2.16.12 edition of the Auburn Plainsman by The Auburn Plainsman

A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Vol. 118, Issue 20, 16 Pages

Auburn goes Owen

REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Owen Parrish embraces Treasurer-elect Richard Pettey after hearing the results of Tuesday night’s SGA elections. Parrish received 3,621 of the 7,470 votes cast.

Owen Parrish wins SGA presidential election with 48 percent of the student vote ris

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ELECTION BY NUMBERS

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Presidental votes

Cortopassi

Perrish

2123

Will McCartney Sm

884

ith

842

Cary Bayless

3621

Vice presidential votes

Smith

Dumas

4666

te y

2426

Pi tt

“My first step is probably just to wrap my mind around how this is even happening, and then just bonding with the new (executive staff) and trying to learn from Vanessa and just trying to get started with my platform.” Richard Pettey was elected treasurer with 4,021 votes of the 7,124 votes cast. Pettey said he’ll quickly begin a process to develop plans for the SGA treasury. “Hopefully I’ll have a 30-day plan, and then a two-month plan and then a sixmonth plan in which hopefully I’ll accomplish every one of my initiatives,” Pettey said. “I think the first thing is just finding out what students want, showing them where their money goes and finding out where they want to see their money go because it is a lot of money students pay.” Pettey said he wants to establish a forum for students to voice their concerns. “I’ll hold a series of town hall meetings where I’ll find out where students want their money going, and just get a really thorough view of of all the SAPs and find out who needs less money, who needs more money, and I’ll find out how students can be benefitted the best,” Pettey said. Libby Lukens was elected Miss Auburn, but the number of votes in that race wasn’t reported.

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Cheers, roars and applause filled the Quad when Owen Parrish was announced as the new SGA president at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday. A crowd of hundreds awash with the colors of their campaigners gathered in the cold to hear the callouts on the back steps of Cater Hall. Parrish took 3,621 of the 7,470 votes cast, for a total of 48 percent. “I feel kind of crazy right now,” Parrish said. “I can’t believe this happened. I’m so indebted to so many of my friends— so thankful for what they did. I can’t even express how humbling this is and how proud I am of all my friends … We’re just gonna celebrate for a little while and then get started with the work.” Joseph Cortopassi, who received 2,123 votes, was the closest candidate to Parrish. Parrish said he’s going to work with current SGA President Kirby Turnage to implement his platform. “I’m going to start working on the Caribou Coffee in Lowder and the frozen yogurt in the Village because I’ve been working on that for about a week and a half now,” he said. Turnage said he’s happy with the results and the process. “I think the student body showed

up—32 percent turnout, which is great,” he said. “I think we’re all obviously shocked it wasn’t a runoff in the presidential race. I think the Parrish campaign did a great job. His whole team was very impressive. I was excited to see we had two non-Greek candidates this year, as well. I think it’s good for the student body to see that it’s more than just Greek leaders.” Cary Bayless and Will McCartney were the two non-Greek presidential candidates. Turnage expressed confidence in his successor. “Owen will do a great job,” Turnage said. “He’s been with SGA since his freshman year. He’s seen the programming division; he’s seen the initiative side of SGA. He’s also been a senator-at-large as well. So I think he’s more than prepared to come in day one, all guns-a-blazin,’ ready to take on issues that affect students every day.” Melanie Smith was elected vice president with 4,666 of the 7,092 votes cast. “(I was) so overwhelmed and relieved and so excited and just so thankful: I’m just in shock,” Smith said. “I’m passionate. I’ve been serving SGA for the past three years. This is what I wanted and something I went for. I was the most qualified.

OPINIONS EDITOR

yle Ba

Nick Bowman

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The Auburn Plainsman

Treasurer votes

Pettey

Pittman

4021

3103

Senatorial votes JUSTIN PITTS 4613 CAROLINE STEPHENS 4407 AMY ANNE OLSEN 4305 WALTER WHATLEY 4270 HARRISON MILLS 4259 REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Perrish gives his girlfriend, Collier Tynes, a hug after results.

REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Miss Auburn, Libby Lukens celebrates with friends.

COMMUNITY // A6

INTRIGUE // B5

CAMPUS // A5

Walking group makes strides

Explore literature with tri-state trail

Auburn “All In” weekend

Auburn Stride Walkers meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. at various locations.

The Southern Literary Trail allows avid readers to visit nearby homes of Southern authors.

Alabama will host the first-ever “All In Weekend,” Friday through Sunday. Attend four events and win an Auburn minihelmet.

Recycled paper

Campus A2

The Auburn Plainsman

DUI ARRESTS IN THE CITY OF AUBURN FEB. 8 – FEB. 15, 2011 ■ Michael T. Murphy, 25, of Alexander City, Ala. Hudson Terrace at East Drake Avenue Feb. 8, 1:29 a.m. ■ Alexander G. Sierra, 20, of Juejuetenango, Guatemala District Court Feb. 8, 9:39 p.m. ■ Charles H. Hall Jr., 32, Atlanta, Ga. North Dean Road Feb. 9, 1:29 a.m. ■ Daniel C. Kirkland, 27, Columbus, Ga. North Ross Street at East Glenn Avenue Feb. 9, 2:16 a.m. ■ Michael B. Reid, 31, of Birmingham, Ala. North Ross Street Feb. 9, 9:05 a.m. ■ Gregory M. Sport, 23, of Montgomery, Ala. North Ross Street Feb. 9, 9:56 a.m. ■ Stephen T. Sullivan, 19, of Decatur, Ala. Dekalb Street Feb. 11, 1:15 a.m. ■ Zachary W. Franklin, 20, of Friendship, MD. South College Street Feb. 11, 2:08 a.m. ■ Jessica L. Mask, 30, of Alexander City, Ala. Wrights Mill Road Feb. 11, 3:59 a.m. ■ Ricardo J. Mendez, 25, of Caracas, Venezuela West Magnolia Avenue Feb. 12, 1:57 a.m. ■ James S. Waldrep, 18, of Pensacola, Fla. South Gay Street Feb. 12, 2:10 a.m. ■ Farren M. Edwards, 24, of Opelika, Ala. Wire Road at Simms Drive Feb. 12, 3:18 a.m. ■ Steele R. Dykes, 25, of Homewood, Ala. South Gay Street at Samford Avenue Feb. 15, 2:55 a.m.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

CRIME REPORTS FOR FEB. 9 – FEB. 15, 2011 Feb. 9 — Village Drive Theft of one 26-inch girl’s bicycle reported. Feb. 9 — Union Circle Theft of one white Ford Think electric utility vehicle reported. Feb. 9 — Wrights Mill Road Theft of one black, 14-foot utility trailer reported.

Feb. 13 — Armstrong Street Theft of one 14-karat white gold, one-carat diamond ring, one yellow gold pearl ring, two half-carat diamond earrings and one leather jewelry box reported.

CAMPUS BEAT REPORTER

The Ignited program wants students fired up about Auburn sports. “The whole purpose of it is to try to entice students to come to as many athletic events as possible by rewarding them for how many they go to,” said Eli Wilkerson, assistant athletic director for sales and marketing. “What we do is we set up scanners at almost every home athletic event and offer different point totals depending on the popularity of the sport.” The points range from one point for men’s basketball and baseball to three points for tennis games or equestrian events. Student can later redeem their points for prizes form Under Armour. “We start with the 10 and 20 point totals which really aren’t that hard to get to,” Wilkerson said. “The prize for that is the Auburn prize bracelets or the wristbands. One hundred is a personalized football jersey, made for them with whatever they want on the back.”

Wilkerson said the Ignited program has trouble attracting more than just the programs loyal members to sporting events. “We always have a group of core people who come to the events and lead the way and we’re real thankful for them,” he said. “Our biggest challenge is trying to get to the general student, who may not be as interested in coming to the events. We want to get people interested so they can get these prizes, and there’s really no investment for them except using their card.” One of the biggest boosts in attendance comes from the Student Govenment Association using the Ignited cards to track spirit points, Wilkerson said. “The joy of the Ignited program and the Ignited card is that they have created a really easy way for us to track and record spirit points this year,” said Gant Weeks, director of spirit. “Having spirit points attached to the Ignited points is nice for sports that might not be the most popular. The equestrians do a lot of cookout competitions and

Feb. 14 — Roosevelt Drive Robbery of one Casio Commando Droid phone and one set of CocaCola vending machine keys reported.

Feb. 13 — Saint Charles Court Theft of one diamond solitaire ring, one gold band ring, one diamond wrap ring and one silver ring with ‘DSH’ engraving reported.

— Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

Board of Trustees proposes housing price increase Chelsea Harvey CAMPUS EDITOR

The Auburn University Board of Trustees has proposed an increase in on-campus housing rates throughout the next three years. A report to President Jay Gogue from Bob Ritenbaugh, assistant vice president for auxiliary services, submitted Jan. 23, said the proposal was based on data collected by University housing staff. “Generating a surplus for deferred maintenance, renovations, increased debt retirement obligations, operating expense inflation and nonrecurring expenditures is critical to ensuring adequate funds are available to sustain

and maintain suitable and attractive on-campus residential living facilities,” according to the report. The report stated Auburn’s current housing costs rank in the bottom quarter of SEC institutions’ housing rates. For the 2011–12 school year, students pay $2,365 and $2,045 for Quad and Hill double rooms, respectively, and $2,660, $2,940 and $3,130, for Hill, Quad and Village single rooms, respectively. The new model is expected to push Auburn’s rates to the midpoint of SEC housing rates in the next three years. For the 2012–13 school year, the Board proposed double room

PROPOSED SEMESTER RATE $4,000 $3,750 $3,500

attendance has gotten much better.” Wilkerson said he has seen a tremendous jump in the popularity of the program over the past two years due to improvements in technology, such as the switch from handheld scanners. “We’re always looking for ways to improve,” Wilkerson said. “For next year, we’re looking into making it of a more GPS-based thing, like foursquare, where students can actually check in from their phone. The more student-friendly it is, the less work it is. We want to make it something they want to do so it isn’t a hassle for them.” Logan Riley, sophomore in biochemistry, goes to several Ignited events every week. He said he went to more than 60 events last year. “It definitely provides a positive incentive to get people to sporting events that they probably wouldn’t go to otherwise,” Riley said. “I know I normally wouldn’t go to any of the baseball games or gymnastics meets. Through the Auburn Ignited program I have grown to enjoy going,

Village

$3,250 $3,000

Quad

$2,750 $2,500

Hill

$2,250 $2,000 2011-2012

rates in the Quad and Hill increase by 9.9 and 10 percent, respectively. Rates for occupancy rooms in the Village are proposed to increase by 8.5 percent, the Quad by 8.8 percent and the Hill by 9 percent. These rates are expected to increase through the 2014–15 school year. As a result, the 2014– 15 school year students

Ignited program loses retention flame Lane Jones

Feb. 14 — War Eagle Way Theft of one Multi-Rae systems detector reported.

“

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

will be paying $3,100 and $2,750 for Quad and Hill double rooms, respectively, and $4,000, $3,800 and $3,450 for Village, Quad and Hill single rooms, respectively. Housing is expected to put away a portion of each year’s income for a reserve fund, which is expected to be at $11,412,909 by

the end of the 2014-15 school year. “As an auxiliary enterprise it is essential for housing to operate in a fiscally self-sustaining manner,” the report said. “The housing rates increases for the next three academic years … should not negatively impact student demand or residential occupancy levels.”

In the article “Black Knowledge Bowl encourages understanding of history“ in the Feb. 9 issue of The Auburn Plainsman, we wrote the event will take place Feb. 29. It will actually occur Feb. 16. We regret the error.

