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(09/20/13 1:00pm)
As the tailgate waste on Auburn's campus continues to reach unprecedented levels, University recycling programs have taken a different approach to keeping the school clean and green.
This past game against Mississippi State Sept. 14, was Auburn University's Green Game, a facet of the national Game Day Challenge to have the most eco-friendly NCAA football game in the country.
"We wanted to show campus that sustainability is more than just recycling," said Courtney Washburn, recycling coordinator with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department.
"I feel like recycling is the smallest act that someone can do on a Gam Day to make the biggest difference, by simply throwing your can or your bottle into the recycling bin, you're making a huge difference," Washburn said. Promoted by non-profit organizations such as the College and University Recycling Coalition, Keep America Beautiful and Recycle Mania, the Green Game is a competition for the lowest environmental impact of a single game chosen by the University to compete with other schools.
Statistics on GameDayChallenge. org show Ohio State had zero trash in their stadium and was the 2012 winner for their waste minimization and diversion rate of approximately 98 percent.
Auburn's diversion rate finished third in the SEC, behind LSU and Tennessee, during the 2012 Game Day Challenge recycling and trash diversion rate, but the school has its sights set on being the No. 1 recyclers in the SEC, Washburn said.
Though the school won't know its total waste-diversion rate until the end of the week, Washburn was optimistic that the game against Mississippi State was greener than last year.
"Recycling in the stadium really does drop as the temperature goes down and people aren't buying as may plastic bottles," said Donnie Anderson. "That's why we focus our efforts mainly for the first four home games because those are going to be the warmest, typically."
Washburn said the Mississippi State game alone generated several dumpsters worth of recycled plastic bottle.
While Auburn volunteers do a substantial amount of the recycling work during gameday for the price of a game ticket, the school's biggest challenge with collecting recycling is the prevalence of tailgate areas too distant from campus to be serviced.
"While we may have 20 volunteers when were right here, we can't send people all the way out to the vet school, its too sprawled out for our volunteers on foot," Washburn said.
Working in partnership with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department and recycling this season, the Office of Sustainability used the Green Game was used to promote the Auburn Sustain- A-Bowl, the competition between dorms to reduce energy and water use.
"I think the biggest thing you can do to help people move in a sustainable direction is let them know what the situation is and what they can do to be more sustainable," said Jen Morse, TES Technician with the Office of Sustainability. "Whether it's clean air or freedom or social justice, so whatever anybody values, it has a link back to sustainability."
Sustain-A-Bowl will continue until the end of September when the results of the most green dorms will be announced.
The Gameday Challenge extends until the end of the football season, when the results of competing schools will be made available to the public.
(09/17/13 3:46am)
The Student Government Association deliberated on its budget and other important topics for the 2013 fall semester Monday, Sept. 16th, with many notable changes coming into effect.
The most contested part of the 2013 budget was the decision to include the Miss Auburn budget, a sum total of $1,000 used by the pageant winner to fulfill projects throughout the year as she sees fit.
"The money for Miss Auburn has run out," said Will McManus, SGA Treasurer. "The money that Miss Auburn was traditionally using doesn't exist anymore."
Formerly funded exclusively through a single private citizen annually, Miss Auburn and her budget will now be funded through the SGA overall budget which draws its own funds from student tuitions.
"To stop that from happening were asking for $1,000 to help Miss Auburn be Miss Auburn," McManus said.
The funds were allotted after it was ruled that they would be used to fulfill projects otherwise untenanted and deemed beneficial to the university, with plans made to seek alternate funding sources next year.
In addition, the SGA Senate agenda included budget cuts to the Center of Leadership and Ethics and the Center for Student Organizations and Welcome Week for their least successful programs.
UPC's budgets was trimmed about $20,000 for things including films, fine arts, stage equipment and guest appearances.
Future business slated for the SGA senate meeting next week includes the possible removal of the Freshmen Senate Council and a reformation of funding requests for student organizations.
(09/13/13 2:20pm)
The five finalists for the 2013 Miss Auburn Homecoming pageant were announced from the steps of Cater Hall to crowds of ecstatic supporters Thursday, Sept. 12.
The call-outs were at 9 p.m. as members of the SGA voting council read the names of the finalists, which included Jacie Coressel, Molly Anne Dutton, Heather Henley, Cody Nall and Hannah Wilson.
