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(01/31/14 5:36pm)
With the winter season reaching its peak in the prior weeks, many Auburn students have failed to recognize one of the biggest seasons is nearly just a week away from reaching Auburns campus, election season.
Viewed by many as a time to avoid the concourse and the bombardment of overjoyed campaigners that lurk on the concourse, others who have put much of their time and effort into their dream of becoming a member of the Student Government Association, this time represents opportunity.
For these Auburn students, the journey to fill a seat in SGA began back on Nov. 12 of last year with the first Major Candidate Info Session and will end with the election callouts on Tuesday, Feb. 11. However, the amount of work and preparation that goes on during this period is often overlooked.
"There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on prior to the election," said Wilson Yielding, senior in human exercise science and behavior and candidate for treasurer in last year's SGA elections. "Watching everyone come together and support the candidates is a lot of fun and really shows Auburn's true colors and what the University is about."
During this period, candidates can use all of the help they can get to get their name and platform out to Auburn students.
"For the people who want to get involved in elections, they can contact the candidates directly," said Jessica Bishop, SGA executive director of elections. "The biggest way people can help is by voting and encouraging people to vote and look at candidates platforms."
In between deciding to run for a seat on SGA and the ending callouts, comes a large amount of work.
A student running for a major candidate position must choose his or her platform, or what the main focus of the campaign will be, as well as build a campaign staff, design posters and billboards, and come up with awith a gimmick better than the opposition, all of which can be tedious work.
The campaign staff for campaign organization is limited to 6 people, the top 5 plus the campaign manager, whose jobs range from organizing committee heads to thinking about strategies and slogans.
The work, difficult enough in itself, is made more difficult by the election laws in the Student Government Association's Code of Laws that govern the campaigning and elections of candidates.
For example, Election Law 708.7.3.3 states the following: "Black and white may not be used for primary or secondary colors, but may occupy up to 10 percent of the overall piece of Campaign Material for the purpose of augmenting a Candidate's design."
Or this election law, Law 708.7.9.4 which states, "that all billboards must be at least ten (10) feet from the nearest road to the billboards closest point to that road."
While these laws serve a purpose, they take away from the matters SGA candidates should truly be focusing on, such as bettering the school for its students and faculty.
"Some of the laws may hinder some points of campaigning such as who candidates can contact," Bishop said. "However, these laws are in place to protect candidates and Auburn students. They uphold the integrity of the elections and also serve a purpose in protecting students from being bombarded by campaigners."
Over the next week, students on campus will be barraged with free hand outs ranging from buttons to koozies, food to craft supplies and many more items as a way for candidates to earn votes from passing students.
In the past, students have not typically reacted majorly to a candidate's platform, but rather voted for the person with the most gimmicks or coolest t-shirts, ultimately becoming what seems to be a popularity contest.
"I hope that people will look at the candidates platforms," Bishop said. "I know that some people will vote for someone because one of their friends did or because they know the person but I really hope that people will pick a platform to support and get involved in that candidates campaign."
However, in attempt to prevent the election from becoming a popularity contest, candidates will have the opportunity to promote their platform and beliefs in a debate on Monday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom.
This venue will provide candidates an opportunity to show debate goers that the election should not be based on gimmicks or handouts, but rather should be based on the beliefs and change each candidate has to offer the University.
All of the work prior to and during the campaign week comes down to voting day and, ultimately, the release of all of the election results at callouts.
Formal Campaigning will begin Feb. 5 and will come to a close on Feb. 11 when students will vote prior to the results being released at callouts Feb. 11 at 10 p.m. on the Cater Hall Lawn.
The following is a list of candidates and position sought:
(01/24/14 12:59am)
UPDATE JAN. 24, 2014, 3:52 p.m.--- Barrett "Bear" McCoy Townsend, 22, senior in software engineering and brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Auburn University, died at 5:47 p.m. from a multiple blunt force impact, according to Bill Harris, Lee County coroner.
Harris confirmed the coroner's office does not suspect any foul play. The Coroner's office determined that at this time the act appeared as intentional.
Townsend was rushed to the emergency room via ambulance, but died shortly after arrival from the six-story fall.
The young man's body was taken to the Alabama Dept. of Forensic Sciences medical examiner's office in Montgomery for a postmortem examination.
The case remains under investigation by the Auburn Police Division and the Lee County Coroner's Office.
(01/15/14 10:08pm)
Auburn will be the site of the ninth annual Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit, Feb. 28-March 2, at the Auburn Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.
Each year, the summit is held at a worldwide campus and features keynote speakers. Ideas and tactics are shared to solve hunger on a global scale.
"The theme for this year's summit is Innovations: so, asking how to solve hunger not incrementally, but how can we quantitatively just take a quantum leap in solving hunger," said Paula Gray Hunker, director of strategy and policy for Auburn's Hunger Studies Institute.
The Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit will feature presentations from former Lost Boy Alfred Orono Orono, entrepreneur Mick Jackson and US International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah.
The Hunger Studies Program is a component of the Auburn War on Hunger Initiative, which began in 2004 when Auburn's College of Human Sciences was invited by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to be its lead academic partner in a student War on Hunger campaign. The institute has developed into a University minor, which Hunker encourages students of all majors to explore.
"Everybody has a part in solving this," Hunker said. "The concept was really to make it multi-disciplinary and collaborative in terms of bringing people together."
Dr. Kate Thornton, director of hunger and sustainability initiatives, said. "As the hunger effort has grown across campus, we've had a lot of faculty members express interest in incorporating these topics in their classes."
Thornton helped develop and teaches some of the courses in the hunger studies curriculum, along with other faculty members from across the University. Even if you aren't pursuing the hunger studies minor, Thornton explained that the intro class, Hunger Causes, Consequences and Responses, could be valuable to any major.
