Articles written by Brittney Williford

UPC gets artsy

wpolley — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:48:24 -0400

Sarah Bishop, a UPC volunteer: collects votes for best artwork on display at UPC’s Student Art Exhibition. Five students entered the contest to be displayed in Starbucks. Brittney Williford / PHOTO STAFF

A collection of eight paintings and photographs by students fill the nook of the second floor of the Student Center next to the Foy Information Desk.

The exhibition, which began Monday and runs through tomorrow, is held by UPC.

“I decided to have this event because there aren’t a lot of places for art students to show their work in Auburn,” said UPC director of fine art Olivia Martin.

Submission was open to all students.

“We had about five people submit pieces, which is pretty good considering it is the first time we have done this,” Martin said.

Students were able submit any type of art, such as drawings, paintings and photography.

UPC volunteer Sarah Bishop, a freshman in business, is one of several UPC members helping with the exhibit.

Students can stop by the display and vote for their favorite.

Kenyan speaker brings theories on climate change, extinction to Auburn

wpolley — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:30:43 -0400

The earth may be facing a major extinction in the near future, said Kenyan paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey in his lecture Monday afternoon in the Science Center Auditorium.

The lecture, titled “The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Mankind,” was the second of this year’s Littleton-Franklin lecture series.

Leakey, who was named one of “TIME” magazine’s 100 greatest minds of the 20th century, spoke to the crowd Monday about how the climate change the earth is facing will affect the planet.

“I think this climate change will bring about the end of the lifestyles we’re accustomed to,” Leakey said. “There will be fundamental differences in how we use resources in the next 30 to 50 years.”

Leakey joked the earth would be lucky if humans were to become extinct, but said he does not think that will happen because of technology, education and other causes.

He said he thinks climate change is still something we, as humans, need to address.

O.A.R. - Band and students enjoy Monday night’s show

wpolley — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:51:04 -0400

O.A.R. and opening act Simplified: performed at the Coliseum Monday night for UPC’s fall concert. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITORAbout 5,000 students filled the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Monday night for UPC’s fall concert featuring O.A.R. and Simplified.

Chappel McCollister, UPC director of major entertainment, said he thinks the concert went well.

“I was really happy with the concert,” he said. “The band played a great set list, had good energy and sounded good.”

McCollister said he thinks the crowd enjoyed O.A.R.

“To me, the main thing is that people have a good time, and they did,” he said. “I think O.A.R. has a big following in Auburn.”

McCollister said UPC gave out 5,800 tickets, but he was disappointed with the small student turnout.

“It was a little lower than I expected, but I think the people that were there had a good time.”

Codi Runge, a junior in communication disorders and Spanish, said she had fun at the concert.

Bio-Truck blazes environmental trail

wpolley — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:27:45 -0400

Wayne Keith, a farmer from Springville: will set out across the country in his Bio-Truck. Keith plans to leave Auburn Friday Sept. 26. Rod Guajardo / ASSISTANT PHOTO

Springville farmer Wayne Keith decided he wanted to stop buying gasoline in 2003, when the price reached $2 per gallon.

He began designing and constructing equipment to run his truck off wood instead of gasoline.

Three years and several models later, Keith has completed his “Bio-Truck,” a 1991 Dodge Dakota V8 truck that runs entirely on wood and other natural materials.

“The only thing Donald Trump and I have in common is we’re both forced to pay $100 for a tank of gas, but it’s been three and a half years since I’ve used gas,” Keith said.

Agronomy and Soils professor David Bransby, who has been researching bio-energy for 20 years, heard about Keith’s truck approximately three years ago and went to meet him.

The two have worked together ever since, and they are now teaming up to take the Bio-Truck on a coast-to-coast tour.

Tiger Transit Safety

wpolley — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:19:10 -0400

Tiger Transit Crash: The Auburn City police report indicates last Wednesday’s Tiger Transit accident occurred when the transit driver swerved to miss a cyclist. KRISTIN OBERHOLZER / Photo Staff

Serious accident numbers remain low, but fender-benders reported often

A crowd of gawking students and onlookers gathered around the latest Tiger Transit accident last Wednesday around 11:30 a.m.

The driver, 71-year-old John Batchelor of Loachapoka, told Auburn City police he was driving his East Campus route bus around Foy Circle when he noticed a cyclist entering the crosswalk in front of him.

According to the police report, Batchelor “attempted to press the brakes but may have pushed the accelerator.”

The bus plowed through an aluminum fence along the sidewalk of Thach Avenue and struck a tree head-on.

Batchelor was the only person on the bus and was transported to East Alabama Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries and was released later that day.

Friendships form over ice cream

wpolley — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:59:00 -0400

Allie Filipowski, left, talks to her buddy, Kevin: at the Best Buddies ice cream social at Kiesel Park Monday. Kevin is one of many long-time members. Brittney Williford / PHOTO STAFF

A small white pavilion at Kiesel Park played host to a group of friends who gathered Monday afternoon to talk, laugh and eat ice cream.