Our biggest challenge is trying to get to the general student, who may not be as interested in coming to the events.” —Eli Wilkerson ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR SALES AND MARKETING

and now I would go even if there weren’t points assigned to them.” Riley said the program makes prize pickup convenient by doing it once a month at locations on campus. He said the prizes sparked interest in students that didn’t know about the program. “I would come back with three or four new prizes,” Riley said. “I would go show them off and everyone would be like, ‘Hey, where’d you get that?’ A lot of people jumped on board when they saw how easy it was to get free gear.”

EDITORIAL Miranda dollarhide Editor-in-chief Madeline hall Managing editor Nikolas Markopoulos Copy editor Nick Bowman Associate copy editor Laura Hobbs Assistant copy editor Rebecca Croomes Photo editor Christen Harned Assistant photo Danielle Lowe Assistant photo Chelsea harvey Campus editor Lane Jones Campus reporter Becky Hardy Campus reporter Kate Jones Intrigue editor Hayley Blair Intrigue reporter Kristen Oliver Community editor Alison McFerrin Community reporter Coleman McDowell Sports editor Robert E. Lee Sports reporter Patrick Tighe Sports reporter Sarah Newman Design team leader Rachel Suhs Design team Melody Kitchens Online team leader Victoria Rodgers Online team Nick Bowman

Opinions editor

ADS Stephanie Garner, Lorenzo Lane, Courtney Marinak, Stacey McMahan, Jasef Wisener Account Executives Tiffany Middleton, Julya Welch, Ashley Selby Advertising design

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID Student Union Suite 1111 Auburn, Al 36849 Editor: 334.844.9021 News: 334.844.9109 General Manager: 334.844.9101 Advertising: 334.844.4130 MIRANDA DOLLARHIDE Editor-in-chief editor@theplainsman.com JENNY RIKELMAN Advertising Manager admanager@theplainsman. com JUDY RIEDL General Manager gm@theplainsman.com KIM RAPE Office Manager MAILING ADDRESS 255 Heisman Drive, Suite 1111 Auburn, Al 36849

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Campus A3

The Auburn Plainsman

‘Humans versus zombies’ requires strict regulation Ethan Bernal Writer

Mobs in multicolored bandanas armed with NERF guns roamed campus last week playing Humans vs. Zombies. Garrett Blackburn, junior in polymer and fiber engineering, brought HvZ to Auburn. “I first heard of this game from a friend at Georgia Southern,” Blackburn said. “It looked pretty fun, and I wondered why we didn’t have it here, and I realized the only way that could happen would be if I started it myself.” Blackburn used information from hvzsource.com to determine the necessary steps to have play approved on campus. “You’ve got to go to the Department of Public Safety and make sure it’s passed by them, or else it’ll be shut down day one,” Blackburn said. “The Department of Student Affairs and stuff like that is important because if the administration isn’t going along with it, they’re

just going to shut it down.” Blackburn started a Facebook group to see how many students would be interested in participating. After hundreds signed up, Blackburn began gathering liability waivers and compiling a list of rules and regulations to present to the Division of Student Affairs and the Department of Public Safety. “They asked for a lot of notice,” Blackburn said. “I chose this date back in November. They just wanted plenty of time to prepare.” Randal Cerovsky, associate director of the Department of Public Safety, spoke with Blackburn on multiple occasions to work out the game’s details. “We’ve never had anything of this magnitude of a game being played that lasted for a week,” Cerovsky said. “My questions are: is it open to everybody? How many people do you think are going to be here? Have you had the event be-

fore? If so, what type of problems were there?” B l a c kb u r n e st i m a t e s around 500 people played, and hvzsource.com lists a total of 463, with 259 humans and 204 zombies. Cerovsky said he made sure all precautions were taken before granting approval. “It wasn’t just something that was thrown together one day,” he said. “This was something that was planned for at least six months. (Blackburn) would constantly email us updates and we would say, ‘Change this or change that,’ and he would send it back to us.” Cerovsky did not have an issue with the game, but felt the the original proposal’s rules were too broad. Throughout fall semester the rules were adjusted to the Department of Public Safety’s specifications. “Because of the magnitude of this and with it being this long, there were a lot of parameters to set up,” Cerovsky said.

“

We’ve never had anything of this magnitude of a game being played that lasted for a week.” —Randall Cerovsky Associate director, public safety department

“Originally it said the game could be played anywhere on campus.” However, the administraion adjusted the game’s boundaries. “You’re not allowed to play in any building. All play has to be outside,” Cerovsky said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s a dorm, academic building or library— all of those places are off-limits. “It was specifically said that they could not interrupt any academic function. If there is

an outside academic event, that now becomes off-limits.” Brandon Frye, director of student conduct with the Division of Student Affairs, was also involved in the approval process. “I did appreciate that the young man that coordinated the game did do his homework,” Frye said. “He talked to administrators in advance, he expressed his perspective and hopefully he saw that the administration was willing to work with him.” The use of toy weapons was also discussed. “What we allow here is more strict than other campuses,” Cerovsky said. “With airsoft guns we said absolutely not. Any weapon that looks realistic is not allowed. (Blackburn) said he was wanting to use only the NERF guns, and we agreed to that.” Frye and student affairs were also on board with the use of NERF toys. “When you’re looking at

a weapon on campus, you’re looking at intent and imminent threat or threat of violence,” Frye said. “Comparing an M16 assault rifle to a NERF blaster and giving the same sanction would be preposterous and would be a violation of that student’s fundamental fairness.” Moderators were stationed across campus to ensure participants followed the rules. “We have about 25 moderators; that translates to roughly one moderator for every 21 players,” Blackburn said. “All of our moderators have the campus police number so if anything escalates we can call them in. Moderators can’t be everywhere at once—we do what we can—but ultimately it’s up to the players.” Participants were also required to register online to play, where they received the official rules, the liability waiver and an identification number to track the number of humans and zombies.

Davis Lecture Series invites Al Benn Who

Where

Al Benn, renowned journalist

Dixon Conference Center at the Auburn University Hotel

What Davis Lecture Series, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts

When Feb. 22, 6 p.m.

Why To inspire students and encourage appreciation of excellent journalism

Campus A4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Privately owned taco truck spices up campus Kendall Wangman Writer

Preparing fresh food daily and creating a lively atmosphere are two of the ingredients that make the Tex’s Tacos food truck popular. During a trip through Texas, owners Mac Helms and Harrison Jones came up with what soon would be named the “best food truck/street vendor” in Atlanta by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We were in San Antonio the night that we first discovered we really loved the idea of starting a food truck,” Helms said. “We kind of haphazardly said we needed to quit our jobs and start a food truck.” Originally both from Atlanta, Helms and Jones started selling Tex-Mex food from the brightly colored truck in the city. “We titled our venue Nue-

va Texicana, which is a fresh and exciting take on classic Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes,” Helms said. Helms, a University of Georgia graduate, and Jones, a College of Charleston graduate, decided to move the truck’s location to Auburn after Tiger Dining reached out to the Atlanta Street Food Coalition. “I had been to Auburn a few times in the past for football games and knew it would be a great place to start,” Helms said. “We love it here and hope to be back next year.” Bill Sallustro, retail operations director for Tiger Dining, contacted Tex’s Tacos after looking into food trucks for campus. “We at Tiger Dining want to provide students with more options closer to the academic area on campus,” Sallustro said.

Christen Harned / Assistant Photo Editor

Mac Helms started Tex’s Tacos with his business partner Harrison Jones in April 2011 with no prior experience in the food industry.

Helms and Jones look to be veterans in the food business, although neither started with professional training or restaurant experience. “I think it’s fair to say we learned on the fly,” Jones said. “Neither Mac nor I had ever

worked in a restaurant.” Both owners attribute Tex’s Tacos’ success to their passion for the food and their customers. “We like the experience that we create,” Jones said. “We want people to experience the

time they spend around the truck.” Helms said the best part of the job is the people he encounters. “Anybody that’s willing to wait in a line outside of a colorful food truck usually has a pretty great personality,” he said. The downside of the business model is that the weather will inevitably dictate Tex’s Tacos sales. Christine Chalstrom, junior in finance, is a regular at the food truck and said she loves the food, but not the long lines. “I’m obsessed with their carne asada taco, but I’m not going to wait in a super long line or if it’s pouring outside,” Chalstrom said. “Instead, I’ll opt for getting food inside.” Helms and Jones said the toughest pat of the job is the loss of sleep from the lengthy

prep work. “It seems really simple because it’s on a truck, but you have to prep all of your food in a commercial prep kitchen, load it up, and it’s all very timeconsuming,” Helms said. “The day begins long before we start serving and ends long after.” Jones said Tex’s Tacos uses only fresh ingredients that are prepared daily. “Every single day we’re making food for the following day or even that day,” Jones said. “Every morning our pico de gallo and guacamole is made fresh. Every Tuesday our meat for Wednesday is prepared.” With plans for a second truck, Jones said expansion is definitely in Tex’s Tacos future. “We won’t expand to a point where we have to sacrifice the quality of the food or sacrifice the quality of the experience,” he said.

Fadamiro named 2012 Presidential Administrative Fellow Hope Burleson Writer

Henry Fadamiro, alumni professor in the department of entomology and plant pathology, has been named the Presidential Administrative Fellow for 2012. “It was a good moment to be named presidential fellow,” Fadamiro said. “I was very pleased when I got the news that I was selected for the position because it is a very important opportunity.” Fadamiro said he decided to apply for the position after a few of his colleagues encouraged him. “Dr. Fadamiro is not only an excellent researcher, I found him to have an exceptional set of administrative skills,” said

William Batchelor, dean of the College of Agriculture. “Thus, I recommended him for the presidential fellow appointment to give him an opportunity to learn more about upper administration and refine his administrative skills.” Fadamiro said the position has two parts. His first responsibility is to attend the administrative council meeting each week where President Jay Gogue and other top administrators discuss University-related issues. Fadamiro is also tasked with developing a major-impact project that involves the University as a whole. “Basically, I am helping to develop an initiative to pro-

mote international research and outreach efforts on campus,” Fadamiro said. “Part of this will involve developing a mechanism for identifying and competing for international funding, including working to build interdisciplinary teams across campus to compete successfully for international grants.” Since joining Auburn University in 2003, Fadamiro said he has noticed areas where the University excels and areas where it can improve. “I’ve seen that we are a very good University with a lot of strengths, but one of the areas we can really do better is the area of international programming,” Fadamiro said. He said he began his proj-

“

Because of his background, he can make a unique and, hopefully, very positive contribution to Auburn.” —Arthur Appel Chair, department of entomology and plant pathology

ect by learning about international research and outreach efforts in place at each college. Fadamiro said common issues include the lack of a

mechanism for bringing together cross-college teams to compete for grants, the need for effective management of grants that are awarded and a clearing house with information for people interested in international programming. “Another thing I’m doing right now is creating a database of faculty and staff that have international projects in various countries,” Fadamiro said. “So, if someone comes to me and says he is interested in work in Israel, I can say, ‘OK, here is this professor that you might want to talk to.’” Fadamiro said he would like to create a center on campus that can maintain this database.

“Dr. Fadamiro brings to the table a unique background of being a Rhodes Scholar and having background in cooperative extension,” said Arthur Appel, chair of the department of entomology and plant pathology. “He also brings a very substantial international background. Because of his background, he can make a unique and, hopefully, very positive contribution to Auburn.” Fadamiro said his new position has allowed him to meet people on campus he may not have been able to meet otherwise. “I really enjoy it,” he said. “So, when you enjoy something you don’t feel like you are working, I guess.”

