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(01/24/14 5:50pm)
Traveling around the world in one semester may seem intangible, but, through the University of Virginia, it is a possibility. Auburn University offers study abroad programs of its own, but it also works with other schools so that students can benefit from outside programs as well.
The University of Virginia organizes Semester at Sea, and allows students from other schools to apply to its program.
The students live on a ship for an entire semester, or summer, and travel the world while taking classes on the ship.
"There are a few similar programs, (but) Semester at Sea is by far the most popular one," said Korbin Dimmick, Auburn Abroad Coordinator.
Amanda Paulson, junior in political science and history, and Nathaniel Walden, senior in history, are two Auburn students who went on Semester at Sea for their study abroad experience. Paulson went on the voyage in Spring 2013.
They went all over the world, starting in San Diego and traveling to Mexico, Japan, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, India, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco, Casablanca, Spain, and Hawaii, to name a few.
"My favorite place to go was Myanmar, or Burma, because everybody was excited to see us," Paulson said. "It was a brand new country that Americans had been allowed to go to."
Paulson said that she had the best experience in Ghana.
Walden said he enjoyed Ireland and South Africa the most during his fall 2012 trip.
Walden said a typical day on the ship wasn't too different from a day at Auburn. "It was just like a regular college day,"
According to Paulson, the students' classes were a hour and a half each, and they could take up to five classes. All of the classes were taken on the ship and ranged from a class size for 10-80 people per class.
There were different forms of entertainment on the ship for students, including a basketball court, insanity workouts, orientations about the countries they would see, a full-size library, and movies.
"I actually almost enjoyed the boat part . . . as much as being in countries," Paulson said. "You're cut off from the world. We had no Internet [and] no phones. You really sat down and talked to people."
Paulson said she got closer to the people on the ship in two months than a lot of the people she has known in Auburn for two years.
Paulson said the living situation was great, but Walden had reservations about the food served to the students.
"The food was terrible on the ship," Walden said.
According to Walden, a group of students participated in a boating excursion not affiliated with the Semester at Sea program, which resulted in the death of one of the students.
Walden said he doesn't blame anyone for the tragedy, which he called a freak accident.
"You know, when you're traveling to some of these foreign countries, they don't have the same safety regulations," Walden said. "It's just a risk you have to take."
Walden said other than the bad accident and bad food, his only other complaint about the trip was how long the ship took to get from country to country. Students could only take classes on the ship, so they had to go slowly between ports. Crossing the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could take as long as nine or 10 days, the longest time the ship was at sea.
"We'd be at sea sometimes for nine or 10 days straight without seeing any land," Walden said. "You kind of. . . get sick of that."
Walden said his trip was approximately $25,000, not counting the expenses in the countries or ports.
According to the program, fees begin at $23,950. The program offers financial and scholarship opportunities, and students' aid from Auburn also may be transferrable.
Walden said he didn't know any other students on the trip, but he wanted to do something different then everyone else.
"Instead of just one country for three months, you get to go to 15 or 16," Walden said.
Though some Semester at Sea courses require or offer a field lab component, Paulson said on her trip, students had the freedom to explore different countries on their own.
As long as they submitted a form saying where they would be in case something happened, they truly could go wherever the sea took them.
Editor's Note: factual errors from this article have been corrected online, including the reference to the ship as a "boat" and the clarification that the boating accident was a part of an excursion neither affiliated with, nor endorsed by, the Semester at Sea program.
(01/23/14 4:30pm)
Bicycles are everywhere on campus, and whether you love them or hate them, they're here to stay.
Zach Wise, senior in communications, said, "I live about half of a mile away, over behind Mike and Ed's, and I can leave my house and be in my seat in the Haley Center in four minutes."
Wise contacted The Plainsman the day after his interview to share he had beaten his record by one minute.
The main reason many people have so much disdain for bikers is the collisions and near collisions they have to deal with while walking on the concourse. Luckily, Wise has not crashed into anyone, but he has had some other problems.
"This is why I don't walk places," Wise said, "I was walking on the concourse, hit one of these little rivets with my shoe, and I forgot how fast gravity works 'cause I was sprawled out on the ground and people were laughing at me."
Wise, the physical training instructor for Marine ROTC, said he wasn't deterred for long by the fall, but it confirmed for him that walking is something he tries to avoid.
For Wise and others who choose to commute via bicycle, the University has stations in different locations across campus where bikers are able to hang their bikes up, and tune it with the tools and pump provided.
Carson Legg, senior in architecture, said he doesn't use the stations.
"They suck," Legg said. "They're left out in the elements: rain, snow, fire, wind. They're not taken care of, so they just get jacked up. One of the pumps ruined my valve."
Legg isn't the only person who ignores the bike maintenance stations. Amelie Thomas, junior in early childhood education, said she hasn't even given them a chance.
"I don't ever use them," Thomas said. "I don't really think they work, and I don't really want to find out."
Thomas, an Auburn Outdoors employee, said Auburn Outdoors has provided a solution.
"We have a bike shop in the bottom of the [Recreation and Wellness] Center," Thomas said. "In the rental area, there's a place where you can take your bike and work on it, and we have a bike person that can help you."
The shop has thousands of dollars worth of tools and pumps that will not harm your bike. While things are looking up for bikers' maintenance, not everything is smooth sailing.
During Thanksgiving break, Wise said someone stole approximately $8,000 of property from him, including his bicycle.
Weeks after the incident, Wise said he saw what was undoubtedly his green bike cruising shamelessly past his house, ridden by a man who later identified himself as Jay Walker.
"There's no doubt that that's my bike," Wise said. "So, I throw my long board to the side, run up, grab the handlebars and body check this guy off of my bike. He goes flyin' and lands on the ground. Then I kind of look over and I'm like, 'I want my bike back.' That's really what I said to him."
None of his other stolen property was ever found, but Wise said he is back to happily riding his bike to and from class in three minutes.
