Articles written by Ali McGuinn

The five-member band O.A.R., whose music is well known across college campuses throughout the country, will be making its debut appearance at Auburn for the semester’s fall concert, the University Program Council announced today.

“We’re really glad about this because O.A.R. just came out with a new album in June,” said Chappel McCollister, director of major entertainment for the UPC. “And there’s always been a large draw for O.A.R. here at Auburn.”

O.A.R.’s newest album, “All Sides,” is the band’s ninth.

The concert is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29, and will be held inside the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

This will be the second concert held in the Coliseum, following the spring 2008 concert featuring Akon and Soulja Boy.

“We’re hoping the Coliseum will become the set venue,” McCollister said. “That way, we’ll never have to worry about rain issues.”

Only 7,000 tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis beginning Monday, Sept. 22.

The first 750 people to obtain a ticket will receive wrist bands allowing floor access.

At the tailgate, 5-year-old Olivia practices her driving skills: while Marcus Thompson, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, Matt Cromer and Beau Helton, seniors in mechanical engineering, watch her feel the need for speed. This was just one activity offered at the library tailgate. Morgan Thacker / ASSISTANT PHOTO

The Ralph Brown Draughon Library held its third annual open house orientation and tailgate last Friday where Auburn cheerleaders, Aubie and the Auburn Band performed for football fans.

The orientation and tailgate is a way for students to learn what services, like subject specialist librarians, the Digital Resource Lab and Study Partners, are available for them throughout the year, said Donna Walker of communication and marketing for the library.

From beads handed out at the front door to the moonwalk on the fourth floor, the tailgate offered activities on different floors throughout the library.

“The tailgate is a good orientation to the libraries and the services we have to offer,” Walker said. “It’s a chance to meet the staff.”

Walker said it is a great way for incoming freshmen to learn what types of services the library offers.

“When those research papers come around, they’ll remember that research section in the library,” Walker said.

The tailgate is also a way for returning students to be welcomed back to campus and refresh their memories about what is offered at the library.

“I saw the library tailgate information in The Plainsman and decided to come see it,” said Caleb Swan, a junior in marketing.

With the tuition increase of 12 percent, students find themselves on a tighter budget and receiving numerous phone calls from stressed parents.

The allocation the University received from the state this year was significantly less than last year, which caused the increase of tuition.

Last year, in-state tuition was $5,250 and out-of-state tuition was $15,750, not including student fees.

This year, the increase has caused in-state tuition to go up to $5,880 and out-of-state to $17,640, without student fees, according to the executive director of Student Financial Services, Michael Reynolds.

“(The University) tries to come up with the least amount of increase as possible to keep the level of service and quality as it is on campus,” Reynolds said. “They don’t intentionally raise tuition, it’s a long process.”

Catherine DeHart, a sophomore in marketing, said because she is from South Carolina, the tuition increase has affected her.

“It put another burden on my family because out-of-state tuition is already high enough, adding more to it doesn’t help,” DeHart said.

New Student CenterThe new Student Center offered a warm welcome with its bright lights and spacious lobbies last week as students returned to campus for classes.

With food venues, study areas and a game room — to be complete in a few weeks — the only complaints are getting lost and long lines, which show the positive popularity of the building.

“From all that I have heard when talking to students, they are proud of the new Student Center,” said Johnny Green, Dean of Students. “It has met their expectations in the general sense.”

The center provides a place to socialize, Green said, study and eat in between classes with the new convenient location.

Students are able to take advantage of a new ballroom, which has the largest banquet seating capacity in Lee County, Green said.

The new layout the Student Center presents includes separate food venues, opposed to Foy Student Union’s cafeteria set-up.

Grassy areas, like the Livestock Arena side lawn: are providing paid RV parking for this season. Students and alumni are worried that sooner or later, tailgating will be a memory more than a tradition. CONTRIBUTED

With new buildings popping up on campus, an Auburn tradition is being pushed farther away from campus.

The construction of The Village dormitories takes up old C-zone spots and various grass areas are being blocked off. These were used for paid RV parking and public tailgating. Students are struggling finding new locations to tailgate with the upcoming Louisiana-Monroe football game approaching fast.

“My family and friends have tailgated on the Nichols Center lawn since my freshman year,” said Jill Bledsoe, a senior in public relations. “Due to all of the new construction our spot is now gone, and we are still looking for a new place to tailgate.”

