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(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.
(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.
(12/03/13 7:07pm)
If you survived Black Friday, props to you. Hopefully no one got trampled at Walmart this year, but even if you survived, Christmas shopping can be one of the worst parts of the holidays.
It's easy to forget what you have already bought for your friends and family, or exactly whom you need to buy presents for.
This app can help you to avoid an awkward moment on Christmas morning when everyone is opening their presents and you realize you forgot to get one for your mother. Better Christmas List can organize your shopping endeavors.
Better Christmas List is a great way to make sure you cover all of your bases and stay within a reasonable budget. At the top of the app, it counts down the days until Christmas, so you know how many days you have left to squeeze in all of your shopping before the big day. It starts off with two different categories: family and friends.
You can add your own categories too if you want to get more specific and make a category for your colleagues, or differentiate between college and high school friends. You put in the total amount you are willing to spend on that group as a whole.
So, if you wanted to spend $300 total on your family, you would put $300 in that spot. Then you can break it down by individuals, and decide how much money you will spend on each person out of the $300.
When you click on each individual, you can link their contact information with it, in case you need to call them to check on a size or color preference while you're out shopping. Then, you can post what gift you got them and how much it cost.
This way, you will be able to see how much you have already spent and how much you have left. You can personalize the groups or individuals by adding photos. Better Christmas List gives you the option to write where you purchased each gift.
This can be helpful if you need to return something, so you don't have to try to remember where you got each gift.
There is a section under each individual, which allows you to write notes so you can save good gift ideas or personal information about the individual.
You can track your progress starting at empty cart, shopping, wrapped and mailed. At the top of each category, it will give you a summary that includes a ratio of how many gifts you have completed, how much money you have spent and who you have included in the group.
You can enable a passcode, so your friends and family won't unexpectedly stumble on your gift list and ruin the surprise.
You can email the list to yourself so you can print it out and have it with you at all times.
Better Christmas List is a simple app that can make your holiday shopping a little less stressful, so you can truly enjoy the holidays.
(11/21/14 9:36pm)
The Lee County Flannel Club isn't a group of people who talk about flannel, but a group of students who perform improv.
Ellie Lerner, junior in interior design, is president and one of the founders of Lee County Flannel Club.
"We've been together for two and a half years, almost three," Lerner said. "We just officially became a club this semester."
Before the group became a club, they would meet and practice in whatever room was available in Telfair B. Peet Theater.
Lerner said the club applied for permanent status a year ago, went through the year of probationary status and then got approved to be an official organization.
The group practices two types of improv: long form and short form improv.
"Short-form improv is a lot like doing games, like 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' You're just on your toes the whole time," Lerner said. "Long form is more of an artistic kind of form of improv, and it's kind of like the only really major theater part of improv where you basically get up there and you do, you know, a play that's never been seen before and will never be seen again."
Lerner said the scenes can range from three minutes to an hour long.
Eddie Robison Rivera, junior in industrial and systems engineering, said a lot of their practices revolve around warming up and diving straight into improv.
They then talk through the different scenes and what went well, or what they could work on to make it better.
"It got me out of my shell," said Ronda Eady, senior in information systems management. "It helps me think on my feet, and that's something you need."
The Lee County Flannel Club got its name in a way as unique as their style of acting.
"The funny thing about improv is it's kind of like a '90s thing, and a lot of the guys tend to wear flannel," Lerner said. "We just kind of like came up with it, the Lee County Flannel Club."
Lerner said the club has about 10 members, but they held tryouts, Nov. 13, to find approximately three more members.
The club has performed for the student body in places such as Langdon Hall, the Haley Center and the Student Center Ballroom.
Lerner said the group is looking into competing in the future.
"Now that we are an official organization, we're going to be able to apply for funds and we really want to take a trip to Chicago," Lerner said. "We might want to do College Improv Tournament or, at least, go watch it."
Lerner said improv is a good activity to calm your nerves, and it makes your brain sharper. Though improv helps Lerner to be more aware of her daily life and observing people, keeping it humorous is the hardest part, Lerner said.
"My favorite part is getting to forget about all the school work and commitments and other things I have going on, and be able to act and make things up off the spot," Robison Rivera said. "I love being able to make things up off the top of my head and really get to be creative in that sense."