Community

Stride Walkers

Sundilla Concert

» Page A6

www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Community

Traffic signs signal end of Magnolia construction Robert E. Lee SPORTS BEAT REPORTER

What began with better lighting and resurfaced crosswalks in an effort to improve pedestrian safety has culminated with the placement of two electronic signs along Magnolia Avenue. “For a while we had signs in the middle turn lane with each crosswalk,” said David Dorton, Auburn director of public affairs. Dorton said those signs were problematic, however. “Cars would hit them,” he said. “Some people didn’t find them very attractive for that stretch of road— so hopefully this is a better solution to keep people aware that there is all types of traffic on Magnolia.” Owen Parrish, Student Government Association assistant vice president of facilities, said the sign project started with Auburn University and the SGA. “That was a project initiated by Auburn University Facilities Management,” Parrish said. “And we came up with that plan to make it a safer walk here on Magnolia with all the side-

walks, the trees, and the signs were a big part of it.” The construction is a joint project between the University and the city, Dorton said. “Of course, the city is responsible for the work in the streets and the right of way, and the University has done some work to improve the lighting on campus as well,” Dorton said. “As far as planning and coming up with ways to improve safety and visibility, that’s been a joint endeavor going on for a while now.” Dorton said the signs’ messages can be changed depending on the circumstances. “The overall purpose is safety and awareness and making sure people know it’s a pedestrian area,” Dorton said. “Of course, they are dynamic signs; we can put other messages up if there’s construction or a closure in the affected area.” Brandy Ezelle, traffic engineer for Auburn, said there is a process for deciding what message to display on the signs. “There is some guidance in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control

DANIELLE LOWE / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The new message boards located along Magnolia Avenue alert drivers of pedestrians at the multiple crosswalks.

Devices,” Ezelle said. “We will use that guidance, as well as research we’ve done on what other communities have done, to decide what messages to put up.” The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, published by the Federal Highway Administration, defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices on all public streets, highways, bikeways and private roads open to public traffic. “(The signs will help create) an increased sense of awareness in the area to promote some additional safety for the citizens, motorists and bicyclists,” Ezelle said. With the construction of the Tiger Transit stop at the Shelby Center and the use of the two electronic signs, Parrish said a safer Magnolia Avenue is the ultimate goal and should be attainable. “SGA, for the past two years especially, has been pushing for better lighting and a safer condition here on Magnolia, and I think this is another step in that process,” Parrish said.

Kroger walks its way to better heart health Auburn High principals talk high school students

Heather Allen WRITER

Alison McFerrin COMMUNITY BEAT REPORTER

Five days a week, three people take upon themselves the responsibility of 1,500 teenagers. Lisa Hayes, Anthony Jeter and Ross Reed are the assistant principals at Auburn High School. “We’re tasked with doing a job that may not always go in the direction you want it to go,” Reed said. Reed came into the AHS school system as the running backs coach and wrestling coach, but has also been a vice principal for the past three years. “There’s a lot of things that come at you that you can’t make reference to,” Reed said. “A lot of it is good instinct (and) a lot of teamwork.” Reed, Jeter and Hayes have a division of labor system that keeps them busy as year-round employees—summer break doesn’t exist for these administrators. “There’s a lot of preparation that really does take the full two months of June and July, (such as) getting in new textbooks and numbering textbooks and getting those out to the appropriate places,” Hayes said. Hayes is in charge of 12th-grade discipline, attendance policies and testing coordination for any tests mandated by the state or federal government. While Hayes is in her first year as an assistant principal at AHS, she’s no newcomer to the school atmosphere. “I was born into an education fam-

CHRISTEN HARNED / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

From left: Ross Reed, Lisa Hayes and Anthony Jeter, assistant principals of Auburn High School, exercise their skills through coaching, teaching and extracurriculars.

ily,” she said. “My father was a teacher and a coach and an assistant principal and a headmaster … I’ve cleaned locker rooms and cut and striped football fields and buffed floors … so I have a lifetime of experience in education.” Jeter, who handles 10th-grade discipline, special accommodations for health plans and extracurricular programs, has been in the vice principal position the longest, coming back to Auburn to coach football after about 15 years away from the area. He uses his experience as the defensive coordinator as an administrator. “Coaches deal with so many different situations and so many different kids,” Jeter said. “In a game I’ve got 25 seconds to make a call, and sometimes less than that … That’s kind of how this is. You don’t have all day to make decisions, and you’ve got to make the best decision you can and move on because there’s something else coming.” Reed handles 11th-grade discipline as well as school safety plans, parking problems and facilities issues, although he said the division of labor

isn’t absolute. “We have set parameters, but it’s more like a Venn diagram with lots of things that overlap,” Reed said. The assistant principals spend time working with students, parents and teachers each day, on top of tackling piles of paperwork. “It’s a good thing I love my job, because I stay here a lot,” Hayes said. “It’s really important—and we tell our teachers this too—to find that time for you and unplug … As much as you may love your job, you still have to have that time away from it.” When the final bell rings and the high heels and neckties come off, each administrator has a favorite way to unwind. Jeter’s favorite spot is a pond in his neighborhood. “I take my girls out there and we’ll fish,” he said, adding that he loves cooking and entertaining. “We catch dinner some days and some days we won’t. We go out and just get some fresh air.” Reed said he also likes to be out-

» See PEOPLE, A6

Kroger is doing its part to educate the community on heart health during the month of February. The store will host its third annual Heart Health Walk at its Tiger Town location Saturday at 8 a.m. “This year, there will be a chef from Kroger sampling heart-healthy meals,” said Naomi Fears, Kroger’s Inclusion Council chairwoman and event planner. “A pharmacist will be doing some type of screening and handing out coupons for discounted screenings. Someone will be here from Women’s Hope Medical Clinic, and hopefully we’ll have some handouts from the Opelika Police Department about women’s safety.” Fears said the three-mile walk will start at Kroger and loop around the back of the shopping center, past Kohl’s and Ashley Furniture. Fears said if inclement weather occurs, walkers will stroll 10 laps inside the store. Participants can register for the walk the day of the event or preregister with forms available at the Tiger Town Kroger’s customer care. Entry is $5 and proceeds go to the American Heart Association. Fears said she came up with the idea to organize a walk three years ago. “I was looking for a project for some of the employees to come together and participate in, and this was one of the things that came out of it,” Fears said. “I thought it would be a worthwhile cause because we all need to do healthier things.” The walk has attracted small turnouts with around 20 people participating in past years, but Kroger has high hopes this time.

“

I was looking for a project for some of the employees to come together and participate in, and this was one of the things that came out of it.” —Naomi Fears KROGER INCLUSION COUNCIL CHAIRWOMAN AND EVENT PLANNER

“We are a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and I was talking to one of the ladies there and she put the event in the newsletter,” Fears said. “We have been getting all kind of calls, which is wonderful.” Julianna Young, junior in exercise science, plans to attend the walk in memory of her grandfathers. “Both my grandpas died of heart complications, so anything having to do with the American Heart Association gets my attention,” Young said. “This event will bring awareness to the community and will be a lot of fun too.” Fears said her goal as a member of the Inclusion Council is to ensure that Kroger employees are happy and giving back to the community. “We try to engage the employees and make the workplace better,” Fears said. “We solve problems and try to come together more as a family. We have been looking for some projects to get involved in, and this is one I have been building on. We are very excited about the outcome.”

Public Safety Department educates citizens with academy Austin Lankford WRITER

Auburn’s Public Safety Department is now accepting applications for the 2012 Auburn Public Safety Academy. The academy is intended to give Auburn citizens a better look at the department, and applications can be picked up and turned in at Auburn’s public safety building at 161 N. Ross St. Capt. Tommy Carswell of the Auburn Police Department can be contacted for further information at tcarswell@auburn.edu and can email applications upon request. The academy lasts from March 1 to May 3 and consists of 11 sessions. It will meet on Thursday evenings from 6:30–9 p.m., with the exception of the week of Spring Break. The program also meets on two Saturdays, March 17 and April 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“The program brings citizens here to get a better look at what we are doing and to get a better understanding of what it takes to provide public safety in Auburn,” Carswell said. “It also gives us the opportunity to interact with them and see what their needs and concerns are.” The academy’s participants will receive exposure to the police, fire and communication divisions of Auburn’s public safety program. Carswell, who coordinates the academy, said police officers from different units will come to speak on a variety of topics. “When you come to the academy you will see different types of training,” said Bill James, director of Public Safety. “You will get to learn a lot about how we work and also how to be safe at home.” Carswell said the sessions will contain practical things that attendees

could potentially use. “On March 17 we will be at the Auburn firing range to give the attendees a basic firearm orientation,” Carswell said. “It will also be a lot of fun.” Fire Chief Lee Lamar said the group will learn how to use a fire extinguisher and perform CPR, as well as basic fire safety and prevention tips. They will also go for a ride-along in one of the fire trucks. Carswell said he was one of three people from Auburn to attend a 1994 seminar sponsored by an Orlando, Fla., police deparment that focused on how to involve citizens in public safety. The following year, Auburn’s first public safety academy was organized. “I believe in community-oriented policing,” Carswell said. “That is basically us just working with the people of the community to solve their problems.”

Academy info

The Auburn Public Safety Department is accepting applications for the 2012 Public Safety Academy. The academy lasts from March 1 to May 3 and consists of 11 sessions. Carswell also said it is important that people understand and gain an appreciation for the work of Auburn’s public servants. James said he thinks the program is beneficial because citizens can meet staff members in case they have questions or need to contact the Public Safety Department in the future for any reason. “One of the most important things about the program is that the people get exposure to our personnel,” Lamar said. “They will be able to get a good idea of what our mission is.”

REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Capt. Tommy Carswell coordinates the Auburn Public Safety Academy, which will take place March 1 through May 3.

Community A6

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sundilla concert series welcomes Chuck Pyle to the stage Jessa Pease Writer

Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series is bringing the West to Auburn in a concert featuring the “Zen Cowboy” at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Friday. With 40 years of experience in fingerpicking guitar, Chuck Pyle is the show’s headliner. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. with Southern-style singer and songwriter Burke Ingraffia, and Pyle will take over a half hour later. Sundilla president Bailey Jones handles the booking and said he was excited to work

People » From A5

doors. “I can get all of work’s problems solved on top of a tractor,” Reed said. He also said he loves to spend his free time with his own kids. “I took my little boy on a waterfowl youth hunt this weekend, and then Saturday night was daddy-daughter dance night,” he said.” Family time and outdoors is my relief.” Hayes said she finds her fun in photography. “I’ll usually have a couple bags of camera equipment in the back of the car,” she said. “I’ll photograph anything … I have a great set of Auburn prints that I took the night Auburn beat Alabama last year. “You really do just have to stop and take a step back and breathe. We’ve faced some difficult situations, whether it’s students or with teachers or whatever the case may be. It will overwhelm you.” Hayes, Reed and Jeter are dedicated to their work— solving problems and helping frame the world for the stu-

with Pyle again. “He lives in Colorado, but he looks like he is from out West,” Jones said. “He’ll show up in a big cowboy hat and boots. Musically, he really sounds like the kind of thing you would hear hanging out around the campfire.” Pyle said his love of music started early because his mother played piano at their church. Pyle played piano, but said it wasn’t right for him. “A friend of mine brought over his brother’s ukulele— that was a big aha moment,” Pyle said. “I could sing and play an instrument too. Now dents in their charge, although it can be hard to deal with the negative aspects. “I’ve had to eat my lunch with a kid sitting here; I’ve had to get him from a fight, and he’s sitting there looking at me funny and I’m trying to eat my lunch,” Jeter said. “Those days come and go, but you have to deal with them.” Jeter said he emphasizes setting high expectations at the school. “If you expect a lot, you’re going to get a lot,” he said. “You get what you expect. So I’m going to have (my expectations) real high, and maybe we’ll get there, but as long as we’re trying to get there we definitely won’t be at the bottom.” Hayes said the other side of expectation is finding a good balance. “We serve such a wide variety of students,” Hayes said, mentioning special needs, advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs. “For some students, general expectations don’t fit. We have to remember to look at children as individuals.” Reed said helping high school students find their

I’ve made a name for myself as guitar stylist.” Pyle said he writes about places he’s been and lived with a little bit of cowboy thrown in, adding that he finds inspiration everywhere. “It’s just things I think of out of the blue, and sometimes just the rhyme of two words can get me going, like suspicious and delicious,” he said. Top artists like John Denver and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have recorded Pyle’s songs, but he said he is more than just a singer and songwriter—he is an entertainer. He likes to make people laugh.

