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(10/13/13 5:00am)
Auburn has many symbols that represent the student body, past and present, and the principles and morals that guide its students.
One symbol that has been a part of Auburn's history since 1859 is Samford Hall.
Located at the heart of Auburn, the current building was built in 1888 after the original building burned down.
While some students may know the building's history, few know what actually happens inside this Auburn symbol.
Mike Clardy, director of university communications, has worked in Samford Hall for 15 years.
Clardy said he works with reporters\0xAD\0xAD\0xAD--pitching stories, putting things on Auburn's website and handling inquiries people may have.
"When you stop and think about the history and what's happened in this building, what's taken place over the years here, it's a special building," Clardy said. "Maybe sometimes we take that for granted because to us, it's coming to work every day, but you know you kind of step back and think about it, we're working in a very special building."
Samford Hall has undergone renovations throughout the years, but some parts have remained.
Clardy said the heating and cooling system for the building is hot and cold water running through the pipes.
Upon entering Samford Hall, guests are welcomed by decades of history in a room filled with relics from Auburn's past.
Among the relics displayed is documentation of the name changes Auburn has been through, pictures of past presidents and old cadet uniforms.
Samford's old clock face hangs on the wall. According to Chris Green, coordinator for campus and community events, the back of the clock has signatures on the back dating back to 1906.
The rest of the building is office space for the office of communications and marketing, the office of the executive vice president, the office of the president, the office of the provost, the office of sponsored programs and vice president research.
"There's a lot of people who will circulate through our office and a lot of them will say, 'I didn't realize this actually was a functional building,'" Green said.
Some faculty members in Samford Hall have a long history with the building. Lucy LaMar graduated from Auburn in 1981, and now works in Samford Hall as a marketing manager.
"I have a fondness for it because it is such an iconic representation of Auburn," LaMar said. "It brings back fond memories of being a student here; I'm glad to be able to be a part of the University where I graduated from."
LaMar said her favorite part of working in Samford Hall is hearing the bells, especially when they chime "War Eagle."
Green said the building itself doesn't have any venue for events inside, but numerous proposals, graduation pictures and other important events have taken place around and near the building.
"This is the heart of the University as far as I'm concerned," Clardy said. "This is where things happen."
(10/10/13 1:00pm)
The 50th anniversary of Auburn's desegregation is on the horizon, and it can be hard for current students to imagine what the University was like in the '60s for the students who lived that history.
Jim Vickrey, Owen Brown, and Andy Hornsby, Auburn alumni, were able to paint a picture of what life on The Plains was like almost half a century ago.
Vickrey graduated from Auburn with his first degree in 1964. He was president of the Student Government Association from 1963-64, which had some differences from today's SGA.
"There was a Student Government Association which covered everybody, men and women," Vickrey said. "Then there was an additional Women's Student Government Association that just focused on women."
Vickrey said the WSGA was limited mostly to the women's residence hall life.
Vickrey also said during this time, all women were required to live on campus and abide by the set of rules that were enforced.
"It was a very restrictive atmosphere for women," Vickrey said. "They were very well-protected in the dorms. There was a curfew every night. You had to get in by a certain time or you'd get locked out of the dorm."
Hornsby enrolled at Auburn fall 1963 and graduated in 1968 after spending time in the Army Reserve.
Hornsby said he recalls less than half of the students having cars, so traffic and parking were never a problem and it created a relaxed atmosphere.
Brown enrolled at Auburn in 1960 and graduated in 1964. Hornsby and Brown both frequented the War Eagle Supper Club as an off-campus hangout, and were both members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
For on-campus dining, Hornsby went to the old Foy Union where he said each fraternity had a table.
"In my day, most students ate on campus," Hornsby said. "Whoever you were dating at the time would come sit at your table."
Though some traditions may have changed, Hornsby said downtown Auburn is one thing that has remained remarkably unchanged.
He said he remembers two movie theaters downtown that only had a single screen.
"The downtown part is remarkably the same," Hornsby said. "Much bigger, much more grandiose, but independently run businesses for the most part."
In 1964, Auburn was integrated when Harold Franklin registered for classes for graduate school and became the first African-American student to attend Auburn.
Vickrey, Brown and Hornsby, were all students at Auburn during this time.
Brown said he thinks everybody at Auburn was determined not to go through the same thing the University of Alabama experienced when George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door to prevent integration.
"We were afraid [Wallace] was going to do that same set of theatrics at Auburn," Vickrey said. "He wouldn't tell anybody what he was going to do, and at the last minute decided not to come so we had a very, very quiet integration."
Vickrey said the University and student leaders spent months preparing for that day, and he was glad it worked out the way it did.
Hornsby said one particular moment in time has stuck with him since the day Franklin arrived on campus with hundreds of students gathering to watch him enter his first class.
"We had a great All-American guard named Bill Van Dyke," Hornsby said. "As Franklin approached his first class, and I remember him walking in that dark suit, he had to be scared to death...but as he waited to go into his first class, Bill Van Dyke broke out of a group and walked over and shook hands with him and walked into class with him."
Although the Auburn University Brown, Vickrey and Hornsby attended was different from today's campus, many aspects of student life have continued.
They still enjoyed traditions students today participate in, including decorating floats for Homecoming week, and singing the alma mater during football games.
(10/08/13 4:00am)
This year, one of Auburn's academic resources celebrates its 35th year of tutoring Auburn students in a variety of courses.
Study Partners, located on the 2nd Floor of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library, is a free tutoring program sponsored by Academic Support Services, which assists currently enrolled Auburn students with their academics.
"Its been around for a long time, but when it started out, it was in the basement of the library and there were only five or 10 tutors," said Amanda Cameron, Study Partners graduate assistant. "It's really grown a lot in the last four or five years."
Despite its humble origins, Study Partners now has a large number of qualified tutors.
Study Partners tutors are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA and have earned an "A" or high "B" in the particular subject in which they tutor.
"We have approximately 85 tutors who are primarily undergrads, with a couple of professional and graduate students who generally tutor undergrads, as well in a lot of different subjects," Cameron said.
Although finding enough time in the day to squeeze in a tutor is difficult, Study Partners' appointment scheduling makes the process easy.
Appointments are made using the online scheduling system, SARS, at any time, day or night.
However, as demand for tutors increases, scheduling times are becoming less available.
"We are in the process of trying to hire more tutors because there is so much demand," Cameron said. "People are starting to find out about us more, and we are trying to meet that demand by hiring more tutors."
Prior to making an appointment, students need to know the course name and number. Each appointment is a 50-minute session, and each student is guaranteed their own Study Partners experience.
"A tutoring session usually includes meeting the client and asking questions like what class they are in, what teacher they have, whether they are coming before a test or after a bad grade," said Phylesia Hill, Study Partners tutor. "From there, it really depends on the student because everyone learns differently."
Study Partners has helped many students, but once a student decides to take part in Study Partners, it's really up to the student whether they benefit from the sessions.