"Well its kind of in a huge whirlwind, the first interview was only yesterday and call outs last night, its just, last night was a lot to prepare for today," said Heather Henley, senior in early childhood education. "I don't think I did anything really specific [to prepare], I just tried to get a good night's sleep, know what I wanted to present about myself and just go in there confident knowing who I was and be confident in that."
With the top 20 finalists announced from Cater only the previous night, the contenders had little time to prepare for further interviews the next day, making the news all the more shocking.
"It's a really big honor, and its kind of a surreal moment and here we go," said Molly Anne Dutton, senior in horticulture. Once the initial wave of shock settled down and she could collect herself, the time to begin planning her campaign with her supporters would begin, Dutton said.
The mass of friends and would-be campaigners were loud and proud on the lawn, consoling the 15 who did not make the cut and sharing in the unbridled joy of those that did.
"It's been incredible, I've felt an overwhelming amount of support this week, just throughout the interview process, not just from my family but from my sorority and just from my friends," said Jacie Coressel, senior in political science. "I'm just so excited about this experience and incredibly blessed to have so many incredible people to support me, and I look forward to this because this is a great group and I think its going to be a really fun process."
Campaigning will begin from now until the final vote, which is slated for October 11th, with voting set online on the SGA website.
(09/11/13 7:50pm)
On the 12th anniversary of the fall of the World Trade Center towers Gov. Robert Bentley declared the month of September as National Preparedness Month at the ninth annual Ready Alabama Day at Auburn University.
While the events of Sept. 11, 2001, still loom large over the nation, Alabama's multiple natural disasters earlier this year was the main focus of the event.
"We will never forget what happened 12 years ago today, but we've had our disasters in this state also," Bentley said before a crowd of Lee County elementary schools, local police and fire departments and various emergency response teams from around the state.
"On April the 27th we had the greatest natural disaster that's ever struck the state of Alabama. We lost 254 lives, we lost billions of dollars as far as damage is concerned across this state and we are still in a long-term recovery mode," Bentley said.
Ready Alabama Day provides a rare opportunity for Lee County school children to meet and interact with local emergency response teams and put together their own personal emergency preparedness kits to take home.
Guests got firsthand looks at emergency response equipment, demonstrations of what to do in the event of dangerous situations and increase their awareness of goals and safe decisions in the event of an emergency.
"We have not had a hurricane this year we tend to get a little bit lax. You can't do that. We've got to always be prepared, because there will be another natural disaster," Bentley said. "There will be another man-made disaster like the oil spill so we need to always be prepared, and we learn from our experiences that happened before."
Ready Alabama is sponsored by Serve Alabama, the Department of Homeland Security and the Lee County Emergency Management Agency to increase public awareness of the state's emergency response capabilities and maintain a level of preparation in the community and at home.
(09/11/13 3:47pm)
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013 marks the 12th anniversary since the World Trade Center towers were attacked by terrorists, sending the nation and the rest of the world into a climate of increased hostility and wariness.
Auburn University commemorated the 12th anniversary with an Honor Walk in the form of a labyrinth on Cater Lawn.
"On that terrible day around the country a strange thing happened," said Johnny Green, director of the Auburn University Veteran Resource Center. "People began walking in a very ancient and powerful way. In the dust and ashes of lower Manhattan, they began drawing the circle of the labyrinth and began to walk its winding path."
The labyrinth is designed to guide people through three phases of recovery to remember those lost, and to move forward for those still with us through the tangle of a maze, symbolizing the meanders and unexpected turns of life.
It begins with the "release," the act of letting go of anxiety, concerns and grief, an act many embodied by carrying stones along the path in order to unload it, either along the way or at the center.
Following is "receive," embodied by a pool of water at the center to cleanse your hands and open yourself to new possibilities.
The third and final phase is "restore," symbolized by the lighting of candles at the center of the labyrinth for the fallen and bringing it out the way you came and back into the world.
"They walked for those deceased, the missing, those who gave their unstinting help 24 hours (per) day. They walked for their country so that we may stand strong, and we are gratefully aware that we stand on many shoulders," Green said.
The Honor walk is open to the public and all are invited to come remember those who sacrificed their lives so that we could build for the future.
(09/04/13 7:51pm)
Students may be fuming over Auburn University's new policy to ban tobacco products and e-cigarettes from campus. But for many, the policy came as a breath of fresh air.