“

It’s really important— and we tell our teachers this too—to find that time for you and unplug ... As much as you may love your job, you still have to have that time away from that.” —Lisa Hayes Assistant principal of Auburn high school

place in the world is what keeps him motivated in his work. “This is a great phase in a lot of people’s lives,” Reed said. “They’re not kids anymore, and they’re not quite adults either. So you’re helping them in that transition of, ‘Hey, how could you have handled the situation differently? How in five years could this be detrimental to your career?’”

$6.00

after tax

$6.53

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Jones said he’s been with Sundilla since he was a volunteer, working his way to the top as other volunteers quit. “Sundilla has been going on for 20 years now, and we bring in musicians from all over the country and have them perform,” Jones said. “It is mostly acoustic, although it can be singer/songwriter, bluegrass, blues, alternative—a mix across the board.” Sundilla hosts about 12 shows every year. The building that has become the permanent venue for the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series is one of the most unusual things

about the concerts, Jones said. “About 15 years ago, after it kind of bumped around, the local Unitarian church had this great old building they said Sundilla could use whenever they wanted,” he said. Anna Claire Conrad, sophomore in journalism, said she had a blast at a Sundilla concert she attended in October. “It’s not a huge room, so it stays really intimate and it was just a really good performance,” she said. “You are able to just sit and enjoy the music.” Tickets are available for presale at The Gnu’s Room for $10 or at the door for $12.

Sundilla concert series Who: Burke Ingraffia and Chuck Pyle Where: The Gnu’s Room, 414 South Gay St. When: Friday, 7 p.m. Cost: $10 presale at Gnu’s Room or $12 at the door

Walking group makes strides Rachel Cooper Writer

If you are looking for a way to get regular exercise in an hour, the Auburn Stride Walkers Club may be for you. The group meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. to walk as a group at various Auburn locations. Melissa Weldon, recreation center director for Auburn Parks and Recreation, leads the group with Dee Watson, manager of the Frank Brown Recreation Center. The Stride Walkers began in 2008. “We’re starting year four,” Weldon said. “What excites me is it’s an active, interesting group of people.” Weldon said the group meets at Dean Road Recreation Center, Lake Wilmore Bike Trail, Hickory Dickory Park, Auburn Public Library, Auburn South Technology Park and Kiesel Park, averaging three miles every hourlong walk. “We have a core group of four or five of us and the numbers get up to 11 or 12,” Weldon said. “Our average is seven or eight people each walk.” Participants can come any of the days. The flexibility of the group allows many different people to join the Stride Walkers. Walkers include men and women from various places, like New Orleans, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

From left: Auburn Stride Walkers Melissa Weldon, Dee Watson, Debbie Flick et al walk a trail behind Ogletree Elementary School.

“On occasion we get students who drop in with us,” Weldon said. “We have folks who have had medical procedures done and are trying to get exercise, and they enjoy walking with people and not by themselves. It’s a versatile group.” Joan Grubbf participates in the Stride Walkers. A Warren, Pa., native, she said she enjoys the diversity of the group. “There’s usually a new face once a week,” Grubbf said. “Everyone’s very welcoming,

and we welcome anyone who wants to join us.” Grubbf said the group’s flexibility is one of the things she likes best about it. “I would not walk nearly as often if I didn’t have the community we have,” she said. Grubbf said she’s been participating since early 2011, when a friend told her about the group. “People in the group start out as acquaintances and grow into frineds,” Weldon said. “If you’re 75, don’t worry about being left behind.”

SPRING BREAK 2012

A House United is a joint project between the Auburn University Office of Public Service, Habitat for Humanity and the University of Alabama. Volunteers from each school will work together on a building project March 11-17, 2012 in Baldwin County, Alabama. The approximate cost for the trip is $300. Applications with payment due February 29, 2012

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March 11-17 BALDWIN COUNTY, ALABAMA Submit applications with payment to Office of Public Service, 201 O.D. Smith Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849-5607. Applications are available online: http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/news/ habitat.htm For additional information, contact Joyce Thomas-Vinson at 844-5117. Auburn University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Employer

Opinions Thursday, February 16, 2012

Your view: Parrish not the president for Auburn Tonight, I am embarrassed to call myself an Auburn alumnus because Owen Parrish was elected as Auburn’s SGA president. According to a Plainsman article and subsequent video covering SGA campaign week, Mr. Parrish intends to focus mainly on the dining aspects of student life. He promises to open a frozen yogurt shop in the Village, as well as start an on-campus food delivery service. Venturing south of the belly, he’d also like to slacken the rules on dorm visitation. Mr. Parrish also mentioned adding a fall break and more dead days to the academic schedule. In contrast, the other candidates valued academics and student involvement over stomachs. Cary Bayless would like to revamp Auburn’s class registration system, making it easier for students to know exactly what each course requires before the syllabus is passed out on the first day of class. He also wants to better connect students with on-campus organizations. Joseph Cortopassi promised to alleviate the strain of trying to find oncampus parking, as well as provide a legal service for students. Will McCartney vowed to continue funding the Toomer’s Ten and planned to support sustainability programs. He also wanted to improve Auburn’s Career Center and increase the value of an Auburn diploma. He wanted to make it easier for students to get jobs after gradutation. He wanted to improve students’ futures. Alas, the ballots were counted and Parrish won with 48 percent of the vote. Forty-eight percent of voters rallied in support of a shorter schedule and to have FroYo delivered to the library over campaigns promoting academics and involvement. This raises so many concerns that it would take me days and many more letters to adequately express my thoughts on this matter. My principal unease pertains to my generation’s misguided and misplaced priorities regarding higher education. Academics and extracurriculars are taking a backseat to “the college experience.” SGA candidates no longer use words to promote their platforms; rather, students are swayed by sweets and coupons for spicy chicken sandwiches. Mr. Parrish’s election sends a message to future SGA hopefuls that superficial and trivial platforms like “food and more food” will prevail over more meaningful policies. Promising to shorten the academic calendar will lead to landslide victories and a tremendous resume boost. Lastly, I’d like to point out that Mr. Parrish is a member of Farmhouse fraternity. Auburn.edu states that 28 percent of the student body was associated with a Greek organization in the fall of 2010. According to The Plainsman, 32 percent of the student body voted tonight. Out of the approximately 7,500 votes, almost 5,800 were in support of a Greek candidate. Coincidence? Editor, despite what some of your readers might believe, my beef with Auburn’s Greek system has nothing to do with leggings or Ugg boots. I strongly believe that the Greeks hold entirely too much power over campus. An independent candidate on the Plains is strikingly similar to an independent candidate on Capitol Hill: mute.

» See Parrish, A8

A7 www.theplainsman.com

Community

Our View

SGA elections revealing for organization, Auburn There is a reason 68 percent of Auburn students didn’t turn out to vote this week: they don’t care about the next president or vice president or any other position. They don’t care because they feel SGA—the process, the elections, the people—doesn’t affect them. But why do most students feel this way? Our Student Government Association can only change so much. After all, it’s an SGA, and not a Board of Trustees. It is relegated to responding to the wants of students—mostly those who live on campus. They deal with bike programs, new restaurants and food trucks because the expensive and complicated projects of this campus are out of their control. How can an SGA election be taken seriously when it can only make minor changes to campus? With a new government coming in each year, it’s no surprise the SGA mostly concerns itself with cosmetic changes to the University. A new restaurant here, a dorm

visitation expansion there. So what? Unfortunately, it’s just the nature of Auburn’s system. Those who don’t get involved their freshman year because they have other priorities feel separate from the organization from then on. And as juniors and seniors, why should they care about additions to campus coming after they graduate? SGA operates in the hills while 68 percent of Auburn’s students are in the valley. For many, they only feel exposed to SGA when crowds of cheery, shouting people in matching T-shirts press pamphlets and treats into their hands. Then there are the campaigns. Candidates’ platforms this year ranged from changes to class registration to parking to new eateries in different parts of campus. All the ideas were good for Auburn in different ways. Some ideas were serious and demanded the attention of a different Auburn student—the nonvoting Auburn student. Other ideas were

not serious, and it is these that drew the most votes. We don’t dislike Owen Parrish. He’s been involved with SGA for a long time, he’s qualified, and we’re sure he’s going to deliver on his promises to students. However, his lengthy involvement with SGA is what informed his platform of shortsigted initiatives rather than lasting improvements. There’s an enormous difference between frozen yogurt in the Village and a more sophisticated Career Center that will better prepare Auburn’s graduates for the real world. They’re all decent projects because they respond to the different wants and needs of students, but they just aren’t equal in value to the University. New restaurants are relatively petty investments in the overall college experience, but students still voted for them. We think they’ll continue to vote for them. What Auburn elected was a not-serious candidate for a notserious organization, and no one should be surprised.

Dollar dictates terms of American intervention Chelsea Harvey Campus@ theplainsman. com

I just watched a movie in my Spanish class called “También La Lluvia,” which was about the outbreak of the Cochabamba Water Wars in Bolivia in 2000. (If you don’t know anything about it, I recommend reading up on it.) After watching the movie I wanted to talk about it with my boyfriend, and we got into a discussion about greed as a motive for involvement in foreign affairs. My frank opinion was that major world powers, included the United States, do not care about foreign affairs unless they involve direct economic consequences for their country. In other words, if we’re not losing any money over it, nobody cares what’s going on in the world. On the flip side, if there’s a chance to make money, we’re happy to take our involve-

ment to places it doesn’t even belong. Take Bolivia, for example. The Water Wars were the result of foreign investment in the city of Cochabamba’s water supply. The privatization of the water supply resulted in the cost of water being raised by several hundred percent, an act commonly agreed to far exceed the means of minimum-wage workers in Bolivia. The terms of the privatization were said to include even the right to rainwater than fell from the sky. Of course, the livelihood and well-being of these people was nothing compared to the almighty dollar. Now let’s look at a few examples of places where foreign aid would have been appropriate, and yet was not supplied. Rwanda, for instance, was torn apart by genocide in 1994. Although the United Nations was present in the country at the time, it maintained a policy of non-interference. To me, this meant they practically stood by and al-

lowed millions of people to be murdered. Why? Well, last I checked, no major world power had any particular economic investment in Rwanda at the time. Nobody was losing their dollar over all those lives. Zimbabwe and Greece are two more interesting examples. On the one hand, we have Greece, whose economic condition should be familiar to most people by now. It’s caused quite a stir in the news, and no wonder considering the country’s close economic ties to nearly all of the rest of Europe. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, has been floundering for years. As of 2008 its inflation rate was estimated to be more than 10 million percent. I had friends in the country begging me to help them find a way to get to America and escape the poverty there. The country has since abandoned its old forms of currency in favor of more stable, foreign cur-

» See dollar, A8

Do more, then climb a hill Robert E. Lee sports@ theplainsman. com

With three semesters of undergraduate classes remaining, I find myself wondering about careers. Not thinking about a job after school would be like saying I’d go to the door, but it’s too far. But how can you say you will or will not be ready for a job after college? A degree means you’re well saturated in the particulars of a certain industry, but is that enough? I hear people talk about internships, how they are the key to finding a job after the fact. Despite it being a necessity for journalism majors to have an in-

ternship before they can graduate, will working for free in a related field drive you home when it’s all said and done? When I first started college I was clueless, still relishing high school football games and studying the night before tests to make an above average grade. Today, after switching majors several times and telling myself this is the one over and over, I’ve found something important in pushing yourself to the limits. Be diverse in your field, do a bit of everything and don’t restrict yourself to a singular task. This may be less important to health care and law professionals, but for most liberal arts majors, find something you like and try out all the aspects of your niche, and then try out more. Internships are important be-

cause they introduce you to people who can introduce you to other people, all while in a realistic working environment. Say you applied for a job as a teacher. They ask you, “What other areas besides history can you teach?” If you say English and business, you get the job. The guy that says history is his only and best subject walks out the door to another interview. Make yourself work harder, even when you’re tired and have a full-time schedule. Telling yourself you need a break is fine, but what could you be doing instead of taking that break? College is a great way to find out what your going to do with the rest of your life, and the best place to earn the most expensive plaque to ever hang on your wall.

