March 4

Final in Pedestrian Safety Series A3

Q&A with Olympic gold medalist’s cousin C1

E-day festivities B1

The Auburn Plainsman A Spirit That Is Not Afraid

THURSDAY, March 4, 2010

Vol. 116, Issue 21 32 Pages

www.theplainsman.com

‘Everyone has their secrets’ With the two year anniversary of Lauren Burk’s death, a close friend shares her struggles with depression derived from this tragedy NICOLE LAMONTAGNE WRITER

The word “depression” has a stigma that makes people feel uncomfortable to speak aloud; however, this whisper in the dark is one of the most widespread mental illnesses affecting individuals today.

In any six-month period, 9.4 million Americans suffer from this disease.

One in four women and one in 10 men can expect to develop it during their lifetime, according to Mental Health America.

To bring this common secret out of the darkness, Ansley Monroe, senior in psychology, has come forth to bring alight her story, as she has battled depression throughout her college years.

Her story creates a face for depression, so others may feel comforted that the reflection in the mirror is far from alone.

Monroe grew up in a loving and supportive family with one younger sister.

Her hobbies included singing, cheerleading and soccer. She was a great student and daughter however, she described her childhood years as “shy and sheltered, yet fun.”

“Never in a million years did I think I’d become depressed,” Monroe said.

Though she experienced family deaths as a teenager, her first emotional downturn occurred from a longterm, high school boyfriend.

“At one point I thought he was going to hit me,” she said. “I was emotionally abused by him.”

Once she moved out of the house and on from a bad relationship, college allowed her to break from her shell and become more outgoing.

Monroe began dating another boy, Alex, and spent most of her freshman through junior year with him. Her relationship with her parents then became rocky.

Tensions were created, and the relationship ended pushing her out of her comfort zone, Monroe said.

During this time, she began seeing a psychiatrist and started developing signs of depression.

Then, in Monroe’s sophomore year, she experienced trauma that began a spiraling cycle of depression episodes.

Lauren Burk, Monroe’s sorority little sister and close friend from high school, was abducted on campus and murdered.

“I was in a state of disbelief and confusion,” Monroe said.

Steven Shapiro, associate professor of psychology, said a depressed individual’s body and mind will not allow them to function or do the things they want to do.

He further explained these individuals express their disorder in different ways. > Turn to SECRETS, A2

Poor scores demand writing program JILLIAN CLAIR STAFF WRITER

Five years ago, tests showed that Auburn students were not writing as much as peer institutions. This year, the creation of a writing initiative has brought positive attention to the University.

Margaret Marshal, director of the University Writing Program, said Auburn's writing initiative is the first of its kind.

A writing task force, which included faculty from every college as well as student representatives, spent two years investigating writing at Auburn, studying what ac-

Campus Unicyclers

WRITER

Jared Waters / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Kevin Tonn rides his unicycle around campus. For more information about local cyclers, turn to B1.

House, Senate struggle with PACT money DANIEL CHESSER ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

An uncertain future for Alabama’s prepaid college tuition program has the House and Senate searching for the appropriate solution.

The two bills being proposed offer the same amount of money, but one has a substituted effort that wants to put a 2.5 percent cap on tuition cost for PACT contractholding students.

Sen. Ted Little wrote the bill that provides $236 million to fulfill existing contracts.

“The Senate passed Ted Little’s bill recently that provides

INDEX

a funding source,” said Richard Huckaby , cofounder and VP of Save Alabama PACT. “But not near enough to save the program.”

Little believes his bill is non-biased to all students when it comes to a cap on increasing tuition.

“We want higher education to keep tuition increases as low as possible for all students,” Little said. “Not one group of students should be treated differently from another group of students.”

Save Alabama PACT is looking for the major universities to step-up and support the amended bill that is being

News A3 Opinions A6

Auburn fights world hunger DEREK LACEY

tually happens in the classrooms, Marshall said. The task force brought in experts to advise them, attended conferences and observed other universities.

Marshall said at the end of the two year period, the task force recommended four things: a director should be hired to lead the writing initiative, the English center should be transformed into a Universitywide writing center to aid all majors, enrollment should be lower in English classes and writing classes should be geared to each student’s major. > Turn to WRITING, A2

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

proposed with tuition caps.

“We ask that Auburn and Alabama lead the way and come to the table to suggest voluntary caps versus being required to accept them from the Legislature,” Huckaby sa id.

Little agrees that universities should not be forced to accept caps on tuition decided by the legislature.

“Auburn University and the University of Alabama are constitutional bodies,” Little said. “For the Legislature to tell Auburn University or University of Alabama what kind of tuition they can charge would be unprecedented.”

Rep. Mike Hubbard said that a lot of the burden has been put on higher education.

“Higher education did not do anything to create the problem,” Hubbard said. “I offered amendments on the floor that would take the cap off because I believe it is unconstitutional.”

Hubbard said if caps were found unconstitutional then the bill would be severed.

“If any part of the bill is found unconstitutional it kills the whole bill,” Hubbard said.

“The Alabama Education Association felt pressure to act > Turn to PACT, A2

Twenty five thousand people, more than Auburn University’s student population, die every day from hunger and hunger-related causes.

Universities Fighting World Hunger, an Auburn-led alliance of universities partnered with the United Nations’ World Food Program, is committed to ending this occurrence once and for all.

UFWH hosted the Fifth Annual University Hunger Summit Feb. 26 - 28 at The Hotel at Auburn University with the focus: Mobilizing to Feed a Hungry World.

In attendance were prominent students from universities all over North America, including Penn State, Harvard, Stanford and The University of Guelph in Canada.

Students listened to speakers and panels who discussed the different facets of solving the problem of hunger, and Auburn University President Jay Gouge gave the opening remarks.

Gouge said the UFWH’s goal of ending world hunger as an, “unreasonable public declaration,” noting two other unlikely goals: the Declaration of Independence and President John F. Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the moon.

“So I want to applaud each of you for being here, and really making that unreasonable public declaration,” Gouge said.

The summit was marked by keynote addresses given by some of the top fighters in the global war on hunger.

David Lambert, Global Food Security Advisor, addressed the summit on the first day.

For the complete story, go to www.theplainsman.com

Campus B1 Intrigue C1 Arts & Entertainment C3 Wasting Time C8 Sports D1

The Auburn Plainsman

News, A2

DUI Arrests in the City of Auburn Feb. 22 - Feb. 27, 2010

Thursday, March 4, 2010

CRIME REPORTS Feb. 22, - Feb. 28, 2010 Feb. 22, Steven Street. – Theft of property reported. Heavy construction/industrial equipment. One 6100 series Nakita generator and one Briggs and Stratton generator.

Feb. 24, Webster Road. – Burglary and theft reported. One black 50” Sanyo flatscreen TV, one silver 47” flatscreen TV, one Sony PS3 and one Nintendo Wii.

Feb. 27, South College Street- Unlawful breaking and entering vehicle and theft reported. One black Apple 80 GB iPod classic and one pair of silver Aviator sunglasses.

Feb. 23, Samford Avenue.. – Burglary and theft reported. 10 collared Polo shirts and one black Summit Series North Face jacket.

Feb. 25, Ridgewood Village - Theft from a vehicle reported. One black Springfield XD .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Feb. 28, West Longleaf Drive. – Theft reported. One green hammock and one bright blue rocking chair.

Britt J. Cowen, 19, of Birmingham South College Street Feb. 25, 1:16 a.m.

Feb. 24, First United Methodist Fellowship Hall on South Gay Street. – Theft of property reported.

One Fender Telecater guitar and one beige hardbody guitar case.

Feb. 26, North Donahue Drive– Burglary and theft reported. One 32” Toshiba LCD TV, one Acer laptop and $15 currency.

Jacob D. Voss, 22, of Florence Wire Road / Simms Road Feb. 25, 1:34 a.m.

SECRETS

“I was in consistent sadness for a year and a half,” Monroe said. “I’d feel bad when there was nothing to feel bad about, and I couldn’t seem to stop it.”

She further described depression as affecting her emotionally, mentally and physically.

Sarah Neeley, hospice nurse for more than 20 years at Alive Hospice in Nashville, Tenn., said depression is caused by changes in the brain’s chemicals.

“Because depression is a complex medical problem, no one easy answer exists,” Neeley said. “It may occur from external trauma, medication or health disorders.”

According to the 2008 American College Health Association survey, almost 15 percent of students reported were diagnosed with depression. Of those students, approximately 25 percent were in therapy for depression and 37 percent were taking medication for depression.

Monroe began seeing a counselor at the Auburn Student Counseling Services.

She takes a couple of different types of medication, including Zoloft. She has tried to stop taking her medication, but finds herself im-

James E. Reese, 40, of Syracuse, N.Y. North Ross Street Feb. 22, 7:40 p.m.

Thomas W. Montgomery, 20, of Birmingham North Donahue Drive at Yarbrough Elementary School Feb. 25, 1:08 a.m.

Matthew B. Skinner, 26, of Opelika North Gay Street Feb. 27, 1:20 a.m.

Brian M. Andrews, 24, of Roswell, Ga. Toomer’s Street Feb. 27, 1:22 a.m.

Ming Jing Fang, 27, of Hubei, China South College Street Feb. 27, 2:42 a.m.

Luke Jones, 19, of Nuneaton, U.K. Gay Street / Opelika Road Feb. 27, 3:17 a.m.

Christopher D. Berry, 22, of Opelika Moores Mill Road / Bent Brook Drive Feb. 27, 4:33 a.m.

Edy C. Lopez, 21, of Tajumulco, Mexico Opelika Road Feb. 27, 11:38 a.m.

Ermesto Perez, 24, of Mexico CVS Pharmacy / Glenn-Dean Feb. 27, 8:20 p.m.

WRITING >From A1

Marshall said Auburn has begun to fulfill all of these recommendations, except the lower enrollment in English courses because of the high cost of hiring more professors.

Marshall was recruited at the end of the summer and began her role as director of the writing initiative in January.

The first goal of the writing program is to formalize the writing in the majors component of the writing initiative, Marshall said.

Marshall envisions the writing in the majors component as a formalized way of teaching students how to master the writing needed specifically for their career.

“All those students are writing in bits and pieces already, but they may not recognize it as writing because it doesn't look like English composition,” Marshall said. “The shift, then, is to make those assignments more consciously writing and for faculty to actually teach you

>From A1

“In addition to a persistent depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, other expressions could include unintentional weight changes, sleep disturbances, feelings of agitation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, concentration problems and thoughts of suicide,” Shapiro said.

After Burk’s death, Monroe began struggling in classes and became unmotivated to even attend.

“From fighting with my parents over Alex to Lauren’s death and a couple of unexpected family deaths, I couldn’t find a way to emotionally cope,” Monroe said.

Even though the psychiatrist saw signs of depression before Burk’s death, this event made the signs become more evident, particularly to Monroe.

Initially, she didn’t believe she was suffering from clinical depression, but rather grieving as any normal person. After several months, she was unable to work through the emotion.

Reflecting back, she said her depression was characterized by not being able to snap out of lows.

what you need to know in order to do that writing well.”

Each major will have to come up with a writing plan.

“The plan calls for majors to come up with a way that students get multiple writing experiences across their upper level courses and they get feedback and opportunities to revise,” Marshall said.

Depending on how quickly departments can get plans together, Marshall said the major-centric writing will be in place in fall 2011 or 2012.

Other universities have used some kind of writing in the majors component for more than 30 years, Marshall said.

“It's going to take some time to create this model, because no place has ever done this before,” Marshall said. “We're pioneering this. Other places are 30 years ahead of us, and we know what they did that didn't work, so we're doing something that theoretically could work much better.”

The test that initiated the change, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), is

a national project that collected information about the extent to which students engaged in behaviors that are associated with strong learning, said Drew Clark, director of institutional research and assessment.

NSSE included an assessment of reading and writing, including how often students were assigned papers, how many books students were assigned to read and books students read on their own.

“On the three questions about the amount of writing, every year, Auburn students reported writing fewer papers,” Clark said. “We had good evidence that compared to what they would be writing had they enrolled at a similar institution, Auburn students weren't being asked to do that much writing.”

Clark said these assessments brought attention to the lack of practice Auburn students were getting, not that their writing skills were inferior.

“That doesn't tell us whether or not they write well or write better, but it does tell us that they're on average not getting

as much practice as they would be getting at some other place,” Clark said.

Kevin Roozen, assistant professor of English, said he has looked at the CLA data and sees remarkable gains.

“Over the past couple of years, the curriculum of freshman composition has been more focused on analytic writing,” Roozen said. “One of the things I think Auburn University is starting to see is that Auburn students do an awful lot of writing outside of classes. It's one thing to ask students, 'How many five page papers have you written?' It's another thing to ask them 'How many other kinds of writing have you been involved in?'”

Roozen said examples of this other type of writing were writing jokes for stand-up comedy and writing press releases for Greek events.

“We need to ask better questions to get a bigger sense of what kind of reading and writing students are doing, and then you might see very different data,” Roozen said.

Feb. 28, West Magnolia Avenue.

– Theft reported. One black Dell computer hardware/software.

- Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

mediately becoming irritable toward others.

It has been two years since Burk’s murder, and Monroe said her actions still show signs of depression.

At times, she finds herself staying in bed all day, not being motivated in class and lacking energy.

“It’s hard to understand depression when you’ve never had it,” Monroe said. “I’m OK to talk about it now and am not embarrassed by it as I was at one point.”

Neeley said depression is a topic not easily discussed in our society.

“We still believe the depressed person can just get better and do better,” she said. “We need to stop blaming the depressed for their disease.”

Monroe said her friends are uplifting.

She hangs out with her friends often. Many of them don’t know she deals with depression.

“I try to hide it,” she said.

Fortunately, of her friends that do know, she said she does not feel judged.

“Depression doesn’t define me,” Monroe said. “It’s something I have to deal with on a daily basis, and that’s fine. Everyone has their secrets.”

PACT

>From A1

like they were solving the problem because 44 percent of their members are PACT contract holders.”

Hubbard said the last contract would be up in the year 2032.

“The version that came out of the Senate with the $236 million will get us at least through the year 2021,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard wants to solve the ongoing problem with PACT, but not at the expense of the higher education institutes.

“I believe we as a state do have a moral if not legal obligation to solve the problem,” Hubbard said. “But I do not want to do it on the backs of higher education who have already undergone tremendous cuts in the last few years.”

Huckaby said the caps issued by the Legislature are not unconstitutional and not found anywhere in Alabama’s constitution.

Huckaby also proposes the question of why Auburn is so afraid of a small tuition cap.

“It’s not the money,” Huckaby said.

“It’s the power and control they want over the Legislature.”

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House kills vote for constitution reform DANIEL CHESSER ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Alabama’s 109-year-old constitution remains intact from reformation after a resolution that would let citizens vote for reform was killed by the Alabama House of Representatives.

“The House voted to lay the resolution on the table,” said Nan Ekberg, co-chair Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform.

“Some members want the

resolution to just go away, some really wanted to end the discussion so they could get onto other matters and some were confused about the vote.”

Ekberg said the result of the vote may have seemed like a vote against the resolution, but said it was actually a vote in favor of continuing the discussion.

Wayne Flynt, distinguished University professor emeritus of history and editor of the Online Ency-

clopedia of Alabama, said the legislature is never going to vote for reform.

“The legislature is perfectly happy with this,” Flynt said, “because they have become in essence the county commission of every county and mayor and city council of every town.”

Rep. Demetrius Newton supports the resolution to reform the constitution, which hasn’t been touched for over 100 years.

“Newton knows that the 1901 constitution was written by powerful white men with the intention of keeping control in their hands,” Ekberg said. “The constitution was enacted fraudulently and in every way does not represent the Alabama we all know and love today.”

Newton said Alabama’s constitution is the longest in the country with more > Turn to REFORM, A8

Helen Northcutt / GRAPHICS EDITOR

FOURTH IN A SERIES: WHEN WALKING BECOMES AS DANGEROUS AS DRIVING

What happens next?

Jared Waters / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Child at 2 by June Corley on display during the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center’s Found Objects II show.

Arts center gives ‘junk’ new home CRYSTAL COLE STAFF REPORTER

The art gallery of the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center resembled a garage for the last two weeks, with scrap metal, pots and even an old mannequin.

The Found Objects II exhibition ran from Feb. 13 until Tuesday and was intended to complement the Tradition/Innovation show at Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition features pieces using found objects and non-traditional materials.

Margaret Gluhman, the show’s curator, said she wanted a show that wasn’t just about painting and drawings on paper.

“The idea is for an artist to think about doing things with different materials,” Gluhman said. “We

had such a good show last year and we decided to do it every January. It’s going to be a regular show on our schedule.”

The exhibition featured 35 individual pieces including one built by an 8-year-old girl. The youngest participant created a robot out of tin foil and pieces of scrap metal.

Different types of media included barbed wire, pieces of scrap wood, mouse traps and wine corks.

Linda Harshbarger, 63, created a piece using cardboard from a package she received.

“It just reminded me of those modular housing units,” Harshbarger said.

Harshbarger majored in art and has a background in quilts and fiber art. She > Turn to ART, A8

Kids meet ‘Stranger in the Woods’

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

As part of Read Across Auburn the Forest Eco-Park hosts a reading of “Stranger in the Woods” for children. Hot cocoa and marshmallows were served afterward along with an outdoor movie.

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

A student waits at a crosswalk on Magnolia Avenue in front of the Lowder Business Building Tuesday night.

City and University contemplate future projects to increase pedestrian safety ELLISON LANGFORD NEWS EDITOR

Five generator-powered lights and a red-lettered sign warning drivers to watch for pedestrians have been installed on Magnolia Avenue as part of collaboration between the city and University to make that area safer for pedestrians.

However, these are only a few of the projects planned for the city.

The city and the University meet approximately once a month to discuss issues of mutual interest and how they will handle them, said Catherine Love, civil engineer in the University’s facilities division.

“The whole thrust of our meetings is to share as much information as possible and then to make sure that we’re working together to make sure (there are no misunderstandings),” said City Manager Charlie Duggan.

During these meetings they also discuss how projects will be financed and completed. Sometimes the University picks up the tab or provides staff to complete them, other times the city does.

One example of the University paying for a project will be the installation of permanent lights along Magnolia Avenue.

These projects come on the coattails of approximately a dozen pedestrians being hit by vehicles in 14 months.

“Accident statistics play a large installing two to four signs in the role in deciding which roadway seven crosswalks on Magnolia projects get done,” Love said. “Be Avenue. it lighting or be it drainage, be it The signs should be delivered pavement markers or signage.” in a few weeks, said Public Works President Jay Gogue said, statis- Director Jeff Ramsey. tically, Auburn is one of the safest The yellow and white signs will college campuses nationwide. be several feet tall and warn driv“But I always point out, when ers to stop when there is a pedesyou have an accident, you have trian in the crosswalk. an injury, you have a problem, the Duggan said the difficulty with statistics don’t mean anything,” this project is planning where to Gogue said. place the signs. The signs will be During the in the middle summer the of the road so generatorthe city has powered make sure Accident statistics to lights will be they will not replaced by play a large role in deciding interfere with p e r m a n e n t which roadway projects the flow of light fixtures. traffic.

Approximate- get done.”

In addition ly 20 30-footto these projCatherine Love, ects, the city tall poles will civil engineer in the has already be installed University’s facilities division along the planned a south side of week-long Magnolia Avenue by June, accord- program called, “Travel With ing to documentation provided by Care,” that will focus on heightenthe city. ing awareness about pedestrian The lights will only be installed safety. The program will be April 5 on the University’s side of the road through 9. because city officials anticipate During the program the city will that the lights will light the entire focus on three things: education, street, Duggan said. enforcement and engineering.

