The Auburn Plainsman 09.19.13 issue

A new sense of togetherness defines the Tigers’ 2013 team

Auburn’s wizard casts light onto his magical philosophy

California based band, Tumbleweed Wanderers, rolls into town

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The Auburn Plainsman Thursday, September 19, 2013

A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID ThePlainsman.com

Vol. 120, Issue 17, 16 Pages

Officials weigh in on proposed property tax

ONLINE

u

While the proposed increase in taxes will fund a new Auburn high school, property owners are wary of rising costs

This Week on The Plains

Check out ThePlainsman.com for a video recap of our news coverage this week

CAMPUS

Chandler Jones COMMUNITY EDITOR

A4

JENNA BURGESS / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Lines at the Student Center Chick-Fil-A are known to stretch throughout the building.

From Auburn to the Big Apple

Two Auburn alumnae started a successful fashion label in New York City

Behind

lines

Editor’s Note: As promised, The Plainsman sent a reporter Monday, Sept. 16, to work at the Student Center Chick-fil-A during peak business hours. We hope his experience provides perspective to the patrons of one of the highest grossing Chick-Fil-A’s in the region.

Ben Hohenstatt CAMPUS REPORTER

COMMUNITY A7

Get to know your Council member

Brent Beard of Ward 4 is a life-long Auburn resident and speaks about how his upbringing impacts his work today

According to Campus Dining, the Student Center Chick-fil-A averages $15,300 in sales per weekday, and during peak hours one customer every 11 seconds.

From 10 a.m.–noon Monday, Sept. 16, I worked there.

I arrived at 9:45 a.m., and met Lamond Brock, director of the Student Center Chickfil-A. “We got tore up over the weekend,” Brock said. “The sort of Saturday you would expect for one of the busiest Chick-fil-A restaurants in the region.”

By 10 a.m., I was outfitted with a spare 3XL garnet polo, a personalized name tag, a black hat, a pair of dark slacks and, most importantly, a pair of Tredsafe non-slip shoes.

“Grease tends to get into every part of our work,” Brock said. “We clean regularly, but with that tile, it’s for safety.”

During my two-hour shift, I tended to skate from spot to spot rather than walk.

Once I was properly outfitted, Brock placed me under the direction of Chick-fil-A lead LaToya Smith to start my shift.

“You’ll be bagging with Drea,” Smith said.

I spent most of my two hours attempting to help Andrea Dowdell fulfill customers’ orders.

“Once you get used to where things are, it’s easy,” Dowdell said.

I, on the other hand, relied on packaging and carefully reading labels to successfully fill orders.

Placing and receiving an order is a visible 5-step process at the Student Center Chickfil-A. An order is placed, the order is relayed to the baggers, the baggers put the appropriate food into a bag, the customer pays and is handed their food.

» See CHICK-FIL-A A2

READERS RESPOND

Most of Auburn anticipates the result of a coming Sept. 24 highly controversial vote regarding an increase in Auburn’s property tax. The tax will be wide reaching and could lead to increases in students’ rent payments.

Auburn City Schools currently function under less than 24 mil, of which 19 mil goes directly to the Auburn school system, a percentage to the county and then 3 mil to the Alabama Board of Education. The city aims to increase property tax by 9 mil to 33 mil creating a property tax, real and personal property including motor vehicles, increase from 54 mil to 63 mil.

A mil is 1/10th of 1 percent; in this case that percent

is calculated from the total amount of property tax.

“From what I’ve seen across the state, that is an ambitious number,” said Lee County Revenue Commissioner Oline W. Price.

Auburn City Manager Charles Duggan said they went with the bare minimum they thought would do the job so they weren’t asking for the citizens to pay more than they needed. Figures are based off how much revenue 9 mil collected last year.

The city is borrowing this money by floating a bond, which essentially means the city is going into debt to build the school and the proceeds received from the 9 mil tax increase will go toward paying that debt service back.

» See TAXES A2

TAX PROPOSAL BREAKDOWN •1 mil = .1 of 1 percent •Current property taxes: 54 mil •Proposed tax increase: 9 mil •Result of proposed tax increase: Auburn City Schools would recieve 33 mil •Percentage: 16.67 percent increase in commercial property taxes •Affect of proposed property tax on personal vehicles: increase of $13.50 per year on the average $20,000 vehicle •Current property tax: A $500,000 apartment complex currently pays $5,400 per year in taxes.

•Under proposed property tax: Figure will increase to $6,300 •Spread equally over 10 individual apartments, renters look to increase their rent $90 per year, creating $7.50 increase per month

Auburn goes green(er) for Game Day Challenge Derek Herscovici Want your opinion heard? To be featured in our issue, chime in on Facebook, Twitter or ThePlainsman.com

INDEX Campus Opinion Community Sports Intrigue

A2 A6 A7 B1 B5

CAMPUS WRITER

As the tailgate waste on Auburn’s campus continues to reach unprecedented levels, University recycling programs have taken a different approach to keeping the school clean and green.

This past game against Mississippi State Sept. 14, was Auburn University’s Green Game, a facet of the national Game Day Challenge to have the most eco-friendly NCAA football game in the country.

“We wanted to show campus that sustainability is more than just recycling,” said Courtney Washburn, recycling coordinator with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department.

“I feel like recycling is the smallest act that someone can do on a Gam Day to make the biggest difference, by sim-

CONTRIBUTED BY SHELBY VALENTINE

In an attempt to cut down on the waste a typical game day generates, the University hosted its first Green Game Sept. 14.

ply throwing your can or your bottle into the recycling bin, you’re making a

huge difference,” Washburn said.

Promoted by non-profit organiza-

tions such as the College and University Recycling Coalition, Keep America Beautiful and Recycle Mania, the Green Game is a competition for the lowest environmental impact of a single game chosen by the University to compete with other schools.

Statistics on GameDayChallenge. org show Ohio State had zero trash in their stadium and was the 2012 winner for their waste minimization and diversion rate of approximately 98 percent.

Auburn’s diversion rate finished third in the SEC, behind LSU and Tennessee, during the 2012 Game Day Challenge recycling and trash diversion rate, but the school has its sights set on being the No. 1 recyclers in the SEC, Washburn said.

» See GREEN(ER) A2

Campus A2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, September 19, 2013

POLICE REPORTS FOR CITY OF AUBURN SEPT. 12–18, 2013 Alice Circle, Sept. 11, between 9:45– 10:15 a.m.

Burglary Third Degree – theft of jewelry box, and four pieces of jewelry

North Perry Street, Sept. 12, between 6:15 a.m.-noon Burglary Third Degree – theft of television and tablet

West Magnolia Avenue, Sept. 12, between 1:30–1:50 a.m.

Criminal Mischief Second Degree – theft of currency, phone and car keys

Devall Drive, between Aug. 29, 8 a.m.Sept. 13, 5 p.m.

Theft of Property First Degree – theft of four laptops, tablet and kitchen supplies

South College Street, Sept. 12, between 2:20–2:30 a.m.

Burglary Third Degree – theft of water pipe Lee Road 137, Sept. 12, between 4:15 a.m.–noon Burglary Third Degree – theft of television, laptop, guitar and router

Opelika Road, between Sept. 13, 2 p.m.– Sept. 15, 11:57 p.m.

Burglary Third Degree – theft of television, gaming system, safe deposit box, tools and cigarettes

CHICK-FIL-A » From A1

Behind the scenes, food is constantly being prepared in the kitchen, wrapped and slid through labeled chutes, leading to the area behind the counter.

Food items, which are continually on hand by default, include chargrilled chicken sandwiches, three and four-count chick-n-strips, eight and 12-count nuggets, spicy chicken sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, with and without pickles, and waffle fries.

Special orders are called back by cashiers or baggers, and there are also refrigerated foods, such as salads and wraps, ready for order.

During peak hours, food items tend to pile up and then disappear in quick waves.

The late-morning shift ran smoothly until there were technical difficulties toward the end of my shift.

“The hot area we put food before it’s ordered sort of sparked up and stopped work-

East Drake Avenue, between Sept. 16, 10 p.m.–Sept. 17, 7:40 a.m.

Unlawful Breaking and Entering a Vehicle – theft of laptop, backpack, currency and textbooks South Donahue Drive, Sept. 17, between 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Theft of Property Second Degree – theft of Canon digital camera and camera lens Kurt Circle, Sept. 17 between 7:30–8 p.m.

Theft of Property Second Degree – theft of female canine; German Shepherd

ing,” Brock said. “We have excellent maintenance though, so I’m sure we’ll have it fixed later today.”

For the remainder of my time at Chick-fil-A, all orders had to be filled with food from one service window.

This led to frequent trips from one end of the behind-the-counter area to the other and back again.

This time period felt frantic to me, but everyone else was calm and collected.

During her trips between customers to the food, Keri Bennett, another Chick-fil-A employee, actually spent the time singing a few seconds of songs at a time.

Suddenly, it was noon, and it was time for me to leave.

I was definitely relieved to see the end of my two-hour shift.

In my temporary manager’s opinion, I was too relieved.

“You really did not get the full experience,” Brock said. “Today we had some mishaps, but this was actually a little slow for a Monday morning.”

GREEN(ER) » From A1

Though the school won’t know its total waste-diversion rate until the end of the week, Washburn was optimistic that the game against Mississippi State was greener than last year.

“Recycling in the stadium really does drop as the temperature goes down and people aren’t buying as may plastic bottles,” said Donnie Anderson. “Thats why we focus our efforts mainly for the first four home games because those are going to be the warmest, typically.”

Washburn said the Mississippi State game alone generated several dumpsters worth of recycled plastic bottle.

While Auburn volunteers do a substantial amount of the recycling work during gameday for the price of a game ticket, the school’s biggest challenge with collecting recycling is the prevalence of tailgate areas too distant from campus to be serviced.

“While we may have 20 volunteers when were right here, we can’t send people all the way out to the vet school, its too sprawled out for our

CONTRIBUTED BY SHELBY VALENTINE

Trash cans and recycling bins are spread around campus on game day.

volunteers on foot,” Washburn said.

Working in partnership with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department and recycling this season, the Office of Sustainability used the Green Game was used to promote the Auburn SustainA-Bowl, the competition between dorms to reduce energy and water use.

“I think the biggest thing you can do to help people move in a sustainable direction is let them know what the situation is and what they can do to be more sus-

tainable,” said Jen Morse, TES Technician with the Office of Sustainability. “Whether it’s clean air or freedom or social justice, so whatever anybody values, it has a link back to sustainability.”

Sustain-A-Bowl will continue until the end of September when the results of the most green dorms will be announced.

The Gameday Challenge extends until the end of the football season, when the results of competing schools will be made available to the public.

Anastasia Papastefan, 22 West Magnolia and Engineering Drive, Sept 12, 3:22 a.m.

Jackson Harmening, 18 West Thatch Avenue, Sept. 14, 2:16 a.m.

Edward McGuffey, 22 West Glenn Avenue and Cox Street, Sept. 14, 2:18 a.m.

Richard Lamb, 57 Lem Morrison Drive, Sept. 14, 9 p.m.

Gerald Rutherford, 29 I-85 N 53 MM, Sept. 15, 3:04 a.m.

— Reports provided by Auburn Department of Public Safety

TAXES

» From A1 The average cost of construction of a high school is $65 million, which is the anticipated cost of this high school. The new school will serve grades 10–12 and measure 375,052 square feet at 158 square feet per student to potentially house 2,400 students.

Duggan said the reason the school board doesn’t already have the necessary funds to contribute to construction relates to the four elementary schools constructed in the past 10 years and continued renovations to current schools.

“They’ve done their best to endure the growth, and now they can’t handle it anymore.”

Duggan said of Auburn City Schools. “We’ve gone from 11th in the state, per-people, spending at 45th. You can’t continue to have a quality school system like this, year after year, spending 45th in this state in education. This is one of the least-funded public school systems in the country, as far as statewide. You can’t say there is a one-to-one correlation with the more money you spend the better education you have, but I don’t think anyone says that when you continue to erode your spending on the kids that it doesn’t have an effect on their education. It has to.

If the tax is not passed, Duggan said the school system will have to start finding money, which will come in the shape of portables and course and bussing cuts.

“They do have to find money from somewhere,” Duggan said. “The do have to provide the core English, science, math, history classes. If the vote passes, they will know they have the current funding in place to fund all those programs they currently have, and then they’ll have the new funding to fund the classroom space that’s needed. If the classroom space isn’t funded, and they’re going to have to have it anyway, they are going to have to go to the programs and see what can be cut.”

If passed, the tax increase will go into effect October 2014.

Figures provided by the city of Auburn show an average homestead property owner-occupied with the standard $53 exemption, home value at slightly under $250,000. For a home of that value, this 9-mil increase increases property tax $225, making the annual tax payment $1,522, up from $1,297 in 2012.

Price said property taxes will increase 16.67 percent per full value of a commercial property.

There will also be an increase on property taxes of personal vehicles by approximately $13.50 per year per $20,000 of the vehicle’s fair market value.