The club offers practice, open to the public, once per month. For more information on the Lee County Flannel Club or visit the club's Facebook page.
(11/14/13 9:16pm)
For students who enjoy country with a mix of southern rock, Chris Knight will be playing at Bourbon Street Bar Nov. 20.
The singer-songwriter started playing guitar when he was 15, and started writing and playing songs professionally in 1994.
Knight's first album was released in 1998. The Kentucky native has played at fraternity functions in Auburn, but this will be his first time performing at Bourbon Street Bar.
Knight said he is excited to play at Bourbon Street Bar, and he will be playing his old songs with a mix of his new album material from "Little Victories."
"Little Victories" is his first album of new material in four years, and is about gaining small accomplishments and keeping on moving on, said Rick Alter, Knight's manager.
Alter started to work with Knight before his first record came out. Alter said Knight's attitude is to forget about what you have politically and economically and to keep on working.
"Anybody that appreciates good song writing should go see Chris Knight," said Mike Farley, Knight's tour press and publicity manager. "His songs have the everyday person feel that apply to a lot of people and you can hear Knight, hear his songs and see yourself in his songs. He's just a master songwriter."
Knight describes his music as a mix of country, rock and roll, old rock or Americana, and Alter describes the lyrics as brutally honest and blue collar. Knight wrote or co-wrote all of his songs. His inspiration comes from every day life and from stories about his family and his hometown.
"I've been doing this for a living for 200 years writing songs and playing music." Knight said. "I haven't compromised and I've built myself a career instead of just chasing the star thing. I've built a pretty solid career; I can probably do this as long as I can hold a guitar and sing."
Farley said Knight's music is popular among college students, and he tours three weeks out of each month. When Knight isn't touring, he is in Kentucky with his wife and three children.
Farley said Knight has a cult-like following.
"We're finding people every day that are just now discovering him," Alter said.
Knight has had songs recorded by Randy Travis, Gary Allen, Blake Shelton and Montgomery Gentry. He has also opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Alter said Knight's greatest accomplishment is his fortitude and willingness to work hard. According to Alter, Knight's music is poetic rural literature. Alter said Knight uses violence, poverty and other rural subjects as metaphors for love in "Little Victories."
Tickets to see Knight will be $10, and he will start playing at 9:30 p.m.
(11/13/13 3:12pm)
The Outdoor Adventure Club took road tripping to a whole new level when they traveled all the way to Crystal River, Fla., to swim with the manatees.
Thirty members went on the trip from Nov. 8-10. They stayed at Peter's Pier, and took a pontoon boat out with a river guide to see the manatees.
"When he would see a manatee he would kind of like pull up to it," said Kelsey Woodworth, senior in public relations and vice president of The Outdoor Adventure Club. "Then we would get in the water and circle around and look for it."
Woodworth, who has been in the club since her freshman year, said they saw approximately 10 manatees in the water.
Grant Dohrenwend, junior in building science, is the event planner for the group. He said he suggested swimming with manatees because he was already familiar with the area.
Woodworth said some members of the group were able to get photographs of the manatees with underwater disposable cameras
"You can hear them munching on the grass," Woodworth said. "They just float; they're really weird. It was cool."
Woodworth said she had never seen a manatee in person before.
"You could reach out and touch them if you wanted to," Woodworth said. "They just ignore you so it's not like we were playing with them."
Dohrenwend said the younger manatees were more interactive than the older ones, but John Young, sophomore in forestry, said one of the older manatees let him swim beside it and pet it's back.
"I was kind of bummed, they weren't the most talkative creatures," Young said. "They just swam away a lot of times."
Dohrenwend said one of his favorite parts of the trip was playing with the baby manatees. After their early morning of playing with manatees, some of the group kayaked at a local spot named Three Sisters Springs.
Woodworth said Three Sisters Springs are natural springs with really blue water and Young said going to the springs was his favorite part of the trip, describing it as surreal.
The group also had time to walk around, view the area and get breakfast at a local restaurant named Mama Sally's.
The manatee excursion was just one of many of the Outdoor Adventure Club's diverse activities throughout the semester.
