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(02/24/15 1:32am)
Big changes are coming to Auburn.
Namely, a massive video board for Jordan-Hare Stadium and two giant oak trees for Toomer's Corner.
For Jay Jacobs, Auburn's director of athletics, these changes are the product of the desire to give Auburn students, fans and alumni exactly what he thinks they deserve.
"Our students, student athletes, fans and Auburn people deserve the best," Jacobs said.
As far as the video board goes, Jacobs said that as soon as he knew the opportunity to have the biggest board in college football was on the table, he jumped on it.
"I asked the video board people, 'With our current structure that we have in the south end zone, how big of a board can we put in that structure'?" Jacobs said. "They came back and said we can do one approximately 190-200 feet, 50-60 feet tall. They said it would be the biggest in college football, so I said let's do that."
The behemoth board was approved last week by the Auburn board of trustees, and will cost an estimated $ 13.9 million, which will be paid first by the University, then reimbursed by athletics.
Even with the steep price, Jacobs said he hasn't received any negative feedback.
"Nobody has said [the board isn't a necessity]," Jacobs said. "The SEC did a survey, and there were 60 different criteria and Auburn met or exceeded expectations from fans on all but four."
Those four that did not meet or exceed fan's expectations included the video board and public address system in Jordan-Hare, which Jacobs said the installation of the new board will take care of.
"That price tag addresses both of those," Jacobs said. "It's not just a video board, but it's also a new sound system, so we're responding in a proactive way to the requests and desires of the Auburn Family. We're doing exactly what the fans have asked to do."
Jacobs added that with the Auburn Family staying so loyal to the program, the program owes them everything they can give them.
"It's really not an expense," Jacobs said. "It's an investment. We're one of the few schools in the nation that played in front of a sold out crowd every ball game. We don't have a problem like some of these other schools do about begging our students to come to games and stay. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to make sure that continues to happen."
That board will be up by next fall for the start of the 2015 football season. In more immediate changes, two oak trees will be placed in Toomer's Corner Saturday, to replace the ones that stood as an iconic image of Auburn until 2010, when they were poisoned by Alabama fan Harvey Updyke.
"These trees exemplify what Auburn is all about," Jacobs said. "We took something that someone meant for evil and we turned in to something great. We took something that someone tried to destroy, and we're actually making it even more attractive than it's ever been."
The planting ceremony will take place Saturday, Feb. 14, at 8 a.m. and is open to the public.
(12/21/15 8:03pm)
Justin and Shawn Williams of Salem, decided they would be trailblazers as they walked up to Lee County Courthouse on Monday, Feb. 9, planning to get their marriage license after being together for seven years.
(02/24/15 1:47am)
Auburn fell to 0-10 in conference play Thursday night in Auburn Arena. LSU survived a second half, 3-point barrage by the Tigers to hold on for a 60-49 road win.
Although Auburn connected six times from deep in the second half, it was not enough to make up the difference.
LSU scored 28 points off of 24 Auburn turnovers while shooting a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line.
"We are just hurting ourselves by turning the ball over and giving up offensive rebounds," Coach Terri-Williams Flournoy said. "Those are things that we have control of, and we just have to do a better job than that."
Williams-Flournoy went with her eighth starting lineup of the season tonight --Petithomme, Montgomery, Frerking, Dieng, and Tanner-- and even in the loss, she said she believes the current unit gives her team the best chance to win moving forward.
"We are going to keep that lineup for the rest of the season," Williams-Flournoy said. "I am tired of changing the lineup. I told our freshman on the bench that they have to play better... They have to step up and give (our starters) a breather."
Brandy Montgomery's sharpshooting was on full display to keep Auburn from falling too far behind. She connected on five of her eight 3-point attempts in the second half, including three in a row to cut LSU's 38-23 lead to six.
Montgomery finished with a game-high 23 points and tied her career-high with six made 3-pointers.
"We have learned over the past few games that it can't just be one person," Williams-Flournoy said. "If we get Brandy scoring and somebody else scoring, that just gives us an opportunity."
Danielle Ballard led LSU with 14 points and three assists. Anne Pedersen and Raigyne Moncrief each scored 11 points for the visiting team.
Sophomore guard Kiani Parker missed her third straight game with a leg injury. According to Williams-Flournoy, there is no timetable for her return.