"It's a catchall class," Thornton said. "But I hope that by the end, you'll be able to speak intelligently on world hunger and understand news media."
According to Hunker and Thornton, the issue of global hunger and finding a solution is more complex than one might think.
"The good news is huge. Huge progress has been made," Hunker said. "But the bad news is with the growing population and the growing impact of climate change, we need to grow more food."
The estimate from the UN is that 50 percent more food needs to be grown by the year 2050, when the global population is projected to reach 9 billion. But, the issue of hunger is more complex than simply growing more food.
Hunker said the hunger studies minor is looking for communications majors, engineering students and political scientists to help solve world hunger and poverty on governmental levels.
Last year, the hunger studies capstone course presented hunger solutions to the WFP, UNICEF and The Food and Agriculture Organization in New York City. The presentation was such a success that the class was asked to send representatives to present before the WFP in Rome, Italy.
Sophomore Sara Raines, a double-major in nutrition and agriculture with a minor in hunger studies, was one of the two students selected to travel to Rome.
"Although the problems are really complex, even the simplest solution can make a huge difference," Raines said.
Raines also pointed out how students can make an impact in Auburn, whether they are a part of the hunger studies minor or not.
"There's so much poverty and hunger here and people aren't aware of it, even in Auburn--we're just in this little bubble," Raines said.
Raines said she advised students to get involved at local, off-campus food pantries.
The Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit will be preceded by a pre-summit conference and will feature international university presidents. All students are encouraged to attend and a student discount will be available.
(01/15/14 10:23pm)
The Hunger Studies Institute performing the Harlem Shake at the annual conference in Kansas last year (Contributed by Dr. Kate Thornton, director of hunger and sustainability initiatives)
(01/13/14 9:40pm)
The age of excess is over. Now is the time to live sustainably.
On April 22, the second annual Spirit of Sustainability awards, held by the office of sustainability, will recognize certain individuals and groups for their contribution to improving sustainability and outstanding environmental work in Auburn and around the country.
"Engagement, passion and impact, that's what we're looking for in the awards," said Jennifer Morse, Communication and Outreach Manager for the office of sustainability.
"The initiative that they're working with has actually made an impact (on the environment), and the degree to which it has engaged and involved other people; that's what we're looking for."
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and distinguished friends of Auburn can all be nominated by their peers for the award and recognition by the school for their work in all forms of sustainability, which includes issues like social justice, hunger and personal well-being.
Charlene LeBleu, associate professor of landscape architecture, was a Spirit of Sustainability finalist in 2012 for her work to integrate sustainability research into classes like landscape ecology and storm water construction.
LeBleu, who directed campus projects that include everything from water-permeable concrete to rain gardens and cisterns, works with natural systems instead of merely controlling them
"Last year, we did the cistern and rain garden at the AU Raptor Center and rain garden at Dudley Hall, the architecture building," LeBleu said. " The cisterns hold a thousand gallons of water collected from the roof. The interesting thing about the one at the raptor center, the water is used for flushing the toilets.
There were eleven finalists for the first Spirit of Sustainability Awards in 2012, including Emil Topel, senior executive chef of Tiger Dining, Dee Smith, curator of the Davis Arboretum and 1988 Auburn alumnus Jacquelyn Overbey Hart.
One of the Spirit Award's most prolific groups was the Auburn chapter of the Real Food Challenge, an organization based on its members' commitment to getting Auburn's dining programs to use 20% "real" food by 2020.
"The organization defines "real" food as locally produced, ecologically sound, fair and humane," said Rosco Davis, founder of and former president of the Real Food Challenge's Auburn chapter. "It's food that's good for people's bodies, and its also good for the planet and the community; so it's food that meets that triple bottom-line standard of sustainability. It supports well-being and the planet, and it's ecologically stable also."
Davis and other members of the Real Food Challenge met with the heads of Tiger Dining to figure out what Auburn consumed the most and how to bring more locally grown food, as well as bringing reusable silverware into dining halls around campus.
The Real Food Challenge established a permanent presence on campus through the community garden located at the intersection of Donahue and Samford, which is available to anyone interested in growing their own food.
"When we went to the award ceremony and we got the award, that felt like graduation for me," Davis said. There's plenty of food on campus, so people don't really realize that there's anything wrong until you start talking about it and raise awareness. That's all we wanted to do was raise awareness and figure out how Auburn could get more local food."
There is no limit to the number of awards that are given out, but there is one award reserved for students who, according to the Office of Sustainability's website, "exemplify the level of passion and commitment to sustainability as the award's namesake, William L. Olsen."
Olsen, who passed away in 2012 after an eleven-year battle with cancer, was involved with sustainability at Auburn since his freshman year and was the founder of Auburn's current recycling program as well as initiatives in organic gardening, waste management and alternative fuels.
The first recipient of the Olsen Award was Nathan Warner, a 2012 graduate in ecological engineering, recognized for the achievements in sustainability. Warner also was voted Outstanding Biosystems Engineering Student in 2012.
"[Olsen] was in chemical engineering and he was one of our office interns," Morse said. "Just a very wonderful passionate person with a very positive outlook. We kind of share his story through this."
The Second annual Spirit of Sustainability Awards will be held on Cater Lawn Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m.
To nominate someone for a Spirit of Sustainability Award, please visit the Office of Sustainability's website at www.auburn.edu/sustainability
(01/13/14 9:45pm)
(Contributed by the Office of Sustainability)
(12/03/13 4:16am)
The Student Government Association's Monday, Dec. 2, senate meeting was one of much importance for one university program.
The University Program Council, a student-led programming board consisting of 11 committees that bring a variety of events to Auburn's campus, was granted a Program Extension Fund in the amount of $100,000.00 for the Major Entertainment line.