"We do a lot of different things," Woodworth said. "We go backpacking, white water rafting, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding (and) sky diving."
(08/14/13 11:37pm)
These days when I get on Twitter, my feed is filled with snarky complaints or people venting about their love life and problems.
This can get awkward if you vent about one of your followers, thus starting a Twitter war and potentially ruining a friendship.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a place you could say whatever you wanted to, without having to fear judgment or inadvertently hurting others?
Whisper is an app that allows you to do precisely this.
With Whisper you can vent all day without having to worry about being caught by a disapproving nemesis or frienemy.
This app gives you the option to post whatever you want with complete anonymity. Whisper automatically assigns you a username that is completely random, but can be changed if you want it to.
You can change the settings so that you can view other people's Whispers from a close radius to your current location.
When I applied this setting I immediately found posts relating to Auburn students. Some poor soul posted a whisper that said "I wish some beautiful Auburn girls would give nice guys like me a chance!!"
Stay strong my friend, there are plenty of us here.
Another user complained about seeing someone brush their teeth in the RBD library.
There's the occasional post that holds too much information like White Ranger who posted "after breakups the only thing that makes me feel better is sexting random girls." Hopefully none of you have been a victim of White Ranger's random sexting.
Some posts actually made me laugh out loud like one user, whose username was too inappropriate to include, that posted "I burnt my mouth taking a big swig of hot cocoa and screamed the f bomb...in class, during a math test."
Definitely wish I could have been there for that.
You can also direct message people anonymously on Whisper if you like, or dislike, their post.
For my first post I made something up to see if anyone would respond. Within 20 minutes after posting I already received multiple direct messages and comments on my post.
It's a way for people to communicate anonymously, and potentially give advice or try to help a person with their problem.
When you type in your problem, or feelings, or whatever is on your mind, Whisper matches your words with a photograph that pertains to the topic. If you don't like the one they give you, you can take your own photo or use one that you already have on your phone.
It also sends you notifications when someone posts a Whisper in your area, likes one of your posts, or sends you a direct message.
You can filter through the Whispers you want to read under the categories "latest," "popular," and "nearby."
Whisper also adds extra protection to its user's accounts by asking for a pin number before the user posts something, so that if someone takes your phone they won't be able to post without your permission.
Under settings they have a frequently asked questions section that tells you how to do things like block or remove a user if you don't want them to send you messages.
So next time your teacher gives you a lower grade then you wanted, or your best friend ditches you for her boyfriend, try posting on Whisper and see what advice and support you can find from other users.
(11/06/14 9:18pm)
Auburn University and the Auburn Family are known for upholding old traditions, from taking graduation photographs in front of Samford Hall, to watching the eagle fly at home football games.
When one of these traditions is threatened, the Auburn community improvises.
Since Harvey Updyke poisoned Auburn's beloved Toomer's Oaks, the University and community have tried to find different ways to keep the tradition alive.
This season, fans rolled wires hanging around Toomer's Corner, along with any tree remotely close to Toomer's Corner.
17-16 Bar will be contributing its own version of a new tradition with its newest addition to the bar.
On Oct. 24, the 17-16 staff planted two willow oak trees in their back courtyard for students to roll after Auburn's sporting victories.
"We were expanding anyway because our deck needed some repairs, so we wanted to make the space bigger," said Scott Crittenden, co-owner of 17-16 Bar. "Then Harvey Updyke obviously poisoned the Toomer's trees, and we heard they were going to take them down, so we didn't know if they were going to replant trees. We just wanted to make sure the Auburn tradition stayed alive."
Brandon Sapp, manager at 17-16 Bar, said the idea to plant the trees was the result of a collaborative effort among the staff.
They thought of the idea after the final rolling of the Toomer's Oaks on A-Day in spring 2013.
"The idea started because we were like 'Man, everybody loved these trees,'" Sapp said. "That was one of our best weekends ever too, so it was just a great time."
Matt Ralph, manager at 17-16 Bar, said so far, students have given them good feedback about the two oak trees.
Ralph said the staff members will take care of the trees and protect them from out-of-town guests who may be bitter after a loss to Auburn.
"That's why we keep a good bouncing staff on hand to make sure nothing goes wrong whenever we are busy," Ralph said.
