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(11/27/14 5:00pm)
An Auburn student and an Alabama student are pitting their universities against each other, but not on the gridiron.
Kayla Perry, freshman in nursing at Auburn University, and Corbyn Wile, sophomore in environmental sciences at the University of Alabama, are starting a competition between Auburn and Alabama fans to see which fan base can raise the most money for finding a cure for childhood cancer.
Wile said the competition will be launched next week. There will be a place on Perry's website, OHOH.org, where fans can donate and claim whether they are an Auburn or Alabama fan. Results from the competition will be announced Dec. 7.
Although the competition is based off of rivalry, Perry and Wile said they are hopeful fans will see the big picture.
"It shows everyone that there's more out there than football, and we can all come together for a common cause," Wile said.
Wile and Perry's common cause is curing childhood cancer and are both battling against forms of childhood cancer.
The two met through Facebook before spending time together this summer in the clinic of Children's Hospital of Alabama. They formed a relationship aimed at solving childhood cancer.
Perry has neuroblastoma, which most often occurs in children under the age of 5.
Diagnosed May 6, 2013, Perry said her journey with cancer has been full of ups and downs, including her doctors telling her they could not cure her cancer.
After receiving the news Aug. 14, Perry decided to pursue her college degree at Auburn.
Wile shares a story similar to Perry's.
Diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in February 2011 at 16, Wile went through a year of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She was told she was cancer free October 2012.
However, in November 2013, Wile relapsed and underwent through more chemo and radiation treatments up to October 2014, when she stopped any kind of treatment.
"They just told me there was really nothing else they could do," Wile said.
After receiving the news, Wile said she made the same decision as Perry. She chose to pursue her college degree.
Similar to Perry, Wile's cancer is usually found in children under the age of 10.
According to Wile, it is a soft-tissue cancer that can develop practically anywhere in the body.
"It is very aggressive with no known cure," Wile said.
Wile said she is thankful for Perry and the fact that their stories are so similar.
"We understand each other and it has helped me," Wile said.
According to Perry, it is encouraging to have someone who is walking the same path.
While Perry said she is thankful for all of the support she and Wile are receiving, having someone who understands her journey is nice.
"People are so understanding, but they do not understand," Perry said.
Mitch Goodwin, sophomore in nursing at the University of Alabama, is a childhood friend of Wile's.
"In elementary school she changed schools, but we both came to Bama and reconnected," Goodwin said.
Throughout Wile's journey with cancer while she has been in college, Goodwin said he has visited her in the hospital and enjoys her friendship.
"Corbyn is me in a girl form," Goodwin said. "We never fight, and if you were to look up the definition of best friend, that's what Corbyn is to me."
Goodwin said he is thankful Wile has a friend like Perry as well.
"I think it's really good for Corbyn to have her going through the same things," Goodwin said. "They understand on a more personal level."
Although Perry and Wile are battling cancer, the two have teamed up with Perry's Open Hands, Overflowing Hearts campaign to raise money to fund research on childhood cancer.
Goodwin said he is also taking part in the competition and shares the same hope as Perry and Wile.
"It is for a great cause," Goodwin said. "It hits home for both schools and puts rivalry aside."
More information on Perry's story and the Auburn versus Alabama competition can be viewed at OHOH.org.
(11/19/14 4:18am)
A public forum on gun and domestic violence was held at the Lee County Emergency Management office in Opelika on Tuesday night, Nov. 18.
The Auburn alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sponsored the event with Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones and Lisa Stephens, director of the Domestic Violence Intervention Center (DVIC).
Jones said domestic violence is a problem, but believes public education is the key to solve it.
Alabama's new gun law enacted in 2013 was Jones' central topic for the forum.
"It is not a perfect law, but what law is," Jones said.
Jones explained to the audience how the law had 10 sections that changed the way Alabama regulated firearms.
The changes the law made, according to Jones, dealt with the process a Sheriff must apply to issue concealed carry permits, removed municipalities' power to regulate firearms other than banning a discharge of a firearm in municipality limits and allowed carrying of firearms on employers' property in personal vehicles.
Audience members asked Jones questions during his presentation including one about what the Sheriff's Department does with the personal information on concealed carry permits.
"I think it was in New York, (newspapers) filed an open records request and they released the names of permit holders," Jones said. "We don't do that, and we will not do that."
Lt. Jason Black, of the Sheriff's Department, pointed out the Department had processed 11,000 concealed carry permits in 2014.
Stephens spoke after Jones finished his presentation.
Although she sees a lot of gun use involved in domestic violence, Stephens said she believes people have the right to own firearms.
"My granddad taught us how to shoot firearms, but as the Sheriff said, I think if you are responsible then that makes a big difference," Stephens said.
Firearms were used in 15% of domestic violence offenses last year in Alabama, according to Stephens.
"Just recently, I was speaking with a young lady, and her abuser had their 2-year-old child," Stephens said. "He put the gun in the 2-year-old's hand, and made her point the loaded weapon at her."
Stephens added that about 2 to 3 percent of victims that came into DVIC were male.
"That number is likely much higher," Stephens said. "Men are just less likely to disclose they're a victim of domestic violence."
DVIC provides victims of domestic violence a safe place to stay and helps victims draft protection orders from their abusers.
Stephens told the audience that many women stay in a bad situation because of fear.
"Unfortunately a lot of women think that, when they get to the shelter it's going to be like the old movie you see on Lifetime where people are sleeping all over one another on cots," Stephens said. "It's not like that at all."
DVIC is a nonprofit and is always willing to accept donations, according to Stephens.
(11/15/14 5:30pm)
Most of the time, when I write these keys to the game articles, I try to get somewhat technical and take an in-depth look at Auburn and whoever their opponent is that week. I try to be specific and unique and avoid making what I say sound too basic. However, if Auburn hopes to find any success against the Bulldogs, or at all for the rest of the season, they need to get back to basics.
