2.23.12 edition of the Auburn Plainsman

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Vol. 118, Issue 21, 16 Pages

President Gogue rejects proposed provost applicants Chelsea Harvey CAMPUS EDITOR

The first provost search has been declared a failure, and a new search is now being organized.

The original provost search committee was formed in April 2011.

“The president puts the search committee together with input from the University Senate and issues the official charge,” said June Henton, dean of the College of Human Scienc-

es and head of the committee. “The committee develops the position description and selects a search firm to assist in the recruitment of applicants.”

The committee was charged with making recommendations to University President Jay Gogue, but the final decision was left to the president.

The committee advanced applicants through several rounds of interviews before making its final rec-

ommendations to Gogue, who ultimately rejected the proposed candidates in January.

“I don’t know what the president’s reasons were for not accepting them,” said William Trimble, professor of history and search committee member.

Trimble said he was added to the committee as an extra member to represent the American Association of University Professors. He said part

“

I don’t know what the president’s reasons were for not accepting them.”

—William Trimble PROVOST SEARCH COMMITTEE

the search process included AAUP’s concerns with issues such as tenure, academic freedom and shared governance.

He said the AAUP was satisfied with all the candidates recommended to the president.

“They had preferences obviously, but as far as AAUP was concerned, they were all acceptable,” Trimble

» See PROVOST, A2

of his responsibility was to make sure

New institute furthers fight against hunger Katelyn Gaylor WRITER

The Auburn University Board of Trustees decided Feb. 3 to establish the International Hunger Institute following a proposal from the College of Human Sciences.

“It represents Auburn’s commitment to hunger,” said Courtni Ward, senior in international business and president of the Committee of 19, who said she could not articulate her excitement regarding the institute.

“The Board of Trustees is completely backing Auburn and backing our commitment not to just help here and there or throw money at the problem, but to really get at the root causes,” Ward said.

Kate Thornton, director of hunger and sustainability initiatives in the College of Human Sciences, said seed money from the agriculture extension office has helped to solidify the institute, but her team is currently seeking further grants.

Until then, the institute will rely on College of Human Sciences Dean June Henton

» See HUNGER, A2

Cleaner water for a better tomorrow Electrical engineers work to create water purifiers for developing countires Lane Jones CAMPUS BEAT REPORTER

IHPO is developing products for the developing world.

Innovative Humanitarian Projects Organization was created by Grant Moore, senior in electrical engineering, and his classmates, with help from adviser Thomas Baginski, in order to provide portable, eco-friendly water purifiers to developing countries.

Moore, IHPO president, said his interest in creating this organization was sparked during a group project for a business engineering and technology class.

“We were challenged with making a business plan and a mock-up of some sort of product, but we went beyond the call and got a real prototype working,” Moore said.

“We were like, ‘Wow, if we could do this, why

» See WATER, A2

COURTESY OF TOOD VAN EMST

Women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner and Athletic Director Jay Jacobs discuss Fortner’s decision to resign at a press conference in Auburn Tuesday. Fortner arrived in 2004 and has coached the past eight seasons.

Fortner’s farewell

Women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner annouces her resignation Rachel Cooper WRITER

Women’s basketball coach Nell Fortner announced her resignation Tuesday.

Fortner has served as coach for the last eight seasons, including this season, since her arrival in 2004.

“I love Auburn and have absolutely loved my time here during the course of the last eight years,” Fortner said. “I have dedicated the last 28 years to coaching basketball and feel it is time for me to pursue something different.

“This was not an easy decision, as I have contemplated this for several months, but I am looking forward to the change. I’m proud of where the Auburn program is and what we’ve accomplished.”

Athletic Director Jay Jacobs spoke to the athletic department’s understanding of Fortner’s decision.

“We respect Nell’s desire to pursue other opportunities and appreciate everything that she’s done for Auburn,” Jacobs said. “Nell has been a tremendous ambassador for Au-

burn athletics, the University and our community—always willing to be a team player. She achieved success on the court and developed her players athletically, academically and socially. I have the utmost respect for Nell and want to thank her for her contributions to the women’s basketball program and the Auburn community during her eight years at Auburn.”

Fortner assured the athletic department and her team she is confident in her decision.

“When you’ve coached for 28 years, it’s not something that just happens to you overnight,” she said.

“It’s an accumulation over time. I don’t know if I could pinpoint a certain specific time. You just know when it’s time.”

Some time off is on the horizon for the seasoned coach, she said.

“I’m going to go to Florida and jump on my paddle board and swim around with the dolphins for a little bit, but there’s a lot of life to be lived,” Fortner said. “I’m young enough to go do something else and go enjoy some down time and see what else is out there.

COURTESY OF TODD VAN EMST

Najat Ouardad, junior guard, reacts to Fortner’s resignation Tuesday.

I have a lot of interests in a lot of stuff. I have a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm for life, and I want to go live it a little bit, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Junior point guard Najat Ouardad reflected her and her teammates’ reactions when Fortner informed them of her decision.

“She said she felt like it was the

CAMPUS // A5

COMMUNITY // A6

Gospel Choir honors Black History Month

Auburn, Opelika host Arbor Day festivities

Auburn’s gospel choir acknowledges black history by hosting a Black History Month concert.

right thing to do—best for her and best for us,” Ouardad said. “She feels good about the decision, and we all respect that if it comes from her. We feel good about it now that she explained to us the situation.”

Fortner’s decision is as emotional one for junior forward Blanche

» See FORTNER, A2

Auburn and Opelika gear up for their annual Arbor Day celebrations.

INSIDE Campus » A1 | Community » A5 | Opinions » A7 | Classifieds » A8 | Sports » B1 | Intrigue » B5

Recycled paper

Campus A2

The Auburn Plainsman

DUI ARRESTS IN THE CITY OF AUBURN FEB. 16 – FEB. 22, 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

CRIME REPORTS FOR FEB. 16 – FEB. 22, 2012

■ John A. Horne, 23 West Longleaf Drive Feb. 15, 11:54 p.m.

Feb. 15 — South Yarbrough Farms Blvd Theft of one electric air compressor and damage to a steel door and dead bolt reported.

■ William D. Batchelor, 48, Marietta, Ga. Moores Mill Road Feb. 16, 1:50 a.m.

Feb. 16 — Covington Ridge Theft of prescription hydrocodone reported.

Feb. 16 — Lee Road 12 Arson and burglary of one 27-inch flatscreen LED television, one 27inch television reported. Damage to one queen size bed and mattress and five cocker spaniel puppies reported.

■ Don L. Phillips, 38 South College Street at Shug Jordan Parkway Feb. 16, 2:42 a.m.

■ Jennifer L. Golden, 41, of Mississauga, Canada Piedmont Drive at Keystone Drive Feb. 17, 11:00 p.m.

PROVOST

■ Henry Lopez, 27, Guatemala East Glenn Avenue at Samford Avenue Feb. 18, 6:22 p.m.

said.

Trimble said the first search was a lengthy process.

An advertisement for the position of provost was issued, and applicants were required to have their materials submitted by July 2011. There were 31 applicants in all.

“We then met as a committee to make a decision about who we wanted to interview at Atlanta airport,” Trimble said. “The idea there is that at this level of positions, people like to keep it as confiden-

■ William B. Fulford, 31, Enterprise, Ala. South College Street Feb. 19, 2:29 a.m.

■ Miguel I. Macaculop, 35 Wire Road at Talhiem Drive Feb. 20, 2:44 a.m.

■ Brady A. Sutley, 22, Prattville, Ala. North Gay Street Feb. 22, 2:02 a.m.

FORTNER » From A1

Alverson.

Fortner brought Alverson to Auburn and the Andalusia, Ala., native will play her senior year without the coach who recruited her. “ We w ere a littl e shocked—personally I was,” Alverson said. “I decided to come here because of coach Fortner. I loved Auburn, but the deciding factor was definitely coach Fortner.

It’s going to be different heading into my senior year next year. It’s hard to be upset when she’s not upset, and she’s leaving on good terms.”

Alverson believes the team will finish the season well and trusts in the athletic department’s decision on a new coach.

“I think it’s going to fuel us,” she said. “We want to put our best foot forward for her and show her that she means so much to us. Finishing out this conference strong is a way to show her that she has made an impact on our lives.

I have so much respect for her. We trust Jay Jacobs and Meredith Jenkins have our best interests at heart.”

Fortner said her resignation will not hinder her from finishing the season strong.

“I haven’t lost my fire,” Fortner said. “We’ve all dug our heels in this year and worked as hard as we can to get the most out of these players, and we’ll continue to do that to the very end.

I wouldn’t say it motivates me anymore. I’m always motivated. We’ll just continue doing what we’re doing and

“

» From A1

HUNGER » From A1

Finishing out this conference strong is a way to show her that she has made an impact on our lives.”

—Blanche alverson JUNIOR FORWARD

help these kids win a ball game.”

Jacobs will work with Senior Associate Athletics Director Meredith Jenkins in order to find a new coach.

“We’re going to find the best coach for this women’s basketball team,” Jacobs said.

“Someone that can continue to build on the social aspect, the spiritual aspect, the mental aspect and the athletic aspect that Nell has started here. We’ll be efficient, and we’ll be thorough, and we’ll get it done as soon as we possibly can, but we’re under no time constraints.”

Through the 2011 season Fortner compiled a 132–89 record with the Tigers. Her teams have appeared twice in the NCAA Tournament, in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and twice in the NIT Tournament, last year and in the 2006 season.

Prior to Auburn, Fortner was the head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever from 2001–03. Prior to the Fever, she was the head coach of the U.S. Women’s National team that won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Feb. 19 — Cox Street Theft of one Alvarez guitar reported.

Feb. 20 — 1000 Block of Holmes Ave. Theft of one 3-ton air conditioner unit reported.

— Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

■ Michael W. Golden, 28 Opelika Road at Dekalb Street Feb. 17, 12:23 a.m.

■ Lucas D. Heard, 28, Tuskegee, Ala. South College Street Feb. 19, 2:29 a.m.

Feb. 17 — West Tech Lane Theft of 50 ingots of aluminum reported.

to serve as executive director and Harriet Giles, director of external relations, to serve as director of programming.

Auburn’s fight against domestic and global hunger dates back to 2004, when Henton and Giles initiated Auburn’s role in the global war on hunger through their partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme.

“Every year, the College of Human Sciences gives the International Quality of Life Award,” Thornton said. “In 1994, they gave that award to Catherine Bertini, who at the time was the executive director of the WFP.” By meeting Bertini and her team, Henton and Giles were invited to launch a student movement to end world hunger, which transformed into

WATER » From A1

stop here?’ So we decided to start this club.”

Moore said he is passionate about providing clean water to developing countries because it’s a real, life-threatening issue for people worldwide. Poor water quality affects people’s lives on a fundamental level, from their physical needs to their education.

“We sing, ‘Rain, rain, go away’ when other people are praying for it,” said Harrison Mills, junior in accounting and IHPO vice president.

“I think that this is important because sometimes we might take for granted these necessities and how easy they come to

tial as possible. If you’re an existing provost or dean, you’d rather not have your superiors know—the president or provost know—that you’re actively looking for a job.

“So what you could do is, everybody has to go through Atlanta airport at one time or another. You pass through Atlanta airport (and) meet with us for a couple of hours.”

Trimble said the committee then narrowed the candidates down to a smaller group to interview on campus.

“After all of that process was over, we all sat down as a committee again to make a deci-

sion about who we wanted to recommend to the president,” Trimble said.

Two applicants received the majority vote required for recommendation to President Gorge.

“We pretty easily decided that we could recommend them to the president,” Trimble said. “There was one person who dropped out, so that wasn’t a factor. And then there was another person where there was a split vote and did not get a majority vote to be able to put the person’s name forward.”