Crittenden said the trees aren't big enough to roll this season, because the oaks are only about 13-feet tall.
Crittenden said the oaks are expected to grow from 6-8 feet per year. They hope to be able to roll the trees by next season, Crittenden said.
"Eventually, that's the plan is to have everybody roll the trees at our place after a big win," Crittenden said. "We're going to get toilet paper with our logo."
Ralph said rolling the trees won't replace the Toomer's tradition, but they are doing it as a tribute.
Crittenden will be in charge of taking care of the trees, watering them and giving them nutrients.
Even though the trees aren't old enough to roll yet, Crittenden said everybody seems to really be enjoying them.
"It adds an extra dimension to the space back there," Crittenden said.
(11/05/13 7:03pm)
The Auburn University Department of Theatre is embracing past decades to perform "Harvey" for their fall production.
Director Tom Aulino said "Harvey" is a production he has wanted to direct, so he suggested the play to the theatre department.
"I've loved it for many years and I think it has some wonderful things to say to modern audiences," Aulino said. "It's a deceptive play to do because it seems like it's just a simple, funny story about a rabbit, but it's really much deeper than that."
"Harvey" is about a middle-aged brother and sister who lived together in the 1940s. The brother, Elwood Dowd, has an unconventional companion for his best friend --- a 6-foot tall white rabbit named Harvey. Aulino said Elwood is the only one who can see the rabbit most of the time.
Elwood's sister's name is Veta.
"(Veta) has been thwarted at every attempt to fit in or re-engage herself with society because her brother sees a white rabbit and everybody would think he was completely crazy," Aulino said. "Her daughter is of age to think about getting married, and she's very concerned about getting a good match for her daughter."
The play unfolds in the timespan of one day, when Veta plans a social gathering at her house because she thinks that Elwood won't be home.
Elwood, played by Dan Larocque, comes home during Veta's party. Aulino said Larocque is the associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and a professional actor.
The cast consists of 12 actors who have all helped in the organization of the production.
Tracy Oleinick, costume designer, has production studio students help sew the costumes.
"We make everything, and buy everything," Oleinick said. "We've always got it. You don't teach (students) anything when you just rent a costume. You learn a lot when you make the costume."
The 1940s sets were designed by guest designer Matt Kizer.
Aulino said the set will be a realistic depiction of a grand library in a private home, and a realistic depiction of a sanitarium where Elwood is taken when they think there is no cure for his imaginary friend.
Michael Sanders, who plays Dr. Lyman Sanderson in "Harvey," said the play is meant to be a comedy that can be enjoyed by a wide range of age groups.
"The jokes are set to where everyone can get them," Sanders said.
Sander's character is a 27-year-old doctor whose confidence sometimes causes him to overlook things.
Sander's said he has never seen "Harvey" performed before, but he likes doing period pieces.
"It's just a lot of fun to kind of get out of the mentality of the 21st century and checking your cell phone every five minutes," Sanders said. "They all just spoke so much faster and they were off the cuff, and they threw so many comments in there so quickly."
The production will be held Nov. 14-15, 17, 19-22.
For ticket information, visit Auburn.edu/Theatre.
(11/02/13 6:34pm)
With colder weather approaching, it is easy to slip into the mindset that working out is no longer necessary because with colder weather comes bulky clothing.
Without bathing suit weather looming anywhere in the near future, it can be tempting to substitute your daily workout for a slice of pumpkin pie or those delicious cut-out Halloween sugar cookies.
Instead of falling into that rut, which will most likely end in regret come spring semester, use Runtastic Six Pack to stay motivated through the winter months.
This app is great for the days you don't feel like venturing out into the cold to go to the gym. The company describes themselves as "a personal six pack trainer in your pocket."
The app gives you a choice between two avatar trainers, Daniel and Angie. It comes with more than 50 workout demonstrations, motivational music, training plans, tips of the day and the option to share your accomplishments on social media.
After you pick which trainer you want to use, you can choose what level you want to progress at. Level one is called "commence your journey." It lasts 10 days and includes 35 exercises.
Level two is labeled "kick it up a notch," and lasts 15 days with 60 exercise options.