1. Tackle
It seems pretty simple. If you don't tackle the opposing player, you aren't going to win a football game. Against Texas A&M, Auburn's tackling was atrocious. The Aggies racked up 453 total yards with a true freshman starting quarterback. Against Louisiana-Monroe, TAMU only gained 243 total yards. That game was in College Station, Texas. In Jordan-Hare Stadium, Kyle Allen and the Aggies offense screened and slanted the Auburn defense to death, and there were very few times when an Aggie player went down after the first defensive contact. Somewhere in Athens, Georgia, a guy named Todd Gurley was watching this game, chomping at the bit to get back on the field against a defense that got gashed all night by an inferior offense. If the Tigers play to the same level defensively as they did against the Aggies, Gurley is going to have a field day between the hedges Saturday.
2. Get to the quarterback
Part of the reason a true freshman was able to come into Jordan-Hare Stadium and embarrass this defense in the first half was because he had roughly an hour to throw every pass. Save for the Ole Miss game, when Bo Wallace went down four times, the Auburn pass rush has been essentially nonexistent in 2014. With a secondary that struggles to get the ball carrier down, the defensive line is going to have to step up and pressure Hutson Mason. Mason may not be the best quarterback in the league, but then again, neither is Kyle Allen.
3. Play a complete game
The first half against Texas A&M couldn't have gone much worse for the Tigers. Kyle Allen and the Aggies shredded the Auburn defense for four touchdowns, and the offense, fast as it is, just couldn't keep up. In the second half, the defense held the Aggies to only six points, and the offense came within three points of tying the game. Then the offense fumbled twice inside its own 30-yard line in the last three minutes of the game. If Auburn wants to beat Georgia, the offense and the defense are going to have to play well at the same time, and, save for the LSU game and the second half of the Arkansas game, they haven't done that much this season in conference play.
4. Be smart
Ninety-nine percent of the time, if you give your running back the ball on the 2-yard line twice in a row, he'll get the ball into the end zone. I know there have plenty of times near the goal line when Nick Marshall has kept the ball and ran around the corner to the pylon, but that close to the end zone, there isn't really much of a decision to be made. In my opinion, that just wasn't a smart play call. Georgia is a confusing team. One week, they go out and pound Arkansas, and a few weeks later they get embarrassed by Florida. Auburn doesn't yet know which Georgia is going to show up, but that doesn't matter. They have to clean up their own sloppy play first.
5. Get Over It
"What just happened?" "No way that just happened!" Those were the most common things I heard said around me in the student section after Reese Dismukes fumbled the snap with less than a minute to go. The way the Tigers lost to A&M was absolutely heartbreaking, but they have to forget about it. They can't afford a hangover from a loss heading into Athens, Georgia. It happened, it's over, and the Tigers need to wipe it from their memories. There's one person Auburn needs to be focus on right now, and he wears a big No. 3 on his chest.
(11/14/14 1:00pm)
When Laura Mitchell was 2 years old, she couldn't write her name, but she could color inside the lines. Even as a toddler, art came naturally to her.
Now a senior in studio arts, Mitchell said she is using her talent to pursue a career in the arts, and her hard work is paying off.
In April, Mitchell submitted her self-portrait to Auburn's research exhibition. It was accepted, and during a Research Week event, Aaron Alford, managing editor of Southern Humanities Review, spotted the piece and chose it for the magazine's cover.
"Laura's been so excited about it, which is so refreshing," Alford said. "A student's work has never been on the cover since the journal was founded in 1967. We usually went for the work of professional artists, but this was a homegrown artist who's still in school. It's with great pride that we get to showcase her work and developing talent."
Last fall, Mitchell read "Heartbreak Hotel" by Auburn alumna Anne Rivers Siddons for an advanced drawing class.
After reading the novel, professor of art Barb Bondy asked her students to find something in the novel to use as an analogy for their artistic voices and create a piece.
"I saw myself in Maggie, the main character," Mitchell said. "She was bound by expectations from her parents, friends and society, and she experienced this inner struggle of who she was supposed to be."
Mitchell said she identified with Maggie's struggle and used it to create "To Be Good: Self Portrait," a self-portrait done in a paint-by-number style with a legend at the bottom. The legend contains each color used in the drawing and a characteristic to accompany each shade.
"The characteristics I chose were ones I felt would make me a good person," Mitchell said. "In the piece, I break away from what's expected of me and become who I want to be. As a college student, I could relate to the anxiety of change and expectation. I'm not a child or a full-fledged adult. This composition helped me grow as an artist and a person."
Alford attended the Research Week events to see students' work from the College of Liberal Arts.
"I didn't go there looking for a new cover," Alford said. "It was immediate. Laura's piece was there, and it was such a striking image that hit me like lightning. When I got closer to it and saw the concept of it, I just had to know more about it."
Alford said while he wasn't looking for a cover for the newest edition of Southern Humanities Review, it was exactly what the journal needed.
Mitchell's self-portrait was featured on the most recent issue of the quarterly journal with the legend explaining her characteristics on the back cover.
Bondy, the professor who worked with Mitchell as she created her piece, said she is excited for her talented student.
"This would even be major for a professional, so this is an extremely big deal for a student," Bondy said. "She worked hard and used a technique she wasn't familiar with. She pushed herself and now here she is."
Mitchell said Bondy has been her biggest encouragement and greatest influence while studying at Auburn.
"Dr. Bondy was able to challenge my ideas and refine them in a way I've never experienced before," Mitchell said. "She pushed me to think deeper and more uniquely, and even when I create great, she's taught me that it all can't be good."
Bondy said Mitchell's determination reminds her why she loves her job.
"As a professor, you hope a student will latch onto your advice or teachings, and that's what Laura did," Bondy said. "She put herself out there."
Mitchell said she loves being an artist, but is eager to teach others about her passion.
"Art has given me the greatest view of the world and the greatest joy," Mitchell said. "I want to spread that joy and I hope my artwork speaks to people."
The most recent issue of Southern Humanities Review with Mitchell's cover can be picked up for $5 per copy in room 9088 of the Haley Center.
(02/24/15 4:59am)
After finishing the regular season 11-6-3, the Auburn women's soccer team anxiously watched the NCAA Selection Show, waiting for its name to be called out.
