Articles written by Sarah Lambert

Birmingham hosts obesity summit

wpolley — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:44:31 -0500

Was it the deep-fried chicken and Coca-Cola? Or was it the country fried steak, smothered in country gravy?

As the inhabitants of the country’s fattest region, Southerners may find it difficult to pinpoint one cause. But that hasn’t stopped them from searching for solutions.

University of Alabama at Birmingham hosted the Southern Obesity Summit Nov. 9 - 11. It was the second event in what is expected to become an annual tradition.

The event was primarily planned by the Texas Health Institute, an organization dedicated to spreading the latest health information and improving the health of Texans.

Mitchell Gibbs, a spokesman for the Texas Health Institute, said the institute’s goal was to bring localized groups together to form larger strategies across state lines.

“We felt that as leaders in the health policy industry, we should bring some of these groups together,” Gibbs said. “It took us out of doing things at just a state level when we share so many things in common with our southern state neighbors.”

Women’s tennis team finishes fall season

wpolley — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:11:00 -0500

That’s all, folks! Women’s tennis is finished for the fall after a final event last weekend.

The team took part in the SEC Coaches Fall Classic Thursday through Saturday, at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Head coach Tim Gray, said all-in-all, the team’s final performance was good.

“I think a lot of things we’ve been working on this fall are starting to pay off, and collectively, we had a very good weekend,” Gray said.

The Tigers set out playing seven singles matches Thursday. They won four and lost three.

Melissa Koning defeated Megan Broderick of Kentucky, 6-2, 6-3. Alex Haney beat a player from Mississippi State 6-1, 7-5. Whitney Chappell won a match against Arkansas’ Kate Lukomskaya 7-5, 6-0, and Heather Bybee beat Jordan Zachary of Mississippi State in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

The Tigers began doubles Friday and won three of the six doubles matches.

Chappell and Jil Hastenrath beat an Arkansas State duo, 8-4.

Haney and Koning defeated a team from LSU and another from Alabama.

Volleyball ends losing streak

wpolley — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:45:00 -0500

Sophomore setter Sara Shanks (left) and sophomore middle blocker Alyssa Davis (right): attempt to block Alabama’s Lindsey Buteyn’s shot during Sunday’s match. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR

Is the number 13 unlucky?

Apparently it’s not on Halloween, or when pertaining to Auburn volleyball. The Tigers broke a 13-game losing streak Friday, winning the first two sets 25-13.

They won the final set 25-19, defeating Mississippi State 3-0. It was the 2008 Tigers’ first SEC victory.

Auburn started off right from the first serve — a block in the first set put the Tigers ahead 1-0. The block was followed by an attack error by MSU and an ace by Auburn’s Sara Shanks.

The bleeding never stopped.

Scoring a series of kills and benefiting from the Bulldogs’ errors, the Tigers cleaned out their opponent in the first set.

The second set was much the same as the first. The set started out with an Auburn kill, and the Tigers maintained a steady lead throughout the game.

Pumpkins o' plenty

wpolley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:30:00 -0400

Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch provides fall activities for adults, children

Jennifer Courtney, a senior in international business, and Steven Shugarts, a senior in industrial design: pick out pumpkins at Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch in Loachapoka. Sarah Lambert / PHOTO STAFF

The sun shone brightly on the children Saturday as they wove in and out of the path made from bales of hay, squealing with delight and cradling their new pumpkins.

Nearby, a young couple perused the pumpkin patch, stepping over the vines as they searched for the perfect edition to their Halloween experience.

Mark Foshee, one of the founders of Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch, surveyed the scene with a smile.

Foshee, a senior in horticulture, said he and his brother had been talking about starting the pumpkin patch for years.

“We really wanted to create something for families for Halloween, but not so much scary stuff,” Foshee said. “We decided to try it this year.”

Tigers preview skills in Fall World Series

wpolley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:11:00 -0400

The Auburn baseball team waits at home plate for the runner to cross after a home run.: The Tigers split into two teams and scrimmaged in preparation for the upcoming season. The orange team won with a 19-7 victory over the blue team. ARCHIVED PHOTO

The sky was a deep blue and cloudless. It was a 3-2 ballgame, in a 1-1 series. The orange team was up to bat, and anything was possible.

Chris O’Neill knew all of this, as he threw the first pitch of the fourth inning. He knew something important was on the line that Sunday afternoon — bragging rights.

O’Neill and his fellow “blue team” members were facing off against their fellow Auburn baseball players in the final game of the Fall World Series.

