The Auburn Plainsman 04.03.14 issue

The Auburn Plainsman A Spirit That Is Not Afraid Thursday, April 3, 2014 Vol. 120, Issue 39, 14 Pages

Online

CAMPUS: policy

Student insurance coverage decoded Becky Sheehan Intrigue Reporter

Baseball vs. Ole Miss Visit ThePlainsman.com and @TheAUPlainsman for updates April 4-6

campus

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The price of Auburn’s student healthcare plan offered by UnitedHealthcare will continue to rise, according to Dr. George Flowers, dean of the graduate school.

According to Flowers, part of last year’s premium cost increase last year was tied to concerns across the board of the health insurance industry over what would happen when the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

was finally implemented.

“The cost keeps increasing,” Flowers said. “The premiums have gone up substantially since we started the program. We’ve tried to keep the coverage as consistent as possible, and with the escalation in the healthcare cost, it’s gone up significantly. It has increased from approximately $1,200 a year total cost to now about $1,800 a year.”

Frank Sturm, president of the graduate student council

and Ph. D student in mathematics, said it would be interesting to see which plans students would choose with the options provided by the new healthcare reform.

“Students have more competitive options with ObamaCare,” Sturm said. “The premiums do continue to increase.

It’s going to be interesting to see if students decide to remain on the University’s healthcare

» See insurance A2

sports: basketball

CAMPUS: parking

Decrease in parking ticket fines proposed

Student veteran returns to Auburn Jake Meadows combats adjusting back to American life.

Community

Sports

Corey Williams Campus Reporter

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Open the pages of Storybook Farms Animals bring story-book characters to life at this Opelika Farm

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ray maye / design editor

Bruce Pearl points to the student section during his introductory press conference at Auburn.

Pearl wants you

New basketball head coach looking for students to fill out new staff positions Eric Wallace Sports Reporter

Auburn’s ‘Rudy’ shines in another new spot Former running back is turning heads as a safety in the Tigers’ 2014 defense

intrigue

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file

All students are eligible for health care offered by UnitedHealthcare.

It’s been just over two weeks since Bruce Pearl was introduced as the men’s head basketball coach, and he’s already at work on his first initiative: getting Auburn students involved in the rebuilding process.

“I’ve always believed that part of my responsibility as a coach and a teacher on a campus is to provide students with access and an opportunity,” Pearl said. “The invitation that I’m sending out to the student body is that we’re looking for a few good men and women to get involved with the program.”

Pearl and his staff will be holding an open meeting for students interested in becoming involved with the program on April 7 at 5 p.m. in the Auburn Arena.

A variety of positions, such as student managers, video production assistants, statisticians and even interior designers, could potentially be made available to students.

“We’re just throwing out ideas and trying to take advantage of the talent that’s here on campus,” Pearl said.

Pearl insists he and his staff aren’t just looking for students to come shag balls at practice.

Instead, he said students with a range of skill sets could find positions, both paid and unpaid, in the program’s rebuilding process.

“Whether it’s student-athletes that are playing or it is statisticians with analytics that are interested in dissecting the game from a numbers standpoint,” Pearl said. “We’ve got an

» See pearl A2

Many Auburn students have had the unpleasant experience of paying $50 for their first parking violation.

That could soon change.

Don Andrae, manager of Parking Services, has proposed several changes to current parking regulations.

If the Traffic and Parking Committee approves these changes at their meeting next month, they could be in effect by the beginning of the 2014 fall semester.

“The number of tickets before you are wheel locked will stay the same,” Andrae said.

“You will still be wheel locked after five [tickets], and if you don’t have a permit, after two.”

The cost of each ticket will be the largest change.

“The first violation will be $10,” Andrae said. “The second violation will be $20, the third violation will be $40 and then all violations after that will be $50.”

According to Andrae, most people who get tickets are onetime offenders. “$50 is an awful lot for a first-time violation,” Andrae said. “A lot of times, we end up working with students to try to reduce them to $10 if we can.

Based on what we’ve seen, it seems better to make the first violation $10 because most people don’t get a second violation.”

Currently, suspension of parking privileges occurs after the third time a car is towed.

With these changes, however, suspension will occur after the

tenth ticket.

Andrae said he also wants to stop adding fines when a student does not have a permit.

“The other thing that was happening is if you got a $50 ticket, we could link that to your student account,” Andrae said. “And if the student does not have a current permit, then an additional $50 was added to that ticket. There is no need to add an additional $50 just because you do not have a permit.”

The parking ticket appeal process could also undergo some changes.

“Right now, if you try to appeal a ticket and you don’t have a permit, you cannot appeal.” Andrae said. “With these changes, anybody can appeal any ticket, but you can only appeal three tickets in one academic year. They give you seven counter days right now to appeal, and we want to change that to ten. For the second appeal, that was five days and we want to increase that to seven.”

Parking services also hopes to increase the price of permits by $10 each academic year, for the next three years.

According to the proposal, this increase is meant to help cover the costs of several projects parking services is working on.

One of these projects is an app, which will allow a student to check whether a parking lot has any empty spaces.

Karley Keith, freshman in hotel and restaurant management, is not a fan of these

» See parking A2

campus: safety

Limited details available with sexual assault incident

Derek Herscovici Hear about Heard Auburn Shenae Heard seeks community support to help win handicapped van

INDEX

Campus Opinion Community Sports Intrigue

A2 A5 A6 A8 A12

Campus Reporter

A sexual assault said to have occurred between the night of Saturday, March 29 and the following morning was reported Tuesday, April 1.

The report, filed anonymously by a Safe Harbor employee who spoke directly with the victim, said the alleged assault took place in a campus dormitory after the victim drank a non-alcoholic beverage at an on-campus party.

The victim claims to have no recollection of the night after consuming her drink.

“As far as this particular case goes, the investigation is over,” said Susan McCallister, associate director of information and education with the

Auburn University Department of Public Safety.

“This was an anonymous report, so there was not a police report, so there’s not a police investigation because that’s not possible with the amount of information available.”

Information about the on-campus party, the organization hosting it, the location of the crime scene and specifics about the non-alcoholic beverage were not reported, McCallister said.

Despite there being few details available and no police report, McCallister said the department of public safety still feels obligated to notify the student body through email to spread awareness

» See incident A2

sexual assault statistics

•The last sexual assault incident on Auburn University’s campus was reported Feb. 7, 2014 • 19% of college-aged women have experienced attempted or completed sexual assault since entering college • Among female rape victims, perpetrators were reported to be intimate partners (51.1%), family members (12.5%), acquaintances (40.8%) and strangers (13.8%) Statistics gathered from Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Campus A2

DUI ARRESTS For March 26– April 1, 2014 Domenic Notarfrancesco, 26 3/27, North Dean Road and East Glenn Avenue Ryan Houk, 29 3/27, 800 block of West Longleaf Byung Lee, 43 3/27, 2000 block South College Street Christopher Darrah, 34 3/29, North Ross Street Cornee Thomas, 34 3/31, Fraizer Street

The Auburn Plainsman

3/26, 10:02 a.m., 1900 block of Lee Road 137 Second-degree criminal tampering 3/26, 1:48 p.m., 1200 block of Opelika Road Auto theft 3/26, 1:20 p.m. 300 block of Beech Street Criminal Mischief and second-degree criminal trespass 3/26, 7 p.m., 4300 block of Golf Club Drive Third-degree criminal mischief 3/26, 8:31 p.m., 1600 block of Opelika Road Third-degree theft of property 3/26, 10:40 p.m., 800 block of Longleaf Drive Second-degree theft of property and third-degree burglary 3/27, 8:37 a.m., 4100 block of Trotters Court Unlawful Breaking and Entering a Vehicle 3/27, 9:19 a.m., 100 block of West Magnolia Third-degree theft of lost property 3/27, 6 p.m., 800 block of West Glenn Avenue Unlawful Breaking and Entering a Vehicle

–Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

3/28, 3 a.m., 800 block of West Longleaf Drive Second-degree burglary and second-degree theft of property 3/28, 12:26 p.m., 1200 block of North Dean Road

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Police reports for March 26–April 1, 2014

Third-degree criminal mischief

3/30, 2:05 a.m., 200 block of West Samford Avenue First-degree theft of property

3/31, 1:16 p.m., 800 block of North Donahue Drive Third-degree theft of property

3/28, 10:40 a.m., 200 block of Kimberly Drive Third-degree criminal trespass

3/30, 12:49 p.m., 800 block of Cheyenne Avenue Nuisance dog

3/31, 3:30 p.m., 600 block of Webster Road Third-degree theft of property

3/28, 12:25 a.m., 100 block of Wright Street Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle

3/30, 1:26 a.m., 100 block of West Magnolia Avenue Third-degree theft of lost property

3/28, 11:07 a.m., 700 block of West Magnolia Second-degree theft of property

3/28, 10:38 a.m., 100 block of Woodfield drive Third-degree criminal mischief 3/28, 2:49 p.m., 1300 block of Gatewood Drive Third-degree theft of property

3/30, 2:12 p.m., 600 block of Dekalb Street Third-degree criminal mischief

3/31, 7:37 p.m., 300 block of Opelika Road Third-degree theft of property 4/1, 1:40 a.m., 300 block of North Dean Third-degree theft of property and carry brass knuckles/slingshot 4/1, 9:40 a.m., 1800 block of Piedmont Drive Third-degree criminal mischief

3/28, 2:53 p.m., 400 block of Opelika Road Third-degree criminal mischief and first-degree criminal trespass

3/30, 3:57 p.m., 700 Martin Luther King Drive #44 Failure of Adult Sex Offender to Register with Local Law Enforcement and/or comply with Residence Restrictions

3/28, 8:15 p.m., 1900 block of Lee Road 137 Third-degree criminal mischief

3/30, 4 p.m., 1200 block of Commerce Drive Third-degree theft of property

3/28, 11:58 p.m., 200 block East Thatch Avenue Third-degree criminal mischief

3/30, 4:02 p.m., 1500 block of Opelika Road Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle

4/1, 4:15 p.m., 1600 block of South College Street First-degree robbery

3/29, 2 a.m., 100 block of North College Street Third-degree assault

3/31, 8:23 a.m., 100 block of Coachmans Drive Unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle

4/1, 5:19 p.m., 200 block of Tichenor Third-degree theft of property

3/29, 6:02 a.m., 1600 block of Lee Road 12 Third-degree burglary 3/29, 11:20 a.m., 300 block of Byrd Street Third-degree burglary

3/31, 8:43 a.m., 1900 block of Wire Road Third-degree burglary

4/1, 12:17 a.m., 1000 block of North Donahue Failure to provide animal with food and water 4/1, 1:38 a.m., 1600 block of South College Second-degree theft of property

3/31, 11:26 a.m., 1900 block of Lee Road 137 Third-degree criminal mischief

SGA discusses changes in parking and traffic on campus Ben Ruffin

Campus Writer

The latest generation of the Student Government Association’s Senate Council met for the first time Monday, March 31, to discuss future orders of business.Changes to parking and traffic on campus will now be discussed at University Traffic and Parking Committee.

Some of the changes proposed by Don Andrae, manager of parking services, include a restructured tier system for parking violations, reducing $50 for registered violators and $150 for non-registered ones. Starting in August, all ticketed violations will be in increments of 10.

parking » From A1

changes.

“I don’t like the idea of getting banned from parking after 10 tickets,” Keith said.

“It’s unfair to punish students more than just ticketing them for the struggle of oncampus parking.”

pearl » From A1

incredibly talented video department, and if you can come in here and get trained by these people you are so hirable in television and media.”

One position Pearl specifically mentioned creating is a student director of promotions, a position Pearl hopes to fill with a student from the Raymond J. Harbert School of Business.

Pearl, who began his coaching career as a student assistant after walking on at Boston College, said gaining real life experience during college is vital to a successful

incident » From A1

and provide a place for anyone to come forward with information.

This is the second sexual assault report filed during the 2014 spring semester and the second to be reported anonymously.

McCallister said if there were enough information given to investigate, the University would provide the support necessary for the Auburn Police Department to carry out its own investigation.

Additionally, the East Alabama Medical Center has a specialized sexual assault center with rape kits available for survi-

“This is to make sure we are not wasting our resources in a duplicitous system, but rather available, to make it more efficient for students and downtown residents,” said Jackson Pruett, SGA Executive Vice President for Initiatives.

“We’re making sure that we’re using our resources as effective as possible and serving students as safely as possible.”

Students can now choose which specific PC lot they would like to park at and purchase a pass exclusively for that area in order to cut back on the time spent looking for a parking spot, Pruett said.