Level three is "experience incredible results," and spans over 25 days with 115 exercise options.
For each day on whichever plan you choose, there will be a certain amount of exercises for you to do.
You can pick the music the app comes with, or pay an additional $0.99 for a different genre of music.
The trainer talks and counts you through the exercise, so you get an example of a good workout pace.
The avatar trainer will tell you how many sets and repetitions are necessary, and they will give you a 30-second break in-between each set if you need it.
After you have finished the sets for the day, the app shows you how many repetitions you completed and how many calories you burned.
You can take a picture and add notes to the work out so you can remember if you liked it or not for the future.
After a workout, you will receive the tip of the day, for example, "workouts need fixed dates. A little pressure will promote your discipline." The duration of the exercises increase by level, and by day.
It starts with an 8 minute and 45 second exercise on level 1, day 1, and ends with a 41 minute and 33 second exercise on level 3, day 25.
Under the section "all exercise videos," there are 50 animated videos that show you how to properly execute different exercises, along with their names.
You can change the voice coach to speak in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, or Japanese.
Under the section titled, "my workouts," the app gives you options for extra workouts that range from less than 10 minutes to more than 30 minutes.
If you're looking for an extra push of motivation to stay fit this winter, check out Runtastic.
(11/04/13 5:00pm)
Auburn alumnus Bryan Wilson and his wife, Sara Farber, created Schmovie, a board game that can be played at a family function or a college party.
In 2010, Wilson and Farber started the company, Galactic Sneeze, on the third anniversary of their first date.
"Galactic Sneeze is a Brooklyn-based fun-stuff think tank," Wilson said. "We invent toys and games and intellectual properties, then work to partner with other companies to help bring those to life."
Farber said they pitch their ideas to larger companies, or simply make the inventions themselves.
Wilson graduated from Auburn in 1998, and Farber graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1996. In February 2011, Wilson and Farber began developing Schmovie.
"We ran the Facebook play-along version of the game for about a year and a half before launching the physical game," Farber said. "It was a great way to build buzz and test out some aspects of the game with a broad audience."
Farber said they received more than 30,000 Schmovie titles from fans. Schmovie is designed for ages 13 and up, and can include three or more players.
"Every round, one person is the Schmovie producer and they roll a genre die and figure out what the movie's going to be about," Wilson said.
The die has six different sides: sci-fi, horror, rom-com, drama, action and producer's choice. For producer's choice, the ruling producer at the time gets to pick the genre.
The next step is picking two premise cards. One deck of cards will tell the players who the movie is about, and the other deck tells the players what the movie is about.
"Then, all the other players have wipe-off boards and they write down titles for what they would call that Schmovie," Wilson said. "The Schmovie producer collects all of the cards, all the titles, shuffles them up so it's anonymous, reads them aloud and hilarity ensues."
The producer picks their favorite Schmovie title and gives that player a Schquid trophy. Wilson said the first person to collect four Schquids wins the game.
"In the movie business, you do something good, you get a gold trophy," Bryan Wilson said. "In the Schmovie business you get a gold trophy with wings and tentacles and maybe a top hat."
"Schmovie is unusual in that it just relies on the creativity of the players," said Bob, Bryan Wilson's father. "Every game is a little different."
Schmovie is available on Amazon, and select stores around the country. Bryan said that they are trying to get Schmovie to come to Auburn. Bryan said Schmovie works for different target audiences because it's great for kids and adults.
"If you ask an 8-year-old to give you the name of a movie about a smelly ninja, they've got a dozen names for movies." Bryan said. "If you're playing it with your college friends and you've had a few drinks, it can get as creative and as X-rated as the players want it to be."
Bob Wilson said his favorite part of the game is the ideas that people come up with, especially the kids.
Farber and Wilson run Galactic Sneeze out of their home in Brooklyn, N.Y., where they live with their 2-year-old daughter, Sadie.
For more information about Galactic Sneeze and Schmovie, go to GalacticSneeze.com.
(10/25/13 4:40pm)
The International Agricultural Club, IAAS, is spreading its roots at Auburn. The group meets in Comer Hall twice a month, for approximately an hour each meeting.
"The purpose is to promote awareness, participation and activity in international agriculture," said Joseph Molnar, director of the office of international agriculture. "There are chapters all over the world."