(01/22/14 11:23pm)
After a month of Christmas parties, eggnog and endless varieties of desserts, working out may be the last thing on student's minds.
Active Auburn is a class that keeps students accountable to their workout plan, while earning class credit at the same time.
Active Auburn is a two-credit class and is offered in five different sections taught by graduate teaching assistants.
"It really motivates people through a grade to become physically active and explore the different opportunities... that are offered on campus," said Lorena Salom, graduate teaching assistant for Active Auburn. "It really helps students kind of find their niche and find what they enjoy physical activity wise."
Students have to take an average of three group fitness classes a week for the semester and finish an online portion.
According to Salom, the online portion includes different modules about physical activity, including how to start exercising and health benefits of exercising. After students read the modules, they take an assessment at the end.
With the new Recreation and Wellness Center came a new policy for Active Auburn students.
In the past, Active Auburn students could just show up to a group fitness class without signing up beforehand.
Starting in fall 2013, students have to register using a new reservation system for the class they want to take before they show up. Class spots are split between people with group fitness passes and Active Auburn students.
"You have to register... for a spot to take the class, and we split it up pretty much 50-50," said Susannah Taylor, fitness coordinator at campus recreation. "So, if the class is only open to 20 people, it would be open to 10 Active Auburn [students] and 10 Group Fitness [students]."
Taylor also said if those spots remain available, there is a standby option to fill the extra space.
"There is also a new cancelation policy that says students have to give notice two hours in advance over email," said Pam Wiggins, director of group fitness. "If the student continues to not show up, then they block their pass for one week."
Wiggins said although they can no longer reserve classes, it does not necessarily mean they cannot take a class,
Wiggins also said Active Auburn started three years ago with only two sections and it has continued to grow since.
"The goal to me is to give them a whole look at what group fitness offers," Wiggins said.
Wiggins said as a result of Active Auburn classes, students are more likely to take classes outside their comfort zones. For example, she has seen more males doing yoga classes and women taking strength classes, like kettle bells and Tiger Pump.
"If it hadn't been a requirement, I don't think they would have shown up," Wiggins said.
Wiggins also said she thinks Active Auburn students continue to take group fitness classes even after they're done with the class.
Salom said Active Auburn students are mostly sophomores, juniors and seniors because there is a class specifically offered for freshman that has similar objectives.
Salom also said she never gave any failing grades unless the student never showed up to the classes.
"Most everybody was able to keep up with it quite well," Salom said. "Everybody who stayed in the class, which was a large majority, was able to finish their classes just fine."
(01/22/14 7:43pm)
Domestic Obsessions, an art exhibition by Amy Stevens presented by Auburn University's department of art, will be free and open to the public in the gallery at Biggin Hall until Feb. 21.
The exhibit features Stevens' photo-series, Confections.
In response to her 30th birthday, Stevens said she attempted to bake and decorate 30 cakes using guides from Martha Stewart and online videos.
"When I realized that it wasn't going to be quite as perfect as the cakes I was looking at, I decided to take a turn and just make them kind of crazy and ridiculous and funny," Stevens said.
After eight years, Stevens has baked and photographed more than 100 cakes against cheery fabric backgrounds, which are on a slideshow in the gallery.
The process of creating Confections allowed Stevens to examine female domestic roles and the impossible search for perfection.
"It became more about issues surrounding perfection and being a woman in this do-it-yourself and domestic popular culture," Stevens said.
In the middle of the gallery is a tower of 25 bright patterned pillows. "I Just Need One More..." is Stevens' interpretation of domesticity as obsessive accumulating. Stevens was inspired to create the exhibit after she bought her first house. Stevens said the freestanding structure would ideally be complete with more stacks of pillows around it.
"It's funny because I actually need more than just one more," Stevens said.
Using leftover fabric from Confections, Stevens crafted other 3-D installations which are on display in Biggin. These include scattered groups of fabric yo-yos collectively titled "Accumulations," the unwieldy ceiling-to-floor "176 Coasters" and "Gathering," a fabric wall hanging.
Throughout the gallery, Stevens' signature color pallet prevails: girlish pinks, vibrant citrus and cool greens. Florals, polka dots and paisley patterns cover the cloth pieces.
Equally influenced by home decor magazines and Pinterest, Stevens explained in her artist's note that the exhibit is meant to be an exuberant feminist dialogue that is both humorous and provocative.
Jonathan Bailey, a junior in Fine Arts, was first struck by the bright colors and retro patterns in Stevens' installation.
"Everything's very full," he said. "It's not subjects that I'd really put with these textures, but I like it a lot."
Rachel Herring, a junior in graphic design, noted the interplay between the fabric backgrounds and the icing artwork in Confections.
"There's definitely more to it than I thought," Herring said. "It's so intricate."
Jessye McDowell, exhibitions and lectures coordinator at Biggin, said Stevens' aesthetic was different from other styles of artwork shown in the gallery.
"We want students to be exposed to a wide range of approaches and ways and working with a variety of mediums," McDowell said.
According to McDowell, Stevens combined the tradition of commercial photography with the symbolism of what was considered women's work--sewing and cooking--to develop pieces that are "grotesque and aggressively cheerful."
McDowell felt Stevens' work would benefit Auburn art students as much as it would new patrons of the arts.
Unusual for most exhibits held in Biggin, Stevens unites multimedia, installation art and framed photography to express a complete idea.
(01/22/14 2:25am)
Arts and entertainment will be discussed in Opelika, Monday, when the Envision Opelika 2025 focus group gets together to brainstorm. The focus group has had meetings on economic development, neighborhood restoration, crime and safety, education and more and was the group that spearheaded the building of the Opelika Sportsplex.
"That's probably our crown jewel." Dora James, a member of the focus group said, "We got the ball rolling thinking about that and got a group of citizens together that kind of sat down and started developing some plans of what they would like. One thing led to the next and finally it ended up where we got everything lined up and the building of the Sportsplex happened."