The University will pay for the The education component will light fixtures and the installment, consist of city employees handand then the city will take over ing out fliers reminding residents maintenance costs and paying for how to travel more safely. They the power bill, Love said. > Turn to SAFETY, A3 Another major project involves

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Thursday, March 4,2010

Formation of public school budgets may change JAKE MASTROIANNI WRITER

The Rolling Reserve Budget Act, developed by Rep. Greg Canfield, may change the way budgets are planned for public schools in Alabama.

Canfield’s bill will look at the next 15 years and average those budgets together to figure out a reasonable cap for the budget.

The hope is that this bill will avoid proration and will help schools regain funds lost during this slow economic period.

Proration occurs when projected budgets are reduced so the amount of funds requested changes to match the amount of funds available.

“There is too much uncertainty that comes along with proration,” Canfield said. “The rolling reserve bill caps spending at a realistic sustainable growth rate and sets money aside when times are good, so that when times are bad you can pull money out of

SAFETY >From A3

will also be giving warning citations to jaywalkers.

“We’re going to have people out handing out warning citations to people who are jaywalking saying, ‘You know, you could get a ticket for this, plus you could get run over,’” Duggan said.

The third component of the program enforcement will include a greater number of bicycle police officers around Magnolia Avenue. However, Duggan said they do not intend to fine for jaywalking.

The city does not plan to permanently increase police presence along Magnolia Avenue, either, said Public Safety Director Bill James.

“We find when we sit there, everybody’s obeying the law,” James said. “But we can’t have somebody sit down there 24/7.”

The city will focus on engineering by carrying out projects such as installing signs and lighting on Magnolia Avenue in the future.

However, some are concerned the city might be dragging its feet about implementing structures that will increase safety.

“I said, ‘When are we

that reserve to avoid proration.”

However, the bill is being delayed by The House Education Appropriations Committee.

“The primary issue is timing, and the concern of knowing that the cuts in education have been due to the recession,” Canfield said. “There is a concern of when you would actually start the rolling reserve budget process in a way that they wouldn’t have to give up any growth that would occur in the next 24 months.”

Some from the School Superintendents of Alabama say they think most people think the bill will work, but they don’t know if they are stable enough at this time to make such a change.

“There are still a lot of questions about this bill, like do we want to do that when we’ve got such a far climb out of the hole from being in proration the past three years,” said Lisa Woodard, director of research

going to get lights, when are we going to get speed bumps?’” said Sue Ann Balch, assistant director of the Office of International Education. “And (I got) excuse after excuse.”

However, Balch said she would not tar the University with the same brush of hesitancy as the city.

“I think the University is doing absolutely everything they possibly can,” Balch said.

The Office of International Education hosts a seminar each spring and fall to acclimate foreign students to customs in the U.S. Balch said it plans to extend the potion of its seminar on traffic laws.

Balch admitted she is passionate about pedestrian safety because her daughter was almost killed while crossing the street Sept. 2, 2005.

Her daughter and a date were crossing the street on Glenn near the Auburn downtown area because they thought a car had stopped to let them pass. Balch said the driver had actually bent down to retrieve a dropped cell phone and ended up hitting her daughter.

“She had six surgeries in 10 days,” Balch said. “She could have died.”

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ration,” said Sally Howell, executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards. “We will begin making progress on building reserves. We would like to be able to regain some of those losses we have had.”

Many schools and universities are looking for Canfield’s bill to give the stability and funding needed to improve education, Canfield said.

“When you talk to local schools and even universities, you find very quickly that they are challenged to provide quality education in a system of budgeting that ends up prorating their budgets one-third of the time,” Canfield said. “It will help universities. The stability that would be created by this would virtually eliminate the likelihood of proration. This would give universities and colleges a stable environment to plan their operation and tuition schedules by eliminating the threat of proration.”

Blakeley Sisk / PHOTO EDITOR

A fine arts center is being added and the cafeteria is being renovated at Auburn High School.

and legislation with the school superintendents.

Over the past three years, school systems have been forced to dip into their savings to fulfill funding needs, Woodard said.

They now find themselves using funds to pay people back and they are not able to spend the money required to deliver a higher

quality of education.

“We have wiped out all our savings accounts,” Woodard said, “so now we have nothing to go borrow from. We have a commitment to pay them back and we are in an economy that isn’t spending money.

The biggest issue is that you don’t have the revenue that you had in the past.”

The problem with the budget at this time is the legislation has predicted their budgets for previous years based on past economic situations, but they have not been able to meet those budgets, so everyone in the education trust fund is being prorated.

“It will significantly reduce the likelihood of pro-

Council looks at open-container law LAURA MAXWELL ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The Magnolia Avenue Roadway Lighting Project and further discussion concerning alcohol consumption on city property were approved at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Twenty light poles will be installed along the south of Magnolia Avenue

by June.

The University is also interested in aligning sidewalks and staircases with crosswalks and installing more signs to direct pedestrians toward crosswalks in an attempt to encourage pedestrian safety.

The city is waiting to see if jaywalking continues after these measures are implemented before taking further action.

Council member Sheila

Eckman brought up allowing special events permits which would allow people to walk around with wine for specific events.

Wine would be the only form of alcohol permitted.

Roads would be closed off for these events and police would be present.

Two council members, Bob Norman and Arthur Dowdell, voiced their concerns that permitting the consumption of alcohol for a few specific events might later be expanded to include more events.

Auburn was recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a “Tree City USA Community.” Auburn has received this award for the last 26 years.

David Trouse returned to address the issue of Auburn High School students parking off campus

in residential areas.

Mayor Bill Ham said when construction is complete there will be 50 spots available for students.

Furthermore, the Cemetery Advisory Board has agreed to move its property line 10 feet, which would make room for 50 more parking spots.

Ham said the spots should be available by the beginning of the next school year.

An administrative secretary for the Public Works Department, Audrea Maye, was recognized as the Employee of the Month for March.

Her nomination letter described her work ethic, vast knowledge of aspects of the various city departments and her eagerness to serve citizens and take on new tasks.

Randy Armstrong re-

ceived a pin and plaque for his 20 years of service within the police division of the Public Safety Department.

Lorenza Pendleton also received a pin and plaque for his 20 years of service in the sewer maintenance division of the Water Resource Management Department.

Joseph Morris was honored for his 15 years of service with the police division of the Public Safety Department.

The city manager Charlie Duggan announced that there are two board vacancies.

There is one four-year position expiring April 14, 2014, for the library board.

There are two threeyear positions for the Historic Preservation Commission, which expire April 20, 2013.

Auburn Weekly Gas Monitor

THE SCOOP PLANET Gardening Lecture Series 112 Rouse Life Science Center March 4, at 6 p.m.

Nat King Cole As I Know Him Starring Tim Wells Dixon Conference Center Auburn University March 4, at 7 p.m.

Week of Feb. 25

This week’s prices Location Chevron - University Walmart - South College Chevron - South College BP - Gay & Samford Circle K - Gay Shell - Glenn & Gay Chevron - Glenn & College Shell - Wire Chevron - Wire Exxon - Wire

Average Gas Price Last Week’s Average

Regular

Mid

$2.699 $2.549 $2.599 $2.699 $2.599 $2.649 $2.799 $2.619 $2.799 $2.699

$2.899 $2.669 $2.799 $2.839 $2.739 $2.749 $2.949 $2.759 $2.949 $2.799

Premium

$2.662 $2.661

$2.806 $2.811

$3.099 $2.789 $2.999 $3.099 $2.879 $2.949 $3.099 $2.899 $3.099 $2.999

$2.982 $2.981

Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series with Jim Photoglo AUUF 450 Thach Avenue March 5, at 7:30 p.m.

By Daniel Chesser

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Auburn Plainsman

News, A5

Home brewing may become legal in Alabama PATRICK DEVER ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

Alabama's alcohol laws are changing again.

Legislation was approved in the Alabama Senate legalizing home brewing of beer, wine and mead.

Republican Sen. Larry Dixon of Montgomery sponsored the bill, even though he said he was not a home brewer.

"There are home-brewing clubs around the state," Dixon said. "It's their hobby. They don't have a legal way to get their product to their tastings and their shows where they judge the best beer."

Dixon said home-brewing clubs brought this issue to his attention.

"It was an Auburn club that contacted me and asked me if I would introduce this legislation," Dixon said. "These are good tax-paying citizens that have a hobby that involves making a home-brew beer and some of them even make mead."

John Little, founder of the Auburn Brew Club, said this is a big step toward getting home brewing legalized in Alabama.

"We are one of three states where home brewing and the home-brewing hobby is not legal," Little said.

Part of the bill would allow home brewers to transport products to shows and competitions.

Ellison Langford / NEWS EDITOR

Ellison Langford / NEWS EDITOR

The pot on the stove, the bucket and the glass make up the major parts of a still used for home brewing.

The pot on the stove boils a wash made of brown sugar, honey, yeast and water. After the methanol is boiled out, the temperature is raised to boil the rest of the liquid.

"It says they can take up to 20 gallons to a tasting, a showing or a judging and it has to be done in a wet county and in a facility that has an ABC on-premises license," Dixon said.

The bill limits the amount of product for transportation, but a federal law has been in place limiting how much an individual can brew at home.

"There's a federal law that regulates it at 240 gallons a year," Dixon said.

Andrew Smith, junior in biochemistry, said he had never heard of the Auburn Brew Club, but as a home brewer he was interested.

Smith, president of Theta Xi fraternity, has been brewing beer for close to a year.

Smith also said homebrewing is easier than people think, but can be time consuming.

"I couldn't believe how simple it was when I started," Smith said. "You have a five-gallon bucket, you have either a pre-made kit or your ingredients, you follow the recipe."

Little said the Auburn Brew Club has a Web site that chronicles the attempts to legalize home brewing in Alabama.

"There are two articles in particular," Little said.

"One is called Alabama Home Brewing Legalization Part One, and then there's a part two. Those are two really good overviews of what's been happening so far."

"I like a lot of the heavier and higher alcohol brews,” Smith said. “Not because it gets you drunk quicker, but because you get a lot better taste and it's a lot more full bodied."

Smith said he would like the chance to have some of his brews judged by professionals.

"My brew is for personal consumption,” Smith said.

“If I have a couple friends over, they'll drink some.”

Smith suggested a company in Birmingham for anybody interested in starting to brew at home.

"There's a place called AlaBrew," Smith said.

"They're amazing. They know what they're talking about and have been doing it all their lives."

Bill will require voters to show valid photo IDs BEN BARTLEY COPY EDITOR

An Alabama House committee passed a bill that will require voters to show valid photo identification at polling places.

The House Constitutions and Elections Committee passed the bill 8-3 Feb. 17.

“If I have a water bill or a Movie Gallery receipt or whatever, that really doesn’t say who I really am,” said Rep. Gerald Allen of Cottondale. “So when you have a photo ID, and that photo ID has your address written on it as well, but more importantly, it’s got your picture on there, the photo can prove who you are. That’s why this thing is so important.”

Allen, who proposed the bill, said the identification has to be a state photo such as a driver’s license or a government issued photo.

“I think it was 2008 the Supreme Court voted 6-3 that (requiring voters to show ID is) constitutional and did not see any wrong with it,” Allen said. “That’s a big step. With that being done, that’s why Alabama needs to update their voting law as well and to make sure that everyone can prove who they are when they walk into the polling place.”

States such as Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan and South Dakota already require photo identification to vote, according to the National Conference of

Helen Northcutt / GRAPHICS EDITOR

State Legislatures.

“I know that a number of states require a photo identification, Alabama’s just not one of those states currently,” said Tamara Cofield, public information specialist for the Alabama secretary of state office.

“I think it’s important for us to have proper identification to vote so that we have one person voting for themselves. But currently Alabama is just not one of the states that requires a photo identification.”

Allen said some voices of dissent have been people who think the bill will violate the first amendment.

“Some of the issues I have heard is that some

people don’t have photo ID,” Cofield said. “If they are not drivers or adults who don’t have a hunting or fishing license, then there would be an additional cost involved in acquiring one. That has been some of the opposition that I’ve seen in some of the other states that utilize the photo identification.”

Allen said voting requirements should be similar to financial transactions.

“For instance, if you go to the bank or the convenience store and you write them a check, they’re going to ask you for a photo ID,” Allen said. “They want to know who you are.“

Ellison Langford / NEWS EDITOR

A copper pipe in the bucket collects the steam from the pot.

The steam is cooled by ice in the bucket as it travels down and condenses to become moonshine.

The Auburn Plainsman

COMMENTARY The Auburn Plainsman Editorial Board Lindsey Davidson

A6 Thursday, March 4, 2010 Staff Column

Telling the truth on tipping

Editor

Cliff McCollum

Rod Guajardo

Opinions Editor

Managing Editor

Ellison Langford

Abby Albright

Ben Bartley

News Editor

Sports Editor

Copy Editor

Michelle Wilder

Tom Hopf

Callie Garrett

Campus Editor

Business Manager

Intrigue Editor

Our View

A multi-focus view on pedestrian safety

Blame, responsibilities must be shared by all Over the past year 12 citizens of Auburn have been involved in pedestrian accidents.

When events like those occur, it is natural to want to point fingers and begin playing the “blame game,” and every party responsible begins to look for a scapegoat.

There is no one person or entity to blame for these incidents. There are a number of factors and issues that contributed to these accidents.

However, the City of Auburn and the University do deserve some singling out.

In an effort to maintain the image of “The Loveliest Village on The Plains,” the City of Auburn and the University have worked hard to create and upkeep the aesthetic beauty of our city, even mandating ratios of brick to limestone and the types of lighting fixtures and wattage to be used.

However, when aesthetics and beauty come before the health and welfare of a town’s citizenry, something is dreadfully wrong.

The first responsibility of Auburn and this University should be the safety of the townspeople, students, faculty and staff.

When multiple people are being hit in pedestrian accidents, we would hope a logical group of people would sit down and find ways to make the frequency of those accidents decrease.

Instead, we have temporary floodlights installed across crosswalks along Magnolia, as we patiently wait until July to receive the custom-ordered street lights that are narrowly tailored to Auburn’s high aesthetic standards.

We implore the City Council and University leaders to screw the aesthetics and get some safe, permanent fixtures onto our streets right now.

We also call upon the Auburn Police Department to place dedicated police officers along busy streets like Magnolia and College to ticket jaywalkers and speeders.

It would only take a few tickets being handed out for word of the ticketing to spread across campus.

If you hit college students in the wallet, they tend to pay attention.

Will it take someone dying for the city and University to act in a faster fashion?

We honestly have doubts even a death would spur quicker action.

Both have begun to take steps to address pedestrian safety issues, but the foot-dragging involved in any city project tend to stifle expedient, timely change.

With an issue like pedestrian safety, one where lives are certainly at stake, we would do better to act swiftly and resolutely, lest another citizen be struck down.

Personal responsibility and safe behavior also come into play with accidents such as these.

We live in an age of greatly distracted drivers, as cell phones, GPS devices, satellite radios and other electronic equipment all clamor for our attention each time we step into our vehicles.

We have all taken our eyes off the road for a moment or two to reply to a text or change a song.

However, in high volume traffic areas like Magnolia and College, drivers must maintain constant vigilance and keep their eyes on the road.

Also, the speed limit on Magnolia is 25 miles per hour. Not 30 or 35.

Speed limits are designed to take points like pedestrian traffic into effect, so please follow the guidelines created when driving along these roads.

You might not get to your destination quite so quickly, but you may prevent yourself from being tagged with a pesky vehicular manslaughter charge that might ruin your day.

Pedestrians, you, too, share responsibilities that you must uphold.

Take the time to review the tenets of good pedestrian behavior.

If you aren’t familiar with the pedestrian customs of this country or area, the University is holding several seminars to help address this lack of education.

Many of these rules are simple.

Look both ways before you cross the street.

Cross only at designated crosswalks.

Do not for a moment think you have some sort of immunity to being hit by cars. You can and possibly will be hit.

Take special care while crossing at night. As we previously stated, drivers are bound to be distracted and nighttime has a lovely way of adding additional vision issues.

Pedestrian safety is an issue that requires multiple groups to act in conjunction.

All must take and uphold their responsibilities in order for all to be safe and secure.

We’ve seen the scenes of the accidents.

We’ve heard the screams of anguish and torment of those injured.

We’ve seen the blood and gore, more so than we thought we ever would.

If we don’t take action now, the next accident puts that blood on all of our hands.

Please, we implore you all, don’t become another pedestrian accident statistic.

Let us all work together and take steps to make this village, this Auburn, “The Loveliest and Safest Village on The Plains.”

How do you get an Auburn student off your front porch?

Pay him for the pizza and don’t forget to tip him.

Seriously.

Tip me.

I’ve been delivering pizzas on these rolling plains for 3 years now and have a bone to pick. We in the pizza business work for tips.

Our less than minimum wage income cannot pay the bills unless it is backed by tips.

Only a percentage of the delivery fee goes to the driver to compensate for mileage, while the rest of that cash ends up in corporate pockets.

That’s for another column though.

There are days where I feel the service that I provide is far under appreciated.

Some people just don’t have the money to tip and I understand that. “I’m sorry man, but I’m broke and can’t tip. Want a beer instead?”

I’m not saying you should give me beer in place of cash, but putting a strike through the tip line and muttering “ ’Preciate ya” as you shut the door doesn’t quite cut it.

What do tips pay for?

Gas to fuel 75+ miles of driving on a busy day. Oil changes every month and a half. Tires. Struts. Alignments.

And well, I’m not gonna lie, beer so I can kick back with my friends when I get off work.

The average tip in this town is $2-3.

Tip less or more than that I’ll remember you and I’ll talk to my coworkers about you.

In what light you’re remembered is your choice.

I once got $17 on a $22 order.

You know who you are.

Thank you.

One lady made me go back to my car to grab $0.42 for her because “You never know when it will come in handy!”

I’m not saying that I’ll flick boogers into your food if you consistently stiff me, nor will I spit, cough, or add any other kind of bodily seasoning.

I don’t do that because it’s unethical and gross.

But, please, do keep in the back of your mind

Philip Smith photo@theplainsman.com

that people in food service have impeccable memories.

Your address will set off a mental alarm when it comes across the screen that routes drivers.

I will remember you as the loser who said, “Keep the jingle.”

I will short you on pepperoni when I make your pizza.

On the way to your house I will stop for gas or maybe swing by my place to organize that sock drawer I’ve been meaning to get to.

When you open your pizza, you’ll find that Stevie Wonder cut it for you.

If you tip well, you will get your pizza in a very expeditious manner.

I will drive circles around Auburn just to get accommodate a customer who I know habitually tips.

Your pizza will also be unbelievably tasty.

You will find yourself privy to magical discounts and the occasional freebie.

Good things come to those who show me love.

I also want to call out the three groups of people that are the worst at tipping.

The first and guiltiest is the University.

On several occasions I’ve been told that campus organizations aren’t allowed to tip if the order is on a University account.

Please feel free to come into the store to pick up your next 50 pie order if you’re going to refuse to give back some of my outof-state tuition.

The second most unappreciative group of customers in Auburn are those that live within the gates of most “luxurious” living arrangements.

I’ve found the new Exchange to be the worst at tipping.

I’ve taken upwards of 30 runs to 300 East Longleaf Dr. and have seldom passed through those gates with a smile on my face.

AU Cribs Want The Plainsman mulTo be featured on the AU Cribs series multimedia@theplainsman.com

Please show me some love, Exchangers.

It’s probably your dad’s credit card anyway.

Please follow Creekside’s golden example of a high class community that tips well. You guys are awesome.

I’ve been racking my brain for weeks trying to figure out how to quietly confront the third group, but have yet to find a subtle approach that adequately expresses my feelings.

Before I proceed, I want to let my readers know that I understand this is a stereotype with negative connotations and that I recognize that not all people of this group refuse to tip.

But, my dear reader, please know that stereotypes exist for a reason.

A co-worker once told me, “If you paint a canoe black, it will never tip.”

You heard me.

Black people don’t tip.

