11.29.2012 edition of The Auburn Plainsman

The Auburn Plainsman Thursday, November 29, 2012

A Spirit That Is Not Afraid ThePlainsman.com

Vol. 119, Issue 26, 16 Pages

Sacked

katherine mccahey / photographer

After enduring nine losses throughout the season, Gene Chizik received notice Sunday, Nov. 25 that he would not be returning as head football coach. No statement has been made yet as to who will replace him.

Jacobs hopes new blood will bring improvements Hayley Blair Campus Editor

The success of coach Gene Chizik’s first years at Auburn only encouraged the desire for change after this year’s disappointing season.

During Chizik’s time at Auburn, he led the football team to a 33-19 record and its first national championship win since 1957.

Chizik’s past success demonstrates the benefits of hiring new blood for the coaching staff, said Athletics Director Jay Jacobs.

“When there was a change made after the ‘80 season, three years later we won the SEC Championship,” Jacobs said. “After a couple bad years in ’91 and ’92 we went undefeated in ’93. Both of those were with changing coaches.

History, to some degree, dictates that change can be a catalyst for helping you be more successful.”

Defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker said having a break from this season’s disappointment will help build morale as well.

“I think we’ve still got a tough group of guys,” Whitaker said. “The main thing we’re focused on right now is finals, then we’ll go home for a while.

I think the break is kind of

good for a lot of the guys to just get away from it, get with family and kind of just chill. We’re not going to have another season like this.”

Running back Tre Mason said whoever was hired as head coach would find a team capable of going undefeated in 2013.

“He’ll find that all the players that are here want to work hard and win games, and he has what it takes to win a national championship,” Mason said. “We feel like we have the pieces of the puzzle. All we need to do is put it together.”

Mason said he expects the team will stay relatively intact in the coming year, despite changes in the coaching staff.

“It’s going to be a challenge because people’s minds go everywhere,” Mason said. “People will think, ‘should I leave?

Should I stay?’ But I’m pretty sure people will probably stand and stick together as a family.”

Tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen said he still respects Chizik and expects him to succeed in the future.

“I know some program’s going to get a great coach out of him,” Lutzenkirchen said.

“I think he’ll be able to take a year or two off maybe and

A look inside

katherine mccahey / Photographer

Athletics Director Jay Jacobs will be responsible for finding a new head coach.

spend time with his family. He’s got young kids, so he’ll be able to watch them grow up and be part of their adoles-

>>See pg. B1 Timeline of Chizik’s Auburn career

cence.”

Despite the players’ continued support of Chizik, Robert Buddig, freshman in business

management, said dismissing Chizik was the right decision.

“Yeah, the players like him and everything, but ultimately what makes you a good head coach is the win and loss column,” Buddig said. “He’s a nice guy, but I’ve played football for six years, and there comes a time to either be a nice guy or a good coach.”

A frequently repeated figure is Chizik’s record without Cam Newton as his starting quarterback. While he won 33 games overall, he was just 1919 without Newton.

Chizik was terminated only four years into his contract, so his dismissal will be fairly expensive.

Jacobs said Chizik will receive monthly payments adding to $7.2 million over four years, though the price will be reduced if Chizik gets another job.

Buddig said improving the football team is worth the price, however.

“Looking at the big picture, I think it was a good idea because we can’t afford another bad season down the road,” Buddig said. “The big thing in college today is the football program and the capital it brings in.”

Buddig said he thinks other

>>See pg. B2 Coaching candidates breakdown

staff changes might improve the quality of Auburn’s athletics program as well.

“Jay Jacobs’ job is not only the football program, and we’re not only struggling in football,” Buddig said. “We’re struggling somewhat in basketball and some of the other big sports. Part of being an athletic director is building an athletic program that’s top-tier. You have to be successful in every sport.”

As far as his own job security, Jacobs said he was more concerned about doing right by the football team.

“What I’m worried about is making sure I do my job,” Jacobs said. “My main concern right now is doing what’s best for this football team. Like I’ve always done, I’m going to continue to keep my head down, working hard and making the best decisions I can for Auburn Athletics.”

Whatever happens, Lutzenkirchen said he expects Auburn’s football team to be on top of its game again soon enough.

“We fully expect each year to be contending for a championship,” Lutzenkirchen said.

“They’ll find the right guy. It might take a year or two, but we’ll be back on top soon.”

>>See pg. B3 Recruit Cameron Toney remains committed

Redesign still in the works for Toomer’s Corner Hayley Blair Campus Editor

The death of the Toomer’s Oaks has been taken as an opportunity by the University to completely redesign Toomer’s Corner.

A meeting was held Tuesday, Nov. 27 to get feedback from the community on four possible design schemes.

The meeting came not long after the Sunday, Nov. 18 incident, in which the Toomer’s Oaks mysteriously caught fire at approximately 3:20 a.m. The cause of the fire remains un-

known.

“This presents a fairly unique opportunity that hasn’t existed for many years to redevelop Toomer’s Corner and do something slightly or maybe significantly different than it is today,” said Dan King, assistant vice president of facilities management. “It’s an iconic space on campus, but there’s room for improvement there.”

The four possibilities were presented to audience members, who were then separated into groups to discuss the pros

and cons of each design.

Changing the placement of the gates and path were considered, though most agreed the gates should stay where they are.

In one plan, plots of grass were arranged beside the gates, so people couldn’t walk around them, and the structure would be able to serve as an entrance to campus.

People generally agreed that the replacement oaks should be on each side of the gates and placed farther from the road than they are now.

Constructing metal arches over the road to be rolled and possibly provide a more attractive structure to hold streetlights was also considered.

Raising the street around Toomer’s Corner to make the area safer for pedestrians was also one of the proposed ideas.

The designs will be restructured into two new possibilities based on audience feedback. These possibilities will then be narrowed down to one and presented to President Jay Gogue in the spring.

Contributed

“Circle and Center,” shown above, was presented at the meeting as an example design. Although “Circle and Center” is not being considered as an option for Toomer’s Corner, certain aspects of it could be incorporated into the final design.

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DUI Arrests in the City of Auburn nov. 20 – nov. 27, 2012 ■Reymond Williams, 54, Auburn, Wednesday, Nov. 21, 9:23 p.m. at Shug Jordan Parkway and Owens Road ■Andrew Hobbs, 20, Opelika Thursday, Nov. 22, 12:47 a.m. at Tichenor Avenue and North College Street ■Brandon McDowell, 23, Equality Thursday, Nov. 22, 3:05 a.m. on South Gay Street ■Sharita, Levett-Thomas, 22, Tuskegee Thursday, Nov 22, 7:15 p.m. on South College Street ■James Spivey, 27, Roanoke Thursday, Nov. 22, 11:26 p.m. at Opelika Road and Old Stage Road ■Elder Hernandez-Mejia, 25, Auburn Friday, Nov. 23, 4:26 a.m. at West Glenn Avenue and Byrd Street ■Christopher Butler, 29, Auburn Saturday, Nov. 24, 5:36 p.m. at Martin Luther King Parkway and Webster Road ■Audrey Senkbeil, 19, Auburn Saturday, Nov. 24, 7:06 p.m. at Engineering Drive and West Magnolia Avenue ■Julius Swanson, 38, Opelika Sunday, Nov. 25, 11:01 p.m. at Opelika Road and Mall Parkwayer Road

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Crime Reports for Nov. 20 – Nov. 27, 2012 Nov. 20 – South College Street Third-degree theft of U.S. currency at 3 p.m.

Nov. 20-21 – North Donahue Drive Third-degree criminal mischief between 10:30 a.m. Nov. 20 and 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 21 Nov. 21 – West Longleaf Drive First-degree robbery between 6:30 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.

Nov. 21 – Mall Boulevard Third-degree criminal trespass between 8:40 p.m. and 8:50 p.m.

Nov. 22 – West Magnolia Avenue Harassment report

Nov. 23 – Opelika Road Second-degree theft of four cell phones between midnight and 5:35 a.m.

Nov. 26 – North Donahue Drive Third-degree burglary of a laptop and digital camera between 4:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 24 – Fairmont Lane Report of identity theft

Nov. 26 – East Magnolia Avenue Third-degree burglary of U.S. currency between 2:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Nov. 24 – Old Mill Road Third-degree criminal mischief between 5 p.m. and 5:20 p.m.

Nov. 25 – South College Street First-degree robbery of pizzas between 1:20 and 1:25 a.m.

Nov. 25 – Lee Road 83 Auto breaking and entering between midnight and 2:15 a.m.

Nov. 27 – East Magnolia Avenue Left the scene of an accident at 5:32 p.m.