"We are trying to work her back in," Williams-Flournoy said. "She is practicing a little bit, and just seeing how much pain she can tolerate. So we will just have to wait and see."
LSU has won the last six meetings between the two teams.\0x200B
(02/02/15 9:54pm)
Something big may be coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
That something is a new, enormous video board, and should it be approved, it will be the largest of its kind in all of college football.
In a meeting Friday, Feb. 6, Auburn's board of trustees will vote on the proposed board, which will be around 200-feet wide and will replace the current video board in Jordan-Hare's south end zone.
Should the vote pass, the estimated $13.9 million screen could be in place by the Tigers' first home game of 2015, a matchup with Jacksonville State on Sept. 12.
That $13.9 million will be covered by the University, and then will be reimbursed by the athletic program, according to proposal documents posted on the University website.
In order to claim the title of "biggest," Auburn's new board will have to exceed the dimensions of the one at Texas A&M's Kyle Field, which is 47 by 163.
The largest video board in all of sports is at Everbank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. That screen features whopping dimensions of 362 by 60.
The announcement of the vote comes just shortly after the installation of a new 23 by 29 video board at Jane B. Moore field, home of Auburn softball.
(02/24/15 1:34am)
The Iron Bowl has developed a number of traditions since the Tigers and Tide first faced off in 1893.
Some traditions, such as Alabama's preference of a neutral site matchup at Legion Field in Birmingham, have been replaced by better, more modern features.
Other traditions, such as the presentation of the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy at halftime of the Iron Bowl of basketball, have prospered for more than 60 years.
Established in 1948, the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy is named after James E. Foy V, who served as dean at both universities, and the Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) National Leadership Honor Society.
The trophy is traditionally presented to the winning side during halftime of the home basketball game between the two schools.
During the presentation, the losing side's SGA president has traditionally given a concession speech and sung the opposing school's fight song to the glee of the home crowd.
In a rivalry that is fiercely passionate, the presentation of the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy has long been a classy show of good will between the two schools.
That tradition experienced its first hiccup, however, in 2013, when University of Alabama SGA President Jimmy Taylor did not attend the presentation ceremony in the Auburn Arena.
Taylor cited icy roads, which caused the cancellation of classes at both schools for several days, as the reason for his absence.
Auburn fans did not approve. The Alabama basketball team made the drive, and media outlets from around the state attended despite the weather.
Whether Taylor's absence was legitimately because of the weather or merely sour grapes over the Kick Six finish of 2013 may never be known.
Regardless, the tradition was put in a precarious position following his absence, with many saying current Auburn SGA President Logan Powell should no-show to return the favor.
But Powell showed up Saturday, Jan. 24, and did his part in keeping an Iron Bowl tradition alive.
The Iron Bowl has had its dark moments off the field in recent years, but Powell's fulfillment of the tradition was a bright moment for both schools.
(02/24/15 1:15am)
Auburn's swimming and diving and diving team ended its regular season with a victory Thursday at the Missouri Aquatic Center in Columbia, Missouri.
The No. 6 Men defeated Missouri, 162-138, and the No. 8 women won, 162-137.
On the men's side, the Tigers (4-4, 4-1 SEC) took seven out of the last eight events.
Sophomore Joe Patching and junior Arthur Mendes each had two wins.
Patching won the 200 backstroke, touching in at 1:44.19, and ended the meet with a 1:48 in the 200 individual medley.
Mendes posted a time of 43.90 in the 100 freestyle for his first victory of the year, and led the Tigers once more in the 100 butterfly, coming in at 47.28.
With sweeps in both of the men's relays, the men's squad also picked up key wins from freshman Logan Samuelson in the 500 free, freshman Hugo Morris in the 200 fly and a victory in the 50 free from Kyle Darmody.
On the women's side, Auburn's (7-2-1, 5-1-1 SEC) Ashley Neidigh, Allyx Purcell and Jillian Vitarius each had a pair of wins.
Neidigh touched in at 9:59.41 in the 1,000 free and 4:50.51 in the 500 free. Purcell clocked in at 22.64 in the 50 free and 49.60 in the 100 free. Vitarius came in a 55.41 in the 100 back and posted a 1:57.86 in the 200 back.
