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(11/21/13 4:14am)
Part of being a good journalist is the ability to admit your mistakes and do your damnedest
to correct them.
It's rarely fun, but it has to be done.
A great example from the past few years is Ira Glass' apology for producing a false story on NPR's "This American Life."
He found out his information was wrong, said sorry, and went about correcting the mistake.
Granted, his hour-long mea culpa was a bit heavy handed, but it let the listening public know he cared about the truth even if it makes him look foolish for a while.
Now it's our turn to make an apology, but we are nowhere near sad about.
In fact, we're downright giddy.
In our Sept. 5 editorial, "Lessons from the season opener," we called for caution and patience concerning head football coach Gus Malzahn's return to The Plains.
There was a great deal of hype surrounding the beginning of this season, and we were leery of what seemed like an unfounded craze.
Although the Tigers were winning the first few games into the season, they had yet to face the real challenge of the SEC.
Nick Marshall was relatively unproven as quarterback, and we had no idea how the rest of the team could perform under a completely new staff.
Malzahn's abilities were a mystery as well.
Yes, he played a major role in the Tigers 2010 BCS Championship win, but he had Cam Newton, Michael Dyer and Nick Fairley.
This time around, he was the man in charge, and his team was a bunch of guys coming off one the worst seasons in the history of Auburn.
But he proved us wrong, and we couldn't be happier about it.
Malzahn and the Tigers have worked hard to accomplish nothing short of a miracle.
For a team to rebuild this fast is completely unheard of.
We've all heard the sports media and how confounded they are at the Tigers' success.
After the Tigers' angelic win against UGA, however, many sports journalists have become believers.
Auburn is the knight in shining armor that can save the NCAA from the ugly, fire-breathing monstrosity that is Bama.
Marshall, Sammy Coates and, now, Ricardo Louis have grown into absolute threats for Bama, and now the insufferable, toothless horde of Bammers knows it.
Sometimes it feels good to be wrong.
Sometimes it feels better than being right.
(11/13/13 10:14pm)
Do you remember how awful high school was?
The teachers were, more often than not, authoritarian babysitters. Every minute of your day was planned out; the will of the educator held sway.
You were, essentially, free of responsibility in the most malignant way possible. Your life was not your own.
Of course, this Pink Floyd-ian environment wasn't true for everyone. In fact, it probably wasn't true for the majority of students.
Nonetheless, the stark image of a dictatorial administration weaseling its way into a student's everyday life should strike fear in you.
Unfortunately, the University has a tendency to let its inner authoritarian slip out every once in a while. For example, the campus-wide smoking is an egregious use of University policy -- if you're a smoker that is.
But you don't even have to look outside of the classroom for examples of Auburn's iron fist in a silk glove.
The official University Attendance Policy states, "Specific policies regarding class attendance are the prerogative of individual faculty members." Yet that prerogative all too often results in an antiquated three-strike system.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the pointless complaining of over-privileged college students. You know the them, the frat guys who bitch and moan when they have to go to class hung over; the slackers who have reported their grandmother dead too many times to count.
However, in case you haven't noticed, we're in a recession. Everything is expensive. You can't be awake without spending money.
One of the most expensive things a person can do is get sick. If you don't have insurance, you could go into crippling debt from just one trip to the emergency room.
If you're a college student who isn't supported by their family, or is over the age of 26, God help you.
This is where the three-strike attendance policy comes in to play. When it costs you a whole paycheck just go to a doctor for sinus infection or to get an excuse for being out with food poisoning, you probably won't go.
This means no official excuse, and a loss of one or more strikes, which eventually lead to a lower final grade or even the dreaded FA.
It's a situation that needs to be amended for the times. Professors who use this policy need to understand that some of us have to work two jobs just to be able to sit in their class.
We aren't asking for a free pass to skip whenever we want. What we want is some empathy and leniency.
(11/08/13 5:41pm)
Do you think Auburn takes your education seriously?
Admittedly, that's a strange question.
Of course the University takes our education seriously, right?
They wouldn't exist if they didn't care about education and making the world a better place. It's not like Auburn is one of those wacky diploma-mill schools.
They don't have any ludicrous programs, such as six-month MBAs or eight-week paralegal certificates, and they work hard to keep their accreditation.
If you get a degree from Auburn, it means something.
So, maybe it's better to question what that degree means. In other words, how much of your time and money is spent on academic pursuits?
We can't study every day, all day. In the immortal words of Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for that!" A lot of us have jobs, and some of us have more than one.
When we are on campus, we generally want to go to class and learn. Tuition is painfully high, and most of us don't want to waste it.
Yet, the amount of unnecessary, and downright decadent amenities suggests the University is shifting its priorities to attracting more new students, more customers.
Think about the new Recreation and Wellness Center, which is called the Rec by the ultra-hip staff. Many of the students who funded this facility through their tuition dollars have graduated, and they aren't allowed to set foot in the Rec unless it is for a tour.
Yes, the Rec is a great place to break a sweat, but it's also way over the top.
Do we need a rock climbing wall? Do we need a hot tub that can seat 45 people?
The old Student Activities Center was similar to a musty, old garage. There wasn't enough equipment to go around, and during the summer it doubled as an oven.