The Major Entertainment Committee is responsible for bringing high profile artists to Auburn. In years past, the committee has managed to pull in acts such as Ben Rector, OAR, Akon, the Goo Goo Dolls, Sister Hazel, and other major artists.
The UPC is responsible for putting on Auburn Airways as well as the Bodda Getta Bash, in which UPC and SGA work together.
Madeline Moore, the Junior Biomedical Science major and Vice President of Finance for UPC, stressed the importance of receiving these extra funds by pointing out their main focus was to bring what Auburn students want to hear.
"We want to make sure we are bringing Auburn students what they want," said Moore. "We are really trying to grow Auburn Airways. We are getting better each year with higher attendance and higher caliber artists. However, with growth requires more funding. This year we need that extra money to make that happen."
Patrick Michael, a senior in the College of Science and Mathematics, drove the point home that this money was going to a cause which Auburn students would benefit from while also holding UPC accountable for the funds they receive.
"The intention is not to bankroll major entertainment," said Michaels. "This is a one year thing and an amendment we will hold UPC accountable to bringing in revenue and working towards a sustainable budget."
The motion carried with no opposition, allowing UPC an extra $100,000.00 to work with when considering artists for its major events.
(11/19/13 11:07pm)
Auburn's Sigma Chi's fraternity had its charter suspended Monday, Nov. 18, following hazing allegations reported by members of the community starting at the beginning of the semester.
The charter will be suspended until January 2015.
According to Michael Ciatto, grand praetor of Auburn Sigma Chi fraternity, the International Sigma Chi Fraternity has temporarily suspended the charter.
"The charter has been temporarily suspended until such time when we believe the environment at Auburn and alumni support is such that we can facilitate the restructuring of the chapter according to Sigma Chi's ideals and put it in a place of prominence on Auburn's campus," Ciatto said.
Sigma Chi has been on review by the International Fraternity since Sept. 7 after receiving hazing allegations, such as late mandatory study hours, to the Auburn Hazing Hotline and the International Sigma Chi Fraternity Hotline.
"The hope is in a about a year we can come back with strong alumni support and bring back some members that are still around and rebuild," said T.J. Harlin, president of Sigma Chi fraternity. "We've been here for 75 years and we donate thousands of dollars to Children's Miracle Network each year through our Derby Days campaign. There's a lot of good stuff that goes along with this fraternity and we're hoping in about a year we can come back stronger than ever."
Auburn University defines hazing as, "Hazing is any action taken or situation created intentionally or unintentionally whether on or off campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule...or other activities which are not consistent with organizational laws, ritual, or policy or the regulations and policies of the educational institution. Actions, forced or required or implied to be required, which violate federal, state, or local law, are considered hazing."
Harlin said rumors about half of their freshmen pledge class dropping at the beginning of the semester are false.
"We had about five or six guys drop," Harlin said. "When those things happen, you'll have guys drop because of financial obligations and others who figure out the organization just isn't for them. There's nobody who was ever in physical harm."
A source close to the controversy said the hazing reported was not physical or alcohol-related hazing. The source also said approximately seven or eight other fraternities have also been reported through Auburn Hazing Hotline this semester.
Ciatto said the International Fraternity has not received allegations to the Auburn Hazing Hotline or International Fraternity Hotline prior to this year.
"Any concerns that we have ever had, we have dealt with internally, including the removal of brothers when deemed necessary," Ciatto said.
Ciatto said Sigma Chi will serve as a role model for other fraternities on Auburn's campus.
"Our international leadership is 100 percent dedicated to stopping all instances of hazing, regardless of the severity [of the hazing] and as such we felt it was our responsibility to take the lead at Auburn's campus and set an example that all hazing must be dealt with swiftly," Ciatto said. "(We) hope that other fraternities would follow suit."
Harlin said the brothers of Sigma Chi who were causing the problems were dismissed from the fraternity before the charter was revoked.
"The sad thing is you have a small group of guys who can tarnish the reputation of a large group of people," Harlin said. "It's a shame that (Sigma Chi's) name is associated with that kind of behavior because the vast majority of the guys [in Sigma Chi] are the most upstanding, gentlemanly people that you'll ever meet. It's a shame that they're forced to deal with these rumors."
Amanda Clare, IFC graduate assistant, said the University has nothing to do with Sigma Chi's charter being revoked.
Sigma Chi will keep the house, but all brothers living there will have to move out by the end of December.
"We have every aspiration to return to Auburn's campus at the correct time when we can develop a sustainable chapter aligned with our values," Ciatto said.
(11/05/13 7:57am)
Monday, Nov. 4, Jacob Dean, senior in political science and pro tempore, proposed to override the veto placed on the amendment to Chapter 702.3 in the SGA Code of Laws.
Dean wanted to overturn the veto and uphold the initial bill, which is to move the SGA president from the Elections Board and put the elections director in the position to vote when there is a tie.
He urged senators to stay true to their previous vote from last time.
"SGA is supposed to be the igniter of all students," Dean said. "How can we ignite the students when a biased seven [members], with the SGA president on the board, can essentially sway an entire election."
Rob Garcia, senator for the college of business, disagreed with Dean's opinion to override the veto.
He said he found the spirit of the bill to be right, but thought the implications of the bill were too great.
Garcia pointed out guests Fred Kam, former E-Board advisor from 2005-2011, and Kurt Sasser, E-Board advisor and former SGA President from 2010-2011, that spoke during the open floor.
"We had two members of the division administrators come and affirm the need to keep the president on the board," Garcia said. "What that tells me is that they are affirming that they trust the SGA president to veto and furthermore that tells me that taking the president off the board really impacts the degree to which they can trust it."