Auburn's women also earned victories in the 200 IM from McKenna DeBever, 200 free from Valerie Hull and the 200 free relay.
Carly Scheper earned a first-place finish in diving for the Tigers.
The junior recorded a six-dive list of 311.33 in the women's 3-meter competition, while senior Fraser McKean came in first place for the men in the 1-meter with a score of 367.13.
With the 2014-15 dual meets behind them, the Tigers will host the SEC Championships on Feb. 17-21 at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center.
(01/27/15 5:37am)
Auburn's conference woes continued Monday night against No.18 Mississippi State as the Tigers fell to the Bulldogs 59-48, dropping their eighth straight game.
"I think we just had a hard time getting open on the wings," Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We had a lack of proper screening and not cutting hard. A lot of that was the issue. They just have to be better at that. We just can't be denied on the wings and not run our offense. That puts too much pressure on your freshman point guard."
Auburn (9-11,0-7 SEC) did not score until Brandy Montgomery's free throw broke the ice four minutes into regulation.
Although Auburn was able to get out in transition and go on a 15-2 run to build a seven point lead midway through the first half, the Bulldogs' size and defensive pressure in the halfcourt took Auburn out of their rhythm offensively throughout the game.
"We were making shots," Williams-Flournoy said. "We were making stops. I think in that possession Kiani Parker made two steals. We were scoring and we were able to make defensive stops, which means we weren't turning the ball over and we weren't giving up offensive rebounds."
Mississippi State (21-2, 6-2 SEC) scored 13 points off of 23 Auburn turnovers. The Bulldogs bullied the Tigers in the paint, where they scored 32 of their 59 points.
Montgomery netted a game-high 21 points for Auburn in the loss. Neydja Petithomme added 11 points and three assists.
Victoria Vivians led the way for Mississippi State with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Martha Alwal and Breanna Richardson scored 15 points each for the Bulldogs.
Senior guard Hasina Muhammad was not on the bench tonight after being suspended three games by the University. Her defensive presence and athleticism was missed as the Tigers gave up 17 offensive rebounds, leading to 25 second chance points for Mississippi State.
"I missed her a lot," Montgomery said. "She's our leader, she's our senior out there and keeps everybody together. She's at the top and gets us pumped up. We really missed her tonight."
The Tigers are 1-10 this season when scoring less than 60 points. Auburn has not reached the 60-point mark since their 81-44 victory over Florida International on Dec. 29, 2014.
Next up, the Tigers will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, in search of their first conference win against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Bud Walton Arena.
"It is something that we need to take care of," Williams-Flournoy said. "We want to win. I don't think it's a lack of effort from my young ladies. They're not trying to go out there and lose. They're playing hard. They're trying. We just got to keep fighting until we get that win. It can't stress us out. We can't stop. We can't give up. We can't quit. We just have to keep going until we get that win."
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
(02/03/15 9:25pm)
We can connect with others with the tap of a button. Instagram, Facebook and other social media apps allow us to share information and pictures with our friends and followers.
But in some cases, information is shared too frequently. Many of us have that friend who posts nine pictures on Instagram in less than an hour or know of someone with a 60-second Snap story. Or we know of someone from back home who posts 11 status updates about their trip to the gym. While it's great that we have the means to share things through social media, it doesn't mean we should share everything at once.
I'm just as guilty of over-sharing as those described above. Most of my Instagram shows pictures of my dog or cookies I've baked, and my Facebook posts are mostly shared articles from Buzzfeed and MTV. As much as my friends must love seeing those, I'm sure they're sick of seeing the same things on a daily basis.
With social media, there should be a balance. Posting something every once in a while doesn't overwhelm your friends and followers with the same content. But posting an abundance of content or irrelevant information on a daily basis can cause friends and followers to stop looking.
The best way to stop over-sharing is to find the right balance for posting. Rather than post several photos or statuses about the same thing or event, do it once and leave it be. Instead of posting several pictures of the same event, wait until after the event and post one good photo that sums it up. Or post a collage and let the content speak for itself.
Another way to reduce your posts is to sign out of your accounts. It will cut down on the temptation to post several pictures a day. It will also reduce the amount of time you spend on these apps and allow you to focus on other things like class and seeing friends.