Like many other universities across the country, Auburn made the final push to go entirely smoke-free by eliminating the designated smoking areas on campus and by banning all smoke-able tobacco products. The bans included cigarettes, cigars, tobacco pipes, hookahs and e-cigarettes.
"The spark of it was the result of a student letter to [President Jay] Gogue where he asked the president, essentially, for Auburn University to go smoke-free and their concern for the health effects on others by second-hand smoke," said Christine Eick, executive manager of risk management and safety for Auburn University.
"Each governance group, meaning the Student Government Association, faculty senate, the staff council and the administrative professional assembly, were all supportive of going smoke free," Eick said. "So their votes passed in support of doing so."
Rather than ban tobacco products outright from the start, the University initiated a multi-stage program to phase out smoking in places deemed harmful to non-smokers, beginning with the creation of designated smoking zones, a government-approved distance of 25 feet from doors and walkways.
While never intended to be a permanent solution, it became clear that designated zones could only function some of the time, when it was a convenience to the smoker.
"I'm not saying you can't smoke, I'm not saying I'm against smoking. I'm just saying that when I walk to class in the morning, I want to be able to not breathe in smoke," said Scottie Brown, senior in journalism. "If it stayed in the designated areas, that would be fine, but I see them smoking right outside the door."
There are no penalties if you get caught smoking on campus, nor any fines to pay, as was the rumor at the beginning of the year.
The evolution to smoke-free permanence also came with a solution for students: the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy has a step-by-step program to assist you in quitting nicotine for good, complete with a "Pack It Up" to help motivate and keep students on track.
Despite being a solution to the problem many have complained about in the past, some people would rather make the decision for themselves instead of allowing the school to be the deciding factor.
"People's personal lives are their personal lives, and no one should butt into that. I worked at Disney World for six months, and they have designated smoking zones all over the park, and it's just away from kids, and away from tourists," said Taylor Carr, senior in sociology. "It's not banned at all; there are spots for it in the Magic Kingdom. I think the designated zones were the perfect middle ground between the two different parties here, and I've seen that work fine before where 60,000 people go everyday, so why not a campus of 25,000?"
Eick said it's a decision that's been taken out of the hands of Auburn students, but one in which they did much of the groundwork to inform the administration.
E-cigarettes, in particular, have proven to be something of a slippery slope as they aren't technically tobacco products and can vary greatly from user to user, but still contain unsafe levels of nicotine that could potentially harmful to non-users in the vicinity.
"The whole premise of the smoke-free policy was the health benefits of the person who's choosing not to smoke, and there's just not a lot of good research on electronic cigarettes," Eick said. "So we were looking to federal agencies in their standards, we primarily looked to the Food and Drug Administration. They say the e-cigarette is a tobacco product and so it kind of comes under that jurisdiction."
Regardless of student's decision to smoke or not to smoke, most can appreciate the push to improve the quality of life for all involved.
"We have received so much positive feedback from people, I think sometimes the focus is on the negative aspects of change, but we have received many more 'thank yous' than complaints," Eick said. "I'm administering a policy asked for by the community."
(08/31/13 6:22am)
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate a fall Saturday in Auburn, but nothing compares to a home football game, especially when it's the first one of the season.
This Saturday, Aug. 31, marks the beginning of the Tigers' 2013 season, a day Auburn fans have been anticipating since the end of the last one.
"School's back in session," said senior Giancarlo Rivera. "That's how I know when it's time for football, when classes start again."
Rarely is there a larger outpouring of Auburn spirit and pride, as our small town welcomes back thousands of alumni and fans in time to begin the pre-game festivities.
"It's a madhouse," Rivera said. "The town triples, if not quadruples in size. It's packed, it's hard to move if you're already on campus, but there's nothing like it anywhere."
With campus nearly filled to the brim with fans decked in orange and blue on every square inch of grass, it wouldn't be a bad idea to plan your own Saturday ahead of schedule to make sure you don't miss the best parts that a game on the plains has to offer.
"I'd definitely start with a good tailgate," said senior Tony Perry. "Always start with a nice breakfast, any sort of homestyle cooking. Then work your way up; maybe play a little game of cornhole.
Then you have to go down to Toomer's and get some of the lemonade. It's always a game day must."
No trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium for game day would be complete without the Tiger Walk, the football team's traditional pre-game rally march down Donahue Drive and into the locker rooms.