Envision Opelika 2025 started in 2001 and has been positively influencing the community for 13 years. James continues to serve Opelika with the focus group's meeting on Arts and Entertainment.
"It's time to kind of bring some new blood, some younger people because the future of Opelika is going to be theirs." James said, "We have performing arts, visual arts, we have the dance, we have literary arts; we're trying to get people from all these different groups together to just talk, 'Okay, what would be some neat things for us to develop in Opelika?'"
The meeting is open to the public and will take place at the Cultural Arts Center in Opelika, Jan. 27, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The center is a few blocks down from The Overall Company on 1103 Glenn Ave.
(01/21/14 5:06pm)
Since December 2013, the media have been buzzing over multivitamins and questioning the belief that they can prevent future diseases. Vitamin supplements are being touted as harmful and a waste of money.
Auburn University specialists examined the studies to help shed some light on these dramatic claims.
"My belief is that vitamins can be beneficial and harmful, depending on who's taking them, what their food intake is, [and] especially how that food actually rates in the quality and quantity of vitamins and minerals," said Jessica-Lauren Newby, registered dietitian at Auburn's Recreation and Wellness Center.
Newby said that women of childbearing age, women who are pregnant and the elderly could benefit from certain vitamins.
For example, people who avoid dairy products for fear of fat and calories could have compromised their calcium intake and would profit with supplementing calcium.
Those at risk include people who are over-supplementing, as certain combinations of vitamins have negative interactions.
A few vitamins have the potential to reach a level of toxicity, Newby said, but the most commonly supplemented--Vitamins B12 and D--do not. Newby also said Vitamin C could be detrimental if too little or too much was taken.
After investigating numerous articles, Newby said, "We do better to get our vitamins and minerals through food always, but where there are gaps in the diet, a vitamin can be sometimes helpful for bridging the gap."
She pointed out that vitamins occur in food sources that have other components that aid in absorbing the vitamins.
Vitamin D is a naturally occurring nutrient that can only be absorbed in the presence of fat, so adding fat-free dressing or drinking skim milk is actually inhibiting a healthy diet.
"You are consuming these foods that are actually high in vitamins and minerals, but you aren't absorbing them to their full potential because that fat isn't present to take them into your cells," Newby said.
Blood work with a physician followed by a dietary intake with a nutritionist can show those curious about their vitamin regimen where their food choices have fallen short. Newby cites this as a good preventative measure to fighting vitamin deficiencies.
Richard Davis, a PhD student in Pharmacy concentrating in drug development and discovery, referred to a five-year study conducted at Oxford University.
In 2002, researchers began administering vitamins to adults with pre-existing cardiac, respiratory and neuropsychiatric conditions.
At first, vitamin supplements showed small statistical improvements among participants. However, at the end of the study, their conditions had not improved, but had not worsened either.
"Something that you always have to address when you take a vitamin if you go to look at any website or you read the back of any label: 'Discuss with your physician before starting a really heavy regiment,'" Davis said.
He explained that multivitamins are not typically dangerous, but supplements may adversely affect the potency of other medications.
"If you take a stimulant like Adderall, for instance, and you take Vitamin C before you take that medicine, it may decrease the ability of the medicine to absorb in your intestines after you take it, because it changes the acidity of your body very slightly," Davis said.
For Davis, unless there is a deficiency of a particular vitamin, taking a multivitamin is up to the individual, as there seems to be very little risk involved. However, the scientific community is continually researching the subject.
Davis admits that there is still more to discover.
"These papers are constantly assessed," Davis said. "The science of it is always changing and it may be a question that we never really find the answer for."
Dr. Suresh Mathews, Graduate Program Director in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, & Hospitality Management, examined an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in December titled "Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements."
The article addresses a study conducted by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.
"Based on the systematic review that they did, their findings indicate that if you're well-nourished, then getting these multivitamin supplements really don't add any further benefit in the prevention of chronic diseases," Mathews said.
Beta-carotene, Vitamin E and possibly high doses of Vitamin A could be harmful if taken separate from a multivitamin, he said.
Like Newby and Davis, Mathews said he believes certain populations may have vitamin deficiencies, which are aided by specific supplements. He mentioned that mega-doses of a multivitamin are commonly sold to cardiac patients to help lower triglycerides and that wheat products are now enriched with Folate, which is preventative against birth defects.
Mathews described the best way to add vitamins to your diet: "What we teach in nutrition is Variety, Balance and Moderation. These three are the founding principles of nutrition."
If your meal plan involves a rainbow of food, lots of whole grains and protein, you most likely will not need to supplement with any vitamins, Mathews said.
(01/20/14 11:54pm)
QuizUp is for the days when you get out of every class early and you have a 20 minute period where there isn't enough time to wait in line for food before class, but you feel too eager sitting outside the classroom door waiting for it to start.
To pass the time, QuizUp is a good alternative to rechecking Instagram and Twitter for the hundredth time in hopes that something new has been added to distract you.
QuizUp's tagline is "The biggest trivia game in the world." They have hundreds of different topics to choose from and over 100,000 questions.
This app lets you log in through Facebook or Twitter to play people you know, or make your own username and allow QuizUp to match you up with other users.
You start off by picking a topic. The broad categories offered are educational, games, arts, literature, movies, history, geography, science, lifestyle, business, nature, sports, music and TV. Under each of these categories are sub categories that get as specific as Johnny Cash or British royals. Once you pick your category, you can either type in a friends name that you want to challenge, or let QuizUp match you up with another player from anywhere in the world.
Each match has seven rounds where you are asked a question and given four options for answers. The faster you choose the right answer, the more points you get.
The last round is worth double points and can be a game changer in some cases. You can also chat with opponents on QuizUp and challenge them in a rematch if you enjoyed playing them.
Each topic has a discussion board where you can talk about ideas that you have. Each time you answer a question right, you gain points toward a higher level.