Richmond Gunter, senator for the college of business, said he was very conflicted when the initial bill was being debated.
Gunter said he believes the previous discussion on supporting fairness, transparency and making the process more open, was emotional and was what drove some senators to switch their vote.
However, he believes those that switched their vote, had a just reason to.
"These are your fellow students that serve on E board," Gunter said. "If I or anyone in this room is sitting on E-Board, I have confidence in you as an individual and a mature adult that you're not going to let one person, just because of their title, sway your opinion on what you truly think is right."
David Adams, senator of the graduate school, questioned if senators were really paying attention to what they were voting on every week.
He also asked the rhetorical question of whether they were voting for organizational efficiency for the division of student affairs or if they were voting for more accountability and trust in fellow students.
"If it's the former I think we are doing the wrong thing," Adams said. "If it's the latter then I think we should uphold the amendment."
The veto was upheld.
(10/24/13 5:45pm)
Update, Oct. 24, 10:45 a.m.:
Two juveniles, a 16-year-old and 17-year-old, both of Opelika, have been arrested for first-degree robbery, according to a news release sent out by the Auburn Police Division at 10 a.m. Oct. 24.
Wednesday, Oct. 23, the APD responded to a "shots fired" call made at the 200 Block of W. Longleaf Drive.
As officers arrived two persons already known to the officer explained a scenario involving two juveniles, according to the news release.
"[They] entered the apartment and demanded property from the complainant," the release said.
The juveniles allegedly threatened the residents with a weapon.
"An altercation ensued and shots were exchanged between the complainant and the suspects after which the suspects fled," the release said.
Responding officers canvassed the area and located the suspects at the Murphy USA gas station adjoining the Walmart parking lot.
Both were transported to the East Alabama Medical Center Emergency Room for gunshot related injuries before transfer to the Lee County jail. Both bonds are set for $100,000.
(10/10/13 7:59pm)
Sunday, Oct. 6, the Auburn Police Division arrested Dezdrian Smith, 24, of Atlanta, and Kentarious J. Barnett, 21, of Opelika, according to an APD press release.
The APD arrested Barnett on felony warrants for burglary third degree, theft of property second degree, fleeing and attempting to elude, and Smith on charges of felony warrants for burglary third degree and theft of property second degree.
These arrests stem from an APD investigation of a police report dated the same day.
The report described an incident of an Annalue Drive resident returning home at approximately 8:50 p.m., where he discovered two individuals inside his residence.
"The resident felt threatened and fired shots in his house at the intruders," Police Captain Lorenza Dorsey said. "They fled out the back of the residence."
"We set up a perimeter and were able to apprehend theses individuals in the vicinity within a few blocks of the residentce," Dorsey said.
Smith suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound, was taken to the East Alabama Medical Center Emergency Room, treated for his injuries and released into police custody.
The victim reported two Samsung cell phones stolen, valued at $600, and sustains no legal charges.
"It was in his residence," Dorsey said. "He thought his life was threatened and he's defending himself inside his residence."
Smith and Barnett were transferred to the Lee County Jail, where they are awaiting bond. Smith's bond was set at $6,000 and Barnett's, $9,000.
(10/14/13 5:00am)
Jordan-Hare Stadium holds 87,451 fans at maximum capacity.
Multiply that number by 560 and that's how many Americans were food insecure in 2012--a total of 49 million, according to Feeding America.
The Why Care Campaign has returned to Auburn this semester and seeks to continue its mission to raise awareness about worldwide and local hunger issues.
Most easily recognized by the table on the concourse with the Why I Care white boards, the Why Care Campaign aims to get students to think about hunger and its implications.
"Through the simple act of taking a picture holding a sign, we're trying to get people to identify within themselves why they care about this issue," said Kate Thornton, director of Hunger and Sustainability Initiatives in the College of Human Sciences and the Hunger Solutions Institute.
According to Thornton, by contemplating the issue and pinpointing why they care, the campaign is intended to encourage students to take on a more personal investment in caring and fighting world hunger.
The campaign began as a project for the Hunger Studies Capstone class, taught by Thornton, in spring 2012.
Devin Yeomans, Anna Kate Mullinix, Jennifer Daniel, and Aubrey Sullivan were the sole members of the class and, therefore, the founders of the campaign.
"Dr. Thornton basically said your job for this semester is to come up with a project to fight world hunger and change the world, go," Yeomans said.
The four women found the idea of the white board photos and built their entire campaign around it.
Students take a picture stating why they care about hunger and then the picture is shared through social media.
"The goal is to get people to think about why they care about hunger and then share that with the world," Yeomans said. "It builds that momentum around the idea."
According to Yeomans, the momentum of the campaign grabbed the attention of the Food and Agriculture Program of the United Nations (FAO), who chose the campaign to be the official campaign for World Food Day.
Over the summer of 2012, the four women worked furiously to set up a website and all necessary social media material.
"When we got back in the fall, we hit the ground running," Yeomans said.
The campaign aims to raise awareness both locally and internationally. On campus, representatives for the campaign spoke to classes about the issue of hunger in addition to continuing the photo campaign.
To expand beyond US borders, the initiators reached out to NGOs and celebrities.
"We reached 73 countries and I think we had almost 3,000 pictures collected by World Food Day," Yeoman said.
Now the Why Care Campaign is picking up again under new leadership.
Honors students in Thornton's Hunger: Causes, Consequences, and Responses class are taking it over as their semester project.
Though there will be new faces spearheading the campaign, the overall model is expected to remain similar.
The focus this year is on expansion.
"We table every Wednesday on the concourse and we get people to write on the white boards why they care about hunger," said Kara Stanley, a senior in political science who is one of this year's campaign leaders. "We're working on going into local schools and getting younger kids involved. We're working on getting politicians involved."