However, commercial property will be double that of homestead property.

Auburn University students could also be affected, as the increase in taxes will affect apartments and housing complexes.

Price gave the example of a hypothetical complex at a $500,000 value, which now pays

$5,400 per year in taxes. That figure will increase to $6,300, a $900 increase. Spread equally over an estimated 10 apartments would thus result in a $90 per year increase per apartment, making an individuals rent raise $7.50 per month.

This also applies to personal property within the apartments, such as appliances or furnishings owned by the complex. If worth $500 would create an average increase, if at an assessed value of $100, of $96.30 per year.

This leaves students’ rent to increase an average of $8.03 per month.

“There’s no way of knowing exactly what will change.” Duggan said. “Rent won’t go up appreciatively, when you think about it, because with the vacancy situation that we have with apartments in town. No one is going to pass all of the tax on to the people they are renting to and not have people move to other places. It’s basic economics theory that some of it will be born by the renter. Probably what will happen, it will eat into the profits that a normal rent increase each year will be for the people who own the buildings.

Price disagreed.

“I’ve talked to a lot of commercial property owners and I would imagine they’re going to adjust their rents accordingly,” Price said.

Tim McGowin is an Auburn University graduate, local resident and rental-property owner.

McGowin also said if the property tax increase were approved, he would have no choice but to increase rent for his own tenants. Though undecided on how much more to charge, McGowin said it would be at least enough to cover the tax increase.

The school isn’t expected to open until fall 2017, at the earliest, and none of the students currently in high school would attend this school.

The city anticipates it will take 30 years to repay the debt in full.

This will happen at a 5 percent interest rate, which will net $8.5 million per year. The 9 mil increase will generate more than $7 million in its first year and is anticipated to increase each year.

“It makes a lot of sense if you’re going to have an asset that is going to last a long time,” Duggan said. “What you do is you spread out those payments over many years and part of the advantage is that future generations that will be helping to pay for it are also the ones that are using it.”

The last tax increase was in 2007 for school upgrades at a rate of 7 mil.

“I think it’s critical,” Duggan said. “The city of Auburn I really think of as an education town.

The University is world-renowned. We have a public school system that is excellent; children that want to go to elite schools are getting the education they need to be able to qualify for those schools. It really does provide topto-bottom, across the spectrum for all the levels of kids to get whatever level of education they want to get. If that starts decreasing, I think the town will change.”

The Auburn Plainsman

AUBURN AT A GLANCE • Auburn University opened the new Mike Hubbard Center for Advanced Science, Innovation and Commerce Friday, Sept. 13, located in the Auburn Research Park at 559 Devall Drive.

• The University opened a new 58,000-square-foot kinesiology research facility at 301 Wire Rd. The facility will conduct research on physical activity in children, provide a more efficient and up-to-date facility for the TigerFit progam and provide health screenings for members of the community.

• Auburn volleyball will play Florida State at the Auburn Arena Saturday, Sept. 21 at noon.

• In September and October, residents and staff in 30 University residence halls are participating in the annual Sustain-A-Bowl competition, which challenges each hall to increase recycling and reduce energy and water usage by 10 percent.

• The Media and Digital Resource Lab in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library is open to all students and faculty, and has the latest software for publishing and video and audio editing.

• The fall 2013 Study Abroad and Passport Fair will be held Wednesday, Sept. 18, in the Haley Center lobby from 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

DUI ARRESTS FOR SEPT. 12–18, 2013

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Campus A3

The Auburn Plainsman

Tiger Transit Bus Driver Rusty Logan is new to the Tiger Transit bus driver life, but is a native to the Auburn area Ben Hohenstatt

12-hour shift?

dent not speak to me.

Campus Reporter

After working as a teacher at Auburn High School for 24 years, Rusty Logan retired. Logan then decided to shift his gears to a new profession and become a University Tiger Transit driver.

How long have you been driving for Tiger Transit?

This is my first year. I was a high school band director for 33 years, and I retired in July.

What inspired this change?

I retired after 33 years. I was at Auburn High School, so I know Auburn, and I know the transit system. For the last two years I was working, I thought about what I wanted to do, and I knew I wanted to be around young people.

What made being around young people so important to you?

I spent 33 years around them, and I thought I could maybe make a difference in their day. I’m the type of personality that says hello to everyone. I want to be the first person students see in the morning, and I want to make their day brighter.

Do students generally return your kindness?

One hundred percent, I have never had a stu-

After 24 years at Auburn High School, l have you driven former students?

Yeah. The very first day, I drove some of my former students. I would say that I have driven about 10 or 12 of them in total.

Which routes do you normally drive?

I have three that I normally drive during the week. On Tuesdays, I do the North College route, on Wednesdays I do the Long Leaf Route and Thursday and Friday I do the Opelika Road route.

Do you have a favorite route?

It’s no big deal. Every time you pull out, it’s different. The traffic is different, the students are different, everything is different. We get a break in the morning, we get lunch and we get a break in the afternoon.

“

How long is the average work day for a Tiger Transit Driver?

Most of the full-time drivers work 40–hour weeks, but that’s over a three and a half-day work week. We have an eight-hour day and three 12-hour days.

How do you help pass the time of a

What’s the best part of your job?

Being around the students.

When you aren’t driving a bus, what type of vehicle are you driving?

I have an old Chevy 5-10 pickup. The bus is just a little bit bigger.

I thought I could maybe make a difference in their day.”

—Rusty Logan Tiger Transit bus driver

What is a normal day like for you?

No, not really. The Longleaf Route is the only route that doesn’t have to cross a railroad crossing, but that’s no big deal. You just hope you aren’t making people mad at you for having to stop at the railroad crossing.

on the front of the bus and forget about it.

You get to the bus barn at 6 a.m. You do what we call a pre-check to make sure everything is safe. Around 6:45 a.m. or 7 a.m., we get the call to start rolling. Then you just run the routes.

The final route of the day is at 6 p.m. Then you go through a post-trip, and you check your bus again.

What’s been the strangest thing you have encountered during your time on the job?

How people can leave stuff on the bus. I understand that you can put your phone down and forget it, but how can someone load a bike down

During your teaching career did you take a lot of road trips or do a lot of driving?

Yeah, I drive all the time with my wife. If we go a long distance, I drive. My son lives in San Antonio, and I like to drive that 14 hours. I just enjoy driving.

When you drive 14 hours, what music makes up your road trip soundtrack?

We have XM radio, and we listen to a lot of ‘70s on the seven and the Broadway channel.

When I went through school at Auburn, I played in a few shows, and I really enjoyed it.

Aside from driving and music, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Golf. I’m not very good at it, but I really enjoy it.

ben hohenstatt / campus reporter

Logan decided to keep working with students in the area after retiring as an Auburn High School teahcer.

Ben hohenstatt / campus reporter

Logan doesn’t have a favorite route, but he likes the Longleaf Route because it doesnt go over a railroad.

TONIGHT Lecture by John Bowe, author of Nobodies Foy Hall Auditorium @ 7 p.m.

Auburn Connects! Auburn University’s Common Book Program brings together students, faculty, staff, and the wider Auburn community in a shared reading experience.

Auburn Connects! encourages reading, promotes community, raises awareness of contemporary issues, provides insight into the human condition, and promotes lifelong habits of intellectual curiosity and engagement.

Sponsored by the Auburn University Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Office of the Provost. Free and open to the public.

I am Connected. I am Auburn.

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THE COMMON BOOK PROGRAM auburn.edu/auburnconnects Plainsman CommonBook Ad_0913.indd 1

9/6/13 10:33 AM

Campus A4

The Auburn Plainsman

contributed by sara brosious

Jordan Wolk designs a variety of fashion pieces, such as formal wear.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

contributed by sara brosious

Sara Brosious (left) and Aimee Mars (right) creators of Jordan Wolk.

contributed by sara brosious

Jordan Wolk’s target consumers are the working women in the city.

Auburn invades New York City fashion scene Becky Hardy Campus Editor

Fashion, the city, Auburn Tigers, oh my!

Two Auburn alumnae continue to expand their fashion label, Jordan Wolk, in the Big Apple.

Sara Brosious, 2004 Auburn alumna, and Aimee Mars, 2003 Auburn alumna; Tara Germino started Jordan Wolk in 2010. The name Jordan Wolk is a combination of Sara and Aimee’s maiden names. Sara’s maiden name is Jordan and Aimee’s maiden name is Wolk.

“When we first started the company, we just wrote down Jordan Wolk Incorporated because that was easy, but when we were thinking of a strong, powerful name, we decided to just keep using Jordan Wolk and it had some meaning behind it,” Brosious said.

Jordan Wolk’s target audience is usually the working woman in her 30s, but Brosious said their targeted consumer has changed a bit.

“We still target that power woman, but after looking at a couple of seasons and seeing who buys, we found out that people like it more for social wear,” Brosious said. “Our main target consumer is socialites in New York City for when they need a special dress for a charity event, client dinner or a fancy wedding shower.”

Although the line targets women in their 30s and older, Brosious said students willing to pay more money for a piece would be able to wear their pieces to a campus event.

“It’s a higher price point, so I don’t know if a student would want to spend that much. That’s why we target women in their 30s, because they already have a career started and have that extra money,” Brosious said. “But we’ve had younger women wear it as well.”

Brosious said she and Mars get most of their inspiration for the line from the women of Manhattan.

“Our third partner, Germino, came on board with us because she felt like there weren’t clothes for her to wear to work that were high quality and sophisticated and classy enough to wear to the office,” Brosious said. “That’s where the concept came from, something you can wear to work or transition it to after work or an event.”

Brosious said three words describe their fashion label: polished, classy and sophisticated.

“I wouldn’t say we’re trendy because we’re pretty classic,” Brosious said. “When someone buys a piece they know they’ll be able to wear it for a couple of years and it’s not going to go out of style.”

There is no such thing as a typical day at Jordan Wolk.

“One day could be doing accounting all day long, which is something I never thought I would be doing,” Mars said. “You set your day up and then you could be doing something completely different at the end of the day.”

So far Jordan Wolk has been featured in Women’s Wear Daily, Scene Magazine and on Halsbrook.com. Celebrities such as Alex McCord van Kempen, New York housewife, and Heather Thomson, New York housewife and owner and CEO of Yummy Tummy, have been seen in Jordan Wolk pieces. “[Thomson] has been wearing eight or nine of our pieces all summer and she’s been wearing them for the filming of the reality show for the new upcoming season,” Brosious said.

Brosious said the line’s goals are always changing.

“Ultimately we would like to grow the brand into a lifestyle collection with accessories, bags and shoes,” Brosious said. “We would like to have our own boutique one day and become a member of the CFDA.” Brosious and Mars have had their foot in the door in the fashion industry before starting the line.

Brosious held various positions in the fashion industry such as interning at Rebecca Taylor, working in product development at Tibi, being an assistant designer at Walter Baker and associate designer at PKO Apparel until she got laid off, which gave her a chance to start Jordan Wolk. Mars’ past experience included interning at Donna Karan, working for a small suit designer and working a couple of years at a Swatch Watch group doing visual merchandising.

Eloise Saber, 2013 Auburn alumna, interned with Jordan Wolk in 2011.

“The things I got to do a lot of interns wouldn’t get to do in a larger company. Sara and Aimee would design the clothes, but after that I got to do everything,” Saber said.

Saber helped Brosious and Mars with various jobs around the office.

“The greatest part of the internship was they wanted me to learn as much as I wanted to learn,” Saber said.

Mars’ advice for students wanting to make it in the fashion industry is to do whatever it takes.

“If that means working as an assistant in a position that you don’t want to be in, but it gets your foot in the door, take it,” Mars said. “The harder you work the more chances you have to grow.”

Untapping the NSA rumor Corey Arwood Writer

The National Security Agency recently named Auburn University a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations.

This is the second designation of academic excellence out of a 10-year relationship with the NSA, and despite controversy surrounding the agency, those closest to the relationship say it is a positive one for the University.

Accusations of sweeping domestic surveillance, and spying on nations friendly to the U.S. among other activities, have been documented through internal agency leaks.

The leaks, which began during June of this year, have prompted reviews, inspections and both public, and political debate, aimed at determining the legality of the agency’s behavior.

“Auburn folks are not working in direct support of the NSA as we speak. We are not an existential arm of the NSA. I can’t state that more definitively. Auburn students are not sitting over there in Shelby Center working for NSA and taking direction from them.

That ain’t happening,” said Retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, senior counsel for Auburn cyber security programs.

Burgess also said the interdisciplinary program helps meet the demands of the expanding cyber workforce, and performs the three main functions of a land-grant university: research, education and workforce development.

The Center of Academic Excellence program is a broadspectrum approach to developing what the agency calls the U.S,’s cyber operations capacity by deepening its involvment with all levels of academ-

“

We are not an existential arm of the NSA. I can’t state that more definitively.”

—Ronald Burgess senior counsel for Auburn cyber security programs

ic institutions.

Burgess said Auburn’s general focus of research in its cyber programs is defensive in nature.