Even if you lose the match, if you got some of the questions right, you will still receive points.
After you've played a few times, you can check your rankings to compare your QuizUp knowledge with your friends scores. Users can see their global, country, state, friends and local rankings.
QuizUp gives out different achievement awards for specific accomplishments. Some examples are the "tortoise," which is received after you win a match after getting the first four questions wrong, or the "zen master," which is received after you win with a perfect score.
QuizUp is free, but if you want to raise your score faster you can buy boosters that last one hour each. The double is $1.99, the triple is $3.99, and the quadruple is $5.99.
You can make your profile private so you can accept users as friends before they can challenge you, chat you, or view your profile.
QuizUp will be available for Android in the future, and QuizUp users can check their rankings online, but can only play the game on a phone.
Unlike Candy Crush, QuizUp doesn't have a limit to how many times you can play, even if you lose. Some of the questions repeat themselves if you play the category enough times, so the more you play, the better you can get. If nothing else, QuizUp will teach you random facts you may never have heard of and that you can use in casual conversation to surprise your peers.
(01/15/14 10:08pm)
Auburn will be the site of the ninth annual Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit, Feb. 28-March 2, at the Auburn Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.
Each year, the summit is held at a worldwide campus and features keynote speakers. Ideas and tactics are shared to solve hunger on a global scale.
"The theme for this year's summit is Innovations: so, asking how to solve hunger not incrementally, but how can we quantitatively just take a quantum leap in solving hunger," said Paula Gray Hunker, director of strategy and policy for Auburn's Hunger Studies Institute.
The Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit will feature presentations from former Lost Boy Alfred Orono Orono, entrepreneur Mick Jackson and US International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah.
The Hunger Studies Program is a component of the Auburn War on Hunger Initiative, which began in 2004 when Auburn's College of Human Sciences was invited by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to be its lead academic partner in a student War on Hunger campaign. The institute has developed into a University minor, which Hunker encourages students of all majors to explore.
"Everybody has a part in solving this," Hunker said. "The concept was really to make it multi-disciplinary and collaborative in terms of bringing people together."
Dr. Kate Thornton, director of hunger and sustainability initiatives, said. "As the hunger effort has grown across campus, we've had a lot of faculty members express interest in incorporating these topics in their classes."
Thornton helped develop and teaches some of the courses in the hunger studies curriculum, along with other faculty members from across the University. Even if you aren't pursuing the hunger studies minor, Thornton explained that the intro class, Hunger Causes, Consequences and Responses, could be valuable to any major.
"It's a catchall class," Thornton said. "But I hope that by the end, you'll be able to speak intelligently on world hunger and understand news media."
According to Hunker and Thornton, the issue of global hunger and finding a solution is more complex than one might think.
"The good news is huge. Huge progress has been made," Hunker said. "But the bad news is with the growing population and the growing impact of climate change, we need to grow more food."
The estimate from the UN is that 50 percent more food needs to be grown by the year 2050, when the global population is projected to reach 9 billion. But, the issue of hunger is more complex than simply growing more food.
Hunker said the hunger studies minor is looking for communications majors, engineering students and political scientists to help solve world hunger and poverty on governmental levels.
Last year, the hunger studies capstone course presented hunger solutions to the WFP, UNICEF and The Food and Agriculture Organization in New York City. The presentation was such a success that the class was asked to send representatives to present before the WFP in Rome, Italy.
Sophomore Sara Raines, a double-major in nutrition and agriculture with a minor in hunger studies, was one of the two students selected to travel to Rome.
"Although the problems are really complex, even the simplest solution can make a huge difference," Raines said.
Raines also pointed out how students can make an impact in Auburn, whether they are a part of the hunger studies minor or not.
"There's so much poverty and hunger here and people aren't aware of it, even in Auburn--we're just in this little bubble," Raines said.
Raines said she advised students to get involved at local, off-campus food pantries.
The Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit will be preceded by a pre-summit conference and will feature international university presidents. All students are encouraged to attend and a student discount will be available.
(01/15/14 7:55pm)
"After all, I didn't get to be 96 because I was lucky," Chester H. Cooper said on his
birthday, Jan.11.
"I never, ever, ever smoked," Cooper said. "You know about the Marlboro Man? He died of lung cancer."
Standing in his apartment at Morningside Assisted Living, the veteran Air Force pilot looks younger than his 96 years. He attributes this to 30 minutes of physical training a day and callisthenic exercises picked up from his Air Force training.
Elected 2013's Best Dressed Male by his peers at Morningside, Cooper was dressed for comfort in a navy blue Adidas track suit, a Member's Only jacket draped over his couch.
Born in 1918 in Lancaster County, Pa., Cooper has seen the world transform from horse-drawn carriages to smart cars. Cooper said his father purchased their first family car, a Model T Ford, for $400.
"We took our lives into our hands every time we got in the car with him," Cooper said. "He didn't have good instruction, let's put it that way."
After enlisting in the Air Force during World War II as an aviation cadet, a young Cooper enrolled in flight school at the University of Massachusetts. He trained as pilot in Montgomery at Maxwell Field; Arcadia, Fla; Sumter, SC; and Valdosta, Ga.
The walls of Cooper's apartment are hung with photographs and artwork: an impressionist Parisian street scene painted by Caroline Burnett, a handsome photo of Cooper at age 26 in a suit and tie and framed pictures of his children and grandchildren.
"This kind of tells you the story," Cooper said.
He waved toward a framed collage of photos in his bedroom with "Chester & Shirley Forever" written across the top of the frame. Underneath were black and white photos of Cooper with his wife smiling through the years, posing with children, looking down from a balcony in a church.
"It just evolved," said Cooper, whose wife passed away. "We just cared for each other and so we spent our life together."
Cooper was introduced to the outgoing Shirley by his sister.
"I wasn't shy, but I just didn't have an outgoing personality," Cooper said. "Living with her and being in love with her, it's something that just kind of rubs off on you."