Stanley, who is also the Universities Fighting World Hunger intern, mentioned that last year Charles Barkley, Christina Aguilera, and Kay Ivey shared photos to support the campaign.
"This year we're working on Cam Newton," Stanley said.
However, celebrity status isn't required to make a difference.
"I think the thing with the campaign was it showed us you don't have to have a lot of money or a lot of resources or any particular job or position in order to have an impact on hunger," Yeomans said. "You can do what you can with what you have where you are."
According to Thornton, the Why Care Campaign and its partners make getting started on making a difference simple. On the Universities Fighting World Hunger website, there are resources and downloadable materials available for anyone interested in starting their own presentations on the issue.
For those who are interested in learning more about hunger or want to get involved, there are multiple upcoming events.
World Food Day is Wednesday, Oct. 16. The FAO established this day as a time to draw worldwide attention to the issue of hunger and encourage nations to collaborate on solutions to solve it. The theme for 2013 is "Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition."
Soon after, the Committee of 19 is hosting Hunger Week 2013 from Oct. 21-25.
This is a week of events focused on raising awareness about hunger and local initiatives fighting it as well as raising money for the Beat Bama Food Drive.
According to Stanley, raising awareness is just the first step.
"Hunger is so prevalent, even in Auburn," Stanley said. "If it's there, we need to do something about it."
(09/28/13 8:00pm)
Food.
Good, now we've got your attention.
There's someone amongst us.
He's got a quiet smile and an easy way. He epitomizes southern cuisine, and why shouldn't he? He's an artist, and it's his medium.
David Bancroft's new restaurant, Acre, epitomizes one of the prominent movements in Auburn's culture: farm-to-table.
Reducing the distance and time from vine-to-plate means more quality in food eaten all over the world. Here, those space-time issues spurred aggressive change in Auburn's culinary ideals.
"We do clean food and it's fresh," Bancroft said. "People mistake that for organic, vegan, trendy, but it's not. We're buying food that is local, harvested no later than yesterday. It's all fresh, in house. We're not buying sauces out of gallons; we're making sauces in house. We're making soups, in house, making stocks, butchering whole animals, fish. When you see that on the menu, that fish came in whole."
There are limitless options for fresh ingredients. Everyone wants his or her food to taste better and be healthier, that's the goal of farm-to-table.
Farm-to-table centers around the production of farm-grown food delivered to local consumers. The farm-to-table movement began in the 1960s and 70s.
According to the Alabama Farmers' Federation, Alabama has more than 48,000 farms spreading across 9 million acres of farmland. These farms produce the state's top commodities -- poultry, livestock, nursery products, cotton and peanuts. The average American farmer produces enough food for 155 people per year. The Alabama Farmers' Federation estimates American consumers spend more than 10 percent of their disposable income on food annually.
One Alabama farm took Bancroft's dream and put it on the table.
Bancroft's began his culinary exploits as one part of the culinary team at Amsterdam Cafe.
It was a regular day when he decided the cardboard-packaged produce from an indistinguishable farm did not cover it anymore.
That day, he called Randle Farms with a simple idea.
They arranged a meeting, which would eventually change their lives and, potentially, Auburn's history.
"They were all just looking at me when I walked up in my chef coat," Bancroft said. "They were like 'this is what a chef looks like,' and I was like, 'all right, so (these are) farmers.' We were all just excited."
Randle Farms began operating in 1975 and gained popularity for their yearly blueberry picking. The approximately 220-acre farm functions as a family business. Zack and Frank Randle, sons to Frank Randle Sr., both grew up on the farm and gradated from Auburn.
The produce Bancroft received from the Randle's change his views. He acquired two unused acres behind Amsterdam, between College Street and Gay Street, and converted it to farmland. Before he knew it, his surplus allowed him to invite other chefs to pick from the harvest.
"It was just creating something that could be shared in the community," Bancroft said. "It wasn't to boast; it was to share. I wanted everybody to have some. I even ran a farmers market out of Amsterdam one time."
Similarly, in 2005, Zack created a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for the farm because it had "become a popular way for small farmers like us to market vegetables."
In CSAs, customers purchase shares twice a year, spring and fall, and each share consists of 4-15 pounds of food, depending on availability.
Right now, the Randle's are planting fall produce such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and sweet potatoes.
Zack Randal said he found the best communication to be, "just word of mouth, our customers, the ones that we've made happy over the years, they tell their friends. That's how we operate as of right now."
Now, three restaurants later, Bancroft's current menu literally puts Randle Farms on the map. The menu's watermark labels Randle Farms.
"They are like family members," Bancroft said. "When I pull in we talk about the weather, the crops; we don't talk about business; we talk about family. It's just different. It's extremely special."
Bancroft has immense respect for the farming culture. He encourages it and promotes it in his own cooking.
"I do it to support our local economy and support local farmer's families," Bancroft said. "These are families that -- their standards of living are things I want to emulate, their respect for the land, respect for the harvest. All are things forgotten in our society today. Everyone is about speed, fast food, get in, get out, get home. These people just have a slower pace of life and a higher and greater respect that's been lost. I enjoy getting it back in my life piece-by-piece by watching their lives, how they run their farms and watching them with their families."
And believe it, because if Bancroft knows something other than cooking, it's family. The decor of Acre reflects greatly on the Bancroft name. His father and uncle invested, his cousin interior designed and his brother donated trees and building supplies. Portraits throughout the Bancroft ages hang in the hallways. All the oak on the exterior walls came from his family farm. Beams and salvaged wood came from a friend's 100-year-old general store in Beauregard, Va., and a fish basket from his grandfather's fish farm was repurposed to be a chandelier.