I’m not the only person to have a beef, as this tends to be a well known grievance throughout the food service community.

Although I am black, I am completely dumbfounded as to why this phenomenon exists.

Whatever the reason, there needs to be a change because I’m pissed.

We’re all pissed.

I was brought up to appreciate the value of a dollar and to reward good service.

I tend to tip 20 to 30 percent depending on how much cash I have on me.

If I think the service was bad enough to merit a blank in the tip line, I leave you a penny and a detailed note about why.

Whew. I’m happy to have all of that out there.

I’d like to wrap up by extending kudos to those of you out there that tip, and überkudos to those who tip well, especially if you were thrown under the bus by my blanket statements.

I appreciate you more than words can describe.

As for the rest of you, please visit the Web site tipthepizzaguy.com.

Please.

For my sanity.

Philip Smith is assistant photo editor of The Auburn Plainsman.

You can reach him at 844-9109.

timedia staff to come contact the multimedia staff at

Our Policy The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. These unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the twelve-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.

HOW TO CONTACT US Auburn Student Center Suite 1111H Auburn, Ala. 36849 844-4130 or editor@theplainsman.com

The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students as well as from faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University.

Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on the Monday for publication. Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length.

A7

COMMENTARY

Thursday, March 4, 2010

More support for pedestrian safety

Lindsey Davidson editor@theplainsman.com

Emotion has played a major role in our coverage and concerns with pedestrian safety on and off campus.

Having a staff of teenagers and early 20 year olds covering near deaths almost bimonthly, has been a humbling and eye-opening experience for all of us.

The letters and online commenters have been both appreciated and concerning.

There has been a focus on the foreign aspect of the pedestrians and the laws.

Just to set a few things

straight: In the US, traffic laws vary between each state. Whether pedestrians or vehicles have the right of way depends on the state.

The responsibility also varies with the state laws.

In China, when accidents occur between pedestrians and motor vehicles, the motorist must always bear responsibility.

Responsibility for the motorist is reduced if the pedestrian violated traffic laws.

Japanese law provides that all drivers in Japan are held liable in the event of an accident and assesses fault in an accident on all parties.

In Japan, when a physically disabled person, unattended child or senior citizen is ahead of a vehicle, the vehicle must slow down or come to a complete stop.

At a crosswalk, a vehicle must come to a complete stop to ensure a pedestrian

can cross safely.

These countries, just as the U.S., have the same warnings for pedestrians.

Make eye contact with drivers if possible and make sure that they can see you.

Cross roads where there are pedestrian crossings.

When using any type of crossing you should always check the traffic.

These aren’t foreign ideas.

Every country has their form of crossing marked by some sort of white lines outlining a proper area for people to use to cross from one side of the road to the other.

A pedestrian is not categorized by race, religion or sex.

Of the twelve confirmed accidents from the Auburn Police Department, four of the pedestrians that were struck in the past year have been from foreign countries.

Eight women and two men were struck.

Two of the individuals are unconfirmed with their sex.

A vehicle does not see a man or woman when the road is poorly lit.

A vehicle does not see nationality when the driver is texting or talking on the phone.

A vehicle does not see religious background when a driver is speeding.

Instead of focusing on the unimportant factors, the concern needs to be on the city and University’s efforts.

We as pedestrians and drivers have to control what we can until the city decides the make the appropriate changes.

Lindsey Davidson is editor of The Auburn Plainsman.

You can reach her at 844-9021.

“Everyone always asks me if it’s hard or not.”

-Clayton Lester, freshman, biomedical sciences on riding a unicycle.

See the story “Half the bike, twice the price” on B1 to learn more.

Last week’s question: “Should more meal plan options be offered to students?” >Yes: 64 percent > No: 14 percent > I don’t care: 22 percent

This week’s question: “Who is most at fault in the recent increase in pedestrian accidents?” >The City of Auburn > The University > The individuals involved Go to www.theplainsman.com to vote.

Your View

College Republicans WEGL staffer respond to letter takes aim at Cole’s column Editor, The Auburn Plainsman

In response to the letter by Brent Culver in the Feb. 25th publication of The Auburn Plainsman, Auburn University College Republicans would like to clarify our position on several key issues concerning the 2010 elections.

Auburn University College Republicans has not, and will not, endorse a candidate in the primary race.

When Mr. Culver was accusing College Republicans of compromising their credibility with a primary endorsement he was referring to the College Republican Federation of Alabama’s endorsement in a press release on Jan. 25th.

AUCR was not a part of this decision; it was a vote of the personal opinions of each CRFA executive member, separate of the beliefs of AUCR. As Chairman of AUCR, I believe that it is of the utmost importance to consider and research all of the Republican gubernatorial candidates until the nominee is announced after the June primaries.

Our organization will fully support the 2010 Republican nominee for governor.

AUCR encourages all members to find a candidate who they believe in and we will provide the opportunities to get involved in every single campaign.

The 2010 elections are crucial not only in Washington, D.C., but here in Alabama as well. I strongly encourage every student to find a candidate whose vision aligns with their values, get involved in that candidate’s campaign, and make a difference this election year.

I know that every Auburn student is capable of “deciding which Republican to choose,” but AUCR is here to assist in any aspect of this process and would consider it a privilege to do so.

The leadership of AUCR continues to promote Republican candidates and uphold conservative values; we invite all students to share their opinions and join us in this cause.

Allison Kajs junior, psychology AUCR chairman

Editor, the Auburn Plainsman “ ‘Music is my life.’ It’s probably one of the most overused phrases on a college campus…’ ” Ms. Cole, you are absolutely right about that.

In your opinion article “ ‘I won’t apologize’ for my tastes” last week, you described how your adolescent tastes in music can sometimes be at odds with your current tastes.

This is something I think everyone can relate to; I know that I still cringe when I think about how much I totally dug Staind, Type O Negative, among others when I was in middle school/high school.

But like everyone else, we grow and change, hopefully for the better.

However, as I grew, I found that I shouldn’t be apologizing for my tastes, but rather for myself. Becoming so immersed in my self-crafted world of music started to alienate me from what everyone was hearing.

I haven’t been sure of who Rihanna is until four months ago. I found that for someone who was such a self-proclaimed “music geek,” I was completely out of the conversation with most people, and the result usually was that I either seemed like music snob or a pop-culture idiot.

In your article you immediately establish your “cred” by name-dropping all the usual suspects (Animal Collective, Decemberists, Vampire Weekend) and by hating on Miley Cyrus.

What? Were there no more fish in the barrel?

Since Ms. Cyrus is too busy selling out arena crowds and collecting checks from Disney ( for just wearing a wig, essentially) I will rise to her defense.

Have you ever actually sat down and listened to “Party in the U.S.A.?” If you have you would immediately recognize the power and draw of that chorus. Two things make this hook work: synthesizer track in the back and the vocal delivery of “Yeah.”

First, the synth track.

The synthesizer has been pretty huge in both mainstream Top 40 and the indie electro-pop/ rock scene for a while now. Everyone from Ke$ha to Passion Pit has deployed this instrument in creating the sounds and textures of what I like to call “21st century disco.” Miley Cyrus is no different. The modulation and tweaking that occurs between lyrics (that little “werp-werp” sound) is incredibly infectious.

Next, the vocal delivery. When has belting out a phrase, no matter what it is, not been effective in ensnaring listeners into a song, if only for a brief second? The best part of Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks?” When he sings the line, “Maggie gave birth to a ten pound baby boy / YEAH!” Once you know where the big payoff is coming, you can’t help but get excited for the build-up. It’s a cathartic release shared between performer and listener.

As someone who spends a large majority of his time around new independent music (Inbox Show, Wednesdays 9-10 p.m. on WEGL, plug plug) I can tell you that there is a lot of good and interesting stuff coming out every week.

However, I make sure to balance this diet with the occasional turn of the dial to whatever contemporary pop station I can find. I’ll take some Los Campesinos! and Neon Indian with a side of Taylor Swift and Jay Sean.

Why? Because I love music, no exceptions.

Kevin Blicker WEGL program director

Staff Column

Alum calls for new basketball coach Editor, the Auburn Plainsman Why should Auburn University sit at the back of SEC pack in men’s basketball?

With a new arena opening, is this not the time for a coaching change?

Maybe the current members of the student body are not big b’ball fans—we alumni are.

I am tired of watching Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vandy and most of the rest of the SEC use Auburn as a doormat year after year.

The baseball coach got the boot when he could not produce winners, so why should we continue the Lebo era?

The time has come to face the reality of a coaching change.

Maybe we need a new A.D. at the same time for building a smaller arena.

How do you dazzle recruits with the new little “barn?”

J.D. Eubanks AU Class of ‘73

Send us your letters, rants, complaints and raves at opinion@theplainsman.com

Personalized procrastination for all Saturday evening at 10 p.m.

I found myself rolling through the aisles of Kroger on Dean and Glenn. After pausing over which brand of semisweet baking chocolate to buy, I hurried home to begin baking a cappuccino fudge cheesecake.

Fortunately, my meager kitchen had a small food processor to aid in the fine grinding of chocolate wafers and Ghirardelli chocolate for the most intense cheesecake crust I’ve ever made.

At midnight, the cake was done. At least, it was ready to chill for another four hours.

In the morning, after lunch I piped the ganache on top in a sweet crisscross pattern.

Another 30 minutes in the freezer.

Finally, my impulsive cheesecake was ready. A whole 24 hours later.

Things like this happen in my life every so often. There are a few reasons why.

An obvious reason would be my love of food.

Amanda Younce copy@theplainsman.com

Eh, it’s more like my love of hearing someone say, “This looks fantastic!”

Or … “Can I have another piece?”

Purely my own selfish satisfaction—that’s why I make food.

Another reason, equal to selfishness, is procrastination.

I don’t know if the Mozilla Firefox application StumbleUpon is popular for a majority of Auburn students, but it’s one of my favorite weapons of laziness. And it’s cleverly disguised.

I can spend hours clicking away and finding tons of random Web sites that StumbleUpon thinks I would like to

see. And, boy, are they right.

Last night, I spent an hour studying the hormone melatonin because of a circadian clock Web site I “stumbled upon.”

Now, that may sound boring to you, but that’s not the point.

The point is it’s personalized procrastination at your finger tips.

It’s this personalization which led me to the food blog, Smittenkitchen.com, which led to the cappuccino fudge cheesecake, which led to ooh’s and aah’s and tummy aches.

So, there it is; I am a lazy, selfish foodie that loves to learn about melatonin.

If you take anything from this I hope it’s the horrible habit of stumbling. It’s a gift and a curse.

Amanda Younce is assistant copy editor of The Auburn Plainsman. You can reach her at 844-9109.

The Auburn Plainsman

News, A8

Holzmeister burns track ELLISON LANGFORD NEWS EDITOR

Carrie Holzmeister is an unassuming English teacher at Columbus Technical College. “Cho Cold� is a brawling roller derby skater.

And both inhabit the same slight, brunette frame.

Holzmeister began her journey to becoming “Cho

ART

>From A3

said she enjoys the show and thinks it promotes recycling and the environment. “It’s not normal or thought of by the average person as art,� Harshbarger said.

Paulina Byrd, senior in history, said she was surprised by the variety of pieces in the show. “I expected scrap metal and stuff like that, but the

REFORM >From A3

than 800 amendments. “Our current constitution is too long and laborious,� Newton said. “All you need to do is look at the Constitution of the United States that you can put in your press pocket that has lasted since the 1700s and look at the Alabama 1901 constitution. You have to have an awfully large briefcase to get it in.�

Newton presented ideas for reform on the state’s constitution to the House and was voted down. “Since my constitutional provision was voted down we have had four people seeking constitutional amendments,�

Newton said. “So it grows every few minutes.�

Cold� after a few years of boredom in Auburn. “(When I got into roller derby), it was a total whim,� Holzmeister said. “It was so fun actually. I had a weird whim, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with it like I did.�

Holzmeister said some of the inspiration for her name came from the character Cho Chang in the Harry Potter books.

However, as there weren’t many other roller derby skaters in the area, Holzmeister formed a league called the “Burn City Rollers� in September 2008.

Holzmeister described roller derby as a sport that attracts women who don’t like other women. But she said the women who com-

pete in roller derby have an easier time bonding with each other. “I’ve made friends from this team who are almost like sisters to me,� Holzmeister said.

But that doesn’t mean those sisters won’t take a shot at one another sometimes.

Holzmeister said she got a huge goose egg on her thigh after a teammate socked her.

How violent a derby bout gets depends on the teams playing, Holzmeister said.

She said some teams aren’t very physical, but that the Burn City Rollers is not necessarily one of those teams. “I think I love being able to get out my aggression in

people used so many different materials,� Byrd said. “It’s cool to think someone saw this junk and thought to make something beautiful.�

Harshbarger said she liked the way the show was laid out. “Margaret almost always puts together the shows, and we just hand it to her and let her do her thing,� Harshbarger said. “I am very pleased and think she has a good eye to put things together well.�

Alabama’s constitution takes away control of citizen’s needs from the local counties, Ekberg said.

The 1901 constitution also restricts public transportation, economic development and embodies a tax system that requires higher taxes of the poor than the wealthy.

Newton said reformation of the constitution would decentralize power from Montgomery.

Ekberg said the discussion to reform the state’s constitution has been going on for 10 years. “Each year we get a little closer to legislation to make it happen,� Ekberg said. “The citizens cannot do this without the approval of the legislators and that is what is missing.�

Thursday, March 4, 2010

a healthy way,� Holzmeister said. “I am a hitter. I’m not a power hitter, because I’m small, but I annoy people and I hit them a lot.�

But before the skaters can go out and start wailing on each other, they have to put on their uniforms.

Team members often wear matching jerseys, but everything else depends on the woman. Some players wear tutus or panties over their tights.

But Holzmeister admitted that as much as the competitors love the sport, its unusual characteristics sometimes draw strange looks. “Well, around Auburn, we do get some people who are like, ‘What the heck?’� Holzmeister said.

Ellison Langford / NEWS EDITOR

Carrie Holzmeister is the founder of Auburn roller derby team the ‘Burn City Rollers,’ formed in September 2008.

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What to expect at Tiger Eyes Auditions B6

Student Veteran Profile B4

Class of the Week: Science Fiction as Intellectual History B6

CAMPUS Half the bike, twice the price

B

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010

www.theplainsman.com

Freshmen find one-wheeled way to travel around campus, town and anywhere else MAXWELL NEWFIELD ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR

Whether by car, bicycle, Tiger Transit or good old-fashioned foot, every Auburn student has a preferred method of traveling to class.

But freshmen Kevin Tonn, a computer science major, and Clayton Lester, a biomedical sciences major, utilize a more unique form of transportation.

Lester and Tonn ride unicycles.

“It’s just a fun way of traveling,” Lester said. “It’s definitely way better than walking.”

Tonn and Lester both took up their onewheeled hobby after they saw someone riding a unicycle at their respective schools. Lester said he started riding in the sixth grade after he saw a demonstration at a school assembly. Tonn’s inspiration came a few years later than Lester’s and with a little more danger involved.

“A couple years ago I saw one of my friends riding a unicycle around my high school, juggling flaming bowling pins,” Tonn said. “I knew I couldn’t juggle so I decide to try riding a unicycle instead.”

Both Tonn and Lester said they were hooked as soon as they saddled up to their cycles.

“I wanted to prove I could learn,” Tonn said. “As soon as I got about 20 feet I knew that was my mode of transportation.”

Lester and Tonn both said they have received notable recognition from the students on campus for their hobby. Aside from the countless smiles and waves they receive, there is a Facebook fan page dedicated to Tonn which has more than 2,000 members.

“It’s great fun being treated like a celebrity,” Tonn said. “I’m a pretty low-key person so it makes me happy that people appreciate weird and awkward stuff like I do.”

Lester said he receives plenty of strange looks when he brings his unicycle into restaurants around town, but his favorite memory comes from a pick-up order he placed.

“One time I rode it up to Papa John’s to pick up a pizza,” Lester said. “Then when I took it back to my dorm I was riding around with this pizza, looking like some crazy delivery guy.”

Both Lester and Tonn said they highly encourage anyone interested in unicycles to give it a try.

“Everyone always asks me if it’s hard or not,” Lester said. “Once you get used to it, it’s easier than a bike.”

Tonn said he hopes more people on campus take interest in unicycles.

“We’re thinking of making a club,” Tonn said. “It really depends on if there are enough people interested and if they have time and things like that. We’re definitely interested in getting more people together.”

Tonn said he and Lester want to find as many unicycle enthusiasts as possible so they can live out their dream, playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee on unicycles.

“I’ve seen it done once before and its one of the funnier things I’ve ever seen,” Tonn said.

Lester said the unicycle lends itself to many sports.

“Its pretty fun playing any sport on a unicycle,” Lester said. “I’ve played plenty of stuff like baseball or football. Football was cool because you can ride out and catch some long pass and it looks awesome.

The other day we were throwing the football around and I hopped on my unicycle and went out for a 50-yard pass and people went crazy when I caught it.”

Regardless of what sport someone may want to play on a unicycle, Tonn said everyone should give unicycles a shot.

“If you think you can do it, you can do it,” Tonn said. “It doesn’t require balance, it teaches it.”

Quick facts: • Different types of unicycles: Trick, Cruising • Trick: 12” to 24” wheel made of softer material • Cruising: 28” to 36” wheel

Jared Waters / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

• Price range: $150 (standard) – $300 (specialized) depending on quality

Kevin Tonn, freshman in computer science, rides his unicycle on campus.

He rides a 36” cruising unicycle.

• There are no unique parts, just the wheel, pedals, post and seat.

E-Day attracts curious minds

Tree Campus USA University

JILLIAN CLAIR STAFF REPORTER

More than 2,000 high school students flooded campus Friday to experience E-Day, where they were able to see a hovercraft, make paper, see robots and participate in hundreds of other hands-on activities.

“E-Day is a fantastic experience for high school students to come out and see what we do,” said Brent White, senior in mechanical engineering.

“It highlights the extracurriculars engineering students are involved in

Carolyn Rush / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

High school students stop by the College of Engineering display on the Concourse.

and their real-world applications.”

Tours were given to prospective students and their parents by members of Cupola, engineering ambassadors, and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

“It was a great chance to look around campus and find out about scholarships,” said

Charlee Lipham, senior at Oxford High School.

Each branch of engineering showed off the products of their labor in the Student Center.

The chemical engineering department allowed students to make paper, watch a video about fuel cell cars and play a game of viscosity pong.

Jennifer Harris, aca-

demic adviser for the department, was also present to talk to students about scholarships and advising in chemical engineering.

“Most departments don’t see their freshmen and sophomores, but I advise them from Camp War Eagle on,” Harris said. > Turn to E-DAY, B2

Printed on Recycled Paper

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn University was designated by Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus and forestry management and environmental stewardship. Two trees were planted on the campus during a ceremony Thursday. One was planted at the corner of Cater Hall. Auburn is the first college or university in the Southeastern Conference to receive the designation.

The Auburn Plainsman

CAMPUS, B2

‘Like a good neighbor’ Auburn helps Loachapoka High School with $58,000 grant from State Farm CRYSTAL COLE STAFF REPORTER

Auburn University helps Loachapoka High School students get into college thanks to a $58,000 grant from State Farm.

The grant was received by the university outreach program from State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board, or YAB. Ralph Foster, a director with the outreach program, said national grants are rare. “Out of more than 1,100 grant proposals, State Farm presented only 82 awards in the U. S. and Canada,� Foster said. “Auburn was one of two in Alabama to receive a grant this year.�

The grant would initiate a service-learning based preparatory program at Loachapoka to help students get into and succeed in college. The program would focus on computer skills, math, reading and writing.

The program would start out with mentoring for 7th and 8th graders on topics such as study skills, time management and goal setting. Then, in 9th grade, students would receive computers to further technological skills.

Verizon Wireless signed on

to provide technological support.