I think the reason why we over-share is because we're worried about what others post. We see how many likes someone else's status has or how many followers another friend has and feel like we have to compete. Stop worrying about what others post. Who cares if your friend posted a picture from the same event and got more likes? That doesn't make what you posted less relevant. It just means they have more followers. If you only post things to get likes on social media rather than to share with friends, then are you posting for the right reason?
I've started posting once a week instead of once a day and noticed I'm not as dependent on social media as I once was. Rather than worry about who posted what on their accounts, I've been able to focus on myself and talking face-to-face with friends instead of relying on their accounts for information.
(01/15/15 5:00pm)
The Auburn Police Division may be introducing additional body cameras to their patrol officers.
As part of a new federal program initiative increased government funding has been put aside for police forces to use toward outfitting their officers with body cameras.
According to Capt. Will Mathews, the Auburn Police Division is looking into the program and may purchase more body cameras for patrol officers. Bicycle officers around campus have already been wearing body cameras for the past six years. Officers are not required to keep the cameras on.
Purchasing more body cameras and having some cameras already in use shows wonderful initiative and our officers should be commended for looking into the program and wearing the cameras.
Keeping the cameras on, however, should be encouraged.
In California, the Police Foundation conducted a randomized, controlled study, entitled "Self awareness to being watched and socially desirable behavior: a field experiment on the effect of body-worn cameras on police use-of-force," for 12 months to study the effects of wearing the cameras.
All officers of the Rialto California Police Department were required to keep their cameras on during the study. According to their research, officers' use-of-force fell by 60 percent and complaints against officers dropped 88 percent.
The United Kingdom has introduced body cameras to their forces as well. According to the Hampshire, UK, police website, some officers began trials of wearing body cameras during patrols in 2006, and their departments have also found decreased complaints and use-of-force.
The findings from trials on the effects of the cameras are encouraging. The cameras act as an independent, third-party witness, supporting incident reports filed by police that can be used in trials as definitive proof of what happened.
These cameras can cut down on paperwork needed to be filed during officers' reports, allowing for more time for officers to respond to a greater number of emergency calls.
Wrongful incident reports filed against officers can be easily dismissed by watching a few minutes of footage.
The cameras the police force have been using cost approximately $800.
The investment is entirely justified, but if that much money is going to be spent on them, they should be used as much as possible.
Members of the public already closely scrutinize police officers, and using the cameras could increase public trust and decrease regular public scrutiny.
As a condition of using the cameras, the footage should be taken seriously and not be used for petty incidents that don't constitute crimes.
We applaud the APD for their initiative on using body cameras during patrols. Now we encourage them to take another step forward and require officers to keep the cameras on.
(01/14/15 7:20pm)
The Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, had their action plan hearing at 10 a.m. on Jan. 14, 2015. Members of the community voiced their opinions on what they thought the grant should be allocated to.
The funds given by the block grant are used for projects that help to develop and preserve the community, primarily in regards to those that benefit low or moderate-income residents.
Todd White, director of community development, led the hearing.
Those attending the meeting had a wide variety of opinions on where they thought the money should be allocated.
"My mother, that's who I speak for," said L.B. Jackson, a resident of Auburn. "She's an elderly person that's on a fixed income that has a couple of properties that could be brought up to a certain standard, which the city is requiring. They could be an asset to maybe some individuals, and you know (it) puts cash flow back in circulation for the city."
Jackson said there is a need for the grant in the community for landlords of both residential and commercial properties.
"I've heard it addressed in the council meetings that Auburn has grown and developed quite prosperously all over and throughout with the exception of the western side of town," Jackson said. "That remains to be true from my observation from being a resident here for the last 50 or 60 years."
Lisa Liddy, employee for Surge Staffing, said one of the community's needs is transportation for people to get to work. Liddy said her phone starts ringing at 5 a.m. because people cannot get their car started, so she picks them up and takes them to work and prays that their assignments aren't terminated.
"These guys are making $8-9 an hour, they can't keep a car rolling you know on $8-9 an hour," Liddy said. "I have first and second shift people that are working (and) can't get to work. They don't have family, you know, that can help them with this."
Liddy said a contact of hers at the Lee County Transit System said they were booked and do not have the means for more buses, and the ones they do have don't start running until after they need to be at work.
Liddy asked for more buses to solve this issue.
"These managers at these places will end their assignment in a minute, and then they're on the street again," Liddy said. "It's a real need."