But now we have the exact opposite. A massive facility built by a University that seems to value form over function, unless that function is making money.
The Rec is just one of many examples of the profit-driven business Auburn is turning into.
Samsung, Microsoft and Verizon all pay for advertising space on campus, and there is even a small Verizon store in the Student center.
All of this seems to serve no purpose other than making money. Despite how much we pay in tuition, despite how much we have to pay for food, the University is always asking for more.
This is not so much a call to action, but a call to think.
Your Auburn education relies on the quality of the academic elements. Not the lifestyle accouterments that seem to be taking over.
(11/01/13 4:50pm)
It's great to see the football team getting some wins. It's even more fulfilling to know those wins are the result of hard-working players, an effective coaching staff and a competent head coach.
Unfortunately, we can't say that about the basketball team.
During the last three seasons, they have been little more than a disappointment. Even with head coach Tony Barbee's much lauded ability to recruit top players, the basketball team has flopped.
Of course, the blame lies on Barbee.
He is the perfect example of athletic director Jay Jacob's poor hiring skills. Barbee represents all the misplaced hype and false potential we have seen in Auburn coaches throughout the past nine years.
Of the three seasons Barbee has been head coach, the Tigers have not once made it past the first round of the SEC tournament. More importantly, he's never had a winning season with Auburn.
For all his supposed talent in recruiting-- which was the talk of the town in 2010 --the turnover rate has been deplorable with 12 players leaving the team, and he is going into this season with six freshmen on the roster.
But this doesn't have to be the end.
Basically, this season is Barbee's last chance to keep his job at Auburn. No amount of Jungle Jams or trips to the Bahamas can change that.
When Barbee was head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso, he consistently took the Miners to the Conference USA tournament.
He even managed to take the team to the NCAA tournament before he left for Auburn.
Perhaps his time at UTE P is what inspired the hype surrounding his arrival at Auburn. It probably even helped inspire the Auburn Arena.
We can't say what happened between then and now, and it honestly doesn't matter. What does matter is that at one point, Barbee was a winner.
It's time for him to be a winner again. It's time for Barbee to prove his critics wrong.
While we are disappointed in Barbee's time as coach so far, we do want to see him succeed.
We're tired of the long, drawn-out process and all the time it takes to find a new coach -- especially one who wins.
So yes, Barbee is on notice, but that doesn't mean he can't turn it around and show us what he's capable of.
(10/24/13 5:50pm)
We did it! We beat Texas A&M.
It's still hard to believe we won a game against a team that whipped us 63-21 last year.
It's especially tough to believe we faced the mighty "Johnny Football" and didn't choke, which was the calling card of last year's Tigers' football team.
Granted, the game was close for all four quarters, but head coach Gus Malzahn and the Tigers fought for every yard, fought for every touchdown. They learned from their mistakes-- such as Sammie Coates dropping aperfect pass -- and showed a flair for adaptationthat was absent during the last two seasonsof Gene Chizik's stint as head coach.
It might seem unnecessary, but we want to thank Malzhan.
He's given the Tigers their ferocity back and showed us that Auburn is still an SEC powerhouse.
We have complete confidence in Malzahn because it only took one season for him to do what most coaches can't do in three.
We also want to thank quarterback Nick Marshall.
Marshall has shown he is a powerful quarter back in his own right. He's not a Cam Newton clone.
Yes, it's taken some time for him to get adjusted, but he looks like a solid fit, a humble leader who knows how to win. His abilities as a dual-threat quaterback are getting better every week, and we can't see him going anywhere but up.
Finally, we need to thank Robenson Therezie and Sammie Coates.
Both Therezie and Coates have rejuvenated the Tigers' defense and offense, respectively.
They have shown we don't need to hang on to the glory days of the 2010 season. We are perfectly capable of building a well-rounded team.
Improvement on such a high level, in such a short amount of time, is a rare thing in college football. Most schools can only dream of building a quality team as quickly as Malzahn has.
So, again, we want to say thank you to all the Tigers and the coaching staff for taking their jobs seriously.
(10/17/13 4:26pm)
Soccer is usually considered an auxiliary sport, something for the kids who can't or won't participate in the holy trinity of football, baseball or basketball.
Even though Major League Soccer has been around since 1996, the league's presence is overshadowed by traditional American sports.
However, soccer is here to stay -- and its popularity is growing exponentially.
Soccer has dug its cleats into the turf of American sport culture and is ready to take the spotlight.
NCAA men's soccer is proof there is a strong foundation of players and fans ready to join the rest of the world.
There are currently 204 Division-I men's teams, but Auburn isn't one of them.
That's a problem. America is on the verge of a metaphorical soccer explosion.
The United States Men's Soccer Team is up to No. 13 in the most recent FIFA World Rankings and has already qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Americans are boarding the bandwagon.
The popularity of professional soccer in America is on the rise, but so is the prevalence of college soccer.
Auburn could set an example by creating what could be one of the best programs in the SEC, and the rest of the conference would have to follow suit.
Of course, no sport will ever be bigger than football in the SEC, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for something else.
In such dire economic times, diversity is key.