Finally, in 11th and 12th grade, students would receive a rigorous pre-college experience, including seminars at Auburn about financial aid, campus life and enrollment.

Foster said students gain valuable experience in their field of study through service projects. “National studies have demonstrated over and over the beneficial effects of service learning programs for both the participating students and the community around them,� Foster said. “Our goal is to see a 25 percent increase in college applications among the LHS students.�

According to reports from the Counsel of Chief State School Officers Web site, 8th grade students at Loachapoka are almost 20 percent below the average state reading proficiency and 16 percent below the average math proficiency.

Foster said the mentoring and tutoring programs would help with the performance in math and sciences. He said the decision to partner with Loachapoka was based on need and potential impact. “We have an opportunity to

work with a whole community of students and make a real difference in their lives as they grow and progress through to college,� Foster said. “The experience we gain here can be applied elsewhere, and our plans long term are to establish many other AuburnK-12 partnerships with other school systems in our area, and even statewide.�

Loachapoka principal Jim Wilkerson said the program is still in the planning stages and he feels the grant was a godsend. “We can do so many things with that money to help Loachapoka High School,�

Wilkerson said.

The money will provide for the program through its first year. Auburn has made a long-term commitment to Loachapoka and will continue to try and obtain support.

Wilkerson said being paired with Auburn was important because the kids see it on TV and look up to students here. “The kids think of Auburn University as something bigger than life, so to have someone who is basically bigger than life come here and help you is obviously giving the kids a lot of confidence,� Wilkerson said.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Ask a Professor If a frog pees on a person’s skin, will a wart appear? “Warts are fairly common in people and probably far more common than people that are peed on by frogs. I can also say that I have been peed on by many a frog and never did a wart appear afterward. It is now known that warts are caused by viruses in the papillomavirus group and that they are contracted by human contact. This is fairly recent knowledge, however, and the matter was a mystery for a long time. It seems to me that the first person to blame warts on frog pee may have meant it to be humorous; but the tale has persisted. It also seems to me that the originator of the tale must have been thinking specifically of a toad. Frog and toad are common names that may be used for any member of the amphibian order, Anura. True toads, however, are members of one anuran family, Bufonidae, in which dry, bumpy (or warty) skin is an adaptation to dry conditions.�

-Debbie R. Folkerts, professor in biomedical sciences

This Issue in History: 1985 • Auburn ROTC programs at Auburn rank among top 5 percent nationally with other military programs. • Board of Trustees approves the creation of one new college and two new schools including the College of Science and Mathematics. • Final examination schedule is given due to the quarter system the University previously used. • Women’s basketball finishes second in SEC championship, losing to Tennessee 63–60.

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Carolyn Rush / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering displays its lightweight fiberglass hovercraft, capable of speeds of 60 miles per hour on land and water, in the area between the Student Center and Parker Hall for E-Day Friday.

E-DAY >From B1

The polymer and fiber department displayed its hovercraft, a lightweight fiberglass vehicle that floats above the ground. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It can go up to 60 miles per hour on land and water,â&#x20AC;? said Matthew Stitt, freshman in mechanical engineering.

Stitt said he saw the same demonstration when he came to E-Day, and it influenced his decision to come to Auburn.

Chase Smith, sophomore at Childersburg High School, was impressed by the hovercraft demonstra-

50

tion and Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I heard that Auburn had a good engineering school, so I came,â&#x20AC;? Smith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really nice campus.â&#x20AC;?

The biosystems department displayed a solar trailer that produced renewable energy using wood chips as well as a filtering system that filters water from a fish tank using solar power.

The Society of Women Engineers catered to female high school students visiting E-Day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to promote women in engineering in any way we can,â&#x20AC;? said Ellen Clark, senior in industrial

and systems engineering.

Clark said the Society of Women Engineers offers social benefits, exam banks and community service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They really liked that we do a lot of fun stuff and that we do stuff in the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the moms really liked that,â&#x20AC;? Clark said.

Three to four months of planning go into E-Day, and students volunteer their time to lead demonstrations and tours, said Zach Lamb, senior in mechanical engineering and president of Tau Beta Pi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything was as good, if not better than

last year,â&#x20AC;? Lamb said.

Tau Beta Pi coordinated E-Day this year, and Lamb said he felt like it was successful. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really appreciate our students who have volunteered,â&#x20AC;? said Bill Josephson, assistant professor of chemical engineering. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They do a highquality job.â&#x20AC;?

Lamb said E-Day is important to the University because it boosts recruiting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;E-Day is a huge recruiting tool for Auburn,â&#x20AC;?

Lamb said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;High school students can visually get an idea of what an engineer does.â&#x20AC;?

50

Thursday, March 4, 2010

greek life

Campus, B3

Fraternities prep for spring formals SARAH PHILLIPS STAFF REPORTER

Although spring break can be an outrageous trip that many men look forward to, for the men of the Auburn fraternity system, a spring formal holds a whole week’s worth of fun in one amazing weekend.

For these men, fall formals are considered to be simple fun.

They may have a party at their fraternity house with their dates, or travel to a local Auburn mansion, but when it comes to planning for the spring, there are no limits.

Throughout the fall, many fraternities are busy each weekend spending money on band parties and tailgates.

Most have parties with big-name bands to draw the people in to have a good time before or after the football game and on gameday there is always the guarantee of free drinks for fraternity members’ families and friends.

But when spring semester finally comes, these boys are ready for the intense fun to begin.

“Formals are a fun weekend outside of Auburn with a bunch of your friends,” said Nate Welch, senior in engineering and member of Phi Kappa Tau. “I’ve already gone to three formals and I can’t wait for this weekend.”

Phi Kappa Tau, along with many other fraternities, including Pi Kappa Phi, Beta Theta Pi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma Pi and Alpha Tau Omega, is headed to New Orleans.

Auburn students crowd Bourbon Street during the months of February and March.

Some weekends have more than one fraternity down at a time and there are often many “War Eagle moments” while grabbing a hand grenade, a beer-to-go or an array of other beverages available on Bourbon Street.

“There’s nothing better than experiencing New Orlean’s world famous nightlife with your closest friends,” said Dylan Digmon, social chair of Alpha Tau Omega.

Sloane Brown, social chair of Beta Theta Pi, said they often travel to The Big Easy out of habit.

“We went to New Orleans partly out of tradition and partly because it’s the craziest city in the USA and closest to Auburn,” Brown said.

Although New Orleans is the destination of most fraternities on old and new row, many have started to travel out of the comforts of Louisiana and into the sunshine of Florida.

This year, with the assistance of the rest of his fraternity’s executive council, Ryan Clark, social chair of Delta Tau Delta, decided to have their formal in Destin, Fla. “We go to New Orleans every other year,” Clark said. “Since we held our formal in New Orleans last spring, we ended up picking out Destin. Our other options were Hilton Head, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.” The members of Farmhouse chose to go to Orlando, after the seniors

Formal Locations

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This illustrations shows the locations of fraternities’ spring formals. Many fraternities travel to New Orleans for formal.

decided they wanted to go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Trevor Ramsey, Farmhouse’s social chair, said the event couldn’t have been more fun.

“The sun was shining in full force, and it could not have been a better weekend to go,” Ramsey said.

Alpha Kappa Lambda members are traveling to one of the most familiar places in Florida, Panama City Beach, but are having a unique formal experience.

“We are going to St. Andrew Bay in Panama City for a dinner and dancing cruise on a yacht,” said Kevin Gibadlo, so-

cial chair of Alpha Kappa Lambda. “We felt that by doing this our brothers can enjoy the view of the bay from a beautiful yacht while dancing and eating.”

For most members of fraternities, thinking about spring formals doesn’t only require thinking about surviving, but more about how they are going to pay for it.

Phi Delta Theta got creative with saving money on their trip and had a combined formal with the LSU chapter.

“It made it so much bigger and more fun for all of us,” said Matthew Mizzel, social chair of Phi Delta Theta. “We split the cost of

the venue and paid $3,000 for the band.”

Many fraternities have also budgeted well and use most of the money that goes toward their dues to pay for it.

Gibadlo said Alpha Kappa Lambda’s members only pay $50 to attend, and the rest of the cost is taken care of by their dues.

But for those in Phi Gamma Delta and Beta Theta Pi, the cost of attending formal is pricier, at $450 per member.

Each fraternity takes more than 50 members with their dates, causing more fun than most people ever experience

in three short days, with some remembering through specialized memorabilia.

“We always print huggies with a theme matching the trip,” Ramsey said.

“This years was an Orlando Magic theme with Farmhouse Magic printed with the official NBA logo for the team.”

Making those koozies cost Farmhouse $400, but allowed them to remember the weekend forever.

The cost of formal isn’t what matters for most of these men; it’s the experience with their fraternity brothers and significant others that will last a lifetime.

Greek Calendar Greek Weeks Feb. 28 - Mar. 4

March 21 - 27

April 4 - 10

April 18 - 24

NPHC

Alpha Phi Alpha

Alpha Kappa Alpha

Kappa Alpha Psi

March 7 - 13

March 28 - April 3

April 11 - 17

April 25 - May 1

Sigma Gamma Rho

Phi Beta Sigma

Delta Sigma Theta

Other Events March 6 Delta Zeta Charity Clays Classic

Omega Psi Phi

The Auburn Plainsman

Campus, B4

Thursday, March 4, 2010

‘People making the ultimate sacrifice’ Brett Mixon, senior in finance, Marine Sgt., tells of his two tours to Iraq DAVID NORWOOD ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Finance major Brett Mixon hates an 8 a.m. Calculus class as much as the next person, though his method for motivating himself is different from the standard student success strategy.

“I’d much rather be sitting in the library studying all night than in a foxhole,” Mixon said.

The Auburn senior and Marine Sgt. has seen tougher situations than a week’s worth of finals during two tours of duty in the al-Anbar province of Iraq.

During his first tour, Mixon provided security for bomb disposal teams, citing the film “The Hurt Locker” to explain his duties.

After a couple months, his work changed locations as he moved into the combat operations center.

“I was a man of many hats,” said Mixon, who also served as a section leader for a mobile assault platoon while in Iraq.

Mixon was a part of the 2007 troop surge that preceded the

Sunni Awakening during his second tour.

During that tour, Mixon patrolled the same estimated 30 miles of road for six hours a day from April to November.

His patrol was searching for IEDs and deterring enemy movement along the main supply route for eight months.

“It got very old,” Mixon said.

“But being bored out there is a good thing, you know?”

Mixon said being bored meant Mixon’s patrol was not finding the exciting things that sometimes get soldiers either hurt, or worse, killed.

A week after Mixon’s fiveyear contract was up, his unit, 3rd Battalion 9th Marines, trained to deploy to Afghanistan.

His unit was instead deployed to Iraq again and has since returned.

After all of his experiences, Mixon looks back on his service with pride because he feels that he has represented his country with honor.

“I don’t regret one minute of it,” Mixon said. “I feel like I served honorably and it’s something I’ll always be able (to carry with me).”

Contributed

Brett Mixon, Marine Sgt., smiles from the front passenger seat of a Humvee in the al-Anbar province of Iraq, in spite of the war going on outside the vehicle.

The Clarksville, Ga., native also takes pride in knowing he was a part of the nation’s history.

He said he recalled seeing the Iraqi elections in 2005 as a memorable experience.

Mixon said he feels good knowing he helped create an environment in Iraq that allows increasing numbers of troops to return home.

During his first tour in January of 2006, Mixon saw his friend Ryan McCurdy, whom he had known since infantry training at Camp Lejune, die while McCurdy attempted to rescue another fallen solder and friend in Fallujah, Iraq.

Mi xon said being able to witness heroism

first-hand was a life-changing experience.

“I got to see those guys up close,” Mixon said. “People making the ultimate sacrifice. That’s going to stick with me forever.”

Now that his contract is up, Mixon is focused on finishing his degree in finance.

He has experienced what he calls “academic growing pains,” as he attempts to readjust to college life.

Mixon’s college life is a life he left behind in 2005.

It was a life where he played college baseball for Gardner-Webb and Georgia State universities before deciding to serve.

Mixon is contemplating earning a master’s degree in education.

Mixon remains positive about the future and looks forward to the stabilities of civilian life in Iraq.

“People like McCurdy really give me a good feeling about our generation,” Mixon said.

Contributed

Mixon stands between his fellow Marines during pre-deployment training in California prior to his second tour in Iraq to provide security for supply routes in Fallujah.

Another student veteran will be featured next week.

Check in the Campus section to read more.

Contributed Mixon takes a break before starting his mountain training in California.

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Campus, B5

Campus Calendar Campus events calendar is provided by University-chartered organizations. Submit written events to The Plainsman office between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., prior to the Monday before publication. Limit 30 words. May be edited for pertinent content.

Friday, March 5

Friday, March 5

Saturday, March 6

Sunday, March 7

Tuesday, March 9

Softball - War Eagle Classic 10 a.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Softball - War Eagle Classic 8 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Softball - War Eagle Classic 10 a.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Softball - War Eagle Classic 9 a.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Softball - War Eagle Classic 12:30 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Men’s Tennis vs. Tennessee 2 p.m., Yarbrough Tennis Center

Softball - War Eagle Classic 12:30 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Softball - War Eagle Classic 11:30 a.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Alabama Transition Conference 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Marriott Grand National Hotel and Conference Center

Baseball vs. Miami (Ohio) 3 p.m., Plainsman Park

Baseball vs. Miami (Ohio) 1 p.m., Plainsman Park

Softball - War Eagle Classic 3 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Men’s Tennis vs.

Georgia 1 p.m., Yarbrough Tennis Center

Softball - War Eagle Classic 5:30 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Softball - War Eagle Classic 2 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

RBDpalooza 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., RBD Library

4th Annual Auburn University Women’s Leadership Conference Awards Dinner 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 6 17th Annual Kappa Delta Shamrock 5K Run to benefit LeeSCAN 8 a.m. - 9 a.m., Corner of Thach Avenue and Wire Road

Softball - War Eagle Classic 3 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex Softball - War Eagle Classic 5:30 p.m., Jane B. Moore Softball Complex

Women’s Leadership Conference 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., AUSC

Baseball vs. Miami (Ohio) 6:30 p.m., Plainsman Park

Auburn Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting 9 a.m. - noon, Alumni Center

Gymnastics vs. Denver 7 p.m., Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum

Equestrian vs. Georgia 10 a.m., Horse Unit

Monday, March 8 Sunday, March 7 James E. Martin Invite - Swim/Dive All Day, James E. Martin Aquatics Center

Women’s Golf Invitational 8 a.m., Auburn University Club

Alabama Transition Conference 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Marriott Grand National Hotel and Conference Center Smoked Chicken Sale 3 p.m. - 6 p.m., Poultry Science Building Front Lobby

Smoked Chicken Sale 3 p.m. - 6 p.m., Poultry Science Building Front Lobby UPC Interest Session 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., AUSC Room 2218

Artist lecture: Kimberly Sotelo, furniture maker 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art Film: The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

Auburn Community Orchestra Concert 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m., First Baptist Church Opelika

Wednesday, March 10 Smoked Chicken Sale 3 p.m. - 6 p.m., Poultry Science Building Front Lobby Baseball vs. Appalachian State 6:30 p.m., Plainsman Park

Thursday, March 11 Alabama Association for Diversity Executives Meeting 9 a.m. - 11 a.m., Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center

Spring Diversity Research Conference: “Understanding Differences that Matter” 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center

Discover AuburnImages of Sicilian Women 3 p.m. - 4 p.m., Special Collections and Archives, RBD Library

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The Auburn Plainsman

Campus, B6

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Frankenstein in context

Tiger Eyes await prize

Academics explore science fiction as intellectual history BEN BARTLEY COPY EDITOR

Tiger Eye hopefuls begin preparing for try-outs JESSICA SHADDIX WRITER

They lined up with their heads held high, backs straight, hands on their hips and toes pointed out, while trying to keep in step.

Feb. 27 several women spent Saturday at Goodwin Music Hall for an audition clinic, learning what to expect for the 2010 Tiger Eyes try-outs.

The women were given step by step instruction on how to perform. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This gives them an opportunity to learn whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected of them,â&#x20AC;? said Sara Cothran, dance line instructor.

The room was filled with freshmen and high school seniors, fixing their pony-tails and stretching in their audition clothes: tanks, shorts, tights and jazz shoes.

One high school senior trying out for the majorette line, Melissa Borden from Spain Park High School, said she wanted to try out because she heard it was a fun way to get involved.

However, Borden said it was a big step for her to come to Auburn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an Alabama fan,â&#x20AC;? Borden said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I like the majorette line here better.â&#x20AC;?

After the girls stretched in preparation for the day, Kristina Cammack explained what to expect for try-outs.

Cammack said she was thrilled that so many women showed up for the clinic.

Danielle Chester, freshman in precommunication disorders, said she is trying out for Tiger Eyes because she enjoys dancing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really like to dance,â&#x20AC;? Chester said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And it would be a really good opportunity to be a part of the Auburn tradition.â&#x20AC;?

Two drum majors helped teach the girls how to march and the pre-game jog.

Carolyn Rush / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Women practice routines for 2010 Tiger Eyes audition in Goodwin Music Hall.

While marching out onto the field, the pre-game jog involves bringing the legs up quickly and repeatedly at a 90-degree angle with feet naturally relaxed, backs straight and heads held high.

The women were given many chances to practice and after a few short tries they were marching back and forth in Goodwin and Foy. Cammack said that usually they would have the women perform one move at a time, but this year the routines for tryouts have changed. She said although auditions will still be â&#x20AC;&#x153;nerve-wrackingâ&#x20AC;? the change will be for the better. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve changed how we do basics,â&#x20AC;?

Cammack said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created short routines so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not so awkward for the judges and auditioners.â&#x20AC;?

The instructors informed the auditioners that this year their routines will be open to the public, allowing their family and friends to watch them try out.

Mallory Gilliland, freshmen in restaurant management and 2009 majorette, said the day was a chance for everyone to get an idea of the style they are looking for this year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to leave feeling more comfortable going into tryouts and know what to practice,â&#x20AC;? Gilliland said.

The chalkboard is covered with differing philosophies and ideologies.

The professor, a short, older man with inch-thick glasses and a grey beard trimmed with rust-colored hair, draws lines and connects ideas.

Hands raise and a discussion begins. The professor plays mediator and devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advocate, always bouncing one idea off another. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been very, very pleased with the quality of discussion in this class over the years,â&#x20AC;? said Guy Beckwith in his Thach office. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a typical professorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s officeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; desk covered with papers, book-lined walls, limited seating space.

Beckwith, who teaches in the history department, said Science Fiction as Intellectual History was originally started by another Auburn professor several years back.

The class is structured around science fiction novels and attempts to â&#x20AC;&#x153;provide the historical context within which these writers were writing.â&#x20AC;?

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The reading list stretches from 1816, Mary Shelleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Frankenstein,â&#x20AC;? to 1984, William Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neuromancer,â&#x20AC;? with stalwarts of the science fiction worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Huxley, Heinlein and Clarkeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; scattered in between. â&#x20AC;&#x153;(W)eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about the 19th century and the 20th century up to 1984 when â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Neuromancerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was published,â&#x20AC;? Beckwith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of exciting, disturbing and challenging things are going on at that time.

And we wrestle with some of those things in the class.â&#x20AC;?

Beckwith sees science fiction, as well as his class, as chiefly concerned with ideas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We often think of science fiction as existing in a kind of world of its own,â&#x20AC;?

Beckwith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a genre; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got its fans, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of insulated from other interests. But what you find out, in its origin and in its development, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often very, very engaged with ideas of the time.â&#x20AC;?

Beckwithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s zeal for teaching, his love of ideas and knowledge, has been noticed by his students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dr. Beckwith can think about things from more

than one angle, and he can present it from more than one angle,â&#x20AC;? said Ben Pierce, senior in philosophy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He can look at some particular situation in a novel and bring to bear perspectives from across the human condition.â&#x20AC;?

