Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer - The Auburn Plainsman

News

College Students are Turning to Food Stamps

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | December 8

In these trying economic times, more and more college students are turning to food stamps in order to save money.Tuition is constantly increasing at most universities across the nation and food costs are rising.Students are sometimes reduced to eating cheap and unhealthy meals because of a lack of funds in the bank account.College students are turning to food stamps to aid with their basic food needs.Some may say it's embarrassing to pay with food stamps, but those are the ones whose parent's are buying their groceries.Barry Spear, public information officer for the Department of Human said there are approximately 11,000 college students in Alabama receiving some type of food assistance.Senior in Elementary Education Cherelle Young has been using food stamps for the past three years, but was recently cut-off from the food assistance program because of recent unemployment.An upperclassman friend of hers told her about the program when she first started college.

Sports

AU Runner Earns National Honors

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | December 3

The Auburn Tigers Football team (7-5, 3-5 SEC) was one catch away from spoiling it all for the No.

News

How To: Regift a Gift Without Getting Caught

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | December 3

To regift or not to regift is the question. Some may say it's a faux pas, and some may be more attuned to follow the "what they don't know won't hurt them" motto, but whatever the case may be, regifting is a serious issue.MP Dunleavey wrote "12 rules for regifting" for MSN.com's Money Section.

Campus

Past Aubies Reflect on Time as Mascot

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 19

Aubie stands as one of the official symbols for Auburn University to many Auburn students and fans alike.Julian Holmes created the prototype decades ago, yet the same costume is still worn today.Every five years there is a "Friends of Aubie" reunion at the University and all the alumni come together to celebrate.Debbie Shaw, vice president of alumni affairs, hosts what she calls a geographic reunion in Atlanta during the Auburn-Georgia game, because she said so many past "Friends of Aubie" live in the area.Shaw said the geographic reunion is their chance to go to them, instead of having them come back to Auburn."It has been extremely important to me that we stay connected with these folks," Shaw said, who served as adviser to Aubie for 20 years before handing the position over to Mike Reynolds four years ago.

Campus

Auburn Media Digital Resource Lab Goes Modern

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 19

The Media Digital Resource Lab, or MDRL as students and faculty know it, is the one-stop shop for class projects, especially digital needs, such as editing video and making posters.Students can either use the Mac computers or PCs, which features the entire Adobe Creative Suite, high-end video editing such as Final Cut and the iLife series.There are also two large-format printers that print 36-inch-wide rolls.Students can use the MDRL's resources as long as it's for class."Society as a whole is moving toward a digital world," said Gary Hawkins, information technology specialist, who has worked in the MDRL for the past five years.

News

'Early to Rise' Increases Productivity

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 12

This is college. Who wakes up early?Brittany Haverland, sophomore in pre-nursing, does. She said it gives her more time to complete her schoolwork.Dr. Fred Kam at AU Medical Clinic said waking up early allows people to be more productive throughout the day."We as humans have a certain rhythm, so there's things, physiological things, that happen within our body and brains that gets us up and gets us going," Kam said.

News

Doctors Try and Focus on Building Relations

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 12

The relationship students have with their doctors could be one of the most important relationships they foster.Doctors have to find a happy medium when dealing with their patients.

News

Celebrity Students Share Experiences With Fame

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 5

The lifestyle of the rich and famous may be unfamiliar to the majority of Auburn students, but for two, it's not so foreign.Morgan Jackson, sophomore in communication disorders, is the daughter of famed Auburn athlete, Bo Jackson.Shaina Freeman, senior in human development and family studies with a concentration in childhood adolescents, was "Shaina" on the '90s hit kid's TV show, Gullah Gullah Island.Auburn is a far cry from the upscale Chicago area where Jackson calls home, but she says she thinks Auburn is a great place, nonetheless."I think it's funny because people are always staring and saying 'Oh my god, Bo,'" Jackson said.

News

ISO Offers Cultural Awareness

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 5

Students don't have to travel far to learn about different cultures. International Student Organization promotes an understanding and better relationship among students from different countries.It strives to create a medium for interactions among students, faculty, staff and the community, according to the organization's preamble.Any student, faculty or staff at the University can become a member, whether he or she is American or from a different country."We have more than 850 students that are from more than 80 countries," said Vokam Barim, sophomore in biomedical sciences and secretary of ISO.The mission is to help international students get used to this country, Barim said."One thing I loved that Dr. Green said last year is that we want international students to learn about this new culture and share their culture with the students here so when they go back, they'll have that experience and use it in their communities," Barim said.Barim said they work with students to make them feel at home and get acquainted with the campus by having movie nights, athletic tournaments and talent shows.They also host social hour, a weekly event held every Friday on the third floor of the Student Center where members come out to talk and get to know one another over pizza, drinks and games.The Recognition Banquet is an annual event where the ISO honors outstanding international students who have excelled in academics and research.More than 200 students were honored at the last banquet, according to the organization's newsletter.The organization's biggest event is the annual Peace Dinner, where people from different countries share their food and culture with one another.

News

SenseCam Records Daily Life

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 5

Those for whom MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are not sufficient to divulge the minutiae of their lives to the world, there is now the Microsoft SenseCam.A device developed by the Microsoft lab in Cambridge, England, the SenseCam takes pictures documenting one's life throughout the day."You can in fact, recall your whole day," said Gordon Bell, principle researcher for Microsoft.