“When you have personal information out there residing someplace, that information is protected and people can’t get your data and use it for nefarious purposes. Auburn’s engaged in that type of work,” Burgess said.

Burgess, who serves as senior counsel for national security programs, cyber programs and military affairs, has an extensive background in the military and intelligence community.

Among his many appointments, he served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from August 2005– May 2007.

“Throughout my career, I have been in and around the NSA. In the latter part of my career, I was a customer of the NSA. I was a user of their information. I tasked the NSA for information as I did any other part of the U.S. Intelligence Community,” Burgess said.

He said that he was aware of the agency’s activities.

“At the end of the day, I was confident, and still am confident, that, we had the requisite authorities to do what we were doing,” Burgess said.

The NSA has been the subject of heated debate because of its intelligence-gathering practices and methods.

Drew Hamilton, assistant vice president for research for Mississippi State University, first applied to the agency in 2002 regarding academic excellence in information assurance.

He recently left his position in the computer science and software engineering department to go to Mississippi State University to help develop its cyber programs.

“We just haven’t really engaged in anything that I think would really be considered to be intelligence collection or surveillance, or anything like that. We pretty much work on the technical side and all the work we’ve done for NSA is publicly available,” Hamilton said.

David Umphress, associate director in the department of computer science and software engineering took over as acting director of the Auburn Cyber Research Center after Hamilton left.

“We do it so that we can show that we support the nation to begin with... But what the NSA does for us in return for recognizing us as a center of excellence is that they help with jobs,” Umphress said. “For students that go through our program, the NSA will make sure that those students’ resumes are looked at, that they are paid close attention to.”

The Academic Excellence in Cyber Programs spans across multiple schools within the University.

It uses the capabilities to help development cyber program operations. It is based in a computer science, electrical engineering or computer engineering department.

sarah may / assistant photo editor

Tiger Advising started in October 2012, but just remodeled their office to make it more visible.

Tiger Advisor assisting undergrads Becky Hardy Campus Editor

Located behind glass walls on the second floor of RBD, and conveniently a few steps away from Caribou Coffee, Tiger Advisor, Auburn’s student-directed advising, is there to help.

“It’s a way for students to come in and get the general advising questions asked,” said Whitney Bonham, lead tiger adviser and senior in public relations. “We’re not here to replace their academic adviser. We’re here to direct them toward resources on campus that they may not know about, or if they don’t remember how to do something, we’re here to direct them to different places.”

Tiger Advisor is a joint effort between SGA and the Office of the Provost.

“SGA approached the provost office saying that students desired after-hours advising opportunities,” said Judith Sanders, retention programming coordinator.

Most of the students who seek assistance from the advisers ask questions about scheduling, but the tiger advisers are up for any question.

“They can come in with any question and we’ll try our best to help them answer it or direct them to the resources to get that question answered for them,” Bonham said. “It’s not necessarily just for registration, but that’s the biggest question we got last year.”

Sanders said students come to the advisers before their academic adviser. “[A student] just wanted to be able to ask lots of questions and not feel intimated or uncomfortable at all,” Sanders said. “We sat down with her and went over DegreeWorks

with her, so she had better questions to ask her adviser.”

DegreeWorks, located under the tiger i tab, helps students plan out their academic future.

“It’s a way for students to kind of gauge to see how far they are in their degree, what classes have they taken and what classes they need to take,” Bonham said. “They can pretend to change their major as well.”

Bonham said the students-helping-students factor is something the adviser place importance on.

“They’re not meeting with their adviser, so they feel like they don’t have to be perfect in what they ask,” Bonham said. “We can give them a student’s perspective, but also give them accurate information and they’ll go away knowing they’ll be more confident.”

The adivsers get a lot of freshman traffic, but juniors and seniors ask for help as well.

“They’re a student, just like me, but I give my personal perspective as a student or maybe my personal experience,” said Kesha James, tiger adviser and junior in communications.

“They get a personal experience or personal relationship, where maybe they don’t feel like that with their academic adviser.”

Tiger advisers are recommended by nominations, which are sought during the summer.

“We worked really hard in the selection process,” Sanders said.

Sanders said Tiger Advisor is just trying to make its presence known.

“We want students to know we’re here and give them helpful and accurate information,” Sanders said.

The Tiger Advisor office is open from 3–8 p.m. in Room 2341 on the second floor of RBD.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Auburn Plainsman

Campus A5

Opinion

A6

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Social Media on The Plains evh1 in response to the letter to the editor“Plainsman’s views on smoking misguided” “Smokers’ concerns were taken into consideration and their opinions were considered.” ...and immediately dismissed out of hand.

Is it really Jacob Dean and the SGA’s contention that the Auburn campus is so terribly small that there is not a single nook or corner anywhere that non-smoking students can avoid on their walks to and from class?

I am not a smoker, but this is ridiculous.

Even Disney World has smoking sections.

Both smokers and non-smokers could have EASILY been accommodated in this decision. The SGA simply chose not to do so.

ThePlainsman.com

Opinion Our View

High school, high benefits Thankfully, most of us aren’t who we were in high school.

Even freshman have changed in the short time they’ve been here.

Some of us had great experiences; some of us had the worst experiences of our lives. Yet we benefitted from our time in high school, whether we want to admit it or not.

For those of us who went to schools that actually cared about education and producing college-ready students, the benefits were even greater.

A perfect example of such an institution is Auburn High School.

According to U.S. News’s Best High School ranking, AHS is the fourth best secondary institution

in Alabama and is ranked 683rd out of 21,035 schools in 49 states.

However, these numbers don’t signify the true value of AHS or the impact it has on students.

One of AHS’s best qualities is its diversity of education programs, which are classes that aren’t just the standard core of history, English, math and science.

AHS has a substantial arts program that has produced many talented students, some of whom are on The Plainsman staff. For these students, the arts program was, and is, a crucial part of the AHS experience.

The program, which includes traditional art courses, theatre, music, mass media and commu-

Rachel Suhs/Design Editor

nication classes, gives students that don’t fit in with the standard core an opportunity to find other avenues of learning.

Unfortunately, the arts program, along with transportation and teacher salaries, is in danger of being severely underfunded, or even cut, in order to build a new high school.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Auburn residents will vote on a tax increase that will, among other improvements, fund construction of a new high school and save the

programs and salaries in danger of being underfunded.

Enrollment for Auburn City Schools has grown exponentially during the past few years, and the facilities need this money to catch up and continue serving the city with the quality education that attracts so many students and families.

Yes, your rent may increase a little, but it’s a few extra dollars that will go a long way in providing a great education and strengthening the Auburn family.

Her View

In response to our post “Do you think Nick Marshall will be able to lead the Tigers to victory on the road against LSU?”

Life on campus better than you think Annie Faulk

Warrene Snodgrass: LSU is always tough, especially at home, sure hope so. We will have to get a running game, better defense and be very consistent and no fumbles, and use quick offense. And Marshall needs to keep his confidence level high, as do all the players and they must believe they can win.

In response to our tweet “Do you think Nick Marshall will be able to lead the Tigers to victory on the road against LSU?”

@jackospades1975: tough to say. Got to complete the deep pass at least once a game.

@averagefan: It’ll be tough. Auburn proved they can pass when a defense stacks the box, but it’s his first road game. I hope we do.

Community@ theplainsman. com

Most Auburn freshmen live on campus in the residence halls.

Few sophomores or juniors live on campus, and even fewer seniors live on campus.

I am in that small percentage of Auburn seniors who live in the residence halls. I have lived on campus all four years in college. Most people look at me funny when I say I live on campus. I have private security, personal trash collection, complimentary cleaning services and I don’t have to cook — what more could you ask for?

There are four housing areas on campus now — South Donahue, the Village, the Quad and the Hill.

Each housing area has its own personality and each area is set

This week’s poll question: Do you take Adderall to help you study?

•Never •All the time •I’d fail without it

opinion@ theplainsman. com

Last week’s poll results:

33% No

14% I eat ramen for every meal

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 @theauplainsman

tell you how many times I’ve been woken up from a delightful nap by the banshee lady trapped in the fire alarm because someone tried to microwave their Pop-Tart with the wrapper still on, or tried to see if their popcorn could begin nuclear fusion.

If I had the choice, I would not live anywhere else in Auburn. Living on Auburn’s campus is like a home away from home. I don’t see my room as a concrete prison, like some on-campus residents. When you get to the front door with your Tiger Card, there’s always a smiling face to greet you or some sobbing fool who’s been locked out for a day and a night.

Living on campus is what you make of it.

You can hate the structure and be miserable, or embrace the community you share with the other residents, and make the best of it. When you live on campus, you realize there is something always going on.

Auburn creatives: be your own Pied Piper Alessio Summerfield

53% Yes

Center. You learn which washers don’t have nasty encrusted into them and which dryers are portals to hell.

Harvard University estimated 97 percent of their undergraduate students live on campus. There’s a reason for that, and it has to do with academics. Living in the dorms provides structure because you never leave the University setting. I think, living on campus provides students with an academic structure. Since I live on campus, everything is more convenient. I can walk to the library or hitch a ride on the Security Shuttle (known in other social circles as the drunk bus).

Most students think parking on Auburn’s campus is a nightmare. Since I live in the dorms, I can park right outside and merrily skip to my room. I mostly walk everywhere and central campus is right across the street.

But let me be frank, living on campus has a downside. I can’t

His View

•Occasionally

Do you believe your Auburn education is worth the price?

up differently.

In the Hill, there are 12 residence halls, all in a cluster focused around the dining hall, Terrell (some pronounce it Ter-rail, I don’t judge).

The Quad has 10 residence halls divided into upper and lower sections. These halls are on central campus.

The Village has eight residence halls and a dining hall.

The South Donahue Residence Hall is one hall, but houses 418 students.

Many people do not see the silver lining, but living on campus has perks. I have unlimited hot water, fantastic WiFi (who are we kidding, it’s not THAT great) and Antarctic air conditioning. My air conditioner has two settings — soul-freezingly cold or off.

After living on campus for three years, you learn the prime time for laundry, the best food places, the best parking places and the quickest way to the Haley

Every wild fantasy – read “stupid idea” – I’ve ever had, has come true in Auburn.

Giving credit where credit is due: Auburn and the University, compared to everywhere else in the world I’ve ever been (and I’m an Air Force brat, so that number is pretty damn high), hold some of the most helpful, outgoing and supportive communities, social circles and individuals.

Want to start a small business?

Go for it. The folks at Auburn City Hall will get you squared away.

Want to start a student organization?

Utilize Auburn University’s OBoard and AUInvolve resources, or just email John-Michael Roehm at roehmjm@auburn.edu.

Want to be a radio DJ? Sign-up at WEGL 91.1 FM, or ask the Auburn University New Media Club if they’d be interested in producing a podcast. Serious-

ly, you just add your name to a list and attend a few meetings.

I have done all of these things, and they aren’t hard to do.

Auburn helped me take everything I’ve ever wanted to do and turn it into what I am doing, and often times, helped me get paid for doing it.

But, there is a caveat.

For all of the interesting and creative avenues available to students and locals, there are those whom simply see students and the Auburn youth as free-labor, easily manipulated “apprentices” of sorts — and as a demographic to exploit for profit.

They are the “Pied Pipers” of our small community.

Because Auburn has a scene ripe for the picking — scattered and with a lack of leadership — all it takes is a new face, with a lot of talk, to make us dance to their tune and think we’ve finally found our own personal patron.

This is where the moral kicks in, the big, inflated, bouncy-castle of a message that I want to blow up in your mind: DO NOT BUILD YOUR IDEA AROUND A CORE PERSONALITY. It’s like every bad band break-

up you’ve ever read about, and a lot that you haven’t. There are those that want to be heroes and those that love to take part in hero-worship.

DIY culture, generally and in Auburn, only benefits from a collective of folks that share ideals, principles, and the same idea of what makes something cool as hell.

But all of those things can get flushed faster than you can say “local arts” if the organization or group becomes a monument to one member’s ego — and there is no use saying that “it’ll never happen here,” because it already has.

Out of the decade and some change I’ve been a member of the Auburn community, I have seen some great ideas go from talk to reality, and some go from talk to hurt feelings and a desire to never take part in local enterprise again.

Cool stuff happens in Auburn, all of the time.

But the best stuff, the stuff that lasts, centers around an idea and some honest-to-God students putting their souls into their work.

So my PSA of the semester, my

swan song of my time at Auburn: if you want to do something, start doing it.

But if in your travels you encounter some folks who seem too eager to help you, who seem to want something for helping you even before they lend a hand — and who you’ve heard a lot about but have never really seen anything they’ve done — you should be cautious.

That isn’t to say there aren’t helpful people in Auburn and you should throw every opportunity to the curb; just be careful.

Find people like you and make something wonderful together.

Don’t let someone hovering in the wings tell you what you should do and how you should do it, unless they really garner your respect and you genuinely feel like they know what they are talking about.