(11/10/14 9:00pm)
Maria Baugh, managing editor of Food Network Magazine, spoke to Auburn University students at Journalism Day on Nov. 7, 2014.
"The University is so happy to have Maria Baugh here," said Jennifer Adams, director of the School of Communication and Journalism. "She has worked at many magazines such as InStyle, Glamour, Teen People, House and Garden and more."
Baugh, who graduated from Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts with degrees in pre-law and journalism in 1987, said magazines were something she always loved.
Baugh said she began reading a Reader's Digest she found at her grandparents house.
"I fell in love with that magazine," Baugh said. "They got a subscription when I was around 9 or 10. It was something that I couldn't get enough of."
According to Baugh, she and one of her best friends started their own magazine when they were 13.
"We called our magazine The Enlightenment," Baugh said. "I have no idea where we got that name from, but it was the seventies, and my friend and I thought it was cool. Unfortunately the magazine folded after one issue because we had bad circulation and no ads."
When it was time for Baugh to start deciding what she wanted to do in college, she said she knew she loved writing, but her family wanted her to pursue a degree that would be more practical.
"My family is very linear and very literal," Baugh said. "Basically that translated into asking how are you going to make money, and making money meant law school."
Baugh came to Auburn and finished her first degree, but she said the day she graduated in pre-law she knew she made a very big mistake.
After going with one of her classmates to pick up her diploma, she said she had a huge revelation and realized what she wanted to do with her life.
"I literally passed a sign in the Haley Center with the world journalism printed on it," Baugh said. "It was like, 'That's it, that's what I should have done. I've blown it.'"
After going home following graduation, Baugh said she decided to take a quarter off and decide what to do. She decided to come back to Auburn and pursue a degree in journalism.
Baugh graduated with her second degree and landed an internship at The Gulf Shores Islander and then with Covington News.
There she met a fellow Auburn graduate who encouraged her to come to New York City.
From changing jobs and weaving through positions in New York, Baugh said she knew that she was going to have to move around in the industry to move up.
Baugh also said taking a job that you don't know how to do is completely acceptable, because that is where she found her success as a managing editor.
"Take a chance," Baugh said. "You need two out of three things. You need to like where you are, like the people you are with and have a job that you love. If you have two of those, you will be fine."
(11/11/14 2:30pm)
Edzard Van Santen, professor in the crop soil and environmental science department, has dedicated more than a decade to the growth of a new creeping bentgrass, a grass that has long been used for putting golf green surfaces.
According to Van Santen, the new grass, named AU Victory, is a cool-season species with origins in 1999, when putting greens in the southeastern region of the United States suffered in the prolonged heat and humidity of summer, causing the grass to become too thin and resulting in poor golf greens.
Van Santen said he was first called to the Montgomery Country Club where he found only five or six good patches of grass on a 2,000-square-foot green.
"These plants had a characteristic that made them, at least to that point, survive the draught," Van Santen said. "Ultimately, if they had gone on they would have died, because a plant needs water to survive. So I picked up those survivors, took out the core and put them in a bag, transported them to the greenhouse here in Auburn and then took them to the Tennessee Valley, where we have another research center."
After the two-year waiting period passed, Van Santen said he was ready to initiate a breeding program, which involved working with a collaborator in Oregon, Virginia Lehman, who owned a private breeding company.
According to Van Santen, Lehman planted the plugs in a field and continually looked for turf quality, which is normally rated on a one to nine scale, six being an acceptable turf quality.
"What you want is leaves and not many stems," Van Santen said. "With the quality, we were looking for the fineness of leaf and uniformity. Uniformity is important because you want this average characteristic and each seed from the same mother has potentially a different father, and so there are slight differences, but on the average you want the stuff to look similar to each other."
After years of sending plants to and from Oregon and comparing their turf grass to other commercial cultivars, Van Santen and Lehman put populations of grass together, which they said they believed could be a thriving type of bentgrass, ultimately finding one population that stood above the rest.
"We eliminated a number of populations and then we allowed the remaining plants to flower together," Van Santen said. "We came up with two populations of bentgrass, and we had them here in our turf grass research unit. We put them under draught stress to see how they compared to commercial cultivars if you don't irrigate as much, and these did really well."
Bent Brook Golf Club in Birmingham was one of the first golf courses to plant its greens with the AU Victory Bentgras
Mickey Smith, director of golf at Bent Brook Golf Club, said he expects the greens on his Graveyard nine to be playable by December at the latest.
The Country Club of Birmingham assisted Van Santen early in his research, allowing him to plant AU Victory Bentgrass on the golf course years ago.
Today, Lee McLemore, director of golf course operations, said there are still a few bentgrass plots left thriving through heat and disease, a huge advantage over a number of other bentgrasses.
"This bentgrass has great draught tolerance, as well as disease tolerance," McLemore said. "Edzard gave it tough love in a survival-of-the-fittest setting and came away with a grass which could withstand heat and draught that would devastate other putting surfaces."
McLemore and Van Santen said they view draught and disease tolerance as an advantage.
McLemore said he believes the biggest advantage of the grass is that it was developed in the state of Alabama.
"They are born and bred here in Alabama, and that's big," McLemore said. "Bentgrasses are not supposed to be very well adapted to this region, but this bentgrass had adapted well. It's really the ultimate putting surface."
(11/10/14 1:00pm)
Marleigh Jones is a slim girl with red hair as fiery as her passion for music. Jones graduated high school in May 2014 and is following her dream of being a folk musician.
Her first album, "Jubal," was released in April 2014 through Noise Train, a music blog, under her solo project's name Streetparty in Liverpool.
Jones played shows throughout the summer after the release, but is now taking a break to work on her next album.
"I need to get another album out," Jones said. "I was going to tour during the summer, but nothing panned out. So next is the tour after this album is out."
Jones music career began five years ago when she started playing the guitar and performing.
Now Jones plays guitar, ukulele, banjo, bass, sings and writes her own music.
"It's folk music," Jones said. "It's acoustic, banjo-based."
The lyrics on Jones first album are very faith-based, she said, though she's recently written two love songs.