He pauses half a heartbeat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And he has a cool beard.â&#x20AC;?

John McMeans, senior in history, considers himself a science fiction fan.

He said the class sounded interesting, unlike a lot of the other classes in the history department. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guy is my guy,â&#x20AC;? McMeans said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guy is cool.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really energetic guy.

Guy is the most energetic guy. He seems really passionate about science fiction. Love his voice. Love his karate moves.â&#x20AC;?

Beckwith, sitting in his office, surrounded

by Thucydides and Gibbon, but also Herbert and Verne, said the diversity is part of what he enjoys about teaching the class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The other thing I really enjoy about the class is that a lot of people come to me and say Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never read these novels,â&#x20AC;? Beckwith said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll really be encountering some of these novels for the very first time.â&#x20AC;?

The class isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t offered every year. More like every three or just whenever it happens, Beckwith said with a smile and a shrug.

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The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Campus, B7

Artist discusses diversity, reality TV EMILY CLEVER ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR

Diversity may be a delicate issue in areas like Alabama, but some in Auburn are attempting to stir up the conversation with a younger generation.

Six teenagers of Opelika and Auburn high schools met with local artist Doc Waller in Auburn’s Student Center Sunday to discuss diversity and unity.

“Unity is just coming together as a people,” said Mariah Sankey, junior at Opelika High School. “It doesn’t have to be different races or ethnicities.

It’s just people, humans, the race. You don’t have to share the same interests, you don’t have to go to the same school, the same church. It’s just coming and bonding together as one.”

Waller attended Auburn for a little over a year before joining the U.S. Air Force.

“I majored in not going to class,” Waller said.

“I fell in love with the arts when I was in the military, and then when I got out of the military, that’s when I started my professional career.”

Waller has had a successful acting career and is the owner of the new nonprofit arts organization in downtown Auburn.

“I’m here today actually because diversity was going to be the topic, and I was going to try to help facilitate the conversation,” said Shakeer Abdullah, director of the Multicultural Center on campus.

Waller said the goal of this East Alabama Teen Summit meeting was to encourage the teenagers to think differently on subjects that aren’t always considered politically correct to discuss.

“It’s very rare now-adays that a young adult will light his or her own fire,” Waller said. “I think that that’s just because

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Doc Waller laughs with students from Opelika and Auburn high schools at the East Alabama Teen Summit Sunday.

peer pressure is probably stronger and more potent now than it’s ever been.

Becoming your own per-

On The Concourse Do you recycle?

son and having your own identity in some circles when it comes to the youth is like crucifying yourself.”

Waller said he believes reality TV shows like “The Real World” play a major role in shaping the identity of young adults.

“It’s just a bunch of these little different characteristics walking around,” Waller said. “Not people, just shells of characteristics. And that’s why you always have the angry black guy, the gay guy, the guy who parties, the girl who’ll get in the hot tub the first night; it’s every single season.”

Waller said these equations of personality are shaping how teenagers think.

“You have to be able to look at this stuff and realize, pull what’s beneficial from it and just throw everything else away,” Waller said. “Youth can’t do that right now. They take everything in, and they sponge even the bad stuff, and it’s just like, wow.”

Brandon Wolfe, member of the Access and Community board at Auburn

University, began the East Alabama Teen Summit, inspired by the former BET series, to “tap into the minds of young adults in the area,” Waller said.

The diversity summit was the fourth in the series.

The series began with a summit on the current state of hip-hop, and approximately 45 teenagers from the area attended, Waller said.

The next summit covered community service, followed by a summit on business and individual net worth.

The program will end with a party in April.

“If we can start to frame their thought process to think independently inside a group, having them speak out among everyone and really say something that’s on their mind, not based on everyone else’s opinion, that’s a strengthening tool,” Waller said.

“That was our goal with this.”

Spare change adds up for Haiti MADDY HALL WRITER

Yes. I feel very passionate about it. My roommate and I both recycle.

- Emily McDade, sophomore in pre-nursing Actually, yes. The dorms pass out recycling bags so I do what I can to throw my trash in there.

-Tim Murphy, freshman in building science Yes. I don’t really go out of my way, but I put plastic bottles in recycling bins and things like that.

- Vickie English, junior in civil engineering Yes, I live on The Hill and they gave us recycling bags to put our trash in.

-James Florkiewicz, freshman in professional flight management

People see cast-away pennies on the ground everyday.

Although pennies aren’t worth much by themselves, spare change can quickly add up when collected for a cause, as demonstrated by the project of nine-year-old Olivia Stanwick, daughter of Auburn University’s College of Business professors Peter and Sarah Stanwick.

Olivia knew she wanted to help in some way but was not sure how. She decided to raise money by collecting spare change in what came to be called a penny drop.

Initially, the plan was to collect funds with her fourthgrade class at Wrights Mill Road Elementary.

However, when Lynda Tremaine, principal of Wrights Mill Road Elementary, heard the idea, she wanted it to become a school wide project.

“When the Stanwick family, parents of first grader John and fourth grader Olivia, came to me with the idea of collecting pennies for Haiti, I thought it was a wonderful idea,” Tre-

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Anna Kate Carter, 9, and Sarah Adam, 10, hold pennies they counted for Haiti during a benefit sponsored by the College of Business.

maine said.

Water jugs were set up around the school during February. Students brought in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to fill them.

“We had students who brought in their birthday money, tooth fairy money and piggy banks,” Tremaine said.

“It was heart-warming seeing the response. I am very proud of the giving spirit that our students demonstrated .”

This past Saturday, Olivia helped present a check for $1,640.60 to the UN World

Food Programme (WFP).

Douglas Coutts, senior advisor for the UN World Food Programme, said the money will go directly into the fund for their Emergency Operation (EMOP) budget.

“The money will help purchase meals like high-energy biscuits that are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that the children need,” Coutts said.

“We have community projects during the school year because we feel it’s important to instill in our students the importance of doing for others.”

The Auburn Plainsman

Campus, B8

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Photo of the Week Joshua Oliver senior in biomedical sciences

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Fattening foods proven to be healthier C7

Annoying classmates push the limit C6

INTRIGUE

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010

C

www.theplainsman.com

Olympian’s relative, an Auburn student, shares Vancouver experience Q&A : Dana Chason, cousin of gold medalist Evan Lysacek Q: What was it like to be at the 2010 Olympics?

A:

Dana Chason, senior in nursing, shows off Evan Lysasek’s gold medal.

It was a blessing to be there to support Evan. I have watched him grow as a person and a skater and I might be biased, but he deserves every minute of that gold medal because he is one of, if not the hardest working athlete at the games. He has put so much into following his dream and to be able to watch every minute of that training pay off was unbelievable.

Q: Describe the emotion and intensity while you and Evan’s family watched him perform. per

A:

At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the U.S. won a record 37 medals. This is how they broke down sport by sport.

Sport Alpine Skiing Short Track Snowboarding Nordic Combined Speed Skating Freestyle Skiing Figure Skating Bobsled Hockey Totals

Gold

Silver

2 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 9

3 2 1 3 2 1 1 0 2 15

Bronze 3 4 2 0 1 2 0 1 0 13

Total 8 6 5 4 4 4 2 2 2 37

www.nbcolympics.com

Well, before the Wel short program, my two co cousins (Evan’s sisters) sisters and I were nervous nervou wrecks.

But h he skated very well in the short pro program and we we proud of his were performance.

B Before the free skate, I was so nervous I actually started crying a few minutes before Evan went on the i ice!

There is an unbelievable amou of pressure amount on the athletes that definitely radiates into the crowd, fans and especially family.

Q: Did you get to meet Vera Wang, the designer of Evan’s costume?

A: I did get to meet Vera! She was fabulous, of course. It has been so sweet of her to take Evan under her wing and design his costumes this season. Evan and Vera met a while back, but reconnected at the World Championships in March of 2009. Vera was actually a figure skater herself and once she and Evan hit it off and were eager to work together. She started designing for a man for the first time in her fashion career.

They spent a lot of time on the ice perfecting his costumes for the Olympics and now are great friends. Vera and I actually chatted about a beautiful bracelet that she wears when Evan competes. The bracelet is a snake that wraps around her arm a few times and it matches Evan’s free skate costume, so she wears it for good luck!

Q: What was it like traveling in Vancouver, surrounded by so many ethnicities?

Lysacek celebrates with his entire family in Vancouver after winning gold.

A: It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I have traveled overseas before, but what was so interesting about this trip was that there were people from all over the world coming together to celebrate and enjoy the same thing, and that doesn’t happen too often. The city is gorgeous and there was a definite “Olympic” feeling in the air.

It’s hard for me to put into words what that feeling was like and it’s what made the experience so unique.

Photos contributed by Dana Chason

Printed on Recycled Paper

Q: Do you know what kind of commitments the family had to give up in order support Evan during his figure skating career?

A: Besides the emotional stress and financial sacrifices, I would say the main thing is family time was sacrificed with Evan’s strict training and competition schedule. According to my aunt, a lot revolved around Evan’s schedule. His sisters, Laura and Christina, both played sports as well, and it was a challenge to jungle everyone’s activities. There was a rule in their house that no matter what time everyone got home, they would always eat dinner together as a family. It can be tough to coordinate our larger family get-togethers, but we still manage to!

Q:

Do you get to see Evan and his family very often?

A:

When we were all younger, our two families would get together as often as possible. As Evan’s schedule became more and more hectic, it has been harder for him to make it for holidays, but we still make it work! Even if not everyone can get together, we still see at least parts of the family once or twice a year.

Q: Were you all expecting Evan to win the gold medal?

A: We were hoping that he would end up on the podium, but we were not expecting a certain result. Our main hope was for him to remain injury-free and no matter what the results, him be happy with his performance.

There are a few of us who are very superstitious, including Evan, and even talking about what the results might be was a nono! There was a huge celebration at the USA House in downtown Vancouver the night he won and it was fun to celebrate his accomplishment and let the stress of the week fall away.

Q: Do you know how long Evan has been training for the Olympics?

A:

Since he started skating. Honestly!

When he was about 10 years old he told my grandmother that one day he was going to win a gold medal at the Olympics and once he did, he would pick her up in a limousine and take her to the nicest restaurant in town! It was such a blessing to see that dream lived out in Vancouver.

Q: Did you and your family have any funny or embarrassing moments while in Vancouver?

A: NBC apparently showed us jumping up and down and screaming after Evan skated his short program. I got a few text messages saying “You just looked ridiculous on TV!”.

Q: What was your favorite part about attending the Olympics?

A: My cousin won a gold medal! It’s so strange to think that everyone across the States is watching the USA medal count go up and to actually be able to say that my cousin contributed with a gold medal is surreal. I am so proud of him!

Interviewed by Callie Garrett/ INTRIGUE EDITOR

The Auburn Plainsman

Intrigue, C2

The Auburn Plainsman INTRIGUE STAFF

Callie Garrett

Battle of the sexes cause questions in college admissions, gender ratio

Editor

SARAH PHILLIPS

Olivia Martin

STAFF REPORTER

Associate Editor

Brian Desarro Assistant Editor

To reach the staff, call 844-9109, or e-mail intrigue@theplainsman.com

THE

SCOOP

March 4 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Planet Gardeningâ&#x20AC;? Lecture series will be in 112 Rouse Life Science Center at 6 p.m. Dr. Harry Ponder will be exploring the diagnosis of plant problems.

March 5 Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series with Jim Photoglo at 7:30 p.m. at AUUF, 450 Thach Ave. General admission is $10, $8 for students.

March 6 Parents Night Out at the Frank Brown Recreation Center offers parents a safe evening of supervised fun and games while parents step out and have a little fun. Children age 6-12 are welcome. Preregistration is required and the cost is $25.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

When a high school senior begins applying to colleges, there are many questions that pop into their mind, but one of the biggest seems to be, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Will I meet someone?â&#x20AC;?

For most it can mean friends, but for many it means finding the love of their life they will hope to marry and live happily ever after withâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the complete college fairy tale.

But with some universities having more women than men applying, finding a date can be harder than it should be.

Fortunately for incoming Auburn freshmen, the ratio of men to women in applications, acceptance and enrollment is close to 50/50.

In addition, the numbers of each gender is continually growing.

Drew Clark, director of assessment for the office of institutional research and assessment, explained that most universities are seeing an increase of applicants of both sexes due to updated admissions resources.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheap,â&#x20AC;? Clark said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are more places to apply toâ&#x20AC;Ś meaning more apply who usually wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.â&#x20AC;?

A group of students included in those who usually wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t apply are women.

Recently, however, women have been the majority of those applying, accepted and enrolling at Auburn and many other Southeastern schools and schools across the country.

According to the National Education for Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education, in 2005 Auburn accepted 54 percent women, unlike Georgia Tech who only accepted 30 percent.

In 2006 there was a one percent increase to 55 percent women, as well as with Tech who then accepted 31 percent.

For 2007, Auburn increased another one percent, but remained more balanced than the University of Georgia, who accepted 63 percent women that year.

The last record available is for the incoming freshmen of 2008, who had 55 percent women accepted,

dropping one percent from the year before and remaining close to equal acceptance of men.

Clark explained the dramatic differences between Auburn and Tech as a difference in the type of school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more liberal arts, the more women outweigh,â&#x20AC;? Clark said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more technical, the more men will.â&#x20AC;?

Ryan Shuler, senior in finance, said he thinks more women are applying and being accepted at Auburn because of the new generation and the shift off menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s values. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the late 20th century and into the 21st century, women value education more than they have previously,â&#x20AC;? Shuler said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now more apply to college.â&#x20AC;?

Clark said he agrees that women are now more willing to apply to college to further their education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The general perception is that you have to get your bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree to stay in the middle class,â&#x20AC;? Clark said.

Although more women are being accepted and enrolled into Auburn as

the years continue, enrollment services is not concerned. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t watch for gender balance in terms of admission,â&#x20AC;? said Wayne Alderman, dean of enrollment services.

For Alderman, monitoring gender balance is only necessary because the University is required to report these for federal aid.

With the number of women outweighing men for freshman year of all classes, the end result is having more women than men graduating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The percentage of men decrease by senior year,â&#x20AC;?

Clark said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also lost a few students to the economy. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a cheaper alternative.â&#x20AC;?

With roughly 40 percent of students coming in from out of state, Auburn will likely lose some students after their first year on campus.

Even though the man to woman ratio is close to 50/50, Shuler said he wished there were more girls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve now arrived at a world where higher education has more females,â&#x20AC;?

Clark said.

Kerryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recipe this week: Yogurt spiced chicken Ingredients

Directions

1 cup plain yogurt Ÿ cup olive oil zest and juice of one lemon 1 teaspoon (or more if you like) hot sauce 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano one package boneless skinless chicken tenders pitas, warmed

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, zest and juice of the lemon, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin and dried oregano. Mix all the ingredients until combined.

Place the chicken in the marinade and toss together until coated evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, preheat a grill pan over the stove or an outdoor grill. If using the stove top, coat your pan with olive oil. Add chicken to pan or grill over medium-high heat. Cook for four or five minutes and flip the chicken. Cook for an additional four or five minutes. Serve along side with warm pitas and couscous (recipe follows).

Yields: 4-6 servings

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Blogger: Jon Rouse

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Colorful Couscous Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup red bell pepper, diced one garlic clove, minced

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Contributed by: Kerry Fannon, sophomore in nutrition

Random Jacob Fielder

Sophomore, mechanical engineering

ABOUT JOE: Age: 20 Hometown: Florence Greatest fear: Drowning Hobbies: Sports and video games Random fact: I can set off metal detectors because I have a screw in my wrist.

Availability: Single

What was your favorite moment of the Olympics?

Tying for gold in the hockey game

What are three things you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live without? My family, my close friends and my religion

What have you done to begin preparing for spring break? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to get some money together.

What is the coolest vacation you have ever been on? I went to Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Glacier Bay.

What is the coolest thing you have ever gotten for free? My sunglasses

What is your favorite concert you have been to?

Fly-by Radio

What is the first thing you notice about other people?

Their clothing. The image they put forth tells who they are.

Who is your hero? My grandfather has probably been most influential on my life.

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT Roll out the red carpet: Oscars 2010

Intrigue, C3

The 82nd Academy Awards is on ABC, March 7, 7 p.m. CST. Tune in to see who takes home the statue Avatar, just because of the graphics.

I thought it was really well done.

-John O’Reilly, sophomore in history

Nominations for Best Picture

Up. Pixar almost always wins.

-Brittany Rohland, sophomore in social science education

Avatar The Blind Side An Education The Hurt Locker Up in the Air District 9 Up Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Inglourious Basterds A Serious Man

Definitely Up in the Air.

-Grace Anthony, senior in political science Avatar. It kind of had a little message—it was a good movie.

-Jonathan Bush, senior in software engineering

Staff Picks:

Ultimate Oscar Party Checklist Make it a party to remember. Have your guests dress up for the occasion and serve nice hors d’oeuvres.

Always have an Oscar ballot for guests to fill out. If you don’t want to make one, feel free to use the one to your right provided by the Academy.

Always have a tie-breaker ready for your Oscar poll that isn’t an award. Suggestions could include guessing the number of times the camera will pan to Jack Nicholson or guessing the last person of the In Memoriam section.

Your Picks:

Spend a few bucks and have an actual trophy made for the poll winner. It adds a sense of permanence and class, creating a collectible knick-knack for them to fight over.

Have alternate activities planned for guests who may not enjoy watching a 3-hour awards ceremony. A simple table in the back of the room set up with poker chips and cards will help quell any enmity from uninterested guests.

Have small gift bags for your guests to take with them when they leave, just as the Academy does for the celebrities.

Special Events at Momma G’s Monday

Monday

Tuesday

Tuesday

University Ladies Night Kids Eat Open Mic Night 1 Salad Free Night at our Thach Employees Buy and Get 1 (free kids meal) location. Sign Day Free (6 PM (Must be under 12 up and show us Show your to Close) ID and get 10% off your meal

with a purchase of a regular sandwich or salad, maximum two free kids meals per sandwich purchase)

Wednesday

Thursday

Greek Night

Live Music

Show your letters and get a FREE Nacho with what you’ve got. a purchase of a sandwich.

Beginning at 9:00pm at our Magnolia location.

Everyday Special

9 PM at our Thach location only. Buy a sandwich Free Nacho AFTER or salad and get a Free Nacho after 9 PM.

The Auburn Plainsman

Intrigue, C4

Organize a closet w o H

To

BETHANY DONALDSON WRITER

Jared Waters / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR To keep closets organized, keep up with maintenance and eliminate rarely worn clothing.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

said that r - chandising, e e m ar s et os cl nd the Glass Unorganized e working at Behi th ith w st pa e e space-saving a thing of th taught her som s. ic ct ta d an s right tool hite, se- secrets. hing in the When Caitlin W aurant tel said everyt Pa st re d d by colors nior in hotel an r store is organize ry colors. he d re te en t, managemen complimenta she realized and ic she has college home, id this is a tact sa e ld Sh ou w ng hi oset. all of her clot moved to her cl All Spaced new closet. r he to id in sa t fi t er no Sumpt w much organize “I noticed ho helps people ut ” , O as w et os g what cl in ss y se m as smaller closet by r ei d th da y m d ha s differWhite said. “I use, then utilize s and ey d th ul co I so el as sh ve build shelves to ent tools such g in berd co ac help the closet hang stuff to s ck . ra dy bo e on th sier to use. where it goes ed to only come ea id another tactic ed ne I e m ld He to Patel sa it at a time is layering keep a season on e has learned sh ” k. lors and ea br co tary or it would llowed complimen fo e sh ve space sa id sa to White s together em g, it in nn gi be e his rules in th l seasons and hangers. ra ve se e layer tops r te af t bu “In the store w e desh on s, ie nc ge er to good gether with no em g all of that look nk in ta tt a pu e e lik av r, br he cided to of each ot p to “I . id sa her clothes on it. er,” White and a sweater,” Patel e m ho st sa at this “It was a di and started doing nning out of at co a t ge to t said. “I wen use I was ru et just fell on beca and hangers. It saves the whole clos ac e sp e the piles ther akes a quick top of me. I left ’t hangers and m dn di I e us ca for weeks be outfit pull.” with it.” ed other know what to do Sumpter offer oset iscl ith w ts e while in en tim ud For st s to save ay w . ns tio lu so ing having sues, there are im college, includ hing and K er gn si de Professional ace for everyt Spaced Out in a pl aining an organizaSumpter of All nt ggested stu- mai Birmingham su ic her com- tional system. ct ould have dents use a ta ate clothes.