"When they come back regularly, they really do seem to do better in those classes," Cameron said. "When they only show up once, it's not as effective, but when they keep coming back and keep working on their subject, it really does help them out and, of course, it makes us feel good to see students come back."
With a mission to provide quality one-on-one and small-group tutoring for undergraduate courses, Study Partners strives, and often succeeds, in creating independent learners.
Although Study Partners has grown drastically since it began as a five-man operation in the basement of the University's library, it continues to grow.
Study Partners will continue to get their name out to the student body and will hold an event for National Tutor Week.
Between Oct. 7-11, Study Partners will have a bulletin board on the 2nd Floor library hall so students are able to publically show their appreciation for those who have assisted them.
For more information call the office at 334-844-5702.
(09/18/13 5:42pm)
The National Security Agency recently named Auburn University a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations.
This is the second designation of academic excellence out of a 10-year relationship with the NSA, and despite controversy surrounding the agency, those closest to the relationship say it is a positive one for the University.
Accusations of sweeping domestic surveillance, and spying on nations friendly to the U.S. among other activities, have been documented through internal agency leaks.
The leaks, which began during June of this year, have prompted reviews, inspections and both public, and political debate, aimed at determining the legality of the agency's behavior.
"Auburn folks are not working in direct support of the NSA as we speak. We are not an existential arm of the NSA. I can't state that more definitively. Auburn students are not sitting over there in Shelby Center working for NSA and taking direction from them. That ain't happening," said Retired Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, senior counsel for Auburn cyber security programs.
Burgess also said the interdisciplinary program helps meet the demands of the expanding cyber workforce, and performs the three main functions of a land-grant university: research, education and workforce development.
The Center of Academic Excellence program is a broad-spectrum approach to developing what the agency calls the U.S,'s cyber operations capacity by deepening its involvment with all levels of academic institutions.
Burgess said Auburn's general focus of research in its cyber programs is defensive in nature.
"When you have personal information out there residing someplace, that information is protected and people can't get your data and use it for nefarious purposes. Auburn's engaged in that type of work," Burgess said.
Burgess, who serves as senior counsel for national security programs, cyber programs and military affairs, has an extensive background in the military and intelligence community.
Among his many appointments, he served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from August 2005- May 2007.
"Throughout my career, I have been in and around the NSA. In the latter part of my career, I was a customer of the NSA. I was a user of their information. I tasked the NSA for information as I did any other part of the U.S. Intelligence Community," Burgess said.
He said that he was aware of the agency's activities.
"At the end of the day, I was confident, and still am confident, that, we had the requisite authorities to do what we were doing," Burgess said.
The NSA has been the subject of heated debate because of its intelligence-gathering practices and methods.
Drew Hamilton, assistant vice president for research for Mississippi State University, first applied to the agency in 2002 regarding academic excellence in information assurance.
He recently left his position in the computer science and software engineering department to go to Mississippi State University to help develop its cyber programs.
"We just haven't really engaged in anything that I think would really be considered to be intelligence collection or surveillance, or anything like that. We pretty much work on the technical side and all the work we've done for NSA is publicly available," Hamilton said.
David Umphress, associate director in the department of computer science and software engineering took over as acting director of the Auburn Cyber Research Center after Hamilton left.
"We do it so that we can show that we support the nation to begin with... But what the NSA does for us in return for recognizing us as a center of excellence is that they help with jobs," Umphress said. "For students that go through our program, the NSA will make sure that those students' resumes are looked at, that they are paid close attention to."
The Academic Excellence in Cyber Programs spans across multiple schools within the University.
It uses the capabilities to help development cyber program operations. It is based in a computer science, electrical engineering or computer engineering department.
(09/17/13 1:57pm)
The Black Student Union held its general Assembly Meeting Monday, Sept. 16 where they had quite a large itinerary on its hands. This general assembly meeting, called Learning the Ropes, was open to all college students who were interested in learning about the different organizations Auburn has to offer in relation to diversity, leadership, and social interaction. Eight organizations, including the Black Student Union, presented their organization with a brief five minute presentation which touched on the main goals and focuses of each party.
The Auburn University Student Democrats was the first organization to take the floor.
"We like to do a lot of what's called collaborative doctrinism. For example, if there is another organization on campus who is having an event, or that has some sort of mission or something that lines up with our progressive values, we will be happy to help with that group no matter who they may be. We will work with these organizations to make their event successful," said senior Political Science major Sergio Gallardo, President of the Auburn College of Democrats.
Many of the organizations shared the common theme of helping students find their niche within the Auburn community. Organizations such as the Black Graduate and Professional Students, African Student Association, Ilead, and the Involvement Ambassadors all centered around helping students network within the University as well as helping students academically.
" Our goal is to support all students, not just black graduates and professional students through write nights and by giving pointers on what students need to do while in undergrad. We try to support everyone socially in order for students to have outlets away from academics," said Derrick Robinson, the Association Vice President of the Black Graduate and Professional Students.
"This organization was founded four years ago and the intent was to provide incoming international students from Africa with a homebody when they get here because it can be kind of hard to adjust," said senior UNSM major Faith Kashaa, Senior President of the African Student Association.
Other organizations focused on the importance of academics and offered promises of helping their members achieve a high academic standing. The Student National Pharmaceutical Association and the Harold A. Franklin Society stressed the importance of academics and not losing sight of the opportunities pioneered by African Americans years ago.
Harold A. Franklin was the first African American to enroll in Auburn University. The society, named after Franklin, continues to work towards their goal.
"Our main focus is to improve the minority male retention rate, graduate African American students who have a good GPA in hopes of breaking stereotypes put on us," said Aaron Jordan, President of the Harold A. Franklin Society.
The Student National Pharmaceutical Association, like the Harold A. Franklin Society, took aim at stressing the importance of continuing the legacies left by African Americans in the pharmaceutical field.
"We really have seen a decline in the amount of African American pharmacists, as well as in the medical field as a whole. We want to encourage students in this area that it may be tough, but again, you get that warm feeling that you are helping people. If students are discouraged because of the academics or because they don't think they can do it, we are here to say that they can do it and we would really like to help those students," said P3 pharmacist Gabrielle Allen, Service Chair for The Student National Pharmaceutical Association.
In closing, senior marketing major and President of the Black Student Union, Akilah Williams took a moment to describe the goal of the Black Student Union.
"Our goal is to make sure students get everything out of Auburn University. We always hear people talk about THE Auburn experience, but we are here to help students create their own personal Auburn experience," said Williams.
Although students are here to gain a good education, it is important that they get involved with some organization and the Black Student Union's Learning the Ropes general assembly meeting was a reminder that there are organizations at Auburn pertaining to nearly anyone's wants and needs.
(09/16/13 9:03pm)
He's only been here for a short amount of time, but freshman Johnathan "Rudy" Ford has already made a name for himself on The Plains.