In addition to her solo project, Jones is also in a duo named Sand Moose with Logan Denham. Jones sings and Logan plays guitar.
"It all started in June," Logan said. "My mom was working on Amplify OA Youth, and that's where I met Marleigh. We started goofing off and from there, we found some websites with some stupid names on them, and we decided to start a band named Sand Moose."
Sand Moose is a reference from the television show "Parks and Recreation;" a sand moose is a camel.
"(Logan) sent me a picture of a camel with the caption sand moose and it was really funny at 2 a.m.," Jones said. "So we decided to call our band Sand Moose."
Jones and Logan are writing their first album together, with Jones writing most of the lyrics.
They said they look forward to begin recording in the upcoming week.
"It's interesting, because she has a special voice," Logan said. "The way she pronounces stuff doesn't always sound like what the lyrics actually are, so it's interesting trying to get melodies through to her, but I try. I do the majority of music stuff."
Logan's mother, Nia Denham, owns a music company called Amplify, which is how she got to know Jones and Logan.
"About three years ago, she was looking for gigs, trying to get started," Nia said. "She came to us and she actually did her first gig [with us] at Beef O'Brady's."
Jones said she has progressed in many ways since she started performing, from nervousness to stage presence.
"They were so bad," Jones said. "I remember I was playing a song and I was on a stool, and I was so nervous I slid off the stool and ended standing up. I didn't fall down, I didn't fall off the stool, but I don't know how I got there. I've gotten slightly better at using stools. It took me five years, but now I'm on it."
After establishing her own presence as a musician, Jones said her performances became more organic and more reflective of herself.
"I finally had to stop and say, 'I can do this differently, and not like other people, and I need to stop pretending to be other people,'" Jones said. "After I said that, everything progressively got weirder and more like me and easier. It's a whole lot of awkward and I tell some bad banjo jokes. I'm working on that being-charming-between-songs thing."
Jones said she has decided to not go to college because what she is doing now is what she wants to do.
"I don't want to spend a lot of money for people to tell me what I'm doing," Jones said.
Jones works as a nanny while she gets on her feet as a musician. Having performed at venues in the Auburn-Opelika area; Columbus, Georgia; Atlanta; and Birmingham.
She has her sights set on the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island
"Newport is where Bob Dylan first played his electric set, and other people I really look up to have played there, and even more modern people, because it's been around for 60 years," Jones said. "It looks really fun."
(11/08/14 1:00pm)
At the beginning of the season, Auburn ran a running back by committee, but now it is clear that Cameron Artis-Payne has not only separated himself as the No. 1 back on the team, but also has emerged at the No. 1 spot for most rushing yards in the SEC.
Artis-Payne's 969 yards through eight games are good for first in the SEC and 17th in the country.
Although he has separated himself as the go-to running back in the Tigers' hurry-up, no huddle offense, players and coaches agree that Artis-Payne has always been a talented back who they expected to have a breakout senior season.
"We knew at the beginning [of the season], we thought he'd be an 1,000-yard back in this league, we really did," said offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. "We didn't know what level [he would be at] and there's still some things to be seen, but what he has done is he just has great determination."
According to wide receiver Sammie Coates, he has noticed characteristics of Artis-Payne's running game that have helped him become the current leading rusher in the SEC.
"When he's out there, he watches the defense," Coates said. "He knows what he's got to do to run the ball. He does a great job of letting the game come to him. CAP has always been a good running back and he's going to keep doing a great job."
According to Lashlee, Artis-Payne is the type of player who does not boast about his accomplishments; he simply lets his play do the talking for him.
"(Artis-Payne) has a very quiet strength of drive," Lashlee said. "He's very driven to prove himself and he doesn't have to say anything. He comes to work every day. He's a pro before he's a pro. He's the same young man every single day."
Lashlee said because of the way Artis-Payne prepares, studies film and practices, he has created a consistent daily routine, and that consistency off the field has led to him putting up consistent numbers on the field, averaging 5.4 yards-per-carry.
Artis-Payne said even though he has been named the No. 1 running back on Auburn's depth chart, he has continued to work hard to become more comfortable as an emerging leader on offense.
"Even though you get named the starter, you're still not going to be as comfortable six, seven games into the season," Artis-Payne said. "I think me and the offensive line are just starting to hit that stride. I think we're just getting more comfortable and seeing things better."
Lashlee said this year's running back situation is similar to last year's since Artis-Payne separated himself as the No. 1 back, and Tre Mason stepped up as the No. 1 back on his way to becoming a Heisman finalist last year.
"I think the way Tre got hot late had nothing negative to do with the way Cameron or Corey (Grant) were playing," Lashlee said. "They both still had a lot of good runs and good plays. Tre just became kind of that go-to guy."
Last year, Mason had 753 yards after eight games and Artis-Payne has 969 yards through the first eight games this season.
"(Artis-Payne) is as steady and consistent and reliable as anybody we have and probably about as reliable as anyone in the country," Lashlee said. "He just keeps plugging and coming at you. When we start to wear people down, he really can turn up those yards late and gets better as the game goes on."
Artis-Payne's ability to get better as the game goes on was proven during the 35-31 win at Ole Miss, where he rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown.
"We figured out some things seeing what they were doing up front and seeing the mismatches we had," Artis-Payne said. "We figured we could exploit that in the second half. We know that if it's a close game in the fourth quarter, we're going to find a way to win and we pride ourselves on that."
(11/05/14 4:57am)
To ignite something is to set it on fire.
Louie Giglio, pastor at Passion City Church in Atlanta, came to the Auburn Arena Tuesday, Nov. 4, along with the Auburn University Gospel Choir and the Highlands Worship Team.
Ignite Auburn started five years ago when Student Government Association President Kurt Sasser approached Chette Williams, director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and chaplain for the football team, about creating an event to spark revival on campus.
Bo Bradford, senior in mechanical engineering and student chair for the event this year, said he has been attending Ignite Auburn since it started.
"It completely changed my outlook on college," Bradford said. "I remember specifically leaving that event viewing college as a place that I could grow spiritually and not a place where I put my religious beliefs aside for four years and just kind of do what I want."