Other's present at the meeting were concerned about the homeless people of Auburn, more lighting for their streets, the Boykin Senior Center and mobile home renovation among other issues.
The CDBG funds may be used for things such as relocation and demolition, rehabilitation of residential and non-residential structures, public services, construction and improvements of public facilities, energy conservation, businesses that are willing to carry out economic development and help to create jobs and retention activities.
White said that they have one action plan meeting annually and an approval meeting about a month later.
"I thought it was good, we had good attendance, we had good input, it went really well," White said. "We will prioritize and create a strategy plan and write a document that is for . . . approval at City Council."
The application for CDBG funding is due Jan. 30, 2015. There will be a second public hearing at the Boykin Community Center at 5:00 p.m. on March 11, 2015.
(01/13/15 1:00pm)
With the beginning of the new year comes the "new year, new me," mantra as people decide if they will be making changes in their lives. Committing to exercise often is one of the resolutions many people make, which often causes the gyms to become more crowded than usual.
One of the gyms whose staff has already noticed an influx of members is Fitness Together at their new location at 1799 Ogletree Road.
Latrice Lewis, general manager at Fitness Together, said they have been open and operating, but with their relocation they have re-launched their business.
"We changed management and everything," Lewis said. "We're really just kind of starting from the ground up as far as the business goes."
Lewis said that their numbers have increased not only because of the new year, but also because of their new location.
"It's probably the number one booming industry at the beginning of the year, so we've had a major increase already," Lewis said. "We increased in general just with this move because the majority of our clients live in the area and the majority of the people that were drawn to our gym live in the area we're in now."
David Wagner, general manager at Max Fitness, said that they have approximately 300-500 new members after the New Year. Wagner said that part of the influx of members at the Auburn location is because of the students.
"Realistically, down here in Auburn, it's because the kids are coming back to school right around now," Wagner said. "Everyone's really preoccupied with the holidays previously to the new year, so that kind of also aids in the fact that they're trying to get in shape again because they put all that holiday weight on."
Wagner said approximately 50 or 60 percent of the clients at Max Fitness are students.
Lewis said that they also have student clients at Fitness Together, despite Auburn University having an on campus recreational center for students to use.
"We are the only gym in the area that offers private personal training so you can have personal training sessions with a certified trainer in your own private room with your own equipment," Lewis said. "It's a huge difference from anywhere else."
Lewis said they are working with Auburn University to allow students to come to Fitness Together to complete their internship hours, so they have a good working relationship with Auburn.
William Bottcher, freshman in marketing, said he started going to Max Fitness in August 2014. He chose Max Fitness over the Auburn campus recreational center because of the types of weights Max Fitness has.
"I'm more into like body building type working out than I am just weights and cardio," Bottcher said. "They just don't have a lot of what I was really looking for weights-wise."
Wagner said he thinks that students sometimes choose off-campus gyms because when they are on campus for a long period of time it is nice to get away and work out in a different environment. Their location is also open 24 hours for students and community members with difficult schedules.
"If you are serious about weight lifting and stuff then I definitely say go to Max (Fitness), they just have more options and more things to do," Bottcher said. "If you're not as serious and you're more into cardio and playing basketball and stuff I think the rec would be the place to go."
(01/13/15 1:08am)
Approximately 50 or 60 percent of the clients at Max Fitness are students, according to Wagner. (Ellen Jackson | Photographer)
(12/24/14 3:38am)
Despite sophomore guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen leaving the game with five fouls with a little less than three minutes to go in the game, Auburn's men's basketball team (6-5) pulled out a nail-bitter against Texas-Southern (2-9) by a score of 61-60.
Senior guard KT Harrell led all Tigers in scoring with 14 points including two three pointers.
Junior Cinmeon Bowers ended the game with 13 points and 15 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. This marks Bowers' seventh double-double of the season.
In addition to Bowers' and Harrell's offensive presence, senior guard Antoine Mason and graduate student K.C. Ross-Miller put up 13 and 11 points respectively. Ross-Miller also had four assists in a game where he saw extended minutes most likely because of foul trouble by Shamsid-Deen.
Despite shooting only 35.7 percent from the field, the Tigers grab a great win to follow up the double overtime victory over Xavier last Saturday, December 13.