Recruited by running backs coach Tim Horton and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee out of New Hope, Ford came to Auburn as a four-star running back hungry to win.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Ford rushed 155 times for 1,526 yards and 23 touchdowns in his senior season for the New Hope Indians, earning Ford a No. 15 overall running back ranking from Rivals.com.
Ford received offers from numerous schools, including Georgia, Tennessee and Florida State before picking Auburn.
With a 40-yard dash time of 4.41 seconds, Scout.com said Ford's strengths as a running back include cutback ability, elusiveness and vision.
As summer camp went on, Lashlee commended Ford and fellow true freshman running back Peyton Barber for their hard work.
"They're working hard, and there's no fear in them," Lashlee said. "They might not always block the right man, but they're going to go and hit them in the mouth hard--they've shown out."
As the season opener approached, the Tigers suffered an unfortunate series of events in their secondary.
Veteran senior safety Demetruce McNeal was dismissed after a marijuana-related arrest, and sophomore corner-back Jonathan Jones broke a bone in his foot, which required surgery.
Losing these two players spread Auburn's secondary dangerously thin.
While Ford could have continued to work on gaining a role in the backfield, he committed a rare deed in today's world of college sports.
He put his team before his own interests and volunteered to switch from running back to corner back.
"We have got to do what's best for the team," Lashlee said in August. "(Ford) came to us and said, 'coach, I want to help the team win. I want to win now.' And right now, that's what's best for our football team."
Though Ford is struggling with inexperience, his coaches said his work ethic and athleticism drive him to succeed.
Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson believes while Ford may not be familiar with his new position's fundamentals, he will have a bright future.
"I think he physically is really going to be a good player [at corner-back]," Johnson said. "He's not ready yet, but physically he is the most impressive of the bunch."
Ford recorded his first solo tackle against Arkansas State in an impressive showing by the Auburn defense.
Ford's athleticism and selflessness have The Plains buzzing about his potential.
When asked about Ford's abilities during an August interview, Horton's response was simple.
"Johnathan Ford can make a play," Horton said.
(09/12/13 9:01pm)
Going to college, leaving behind old friends and parents, taking new classes and living in a new place can be a difficult transition.
One thing makes the transition a little easier: a pet.
After a stressful day of class, sometimes a big, sloppy kiss from a dog, or just petting a cat can help.
No on-campus dorm allows animals in the building, but Auburn has plenty of apartments that do.
Shannon Kazek, sophomore in anthropology, has an Australian shepherd/lab mix named Chance, who loves to visit Kiesel Park.
"Chance is about five and a half months old," Kazek said. "He is not hard to take care of at all because I live in a trailer and he can just go out in our yard. He is very obedient and he won't go anywhere. It was really difficult when he was a puppy though, because he was hard to house train, but he hasn't really been too bad about chewing or anything."
Ashley Durand, sophomore in animal sciences, is the owner of a Pomeranian named Kit.
"I named him Kit because he looks like a baby fox, and that's what (baby foxes) are called," Durand said.
Durand has been Kit's owner since Christmas and now lives in The Grove, one of the many pet-friendly apartments around campus. Kit is approximately 8 pounds. He is hypoallergenic, and he does not shed, which makes cleanup a breeze.
Having a small dog, such as a Pomeranian, means having a low maintenance pet.
Durand's roommates help by rotating who takes Kit out for playtime or for a bathroom break.
"The Grove has plenty of room for Kit to run around," Durand said. "Kit can usually go six hours without having to be let out, so he is not hard to balance with class. He is a great companion, and I recommend having a dog in college."
For those who don't live in apartment complexes with ample yard space, Kiesel Park is pet-friendly and offers an off-leash dog area. It is fenced in for dogs to be able to run around and play. The dog area has a playground, obstacle course and waste receptacles to keep the area clean.
Carmen Littleton, junior in marketing, owns a kitten and lives in Ross Park.
"The only hard part is when he runs out the door and I have to chase and find him," Littleton said.
Some pet-friendly apartments near campus include The Reserve, Southern Edge, University Village, Garden District, Creekside, Eagles West and Logan Square.
Auburn also has many veterinary clinics, including East University Veterinary Hospital, Village Veterinary Clinic, and South College Veterinary Clinic.
Local grooming businesses include Groomingdales, For Paws Boutique, Liz's Pet Grooming Salon and many others.
(09/04/13 3:13am)
The City Council met Tuesday, Sept. 3 to discuss Havana Dreamin' requesting an alcohol license, and Exhale's request to operate as a cigar and hookah lounge. "They died because a lack of action," said David Dorton, city director of public affairs. "The Havana Dreamin' one is two issues, even though they are both dealing with smoking. Havana Dreamin's issue was that they wanted to add alcohol to a smoking lounge."Havana Dreamin', 2328 S. College St. suite 12, sought approval for an alcoholic beverage license, but the license was denied after being granted approval to operate as a retail tobacco shop in January.Zamil Ali of Exhale, the cigar and hookah lounge, requested approval to operate as a tobacco specialty shop, or operate as a cigar or hookah lounge. Exhale is located at 221 N. College St. in the College Edge Overlay District. At the Aug. 6 meeting, both Havana Dreamin' and Exhale's requests were tabled in order for the Council to research the businesses' compliance of the City's smoking ordinances."The problem the Council saw with that was we've told bars that they can't smoke anymore," Dorton said. "So if you allow a smoking lounge to add alcohol to the smoking lounge, then that might be inconsistent with rules bars have to abide by."Three citizens approached the Council to discuss the potential harms of smoking, while Havana Dreamin' owner, Rick Payne argued for the approval of the alcohol license. "I think the hookah bar goes back to the issue of what do they want the smoking ordinance to allow, and the idea that we are going back and being consistent in how we apply all of these rules," Dorton said. "And really do they want to allow any type of smoking establishment, I think is part of the discussion."
In other business:
Katie Robinson from the planning department was named employee of the month.
The Mayor awarded five service pins and plaques. Stephanie Spraggins with the finance department and Audrea May with the public works department were awarded pins for their five year service to the City. David Carr with the public safety department and Marty Beckwith with the public works department were honored for their 10 years of service.
City Manager Charles Duggan announced vacancies in the Auburn City Public Library board, cemeteries advisory board and two vacancies in the industrial development board.
The Council approved alcoholic beverage licenses to Halftime Sports Bar and Grill on 154 and 156 N. College St.
The Council approved with unanimous consent the establishment of a stop sign in the Shelton Cove Subdivision.
Approved closing City streets for the Historic Pine Hill Lantern Tour and the Downtown Trick or Treat in October.
Approved Zazu's, 149 E. Magnolia Ave., request for an outdoor cafe permit.
Approved fixed costs for cutting overgrown lots at 804 Cahaba Drive and South College Street parcels.
Approved non-educational tax abatements for Pyongsan America Inc and toolCare U.S. International.
Approved conditional use of an accessory road for Oly's Automotive Detailing located at 465 Opelika Road. The item originally appeared in the August 20 City Council meeting where it was tabled to ensure the correction of zoning violations.