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The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Intrigue, C5

Q&A : Maconica Sawyer, newly wed Maconica graduated December 2009, got married the next day Q: Why did you and Michael decide to get married in Auburn?

A: We decided to get married in Auburn for a lot of reasons. My mom no longer lived in Birmingham and I felt like my home was in Auburn and it was the only place that made sense because I didn’t want a destination wedding or to get married on the beach. I wanted to plan the wedding myself without a lot of help and being in Auburn while planning the wedding allowed me to plan my perfect wedding because I wasn’t traveling back and forth.

Q: What were some of the venues you looked at having the ceremony and reception, and what made you decide on the ones you chose?

A: Most churches would only confirm our date six months prior to our date and I was ready to confirm our ceremony venue 10 months early. I was nervous waiting around but it all worked out.

For the ceremony, Auburn United Methodist or First Baptist Auburn. I loved AUMC because it was gorgeous and it was

my favorite of the two!

As for the reception,, Fountainview Mansion, Robertt Trent Jones, and we kind of looked oked into Moore’s Mill. I chose hose Fountainview because use of the service and thee fact that it is gorgeous.

Gary Klarenbeek runs the mansion and he is absolutely wonderful I cannot say enough good things about him! He told me where to get my cake, how many napkins pkins I needed to order,and his wife even fixed my dresss at the reception because my bustle broke. He is wonderderful and he is a big reason n our wedding was such a success.

Q: What are some tips you give someone planning their wedding in AU on a budget?

A: We didn’t do save-the-dates because we had a 10 month engagement and we figured that the people that were important to us would already know the date because they would have heard through word of mouth or they would have talked to one of us.

For flowers, I just chose one flower (red and white roses) and I think that helped keep the costs down.

We got married at Christmas so the

STAFF REPORTER

The bird-flu scare is over, but the infamous myth of birds exploding will always come back around for wedding season.

Many brides have heard this notorious tale of how having rice thrown at their wedding can cause birds to combust from eating it, but lucky for animal loving women, this is completely untrue.

According to Roy Crowe, an eagle consultant at the Southeastern Raptor Center with Auburn’s College dicine, of Veterinary Medicine, ay eating rice may not be as good as birdseed, but it isn’t a fatal mistake.

“Rice is a grain,” Crowe said. “It’s just likee birdseed.”

Crowe said he had never seen a bird explode and wasn’t aware that people still believed this myth.

“I don’t know of anyone who has said rice kills birds,” Crowe said.

Sarah Ernst, junior in Spanish, said she has always believed that rice can cause a bird to explode.

“With all my heart I (believe it),” Ernst said. “It only makes sense: rice expands when it gets wet. So when it’s inside (a bird’s) stomach, after the bird ate a lot, there’s not enough room to expand.”

Unfortunately, Ernst had never witnessed a bird eating rice.

Many wedding planners deal with brides expecting a fun and exciting sendoff, but rice has quickly become dated and something not often desired by most brides.

For Gary Klarenbeek, wedding planner at the Fountainview Mansion in Auburn, the biggest issue with rice has become safety.

“We certainly don't want anyone to twist their ankle due to the rice,” Klarenbeek said. “Also, the rice can clog pool and fountain equipment not to mention be a horrible mess to clean up.”

Crowe, who was also a minister in Opelika for more than 20 years, suggested birdseed as an alternative for those who may still enjoy the idea of throwing rice.

“Rice is a problem to scoop up and clean,” Crowe said. “Birdseed is less slippery and will disappear quickly.”

For many of Klarenbeek beek’s brides, sp sparklers have become the best alternative for creating a unique send-off that guests are exci cited to be apart of of.

“Some brides contract with a professional company for a major fireworks display, although that's pretty rare,” Klarenbeek said.

Ernst said she would use bubbles or rose petals as an environmentally safe alternative.

“Fresh rose petals are biodegradable and simply blow away in the breeze,” Klarenbeek said. “Silk rose petals are horrible and we don't allow them.”

Although throwing rice at a wedding will not kill a bird, it is still not allowed in most cities, including the city of Auburn for a completely different reason.

According to Catrina Cook, assistant director of the city of Auburn’s environmental services, it can be considered littering.

The first violation punishment is a fine of no less than 250 dollars.

The city of Auburn does not suggest throwing rice unless you are ready to pay them for it.

which was a lot less of expensive. Michael was in charge of alcohol and he loved doing it!

Q: Was it difficult finding your dress while living in Auburn? How many places did you go before you found it?

A: The hardest part of the whole wedding process was finding my dress. I probably went to 10 or 12 places and tried on over 50 dresses. I knew exactly what I wanted I just couldn’t find it anywhere! I finally found it in Atlanta.

Q: Would you suggest paying for a wedding planner or doing it yourself ?

A: I did it myself because I already had some experience when I was social chair for Sigma Kappa so I knew about venues, food, etc. I also wanted to be as hands on as possible. I never even considered getting a wedding planner because I am already really organized and I knew I could do it by myself. Also I had wonderful friends, Michael’s mom and Mr. Klarenbeek who helped me out along the way.

Interviewed by: Callie Garrett/ INTRIGUE EDITOR

Check online for video coverage of this story.

Guy’s Guide: Wedding Etiquette

Bursting bird myth busted SARAH PHILLIPS

church and our reception venue were alre already decorated.

Michael’s mom and aunt’s created centerpieces for the rehe rehearsal dinner so we just used them for the reception the following night.

We booked our band b through Music Gard Garden because I had worke worked with them before, ffor Sigma Kappa event events and Michael’s frater fraternity brother, Dobbins Cosby, told Dobb bands were us which w best and we went the b from there. I wanted Motown and I didn’t think a DJ would really be able to give us the kind of atmosphere we wanted at our reception.

We didn’t do guest favors at the reception because we didn’t want to have a lot of leftover favors I really don’t think anyone noticed. Instead of leaving and having flower petals tossed we did sparklers and it made some great pictures!

We had a huge wedding (500+ people) so it was less expensive for us to serve our food buffet style. Also, we used kegs for the beer instead of glass bottles. Our venue allowed us to buy our own alcohol

Learn a proper toast, how to dress according to the hour KATIE EHRHART WRITER

Some girl dreams of the perfect fairy tale wedding and how everything will go off without a hitch, riding off into the sunset with Prince Charming.

Sometimes, however, if the guests aren’t familiar with proper etiquette, this picture perfect wedding could be ruined in a matter of seconds.

“I was at a friend’s wedding when someone stood up in the middle of the ceremony and said, ‘I love you guys. Ya'll are great together,’” said Willis McKee, senior in political science.

While the intentions may have been the best from this loud-mouthed guest, these are the type of things that tend to dampen the day for the bride and groom.

Nonetheless, with a few tips from wedding experts, even the most clueless of guys can be ready to charm his way through this year’s wedding season.

The first thing to remember after receiving an invite is to RSVP, regardless if you will be attending or not.

“It is very, very important, even if it seems old fashioned, for you to RSVP,” said Whitney

Phillips, catering sales manager at Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center. “Out of respect to the bride and groom and their planning of financial and space budgets, you can’t forget to do this.”

When a RSVP is sent, it is also important to note how many people will be attending.

However, Phillips notes that it is only proper to bring a guest if the invitation allows for one.

“If you were addressed as Mr. John Smith, then you can’t bring a guest,” Phillips said. “However, if the envelope says Mr. John Smith and guest then you can bring a guest.”

Phillips also said that while it is ultimately up to the bride and groom, etiquette on their part suggests, if you are single, then you should be able to bring a guest.

The next thing to consider after receiving an invitation is the gift.

Tom White, store manager at Bed Bath and Beyond, said gifts are not optional and that if you receive an invite you should bring a gift.

However, he believes the cost of the gift is negotiable.

“You should base your spending upon how well you know that person,” White said.

Phillips said a general minimum of $50 should be spent.

Both Phillips and White agreed, with the ability to order gifts from registries online, there is no excuse not to get a gift.

“With technology the way it is, it’s so simple,” Phillips said. “Most boys’

excuses of not wanting to go to the store is now null and void because you can do everything on the computer, have it gift wrapped and delivered to their home without ever stepping foot in the store.

Technology is definitely on the boys’ side for this one.”

After sending the RSVP and buying the gift, figuring out what to wear is the next big step.

“The time of ceremony and the season dictates a lot,” Phillips said. “If the wedding is before 4 p.m., you should wear a tie but not necessarily a coat.

After 4 p.m., you should traditionally wear a coat and, depending on the specifications of the invitation, possibly even a tuxedo.”

Next, for the ceremony and reception, it’s always good to enjoy oneself and celebrate with the bride and groom, but there is a fine line between celebrating and over-doing it.

“Be polite,” Phillips said.

“Just because there may be an open bar doesn’t mean you have to drink as much as you can. Remember you aren’t the one paying. Try to keep it to a one or two drink per hour limit.”

The final piece of advice that Phillips offers is to be respectful of the bride and groom on their wedding night.

“At a recent wedding, the groomsmen tried to release crickets in the bride and groom’s suite so they’d stay up all night,” Phillips said with a laugh.

Luckily for the bride and groom, Phillips and her event staff were able to foil the plot before it was carried out.

However, the wedding planner can’t always be relied on to save the day, so it’s important everyone try and adhere to wedding etiquette to make this special day as good as possible for the couple involved.

The Auburn Plainsman

Intrigue, C6

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Any questions?

Distracting classmates irritate students, professors SARAH PHILLIPS STAFF REPORTER

Every class seems to have that one student that just can’t stay quiet for more than 50 minutes.

From texting to actually having quiet conversations on their cell phones, some students just can’t control their annoying habits.

Brittany Conyers, junior in communication, admits that she may be an annoying student.

“I’ve texted during a whole class,” Conyers said.

“I just couldn’t pay attention.”

Although she confesses that she can be annoying with her texting habits, Conyers finds those who constantly ask questions throughout a class more annoying.

“They’ll ask a million questions that aren’t important,” Conyers said. “It doesn’t help when they have an annoying voice.”

Elizabeth Gattis, junior in early childhood education, finds classmates who are playing games on their computers the most frustrating.

“They are constantly fiddling with something,” Gattis said. “They can’t possibly be paying attention.”

Gattis admits that she is also guilty of texting throughout an entire class, but didn’t think she was annoying anyone. She said people constantly interrupting class with their opinions would be considered more annoying.

Professor Gerard Gryski in the Department of Political Science doesn’t classify those who speak out in class as being annoying.

“One whose phone rings (is annoying),” Gryski said.

Conyers has never had her cell phone ring in class, but said she has had her texting sound go off loudly. She recommends texting with the cell phone on silent as a way to pre-

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Kaitlin Oglesby, senior in political science, eagerly raises her hand to ask a question right as class is about to end.

vent becoming annoying.

“I hate it when people keep their phone on vibrate,” Conyers said.

“They’ll constantly text and won’t turn it off. The noise can drive a person crazy.”

Gryski has had to confront many students concerning their behavior in class dealing with cell phones.

“You have to insure the integrity of the class and the interests of all students,” Gryski said.

Conyers said she thinks

the classroom size seems to affect the amount of annoying students within a classroom.

“The bigger the class, the more people don’t pay attention (to the teacher),” Conyers said.

Unlike Conyers, Gattis thinks smaller classes cause more annoying students because they feel as though more people are willing to listen to their opinions.

Gryski disagrees with both students and said he thinks it has more to do

with the student than the classroom, although he said he was never an annoying student himself.

Even though Conyers and Gattis are both guilty of being annoying students with their constant texting, their biggest pet peeve are students falling asleep in class.

“If someone can’t stay awake I don’t know why they come to class,” Conyers said. “Especially when there’s no attendance policy.”

Gattis said she would

rather someone pay attention than do something else that could distract other students in the class.

“Not paying attention can be the most annoying (thing someone does),” Gattis said.

For those who want to stop annoying classmates, the biggest advice is to stay off your cell phone and stay awake.

Paying attention can pay off big for both students and teachers not only in grades, but also in happiness.

Watch shows in ‘record’ speed BETHANY DONALDSON WRITER

Missing a favorite television show is not a problem today thanks to DVRs or digital video recorders.

Britney Kelley, senior in psychology, said she uses her DVR everyday.

“My favorite thing about DVR is that my life doesn’t have to stop just so I don’t miss my favorite TV show,” Kelley said. “I can just record them and go on with my life and watch them at my leisure.”

According to “Don’t miss a thing; Recorder Icon Buyers’ Guide,” these devices use a hard disk instead of the large videos used with VCRs. Television shows are stored on the disk in digital format so there is little or no degradation of quality.

Ric Smith, professor in radio, television and film, said he has subscribed to TiVo for several years.

Smith said the DVR is playing a role in television evolution. The DVR has changed advertising during television shows, and product placement is currently replacing the regular recorded commercials because of the fastforward feature.

The digital format of the DVR is also able to be rewound.

Joey Blicker, senior in engineering, said he recently quit subscribing to DVR, but he used his to watch reruns of different sports.

“If I missed a good play, I could always just rewind and watch it again,” Blicker said.

Kelley said she prefers the fast-forward function because she can use it during commercials, spending less time in front of the television.

“I don’t think I watch more TV because of DVR,” Kelley said. “I actually probably watch less. I don’t ever have to watch commercials, so I rarely watch television live now because I have gotten so spoiled.”

Smith said DVR usage can be too much when consumers record every show and end up watching more television than they normally would.

“DVR use can go overboard if it interferes with your daily life,” Kelley said.

“I’m a psych major and that’s what we use to distinguish an addiction.”

Blicker said he does not think digital recording can become an addiction.

Kelley said she feels the only negative with her DVR is it inhibits her knowledge of current events.

“I rarely watch television live,” Smith said.

“Dramas and sitcoms I record. Sports are about the only thing I watch live.”

One of the newest additions to DVR features is the live pause according to “Don’t miss a thing; Recorder Icon Buyers’ Guide.”

This feature allows live TV to be paused if the viewer receives a phone call or interruption.

“The pause is great if you don’t want to miss an important part of the show because of a phone call or something,” Kelley said. “I also like to use it while I study so I have background noise.”

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Intrigue, C7

Carolyn Rush / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Sometimes a hamburger can be a better choice than frozen meals, which can be loaded with sodium and fat, ultimately canceling out the health advantages they are advertised as having.

Advertised health food actually poses health risk KATIE EHRART WRITER

With swimsuit season lurking, many people are hitting the gyms and beginning to watch what they eat.

Fast food hamburgers start getting replaced with decadent salads and personal Papa Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pizza for lunch is swapped out for a smoothie.

However, what most people may not realize is that the healthy choices they think they are making are not always the healthier option. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you just get a plain hamburger from McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that is only 250 calories as compared to some other menu items that people may think are healthier but really arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t,â&#x20AC;? said Elizabeth Purinai, junior in nutrition and food science.

According to mcdonalds.com, even its quarter pounder hamburger has less calories and grams of fat than its premium Caesar salad with grilled chicken and Caesar dressing.

Purinai said she was not surprised and that sauces and dressings are what really add up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aim for oil-based dressings if you are going to get a salad,â&#x20AC;? Purinai said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Also, spinach salad or romaine salads are much healthier and contain more nutrients than iceberg lettuce which has little nutritional value.â&#x20AC;?

Another common culprit is the fruit smoothie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By far the most common diet mistake I hear of is smoothies, which can be high in sugar,â&#x20AC;? said Sara Duffy, group fitness instructor at Goldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gym. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another big one is yogurt. Always check the

sugar. Even with light yo- in college,â&#x20AC;? Purinai said. gurt there can be a high â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, if you cook your meals at home you can reamount of sugar.â&#x20AC;?

With time and budget duce fat by about 50 perbeing major factors in cent.â&#x20AC;?

Purinai said most of this what college students eat, Duffy and Purinai know reduction is due to the way how hard it can be to make that restaurants prepare their foods. the right choices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to think Moeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re running was always between a healthier classes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choice bethe easiest If you cook cause all thing to the prograb,â&#x20AC;? said your meals at home of tein you Jordan Colget in their lins, gradu- you can reduce fat meals,â&#x20AC;? Puate student by 50 percent.â&#x20AC;? rinai said. in biomeâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Then I chanics calculated of human Elizabeth Purinai, m o v e junior, dietetics my meal ment. Colonline and lins also it was like said given the on campus 1,000 calories once you choices, it really is the add the chips and salsa, most convenient meal for which is ridiculous for one students. meal.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so easy just to grab Purinai said refried something at a restau- beans are a great example rant and go when you are of a healthy food that is

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

stocked full of calories because of preparation.

Restaurants commonly prepare refried beans with lard. Purinai recommends either opting for black beans or satisfying any craving for refried beans at home where they can be prepared in a healthier manner.

Another common food choice for time-pressed students is the frozen meal, Duffy said. Many of these meals are marketed as lean or healthy; however, Duffy said they are often high in sodium and fat.

It is also important to moderate oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sodium intake even at a young age, Purinai said. Reducing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daily salt intake by only one teaspoon will have a tremendous amount of positive effects on future heart health.

Purinai also urges students to be read the nutrition labels before buying

food and not to be fooled by packaging that markets a product as healthy or 100 percent natural.

Juices can often have misleading labels, Purinai said â&#x20AC;&#x153;V8 juice often times has a lot of salt,â&#x20AC;? Purinai said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If someone is needing to supplement their diet with certain nutrients, instead of drinking such drinks just try sneaking (the nutrient) into every meal in small doses.â&#x20AC;?

This method is the easiest to get nutrients that otherwise may lack in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diet, Purinai said.

Purinai recommends adding spinach to your eggs in the morning and pasta at night to add nutrients like iron, vitamin K and potassium.

For more information on healthy eating or to see what nutrients might be lacking from certain foods, visit mypyramid.gov.

Dirty houses attract bugs, dust JENNIFER BECKETT WRITER

Creepy-crawly critters, dust and other disgusting things seem to sneak into the places people live.

Auburn is no exception with its abundance of dorms, apartments, condos, trailers and houses that provide a welcoming habitat for unwelcome guests.

New Orleans native Michelle Duplantier, freshman in biomedical sciences, found an unexpected visitor in her bedroom one night. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was lying in my bed reading, and I heard something behind the window shade,â&#x20AC;? Duplantier said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I looked behind it and found a bat flying around.â&#x20AC;?

Duplantier said she thinks the bat may have entered through the attic.

After alerting her parents, Duplantier and her dad opened her bedroom window. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bat didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to get out at first, so my dad had to get a broom and hit the shade a few times to get it to fly out,â&#x20AC;? Duplantier said.

Michael Henry, freshman in engineering, said

his suitemate in The Vil- Clark remains weary of a lage recently found lady- particular household invader. bugs in his dorm room. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Spiders do bother me a â&#x20AC;&#x153;He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like bugs, so he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle it well, little bit,â&#x20AC;? Clark said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m but the rest of us thought not comfortable touching it was delightful because or handling spiders.â&#x20AC;?

For Leischuck resident theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to hurt anyone, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ladybugs,â&#x20AC;? Mallory Mims, sophomore in accounting, bugs are Henry said.