Trimble said Gogue would

have preferred to have three candidates recommended.

“And then it was up to the president … to make a decision,” Trimble said. “He then brought them in for even more extensive interviews and finally made his decision that he didn’t feel that either of those people were acceptable. And again, ultimately that’s all that our committee could do.”

According to Henton, the new search committee will consist of the same members.

Any original committee members who cannot serve on the new committee will be replaced.

the global movement Universities Fighting World Hunger.

Now, more than 200 colleges and universities worldwide have partnered with Auburn.

In 2006, WFP senior adviser Doug Coutts came to Auburn on a four-year assignment, which Thornton said helped to further everything Henton and Giles had started.

“The really neat thing about that happening is that the WFP funded him,” Thornton said. “They were really showing a strong invested interest in this partnership, and they were really giving of their resources and time by giving Doug Coutts to us.”

Auburn has continued to play a major role in the war on hunger through various marches, student organizations, campaigns and even a hunger studies minor.

“Auburn has certainly stepped up as a leader and the

fact we were able to get an institute here solidifies that, but the goal of our whole team is not to draw attention to what’s been done here,” Thornton said. “The goal is to provide collaboration so more people get on board because one institution addressing this issue isn’t going to solve hunger.

“The goal of the institute and the goal of all the things we’re doing is to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty. We’re not naive to think we can do this alone. The goal is to get more people and universities involved.”

Ward said she believes a university is just the place to spread activism and passion for global hunger.

“Our whole lives we have had these great ideas, but before college we didn’t know how to see them through,” she said. “After college we will start our careers and might

not have as much time, but in college we have all the resources in the world. It’s the best time to get involved.

“We are all called to make a difference and we all have a different gift to be able to do that. As students, we have one of the greatest gifts of education, so if we can educate each other and find out the causes of hunger, we can really make a difference.”

Cary Bayless, junior in English and member of the Committee of 19, said he could not agree more.

“One of the wonderful things about Auburn and many other schools across the nation is the ability to make a tangible difference in the war on hunger during our time as students by plugging in and helping through organizations,” he said. “Hunger is something that can be defeated, and it begins with you.”

us and how something as simple as water can be overlooked.

I think it’s important for students to get involved and help someone in need.”

Moore said his group improved upon existing water purification technology to make it more sustainable. IHPO developed one solar-powered device and one that’s powered by a hand crank.

“We took technology that was developed in conjunction with the U.S. military and really made it much more ecofriendly and much more humanitarian,” Moore said. “Our device doesn’t use batteries, and we think that has a lot of benefits because in these third-world countries, batteries are hard to get and they’re

poor quality when you do get them. And they’re un-environmentally friendly to make and dispose of.”

Moore said IHPO has already delivered water purifiers to other countries.

“We have one graduate student who has gone to Uganda to do testing there,” Moore said. “We have a partnership with a man in Huntsville who is involved with Rotary, and he has taken some of our purifiers too. We’ve also had them tested by ex-Marines in Alaska and a lot of other cool places.”

Tara Jones, sophomore in accounting, serves as the IHPO chief marketing officer.

She said that aside from providing a crucial service to developing countries, the organi-

zation also provides an opportunity for Auburn students to get involved.

“We hope to get people involved that might not know anything about engineering,” Jones said. “Maybe they have a business mindset like me or want to help with graphic design or marketing. We can combine skillsets from across the colleges on campus. It has the potential to cross so many bridges because we all have a fundamental humanitarian desire.”

Moore said the group plans to expand past just water purification to encompass any innovative humanitarian project. He said he hopes the organization can create a lasting change.

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Campus A3

The Auburn Plainsman

Ag Econ professor receives lifetime achievement award Jenny Steele Writer

After dedicating more than 25 years to the College of Agriculture, Henry Kinnucan was awarded the Southern Agricultural Economics Association’s 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award Feb. 7.

Changyou Sun, professor at Mississippi State University and one of Kinnucan’s former students, was at the SAEA meeting when Kinnucan, professor of agricultural economics, received the award.

“He definitely deserves it,” Sun said.

The award recognizes professors who have been in the profession for at least a quarter century.

“For those who meet that criteria, they then examine your record to see if you’ve done anything that has significant, enduring contributions in public service or research,” Kinnucan said. “Research would be the appropriate category for me.”

Kinnucan’s research has left a lasting impact on his students.

“He became my role model after I observed his work attitude and rigorous scholarship,” said Yuqing Zheng, Auburn graduate and another of Kinnucan’s former students.

“He is very professional in conducting academic studies and super productive, producing about three to five peer-

reviewed journal articles per year.”

Now a research economist, Zheng said he has noticed Kinnucan’s work is highly recognized at both his current job and at Cornell University, where Zheng taught after graduating from Auburn.

Patricia Duffy, professor of agricultural economics, earned the award for lifetime achievement last year and nominated Kinnucan this year.

Kinnucan grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. After attending the University of Illinois for his bachelor’s degree and receiving his master’s from the University of Minnesota, he moved to Auburn in 1983.

“His teaching is thought provoking,” Zheng said.

Kinnucan’s method of teaching involves textbooks, journal articles and lecture notes, a technique known as the tri-teaching method, Zheng said.

“The tri-teaching method was well received by students,” Zheng said. “Eventually I used this method in my teaching at Cornell University as well.”

“His lecture notes are like textbooks,” said Ermanno Affuso, also a former student who now serves as a faculty fellow at Rhodes College. “He always said in class, ‘If you decide to work in academia, you have to publish, and you must be persistent.’”

Earning this award is not Kinnucan’s first great achievement in his academic career.

“He published over 100 journal articles in agricultural and resource economics,” Sun said.

“He mentored so many undergraduate and graduate students with great quality and placements.”

Under Kinnucan’s mentorship, Sun published his term paper from Kinnucan’s class in a peer-reviewed journal, “which is not very common,” Sun said. “The experience was wonderful.”

His attentiveness to individual students doesn’t change with class size.

“Does it matter that there are 44 other students in the class?” said Roger Brown, a former student who now teaches in the agriculture department at the University of Kentucky. “In Dr. Kinnucan’s class, no. He’ll answer your question precisely … His answer will be accessible and it won’t seem to anyone else in the class that your question was off-topic.”

Kinnucan served on Brown’s dissertation committee.

“I’ll never forget how great it felt to hear those compliments about my own teaching and presentation style coming from Dr. Kinnucan,” Brown said.

Besides his fifth-grade teacher, Brown described Kinnucan as “the best teacher I’ve ever had.”

Lecture series in dire straits Brandy Volovecky Writer

The Littleton-Franklin Lecture Series may only continue for one more year if a new source of funding is not found.

The lectures, which began in 1968, bring prominent speakers in the fields of science and the humanities to Auburn University.

Gerard Elfstrom, head of the program, said the Franklin Foundation in Georgia began to taper off funding six years ago, and that funding completely stopped about three years ago. Next year, Elfstrom said the lectures will continue by pooling resources and jointly sponsoring lectures with other departments.

“After that we’ll have to pull the plug unless we can put together some other sources of funding,” Elfstrom said.

Drawing a crowd is not a problem for the lecture series.

Elfstrom said there have been many occasions where there weren’t enough seats available to accommodate everyone who attended.

In addition to students and faculty, the lectures draw in members of the Auburn community as well as people from

out of town.

“People from all over the community attend,” Elfstrom said. “Retired members of the community come. Shop owners come. We’ve had buses of high school students come.”

Without a new source of funding in sight, however, the lectures will end next year.

Still, Elfstrom said he remains hopeful.

“We’re talking to people and writing letters to people trying to come up with things,” Elfstrom said. “Something might happen. It’s just a question of contacting the right person.”

Elfstrom said the lectures bring important subjects to the minds of students and faculty members and encourage conversation around campus. He said the lectures also give speakers a chance to learn about Auburn.

“The lectures have brought some of the greatest scientists of our time, as well as towering literary figures, to Auburn University,” Elfstrom said.

Elfstrom said speakers get to know students and are interested in learning about them, and the lectures give students an opportunity to meet renowned figures and get

to know them on a more personal level.

Traditionally, the lecturers have breakfast with a small group of students the day after the event and also attend several classes.

“It’s something that has been a valued part of the Auburn campus for many years,” Elfstrom said. “It’s important to folks. It would be a shame if it goes away.”

The Auburn Magazine ran an article about the danger the Littleton-Franklin Lecture Series was facing in an effort to gain funding. Unfortunately, Elfstrom said, the article could have been easily missed because it ran at the bottom of the page with no picture.

“I think that there are many alumni out there that would want to preserve it,” Elfstrom said. “The question is, how do we get the word out?”

Arthur Caplan, philosopher in the field of bioethics, will be speaking Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom in Littleton-Franklin’s second lecture this year. More information can be found about the lectures and making contributions at http://cla.auburn.edu/ cla/littleton-franklin/.

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

The Auburn University gospel choir rehearses Mondays and Wednesdays at 3 p.m.

Gospel choir observes Black History Month with concert Becky Hardy Campus Beat Reporter

Auburn’s gospel choir will promote African-American strength and prosperity through the decades at this year’s Black History Month concert.

The concert will be Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. at the City Church.

Admission is free.

“Song is significant because all people of the world have music,” said William Powell, associate professor and director of choral activities in the music department.

“All cultures of the world have a certain type of music to be identified with.”

The gospel choir will focus on African-American history, including African spiritual songs during times of slavery and protest songs during the Civil Rights era, along with contemporary gospel songs familiar to churches today.

Powell said the event will take the audience on a journey through African-American history.

“Back in slave times, song was their form of communi-

cation, as some sort of code,” said Jeremy Pyles, choir officer and junior in vocal music education. “Throughout the years they used gospel music to praise the Lord through song.”

“We Shall Overcome,” “Total Praise” and “Perfect Praise” are a few of the songs the choir has selected.

The choir has helped with other Black History Month events in past years, but has never put on its own event.

“We have been invited to perform in events during Black History Month, but this is own our performance,” Powell said.

Dancers will accompany the choir for some songs.

“Some of the skits will be during the songs, and some of it will be dancing, “ said Chris Joseph, choir president and junior in business management. “We have some skits that will introduce a couple of songs as well.”

The choir will be able to show more emotion by not limiting itself to only singing, said Abbie Welch, junior

in human development and family studies who will introduce songs for the choir.

“We have put a lot of time and effort learning new songs and getting ready for our performances,” Welch said. “We really want our concert to be powerful, so we have put in the time necessary.”

Pyle said this show is important for the entire community. “(Black History Month is) important for the people who aren’t African-American so they can learn about the culture,” Pyle said. “It’s also important for people who are African-American so they can really connect with their culture.”

Along with African-Americans relating to their culture through this event, recognizing the hardships of their ancestors is significant as well, Welch said.

“Through putting on these events we are able to honor the people who have paved the way for a better America and equal life for all people in our country,” she said.

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Black Student Union promotes diversity through events This week, The Auburn Plainsman continues its examination of Student Activity Projects Becky Hardy Campus Beat Reporter

Auburn’s Black Student Union continues to promote diversity throughout campus this semester.

“The Black Student Union promotes unity through education,’” said Abraham Williams, executive vice presdent of BSU and sophomore in public relations. “BSU believes in the Auburn family,

and we strive to provide a diverse family atmosphere for all students.”

The BSU also welcomes students not of African-American background.

“Although we historically target African-American students, we welcome all students with open arms,” Williams said. “We are a unique organization in that our structure is flexible in order to fit our members’ wants and needs.”

Student Activity Projects receive a budget allotment each year from Student Government Association.

BSU received approximately $50,371 this school year, and the budget is used for a variety of expenses.