Approved Boykin Center tenants leases
Approved the purchase of 60 Motorola two-way radios at a cost of $59,145.
Approved purchase of two 60-inch Exmark mowers, three weed eaters, two edgers and one backpack mower at a total cost of $21,968.25
Approved drainage and utility easements at lot 2-C of the Samford Glenn Subdivision and two easements for the Northeast Parallel Outfall Sewer Project.
Approved nomination of Anna Hovey on the Mental Retardation Board.
(08/28/13 3:05am)
On the heels of a prolific high school career, top freshman defensive end Carl Lawson brings elite pass rushing ability to an Auburn defense that finished 74th nationally in sacks in 2012.
The 6-2, 258-pound Lawson, rated the No. 1 overall defensive end and No. 4 player overall in the 2013 recruiting class by Rivals, has already impressed his new teammates with his physicality and speed.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him be successful and it's going to be quick," senior defensive end Dee Ford said. "Usually on defense you have to make physical changes before you can play and this guy is ready to play."
New defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has praised the quick transition Lawson and fellow newcomer Elijah Daniel had made to Division I competition.
"They're maybe two of our best pass rushers," Johnson said during fall camp. "I think they're coming along well enough that we're going to be able to play those guys sometimes, and hopefully early."
Lawson is expected to improve Auburn's edge pass rush, an area the Tigers struggled to find consistency in during the 2012 season.
"Those guys have shown a good sense of rushing the passer, smoking off the ball," said senior defensive lineman Angelo Blackson. "Those guys are young, but we need them to compete this year."
A native of Alpharetta, Ga., Lawson excelled at Milton High School where he tallied 42 sacks and 75 tackles for a loss in his final two seasons. Lawson was selected to the Under Armour All-American team after his senior season.
This summer, ESPN recognized Lawson by naming him to their preseason freshman All-American team. He is Auburn's first since junior Reese Dismukes and former player Erique Florence were named to the CBSSports.com team in 2011.
Lawson and Daniel, along with seniors Craig Sanders and Nosa Eguae, will be utilized in a rotation system to fill the defensive end spot opposite Ford this fall, according to Johnson.
But with Ford out for the season opener, the newcomers could see a lot more playing time against Washington State.
"Those guys are talented," Eguae said. "Those guys came in with college bodies."
While the athleticism Lawson brings to the field may be obvious, but teammates say the intangibles Lawson plays with are what set him apart.
"He just has one way of playing and that's it," Ford said. "He has one motor."
By donning the No. 55 jersey, Lawson will be reminding Auburn fans of the freshman success of another well-known No. 55: All-Pro linebacker Takeo Spikes and former Auburn player.
(08/27/13 9:01pm)
Saturday marks the official start of the Gus Malzahn era at Auburn, but at his weekly press conference Tuesday, Aug. 27, the first year head coach didn't seem to be feeling the pressure that comes along with the job. He feels "comfortable."
"Regarding our players, I'm very proud of our guys for buying into the stuff they did in the spring and the fall camp," Malzahn said. "They've really improved all the way around. I think after Saturday's game we'll know a lot about this team. But I feel good about where we're at right now. We feel as comfortable as we can right now with our guys. Our coaches work extremely hard, and our players have really responded well."
Since accepting the job in December, Malzahn has been repeating the signature phrase "it's a new day." On Saturday, he'll find out just how far his team has come since last season's disappointing 3-9 effort.
"I told our guys the other day, 'I'm excited to watch you guys and I'm curious to see how you respond to certain situations,'" Malzahn said.
Malzahn said he would be looking specifically at effort, attitude and how well the team responded to adversity and success as key indicators to gauge the potential of the team.
Quarterback Nick Marshall has progressed nicely since being named starter two weeks ago. Malzahn said despite not participating in spring practice, Marshall has caught on quickly.
"This will be the first quarterback we've had that didn't get a chance to go through spring. He's learning every day," Malzahn said. "We named him the starter because we feel like he's comfortable. He definitely earned that position. We feel like he'll get more comfortable and better each game."
Rave reviews of Marshall's superior athletic ability from former coaches and teammates have excited the Auburn faithful, but left others skeptical of his ability to move the ball effectively through the air. Malzahn laid those doubts to rest on Tuesday.
"He's very accurate. He's shown that he's accurate, not just in the vertical game, but the intermediate and short also," Malzahn said.
Malzahn had nothing but good things to say about Washington State, his first opponent as Auburn's head coach.
"We're playing an opponent that I feel like will be much improved. They finished (last) year beating their rival, Washington, which was a very big win," Malzahn said. "They've got the majority of their guys offensively and defensively back, so that definitely is a concern. And then the fact that it's the second year in their system and they've got a proven head coach [Mike Leach] who's won just about everywhere he's been. So we're expecting those guys to be much improved and a very good opponent."
Mike Leach has orchestrated some of the most prolific offenses in recent history, and Malzahn knows that defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson's unit will be challenged by his Air Raid they'll face on Saturday.
"We're playing a good offense," Malzahn said. "They're going to be much improved from what they were last year. When their quarterback had time, they were very effective. So, we've got to get a pass rush. They're going to throw it a lot, so we're going to have to have some depth in the secondary. So it will be a good challenge for our defense."
Malzahn also went in to detail about his play-calling relationship with offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Both are constantly looking to make adjustments to counter the schemes opposing defenses may throw at them. Malzahn said the two are usually on the same page.
"I'll be the one who actually calls the plays, but (Lashlee) will be the guy who will actually be on the sidelines looking at it from a different standpoint," Malzahn said. "He's a very good complement and I've got a lot of confidence in him. He's got a gift. He's not wrong very often."
While Lashlee will join Malzahn on the sidelines, wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig will join Johnson and cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith in the press box.
(08/27/13 2:28pm)
For many students, the final lazy days of summer are filled with packing, last minute visits with friends and finishing up jobs and internships. But for the four members of Auburn-based band Scooter McGavin, the last few weeks have been far from lazy.
The band has almost completed recording their first, full-length album, performed a marathon of shows in the Alabama-Georgia area and kicked off their fall line-up with a show at Spicer's Music in Auburn, all in the span of three months.
The band is comprised of vocalist, lyricist and guitarist Sam Harvey, bassist Jimi Greene, electric guitar and mandolin player Mitch McKoy and drummer Corey "Scooter" Spicer.
What started out as a simple jam session among friends has become an organized music group.
"I met Mitch at Auburn United Methodist Church, and he always kept talking about his roommate [Harvey] who was an acoustic guitar god," Spicer said. "We just started jamming at the beginning of last summer."
After being together for only a year, the band's success has come as a surprise to its members.
"It's kind of weird just because for the longest time starting out it's so hard to get gigs," McKoy said. "But now it's people calling us."