Cooper's easygoing nature helped the Pennsylvania native adjust when his job as a sales representative for Armstrong World Industries brought him to Alabama in the early '50s.
"When we moved here, there was a lot of animosity against people from up north," Cooper said.
His grandfather fought for the Union under General Sherman. Two of Cooper's great uncles became prisoners of war and died at Andersonville Prison in Georgia during the Civil War.
"I was considered a Yankee," Cooper said.
But the differences didn't stop Cooper from making friendships in the South.
"You can always find something about somebody that you like," Cooper said. "Why focus on the things you don't like?"
After 35 years in Alabama and having a son who is an Auburn alumnus, Cooper is a huge Auburn fan.
"That Malzahn--as far as I'm concerned, he hung the moon," Cooper said. "War damn eagle!"
Jeanne Winters shares a table with Cooper in the Mornigside dining room and has been a resident for a year.
"Everybody here's a character," Winters said. "Chester was in the Air Force and so was my first husband, and we talk about what they went through together."
Roshunda Lott, a sophomore in psychology and a resident service staff member, said Cooper is a master conversationalist.
"He really likes to talk to the ladies," Lott said.
"In regards to how old or young you are, you still have romantic notions, even at 96," Cooper said. "I have had a couple girlfriends, but I outlive them."
(01/14/14 11:00pm)
Hackers are getting better, where is the security?
Everything from money to relationships has moved online, but online security is moving a little slower.
Snapchat is an app used for sharing quick photos and videos that are erased forever after an allotted time, or at least that's how it is advertised.
Hackers recently shared 4.6 million names, phone numbers and pictures they stole from Snapchat.
"We are sorry for any problems this issue may have caused you, and we really appreciate your patience and support," the company said in a blog post Thursday morning.
Even a week after their apology, many Auburn students hadn't heard about the hack.
When Allie Heckel, senior in public relations, heard about the hack she said, "Blame it on my inner Millennial, but some hacker knowing my username and phone number doesn't really bother me."
Patrick Murphy, junior in industrial design said, "I mean, it's worth the risk for me because I only send selfies and stuff. I don't have anything important on there."
To some, losing their phone number to hackers is more of an annoyance than a matter of personal security, but the world is relying on the Internet more heavily every day and security is lagging behind.
"We just need the good guys to catch up with the bad guys," Heckel said. "To be honest, I put all my Christmas money in a book. I don't trust anyone else with it."
Heckel's fear was realized in December when more than 70 million people's information was stolen from Target's databases. Hackers obtained credit and debit card numbers and caused many credit card companies to issue new cards to their customers.
According to USA Today, many people have stopped shopping at Target following the breach, and if they do, many are choosing to pay in cash.
Grace Howard, junior in biomedical sciences, was worried about the breach but said it wasn't going to affect her money habits.
"It bothers me, but I'll definitely still use my debit card," Howard said. "The great thing about knowing where you are on your money is that you notice when something's off and can report it."
When money isn't involved, however, security isn't on the forefront of people's minds, especially when using apps like Snapchat.
"It's just good to physically see people and the funny things going on in their day," Howard said.
Murphy said he liked Snapchat because it felt more like a conversation by seeing people's faces, but when they're gone, they're gone.
"I think most of us are just used to having no privacy," Heckel said. "People have been telling us all our lives how there is nothing private on the Internet and how dangerous it all is. So, when we hear about a hack or something, it just doesn't surprise us. It does worry me when they start stealing people's money, though."
Snapchat and Target are only a couple companies that have recently gotten hacked. So, as 2014 begins, closer attention to cyber security might not be a bad idea.
(01/12/14 4:12am)
January marks the beginning of deep winter in Alabama. The novelty of brisk, chilly weather has worn off and the emotional high of the holidays has been grounded. Stretching ahead is a cold, dark winter.
For some, this means grappling with seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.), also known as the winter blues or seasonal depression.
Professionals in and around Auburn University share ways to outsmart the wintertime doldrums.
Josh Jones, informal campus recreation coordinator at the Auburn Student Recreation and Wellness Center, champions staying active during the winter to stave off the blues.
"You feel a sense of accomplishment," Jones said about working out.
Whether it's meeting fitness goals or trying a new skill for the first time, physical activity can increase self-esteem.
Jones reassured students who may be apprehensive about jumping into a new work-out regimen. "The great thing about the Rec Center is that we have something for everyone here," Jones said.
Social exercise is another way to boost one's mood, according to Jones.
Working out with friends or playing an organized team sport provides adrenaline-pumping activity and requires socializing, which is important for those who feel like hibernating all winter.
Students working out at the Recreation and Wellness Center have the advantage of an energizing, stress-reducing environment.
The light-conscious design of the Rec Center interior employs large windows, courtyards and banner-sized prints of Chewacla State Park.
"The idea in designing the rec was to bring the outdoors indoors," Jones said.
For Yolande Wersinger, nutrition specialist and owner of Dayspring Natural Foods, being outdoors is crucial for beating S.A.D.
"In Eastern philosophy, they say that the saints go out in the morning to worship the sun. They don't," Wersinger said.
When the monks meditated outdoors they were treating S.A.D. with what Wersinger considers the best natural remedy--sunlight.
"They were 'enlightened,' you see," Wersinger said laughing.
Getting the right amount of sleep is another simple way to avoid feeling down in the winter, Wersinger said.
A sufficient sleep cycle and exposure to sunlight are connected, Wersinger explained.
Light is most easily absorbed by the pineal gland in the morning. The vitamin D absorbed from sunlight creates a delayed release of the hormones melatonin and serotonin, which are essential for sleep.
To get adequate levels of vitamin D, Wersinger recommended exposing the face and arms to the sunlight for 15 minutes three times a week, or investing in a full-spectrum lamp.