Nov. 27 – Britnee Court Third-degree burglary of two laptops, Xbox, and Xbox games between 11:30 a.m. and 9:20 p.m. — Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

Student dies of brain aneurism Becky Hardy Campus Reporter

Darby O’Brien, freshman in interior design, died Friday, Nov.16, from a brain aneurism.

O’Brien was a member of Kappa Delta sorority, a member of the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and a member of Grace Church in Greenville, S.C. Mary Beth Spann, small group leader at Grace Church, said she got to know O’Brien well during the last four years. “She was just a sweetheart, and she never brought attention to herself,� Spann said. “She was very humble, and she babysat my children, and she was great with them, and they loved her.�

O’Brien was involved with both her church and community. “She served with the preschool kids on Sunday mornings,� Spann said. “She was also involved with our student ministry.�

Other people were greatly affected by O’Brien’s faith, Spann said. “Her life here was a light for others,� Spann said. “Just because of her death and hearing her story about her faith a lot of people have been reached.�

Marianne Seast, small group leader, said O’Brien was the kind of person everyone wanted to be around. “She was very positive,�

Seast said. “She never had anything negative to say about anything.�

Seast had known O’Brien for five years through the Bible study group at church. “We were very involved in their lives,� Seast said. “We really just lived life with them.�

Ashley Selby, friend of O’Brien’s, said O’Brien’s memorial service in South Carolina was inspiring. “Just hearing people talk about how much she loved Jesus so much,� Ashley said. “That was one of the things that kept coming up.�

Marleigh Selby, another friend of O’Brien’s from South Carolina, bonded with O’Brien when they went on a mission trip to the Bahamas together. “She loved kids,� Marleigh said. “She was so good with them. I loved watching her sit playing with the kids and letting them braid her hair.�

Marleigh said she is glad O’Brien was a part of her life. “I am so blessed to have known Darby,� Marleigh said. “I feel really honored that I got to be close to her.�

Courtesy of David Hoebelheinrich

The War Eagle Flying Team won the regional National Intercolligiate Flying Association competition and is heading to nationals for the second time in a row. Competiions include four flying events and five ground events.

War Eagle Flying Team soars to success Becky Hardy Campus Reporter

The War Eagle Flying Team soared into third place at Daytona SAFECON regionals and is heading to nationals May 2013. “The whole point of these competitions is safety,� said Blake Schuette, co-captain of the flying team and junior in management. “There’s a safety award at the end that goes to the safest school. I think that’s a reason why this competition was started to begin with.�

The competitions include both ground and flying events. “There’s a lot of outside knowledge that goes into flying than just getting into the plane and flying,� said David Hoebelheinrich, co-captain of the flying team and junior in aviation management.

Ground events include SCAN, a simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation test. “It’s an exam that everyone takes that tests your knowledge,� Hoebelheinrich said. “They’ll give you a flight saying ,‘here’s your flight, data, people, weather, so go ahead and plan your flight.’�

Other ground events include aircraft recognition, pre-

flight inspection plan and a simulator. “It’s flying as if you had no reference to the ground or if you were flying in the clouds,�

Hoebelheinrich said. “They see how accurate you can be and how accurate your path is.�

The team flies CESSNA 172s, which can hold up to four people, but they will compete in each event alone.

The flying events involve short field, power-off landings and message drops that all test the competitors on descent planning, Hoebelheinrich said. “Basically you have a 300 ft box that you have to land in, and you’re being tested on how well you land in that box, which is the size of a shower curtain,� Schuette said.

Hoebelheinrich said the flying team isn’t limited to students in the aviation program.

All of the competitions are practice for the team member’s future careers, especially for Hoebelheinrich’s. “For me, I want to go to the airlines some day and fly for them, so I’m an instructor here in Auburn,� Hoebelheinrich said. “I teach mostly the newer students that are in the private pilot courses, so I teach them basic takeoffs, landings and

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basic navigation.�

Many of the flying team’s veteran members graduated, so more than half the team is made up of newer members ,Schuette said. “For us to come in third in such a competitive region in regionals is a really good accomplishment,� Schuette said. “We did a lot more flying practice this year and it paid off.

We’re going to keep on rolling for the same thing until we get to nationals.�

Schuette says she does not know what to expect. “We definitely have a shot to not come in dead last,�

Schuette said. “Other schools, like Embry Riddle and North Dakota, have planes given to their flight teams, so they tend to do much better because they have the ability to stack their team from over 200 flight students.�

Hoebelheinrich has high hopes for his team, and works with the University to get the planes they use for competitions. “We could even be top three,� Hoebelheinrich said. “The University allows us to use their planes in return for us washing the fleet.�

Because flying is not cheap

(it can cost up to $150 an hour to turn on the engine) fundraising is a big deal for the flying team.

The team will hold its first golf tournament March 22 and is in the process of redefining its online merchandise site. “We have nice polos, dress shirts, T-shirts and hats,� Hoebelheinrich said. “Things that we can sell that have Auburn Aviation on them, we sell to the flight students just so they can have something to say that they are a part of the program and to be proud of what we have.�

The local airports also sell Auburn aviation gear. “They’ve been a big help and probably have sold over 200 Tshirts in the last two years, which has made a major difference for us,� Hoebelheinrich said.

Auburn will host regionals next year, so the team needs all the funding it can get, Schuette said. “The school will pay dues to us, but if we really want to make it good and show them what Auburn is and be the hospitable people that we are, we need to have more money for that,� Schuette said. “We’re really excited to host.�

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• Adults & Children • 28 Years Experience • Board Certified Courtesy of Special Collections and Archives

On Tuesday, Nov. 27, historian Wayne Flynt spoke on Alabama’s part in the civil rights movement. Part of Auburn’s response to these events is displayed in the library’s Special Collections and Archives. Bud R. Hutchinson was an economics professor at Auburn who wrote a letter to the Plainsman in 1957 defending new integration policies in New York. Hutchinson was subsequently fired, drawing censure from the media and the American Association of University Professors, who believed he was terminated unfairly.

Alabama expert speaks at AU Kailey Miller Campus Reporter

After 50 years of research and study of archives, diaries, journals and government documents, Wayne Flynt is an expert on Alabama.

Flynt spoke at Auburn Tuesday, Nov. 27 as part of a lecture tour on American poverty. Poverty is one of his specialties, especially Southern poverty.

The main focus of Flynt’s lecture will be the role Alabama played in the civil rights movement.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in England and China, visiting research scholars and Hong Kong Baptist University,” Flynt said. “I had also lectured all across China and various places inside China.”

Flynt is looking forward to this lecture because he believes many international students will attend.

Flynt expects the international students to know the story better than American students because it is the trigger that played a part in the

Arab Spring as well as civil rights movements in India and China.

“The movement is not dead; it is alive and well and has spread all over the world,” Flynt said. “It is Alabama’s great gift to the world.”

David Carter, associate professor and graduate program officer, was a colleague of Flynt’s in Auburn University’s Department of History.

Carter said he and Flynt have similar interests regarding civil rights in Alabama, and Flynt even helped Carter with his doctoral work.

“He was very influential on my thoughts about civil rights in Alabama,” Carter said.

Flynt has narrowed his main focus to Alabama’s role in the civil rights movement because of three major events that took place: the Montgomery Bus Boycott from 1955– 1956, the Birmingham Campaign from the spring of 1963 and the three Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.

“I think he is an example of a Southern historian who has

tried to understand the place where he was raised and spent the great majority of his life,” Carter said. “I think a number of Southern historians have been fascinated and sometimes repulsed by our history.”

Flynt will discuss Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Ralph Abernathy in his lecture, but he will also focus on the local organizations and leaders that played a part in the civil rights movement instead of only the “big stars.”

“He sees the connection between history and the present,” Carter said.

Specific to Auburn, Flynt’s current place of residence, he discussed the integration of Auburn in 1964 when Harold A. Franklin was enrolled.

“I think what I have learned most from him is to admire what I see as a combination of his scholarship and his activism,” Carter said. “All of the things he has learned about Southern and Alabama history, he has channeled that in the direction of progressive reform.”

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Opinions

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Letter to the Editor

Chizik’s big mistake was his offensive strategy

Vote at theplainsman.com

there is no room for evolution in the Christian’s theology. It is impossible for species to have died prior to Adam’s sin, so how could man have evolved without the possibility of natural selection and death? The seven days in Genesis 1 were literal 24 hour days, and the creation account happened exactly as detailed. Fellow Christian, you cannot profess both Christianity and evolution — they are incompatible.