"We just made it a family project," Bancroft said. "We grabbed wood and salvaged pieces from here and there and I took all the pictures, tried to wrap it with as many family stories as possible."
Bancroft has had an illustrious culinary career in Auburn, and now the restaurant reflects him. He's able to create a menu that's timeless, seasonal, modern and interesting. His dishes depend on available produce. If a farmer drops off squashes, he serves squash soup at dinner. If watermelons are in excess, they can be found in the margaritas.
And the customers can't stop.
"It's been without a doubt a gathering of locals," Bancroft said. "I see so many friendly faces every night coming to support and they're coming to support because they've eaten with me for seven years in town, I've cooked at their houses, I was friends with them in college; our kids are in day care together; they go to our church."
Acre's farm-fresh ingredients don't always come from Randle, Acre has potential to be self-sustainable. The foundation sits on an acre of land. An olive tree stands by the front door, blackberries and Meyer lemons are found along the walls. Two Toomer's Oak clones from Bancroft's brother's tree farm sway in the distance. Apples grow down the fence, plums past the apples, peaches across the apartment complex and pears in the middle. Limes, mandarin oranges, figs, persimmons and pomegranates hide in the corner, and blueberries are growing by the gas station. Guava ripens behind the building, and to top it off, a vegetable garden soaks in the sunlight next to the parking lot.
Here, the freshness doesn't stop at the plate. The staff utilizes these herbs at the bar, in a farm-to-bar program. Bartenders mix jars of preserves, local honeys and syrups and fuse them into cocktails.
Also on board with farm-to-table is Opelika's Jimmy's, located at 104 S. Eighth St. The restaurant opened in 2005 and delivered New Orleans-style cuisine. Owner Jim Sikes writes a food column in the Opelika-Auburn News and explores unique food experiences.
Jimmy's uses fresh basil grown in Sikes' garden. He harvests and preserves the basil in canning jars. The restaurant also uses fresh mint in specialty drinks.
"We don't grow very much for ourselves, because we don't have the room," Sikes said. "But we do grow some herbs out front. We've got rosemary that could take care of the whole county, there's a giant bed of it out there, fresh picked mint."
Sikes said the benefits of farm-to-table go beyond the consumer's fork.
"So buying those neat fresh things is a lot better than that bag of frozen things, for the person working," Sikes said. "It's a lot better for you as a customer, but it's also better for the person working. Fresh and local treats your customer and it treats your employees well. It's good for your soul. And there's not a lot that you can say that is that way."
Opelika Cafe One Twenty Three also combines locally grown food with a Southern twist. The restaurant, located at 123 S. Eighth St., operates as a smaller restaurant and doesn't necessarily need to purchase in bulk, especially when it comes to produce or fresh ingredients.
"My vision for the cafe is a place where you can relax and not worry about if you used the wrong fork or spoon. Basically fusing the Old South with fine dining," said Eron Bass, executive chef at Cafe One Twenty Three.
Bass' vision for the Cafe's atmosphere fuses classy dining and Southern cuisine. He said sourcing ingredients benefits them economically, because they don't necessarily need the quantities others have. He said all the produce used comes from local farmers markets in the area.
"I would much rather go out and handpick my produce than order a 50-pound case of squash from California," Bass said. "Buying local helps everybody, from local businesses and the community, even the environment by cutting down on the carbon footprint that is used to ship these products."
Definitions of local differ from chef to chef, restaurant to restaurant and product to product. Proximity matters in a restaurant that implements farm-to-table.
"Not only is local an element of distance, it is an element of time," Sikes said. "You know trying to get local food, you have the opportunity to interface with the farmer or grower or whoever it is."
Auburn University's acclaimed Lambert-Powell Meats Laboratory is USDA controlled, regularly inspected, controlled properly and provides a clean environment.
"There are no other options in the area outside of two hours, it's a two hour radius in every direction," Bancroft said. "You have to go to Auburn University Meat Lab, and it's right here."
In farm-to-table, all parties benefit. The farmer or supplier sells products to local vendors, and vendors are secured a steady, fresh and local supply thus ensuring the quality and consistency when a meal meets a consumer.
The Randle's eat their food, and McDonalds is out of the question. Zack Randle said he never even eats fast food.
"I know what good food is and I know you're not going to get it at any of those places," Randle said.
The movement's influence intersects with an on-campus organization working to get real food options to Auburn. The Real FoodChallenge works to get real food, specified as: humane, local, ecologically sound and fair, into Auburn.
"Of course we want food that comes from all of these categories but local is kind of the most prominent one, because it has the most impact," said Rosa Cantrell, president of The Real Food Challenge.
The main hurdle for The Real Food Challenge and Auburn University is it's contract with Chartwells, a dining services company based out of the United Kingdom. Chartwells representatives and national representatives of The Real Food Challenge will meet in New York City Oct. 7 to discuss potential implementation of real food.
Cantrell already has a plane ticket.
Auburn's Agriculture opens an even larger oppertunity for this happy town.
"When you open that ideal of community involvement that's when people start realizing there is an outlet here for them to try growing things, get back in the dirt and play in the gardens," Bancroft said.
Next time you look at your plate, think about the lettuce inside your sandwich and the meat inside the bun. So, live long, eat good and live better.
(09/20/13 1:00pm)
As the tailgate waste on Auburn's campus continues to reach unprecedented levels, University recycling programs have taken a different approach to keeping the school clean and green.
This past game against Mississippi State Sept. 14, was Auburn University's Green Game, a facet of the national Game Day Challenge to have the most eco-friendly NCAA football game in the country.
"We wanted to show campus that sustainability is more than just recycling," said Courtney Washburn, recycling coordinator with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department.