Bradford said the goal is to have an event that ignites the student body with the love of Christ.
"We want to see lives changed for Jesus," Bradford said.
The coordinators of the event said they incorporated Auburn leaders to show this is an event unique to the campus.
Jay Jacobs, director of athletics, gave the welcome before the Auburn University Gospel Choir and the Highlands Worship Team led worship in front of students, faculty and members of the Auburn community.
Jonathan Wallace, senior in physical education and Auburn football player, gave his testimony at the beginning of the event.
Giglio was the main speaker for the evening. He started by presenting students with "the big idea."
"Jesus is God," Giglio said. "He is good. He is glorious both now and forevermore."
Giglio said this big idea should change lives. He compared living a life centered on "me" to being a fan of Georgia Tech's football team as he recounted going to their games as a child.
Giglio said living a life centered on Christ is like becoming a fan of Auburn's football team and a complete upgrade in comparison to Georgia Tech's smaller program.
"When God gets glory, we always get the best thing," Giglio said.
Giglio ended his talk with a challenge for students to break through religiosity and encouraged a spirit of freedom through Christ.
"Here at Auburn, you get a great education, great environment, great culture and a great football program," Giglio said. "We want all of that to lean together, so that when Auburn University comes up, people say, 'Have you heard? The King of Glory came in, and the whole place is ablaze with the name of Jesus.'"
Students had the opportunity to come forward and commit their lives to Christ at the end of the event.
Approximately 75 counselors, who went through a training process on sharing the Gospel and followed up with people who committed their lives to Christ, were available at the conclusion of the event.
Logan Click, senior in organismal biology, was a counselor this year.
According to Click, Ignite is a great outreach on campus because it is not exclusive to Christians.
Bradford said they are putting a bigger emphasis on follow-up this year.
"It's one thing to have an emotional high, but if they don't know what to do with it, what's the point?" Bradford said.
Along with talking to counselors at the event, students could also text 970-00 with the word "commit" or "recommit" in order to connect with a counselor who could talk to them about committing their lives to God and what that looks like after the event.
Committing yourself to God is choosing to live a life glorifying to him rather than yourself.
(10/24/14 12:00pm)
Following the trail through the woods and over two hills past the grave of Penn Yonge, the ghost who allegedly haunts Spring Villa Mansion, Faith Serafin and her team of paranormal investigators walked onto an ancient Native American gravesite.
They came armed with a collection of ancient Muscogee Native American words found in old history books.
The Muscogee-Creek language has been nearly lost in the years following the tribe's removal during the Trail of Tears. Only an estimated 5,000 people speak the language today, largely in the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma.
Speaking these words, Serafin believes, invoked a string of bad luck on her and her team after they left the gravesite.
The nearby lime and quartz quarries that built Yonge's fortune in the 1850s are visable in the area. Small shards of quartz crystal can still be found scattered across the ground, shimmering in the sunlight.
Minerals, especially lime, quartz and granite, store and release energy from the area, said Serafin. Concentrations of quartz are used in electronics to store energy, and one of Serafin's theories is this same quality can store the energy of spirits as well.
(10/23/14 5:00pm)
On Aug. 28, more than 1,000 copies of The Plainsman were stolen from bins across campus.
The total cost of the stolen newspapers, including production fees and ads sales in both the game day special section and broadsheet newspaper was $1,660.
The Plainsman filed a police report within hours of realizing the papers were stolen Aug. 28.
The police did not view the tapes until more than three weeks later Sept. 17. Student Conduct did not look into the matter until Sept. 30. What could have been handled within a couple weeks turned into an eight-week ordeal.
(10/16/14 4:00pm)
Nathan Coker, senior in fine arts, strummed his guitar as music blasted from the amplifier behind him.
Without a word, Ryan Blackwell, junior in mechanical engineering, joined in playing trumpet. Blackwell wore a sweater with a black bow tie and four-color socks. He rocked back and forth slightly as he played.
Corey Spicer, senior in interdisciplinary studies, joined in on drums. Spicer had just put on a green shirt, covering the tattoo on his chest of the Greek word "agape."
One by one, the band's other members began playing as well. Their sounds came together in one unified rhythm.
The music filled the room all the way to its green-painted walls and slanted wooden roof. It bounced between the unused piano and the four-foot pedals Coker had daisy-chained to his guitar, only to run around the dozen-odd instrument cases strewn on the floor.
The band's playing intensified as the song drew to a close. There was a half-beat of silence, then every member played to accompany a long blast from Blackwell's trumpet.
Once the music stopped, temporary bassist Mitch McKoy took a swig from his Corona Light. Spicer's dog Chessie wandered between the instruments.
"That's hot," Coker said, pleased with the music. "H-A-W-T."
Coker is the namesake of The Nathan Coker Band, a local music group. Though the band has been together for less than a year, its members want to see where the band goes.
"We'll probably get some more recording time in, put the demo out there and see where it goes," Blackwell said.
The way Spicer tells it, The Nathan Coker Band began after Spicer and original bassist Jimi Greene saw Coker play and were impressed with his talent.
"We got together and jammed, and started writing some drum and base parts to his acoustic songs," Spicer said.
Coker said he began learning guitar at 19 after being inspired listening to John Mayer.
"(It's) really funny, because I listened to a lot of hip-hop growing up," Coker said. "Gucci Mayne was a huge influence on me."
Despite his roots in hip-hop, Coker described the band's music as soul.
"Soul music is a broad term, so I try not to limit myself with restrictive genre names," Coker said. "The music I'm trying to make is sincere, and when I think of sincere music I think of a lot of soul artists."
Jayson Perry, senior in mechanical engineering, called their music "free-form fusion."
"We don't have anything written down," Perry said. "We just kinda feel it."
Perry, who plays saxophone, said Nathan Coker Band members enjoy improvising riffs during performances.
"We improve a lot of our licks," Perry said. "We try to add stuff, but not be too crazy about it."
Perry said after enough live shows, everyone in the band is used to each others' styles enough to handle the improvisation.
According to Blackwell, The Nathan Coker Band plays two or three shows per month, with practices clustered before performances.