I am writing this on the afternoon of Gene Chizik’s termination because I honestly believe Chizik made one costly mistake; he switched offensive schemes.

The spread offense that went 8–5 in 2009 winning the Outback Bowl, 14–0 in 2010 winning the BCS Championship, and 8–5 in 2011 winning the Chick-fil-A Bowl, was not the offense we ran in 2012. Chizik, a defensive coach, wanted an offense that could run the ball and slow the game down. Gus Malzahn’s quick, nohuddle, spread offense couldn't provide that, so Chizik brought in offensive coordinator Scott Leoffler and his pro-style scheme.

The biggest issue is that over the past four years, Auburn has recruited mobile quarterbacks, small scat-backs and an offensive line that is built to protect the quarterback in the shotgun NOT to form a pocket. These traits are all suited toward having a successful spread offense. On the flip-side, pro-style offenses, like that of Alabama, utilize large running backs, huge offensive linemen, and their quarterback is typically a “pocket passer.”

Before any coach switches schemes, he or she needs to recruit players to fit that scheme.

Chizik did recruit well, having top-15 recruiting classes every year at Auburn, but the players he recruited were not suited for a prostyle offense. I believe that in lieu of recruiting top players, he forgot to recruit players who matched the scheme he truly wanted to run.

On the subject of recruiting, Auburn is currently being investigated by the NCAA for recruiting violations. While I am not sure whether or not Chizik had any knowledge of these supposed violations prior to the NCAA probe, but because the violations happened under his watch, he is ultimately responsible for them occurring. Now, just two years after winning the BCS Championship and losing more than 40 players off the 2010 team, the fallout has been tremendous.

I honestly believe that this unfathomable 3–9 season boils down to one very costly mistake, changing offensive schemes. Chizik, you were a good coach and I hope you have a lot of success somewhere else. Thank you for your hard work at Auburn and WDE!

Thomas Sherer Senior Mechanical Engineering

Mason Briles Freshman Kinesiology

‘We need a leader, not a loser’

Tweet of the Week

If you can’t embrace failure, you can’t become successful! ” - @hthomas6

Good Job, Tiger!

Good job Graduating Seniors! Good luck in the real world!

We can’t say we didn’t see it coming.

Gene Chizik is a nice guy and a hard worker. He led the Tigers to their second national championship, and he helped pull us out of the Tuberville years. But, unfortunately, we’re almost as bad — if not worse — than when he started.

The blame cannot rest solely on his shoulders, though.

Brian VanGorder and Scott Loeffler need to go.

Considering we are under NCAA investigation for questionable recruiting practices, Trooper Taylor would be another good candidate for a pink slip.

Now we have a chance to start over for the better, but we can’t make any positive changes if we stick to the same old type of coaches and staff. We desperately need to get out of the good ol’ boy network.

Our solution to that problem? Fire Jay Jacobs.

In the college football industry, the blame always seems to focus on the bigwigs, such as head coaches. Why not put some of that blame on who hires the bigwigs?

Jacobs’ time as athletic director has been mediocre at best. Yes, we won a national championship, but that’s pretty much all that’s happened. Tony

Barbee’s basketball team is just as bad as the football team. John Pawlowski’s baseball team is underachieving.

Both Barbee and Pawlowski were hired by Jacobs — as were the coaches before them — and both have shown what we already know about Jacobs’ inability to find good coaches.

Jacobs represents the lasting effects of Pat Dye’s legacy. He is part of a club of guys whose only real qualifications are their association with former coach Dye. Don’t get us wrong, Dye was one of the best coaches we’ve ever had. He does a lot for Auburn, and he is a living example of the Auburn spirit. But his background influence over the football program should come to an end as soon as possible.

We need wins next season. We need to return to the glory we had in 2010. But we can’t even come close to that if we keep repeating the same mistakes.

What we are saying is harsh, but it’s time to be harsh. A 3–9 season should be a wake-up call, not a reason to keep hitting the snooze button. As the guy yelling at Jacobs emphatically said when Chizik first arrived in Auburn, “We need a leader, not a loser.”

Letters to the Editor

Evolution not compatible with Christianity In the most recent issue of The Plainsman, an article was written concerning the matter of evolution. The comment was made that evolution and Christianity could be reconciled by saying that God started the evolutionary process by creating one species and allowing everything to progress. My response does not intend to disprove evolution for everyone but rather to show fellow Christians that evolution and Christianity are incompatible.

The Christian who accepts evolution attempts to explain the seven days of creation figuratively as millions of years rather than literal

days because if they are literal twenty-four hour days, then there would be insufficient time for the evolutionary process to take place. The theory of evolution requires species to live, die, and evolve slowly over millions of years. As Christians, we believe that death did not enter the world until Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:12).

If death was non-existent before Adam’s sin, how can evolution, which depends upon natural selection and the death of weaker species, be true?

Even after explaining Genesis 1 figuratively,

Food bank donations more important than daily coffee fix When I wake up for my 8 a.m. class, the first thing I do is turn on the coffee pot. Before I even get dressed, I pour myself a bowl of cereal or grab a granola bar from the cabinet. If I’m running late, I can stop at Starbucks on my walk to class. I swipe my TigerCard filled with my parents’ money. My stomach barely starts to growl before I fill it again.

For most of us, we wonder where we’re going to eat lunch each day. What time will we eat?

Who will we eat with? We don’t wonder if we’re

going to eat.

When I think about hunger, I think about starving children in Africa. I think about how there is nothing I could do to help them because they’re so far away and I’m only one person.

Meanwhile, 16,000 people in Lee County and surrounding areas rely on the East Alabama Food Bank each month. Some of these people are children whose only meal each day is lunch at school. Some of these people are parents who have to choose between paying their electricity

bill and buying dinner for their families.

These people are our neighbors.

Local, short-term hunger is a problem that tends to be ignored. It’s not obvious. People who are on food stamps don’t look different. It’s uncomfortable. No parents want the feeling of not being able to provide for their children. No child wants to be embarrassed in the school lunch line for a specialized free lunch.

Hunger is a bigger problem than we know. It’s complex, and there is no simple solution. One

person cannot end hunger. But if people work together, we can fight it.

There are 25,000 students at Auburn University. If every Auburn student donated $6.18, we could supply the food bank with enough food for an entire month. For some people, $6.18 is too much to ask. For others, it’s sacrificing two Starbucks lattes.

Elizabeth Segarra Junior Public Relations

Auburn experience creates fond, lasting memories for senior The first time I will step foot in the Auburn Arena, I will be graduating.

My time here has been somewhat short, but I am proud to forever call Auburn University my alma mater.

I’ve grown up around the area, so Auburn traditions were not new to me, not even with my entire family rooting for Alabama (yes, I come from a family of Bammers … don’t tell anyone!).

However, when it came time to choose a college, one may be surprised to know that I didn’t even apply to Auburn.

I wanted to go to a school farther away from home to study music education. The fact that I’m sitting here now on Auburn soil, a few weeks from graduation, should tell you that The Editorial Board

Robert E. Lee

Rachel Suhs

things change. I’ve never craved this Auburn spirit, but now that I’m here and have been immersed in this culture rich with tradition, I can honestly say that I love it.

I find myself poring through books about Auburn’s history; I just can’t get enough of it. I love this town. I love this campus. And, I love this University.

My first year here began in the fall of 2010 (the year of the reign of Cam Newton). Not being a big fan of football, I found myself becoming agitated at the football craze. However, I also saw how united this University could be.

First came the poisoning of our beloved Toomer’s Oaks. Before I officially heard of what happened, I

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saw people rallied around the trees with signs, candles, and flowers as if someone had died. Someone’s selfish act proved to me that this University could pull itself together for a cause.

In the spring of 2011, tornadoes ravaged the town of Tuscaloosa. Being from a family of Bammers, I understand the intense rivalry, yet Auburn students once again amazed me with their actions.

Tuscaloosa, the most hated place on the planet for most Auburn fans, was left to pick up pieces of their town. Yet, Auburn students and fans flocked to Tuscaloosa to aid in relief.

This act blew me away. Auburn was able to put aside its prejudices and offer a helping hand to the biggest rival school with no questions asked.

Auburn saw that someone needed help, and answered in tremendous response despite a heated rivalry.

Then, in fall of 2011, tornadoes rattled Auburn. The devastation was nowhere near that of Tuscaloosa’s tornadoes, but the impact was still powerful. Students’ homes were damaged, leaving them with no place to go.

Once again, Auburn pulled together to help those who needed it.

Students and faculty opened their homes to those who lost theirs in the storms. The University provided shelter to those who needed it.