The three new options to choose from are next to Momma G’s on Magnolia, the Arena Lot and

Adam Black, freshman in international business, has a different opinion and a more positive outlook on the changes.

“I think this policy would be good,” Black said. “I think it would allow for leniency in mistakes, and consequences for disregard of easily followed rules.”

Students may not always agree about parking services, but Andrae said he wants what is best for them. career.

“Don’t wait to pay your dues when you get out of college,” Pearl said. “When you get out of college you have to pay your bills. Not that there aren’t bills to pay now, but you should pay your dues now. What better thing to put on your resume than the fact that you were involved in helping to build a fanbase for Auburn basketball?”

Brooks Ohman, who has worked as a student manager for the past two years, said the opportunity is almost too good to pass up for fans of the game.

“We watch basketball games on television as a fan, but you don’t know what all goes into making sure a team gets there on time and those things,” Ohman said. vors of sexual assault to have evidence collected in the event that they wish to pursue an investigation while remaining anonymous. McCallister would not comment on the state of the victim.

“Certainly the University is doing what it can to try and find out more information, and we’re encouraging people to report anything that they’re aware of,” McCallister said. “If they witnessed something or are aware of any criminal activity, they should report that directly to the police.”

Anyone with information related to this or another crime is asked to report it to the police immediately (911 for emergencies, 334-501-3100 for non-emergencies).

the old Coliseum lot.Wake Up! Coffee will be handing out free refreshments on the Concourse Tuesday, April 1, starting at 9 a.m.

University Ombudsperson Jim Wohl came to present his services to the Senate Council and to the student body at large. Established six years ago as an independent, neutral resource for conflict resolution, the Ombudsman helps people find solutions on their own. Confidential consultations can be done on the ground floor of the Quad Center.

The only new business was the appointment of Lindsey Conry to vice president of College of Science and Mathematics school council. ​

insurance » From A1

plan.”

The Graduate Student Council will be meeting to discuss contract options in the coming months to implement changes to the student healthcare plan, Sturm said.

“There are some other issues that are kind of hard to address, like making sure the UnitedHealthcare Network is large enough,” Flowers said. “There are some doctors here that are not in the network and we have been working with UnitedHealthcare to try and expand their network and try to bring some of these doctors in.”

Flowers and Sturm said they wanted students to be aware that the healthcare plan is open to critique with the aim of providing more effective coverage to a greater number of students.

The plan has undergone major revisions in the past two years.

In 2012, the plan was catastrophic and did not recognize preexisting conditions. Because of the Affordable Care Act, graduate, international and undergraduate students now have the opportunity to search for the best plan that fits their needs.

Other modifications to the plan have already been implemented such as a $250,000 increase in maximum coverage per injury or sickness. Clauses in the plan have been removed including the condition that beneficiaries may only see one doctor per day.

“You’re required to have the insurance if you’re an international student or a graduate student with

“

Next week’s meeting will feature the approval of appointments for Sloane Bell as executive director of elections and Lindsey Conry as the new COSAM student council vice president.

Additionally, new assistant vice presidents and SGA Executive Cabinet members will also receive their appointments next week Additionally, the Office of Student Involvement Technology Bank submitted a fund request for $6,975 to be ratified next week.

The fund request is for new iPads, chargers, video cameras, iPad airs, netbooks, netbook chargers and a new projector to be available to all students.

There are a few little quirks, like if you are injured or ill in a way that’s not an emergency, the primary care place is the Auburn University Medical Clinic. So, if they’re open then you have to go there. If they happen to be closed, there are other places.”

—Sarah Razavi

United healthcare liaison

an assistantship,” said UnitedHealthcare liaison, Sarah Razavi.

“You’re automatically enrolled, but you can opt out if you have insurance that is equal to or better than what we offer.”

According to Razavi, the UnitedHealthcare plan is optimal for unmarried students without children who are working as graduate teaching assistants.

“There are a lot of options for plans where the deductible is like $6,000 or higher,” said Razavi. “We don’t want you to go and buy a plan like that. And honestly, you are doing yourself a disservice because the plan we offer is so much better if you have an assistantship … If you have a wife and 3 children, ours is not as good.

You could probably find a much cheaper plan.”

The deductible for United-

Healthcare’s plan is $200 for innetwork, or preferred providers and $500 for out-of-network providers. Preferred providers include East Alabama Medical Center and United HealthCare Choice Plus, according to the plan. Lists of preferred providers can be found on United HealthCare’s website.

An individual plan is $884 for six months with a $250 subsidy, which means students will pay a total of $634 for their insurance for six months. The plan does not include vision or dental.

The bill may be paid online from the student’s eBill and can be covered with surplus financial aid or scholarship money.

“There are a few little quirks, like if you are injured or ill in a way that’s not an emergency, the primary care place is the Auburn University Medical Clinic,” Razavi said. “So, if they’re open then you have to go there. If they happen to be closed, there are other places.”

If a student only ever visited the AU Medical Clinic for doctor’s appointments, the $200 in-network deductible would not apply and they would never have to pay a deductible, Razavi explained.

However, if a student is 50 miles away or more, or if it’s an emergency, they are not required to go to the AU Medical Clinic.

The Auburn student insurance plan does not have an open-enrollment plan. As soon as a student turns 26, they may opt in for the insurance rather than wait for a specified period and risk being uninsured after coming off their parents’ plan. Students may also terminate their plan at any time.

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Auburn Plainsman

Campus A3

Empowering the people: SGA focuses on feedback Ben Ruffin

Campus Writer

Two weeks into the new Student Government Association term, the SGA executive officers said they have their focus on one large goal: obtaining student feedback.

Although the new executive officers have been in office for only two weeks, most of which was spent appointing other officers, they have their goals down on paper and are almost ready to begin discussing the plans to facilitate these goals over the next year.

The new executive committee, which includes the president, vice president, treasurer, executive vice president of initiatives, executive vice president of programming and chief of staff, has yet to meet with administrators, but has a vision for the future of the University, which is stated in their vision statement.

However, Logan Powell, SGA president and junior in political science, said he believes a

strong SGA must begin by analyzing the SGA mission statement, which reads, “Serving and promoting the individual student and unifying all that is Auburn.”

“That’s one statement we’re going to look to throughout the year as we try and obtain our goals and, really, as we just serve in the positions,” Powell said. “A lot of times, we have the tendency of four months from now to kind of be in a vacuum getting our stuff done, and we forget why we ran and what SGA is for, and so that has to bring us back to that base line.”

Although that has been the mission statement for SGA for many years, Powell and the other executives said they are not going to brush it under the table, but are going to have it in the back of their minds at all times during the SGA year.

The six-person committee is hoping the mission statement will keep them focused on getting student feedback and said they believe each of them represent a different side of the University.

“Most of us come from different sections of the campus that we have represented during our time here,” said Olabode Anise, SGA vice president and junior in computer science. “The main goal is making sure that we voice the concerns of them.”

With an independent representative, a Greek Life representative and a Black Student Union representative in the mix of the six, Powell said he believes the University will be represented well as a whole.

“You have to go beyond that because it’s only six people, but as a whole, I believe we will represent the campus well,” Powell said.

Jackson Pruett, SGA executive vice president of initiatives and senior in political science, said he believes the previous experience will help the executive officers have some knowledge of important student issues.

“It’s a decent knowledge of what issues I think students are facing right now and a willingness to

work hard and accomplish the goals that are going to make those students’ experiences better,” Pruett said. “I think that’s something SGA does a good job of and could always do a better job of.”

Richmond Gunter, SGA treasurer and junior in finance, said he has a firm grasp on what issues students find important.

Gunter said his focus will be on spending SGA funds in an accountable manner to benefit students.

“When you are trying to solicit feedback, it’s important for you to articulate what your vision is and what you are doing, especially with our purchases or different ideas we are going to be implementing,” Gunter said.

Taylor Akers, SGA chief of staff and junior in communications, will be assisting the director of student feedback.

Powell said he has done everything in his power to get the wheels rolling to give power to the students.

Clean creek and campus keep Auburn healthy

The University continues to keep the campus clean despite trash-filled fraternity properties Derek Herscovici Campus Reporter

Trash has been getting stuck in Parkerson Mill Creek for years.

The creek, which is located on campus and runs around fraternity houses, is listed as an impaired waterway by the Environmental Protection Agency, and any amount of unnatural debris, party-related trash or otherwise, can severely hinder the creek’s flow, leading to the growth of harmful bacteria.

“The highest concentration of that litter is coming from the weekend parties, and when you have wind and rain come through, all those items end up in the creeks and in the waterways,” said Michael Freeman, environmental health and safety technician with the Office of Risk Management. “They clog up the storm drains and the sewer system.”

Freeman said although Auburn is no stranger to occasional on-campus debris, especially during football season, the quantity and severity of trash remaining on fraternity properties after the weekend has gotten out of hand.

Auburn’s fraternities occupy a position on campus where they lease their properties from the University and use different waste disposal companies, making them solely responsible for house upkeep and properly disposing of their waste.

“They may have had some pledges out there picking it up after events, but for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem to be happening as often,” Freeman said. “Once you get some wind rolling through, all that stuff ends up blowing down the road or blowing over into the creek itself.”

In the past, the University has worked with fraternities to provide a suitable place to dispose of homecoming floats and large trash items, a practice the University plans on upholding

in the future. “[The trash] is something we definitely to watch out for,” said Austin Perry, sophomore in civil engineering and member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. “If we’re responsible, it’s our job to take care of it.”

Freeman said cleanups of the creek led by the facilities department and graduate students have regularly turned up broken glass and garbage.

Bottles, cans, cardboard boxes and other non-biodegradable trash can block water flow through the creek while pet droppings, fertilizer and other debris can lead to algae blooms and harmful bacteria.

Freeman pointed to a 2012 case in which Aimee Copeland, student at the University of Georgia, contracted nectrotizing fascilitis, a rare, but deadly bacterial infection, in the Little Tallapoosa River after falling in the water with an open wound.

The disease forced doctors to amputate one of Copeland’s legs and left her using a ventilator to breathe.

Freeman said although the creek is not in immediate danger of containing life-threatening infections, its weak flow and proximity to campus make contamination risks a high priority.

“A lot of what I would say about the fraternities is more observational as opposed to working firsthand with them,” said Donny Addison, manager for recycling and waste reduction for building services.

Addison said a solution to the problem could come through the cooperation of fraternities and the University.

There’s an interest on the fraternities’ end to join the University’s contract for dumpster services, potentially cutting costs for both parties.

“It’s the fraternities responsibility for them to pick up any loose debris around their property,” Addison said.

emily enfinger / assistant photo editor

Litter is found on campus, especially outside of the library and fraternities.

contributed by Jake Meadows

Veteran returns home for education LEFT TO RIGHT: Jake Meadows, James Norton and Aron Ford in Camp Leatherneck located in Helmand Province,Afghanistan.

Ben Ruffin

Campus Writer

Jake Meadows, veteran and sophomore in international business, isn’t your average student.

While many students graduate high school and go to college, Meadows graduated high school and joined the military.

Meadows, named after his grandfather who fought in World War II, said he received his grandfather’s flag at the funeral procession and saw that as his calling to serve his country.

“My country has given plenty to me, so I feel like I need to give plenty back,” Meadows said. “The world is a dangerous place with dangerous people, and I feel like it’s my duty to do as much as I can to stop them.”

Beginning with basic training in Fort Benning, Ga., Meadows embarked on a five-month journey, which consisted of many different phases.

Meadows was taught how to shoot, march, move tactically, defend himself and properly act like a soldier, things he said eventually took a toll on everyone in training.

“Basic was no joke,” Meadows said.

“It’s physically and mentally challenging all day. You’re getting yelled at while having to perform a task, which is very difficult. By the end, everyone has been broken and has become a better person.”

Following five months of basic training, Meadows boarded numerous flights, which eventually landed him and his infantry in Afghanistan.

Stationed in Camp Leatherneck, a base located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Meadows said it was like landing on a different planet.

“It was a long and uncomfortable flight,” Meadows said. “We were in the middle of the desert, so we were breathing dust. It was almost like going to Mars. The thought of being in a combat zone sets in, and you get scared and excited at the same time.”

Once Meadows arrived at Camp Leatherneck, he was immediately put to work.

Meadow’s infantry started out as a light infantry unit, meaning they did things on foot, but eventually transitioned into a mounted unit, which Meadows said allowed them to carry out their missions on convoys.

“Our job was to protect the military contractors and high ranking military officials whenever they went off base,” Meadows said. “We lived on base, and whenever someone wanted to go somewhere or do something off base, they would come

“

It took a long time for it to acutally hit me that I was back in America.

Sometimes, I wish I could be back over there because I was so used to my routine, and I was comfortable over there.”