Auburn University — and college in general — really is about experimenting and learning what makes you happy, but it isn’t about throwing away the best years of your life to someone telling you what you should care about.

Just stick to your guns.

The Editorial Board Kelsey Davis Editor-in-Chief

Elizabeth Wieck Managing Editor

Ben Croomes Opinion

Jordan Dale Copy

Dustin Shrader Online

Becky Hardy

Justin Ferguson

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Will Gaines

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Ashley Selby

Photo

intrigue

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Auburn Student Center Suite 1111H Auburn, AL 36849

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.

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.

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

Community Thursday, September 19, 2013

A7 ThePlainsman.com

Community

Plans for Opelika Road project not yet set in asphalt Annie Faulk COMMUNITY REPORTER

The vote may be in, but construction will not begin until 2014. The Auburn City Council voted to move forward with the Renew Opelika Road Corridor plan during the Council’s last meeting Aug. 20. The first area of construction is in the final design stages.

“Renew Opelika Road was a plan that came out of our comprehensive plan,” said Justin Steinmann, the city of Auburn’s principal planner. “It was really recognizing a need for knowing that Opelika Road is a corridor that was in decline.”

The first phase of construction is the stretch of Opelika Road between Gay and Ross Streets.

“The remaining sections will be built over time, a lot of it depends on how much money is available from year to year to make that construction happen,” Steinmann said. “There’s not a firm timeline, you know, we are doing the Corridor in five years. It’s more we are going to see what our funds are year-to-year and work incrementally as we can.”

Steinmann said the plan encompasses the entire length of Opelika Road, from Gay Street to the Auburn city limits. and includes areas such as Village Mall, Aspen Heights and North Dean Road.

RACHEL SUHS / DESIGN EDITOR

Diagams for Opelika Road improvements.

He said the plan was fundamentally about revitalizing the area through improving the aesthetics of the road with street trees, sidewalks and medians.

“As far as the street-scape, the part that the city will be doing, redevelopment is occurring right now,” Steinmann said. “We are asking people to plant street trees and other things like that.”

Steinmann said the city intends to redevelop and reinvest in existing properties to make new investments on the corridor.

“Another thing we have talked about is corridor identity,” Steinmann said. “You know, like downtown has an identity. The Downtown Merchants

help promote Downtown, but there’s no similar organization that does that for Opelika Road.”

Two citizens brought concerns for the project to the Council meeting on the Aug. 20.

“There’s no plans for U-turns,” said Allen Patterson of Village Photography. “If somebody was traveling down Opelika Road and they needed to turn left into a business across the street from me, they might have to go further and loop through Byron’s parking lot in order to come back to that business. There are a lot of things that could go wrong when that happens.”

Patterson raised concerns over medians im-

peding delivery trucks’ ability to park in turn lanes on Opelika Road to deliver products to area businesses.

“But we don’t want to impede ongoing businesses like [Village Photography] and others that have been there for years and years and years,” said Mayor Bill Ham. “Going forward, we want to ensure the viability of our existing businesses. And make sure that we don’t do anything to negatively impact them.”

Forrest Cotten, city planning director, said citizens are concerned about medians, and said he feels the planning department is sensitive to businesses’ concerns.

“Where the rubber meets the road is when we actually get into the design phase of the project,” Cotten said. “I think certainly we see greater opportunities for medians in some locations without question.”

Construction is expected to begin in 2014.

“I think we are extraordinarily sensitive and we’ll be reaching out to those businesses directly,” Cotten said. “There won’t be anything done out there that folks aren’t aware of, and certainly that would negatively impact businesses along there. I think everybody’s on the same page as far as that’s concerned.”

City Council member Brent Beard is ‘in it for everybody’ Jessa Pease COMMUNITY WRITER

Watching Auburn grow into one of the leading cities in Alabama was something Council member Brent Beard grew up experiencing. In April 2006, he took a front seat in the decision-making process by representing Ward 4 on Auburn’s City Council.

Beard was born in 1970 in Opelika, and remained there until his highschool graduation. In 1988, Beard made the decision to attend Auburn University, and has been in Auburn since.

“It was fun,” Beard said. “I had a very good time. I enjoyed my college years — all five of them. I made some nice friendships and met some interesting people.”

Beard graduated from Auburn in 1993 with a degree in accounting.

Beard said he first thought about joining the Auburn City Council in 2006 at a PTA function with Ogletree Elementary School. Both Beard’s wife and the mayor’s wife were acquainted through the school, and eventually led to Beard and the mayor’s initial interaction.

“He asked me if I ever had any interest in City Council,” Beard said. “ [Of] course I had not given it much thought. I went home and thought about it for the next few weeks and decided I would try to get involved.”

The first time Beard ran unopposed. It was the second election that allowed him to get to know the people of his ward better.

“The second time, it was interesting because I had opposition, so I got to go door-to-door to a lot of the neighborhoods in my ward,” Beard said. “I really needed to do that — to meet people and talk to people.”

Beard said he didn’t go into the job with any specific agenda or set list of things he wanted to remedy.

“Auburn was, obviously, already a great city, a great place to live and raise a family,” Beard said. “I just wanted to keep that focus and keep that going. I got on there just to do what I could to keep that image.”

Beard currently works as a sales representative for Alabama Contract Sales Inc., covering South Auburn to the Florida panhandle, and he said his job makes his work with the City

Council more honest.

“I think it is important for someone to be on there who is absent from forces pulling them,” Beard said. “I don’t have to worry about how a decision is going to affect me and my business, but I am still a business person. I can look at it that way and vote which way I think is best for the community of Auburn. That is what I am in it for — for everybody.”

Beard said he’s unsure, but leaning toward running again.

“It’s busy,” Beard said. “You stay on the go all the time. You have stuff going on just about every day and every night. It makes it fun in a way, because I don’t like to just sit around and do nothing anyway.”

Beard has a wife, a 15-year-old daughter, and two sons, ages two and three. Beard said Auburn is a great a place to raise a family, and he knows because he grew up here.

“I could choose to live in Baldwin County, Pensacola or somewhere down in that area,” Beard said. “It would probably be more beneficial for me, from a work standpoint, because I would be in my territory ev-

CHANDLER JONES / COMMUNITY EDITOR

Brent Beard reading the Sept. 12 issue of The Auburn Plainsman.

ery day and wouldn’t have to travel.”

Instead of choosing the most convenient location, Beard said, “I

choose to live here because all of those places are not bad places, they are just not as great as this place is.”

Liquor licenses prevail at City Council Kelsey Davis EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With the approval of a liquor license at the City Council meeting Tuesday, Sept.17 comes the expansion of a restaurant.

Upon moving to Auburn approximately one year ago from San Diego, owners Minny and Eric Jo introduced the downtown area to Arigato Sushi Boutique.

Walk in on any day and Arigato boasts daily specials and a menu of half-priced sushi.

Either of the Jos are a sure presence, whether it be moderator of the “Sake Bomb”

chant, sushi roller or a shot pourer (out of a bottle that can be purchased during the meal the week before, but Miney keeps chilling behind the bar.)

Despite slow days in the summer, the business managed to thrive. Part of the couple’s success was attributed to their involvement within the community.

“I believe that they’ve already been pretty active with community involvement and that they take into account every single reaction, every individual,” said Annie Encinas, waitress leader at Arigato. “They’re working on a chil-

dren’s menu just to cater to families and any time someone comes in with fliers for Auburn events, they’re more than willing to put them up in the windows.”

As this trend of success showed no sign of slowing down, the time seemed right to open a second location on South College Street according to Encinas.

“In the second location, we expect an even greater response just because there will be parking and it won’t be quite so hectic,” Encinas said.

The second Arigato is expected to open in November of this year.

Other City Council Matters •Octoberfest received an alcohol license.

•Request for amendments to Articles II, III, IV, V, VI and VII were approved, to “broaden the scope of realestate signs” and prohibit electronic reader boards in the College Edge Overlay District.

•Resolution authorizing street closings for the Homecoming Parade Friday, Oct. 11 was rescheduled.

•Service agreement worth $289,476 with East Alabama Healthcare Authority to provide emergency response was approved.

•SGA spoke of the upcoming Capitol on The Plains Oct. 8 at 5:15 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. State officials will meet in a panel to discuss issues affecting the state.

•Appointed one board position for the Lee County Youth Development Center.

AUBURN EVENTS AT A GLANCE • • • • •

The Auburn Stop Light Moore’s Mill closing until Sept. 30.

School Board Property Tax Vote Sept.

24 Auburn Parks and Recreation’s Fall Concert Series every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Kiesel Park The Auburn Community Orchestra

• • •

Sunday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. in Kiesel Park Auburn Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Tournament Sept. 19.

Sundilla Concert Series Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.–10 p.m.

S.I.N. (Service Industry Night) Sept. 22 and 29 at 7 p.m.–midnight in the Event Center Downtown

CHANDLER JONES / COMMUNITY EDITOR

Members of the Veterans of J. R. Thomas Memorial Chapter and Mayor Bill Ham.

Glenn Avenue gets purple, honors Vets Members of the J.R. Thomas Memorial Purple Heart Chapter 2205 worked to establish a Purple Heart Trail along Glenn Road in Auburn Chandler Jones COMMUNITY EDITOR

Auburn has a lot of heart, and now it has a purple one.

At the Aug. 20 meeting, the Auburn City Council designated Glenn Avenue, from Bent Creek Road to Donahue Drive, as a certified Purple Heart Trail.

On Sept. 12 at 9 a.m. in the City Hall, Mayor Bill Ham and Leslie Digman, commander of the J. R. Thomas Memorial Chapter 2205, revealed the first sign to be placed along Glenn Avenue.

The trail honors Purple Heart medal recipients by establishing roads, bridges and other monuments as visual reminders of those awarded the Purple Heart medal.

The medal decorates any soldier of the United States Armed Services who was wounded or killed in combat.

“I hope it opens some eyes up to actually realizing there are people out there who are doing their job to protect this country, and to keep other opposing forces out of this country,” Digman said.

The sign reads “Purple Heart Trail” below the Purple Heart symbol with a navy background. Signs are expected to be displayed along Glenn Avenue in coming weeks.

“It’ll be two or three signs,” City Manager Charles Duggan said at the Aug. 20 council meeting. “It may just be signs at the entrances, and that’s supposed to be a respect and honoring those service members that received a Purple Heart that are residents of our community."

The Military Order of Purple Heart was chartered by an Act of Congress Feb. 22, 1932.

General George Washington created the Purple Heart medal in 1782.

Community A8

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Sports

B1 ThePlainsman.com

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Sports

‘Count on me’ A new sense of togetherness defines the 2013 Tiger team Justin Ferguson Assistant Sports Editor

Anna Grafton / photo editor

Cornerback Ryan White drops back in pass coverage during the Washington State game Saturday, August 31.

From sidekick to hero, White converts opportunities with ‘Batman’ package Kyle Van Fechtmann Sports Writer

Senior Ryan White has dealt with obstacles and played many different roles during his time at Auburn, but things seem to be finally clicking for White at cornerback and on special teams this season.

During his time at Lincoln High School (Fla.), White showcased his versatility at quarterback and cornerback.

During his junior season, he threw for more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns, and rushed for 640 yards and six touchdowns. White was highly recruited as one of the highest ranked athletes in his class.

Once he arrived to Auburn, White spent the beginning of fall camp playing quarterback.

Once Cam Newton won the job, White switched to cornerback.

Since his freshman year, White has migrated away from playing quarterback and focused mainly on improving his play at cornerback.

But this season, White has not only made plays at cornerback, he has also played a big role on special teams during his third season as Auburn’s placeholder, and has gotten the chance to showcase his throwing skills once again.

In Auburn’s SEC win against Mississippi State, White executed his second successful two-point conversion this season with a fake-kick snap, and threw a jumppass to tight end Brandon Fulse to put the Tigers up 11–0.

His first successful two-point conversion came in the Washington State season opener, when he used his speed to run the ball into the end zone.

Auburn has had success with converting two-point conversions early in the game, and White is one of the main rea-

sons why head coach Gus Malzahn is taking risks calling for a two-point play.

“Coach Malzahn likes to have fun with that, what we call the batman. If we’re going to run it we usually go after the first touchdown,” White said. “We just try to look for an edge in the defense, something that we know that will get the crowd into the game.”

After starting cornerback Chris Davis injured his foot and was not cleared to play against Mississippi State, White knew that he had to step up and fill that void since Davis led Auburn in tackles after their first two games.

White delivered when his opportunity came around again with a game-high, and career-high, eight tackles, along with two pass breakups.

“I thought it was a good stepping stone for me. I got in there and tried to play [as] physical as coach wanted me to. I just tried to get a win for our team. I know with Chris [Davis] going down, he’s a big part of our defense, I just tried to step in and fill that spot as much as I could,” White said.

Despite getting some playing time during his first two seasons and even recording a solo tackle in the BCS National Championship Game his freshman year, it looked like last season was going to be the one where White made a big impact for Auburn’s defense.

White earned a start in the season opener against Clemson, and even had seven tackles, but after that, he saw limited action on the field.