My total time here at Auburn has been two and a half years ( five semesters), and what I’ve learned from professors and everyone involved at Auburn has surpassed my expectations.

Some days, I hate my classes and being on campus, and I consider leaving and becoming a professional couch surfer. However, I know that coming to Auburn has been my best decision that I have ever made.

I am proud to call myself a member of the Auburn family, and I know that Auburn will affect my future, both in my career and in my personal life.

I believe that Auburn has given me the best it has to offer. I believe that the Auburn spirit has affected and will continue to affect my life.

I believe in Auburn and love it!

Kayla Strickland Graduating Senior English Education

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The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. This unsigned editorial are the majority opinion of the 11-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.

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

Community

A5

ThePlainsman.com

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Community

Businesses get creative through the holidays Sydney Callis Community Reporter

While Auburn University students are preparing to take finals and return home for the holiday break, Auburn stores are preparing for a lull in business.

The Gnu’s Room owner Tina Tatum said she has noticed that during Auburn University breaks, such as the week for Thanksgiving and the three weeks during the winter holidays, business slows. Because she’s learned to expect it, Tatum said The Gnu’s Room takes action to work around the sharp change in the town’s demographics.

“Thanksgiving break, in particular, we decided to close, not just for Thanksgiving but for Friday and Saturday afterwards,” Tatum said. “Previous experience has told us we’re just not going to do enough business to warrant paying employees and being open.”

Tatum said The Gnu’s Room will have different hours during the Christmas break as well.

“We’ll probably shorten our hours, and we might be closed a couple of extra days with Christmas and New Year’s,” Tatum said.

Businesses that rely heavily on students for sales, such

as J&M Bookstore, see a drop in sales during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, said Trey Johnston, owner and manager of J&M Bookstore.

“We’re a college bookstore, and we are here to serve Auburn University students,” Johnston said. “When the students leave town, we have a very severe decrease in the sales here at J&M Bookstore.”

The location of the Iron Bowl affects J&M Bookstore during Thanksgiving break, but Johnston said Christmas break is generally a slow time.

“We love to have the Iron Bowl played in Auburn,” Johnston said. “It always impacts us

“

When the students leave town, we have a very severe decrease in the sales here at J&M Bookstore.”

—Trey Johnston owner, J&M Bookstore

positively, and it carries over, especially after you win the Iron Bowl. This year is the first time in my lifetime, and I’m 60 years old, that we’ve had such a bad season and we won’t have

any excitement going into Christmas.”

To compensate for the lag in business, Johnston said J&M Bookstore will probably shorten its hours and will have fewer employees working during the holiday season.

However, some local businesses do not see much of a change when Auburn University has breaks.

Barbara Birdsong, owner of Perch Bead Shoppe and Design Studio, said her business has a diverse clientele and does not see a lot of lag during Auburn University breaks.

“I feel like there’s a drop off when students leave, but our

sales aren’t really reflecting that much since we do get a lot of local people that come in,” Birdsong said.

Because so much business comes from local shoppers, Birdsong said the foot traffic slows a little during breaks, but her workshops’ attendance still continues to be strong.

“Typically the students aren’t the one coming to the workshops,” Birdsong said.

“I guess I get a little bit of every demographic locally that our business has been able to sustain itself without the students, which I know is a hard thing for a lot of local businesses.”

JCSM welcomes flute & guitar duo Sydney Callis Community Reporter

Courtesy of Raph Draughon Jr, Delos Hughes and Ann Pearson

Remembering a ‘Lost Auburn’ Annie Faulk Writer

Auburn University’s history comes alive in “Lost Auburn: A Village Remembered in Photographs,” a new book written

by Ralph Draughon Jr., Delos Hughes and Ann Pearson.

“The book stresses that ‘The Loveliest Village’ has mushroomed into the ninth largest city in Alabama and that this sudden growth has threatened to alter its environment and diminish its historic character,” Draughon said.

The book’s 184 pages share tales and more than 200 photographs of buildings that once stood in Auburn.

The preface of the book reads, “The authors of this book are such returnees, coming home after absences of various lengths and more or less infrequent visits while living elsewhere. They believe some record should be compiled of Auburn structures that one can no longer see: buildings that have been destroyed, or so altered as to be no longer recognizable, or that have simply fallen into ruin.”

Draughon was responsible for the sections on the colleges and the fraternity houses, which he said took two years to collect pictures and write.

He said the authors could have compiled just a picture

book, but the text makes the book even more informative.

“In the past, Auburn University occasionally has suffered from what I would call institutional Alzheimer’s Disease,” Draughon said. “In two particular instances, deeply disturbing to historic preservationists, a college architect butchered the Victorian interior of Samford Hall and transformed the old Carnegie Library, now Mary Martin Hall, into a windowless rabbit warren.”

Draughon serves on the Alabama Historical Commission, as well as the board of directors for the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation.

He earned his Ph.D in southern history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has taught at the University of Georgia and established a research center called Statford Hall at the University of Virginia.

He has also served as a curator for the Historic New Orleans Collection and a historical adviser to a national archeological firm.

“Particularly in the 1970s, some developers leveled city blocks in old neighborhoods to erect penitentiary-style student housing surrounded by solid asphalt parking lots,” Draughon said. “In many of these developments not a tree,

bush or blade of grass was allowed.”

Pearson is the president of the Auburn Heritage Foundation and currently serves on the board of the Historic Chattahoochee Foundation. Pearson is an author of three mystery novels and wrote articles on local history and historic preservation. She earned her master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Ph.D in English from Auburn.

“Neither the book nor its authors, all of whom grew up in Auburn and still live here, wish to emphasize the negative,” Draughon said. “What we wish to do instead is to remind the faculty, students and townspeople of Auburn of the importance of our community’s historic character.”

Hughes is an emeritus professor of politics at Washington & Lee University. He graduated from Lee County High and received degrees from Oberlin College and UNC at Chapel Hill.

“The poisoning of the ancient live oaks at Toomer’s Corner remind us how precious, and how ephemeral, our community’s landmarks can be,” Draughon said. “Must we lose them to appreciate their worth?”

Here is what others are say-

ing about Lost Auburn: Doug Purcell, executive director emeritus, Historic Chattahoochee Commission “A thought-provoking book that graphically illustrates how incremental change, over a period of many years, can significantly alter a community’s sense of place. Communities can use this book as a template to record their architectural treasures that have been lost to fire, nature, neglect or, simply, poor planning.”

Dan Bennett, dean emeritus, Auburn University College of Architecture “Lost Auburn is a unique history of the town and university which describes in loving specificity the many people and places that make Auburn special. Sadly, the book also details the loss of the very characteristics that created Auburn’s original sense of place.”

Robert Gamble, senior architectural historian, Alabama Historical Commission “The authors’ affectionate regard for their hometown is unmistakable in a book that manages to instruct while bringing people and places to life again. Lost Auburn also reminds us of how we shape our built environments and are in turn shaped by them.”

Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is bringing the sounds of flute and guitar to its A Little Lunch Music series.

Thursday, Nov. 29 at noon, Stephanie Erdman, flutist, and Jacob Brown, guitarist, will be performing at the South College Street museum as a part of its lunch music series.

“Jacob and I will be playing a set of 12 dances, and it basically is a bunch of stylized dances,” Erdman said.

“Some of them sound like they could be danced to, but it’s basically set for the concert stage.”

Playing pieces from several different genres ranging from the classical genre to beat boxing, the duo has played together for three years.

“We play really well together,” Erdman said. “We understand each other, and we read each other very well.

I feel like we’re able to get a very good musical understanding with each other.”

Playing the flute has interested Erdman since she was 5 years old and began asking her mom for private lessons.

“Because of how the instrument is constructed and the stretches your fingers have to make, I had to wait until I was 8,” Erdman said.

“So I started taking private lessons when I was 8, and I never stopped.”

Erdman, currently studying at Columbus State University in Georgia, wants to one day be in the pit orchestra for Cirque Du Soleil.

“I do a lot of contemporary music, and when I grad-

uate and go to graduate school I will work on becoming more proficient in clarinet and saxophone,” Erdman said. “As well as becoming more versed in more styles of music like jazz, Irish, folk and more.”

Brown, a junior at Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, began playing guitar when he was in high school and started learning classical guitar four years ago.

“It’s completely different from rock guitar or jazz guitar,” Brown said. “In terms of music, it’s a pretty difficult thing to learn.”

The differences of the classical guitar genre and other genres of guitar begin with the method of playing. According to Brown, classical guitarists use their fingers to pluck the strings instead of guitar picks.