—Jake Meadows

veteran and sophomore in international business

to us. We would then plane the mission and suit up and execute.”

Meadows said driving the convoys, or mine resistant vehicles, which protect soldiers from IEDS, were one of his favorite memories from executing missions.

“We would usually switch out, but during these convoys, I would drive the (mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle),” Meadows said. “It was fun driving a huge almost 10-foot-tall vehicle at 70 miles per hour.”

On other missions, Meadows and his infantry would travel to nearby Afghani military bases to provide security to any contactors located there.

Meadows said on these missions, each contactor would have two soldiers assigned to them in case of insider attacks.

“These are Afghanis who are in the Afghani military or police who, for some reason, decide to turn on the Americans who are their allies with deadly intentions,” Meadows said. “They usually open up on the Americans and their fellow Afghanis with gunfire. Anything bad could happen at any second.”

When Meadows was not protecting high ranking officials or carrying out other missions, he said he had little to nothing to occupy his time.

“I usually worked out twice a day to stay in good shape,” Meadows said.

“When I wasn’t doing that or eating, I would watch something on my laptop.

That’s really all we had to do.”

After spending nearly nine months overseas in a heated combat zone, Meadows found it was time to come home, something he had been waiting to do for months, but said the feeling wasn’t as great as he expected once he arrived.

“It just felt odd, and I didn’t know what to really think,” Meadows said about returning to America. “It took a long time

Contributed by Jake Meadows

Jake Meadows in Camp Leathneck,Afghanistan.

for it to actually hit me that I was back home in America. Sometimes, I wish I could be back over there because I was so used to my routine, and I was comfortable over there. It was a strange yet safe feeling.”

It is quite evident to Meadow’s peers the army helped form an outstanding young man. Meadows, who joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon this past August, has already made a large impact on the fraternity, said Andrew Citrin, president of SAE and junior in biomedical sciences.

“Meadows has been an exemplary member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon,” Citrin said. “We couldn’t be prouder to have an individual of his caliber in our organization. Jake has proven himself to be a true gentleman through his leadership, strong work ethic and a desire to make our fraternity a better place.”

After returning home and being accepted into Auburn, Meadows found that the University is doing its best to take care of their veteran students. “(The University) sends me helpful emails almost every day trying to get feedback on things they can improve on when it comes to veterans,” Meadows said.

“They try to help you with anything.”

In Meadows’ opinion, the school could not be doing a better job in returning service to its veterans.

Campus A4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, April 3, 2014

emily enfinger / assistant photo editor

Anyone is free to donate seeds to the seed bank for the Auburn Real Food Challenge.The seed bank is located on the first floor of Ralph Brown Draughon Library. There are a variety of seeds available to donate and take.

Real Food Challenge plants seeds for sustainability Corey Williams Campus Reporter

The Auburn Real Food Challenge debuted its new seed bank on Thursday, March 20, on the first floor of Ralph Brown Draughon Library.

Hannah Hauan, junior in horticulture, is a long-term member of the Auburn Real Food Challenge.

“This is really just a place for people to donate or take seeds,” Hauan said. “We hope it will help bring farmers and the community together.”

This year, Hauan said she decided to make the seed bank her main focus.

“We had the idea last year, but nothing really came of it” Hauan said. “I have been talking to farmers out at the community gardens, and they have been really excited about the idea, so they kind of encouraged me to make this a reality.”

According to Hauan, the seed bank is easy to use.

“All the seeds are in a cabinet in the library,” Hauan said. “Anybody can come in and take whatever they want. The next year, they can bring them back to the cabinet and maybe write a few notes about the seeds and about what worked and what didn’t work.”

The Auburn Real Food Challenge is just one chapter of a national organization.

The goal of the organization’s campaign is to ensure at least 20 percent of dining hall food is real by 2020.

Rosa Cantrell, junior in agricultural communications and president of the Auburn Real Food Challenge, said the Real Food Challenge is an important cause for students to support.

“Real food is defined as local, humane, fair and ecologically sound,” Cantrell said. “We work with campus dining to get real food on campus.

We try to unite the students together, help them reconnect with their food and help them understand where it’s coming from.”

According to Cantrell, education is key to understanding the real food system.

“We need to help students learn about what they are eating and unite them to work with our institutions because they have billions of dollars in the food system,” Cantrell said. “We want to shift that money toward just and sustainable food.”

The Auburn Real Food Challenge also runs the community garden on West Samford Avenue.

Sara Geonczy, senior in environmental science, is head of the dining committee.

Geonczy said the community garden is open to everyone.

“It was run by a sorority for a while, but the Real Food Challenge took it over the spring of 2012,” Geonczy said. “We manage the garden and rent out plots to anyone who wants one. We try to get a lot of students involved. Students actually have a discounted rate to rent a plot, but a lot of faculty and community members are involved as well. “ According to Geonczy, the community garden and the seed bank go hand in hand.

“They both aligned with our goals in the Real Food Challenge,” Geonczy said. “We are hoping it will become a resource for community gardeners. Even if you don’t have a plot at the community garden, it can be a resource for your garden at home.”

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Opinion

A5

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Social Media on The Plains In response to our post, “Editorial: The Renaissance of Auburn Athletics”

KL Faith Worth: “You misspelled embarrassment in the paper...that’s embarrassing ;)” In response to our post, “UPDATED: Three freshmen arrested for burglary of JordanHare Stadium locker room”

Andrew Yohn: “Hopefully they’re kicked out of school too.”

Warren Jones: “time for a real education…”

ThePlainsman.com

Opinion Our View

‘Are you not entertained?’ Yes, we are now There we sat in Suite 1111 of the Student Center six months ago.

We, the Fall 2014 Plainsman staff, were mainly confused.

Our normal office routine of teaching ourselves to read by watching FOX News was interrupted by two questions, “Who are Eric Hutchinson and Gloriana?” and “Why are they playing at Auburn University?”

We realized it didn’t matter who they were.

If we had to ask, they weren’t big enough. The University Program Council had to do a better job at getting headliners.

As a result, we wrote an editorial, “‘Are you not entertained?’ No, we aren’t.”

But, was it pretentious of us to demand better bands to perform at Auburn? Well, we are going to throw some names at you. See if they sound familiar.

The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, The Allman Brothers Band, Issac Hayes, Santana, Elton John, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Charlie Daniels Band and R.E.M. Do you know what they all have in common? They all performed at Auburn University.

We wanted bands we actually care to see; bands that get us excited. Excitement that can only be felt from seeing your favorite artists

Emily Brett / graphics editor

in the flesh. From feeling the first wave of sound from the amps crash into you. The bliss of hearing the first few notes of your favorite song. The sadness of it ending. These are all things we expect from a concert.

And nothing against Train, soul sister, but we would have been more excited to see them a decade ago.

All past travesties aside, UPC has turned it around by communicating via social media.

Or maybe they just turned on a radio.

The Avett Brothers and B.o.B are as prominent in today’s music scene as The Allman Brothers Band was in the 70s. We do not doubt the Auburn Arena will be filled with real fans, not just a bunch of students procrastinating their coursework on a Thursday night.

Seeing these big headlining bands will give students’ minds the break they need near the end of the semester. It’s clear UPC is trying to do this with every event they throw.

So what if the events are generally less than lackluster?

These are fellow students putting on events to help entertain their fellow students. If that isn’t admirable enough for you, you can stop reading.

That said, we are still encouraging UPC to continue to make progress. We want to continue to see amazing artists like those who preformed here in the 70s.

If we could get Elton John to perform back in 1973, we see no reason we can’t get headliners like The Black Keys or Drake to perform here now.

Keep the greats such as The Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley in your heads, UPC, and aim high.

His View

Teaching the controversy of common science In response to our tweet, “Former football signee, current Class of 2015 commitment Jason Smith arrested on drug charges”

@CliffWAustin “bye Jason. Another one pisses away a golden opportunity.”

In response to our tweet “‘It doesn’t make any sense to me’ - defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson on recent 10 second rule controversy.”

@dee_ford: “doesn’t sound good. hope all ok.”

Current poll question: Which artist are you most exited to see at Auburn Airwaves?

• The Avett Brothers • B.o.B • The Neighbourhood

Eric Wallace opinion@ theplainsman. com

It seems like the phrase “teach the controversy” has become a popular response nowadays for those who disagree with popular scientific theories. If I’m allowed to have an opinion on topics in sports, politics and religion, why can’t I do the same in science?

Unfortunately, that’s just not how science works, and teaching kids to think that way is harmful in more ways than one.

A population of scientifically illiterate individuals allows for the spread of fantastic and dangerously misleading ideas, some of which can be fatal.

Take, for example, the not-sorecent debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye. Ham, a Young Earth Creationist, used the platform to portray

evolution as an embattled theory in the scientific community. He even had a variety of scientists, some with Ph. D’s in microbiology from esteemed universities, on film endorsing his arguments.

These highly educated and peer reviewed scientists were the cornerstones for his idea that there is somehow a “controversy” that needs to be taught on the subject of evolution.

Though it’s a fallacious idea, it’s an easy tactic to bring in “scientists who doubt said theory” to show there is a controversy. Yet, it is easily outdone.

In response to a list of 700 scientists who denied evolution, Project Steve was founded in 2003 to show just how small the percentage of evolution deniers was in the scientific community.

The light-hearted list, which is only composed of scientists named Steve, has collected 1,328 signatures over the last decade, a significant feat considering “Steves” are only representative

go critical vaccines in children for illnesses such as measles, the flu and hepatitis.

People who think vaccine use is linked to autism are certainly in the minority, but since 2007, 1,375 deaths from vaccine-preventable deaths have been reported to the CDC. Science is a forum for argument, skepticism and tinkering.

No theory is safe from future research that could turn our understanding of a process upside down.

But “teaching the controversy” on topics that have a solid scientific consensus isn’t just bad for scientific literacy, it creates a mindset of distrust about the methods and discoveries of hard working scientists who work to fix the variety of dangers facing humanity.

There’s nothing wrong with holding unpopular opinions on a subject, but when it comes to science, there’s generally a reason those opinions are in the minority.

His View

Jordan-Hare should not become a no-hate-zone

Vote at ThePlainsman.com

Ben Ruffin

Last poll results: Which coach is Jay Jacobs’ best hire?

19% Bruce Pearl

18% Sunny Golloway

55% Gus Malzahn

8% Clint Myers

The Plainsman wants to hear your voice!

Send us your tweets, photos, Facebook posts and letters to the editor. We want to know what you think about the issues.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TheAUPlainsman.

opinion@ theplainsman. com

This past November, the Student Government Association tabled a bill that would change policy within Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. The policy, which would make Jordan-Hare Stadium a no-hate-zone, aimed to address concerns of offensive speech and slurs within the stadium.

At this senate meeting, many students spoke out on the positive effects of making the stadium a no-hate-zone citing beliefs that hate and disconnection poison the lively Auburn community.

While I do believe hate and disconnection do indeed harm the Auburn community and we should stand together as one student body, I do not think making Jordan-Hare Stadium a no-hatezone will solve the hate and discrimination within the stadium.

There are many reasons why this policy would not work.

The first reason being that I do not think we should implement a policy to fix an on-campus moral problem. If there is hate or discrimination happening on campus, the University needs to look for a way to bring its student body together.

Although the policy has good intentions, the University should focus on fixing a problem if there is one present rather than just implementing a policy and sweeping the problem under the table.

The second reason I do not think we should implement a nohate policy within the stadium is because many of our chants and battle cries are host to a curse word or two.

If we implement the no-hate policy within the stadium, we are throwing away years of tradition, something Auburn is known to value.

I’m not saying that hate and discrimination are a part of Auburn’s tradition, rather I am saying that Auburn values tradition. If we rid our stadium of the chants and battle cries that have been screamed in there many times a year for many years, we

The Editorial Board Kelsey Davis Editor-in-Chief

Cat Watson Online

Emily Brett Design

Elizabeth Wieck Managing Editor

Becky Hardy Campus

Chandler Jones Community

Jordan Hays Opinion

Justin Ferguson Sports

Kristofer Sims Multimedia

Anna Claire Conrad Anna Grafton Copy Photo

of approximately 1 percent of the scientific community.

Despite the overwhelming evidence and support, a recent poll showed that 33 percent of Americans still do not believe in evolution.

That’s about 99,000,000 people, equivalent to the entire population of the Philippines, who do not believe in a basic tenet of biology.

So, why should all this scientific literacy stuff matter to you? I mean, a lack of knowledge about evolution and science isn’t actually fatal, right?

Directly, it’s not. But if a third of our country’s population is in denial about one of the most widely supported scientific theories, are we surprised when controversies crop up like the one involving vaccine use in children?