"I feel like recycling is the smallest act that someone can do on a Gam Day to make the biggest difference, by simply throwing your can or your bottle into the recycling bin, you're making a huge difference," Washburn said. Promoted by non-profit organizations such as the College and University Recycling Coalition, Keep America Beautiful and Recycle Mania, the Green Game is a competition for the lowest environmental impact of a single game chosen by the University to compete with other schools.
Statistics on GameDayChallenge. org show Ohio State had zero trash in their stadium and was the 2012 winner for their waste minimization and diversion rate of approximately 98 percent.
Auburn's diversion rate finished third in the SEC, behind LSU and Tennessee, during the 2012 Game Day Challenge recycling and trash diversion rate, but the school has its sights set on being the No. 1 recyclers in the SEC, Washburn said.
Though the school won't know its total waste-diversion rate until the end of the week, Washburn was optimistic that the game against Mississippi State was greener than last year.
"Recycling in the stadium really does drop as the temperature goes down and people aren't buying as may plastic bottles," said Donnie Anderson. "That's why we focus our efforts mainly for the first four home games because those are going to be the warmest, typically."
Washburn said the Mississippi State game alone generated several dumpsters worth of recycled plastic bottle.
While Auburn volunteers do a substantial amount of the recycling work during gameday for the price of a game ticket, the school's biggest challenge with collecting recycling is the prevalence of tailgate areas too distant from campus to be serviced.
"While we may have 20 volunteers when were right here, we can't send people all the way out to the vet school, its too sprawled out for our volunteers on foot," Washburn said.
Working in partnership with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department and recycling this season, the Office of Sustainability used the Green Game was used to promote the Auburn Sustain- A-Bowl, the competition between dorms to reduce energy and water use.
"I think the biggest thing you can do to help people move in a sustainable direction is let them know what the situation is and what they can do to be more sustainable," said Jen Morse, TES Technician with the Office of Sustainability. "Whether it's clean air or freedom or social justice, so whatever anybody values, it has a link back to sustainability."
Sustain-A-Bowl will continue until the end of September when the results of the most green dorms will be announced.
The Gameday Challenge extends until the end of the football season, when the results of competing schools will be made available to the public.
(09/19/13 2:50am)
Auburn students are crossing borders and using their skills to make a difference for hundreds of families.
"Engineers Without Borders is a service outreach group with the College [of Engineering]," said Jourdan Beaumont, president of Engineers Without Borders. "It's a way for students to volunteer their time to help out the community somewhere in the world."
This year, they took a trip to Quesimpuco, Bolivia, located in the Andes Mountains.
Beaumont said their partnership focused on water security, and any type of project to help them secure more water for farming, eating, drinking, irrigation, hydroponics and showers.
The trip took place in August, and lasted 10 days.
"In previous years, [the team] installed a tank on the side of the mountain and what we've been doing with it is building an irrigation system off of it," said Carson Smith, junior in civil engineering. "It's a series of pipelines and sprinklers that they use during their dry season to secure their crop production."
Smith said they also had a hydroponics team working in the greenhouse, where they used recycled and fertilized water to grow plants.
To get to Quesimpuco, the group landed in La Paz, Bolivia, and drove 12 hours to the community.
Stephen Smart, senior in civil engineering, said they stayed in bunkhouses that had a kitchen and a meeting area. There were gates surrounding the houses.
"The gates are there because people are so excited about visitors when we're trying to have meetings, you'll have 100 little third graders running in," Beaumont said. "They'll be climbing on the windows watching you cook, everyone's super excited to see you."
Beaumont described the Bolivian people as friendly, with a welcoming culture.
"It's like you're just part of the family right away," Beaumont said.
While the people were welcoming, the difference in native languages was a challenge for the team.
"The language barrier made it difficult," Smith said. "Sometimes, they would have to use two different translators before they could understand each other."
However, the language barrier was part of the learning process.
"The idea is, that this group lets students become better engineers, become better business people, marketers, cross-cultural communications," Beaumont said. "Just a unique way to develop a lot of different skills."
Smith said his best memory from the trip was on the last day of work when they turned on the sprinkler system the group had been working on.
"I was with one of the community leaders, up by the tank, and he just started absolutely crying because he knew that the difference just from one sprinkler... the difference that that would make in the crop production and in the lives of all the people that live in that area," Smith said. "It was beautiful."
Engineers Without Borders is not exclusively for engineering students. Any student may become involved with the group and help in some way.
"There's a lot of students in the group who are really dedicated to doing something more with their time than just playing Nintendo and watching TV," Beaumont said. "That's inspiring that you want to be a part of that... it's really rewarding as an engineering student, and it's also really rewarding as a person helping other people."
Engineers Without Borders meets once a week, and invites guest speakers to talk about topics, such as sustainability and other topics relevant to the work they are doing, in Quesimpuco.
For more information, visit Eng.Auburn.edu/organizations/EWB.
(09/16/13 9:10pm)
In the most recent issue of The Plainsman (9/5/13) a graduate student writes how
she and her family and friends "were subject to harassment, taunting, and provocation by
fans in the student section for the AU-Washington State game. One of her party became
the object of "heinous masculinity baiting" and a woman referred to her "as a F----JEW."
At that, she and her party understandably left the game and she has now requested that
for future games she be seated in a place "free from sexist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic
language and behavior."
I am outraged by this behavior on the part of these fans, particularly when we
pride ourselves as the "Auburn family." Every person in our society deserves respect and
consideration and anti-Semitism has no place anywhere in today's world. Jewish students
who have over the years taken my courses in religious studies have always been reluctant
to identify themselves as Jewish (and rightfully so) for fear that other students would
attempt to convert them to Christianity.
No one becomes tolerant, open-minded, and respectful of differences automatically.