“It was very tough. I had to look at myself and see what I was doing wrong and just had to work on those things,” White said. “All things happen for a reason.”

White has dealt with many different coaches and adjustments during his time on the Plains, but new cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith is one of the main

reasons White has shown plenty of improvements this season.

“It’s been the biggest change, in a positive way since I’ve been here. I remember the first time talking to (Melvin), I asked him what he brought to the table,” White said. “And he told me that he brought physical and tackling. And those were the things I needed to work on most.”

White’s father, Will White, also played the cornerback position and played for the Florida Gators under head coach Steve Spurrier from 1989–1992. Will White was an All-SEC defensive back and All-American in 1990 and finished his career at Florida with a then school record 14 interceptions.

His father attends every one of White’s games and always gives him advice after each game.

Although White had a solid performance against Mississippi State, his father still had some constructive criticism after the game.

“First thing he said was ‘how did I let that dude catch that out route,’” White said. “Then ‘you’re coming out of your breaks slow, you need to tighten up on your angles.’ Then he was like ‘you had a good game, there’s still things you can improve on.’”

Going into the LSU game, White knows the secondary will have to play a major role in order for Auburn to steal a win on the road in Baton Rouge for the first time since 1999.

“It’s going to be another hard nosed game, another physical game. I think after this 3–0 [start and] win over Mississippi State, we’re running pretty high on confidence, we think we can go down there and beat those guys,” White said.

“I feel like this game can be on the corners once again. I feel like if we control their receivers, we can go in there and get this ‘W.’”

By now, Auburn football fans have become familiar with the official slogan of the Gus Malzahn Era—“It’s a New Day.” But the words Malzahn proclaimed to fans at the Auburn University Regional Airport last December are not the only ones being repeated throughout the football program.

After their dramatic 24– 20 victory against Mississippi State last Saturday, Sept.

14, several players mentioned a key phrase that personified their fourth quarter performance—“Count on Me.” “That’s all we’ve been preaching,” said senior defensive end Dee Ford. “It’s becoming second nature. It’s really becoming a part of who we are.”

The Tigers were down by three late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Nick Marshall overthrew receiver Sammie Coates on what appeared to be a surefire touchdown.

But Ford said the Tigers refused to hang their heads. As long as there was time left on the clock, they were still in the game.

“We said, ‘We aren’t going to pout. We’re going to get the ball back, and they are going to get an amazing two-minute to score and win,’” Ford said.

Auburn did just that. After the defense held off Dak Prescott and the Bulldog offense, Marshall and the offense orchestrated an 88-yard drive that ended with a game-winning toss to junior tight end C.J. Uzomah.

“Nick did an unbelievable job,” Uzomah said. “We struggled as an offense a little bit tonight, but when it came down to it, he drove us down the field. He had confidence in us, and we had confidence in him.”

Marshall said his teammates’ confidence in him was a big boost on the game-winning drive, a picture-perfect display of Malzahn’s hurry-up, no-huddle offense.

“Coach Malzahn believed in me,” Marshall said. “(Freshman receiver Marcus Davis) told me on the sideline that he believed in me. So I took what the defense gave to me and got the ball down there.”

Malzahn spoke highly of the state of his team’s sideline during the fourth quarter. When the ball came back to Auburn, a game-tying field goal was not on Auburn’s mind.

“The great thing about our sideline is our guys really be-

“

We said, ‘We aren’t going to pout. We’re going to get the ball back, and they are going to get an amazing twominute to score and win.’”

— Dee Ford senior defensive end

lieve they’re going to win, and that’s half the battle,” Malzahn said. “There wasn’t anybody panicking. We just said, ‘Hey, let’s go do this thing,’ and I think that’s a tribute to our team, and Nick, too.”

According to junior receiver Quan Bray, Auburn did not have a “Count on Me” philosophy during its nightmare 2012 season.

“A lot of guys didn’t believe last year,” Bray said. “We didn’t have a lot of confidence in each other.”

But this year, the buzz on the sideline is completely different. In two of their first three games of the 2013 season, the Tigers have had to rally around each other in the fourth quarter.

“I’ll always remember this game because it wasn’t an offensive or defensive thing,” said senior middle linebacker Jake Holland. “It was one unit. When the offense needed something, the defense stepped up. When the defense needed something, the offense stepped up. It was a big game for us.”

The concept of sticking together more than in years past has been important to Holland.

Before the first two games of the season, a portion of the Auburn student section booed Holland when his name was called out in Auburn’s starting lineup.

“You know, I’m one of those guys who doesn’t pay attention to that,” Holland said. “It doesn’t bother me. I’ve got a close-knit family, and I know (my teammates) have my back.”

Before and after the game, on and off the field, these Tigers say they are counting on each other.

“Our emphasis this year is on being together,” Bray said.

“We always stick together.

When we do that, we’ll be a real good football team.”

Tigers will face first real test of the season against LSU Will Gaines sports@ theplainsman.com

Last Saturday night’s victory against the Mississippi State Bulldogs was a great victory for the Tigers.

It showed something that has been talked about since the first game against Washington State, and that was improvement.

Auburn showed more improvement against the Bulldogs than they have all season.

The biggest area of improvement was in the passing game.

Nick Marshall finished the game going 23-for-34 for 339 yards and two interceptions. Minus the interceptions, this was by far Marshall’s best game, so far, in his Auburn career, and he showed poise and resiliency in the face of adversity.

Marshall was not the only one who

Katherine McCahey / sports photographer

Players celebrate in the student section after the victory against Mississippi State.

made improvements in the passing game. Marshall had more help from his receivers than he has had all season. A total of eight different receivers had receptions against Mississippi State, and two of those receivers had not been very productive in the first

two games. However, true freshman Marcus Davis and C.J. Uzomah, both played a big role in the final gamewinning drive.

Statistically the defense still has work to do after giving up 427 yards to Mississippi State, but they are still

making it tough for offenses to score points. Defense kept Auburn in the game by not allowing Mississippi State to get points when they had good field position in the fourth quarter.

This is a big improvement from last year.

This tendency needs to continue as conference play gets tougher each week.

The team should feel encouraged by their performance last week it could be short lived with them having to travel to Baton Rouge this week to take on the mighty bayou Bengals of LSU. This will be the first bump in the road for the Tigers this season.

Going into the game, they will be overmatched at just about every position. The key will be if the Auburn coaches can come up with a good game plan to keep them in the game.

An advantage for Auburn is they have had to play two competitive games so far this season against

Washington State and Mississippi State. LSU has only played one against TCU. Auburn will go into this game expecting to compete, while LSU may not. They may overlook Auburn like last year, and if they do then Auburn will have an advantage.

The key will be how does Auburn respond to adversity in this game. If they make a mistake can they bounce back and act like it never happened?

They showed they can do that last week, but it was also in front of their home crowd. It will not be as easy to bounce back in Death Valley on Saturday night.

Although I think Auburn will go into Tiger Stadium and play a competitive game I don’t think they have enough of an identity to beat LSU yet.

Marshall is still missing on big-play opportunities and the defense has shown holes in defending the run.

I think Auburn will stay in this game, but I see LSU puling away to a 35-21 win late in the fourth quarter.

Sports B2

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

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LSU’s most popular fragrance? Eau de corn dog Taylor Jones Sports@theplainsman.com

There are many unique traditions in college football.

From Auburn’s rolling Toomer’s Corner to Wisconsin’s “Jump Around” and Les Miles having his pre-game meal of grass, each tradition is unique and beloved by it’s fans.

However, there is one tradition, that is unlike any other tradition in today’s sports world.

It is an infamously hilarious tradition, one that was started by someone who still has not revealed his true identity, but goes by the name “deepblue” on Autigers.com.

I’m referring, of course, to the tradition of telling LSU fans that they smell like corn dogs.

It all started, when “deepblue” made a lengthy and poetic post on Autigers.com several years ago. The post started with: “LSU fans smell just like corn dogs.

“

When you step on campus (in Baton Rouge), it really smells like corn dogs, almost like you’re at a fair.”

—Jake Harris Former Auburn long snapper

Yes, it is often said, but so, so true.

LSU fans do smell like corn dogs.

I would never tell them that to their face though. This is something better said at internet distances. Even now, I am afraid.

I am afraid that they’ll know I said it. I’ll walk past an LSU fan someday, and he’ll see that look in my eye that gives it away.

That look that says, ‘Gee, what is that smell?

Is it corn dogs?’

The next thing you know, I’ll have flat tires on my car.”

The post is quite lengthy, and ranges from pointers on how to handle children around

LSU fans, to safety tips while in Baton Rouge.

I think this may be why a lot of fans get beaten up by LSU fans.

If you attend a game in Baton Rouge, try to avoid telling them that they smell like corn dogs.

Say something else instead.

Like, “Wow, LSU sure does have a great team this year. This is going to be a great SEC game.”

While the post is satirical, it caught fire. The tradition spread from Auburn to other SEC schools, and then to the entire NCAA. If searched for on YouTube, countless videos connecting LSU and corn dogs will be found, created by numerous fan-bases.

Clinton Durst, a former Auburn punter who played for the Tigers from 2008-2009 is a firm believer that the myth is true.

Originally from Destin, FL, Durst grew up a Florida State fan before coming to the Plains, and did not hear about the LSU connection to corn dogs until a team meeting with former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville.

“It was a team meeting with Coach Tuberville. He was trying to lighten up the mood a

Contributed by LSU athletics

LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger.

little bit and he referred to them as ‘corn dogs’,” Durst said while laughing.

Some of the newcomers on the team were confused as to what Tuberville meant, but Durst claims that when they asked, he simply responded.

“You’ll figure it out once you get there,” Durst said.

Sure enough, Durst says that the visitors locker room proved the myth as fact.

“In the visitors locker room, it smells like a million rotten corndogs.” Durst said. “It smells like they threw a thousand (corndogs) in the locker room and let them mold for a year.”

Former Auburn long-snapper Josh Harris, who played for the Tigers from 2008-2012 and is now the long-snapper for the Atlanta Falcons, also corroborates Durst’s story.

“When you step on campus (in Baton Rouge) it really smells like corndogs, almost like you’re at a fair.” Harris said.

Whether you’re a believer or not of the LSU corndog myth, there is no denying that “deepblue” started arguably the most hilarious tradition in college football.

Katherine Mccahey / sports photographer

Nick Marshall during the Mississippi State game.

A tale of two Tigers’ journeys Contributed by todd van emst

Karen Hoppa has led Auburn to seven consecutive NCAA tournaments.

Assistant Sports Editor

Hoppa working to add to legacy Taylor Jones sports writer

When Karen Hoppa took the head coaching position for the Auburn Women’s Soccer team in 1999, she took the reins of a team that was desperately looking for someone to turn things around.

Fifteen years and 166 victories later, Hoppa is a powerful figure in women’s collegiate soccer, as she has seen great success at Auburn and has watched her work pay off as Auburn transformed into a winning program.

Hoppa played goalkeeper for the University of Central Florida, starting three seasons from 1989 until 1991. In those three years, Hoppa allowed only 30 goals in 48 games. She also still holds three UCF records for goals allowed (30), goals against average (0.0594) and shutouts (30.5).

As a player, Hoppa earned distinctions including being named a 1989 Soccer America MVP Team selection, the 1990 Adidas/ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year and the 1990 NCAA Goalkeeper of the Year award.

After Hoppa decided to transition her role on the pitch to the sidelines, she accepted a job as the head coach at Central Florida in 1993. Hoppa wasted no time, winning 74 games in six seasons and winning the Trans America Athletic Conference championship in her first four years.

Hoppa left UCF after a 12–8 season, having won 5 of the 6 conference championships during her tenure with the Knights.

Hoppa describes her move from Central Florida to Auburn as being her “next step.”

“The Auburn position came open, and a friend of mine who coached at Georgia told me I needed to look at (the Auburn job), because it may be a hidden gem,” Hoppa said. “I applied, came here for the interview and fell in love. It’s a place I could live in for a long time.”

Hoppa inherited an Auburn team that had not seen much success in its past. In her first year, Hoppa’s Tigers went 6–13.

“The team wasn’t very good and we wanted to turn it into a winning program,” Hoppa said.

However, Hoppa was determined to change

Justin Ferguson

things on The Plains.

“Ultimately we wanted to win the SEC Championship and become a national contender, but the short term was just going from a losing program to a winning program,” Hoppa said.

Luckily for Hoppa and the Tigers, her goals have been realized. In Hoppa’s fifteen seasons at Auburn, she has compiled a record of 166–113– 25, with seven SEC West titles, one SEC regular season title, one SEC tournament title and 12 NCAA tournament appearances.

In 2002, Hoppa led the Tigers to a 15–2–2 overall record, winning the SEC regular season title and making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Hoppa also recently led the Tigers in 2011 to the SEC Tournament Championship, where the Tigers became the first SEC West school to ever win the tournament.

While Hoppa has already seen incredible success at Auburn, she doesn’t plan on becoming content.

