him.”

Practicing against the fast-paced, no-huddle offense, designed by Malzahn, has helped prepare Auburn’s defense for different looks in offensive schemes.

“You have to get lined up; a play can be ran at any time,” Davis said. “If we’re out of position it can be an explosive play or a touchdown.

That’s something that we have to limit coming from last year.”

Davis said Malzahn rarely spends time on the defensive side of the ball at practice, and it motivates the defensive.

“We want to try to stop everything Malzahn is doing,” Davis said. “If we can stop Malzahn we can stop any team we play.”

Ford also agreed practicing against Malzahn’s two-minute drill offense will benefit the defense this year.

“That’s why we practice with him to pick up that slack if anything is going wrong. We are expecting a fast offense,” Ford said.

The simplicity of the defense allows a player to make a mistake in coverage without allowing a long scoring play.

Johnson’s 4-2-5 defense may not have the complexity of Malzahn’s offense, but it is a versatile scheme that can stop multiple offenses from making big plays.

Sports A8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Auburn’s first three football games

Auburn/Opelika

PSYCHIATRIST James H. Edwards, MD

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Auburn volleyball competes in fall 2012 against Georgia Southern on their old home court in the Student Act.

Volleyball moves to the Auburn Arena Justin Lee Writer

The Auburn volleyball team will make its move to Auburn Arena this fall, after playing most of its matches in the Student Act in recent years.

Nine of the Tigers’ 13 home matches will take place inside Auburn Arena including most of its home SEC matchups and an out-of-conference match against Florida State.

That Florida State match will mark the Tigers’ debut in Auburn Arena, and cap a tough out-of-conference slate leading up to SEC play.

“We are really excited about our schedule for this fall,” Auburn volleyball head coach Rick Nold said in a statement.

“We feel like our preseason matches will be a good variety of styles that will help prepare us for our conference season and ultimately the NCAA Tournament.

“The SEC is, year in and year out, one of the best conferences in the country, and this year will be no different. Each year there seems to be more and more parity amongst the teams, and this year I expect that to contribute to a very exciting season for our fans.”

Auburn will still play four matches

in the Student Act this fall, including all three of its matches in the Active Ankle Challenge the Tigers will host Sept. 5-6.

Troy, Mercer, and Green Bay will be in Auburn for the tournament.

The Tigers will also play their Nov. 8 match against Missouri in the Student Act, due to a scheduling conflict with one of Auburn’s basketball teams.

Auburn senior women’s athletics director Meredith Jenkins said Auburn is in a “period of transition” with the Student Act as the University’s new Recreation and Wellness Center nears completion, so the decision was made to move volleyball matches over to the arena.

“With the fact that we have all those lower seats, and you can basically form a bowl with those seats, I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere for volleyball in there,” Jenkins said. “And we’ll have more serving room in there, so I think that will help our student-athletes and the game, and I think it really will be a wonderful experience for everybody that gets to play in there and for the fans that get to watch.”

Auburn played volleyball in BeardEaves Memorial Coliseum as recently as 2007, but the team has since found a home in the Student Act.

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When Auburn Arena was first opened in 2010, it was hailed for its size and tighter environment as opposed to the high ceilings of the old Coliseum.

This fall, the volleyball team hopes fans bring that loud atmosphere to its matches.

“The thing about playing in the Student Act is that it’s very loud because it’s smaller, so hopefully that will kind of translate into the Arena,” said senior libero Sarah Wroblicky. “I’m hoping we’ll be able to fill up that bottom section at least. That would be pretty cool.”

Auburn Arena also boasts a capacity of 9,121 fans. Auburn has only been able to fit a little more than 1,000 fans in the Student Act for volleyball matches in recent years.

“Hopefully we’ll get a lot more fans to come,” Wroblicky said. “Usually over (at the Student ACT) people have to leave because we only have one side (of bleachers). That will be exciting that more fans will be able to fit into the arena.

“I think it will kind of put us out there a little bit more because it’s kind of hard to find the Student Act, especially with the construction. I think that will make it easier for people to find us, so that’ll be cool.”

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5/26/13

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders)

RELEASE DATE– Monday, October 29, 2012

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Golf pros regularly break it 4 Gemologist’s weight 9 Force back 14 “__ had it up to here!”

15 Single-celled critter 16 Bo’s’n’s “Hold it!”

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DOWN 1 The Fishes of the zodiac 2 Opposed (to) 3 Bon Appétit offering 4 Mountain retreat 5 BP merger partner 6 Drugstore name derived from the prescription symbol 7 Genesis sibling 8 Infield protection 9 Betting odds, e.g.

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13 Many USMA grads 21 Card worth a fortune?

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63 Caribbean liquor

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By Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

10/29/12

10/29/12