Insects tend to enter not the main concern. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Girls shed hair a lot, so peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s houses when the weather gets warmer, said my roommates and I find Wayne Clark, professor in wads of hair in the carpet,â&#x20AC;?

Mims said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dorm rooms entomology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One problem with en- also get really dusty, and the dressers tomology get covered is that in makeup, people have a Spiders do too. You negative bother me a little bit. can just run your fingers response across the to any Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not comfortable kind of touching or handling surface and see a layer insect or of dust and c r e e p y , spiders.â&#x20AC;? makeup s m a l l Wayne Clark, combined.â&#x20AC;? critter professor of entomology Mims said because she uses itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a natural reaction to have Clorox Wipes on surfaces a psychological aversion and vacuums and mops to things like that,â&#x20AC;? Clark the floors at least once a said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People tend to show week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By cleaning little things fear, repulsion and what one student described as along the way, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let a real â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yuck factorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when things get nasty by waitthey see bugs, especially ing longer to clean,â&#x20AC;? Mims said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tend to think cockroaches.â&#x20AC;?

Clark said he has stud- a lot about germs, but I ied and appreciated bugs have to keep things picked since childhood. However, up and neat.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

available

The Auburn Plainsman

Intrigue, C8

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Wasting Time CROSSWORD 35. Veer off-course 36. Right off the — 37. Nitpicks 38. Bolshoi rival 40. Tree trunk 41. NASA counterpart 42. Kill a bill 43. Tell 45. Begin again 47. Piano performance 48. “Kidnapped” monogram 49. Petty officer 50. Farewell 53. Over there 54. Love madly 58. Some models 61. Used sparingly 62. Ambler or Clapton 63. Bandleader Count — 64. Smelting waste 65. Belg. neighbor 66. Scornful smile 67. Fish story ACROSS 1. Sunblock ingredient 5. Poker stakes 10. Liniment 14. Crossed out 15. Air-conditions 16. “Only Time” singer 17. Mountain pass info 18. Choir director’s need

DOWN 1. Jury member 2. Wheel part 3. Red meat 4. Counselors 5. Not hesitate 6. Nutty confection 7. Quinine water 8. He directed Marlon

(2wds.)

20. Overhaul 22. __ Scala 23. Ms. Zellweger 24. Wild shrub 26. Lubricate 27. Tightrope walker 30. Dress features 34. Safari worker

9. FICA number 10. Happened to 11. Prolific auth.

12. Old harp 13. Invent 19. Complain 21. Toothpaste buy 25. Felt pens 26. Artists’ life works 27. Dogpatch resident 28. Desist 29. Sitar tunes 30. Arafat’s org.

31. “Das Boot” craft (hyph.)

32. Island nation 33. Car metal 35. B’way posting 39. Addams Family cousin 40. Least able to see 42. Worth 44. Its cap. is Quito 46. Moat 47. __ Milsap of country music 49. City in Idaho 50. Word from the pews 51. Meet defiantly 52. __ __ for keeps 53. China’s dollar 55. Tex. neighbor 56. Genuine 57. Sharpen 59. TD passers 60. Sun. homily

Horoscopes Aquarius: The sock monster is after your socks this week; he is one of the lesser influences on the horoscope, believe it or not.

Aries: You’re going to have a major sweet tooth this week. Three words: Girl. Scout.

Cookies.

Leo: Due to the planets’ spring cleaning frenzy, you will be oddly dusty this week.

Cancer: You will trip this week.

Sagittarius: Saturn’s inner rhythms brings out your happy feet!

Pisces: Neptune’s absence makes you extra thirsty this week.

Libra: Venus’s aspect causes you to be obsessed with Purell this week.

Gemini: You’ll have a propensity to mimic those around you. Just wait until they notice. Awkward.

Scorpio: You’ll be jamming this week; find the beat on everything but pen tapping in class, because that’s annoying.

Capricorn: Uranus’s presence in your sign this week makes you say inappropriate things. Because really?

Uranus? Sorry.

Virgo: This week you’ll pull up your black hoodie and break out the eyeliner. Cheer up emo kid.

Taurus: The orbital pace gives you an obsession with chatroulette.com, if you don’t know it already, you will.

Written by Olivia Martin / ASSOCIATE INTRIGUE EDITOR

OCTO Instructions •

•

•

•

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

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

The number in each diamond is the sum of the numbers of each of the four faces that border that diamond.

The numbers that border the diamonds do not have to be unique.

Number of numbers provided in this Octo = 56

Check www.theplainsman.com for the answers.

For more OCTOs, go to home.comcast.net ~douglasdgardner/site. (c) 2009, Doug Gardner — Patent Pending

FFriday id 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY open at 2pm $1 Drafts, $1 Shots, $5 Food Specials Music by Ian Huggy!

Ages 19 & up

Athlete of the Week: Cydney Clanton Women’s Golf D6

Equestrian D7

Baseball D5

SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010

D

www.theplainsman.com

Soccer strikes back Auburn hosts Mercer, Tennessee as spring soccer season kicks off BREE BOWEN WRITER

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Freshman forward Mary Coffed works the ball around a Tennessee defender Saturday.

The Auburn Women’s Soccer team went head-to-head with Mercer and Tennessee Saturday, adding two wins to its record.

The games kicked off the start of the spring season, and in preparation the team has been working out almost every day for the past two weeks.

“They’ve been working really hard, so it’s always nice to get out here and actually play a spring game,” said assistant coach Amy Berbary.

The game against Mercer was a back-and-forth battle between the teams until Auburn started simplifying its plays, which opened

up the opportunity for freshman midfielder/forward Jessica Rightmer to assist sophomore midfielder Katy Frierson on a shot from 20 yards, bringing the score to 1-0, which would be the eventual game-winning goal.

“We were a little rusty at first, but once the game got underway, we got our composure and starting connecting passes and we looked good,” Frierson said.

The second game of the day against SEC rival Tennessee was a big win for the team, with a final score of 1-0.

“They were playing a different formation, and we had to organize a lot faster on top of playing defen> Turn to SOCCER, D8

No. 16 Tigers gymnastics fall to No. 4 Gators NICK VAN DER LINDEN

Florida took an early lead when all five gymnasts scored 9.85 or higher on WRITER bars.

The Gators were led The No. 16 Auburn Gymnastics team (2-5, 2-4 SEC) by sophomore Elizabeth set a season-high on bars Mahlich, senior Amanda with 49.150, beating its pre- Castillo and senior Mavious best of 49.125, but fell randa Smith’s 9.875s to short against No. 4 Florida give Florida a 49.325-48.800 lead.

(6-2, 5-1 SEC) Auburn 195.700began the 196.800.

We only night on “We had a good night, had one fall, but on vault where Tigers all in all,” said everything else, we four scored a 9.75. head coach Jeff Thomp- were just a little off.” F r e s h m a n Maya Wickus son. “We only Jeff Thompson, scored 9.8 to had one fall, head coach help Auburn but on everyto a total of thing else we were just a little off. Every 48.800 in the event.

The Tigers went from vault, we took a step. Our bars were good. We wob- vault to bars where they a season-high bled a little bit on beam, but scored I thought we finished really 49.150.

Senior Carmen Nelms, strong on floor. Unfortunately, our opponent is one sophomore Kylie Shields of the top four teams in the and freshman Petrina Yokay all scored 9.85s. Sophcountry.”

“

omore Allyson Sandusky scored a 9.825 to reduce Florida’s lead 98.626-97.950.

“We had to get back into the swing of things after our week off,” Shields said.

“I didn’t perform as well on beams, but my bars score was my highest score so far this year. Vault and floor have been getting better as well and I’m improving every week and that’s all I can ask for.”

Florida continued to hit on all cylinders while scoring a 49.300 on vault with help from Courtney Gladys’ 9.9 and a 9.875 from both Maranda Smith and Ashanee Dickerson.

Auburn once again looked to close the lead and tried to do so on beam.

Senior Krissy Voss scored a 9.825 in the third spot, followed by junior Katie Hurley who scored a 9.75.

The Tigers concluded the > Turn to GYMNASTICS, D2

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Junior Rachel Inniss scores a 9.600 on beam against Florida Friday.

Women formulate SEC plan of action CRYSTAL COLE STAFF REPORTER

Blakeley Sisk / PHOTO EDITOR

Freshman guard Morgan Toles attempts a layup.

The women’s basketball team (14-15, 5-11 SEC), begins SEC tournament play in Duluth, Ga., today against Florida (1415, 7-9 SEC) at 1:30 p.m.

The Tigers, who are the No. 10 seed in the tournament, lost to the No. 7 seed Gators 71-68 in their last meeting in January.

Head coach Nell Fortner said her team remembers that game and it gave them a chance to see what the team was capable of achieving.

“We left that game and we went and beat LSU in Baton Rouge in overtime,” Fortner said. “So it gave us a great deal of confidence.”

This will be the first SEC tournament for freshman Morgan Toles.

Even though she has some nerves about the games, the tournament is close to her home town and she won two high school state championships in that gym.

“It’s kind of like a home court advantage for me,” Toles said.

This week was big for Toles in another way, as she made the SEC AllFreshman team.

“It was an honor to be named to the All-Freshman team, especially in the SEC since it’s such a competitive conference,” Toles said. “I have only my teammates and my coach to thank for that.”

Check online for photos of the last men’s game in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum

JD Schein / PHOTO STAFF

Senior guard Tay Waller shoots against LSU Saturday.

> Turn to BBALL, D8

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The Auburn Plainsman

Sports, D2

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Shaffer continues improving divers ASHLEE WOOD

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Sophomore Kylie Shields earns a 9.850 on uneven bars.

GYMNASTICS >From D1

night on floor where junior Rachel Inniss finished with a 9.85, making it the third-straight meet she hit at least a 9.85 in the event finishing second.

Other top performers for the Tigers included freshman Toi Garcia, who scored a collegiate-best 9.825, and Shields who also scored a 9.825 bringing the total event score to 48.975.

“It’s a little frustrating that we didn’t break the 196 barrier at home when we’ve been able to do it on the road,” Shields said.

Shields was Auburn’s top all-around scorer with a 39.175 finishing third, while Voss scored a 39.100 finishing fourth. Florida freshman Ashanée Dickerson won the all-around title with a score of 39.35 and Southeastern Conference freshman gymnast of the week while Florida freshman Marissa King came in second with a score of 39.275.

Auburn’s next opponent is the Denver Pioneers, a team the Tigers last played two years ago, winning by .025 points and is scheduled to be the final event in the history of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum as well as senior night.

“We’re very evenly matched,” Thompson said. “We have a lot of room to improve, and we’re hoping to fix some of the little things as we go into our meet against Denver and then the SEC Championships in a month.

It’s also senior night and we want to send our seniors off with a good performance and hopefully a win.”

The Auburn Plainsman SPORTS STAFF

said. “We have been developing our athletes to be better.”

WRITER Although Shaffer changed the program tremendously, he tries to be Auburn University’s head diving modest. coach Jeffrey Shaffer’s outstanding “I’m not big on bragging rights, reputation precedes him. but I guess I could say that one of my Having been named the NCAA strengths has been teaching athletes Division I Men’s Divhow to become better ing Coach of the Year in divers,” Shaffer said.

2004 and 2007, Shaffer “But I don’t mean takis legendary for receiving a great diver and ing the SEC Coach of the maintaining them, Year award five times, as I mean I have been well as being the inauguworking to develop ral recipient of the USOC divers to be the best National Developmental they can be from the Coach of the Year in 1996 start.” for all Olympic sports.

In his time at Au“Jeff Shaffer is a great burn, Shaffer helped SHAFFER coach,” said senior diver the powerful swimKelly Marx. “He has so ming and diving promuch experience at all levels of gram progress into an unstoppable the sport and that definitely shows dynasty. Shaffer “contributed imthrough his success here at Auburn. mensely to the team’s overall sucHe has so much knowledge in what cess,” Marx said. he does and knows how to adjust to “I have been helping them find every athlete’s needs.” a sense of pride in getting the team Shaffer guided the diving team to title,” Shaffer said. “They have great numerous victories throughout his pride in the fact we are going to con11 years coaching at Auburn Univer- tinue to push the envelope and be sity. He improved the diving program better individually with the whole in Olympic-size proportions, accord- purpose of being better as a team.” ing to the Auburn Athletics Web site.

The Auburn men took first place “Throughout my years here at Au- and collected their record 14th burn, we have developed the diving straight SEC conference title at the program to complement the success University of Georgia Feb. 20. Shafof the swimming program,” Shaffer fer’s divers have attained an impres-

Splashing with Shaffer What’s your favorite genre of music?

I listen to whatever’s playing on the radio, but I favor classic rock.

Not a big fan of rap or country.

What is your favorite movie?

I really like Mel Gibson. “Braveheart” and “The Patriot” are two of my favorites.

What is your favorite kind of food?

I like it all, but I can’t live without chocolate.

What is your favorite restaurant in Auburn?

Provino’s—spaghetti and meatballs to go. What a great deal!

ABBY ALBRIGHT Editor PATRICK DEVER Associate Editor

BLAKE HAMILTON Assistant Editor

To reach the staff, call 844-9109.

What is your favorite hobby (besides coaching)?

Fishing What do you love most about your job at Auburn University?

The opportunity to teach young athletes to be better than they think they can be

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Drive Thru WiFi

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sive total of 14 SEC titles and nine NCAA titles.

Through Shaffer’s support, each of Auburn’s divers Thad Ellis, Adam Godzinski, Kelly Marx and Dan Mazzaferro have made it to the championship round on all three boards— the one-meter spring board, the three-meter spring board and the tower.

“Starting this year, we wanted to continue to change the record boards,” Shaffer said. “Last year on the men’s side we wanted to switch out the team records, we were able to do that in every event. Kelly Marx was able to best his one-meter record this year he also did his personal best on platform.”

Shaffer said one of Auburn’s main philosophies is that no one point is more important than the other in winning team titles, as long as the team continues to develop.

“If we are able to set new records on a yearly basis like this, then we are moving forward,” Shaffer said.

Marx said he has full trust in Shaffer, which has allowed him to be able to reach his full potential.

“The diver’s NCAA zone meet will be held on the weekend of March 12, 13 and 14 at Georgia Tech,” Shaffer said. “The women’s NCAA championships are the 18th through the 20th at Purdue University. The men’s are the 25th through the 27th at Ohio State University.”

If you weren’t the head diving coach, what do you think you would be doing?

Probably teaching someone somewhere something

What are you most proud of having brought to the diving program?

My main focus in coming to Auburn was to create a diving program which complemented the swimming programs’ success and contributed to winning SEC and NCAA titles. I don’t think you can look at our program now without knowing it’s Auburn Swimming and Diving!

How long have you had a mustache?

I started in 1977 when I was at the University of Wisconsin.

Have you ever thought of removing the mustache?

I shaved it once, when Caesar Garcia won his first NCAA title on platform at the 2003 NCAA Championships. It was a bet I made with the divers.

How did it feel to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 2001?

It was an awesome experience and a great honor. It was the day that AOL and Time Warner merged; to be a part of history on that one day was very special to me.

LIFESPORTS

SPORTS, D3

Students continue to trade in working out HELEN NORTHCUTT GRAPHICS EDITOR

The fitness craze that came to Auburn last year is growing faster than ever among students.

“Ditch the workout, join the party,” said Katie Newton, instructor for the Zumba class and senior in nutrition dietetics.

Created in Colombia by a fitness trainer named Beto Perez, Zumba has quickly become one of the most demanded fitness classes available.

Last August only about 50 students attended the Zumba classes, but Newton said this semester those numbers have drastically grown.

“I’ve seen more than 150 girls at some of the classes at the Student Act,” Newton said. “It’s incredible how many girls love the class.”

Newton took classes this past summer and fell in love with the dance workout.

“I started doing it about four nights a week and when I came back to Auburn I started participating in the class at the Student Act,” Newton said.

Newton described the class as a total body workout because every part of your body is constantly in motion.

“It works everything,” Newton said. “It is a lot of cardio because you feet are constantly leaving the ground, unlike an elliptical where your feet are stationary.

Zumba is equivalent to jogging where you have impact the whole time.”

Ashley Wilson, senior in history, has been participating in the Zumba class for about a month and a half and she says the dances are the fun part about getting your body in shape.

“I can tell a difference in the tone of my body,” Wilson said.

“I love the Cholo and Beyonce songs, they really work my stomach. I have even learned to salsa now.”

Newton said since she has been doing the Zumba fitness program she can tell her abs and thighs have gotten stronger, but Sadie McElwee, senior in hotel and restaurant management, thinks there is more to the class than muscle tone.

“I have better endurance from Zumba,” McElwee said. “It keeps

Ultimate grounds SEC competition

JARED WATERS / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Instructor Katie Newton, junior in nutrition and dietetics, leads the Zumba class at the Student Activities Center.

you active and they are fun, so if you do both at the same time you are more likely to work out and exercise.”

Newton’s favorite thing about Zumba is people’s reaction and gratification toward the class and the improvements it has made on their body.

The Auburn Ultimate club team won the T-Town Throwdown Tournament hosted by Alabama this weekend. “(Alabama) came into the tournament the favorite to win and we came in seeded 6th, so it was really amazing for us to upset them at home,” said captain Gamble Ruff, senior in biosystems engineering. “And, the weather was great for the first time in a long time.”

Auburn Ultimate played four games Saturday scoring 52 points, and only allowing 10 points.

Sunday, the Tigers played Mississippi State in the semi-final game, beating them 15-10 and Alabama in the championship game.

“We faced Alabama in the finals and won in a game that I cannot describe any other way than a war of attrition,” Ruff said.

Stephan Brandon, sophomore in undeclared math and sciences, said after the Alabama game the two teams shook hands and there weren’t any hard feelings because of the great

day’s at 4 p.m., Tuesday’s at 6 p.m., Thursday’s at 5 p.m. and Friday’s at 2 p.m.

“I also offer a class at the Pike Fraternity house on Sunday and Wednesday nights at 7:15,” Newton said. “This way everyone has a time they can fit Zumba into their schedule.”

Tonight’s Intramural Basketball Semi-final Games Court 3

Court 4

Court 6

Court 7

6:30

Monstarz vs.

Drop the World

OPP vs.

PGD

Trix R 4 Kids vs.

Bet We Run It Up

7:30

Air Force vs.

Blood Bath & Beyond

AZD vs.

PBP

ACSC 1 vs.

Dobbs

ABBY ALBRIGHT SPORTS EDITOR

“People at the end of class tell me that they loved it and they have found a way that they can work out and be happy,” Newton said. “People tell me they have lost weight and they feel better, that is the best part for me.”

Zumba is taught at the Student Activity Center on Mon-

8:30

The Yellows vs. Pharm Kids

No Ceiling vs. Tigers

BETA vs.

FH

Mightey Whitey vs. Dream Team

9:30

Bringing Paxil Back vs. The Situation

The Squad vs.

Team Showtime

AGD vs.

KAT

B.I.G. vs.

PSF2

NOTE: The winners of Thursday’s games determine Sunday’s championship games.

CONTRIBUTED

Auburn Ultimate players fight off opponents during a game.

level of competition.

“It felt great to know that all of our hard work has paid off,” said Brandon Deihl, graduate student in industrial and systems engineering. “Winning seven games in a row is not easy, no matter who you are playing.”

Ruff, Brandon and Deihl agree the teams hard work earned them the wins.

Ultimate travels to Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend to compete against Florida State University.

Postseason play tips off ABBY ALBRIGHT SPORTS EDITOR

As the semi-finals and championship quickly approach, the intramural basketball playoffs are in full swing.

During Tuesday’s match-ups, Omega Psi Phi beat Phi Beta Sigma at the buzzer 39-38 during the small fraternity league playoffs.

“It was a thrilling victory; it felt really great,” said OPP team member Keydrick Barlow, se-

nior in math. “We really worked hard and it took a lot to pull it out tonight and hopefully we can come back next week and get another win.”