Vitamin D also enters the body through food and vitamin supplements. Eggs, shiitake mushrooms, oatmeal, salmon, sardines, sweet potato, tuna and alfalfa are some foods containing vitamin D.
Patrick O'Keefe of Auburn, a senior counseling psychologist in Fort Benning, Ga., advised students who may be experiencing S.A.D. symptoms to scale back on their workload and be open to the idea that they may be in the wrong major.
"A little bit of reality may be setting right about this time," O'Keefe said. "I think where students probably struggle more is the context of expectation and acceptance."
O'Keefe considers college a time of important self-discovery that can be overwhelming to students, which can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and even depression.
O'Keefe advised students to take a serious look at their field of study.
"Discover your purpose and your passion will follow," O'Keefe said. "Find the vocation that gives you personal satisfaction."
Pressure to maintain a perfect GPA can contribute to anxiety and depression as well.
Some students turn to excessive drinking or recreational drug use to escape such stressors.
"When you start drinking a lot and smoking pot, you set yourself back, and you start feeling more overwhelmed so then you drink more and it just becomes a vicious cycle," O'Keefe said.
Counseling and psychotherapy can help students with stress-management.
O'Keefe encouraged students who have been diagnosed as clinically depressed or have a chemical imbalance to seek either their primary care physician or psychiatrist who may prescribe medication for some cases of S.A.D.
Ultimately for O'Keefe, finding balance in life is key to avoiding depressive symptoms in winter.
"We're bio, psycho, social, spiritual people," O'Keefe said.
Being able to remain physically healthy, psychologically at ease and cultivate positive relationships can fortify students against the winter blues.
(01/12/14 4:03am)
While many of us were sipping on eggnog and postponing Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve, a group of Auburn students packed their bags and flew to Nicaragua. The trip was a part of the Alternative Student Breaks program in the Center for Community Service at Auburn.
The group flew out of Atlanta on Dec. 14, and returned back to Atlanta on Dec. 21.
"The first day that we got there was an excursion day, so we really just traveled the city," said Katie Cornwell, junior in communications. "We went on a boat ride in Lake Nicaragua, which is the biggest lake in Central America."
The group also went to see an active volcano in the Masaya Volcano National Park and zip lined over crater lakes. The rest of the week consisted of work days in the capital city of Managua.
The group worked in the community of Santa Julia, Cornwell said.
"We would wake up at 7 a.m. and then eat breakfast at the hotel and then from about 8 a.m. to lunch time we would work in the field and we would either be picking red beans out of the ground on like huge mountains or we would be picking coffee beans out of trees," Cornwell said. "They said they had planted like 1,700 coffee trees."
Santa Julia had about 65 families, Cornwell said.
Jessa Rein, junior in business management, said the families lived in houses made out of spare pieces of metal.
"There were just these metal pieces around that were nailed together and then the floors were just the dirt like from outside," Rein said. "I wasn't expecting their living conditions to be as bad as it actually was."
Peter Beairsto, junior in building science, said some of the homes had limited electricity, like speakers or a light bulb. Cooking in their houses creates horrible ventilation problems for the women and children, Beairsto said.
Beairsto said the group picked this particular area for community development because of the poverty surrounding Managua.
"(There was a) coffee bean production company that was trying to start back up again, but failed, so we came in to help," Beairsto said. "We helped donate a coffee bean de-pulper. . . it was kind of a big step in their coffee bean production."
The group got to spend time with the locals after working, including the children. Cornwell said after lunch they would play with the kids by the houses.
"Even though I didn't speak Spanish, and I usually had no idea what they were saying, it was great because I could still communicate with them," Cornwell said. "When we had our farewell on the last day, it was definitely really, really difficult to leave, and you know all the kids were like hanging on the back of our trucks and didn't want us to leave."
The team also wrapped presents for the children including clothes, toys, books and school supplies so they would have gifts to open on Christmas, Beairsto said.
(01/12/14 3:45am)
Netflix subscriptions, like iPhones, are quickly becoming standard for the majority of our generation and making other methods of entertainment seem outdated.
The question, "Do you have a phone charger?" is answered, followed by "Four or five?" instead of with any inquiry of the make or model of phone you have.
It's the same with movies and TV shows. Students assume if you have a TV, Netflix is an option, and it is automatically factored into entertainment possibilities for the night.
Josh Reebals, senior in sociology, doesn't have cable at his apartment anymore.
"I don't really miss cable," Reebals said. "I can watch all the shows I want, when I want, and without commercials. The only thing I miss about cable is sports coverage. I've been a little out of the loop."
His favorite show is How I Met Your Mother, which he watches religiously, going through seven seasons in a matter of a few weeks. He also watches Orange is the New Black, a Netflix original program, and Arrested Development.
"There's always something I could watch that I'd like," Reebals said. "I've never turned off Netflix because nothing was on, which is a good thing and a bad thing."
Netflix competes with Hulu Plus, iTunes and Amazon Prime for customers, but it is popular among Auburn students.
"I have Netflix, and I use it most of the time for movies and to watch Power Rangers if I'm feeling nostalgic," said Jordan Rice, senior in physical activity and health. "But I also have Hulu Plus to watch shows close to their TV release date."
Rice's favorite shows are New Girl and How I Met Your Mother.
Netflix is becoming the standard, but not everyone is making the switch so wholeheartedly. Wilson Wingo, senior in mechanical engineering, prefers going to the movies over Netflix.
"There's a whole social thing. Candy and popcorn and the sound of other people in the theater that you miss out on when you watch movies at home," Wingo said. "I'd rather be in the theater, but I don't make it to movies as much as I'd like."
For people who do regularly watch Netflix, some other popular shows are Bob's Burgers, Dexter and House of Cards; and there is always a steady supply of good movies.
Like the gradual switch from VHS to DVD, Netflix and other Internet streaming services are overshadowing DVDs and have made movie rental stores nearly obsolete.