It's not a good idea to sit on our husky American laurels and pretend football is the be-allend-all of athletic competition.
Basically, men's soccer would be an investment that would pay off substantially in the long run because we would be establishing our dominance early -- establishing an SEC tradition.
There is already a men's soccer club team, which has had a history of success, so a promotion to a fully sanctioned University sport is not that large of a jump.
Auburn's possible promotion to NCAA Men's D-I soccer could even force the hand of the SEC to include men's soccer under its already expansive umbrella.
Yes, we would have to add another women's sport to remain in compliance with Title IX, but that isn't a bad thing either.
We can't rely on football forever.
It's the money-maker, but it's also a big business that fully embraces all the heartlessness of corporate culture.
Auburn is not the scrappy underdog it used to be; it's a behemoth that feeds off profit.
So why not join the rest world and have a good time while we're at?
Let men's soccer into your hearts, Auburn.
Sure, it may seem pointless now, but it's not our style to follow trends.
We create them.
(10/11/13 1:18pm)
A common stereotype among elderly southerners, and maybe elderly people in general, is the grandmother or grandfather who says what they want, when they want... even if it's offensive.
They like to reminisce about the good ol' days when life was simpler, people made sense and everything fit in to neat categories.
However, their recollections usually reflect a time when racism and gender inequality were the way the world worked -- the harsh reality of those neat categories.
Pat Dye is the Auburn Family's misguided grandfather.
We love him; he's done a lot for the family, but he also says things that make us cringe.
Dye's comments on Condoleezza Rice's appointment to the new College Football Playoff committee during an interview on the Oct. 7 edition of WJOX's "The Morning Drive," were completely asinine.
They are the words of an old man from a generation that thinks women should only function in the domestic capability. It's doubtful Dye is an outright chauvinist with an anti-woman agenda, but what he said was wrong.
Unfortunately, the embarrassment doesn't just land on Dye.
Even though his words are solely his own, he is a representative of the Auburn family -- one of our de facto patriarchs.
So, his lack of verbal control makes us look bad.
Dye's comments reinforce the patriarchy that has long plagued college sports. His sentiments echo the prevailing mode of operation before Title IX.
You may think we are reading too much in to what he said.
But think about what would have happened if Paul Finebaum were appointed to the College Football Playoff committee.
Nothing.
Despite the fact his resume is less impressive than Rice's, despite the fact he has probably never taken a tackle, the reaction to his appointment would be minimal.
His gender would never be an issue, nor would it reflect poorly on his qualifications for the job.
Rice has accomplished a lot.
Even if you don't agree with her political allegiances, it's hard to deny her prowess as an individual who know how to work hard and achieve.
It comes down to the age-old stereotype of girls being bad at, or not caring about, sports, which Dye seems to treat as gospel truth.
If Rice is as big a sports fan as she claims to be, then we see no problem with her sitting on the committee. We think she can use her non-football related work experience to bring some much needed objectivity to the fledgling playoff system.
The good ol' days are over, and although we still struggle with racism and gender inequality, we don't have to play along anymore.
(10/05/13 5:19pm)
Perhaps we're just bitter; perhaps we're jaded.
But we know when we've had enough.
Auburn has become a place where mediocre bands go to die, and the UPC is to blame.
Think about it. During the past four years we've had two currently popular -- let alone talented -- acts perform on The Plains.
But a visit from T-Pain and Girl Talk doesn't excuse what we see as a current misuse of UPC funds in bringing has-been or low-talent artists, such as Eric Hutchinson and Gloriana, to campus.
Sure, everybody has different tastes.
Some people even, for reasons beyond our understanding, liked Train. That's fine with us, we aren't talking about taste.
What we are talking about is an obvious lack of effort.
The UPC does work hard putting on all the events they have during the year, but it seems like they have low standards when it comes to finding artists to play here.
For instance, Gloriana and Eric Hutchinson aren't even close to being top-billing acts.
Maybe some of the money they spend on all the other sparsely attended events could be put toward finding more relevant performers.
The basketball team, in a desperate effort to find favor with a quickly waning fan base, was able to book Ludacris and Mike Epps.
Although, this move seems more like window dressing on a condemned building, the names say it all.
Big name acts want to come to Auburn.
However, UPC appears to be content with operating in a field of mediocrity.
Instead of aiming for the stars, they are aiming for whatever is cheapest.
There is a process to booking bands and comedians.
It takes time and money. Sometimes the acts you want lose interest, or get offered more money to play somewhere else.
But booking acts no one has heard of, or cares about, is like giving up.
We know they have the power and the resources to bring acts that could sell out the Arena many times over.
Yes, we are disappointed about what's in store for us at Bodda Getta Bash, but it isn't the end.
And while we chide the UPC for their lackluster booking skills, we also want to encourage them and let them know the students have high hopes.
They have a new chance, every semester, to make a lasting impression, to help create memories that will bring happiness for many years to come.
But it won't happen until they realize there is little room for mediocrity in the Auburn family.
(09/26/13 7:07pm)
A college education seems to be more important than ever. The job market is abysmal and anyone who doesn't have at least a bachelor's degree might as well print his or her resume on toilet paper.
What's waiting for us after graduation is less of what the "real adult" world should be and more of an extended nightmare.