One of the best shows so far, according to Coker, was a friend's house party where they played for only 20 people.
"Everybody got on their feet and was right there," Coker said. "The pressure of having to perform for a certain budget wasn't there, and it was all fun."
Blackwell said there are opportunities for new groups in what Spicer called a "growing music scene."
"Anybody who's looking to start a band in Auburn, just have the passion to do it and the wherewithal to sit there and practice because it takes a while," Blackwell said. "It's about putting yourself out there."
(10/08/14 5:00pm)
The Lee County Court is in recess for the remainder of the day for the sentencing phase of the Desmonte Leonard murder trial.
(10/06/14 12:00pm)
According to Jan King, Auburn University Medical Clinic's nursing manager, there is a season where people faking sick come out of the woodwork: Football season.
King said there is also a spike of fakers right before and after spring break.
According to King, people come into the clinic looking for a little vacation extension.
"It happens weekly, for sure," King said. "I bet you anything we have people come in with nothing wrong with them on a daily basis."
Elizabeth, senior in hospital management, said she prefers not to say her last name. She recalls one time she used the clinic for a note.
"I had a 'sinus infection' the day of my first college test," Elizabeth said.
Doctors gave her a prescription she never used.
"Apparently, I had some allergy from moving down South from my hometown," Elizabeth said. "I was, supposedly, 'adjusting to the weather.'"
Anne Sims, senior in journalism, said a simple stomachache did the trick.
"I'm not kidding when I say I did that all the time," Sims said.
King said her favorite story is one about a student who went as far as to forge a note from the clinic.
King said it seemed like a smart idea, but the student dated the excuse Feb. 33.
"Some of these fakers are just really brilliant," King said.
According to King, one of the most common lines of a faker is, "I threw up earlier today, but now I'm fine. Can I get an excuse?"
King said the medical clinic will not issue excuses to people the doctors have not personally examined. Even after an examination, the doctors will not give an excuse to a person who has nothing wrong with them.
Furthermore, the fine print on medical clinic excuses say the instructors do not have to accept them.
"We've had people get really mad at us for not giving them an excuse when that's what they came there for," King sad.
According to King, some people even pay a copay to get an excuse.
"Some people are so desperate that they will call the office and ask, 'What do I have to do to get a medical excuse?'" King said.
One thing King said irritates the staff at the medical clinic is when a student comes in for a hangover.
King said it is never a good idea to use a hangover as an excuse to get a doctor's note, because you will fail every single time.
(10/01/14 9:45pm)
On Thach Avenue, an old, wooden church is tucked on the top of the hill.
It was built in 1866 by freed slaves and named the Ebeneezer Baptist Church. The building was sold to a group of Unitarians, and is now the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Church.
However, the building is more than a church. A place of worship on Sundays, the other six days of the week it is utilized as a yoga studio, a meeting hall, an art gallery and, for 12 nights of the year, a concert hall.
The Sundilla Concert Series started in 1993, when Auburn resident Katie Smith interviewed singer-songwriter Steve Young. He asked her about a place to play for singer-songwriters in Auburn. While she couldn't tell him any good place at first, she told him to give her a call if he was ever in the area and wanted to play.
He called, and that was the beginning of Sundilla.
Bailey Jones is the producer of Sundilla. He started volunteering in the late 1990s. In 2001, Jones took over booking, and when Smith stepped down, he stepped up. Jones said he doesn't make any money, but he works for the love of music.
The performance space is rustic. The floor is covered in red carpet, a stark contrast to the dark hardwood ceiling.
A quilt hangs behind performers, and art, rotating with the changing galleries, adorns the walls.
"The Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is one of the best listening rooms I've ever heard," said Kelly Walker, host of the Sundilla Radio Hour.
The Sundilla Radio Hour is a program broadcasting concerts. It started in March 2013. It plays on three local NPR stations, one station in Ithaca, New York, and online. The four most recent concerts stream on sundillamusic.com. The radio audience is strong, according to Jones.
"After the fourth show, he (Walker) called me and said, 'We just got an email from a guy in California that's been listening,'" Jones said. "He says there's people in the Middle East, in Europe, who are listening at various points in the day."
Jones' theory for the widespread audience is the type of music they host.
"It all goes back to when you turn on the radio," Jones said. "It's not always what people want to listen to. There are stations out there playing this kind of music, but you have to hunt around to find them. When people find them, they listen and they're loyal."
Sundilla's performers are acoustic, but acts have included bluegrass, singer-songwriter, Americana, country and classical.
"There's a limited number of people we can put on the stage," Jones said. "It's an old building. There's a limited number of stuff we can plug into the sockets before fuses start blowing. So you're never going to see an all-electric rock band here. In the early years, there was a chart: Plug this coffee pot into this wall and this one into this wall or all the lights will turn off. They fixed that, but they do have limitations."
Even with the limitations, the popularity is still high, according to Jones, with Auburn being the exception.
"Locally, as far as people coming, it's not as good as I like," Jones said. "I'd like every seat to be filled every show. In 2005, we went to 12-13 concerts a year from 22-25. In 2005 to 2012, our attendance was pretty much averaging 60 for the year. Last year, it dropped to about 50. That's where we are this year."
The listening room can hold 150 people comfortably, and has even held 192.
"I know there are people out there who would like it who won't come for various reasons," Jones said. "One of those is that it's in a church, which freaks them out. It's a church on Sundays, and our concerts are usually on Thursdays or Fridays. If you get over that initial trepidation, which I had for the first one, you quickly realize you're not going to church, you're coming to a concert."
People can bring food and beverages, including alcohol. Jones joked someone could even bring a full bar, as long as the clinking bottles were quiet when performers took the stage.The only rules for the audience are no smoking and stay off their cell phones while the artists perform.
According to Jones, performers are well-established in their genre. They hail from 41 states and seven foreign countries. Upcoming performers include Moors and McCumber, playing Oct. 2 and Eliza Gilkyson, playing Oct. 9.