“The further you push the tailgaters out, the more harm you are doing to an Auburn tradition,” Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe said she remembers her first Auburn football game as a child tailgating on the Library front lawn.

“Tailgating is as much of a tradition as the Tiger Walk or the War Eagle,” Bledsoe said. “I think it is important to give the students room to tailgate.”

John Dasis, vice president and operations controller for the Arby’s Restaurant Group and an Auburn alumnae of 1986, said he has been purchasing season tickets and tailgating since 1988. Dasis said he’s been tailgating at his previous location, the Live Stock Arena, for six years.

“From what I understand, they have converted the area around our space to paid RV parking and will use our specific space of grass for the RV people to park their cars they may have towed,” Dasis said.

Piper Schouten, left: a freshman in English language arts education, eats ice cream, while Pinij NaLampoon, right, a junior in mass communications, drinks alcohol. These are two cliche’ break up rituals some turn to. JD Schein / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The end of a relationship is seen, to many, as a traumatic life event. However, are break ups really all that bad?

According to Science Daily, break ups aren’t nearly as bad as people make them out to be. People don’t seem to take into account the good outcomes that follow a break up.

People often forget they are able to have the benefits of the single life also. More independence is felt, there is more time for yourself and you’re able to branch out and meet more people.

Although there are benefits of a break up, many people still want to know why it happens.

“I think that experiencing ‘college life’ does have a lot to do with relationships working out or not,” said Kara Wilson, a sophomore in pre-nursing and psychology. “I think that (some guys) like to experience the stereotypical college guy life; date as many girls as you can until there is one that you can’t get out of your mind.”

The Envision Opelika Foundation Inc. has been supporting the goals generated by the citizens of Opelika to help improve the quality of life for the community since 2002.

According to the foundation’s mission statement, it “seeks broad participation, develops new leadership within the community, and facilitates the identification and implementation of concrete strategies to accomplish established goals.”

Kay Gillock: owner of Gillock Gang’s Home Child Care in Opelika, reads to her class. Gillock received an award for her project “Center of Activity.” Pete Riley / PHOTO EDITOR

The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation will present the Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Award to Kay Gillock, a teacher from Opelika, April 9.

Gillock, who owns Gillock Gang’s Home Child Care, was chosen for her commitment and dedication to the children she teaches. Gillock is the only recipient in the state of Alabama.

“I was very excited and overwhelmed, I could not believe it,” Gillock said. “I was up against so many other people in the country who applied for this award and only 50 people win.”

The award recognizes the top 50 early care and education teachers in the nation and awards them with $1,000.

Gillock plans to use her award money to further her award-winning project, “Center of Activity.”

According to the official guidelines, as part of the application, each teacher had to invent a project that “showed educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care.”

Gillock’s “Center of Activity” allows her to add things to her already existing centers.

25% Infected: According to a new study, one in four teenage girls has been infected with an STD. Lindsey Davidson / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference, estimated one in four teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease.

The study also found nearly half of young African American women were infected with an STD.

Kate Welch, a senior in English, said she didn’t remember STDs being so wide-spread when she was in high school and is amazed that it has grown so much in just a few years.

“I think girls are becoming more sexually active at a young age, and they don’t know how to protect themselves from STDs,” Welch said.

The Women’s Hope Clinic of Auburn offers STD testing performed in three visits to the clinic. The first visit is used for filling out paper work and background information, and the second and third visits are used for the physical exam and discussing lab results.

“There is a tremendous need (for STD screenings), in fact we can’t even manage all the clients that call,” said Julie Klarenbeek, registered nurse manager at the clinic.

According to the CDC, it is critical for young women to have STD screenings included in their health services.

When emergency contraception visits occur, it usually means the woman had unprotected sex and should also be issued an STD screening.

Only 38 percent of young women who have received emergency contraceptives also received STD/HIV counseling, according to the same CDC study.

Klarenbeek believes the reason there is such an increase today is because young people are sexually active with more partners than they were 20 years ago.

Starting this week, Auburn University is opening its doors to offer spring classes, teaching various skills to locals through the end of May

From dog obedience training to car maintenance for women, Auburn is offering 50 to 75 short courses to the local community through the University’s Outreach Program Office.

Classes are taught by instructors in the local community who have interests in these fields on evenings or weekends and last for two to eight sessions during the weeks of March 24 through May 22.