The occasion was the fall ice cream social for Best Buddies, a campus organization that pairs college students with people with intellectual disabilities and provides opportunities for them to build friendships.

Allie Filipowski, a sophomore in zoology, has participated in Best Buddies for two years.

“I wanted to get involved on campus, and I felt like this would be an organization in which I could both give and get,” she said.

Filipowski said she and her buddy Toccara have spent a lot of time together.

“We have gone to the mall, the movies and done other things,” Filipowski said.

The organization also plans socials like Monday’s event for all Best Buddies members to get together.

Chinese professor organizes gathering for students, native speakers

wpolley — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:43:00 -0400

Chinese professor Carolyn Fitzgerald, left center: organized a conversation table in the Student Center Friday for her students and members of the Chinese Student Organization to give them an opportunity to get to know each other and practice the language. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR

The department of foreign languages introduced Elementary Chinese I to its curriculum this fall.

Professor Carolyn Fitzgerald teaches the group of approximately 30 students enrolled in the two sections of the class.

She said the students have done well in the class so far.

“There was a clear understanding that we were starting at the beginning,” Fitzgerald said. “We started with ‘My name is’ and have been working on basic conversation skills.”

Fitzgerald, some of her students and members of the Chinese Student Organization met to practice Friday.

Fitzgerald said when she pitched the idea of such a table to her students two weeks ago, she was doubtful they would be interested.

Staff Opinion: Television can apply to daily life

wpolley — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:49:00 -0400

I spent Sunday night perched on my couch tuned in to the Emmys.

I had spent the entire previous week talking about how excited I was to see the stars, the clothes and the show.

I am what you might consider a TV addict.

From the moment I groggily reach out to grab the remote and fire up the “Today Show” until I set the sleep timer on a “Friends” rerun, TV gets me through the day.

I spend my day thinking about the shows on my schedule for the night and whether I have them set to record (What did I do before TiVo?).

Premiere season triggers the height of my obsession, and we are in the middle of it.

I have been looking forward to tonight for months. Three words — Office, Grey’s, ER.

Once “30 Rock” cranks back up in October, Thursdays will officially reign as the best TV night of the week.

But then Mondays are a close second. “Jon and Kate Plus 8” is a must, and so is “Gossip Girl.” And while I’m at it, I’ll catch “The Hills” and “Dancing with the Stars.”

See what I mean? I have a problem.

¡Hola! Ça va? Ich heiss... Students practice their conversations with language tables

wpolley — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:46:55 -0400

Six students sit together: at the Ole Auburn Ale House last Wednesday night to practice their Spanish skills. Several language classes offered by the Auburn Foreign Languages Department have individual language nights for practice. JD Schein / Photo Editor

In fall 1989, French student Benlee Huguley started going to Momma Goldberg’s Deli every Thursday night to practice his skills with the newly formed French Conversation Club.

Even after graduating, Huguley continued to attend the club, which now meets at the Old Auburn Ale House Wednesdays at 9:15 p.m.

Now a French teacher, Huguley said the club helped him get to where he is today.

“To a great extent, I owe my ability to speak French and a good deal of my understanding of French culture to the conversation table,” Huguley said. “I essentially owe my career to the table.”

Every week, the club draws about a dozen students, faculty members and native speakers.

Other languages offer similar tables to help students practice their conversation skills.

The Spanish table, “La Mesa Española,” meets at the Ale House Wednesdays from 8-9:30 p.m.

Spanish professor Ted McVay said he thinks the table helps supplement what students learn in class.

“Spanish is a skill,” McVay said. “It’s one of those things you learn by practice. Even if you learn some wrong things, it’s still practice.”

McVay believes the best way to learn a language is to use it for real conversation.

German students meet for their version of a conversation table, “Stammtisch,” at 7:30 p.m. every other Thursday at the Ale House.

Copy Cat moves out of Foy patio, into Student Center

wpolley — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:08:08 -0400

Copy Cat staff member David Chapelle, right: a senior in aerospace engineering, helps a customer at the new location in the Student Center Room 1203. The store is 600 square feet larger than its former location in the Foy patio. Morgan Thacker / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Along with dozens of other campus organizations and businesses, Copy Cat spent the second week in August making the transition from Foy to the Student Center.

The move was chaotic for the campus copy center, according to manager Glenda Miley.

“We get a huge amount of business in August and September when school begins, so this is the worst time of year for us to make a move,” Miley said.

But Miley, who has worked at Copy Cat since it opened 15 years ago, said the move was worth the disorder.

The store’s new location on the first floor of the Student Center in Room 1203 has 600 more square feet than its former Foy patio location.

“This is the first time we really got to design our space,” Miley said. “Our setup now is more like a traditional press room. There are no walls so it’s easier to see what’s in here and what needs to be done.”

Elizabeth Moore, a senior in human development and family studies, recently began working at the new Copy Cat location.

She said she was not familiar with the store’s Foy office, but she has enjoyed working at the new location so far.

She said she thinks the staff is enjoying their bigger space.

“I think it’s set up well,” she said of the more spacious arrangement.