"The series has brought so many amazing and talented artists over the years," said Wildman Steve, Sundilla's sound engineer. "It brings culture to our city that no other entity, including the University, has even come close to approaching. If you love music, you will find artists they bring enjoyable."
(10/01/14 4:50pm)
Former Auburn University football players Eric Mack and DeAngelo Benton were called to the witness stand yesterday for the Desmonte Leonard murder trial.
Leonard is on trial for the capital murder of former Auburn football players Ladarious Phillips, Ed Christian, and DeMario Pitts.
Leonard is also being charged with attempted murder and assault due to the injuries caused by the shooting to Mack, Xavier Moss and John Robertson.
Both the district attorney Robert Treese and defense attorney Susan James focused on an altercation that happened at University Heights the day of the shootings.
Each witness was individually asked to watch video surveillance from the night of the shooting, to identify specific people during the incident.
Benton said that he could feel somebody staring at him at the party, so he took him outside to "have words with him." The person he felt staring at him was Leonard.
Mack also joined him outside with Leonard to calm Benton down.
"We were approaching him about what he was staring at," Benton said.
Benton was also shown on tape having an argument with a female, whose name he could not remember, or the reason why they were arguing. "I guess I was telling her to get out of my face," Benton said.
Benton said they had been drinking alcoholic Jell-O shots at the party, but that he was not intoxicated.
When James asked if he had been smoking spice, Benton said he had not been.
After Benton and Mack went outside with Leonard, Mack then restrained Benton against a wall to calm him down when they were outside.
Turquorius Vines and DeMario Pitts also spoke to Benton.
"No physical fight or anything had started," Benton said.
Treese asked Benton if he then heard anything unusual, and Benton eventually replied that he had heard a few shots being fired.
Mack was shot from behind, and said that he didn't see who the shooter was. "Some shots were fired," Mack said. "I didn't realize I was hit. Everything after that was a blur."
As soon as Benton heard the first shot, he said he ran for the bushes and down Longleaf Drive.
He did not call the police, but returned to the scene 5-15 minutes later.
Benton said he did not see who shot the gun either.
The District Attorneys called forensic scientists to the stand to question what the chain of command for some of the evidence was, and to ask how it was processed.
(09/29/14 6:40pm)
Most students are aware of the recycling bins around campus and have probably contributed a plastic bottle or two.
However, some people are unaware of what happens to their recycling after they throw it in the bin.
Courtney Washburn, recycling coordinator in the waste reduction and recycling department, said the trash and recyclables from campus go through a specific process.
"The custodians service it first," Washburn said. "Then our staff get it and they bring it back to the food service building. They unload the bins and there's someone here sorting them. By sorting, I mean we're taking it from a small bin and putting it into a larger one."
Washburn said the recycling is sorted into three different categories: plastic and aluminum, mixed paper and cardboard.
"All the recycling from campus comes to our parking lot," Washburn said. "We have a compacter for paper and a roll off for plastic and aluminum. We also have cardboard bailers. You basically just stick the cardboard into it and it spits it out bailed."
According to Washburn, the materials are then sent to multiple locations off campus.
"They're called material recovery facilities, but we call them MRFs," Washburn said. "They're basically a recycling center. The MRF is kind of the middle-man."
Washburn said the plastics and aluminum go to a MRF in Columbus, Georgia.
The mixed paper and cardboard is sent to one in Lee County and the waste from construction and demolition is sent to Sand Hill in Lee County.
Washburn said there is a reason their system is so complex.
"A lot of places do single stream," Washburn said. "That's where you put everything in one bin, you send it to the MRF and they separate it for you. It's very simple. But there's also a very high contamination rate because people can throw everything in. They do and it can get messy."
According to Washburn, mixed paper and cardboard are some of the most recycled materials in Auburn.
"That's where most of our revenue comes from, cardboard and mixed paper," Washburn said. "If we mixed them in together it wouldn't be as valuable. Having that single material is more profitable. And there's lower contamination rates," Washburn said.
According to Washburn, Auburn's diversion rate has room for improvement.
"You measure recycling success through what we call diversion rate," Washburn said. "You measure diversion rate by looking at your total waste, trash and recycling added together, then you find out how much of your total waste was diverted from the landfill. Basically, how much of it was recycled.
The University's diversion rate is 13 percent.
"The national average is around 30 percent," Washburn said.
According to the EPA's website, tax incentives are offered for purchasing recycling equipment.
These tax incentives range from 10-50 percent of equipment costs.
Auburn was recently named one of the greenest universities in the nation.
Mike Kensler, director of campus sustainability operations, said he knows how Auburn became one of the most sustainable campuses.
"About 10 years ago, a couple of Auburn deans saw sustainability as an important trend," Kensler said. "Now we have so much going on compared to the rest of Alabama."
(09/23/14 10:05pm)
Auburn showed everyone that they have a defense as well as an offense in their Thursday night victory against Kansas State.
A defense that has allowed just 258 yards rushing in their first three games, has 19 interceptions in its last 17 games, and has not allowed a third quarter touchdown this season has definitely improved compared to last season's statistics. And head coach Gus Malzahn thinks so too.
"We're very good right now at stopping the run," Malzahn said. "We're just working on improving in all areas and putting a little more pressure on the quarterback in pass situations. I like the direction we're going, and I think we're improving."
The Tigers' defense has improved from the first half to the second half in its first three games significantly by allowing a total of 10 points, 54 rushing yards, 263 passing yards and 317 total yards.
Having a defense that is playing well will help the Tigers' in Saturday's matchup against Louisiana Tech.
The Bulldogs have an offense that likes to throw the ball a lot and does it well, Malzahn said. They also have junior running back Kenneth Dixon, who is ranked 21st in the country in rushing.
A lot of Auburn's defensive success last Thursday came from junior Josh Holsey.
Holsey took over the calls and checks at free safety last Thursday after senior Jermaine Whitehead was suspended for an altercation with an assistant coach.
"I was well prepared for the job," Holsey said. "I know the secondary pretty much like the back of my hand so it wasn't really hard."
Eleven tackles against Kansas State earned him SEC defensive player of the week honors.