Quote of the Week

“

“I think he’s more than prepared to come in day one, all guns-a-blazin’, ready to take on issues that affect students every day.”

—Kirby Turnage President, SGA

The Plainsman Poll Vote at theplainsman.com

Your view: Sex should be reserved for married couples Last week’s Plainsman had several articles that expressed multiple individuals’ opinions concerning the purpose and timing of sex. To have a proper perspective on this very important issue, we must look to Scripture to see what God says about it. In Genesis, God created man and woman and gave them the command to be fruitful and multiply, so we see that one purpose for sex is reproduction within a marriage. It is also a means of enjoyment and fulfillment within a marriage between one man and one woman. Sex is very special and should only exist within marriage. First Timothy 1:10 is clear that sexual immorality is contrary to sound doctrine. Sexual immorality includes premarital sex ( fornication), adultery, homosexuality and other related sins. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Paul warns his readers to “flee from sexual immorality” because it is an especially egregious sin. God created sex to accomplish wonderful things within a marriage, and society has twisted, changed and diminished it into something that, outside of its original intent, brings dishonor to God and negatively affects everyone involved. Sex was designed to be enjoyed between one man and one woman in marriage, and any sexual activity outside of marriage is perversion and sin. Thomas Sherer junior, mechanical engineering

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Community A8

The Auburn Plainsman

dollar » From A7

rencies. But the funny thing is, I don’t remember ever hearing much about Zimbabwe in the news. It was certainly never the big deal that Greece has been. Why? Again, America and the rest of the developed world has little economic stake in Zimbabwe, just as it had little stake in Rwanda. My theory remains that nobody cares about a country in turmoil unless it’s affecting their bank account. Here is my point: in the spirit of human compas-

Parrish » From A7

In closing, I hope this letter stirs a couple of pots. I hope this letter will alert students and alumni alike; Auburn took a step back today. I challenge students to make informed decisions. I challenge students to be involved in their govern-

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Build good habits by getting involved

sion, global responsibility or whatever you want to call it, I am upset by the idea that countries would allow greed to dictate the ways in which they interact with other countries, particularly when human rights are involved. I believe in helping one another out when help is needed, and I absolutely believe in leaving well enough alone where interference is not beneficial. If we had thought of this in times past, we might have saved many lives in Bolivia, Rwanda and countless other places. Food for thought.

Fuller and the respective city councils spending their time working out what’s best for the loveliest village on the plains and her sister city. Better still is the opportunity to voice my own opinion. Some students may not even realize the opportunity provided by Citizens’ Communications, but it’s provided by each city council for citizens to bring their concerns before council. In a span of five minutes, a person can get up and express their concern, interest or gratitude about whatever they like. It blows my mind to see the sincerity with which council members consider the matters that are important to the citizens whom they represent. You won’t have that easy of a time contacting your congressperson. I’ve heard people use Citizens’ Communications for a number of purposes—to request a new grocery store be allowed to open in their neighborhood; to ask the city for help with a nonprofit bike

Alison McFerrin news@ theplainsman. com

Have you ever wanted an insider’s look at the operation of Auburn and Opelika? What would you do if you get important information before everyone else, like news of new restaurant openings or changes in city law? This opportunity exists. So if you haven’t been to an Auburn or Opelika City Council meeting during your time at Auburn University, you should be ashamed. I had only gone to one city council meeting in my life before I came to Auburn. Then, in my junior year, attending a meeting was required. I didn’t know what to expect, but one thing I certainly didn’t expect was to be interested in it. Maybe it’s naivete, but it restores my faith in politicians to mayors Bill Ham and Gary

ment. I challenge students to “believe in education” just like the Auburn men and women who came before them. I challenge students to keep Auburn great. Phillip Smith 2010 Auburn alumnus

project; to urge the council to oppose the immigration bill. And we’re not just talking Auburn residents with kids and houses and long-term residency—this is open to students as well. So if you’ve ever thought, “Someone should really fix (xyz problem),” then ask yourself if you’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to express that problem to the people who can and want to make a difference. City council meetings in both Auburn and Opelika take place the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m., in Auburn at the City Council Chamber at 141 North Ross and in Opelika at the City Hall’s council chambers at 204 S. Seventh St. No need to dress nicely, just show up. You may be thinking, “But I’ll only be in Auburn four or five years. It’s not worth it to get involved in city politics now.” The truth of it is, the habits you form now will follow you the rest of your life, and don’t

you want to be informed, no matter where you live or how long you live there? Let’s take involvement in city politics one step further. President of the United States isn’t the only office ‘we the people’ elect this year. Primaries are coming up March 13, and elected officials are vying for spots in Lee County as well. Jon Chase or Bill English? Russell Bush or J. Gary Black? Harris or Rogers? If you don’t know who these people are, look them up. One or the other of them will soon be calling the shots in Lee County. And it’s not to late use your influence in deciding which one. To learn more about registering to vote in Lee County at least 10 days before an election, visit leeco.us/vr/index. html. During the college years we put our time and energy into so many worthless, unfruitful activities. Before you graduate, why not get involved in something that matters?

Your view: AU Alert failed us Tuesday from This Week @ AU. The incident occurred at 12:36pm. The email was sent at 1:40pm. Hours have passed since the robbery was reported. As I write this letter, I have not yet received an AU Alert. Comer Hall is directly across the street from the catacomb of stacks that is RBD, an excellent

On Tuesday, the Auburn police received a report of a robbery at Comer Hall and the suspect was considered to be armed. I received word of this from my supervisor at the main library, where I work. When I later checked the email on my phone, I learned of the robbery

Mary’s Alterations

place to hide if you’re avoiding someone. As a student worker at the library and as a student in general, I would have liked to have been made immediately aware of a gunman on campus. Regardless of whether or not he was running away from campus or straight up the hill to RBD, an AU Alert should

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Sports

Equestrian rematch » Page B3

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

B1 Sports

Baseball finds youth to move forward Taylor Jones Writer

After a disappointing end to the 2011 season with two losses in the SEC Tournament, the Auburn baseball team is looking to re-establish itself as an SEC power. The Tigers will have to win with a young team after losing a number of players to graduation and the MLB draft. Six Tigers were drafted in 2011: junior infielder Dan Gamache, junior shortstop Casey McElroy, junior pitcher Derek Varnadore, senior pitcher Bradley Hendrix, senior catcher Tony Caldwell and senior first baseman Kevin Patterson. Gamache and McElroy chose to forgo their senior year, with Gamache going to the Pittsburgh Pirates and McElroy signing with the San Diego Padres. Varnadore chose to stay with the Tigers his senior year. Entering his fourth season with the Tigers, coach John Pawlowski said he is thrilled that Varnadore chose to stay with the team. “(Varnadore) felt like he had more

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Senior pitcher Derek Varnadore winds up during Friday’s practice.

Sophomore outfielder Ryan Tella has batting practice with the rest of the team in preparation for opening weekend against Missouri Friday at 3 p.m.

things that he wanted to accomplish here at Auburn not only on the field, but off the field.” Pawlowski said. After taking the fall off from throwing, Varnadore has worked on building his physical strength. When asked about the Tigers ro-

tation, Pawlowski said Varnadore would be the No. 1 pitcher, while junior Slade Smith will take the No. 2 spot, senior Jon Luke Jacobs will get the third starting spot and incoming freshman Daniel Koger will start fourth.

» See Baseball, B2

Tigers seek fourth SEC victory against Bulldogs

Tigers prepare for No. 2 Gators Jennifer Steele

Robert E. Lee

Writer

The No. 17 Auburn Tigers gymnastics team will take on No. 2 Florida Gators at home Friday at 7 p.m. The team did not bring home a win at the West Virginia University quadmeet last weekend, finishing third overall. It was a season low for the Tigers. The SEC has presented stiff competition, said coach Jeff Graba. “It’s the toughest conference in the country,” Graba said. “Last week there were six SEC teams in the top 13.” Florida will be the highest-ranked team to meet at Auburn this year. “They’re No. 2 in the country right now,” he said. “They’ll probably go to No. 1 next week because of the way rankings work, no matter how they do against us.” Sophomore Nikki Galluzzo will enter the Florida meet having posted a career-high score last weekend in her first bars routine of the year. “(Florida is) good all around, but I think we have a pretty strong team,” she said. The team has been on the road for two weekends in a row.

“Those are the four guys that we are trying to work in the mix, and they’ll certainly get the early looks out there on the mound,” Pawlowski said. The Tigers are looking to replace their lost talent with a freshman class

of 12 players, three of which were drafted out of high school, but chose to play collegiately. Trey Cochran-Gill of Tallassee, Ala., has a chance at early playing time as a relief pitcher after going 6–3 at Tallassee High School his senor year with a 1.50 ERA in 61 innings. Cochran-Gill struck out 92 batters in 2011 and had a batting average of .352 with three home runs and 33 RBIs. Pawlowski described Cochran-Gill as “very versatile and athletic,” adding that the coaching staff has been pleased with his development so far this year. Incoming freshman pitcher Daniel Koger of Owens Crossroads, Ala., also has a chance to make an immediate impact. Koger has had a successful baseball career so far, winning four national championships with the East Cobb Astros from 2008–10 and being the winning pitcher in the 2011 Alabama 6A State Championship with Huntsville High School. In his senior year, Koger went 11–3

Sports Beat Reporter

Friday, Feb. 17 SPORT EVENT

TIME

BB SB WG

3 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m.

vs Missouri vs Oklahoma State vs Florida

Saturday, Feb. 18 SPORT EVENT

TIME

MBB BB SB WE

7 3 3 1

vs vs vs vs

Mississippi State Missouri Oklahoma Georgia

p.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 19 SPORT EVENT

TIME

BB SB SB

1 p.m. 11:30 a.m. 2 p.m.

vs Missouri vs Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech

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The Tigers continue battling Mississippi opponents Saturday with their second matchup of the season against Mississippi State. Auburn scored a season-high 88 points against the Bulldogs in their last meeting, but finished three points short of the win. It was also the most points scored in a half by Auburn in SEC play this season at 44, but uncharacteristic defense helped the Bulldogs pull away in the second half for the win. Mississippi State is ranked third in the SEC and No. 18 in the country, averaging 73.7 points per game with forward Arnett Moultrie leading the team in scoring. “To come into this environment against a very good defensive team and put up 88 points is pretty good,” said Auburn coach Tony Barbee after the Feb. 4 loss. “Hopefully, we can keep that offensive momentum going.” Barbee also said defense will have to improve for the Tigers to remain competitive. “Obviously, you can’t give up

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Senior forward Kenny Gabriel dunks against South Carolina.