“The hardest part is probably the self-control to make yourself sit down and practice six hours every day,” Brown said. “My teacher is very good with correct technique, and if you maintain correct technique you really shouldn’t get any injuries.”

Brown will be playing with Erdman and will also feature a solo.

Patrick McCurry took over the coordination of the series, which began in 2007, from his friend Charles Wright, and each Thursday there are musicians performing during the lunch hour.

“My favorite thing about it is that it provides a place for musicians to perform who might not necessarily get a lot of opportunities to perform their music,” McCurry said.

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Community A6

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dawson, former Falcons trainer, now training at local gyms Sonya Lovejoy Community Reporter

Meet Millard Dawson, former physical therapist tech for the Atlanta Falcons, minor league baseball player and the current general manager of personal training for Auburn Max Fitness and Auburn Fitness for Women.

Dawson was born in Montgomery and attended Robert E. Lee High School where he played football, basketball, baseball and competed on the track team.

From there he went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he studied exercise science and health promotion. He was a member of the football team and played wide receiver. Dawson was also a centerfielder on the baseball team.

After his sophomore year ,Dawson transferred to the University of Montevallo ,where he studied kinesiology and played baseball. During his senior year at Montevallo, his team ended the season ranked third in the nation in its division by USA Today’s college baseball poll.

“The most important thing I have learned being involved in sports is that no one man is greater than the team,” Dawson said. “You are only as strong as your weakest link.”

After college, Dawson moved to Atlanta to work as a physical therapist tech for the Atlanta Falcons team doctor, Scott Gillogly. His daily duties included assisting the therapist with rehabilitation exercise, hydromat therapy, ultrasounds and electrical stimula-

tion for the Falcon players.

“Working with the doctors at Atlanta Sports Medicine really opened my eyes to the medical world,” Dawson said.

“One of the best things about working there was going to work every day knowing that you were making a difference in someone’s life. Getting them back to something they loved.”

One of Dawson’s favorite experiences was meeting his favorite baseball player of all time, Hank Aaron, when he came in for his knee replacement surgery.

Dawson then signed a minor league baseball contract to play for the Kansas City TBones in Kansas City in 2008.

“It was always my dream as a kid to play professional baseball one day,” Dawson said.

“That dream had finally come

true.”

Dawson played baseball for two more seasons. One was with the Anderson Joes, in Anderson, S.C., and his last year was playing for Cecil Fielder in Charlotte County, Fla. for the Charlotte County Redfish, before the league folded.

Dawson then returned to his love of football while living in Florida. He tried out for the Florida Scorpions professional indoor football team, where he eventually became the team’s starting quarterback.

“The best part about being involved with sports teams is the camaraderie and lifelong friendships that are built during these times,” Dawson said.

“No one can take that away from you.”

Dawson moved back to Alabama in April 2012, where he

Emily Morris / Assistant Photo Editor

Millard Dawson, a former professional athlete and NFL trainer, is now the personal training general manager at Auburn’s Max Fitness.

has been the general manager of personal training at Max Fitness and Auburn Fitness for Women.

Dawson aims to educate clients on how to live a better lifestyle and to “give my best to each individual that I sit in front of, because you never know what they are going

through on the inside,” Dawson said.

Dawson’s sports experiences taught him to be competitive in everything he does.

“Character, respect and hard work are just a few of the things that were instilled in me at an early age in sports and life,” Dawson said.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Auburn Plainsman

Community A7

Community A8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sports

B1 ThePlainsman.com

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sports

Tiger tailspin

In four years, Gene Chizik celebrated magnificent heights and endured unprecendented lows.

Andrew Yawn Sports Editor

In what became a tumultuous four-year coaching job, Gene Chizik took Auburn to its first national championship since 1957. From there, Chizik seemed to lose control of a program and finally lost his job in a season where the team had more player suspensions than victories.

Gene Chizik was hired as the head coach of the Auburn Tigers following the resignation of Tommy Tuberville after Tuberville’s squad finished 5–7 in 2008.

The Tigers won the Outback Bowl 38–35 over Northwestern to push Auburn to 8–5 in Chizik’s first year as head coach.

The NCAA sent an email to Auburn investigating the eligibilty of Cam Newton after a scandal alleging the Newtons accepted money to come to Auburn.

Auburn finished the season 14–0 behind Cam Newton’s Heisman-winning effort after beating Oregon 22–20 for the BCS National Championship.

Four Auburn players, Mike McNeil, Shaun Kitchens, Antonio Goodwin and Dakota Mosley, were arrested for first degree robbery of a mobile home.

Contributed

Emily Morris / Assistant Photo Editor

Gene Chizik was fired Sunday, Nov. 25. Chizik is expected to receive approximately a $7.5 million buyout which will be paid in monthly installments of approximately $208,334.

Year W/L Off. rank 09 8–5 16th 7th 10 14–0 100th 11 8–5 12 3–9 118th

Def. rank 68th 60th 80th 84th

All-SEC running back Michael Dyer was suspended. Auburn would go on to win the Chickfil-A Bowl without him, but Dyer later transferred and testified that he smoked synthetic marijuana and that his gun was used in the March 11 robbery.

Gene Chizik was fired following Auburn’s 49–0 Iron Bowl loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa the day before. The loss capped off a dismal 3–9 season for the Tigers.

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Freshman running back Jovon Robinson was ruled inelgible after his high school counselor admitted to forging his transcript.

The NCAA announced an investigation into Auburn recruiting November 21. This comes after a string of player conduct violations leading to the suspensions of Quan Bray, Reese Dismukes, DeAngelo Benton and Zeke Pike, who subsequently transferred to the University of Louisville.

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Sports B2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Who will be next?

» Follow the coaching search online at

www.theplainsman.com

Top choices for Auburn’s next head football coach by sports reporter John Burns Kirby Smart – DC Alabama • • • • • Courtesy of Alabama Athletics

He has been the Alabama defensive coordinator since 2007.

In 2009, when Alabama won the BCS National Championship, Smart received the Broyles Award, which is earned by the nation’s best assistant coach.

Smart is a former defensive back for Georgia, where he began his assistant coaching career in 1999.

He is currently the highest paid defensive coordinator in the nation.

Hiring Smart would be a blow to Alabama and a boost to Auburn at the same time.

Courtesy of The Arkansas Traveler

Out of football for a season, Petrino tops the list of candidates for the head coaching vacancy due to his penchant for winning, availability and high profile.

Bobby Petrino Free agent

Gus Malzahn – HC Arkansas State • • • •

Courtesy of Arkansas State Athletics

Malzahn coached Auburn’s offense during the team’s 2010 BCS National Championship season.

Malzahn left Auburn after the 2011 season and took a head coaching position at Arkansas State.

He led that team to an 8-3 regular season this year and has insisted that he wants to see his work completed there.

Though he has gotten off to an excellent start at his new post, a head coaching job at an SEC school is one of the most desired positions in college football, and coaches in the past have retreated on former statements and accepted SEC positions eagerly.

• • • • •

Courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

James Franklin – HC Vanderbilt

Gary Patterson – HC TCU • • •

•

A recent addition to the list of potential Auburn head coaches, TCU’s Patterson would bring a mentality of success to the slumped Tigers.

Patterson, in 13 seasons with TCU, has a record of 116-34.

TCU has been in the WAC, Conference USA, the Mountain West Conference and now the Big 12 during that time, but the Horned Frogs notched two undefeated seasons and won the 2011 Rose Bowl.

Patterson was interviewed by Auburn in 2008, but was eventually set aside for Gene Chizik.

Petrino’s most recent position was as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks .

His tenure was cut short when he was fired for having an affair with former All-SEC volleyball player Jessica Dorrell.

Before Arkansas, Petrino coached the Atlanta Falcons for the majority of the 2007 season.

During his eight years as a head coach at Louisville and Arkansas his record was 75-26.

Pat Dye has said on numerous occasions that it is not in the best interest of the Auburn program to hire Petrino.

• • • •

He has raised Vanderbilt in only two years from the hovels of the SEC to a team that won eight regular season games this season.

Franklin has made himself one of the more sought after coaches in a conference that has several head coaching positions up for grabs.

He clearly knows what it takes to win football games in the SEC, and his Commodore team won its last six games this season, including four SEC teams in that stretch.

The main thing that counts for a prospective Auburn head coach is his ability to make a bad team good, and Franklin has proven that he can do that.

Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

Jimbo Fisher – HC FSU

Courtesy of Tcu Athletics

• • • •

The Florida State head coach has had quick success after inheriting Bobby Bowden’s job in 2010.