“At this stage we’ve established ourselves consistently as a top team and an NCAA tournament team, so now our goal is to take the program to the next level,” Hoppa said.

Hoppa said the team’s current goal is to make the “Sweet Sixteen,” and then she hopes the Tigers continue their success.

Hoppa has had many great memories in Auburn, not even being able to list one specific memory as her favorite.

She recalled memories from a 2001 upset win against Virginia, a comeback win against Alabama in the year in which she won her 200th game and when her team beat Florida in 2011 to win the SEC Tournament.

Make no mistake, Hoppa plans to make more memories involving trophies on the national stage.

“We want to make it to the Final Four, and then it’s on to the National Championship,” Hoppa said.

Hoppa will be looking to lead Auburn to their eighth consecutive NCAA tournament berth this season.

The Tigers have started off the season 3–3–1.

Their uniforms and playing styles might be different, but Nick Marshall and Zach Mettenberger have taken similar paths to the upcoming clash between rivals Auburn and LSU. Georgia natives Marshall and Mettenberger, who will be the two starting quarterbacks Saturday night in Baton Rouge, both started their college careers playing for their home state’s Bulldogs.

After off-the-field incidents led to their dismissals from Georgia head coach Mark Richt’s program, both Marshall and Mettenberger landed in Kansas, a state known for its junior college football.

Spectacular seasons garnered the attention of other powerhouse schools, and the two quarterbacks eventually became the starters at their new SEC homes.

Marshall and Mettenberger have led their respective offenses in three straight wins to start the 2013 season, and their performances at quarterback have definitely caught the eye of the opposing head coaches.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said he is most impressed with the LSU quarterback’s emphasis on ball security.

“I believe (Mettenberger) has nine touchdowns and zero interceptions so far,” Malzahn said in his Tuesday Sept. 17 press conference .

“That says a lot. He’s making good decisions.”

Mettenberger, who is now 13–3 as LSU’s starting quarterback, only threw for 12 touchdowns in the 2012 sea-

son. Although Louisiana’s Tigers still use a smashmouth pro-style offense, new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s system has given Mettenberger more opportunities to hit star receivers Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry on deep passes.

“They have a quarterback that can actually [go deep] now,” said Auburn senior linebacker Jake Holland.

“It’s a threat, but they’re still a run-focused team.”

Mettenberger was kicked off of the team in March 2010 for a violation of team rules, and he pled guilty to two counts of sexual battery the following month.

He restarted his football career at Butler Community College in Kansas, where he led the Grizzlies to the junior college national championship game after a 32-touchdown season.

“It was tough, but as I kept going through JUCO and started getting some attention and started realizing that I had a talent that coaches wanted,” Mettenberger told Yahoo! Sports in 2012. “It definitely made some coaches think about the baggage that I had, but I shared with Coach Miles that I was a changed guy and he took a chance on me. And I’m grateful to him for that.”

Marshall had a similar journey to becoming a starting quarterback in the SEC’s Western Division. He started his career at Georgia in 2011, but not as an offensive player.

The athletic Marshall was a cornerback for the Bulldogs when he was kicked off the team for an unspecified violation of team rules.

He allegedly stole mon-

ey from his Georgia teammates, but no charges were ever filed.

Marshall then transferred to Garden City Community College, where he led the team in both passing and rushing yards.

In his first comments after being named the starter, at Auburn Marshall made it clear that he, like the rest of the Auburn team, was moving on from the past.

“I don’t really worry about [my past],” Marshall said.

“I’m an Auburn player now.”

Marshall will enter Death Valley on the heels of a 339yard, two-touchdown performance against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. His last-second touchdown pass to tight end C.J. Uzomah snapped a 10-game SEC losing streak for his new team.

The transfer’s performance in his SEC debut and the rest of the Tigers garnered the praise of LSU head coach Les Miles.

“I think Marshall is throwing the ball better,” Miles said. “I think (Auburn) has good schemes. And I think they are improved.”

For Auburn, Saturday night’s matchup in a hostile environment will be a perfect time to show the entire country how much it has improved from the 2012 season.

For LSU, “The Tiger Bowl” will be the start of its quest for the SEC title against a traditional rival.

But for Marshall and Mettenberger, the AuburnLSU game will be another opportunity to take full advantage of their precious second chance at becoming a star on college football’s biggest stage.

Auburn club rugby players are ready for new season to begin Taylor Jones Sports writer

The Auburn rugby team has began preparations as their upcoming season rapidly approaches.

The club has attracted many newcomers to the sport, who aspire to succeed with the team.

Senior Sebastian Kamyab, vice president of the rugby club, said that the majority of those who tried out had never played. “I would say 90 per-

cent of the people that came out have never played before coming to Auburn.”

While there are many new faces to the team and the game, the team will look to help the newcomers acclimate to the new sport and use them as the future of the team.

Senior Rob Northup believes that team chemistry will help the team win.

“Since we have so many new peo-

ple, we want to get everyone together and on the same page.” Northup said.

“We have some guys that have played their whole lives who will show the new guys who have been playing for days the game of rugby, and if we can get everyone to work together we’ll have a successful season,” Northup said Kamyab said that the rookie situation has worked for them in the past.

“Last year, a lot of rookies came out

and picked up their game and we had a 5–2 year.”

While the team has a young base, Kamyab makes one thing clear: the goal is success.

“Our goal for the fall is to have the rookies develop and understand the sport.” Kamyab said. “Once we’ve done that, in the spring we’re going to try and win an SEC Championship.”

Junior Ben Winiarczyr says the team has it’s rivals, saying “We don’t

like Ole Miss.”

However when asked about who their biggest and most intense game is against? He answered without hesitation.

“Of course, Alabama,” he said.

The rugby squad will face off against the UAB Blazers in their season opener on Sept. 21, in Auburn at the intramural fields.

The fall season has six games scheduled.

Sports B4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, September 19, 2013

senior Airman

dAvid Anderson

94% time spent in the Air GuArd eAch month:

GrAde on lAst bioloGy exAm

6%

free time spent with Girlfriend:

85%

Sarah May / Assistant photo editor

The Auburn hockey team practices at the Columbus Ice Rink in Columbus, Ga.

Richard shoots for bringing ‘magic’ to club hockey program Eric Wallace

sons in the minor leagues have helped increase his understanding of the sport.

“When you have a little bit of movement and you see the leagues and the players, you realize that hockey is pretty similar,” Richard said.

“You’ve got guys from all different countries and class playing together, so it gives you a good experience to deal with all the personalities and styles people have.”

A native of Ontario, Canada, Richard said it was an adjustment for him to play at Colgate University in New York.

“It was pretty shocking for a Canadian to go down to the States and not know a lot about all these schools,” Richard said. “Then all the sudden you’re at Harvard, Yale and Princeton, and you have to pinch yourself because it’s real.”

Now a long term resident of the South, Richard said that he feels comfortable living in the South, particularly enjoying the friendliness of his friends and neighbors.

“Someone told me ‘we may have greasy food in the South, but we have the best cardiologists,’” Richard said. “I feel like that pretty much summed up the attitude people have here and I’ve come to enjoy it.”

Richard said changing the philosophy of Auburn hockey is the main goal of his first season as head coach.

“People want numbers, but I’m a little bit different in my philosophy,” Richard said. “It’s a process, and nothing can be instant. I’m very analytical so I’m going to try and see matchups, analyze the other teams and try to put forth the best strategy I can.”

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New hockey head coach Marcel Richard, a former Division 1 hockey player who spent several seasons in professional hockey’s minor leagues, brings international experience and a meticulous approach to the Tigers’ club hockey program.

Taking over a program that finished 7-17 in 2012, Richard said that improving Auburn’s hockey program will be a process for himself and the players.

“I wish I could come in and wave my magic wand and make everything good, but I don’t think that’s really how it works,” Richard said.

“There’s no way I can come in in just one or two weeks, but hopefully my body of work by the end of the year will be better on and off the ice.”

Known by the nickname “Magic” in his playing days, Richard said he earned the nickname during his first season with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Central Hockey League.

“I had a pulled groin so I was on the injured reserve list the first two games,” Richard said.

“We lost those two games and then I played the third game and we won 7–2. The fans said it was like magic once I stepped onto the ice.”

An offensive standout for the Cottonmouths, Richard piled up 310 points, including 137 goals, in four seasons.

Prior to his time in Columbus, Ga. Richard spent a season with the Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and had a tryout with the Ottawa Senators of the NHL. Richard said that his time overseas and sea-

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

ACROSS 1 RR sched. listings 5 Hollow stone 10 Some Siamese 14 Flamingo hue 15 Memorable number 16 Vibes 17 Queen, in some Indo-Aryan languages 18 Center of Swiss Oktoberfest celebrations?

20 Like the Baha’i faith, by origin 22 Kicks out 23 Tiny sea thugs?

27 “Phat!” relative 28 Friend abroad 29 Punching tool 32 Filmmaker Coen 35 Fed. agent 36 Pre-coll. catchall 37 More equitable church official?

40 Cover, as with paint 41 Rail family bird 42 Ecological community 43 Drillmaster’s syllable 44 Tight do 45 Boozer 46 Cigarette buyer’s bonus?

52 Totally flummoxed 55 Erode 56 What 18-, 23-, 37and 46-Across do to become puns?

60 Mange cause 61 Computer science pioneer Turing 62 ’90s FBI chief 63 __-à-porter: ready-to-wear 64 18th-century French winemaker Martin 65 “La __ Nikita”: 1997-2001 TV drama 66 Some 35mm cameras DOWN 1 Hint of mint 2 Part of a princess costume 3 2001 Nobel Peace Prize recipient

4 Plastic surgeon’s procedure 5 Become unlocked?

6 John Paul’s Supreme Court successor 7 Shelley work 8 Hollywood VIP 9 Continental trade org.

10 Lexmark rival 11 Prefix with pilot 12 Bouncy gait 13 __ serif 19 Blood typing system 21 Hygiene product with a Disneycreated mascot 24 “Give me an example!”

25 Craftsman tools seller 26 Pantry array 29 __ sax 30 It’s “no longer in natural colloquial speech,” per the OED 31 Place to wait 32 Write permanently 33 Commandment word

34 Car that’s seen better days 35 Put together 36 Cloverleaf components 38 SDI defense target 39 WWII torpedo craft 45 Verbally attack 46 Hope contemporary 47 Motor City org.

48 Turn into a mini, as a midi 49 Spin 50 Wayne feature 51 Politburo objections 52 Petri dish gel 53 Chaucer chapter 54 King Mongkut’s domain 57 Gee preceder 58 Fury 59 Bit of treasure

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

By Gareth Bain (c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

01/04/13

01/04/13

Intrigue Thursday, September 19, 2013

B5 ThePlainsman.com

Intrigue

Is Facebook fading away?

Maddie Yerant INTRIGUE WRITER

It’s the subject of an Oscarwinning movie, a revolutionary social-media tool, and a force connecting people all over the world. It even has an entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

But is Facebook on its way out?

Emily Reed, junior in public relations, said against the crop of numerous social media, Facebook is slowly fading into the background.

“I use Twitter several times a day,” Reed said. “But I don’t check Facebook nearly as much.”

Kelly Schmid, junior in apparel merchandising, said she disagreed. Schmid deleted her Twitter account last year, said she still finds plenty of uses for Facebook.

“I like looking at the pictures on Facebook,” Schmid said. “And it’s cool to be able to see what people you went to elementary school and middle school are up to. I like how Facebook can connect you to them. Twitter is just boring.”

Schmid said she began using Facebook as a way to rebel against her parents.

“I was 15 and I wanted to talk to my Welsh boyfriend,” Schmid said. “But I wasn’t allowed to get a Facebook until I turned 16. I did it anyway. I’ve been using it ever since.”

But, with competition such as Twitter, Tinder, Pinterest and more, Facebook may become just a face in a crowded pool of apps and websites, designed to do much of the same thing.

“I have a Facebook, but it’s probably not my favorite thing for social media,” said Scott Black, sophomore in business.

“I have Tinder. I think it’s hilarious. And I like StumbleUpon.

You have to have an account there, so I think that qualifies as social media.”

Black said he thinks Facebook highlights the differences between generations.

“It shows how fast we move compared to baby boomers,” Black said. “At first, not a lot of older people had, or knew how to use, Facebook. Now, I think all of my relatives have (accounts).”

Schmid said she saw an increase in the number of older Facebook users.

“I feel like a lot of older people use it to talk to their kids,” Schmid said. “They use it to update their lives and keep track of their friends and relatives. A lot of parents, I think, use it to check up on their kids’ lives.”

Reed said Twitter is an easier way to keep up with her friends.

“I check it constantly,” she said. “It’s faster and more personal.”

Like many students, Schmid said she uses a variety of social media forms to keep up with her friends and family, not just Facebook.

“I love Instagram and Snapchat,” she said. “I do check notifications and look at pictures on Facebook, but I can use those throughout the day to talk to my friends and see what’s going on.”

Still, Schmid is not without her pet peeves when it comes to social-media sites.