91 and win the game,” Barbee said. “We have been better than this defensively all year long. Just as our offense comes, we lose what has made us all season long, and that has been

» See Basketball, B2

Softball looks to improve in four-game stretch Robert E. Lee Sports Beat Reporter

After being voted third in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Auburn softball team is meeting expectations. The Tigers won 2–0 Saturday over Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne in the weekend’s Tiger Invitational, putting the team’s record at 3–0. “What I’ve seen from them is their ability to do whatever it is that they have to do to get it done,” said coach Tina Deese. “I think we need to work on communication, and I think we need to make sure that our defense is working on all cylinders.” The Tigers began the season with five games in four days at the Tiger Invitational and will continue play this weekend in the SEC/ACC/Big 12 Challenge. Auburn will face Oklahoma State Friday, Oklahoma Saturday and Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech Sunday. Because of the rapid-pace schedule, Deese said practice will have a different feel compared to preseason. “At this point there’s not a lot of room for doing a lot of things,” Deese said. “Game situations especially, with the things we need to clean up on, we’ll run some situations and make sure we’re good there, but in terms of really playing game like stuff

with singles, we probably won’t do a whole lot.” Oklahoma State will come into Auburn ranked No. 15 in the country, returning six starters and three pitchers from the 2011 team that made an appearance at the Women’s College World Series. Of the returning pitchers, sophomore Morgan Hawkins had a 6–0 record in 2011, while junior Kat Espinosa finished last season 23–10. Cowgirls coach Rich Wieligman said the nonconference play will be challenging. “Our nonconference schedule is a tough lineup,” Wieligman told the Cowgirls website. “We go down to Houston this weekend and they’re ranked. The next weekend we go to Auburn and play Auburn, Alabama, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Three of those four were at a regionals last year.” Oklahoma also reached the championship last season, and Sooners coach Patty Gasso said this year’s team has a chance to continue the success. “For the first time in a long time everyone of them is on the same page,” Gasso told Sooners athletics. “That’s pretty cool from a coach’s point of

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

» See Softball, B2

Junior utility player Brooke Lathan slides into home plate during Auburn’s matchup against Appalachian State University Sunday afternoon. The call was out on Lathan, but the Tigers beat the Mountaineers 6–2.

Sports B2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Softball

Basketball

view. There’s something special going on here.’’ The Sooners return four pitchers from last year, including Michelle Gascoigne, who thew a perfect game and 99 strikeouts in 81.2 innings in 2011. Oklahoma opened its season this year with four straight wins against CSU Bakersfield, UNLV, Weber State and Kent State. With the Tigers facing both Oklahoma teams in back-toback days, Deese said they need to improve in several areas. “Offensively we’ve got to buckle up, too, because missing signals and not interpreting signals right—you know when you’re trying to be a team that’s going to hit and run, bunt and run, squeeze, do those kind of things—you’ve really got to make sure everybody is on the same page,” Deese said. The Hokies opened their season with three consecutive wins, and Georgia Tech upset No. 8 Arizona in its second game of the season.

our defense. That is disappointing.” Barbee’s wishes were short-lived after an 18-point loss to Alabama the following game. “We got off to a great start, and we had a lot of momentum on our side,” Barbee said after the game. “Then it came to a stop. It came down to toughness, and that is why we lost our momentum.” Despite losing three games in a row, including a close loss against Ole Miss Saturday night, the Tigers remain optimistic. After defeating Georgia earlier this season running a zone defense, the Tigers could look to continue the trend against Mississippi State. The physical style of defense forced Georgia to attempt numerous perimeter shots. After the Alabama defeat, Barbee admitted that

» From B1

gymnastics » From B1

“Having two meets in six days is tough,” Graba said. “All the travel takes its toll as well.” Galluzzo said she enjoys home meets the most. “Being home, you don’t have to travel and do all that stuff,” she said. “It’s just easier. It’s a lot more fun because you have the fans behind you.” The team is trying to regroup after last week’s meet. “We improved in the areas we wanted to improve in, but we obviously didn’t do a good job on some of the other events,” Graba said. “We feel like we’re able to hit on all cylinders now, and we want to come out strong.”

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Sophomore first baseman Hilary Mavromat swings for the fences during Auburn’s matchup against Appalachian State University Sunday afternoon. The Tigers beat the Mountaineers 6–2.

The games Friday and Saturday will both begin at 3 p.m., and Sunday’s two matchups, Friday against Florida will be a dual meet, meaning more chances for fans to see each routine. “They’re more focused,” said freshman Megan Walker. “There’s a lot more attention on each individual team and that’s more fun.” Fan attendance has been a defining aspect of the Tigers’ season so far. “It’s been insane,” Walker said. “There have been so many people there, and then when we go to away meets and we look in the stands and just realize that their fans are definitely not as loyal.” Graba hopes Friday’s meet sells out. “We’ve broken our attendance record each week, so it’d be nice to rebreak it.”

the first against Virginia Tech, will start at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

baseball » From B1

with two saves, a 1.61 ERA in 87 innings and 138 strike outs. Freshman Rocky McCord was drafted out of Spanish Fort, Ala., in the 39th round by the Minnesota Twins, but chose to attend Auburn instead. As a senior at Spanish Fort High School, McCord went 10–1 with a 1.84 ERA in 72 innings with 88 strikeouts. Senior Creede Simpson, walk-off home run hero in the 2010 regional playoffs, has moved from his outfield position to second base for the Tigers. With the move, the batting lineup will be more speed-oriented. Simpson played shortstop

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in high school and has adjusted to his new position during the offseason. Pawlowski complimented Simpson’s abilities, saying, “He is a confident player and he is not fazed by any of this.” When asked about the projected lineup for the beginning of the season, coach Pawlowski indicated that the coaches would use several lineups to try out players at different positions. Pawlowski said he is happy with the Tigers’ schedule this season. “With our schedule we will have some opportunities to figure out our lineup before we get into SEC play,” he said. The Tigers open their season Friday at 3 p.m. at Plainsman Park against the University of Missouri.

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Sophomore forward Josh Langford dribbles in the open court against South Carolina.

he backed off emphasizing toughness in practice, but would not change his approach to include more physicality. Saturday’s game will fea-

ture The Beale Street Flippers at halftime and a rally towel giveaway to the first 1,500 fans. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the Auburn Arena.

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Freshman infielder Tanner Cimo practices with the baseball team Friday afternoon for opening weekend against Missouri.

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sports B3

The Auburn Plainsman

Tennis prepares for indoor championship Patrick Tighe Sports Beat Reporter

The No. 16 Auburn men’s tennis team defeated Southern Mississippi 6–1 and South Florida 6–1 last Saturday to keep their undefeated record alive in 2012. Auburn holds a 6–0 record headed to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va. Coach Eric Shore was pleased with his team’s past performance going into the championships. “It was a solid win today, and the guys played well,” Shore said. “I thought we did a good job in doubles, as we have all year. I feel like we have a chance in doubles in every spot.” “We played well, and we know that we earned the right to go to indoors next week. We know that the level of play is better, and we have to be better.” Doubles partners Dan-

iel Cochrane and recent SEC Player of the Week Alex Stamchev won their doubles match against Southern Miss 6–1. Taking the court against South Florida’s No. 18 junior singles player, Andreas Miles won his match against Yannick Yoshizawa 6–2 and 6–3. Auburn will visit Charlottesville, Va., to compete against the Virginia Cavaliers. The 16-team tournament will be held at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va. The draw includes the USC Trojans, defending 2011 NCAA Men’s Tennis Champions. The No. 2 Cavaliers are currently 5–0 and looking to win their fifth consecutive indoor title. The Cavaliers won their most recent match 6–1 against the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Md. Junior and Recent ACC Player of the week Jamere Jenkins,

“

I thought we did a good job in doubles, as we have all year. I feel like we have a chance in doubles in every spot. ” —Eric Shore coach

No. 11 in men’s singles, won his match 6–3 and 6–1 over Maros Horny. The No. 10 Duke Blue Devils are 7–0 going into the Championships after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 6–1 Feb. 11. Duke faces UCLA at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 17. The Blue Devil’s No. 7 national ranked singles player Henrique Cunha defeated No. 125

Mikelis Libietis 6–0 and 7–5. The Georgia Bulldogs are 5–0 and will face the California Golden Bears on Feb. 17. In the Bulldogs most recent match, they defeated the College of William and Mary 6–1. Georgia’s No. 10 senior singles player Sadio Doumbia won his match 6–0 and 6–1 against Adrian Vordislav of William and Mary. “It’s great to see the guys playing so well,” said Georiga coach Manuel Diaz. “We played really well in doubles and I thought we played a very complete match. The guys have a lot of confidence right now.” Auburn will compete against a Virginia program that produces strong talent at the professional level. Alumnus Treat Huey is currentley ranked No. 47 on the ATP Tour for doubles. The Finals of the ITA will be held Monday, Feb. 20.

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Alex Stamchev practices with a teammate. Auburn’s next match is away against Virginia Friday.

Women winless in February Women’s basketball travels to Baton Rouge in search of its first victory after four straight losses Coleman McDowell Sports Editor

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Senior guard Morgan Jennings steals the ball from Kentucky. The Tigers lost 66–48 to the WIldcats.

The women’s basketball team is looking to notch their first victory in the month of February when they travel to Baton Rouge Sunday to face the LSU Tigers after a week break from play. Coming off two close defeats and two losses of an average of almost 18 points this month, Auburn (11–15, 3–10) takes on an LSU (17–8, 7–5) team that has won three straight contests. Auburn’s most recent loss came at home to the Arkansas Razorbacks, 51–48. In a back-and-forth battle, the Tigers lost the lead in the last 1:20 of the second half. “It was a very disappointing loss today,” said coach Nell Fortner. “We had some defensive breakdowns towards the

end of the game, and that’s what cost us the game. We didn’t do well at the free-throw line, but we still gave ourselves that chance to win and it was a disappointing loss.” Fortner was especially critical of her team’s defense. “I thought there were some things with our defense that went better for us this game, but we had some fundamental breakdowns within that defense that were not good,” she said. The LSU Tigers are 12–3 at home in the Maravich Center this season. LSU is led by senior LaSandra Barrett, who has averaged more than 16 points off the bench in each of the Tigers’ last three wins, one of which was against No. 5 Kentucky. Barrett is a candidate for the 2012 John Wooden Award

and the State Farm Wade Trophy. Auburn will use a balanced attack to combat Barrett’s scoring ability, drawing on four Tigers who are averaging between 8.7 and 10.4 points per game. Sophomore guard/forward Tyrese Tanner leads the way with 10.4, followed by sophomore guard Camille Glymph and junior guard/forward Blanche Alerson, each of whom are averaging 9.3 points. Against Arkansas, Glymph came off the bench to lead the Tigers with 10 points. Auburn has three conference games before the SEC Tournament in Nashville, closing out the regular season with home contests against Alabama Feb. 23 and Ole Miss Feb. 26.