The BSU’s highest expenses are under Tiger Stomp at $17,249, Black History Semester at $9,922 and cultural and

special events for a total of $13,620.

Along with events on campus, the BSU also uses its budget for the group’s office in Suite 3130 of the Student Center. Approximately $5,098 is allocated for the office.

The BSU also enjoys the opportunity to provide its members with support academically and socially, Williams said.

“We take steps to provide support to our members through our weekly general assembly meetings, events and forums,” he said.

The BSU holds events in the fall and spring terms that help promote diversity throughout campus.

In the fall semester, it holds events like Breakfast 4 You and Interviews for Dummies, along with a jazz and poetry night. During the spring, BSU hosts everything from movie

events showing “The Help” to Soul Food Bazaar on the Concourse to Tiger Stomp, its annual step show.

“Stepping is a traditional African-American art form derived centuries ago,” Walton said. “And we celebrate the rich traditions inherent therein each year with our own annual step competition.”

The BSU involves the whole campus for this event.

“We collaborate with Auburn’s National Panhellenic Council organizations and even include Panhellenic Greeks and other NPHC organizations from various schools in the South to showcase and promote unity, diversity, heritage and a unique form of entertainment,” Walton said.

The event includes members and nonmembers from across campus, Williams said.

“This form of entertainment

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

The Black Student Union holds weekly meetings Monday at 5 p.m. in Room 2222 of the Student Center.

is an event that our members look forward to all year,” Williams said.

Along with hosting special events on campus, Walton said the BSU helps all students on campus feel at home.

“BSU is not only a safe haven for African-Americans, but also it helps to educate Auburn students about the histo-

ry, culture and thoughts of the African-American students,” Walton said.

The BSU is needed to foster growth and development, he added. “(It needs) to be a voice for African-American students at a University where we have been allowed to attend for many years,” Walton said.

Week of service encourages community involvement Lane Jones Campus Beat Reporter

In the same county where Auburn students are spending their dining dollars like Monopoly money, one in five children will go to bed hungry tonight.

The Service Challenge, a weeklong event beginning Saturday, will challenge students to address this and other problems in the community.

The event is hosted as part of the Civic Engagement portion of the Challenge, a twoweek initiative designed to help students become involved in areas in which they are passionate.

“If you don’t go to bed hungry, you’re blessed, especially when you look at the condi-

tions of other people living in Lee County,” said Mary Elizabeth Haynes, junior in communications disorders and civic engagement planning coordinator.

“I think some of the schools in Loachapoka or Notasulga had to cut their water fountains off during the day because they can’t pay their water bill.

“Everyone who is here at Auburn has been blessed with opportunity. We want to equip them to serve and make a difference.”

Emily Crane, senior in elementary education, is the leader of Auburn’s civic engagement team.

“The Service Challenge is challenging Auburn students

to take some time during the week of Feb. 26 to March 1 and spend it doing something for someone other than themselves,” Crane said. “Service can be done a ton of different ways: you can volunteer with the kids or you can go eat with the elderly.

“We don’t really care what students do, we just want them to help out in some way.”

Crane said the initiative began with Ainsley Carry, vice president for Student Affairs, as a way to do something with the different service aspects of Auburn and to reach out to other SEC schools.

Both the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama have pledged to serve during this week as well.

“We’re really hoping that this just sparks Auburn students to get more plugged in with more global initiatives and to be made more globally aware, because oftentimes Auburn is such a bubble that students might hear the statistics and be horrified, but not do anything about it,” Crane said.

The Service Challenge will include a documentary screening through International Justice Mission, a “How to Use Your Skills” panel, a global map with service opportunities and Concourse events that promote global awareness.

“We’re hoping that this will help students make it their own,” Crane said. “There are a bunch of organizations on

campus, so either helping students get involved in those or start their own and do something long-lasting that will impact not only Auburn, but the world around us.”

With an extra day in February for leap year, Haynes said the Service Challenge is encouraging students to make the most of that time.

“Right now we are students at Auburn, and we are in a community with people who are hungry, who are poor and who need help just like those around the world,” Haynes said.

“This part of the challenge is recognizing the need abroad, but also at home.”

Rebekah Cowart, senior in elementary education and

civic engagement assistant coordinator, said the Service Challenge aims to promote involvement and awareness even after college.

“The challenge is encouraging students to give back once they leave Auburn,” Cowart said. “Whether that’s working for a nonprofit or just volunteering in certain places, it’s good for students to see where alumni have gone out and done things in the world.”

Haynes said they plan to make the challenge an annual event.

“If students do get involved, we are at a stage in life where we can make it a habit,” Cowart said. “I think it’s important for students to get involved now.

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Community

A5

www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Community

Auburn, Opelika to host Arbor Day festivities Elizabeth Bonner Writer

Auburn and Opelika are gearing up for the annual Arbor Day celebrations.

“We have what’s called Tree City USA and Tree Campus USA status,” said Art Chappelka, professor of forest biology and chairman of the Auburn City Tree Commission. “As a provision of that, we have to celebrate Arbor Day—not that we wouldn’t anyway, but that’s part of it.”

Chappelka said the day is to celebrate trees, but Tipi Miller, executive director of Keep Opelika Beautiful, stressed the educational importance of Arbor Day. “It’s really a day where we learn about the importance of trees,” Miller said. “Trees are something that we take for granted. Unless something goes wrong, we don’t think about them or the benefits they provide daily.”

The cities have several activities planned for the day.

Opelika will celebrate Friday from 9–11 a.m. at the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatic Center.

“We always do a tree (planting) demonstration,” Miller said. “It’s an

educational way to show the public the best way to plant a tree. We’ll also give away tree seedlings. Those are about 2-feet-tall trees.”

Children will get to plant a tomato seed in a paper cup to take home with them.

Miller said KOB makes children a primary focus of its Arbor Day education.

“I usually go to elementary schools and say, ‘What would we not have without trees? We wouldn’t have this building. We wouldn’t have this pencil,’” Miller said. “So many things are made of trees that we don’t think about. KOB works in all of the schools with different programs. They’re the future. We want to go ahead and make them realize how important the environment is.”

In Auburn, the Tree Commission will have a tree giveaway Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at Kroger, Wal-Mart on South College and the Davis Arboretum and a proclamation signing Monday at 2 p.m.

“The purpose is to raise awareness and encourage people to plant trees,” said Becky Richardson, director of parks and recreation for Auburn. “It’s very popular, and we usually wind up

giving away the majority of the trees.”

Chappelka said Arbor Day reinforces an appreciation that already exists in Auburn.

“We have a great appreciation for it, mostly because of the University,” Chappelka said. “We have a forestry department, and we have a long history of maintaining trees, especially with the Toomer’s oaks.”

Chappelka said events in the past year have added to this appreciation. “(Alabama has) lost an enormous amount of tree canopy because of tornadoes,” Chappelka said. “I have noticed more of an appreciation of trees in the city due to (the poisoning of the Toomer’s oaks). I think a lot of folks here really appreciate trees, but the state has probably gained more of an appreciation because of those events.”

Richardson believes these events created the makings for a more meaningful Arbor Day. “I think it’s very fitting this year, not just in Auburn, but in other places in Alabama because of all of the trees that were lost in the tornadoes in the past year,” Richardson said. “I think Christen Harned / Assistant Photo Editor

» See Arbor, A6

Auburn forestry alumnus Drake McKenzie explains attributes of various trees.

Museum reveals East Alabama’s past County unites in plan

to improve recycling

Kendall Wangman Writer

Nestled in the historic district of downtown Opelika, the Museum of East Alabama houses an eclectic mix of artifacts, from an Indian canoe dating to 350 B.C. to a living room parlor scene set up with Gov. William James Samford’s furniture and his hat.

Glenn Buxton, the museum’s director, took over in 2005.

“When I first came at it I wasn’t interested at all,” Buxton said. “My background is in broadcast—I used to manage a radio station—but the museum needed someone to come in here and kind of pull the place together.”

Buxton said the museum had been struggling financially, so he stepped in for an overhaul and began renovation in 2009.

“One of the Auburn University engineering and design school classes took on a project here to tell us how to lay out the museum,” Buxton said.

“They came up with three concepts; one we and the board accepted was to break the museum down into six different categories.”

The categories include East Alabama at work, at war, on the go, at play, at home and the people of East Alabama, which includes both ancient Indian artifacts and a collection of items which belonged to Billy Hitchcock, who played baseball at Auburn and coached for the Atlanta Braves.

“Billy Hitchcock was very instrumental in getting this museum done,” Buxton said.

Personal trainer finds success through faith John Holtrop Writer

Aaron ‘Will’ Willing was only 19 when he was sentenced to 15–45 years in prison. After a reduced sentence, Willing is now a devout Christian and working in a field that he loves.

Willing attributes his upbringing as a major reason why today he is an International Sports Sciences certified fitness trainer at Fitness Together.

Growing up on the streets of Detroit, Willing was exposed to a harsh lifestyle at an early age.

“I wasn’t raised in the church, I didn’t know my dad and my mom did the best she could with what she had to work with,” Willing said. “But it’s hard

Kristen Oliver Community Editor

Christen Harned / Assistant Photo Editor

Museum director Glenn Buxton stands with a magnetophone, the World War II equivalent of a tape recorder. There are only two known to exist; one is at the Museum of East Alabama and the other is at the Smithsonian.

Buxton said three major exhibits draw the most attention.

“Probably the three biggest things that people come in here to look at is exhibit on the German POW camp that was here during World War II, which held 3,000 Germans, a model bridge collection by Mr. John Erwin and Creek Indian artifacts,” Buxton said.

The Creek Indian exhibit includes the prehistoric canoe, a pair of women’s leggings and an Indian costume from the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.

Another rare item in the museum is a tape recorder called a magnetophone from 1938 Nazi Germany.

“There’s only two of those known to exist in the world,” Buxton said.

for a single woman to raise a man in that environment, I don’t care who you are.”

Willing moved to neighboring Pontiac, Mich., and by age 15 he was homeless and said he was doing whatever it took to get by.

“Whether it was robbing, stealing or selling drugs, I was involved in whatever the streets had to offer,” he said. “When I turned 18 it all caught up with me, and at 19 I was sentenced to time in the Michigan State Penitentiary.”

Upon arriving in prison, Willing decided to change his ways and devote his time to studying the Bible and its teachings.

“I was still in my street clothes when they took me back to a cell. I had my head in my hands and said, ‘God, if there is a God, I really need some help,” Willing said. “And it wasn’t to get saved—I just wanted that monkey off of my back. I believe he heard that prayer because all of a sudden I was being followed by something that I couldn’t explain.”

After four years in prison,

“We have one and the Smithsonian has the other.”

Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller said there are around 5,000 artifacts at the museum, many of which are from the Opelika area.

“Auburn was always the college town and Opelika was where all the manufacturing happened,” Fuller said.

Fuller attributed Opelika’s railroad industry to the growth of textile trade in the city.

“Both an East-West rail line and a North-South rail line run through downtown Opelika,” Fuller said.

“Frankly, it creates a lot business for downtown Opelika.”

This also made Opelika an ideal spot for the museum, Fuller said.

Willing was offered a plea deal that would get him out in fewer than four more years. He accepted the deal and spent the remainder of his sentence teaching himself to be a personal trainer.

“I knew that I loved health and fitness and the challenge of it,” Willing said. “I decided to teach myself human anatomy and physiology; I found books and learned them front to back.”

In January 2010 Willing was released with two years probation that disallowed him from leaving Michigan. However, one year into his probation he was released, and he moved to Alabama to pursue his goal.

“I tried to break into the fitness industry with all of my certifications, and I got a bad taste in my mouth,” Willing said. “All they wanted me to do is hustle and get memberships, so I let it go and got a job at an automotive shop.”