Despite little to no evidence (except from Jenny McCarthy, of course), the idea that vaccine use causes autism still lingers, prompting some families to fore-

Maddie Yerant Intrigue

Mailing Address Auburn Student Center Suite 1111H Auburn, AL 36849

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

are throwing away part of Auburn tradition.

I don’t see many fans getting upset over the curse words used in our chants such as “War damn Eagle” or “Weagle weagle,” so why throw them out?

On any given Saturday, if you ask a fan from an opposing team what they think of our fan base, they typically respond with words similar to “very respectful.”

What kind of message would we be sending opposing fans if they hear about the no-hate policy prior to arriving in Auburn?

They would more than likely think Jordan-Hare, and maybe even Auburn as a whole are hatefilled places with hate-filled people, possibly causing them to cancel their original plans. What happens when less people visit the campus? Odds are that the number of student applications will go down and possibly even enrollment.

The third reason I believe Jordan-Hare should not be a nohate-zone is because season ticket holders and even single game ticket holders have paid money to watch the game inside of the sta-

Submissions The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students as well as from faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University. Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on the Monday for publication. Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length. Please submit no more than 400 words.

dium and should not have to worry about watching their mouths .

However, I agree that some things are not fit to be said in a football stadium, or anywhere at all.

I understand that the policy aims at making Jordan-Hare a comfortable place for everyone to watch the football game, but game goers will feel less comfortable if they continuously have to look over their shoulders for the no-hate security.

In reality, how can a no-hate security team monitor so many mouths at one time? They can’t.

College football is too full of energy and excitement to tell an entire stadium that they need to watch what they say. If we had a no-hate policy during the UGA game or Alabama game this past year, the majority of the stadium would have been removed.

Overall, it would be a very difficult task to stop hateful speech or remarks within Jordan-Hare Stadium and if the policy comes as a way to curb hateful speech on campus, the University should find a way to bring its students together rather than making them act like they are together.

Policy The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. This editorial is the majority opinion of the 13-member editorial board and are the official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.

Community Thursday, April 3, 2014

A6 ThePlainsman.com

Community

Story book characters alive at Storybook Farms Ashtyne Cole

COMMUNITY REPORTER

SARAH MAY/PHOTO EDITOR

Top: Boo Radley stands in his stall at Storybook Farms in Opelika.

Bottom: Curtis sits atop Jack and the Beanstalk, enjoying his day at the farm.

Down a few winding back roads in Opelika, Storybook Farms sits nestled between large green trees and rolling plains of grass.

It’s not unusual to see a real life Dr. Watson, Captain Hook or Tom Sawyer roaming around together through the fields.

Walking into the farm is just like walking into a storybook or your favorite fairy tale.

The main house looks like it came straight out of Snow White and the koi fish swimming lazily in a pond look like something out of Alice in Wonderland’s dream.

At Storybook Farms, horses, such as the friendly and popular Dr. Watson spend their days helping children’s fairy-tale dreams come true.

Every horse at the farm has a name originating from a fairy tale or well-known book.

The workers at the farm are comprised of volunteers and interns, such as Stephanie Houpy, who help operate the nonprofit, faith-based organization.

“Since being here in January, I have learned so much about myself and being

able to work with kids that are facing life challenges on a day-to-day basis,” Houpy said. “You appreciate what you have in life.”

The volunteers and horses work with children who are facing life challenges and help them overcome them.

The 17 horses and volunteers provide a calm, relaxing, trusting environment for children that need it.

Most of the horses, such as 22-year-old Dr. Watson, are older and have a gentle, patient disposition that works well with the children, many who come from local schools.

The horses help children with disabilities and other challenges become confident and learn new tasks.

“Dr. Watson has about 10 riders per week, and he’s been here for about 12 years,” said Allie McDonald, community relations director. “He helps them go through challenges that many of us are fortunate to be able to avoid.”

Other animals, such as big, fluffy dogs and lazy, snoozing cats call the farm home.

“We have a lot of little creatures roaming around the farm,” Houpy said. “The kids really love them.”

Horses at the farm bond with each other, as well.

“Dr. Watson’s best friends are Sherlock Holmes and Captain Hook,” McDonald said. “They have a lot of fun out in our arena, playing games and providing friendship for the many children that need their services.”

At the farm, volunteers are always welcome to help around the barn and help with the children and families that come in seeking help from the horses.

Children who visit are paired with a horse and a volunteer, fitted with a helmet and led around the arena. The children are able to interact with animals and spend a few hours outside getting exercise.

Their pictures adorn the walls of the barn with their names taped underneath, a reminder to the people and horses of why they are there.

While Storybook Farm is reminiscent of an enchanting fairy tale, the horses and volunteers spend their days with real children working toward a real goal.

Even when the children have all gone to sleep, Storybook Farms and all its characters anxiously wait for tomorrow’s new chapter.

Opelika Road renovations to bring business and beauty Nick Hines

COMMUNITY WRITER

Opelika Road will receive a facelift in the upcoming years through the Renew Opelika Road project.

According to Auburn Planning Department principal planner Justin Steinnman, the plan proposes to make improvements from the start of Opelika Road on Gay Street to the road’s city limits.

Changes include making the street more aesthetically appealing, friendlier to pedestrians and bicyclists and more attractive to new businesses.

Opelika Road has been broken up into three areas for the plan: from Gay Street to Dean Road, Dean Road to East University Drive and East University Drive to the city limits.

One way Renew Opelika Road is trying to attract new businesses is by updating the zoning code. The zoning code dictates what type of buildings can be built in certain areas of the city.

“Right now, the zoning only allows, in pretty large portions of the corridor, commercial development,” Steinnman said. “It doesn’t allow mixed use development. It has pretty strin-

EMILY ENFINGER/ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The first round of the Renew Opelika Road Project. will focus on the section between Gay and Ross Street.

gent set backs, especially on the front [near Gay Street.]”

Mixed-use development would allow a combination of residential, commercial, cultural or industrial uses. This zoning would reduce distances between housing, workplaces and retail businesses.

The first projects under Renew Opelika Road will bookend the street, focusing on the section between Gay and Ross streets, and the East University Drive–Opelika Road intersection near the mall.

“We’re really looking at doing two projects on either end of the corridor to help improve

City Council looks forward to re-elections Nick Hines

COMMUNITY WRITER

Two members of Auburn City Council, including Mayor Bill Ham, made it clear they will run for reelection this year at the April 1 Auburn City Council meeting.

Elections for Auburn city government officials are held on even-numbered years on the fourth Tuesday in August.

Councilmember Arthur Dowdell prefaced his reelection announcement with a concern that he heard from a local preacher.

“I was in a meeting the oth-

er day, and it was brought to my attention that someone had written to preachers in our community,” Dowdell said. “I won’t say the preacher’s name, but they contacted me that someone from the city council has gone in the community where I serve, asking people to run against me.”

Dowdell promised that his supporters will “turn out in large numbers in every facet” on election day.

“You thought they weren’t going to tell me?” Dowdell asked. “Since that happened, we are going to have the largest

turn out in our community ever.

You will see it.”

Dowdell left promptly after the meeting adjourned and could not be reached for comment.

Ham, who has served as mayor for 16 years, considered focusing on his business interests instead of running for the position again.

However, he decided to run after a large group of business people in the community asked him to consider it.

If reelected, Ham wants to focus on the Renew Opelika Road project, the Downtown

Master Plan project and school expansion.

The number of students at Auburn City Schools has doubled in the last 12 years and schools are recieving approximately 500 new students per year, according to Ham. “A lot of people don’t realize how important that is to the stability of the community,” Ham said. “I pledge to find the solution.”

If this is Ham’s last time running for mayor, he doesn’t know it.

“Well,” Ham said. “I’ve learned to never say never.”

traffic flow on the Opelika side,” Steinnman said. “But also to make aesthetic improvements and pedestrian improvements on both areas to help demonstrate some of the things we would like to see on the corridor.”

The city is working with individual business owners to make a positive impact.

There are currently 23 acres of vacant buildings and 64 acres of vacant land the project plans to fill, according to the Renew Opelika Road Corridor Plan on the city’s website.

Mekenzie Hargaden, sophomore in pre-vet who lives in the off-campus housing complex Creekside on Opelika Road, is excited about the idea of new businesses that may come with the Renew Opelika Road project.

“We go to Chili’s a lot and Cancun’s,” Hargaden said. “If there were more restaurants and stores conveniently on Opelika [Road], yeah, that would be great.”

The community can expect some lane closures, but there will not be any four-lane closures that require detours, according to Steinnman.

On April 8, the city will have a public meeting to review the proposed changes to the public.

• Approved a restaurant retail liquor license to Fink’s.

Finks will be opening on 230 North Gay St., previously the location of Brick Oven Pizza.

• Adopted the 2014 Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant Program. Auburn is estimated to receive around $430,000 from the grant.

• Approved easement of two properties to continue the Downtown Parking Phase 2A Project.

• Awarded six service pins and plaques.

• Recognized Becky Richardson for being inducted into the United States Tennis Association Alabama Hall of Fame.

• Approved the purchase of new property for additional industrial sites for the Industrial Development Board.

• Reappointed Bill Sherling to the Library Board of Trustees.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Auburn Plainsman

Community A7

Fu Zhao’s dream grew from the ground up

Cancer researcher finds his calling as a vegetable farmer Justin Ferguson SPORTS EDITOR

On an acre of land behind the East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, Fu Zhao is living out his dream.

While he spends his days devoting himself to cancer research at Tuskegee University, the Chinese international’s passion for helping others can be found just outside the four walls of the East Alabama Medical Center.

Although he holds a doctorate degree, Zhao’s dream is in the dirt of Lee County, where the sandy loams of the Coastal Plains meet the red clay of the Piedmont Plateau — thousands of miles from his birthplace in Inner Mongolia.

Zhao wants to be a farmer.

“I have opportunities here to work the land here and follow my dream,” Zhao says with a smile.

Zhao talks of growing onions and garlic, staples of his homeland’s cuisine. He remembers Chinese cucumbers and beans as long as rulers.

He sighs and stares off in the distance as he talks about the amount of land he currently farms in Opelika, the gears of a larger dream turning in his head.

“I have a farm of almost one acre now,” Zhao says. “I need more money, but not for me. I want to help young Chinese students here who were just like me.”

Zhao came to the United States in December 2008 with his wife, Ting. Both received degrees in entomology, the study of insects, from Huazhong Agricultural University in central China. Zhao specializes in the study of blowflies, and Ting specializes in mosquitos.

EMILY ENFINGER/ ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Top: Fu Zhao stands in his snowpea crop field.

Bottom: Fu Zhao is currently growing crops of snow peas, onions and leeks.

Crime Time Mary Owens, 85, of Auburn died as a result of injuries sustained in a March 30 threevehicle accident. Deputy Lee County Coroner Charlotte Patterson pronounced her dead at the scene, according to a March 31 Auburn Police Division news release.

Owens was the passenger in a 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass. The driver, a 93-yearold male of Auburn, was seriously injured.

He was subsequently airlifted by Life Saver helicopter to Columbus Midtown Medical Center.

A 51-year-old female of Daphne was driving a 2014 Subaru Outback and was not injured and later released from the scene.

A 22-year-old female of Auburn was driving a 2003 Nissan Xterra and sustained minor injuries from the crash. She was transported to East Alabama Medical Center emergency room by private vehicle for treatment.

The APD responded to the accident on Samford Avenue and Green Street Sunday at

Police reports syndicated by the city of Auburn

Those who know Zhao find it strange that a man with so much education would trade the research field for the vegetable field, but they know they cannot stop him.

His dream is about more than growing vegetables — it is about growing relationships with Auburn’s growing Chinese community.

“I want to support Bible study groups with young Chinese students here who don’t have scholarships and can’t afford to buy food all the time,” Zhao says. “I want my garden to be able to give these students food each Friday night.”

He pauses, thinking back to his first days in the United States.

“There are many students who were like me in the Auburn-Opelika area,” Zhao says. “I want to help them because we all need each other.”

Zhao is one of seven children in his family, which grew before the Chinese government began stricter enforcement of its family-planning policy.

“When I was young, my family was poor,” Zhao says. “Education is important to my family, but it was hard for my parents to get seven children through school.”

Today, two of Zhao’s siblings have doctorate degrees, and four are high school teachers.

As his wife began her education on the Plains, Zhao had no clear direction for his new life in America.

“When I came here, I had no job, no friends and no English,” Zhao says.

That all would change in 2009, when he and Ting were invited to a Chinese Bible study taught by Auburn industrial design professor Tin-Man Lau.