No. 1 Auburn hungry for spring rematch against No. 3 Georgia Callie Ward Writer

Following a late January win over Oklahoma State University, the Auburn Tigers equestrian team is prepared to defend its No. 1 national ranking in the coaches poll against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia (8–1) handed Auburn (7–1) its only loss of the season when the Tigers traveled to Athens in the fall, but

the women have put the loss behind them and are ready to take on one of their toughest competitors. “We feel very good about it,” said Stephanie Rucci, sophomore western rider. “We’re at home so we know these horses, but we want nothing more than to beat them, and especially on our home turf. “I think it’s the attitude and the drive that really is going to

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Senior hunt seat rider Anna Becker competes against Oklahoma State Jan. 28. The equestrian team is ranked No. 1 in the country after its victory over the Cowgirls.

push us to the win.” Rucci said the coaches are preparing them for the upcoming meet, which will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Auburn Equestrian Center, by practicing with different kinds of horses, lots of video work and one-on-one practices. “Anything can happen on show day, so we just gotta bring it all,” Rucci said. Coach Greg Williams said he hasn’t been doing anything differently to prepare his team. “They’ve been winning; they’ve done extremely well,” Williams said. “That’s really one of the hardest things to do, is making sure you don’t change things up—that you don’t feel the need to tweak stuff or do anything different while they are winning.” Williams said the team is very similar to last year’s national championship winners. “They have the ability to put others ahead of themselves, and that’s just so important,” Williams said. “We are very talented, and when you couple that with being unselfish it’s a hard force to beat.” Sophomore hunt seat rider Rachel Lin said assistant coach Jessica Braswell has been working each team member on individual areas of weakness. The riders will spend time on two to three different horses during practice to familiarize themselves with the animal they may ride during competition. “UGA is a really good team, and we also have a very good team,” Lin said. “I would like to hope that we would have the home advantage, but it all re-

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Senior hunt seat rider Maggie McAlary rides against Oklahoma State. The top-ranked equestrian team will compete at home Saturday against No. 3 Georgia, the only team to beat the Tigers this season.

ally comes down to the riding.” Having the home advantage not only means riding a familiar course, but also that competitors and their opponents will ride horses from the home team’s stables. Lin said road competitions are more difficult because the horses are unfamiliar.

“You only ride the horses at the other schools once or twice a year maybe,” Lin said. “So for a lot of the freshmen and a lot of us, it’s not as easy to go there and get on a horse and compete right away.” After Saturday’s match against UGA, the Tigers will travel to Blythewood to face

the University of South Carolina Gamecocks Feb. 25. “Georgia and South Carolina are about equally competitive for us—any of the SEC schools, really,” Lin said. “South Carolina we actually beat last year, so hopefully that will work to our advantage again this year.”

Sports B4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Women’s golf tees off season strong with win Coleman McDowell Sports Editor

In the first tournament of spring semester, the women’s golf team was in first or second place after each day of the three-day Central Florida Invitational in Orlando, eventually taking home first place overall. Competing against six other top-50 teams, No. 3 Auburn was the only to finish under par with a total score of 863. “We are really excited about the win,” said coach Kim Evans. “We got off to a decent start and played really solid in the middle of the round. We lost a few strokes there at the end on what ended up being a windy golf course.

“(The course) played tough with a good field and a few very good teams here, but we were able to hold on for the win.” Freshman Victoria Trapani earned medalist honors with a total score of 213 for threeunder par. “She just started right out of the gate so strong and just had a way about her,” Evans said. “She maneuvered her way around the golf course and was a real fighter. (The win) gives us three wins this year.” The Tigers look to continue to build on their fall season, where they finished in the top three in all four tournaments in which they competed. Auburn is led by junior

Carlie Yadlockzy and sophomore Marta Sanz. Both were individual winners in the fall. Yadlockzy won the first event of the season at the “Mo” Morial Tournment, and Sanz won the Lady Tar Heel Invitational. Sanz led the team with a scoring average of 73.50, and Yadlockzy was a close second, averaging 73.92. The team now gets an opportunity to rest a week before the Sugar Bowl Invitational in New Orleans at the English Turn Golf Club; it will be the second of four spring tournaments. “We had a good week and we are going to enjoy this win, but we have to get back

Central Florida Invitational Team results 1. Auburn: 863 (-1) 2. Baylor: 865 (+1) 3. Tulane: 866 (+2) Individual results 1. Victoria Trapani: 213 (-3) T4. Diana Fernandez: 215 (-1) T7. Haley Wilson: 217 (+1) T20. Patricia Sanz: 221 (+5) T25. Marta Sanz: 222 (+6) T53. Carlie Yadloczky: 227 (+11)

to work pretty quick,” Evans said. “We have to get ready to go to New Orleans in a couple weeks and try to get a win there.”

Contributed

Freshman Victoria Trapani poses with her medalist trophy after shooting a 73 to claim first place individually.

Men’s golf ranked No. 2 nationally, features several individual medalists Robert E. Lee Sports Beat Reporter

The No. 2 men’s golf team has several individuals in the spotlight this season. After winning the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, junior Dominic Bozzelli was named Player of the Week by golfweek.com and Golf World magazine. Coach Nick Clinard commented on his team’s victory after the tournament. “We had a great weekend, and I am extremely proud of Dominic and the entire team,” Clinard said. “They have all worked diligently on their games both mentally and physically. Dominic is starting to take his game to the next level, and I hope others will follow his lead.” Individually, Bozelli won

his second-straight title after shooting a 64, or six-under, in the second round and par in the final round, putting him in first place. Junior Blayne Barber was named to the 2012 Ben Hogan Award watchlist, an award presented annually to the top men’s player in every NCAA division and the NAIA and NJCAA. Barber, also named a semifinalist for the award last season, participated in three tournaments this fall and finished in the top-20 in all three. With his second-straight top-five performance of the season, Barber recovered from shooting six-over in the second round to finish one-under par in the Gator Invitational. Barber is also ranked 10th in the Scratch Players World Am-

“

We have to be tougher mentally and better physically to have the opportunity to compete for the SEC Championship.” —Nick Clinard Men’s Golf coach

ateur Ranking. The Tigers were also selected to win the Southeastern Conference by golfweek.com, ahead of No. 6 Arkansas and No. 8 Alabama. “It is a nice compliment to our team, and they have

worked hard,” Clinard said. “However, we have to be tougher mentally and better physically to have the opportunity to compete for the SEC Championship this April. We have lots of work ahead for us to be great.” The program has yielded successful talent for a number of years. Former Tiger Jason Dufner has shown promise in his professional career, finishing eighth in the Feb. 5 Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., in his first top-10 performance of the season. Dufner now has 19 top-10 finishes in his professional career. The Tigers’ next tournament is at the Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, Calif., Feb. 25.

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Intrigue Thursday, February 16, 2012

Most Fashionable

Trip for book lovers

» Page B6

» Page B7

www.theplainsman.com

B5 Intrigue

Present blends together with past Bradley Roberts Writer

Change is inevitable and expected over the course of more than 150 years, but the passion the Auburn community has shown for its school has remained the constant of this ever-changing, quaint college town. John Cottier, associate professor of anthropology, has lived in Auburn his entire life. Cottier said he started classes in 1958, graduated, and after a few years in the military, came back to teach in 1976. “I started out here when it was (Alabama Polytechnic Institute),” Cottier said. “We didn’t roll Toomer’s Corner, and as a freshman you couldn’t even walk through the gates there.” Cottier said Katharine Cater, former dean of women, was strict with female students. “Females, when I was in school here, basically could not wear shorts or jeans outside their dorms,” Cottier said. “If they were to go to a P.E. class in shorts they had to wear a raincoat over them. You could not live off campus if you were a female unless you lived with your parents.” He said limited forms of transportation led to more students living on campus and indirectly helped add to Auburn’s family atmosphere. “Most college kids did not have cars,” Cottier said. “You either walked or you rode bicycles.” He also said Auburn was a primarily dry city with very few places to eat. “We had to go long distances to buy beer,” Cottier said. “There was a place between Auburn and Opelika where you could buy beer. No bars, and very few places to eat. Columbus, Ga., was the only place you could get pizza.” Cottier said students used to prank the University. “The first fountain I remember was at Ross Square because we used to throw people in them all the time,” Cottier said. “There used to be a fountain at each of the quads here at Haley Center. Students would pour laundry detergent in them and they would bubble up.”

Courtesy of Jeffrey Bolan

Jeffrey Bolan, junior in aerospace engineering, blends photographs of buildings from the past and present to show a changing Auburn. This photo of Cater Hall is the building in the present with former Auburn women gathering on the lawn. The parked cars indicate a road used to be nearby.

Auburn University has a wide array of photos in the library archives made available for students. “Many of our more interesting, older photographs are available on the Web,” said Dwayne Cox, head of special collections and archives for Ralph Brown Draughon Library. “Many of the things in the digital library are taken from collections; many of them are still pictures related to Auburn University.” Jeffery Bolan, junior in aerospace engineering, recently had his photographs featured in The Auburn Circle. His works combine an image of Auburn’s past with the same image from the present, showing how the University has changed. “I had seen this picture of Toomer’s Corner, and on the left side it is like the 1890s, and then the tree is the dividing line and the right side is the 2000s,” he said. Courtesy of Jeffrey Bolan

» See Campus, B6

Another example of Bolan’s pieces, Samford Lawn from the past in the foreground and Samford Hall today in the background.

Platinum 0 Gold 28 Silver 84 Bronze 38 Reporter 11 *AASHE rates universities on a four-star scale for 2011. Reporter universities’ rankings are not made public and are used only for internal improvement.

AU sustainability under scrutiny Hayley Blair Intrigue Beat Reporter

The Office of Sustainability has been growing quickly the past few years, and soon it will be bringing in an outside source to monitor Auburn’s progress with sustainability initiatives. The organization is the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, and the Office of Sustainability just signed on with them in January. “It’s all about sustainability and higher education,” said Jennifer Morse, outreach and communications officer for the Office of Sustainability. “They have a new assessment system called STARS, and it’s the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System. Right now we’re in the process of working to compile the data that goes into the assessment.” Jillian Buckholz, STARS program coordinator, said the program was created in January 2010, and she hoped the assessment would reach new standards of accuracy and reliability. “The higher education community has really had a stake in how far it’s been developed,” Buckholz said.

“It’s a completely transparent system, so we took several years to develop this with input from folks in higher ed who would use this tool once it has been created.” The assessment will cover not only the activities of the Office of Sustainability, but energy policies under Facilities Management as well as in-class lessons covering sustainability. “It is important to note that sustainability isn’t just environmental issues,” Morse said. “It’s also social issues, like social justice and poverty and also economic issues. It encompasses everything involved and looks long-term into the future.” Morse said sustainability is the practice of distributing a reasonable amount of resources fairly across a spectrum of people. “We don’t want to take everything from the natural environment for this generation,” Morse said. “We’re not looking five years or 10 or 100. We’re looking long-term what’s going to be sustainable.” Richard Penaskovic, professor of religious studies, is one of the University staff who has worked to incorporate sustainability into his classes.