"I didn't even know I had that many tackles at the end of the game until they told me, but as the game went on I was just really focused on doing my job, and make sure we came out with the 'W,'" Holsey said. "I wasn't even focusing on myself as an individual."
The Tigers' defense went into Manhattan ready to let people know that Auburn has a defense as well as an offense, Holsey said
Being in the same system for the second year has helped the defense perform better this season, Holsey said.
"There's really no excuses not to know your job," Holsey said. "Especially when we are doing our base defense. It gives us a big advantage. You know your base calls. That's when you can start adding the exotic blitzes, and start doing different things for different people."
Junior Jonathon Jones, who had an interception against the Wildcats last Thursday, said the Tigers' defense did a solid job to hold Kansas State's offense to 14 points.
"Obviously the offense is going to do what they do every week, but as a defense we want to kind of make a name for ourselves and show we can hold people, and the offense can score," Jones said.
The SEC Champions are seeking their 300th all-time win at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday in the Tigers' homecoming game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The defense will continue to be a major factor in Auburn's success.
"We talk every week about improving our defense," Jones said. We obviously made mistakes, but we definitely got better."
(09/20/14 12:00pm)
When Fernando Cruz was finishing high school in Ponce, Puerto Rico, he was assigned a final project. While other students struggled with ideas for weeks, Cruz said he knew what he was doing in a heartbeat.
On the day of his presentation, Cruz walked to his senior classroom with a smile on his face -- portable gas stove in tow.
Cruz said his peers watched in awe as he effortlessly seared a skirt steak, mixed an Argentine chimichurri sauce and whipped mashed potatoes.
Ten years later, Cruz is the executive chef at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center and a recent competitor on season 13 of FOX's hit show "Hell's Kitchen."
"I didn't just wake up one day and say, 'I'm going to cook,'" Cruz said. "It just grew into me and became a part of me. From there, I set my goals high."
In 2003, Cruz left Puerto Rico to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in hospitality and hotel and restaurant management in 2007.
The 29-year-old chef said his accomplishments are the product of hard work.
"My family didn't have any money, and the CIA was incredibly expensive," Cruz said. "But I went, and I told myself, 'I'll pay for it later.' I'm a very independent person and I've paid for everything myself. Even with all the loans, I could never regret my education."
Roy Khoo, culinary director at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Newnan, Georgia, hired Cruz fresh out of culinary school.
"Fernando was young and he was green, but I hired him because he had an indescribable drive for success," Khoo said. "As I talked to him, I saw this passion in his eye and knew he had a keen dedication for what he does, and that he'd make it in this business."
After working with Cruz for five years, Khoo drove more than an hour to attend the "Hell's Kitchen" premiere watch party at the Hotel at Auburn University Sept. 10.
"The trip was worth it because I got to see Cruz's great performance on the show while being there with him," Khoo said. "This will give his career a boost, and he deserves it. People will know his name, and people will see the same passion I've seen in him for years."
Cruz said Khoo has been a mentor throughout his career, and Cruz wouldn't be as successful without him.
"Roy's the person who taught me how to be a leader," Cruz said. "When he hired me, I knew how to cook, but he was a mentor to me for so much more. He taught me something very special. I won't stop for someone in the kitchen, but I will always slow down for them and teach them like Roy did for me. I have so much respect for Roy and his teachings."
After cooking in different regions around the country with Khoo, Cruz said his experience made him an ideal contestant for "Hell's Kitchen," but that's not what led him to apply.
"I remember watching the show while I was at the CIA and thinking, 'These people are crazy, I would never,'" Cruz said. "I don't know what came over me. I wanted to see how I compared to other cooks across the nation and when the opportunity knocked at my door, I answered it."
While Cruz finished his culinary training years ago, the executive chef said "Hell's Kitchen" was an extension of his schooling.
"Gordon Ramsay is one of the greatest chefs I've ever met," Cruz said. "What you see on TV is what you get. The audience usually sees him stressed and angry, but his mentoring side is the side you don't see. He truly wants to help you grow and become a better chef. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher."
Maria Gomez, Cruz's wife, said she was concerned about his decision to participate in a reality television show, even with the opportunity he would receive if he won the competition.
"I rarely watched the show to begin with because it stressed me out," Gomez said with a laugh. "I just don't care for reality TV. Sometimes people are portrayed how they're not. From the Kardashians to 'Hell's Kitchen,' the producers can make something out of nothing, and I was worried about how Fernando would be portrayed."
To keep her husband grounded, she gave him a piece of advice before he left for filming.
"'Don't lose yourself,' I told him," Gomez said. "We have three kids under the age of 5, and he has an entire professional career at stake, but he never lost himself or his values. He didn't change, and I'm so proud of him."
Gomez, who also attended the CIA, met Cruz while pursuing her bachelor's degree in culinary arts.
"We've been successful, but we're not making filet mignon at home," Gomez said. "We are very simple, and we aren't food snobs. We'll feed anything to our family if it's fresh, good and done right. Simplicity is what it's all about."
Now, seeing her husband's success, Gomez said she's been able to put her concerns aside and enjoy the "Hell's Kitchen" experience with her children.
"We're all so happy and proud of him," Gomez said. "We're so young, and he's going to have such a long and successful career. We have a lot to look forward to."
Cruz said he's glad "Hell's Kitchen" shaped his culinary abilities and not his personality.
"I got a part on 'Hell's Kitchen' by being who I am," Cruz said. "The show didn't change that, and I couldn't be more proud of the way I handled everything."
The Hotel at Auburn University is hosting watch parties every Wednesday throughout Cruz's run on "Hell's Kitchen." The parties are free and open to the public.
"On TV or not, I'm still a part of this community," Cruz said. "I want everyone to come and enjoy this experience with me, young and old. I'll prepare the dishes on that night's show, and it will create great memories."
Cruz said he's grateful he set his sights high, and advises other young people to do the same.
"Don't let anything stop you," Cruz said. "Set your goals as high as you can. You won't be able to achieve them tomorrow, but that's why you work on them. If you have a goal and fight for it, but are able to remember who you are, someday you'll achieve more than you ever thought possible."