We are put under incredible pressure to outperform, out-impress and out-qualify all of the competition. Overachieving is our lifeblood.
So, naturally, we look for some help. Unfortunately, that help often comes in the form of Adderall.
And why shouldn't it?
The little blue pills are relatively cheap, and it seems too easy to find a person who has a prescription -- if you don't already have one yourself.
According to author Greg Critser, in his book "Geration Rx: How perscription drugs are altering American lives, minds, and bodies," Generation Y or millennials, has become one of the most medicated generations in history.
Baby boomers pop pills just as much as we do, by the way.
Some people do need medicines such as Adderall, not to study, but to function.
Yet, it seems all too common for otherwise healthy high school and college students to take Adderall as a substitute for time management.
It has become the go-to remedy for gaining as much knowledge as possible in the shortest amount of time.
We don't want to go on an anti-drug tirade because those are typically ineffective and alienating, but we do want to say Adderall is not the answer.
When students take Adderall, they medicate a symptom, but not the underlying condition.
In many cases, the condition is our own hubris.
Sure, we can go faster, learn more, stay up longer, but at what cost?
Instead of fighting against the systems that created the poor economy and even poorer job market, we take it out on ourselves. We buy into the idea that this is reality, and we have to deal with it.
But this isn't the way it has to be; we don't have to swallow pills to make it easier to cope.
We have the potential to be the generation that makes a difference and breathes new life into an ailing nation.
That potential is dying, however, and Adderall is killing it.
(09/19/13 7:20am)
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 communication 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.
(09/14/13 6:56am)
Remember when we were "All In"?
It was such a glorious time. Former head football coach Gene Chizik was at the helm and the national championship was ours for the taking.
Then it all went away-- fast. Cam was gone, and we were left like a jilted lover, trying to figure out why it all went wrong.
We were tired and desperate. The Tigers played like they didn't care, and Chizik appeared to be a million miles away. We were all out-- all out of patience, all out of spirit and, most unfortunately, all out of wins.
Now Gus Malzahn has come back, the super nice, best friend ready to give us a shoulder to cry on and some good, solid advice to get us out of the pity party.
Sure, he could be all talk and no game, but we haven't seen any evidence of that thus far.
So, why are we still acting like life hurts?
Why are we still acting like it's too much trouble to stay for a whole game?
Arkansas State University and Washington State University are not SEC schools. It may not have seemed important to stay out in the hot sun, roasting in the student section while we played these little schools.
However, now is when we need to make our presence known the most.
Strength in numbers is the best way to let the rest of the SEC know we mean business.
Yes, we have a baby team with a new head coach, but we also have enough energy and desire to win to help propel that team to, at least, the SEC championship.
When the student section empties at halftime, we look like jerks and fair-weather fans.
It's fun to call bammers fair-weather fans, and point out most of them didn't even attend the university they love so much. But when actual Auburn students behave that way, it's disgraceful.
This season, our first conference game is at home against Mississippi State.
We believe it would strike fear into the heart of the Bulldogs if the student section was packed with thousands of screaming, unnervingly energetic Auburn men and women.
Imagine the morale boost it would give the Tigers.
It's time to make show of strength. Let MSU, LSU, Bama and all the rest know we are back, and ready to do some damage.
(09/05/13 3:38pm)
We won, and it feels good.
The joy of rolling Toomer's, even without the trees, almost brought tears to our eyes. Campus seems to be brighter, and the general mood around town is positivity laced with optimism.
Almost every Auburn fan is singing Head Coach Gus Malzahn's praises. He gave us what we need so desperately, what we crave: a win.
But we wouldn't be doing our job as journalists if we didn't bring a healthy dose of skepticism to the party.
Can it really be as good as it feels? Is Malzahn the second coming?
We want so much to believe. It hurts to even imagine this season not going well, but all we have to go on is a seasonopener that was far less than impressive. Perhaps it was just a young team finding its legs, a baby tiger learning how to walk.
Maybe they're saving the excellence for an SEC team. Either way, it's just too soon to tell.
We could make predictions, jump on the sports media bandwagon and play fortune teller, but what good does that do?
The hype surrounding Malzahn's return to The Plains has been well deserved. It's part morale booster, part nostalgia for the 2010 season. However, this hype has the potential to make an underwhelming season seem that much worse.
Robenson Therezie gave us some hope, but one star player out of a team of high-profile recruits is disappointing, especially against a school such as Washington State.
Nick Marshall had a rough go of it; he played more like Kiehl Frazier than Cam Newton. If we've learned anything over the past few seasons, it's that the Tigers need an effective QB to anchor the rest of the team and take the leadership role.
So get pumped up, wave your shakers and scream War Eagle as loud as you can.
But remember the lessons of the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and don't believe the hype.
(08/29/13 3:22pm)
Students are doing it, employees are doing it and you better believe tailgaters and fans are going to do it.
You can see the signs and stickers in front of, and on, every building on campus, but you can also still see the ash cans.
Right now, it looks like smoking is here to stay.
Two weeks in and the campus-wide smoking ban looks to be more bark than bite, which is a good thing no matter which side you're on.