The group's first gig was performing at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, but soon afterward, they received calls to play at the Loft in Columbus, Ga., the Summer Swing Series in Opelika and the Taste of the Highlands Festival in Atlanta.
McKoy considered the Highlands Festival as his alltime favorite gig so far.
"The whole experience was so cool, meeting a ton of cool people and the family we stayed with. We didn't make much money, but it was still cool," McKoy said.
When asked about the unique name, McKoy laughed and said it's a combination of all the band members' names. Spicer contributed his own nickname, Scooter, to the band's first name. McGavin is a blending of McKoy and Harvey's real name, Gavin.
And Greene's contribution?
"Jimi is the space in-between," McKoy said.
Scooter McGavin has been described by its members as folk, funk and Southern rock, but according to Harvey, the band's genre is somewhat of a mixture.
"We always joke about how we call ourselves Americana because that could be anything," Harvey said.
Lyrically, the music of Scooter McGavin attempts to provide a sense of connection through shared experience.
However, Harvey said he is hesitant to write about real people.
"I made it a point to myself to never write about actual situations," Harvey said.
"It's too dangerous, you end up like Taylor Swift. I try to make them a story but they're always about some people who aren't actually real."
The fast pace that has defined Scooter McGavin this summer will continue into the fall with a line-up that will include shows at The Overall Company in Opelika, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and the Art, Food and Wine Festival in Atlanta.
The band's first album is expected to be released sometime this fall and will be available on iTunes and Spotify and as a physical copy. More info can be found at www.ScooterMcGavinBand.wix.com/ScooterMcGavin
(08/25/13 1:07pm)
While most of us spent our summer weekends looking for ways to avoid working, a group of Auburn students and alumni entered Atlanta's 48 Hour Film Project with the complete opposite in mind.
After a weekend filled with sleepless nights, the group, comprised of current and graduated Auburn students under the team name Love Handles, ultimately won big in a contest that featured more than 70 competitors.
"Sure it was stressful, and you get no sleep and you're exhausted as hell, but its nice to start something and to finish it right away, as opposed to shooting something and then letting it sit around," said Charlie Harper, senior in radio, television and film. "It feels nice to not have the option to procrastinate."
The contest, now in its 11th year in Atlanta, took place from June 14-16 and ranged from high school groups to recent college graduates and experienced professionals.
Each team that enters will have their film projected on the main screen of the Landmark Theater in Midtown, Atlanta, with the films blocked out in small groups over six days.
Teams must draw from a hat to find out what genre their film will be, from a selection that includes operetta, western and more.
Any team that exceeds the 48-hour time limit and fails to submit their film by 7:30 p.m. Sunday is automatically disqualified.
"I think it kind of worked to our advantage though because most of us have been in college for four years and we were used to working with no time," said Brad Zellner, senior in radio, television and film. "It's like trying to finish a paper with no time the night before. We had that kind of experience from the last few years behind us."
After drawing suspense-thriller, the team worked in shifts to write and storyboard a story of a young girl's disappearance from a park and ultimate rescue from a spooky basement.
The team was comprised of filmmakers who already had experience around Atlanta interning for multimedia companies such as FUGO Studios and BARK-BARK.
Between shooting at multiple locations across town, editing scenes on the fly and developing characters and plot mostly on the spot, the group said it was a team effort.
Love Handles' film "Butterfly" took home the viewer's choice award in its viewer block, making it one of six films competing for the grand prize.
Members of the Love Handles team said they were pleased with their work and with the festival, which not only challenges upstart filmmakers to work and think in new ways, but brings together a community of like-minded individuals.
"It was fun because there's a competitive edge to it, but at the same time, it was a really good networking opportunity because everyone is meeting new people and talking about their strategies," said Brock Hanson, member of Auburn's media production team. "There are veterans who have done it before, and there are ones that this is their first year."
For most, though, the opportunity to see their films on the same screen that plays summer blockbusters is what makes it all worthwhile.
"It's fun seeing your name projected bigger than yourself," Zellner said. "And the sound kind of envelops you."
Love Handles is currently campaigning to enter "Butterfly" into the much larger 2014 Atlanta Film Festival.
In the meantime, they said they will return to their day jobs, writing, practicing and networking in preparation for their next 48 hour project.
(08/17/13 11:07pm)
After 16 days of fall practice Gus Malzahn has named Nick Marshall as the starting quarterback, making him the seventh different opening-day starter in the last seven years.
"Nick Marshall has emerged and earned the right to be our starting quarterback," Malzahn said in a press release. "As I've said, we wanted to go with the guy that gives us the best opportunity to win football games and Nick is that guy. He has caught on quickly in the short period of time he has been with us. He is a playmaker with a big upside, and once he becomes more comfortable with the offense, he has the chance to improve each week."
Malzahn made the announcement that Marshall would be the starter through Twitter.
"I've named Nick Marshall our starting QB. He's earned that opportunity. Auburn family lets get behind him and the team. #WarEagle," Malzahn wrote.
Marshall was chosen over freshman Jeremy Johnson and sophomore Jonathan Wallace after a competitive neck-and-neck battle for the starting position.
Marshall signed with the University of Georgia as a defensive back coming out of high school in 2011, but was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules.
He played last season at Garden City Community College passing for 3,142 yards, 18 touchdowns and also had 1,095 yards on the ground with 19 rushing touchdowns.
A big concern with Marshall going into fall practice was ball security. He threw 20 interceptions last season at Garden City. This has been a big focus for Marshall so far in fall practice, and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and Malzahn believe he has improved enough in this area to earn the starting job.
Regardless of his interceptions last season, Marshall's athletic ability and strong arm appears to be exactly what Malzahn is looking for in his starting quarterback.
Marshall will make his first start for Auburn against Washington State on Aug. 31 as he looks to help the Tigers rebound from a disastrous 3-9 campaign in 2012.
(08/08/13 6:37pm)
The Auburn football team had its first two-a-day practice of fall camp on Thursday, a tough test after Wednesday's fully live scrimmage at the indoor facility.
Head coach Gus Malzahn spoke to the media between the morning and afternoon practices, and he was not happy with his team's performance in the first session.
"I pulled the team up afterwards and told them, bottom line, I wasn't happy with the way we responded," Malzahn said. "I didn't feel like our approach was good, and we are going to have to make sure we are mentally and physically ready to practice each time.
"Our standards are high, and I want to make sure that our players understand that."
Malzahn said Thursday morning's practice focused on corrections from Wednesday's scrimmage, a practice the head coach looked at in a positive light despite a disappointing Thursday morning.
"The great thing about scrimmages is that you can specifically learn from them and teach off of them," Malzahn said. "There were a lot of good situations in the scrimmage yesterday that we can learn from as a team. It was really good from a coaches' standpoint. We found out a lot of information about our team--not just individuals, but a lot about the team."
Wednesday's scrimmage news was dominated by the decision to make all four quarterbacks battling for Auburn's starting job go live, and Malzahn says he was impressed by the play of his signal callers.