When Zhao first came to the study, he wanted nothing to do with Lau’s message.

“I remember when Ting brought him to our gospel class on Friday night for the first time — obviously not by his own choice,” Lau says. “We circled in a room, and Fu turned around his chair so that he literally turned his back on me. I guess it was a kind of protest that he was not willing to come.”

As time passed, he continued to go to the Bible studies and free conversational English classes at Lakeview Baptist in Auburn.

“When I first came here five years ago, I had to learn my ABCs here like a small child,” Zhao says. “I am grateful for my great teachers and the people who brought me here. Now I have a regular job.”

Zhao has noticed how Americans treated one another, and he came to realize his life in this new country would not last as a solo effort.

“I saw all these people around me who had this smile that was so, so sweet,” Zhao says. “It was totally different than people in China, like me. I came here thinking, ‘Oh, where can I get a lot of money? How can I get another promotion in my job? How can I make my life better and better?’ But I saw the people here were different, and I wanted to find out why they were different.”

Five years after his first visit, Zhao still goes to English class every Wednesday night and Chinese Bible studies every Friday night.

“Although he has a full-time job, he has this odd passion to be a farmer,” Lau says.

“I have actually talked with him several times that he should put more effort in his research, which is his job. However, farming obviously is where his passion resides.”

Grand OpeninG Grand Opening celebration!

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approximately 5:13 p.m.

Auburn Fire Division and EAMC emergency medical personnel responded to the scene to treat injuries.

A preliminary investigation of the accident by the APD determined that the Oldsmobile was traveling southbound on Green Street and entered the intersection of Samford Avenue. The Oldsmobile collided with a Nissan Xterra traveling eastbound on Samford Avenue.

After the initial impact, the Oldsmobile struck the Subaru, which was stopped at the intersection waiting to travel in the opposite direction on Green Street.

According to the news release, the cause of the accident is still under investigation by the APD and the Lee County Coroner’s Office.

Traffic in the area was temporarily re-routed while the accident was being investigated.

- Staff Reports

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Sports

A8

Thursday, April 3, 2014

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ThePlainsman.com

Sports

men’s basketball

baseball

Ranked No. 27/Also Receiving Votes 18-11 (5-4 SEC) LAST WEEK Loss vs. Missouri, 4-3 Loss vs. Missouri, 4-2 Win vs. Missouri, 7-3 Loss vs. Samford, 8-1 THIS WEEK April 4-6 at Ole Miss April 8 vs. Troy

softball

A little 1-on-1 with Bruce Pearl Photo by Raye May / DESIGN EDITOR

The Plainsman sits down with Auburn’s newest head coach Ranked No. 19/19 31-6-1 (6-3 SEC) LAST WEEK Win at Georgia State, 16-1 Win at Kentucky, 7-6 Win at Kentucky, 6-4 Loss at Kentucky, 2-1 THIS WEEK April 4-6 at Florida Gators ranked No. 6/7

Between his appearances on national sports talk shows, various Auburn athletics events and dunk tanks on campus, new Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl sat down with The Auburn Plainsman sports reporter Eric Wallace to talk about his first few days on the Plains and his plans for the future of the program.

Do you see any similarities between the Auburn program and the program you took over at Tennessee?

“There were some similarities in the fact that I inherited good kids and guys that wanted to represent Auburn better. They want to represent Auburn better. They’re eager, anxious to learn and willing.”

Men’s Tennis What are your early impressions of the returning roster?

“KT Harrell is a really good scorer at a high level. We’ll be doing a lot of things to put him into position to make shots. Tahj Shamsid-Deen is a really good leader and floor general. He does a lot of things that nobody but a coach would notice. Malcolm Canada is a senior who I don’t think we’ve seen his best basketball yet. That all said, it wasn’t good enough to be in the upper half of the league.”

What will your son Steven bring to your growing coaching staff here at Auburn?

What about yourself enables you to turn around programs that have struggled?

“Not that I need one, but he’ll be a great reference to the players. He knows me and knows how I tick. That’ll be great for the players to have access to him. He wants to be a coach. That’s in his blood.”

“It’s a responsibility and a challenge. I’m not the most talented or the brightest guy, but I’ll be the first guy on campus this morning. And I have to do that and make up for what I lack in other areas. We do coach in effort and intensity. If we can put that forth on the floor in every possession, then we’ll take our chances.

What are your thoughts on the Under Armour sponsorship and how it affects the basketball program?

“I won at Milwaukee with Nike, I won at Tennessee with Adidas and we’ll win here at Auburn with Under Armour. They’re our partner, and partners support one another. So, I’m 100 percent in with Under Armour.”

Are you concerned about being rusty as a coach after three years away?

“I’m not worried about it, but I’ll definitely have some rust. I also have time to get ready and to prepare. I’ve got some boxes to unpack and some film to watch, but I’m just taking it one step at a time.”

“I’m not trying to do anything for the first time. I’m just going to try to do it again.

Sonny Smith did it. Cliff Ellis did it. Chuck Person did it. Charles Barkley did it. Chris Porter did it. And I’m just trying to do it again.”

What are your thoughts on the city of Auburn itself ?

“My wife and I like to walk so I think there are some great neighborhoods for us to walk in. I’m looking forward to the spring with the weather getting nice. I can’t believe the dogwoods are already out. I love my flowers and I really enjoy my landscaping when I get away.”

14-9 (4-5 SEC) LAST WEEK Loss vs. Kentucky, 4-1 Loss vs. Vanderbilt, 4-3 THIS WEEK April 6 at Texas A&M

woMen’s Tennis

contributed by zach bland

LEFT: Head coach Sunny Golloway waves Ryan Tella around third base. CENTER: Blake Austin tries to avoid tag from Missouri’s Shane Segovia. RIGHT: Damek Tomscha hits an RBI.

baseball 15-6 (5-3 SEC) LAST WEEK Loss at Kentucky, 4-0 Loss at Vanderbilt, 4-0 THIS WEEK April 4 vs. Missouri April 6 vs. Texas A&M

equestrian

10-5 (3-3 SEC) LAST WEEK Loss vs. Georgia, 12-8 Win vs. Texas A&M, 10-8 Third at SEC Championships

Tigers avoid ‘death sentence’ sweep against Missouri Kyle Van Fechtmann Sports Reporter

Auburn baseball was on a roll heading into their first big weekend series of the season.

The No. 21 Tigers had won 12 of their last 14 games and were making noise in the early-season SEC standings.

Then, they ran into some trouble.

In front of a sellout crowd Thursday, March 27, with ESPNU in attendance, Auburn struggled in the field with four errors that ended up costing them the game.

“We’ve got to find a way to make these guys realize the margin of error between winning and losing in this league is very slim,” said head coach Sunny Golloway. “I’m not sure what it was, but it was a different team from what I’ve seen. Whether it was being on

national television on ESPN or just trying to do too much, we just didn’t look like ourselves.”

Auburn continued to struggle in game two, when the offense handicapped itself with 13 fly ball outs against the lastplace Missouri Tigers.

“I don’t recognize the team I’m coaching these last two days,” Golloway said after their first SEC series loss.

“You’ve got to be mentally tough in this game. We’ve got to get mentally tough, that’s the bottom-line.

“We’ve got to be able to bounce back.”

But, with Missouri’s ace on the mound and their backs to the wall, Auburn bounced back to avoid the sweep with a 7-3 game three victory.

“You can’t get swept in this league,” Golloway said. “It’s

“

You can’t get swept in this league. It’s almost like a death sentence to get swept in this league that’s so tough. I compliment them on their character.

We learned a lot about our club this weekend.”

—Sunny Golloway baseball head coach

almost like a death sentence to get swept in this league that’s so tough. I compliment them on their character. We learned a lot about our club this week-

end.”

Senior Jay Wade earned the save in game three, and he is familiar with how much series sweeps can bring down a team.

“A sweep is as disheartening as it gets,” Wade said. “It kind of kills the program for a couple of days. A loss is hard to get over, but a sweep is unbelievably hard.”

After Auburn struggled at the plate in game two of the series, Auburn rallied with 16 hits in the last game.

Jordan Ebert continued his hitting streak with two hits, two runs scored and a RBI in game three.

“The toughness he showed all weekend, he came up big for us,” Golloway said. “I can’t say enough about the way he’s been swinging the bat.”

Ebert also filled in at second base, his position last season,

for the injured Dan Glevenyak.

“I felt a lot more comfortable than I thought I would,” Ebert said. “If that’s what this team needs me to do, I feel like I can do it.”

Despite dropping the first two games, Auburn is still only one game behind first place in the SEC West before they travel to Oxford to face Ole Miss this weekend.

“Just to come out and avoid a sweep to stay in contention, it’s good for us going into a big weekend in Oxford,” Ebert said. “Everyone knows how good Ole Miss is. After losing the first two games, I wanted to see how we would react and how we would be able to handle the adversity, especially with how many younger guys we have playing. “[This win] is a huge step for this program.”

Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Auburn Plainsman

Sports A9

contributed by brendan maloney

Marcelo Chierighini, James Disney-May, Arthur Mendes and Kyle Darmody celebrate their NCAA relay win.

contributed by auburn athletics

Auburn’s Katsy Leeman competes in Western Reining in a home meet earlier this season.

This Week in Auburn Sports Swimming & Diving

Auburn’s 400 freestyle relay capped off the 2014 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships by winning the final event of the meet on Saturday, March 29, at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.

The team of Marcelo Chierighini, James Disney-May, Arthur Mendes and Kyle Darmody cruised to the win with the second-fastest time of the year to take gold at 2:48.33 and set a pool record.

The time by Auburn was over a second faster than the rest of the field as Darmody’s anchor split of 41.4 catapulted the Tigers into the lead for the final 100 yards. The win for the Tigers marked their first title in the 400 free relay at the NCAA meet since 2009, 8th overall in school history.

On the final day of competition, Auburn climbed up two spots to finish sixth with 230 points. California won the NCAA Championship with 468.5 points to best Texas’ 417.5. Florida finished third with 387, fourth was Michigan with 310 points and Georgia took fifth with 259.

Chierighini earned his third straight silver in the 100 free, touching in at 41.97, behind Louisville’s Joao De Lucca, who won the event at 41.70. Chierighini set the pool record at the Lee and Joe Jamail Swimming Center early in the day with a time of 41.52 in the prelims, which ranks as the eighth-best swim all-time in the 100 free in short-course yards.

Darmody claimed sixth overall with a 42.51 in the championship final, while Disney-May was 14th overall at 42.84 in the B-final in the 100 free.

Senior Zane Grothe picked up a top-five finish for the Tigers, taking fifth overall in the 1,650 freestyle at 14:45.55. Grothe finished second in his heat of timed finals, earning his third first team All-America selection of his career in the mile.

Freshman Joe Patching continued to turn in his best times in the 200 back, finishing 11th overall and third in the B-final with a time of 1:40.67. Patching’s time is the sixth-best in school history, besting his morning swim of 1:40.82.

For the second straight day, John Santeiu IV barely missed making an appearance in the championship final, this time on platform, but the senior rebounded with a career best score of 437.70 in the consolation final to take ninth overall.

Santeiu finishes his career at Auburn with six All-America honors and two SEC titles.

Junior Fraser McKean snuck into the B-final on tower with a pair of strong final dives and put together a solid list in consolation final with a score of 358.55 to place 13th overall.

Sophomore Arthur Mendes scored his first individual points in his young career for the Tigers with a seventh-place finish (14th overall) in the consolation final of 200 fly with a time of 1:44.51.

Equestrian

The No. 4 Auburn equestrian team defeated Texas A&M, 10-8 in the consolation bracket to take third place at the 2014 SEC Championships in Blythewood, S.C., on Saturday, March 29.

“It was nice to finish with a win after the disappointment of not playing for the Championship,” head coach Greg Williams said. “I am really proud of the three MVPs the ladies picked up today. This is a great group of athletes and I hope they are ready to fire on all cylinders in a couple of weeks at the National Championships.”

With the victory, Auburn (10-5) has posted 10-win seasons for the sixth time in 12 seasons under Williams.

The Tigers came out strong with a 4-1 win in equitation in the flat. Demi Stiegler, Elizabeth Benson, Jennifer Delman and Christina Lin were all winners. Lin posted a meet-high 168 from the two judges to earn MOP honors, her first of the season in the event.

The meet then went to reining and the Tigers continued the winning ways with a 2-1 overall victory to give Auburn a 6-2 lead before intermission.

Katsy Leeman and Cheyenne Cracraft claimed the two wins for Auburn, and Leeman also took home the MOP, for the second straight meet and fourth of the year, with a two-judge score of 140.5 In the horsemanship competition, the Tigers saw it only event loss of the day, 1-4. Hannah

Loseke logged the Auburn victory, scoring a 141.5.