It comes both from one's values, experiences, and education. And that's why President
Philpott established the Religion Department about 40 years ago, so that students would
discover the beauty and truth found in the world's religions. However, the program in
religious studies may wither on the vine and die a certain death. When I retire at the
end of this academic year, my position will not be filled by a scholar trained in religious
studies. This past year the major in religious studies was terminated and now the minor
is in jeopardy, since there will be no one to shepherd the program. I find this development
to be quite sad and lamentable.
It all boils down to finances. As I understand it, AU is planning to eliminate such
programs as the Human Odyssey, the program in Sustainability Studies, and possibly the
Civilization and Technology programs, all of which are interdisciplinary in nature. What
we have here is the business model applied to higher education, or the corporatization
of the university. With a budget approaching a billion dollars, can we not spare the
program in religious studies and these other worthwhile programs that have expanded
our students' minds for decades? Is this not a case of being penny wise and pound foolish?
(09/12/13 3:39pm)
The Auburn of today is not the same University your parents attended.
"This is Auburn" aims to promote a bold new statement about the University as part of a national campaign to promote underrepresented strengths.
"The campaign is creating a consistent way to talk about all the wonderful assets Auburn has," said Camille Barkley, interim director of communications and marketing. "Previously, most departments created their own advertising and publications with each having a different theme and content. By joining the 'This is Auburn' campaign, units on campus are sending out a uniform message. In the end, it will result in better recognition of Auburn and greater understanding of our strengths."
Combining digital media with strategic marketing throughout Auburn and abroad, one of the main goals of the campaign is to make the statement that Auburn is an institution built on academic achievement and visionary leadership in a variety of fields.
While the Office of Communications and Marketing is responsible for much of the campaign's resources and messages, a long list of individual groups and offices joined the program to adapt the message in their own way, including Auburn Athletics, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of the Provost and Auburn Admissions.
Barkley said the five-year plan's end goal is to refresh the Auburn image, even if it's not outdated, and announce to the world the new and improved Auburn University.
"The campaign is designed to have bolder messages and statements than we'd used in past advertising," Barkley said. "To attract and retain the best students and faculty, and to engage the most passionate alumni, we need to show the authentic qualities of Auburn and reflect the pride that our Auburn Family should have in the University's achievements."
The name of the campaign was originally penned by Auburn graduate Brock Hanson for a contest to create the best Auburn-made commercial for the University.
"I thought I would enter it because I had done video production stuff and I really liked doing that," Hanson said. "For that specific commercial, I just kind of came up with the idea of a bunch of different vignettes and students and just kind of mashing it all into one piece to show the best of Auburn. It just kind of made sense to name it "This is Auburn.""
"In addition to promoting several national ads, a second television commercial and weekly video features from the athletic department, "This is Auburn," highlights exceptional students and alumni for showing a vision and leadership that depicts the positive qualities of the University," Barkley said.
Past features highlighted Juli Goldstein, an Auburn alumnae who is now one of the head veterinary instructors at Florida Atlantic University, and Marian Royston, selected as one of only 12 Mitchell Scholars, studying sustainable rural development at Queen's University of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
"The Office of Student Affairs has already adapted some of their messaging to tie into the campaign," said Mike Clardy, director of University Communication Services. "We welcome student organizations to work with (us)" Clardy said. "We are asking students for their success stories for the campaign, particularly through stories we tell, advertising and student recruitment material."
(09/06/13 3:10pm)
It might seem odd that an institution with a proud tradition of throwing toilet paper would be distinguished for environmental friendliness, but Auburn University was recently praised for its solar panels.
Auburn was one of the 40 institutions included in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's 2012 Sustainability Review.
The partnership between Facilities Management and the Office of Sustainability, which produced solar panels for the stadium parking deck, were the subject of the profile.
"The panels offset the charging of the golf carts on the bottom floor," said Jennifer Morse, communication and outreach coordinator for the University Office of Sustainability.
There are 10 stations used to charge golf carts and vehicles used by University departments on the ground floor of the parking deck.
Morse said the solar panels do not provide electricity directly to the vehicles, but provide roughly the equivalent amount of energy used by the charging stations to Auburn's power grid.
Ray Kirby, electrical engineer in facilities management, said there are two sections of 3.3 kilowatt solar panels on the parking deck.
"That means during peak sunlight hours, about five hours per day, those panels can produce 6.6 KW of power," Kirby said.
In total, there are 24 solar panels on top of the parking deck.
Morse said the idea for the solar panels came during a brainstorming session for a highly visible project between the Office of Sustainability and facilities management.
"Something about the solar panels with Jordan-Hare in the background seemed like a great idea," Morse said. "It's a powerful image."
Morse said while the solar panels are a high-profile project, the Office of Sustainability is also involved with other on-campus projects.
"We have another demo project we're doing," Morse said. "We're doing a rain-gathering project over at the Dudley shop roof.
Morse said projects such as these, and overall efforts toward sustainability, resulted and will continue to result in Auburn receiving recognition from organizations such as the AASHE Sustainability Review.
AASHE also has a Sustainability Tracking and Rating System that evaluates an institution's sustainability efforts.
"We did the STARS assessment last year," Morse said. "We got a silver star."
Morse said the University is aiming for a gold star rating this year.
"We're working for it, but we don't really care about a score or a ranking," Morse said. "We want the results in sustainability that those sorts of things represent."
(09/02/13 3:40pm)
Auburn University students are participating in the Real Food Challenge to bring food to campus that is sustainably raised and ethically and locally sourced.
(07/21/13 5:23pm)
Combining the poise and demeanor of a seasoned veteran with an intimate knowledge of Gus Malzahn's offensive system, new Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee established himself as the protege of Auburn's newest head coach.