The new smoke-free Auburn is an affront to any member of the Auburn Family that smokes.
It was instituted through non-democratic means, and relies on students and faculty informing on each other as its enforcement.
Smokers were given no chance to speak for themselves, and no chance for compromise.
The policy goes beyond just simple health and wellness policies, and has its feet firmly planted in the realm of authoritarian nonsense.
So yes, we say it's a good thing the policy has had little effect on smoking on campus for smokers and non-smokers alike.
For smokers, the benefit of the policy's lackluster impact is obvious. For non-smokers, the benefit comes from not being expected to enforce a ridiculous prohibition or rat out fellow students.
Why should a policy alienating a portion of the Auburn Family be allowed to succeed?
According to the sanctions clause of the Smoke-Free Campus Policy, "Individuals refusing to comply with this policy and repeat offenders must be addressed through the existing disciplinary policies outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, Faculty Handbook and the Human Resource policies housed in the University Policy Database."
The sanctions system, as stated in the Student Code of Conduct, follows a two-strike method with the strikes being an informal and formal warning. After that, the sanctions escalate severely.
A smoker who habitually violates the policy may face probation, suspension, expulsion and even be expected to give restitution to the University.
If this seems a little harsh, that's because it is. These sanctions were intended to punish cheating, vandalism and other serious offenses.
Yet, they are being used to scare smokers into following the smoke-free policy.
Using the sanction system against smokers is a low blow.
In essence, the offices who instituted the policy said smokers deserve the same punishment as cheaters and vandals.
We can't even say the punishment doesn't fit the crime because there is no crime.
The statistics and studies on second-hand smoke show you would need to inhale massive amounts to cause any damage, and even then, it's a matter of chance.
Do we even need to mention all this smokingis going on outside?
We want to challenge the Office of Risk Management and Safety and the Office of Health and Wellness Services to take a step back from their anti-smoking fervor, and look at what they are doing, what they are asking us to do.
There has to be a compromise. Tattling on each other is not the answer, and suspending or expelling students certainly isn't either.
(08/22/13 3:36pm)
Auburn football is great for the most part.
Yes, last season was dismal, but we have been riding a tidal wave of optimism ever since Coach Gus Malzahn made his triumphant return to The Plains.
Perhaps that is what makes the Auburn Family so special: we're serial optimists.
It will always be better next year; the new coach will always lead us to victory; and the new recruits will always score a million touchdowns.
When we lose, we briefly mourn, but then it's on to the next game, the next season.
But could we benefit from some pessimism? Malzahn appears to have made some tremendous strides with the team. We're almost certain he's going to do better than last season.
He has to.
Yet, the Aug. 16 arrest of Demetruce McNeal on a charge of second degree possession of marijuana has us thinking it's time to be pessimistic or, at the least, critical.
Auburn players and crime have become comfortable bedfellows during the past few years. The list of transgressors includes legends such as Michael Dyer and Dakota Mosley and a handful of other star recruits.
Unfortunately, the list keeps growing.
We aren't going to be like Selena Roberts and make a bunch of spurious claims that have little to no evidence behind them.
We aren't even going to suggest there may be a conspiracy to keep troublemaker players under wraps until it's too late.
There aren't enough tinfoil hats in The Plainsman office for us to make such a lofty allegation.
What concerns us is the sheer number of players breaking the law.
Granted, some laws are antiquated and unnecessary, but this isn't about that.
Auburn players shouldn't be above reproach; they are more than just football players.
We aren't wagging our fingers at them because that is childish. They're adults and
can make their own choices. But we are saying enough is enough.
Football players are, for all intents and purposes, demigods at Auburn.
To say they get preferential treatment is an understatement.
So we don't think it's too much to ask for them to not get arrested. Our words, however, are falling on ears that have been covered for a long time.
What makes these guys act so foolishly?
You should ask the same question and ask it often.
Take our lead and voice your concerns to the athletic department.
Athletics Director Jay Jacobs has told The Plainsman before that his job is to address the concerns we have about the football program, or any sport for that matter. But this question seems to be taboo.
If it's just a matter of poor recruiting, then why not admit to it?
To us, it seems like a larger problem that may get worse before we see the end of it.
Football players are humans too, and they have the same reactions to stress we do.
Unfortunately for them, the system is creating an environment for them to act out in ways that make all of the Auburn Family look bad.
(07/25/13 7:57pm)
It's a trend at The Plainsman to start the summer semester expecting nothing to happen and end it feeling surprised so much has happened. This summer has been no different.
Admittedly, there have been a few weeks were we've struggled to find newsworthy content. The town of Auburn doesn't shut down during the summer, but it does seem to go in to a weird type of part-time hibernation.
Local businesses switch to summer hours; downtown is less lively on the weekend; and campus is like a ghost town. For those students who stay in town, more time is spent drinking by the pool or working than paying attention to the school that dominates the majority of their year.
But news doesn't take a summer vacation.
The Zimmerman trial, its subsequent fallout, and the scandal involving Paula Deen's alleged old-time racism have reinvigorated the national conversation on race. Both events are bleak reminders we are far from living in a post-racial society, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true.