Soon after, Willing found a job posting on Craigslist for a part-time position at Fitness Together, a personal trainer-oriented gym in Auburn.

It’s the time of year when Lee County is looking to go green.

“We’ve formed a partnership between the city of Opelika, the city of Auburn, Lee County and Auburn University,” said Opelika Major Gary Fuller. “It’s called the East Alabama Recycling Partnership.”

The four entities are currently working on a grant proposal to the Alabama Department of Environment Management that will be tailored to their specific needs.

They have put together other ADEM grant proposals in the past few years, and each time the proposal was approved.

“The grant from the ADEM Alabama Recycling Fund will allow us to continue working together to establish a comprehensive and coordinated regional recycling program,” Fuller said.

Fuller said Opelika hopes to use the funds in multiple ways to benefit the environment.

“Our goal is to divert materials from the landfill and protect our environment,” he said. “Funds will be used for public education and outreach as well as to purchase recycling equipment such as cardboard bales and cardboard trailers.”

Tim Woody, environmental services director of Auburn, said the entities involved in the proposal have slightly different needs.

“On our end, we’re going to be ask-

“

Our goal is to divert materials from the landfill and protect our environment.

Funds will be used for public education and outreach as well as to purchase recycling equipment such as cardboard bails and cardboard trailers.”

—Gary Fuller Opelika Mayor

ing for more promotional and educational materials,” he said. “Right now we have a billboard that’s up on South College that just talks about recycling here in Auburn. We plan on continuing that.

“We also plan on continuing our recycling tidbits. We did that last year as well in the OA News and the Villager. Once a week, there’s a little article in there with something about recycling, about our program or offering national statistics, things of that nature.”

Woody said promotional work is a large part of their efforts.

“We have a lot of giveaways that

» See grant, A6

“

Life and working out work in the same way: you add resistance and you either hold the resistance or let it crush you. That battle, whether in the weight room or in life, I love. I thrive off of it.”

—Aaron Willing personal trainer

“He honestly is great,” said Vanessa Ocasio, owner of Fitness Together. “He is the best thing that happened to this business.”

Willing has been employed at Fitness Together for the past six months and has taken a fulltime position. His fellow em-

» See People, A6

Christen Harned / Assistant Photo Editor

Aaron “Will” Willing is a certified trainer at Fitness Together.

After serving time in prison, he found his faith and his love of health and fitness.

Community A6

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 23, 2012

EAMC celebrates life with four-part fundraiser Alison McFerrin Community beat reporter

The East Alabama Medical Center Foundation is holding its four-part Celebrate Life event Friday and Saturday.

The two-day event will consist of a radio share-a-thon, wellness clinic, 5K run and a car giveaway.

It’s been about five years since the EAMC has had a large community event to raise funds and awareness.

“The main goal this time was awareness,” said Sissy Barham, special event coordinator. “We’re getting back out there with doing an event and getting our name back out there.”

Julia Pipes, foundation director, said Celebrate Life with EAMC has been 18 months in the making and has taken the coordinated efforts of board members and community volunteers.

“We just wanted it to be a fun event with something for everybody,” Pipes said. “We’re optimistic that it will be an amazing weekend.”

Pipes said because this is the first year holding the event, they will be happy with any amount of money they are able to raise.

“In the year 2000, the amount of charity care that we gave was $10 million,” Pipes said. “Last year, it was $42 million.”

Because EAMC is a public, nonprofit institution, it offers medical care to anyone, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Pipes attributed this upswing in charity to economic issues.

“Most of that is for people who are working, but can’t afford health insurance, and when they do get sick and need to go to the hospital they can’t afford to pay for their hospital care,” Pipes said.

Share-A-Thon This event begins Friday morning with the “Celebrate Commitment” radiothon through Kicker FM 97.7. The radio station will broadcast live from EAMC Health Resource Center, playing record-

ed testimonials as well as conducting live interviews with patients and local celebrities.

“They’re pleading to the community, ‘EAMC is a great place, I had a great experience (and) here’s why you need to donate,’” Barham said.

The radiothon will last from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To encourage donations, the Opelika-Auburn News is offering a free one-month print subscription or free three-month online subscription to those who donate $25 or more.

Wellness Clinic Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., EAMC will offer a free wellness clinic at the Health Resource Center across from the hospital in an effort to “Celebrate Health.”

The Auburn Harrison School of Pharmacy, School of Nursing and College of Sciences and Mathematics are sponsoring the clinic, and nursing and pharmacy students are volunteering.

“It’s a good way to promote

Share-A-Thon Kicker FM 97.7 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wellness clinic Health Resource Center 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

5K run/walk Downtown Opelika 7 a.m.

Car giveaway Tickets $100

Fast Facts Celebrate Life with East Alabama Medical Center Friday–Saturday

health in the Opelika-Auburn area,” said Aaron Nette, junior in nursing who is volunteering as part of clinicals.

Nette said he thinks the clinic being a class requirement is a good idea.

“It’s kind of cool because you get to particpate in more patient education in the community setting than you can in the hospital,” he said.

The clinic will offer testing for conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular issues. It will also provide information about skin cancer, healthy eating, AIDS and other topics.

Pipes said the clinic will target people 50 and older.

5K Run/Walk The “Celebrate Fitness” portion of the weekend will bring walkers and runners together for a 5K through downtown Opelika. The race will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, and registration will be set up in the courthouse square beginning at 7 a.m. Entry is $25, and the event will also feature enter-

tainment by Route 66. People may participate as individuals or teams, Pipes said.

Late registration will be available during the wellness clinic Friday, where entrants may pick up their race packets.

Awards of $100 will be given to first place overall male and female winners.

Car Giveaway Saturday will close with a “Celebrate Community” aspect featuring food from local caterers, entertainment by the Tip Tops from Mobile and the opportunity to win a new Chevy Cruze.

“That will be the culmination of everything that’s gone on for so many months,” said Kathy Barrett, event co-chair.

“That’s sort of the celebration part of it.”

Tickets are $100, and space is limited.

With each ticket comes the chance to win the car. Although it’s not necessary to be present to win, there will be 100 additional tickets available for $25 each, providing

Arbor

Grant

it’s highlighted the importance of trees a little bit more this year.”

Miller had similar sentiments.

“Even with the terrible things that have happened with the Toomer’s trees, in a positive way it’s really brought to light the importance of trees,” Miller said. “People realize how valuable they are, whether it’s rolling them or just the heritage or history they have.”

we’re ordering because we do a lot with the city schools,” he said. “We usually have a booth set up at the City Fest, so we use that opportunity to promote recycling as well.”

Woody said they hope to use the grant to advance projects they were able to start with last year’s grant.

“Last year we purchased a few trailers with the last grant that we’re going to be putting in some apartment complexes around town to

» From A5

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additional chances to win.

Dress is casual.

Barrett said the important thing is raising awareness of the foundation.

“They can use any amount of money and do great things with it,” Barrett said. “It’s not about how much we raise, but it’s about what they can turn that into. They do so many services.”

Money raised from the event will go to support the Cancer Center of East Alabama, the EAMC Diabetes and Nutrition Center, Cardiology Department, Prenatal Clinic and Mother/Baby Care and the Department of Psychiatric Medicine.

“It’s just a challenge every day for us to maintain that quality of care,” Pipes said.

“The hospital has to make very strategic decisions on how they spend their money.”

Thirteen members of the community make up the volunteers and board members organizing these events.

For more information visit celebratelife.eamc.org. allow residents that live in multiplexes to recycle,” he said. “We’re still in the process of finalizing that right now.”

The city of Auburn is asking for just under $35,000, Woody said.

Woody said he thinks other entities will order more equipment.

The grant proposal is due

by March 1.

“We’re still in the process right now,” he said. “We have a grant writer that’s helping us, pulling everyone’s numbers together and all of that.”

Architect checks out Auburn Depot Community Beat Reporter

The Auburn Depot may have a potential buyer after nine years of vacancy. An architect spoke with the historical preservation commission about the depot’s possibilities.

“If they were to purchase it and move forward with this project, they would have a somewhat long path to follow,” said Matt Moseley, Auburn planner and staff representative for the historical preservation commission.

“It could be done in a few months as far as the approvals, but it would be multiple public hearings.”

Moseley said Mike Hamrick, with the Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood architecture company, spoke with the commission at its Feb. 14 meeting on behalf of Hamrick’s client, a financial institution, about the possibilities with the depot.

Life with EAMC 2/24 Celebrate ■ EAMC and Event Center Downtown

Depot info

The Auburn train depot was built around 1904. Located on Mitcham Avenue, the building was named a “Place in Peril” in 2010 by the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust of Historical Preservation.

“They’re just kind of looking at their options,” Moseley said. “I think (the commission members) were fairly intrigued by what Mr. Hamrick was proposing.”

The building has been vacant since 2003 and hasn’t operated as a depot since 1970.

It is structurally sound, but in need of repairs, Moseley said.

“The building itself has had at least four additions onto it,” Moseley said. “It has been modified numerous times over the years.”

Moseley said Hamrick conducted a historical analysis based on architectural pat-

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3/31/12 Photo Editor Christen Harned / Assistant The Auburn Depot is located on Mitcham Avenue. The building has been vacant since 2003.

terns to demonstrate how he thought the depot had grown over time and presented ideas of how the client might potentially use the building.

The depot has previously been a realty office and a gift shop in addition to an active depot, Moseley said. He said if the financial institution decides to move forward, they would probably do so quickly.

“I would think that it would be something within the next couple months,” Moseley said.

The process of starting a business in the depot would need to go through the historic preservation commission, the planning commission, city council and possibly the board of zoning and would involve numberous public hearings, Moseley said.

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CALENDAR: FRIDAY, FEB. 24 – SATURDAY, FEB. 29

Alison McFerrin

■ 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

to 5K Run 2/25 Couch ■ Downtown Opelika

■ 8 a.m.

on this Island Jr. 2/26 Once ■ Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center

■ 6:30 p.m.

Harbin Junior Piano Recital 2/28 Thomas ■ Goodwin Music Building Recital Hall

■ 6 p.m.

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Matthew Keaton Junior Bassoon Recital

■ Goodwin Music Building Recital Hall ■ 6 p.m. on this Island Jr. 2/29 Once ■ Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center

■ 6:30 p.m.

Free Intro to the Mandala Workshop

■ 824 Ave. A, Opelika ■ 6 p.m.

people

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Auburn 1621 South College Street 334-821-9622 3/31/12

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great asset to their business.

“Working with Will is better than any other trainer I have ever worked with because he is always positive and high energy, which keeps me positive and high energy as well,” said Kris Dixon, personal trainer at Fitness Together. “Clients love his consistency and his personality. You can easily see the productivity of the business increase because of him as well.”

Willing said he wouldn’t trade his past for anything. He said it has made him a stronger person through his faith and landed him in a profession that he loves, for which he 3/31/12 is grateful.

“Life and working out work in the same way: you add resistance and you either hold the resistance, or let it crush you,” Willing said. “That battle, whether in the weight room or in life, I love. I thrive off of it. I want it.”

Opinions Thursday, February 23, 2012

A7 www.theplainsman.com

Community

Our View

The South hasn’t truly broken from past

Quote of the Week

“

“I don’t think it was on purpose. At the same time, they’ve apologized.

I don’t care anymore.”

—Jeremy Lin Guard, New York Knicks

The Plainsman Poll Vote at theplainsman.com

Becky Hardy campus@ theplainsman.com

You’d think we would have overcome racism by now, seeing how it’s 2012 and the Civil War has ended more than a century ago, but some individuals still seem to be growing up with the same values as the Confederates.

Coming from the North—yes, I’m a yankee—we don’t see as much racism as I have discovered there still is in the South.