"Each one of them handled the pressure well," Malzahn said. "We had some guys hang in the pocket. All four of our quarterbacks showed toughness, and I think that's one of the number one things you look for in a quarterback--can they hang in the pocket when the pressure is on?"
Malzahn said he and his staff are looking at each individual mistake the quarterbacks and the rest of the Tigers made during Wednesday's scrimmage so they can put the players back in those same situations in the next scrimmage, which is scheduled for Saturday.
The head coach said those situations on Saturday will help the staff start narrowing down the depth chart in all positions, including quarterback.
"Now when I say 'narrow it down,' I don't know what it means yet other than the fact that we're rotating too many guys right now," Malzahn continued.
In addition to the quarterbacks, Malzahn said he was also impressed by the play of some of Auburn's younger players.
During Wednesday's post-practice player interviews, freshman defensive end Carl Lawson's name was mentioned as someone who "blew a play up." On the other side of the field, freshman wide receiver Tony Stevens has garnered the praise of several of his teammates so far in camp.
"We really feel like (Stevens) is talented, and we're just trying to see how he reacts," Malzahn said. "Fall camp for a lot of the freshmen coming in is 24/7 football. It's meetings, it's practice. It's eat, sleep, get up and more football. We're trying to figure out these young guys, how they are doing mentally."
The Tigers will wrap up Thursday with a practice scheduled for 2 p.m. After a live scrimmage and a two-a-day, the players will have an off day on Friday, which is also team photo day.
(07/25/13 7:57pm)
It's a trend at The Plainsman to start the summer semester expecting nothing to happen and end it feeling surprised so much has happened. This summer has been no different.
Admittedly, there have been a few weeks were we've struggled to find newsworthy content. The town of Auburn doesn't shut down during the summer, but it does seem to go in to a weird type of part-time hibernation.
Local businesses switch to summer hours; downtown is less lively on the weekend; and campus is like a ghost town. For those students who stay in town, more time is spent drinking by the pool or working than paying attention to the school that dominates the majority of their year.
But news doesn't take a summer vacation.
The Zimmerman trial, its subsequent fallout, and the scandal involving Paula Deen's alleged old-time racism have reinvigorated the national conversation on race. Both events are bleak reminders we are far from living in a post-racial society, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true.
Unfortunately, the news media has saturated every bit of its daily content with Zimmerman and other race-related topics, and it's almost maddening. These stories seem like nothing more than bottom-of-the barrel tidbits meant to illicit anger and drive up ratings.
However, exploitation of the racial divide has only been a small portion of this summer's news cycle.
One of the more dark chapters in the University's history finally came to a close with Dakota Mosley pleading guilty to the 2011 robbery at Conway Acres Trailer Park. Moseley, along with Shaun Kitchens, Mike McNeil and Antonio Goodwin, all former football players, have put a stain on the Auburn Family name, and it's good see them own up to their mistakes, even if it took a little legal cajoling.
The scandal they caused will last a lot longer than we want it to. Unfortunately, it also gives pseudo-journalists, such as Selena Roberts, ammunition in their misguided quest to expose the imaginary system of graft and corruption supposedly ruling the athletic department.
There have also been some positive news events this summer, events that made our job much more enjoyable and reminded us why we do what we do.
After a long battle with Dean Hardgrave and the College of Business administration, students and alumni with the aviation management program were able to save the Flight Program. We couldn't be happier this Auburn institution was not tossed by the wayside. It would have been damn near criminal to cheat Aviation students out of such a promising career for such trivial reasons.
We were also delighted to see the athletic department take some initiative and hire some coaches more likely to get us some wins, which we desperately need. It was unfortunate to se John Pawlowski and Tina Deese leave after all the hard work they put in, but it was time.
If the firing of Gene Chizik has taught us anything, it's that a coach has to be able lead his or her team to victory. No, we don't have to win a national championship every year - even though it would be nice - but losing so much they don't even get a chance to get a title is unacceptable.
We wish baseball coach Sunny Galloway and softball coach Clint Myers the best and hope they can help put us back on top, where we know we belong.
And we believe that can be said for the rest of Auburn as well.
We want to leave you this summer with a sense of hope. Although we tend to focus on the negative, which seems to dominate our paper some weeks, we genuinely believe the Auburn community is growing stronger.
So don't let the Varez Wards, Harvey Updykes, and Desmonte Leonards of the world bring you down, Auburn. Yes, they may be bad news now, but we are stronger and better than they will ever be, and that is why believe in Auburn and love it.
(07/13/13 1:00pm)
For Dale Katechis, founder and owner of Oskar Blues Brewery, the bathtub is only the second strangest place he's ever put craft beer.
Many bar-goers and hop-heads in Auburn know the story of Katechis.
A 1992 Auburn alumnus, Katechis began brewing beer in 1990 in a trailer off Wire Road after getting a home brew kit for Christmas.
Then he began perfecting it.
Katechis' experimental brew became popular with a local home brewing club, and he eventually started brewing larger quantities of beer in his bathtub. Katechis earned a degree in finance from Auburn and moved to Colorado where he started Oskar Blues restaurant. That restaurant became a brew pub, that brew pub expanded into a brewery, and like a beer poured too quickly into a glass, Katechis' success was soon foaming over the rim.
Oskar Blues' rise to pub prominence from a home-brewing kit is remarkable enough; however, Katechis was not just trying to get into the business. He was trying to change it entirely.
In a market where product is heavily judged by the pack- age, Katechis began canning his prized pale ale in 2002, a head-scratching move consid- ering the top beers at the time were all sold in bottles.
"Nobody was doing it at the time," Katechis said. "Cans were frowned upon. The consumer in our industry believed it was an inferior package for craft beer, mainly due to the fact that large domestic brewers that were brewing lager-style beers (were canning) their beer. And craft brewers believed that in order for beer to be high quality, it had to be in a brown bottle only because that's the only vessel a craft beer had been served in other than a keg."
That bathtub brew, now known as Dale's Pale Ale, is the flagship beer of Oskar Blues, and although it's no longer made in the tub, it's recipe has not changed much, according to Katechis. Dale's Pale Ale was named the Top American Pale Ale by the New York Times in 2005 and won a gold medal at the 2010 world Beer Championships.
It was also named world's Best Canned Beer by Details Magazine.
Since first releasing Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues has introduced six more beers. All of them are aggressively hopped, all of them come in cans, and all of that is good for the beer, according to Katechis.
Now he's trying to pour a pint of that knowledge for the consumer.
When beers were first mass-produced, many craft breweries favored green glass bottles. And yet, if a beer sat in those bottles for too long, it would acquire what Katechis called a "skunky taste" as a result of too much sunlight.
Brown bottles then took over the industry and are still a staple of many craft brewers today. However, Katechis argues that cans are the superior way to store beer.
"Brown bottles eliminated a lot of that light," Katechis said. "Well aluminum cans eliminated all of it. It was just the perception that we had to get over."