The Seminoles team is 29-10 with Fisher at the helm, and after a 10-2 season this year, FSU will play for an ACC title.

Fisher coached the Auburn quarterbacks from 1993-1998 and coached quarterbacks along with LSU’s offense from 2000-06.

He has said that he is looking forward to remaining with FSU, but situations have been known to change rapidly during the college football offseason.

Courtesy of FSu Athletics

Charlie Strong – HC Louisville • • • • • •

Strong is currently the head coach for Louisville, a team he has led to three straight winning seasons.

This year the Cardinals are 9-2.

Stong was the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators from 2002-09.

During that time he served as the interim head coach and assistant coach some years.

The Louisville athletics department has stated that it will match any offer a larger school makes for Strong.

He has also said that he is committed to the Cardinals.

Courtesy of Louisville Athletics

Chris Petersen – HC Boise State • • • • • Courtesy of Boise State Athletics

Petersen has been with the Boise State Broncos since 2001 and was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach for the 2006 season.

Petersen has an 82-8 record during seven seasons as the head coach.

In 2006 and 2009, he coached the Broncos to perfect seasons. They won the Fiesta Bowl both years.

Petersen’s teams have never lost more than three games in a season, though his teams are playing against competition from the Mountain West Conference and formerly the WAC. Petersen recently said that a move from Boise State is just a rumor.

Jeff Fisher – HC St. Louis Rams • • • • • Courtesy of The st. louis Rams

This wildcard pick is an 18-year NFL coach and has a record of 150-132-1 during those seasons with the Oilers, Titans and Rams.

He took over as the Rams head coach this season.

Fisher is connected to Auburn through his son, Trent, who was a walk-on safety who earned a scholarship at Auburn.

Jeff Fisher has been involved in the NFL as a player, defensive coach and head coach since 1981, though he did not coach in 2011.

He was part of the Super Bowl winning Bears team in 1985 and coached the Titans to a Super Bowl in 1999.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sports B3

The Auburn Plainsman

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Huntsville High School linebacker Cameron Toney is one of few recruits to reiterate his commitment to Auburn after the firing of Gene Chizik Sunday, Nov. 25.

2013 recruit Cameron Toney remains committed to Auburn Andrew Yawn Sports Editor

All is fair in love, war and college football.

In the weeks leading up to and the days following the firing of former head coach Gene Chizik, teams have taken the opportunity to attempt to pry away commitments from Auburn’s currently 11th-ranked 2013 recruiting class.

Huntsville High School linebacker Cameron Toney, however, is staying.

“I’m not really saying much, but I can tell you I’m not decommitting,” Toney said via text message.

The 3-star recruit did admit the uncertainty surrounding the future of the team’s staff doesn’t make it easy for recruits.

“It’s tough for all, because we don’t know who’s coming, and we don’t know if they want

us all,” Toney said.

Auburn has already felt the effects of the recruits’ doubts.

Hours after Chizik was fired Sunday, Nov. 25, wide reciever Jaquay Williams decommitted.

Central Gwinnet High School linebacker Trey Johnson has plans to visit other schools, as do several other prospects.

Five-star defensive end Carl Lawson is reportedly being chased by Clemson and Florida State.

Four-star quarterback Jeremy Johnson told reporters before Chizik was fired he would decommit should Auburn part ways with Chizik. Now that Chizik is gone, Johnson has not commented on his future with the program.

Auburn’s primary concern, however, lies with Auburn High School’s Reuben Foster,

“

It’s tough for all, because we don’t know who’s coming, and we don’t know if they want us all.”

—Cameron Toney 3-star LB recruit

ranked the No.1 linebacker in the nation.

Foster famously switched commitments from Alabama to Auburn and sealed the deal by moving his family to Auburn and getting a large Auburn tattoo on his arm.

Foster attended Georgia’s 42–10 win over Georgia Tech Saturday, Nov. 24 while Auburn was playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

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Sports B4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sneak peek at holiday sports December

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Freshman Caitlin Atkinson practices her routine on the uneven bars Tuesday night during Auburn’s gymnastics preview.

Gymnastics team vaults into preseason with Preview Meet Corey Arwood

“over-rotate” and deliberately fall in order to land safely, because as Graba said to the audience, landing face-first would hurt worse than the alternative.

After the event and a slew of autograph signings to fans’ posters and balloons, sophomore all-around performer Megan Walker said the practice was necessary due to the looming season and the big stage provided by the arena.

“The meet is set up just so that we can start getting acclimated to the arena and just get used to throwing things in front of people,” Walker said. “It is a month early so there is a lot of rough water, but it’s really good for the team to get going.”

Walker said the meet was especially beneficial for the new additions to the team.

“We’ve got to work out the kinks with these newcomers,” Walker said. “It’s one thing to be really talented in the practice facility. It’s another thing to get in the competition arena and show what you’re capable of.

“I think it’s going to be a little bit of that, a little bit of growing pains in that respect. But we’re doing our best with events like this to try to work those kinks out.”

Writer

With little over a month to go before its first meet, the gymnastics team performed for a large audience Tuesday, Nov. 27 in its pre-season Preview Meet at the Auburn Arena.

The team took the floor for the first time before an audience after five days without practice over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Despite head coach Jeff Graba’s explanations of the team’s rust before the performance, not too many audience members seemed to care how long the team had been without practice as the team performed to raucous applause.

The audience has played a major role over the past few seasons, and as Graba mentioned at the end of the event, gymnastics has the second highest student attendance, with the first being football.

The event was officially judged alongside a panel of ex-players.

The coaches explained that an aim of the event was safely pushing boundaries and determining which routines stay while getting practice in a professional arena and being introduced to fans .

The gymnasts were even instructed to

In a previous interview, coach Graba had said the 2013 class of gymnasts was one of the most powerful and dynamic classes that had been signed at Auburn.

After the meet Tuesday, he stuck to his word.

“Well, we have a lot of potential this year,” Graba said. “We lost a lot of seniors last year. But I do think we’re a lot more talented this year ... So I’m really excited about this group this year.”

Graba said Auburn attempted to sign a class that was more well-versed in a variety of events.

“The seniors that we lost weren’t allaround athletes,” Graba said. “Many of them were just doing an event or two, so we brought in more routines. That’s a good thing for us because it gives us more depth.”

According to the roster, the team will have six freshmen this season. Walker said that she and her fellow newcomers are learning quickly, however.

“It takes time to get all these girls together on the same page, but the freshmen acclimated fast. It’s just a fun team,” Walker said.

The season will begin against California and Arizona Jan. 6, at Berkeley, Calif.

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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Scottish hat 4 Cries out loud 8 Dull sound 13 Wharton’s “The __ of Innocence” 14 Summer Olympics event venue 15 Covering for “piggies” 16 Big stink 18 Stored in a database, say 19 Rural storage structure 20 Amateurish dive 22 Opposite of a big star 25 “__ a trap!”

26 “The Ballad of John and __” 27 Men 28 Bearded flower 32 Barely get, with “out” 34 Added a chip to the pot 36 Maine college town 37 Bearded fairy tale trio 40 Cartographer’s book 41 Oven setting 42 Word in most Commandments 43 Finger-on-hotstove reaction 44 Sinister 45 Neuter, as a horse 47 Seasonal potable 48 Stand the test of time 50 Mumbai-based film industry 55 Protected inlet 57 Camden Yards ballplayer 58 Hired hoodlum 61 Long-lasting resentment 62 Frozen drink brand 63 Outlaw Clanton 64 Gather a bit at a time 65 Student’s book 66 Composer Rorem DOWN 1 Settings for columned documents 2 From the top

3 Mountain Dew 35 Trinidad’s 50 Tennis great Bjorn competitor partner 51 Like some 4 Undercover 36 Made goo-goo doctorate agent eyes at seekers’ exams 5 “__ la la!”

38 Murphy’s __ 52 Queue 6 Word with hatch 39 Communicate 53 “Livin’ La Vida or prize with hand __”: Ricky Martin 7 Gin fizz fruit gestures hit 8 Broadway 44 Leafy hideaway 54 “In memoriam” awards 46 Charlie Brown’s write-up 9 “The Tao of tormentor 56 Viewed Pooh” author 47 Hosiery material 59 Superman Benjamin 48 Draw forth nemesis Luthor 10 Either of two 49 Bring to mind 60 Allow Monopoly sqs.

11 Venus de __ ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 12 Little chirp 15 Makes a mad dash 17 Western wolf 21 Wasn’t honest with 23 Gives a thumbs-up 24 Second of two bell sounds 27 Caught wind of 28 Outlet store abbr.