“I hate seeing people’s statuses,” Schmid said. “Maybe that’s why I didn’t like Twitter. I don’t need to know every time you’re going to the bathroom.”

contributed by the cosplayers’ association at auburn

Samantha McCain and Samantha Kelly cosplay as characters from the TV show “Adventuretime.”

Cosplayers’ Association at Auburn bring characters to life Jordan Hays Intrigue Writer

Pikachu is not real. Many students have to remind themselves of this when they see one in their class.

Attempts to capture said creature with spherical, capsule-like devices will prove futile and may result in disciplinary action. This is because Pikachu is a student.

Individuals who dress up as characters from movies, books, anime, manga, cartoons, videos games, television shows or comic books, are known as cosplayers. Wigs, suits, props and excessive clothing, or the lack thereof, are all signs indicating you are looking at a cosplayer. Students who participate at Auburn are probably members of Auburn University’s Cosplayers’ Association.

Auburn’s Cosplayers’ Association was founded in fall 2011 by current president Sky Acton, junior in English education and creative writing.

“It’s getting to be a celebrity for a short amount of time and it’s very empowering,” Acton said. “It’s the only time when everyone knows your name without you saying a word.”

However, these cosplayers do more than simply attend meetings and go to class in costume. Cosplayers travel to conventions to meet, and socialize with, other cosplayers. Commonly known conventions, such as ComicCon, hosted many cosplayers. However, there are many other conventions popular in the cosplaying community, such as Dragoncon in Atlanta, and Hamacon in Huntsville.

Acton described what it’s like to ex-

contributed by the cosplayers’ association at auburn

Cosplayers’ Association at Auburn brings characters from popular culture to campus.

perience a cosplay convention.

“Lots of people. Lots of people getting the chance to be whatever they want to be,” Acton said. “There’s a lot of excitement. There are cameras flashing, and people are asking for your picture.”

Cosplaying may have the potential to be much more than simply fun though.

David Railey, sophomore in software engineering at Southern Union Community College, and member of Auburn’s Cosplayers’ Association, is also a member of the Alabama Ghostbusters, a Ghostbuster fan group that cosplays for charity.

“We do walks and raise money for

various charities, like the multiple sclerosis walks. We also raised $3,000 for tornado relief when the tornado hit Tuscaloosa,” Railey said. “We are geeks for good.”

Unfortunately, not everyone is as accepting of cosplayers.

Brittany Taylor, senior in microbiology, said she formed a passion for cosplaying from her love of Halloween and her enjoyment of anime and video games.

“Some of my friends are really into cosplay and they’re also really into anime and video games,” Taylor said.

“I have some other friends, they like those things too, but they’re not very out with it. Some of my other friends

laughed when I introduced them to cosplay.”

Taylor said friends and strangers alike gave glances and looks to make her feel singled out.

“They make me feel like I’m extremely weird, like I was not normal,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t say I’m normal, but there is a good kind of different, like you’re unique; and a bad kind, like you don’t belong anywhere.”

Many cosplayers said they felt as though they are being unjustly stereotyped.

“I think the biggest misconception is that cosplay or conventions are only for people who aren’t attractive or are super nerdy or the outcasts of society,” Acton said. “But I’ve seen some pretty good-looking Spartans with sixpacks… so if that’s not attractive, then I don’t want to go with what everyone is talking about.”

Luckily, the Cosplayers’ Association offers a safe haven for many of Auburn’s cosplayers.

“People here are very friendly,” said Ross Spears, senior in software engineering. “Everyone here is one big family. If there is an issue with someone, everyone is there to support that one person.”

Auburn’s cosplayers apparently formed a tight-knit group, where they feel at home and are able to be themselves.

“They’re crazy. That’s the best way I can put it,” said Aric Hall, senior in sociology, “They are the most crazy, insane, all-over-the-wall people; but they are also the people I love most at Auburn.”

Interview with a wizard: the Auburn ‘Wizzard’ speaks Jordan Hays Intrigue Writer

Rodney Hall, Auburn’s “Wizzard”, is an enigma. Shrouded in mystery, his purpose remains unclear.

What students do know is that he definitely looks like a wizard, and he can be spotted in front of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library on occasion.

In order to clear the air, the Wizzard agreed to sit down for an interview to answer a few questions.

How do you balance Rodney Hall and The Wizzard? Is it the same or do you go back and forth?

It’s the same. The ‘Wizzard’ kind of was a projection to some degree. I based it off of Rincewind from the Terry Pratchett books, which is where wizard—spelled with two z’s—comes from because he thought he was really, really intelligent.

It also has a bit of a humbling effect to it, because Rincewind knew no magic whatsoever. He was the greatest wizard in “Discworld,” he knows no magic and is a coward.

He runs from danger, but happens to always, actually be running toward danger; and with his luck, he always saves the day.

I took some aspects of that, because it was a while before I came out of the broom closet. That was an easier way

for me to come out of the broom closet because I was like ‘Oh no, this is a fictional character that I really relate to who is one of my favorite characters.’

It’s sad that what I do to make a statement is act like myself, be like myself, dress like myself, hold to my beliefs, have no apologizes for them and be honest with what I say and think. In 2013, it’s sad that, that’s making a statement. But it is, and that’s the statement I hope everyone can make some day.

Are you worried people think you aren’t being yourself?

Everywhere I go, people say why the costume? I am not wearing a costume, but I am wearing a costume.

We are all wearing costumes because we all dress, to some degree, in a form of costume. It’s based on what you want to look like or based on what society said you should dress and wear.

I am wearing less of a costume than most people because I don’t listen to society or trends.

I wear what I like, and what I think looks good… And generally, I’m right. I am pretty fabulous.

I know a guy who’s a cowboy, and he always dresses like a cowboy, because he is a cowboy. That’s it. He won’t go to an opera in tux and tails. He’ll be

Emily Enfinger / photographer

Rodney Hall dresses the part of the “Wizzard,” complete with his signature hat.

dressed like a cowboy. That’s who he is. It’s the same kind of thing with me; I’m just a lot, you know, weirder… and more creative.

Staves or wands? Which one do you prefer?

I like both of them. It’s kind of like one’s a bigger version, one’s a smaller version.

Although they serve a lot of the same purposes, staves can help you walk, but they serve a lot of the same purposes.

Who is better, Gandalf or Dumbledore?

Well, they’re really close and I love both of them… But, I’m gonna have to say Gandalf, just because even death don’t get him down.

I mean come on, let’s be fair. Dumbledore died. Gandalf did too, but then he said, ‘OK I’m done with that! I’m back! Sorry!’ So yeah, I love them both equally, but if you want to really lay it down, Gandalf. Death can’t even beat Gandalf.

» See wizard b6

Intrigue B6

The Auburn Plainsman

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Tumbleweed Wanderers will perform at Bourbon Street Bar Thursday, Sept. 19.

Tumbleweed Wanderers rock ‘n’ roll into Auburn Kailey Miller All the way from Oakland, Calif., the Tumbleweed Wanderers will be taking over Bourbon Street Bar Thursday, Sept.

19.

The five-man band is touring all over the South, from New Orleans to Virginia.

The Tumbleweed Wanderers consists of vocalist and bass guitar player Zak Mandel-Romann; Rob Fidel on vocals, guitar and banjo; Jeremy Lyon performing vocals and guitar; Patrick Glynn on keys and the mandolin and Daniel Blum performing on the drums.

Fidel said their music is soulful rock ‘n’ roll.

The group has three extended plays, or EPs, and one full album.

“It’s been a pretty productive two years,” Fidel said.

Lyon said last time the group was in Auburn, they played at The Hound Bar and Restaurant.

“I love the South,” Lyon said. “I’m stoked to be back in Auburn, it’s beautiful.”

Lyon said the Tumbleweed Wanderers don’t have a set list planned for Bourbon

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yet, but they will be playing songs that are cornerstones of their album.

The group said they plan on playing some fresh material along with their classics.

“We’ve been writing a lot of new material, so people can definitely expect a handful of songs that we haven’t yet recorded,” Lyon said.

Lyon, originally from Oakland, Calif., said when they aren’t touring he uses the time to write songs and catch up with his family and friends.

Blum met Lyon a year before the band was formed, and then joined as the drummer only two weeks before they had a gig.

“Before the band was a band, and before they had a name, they had already booked a show,” Blum said. “I get to play the music that I want, I get to do it every single night.”

Touring the country has made busy men out of the crew.

“Being in a touring band, one of the hardest parts is that your life is very tumultuous,” Blum said. “You have these amazing highs where everything is absolutely, everything lines up, and then two

Intrigue Reporter

Do you feel as though you are more powerful, magically, when you collect knowledge?

Knowledge is power, in every sense.

I also don’t agree that there is taboo knowledge. Maybe not all of it is relevant, but it’s all important.

So yeah, in anything, knowledge is power. The more you know, the more in control you are, and the more you’re in control of that situation. I’d rather know than not know. I think that’s almost the fundamental basis of a wizard’s personality. A wizard would rather know, even if it makes his life worse.

Even if that knowledge makes the world a darker place or changes my perception on things, or puts a burden on me because I now

have that knowledge. As from where to begin with, it was all puppies and ice cream.

What do you feel the universe wants you to do? How do you plan on helping people?

I help people by helping people. I’m trying, and I think we should all learn that we should have some unity with individuality.

If we could all come together, and let people just be who they wanted to be, we would be an unstoppable force; if we could come together as a species, as humans.

But not say, ‘you have to do this, you have to do this;’ but let people follow what they want to do, what they want to be because it would be a perfect conjunction.

Somebody wants to do everything. Someone wants to be a janitor. Someone wants to be a plumber. Someone wants to

days later you have to spend $2,000 on repairs and everybody’s bickering about some little thing because you’ve been stuck in a van with five other guys for a month straight.”

Blum said he hopes in the long run, the ups outweigh the downs. The band has had some adventures while on the road, including having a brand-new van stolen.

“We bought a brand-new, 12-passenger van and a trailer, and then a week later, the day before tour, the van went missing,” Fidel said. “We’d never dealt with anything remotely close to that.”

Fidel also said the band works collaboratively to write their songs.

The lyrics focus on the next step for the band, missing home and people, and love.

“When you play in a band, you get to have creative input in everything that you do,” Blum said. “Then you get to work on that creative input every single night.”

Stolen vans pending, the band will be playing at Bourbon Street Bar Thursday, Sept. 19.

For more information on the band and to purchase tickets for the concert, visit TumbleweedWanderers.com.

be a brain surgeon. If we didn’t have this, ‘you have to do this’ and not hate each other, and realize that we are all the same.

Most of what somebody can do to hurt your feelings is not what they are doing, it’s what you are letting them do because they are your feelings.

For instance, let’s say you call my mom a b----. Some people could get really, really upset. Now, is that your fault?

There are two different outcomes that could be from that, but it’s really up to me.

But if that person gets upset, it’s not you that made them angry; it’s them that made them angry to your words.

I’m just trying to bring us all together because we are amazing. We should all love each other. I don’t understand disputes of stuff or territory or religion.

We’re all human and why can’t we just agree to disagree on opinions?

I’ve actually had people tell me my opinion was wrong. It is my thoughts on a subject.

How can you tell me my thoughts on a subject are wrong? They are not facts or non-facts, they’re opinions. It’s what I think about something.

Tell us about the magic you can do.

I was born an empath. I can naturally feel people’s emotions. When I was younger, I would actually take on people’s emotions and realize that those emotions were not coming from me.

There’s a science to magic.

We are made up of energy, and everything is made up of energy.

So the energy inside of you, you can call it the spirit, chi, your will, your soul; you have this energy in yourself.

Metaphysics is using your energy to program the energy of the world.

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Intrigue B7

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn students experience sights and smells of Spain Maddie Yerant Intrigue Writer

A few people in Spain might smell, but Auburn students, who studied abroad in the country this summer, wouldn’t exactly call their trip the pits.

“People in Spain don’t wear deodorant,” said Elizabeth Orantes, senior in sociology. “And they don’t have the same concept of personal space, so it’s something you have to get used to.”

Regan Bercher, junior in marketing and Spanish, said that wasn’t the only cultural difference.

“There’s five open seats next to you, but they’ll sit right next to you on the metro,” Bercher said.

Rachel Lin, senior in Spanish and international business and another student on the trip, said they remembered thinking the same thing.

“One time we were on the metro and there was this guy behind me, and instead of telling me there was something in my hair, he reached over and pulled it out,” Lin said.

Students from the trip said polarizing cultural differences caused them to stand out from typical Spaniards.

“We stuck out,” Bercher said. “Someone saw my sweater and said ‘you’re not from here, are you?’ They don’t wear bright colors. I started wearing the same black shirt, all the time.”

However, Orantes said the locals were patient and kind, sometimes not even aware they weren’t from Spain themselves.

“I don’t necessarily look Spanish, but when I was by myself, I noticed people would automatically speak Spanish to me,” Orantes said. “When we were in bigger groups, they guessed we were foreign right away.”