"Before the game starts and during halftime it's like hanging out with all your friends, just having a really good day," said junior Grace Jolly. "I went to my first football game freshman year, and I've pretty much gone to every single home football game and one away game."
Minutes before the game starts, when the team is set to explode out of the tunnel and fans are already packed into Jordan-Hare, one of Auburn's most iconic traditions takes flight.
"Other than the game itself, I don't think anything comes close to the eagle flying around, it's second to none," Perry said.
"It gives me chills, like it legitimately gives me chills. Every single time," Jolly said.
"The eagle soaring is something that doesn't happen anywhere else, it's something that'll change you," Rivera said. "And when the football players come out of the smoke, there's nothing more exciting than that. It's the football game starting."
Despite the loss of the Toomer's Oaks, there will still be spots downtown to celebrate an Auburn victory.
The City of Auburn has installed wires around the intersection of College and Magnolia, ensuring that there is still a spot to end your game day on The Plains by rolling Toomer's Corner.
(08/28/14 3:28am)
No one knows for sure how the kudzu bug first appeared in the United States in 2009, but it's been blanketing homes and people with a foul-smelling odor ever since.
Thankfully, a recent discovery by Auburn researchers may be the key to curbing the rapidly expanding insect population before the swarm returns with the start of fall.
"This year we found two parasitoid, [parasitic insects]," said Xing Ping Hu, Auburn University entomologist researcher. "One is a parasitoid fly that will pray on kudzu bug adults. Most recently, we found a parasitoid wasp that will pray on kudzu bug eggs."
With a parasitism rate between 40-95 percent, Hu said the wasp is a game changer.
Hu said his research assistant, Julien Golec, graduate researcher, made the discovery during a routine investigation of kudzu bug damage in a soybean field.
Noticing there were black masses inside the translucent kudzu eggs, Golec said he suspected he had found evidence of a local predatory wasp using the kudzu eggs as repositories for its own
The hunch was later confirmed through further investigation.
"The wasp species is actually native to Asia, but somehow it's appeared in the U.S.," Golec said. "Now we have a multi-faceted approach to controlling kudzu bug. We can get rid of it in two life stages, which will definitely provide more control. It could significantly decrease kudzu populations."
The news comes as a welcome relief to legume farmers, whose soybean and green bean crops have been increasingly overrun with the insects since they spread from Georgia in 2009.
Golec said the kudzu beetles, originally native to southeast Asia, have since traveled to every state in the Southeast and as far north as Delaware and Maryland.
Hu first encountered them in northern Alabama in 2010 and has been studying the invasive species ever since.
"My phone was ringing off the hook for many, many days when they got into Alabama," Hu said. "The first year it was two counties, the second it was eight counties, the third year it was 30-something counties and this year it's everywhere."
Hu said the bugs prefer white and light-colored objects to land on and have multiple reasons for spreading so quickly, including powerful flight abilities, abundance of food and a lack of widespread natural predators.
Golec said while the wasp and fly will decrease the kudzu bug over time, it won't completely wipe out the insect population, and advised not to use pesticides because it would affect the predator population.
"The wasp can't hurt people whereas some pesticides have been known to hurt people," said Auburn senior Savannah Duke. "The ones being used now are pretty safe, but people would still rather not bring chemicals into it so I think it will be pretty popular. I know the thought of using a natural way of keeping the population down instead of a pesticide will probably sell to a lot of the public."
The kudzu bugs will return to cities around the country at the start of fall, but Auburn researchers have already started testing the parasite insects to implement and augment their process when ready.
"There's a lot of problems, but hopefully there's plenty of solutions," Golec said.
(08/26/13 11:09pm)
The second-largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history occurred Friday, Aug. 23, with 11 of the 13 search warrants executed by agents in the state of Alabama.
In all, 367 pit bull terriers and more than $500,000 were seized from 10 individuals charged with conspiring to promote and sponsor dog fighting and running an illegal gambling operation, three of whom are from Lee County.
"I believe if Dante were alive today, and were rewriting 'The Inferno' that the lowest places in Hell would be reserved for those who commit cruelty to our animals and to our children," said George Beck, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. "The efforts today in the arrest of 10 or 12 people, eventually maybe 13 or 14, will, I hope, send a message to those who engage in this type of underground activity that law enforcement, state, federal and local, will coordinate to try to drive out this scourge from this state and surrounding states."