29 Tournament in which you play everyone else at least once 30 Facts, briefly 31 Tender-hearted 32 Site for cyberbidders 10/01/12 xwordeditor@aol.com 33 Flier on a string

By Gareth Bain (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

10/01/12

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Intrigue

Lane Jones / Intrigue Reporter

AU Underground: the ‘secret’ tunnel Nathan Simone Online Editor

We all know life is beautiful above ground on the Plains, but what happens down below?

Student legend has trickled down through the years to create a shadowy mystique around a system of water drainage pipes and utility tunnels that form a network underneath campus.

According to student explorers, the main entrance to the tunnel system is located in the ditch on the front left side of the Beard-Eaves Coliseum parking lot, now surrounded by a green construction fence.

General knowledge of the underground system may be more common than students think, taking the nickname of AU Underground.

“Sure I’ve heard of AU Underground,” said Ricky Schulerere, junior in microbiology. “I’ve had a couple of friends go down there and explore. I’ve always wanted to go.”

Not only is the entrance easy to locate in times of non-construction, but testimonies say

the tunnel continues to be large enough to walk upright in for the majority of its stretch.

It’s understood the University does not want students trying to find areas like this, at risk of injuring themselves or others, but denial of the tunnels seems to be a part of answering phones at the Foy Information Desk.

Answers received from students working the Foy Desk have included: “I don’t know,” “It’s not there/doesn’t exist,” “Don’t go down there” and “It’s definitely there, but you’ll get in trouble if you go down.”

However, a student at the Foy Desk who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that the tunnels do exist and are sometimes used as unusual transportation.

“They definitely exist,” the student said. “I had a friend who went down there a bunch of times and mapped it out precisely on graph paper. You can go a bunch of different places.”

Rumored places to appear include near Momma Goldberg’s on the corner of Donahue Drive and Magnolia Avenue.

Thomas Harbin, senior in Spanish and piano performance, said he has explored the tunnel system and can say with complete confidence that it does exist.

“I’ve been down there a couple times,” Harbin said. “At first I tried calling the Foy Desk to find out where it was, but they wouldn’t admit it.

Not true! After calling around town, I got some leads and found it.”

Harbin commented on the many side tunnels the main tunnel has.

“One time, my friends and I came out inside the gates at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but we didn’t go in because we didn’t want to get in trouble.”

Harbin said. “We kept walking and eventually came out again outside of Tichenor Hall.”

Harbin said he thinks Auburn students should document and inform each other about the tunnels.

“I think that Auburn students should make a map,” Harbin said. “That would be helpful to everyone.”

Auburn alumnus Scott Seitz said he has

friends who entered the tunnel and got in trouble with the law.

“From what my friends have told me, it totally exists,” Seitz said. “I can’t believe there’s even any doubt about it. But you will get in trouble if you’re caught.”

Students may not be the only occupants of the tunnel if they should decide to explore.

“I’ve been told that there’s a lot of rats down there,” Seitz said. “It also probably smells pretty bad, but you could expect that from a glorified drainage pipe.”

However, Seitz said the tunnel is probably not as mysterious or foreboding as students may hear in rumors.

“I’m sure that every campus has a system of drainage pipes, even quite large ones, underground,” Seitz said. “That’s just modern construction. It’s not some secret underground passageway like some people think.”

Next time you see a pair of eyes peeking out from beneath a sewer grate, remember the Plains extend much farther than meets the eye.

YouTube star Ricky Dillon keeps dancing, people keep watching Caitlin Wagenseil Writer

1,593,803 — and counting.

That’s how many views YouTube sensation and student Ricky Dillon has racked up on his “Some Nights” by Fun. music video.

Dillon, junior in radio, television and film, has been making videos for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve pretty much made videos my whole life,” he said. “We have old home videos of me making fake commercials and stuff, so I’ve always loved making them.”

Originally, Dillon was a prepharmacy major, but switched to RTVF during his freshman year.

“My YouTube channel started picking up my freshman year here, and I realized maybe I should change majors because I like this so much, and I really didn’t care that much about pharmacy,” he said.

He started his channel along with friend and University of Alabama student Shelby Waddell. Dillon said at first

they created the channel to make funny videos.

“I was watching other YouTubers, and I liked what they did, so I kind of wanted to be more like them and make music videos, skits and a vlog,” he said. “My first real one was probably my music video to ‘Move Along’ by All-American Rejects, which was about two years ago.”

Dillon said he first received global attention after auditioning for and making a YouTube collaborative channel, in which people are all on one channel and make videos together.

“My free time is YouTube,” Dillon said. “I like it that much.”

He has a mini series on his channel “I Dare Ricky,” in which fans post comments on previous videos and dare him to do something outrageous.

“I pick the dares that are the best and the funniest, and I do them,” Dillon said. “My last video I did public dancing and barking at people.”

He is no longer self-con-

scious about performing the various dares in public.

“I’ve done a lot now, and after you do the first thing, it gets really fun and your adrenaline starts to pump; I get into a mindset where I just don’t care because I know the video will be good if I just don’t care,” Dillon said.

Many of Dillon’s videos are music videos based on popular songs that he creatively edits. One in particular is a music video to “Gangnam Style”

by Psy, which features Dillon dressed up in a SpongeBob outfit and dancing in public places.

Others are videos to “One More Night” by Maroon 5, “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees, “Die Young” by Ke$ha, and many more.

Some of his short skit videos include “20 things to do where you’re bored,” “Pick-up lines gone wrong,” “10 things not to say to a girl” and “10 things I hate.”

The whole process, from filming to editing, can be time consuming. Dillon said film-

Katherine mccahey / photographer

Ricky Dillon, junior in RTVF, has more than one million hits on his “Some Nights” by Fun. music video.

10 hours to edit a music video, but only a few hours to edit if it’s a simple video such as a skit.

He plans to move to Los Angeles after graduation with YouTube friend Connor Fran-

ing can take anywhere from an hour to all day, depending on the video.

“They take a while to edit, I’m not going to lie,” he said.

“But it’s fun and I love doing it.”

Dillon said it takes about

ta and pursue film there.

Dillon uploads a new video to his channel every Sunday.

His YouTube channel is youtube.com/PICKLEandBANANA and his twitter handle is twitter.com/RickPickle.

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Foot-stompin’ Lonely Wolves keep howling around Auburn Earl Parsons Writer

Kyle Humphrey, multi-instrumentalist and founding member of local Auburn band Lonely Wolves, began recording music in a spare bedroom in his house about a year ago.

Shortly after, drummer and longtime friend Matt Pike caught wind of these recordings through the online videos Humphrey had begun to post.

“He had this blues-y rock, raw feel to it,” Pike said. “I told him that I really liked the stuff he was playing and wanted to know if he wanted to get together and try to jam some of it out and see what we could do with it and where we could take it.”

Bringing similar musical styles into the band, Humphrey’s and Pike’s motives for creating music did not seem to differ too far from each other.

“I started this project because I love blues music,” Humphrey said. “Everybody tells me I’m like an old soul.”

Drawing numerous comparisons to The Black Keys, the two-piece rock ‘n’ roll, blues-infused band has drawn its influences from classic rock and blues legends.

“My father raised me on Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, so the influences go anywhere from classic rock to blues,” Humphrey said.

“Even new stuff like The Black Keys and The White Stripes.”

Although he incorporates many similar influences into the band, Pike brings an influence of his own to the table.

“I’m a huge Black Crowes fan,” Pike said. “It’s just something about that real gritty Southern rock that they bring. I would say that they are the biggest influence for me as far as my style and the way I play.”

After a few months of practicing together, Lonely Wolves played its first show at a house party in Auburn.

“We’ve always liked house parties more because there is a little more intimacy within the audience and the band, and you can be a little bit wilder,” Humphrey said. “If I had to pick between playing at a bar and getting paid a hundred bucks or just having a good time playing at a house party, I’d take a good time any day because I always feel better after those shows.”

Pike agrees with Humphrey’s philosophy on performing at house parties.

“You’re right there in the center of it all,” Pike said. “You feel like everybody around you is able to feed off of what you’re doing. It makes for a great experience in my eyes. As long as someone is tapping their foot or bobbing their

head — that’s what gets me going right there.

Seeing people who really get into it and enjoy it when you’re up close and personal with them like that.”

Since then, they have continued to bring their talents to house parties, as well as local Auburn and Opelika venues, including Bloodhound, Eighth & Rail, Overall Company, The Railyard and The Irish Bred Pub. A live Lonely Wolves show promises to provide a loud, energetic and fast-paced performance.