According to Bercher, some adjustments to the laid-back Spanish lifestyle were harder than others.

Since students stayed with host families for the duration of the trip, they were thoroughly assimilated into the local culture.

“Our host mom, one time, told us to be home for dinner at six,” Bercher said. “We planned our

whole day around it, and we come home and she’s on the couch, smoking. She asked us why we looked so tired.”

Orantes said living with locals helped her to improve her language skills.

“I lived with a family who had a little girl,” Orantes said. “It was funny, because she would correct my grammar. It’s actually a lot easier to learn when you’re speaking to kids. Their vocabulary is simpler, and it’s easier for us to understand.”

According to Bercher, breaking the cultural divide with her host family was a two-way street.

“They don’t wash their clothes as much as we do, and my host mom would always ask why I wash mine so much,” Bercher said. “And they hang clothes to dry. One day, we open the window, and all of my thongs are hanging out there!”

Hannah Preston, junior in international business and Spanish, said one of her top moments was hitting the town with her host mom.

“She took us flamenco dancing,” Preston said.

“We went to a local dancing bar, and before that, we went and ate at a restaurant she works at. It was one of my favorite nights of the entire trip.”

Bercher said one standout memory is a David Guetta concert at a club called Fabrik the students attended as a group.

“It was an adventure for all of us, being clueless and trying to figure things out,” Bercher said. “It was crazy, but it was awesome.”

Orantes said the trip was both a fun and rewarding experience.

“I’m obsessed,” Orantes said. “And I learned so much. Being in situations where you were forced to use your language skills was helpful.

You weren’t thinking about your grammar, you were just doing it. Now, it comes out so much more naturally.”

Eventually, Orantes learned to adapt to the difference in personal hygiene.

“I bought Febreeze,” Orantes said. “It was the best 10 euros I’ve ever spent.”

contributed by elizabeth orantes

Regan Bercher, Elizabeth Orantes, Katelyn Ahern, Lauren Levan, Aspen Hancock, Grace Tenkoff, Madison Clark, Jordie Keeley, Kathryn Boswell and Sara Emily McCarty spend the day in Cartagena, Spain.

contributed by elizabeth orantes

The entire group visiting Segovia, Spain.

Engineers Without Borders take Auburn smarts to Bolivia Kailey Miller Intrigue Reporter

Auburn students are crossing borders and using their skills to make a difference for hundreds of families.

“Engineers Without Borders is a service outreach group with the College [of Engineering],” said Jourdan Beaumont, president of Engineers Without Borders. “It’s a way for students to volunteer their time to help out the community somewhere in the world.”

This year, they took a trip to Quesimpuco, Bolivia, located in the Andes Mountains.

Beaumont said their partnership focused on water security, and any type of project to help them secure more water for farming, eating, drinking, irrigation, hydroponics and showers.

The trip took place in August, and lasted 10 days.

“In previous years, [the team] installed a tank on the side of the mountain and what we’ve been doing with it is building an irrigation system off of it,” said Carson Smith, junior in civil engineering. “It’s a series of pipelines and sprinklers that they use during their dry season to secure their crop production.”

Smith said they also had a hydroponics team working in the greenhouse, where they used recycled and fertilized water to grow plants.

To get to Quesimpuco, the group landed in La Paz, Bolivia, and drove 12 hours to the community.

Stephen Smart, senior in civil engineering, said they stayed in bunkhouses that had a kitchen and a meeting area. There were gates sur-

contributed by auburn engineers without borders

The members of Quesimpuco receiving copies of the topography of the mountain they live on.

rounding the houses.

“The gates are there because people are so excited about visitors when we’re trying to have meetings, you’ll have 100 little third graders running in,” Beaumont said. “They’ll be climbing on the windows watching you cook, everyone’s super excited to see you.”

Beaumont described the Bolivian people as friendly, with a welcoming culture.

“It’s like you’re just part of the family right

The week in Tweets Auburn-related chatter on Twitter from Sept. 12–19

away,” Beaumont said.

While the people were welcoming, the difference in native languages was a challenge for the team.

“The language barrier made it difficult,” Smith said. “Sometimes, they would have to use two different translators before they could understand each other.”

However, the language barrier was part of the learning process.

“The idea is, that this group lets students become better engineers, become better business people, marketers, cross-cultural communications,” Beaumont said. “Just a unique way to develop a lot of different skills.”

Smith said his best memory from the trip was on the last day of work when they turned on the sprinkler system the group had been working on.

“I was with one of the community leaders, up by the tank, and he just started absolutely crying because he knew that the difference just from one sprinkler… the difference that that would make in the crop production and in the lives of all the people that live in that area,” Smith said. “It was beautiful.”

Engineers Without Borders is not exclusively for engineering students. Any student may become involved with the group and help in some way.

“There’s a lot of students in the group who are really dedicated to doing something more with their time than just playing Nintendo and watching TV,” Beaumont said. “That’s inspiring that you want to be a part of that… it’s really rewarding as an engineering student, and it’s also really rewarding as a person helping other people.”

Engineers Without Borders meets once a week, and invites guest speakers to talk about topics, such as sustainability and other topics relevant to the work they are doing, in Quesimpuco.

For more information, visit Eng.Auburn.edu/ organizations/EWB.

Snapshot

@jodyfuller: I was behind a truck covered in #Bama stickers & magnets, whereas my car has but one #Auburn sticker. It says “Alumni.” @AUAlumniAssoc @Ludacris: Can’t wait to get down to Auburn on Oct.4th and play at the Jungle Jam. Follow @CoachTonyBarbee for more details. #TurnUp @Hale_YeahFR: So ready for this stressful week to be over and to be in Nola/Baton Rouge this weekend!!!! #Auburn #WarEagle @JHokanson: #Auburn makes its 76th appearance on ESPN this weekend against LSU, the most of any college program. @WarBlogle: Last Saturday felt a little like 2010. Tell me it didn’t. #auburn #wareagle @TylerLahti: Between guns and smoking, there’s a lot of verbiage on #Auburn doors this semester. @BradleyDennis_: I can almost hear my parents bank account crying when I sit in the class. #Auburn #terribleprofessor @austin_preiss19: Yea that #Auburn #LSU commercial is a good pump up for this weekend! #WarEagle @LAWatkins12: Absolutely cannot wait to walk around this pretty campus everyday! #Auburn #ThePlains @jessica2911: Going to look at graduation announcements today. Just started tearing up in class!! #bittersweet #dreamschool #auburn #wareagle @megangramcrackr: That outdoor room in the middle of the #auburn #reccenter should be a butterfly garden.

contributed by zachary bland

Denzell McCray, a senior at Auburn High School, plays football with other Auburn fans on Samford lawn before the game against Arkansas State, September 7th, 2013.

Want to see your photo here? Email your best shots to photo@theplainsman.com

Intrigue B8

The Auburn Plainsman

Keep on track with MyFitnessPal Ashley Selby intrigue@ theplainsman.com

I hate diets. Like, really hate them.

When I first saw some friends using MyFitnessPal, I swore I would never be enslaved by a fitness app bullying me into eating an apple instead of a cookie, or telling me it was the 394,832nd day I’d gone without working out.

However, what I realized when I eventually downloaded the app is it really isn’t so much of a bully after all, but more of an educator.

MyFitnessPal has all the bells and whistles of a typical fitness app.

You can plug in the foods you eat, see how many calories you’ve consumed, track your weight— the whole shebang.

My favorite feature of MyFitnessPal, however, is the information I learned from it while tracking.

For example, many times I would assume a particular meal was healthy, but when I plugged it into MyFitnessPal, I was sadly mistaken.

Who knew that a Spud Max from McAlister’s Deli was almost half a day’s worth of calories?

I mean, potatoes are vegetables, right?

Little did I know that my “healthy choices” were about as good as ordering a Big Mac and a Diet Coke.

MyFitnessPal opened my eyes and made me rethink how I thought about my meal choices.

I also learned a lot about portion control.

I never realized how ridiculously oversized my portions were before I used this app.

When you plug in a whole roll of Ritz

All food intake can be recorded throughout the day.

crackers and get the calorie results, you start to rethink your life choices. Pretty soon, you’re good with 10 crackers.

One of the benefits of MyFitnessPal against other fitness apps is its extensive database.

A dilemma I would face when I got health-nut crazy, and started counting calories, is that most foods aren’t already listed in a database.

It was too much work to type in all the nutrition facts from a box or bag, so I would just skip it, not log my meals, and faster than you can say “break me off a piece of that Kit-Kat bar,” I was back to my old, terrible eating habits.

MyFitnessPal, however, is so widely used most foods are already available in the database.

I have never had to add the nutrition information manually for any food.

In addition to a large database, MyFitnessPal features a scanner that will scan the barcode of any food and import the nutrition information for you.

If you eat certain foods regularly, the app will remember and suggest them to you for certain meals.

You can also put certain foods together to form a meal, and add it to your calorie count if you ever eat it again.

For example, my “breakfast” meal consists of coffee, International Delight Almond Joy creamer, a bowl of Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch and one cup of lowfat milk.

I just click “breakfast,” and all those foods are automatically imported into my counter.

If you want to lose weight, you plug in your metrics and MyFitnessPal will calculate the best, daily caloric intake based off of your information.

Another great feature is the daily breakdown of nutrition.

Not only does the app tell you how many calories you’ve taken in, but it shows exactly where those calories came from.

You’re not doing yourself any good if you’ve only taken in 1,200 calories, but all from fats and carbs.

MyFitnessPal shows you if you’re on track for your recommended daily allowance for all nutrients and minerals. Thus, training you to aim for foods that fulfill those requirements.

MyFitnessPal is much more than a calorie-counter. It was designed to kick-start healthy habits and thinking.

I highly recommend this free app for anyone not just wanting to lose weight, but also wanting to start living a healthier lifestyle.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Summer Heat II Gautham Sambandam intrigue@ theplainsman. com

In the Soundbites feature series, The Plainsman will cover favorite releases from a variety of artists, not only critically acclaimed musicians, but also local and underground artists on the rise.

This week’s segment, a continuation of the Summer Heat series, details many of the year’s new releases.

Beach Fossils “Clash the Truth” Sixties surf-rock melodies, melancholic vocals and hazy guitars ebb and flow, much like a beach where one would find these fossils, on this Brooklyn quartet’s newest release, “Clash the Truth.”

Beach Fossils provided arguably one of the better live shows I had the privilege of witnessing in Austin at the SXSW music festival.

In songs such as “Crashed Out,” “In Vertigo,” ( featuring Blonde Redhead vocalist Kazu Makino) and even the homonymously named “Clash the Truth,” uptempo drumming and optimistic guitars underscore vocalist Dustin Payseur’s descriptions of the subtleties of life.

suicideyear “Japan” Eighteen-year-old, Baton Rouge producer James Prudhomme, who started crafting music in the sanctity of his bedroom, and now allegedly has hooked up with Young Money, constructs a 12-track instrumental release inspired by his stay in Japan.

On “Wavriel,” (shoutout to SDH.com) Prudhomme manipulates a sample of legendary flutist Bobbi Humphrey’s song “My Little Girl” for a slowsipping ride in the Lac. On “Interest,” delicate 808 kicks and hauntingly low-fidelity harp synths create a banger for a tenacious rapper to finesse through.

But on the sparse-sounding “Scarr,” Prudhomme goes for an existential sound, devoid of emotion.

However, the song is still marked by the modern hiphop signature of a barrage of high-hat rattles.

Suicideyear is helping pioneer a new sub-genre of hiphop known simply as “cloudrap.” Although poorly-named, “cloud-rap” describes a new aural sound of rattling; Lex Luger-esque beats.

However, it includes a dash of ethereal samples from old Japanese pop and the everpopular catalog of Imogen Heap.

CHAMPIONS FOR AUBURN Auburn City Schools has a rich heritage of serving our children and families. Generations of young people have been inspired and have discovered the value of challenging the mind and the body through academics, the arts and athletics.

Our schools and city are at a crossroads. We are choosing to reinvest in Auburn City Schools and our children, by voting “YES” on Sept. 24th. We encourage you to stand with us during this exciting time of growth in Auburn!

"I encourage all Auburn students to vote yes on September 24th. As the Auburn Creed says,'I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.'"

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Dr. and Mrs. Ford Laumer

Ronnie and Rosemary Anders

Brent and Laurin Beard

Mr. and Mrs. Earlon McWhorter

Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Watson

Ms. Barbara Pitts

Dr. and Mrs. Wayne Teague

Dr. Bill and Josie Walsh

Rett & Julie Moncrief

Mr. Joe Lovvorn

Dr. Joel and Carol Pittard

Dr. Tim and Marcia Boosinger

Kathy and Greg Powell

Mr. And Mrs. Allen Harris

Robert and Melissa Taylor

Mr. and Mrs. Homer H. Turner, Jr.

Mayor and Mrs. Bill Ham, Jr.

Rev. William Skoneki

Paid for by GREAT PAC, 165 E. Magnolia Avenue, Suite 203 Auburn, AL 36830