The group is still growing at Auburn, and they are looking for new members. Courtney Halterman, junior in pre-veterinary animal sciences, is the president of the club.
"The big thing about IAAS right now is that we're pushing membership and pushing people to be involved in IAAS," Halterman said. "A lot of people are more driven by the fact we offer a spring break trip."
IAAS offers a spring break trip for members to go to Lima, Peru, for eight days. Lima is the location of the International Potato Center.
During the trip, the group will also spend time at Machu Picchu.
Halterman said they will visit different small production farms, and have time to tour the area.
Halterman also said club doesn't just participate in activities abroad.
"We do a lot of stuff on campus," Halterman said. "Service projects to give back locally to Auburn and Alabama."
The club is working in partnership with Walgreens and their "Get a Shot. Give a Shot." campaign.
"In November we're doing a flu shot drive," Halterman said. "For every shot a student at Auburn is going to get, a child in a developing country will also receive a vaccination."
Molnar said they will have speakers and visitors come from different places throughout the year, from countries as far as China.
Halterman said a big part of being in the club is global networking.
"The more people you know and the more connections you can make, the more professional relationships you build," Halterman said. "I think networking globally in agriculture, as a whole, is huge."
Sidney Hancock, sophomore in horticulture, fruit and vegetable production, said she has met a lot of professors outside of her classes through the club, including the dean of agriculture.
"If you're applying to veterinary school, you're going to be able to apply to that school and know professors, and even possibly people on the board that are going to be considering you," Hancock said. "The fact they can put a face to the name is awesome."
Halterman said she has also met many great advisors and professors from other land-grant universities in the U.S. that have given her advice for applying to veterinary school.
She said she enjoys getting to meet a lot of international students and faculty, and learning about how their agricultural practices are different.
"International experience is really important, employers look at that," Hancock said. "They're really impressed by international experience, that you've been places, you've learned new things about different cultures, you've gone outside of the classroom and you've made the effort to make things happen."
(10/19/13 7:00pm)
Love it or hate it, Lilly Pulitzer is invading college campuses. With bold prints and bright colors, the designs are hard to miss.
The Auburn University Bookstore, located in Haley Center, has started carrying more Lilly Pulitzer products.
"We've been carrying the planners for a couple of semesters now," said Lauren Jones, technology manager for the bookstore.
Jones also said they started carrying technology cases last spring, including phone cases, iPad sleeves and iPad folio cases.
Jones said the planners have been popular among the students, and they have had to reorder them several times.
According to Jones, the technology cases sold out completely, especially when the new line of patterns came in.
"Most of the time, the Lilly thing sells better," Jones said of the line in comparison to other products sold at the bookstore. "(Lilly is) a little bit more expensive in relation to some of the other planners, but they offer a lot more."
The planners the Bookstore carries include months at a glance, a place to document dates to celebrate and a place for party planner notes, among other quick shortcuts.
"(It's) just a lot more to offer so the value is really good because you're getting more, plus you're getting a Lilly print," Jones said.
Jones said she tries to mark down the prices to a dollar or two less than the suggested price because she knows students are going to purchase them.
CeCe Sherman, junior in political science, said recently there has been more of a variety of people buying Lilly at Pink Bee in Greenville, S.C. Pink Bee is a Lilly Pulitzer retail store owned by CeCe's mother, Joanna.
"They're marketing it to different types of people, and they're making a lot of changes with different price ranges," CeCe said.
Kelsey Tucker, freshman in public relations, worked at a Lilly Pulitzer store in Huntsville, her hometown.
Tucker said she has adored Lilly Pulitzer for a long time, including her clothing .
"It's so unique," Tucker said. "They say some people can wear Lilly and some people can't. I don't agree with that because I think anyone can wear it if they want to, I just think it takes the right fashion mind to be able to you know how to piece it together because the prints are so bold."
Tucker said she thinks a reason Lilly is making a comeback is because the prints are becoming much more modernized.
Tucker said her personal favorite print is called "First Impressions." It is light and dark pink roses on a bright blue background, contrasted with lime green leaves.