“I offered a course in 2009 on religion and the environment, and I started reading up about the environment and sustainability came up, so I said, ‘Boy, that’s an interesting thing,” Penaskovic said. “That’s going to be the wave of the future.’” Penaskovic’s class is now one of the included classes in the sustainability minor, and he has since become more involved in sustainability on campus. “I’m also doing a capstone course in sustainability and students are doing projects,” Penaskovic said. “One of them has to do with recycling office furniture in the Auburn area, so what they’re doing is creating a business plan for constructing and selling new furniture made from discarded materials.” Other employees across campus are catching on, and Morse said STARS has encouraged many different administrations across campus to become more active. “Part of the idea is that we acknowledge that everyone on campus has something to contribute to sustainability,” Morse said. “This isn’t an issue that can be solved by au-

» See AASHE, B6

OIT aims to protect students’ privacy Coleman McDowell Sports Editor

Contrary to some opinion, Auburn administrators and Office of Information Technology employees don’t analyze conversations between students or monitor which websites students peruse during their free time. Bliss Bailey, OIT executive director, said the employees have better things to do than snoop students’ email or Internet usage. “We don’t watch what websites people go to; that’s not our job,” Bailey said. “This is an academic institution. We don’t believe in censorship; we don’t care where you surf. You’re an adult. We don’t snoop email, we don’t look at students’ email. If a student gets in trouble over an email it’s because of someone they sent it to did something with it.” All OIT employees must sign a form agreeing to maintain and protect the confidentiality of any information or data they access while working for the office. Since Auburn adopted the Microsoft Live system for TigerMail, the student email servers don’t exist on Auburn’s campus nor does the OIT administer those servers. Bailey said Microsoft runs the student email system on Auburn’s behalf. With the previous system, copies of sent and received emails were kept on the servers, but with the new system, they are all on the Microsoft Cloud. The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ensures the privacy of student records. “We may end up seeing data because we work on computer systems, but even if I have access to your email it would be my obligation to keep that private,” Bailey said. “Federal law re-

quires that.” FERPA states the release of all educational records other than directory information is dependent upon student authorization. Directory information is allowed to be published so long the student is informed. Bailey said the OIT has a strong stance on students’ personal records. “Your records are private, and we don’t spread them around,” he said. Bailey said the OIT works with many different University programs when issues arise. The University Council, the Office of Student Conduct and the head of campus safety all collaborate on any query regarding employee or student information. “We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can do to protect the University from frivolous lawsuits and also protect the students’ privacy,” Bailey said. “We aren’t a lone ranger.” In a time when social networking and email is on phones and tablets, online access is easy for most students. Bailey said he sees students get into trouble by not realizing the ramifications of what they send. “Honestly, where most students get in trouble with email doesn’t have anything to do with us,” Bailey said. “Once you send an email it might as well be published. You’ve lost total control of that email. Once you send it, that’s when it gets you into trouble because they get forwarded, they get printed, they get forwarded to folks that you don’t necessarily know about. And from there, they make their way into places that you might not have expected it to.” Bailey said he believes the right policy is to treat emails as if they were

» See Privacy, B6

Intrigue B6

Privacy » From B5

being published in the newspaper. For one Auburn employee, this became a reality. Associate Athletic Director Kirk Sampson had all of his emails published in a deadspin.com article regarding his correspondence with reporters during the Cam Newton saga of 2010. “Alabama State Law requires that state agencies’ records are subject to public records requests,” Sampson said. “They submitted a freedom of information request, asking for my email correspondence with the media regarding Cam Newton for a time period during 2010. The request was for any email I received or sent to the media in regards to Cam Newton.” Sampson wasn’t informed on how the emails were going to be used. Sampson said the athletic department is well educated and informed about the laws regarding freedom of information, so he always has to assume his emails are subject to request. With the release of the emails in 2012, almost two years after they were sent, public perception was unlikely to change, but the deadspin.com article allowed the public to see the story from a different perspective. “More than anything, I think (the story) gave people insight to what things were like during that time period,” Sampson said. “Regardless of the subject matter, we are always concerned with our image and perception. Generally, if you do things the right way and with integrity, the truth will prevail.” Handouts with lists of AUWiFi policies are available, but if a student is harassing another student, it doesn’t

The Auburn Plainsman

“

When it comes to copyrighted material, that goes back to federal law. We do have an obligation to prevent the spread of copyrighted material” —Bliss Bailey Executive Director, office of Information technology

matter how it’s occurring, only that is it occurring. “We try and take the point of the view that it’s not the medium, it’s the message,” Bailey said. “If you look at the code of student conduct, there aren’t really references to Facebook or email. There are references to harassing communication. “If you harass someone, the medium doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if it’s Facebook or email or you chipped it in the sidewalk with a chisel; it’s harassing communication either way. We’ve tried to separate the technology involved to the intent of the communication involved.” When a student is in trouble for email activity, the OIT sometimes doesn’t even find out about the issue. Most situations involve an email that is easily printed and used for evidence, so there is no need to comb the databases for the specific message. The OIT might not be involved in many student harassment cases, but they serve as the “middleman” for copyright cases. Auburn complies with H.R. 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act, regarding

any copyright infringement. The law requires institutions to “make an annual disclosure that explicitly informs the students that the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may subject them to criminal and civil penalties and describes the steps that institutions must take to detect and punish unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials.” “That’s a pretty big burden on us,” Bailey said. “That’s the closest thing we do to monitoring the network in relation to content. When it comes to copyrighted material, that goes back to federal law. We do have an obligation to prevent the spread of copyrighted material.” OIT has “intrusion prevention systems” that stop peerto-peer file sharing sites, but the office can’t catch all illegal data transfers. Bailey said a handful of times each week they will get letters from the Motion Picture Association of America or a lawsuit representing a copyright holder calling for a cease and desist of the illegal activity. The OIT passes along the information to the student without releasing any personal information to the public. If subpoenaed, they would have to inform the law firm with the student’s information. Bailey said Auburn helps protect Auburn students’ privacy while abiding by federal law under their current budget. “I think we try and follow fairly standard university practices,” he said. “We try and follow the established, best practices. I’d say we’re pretty diligent, but we don’t have the resources. “It’s everything we can do to keep up with the legal and commercial compliance expectations. We’re keeping up, but we don’t have anything extra.”

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Campus » From B5

Bolan said he used Auburn’s digital library to choose the original photographs to duplicate. “First I had to find old pictures to use,” he said. “I put the picture on my camera, and I just walked around taking

AASHE » From B5

thority or looking to a particular person. Everyone affects sustainability.” Penaskovic said his class has shown his students they can play their part too. “I had a student in my class last semester, and his con-

pictures from different angles until I could get angles that looked close.” Bolan said he ran the photos through an editing software and the rest was simple. “I just went on the computer, overlaid the two images and lined them up,” Bolan said. “Once I got lined up I just erased half the image … to

make it look coolest.” Cottier said it is important for students to acknowledge the cultural changes that have occurred over the years. “Every generation changes a little bit,” Cottier said. “Every generation has its own set of schemes and directionality. Change is inherent in terms of society.”

sciousness was raised about saving energy, and by following a few tips we spoke about during class he cut his energy bill from over $300 a month to $175 a month,” Penaskovic said. STARS plans to rate 310 universities, but Morse said she doesn’t see the ratings as a competition.

“I think to compare AU to other schools in the SEC and say we’re doing better than them is really hard to do, and not necessary,” Morse said. “The whole idea with sustainability is we’re all in this together and to not view it so much as a competition, but as cooperation, like, ‘Hey, we’re working with these folks.’”

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Intrigue

Explore literature with tri-state trail EVENTS IN MONTGOMERY: March 3: Eighteenth Gala and Auction at 7:00pm. Where: Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum Theme: The Last of The Belles, (Flapper or belle attire encouraged, but not required) Admission is $25 per person and $45 per couple.

Southern Literary Trail to bring “The Last of the Belles” to life in a theatre production. Afterward, “Chicago” actress Grace McPhillips and co-producer Bob Hudgins will discuss “Beautiful Little Fools,” a film based on Zelda Fitzgerald scheduled to be filmed in Montgomery in 2012.

280

AUBURN I-85

COLUMBUS

DISTANCE FROM AUBURN: 54 MIN.

March 4: Fitzgerald Museum partners with the EVENTS IN COLUMBUS: Feb. 17: Celebration of Carson McCullers’ 95th birthday

MONTGOMERY

Where: Smith-McCullers Center Birthday cake will be served, and there will be an apperance by Mayor Teresa Tomlinson.

Feb 18: Events celebrating Carson McCullers’ time at the February House. Where: Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road • 2 p.m. Poetry Reading of W.H. Auden

• 3 p.m. Screening of “Lady of Burlesque” •5 p.m. Readings from “Reflections in a Golden Eye” • 7:30 p.m. Writer Sherill Tippins speaks about February House. DISTANCE FROM AUBURN: 53 MIN.

Photos contributed by The Southern Literary Trail and Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians

Clarksdale Tennessee Williams

Kate Jones Intrigue Editor

Hit the trail and explore across Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama to discover the writers of the South

Columbus Tennessee Williams Eudora Welty Greenville Walker Percy Shelby Foote Jackson Eudora Welty Richard Wright Margaret Walker Alexander Natchez Richard Wright

MISSISSIPPI

Oxford William Faulkner

GEORGIA

Demopolis Lillian Hellman Hartselle William Bradford Huie Mobile Eugene Walter William March Albert Murray Monroeville Truman Capote Harper Lee

Montgomery Zelda & F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tuskegee Ralph Ellison Albert Murray

Atlanta Margaret Mitchell Joel Chandler Harris

Clayton Lillian Smith Columbus Carson McCullers

Milledgeville Flannery O’Connor Alice Walker Moreland Erskine Caldwell Savannah Flannery O’Connor

ALABAMA

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Three Southern authors have nearby homes, giving avid readers the oppourtunity to travel and appreciate literature along The Southern Literary Trail. The Southern Literary Trail, directed by William Gantt, holds a festival every two years celebrating authors from Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Gantt said 2009 was the first collaborative festival, and although 2012 is an off-year, the trail and its partners hold events to continue the celebration of beloved authors from the South. This weekend, Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians, a trail partner in Columbus, Ga., will hold a twoday event celebrating the 95th birthday of author Carson McCuller. Friday, there will be birthday cake with the Mayor of Columbus at the Smith-McCullers House, and events Saturday include poetry readings, a movie screening and a keynote speaker in author Sherill Tippins. The theme for the celebration and the topic of Tippins’ talk is McCullers’ time at the February House in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he stayed for a period of time with other writers and artists including W.H. Auden, Jane and Paul Bowles and burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee. “The idea was basically that they were forming an artist commune,” said Courtney George, interim director for the Carson McCullers Center. “The U.S. hadn’t entered WWII yet, and they were try-

ing to figure out how to create lasting art in such a tumultuous time.” George said while all of Saturday’s events will be exciting, she is most excited about Tippins’ lecture. “People will get to learn more about February House,” George said. “She’s coming from New York to talk to us about that, so I think that’s something that people aren’t as familiar with that time in Carson’s life.” McCullers is most known for her novels “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” “Reflections in a Golden Eye,” “The Member of the Wedding,” “The Ballad of the Sad Cafe” and “Clock Without Hands.” George said almost all of the works are set in a Southern town similar to Columbus, and while the Georgia city is never named, the descriptions in the novels closely match it. George said she would like to say McCullers is a household name. “Definitely for people who are from here I would say, but I’m always surprised because I teach here and a lot of my students haven’t heard of her,” George said. “So I think people from from outside of the area maybe aren’t as familiar with her.” In Montgomery, the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum will hold its annual Gala March 3, and the next day will be a reading of the “The Last of the Belles” in partnership with the Southern Literary Trail. The reading will be done by the Readers Theater, a group of professors from Alabama who are also writers.

“

(The Southern Literary Trail) connects places where these writers lived, where they wrote or places that influenced them.” —William Gantt Director, Southern Literary Trail

Gantt said Zelda lived in the house for approximately a year, and while Scott was in Hollywood for most that time, he did outline his novel “Tender is the Night” at the home. “He courted her while he was a serviceman stationed in Montgomery,” Gantt said, “and ‘Last of the Belles’ is basically a fictional version of their courtship.” After the reading, actress Grace McPhillips and co-producer Bob Hudgins will discuss “Beautiful Little Fools,” a movie scheduled to be filmed in Montgomery later in the year. Gantt said it’s important to celebrate Southern writers because they represent the region’s cultural history. “They provide us with reminders of the importance of literature in its long form,” he said. “Also … the themes in what they write about continue to be so contemporary. “Our project connects places where these writers lived, where they wrote or places that influenced them.”

Intrigue B8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 16, 2012