Of course there are still racial issues in the North, but some in the South actually take pride in their hate, seen in many forms like Confederate flags hanging in windows and discriminatory signs or messages on the backs of vehicles.

Terrible things were done to African-Americans in the South, and Southerners proud of the Confederacy still, to this day, are technically supporting the enslavement of millions of African-Americans from colonial America to the late 1800s.

You’d think America would have been far past this by now, considering the Civil Rights movement was more than 50 years ago, but you can still see the misplaced pride some individuals have for the Confederacy hanging on their bedroom walls.

Out of all the Southern-born people I’ve met here at Auburn, I can say most of them are accepting of all races, but when you talk about having a relationship with someone of the opposite race, whether it is a long term relationship or just a fun Saturday night, something switches in those peoples’ reactions. They just react differently, and negatively, to interracial relationships.

Although they may be respectful and cordial to that person of a different race as friends, hearing word of one of their friends having relations of any kind with someone of a different race sends them a message that their friend’s or even their reputation could be tarnished.

I understand that some of these beliefs come from a person’s parents or grandparents and how they were raised, but I still won’t give them any slack for being judgmental of people who date someone of a difference ethnicity.

If people who don’t accept interracial relationships don’t think they’re racist, they should really rethink some things. I understand that people may not be attracted to another ethnicity, but that gives people no right to judge anyone for dating someone of a different race.

I’m in no way saying that everyone in the South is secretly prejudice against all minorities, but many people still hold those awful thoughts deep in their hearts because “that is how they were raised.”

What is more appalling is that most individuals who feel that way towards minorities know it’s wrong.

So why don’t they change?

Studies have shown that it is possible for children growing up in homes full of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as physical and emotional abuse, to be nothing like their parents. People can end the the awful cycle of hate.

It is possible for children to have different views about life from their parents, but to what extent does the human race really have to go to eliminate all racism?

I hope I will live long enough to see some serious changes in the South, I love it here but Southern hospitality only goes so far.

ESPN editor’s termination worse than his offense ESPN editor Anthony Federico shouldn’t have been fired, and anchor Max Bretos shouldn’t have been suspended.

The ESPN editor was responsible for the headline that appeared online after the Feb. 17 KnicksHornets game. It read “Chink in the Armor” and referred to recent sensation Jeremy Lin, an American-born guard for the Knicks of Chinese descent.

The headline was put on the ESPN website at about 2:30 a.m. and was taken down 30 minutes later.

Federico, who had been working for ESPN for six years after starting there as an intern, made an honest mistake late in the night and sent an unfortunately worded headline onto the Internet. It was taken down almost as quickly as it went up, but the damage was done.

But what damage? Who was hurt? Jeremy Lin? ESPN? The only person damaged by this mistake was Federico, and that could have been easily avoided.

The “victim” of this atrociously vicious attack by Federico, Jeremy

Lin, said he didn’t think it was intentional.

“I don’t think it was on purpose,” Lin said. “At the same time, they’ve apologized. I don’t care anymore.”

ESPN didn’t lose any credibility with this error. They’re just as strong today as they were last week, and no one is going to stop frequenting their site or their TV channel because of this event.

We feel ESPN threw an employee under a bus they thought was coming, but never arrived. It would have been more appropriate to punish Federico—suspend him, garnish his wages, give him a spanking, whatever—apologize and then learn from it. ESPN should put on their big-boy pants, conjure some integrity and not cut staff in an attempt to deflect criticism.

ESPN knew they were going to take their licks from the public. They knew they would be the punchline of a wealth of jokes, but every organization screws up. The Plainsman makes errors we regret, but we don’t fire staff for mistakes that will inevitably be made.

Sure, the media went through the motions they have whenever anyone is accused of being racist—a weekly occurence these days. Important people came on TV and feigned outrage over the headline. Anchors praddled on, talk show hosts sipped coffee and talked about intolerance, but at the end of the day, people—most importantly Jeremy Lin—just didn’t care.

Was it racist? That depends on whether you think intent matters when determining fault, or only perception. We feel both matter. We can’t ignore the perceptions of those who view the headline, but we also can’t assume the worst and punish a person without giving it serious thought. The headline could be taken as racist, but it’s also a popular phrase that could have been used innocently.

Federico made a serious mistake, but an honest one.

Federico claims he’s used the headline innocently many times before. While we can’t know his intentions, we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt—as ESPN should have.

Your view: GOP giving Obama best chance in re-election bid The most outrageous and captivating reality TV show in the past few months has not concerned itself with the shores of New Jersey, but with the campaign trail of the GOP. Every day now the show seems to get better and better—or is that worse and worse?

In recent weeks, I have often talked over the results and developments of the latest political circus with friends who usually reach the conclusion that I am displaying an air of demonstrability when I predict Obama won’t be checking out of the House ahead of schedule. I will admit there have been moments when my convictions on the issue have been shaken, only to be stirred again by another rash statement here or gaffe there by whoever may be that day’s frontrunner.

The latest statements by the field—especially from the Santorum camp—about education, Obama’s supposed radical worldview, marriage equality and wom-

en’s reproductive rights are not only ugly and embittered, but flat out wrong and stupid. Though everyone has their favorite ridiculous remark those in the race have made about the recent debate on contraception and women’s health, a debate that is curiously lacking in those with a uterus, the award for most anachronistic and backwards must go to Foster Friess, Santorum’s personal moneyman. Last week Friess said, “Back in my day they used Bayer aspirin for contraceptives; the gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.”

And of course, there is the issue of Romney’s robotic nature and out-of-touch-ness, punctuated last week by his awkward avowals of love for his home state (“The trees are the right height.” he said).

I don’t pretend to be an expert on electoral politics, but it seems to me imprudent to pick a fight over social issues, especially con-

traception, the use of which the majority of Americans support, during an election year.

It is true that the brewing brawl with Iran or some other unforeseen event might do damage to Obama’s re-election chances, but for the moment I stand by my prediction.

My confidence rests not primarily on the economy’s monthby-month recovery (which does greatly improve Obama’s chances), but on the view that the opposition candidates are so thoroughly flawed, reactionary and absurd that when faced with the voting booth decision, many independents will make that ofttalked about “lesser of two evils” choice, recalling in their heads episode after episode of the latest TV train wreck.

Zachary Welman freshman, English, philosophy

Don’t forget about fun in college Christen Harned Photo@ theplainsman.com

I’m a big proponent of life lessons.

Recently I’ve been discovering that the ones my mother has been trying to tell me for most of my life, to which I never listened, hold a lot of merit.

This one can be easily summed up in the old saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

We all have our moments of overloading ourselves with work and it’s not healthy. I have been more than guilty of this on many occasions.

The last semester of my senior year of high school I got a full-time job.

For about two months straight I did nothing but work and go to school.

My mother harped on me the entire time that I needed to go out and have fun, especially after I actually considered leaving my own graduation party to go into work.

I repeated this process my sophomore year of college, but this time it was school and a bad relationship.

Finally I realized that if you wrap yourself up in being serious all the time, you’ll never actually have a chance to live.

It took me a good two years to have an epiphany on something my mother had been telling me all along.

If you don’t take a break every once in a while you’ll make yourself too high-strung and become a bit of a curmudgeon—nobody likes a curmudgeon.

Sometimes you really just need to let yourself breathe. Work is important. School is important. However so is your sanity.

Too much work will wear you down. I’m not suggesting abandoning all responsibility and partying all the time. Get stuff done and reach your goals, but don’t work yourself to the bone, because life is about moder-

» See lessons, A8

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

Community A8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Your view: Ladies may pop Academy Awards a pastime the question on hesitant men Kate Jones

I currently work in RBD’s archives and came across an interesting article from the 1896 issue of the Orange & Blue (what The Plainsman used to be called) that discusses the Leap Day of a leap year, Feb. 29.

The article urges the boys of the college to “conduct themselves in matters of love and courtship as becomes

modest and marriageable girls,” since the girls were allowed to propose (marriage!) to them on this day.

It turns out that this is a tradition that supposedly began when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick that women weren’t allowed to propose to the men they loved, and the men kept them waiting for too long. The tra-

Youthfuloffender.com Justbecause because you you made made aa mistake Just mistake doesn’t doesn’t mean to carry carry aa record record with with you you mean you you have have to for your life. life. for the the rest rest of of your Don Eddins, Attorney. *Auburn * (334)821-9981 No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other attorneys.

dition more likely began since Feb. 29 was outside of legal jurisdiction, and therefore was fair game for unusual activity—including a lady proposing to her beau!

So ladies, all things considered, propose to your beau if he’s taking too long!

Grace Moss senior, English

Lessons » From A7

ation and finding the right balance.

So the next time you notice you’ve logged countless hours studying in the library remember to lighten up and let yourself out and have a little fun for a change.

intrigue@ theplainsman. com

The Academy Awards, the most anticipated night in the film business, are Sunday and this girl couldn’t be more excited. Auburn alumna Octavia Spencer is nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Supporting Actress, proving Auburn grads are rocking the world all over the place.

In the Intrigue section, you may have noticed the wide variety of films nominated this year for best picture. “Midnight in Paris” is a nostalgic time-travel experience.

“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is a film adaption of the book by Jonathan Safran Foer about a boy look-

ing for the lock to a key his father left behind after he died on Sep. 11.

“The Artist” is a silent film, the most unique film in the category and the favorite to win the Oscar according to E! Online.

All the movies in between— ”The Help, Hugo,” “The Descendants,” “Moneyball,” “Warhorse” and “The Tree of Life” provide unique stories that could have them going home with the coveted award.

Throughout this process of The Academy Award coverage, my love for movies and covering entertainment has only increased. I’ve learned lots about media and the movies, requesting permission to use photos of scenes in publications—I believed I signed up for 10 press sites and now receive 15 emails from them each day about publicity for

every movie the particular company makes. I’ve learned movie posters are fair game if used for publication, and aren’t edited or tinkered with.

And it reaffirmed to me the great role movies play in our lives.

It’s played a significant role in my life lately. About a week and a half ago, I made a goal for myself to see each movie nominated for Best Picture. It’s a steep goal—I’ve only seen four of the nine—but it’s been a blast taking the journey. Looking at YouTube videos, watching movie trailers and bugging friends to go see movies, I’ve become an Oscar guru. I even downloaded the Oscars app!

I may not see all nine movies before Sunday, but I have gained a bigger appreciation for movies and that has been a blast!

Apartment hunting is a joy Coleman McDowell Sports@ theplainsman. com

This past week I signed a lease for a house and ended a four-month-long period where I didn’t know where I was going to call home next year.

After searching in almost every nook and cranny of Auburn, I discovered parts of Auburn I have never even seen in my four years of college.

I ventured down roads I had seen, but never driven down. I looked in apartment complexes that I had never heard of. I scoured realty websites daily for new listings.

And after four months of searching, I realized something: Auburn has a lot to offer.

From location to square footage to giant houses built in the ‘50s, you can find whatever you want in this small town.

I urge everyone to step out

and find his or her part of Auburn to call home. If you have stayed in the same apartment unit for two years, move!

After my graduation in December, I will have stayed at four vastly different locations in my time at Auburn, and I think it has made me appreciate all that Auburn has to offer.

My freshman year I stayed in the Lower Quad. Waking up at 8:55 a.m. for a 9 a.m. class is something everyone should experience once. Sharing a bathroom with three other guys wasn’t ideal, but it makes you appreciate what you have.

After a year on campus I was ready to stretch my legs. I moved to a condo behind WalMart. Having a supercenter beside you is convenient in any circumstance.

The following year, I moved to the complete other side of Auburn I had forgotten existed during my time on the south side.

A two-year stint on the north side of College Street

led me to the realization that there was another place to buy groceries besides Wal-Mart, and there were more restaurants in Auburn besides the cluster of fast-food venues that were minutes away from my old spot.