In equitation over fences, Auburn won 3-2 and got wins from Stiegler, Benson and Quincy Hayes.

Hayes earned the MOP, her third of the year.

Stiegler’s win gave her 12 for the season, which tied a school record for most wins in a season in equitation over fences, tying Benson and Jennifer Waxman who each had 12 wins last year.

The team earned the No. 4-seed for the 2014 National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championship, set to take place April 1719 at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas, the NCEA Selection Committee announced Monday.

Auburn will earn a bye in the first round and take on the winner of No. 5 Kansas State and No. 12 Texas A&M. Beginning with the 2014 championship, the top-12 overall teams (Western and Hunt Seat combined) are invited to compete.

The NCEA Selection Committee determines and invites these teams based on a number of factors throughout the season.

The top-four seeds in the NCEA Championship each receive first-round byes in the 12team format.

Auburn is the defending NCEA Overall National Champion. Oklahoma State won the 2013 NCEA Western Championship and Auburn won the 2013 NCEA Hunt Seat Championship.

Compiled by Justin Ferguson

men’s basketball

Plainsman Picks: Final Four 2014 Edition Florida vs.

UConn

Wisconsin vs.

Kentucky

National Champions

Florida vs.

UConn

Most Outstanding Player

Wisconsin vs.

Kentucky

National Champions

Scottie Wilbekin FLORIDA

Julius Randle KENTUCKY Justin Ferguson Sports Editor

Taylor Jones Sports Writer Scottie Wilbekin FLORIDA

Patric Young FLORIDA David McKinney Sports Writer

Eric Wallace Sports Reporter

Scottie Wilbekin FLORIDA

Scottie Wilbekin FLORIDA

Kyle Van Fechtmann Sports Reporter

Most Outstanding Player

Graham Brooks Contributing Writer

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Sports A10

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, April 3, 2014

football

contributed by lauren barnard

emily enfinger / assistant photo editor

Defensive tackle Gabe Wright participates in pad drills during spring practice.

Defensive tackle Ben Bradley (left) blocks fellow lineman Jeffrey Whitaker on Auburn’s first day of spring camp.

Defensive line reloads in hopes of a return trip to Atlanta Taylor Jones Sports writer

While replacing potential first-round draft pick Dee Ford will be a tough task to handle for defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and defensive line coach Rodney Garner, the Tigers have solid depth all across the defensive line for their upcoming season on the Plains.

The defensive tackle position returns senior veterans Gabe Wright, Angelo Blackson and Jeff Whitaker, who received a medical redshirt last season.

Whitaker’s return to the squad after recovering from a torn right meniscus means a lot to the team, both mentally and physically.

While Whitaker wasn’t able to help the Tigers last year after his injury on the field, he took it upon himself to ensure that his presence was felt on the sideline and in the locker room.

“(Whitaker) is in the mix, practicing with us every day,” Blackson said. “Jeff is a great leader.

He’s one of those guys we can go to about anything. We look up to him.”

As Auburn looks to turn their defensive lines into one of the most ferocious front fours in football, coaches say it will take leadership from veterans such as Jeff Whitaker to help guide newcomers and help keep the unit cohesive.

“He has a lot of wisdom for his age,” Malzahn said. “Coaches have a lot of confidence in him, as well as his teammates.”

After an impressive 20-tackle freshman season, Montravious Adams will also look to find a spot on the starting roster against the two incoming defensive tackle signees, four-star Dontavious Russell and three-star Devaroe Lawrence.

Auburn is also set at defensive end, returning sophomore sensations Carl Lawson and Eli-

jah Daniel.

“As a defensive unit, we are so athletic,” Lawson said. “Everyone on D-end and D-tackle can go back and forth between two positions.”

The two sophomores will join returning starter LaDarious Owens, a junior who will miss all of 2014’s spring practice with a foot injury.

Auburn signed four defensive ends in its highly touted 2014 class, including JUCO transfer Davonte Lambert.

Lambert, a 6-foot-3, 275-pound rusher, will look to make an immediate impact with the Tigers after accumulating 36 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles last season at Georgia Military College.

The other defensive end commitments are four-star recruit Andrew Williams out of Eagle’s Landing Christian in McDonough, Ga., four-star recruit Justin Thornton out of Vigor

High School in Prichard and three-star Raashed Kennion out of First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Fla. The Tigers will look to utilize their size and depth as they endure the brutal SEC regular season and try to make it back to the national title game.

Due to the experience and depth of the line, the Tigers will also look at potentially playing four defensive tackles to try and give the Tigers defensive front a new and larger look.

Wright calls it the “Rhino Package,” and Auburn tight end C.J. Uzomah thinks the unique look could work for the Tigers’ defense.

“That is something completely different than blocking against a guy like Dee (Ford), who is extremely quick and fast,” Uzomah said.

“Blocking against someone like Gabe (Wright) and Montravius (Adams), they are hosses.”

‘Rudy’ Ford making another instant impact at new position Justin Ferguson Sports Editor

It did not take long for Johnathan “Rudy” Ford to make an impact at his new position.

And that impact, according to defensive tackle Gabe Wright, was one loud “boom.”

The rising sophomore delivered a big hit on a screen pass to an unidentified receiver during Auburn’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday, March 29.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn did not share a lot of specific information on the scrimmage during his Saturday press conference, but he was quick to point out Ford’s performance.

“Rudy Ford is a guy that had a really good hit playing defense,” Malzahn said. “He's a new guy playing defense, and that was probably the thing that stood out to me the most.”

Ford, a rising sophomore from New Hope, flipped his commitment as a four-star running back prospect from Vanderbilt to Auburn shortly before National Signing Day in 2013.

The 5-foot-11 running back stood out in fall camp last season for his work ethic and team-first attitude — a trait that was on full display just before the Tigers’ season opener against Washington State.

Ford volunteered to move from running back to cornerback in order to help a thin unit on Auburn’s defense. “[Ford] came to us and said, ‘Coach, I want to help the team win, [and] I want to win now,’” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said last August. “And right now, that’s what’s best for our football team.”

Ford’s wishes came true, as the Tigers com-

pleted a remarkable turnaround season that finished with a SEC Championship and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. He appeared in all 14 games of Auburn’s 2013 season, playing both defense and special teams.

Ford returned to offense during Auburn’s Homecoming rout of Western Carolina with a 38yard touchdown run against the FCS-level Catamounts.

“It’s been a blessing, really, to play two positions in college football—especially in the SEC,” Ford said. “They say many people don’t get that chance, period.”

Many fans expected Ford to make the full-time switch back to offense this spring with the departure of Heisman finalist Tre Mason, but Malzahn and his staff had other plans. Ford will stay in the secondary for the 2014 season, but he will move to safety, a position that is missing former playmakers Ryan Smith and Ryan White.

Even though Ford is having to learn another position again during camp, he has made an impression on Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson.

“Other than making some mistakes just from lack of repetition, he's made some really good plays for us,” Johnson said.

With the Tigers looking to reload their secondary from 2013’s run to Pasadena, Ford has used the first two weeks of Auburn’s spring practice to make an impact on Auburn’s depth chart — and on his fellow teammates.

“A lot of big hits,” said defensive tackle Angelo Blackson. “I forget who was coming across on the screen, but Rudy laid the lick on him. That was good to see.”

file

TOP: Johnathan Ford carries the ball during his time at running back during fall camp last season.

BOTTOM: Johnathan Ford drops back in coverage as a defender during spring practice earlier this season.

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Auburn Plainsman

Sports A11

gymnastics

Tigers return to familiar territory at NCAA Regionals Brian Stultz

Contributing Writer

Auburn gymnastics will enter a hostile environment for the NCAA Regional, but it is one they are familiar with.

The No. 13 Tigers will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the second time this year for the meet Sunday, April 5.

Along with host No. 3 LSU, the meet also features No. 10 Stanford, No. 21 Arizona, Kent State and Iowa State.

Back on January 24, Auburn posted the top road score in program history at LSU with a 196.850. This success, according to head coach Jeff Graba, will benefit his team.

“I think it gives us quite a bit of confidence,” Graba said. “One of the dilemmas when you go to one of these regional meets is that many times you have never been on the equipment before.”

Sophomore Lexus Demers echoed her coach as the team began preparations for the trip to Baton Rouge.

“We are definitely at an advantage,” Demers said. “It’s immensely helpful that we have already been there, and we know how the equipment works, how the bars swing, how the beam bounces and so it will be easy to settle in.”

The Tigers are coming off a fifth place finish at the SEC Championships on Saturday, March

22, in Birmingham.

Junior Megan Walker thinks the team is ready for the challenge of the NCAA Regionals after the team won the SEC Championships’ afternoon session for the second season in a row.

“We are finally at a point where our lineups are settled in and people know their position,” Walker said. “It’s now all about mindset.”

After one of the best starts in school history, the Tigers faded slightly down the stretch following a season-ending injury to Bri Guy. Auburn recovered with a strong finish to the SEC schedule in Birmingham. Now the team is ready for the all-important start to the national meets.

“The whole season, we have been working for this meet because we have the talent and the skills and put in the hard work,” Demers said.

“I don’t want to say it is make or break, but this meet is where we can shine and show our potential.”

The Tigers will not be intimidated by the opposing crowd, having already competed in tough places like Alabama, Kentucky and LSU. “It’s a young team, but I think they have been seasoned with the SEC schedule,” Graba said.

“We have had adversity this year, but they have risen to the occasion. In the end, it comes down to being in the moment and being sure you hit your event.”

emily enfinger / assistant photo editor

Megan Walker competes on the floor during a home meet earlier this season at Auburn Arena.

Demers said she thinks the energy of an opposing crowd can be a good thing.

“You can use the energy of the crowd, whether it is negative or positive, in your favor to motivate you,” Demers said.

Walker knows the home advantage for LSU will be strong at Regionals, and the Bayou Bengal faithful does not make it easy for visiting gymnasts to compete.

“Last time I was at LSU, I began to wobble on a skill and their student section tried to boo me off the beam,” Walker said. “I started to hear that and I said, ‘Okay, that [falling off the beam] is not happening.’ I regained my composure and completed a good routine.”

The Tigers are seeking to earn a place in the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, which will also be held in Birmingham on April 18-20.

Softball

Myers’ squad looks to keep momentum going on the road David McKinney sports Writer

Clint Myers gazes down at his College World Series Championship ring.

As he rotates it around this thumb and finger, the first-year Auburn softball coach looks out to right field, where his team is stretching before practice.

“They’re starting to believe,” Myers says. “If we can get a couple more big series wins, this could be something special.”

Auburn won 30 games all last season.

Now, only 38 games into Myers first season as head coach, the team has one more win than they did at season’s end last year.

“I knew we’d be better,” Myers said. “I’m not sure what our record is.

I only worry about the next game, not the past ones.”

Myers, who won two College

World Series while at Arizona State, preaches on three basic keys to success: good defense, good pitching and timely hitting.

“We have a pretty simple formula,” Myers said. “We don’t play the opposition. We play the game. We’ve got four or five kids playing really well, but we know we’ve got to get nine kids playing really well in order to do the things that we want.”

The Tigers took two of three games in a weekend series against No.10 Kentucky, dropping the second game of a Sunday double-header.

“For us, it was just another series in preparation,” Myers said. “We let the third one slip away. In our opinion, we should have had that.”

Even after the Kentucky series, the tough stretch only gets tougher.

In their next two series, the Tigers will take on No. 6 Florida and No.8 Missouri back to back.

The Missouri series will kick off

April 11 and will be the first home series for Auburn since the March 21-23 series win against Mississippi State.

“Tim [Walton, Florida head coach] does a great job,” Myers said. “Each of these three game series is going to tell us a little bit more of what this team needs to go in order to get where it wants to be.”

After the Missouri series closes, the tigers will head to Montgomery on April 16 to play their only game on the year against cross-state rival, No. 1 Alabama.

The extremely tough stretch of road will come to an end with two more tough weekend series to close out April with three games in Athens against No. 2 Georgia, then a home series with No. 11 Texas A&M. “The SEC is full of post-season competition,” Myers said. “This is a Super Regional every single weekend.”

contributed by zach bland

Auburn players wait at home plate to celebrate Branndi Melero’s home run.

women’s tennis

track and field

Outdoor teams preparing to host weekend meet Graham Brooks

contributing Writer

contributed by anthony hall

Auburn’s eyes are on the SEC prize

Auburn’s Michala Kucharova hits a backhand return against South Carolina on Sunday, March 23 in Auburn.