Auburn's next matchup is scheduled for December 29 against Middle Tennessee State.
(02/24/15 5:07am)
The Auburn volleyball team fell 3-1 (14-25, 25-20, 22-25, 23-25) to the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats Wednesday night at Auburn Arena.
(11/27/14 7:00pm)
The Pick Elementary School students and staff members have channeled their inner Taylor Swift to enter a contest that could award them $60,000 for the school's technology infrastructure.
They entered the Compass Learning Classroom Refresh contest by making a video to the Taylor Swift Song "Shake it Off," but they changed the lyrics to fit their theme, "I Need Technology."
Shelley Patterson, enrichment specialist at Pick Elementary, said she had the idea from how technology inspires kids.
"I just had a flashback of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," like, 'Oh they're so bored and how much progress we've made in the 21st century, in 2014,'" Patterson said. "What would life be like if we had kind of interjected into old traditional classrooms, how would the mood or the passion of the children transform."
Some of the faculty and students at Pick Elementary helped make the video. The ultimate goal is to win the technology package for their school.
"With that comes 25 Google Chromebooks, access to SmartBoard and access to several of their programs," said Debbie Brooks, principal at Pick Elementary.
To make the video the students had access to a green screen app, iMovie and Garageband, according to Deana Schnuelle, media specialist at Pick Elementary.
"We have a few apps that we taught our students," Schnuelle said. "We had a little technology camp for our students."
Schnuelle plays the role of the tech teacher in the clip. The children come into her room and go from being bored to excited and become engaged in the classroom.
"Eventually this technology teacher gets the traditional teachers on board, and that's why at the end you see everyone dancing because the excitement has just ignited the whole entire faculty," Patterson said.
Patterson not only came up with the theme, but she said she wrote the lyrics to the song as well. She said she used a rhyming dictionary to help with the lyrics.
"She was thinking about the Taylor Swift song at night when she was taking a shower and she came back the next day and she said, 'I think I've got it,'" Schnuelle said. "I was like, 'OK, well, you write it and then we'll start going from there.'"
Patterson said the most meaningful part is how involved and excited the children have been about the contest. Each day they check the votes to see how much they have improved in the standings, according to Patterson.
"I always knew we were a team at Pick, but we've shown we are a team just with the teachers who have been involved with writing and collaborating and acting and the administrative support, the students and now the parents," Patterson said. "Everybody is on board. We're really showing that we really are just like a family and a team together."
The voting will close December 1 for the contest. Voters can log in and make an account to register to vote to support Pick Elementary School. The link to the movie and the voting is here: http://www.classroomrefreshcontest.com
(11/23/14 1:09am)
Auburn's divers finished up the Georgia Tech Invitational Saturday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center.
The Tigers competed against Clemson, Colorado State, College of Charleston, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Tulane and Utah in the three-day competition in Atlanta, Georgia.
Justin Youtsey was the top-finisher for the Tigers in the 1-meter final Thursday. The junior took fourth overall with a score of 332.75. Pete Turnham took sixth place in the 1-meter to advance to the 10-diver final with a 329.00. It was a season-best for the freshman and gave him an NCAA Zones qualifying score.
Senior Cinzia Calabretta took ninth overall with a score of 279.90 in the women's 3-meter competition.
Youtsey was a top finisher again in the Tigers' second day of action. He took fifth overall in the men's 3-meter final with a season-best score of 359.50. Turnham finished with a season-best also. The freshman posted a score of 335.50, good enough for seventh.
On the women's side, Calabretta took eighth with a score of 269.90 in the final.
The divers climbed the tower on the final day of the competition.
Calabretta finished second in the women's platform final, while senior Shanna Schuelein placed sixth overall.
On the men's side, Youtsey placed seventh and a personal-best of 296.60.
Auburn's swim and dive team has its next three-day meet at the Georgia Invitational in Athens, Georgia Dec. 5-7.
(11/25/14 7:00pm)
Faculty members in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences will begin placing GPS collars on black bears in the Little River Canyon National Reserve in north Alabama as part of their research on the population.
Associate professor in forestry and wildlife sciences Todd Steury said the purpose of putting GPS devices on the bears is to be able to study the bears further.
"The GPS is a part of a larger project," Steury said. "The goal is to try and understand about the black bears in Alabama."