Since finding this out, he has begun a "debugging process" to show America that a great beer can be bought in a can.
"We decided to dispel that myth once we decided that cans were actually a superior package due to the fact that the beer had never seen sunlight, and the dissolved oxygen levels were lower, and the package was more environmentally friendly than a bottle," Katechis said. "The modern-day aluminum can has always had the water-based lining inside to keep the beer from sitting on metal. The package was really draft-like, and our job once we learned that was to educate the consumer that that was the case, and that's when we began this mission in 2002."
The Hound tavern and restaurant in downtown Auburn was the leading seller of Oskar Blues products in Auburn in 2012, according to owner and beverage director Matt Poirier.
Poirier said Katechis is a pioneer, and he has seen a similar consumer perception problem with wine.
"People have known for years that screw-tops are better for the wine," Poirier said. "They preserve it better. There's no loss of quality. The cork is more likely to fail. All kinds of things can go wrong with the cork. But for hundreds of years, it's been the cork. The idea is that screw-top wines are cheap wines and can't be good. Same thing with cans. Cans have been Budweiser and Bud Light, beers that aren't necessarily known for their quality."
In addition to blocking almost all sunlight and oxygen, the cans' size and shape makes them easier for retailers to store, all the while holding the same amount of beer as a heavier glass bottle.
These days, it seems Katechis' message is catching on.
"A lot of the big guys are following suit now," Poirier said. "A lot of the old-guard craft beer companies are now turning to cans."
And why not?
The modern day can is not only better for the brewery's bottom line, it's better for the beer and all who drink it.
Oskar Blues just recently celebrated its "Canniversary" honoring 10 years of mass producing its beers solely in kegs and cans. The brewery also just opened a new branch in Brevard, N.C. Despite this success, however, Katechis said he will continue to fight America's "brainwashing."
Needless to say, neither his passion nor his beer show any signs of going flat.
(07/11/13 11:34pm)
Updated with additional comments.
Senior defensive end Dee Ford and junior tight end CJ. Uzomah were both named to the Chuck Bednarik and John Mackey awards preseason watch lists for 2013 this week. Ford was one of 75 players to be named on the Bednarik Award watch list, which is given to the top defensive player in college football. "I'm very surprised to hear that I'm on the Bednarik Award list. This just makes me want to solidify my qualifications and work even harder to show that Auburn should be represented on this list," Ford said.\0x2028
Ford, a native of Odenville, is a three-year letterman at defensive end and has emerged as a veteran leader not only on the defensive side of the ball, but for the whole team. He has 64 career tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 10 career sacks.
"It's been a long journey for me, and I owe any success to my strength coaches, football coaches, and teammates for being patient with me while I developed," Ford said. "I'm very thankful for this new responsibility and the opportunity we have this season."
Ford also earned preseason all-SEC recognition from Athlon Sports. The semi-finalists will be named Oct. 29, and the three finalists will be named Nov. 3.
The winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show held Dec. 5.
The formal presentations of the Bednarik Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala hosted by Harrah's entertainment Atlantic City March 7, 2014. Uzomah was also among 37 players for the Mackey Award preseason watch list, which is given to the most outstanding tight end in college football.\0x2028
"It's an honor to be mentioned among the top tight ends this preseason, but I realize there is still a lot of work to be done," Uzomah said. "Individual achievements are a blessing and I give the glory to God, but more important is what our team can achieve in the season ahead."
Last season, he became a late season starter after Phillip Lutzenkirchen's season ended because of injury, but then his season was cut short also because of a broken bone in his hand.
A 6-foot-4 253-pound native of Suwanee, Ga., Uzomah recorded seven receptions for 136 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown catch from Jonathan Wallace against Texas A&M. Even though he only played briefly last season he showed he has the tools to be a weapon in Gus Malzahn's offense.
Uzomah will likely be sharing time with fellow tight end Brandon Fulse. Malzahn's hurry up no huddle offense allows the tight end to play as a base tight end, an H-back and a slot receiver. This allows the tight end to have more opportunities to make plays in the passing game.
A midseason watch list for the award will be announced Oct. 14, the semifinalists Nov. 18 and the finalists November 25.
The recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee; the award will be presented live Dec. 12 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show.
(07/03/13 8:06pm)
Since track star Snitz Snider participated in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Netherlands Auburn University has seen more than 100 of its former athletes become Olympians.
And thanks to the efforts of those Olympians and the school of kinesiology, Auburn has a chance to become the home of dozens of first-time Olympic participants at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Representatives from USA Team Handball will visit The Plains July 12-13 to see if the University could become the new residency program for the United States' national handball teams.
The residency bid, led by former Auburn Tiger and handball Olympian Reita Clanton, could make Auburn the new home for Olympic team handball in the U.S.
"Essentially what they need is a gym to train in, adequate housing for their athletes and opportunities for their athletes to work or continue their education," Clanton said. "Auburn has all of these things and more. We have the infrastructure for support services like athletic training and strength and conditioning. Through the school of kinesiology and the Performance Optimization Center, we have possibilities to collaborate with the team and provide them new opportunities."
One of those new Olympians living and training in Auburn could be a current University student.
As part of USA Team Handball's visit, there will be an open tryout for the men's training squad for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Participants will be evaluated on ball handling skills, throwing ability, physical abilities and teamwork.
Since team handball is a relatively unknown sport in the United States--no American national team has qualified since the 1996 Games in Atlanta--no experience with the sport is required to tryout.
"(The national team coaches) are always looking for great athletes," Clanton said. "Team handball combines all these skills we use in American sports--running, jumping, throwing and catching--so it could be something a really great athlete out there could play well. There might be some young people here that have what it takes to train with the national team."
Clanton, the director of the new Performance Optimization Center, would know what it takes to be a member of the national team. A native of nearby Lafayette, Clanton was one of the first multi-sport athletes in Auburn's budding women's athletics program.
After playing and coaching women's basketball, volleyball and softball at Auburn, Clanton received a letter from the United States Olympic Committee asking her to try out for the country's newly formed team handball program.
"I had no idea what team handball was--I thought I was going to go whack the little ball up against the wall," Clanton said with a chuckle. "When I got to Iowa State University and saw the sport for the first time, I was like, 'This is a gift from heaven!' It was all of my favorite sports rolled into one."
Despite missing out on the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Clanton and her teammates qualified for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. At those Games, the United States women's handball team placed fourth in a campaign that included an opening-round upset of No. 1-ranked China.
Clanton went on to coach the national team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, just 100 miles from her hometown. After her coaching days were over, Clanton continued her close ties to the program, which led to Auburn's bid for the residency program.
"One of my former coaches, Javier Garcia Cuesta, called me back in late April to tell me he was back in the States and that he had taken the men's national team coaching job," Clanton said. "We were just chatting, and I asked him where the national team was now. He said they were kind of in limbo at that point, and they were looking for a residency program for their men's and women's national teams."