After red-hot start to the season, the Tigers are focused on battling through a tough late stretch in their long 2014 conference schedule Taylor Jones Sports Writer

Auburn’s women’s tennis team is off to the hottest start in school history, surprising everyone except for the Tigers themselves. The No. 20 Tigers boast a 15-6 overall record, with an SEC record of 5-3.

Coach Lauren Longbotham Meisner took the reins as the head coach in 2012, immediately turning around a team that was struggling mightily.

In the year before Meisner arrived at Auburn, the tennis team went 5-18, only winning one conference match.

When Meisner got to Auburn, everything changed.

Meisner spoke of the talent base already at Auburn, but said her first step in rebuilding the squad was to “get everyone on the team physically

and mentally healthy.”

Senior Jackie Kasler has witnessed the program’s transformation first-hand. “[Mesiner’s] record shows, we were unranked after my freshman year and, now, we’re ranked No. 20,” Kasler said.

One thing that both Kasler and Meisner stressed was the team’s family dynamic with Meisner as the matriarch, allowing them to play their style of tennis and helping them improve.

While Kasler credits Meisner for the turnaround, Meisner credits Kasler as being “the heart and soul” of the team. “[Kasler’s] work ethic is incomparable, and her leadership and personality on and off the court is great,” Meisner said. “She’s everything Au-

burn athletics stands for, as far as being an amazing student, an amazing person, an amazing athlete, and she reps everything our athletic departtment family preaches every day. “ While last year’s squad got to 19 wins and reached the second-highest win total in school history, this year’s squad has 15 wins with six matches left.

After a pair of 4-0 losses at Kentucky and Vanderbilt, the Tigers must regroup heading into their final stretch of the season.

Their run to the finish line this season will not be easy, though, as two of the final four match are against No. 3 Georgia and No. 7 Texas A&M. The Tigers are confident in their chances to succeed in the postseason because of how

rigorous an SEC schedule is.

“I think that if you can withstand the SEC schedule and then withstand the SEC tournament that it prepares you,” Meisner said. “To be honest, the SEC tournament is harder for us than the actual NCAA Tournament because you don’t get an easy first round. They’re all good.”

As the squads only senior, Kasler has absolute faith in her team.

“When we step out on the court and believe we are going to win, there’s nothing that can stop us as long as we give 100 percent and fight every match,” Kasler said. “As long as we have that winning mentality, I don’t see anything stopping us. “ The Tigers return to action April 4 with a home match against Missouri.

The Auburn University Track and Field team will get set to host the Tiger Track Classic at the Hutsell-Rosen Track in Auburn on April 4-5.

“It’s kind of nice to have a week where we can sleep in our own bed and be home to compete,” said Auburn head coach Ralph Spry. “It’s not like football, basketball or baseball where we have several competitions at home. We only have two a year, so it’s always nice to have family and friends to come watch them compete.”

This will be the second consecutive weekend where both the outdoor track and field teams will be in action.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in two separate events last weekend. One was held in Austin, Texas at the Texas Relays, while the other was held in Atlanta, Ga. at the Yellow Jacket Invite.

Auburn’s 4x100 relay team, which consists of three freshmen, finished fourth at the Texas Relays with a time of 39.27.

“Right now, our relay team is fourth in the nation,” said freshman Michael Cheeks. “That 39.1 time is a really good time so that qualifies us for nationals and could even place us in nationals.”

The majority of the success came at the Yellow Jacket Invite, where Auburn succeeding in winning five events.

“

We always like to get one under our belt, whether it be the indoor or first outdoor competition, and we can build off that.”

—Ralph Spry head coach

The events won included shotput, discus, javelin and the women’s 800m.

“It was a really exciting meet,” said sophomore Rachel Dincoff. “I wasn’t expecting to win, but I wanted to just go in there and do my best. I end up having a 4-meter personal record, so I was just ecstatic about it.”

Spry would like to see the Tigers continue to improve each week and after each meet.

“The goal was to get the ball rolling and get one under our belt,” Spry said. “We always like to get one under our belt, whether it be the indoor or first outdoor competition, and we can build off that.”

Auburn will look to build on that success this weekend as the Tigers welcome teams to Auburn for the Classic.

The events are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. April 5 and will run through the majority of the day April 6.

Intrigue

A12

Thursday, April 3, 2014

ThePlainsman.com

Intrigue

SARAH MAY / PHOTO EDITOR

“534”(LEFT) by Marley Livingston, junior in fine arts, “To Be Good” (RIGHT, PORTRAIT) by Laura Mitchel, senior in art; and “Hypocrisy” (RIGHT, POTTERY) by Canne Holladay, junior in art, are only three pieces shown at the Student Juried Art Show. at Biggin Gallery.

Artists show off talent at Biggin’s annual Student Juried Art Show Janiee Rush

Contributing Writer

Each spring, Auburn University art students are presented with the opportunity to be recognized and awarded for their artwork through the Student Juried Art Show, an annual event presented by Biggin Gallery and the College of Liberal Arts.

Cassidy Kulhanek, participant in this year’s show and junior in art and German, said any art student can submit work that was made within the last year.

“The entire art faculty comes and acts as a jury to the items,” Kulhanek said.

“They go through and select the items, and whatever items get chosen ultimately end up in the show.”

Kulhanek said she was honored to be part of this year’s show with her piece “Henrik Ibsen and Family Matters,” an image showing the traditional roles of a family represented in a dollhouse. She said being one of the artists chosen made her feel hopeful for her future work.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to get our work out there and get acknowledged,” Kulhanek said. “If you’re a fine arts student and you get in the show, it

becomes part of your résumé. Whenever you’re submitting work to galleries in the future, that’s already one show that you’ve had work into. It’s almost like having an extra job on your résumé.”

Selected artists also received awards for their work, which included cash prizes and scholarships for art supplies.

Some of the awards presented were the Dean’s Choice Purchase Award, the James E. Furr Award for Creative Excellence and the Department of Art Merit Award.

“The dean of Liberal Arts chooses a couple of pieces of artwork to be put into his office, and it’s a cash prize of $1000,” said Jake Patrick, senior in art and winner of the Department of Art Merit Award.

“Smaller merit awards are given from the department, and the [guest] juror picks three works, and those are cash prizes as well.”

Guest juror Susannah Darrow, executive director and co-founder of burnaway.org, chose the winners of the Joyce and Roger Lethander Merit Award. Justin Cordova, senior in art, was one of the students to receive this award with his piece, “The Looking Well.”

For his piece, Cordova used a screen print rope attached to a mirror to give the illusion of looking down into a well.

“I was just studying looking into perception and how we perceive reality versus how we virtualize reality in a way,” Cordova said. “With (my) piece, it was an invitation for the viewer to perceive the world in a different manner.”

All of the artwork and awards were displayed in an exhibit for the public to view in the Biggin Hall gallery from March 24 to April 4.

“I thought, overall, all the work was really great and deserving,” Kulhanek said.

“I know almost everyone that was in it personally, so I know how much work goes into these things. To see them all displayed together was neat because it’s not a lot of [artwork] that you would normally see together.”

VIEW SLIDESHOW @ ThePlainsman.com

See a gallery of students’ artwork onlline.

Shed some years off TWEETS OF THE WEEK your life with diet pills Check out what’s happening on Twitter feeds across Auburn!

@macyfinck When Auburn’s women’s basketball team made it to the WNIT this season, I learned that the WNIT was a thing.

Kailey Miller

know the facts

Intrigue Reporter

As the weather gets warmer, pools open and the need to lose weight is looming over some student’s heads, and ome choose to diet pills as an alternative.

“Just through like, the media and magazines and celebrities that young women, even young men, get so obsessed with like, looking perfect that they’ll do anything, including going to extreme measures such as taking diet pills to have the perfect image,” said Patricia Perlitz, senior in nutrition dietetics. “Even more so in the South and where we are, there’s this push to look a certain way and to be tiny and be little and cute, and I think people are willing to go to so many extreme measures.”

Perlitz said she has never felt the need to take diet pills, but after she heard a story of a high school girl who overdosed on diet pills and had a heart attack, she has been sure to steer clear of them.

P. David Brackett, coordinator for clinical services at the Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Center, said he suspects some students are using medications such as Adderall and Vyvanse to lose weight. He said the most dangerous types of pills are the ones that contain amphetamines.

“They can cause tachycardia and other types of changes in heart rhythm,” Brackett said. Brackett also said different types of diet pills can have different side effects.

According to Brackett, Alli, a diet pill that can be bought over the counter, decreases the body’s ability to absorb fat.

“The primary side effects of that drug would be gastrointestinal,” Brackett said. “If you were to take that drug and then eat a high fat meal, you’d have things like diarrhea.”

Brackett said Alli is probably less effective and less dangerous than Adderall, but Adderall is more effective and more dangerous for weight loss purposes.

Kathryn Davis, senior in interior design, did a 24-day challenge using AdvoCare.

According to Davis, the first ten days of the challenge are the cleanse phase, where participants take an herbal cleanse, omega plex, and energy drink mix

• Diet pills can increase the risk of heart attack.

• Some diet pills contain amphetamines, anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants that can be addictive.

• Diet pills work differently. Some reduce fat absorption, others decrease appetite and some reduce the amount of glucose produced by the liver.

• Diet pills, if abused, can cause chest pain, insomnia, headaches, blurred vision and tremors.

• According to eatingforlife.org, 5% of college women and 2% of college men are taking diet pills to lose weight.

Statistics gathered from http://www.myfooddiary.com/blog/7-dangers-of-diet-pills

called AdvoCare Spark.

The next phase is called the max phase. Users take a variety of pills and meal replacement shakes.

“I’ve never done well with pills, so my body did not like those, and I got really sick feeling off of them, and it was just too much,” Davis said. “I couldn’t finish the whole max phase because I just got way too sick off of them. I ended up starting taking halves of the pills, which helped a little bit.”

Davis said she believes the program is a healthier option compared to other diet pills because she could still eat regular healthy meals. She said she thought it would be more successful for people who are overweight and have the ability to lose more weight.

“None of these ways that you take pills for weight loss are 100 percent safe or effective,” Brackett said.

“They all have their problems.”

Perlitz said she thinks making small changes in one’s lifestyle and not just in one’s diet could be more effective than taking a pill once or twice a day.

Brackett said regardless of the diet pill, most still require the user to be cognizant of their diet and exercise habits.

“Some of these [pills] may be effective for limited term, and they may be effective in combination, [but] many of them come with side effects and potential dangers and they all still require you to change your lifestyle,” Brackett said.

@bmarcello Auburn’s Ricardo Louis, who made catch to beat Georgia, ever bothered by Georgia folks? “I don’t associate with Georgia people.” @gawce_cox Just found out the Welsh word for microwave is popty ping. Now I can live my life happily. @Allie_Davison Rumor is FSU students made “War damn second place” shirts for rodeo next weekend. That’s going to go over really well. I can already tell. @taunto_11 My brother called Momma G’s Mother G’s today and was serious. I’m embarrassed. @rmsolorio There is a squirrel in my class room. I repeat squirrel in Haley 3046. Girl is hiding it in her shirt. This is not a drill.

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Let us know @TheAUPlainsman.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

RAYE MAY / DESIGN EDITOR

Auburn residents Caleb and Shelby Dodd are pelted with birdseed after their wedding in Society Hill Saturday, March 29.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Auburn Plainsman

Intrigue B13

SARAH MAY / PHOTO EDITOR

Heard herds community for support in contest LEFT: Clarice Smith and Chris Horn chat with their friend, Shenae Heard. RIGHT: Heard, who has cerebral palsy, was entered by a friend in a competition to win a handicapped van.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3, Auburn resident Shenae Heard has risen above the challenges of her disability. Now, the Southern Union student seeks support from the community to help win a handicapped van and give her the gift of accessibility.

Becky Sheehan Intrigue Reporter

Allie Reid can remember the moment she became best friends with Shanae Heard.

“She said, ‘Hey, do you want to go to Atlanta,’” Reid said. “I thought, ‘Why not go on this trip and see what comes of it,’ and wham-bam—we were best friends.”

Reid said she was struck by Heard’s independent spirit and wanted to help her, even though Heard’s wheelchair wouldn’t easily fit in the car.

“She took tires off because it would not fit in her car,” Heard, Auburn resident and psychology major at Troy University, said. “We laugh about it now.”

Heard’s determination developed early and carried her through the challenges that came with her cerebral palsy diagnosis at age 3.

Part of her education included physical therapy during school.

“I felt like I was being singled out because I was always being pulled out of class,” Heard said. “At that point, when I got in the school system, people thought, ‘Oh, she’ll just get a certificate. She won’t really get a diploma,’ and I wanted to prove people wrong.”