Unfortunately, the news media has saturated every bit of its daily content with Zimmerman and other race-related topics, and it's almost maddening. These stories seem like nothing more than bottom-of-the barrel tidbits meant to illicit anger and drive up ratings.
However, exploitation of the racial divide has only been a small portion of this summer's news cycle.
One of the more dark chapters in the University's history finally came to a close with Dakota Mosley pleading guilty to the 2011 robbery at Conway Acres Trailer Park. Moseley, along with Shaun Kitchens, Mike McNeil and Antonio Goodwin, all former football players, have put a stain on the Auburn Family name, and it's good see them own up to their mistakes, even if it took a little legal cajoling.
The scandal they caused will last a lot longer than we want it to. Unfortunately, it also gives pseudo-journalists, such as Selena Roberts, ammunition in their misguided quest to expose the imaginary system of graft and corruption supposedly ruling the athletic department.
There have also been some positive news events this summer, events that made our job much more enjoyable and reminded us why we do what we do.
After a long battle with Dean Hardgrave and the College of Business administration, students and alumni with the aviation management program were able to save the Flight Program. We couldn't be happier this Auburn institution was not tossed by the wayside. It would have been damn near criminal to cheat Aviation students out of such a promising career for such trivial reasons.
We were also delighted to see the athletic department take some initiative and hire some coaches more likely to get us some wins, which we desperately need. It was unfortunate to se John Pawlowski and Tina Deese leave after all the hard work they put in, but it was time.
If the firing of Gene Chizik has taught us anything, it's that a coach has to be able lead his or her team to victory. No, we don't have to win a national championship every year - even though it would be nice - but losing so much they don't even get a chance to get a title is unacceptable.
We wish baseball coach Sunny Galloway and softball coach Clint Myers the best and hope they can help put us back on top, where we know we belong.
And we believe that can be said for the rest of Auburn as well.
We want to leave you this summer with a sense of hope. Although we tend to focus on the negative, which seems to dominate our paper some weeks, we genuinely believe the Auburn community is growing stronger.
So don't let the Varez Wards, Harvey Updykes, and Desmonte Leonards of the world bring you down, Auburn. Yes, they may be bad news now, but we are stronger and better than they will ever be, and that is why believe in Auburn and love it.
(07/19/13 2:12am)
Health regulations can save lives and generally make the United States a better place to live. Compare the beef and pork industries of the early 20th century to their present counterparts.
When Upton Sinclair wrote "The Jungle," germ theory was still in its infancy, and it was commonplace for meat packers to send diseased meat through to the public. Packing plants were so bad men and women would frequently die at work from exposure to all kinds of filth in factories that were little more than giant sewers.
Thankfully, we've come a long way since the days of the meat packing barons. There are all manner of health and safety regulations that, for the most part, keep us from dying off by the hundreds of thousands from completely preventable diseases.
But what happens when these regulations go too far?
Of course, we're talking about smoking bans. If you've read our editorials during the past year, you know we believe smoking bans to be an unnecessary show of authority that infringe upon the personal freedom of a minority.
Smoking is not a right, but it's also not a revocable privilege. We believe if you are a consenting adult, then you should be able to smoke, drink, party, etc. as long as you don't inflict harm on another. \0x2028
Now, you probably think secondhand smoke is inflicting harm on others, and we believe that too. But we think making a compromise, such as the "25-foot rule," is a lot more effective and democratic than prohibition.
None of that seems to matter though. The opinions of smokers are rarely, if ever, considered.
Auburn will officially become a smoke-free campus Aug. 21, and we can't help but shake our heads. The University began a gradual push to this prohibition last year, and the laughable regulations it's had up to this point have been ineffective.
We want to believe the smoking prohibition will be ineffective as well. It has all the ingredients for an underwhelming influence on campus life.
"We are going to take an educational approach to enforcement because education will be key to implementing this process. We're also going to ask people for voluntary compliance," said Eric Smith, director of health promotion and wellness services.
Perhaps, taking an educational approach will foster an atmosphere of comprise and smoking will never truly be eliminated from campus, which is fine with us. Unfortunately, the delivery of said education seems flawed.\0x2028Along with cessation programs and signs, non-smokers will be gently encouraged to do the nagging.
"If you as a member of the Auburn Family see someone smoking, we are going to ask that you maybe say something to them," Smith said. "If you don't feel comfortable, that's fine. I definitely don't want to make people uncomfortable, but we are going to ask that everyone on campus abide by this policy."
Maybe that will work. It probably won't.
But what about game day? What about the fans who like to smoke on the ramp and socialize?
"If you see a visitor smoking, it could be as simple as saying, 'Hey, we're a smoke-free campus now.' Hopefully the communication and signage will take care of that need," said Smith.
Again, we are all about compromise. Cooperation seems to be a dying value in American culture. However, smoking prohibition, enforced by passive-aggressive comments and a multitude of signs doesn't come anywhere close to teamwork.
If you don't feel like quitting smoking, then don't. If you do, then go for it. It's that simple. Don't let an authoritarian form of control dictate how you live.
(07/12/13 12:39am)
If you've been paying attention to the news lately, or really even just been cognitively present at all, there are two recent happenings that have been hard to ignore: the Paula Deen scandal and the Trayvon Martin case.