Joe Sanders, a junior in political science who was playing for the blue team, said he doesn’t take the game any less seriously when playing against his own teammates.

“It’s definitely bragging rights in the locker room,” Sanders said.

Online tracking cause for concern

wpolley — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:41:44 -0400

Thousands of Auburn students are being tracked.

Students are not being followed home from class.

No one is hiding outside their apartment buildings with binoculars.

But it is likely that their daily online activities are being monitored.

“If you have a public server for wireless, pretty much anyone can go on there and view what you’re doing on their wireless setup,” said Chris Beasley, a digital technology specialist at Best Buy.

Andrew Johnson, a junior in industrial and systems engineering, said the Internet works by keeping track of where and to whom information is going.

“I think it’s important for people to keep this in mind,” Johnson said. “By browsing online, you leave footprints that someone can use.”

Beasley said the greatest danger of this is credit information.

He said social security numbers, addresses and credit card numbers can be accessed by an increasing number of people as online tracking spreads.

Advertisers can also track people online using Web sites such as yahoo.com, Beasley said.

Pets create extra messes

wpolley — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:39:36 -0400

College students with furry friends put in extra effort to keep their living space clean

Kyle Waldheim, a sophomore in aerospace engineering: plays with his cat by pretending to dust his coffee table with it. Pets that shed their fur often require the owner to dust or vacuum frequently. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR

Is its bark worse than its bite?

It may be difficult for students with pets to answer this question if they are dealing with a more practical one — How do I deal with this mess?

Jane Eigenmann, a freshman in animal science equine, said between herself and her boyfriend, she has two dogs and 12 horses at home.

But Eigenmann said only one dog, Lily, lives with them in Auburn.

“She’s a 14-week-old mix that we rescued from the Lee County Humane Society,” Eigenmann said.

Eigenmann said although she loves her puppy, life with Lily can get tricky at times.

“Since she is a puppy, she does have the occasional accident,” Eigenmann said. “Or she gets into trash or gets into food.”

Ford introduces MyKey for teens

wpolley — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:35:55 -0400

The stereotypical teen driver may be in danger of extinction, thanks to innovators at Ford Motors.

Next year, Ford is introducing a new feature in its 2010 models — MyKey.

The system will allow parents to set limits on the speed of the car and the volume of the radio, said Wes Sherwood, safety communication manager for Ford Motors.

Sherwood said cars with MyKey would have two keys — a master key for the parents and a second for their teens.

“The parents can go into the car computer and program the onboard computer so that MyKey features are either on or off,” Sherwood said.

Sherwood said each feature can be individually programmed. For instance, parents can turn on a speed control, which will prevent their teens from going faster than 80 mph.

Sky Chambless, a senior in nursing, said she thinks MyKey has some good features, but even so, it can’t prevent teenagers from driving irresponsibly.

“Just because you can’t go over 80 doesn’t mean you can’t still go 65 in a 40,” Chambless said.

Many students struggle to find time for sleep

wpolley — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:37:06 -0400

Will Geeslin, a sophomore in accounting, sleeps the day away in his bedroom.: Many college students find it difficult to maintain a consistent and healthy sleep schedule and often depend on caffeinated beverages to stay awake throughout night and day. Photo Illustration by JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR

ZZZZ...

Catching these can be tricky for students who always have something else to do.

Nonetheless, getting the sleep they need each night is something that should be students’ top priority.

“This is just as important for health as food and exercise,” said Mona El Sheikh, an alumni professor in human development and family studies.

Students seem to be neglecting this aspect of their health.

“In general, a healthy pattern entails a consistent pattern,” said Chris Newland, an alumni professor in psychology. “The rule of thumb is that if it’s hard to get up in the morning, you’re sleep deprived.”

Voter registration key to November election

wpolley — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:48:00 -0400

Students afforded opportunities for quick registration by on-campus organizations

Taylor Hill, an Auburn graduate, provides a way for students to register outside the Student Center: Kalyn Ballard, a freshman in nutrition; Kelly Anderson, a freshman in biomedical sciences; and Morgan McKean, a freshman in journalism, complete their forms. Morgan Thacker / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

Oct. 24.

This is the date that should be on all students’ minds who still have “register to vote” on their to-do lists.

Darius Slusher, who works for the Lee County Board of Registrars, said this is the deadline for Alabama voters to register for the upcoming presidential election.

“Registration forms have to be either here with us or postmarked by that date,” Slusher said.

Students can find Alabama voter registration forms sitting on the Foy Information Desk in the Student Center.