As my second year on this side wraps up, I’m looking forward to the fourth location, an old house located closer to campus and the cheapest option in my four years.

Four different rooms, three different transit lines and two different primary grocery stores.

In my time researching where to live, I found many people stick to the same handful of locations and think there aren’t any other options. I toured a house across from Kiesel Park, a condo above Moe’s Southwestern Grill and found many duplexes behind the University Mall; there are options out there.

I’ve seen what Auburn has to offer. I hope you will too.

To Place an Ad, Call - 334-844-7928 or Email classifieds@theplainsman.com All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

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Sports

Tennis travels to Blue-Gray » Page B4

TWEET US!

B1

@PlainsmanSports

www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sports

DANIELLE LOWE / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The Auburn baseball team runs onto the field to celebrate its win against Missouri Friday afternoon. The Tigers won the season opener 5-–2, but lost the next two games in the series.

Tigers face difficult series with No. 20 Arizona Taylor Jones WRITER

The Auburn baseball team faces a tough opponent this weekend in the No. 20 Arizona Wildcats. The Tigers will travel to Tuscon to play the Wildcats at Hi Corbett Field.

The Wildcats are 3–1 this season after a series with North Dakota State and a win against Utah Valley.

Offensively, the Wildcats are led by out-

fielder Robert Refsnyder, who in 13 at bats has seven hits and five RBIs. Another key contributor to the Wildcats is outfielder Johnny Field, who in nine at bats has six hits and one RBI. Pitching is a strength for Arizona, with one pitcher already having pitched a shutout. In nine innings, pitcher James Farris gave up five hits, but struck out six to preserve the shutout.

Pitcher Konner Wade played seven innings in game two, giving up two hits, two runs and two walks with 13 strikeouts.

In order for the Tigers to compete with the Wildcats, batters will have to capitalize on runners on base. There were runners in scoring position several times in the Missouri series, but the Tigers were unable to finish.

Auburn did put together an offensive showcase against Alcorn State in the first

game of a two-game series Tuesday.

The Tigers pounded out 20 hits—nine for extra bases—to shut out the Braves 22–0.

In total, 13 players scored at least one run, and 13 had at least one hit.

The winning margin was the largest since a 28–6 victory against the Samford Bulldogs in 2000.

» See BASEBALL, B2

Softball looks to extend 7–0 streak in Florida Ali Jenkins WRITER

The Auburn softball team will take its talent to Boca Raton, Fla., this weekend to compete in the Florida Atlantic Tournament.

The Tigers kept their undefeated season alive last weekend, overcoming Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech in the SEC/ ACC/Big 12 Challenge and improving their record to 7–0.

“The season’s going good,” said senior shortstop Lauren Guzman.

“Our defense right now is doing pretty well, and our hitting. We’re hitting when we’re supposed to be hitting instead of just hitting scattered. Our situational hitting is good.”

Despite going into the tournament with a perfect record, coach Tina Deese said the team has room for improvement.

“We are playing very good ball at times,” Deese said. “I think we are doing a decent job at making adjustments. I think our pitching staff is doing what it needs to do in terms of just giving us time to make adjustments at the plate, keeping the ball games tight. I think over-

“

I think overall, you know, if we’re going to compete for an SEC West championship … we’ve got to do a lot of things to get better.”

—Tina Deese SOFTBALL COACH

all, you know, if we’re going to compete for an SEC West championship, or whatever it is that we aspire to, we’ve got to do a lot of things to get better.”

Auburn will face Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic Friday, Michigan State and Florida International Saturday and Loyola Marymount Sunday.

With the Tigers playing five games in three days, Deese said

» See SOFTBALL, B2

REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Senior shortstop Lauren Guzman, No. 5, is greeted with cheers as she runs home after hitting a grand slam against Oklahoma State University Friday.

REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Freshman pole vaulter Chason Farnell practices his technique before the upcoming tournament Friday afternoon.

Championships draw race of nation’s best Robert E. Lee SPORTS BEAT REPORTER

The Auburn track and field team will travel to Lexington, Ky., Friday for the SEC Indoor Championships.

Coach Ralph Spry said because the championships are indoors, it will be slightly harder to compete because the track is more condensed and the athletes are familiar with outdoor conditions.

“Everything is going good, we’ve been very fortunate, the weather has been great, give or take a cold day here and there, so this gives us time to kind of rest up, kind of get sharp and tuned up so that when we go to the conference championships everybody is feeling poised and rested,” Spry said.

He said his men’s and women’s squads are both competitive, but have their differences.

“The men’s team is pretty solid,” Spry said. “I’ve got a lot of guys that have been All-American and very good at the conference level. The other side, on the women’s team, is very, very young. Any time you have a bunch of freshmen, you really never know until you get there.

“I’ve got a couple of girls on the women’s team that are upperclassmen, and I’m expecting those girls to kind of set the tempo for us and get us off to a good start, and hopefully this young women’s team can feed off of that energy.”

Spry said he expects junior sprint-

er Harry Adams and sophomore thrower Stephen Saenz to continue to produce.

“Right now on the mens side, I’ve got two of the nation’s best, one of them being Harry Adams in the 60-meter dash,” Spry said. “Earlier this year he ran the fastest time in the world, and currently he has the third best time in the world.

“I’ve also got a sophomore in Stephen Saenz that throws the shot put,

and he’s got one of the best in the nation already this year.”

Saenz said he has been working with assistant coach Jerry Clayton in preparing for the upcoming championship.

“For this upcoming meet we’ve really been taking off in terms of volume in the weight room and going a little light on the throws, just to

» See TRACK, B2

REBECCA CROOMES / PHOTO EDITOR

Senior Krystal Bodie jumps hurdles during practice Friday afternoon before the SEC Indoor Championships this weekend.

Sports B2

The Auburn Plainsman

Track » From B1

kind of make sure I’m at maximum performance this weekend,” Saenz said. “Right now I feel like I’m a lot stronger and faster than last year, and in the weight room I have improved tremendously. I lost some of the technical aspects I had last year, but I’m getting my rhythm back, and I feel like if I get it together I can throw a bomb.”

Track and field practices three hours a day including weightlifting and running, taking Saturday and Sunday off, but with multiple events during their meets, Spry said he utilizes a full coaching staff.

“We’re allowed six coaches, and each coach is responsible for certain areas,” Spry said. “We’re not like football or basketball where everybody practices at the same time. Normally we’ve got five or six coaches that work out throughout the day, normally from 3–5 p.m.”

Adams said he is ready for the championships.

“I feel like practice has been

going pretty good, getting my legs back under me and ready for this weekend,” he said. “I like outdoor (tracks) better just because it feels more natural—Olympic runners run outdoors—it’s that type of feeling.”

Spry also said he will be looking to two leaders on the women’s squad this weekend.

“A young lady named Nivia Smith, who has one of the top 200-meter times in the country, and also Kai Selvon. She’s got two solid races put down this year: the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Those are two girls that stick out to me right now,” Spry said.

Spry said because of the nature of the sport, the team is focused on one aspect throughout the season.

“The biggest thing we’ve got to improve on is trying to keep ourselves healthy,” Spry said. “That’s tough to do for us, more so because we don’t have an indoor facility. Every time we compete during indoor season we have to travel somewhere, and that requires a lot of wear and tear on your body, jet lag, riding buses and stuff like that.”

softball » From B1

pitching adjustments and player communication are vital for success.

“I think more than anything we’ve just got to see all kinds of different looks from our pitching, different pitchers,” Deese said. “I think we need to make adjustments from one at-bat to the next, sometimes from one pitch to the next.

“I think we need to continue to work as a team to work on signals and gelling as a team. I think that’s huge, and just bringing energy to the game.”

While the Tigers call Jane B. Moore Field home, Auburn’s first away tournament of the season comes with a sense of excitement unlike the rest: it’s a final homecoming for three seniors.

This weekend, Florida natives Guzman and senior pitchers Jenee Loree and Lauren Schmalz will play in front of their friends and families back home one last time.

Baseball » From B1

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Senior javelin Michael Dekich works on his stance as he tosses on the practice field Friday afternoon.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

“Offensively, it started early and we put some pressure on them early in the game.

We did some things with our speed and saw some guys go first-to-third,” said coach John Pawlowski.

Senior second baseman Creede Simpson led the Tigers, going four-for-four at the plate with two RBIs and one score.

Sophomore outfielder Jay Gonzalez will need to continue to use his speed to pressure opponents on the basepaths.

Gonzalez has recorded two stolen bases this season.

After the weekend series in Arizona, the Tigers look to a two-game series against Alabama State starting Tuesday.

Rebecca Croomes / Photo Editor

Junior third baseman Caitlin Schultze takes a pitch during the SEC/Big 12/ACC Challenge Feb. 17.

“Quite honestly, I enjoy playing at home,” Deese said.

“I think the girls absolutely love to play at home, but we can’t play at home every weekend.

“I’ve got a couple of seniors going home: Lauren Schmalz, Jenee Loree and Lauren Guz-

man. We’re going to play in front of their family and friends for the last time down there in South Florida, so I think that’s important, and for that I am very much looking forward to going down to Florida.”

Auburn begins tournament

play Friday with games at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturday’s two matchups, the first against Michigan State, will start at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Play will conclude Sunday at 10 a.m. when the Tigers take on Loyola Marymount.

“

Offensively, it started early and we put some pressure on them early in the game. We did some things with our speed and saw some guys go first-to-third.”

—John Pawlowski Baseball Coach

The Hornets are currently 0–4 after losing to the University of California-Irvine, Grambling State, Southern and UAB.

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Junior outfielder Cullen Wacker bats against Missouri in the season opener.

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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sports B3

The Auburn Plainsman

Luckie shows senior leadership through devotion Akaash Singh Writer

Cory Luckie’s passion for community and academics has helped him achieve his captain status on the baseball team.

The senior pitcher was born and raised in Prattville and said in his senior year of high school his choices came down to Auburn, UAB, Samford and Berry College.

He committed to the Tigers in December of his senior year after attending their baseball camp in Auburn.

Luckie majored in chemical engineering his freshman year, switched to biomedical sci-

ences his sophomore year and is now set to graduate and attend medical school.

“It is tough balancing education and baseball, but what I try to tell people is that sometimes baseball helps,” Luckie said. “It gives you a set timeframe of when you have to have all of your work done. I think that it helps you prepare for graduate school. It is tough, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

Luckie had a few complete starts toward the end of his freshman year, but tore a ligament in his elbow during a start against Alabama.

Luckie had to have Tommy

John surgery and sat out his sophomore year.

“The hardest part was definitely sitting,” he said. “It’s hard to watch everyone play and not be able to help out that much. I really think I got a lot of it though. I learned a lot that year.”

While Luckie was going through the rehabilitation process his sophomore year, he made SEC Academic Honor Roll. He said he’s since recovered from the damage in his elbow.

Luckie’s redshirt sophomore and junior years were filled with quality starts and relief appearances. In 2010 the

team reached the NCAA Re- mie Moyer.

“They are so similar to me gional Finals. He appeared in the last game against Clem- that I have to look at the things that they do and bring it to my son, recording one out. game,” Luckie said.

“My favorite He said because moment out of they are softerthe past four years throwing lefties would have to be like him they are during our regioneasier to relate to. al in 2010 when we Luckie said his fawon the West at vorite pitch is the Ole Miss,” Luckie changeup. said.

He said this Lu c ki e s a i d LUCKIE year’s team has his coaches have grown tremendously. helped his progression “Our team is very close as a most in the past four years by helping his mindset going into result of practicing together, practices, all while he idolizes our retreat we went on during pitchers Tom Glavine and Ja- the fall at Tim Hudson’s farm

Teeing off with Trapani Patrick Tighe Sports Beat Reporter

Freshman golfer Victoria Trapani juggles a fast-paced life in Auburn.