Steury, along with Wayde Morse and Mark Smith, both associate professors in forestry and wildlife sciences, received a $529,000 grant from the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in July for the project.
"We want to know how many black bears there are and how related they are," Steury said. "We also want to know what connectivity that they might have with other states."
The three faculty members will work with the Birmingham Zoo in their attempts to trap the bears and tag them with the devices.
According to a University press release, the project has three main components: to collect DNA and behavior information from as much of the Alabama bear populations as possible, to assess public perceptions about bears and bear management and to generate outreach materials to educate the public about living with bears.
"Getting to know the habitats they use is also a point of emphasis," Steury said. "We want to know how much time they spend near humans and using human habitats."
Steury also said the black bear was once common in Alabama, but now the population is down to two different areas--one in northern Alabama and another near Sarahland, just north of Mobile. The number of bears in northern Alabama is currently more than 26.
"There are other bears roaming the state and looking for mates," Steury said. "They are dangerous, but the risk of being injured is relatively small."
In an interview with AL.com, park ranger Larry Beane said stories of bears have been told for years.
The Little River Canyon National Preserve is located just outside of Fort Payne on top of Lookout Mountain.
The entire preserve takes up more than 13,000 acres.
The group finished a pilot project earlier this year, and because of the funding, they will be able to continue their studies.
"We have funding for four years," Steury said.
The GPS devices, which cost $2,500 each, will give the location of each bear tagged every 60 minutes and will be monitored through an online platform. The researchers will also be able to track the bears during the hibernation period as the devices have a VHS transmitter.
"We want to get as much information on the bears as we can," Steury said.
(11/24/14 2:30pm)
Momma G's is one of my favorite places to hang out with my friends.
The workers are always courteous, it's never too crowded and the music is solid. It also happens to be one of my favorite places to watch football.
I don't have a T.V., so in order to get my football fix when the games aren't in Auburn or I'm working part of the game, I just head to Momma G's for a pint, some good company and maybe some nachos.
However, when I went there during the Texas A&M game, I was rudely awakened from my Momma G's daydream.
I had to work during the first half of the game, so I didn't trek into Jordan-Hare.
I bought a pint at Momma G's, which I found much more preferable to getting lost in the masses of fans.
Unfortunately, on that Saturday, a pint cost $4 and a pitcher was $11.99.
Did I buy the pint? Sure. Was I happy about the 60 percent price increase of the pint? Of course not.
When I went back a couple of days later, the price was back to its usual $2.50.
But that prompted me to ask, "Why raise the prices on game day?"
The answer is pretty obvious: to make money. But isn't there something unethical about raising prices on one day?
I've asked friends and strangers alike, and few of them have noticed the increase.
Personally, I've never noticed an increase until the Texas A&M game.
I've watched away games at Momma G's and not noticed a change in prices.
The fact is, even though my friends and I treat it as a meeting ground, it is not there for us as people. It is there for us as customers.
Restaurants are businesses, whose main goal is to make money. even though people become attached to them.
Game days, with the influx of potential customers into Auburn, are excellent times to hike up prices.
Customers from out-of-town also have no idea if the prices have been raised or not, having no other set point to refer to.
Those of us who frequent the restaurant, however, have the potential to notice the difference.
Is it fair to traveling fans to hike up prices with no warning? Is it fair to consistent customers?
I propose that, when Momma G's plans to raise prices, they issue a warning.
This way, customers can take action as they see fit.
The restaurant will also continue to make a decent profit on crowded weekends -- a profit that is fair to both the customers and the restaurant.
After all, consumers drive restaurants. Restaurants should strive to make their customers happy.
Happy customers have an idea of the prices they will be paying.
And maybe next time I can be prepared to bring enough money for two pints.
(11/19/14 5:00am)
The Auburn City Council heard a number of complaints from Auburn residents pertaining to Auburn High School student parking at the Tuesday, Nov. 18 council meeting.
Citizens from surrounding neighborhoods such as Terrace Acres Drive, Terrace Acres Circle, Green Street, Eagle Circle, Tisdale Circle, Oak Street, Flowers Avenue and Flowers Circle voiced their concerns of the some seemingly 60 to 65 cars that are parked in their neighborhood every day before school, which has caused a number of traffic concerns.