“Expect to move around,” Humphrey said.

“We hope that once the show starts, we build on that movement and people will start to move around more. I just try to make sure everybody’s having a good time.”

A Lonely Wolves first-timer can expect to see an on-stage chemistry between him and Humphrey, Pike said.

“There may be times we decide we want to take a song and go somewhere with it that we wouldn’t have at shows before,” Pike said.

Both Humphrey and Pike said they are more than content with the past and present direction of the band, but are both anxious to take further steps in the future.

Humphrey showed interest in taking the two-piece act outside of the state.

“We haven’t played a show outside of Alabama, so we need to venture out,” Humphrey said. “It is fun playing in front of crowds that don’t know you because there are a little less nerves. You are able to hone in on your skills and what you practice without worrying about what the people are thinking about you.”

Humphrey and Pike agreed the next step for the band needs to be recording their own material.

“We really want to get some stuff recorded and get it out to people,” Pike said. “We’ve had a lot of interest in actually having physical copies of the music, so we are pushing really hard to do some of that over the next six months or so.”

Although not sure when the right opportunity to record will present itself, both Humphrey and Pike are eager to take full advantage of it when it arises.

“We don’t have anything recorded and we are so eager to do that with somebody who knows what they’re doing,” Humphrey said.

“I feel like a lot of it is that you’ve got to know somebody, which is fine, it’s just that we are new to this and haven’t been thrown into the crowd of people that do that yet.”

Lonely Wolves shows no intention of slowing the rate of its live concert performances.

“As far as the shows go, we are taking them

Courtesy of Ryan Russell

Matt Pike (left) and Kyle Humphrey of Lonely Wolves will be playing at The Gnu’s Room Friday, Jan. 18.

as they come and even booking some ourselves,” Pike said. “There are possible plans for a weekend tour with an artist out of Nashville; really any chance that we get to play a show, we are all ears for it.”

Its next show is taking place Friday, Jan. 18 at The Gnu’s Room.

“We’ll be loud for that show, but it will be fun because we’re always playing at parties or bars, and this will be the first time I think people will actually sit down to listen to our music,” Humphrey said. “I think it will be a great opportu-

nity to give people that real intimate look into what we are trying to do.”

Lonely Wolves is optimistic for what the future holds and seems to be enjoying every step along the way.

“As far as this band goes, I am definitely having the time of my life,” Pike said. “We’re just two laid-back guys that really enjoy what we do, and we hope people enjoy it when they’re watching us.”

For the latest news on the band’s upcoming shows, visit Facebook.com/LNLYWLVS.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

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The guy that brought Bill Nye From sold-out tickets to a venue upgrade, UPC’s Ricky Scheuerle gained much success through bringing Bill Nye to Auburn — and he’s not stopping there.

Nathan Simone Online Editor

Simply put, Ricky Scheuerle wants change.

As director of speakers and comedians for UPC, Scheuerle was responsible for booking the wildly popular Bill Nye for a speaking event in the Auburn Arena Thursdfay, Nov. 1.

The junior in microbiology said he enjoyed being able to help plan the event and meet a childhood idol, down to creating the music playlist played before Nye walked onstage. Upon meeting Nye, Scheuerle said he felt nothing but awe.

Described by some students as a “mover and shaker” within UPC, Scheuerle sticks with one motto.

“Always be relevant,” Scheuerle said. “That’s what we try to go for.”

Bringing Nye to campus was seen as a revival in what Scheuerle thought was an unfortunate record of not being able to book the best speakers possible.

“I’m very happy to say that there is a positive change occurring in the speakers and comedians section of UPC right now,” Scheuerle said.

“Bill Nye was a groundbreaker, so now there’s a precedent to bring bigger and better speakers here. I want the same anticipation and hype that is afforded to the spring and fall concerts to apply to speakers and speaking events.”

Scheuerle’s interest in UPC began freshman year as a way to get involved when he came

to Auburn from Austin, Texas, but by sophomore year he was on the Tiger Nights committee and looking to contribute other ways.

“I wanted to bring largescale entertainment to Auburn,” Scheuerle said. “I had an interest in shaping Auburn to be what I wanted it to be and what students wanted it to be. To bring people that were engaging, meaningful and popular.”

Scheuerle doesn’t like to think of himself as the sole coordinator of speakers and comedians, but sharing the role with assistant directors Connor Chilton, Miranda Marty, Madeline Moore and Jordan Owen.

“We all have a part in the planning process, conducting meetings and budget,” Scheuerle said. “My title as ‘director’ usually applies to additional roles such as talking to the media, introducing speakers and acts and making sure I’m in constant contact with everyone to make sure events run smoothly.”

Assistant Director and sophomore aviation management Miranda Marty described Scheuerle as a “visionary” in his planning and excitement for different events.

“The planning is a team effort, but Ricky sees beyond what the norm is,” Marty said.

“He’s very innovative and creative, not to mention hilarious. We all love working with him.”

Marty said that Scheuerle’s willingness to try new ideas is what makes him a posi-

tive and visible participant in UPC. “Ricky really contributes to our team by looking out beyond what everyone else sees,” Marty said. “He always wants to have big ideas and think outside the box.”

Assistant Director and senior in finance Jordan Owen praised Scheuerle’s abilities as director and being able to include all willing participants in the event planning process.

“Ricky’s great at keeping us all on track and being open to everyone’s opinion,” Owen said. “… I’m more detail-oriented, so it’s really nice to be able to work with a ‘big idea’ person and plan popular events. He always has that big picture in mind, and it’s worked out great this semester.”

Owen will have to leave the close-knit group of directors when he graduates in December, but said he sees great things in the future for Scheuerle.

“He’s done such a great job with this section of UPC,” Owen said. “I hope he stays around as a ‘big idea’ person.”

For now, Scheuerle and his directors are busy planning the speaking event for spring semester.

He won’t reveal who UPC is looking at, but he did give some hints.

“It’s going to be someone big,” Scheuerle said. “We almost got them this past semester, they were our original idea. It’s someone who’s been an influence on your life, your entire life.”

courtesy of alessio summerfield

The New Media Club is directing a claymation video for Dead?Wait! and H.Y.D.R.A.’s collaborative EP.

New Media Club puts Dead?

Wait!’s music into motion Caitlin Wagenseil Writer

Members of The New Media Club at Auburn are trying their hand at a different, more tedious type of animation – claymation.

“Dead?Wait! and H.Y.D.R.A made a collaborative EP called ‘Do you hate it yet?’ and H.Y.D.R.A did the song, but Dead?Wait! was involved with it,” said Charlie Harper, member of The New Media Club and senior in radio, television and film and marketing.

The characters for the music video are made out of clay, and then pictures are taken of each character in different positions so when they’re edited together, it appears that the clay figures are moving.

“The music video isn’t just claymation,” Harper said. “We’ve workshopped the idea a little bit now, and we’re putting live-action stuff in there just to make it more unique.”

The storyline for the music video involves a koala bear going to school and getting beat up by another animal.

“It’s very violent and very gory,” said Derek Herscovia, New Media Club member

and junior in journalism.

Creating a claymation video requires a lot of setting up and can be a tedious process.

“You move (the clay figure) and you take a picture,” Harper said. “It varies each picture, but you probably take about 10 or 15 pictures a second, so you end up having thousands of pictures for a couple of minutes.”

Herscovia said the video is still in production.

“The story is pretty much figured out, but we’re building the sets and figuring out the shots because claymation is a very exacting thing and you have to have all the characters move a certain way,” Herscovia said.

Herscovia said building the sets and the characters took the longest to do.

“We’ve built the sets and we’re almost done with that, and I’ve started to make the main character,” Harper said.

Harper said he is familiar with claymation videos.

“When you’re doing the whole thing by yourself, it kind of wears on you,” he said. “You can be working on it for hours and think you got a lot done and then upload it and think ‘wow I did about 10

seconds.’”

Harper said he vowed not to make the finished product public because he was embarrassed by it.

Yet after working on a short film over the summer with president of The New Media Club Alessio Summerfield, he had a change of mind.

“I figured I would show some people and lighten the mood and they all loved it, and (Summerfield) talked to me about making a music video,” Harper said.

He said he thought this claymation video would be much easier to make because other people were helping out.

Along with the actual music video, there will also be a short documentary. Brock Hanson, vice president of The New Media Club, will be documenting the process.

The New Media Club will put on an independent film festival at The Gnu’s Room in April where the claymation music video will be shown.

“We’re trying to have it finished at least by January or February so we have time to edit and then show it at the film festival,” Harper said.

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