Clanton said her wheels started turning when Cuesta, who will be at the open tryout July 13, described the places the national team was looking at for the residency program. While he named off places such as Boston, Los Angeles and Colorado Springs, Clanton decided to throw Auburn's name into the hat.
"Auburn can offer just as much more than a regular training center because we are a university," Clanton said. "We have one of the top schools of kinesiology in the country and we have a Performance Optimization Center. We have cutting edge research, expert skills and emerging technology to help the national teams with performance enhancement."
Clanton went over the plan with Mary Rudisill and David Pascoe, the head and assistant head of the school of kinesiology. They and the rest of the school thought the bid would be great for Auburn, and a date was set.
During the visit, USA Team Handball will outline their vision for the national team in 2013 and beyond. Clanton believes Auburn could play a huge role in the future success of the program.
"I've always said that handball doesn't have to be a major sport in the United States in order to be successful," Clanton said. "It could be just a regional sport because we have enough good athletes around that if we built a culture of team handball here in the Southeast, we could gain an international level of competitive excellence.
"A residency program here in Auburn would be great for the game at the national team level and at a grassroots level. It's all about building awareness and developing that culture."
(06/23/13 5:13am)
Auburn swimmer Kyle Owens was recognized as a Capital One Academic All-American on Thursday, June 6. Owens, who graduated in May, was also named an Academic All-American last season.
"It feels good being an athlete and to be given such a high academic award," Owens said. "It is an inspiration and a standard for everyone on the team."
Owens, originally from Johnson City, Tenn., came into his senior season at Auburn as a co-captain alongside Stuart Ferguson. The responsibility as a captain prompted Owens to set a standard and be a role model for the other swimmers.
"I had to lead by example for the others," Owens said. "I enjoyed doing that for the team."
Owens graduated with a degree in biomedical science and will be attending Quillen College in Johnson City starting in July.
Despite his excellence in the pool, he is focusing on education in hopes of becoming a doctor.
Owens has been fascinated with educational pursuits, and the Honors College at Auburn and the support staff have awarded him the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
"With the help of Dr. Paul Harris in the Honors College and Coach [Brett] Hawke, I've gotten all the help I need in trying to get various scholarships and opportunities," Owens said.
Owens' journey towards medicine began when he was 11 years old.
"My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a kid," Owens said. "I would go in with her for her chemo and having it hit so close to home, I knew I wanted to be a doctor."
Despite the illness she overcame, Owen's mother, Heather, stayed strong and made sure her son would continue to progress in the classroom and in the pool.
"All of those mornings that he needed to be in the water at 5 a.m., I was taking them there," Heather said. "He saw my dedication to what he could become [in the pool]. After all his meets, he would bring me his medals, and I always thought it was sort of a testament and a way to say, 'Thanks mom.'"
Owens has worked hard to earn recognition in the pool and in the classroom. He successfully defended his SEC titles in the 100 and 200 meter backstroke at the SEC Championships while taking part in four different relay team titles. He is a 12-time SEC Champion, has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll twice and was the 2011-2012 Auburn University Male Athlete of the Year while also being a swimmer for the USA National Team.
Despite the athletic accomplishments, Owens believes the academic honors take precedent.
"Swimming has taught me so much, and I was ready to compete in the World University Games in Russia this summer," Owens said. "The first day of the meet is the first day classes start at Quillen. People kept acting like it was such a big decision to make, but it was simple; I think it's a signal to me that my swimming career is over, and it's time to hang up the towel."
Owens submitted his retirement letter to the national team and is excited to begin the next phase of his life.
"It's hard right now to think I'm done swimming," Owens said. "But I know better things will come out of it."
(06/22/13 3:47am)
Auburn City Councilman A.L. Dowdell took up his megaphone Friday night on the steps of the Auburn Police Division to protest and raise awareness of what he says is rampant racism prevalent in Auburn's city government.
"These powers, these old racist chronicles, who are still looking at us (African-American) as second-class citizens, it's not the new whites, it's still those old people who are headed to the pits of Hell," Dowdell said. "If you judge me because I'm black, and if you say that you love the Lord in all of these big churches downtown, there's some of these same Klansman-like people going there, and they really do believe what they are doing is right. We know it's not right, and that's why we're out here. We're out here standing up for what we believe is right."
Speaking to a small crowd, Dowdell touched on several instances of racial profiling in Auburn, specifically relating to the recent naming of Assistant Chief Paul Register as Auburn chief of police. Dowdell said the police department should, at the least, hire a African-American assistant chief to fill Register's vacant position.
"We have been fighting against wrongdoings for more than 30 years, and now we've got a police chief, Chief Dawson, who is one of the best chiefs we've ever had that is going to retire," Dowdell said. "I don't have a problem with (Register). I think he's going to make a good chief. But I believe there are the powers that be: evil forces; racists, working behind the scenes that will not allow him to do the thing that he needs to do and hire a black assistant chief. There is a black captain in position more qualified than Register. He's been to FBI school. He has two degrees. He could easily fill the chief of police position. But they're just waving it off because that good ol' boy system is still here. We will no longer have that in the city of Auburn."
Retired fireman William Felton said African-American firemen are struggling with the same issues that are plaguing the police department. In 1974, Felton, along with another fireman, became the first African-American firefighters hired by the Auburn Fire Department.
"There has not been a black person promoted to lieutenant (in the fire department) without a lawsuit being filed," Felton said. "Every time you file a lawsuit, they'll promote somebody to lieutenant. But no one's ever been promoted without a lawsuit being filed."
Felton said he was promoted after a lawsuit in 1978.
When asked specifically who the evil forces that were preventing African-Americans from rising through the ranks in Auburn city government were, Dowdell said it was all on the backs of the city administration.
"It's the people in the city government. It's some of the people in the administration that are behind the scenes," Dowdell said. "I think the city manager (Charlie Duggan, Jr.) needs to rise up and do his job. I really do believe that this city manager is one of the most lax city managers we've ever had. He allows too much to go on in the city of Auburn; turns his head. He's young."
John Zellars, president of the Lee County chapter of the Alabama New South Coalition, a statewide organization that advocates for justice and social change in the state of Alabama, was also present to show his support for the cause.
"There has to be an attitude change. It has to be done through the mayor, the city council and the people, both black and white, working together to see that Auburn complies with the civil rights laws," Zellars said.
Dowdell added that the NAACP state president has already voiced his support for their cause.
"Like old days, we're going to have rallies with hundreds of people. If they don't change it before school starts, we will protest," Dowdell said. "We're going to go to city hall and we're going to march in these streets. We're going to ask Jesse Jackson and Reverend Sharpton, we know them personally, to come and stand against what we believe is a cancer in the city of Auburn."
Dowdell concluded with a rendition of "We Shall Overcome," sung through his megaphone, and final thoughts for the four in attendance.
"We will fight with every breath in our bodies. We've been fighting for 30 years. We're going to fight until we see equal justice served in this city," Dowdell said.