The ordinance proposed at the council meeting would require signage to be posted in places where parking will no longer be allowed.
Perry Oaks of East Samford Drive said he is highly in favor of an ordinance which would require parking signage to be erected in the affected areas but also felt the signage would only temporarily fix a problem which can simply move from one place to another.
"As a city I feel like we are only treating a symptom and not a problem," Oaks said. "Once these signs go up, if they do, that issue is going to go somewhere else and we will be right back here again discussing where we need to put signs. The problem as I see it and it is well known is the lack of parking at Auburn High School."
Oaks, who said he knows Mayor Bill Ham Jr. likes to hear not only problems, but solutions, proposed a solution to the problem which would allow for a residential radius to figuratively be put around the school where students are not allowed to park.
"Why not just say within a certain radius of the school is residential parking only, whatever that radius may be," Oaks said. "Now, that could be enforced on a complaint basis. If I, the resident, have people parking in front of my house and I don't know who they are and I don't like it, I could complain to the city and then the city could deal with it"
Jannett Smith, a close resident to Oaks, said she did not have a problem with students parking in front of her house until last year when she witnessed drug use and an increase of liter on her street.
"We didn't have a problem with it until last year and they sit out on the front or side of the corner and they sell drugs and they smoke and they have done that for about a year or so now," Smith said. "We have trash in our yard and every day after work we have to pick it up and I am just at my wits end."
Ham said he felt like timing was a big issue seeing as Auburn High School is only three years away from changing locations.
"The timing I think is the big issue here," Ham said. "Hopefully once the new high school is built this problem will no longer exist and the parking will be there."
Until then, the council voted to amend the ordinance to shut parking down on those streets from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monday-Friday, a 30 minute increase from the previous time of 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m..
"The second block begins at 9:45 so if we change it to 10:00 a.m., I think it will cut back on students moving their cars to these areas and ultimately help the situation," said Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine of Ward 5.
(11/20/14 1:00pm)
Yik Yak is a social media platform designed for college students, by college students. The app is designed like Twitter and allows users to post anonymously and read what has been said within a 1.5-mile radius.
Posts can be up- or down-voted and commented on.
An estimated 37 percent of Auburn University undergraduate students are active Yik Yak users, according to Cam Mullen, lead community developer for Yik Yak.
According to Mullen, Auburn students are yakking nearly every 60 seconds, which makes it one of the most active Yik Yak feeds.
"We look at monthly active users, which are how many people have opened up the app in the past month," Mullen said. "We take that number and divide it by the number of undergraduates on campus. You have about 7,000 active users which is huge."
Compared to other SEC west schools, Auburn has the second highest percentage of undergraduates on Yik Yak behind the University of Alabama.
Students look to the app to vent about things they could not normally say out loud or on their other social media.
Ashley Magee, freshman in political science, said she is an active yakker, posting several times per day.
"I check it at least 20 times a day," Magee said. "I use Yik Yak for inappropriate tweets. I think it's funny so it's just a source of entertainment."
Some students use the app, but think the anonymity gives it the possibility to be harmful.
"I think the only problem is the fact that since its anonymous people don't feel any remorse for saying anything," said Ricardo Rios, freshman in biomedical sciences.
Duncan Blackwell, freshman in biomedical science, said he believes if you disagree with how the app works, that you simply shouldn't download it.
"I don't see that there is a problem with it," Blackwell said. "If you don't like it than you can delete it and you don't have to have it."
The No. 1 rule for the app, according to the Yik Yak information page, condemns bullying.
Users can downvote posts and once a post reaches negative five down votes, it is removed from the feed.
"What excites us is the more mature a community is and the more diverse a student body is in that community, the better they are at policing themselves," Mullen said.
"The community has each others backs so if there is something [negative] posted, it often gets taken off within minutes."
Allen Furr, professor and chair of the department of sociology, said he believes cyber bullying does not happen as often as it is thought.
"Research seems to show that 70-90 percent of people have never experienced any of those things," Furr said. "Just because it happens doesn't mean it happens a lot."
Furr said he feels the anonymity of the app is not necessarily harmful, but rather a way to express yourself.
"It s an enticement to act out ways you already feel and it allows you to express whatever it is you are in ways you maybe wouldn't have done before," Furr said. "It's the same as writing something on a wall with spray paint and running away."