Heard graduated from Auburn High School in 2007 and from Southern Union in December, but is walking May. She began taking distancelearning classes at Troy this semester.

She has continued to challenge the odds and picked up CrossFit training in September.

“I just try to do things that most people wouldn’t dream that most people with disabilities would do,” Heard said.

Reid nominated Heard in the National Mobility Equipment Dealership Association Local Hero Contest in March. Winning contestants are awarded with a handicap accessible

“

What we see as a 30-second walk outside is a 10 to 15-minute process for her. We really need to work together as a community to give her that opportunity because otherwise, she might not get it.”

—Chris Horn friend of heard

van in May. “I’m taking for granted the fact that I can hop in my car and go wherever I want,” Reid said.

Heard’s friends and family have

started a social media campaign to drum up votes for the contest.

Auburn football players Philip Lutzenkirchen and Wes Byrum have supported the effort by voting and tweeting.

“What we see as a 30 second walk outside is a 10 to 15-minute process for her,” said Chris Horn, junior in psychology. “We really need to work together as a community to give her that opportunity because otherwise she might not get it.”

Heard takes public transportation on the LRPT (Lee-Russell Public Transit) bus system, but said the bus is frequently late and bus drivers are not properly trained to secure wheelchairs.

Also, according to Heard, public transportation is also expensive, at $15 for 10 round-trip rides or $2 per one-way ticket.

Ultimately, Heard’s goal is to give back to Auburn.

“If I don’t have transportation, it’s kind of hard to get out in the community and volunteer,” Heard said. “If I win the van, it will be a life-changer because I’ll be able to help other people in the process. That’s always been my life goal. At the end of the day, I just want to help someone else.”

In addition to volunteering, Heard said with the help of a van, she would be able to go to college on Troy’s campus and get a job.

Heard’s mother, Tonja Holmes, said finding transportation for her daughter has been difficult.

“You have to know that the Lord’s not going to put you through no more than you can bear,” Holmes said.

“This would be a blessing. It would change her world.”

To vote, visit the National Mobility Awareness Month website, sponsored by the National Mobility Equipment Dealer’s Association. Votes can be cast daily through May 9.

To tan or not to tan?

That is the question Kailey Miller intrigue@ theplainsman.com

It has come to my attention how obsessed college girls are with being tan. Through this seemingly neverending cold weather Auburn has endured, I have embraced my paleness.

In my hometown, there were three or four people in my high school that went to the tanning bed, but, other than that, it was fairly unheard of.

The few tanning salons we did have were not in the best area of town, and it wasn’t very classy for girls to go to the tanning bed.

People who went would be embarrassed if someone saw their car parked outside of a tanning bed, and it was a joke that sometimes people would park next door and walk over.

Freshman year of college, I remember being very confused as to how half of the girls at Auburn were still extremely tan in the middle of December.

The amount of people that use the tanning bed is much higher than I ever would have anticipated.

Before coming to college, I got one spray tan before prom and immediately regretted it because instead of the “glowing” tan I was promised, I ended up looking slightly orange, a look that clashed terribly with my green dress.

I also despised having to wait six hours after the spray tan before I could shower.

I had never gone to the tanning bed because for years my mother had told me it was the worst thing for my skin and I would look like I was 50 when I was actually only 30 if I started going.

I never felt the need to go to the

tanning bed because everyone else was pale like me in the winter.

This is not the case for college students. With the warmer weather, pools are starting to open and girls are panicking over their paleness.

I have overheard multiple conversations in the Student Center and walking around campus where girls are stressed over their paleness.

This year, I caved in and went to the tanning bed twice before formal because I think I was actually glowing from how pale I was. The experience was a disaster.

I went to one of the tanning beds you can stand up in, because the idea of laying down in a small confined space sounds terrifying to me.

I went for 10 minutes the first time, and ended up getting sunburned instead of tan, and then went for eight minutes the second time.

It made very little difference. I had some color in my face for about a day but by formal day, which was only a day later, I was back to my normal color.

And I was now $20 poorer.

The whole time I was in the tanning bed, I was picturing my skin turning to leather and half expected to have aged 15 years after I stepped out.

Other friends of mine took the spray tan route, but many of them went to the tanning bed or attempted to lay out the week before even though it was windy and fairly cold to be wearing only a bathing suit.

Finally, as a junior, I have learned that if there is one thing college girls are more obsessed with than oversized t-shirts or Starbucks, it is being tan.

Kailey Miller is an Intrigue Reporter at The Auburn Plainsman.

You can contact her at intrigue@theplainsman.com.

Beairsto and his bike

CONTRIBUTED BY PETER BEAIRSTRO

Peter Beairsto, junior in building science, will bike across the country this summer to raise money for affordable housing.

Peter Beairstro gears up to give back with the help of the cross-country summer bike trip of a lifetime Kailey Miller

Intrigue Reporter

Peter Beairsto, junior in building science, is taking a new type of summer vacation. He will be biking across the country, while giving back to the community. Here, Beairsto talks the details of his upcoming trip.

KM: Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re doing, riding your bike across the country?

PB: “It’s for affordable housing, and it’s going to be a ten week program, like around two months. We’re going to l32 different cities, and we’re going to have seven or so build days where we’re going to stop for the day and wake up early and build a house and help with renovations and stuff like that.”

KM: Is this through a certain program?

PB: “Yeah, it’s through Bike and Build. There’s seven different routes, and I think there’s three people at every route.”

KM: Do you know the other two people going on your route?

PB: “No.” KM: Where will you stay and sleep at night?

PB: “Community centers, schools, churches, really wherever we can.

We might not be able to shower. We have sleeping mats to sleep on.”

KM: Where will you get your meals?

PB: “Through the community. In the mornings we’re going to eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and granola and stuff easy to go. And then, at almost every stop, we’re going to do a presentation about affordable housing and get the community together, and they’ll serve us dinner usually before the presentation.”

KM: Have you done anything like this before?

PB: “No, this is my first biking trip.

I had a road trip for spring break to Colorado, but that’s really all I’ve done across the country. This is my first physical [and] volunteer trip.”

KM: Do you have to do any training leading up to the trip?

PB: “We have to do 500 miles. We have to log 500 miles before we go.

We have to do one straight, at least 70 miles one ride. We have to log 20 hours of Habitat for Humanity kind of work.”

KM: Is there anything that you’re nervous about?

PB: “Probably the first few days where we’re going to be doing 70 miles. Just getting used to riding every day is going to be something to get used to, and then going on the side of the road against like 18-wheelers.”

KM: Why did you decide to do it?

PB: “I wanted to give back to the community. I didn’t really have anything to do over the summer. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to get work experience with building and also have an unforgettable trip that I’ll remember from like the time that I can do it in my life . . . on a bike is the best way to see the country.”

Intrigue A14

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Think twice before snapping that selfie Kate Seckinger Intrigue Writer

CONTRIBUTED BY KELSEY TUCKER

Kelsey Tucker, freshman in public relations, takes a selfie to show off her style. Tucker’s Instagram account has more than 11,000 followers.

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Tucker learned this lesson the painful way.

Though her fashion pictures have changed her professional life for the better, Tucker opened up regarding some revealing selfies that circulated around her high school and compromised her reputation.

“I was vulnerable,” Tucker recalled. “My family had just moved to Huntsville, and my dad started having an affair. After he left, I sought out attention I wasn’t getting from him.”

Tucker is in college now, but the pictures have followed her for the past three years.

“I went through [sorority] rush, and I was dropped because the mistakes I made got out,” Tucker said. “Even though I was a new person when I went through rush, people were still looking back on the mistakes I made three years ago.”

“It’s definitely been tough going around campus and having these girls know who I am—well, who I was—and give me looks like I’m still that person,” Tucker said.

While the selfie has caused Tucker a lot of pain and hardship, she said it doesn’t have to be avoided completely.

“I don’t think the selfie is a negative thing itself,” Tucker said. “Mine are for a professional reason, but someone who posts a good clean selfie every now and then is fine. After all, that’s our generation, and is what it is. It just depends on what’s in the picture because that’s what sends the message.”

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Instead of drawing self-portraits, today’s teens pull out their cell phone, pout their lips and flaunt their most obnoxious peace sign before snapping a picture.

A selfie is Millennials’ way of taking a picture of themselves and posting it online for the entire world to see.

However, Dr. Michael Fuhlhage, associate professor in Auburn’s department of communication and journalism, said the phenomenon isn’t limited to young people.

“Millennials are not the only ones who get in trouble with selfies,” Fuhlhage said. “New York Congressman Chris Lee had to resign after his shirtless selfie surfaced. He’d sent it to a woman he ran across on Craigslist. He’s married.”

Often featuring pastimes such as bar hopping or revealing skin, selfies can cause trouble for those who take them.

“Our digital identities on the Web are starting to overshadow our physical identities,” said Lori Andrews, author of “I Know Who You Are and Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy.”

“We are creating digital profiles of ourselves that redefine us and could come back to haunt us,” Andrews said.

While selfies affect even adults such as Lee, most problems come from teens and young adults about to enter the “real world.”

“Once anybody, regardless of age, releas-

es an image into the wild, it’s almost impossible to control who uses it,” Fuhlhage said.

Fuhlhage said the question of whether the behavior in the photo is appropriate should always be considered first.

Andrews put her advice in a relatable way for adolescents.

“Unlike Vegas, what happens on Facebook doesn’t always stay on Facebook,” Andrews warned.

Cell phones don’t come with a warning label, and even with sound advice like this, many young people have made selfie mistakes without realizing it.

Kelsey Tucker, freshman in public relations, is already a successful fashion blogger.

Her blog and Instagram, monogrammedprep, have more than 11,000 followers that enjoy her frequent fashion tutorials and, of course, selfies.

“I just did it [this blog] for fun,” Tucker said. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll get a bunch of followers.’ I was just bored. Followers just kept coming in.”

As a thriving web presence, Tucker’s pictures have already landed her a job as a fashion associate at Society South magazine.

“It’s kind of cool, but it’s frustrating sometimes because people will look at me and think, ‘You’re really stuck up. All you care about is fashion,’ but that’s just what I do,” Tucker said. “People have this onetrack mind about the person I am just based off my pictures.”

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

ACROSS 1 Bit of high jinks 6 Eastern European 10 Sounds of disapproval 14 Team leader 15 Hang (around) in a hammock, say 16 Dos cubed 17 Second-largest Indian city 18 Play parts 19 Say grace, say 20 *4-0 World Series win, e.g.

22 Salad fish 23 Make illegal 24 Spy for Moses 26 Bit of schoolyard disagreement 29 Gardner of Hollywood 32 Under the covers 35 “The Shield” force, briefly 36 Diabolical sorts 39 “Norma __” 40 Pooling vehicle 41 *Broom alternative 42 www bookmark 43 Org. with many specialists 44 Online newsgroup system 45 Nora was his mistress 46 Justin Timberlake’s former band 48 Fir feller 49 Bok __: cabbage 50 Nudges 53 Corrosive stuff 55 Cashless deal 57 Designed for two functions, and a hint to the answers to starred clues 63 Buffalo’s lake 64 Not nuts 65 Run to the window 66 Gave for a while 67 Malevolent 68 Great enthusiasm 69 Colony critters 70 Riga resident 71 Scatter about

DOWN 1 Adapter letters 2 Carolers’ offering 3 Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s __” 4 Sleepy Hollow schoolteacher Crane 5 Plates for company 6 Side with a sandwich 7 Bridal gown trim 8 Ancient Mexican 9 Italian scooter 10 David Letterman list 11 *Scouring aid 12 Genghis __ 13 Tofu source 21 Bureaucratic bungles 25 Speech therapist’s concern 26 Highway to Fairbanks 27 Sirs’ counterparts 28 *Graffiti maker’s medium 30 Clamping device 31 MetLife competitor

33 Turn a deaf __ 34 Airport annoyance 37 Carlsbad Caverns locale: Abbr.

38 “I’m listening!”

41 “Watch your head!”

45 Prevailed against, slangily 47 Common rental restriction

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

By Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke (c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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51 Four-wheeled flop 52 Dry Italian wine 54 Safecrackers 55 Ward of “CSI: NY” 56 Small songbird 58 Army division 59 Shot at the bar 60 Cold War country: Abbr.

61 Mal de __: Henri’s headache 62 “That hurts!”

01/29/13

01/29/13

Sudoku By The Mepham Group Sudoku 1 2 3 4 By The Mepham Group Level: Level: 1 2 3 4

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Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

6/2/13

Complete the 5/19/13 grid so each row, Complete the column and grid so each row, 3-by-3 box column and (in bold borders)