The raid came after more than 3 years of investigation across the South that connected individuals from as far apart as Georgia and Texas, and involved joint efforts by the Auburn and Opelika police departments, the FBI, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Attorney's office and many others.
Together, they indicted and arrested multiple individuals in connection with each other to promote, transport, train and fight dogs, as well as illegal guns, narcotics and drugs used to train and treat dogs.
"This is an example of the reminder that criminals do not know city limits, or county or state lines," said Auburn Police Chief Paul Register. "Cooperation like this, and working together on such an effort is a proud moment for us and we're glad to be a part of it, and we thank you for all the assistance and we're thankful to be a part of the assistance."
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years for conspiracy to fight dogs, a five year maximum sentence on each of the 15 dog fighting counts, a five year maximum for conducting a gambling business and a five year maximum sentence for using the phone to promote gambling.
"This case is much more than just about the inhumane treatment of these dogs," said Doug Astrologer with the FBI. "This is, again, a barter society, and the fact of the impact that these types of illegal drug activity have within our community, the level of violence that we have seen in the course of this investigation speaks volumes as to these individuals and what they are engaged in doing, and the depraved heart in their activities.
The dogs, which are still considered evidence in the ongoing investigation, are being cared for by emergency Humane Society of the United States and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals responders at an undisclosed location for their safety.
Tim Rickey, vice president of the investigative department for the ASPCA, said he wants to take samples of DNA from the dogs rescued Friday for a canine database which could lead to future investigations across the country.
"We know that this is a highly organized enterprise. These fighters are breeding animals, specific bloodlines, specific traits and we want to begin matching those animals from one yard to the other," Rickey said. "For example, in this case we may find a match between a dog that was seized in one of the Auburn area sites and a dog that was seized in Mississippi or Georgia, and that evidence really helps further the U.S. attorney's case in proving the conspiracy, showing the connection between the different yards," Rickey said.
The investigation is still ongoing, but the following people have been arrested: Donnie Anderson, 48, of Auburn; Demontt Allen, 37, of Houston; William Antone Edwards, 42, of Brantley; William Oneil Edwards, 39, of Elba; Robin Stinson, 40, of Elba; Michael Martin, 54, of Auburn; Lawrence Watford, 35, of Adel, Ga.; Ricky Van Le, 24, of Biloxi, Miss.; David Sellers, 52, of Opelika; Sandy Brown, 47, of Brownsville; Carlton Tippens, of Georgia; and Irkis Forrest, of Theodore.
(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.
(08/22/13 3:38pm)
The Auburn Circle, Auburn's student-driven art and literary magazine, aims to provide students a creative home for their work.
The Circle it has worked to implement changes that will allow the magazine to reach a broader audience.
"The Circle started in 1974, and you can tell by looking through old editions and just talking to older graduates, they all knew what the circle was, so obviously back in the day it was a bigger thing," said Shelby Rice, editor-in-chief of the Circle for the past two years.
The Circle said it breached the gaps between submitters and readers to supply an answer to Auburn's underrepresented artistic community.
While art, photography, poetry, fiction and non-fiction are the bread and butter of The Circle's semesterly issue, the staff said they include a wider diversity of entries to broaden the magazine's appeal, such as fashion, architecture, industrial design and more.
At the end of the semester, the Circle will host SNAPS, its third showcase and artistic celebration that in the past has featured live music from Adventure The Great and improvisation comedy from the Lee County Flannel Club.
"We get to hear their pieces read out loud, which is a totally different experience than reading the words on page," said Lilian Parker, senior in public relations and returning member of the Circle's PR staff. "It's a chance for the artists to be able to share their work in the way that it was intended."
The Circle said it wants to capitalize on its expanding readership this semester through an increased social media presence.
"My favorite part of The Circle is bringing together student writers and artists who otherwise wouldn't get the opportunity to be discovered, be noticed or be heard," Parker said. "I know for a lot of people who are involved in the arts they're kind of their own worst critics and I think The Circle provides a nice boost of confidence to let people know that they're work actually is good, and that their peers are actually interested."
The Circle is accepting all submissions from Aug. 21- Sept. 13 to its office in the Student Media section of the student center.
Staff applications for The Circle are also available in the office.
Applications will be accepted from Aug. 21-30.