She can be found smacking buckets of balls on the driving range or playing the course with the No. 3-ranked team.

When Trapani isn’t golfing, she can be found studying or cooking up practical jokes to pull on her teammates and coaches.

Trapani and the Tigers are coming off their first win of the spring season at the Central Florida Invitational in Orlando.

As a team, Auburn placed first with a total score of 863 at one-under par. Auburn was one of 18 ranked teams competing in the tournament.

Trapani shot a total score of 213 for three-under par to claim medalist honors and her first collegiate individual victory at Auburn.

“Obviously it felt good,” Trapani said. “I am always nervous the first round and coach has to always be there to calm me down. Especially on the last day coming down to the last few holes, I was really nervous. They are the most difficult holes and the wind was blowing.”

Coach Kim Evans was confident in Trapani that day, however.

“I wasn’t nervous for her at all,” Evans said. “I’m just proud she is in that position. The only way she is going to learn to get booed at is experience. I’m just glad she got the experience and let her learn her way through it.”

Trapani handles a day of classes as well as practice and individual work. She said golfers are required to have classes finished before noon, and after class Evans will take the team on the course and to pinpoint weaknesses during practice.

Trapani has a preferred shot on the course during practice and competition, favoring her irons when it comes to pulling

“

Patty Sanz is definitely the person I look to on the team. She always knows what to say and when to say it and knows how to keep me focused.”

—Victoria Trapani Freshman Golfer

out an important shot.

“I like approach shots because I love going for pins and hitting it close,” Trapani said.

Trapani recalled a specific approach shot of her’s on hole 14 of the Central Florida Invitational. Trapani hit a precise shot in tricky conditions.

“I just stayed focused,” Trapani said. “I couldn’t see the pin or the green or anything.

The wind was blowing about 20 mph, and I just focused and hit a good shot and stayed in it.”

Trapani said she and her teammates like to sing, dance and occasionally band together to pull a practical joke, like hiding in the complex before the coaches arrive to scare them.

Evans dubbed Trapani and freshman teammate Nicole Quinn the two pranksters on the team.

Quinn said she and Trapani have become friends.

“We’ve gotten close,” Quinn said. “We kind of knew each other before we came (to Auburn). We have classes together, practice together. We have a lot of fun.”

Trapani said she looks up to senior golfer Patricia Sanz, who she credits with helping her stay positive, which in turn helps Trapani’s game.

“Patty Sanz is definitely the person I look to on the team,” Trapani said. “She always knows what to say and when

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Trapani finished the fall season ranked 29th in the final GolfWeek rankings and recorded a scoring average of 73.92, the second-lowest on the team.

to say it and knows how to keep me focused. Even though I only talk to her outside of the golf course, she tells me good thoughts to have going into tough shots or when I feel everything is going against me that day.”

Trapani said she is confident about the weekend invitational, as well as the rest of the season.

“I think we have a chance to win nationals for sure,” Trapani said. “I know we are ranked third, but I think we are just as good as the No. 1 team in the country.”

Trapani said the members of the golf team are close.

“Our team is like a little family,” Trapani said. “Having nine girls on a team, obviously we have some rough times, but we all love each other. Coach has become like a mother to me. My whole team has definitely become a part of my victory too.”

Trapani and the Tigers will hit the road to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational in New Orleans from Saturday through Monday.

and a FREE homemade ice cream!

and playing more and more,” he said. “What we have here is special.”

Luckie explained his goals for the season as a team captain.

“My main goal for this season doesn’t pertain to performance,” he said. “For me, as a team captain, it is for me to make sure that my teammates are mentally ready to play.”

He has accepted his role as a relief pitcher this year and knows how he can help the team.

“Pitching can get to be a hard game sometimes, so you don’t want to focus on the little things too much,” Luckie said.

Sports B4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Tennis travels to capital for Blue-Gray Bradley Roberts Writer

The Auburn men’s and women’s tennis teams will head to Montgomery Feb. 24– 26 for the annual Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic.

In its 63 years, the tournament has gained prestige as some of the most talented student athletes from top-ranked programs all over the country compete in the weekend-long competition.

Fourteen schools will be represented this year, with Auburn and the University of Alabama the only schools representing both the men’s and women’s categories.

The Auburn women’s team will go into the tournament fresh off its win against the

University of Louisiana Monroe. The Tigers improved to 4–1 with the victory.

First-year women’s coach Lauren Meisner said the team would be hard at work this week to correct whatever flaws have been evident in previous matches.

“We just got back home from a road trip, so first we got some good rest in,” Meisner said. “We are, in our practices, being very specific with things that we need to finetune before the match, being very specific in our needs for singles and doubles.

“We are getting our bodies refreshed and ready to go to play three matches this weekend.”

Junior co-captain Plamena

Kurteva said with a few minor tweaks this week in practice she hopes to bring her game as close to perfect as possible.

“We are just working on playing a little bit better in the match and staying aggressive,” she said.

Kurteva said she believes hard workouts and repetition will help her improve her abilities on the court.

“We work out twice a week and we run two or three times a week depending on our schedule,” Kurteva said. “I repeat every single exercise a lot so I can get confident.”

Kurteva’s doubles partner, junior Paulina Schippers, said her comfort with Kurteva has led to a great chemistry between the two, which she be-

“

We are getting our bodies refreshed and ready to go play three matches this weekend ” —- Lauren Meisner Women’s tennis coach

lieves has been a big reason for their success.

“I’ve played with Plamena a lot since freshman year, so we know each other pretty well and we have a very good chemistry, and that gives us confidence,” Schippers said.

Schippers said her famil-

iarity with Kurteva’s game has paid off and helped them win matches.

“We know our games pretty well, so we know when to pump the other one up,” Schippers said. “We know what the other one wants to do, so that helps us on the court.”

Schippers said she has prepared for the tournament like any other match.

“I just keeping working hard like I always do,” she said.

This will be the first BlueGray tournament the women’s team has participated in under Meisner, who said she’s heard about the crowd turnout in the past and expects this year’s tournament to be no different.

“Our expectations and

hopes are that we have a very good crowd,” Meisner said.

“I’ve been told there are a lot of Auburn supporters in Montgomery, so we hope they come out and support us, get to know me as a coach and get to know this team even better.”

Schippers said a win in the Blue-Gray Classic would be huge for her.

“It’s a very special tournament because most of the people (in attendance) are Auburn fans,” Schippers said. “It would be very special to be able to win it knowing that we have a lot of support out there.”

The women’s tennis team will begin conference play next week as the Ole Miss Rebels come to Auburn March 3.

Intrigue Thursday, February 23, 2012

Most fashionable

Fitness tip of the week

» Page B6

» Page B7

B5

www.theplainsman.com

Intrigue

Atheists & Agnostics no different from rest Robert E. Lee SPORTS BEAT REPORTER

ALL PHOTOS BY DANIELLE LOWE / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The set design for “Cabaret” was made entirely from scratch except for a spiral staircase already in the theatre department’s storage.

Auburn’s newest ‘Klub’ An intricately designed set is built for the theatre deparment’s production of “Cabaret”

Hayley Blair INTRIGUE BEAT REPORTER

After five weeks of preparation the set for the upcoming play “Cabaret” is finished, and the Kit Kat Klub, the setting of the play in 1930s Berlin, will host a crowded audience at the Telfair Peet Theatre.

“I’ve never had a set so intricate,” said Paula Bagley, freshman in theatre. “I mean its two stories; I’ve never had a two-story set. It’s definitely been a challenge in a good way. It’s easier to dig deeper with the characters and get more into the show because we can interact with the set so much.”

Paul Anton, assistant technical director, said after the set is designed it’s his job to build the massive structure in the most efficient way.

“We build in pieces that are manageable, so pieces that we can carry easily and aren’t too heavy,” Anton said. “We can’t build an entire section at once.

We have to build it in pieces then put it together to complete the puzzle.”

Despite the size of the set, Anton said it would only take about four hours to take down and store. After a production is finished with a set, the pieces are usually used later in different shows.

“For this one, because it was so unique, we weren’t able to use anything but the spiral staircase that we already had, but all the stuff we bought for the show will be things we’ll reuse a great deal,” Anton said.

Most of the background was sent to North Carolina to be

painted, but Anton said the actors actually painted some of the graffiti on the set’s walls.

“This is the first play where I’ve actually had a hand in painting the set,” said Blake Burgis, junior in theatre. “The graffiti was a touch I really enjoyed with the show. Any time before that you have to kind of inscribe your initials and make it a secret or the scenic director will get really mad at you.”

Bagley said drawing the graffiti during rehearsal was fun and was also a good exercise to help understand her character.

“When we did the graffiti we all had to do stuff that reflected our character, which also gave us a chance to dig deeper into our story,” Bagley said, “so it’s fun see-

» See CABARET, B7

The Auburn Atheist and Agnostic Asociation has been on campus for several years, but has recently seen an increase in popularity.

“We would like the student body to perceive us as they perceive everyone else,” said Nall, sophomore in communication. “We don’t really see any reason for anyone in the atheist group or the agnostic group to be treated differently from anyone else on the campus.”

Meeting every Thursday in Room 2222 of the Student Center from 6–8 p.m., Nall said a typical meeting starts with news from the atheist and agnostic community followed by planned discussion.

“Recently we’ve had discussions about the Milgram experiment and different types of psychology and how religion is similar to those,” Nall said. “Every now and again we have someone from one of the Christian groups come in and talk to us. And our meetings are open to everyone; anyone who wants to can come and if they want to engage us in debate.

We’re completely open to that.”

The Milgram experiments were conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1961 with the premise to establish whether people would obey authority figures even when the orders given were morally wrong.

Treasurer Poojit Radikumar, senior in supply chain management, said AAA is still spreading the group’s awareness on campus through events and having informational tables.

“We’ve done an ‘Ask an Atheist’ table in the Student Center, and that’s become really popular,” Radikumar said. “The main thing is promoting our group and breaking any negative stereotypes about our group. People come up asking a wide variety of questions. It’s a friendly way of getting our name out on campus.”

Nall said he is pleased with the

“

I feel like we are distrusted in Auburn; we’re not respected for our views.

That’s something we want to change, and when people automatically hear the word ‘atheist’ they kind of count you out of the topic of the discussion.”

—Poojit Radikumar AAA TREASURER

association’s efforts.

“The group has been around for a few years at this point,” Nall said.

“There’s not many people on campus that even thought that this would be an active type of discussion or type of group in this part of the world, in this part of the U.S. specifically.”

Despite having nearly 200 registered members and close to 30 active members, Radikumar believes Auburn’s perception of the group is not what it should be.

“This group was created so freethinkers and nonreligious could come together with a goal of spreading awareness and acceptance of atheism within the Auburn community,” Radikumar said. “I feel like we’re distrusted in Auburn; we’re not respected for our views. That’s something we want to change, and when people automatically hear the word ‘atheist’ they kind of count you out of the topic of the discussion.”

Rebecca Godwin, lab technician in biological sciences, said she has seen a positive response to the group.

“I’ve been really impressed with

» See ATHEIST, B7

What you need to know: inclement weather THUNDERSTORM SAFETY:

TORNADO:

What you need to know:

What you need to know:

If there is lightning, move insdie a sturdy house, large building or metal vehicle.

A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the ground. If the circulation is not on the ground, then it is defined as a funnel cloud.

Stay away form electrical applicances and do not use the telephone.

If caught outdoors during a storm and away from appropriate shelter, crouch down low, but do not lie flat on the ground.

A TORNADO WATCH:

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH:

Conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

A watch is issued for a large area covering several counties.

Conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms. Keep watch on the sky and stay informed by watching local news. Typically, watches last around six hours and cover a relatively large area.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING: A severe thunderstorm is occurring, has been detected by National Weather Service Doppler Radar, or a reliable report has been received. Take immediate cover as thunderstorms have the ability to produce tornadoes. Warnings are issued for smaller, more specific locations and generally last for one hour or less.

FLASH FLOOD SAFETY: If a flash flood warning is issued an area, action must be taken immediately as floods move quickly.

During periods of heavy rains, stay away from known flood areas like stream beds, drainage ditches and culverts.

Never drive a car into water of unknown depth.

TORNADO SAFETY TIPS: Go to the most interior portion of your home without windows.

A TORNADO WARNING: A developing tornado has been detected by National Weather Service Doppler Radar or has been reported on the ground. Seek shelter immediately.

If in a mobile home, seek shelter in a sturdy building or a storm shelter. If there is not one nearby, take shelter in the most interior part of the home.

A warning is typically issued for parts of counties at a time and usually lasts no more than 45 minutes.

Source: http://www.srh. noaa.gov/bmx/

Health & Wellness

B6

www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Intrigue

Knowing body key to preventing serious illness Not many women know facts about their No. 1 killer Abigail O’Brien Writer

Heart disease claims the lives of more women in America than any other illness, and as awareness of this fact increases, many women are beginning to fight back against this quiet killer.

Matt Hooper, communications director at the Birmingham American Heart Association, said many women are uninformed about the seriousness of the issue.

“If you added up the women who have died as a result of any cancer over the past year, it would not equal the number of women who have died as a result of heart disease,” Hooper said.

Hooper said in 2004–05, one in eight women knew the facts about heart disease. Now, the statistic is one in six.

The disease does not target a certain age group, Hooper said.

“It’s not an old person’s disease,” he said. “It’s a disease that can really strike even if you’re young and you think you’re healthy.”

Simple preventative steps can greatly reduce a woman’s risk.

Among the most important, Hooper said, are that women should stop smoking, visit a doctor for a personal checkup, eat better and exercise.

He especially stressed regular visits to the docor.

“We call it, ‘know your numbers,’” Hooper said. “Know what your cholesterol is. Know what your blood sugar is. Know what your blood pressure is.”

Exercise and diet also play a key role in preventing heart disease.

“If you substitute one healthy item in your diet in place of something that’s unhealthy, you’re going to help your cardiovascular system,” Hooper said. “Chances are you’re gonna add years to your life.”

Stephanie Irvin, doctoral student in biology, said being proactive is the

second step after awareness.

“It’s something that requires active monitoring and maintenance,” Irvin said.

She said many students may be oblivious to how current choices they make will affect them later. “… You’re young, you’re healthy, you’re fit and you’re having fun. And you don’t think about, ‘Well, how’s the lifestyle I live now going to impact my life 20, 30 years down the road?’” Irvin said.

The here and now often outweighs the future, she said.

“You aren’t looking ahead; you’re looking ahead to, ‘When’s my next test? When’s my next date? What’s the next big social activity in my life?’

Not, ‘What’s my health gonna be in 20 years?’” Irvin said.

Michelle Lolley, sophomore in communication, said she likes to work out and eat healthy to reduce stress.

“I’m a huge health nut,” Lolley said.

“I go to the gym. When I don’t have time, I still work out at my house.”

Lolley said she becomes tired and weak when she doesn’t keep up with healthy habits.

“I think a lot of people develop bad habits in college because you’re just on a really tight budget and a really strict schedule and everyone gets stressed out,” Lolley said, “and you eat because you’re bored, you eat because you’re stressed.”

However, Lolley said the alternative is not as difficult as some may think.

“It’s really not hard or expensive to eat healthy if you do it right,” she said.

Irvin said she thinks more women are suffering from heart disease mainly because of a focus on other areas.

“Not for us as students, but for … moms … they put themselves last,” Irvin said. “So they’re more concerned about their kids’ health and their partner’s health and less about their health.”

The American Heart Association has noticed the same thing, Hooper said.

“One thing that we have discovered in research: women tend to ignore their symptoms more than men

Awareness key for testicular cancer, STDs Sydney Callis Writer

do,” Hooper said.

Research shows women are often focused more on others, he said.

“That can be for a variety of factors.

They’re busy, they’ve got other people to take care of in the house … they feel like maybe the last person they need to take care of is themselves,” Hooper said.

Hooper urged women to know their body.

“You know when there’s something wrong,” Hooper said. “You know that there’s a pain in your chest that you can’t identify or you feel nauseated or you feel unusually tired.”

Hopper said heart disease does affect women differently than men, but if more women are affected is still to be determined.

“But we do think that there’s a correlation between women perhaps focusing more on other people and not necessarily on themselves that makes it seem like women are being affected more than men are,” he said.

Heart Stats – While 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, 1 in 3 dies of cardiovascular disease.

– Currently, some 8,000,000 women in the U.S. are living with heart disease, yet only 1 in 6 American women believes that heart disease is her greatest health threat.

– 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

Source: AHA: Go Red for Women

A man’s lifestyle makes an enormous difference in not only his dayto-day health, but also in diagnosing other diseases.

Fred Kam, medical director at the Auburn University Medical Clinic, and Suzanne Graham-Hooker, doctor at the clinic, said testicular cancer is one of the most concerning and common diseases for men.

“Things are very different depending on the age of the men, but the most common diseases and ailments in men come from the urology area,” Graham-Hooker said.

Kam said testicular cancer is most common in men ages 15–35.

Both doctors provided tips to prevent testicular-related problems and to catch testicular cancer at its earliest stage.

“Doing monthly testicular exams may help discover a cancer early,” Kam said.

There is no proven way to prevent testicular cancer, GrahamHooker said, so early detection is important, and having routine checkups is the best way to spot it early.

Pain, abnormalities in the testicles or scrotum, trouble urinating and swelling are some symptoms of testicular cancer, Graham-Hooker said. She said men should visit their doctor right away if they experience those.

Sexually active men are susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases and other infections, GrahamHooker said.

“Young men go out and have sex and a lot of them don’t use condoms,” Graham-Hooker said. “They can get many different infections from unprotected sex.”

Kam said symptomatic sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, are commonly treated at the AUMC.

These sexually transmitted diseases and infections can be prevented by being careful.

“Wearing protective equipment, avoiding alcohol and drugs, abstaining from sex or using condoms are all preventative measures,” Kam said.

The college atmosphere is filled with responsibilities that pull students in different directions, but Graham-Hooker said it is important for men to learn how to take proper care of their body.

“Men should know about their genitals because a lot of men don’t know what the lumps and bumps are, so they can know if the bumps are normal or not normal,” Graham-Hooker said. “That way they’ll know how to tell when something is wrong.”

Cameron Bradley, senior in mechanical engineering, does his best to balance his schedule and properly take care of his body.

“With school and everything else it’s hard to find the time to go to the doctor,” Bradley said. “I try to work out a few times a week and try to eat healthy though.”

Graham-Hooker said undiagnosed diseases could continue to develop until they have infected other regions of the body.

She also emphasized the importance of taking care of the entire body to maintain proper health.

“Everyone in general needs to have a good, solid exercise and diet health because lack of exercise and good diet can cause other ailments, including diabetes and health problems,” she said.

Exercise of the Week: Pilates

Pilates strengthens the core muscles. Leg lifts, rollups and teasers on a mat build stronger abs and, in particular, lower abdominal muscles. By using your own body for resistance, pilates can keep your muscles lean and toned rather than large and bulky.

For a full slideshow of exercises, visit www.theplainsman.com

Danielle Lowe / Assistant Photo Editor

Lisa, yoga and pilates instructor at the Student Act, shows her students ab exercises during her 5 p.m. pilates class Tuesday.

Want to be Aubie?

Come try out!

Important Dates for prospective Aubies: Information Sessions: Feb 27, 8 p.m. in 2310 Student Center March 1, 4 p.m. 2223 Student Center March 6, 7 p.m. 2227 Student Center; March 7, 5 p.m. in 2310 Student Center March 20, 7 p.m. in 2107 Student Center *interested students are required to come to one of these sessions

Housing for Students:

• Apartment Communities • Condo/Townhouse Communities • Apartment & Condos • Studios, Duplexes, & Houses

Skit Clinics: Optional Clinic: March 22, 8 p.m.

Mandatory Clinic: March 26-29, 6-9p.m. *each evening*

Located on 363A Glenn Avenue Auburn, Alabama

Tryouts: April 2-3!!

Hosted by Auburn S.G.A.’s Aubie Program

Intrigue B7

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Kerry’s recipe of the week

RAY BAN

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups milk salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 1/2 cups cheddar jack cheese, divided 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided 2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 1 (14-ounce) can artichokes in water, drained and chopped

Meghan Medford

senior, apparel merchandising

THRIFTED

“I like this because it’s easy. The top is easy to put on, and the boots are kind of fun and hippie.”

LULU LEMON

MINNETONKA

Directions: Preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour to form a roux. Cook the roux for one minute or until it turns a golden color. Slowly whisk in the milk. Continue to whisk for 5–7 minutes to form a béchamel sauce. The sauce will be thick and smooth. As the sauce becomes thicker, lower the heat to medium-low. Add 1 1/4 cups of the cheddar jack cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, spinach and chopped artichokes. Stir until everything is combined and transfer to a small casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Top the mixture with the remaining cheddar jack and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 15–20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or veggie sticks.

Contributed by Kerry Fannon

cabaret » From B5

ing things that only we probably know mean.”

Bagley painted “gold grabber” at the top of the set to describe her character, Helga, and Burgis used his character’s native language.

“Mine is ‘ vor allem Deutsche,’” Burgis said. “It’s right there in the front, and it means ‘above all, German.’

My character Hans is a very nationalist person. He bleeds for his country.”

The atmosphere of the play was not the only thing considered when building the set,.

Anton said safety and practicality are also important.

“We have what’s called a fire curtain,” Anton said. “It actually comes in the middle of the set in case of a fire to keep the fire from spreading to the audience, so we can’t have anything that will obstruct that from coming in.”

It is also important for set

SHOW TIMES

» From B5

7:30 p.m.

Feb. 23–25 & Feb. 28 to March 3

2:30 p.m.

February 26

pieces to always be ready for the next scene, which is difficult for actors who have splitsecond costume changes between parts.

“They have several intricate costumes they have to get on and off in seconds, so a lot of what the rest of us have to do is make sure that all the set is lined up and work it over and over again to make sure we know where everything goes,” Burgis said.

Though the set is safe, many of the actors are in complex scenes while interacting with it, which Bagley said can be intimidating.

“For me the only scary

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

parts are going down those stairs as fast as we have to in heels,” Bagley said. “I have to walk across the top backwards without looking behind me and that’s a challenge. It’s very sturdy, though.

It’s obviously a very safe set and very well-built, so that helps.”

Burgis said the set is an extremely important part of what makes the show engaging.

“Putting it together definitely took a lot of time and effort,” Burgis said. “As it comes together it’s got more character, and the set itself becomes a part of the show.”

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how well its been perceived and the participation that we’ve gotten,” Godwin said.

“The attendance has been very good, more so than I would have expected. I haven’t really had anybody react negatively.

Mostly it’s just curiosity.”

According to its website, AAA is also part of the Secular Student Alliance, whose goal is to organize, unite, educate and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism and humanbased ethics.

The group is holding an event titled “What the atheist movement can learn from the LGBT movement” Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Ballroom A of the Student Center. Active atheist and LGBT spokeswoman Greta Christina will be speaking, as well as holding informal discussions afterward.

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Intrigue B8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, February 23, 2012