With these happenings come two glaring elements that we can't help but notice: both have been blown out of proportion by the media, and both have largely been defended on either side according to race.
Of course there are intricacies to these stories that reach far beyond the color of our skin, and there are exceptions to every blanket statement.
That being said, we continue to see a pattern of aid being blindly delivered based solely on race.
When Paula Deen got ravaged by the media for using racial slurs, we observed masses - mostly Caucasian masses - rushing to her defense. Copies of her testimony circulated throughout the Internet and butter-themed memes insisting we leave Paula alone cropped up in every social media outlet. \0x2028
Now that The Project of Excellence in Journalism has reported the Trayvon Martin case to be the first story in 2012 featured more than the presidential race, we see the same pattern arising.
When thousands gathered in New York to rally for justice over the death of Martin, photos went viral, primarily of African Americans, standing in his defense. Shirts were donned reading, "Am I next?" and shouts of "we want arrests" were heard in reference to one of the most complicated cases the justice system has seen.
So the question we want to ask is why? Why do we still choose to blame or defend national figures outside of our personal reach based on race instead of who we believe is right?
If racism is something we're actively trying to combat, why does it seem like the vast majority is still automatically siding with its skin color when controversy arises?
Maybe it's an ingrained instinct of generations past we're still trying to shake, maybe as a society we're failing to evaluate a situation fully before taking a stance, or maybe we (the media) have ourselves to blame.
We can't say if Trayvon was murdered in the first degree or if Paula's comments truly were made in poor taste, but we can say these stories have received mountains of media attention.
And though racial conflict is a focal point of attention given by the media in both of these stories, we don't see light necessarily being shed on racial injustices. Instead, we see divisions forming because of the nature of the constant coverage.
In placing such a fierce emphasis on stories involving bigotry within specific situations, we have created a much more encompassing conflict by fueling a flame social activists and ordinary citizens have tirelessly been trying to stamp out.
If we want these issues to subside, we have to stop jumping on the bandwagon that's most fitting to our racial profile.
(06/28/13 1:04am)
There is never enough money to go around.
We want to be wealthy, eat fancy food and wear fancy clothes, but there just isn't enough money for us all to live the lavish lifestyle we yearn for.
Someone always gets left out.
Nationally, so-called "too big to fail" banks and corporations are the ones with all the money right now, and most of us are the ones left out of the loop. The leaders of these organizations make multi-million dollar salaries, while some of us eat bologna sandwiches three times a day.
They didn't necessarily earn their money, but they hold onto every cent just as if they had toiled day in and day out, dreaming of a champagne-filled Jacuzzi and a penthouse in the sky. Many a Cayman Island and Swiss bank account is filled with American money the country will never see again.
But hey, that's capitalism.
Those of us who will only ever use the nasty hot tub at the local gym, filled with boring old water, will just have to make do. We can complain and protest all we want, but that money isn't going anywhere near our wallets.
However, locally, there is actually potential for this sad trend to be disrupted, and a worthy group of University students helped out along the way.
As many of you know, Auburn's Aviation Management Professional Flight Program is in danger of being shut down by Bill Hardgrave, dean of the College of Business. The main reason Hardgrave wants to shut down the program is a supposed decline in students and a lack of instructors.
Without the instructors and the flight school, the program will lose accreditation and the prestige it has garnered during 41 years of excellence in the field.
Unfortunately, that's not even the worst part.
If the program is allowed to end and eventually shut down, many current and future aviation management students will be cheated out of jobs in the growing Alabama aviation industry. These are jobs that companies want to give to Auburn graduates because they know the program produces highly qualified professionals.\0x2028Take the University's recent partnership with JetBlue Airways as a perfect example of what will be lost.\0x2028So we say the College of Business should reinvest in what has already proven to be a deserving program.
Raymond J. Harbert's recent donation of $40 million, along a $15 million match campaign from other alumni, couldn't have come at better time. The College of Business now has a name and enough money to become a competitor on the national level.
According to a press release posted on the new Raymond J. Harbert College of Business website, one of the key ways the money will be spent is to "recruit and retain top faculty members in such areas as finance, business analytics and supply chain management."
Aviation management should definitely be part of that list. If the College of Business wants to establish itself as a prominent institution for business education, then it needs to learn to appreciate one of its most important programs.
(06/20/13 9:00pm)
Unless you are a professor, a member of the administrative staff, or have a building named after you or your family, parking on campus is a task best left to fools and madmen.
Parking services has no qualms about issuing tickets with inflated values. They'll even put a wheel lock on your car if you have more than two tickets, despite the fact it keeps your vehicle in the forbidden space longer. Sure, the people who work for parking services, the ones who give out the tickets, are only doing their jobs. It's not their fault parking on campus is an atrocity. They need to work like everybody else.
Don Andrae, manager of parking services and member of the Traffic and Safety Committee, said, "We've lost 3,000 spaces in five years... There are only 10,000 spaces for 26,000 students and 6,000 faculty."
The Traffic and Parking Committee, comprised of students, faculty and staff, definitely deserves some of the blame. They started the process of change claiming they wanted to make things better, and they came out giving us the metaphorical finger.