(01/09/14 10:08pm)
The phrase, "We're going to the 'ship" took on an entirely new meaning as airports overflowed with Pasadena-bound travelers the days leading up to the national championship. Airports were so crowded the idea of nautical travel began to sound like a more plausible way home for many Auburn fans.
(12/05/13 5:45am)
Hundreds leave their homes before dawn, still digesting Thanksgiving turkey, to wait in anticipation before locked storefronts.
When the key turns and the "open" sign lights up, they clamor inside to snag the best deals and begin the Christmas shopping season.
This year more major retailers, following in the footsteps of Walmart, opened the night of Thanksgiving to give shoppers a jump on Black Friday savings. The sales-frenzy dubbed Black Thursday appears to be here to stay.
Following Black Friday, stores such as Target and Old Navy are extending their hours, opening earlier and closing later as Christmas Eve approaches.
Auburn students working in retail face a particular set of challenges during the holidays.
Amy Camp, a senior double majoring in psychology and social work, has been an Old Navy sales associate for three years.
Camp said juggling an internship in Tuskegee, school and a part-time retail job is demanding, and her weekdays are often as long as 14 hours.
"It's definitely something you have to balance -- you're not only having to study your academics, but you're having to go to work as well," Camp said.
Despite time constraints, Camp said she has maintained a high GPA and is graduating this semester.
"What I've always been told in school is that for every hour you're in class, you should spend two hours studying," Camp said.
Josh Bennett, a senior in psychology, works in guest services at Target in Tiger Town, which opened its doors to Black Friday crowds at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Originally from Montana, Bennett has been part of the Target team for five years and has been a full-time employee at Target in Tiger Town for six months. Every week, Bennett has to juggle 40 hours at work and 17 hours of school.
"You go from school to work and then home to do homework, and that's kind of your entire day," Bennett said.
Both Bennett and Camp confirmed managers, especially in and around Auburn, work with students' class schedules.
Suzanna Sweeney, a sales team lead at Academy Sports and Outdoors, said much thought goes into the hiring process of student employees.
"We always hire based on availability, so it's never an inconvenience," Sweeney said. "Usually, we have our openers and our closers, and it's all based on availability."
In lieu of the holiday shopping spree, sales associates are aware upon hire they will have to sacrifice time that would normally be reserved for friends, family and a relaxing break from school.
This year, Camp opted to open for Old Navy's first Black Thursday.
Her shift began at 6 p.m., after returning from Thanksgiving lunch in Mobile, and ended at 3 a.m. on Black Friday. Given that the store will be closed Christmas Day, Camp potentially has three days off for Christmas vacation.
"They told us this year -- which they haven't done in the past -- that we could only ask off for two days in a row," Camp said.
Bennett worked a 10.5-hour shift this Black Friday which started at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, making a trip to Montana impossible, but management has granted him three weeks off at Christmas to visit family.
"This Target recognizes that they have that college populous that does live out of state or far away," Bennett said.
Sweeney, whose Black Friday shift began at 3 a.m., said days between Nov. 1-Jan. 1 are "blacked out," meaning employees cannot request time off and are expected to work some of the holiday rush at Academy.
"Our managers make considerations for those students who live further away," Sweeney said. "They give them an amount of time off to be with their family."
Department stores' preparations for the holidays began in mid-November. This involved associates staying well after closing to organize, decorate and rearrange the stores to better accommodate throngs of shoppers.
After the holidays, one might expect in-store traffic to slow down.
According to Sweeney, this isn't true.
Shoppers line up once again in the wee morning hours the day after Christmas, clutching gift receipts to make returns.
(12/06/13 4:40pm)
Auburn students have returned to campus for two final weeks of school before Christmas break.
With three and a half weeks of family bonding, holiday parties and family traditions to look forward to, many students will pack up and leave as soon as their last exam ends.
For other students, going home is not an option. Many of Auburn's international students will be staying in Auburn for the break, instead of reuniting with their families.
Shubbhi Taneja, graduate student in computer science, is from New Delhi. Taneja came to Auburn in July 2013.
"I had a few friends here, so they could help me, because I didn't have anybody else from my family in the United States," Taneja said. "I have a couple of friends from New Delhi here who were already studying here, they are part of an international exchange program so they had given me quite good reviews."
Taneja said she the temperature and weather conditions in Auburn are similar to New Delhi.
During the break, Taneja said she will mostly be in Auburn, but that she will travel in the United States as well. She said she had made plans to go to New York with friends during Christmas break, but they fell through.
"I'm going to go to Atlanta for two days and see all the famous places there," Taneja said. "But I haven't decided what I'm going to do on the 25th."
Amrit Singh, graduate student in mechanical engineering, is from New Delhi as well and is friends with Taneja. Singh said he may also visit Atlanta during the break to see the Coca-Cola factory and the Georgia Aquarium with his friends. For the rest of break, he will be working at a research lab.
Fujun Huang, graduate student in information and system management, is from Shenzhen, China. The last time he went home was May 2013, but he will be staying in Auburn for Christmas break because it is a shorter period.
Auburn's winter break is considerably shorter than past years because classes resumed a week later in August than other years.
Huang's break will consist of a lot of studying and paper grading, because he is a teacher's assistant for a business analytics class.
He is responsible for grading their final exams by Dec. 17, and giving feedback to the teacher. Huang has plans to travel after he finishes grading.
"Some friends and I, we plan to go to New York for a weekend," Huang said. "We like celebrating the new year in New York."
Huang has a certification exam in February, and he plans to study for that during the holiday as well. As for Christmas and Christmas Day plans, he will spend that with friends, maybe at his house for dinner.
"Around me there are a lot of Chinese who will go back to China to visit their families," Huang said. "This vacation is too short for me, so I will call my family and try to FaceTime with them."
Taneja said she is staying in Auburn during break because she doesn't want to spend so much money going back, but she hopes to go home next summer or Christmas break.