The Sigmas were winning 20-18 at halftime, but the two were tied at 32 with four minutes to go.

With only 10.8 seconds to go, the OPP and the Sigmas were tied at 38 until OPP took the lead with a foul shot.

On the next court over, men’s intermediate league team Bet We Run

It Up battled against the Bham Boys, ultimately winning 62-40.

“They were a good team and they could shoot, they were shooting all night,” said Bet We Run It Up captain Antwuan Brackin, sophomore in physical therapy. “We had to keep up with them.”

The semi-finals for men’s and women’s basketball will be held tonight and the winners of those games will advance to the championship games Sunday.

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Sigma Vick Cosby, junior in electric engineering, shoots a layup during playoffs.

The Auburn Plainsman

Sports, D4

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Auburn Cricket club hits pitch DAVID NORWOOD ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Like many Auburn students, Naveenan Thiagarajah will be headed to sunny Florida for spring break.

But instead of lounging in the sand, Thiagarajah and friends will be sweating it out on the cricket pitch.

Team captain Thiagarajah will lead the newly chartered Auburn University Cricket club in its season opener against 18 other teams in the 2010 American College Cricket Championships in Ft. Lauderdale March 17 -21.

“The national championships will be a good reality check for us,” said Thiagarajah, graduate student in electrical engineering.

The club will face its most experienced opponents to date, including exhibition matches against the University of the West Indies and the U.S. under 19 World Cup team, though the players feel confident in their abilities, experience and track record.

The team has been playing together since 2006, when it first represented Auburn in the Vanderbilt Cricket Tournament.

The cricket club made it to the semifinals in its first outing as a team and its record only improved since that time, going undefeated in the 2009 Bulldawg Championship hosted by

Mississippi State University.

The championships also Last year marked anoth- provide medical personnel, er milestone for the matur- removing some responsibiling club when it hosted the ity from club member Shaik first Tiger Cup at the intra- Shoieb, graduate student in mural fields. It became the electrical engineering and team’s second inter-univer- the cricketers’ unofficial sity tournament victory of doctor. Shoieb contributed the season. sports medicine experience The championships in Ft. in the past from training Lauderdale will be webcast he received while wrestling on ESPN 360 starting at the when he was younger. semifinals level, but the AU The club hopes to expand Cricket its presence club will on campus not face this season.

The way any of its Aside from f a m i l i a r people are crazy about the high proregional file of the nafootball here, people o p p o tional chamare crazy about cricket p i o n s h i p s , nents.

Ahmed there.” the club will Faraz, host a camgraduate Sameer Shah, pus tournastudent in club member ment open to electrical all students in engineerApril. There ing, said the championship are also plans for all-ages will be a welcome change cricket workshops in the for many reasons. summer to raise awareness The invitationals where of the sport and to promote the AU club cut its teeth diversity within its ranks. were limited by a lack of The current club memproper facilities and equip- bers, who are predomiment by many of the par- nantly from India, Pakistan ticipating universities. and Sri Lanka, were raised The lack of regulation on cricket and would like protective gear meant to see the sport take root in teams had to play with a new soil. tennis ball covered in elec“The way people are cratrical tape to give it weight, zy about football here, peoa safer approximation of ple are crazy about cricket the standard leather ball. there,” said Sameer Shah, The club’s new charter in- graduate student in mecludes insurance coverage chanical engineering. that allows the team to play Club practices are Satat the more dangerous na- urdays and Sundays at the tional level and on a prop- intramural fields at 2 p.m. erly maintained field. and open to all.

“

CONTRIBUTED Cricket club members pose in front of Samford after winning the Bulldawg invitational.

(Left-Right) (Top)-- Shyam A.C, Karunakaran, Hiren Adesara, Rahul Potghan, Vishnuvardhan, Prashant Dubey, Kautalya Mishra, Harideepan, Sameer Shah (Bottom)--- Ananthkrishnan, Sakthivael Kandaswaamy, Naveenan Thiagrajan, Prasanna Venkatesh, Ahmed Faraz

CONTRIBUTED Auburn Cricket club members meet near the middle of the pitch to discuss strategy.

Track & Field places 6th Sophomore sprinter Marcus Rowland, junior sprinter Sheniqua Ferguson win individual titles PATRICK DEVER

“I ran my first race in the 60 and I ran a good time with a 6.60 (secASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR onds), which is my PR or my personal best time in the 60,” Rowland said.

The Auburn Track & Field team Rowland said he stayed focused traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., last and warm waiting for the finals of weekend to compete in the SEC In- the 60m. door Championships.

He won the finals with Both No. 16 men’s and a time of 6.62 seconds.

No. 9 women’s teams “I didn’t have a good finished in sixth place, start, unfortunately, but with sophomore MarI stayed in my lane and cus Rowland and junior kept my focus,” Rowland Sheniqua Ferguson winsaid. “I didn’t run a faster ning individual titles. time, but I ran in a tough Rowland said the heat and I won.” team wasn’t thrilled Rowland said he didn’t with its placing, but have the best run in the ROWLAND knew it will get better in 200m, but was content time. with being a sophomore “At first we were all and placing second bekind of down, but we hind the No. 4 University realized we’re a young of Florida’s Calvin Smith. team,” Rowland said.

“Unfortunately in the “We have a lot of growfinals, I wasn’t in the best ing to do.” lane and didn’t have the Auburn head coach best start so I didn’t have Ralph Spry said, in a enough time to recuperpress release, the team ate from my start,” Rowcompeted well, but land said.

FERGUSON didn’t catch the breaks Rowland also competit needed. ed in the 1600-meter re“We tried to fight hard and our lay with sophomore Spencer Fergukids competed very hard, but we son, redshirt freshman Harry Adams just had some bad breaks and didn’t and sophomore Neil Danville. capitalize on some things we should The relay team finished in ninth have,” Spry said. “But I feel good place. about the fact that we had a couple “Overall I had a good meet and of SEC champions.” learned a lot from it,” Rowland said.

Rowland won the SEC championWith the two high finishes, Rowship in the 60 meters and finished as land qualified for the NCAA Indoor runner up in the 200 meters.

Championships in Fayetteville

50

March 12-13.

“I was real excited, because if you place good at SECs, you’ll pretty much place good at NCAAs,” Rowland said.

Ferguson won the SEC championship in the 200m and finished as runner up in the 60m.

“It was a good experience,” Ferguson said. “I wanted to win the 60 but it didn’t happen, so I took that feeling of getting second place into my 200.”

Ferguson ran the 200m in a time of 23.14 seconds, making her the fourth fastest woman to run the 200m indoors in Auburn history.

“I just really wanted to win the 200 so I just went out there and gave it my all,” Ferguson said.

She ran the 60m in 7.22 seconds, but Lakya Brookins of the University of South Carolina edged Ferguson out by .04 seconds.

“I’m not as happy with the 60 because I knew I could have run faster, but overall, I’m healthy and didn’t receive any injuries, so I’m happy,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson’s times in the 200m and the 60m automatically qualify her for the NCAA Indoor Championships as well.

Spry said he knew this was a rebuilding time for the men’s team, but that didn’t mean they won’t compete at nationals.

“We have two teams that are ranked very high on the national level, so we just have to regroup and finish this indoor season strong,” Spry said.

50

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Auburn Plainsman

Sports, D5

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Gregg Olson, Bo Jackson, Frank Thomas and Tim Hudson pose after being inducted into the Auburn Baseball Wall of Fame at Plainsman Park Saturday.

Tigers off to powerful start in double header JAKE MASTROIANNI

Junior infielder Justin Hargett runs the bases Friday evening in Auburn’s 6-5 win over Boston College.

Emily Adams / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Sophomore infielder Dan Gamache throws to complete a play against Florida Atlantic last Sunday.

Emily Adams/ ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Junior infielder Hunter Morris slides into home against Missouri last Saturday at Plainsman Park.

Philip Smith /ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Junior pitcher Sean Ray hurls the ball to the plate during the first game Wednesday’s double-header.

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back, putting up four runs in the sixth and forcing Price out of the game.

WRITER Junior pitcher Sean Ray came The Auburn Tigers Baseball on in relief of Price in the sixth to team (5-2) defeated Davidson (6- help get Auburn out of a jam. He 3) 7-6 Wednesday as part of a dou- finished the game with 2 innings bleheader after a rainout Tuesday. of work, striking out two, walking Auburn sophomore Dexter two and he did not allow a run.

Price picked up his first win of the The two teams combined for 20 season, pitching 5 and two-thirds hits, Auburn having 12 of them. innings, giving up four earned In only his second start behind runs, walking one and striking out the plate this season, Bowen led three. the Tigers going 3-for-3 with a run Davidson’s scoring started in scored and one RBI. the top of the second when AnHargett was 2-for-4 with a run dre Barna led off the inning with a and an RBI, while Caldwell also single to left. finished the game with two hits, a He was driven in by a single walk and two runs scored. from freshman right fielder ColeAustin Hubbard picked up his man Barron. first save of the season. He pitched The Tigers answered in the bot- one and a third innings, giving tom half of the inning with a run up one run in the ninth to make of their own. things interesting.

After a single from junior Tony Davidson was led by freshman Caldwell, sophomore catcher Ca- Coleman Barron who finished the leb Bowen drove him in with a game 2-for-4 with a run and four single to even the score.

RBIs. Auburn broke it open in the Lamb picked up the loss in his fourth with a two run single from first outing. junior Justin Bryant. Junior Justin The Tigers were coming of a two Hargett drove one in and National wins against Boston College and Player of the Week, junior Brian Florida Atlantic University in the Fletcher, added to his team high first Auburn Classic where they inRBIs with number 18 and 19 to ducted Frank Thomas, Bo Jackson, give Auburn a 7-1 lead after four Tim Hudson and Gregg Olson into innings. the Wall of Fame.

That put an “Anytime you have end to Davidson’s an opportunity to Check starting pitcher honor someone for Chris Lamb who online for what they have done finished the game for this university more photos. with four innings and this program, it pitched giving up was obviously a big six earned runs, day,” said Auburn nine hits and one walk in his first head coach John Pawlowski. “To start of the year. have those four guys come back Junior Mik Frongello came on and be a part of this day, it’s hard for Lamb and held Auburn score- to describe what it meant to our less for 4 innings. program and to our fans.”

He gave up only three hits and Auburn will start a three game struck out two. series with Miami (Ohio) Friday at Davidson attempted a come- 6:30 p.m.

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The Auburn Plainsman

Sports, D6

Thursday, March 4, 2010

No caddy for Clanton ANNA SCHIERHOLZ WRITER

CONTRIBUTED

Junior Cydney Clanton watches her ball as she tees off.

Easily spotted on the golf course, Cydney Clanton is the one walking from hole to hole with her clubs on her back, no caddy by her side.

Clanton, a junior, has already had an impressive career at Auburn.

As a freshman, Clanton was chosen to play on the U.S. National Team in the USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship in Toyko.

As a sophomore, she was selected to the All-SEC First Team.

And as a junior, Clanton has already finished in the top five in all four tourna-

ments the team has played, as well as being named an honorable mention selection by Golf World Magazine as its mid-season national golfer of the year.

Clanton, a Concord, N.C., native, said she has played just about every sport there is. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was younger, I loved softball and basketball,â&#x20AC;? Clanton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But now that I play golf, I usually just play tennis outside of practice.â&#x20AC;?

Clanton did not start playing golf until she was 10 years old, when her family joined a country club. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My dad started bringing me out to the course more and more,â&#x20AC;? Clanton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then I met a good friend there, who I started playing

with a lot.â&#x20AC;?

That friend was University of West Florida senior golfer Rachel Christ.

Clanton said the more she played with Christ, and the more she tagged along with her older brother to the club, the more she fell in love with the sport.

She has some impressive stats, but Clanton has never had a hole in one. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But, I had a double-eagle this summer at Pinehurst (hole) No. 2,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Clanton said she loves Auburn for many reasons, but her favorite thing about it goes right back to golf. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are six different golf courses that I can play at any given time,â&#x20AC;? Clanton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are all great courses.â&#x20AC;?

The Auburn Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf team has only eight players, but Clanton said the size contributes to the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My team is great,â&#x20AC;? Clanton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love how we are small and can have a close relationship with every individual on the team.â&#x20AC;?

Clanton claims to have no rituals or superstitions, but she has been spotted wearing one orange and one blue shoe on the course, as well as leaving her hair down under her hat, rather than pulling it up in a pony tail like most womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s golfers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only thing I can say is I try to do the same routine every tournament, but nothing too big,â&#x20AC;? Clanton said.

No. 35 menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis drops match to No. 33 Tulsa ROD GUAJARDO MANAGING EDITOR

The No. 35 Auburn Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tennis team fought hard on the road Sunday, but ultimately fell to No. 33 Tulsa, 4-2.

Head coach Eric Shore felt that his team played well, but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet the expectations needed to compete against the Hurricane. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had a tough loss,â&#x20AC;? Shore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The top of our lineup continues to play well, but we just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it figured out down below.â&#x20AC;?

With such a young team comprised of seven freshmen, Shore is counting on these matches to

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build his team. get it done.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;These freshman just have to Even with freshman Lucas grow up quick,â&#x20AC;? Shore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Lopasso picking up a win in we can learn from one of six singleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s matches, the those (matches) team continued and continue to We had a to face obstacles improve, I think, throughout the down the road, really good chance day. we have a chance â&#x20AC;&#x153;The match to be successful.â&#x20AC;? to win and we just was really close,â&#x20AC;?

Losing the didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it done.â&#x20AC;?

Lopasso said. first match of the day, junior Tim Tim Puetz, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We lost the Puetz struggled junior game, but I think to bounce back weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really getin his doubles ting better.â&#x20AC;? match.

Shore felt Lopasso was at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was very disappointed,â&#x20AC;? Pu- top of his game and hopes he can etz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had a really good keep his momentum throughout chance to win and we just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the season.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was a breakthrough for him,â&#x20AC;? Shore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He continues to improve and is starting to play the tennis we knew he was capable of playing.â&#x20AC;?

Putting the loss behind them, the Tigers now focus their attention on the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any weak points,â&#x20AC;? Shore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re strong up and down the line; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing with a lot of confidence.â&#x20AC;?

With the home court advantage, Puetz hopes the SEC match up will bring out a crowd to help them pull out an upset. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There really solid from top to bottom,â&#x20AC;? Puetz said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but they

come here and they have to face a hostile environment to play in.â&#x20AC;?

After Tennesseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defeat of Wake Forest Sunday, its doubles team climbed up the ranking from No. 6 to No. 5.

Shore will revaluate his doubles team and possibly look to putting his No. 1 combination of Puetz and sophomore Alex Stamchev back on the lineup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not so much worried about Tennessee,â&#x20AC;? Shore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more worried about Auburn and getting our guys playing to what we think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re capable of doing.â&#x20AC;?

The Tigers begin match play Friday at 2 p.m. at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.

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The Auburn Plainsman

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Sports, D7

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Sophomore Kelsey George rides Hercules during Western Reining Saturday against Baylor Saturday. The Tigers won Western Reining 3-2 and ultimately won the meet 14-4.

Equestrian defeats Baylor, looks to UGA PATRICK DEVER ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

The No. 2 Auburn Equestrian team (102) defeated the No. 7 Baylor Bears (8-6) 14-4 Saturday.

Auburn began the meet by taking all five points in Hunt Seat over Fences.

Sophomore hunt seat rider Maggie McAlary said she feels great about the team starting out so strong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we all looked confident,â&#x20AC;? McAlary said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew the plan. We went out there and we accomplished our goal and it was a great way to start the day.â&#x20AC;?

Sophomore hunt seat rider and MVP over Fences Grace Socha said having the good start helped with the rest of the meet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was really nice to have a big lead going into the second half,â&#x20AC;? Socha said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to keep on top of yourself, but knowing that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already gotten all those points relaxes the second half and you have to make sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give them any points, but mentally itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to know.â&#x20AC;?

Western Horsemanship won 2-1, Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat won 4-1 and Western Reining won 3-2.

Auburn head coach Greg Williams said the Hunt Seat team carried the Tigers to the victory. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had just an incredible day on Hunt Seat and we nearly swept them,â&#x20AC;? Williams said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had one point we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pick up and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re riding really well. Our MVPs on Hunt Seat, Lindsey Portella on the flat and Grace Socha over fences were just phenomenal.â&#x20AC;?

Auburn hosts No. 1 University of Georgia (9-1) Saturday at 10 a.m. at the AU

Horse Unit on Wire Road.

The Tigers fell to the Bulldogs in the fall in a meet at UGA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we went there in the fall, Western pulled out a win and Hunt Seat barely lost, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be itching to win again,â&#x20AC;? Socha said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We won last year at home for the first time and that was a huge win and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re definitely going to want to do that again.â&#x20AC;?

McAlary said the Baylor meet was a great matchup to get the team ready to face UGA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everytime we ride against Georgia, we know theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really competitive and have a really strong overall team, so we just have to be ready and I think we are,â&#x20AC;? McAlary said.

Socha said she expected a tough week of practice to prepare for the top-ranked Bulldogs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coach will definitely push us,â&#x20AC;? Socha said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both for our riding technique and skill and for mental push. She tries to test us and it really does help.â&#x20AC;?

Williams said he will try and keep his riders loose and ready for this weekend, while looking forward to post-season competition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We may be looking to April, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just going to want to beat Georgia,â&#x20AC;? Williams said.

The equestrian team will have a kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corral with a junior jump course, pony rides, paint-a-pony and a Moonbounce for fans at the UGA meet.

Auburn will host the Southern Equestrian Championships the weekend after the UGA meet.

Other than Auburn and UGA, the University of South Carolina is a part of the Southern Equestrian Conference.

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Junior Dottie Grubb rides Luke against Baylor Saturday. Auburn beat Baylor 14-4.

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Senior Lyndsey Jordan rides Cash in Western Reining. Reining beat Baylor 3-2 Saturday.

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Sports, D8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 4, 2010

SOCCER >From D1

Philip Smith / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Sophomore midfielder Katie Frierson lines up a shot against Tennessee Saturday. The Tigers won the game 1-0.

sively,” said freshman forward Mary Coffed. “That was a big aspect of the game today that led to our win.”

Coffed scored the winning goal of the game.

The game was hard fought with a lot of tackles, with a score of 0-0 at halftime.

“We communicated a lot more and I think that really helped with organization and defending to attack,” Frierson said. “We came out with a lot of passion and enthusiasm.”

Throughout the season the team has been working on tactics like transitions, sorting things out all over the field and defending in order to attack in numbers.

BBALL

Now you have

>From D1

Another Tiger to be honored this week was junior guard Alli Smalley, who was named second team All-SEC. Smalley started last season when Auburn was the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

She said being a No. 10 seed this year is not where she would like to be, but is actually motivating.

“We start off with Florida who beat us earlier in the season in double overtime, so hopefully we’ll be able to pay them back,” Smalley said. “Then, just the way the whole bracket is set up is good.”

Should Auburn win today, the Tigers will face No. 2 seed Kentucky Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Auburn finished regular season play with a win against 16th ranked Kentucky, 65-53.

Fortner said she feels the tournament provides opportunities for every team playing.

“I think it’s a wide open tournament, more so than it ever has been, because of the way the season turned out,” Fortner said. “There was a four-way tie for third with a lot of teams that had beaten each other.”

“Winning the ball defensively and turning it into offense is something we’ve found to be a big key to our success,” Coffed said.

After losing a good number of seniors, the team is relatively young and has been trying to fill in those holes.

“We’re just trying to find our style and identity,” Frierson said.

The team is excited with the number of recruits they have for next year, including a few international recruits.

With these two games under its belt, the team will now be able to go back and watch video in order to figure out what needs to be worked on for the next game.

Auburn will next play the Atlanta Beat at home March 10.

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Blakeley Sisk / PHOTO EDITOR Senior KeKe Carrier plays her final game at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

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