Yet, we bought it, and we're still buying it. We've allowed parking enforcement and regulation to become a big business. So we deserve the rest of the blame.
"I would be the first to admit that we have a problem. But we have to work together to satisfy student requirements," said Andrae.
Perhaps it's complacency, perhaps most of us just like giving money to the University, the answer isn't clear. What is clear is the current parking system is a quagmire of arbitrary space designations and unfair policing of those spaces. Do we need so many A and B lots? What's wrong with driving on Mell Street. between 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.? Why can A and B permit holders park in C lots?
Registration for 2013-2014 permits begins July 1. You could pay the $60 for a C or $160 to be put in the lottery for a PC permit, or you could send the Traffic and Parking Committee an email demanding change. You could even say you won't purchase a pass until the cost for a permit is lowered to its 2010 price of $30 for a C permit. If you feel like it, remind them tuition has been increased, and there is less money to go around. After all, that's what this all about: money.
"We don't make any money from tickets," Andrae said.
According to Andrae, the current parking system has caused a reduction in the amount of money brought in by tickets, money which is put into the University's general fund, and that is a sign of the systems effectiveness.
For the 2011-12 academic year, Parking Services had a revenue of $611,000 from tickets. As opposed to the current 2012-13 academic year in which they only received $426,729.
"If anything, I should be hearing from the upper administration for losing money," Andrae said.
There are most certainly not enough spaces to go around. But controlling those spaces with a bureaucratic enforcement agency only serves to demean those of us who have to commute because they can't wait on a bus that takes thirty minutes to go just a few miles. We are more than willing to work with the Traffic and Parking Committee, but it has to show initiative too.
Having five students on your committee does not accurately represent the larger student voice. Asking us to rely more on Tiger Transit when the busses are anything but reliable is not right. They say they are always working to improve, so let's keep them on task.
(06/19/13 10:13pm)
One year ago, I met the most hated man in Auburn.
I was nervous, inexperienced and had just begun my first semester as community news editor for The Plainsman.
He was on trial, unhealthy and understandably miserable.
Despite all of this, Harvey Updyke was nothing short of polite.
We spoke for a time about a variety of topics. I learned we're both Louisiana residents. In fact, he and his wife, Elva, have a house about 45 minutes west of my parents'.
I also learned he and an unnamed accomplice did, indeed, poison the Toomer's oak trees.
Even so, we smiled, shook hands and Elva and I exchanged contact information to do a feature on Updyke in the future.
None of us knew we would never speak again.
None of us understood the price of being honest.
Much has changed since June 19, 2012, when Updyke confessed his guilt to me during his own jury selection, and most who care know the rest of the story.
I published an article detailing the confession and was subsequently subpoenaed and placed under a gag order. After Updyke's attorney called me a liar, my name was apparently changed to "student journalist" and The Plainsman then became "Auburn's student-run newspaper." Under the gag order, I was defenseless.
But that's not the issue. Updyke has now served his sentence, the trees have been removed and I can now speak and write freely once more.
A year removed, I will say this: I imagined the day going much differently before I spoke to Updyke.
I saw Updyke for the first time earlier that day. Judge Jacob Walker read the charges against Updyke, and with each word, Updyke's eyelids drooped lower and his breathing became more labored.
After tweeting the observation and having it questioned, I went to the source. The Updykes stood by themselves outside the elevator at the Lee County Justice Center. I had left everything but my cell phone in my bag. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I settled for texting quotes and notes to myself.
Updyke confirmed that he felt ready to "pass out" all morning, and the two were more than candid about Updyke's somewhat publicized health issues.
The numbers alone were staggering: 62 pounds lost since his arrest, 18 different medications in his system and thousands of Auburn fans clamoring for him to end his days in a cell.
Numerous stories portraying his mistakes had poured from the media outlets (including The Plainsman) almost daily. But part of journalism is occasionally advocating for the devil, and I wanted Auburn to know the man being demonized.
The father whose daughter would no longer speak to him. The Alabama fan whose beloved university banned him from its campus, stadiums included.
To me, it was only fair.
The chance for a sympathetic piece passed by when his candor spread to the crime he had pleaded innocent of. When he admitted he was involved in the incident, he said that was all he would say about the matter. And yet the question came to my lips anyway as a sort of due diligence, anticipating a "no comment."
"So, what happened that night?"
In this case, the former Texas state trooper was a straight shooter: "Did I do it? Yes."
Harvey and Elva watched as I took notes on my phone. Even so, we said farewell amicably and left on good terms. I had just met with the most despised man on The Plains, and I left with sympathy for the devil. Not to mention an obligation to create more mayhem in an already difficult situation.
Maybe it was all an orchestrated plot to change the venue or add credibility to his insanity defense. Perhaps Updyke truly had given up.
Whatever the reason, as a journalist, his confession was breaking news, immeasurably more important than any softer feature story.
As an Auburn man, the destruction of the historic oaks was deserving of punitive measures. And yet, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. I still do. Had I never spoken to Harvey Updyke, the biased Tiger in me would most likely still loathe him.
Updyke still has an elephant's share of lawsuits to deal with, but one year later, I can only hope he's beginning to get his life back together.