(12/02/13 6:02pm)
Ever heard about something and thought, 'I wonder if I could do that?'
(11/22/13 4:30pm)
Four years ago, when Imberlie DiArmani was serving at Fort Benning. Ga., he decided to perform in drag.
"It was very nerve-racking, hiding my stuff from inspections," DiArmani said. "It's hard to hide a wig and heels."
Monday through Friday, DiArmani was military, and on the weekend he became she and reigned as queen.
In February, after he moved to Auburn, Balcony Bar asked him to start a drag show. Now, since Cinco de Mayo, they have held a weekly Sunday show for Stir.
DiArmani said they've got the show down to a science. They have help from DJs around town and said they are professional about everything.
Devin Ward, owner of Stir, said he recently decided their performance deemed them worthy of Friday night.
"It has taken off," Ward said.
For the last seven months, Ward said the show has drawn huge crowds.
"I didn't know what to expect at first," Ward said. "It was so busy every time I didn't get to actually watch the show until a few months ago."
The show sees an average of six to seven queens and every so often a king. The show features music, dancing and some pyrotechnics.
"We don't discriminate between color, race or sex," Ward said. "All we are really about is a having a good time."
Ward said he's passionate about the show because it's become an alternative for people who want to do other things.
(11/02/13 6:00pm)
Since 1976, Steve Lang has a Christmas-themed light show at his home on Fontaine Drive.
However, recently the show moved locations because of Lang's inability to continue the show.
Now, in the show's second year, at National Village, from Nov. 29-Jan. 5, the lights display will be an annual fixture for years to come.
The display is open every night between 5-10 p.m. and free for all who want to attend.
In past years, there have been an estimated 30,000 viewers for any given year.
"I have been going to (the show) with my kids forever, and I wanted to see it continue," said Don Conner of Conner Brothers Construction Company.
Conner Brother's Construction Company is responsible for the development of both National Village and the light show.
With work for the show beginning in August, significant amount of effort is put into the re-creation of the show each year.
The show uses more than 185,000 lights on hundreds of handmade light fixtures for the synchronized display. A special function uses a radio station channel and repeats an 18-minute series of Auburn Christmas favorites that correlate with the light show.
"People can watch it from their cars and listen to the music or they can get out with their kids if it's a nice night and just sit and watch on the grass. Its pretty cool," Conner said.
The show continues to grow each year thanks to Conner and brothers.
"We are growing it each year," Conner said. "This year we are starting to convert lights to LED for more efficiency. (The show) is not Callaway Gardens yet, but we are going to continue to expand it."
While National Village will hold this year's show, it's not the main purpose. National Village is a living community.
On property are several amenities for homeowners to enjoy: boating and fishing, resort style pools, tennis facilities, nature trails and on top of that a membership to all three golf courses of the Robert Trent Jones Trail is also available.
Opelika's Mayor Gary Fuller and his family will be in attendance for the shows annual opening and said he encourages everyone else to come out for the show, according to National Villages's Facebook.
(11/25/13 8:45pm)
Who knew a simple disposable camera could teach kids moral lessons such as how to be better leaders and citizens?
This semester, with the help of Auburn students, a group of children ranging from 6-12 years old, learned how to express themselves through photography, writing and drawing in a pilot program called Be You: A Citizen Photography Project.
"There's a disconnect on what's being focused on in the schools, so the family environment and the personal characteristic environment at home are separated," said Mary Afton Day, senior in public administration and civic and community engagement. "We realized that art, critical thinking and writing were main issues that needed to be focused on."
Day organized the program as part of her capstone project, along with assistance from the Ridgecrest Housing Community.
She encouraged the kids to discover what makes them unique, how to express themselves and how to solve issues in their community they are passionate about.
"I learned that it doesn't take much to help kids or make an impact because even if they don't admit it, they enjoy having someone there who listens to them and have someone to talk to and engage with," said Morgan Allison, senior in mechanical engineering. "It doesn't take much. Even if you don't see results, over time, the stuff that you do really does make an impact."
Day said she wanted the kids to learn about themselves, because she said she feels individuality is not a bad thing, and it can be taken and ran with to really create a better leader and citizen for tomorrow.
The group met Tuesday afternoons to discuss how to be better leaders in the community and be creative in solving issues facing their communities.
One week, Day gave the children a disposable camera and told them to photograph scenes demonstrating their uniqueness.
"My favorite part was when we took the pictures and we had to write about them," said 9-year-old Jamiyah. "I took a picture of a flower. My granddad, he died in the U.S. Army. The flower and my granddaddy are connected because I put flowers on his grave."
Another week, the kids were asked to think about leadership characteristics.
They were given a popsicle-stick frame made out of four sticks, and asked to write one leadership quality on each stick.
Jamiyah said the lesson helped her "learn about leadership - like help anyone she should be nice. Because you have to follow those to be a good leader."
Allison said he worked with one student in particular throughout the project and said he was lucky to mentor the boy.
"I think I helped him change because he needed someone who was there, who he could count on and someone who listened," Allison said. "Not saying that he didn't have that, but he needed someone in the program to show him that he didn't need to act like a tough guy."
Day said the object of the project was not to change the children's outlook or their maturity, but to allow them to be children in a constructive environment.
"They have grown up so much faster than any of us realized," Day said. "Even though I was 10-15 years older than most of these kids, it was unfathomable to what they have seen, what they have heard and the way they act."
Day said he understands that even though they're young, they have dynamic feelings like all people.
"You are pretty much dealing with small adults, size-wise they are small, and they're mature in some ways more so in the world than you would expect for an 8-year-old," Day said.
The pilot project began in the Ridgecrest Community, but will spread to the other five Auburn Housing Authority communities.
"Be You was really an effort to show them their greatness. I know that's not a wonderful way to describe it because it doesn't have a deep meaning," Day said. "It's hard to put words to what those kids accomplished, especially what they taught me and definitely the other volunteers."