"A few years ago they were kind of simple (prints)," Tucker said. "The fashion culture is changing so much, Lilly is now keeping up with what people are wanting I think and choosing colors that are popular."
CeCe said the customers at her mother's store range from elderly people to children who are buying clothes.
Her personal favorite Lilly design is the shift dress.
(10/17/13 6:26pm)
Keeping up with fashion can be such a drag, but drag queen Cornelius Benson had a few tips for students on how to dress, specifically this fall.
Benson has been a drag queen since 2008, but has loved fashion ever since he was a kid.
"In the first grade, my mom got me a black bear fur coat and some cowboy boots," Benson said.
He said he has also modeled, and was a photographer, which helped him learn how to be a stylist.
Benson listed his top five fashion tips, starting first with being confident in whatever you wear. Second, Benson advised knowing your body type and dressing accordingly.
He recommended having a go-to color, and a standard shoe.
And last, Benson said to shop smart.
"You don't have to spend your last dollar to look good," Benson said. "You can find different items you can wear with a lot of different things."
Benson's said his favorite season to dress for is late fall and into winter, because he said he likes being able to layer clothing and feels it is easy to express yourself in regards to fashion.
Benson said in Auburn, typically everyone dresses the same, so he is predicting blouses, oversized scarfs, skinny jeans and boots from the ladies this fall.
Benson said one fashion trend he's shying away from this season is chevron.
"I'm so over it," Benson said. "It used to be plaid, everyone did the plaid shirts."
Benson said he doesn't have one particular clothing line he prefers, because he likes to mix and match from different stores.
"You can find a really cute blazer from Banana Republic, and you could find some cute jeans from Express and a nice scarf from Piggly Wiggly," Benson said. "You can just mix and match and accessorize."
Benson said his favorite fashion trend for men is a nice pair of jeans that fit well, or a low v-neck T-shirt. For the ladies, he recommends showing your shape and following fashion by belting items.
He said he likes a nice blazer with a belt over it, or a shirt with a belt on it and a blazer.
As midterm approaches, it's more tempting to roll out of bed and go to class in the T-shirt slept in, skipping makeup altogether and throwing hair into a pony tail or a hat so people won't realize you lost your hair brush weeks ago.
However, Benson would probably not approve.
"Fashion is not just clothing," Benson said. "It is hair, it is makeup, it is skin, it is the apparel, it is the shoes, it is the accessories, it is the whole package. If you have on a nice outfit and your face is ratchet, no one's going to think you're cute."
For quick, relatively low maintenance outfits to wear to class, Benson said men could wear a nice T-shirt with a blazer, jeans and a boot.
For girls he would swap in a tank top with a cardigan or scarf, and skinny jeans.
"A nice colored v-neck shirt can go a long way," Benson said.
Benson created his own brand of 100 percent natural makeup, and is planning to open a boutique.
His store will have just one item of each clothing piece, so no one will ever have the same clothes.
"People should definitely look into what works for them, and just identify with who they are in regards to fashion," Benson said. "Everyone's body is so different and no one has a perfect body, so you need to find something that works for you and makes you look your best."
(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.
(10/07/13 5:00pm)
Among the thousands of sketchy, pointless apps out there, there are a handful of apps that actually serve a purpose and can make your life easier.
Flipboard is one such app.
Flipboard can be used to check the news and organize the information users like.
Flipboard also gives you the option to create your own "magazine" through the app. Flipboard is free, and it allows you to only read the news topics you're interested in.
Flipboard has an area for users to make a profile. Under each user's profile, they can create "magazines" organized in groupings of the articles the user has saved.
There is a section called "my subscriptions," where there are shortcuts to different topics.
The different subscriptions include categories such as news, technology, Flipboard Picks, design, National Geographic, Inside Flipboard, Twitter and Facebook.
Users can also connect to other social media outlets like Google+, LinkedIn, Flickr, Tumblr, YouTube and SoundCloud.
There is an option to "discover more" where they have categories of information under "new and noteworthy" and a compilation of their readers' favorite articles.
If you're like me and get completely overwhelmed in new or big cities by all of the entertainment and food options, Flipboard can help narrow down the selection.
They have a section of national and international cities, from Denver to London, called "city guides." It gives you current news for the city, top restaurants to try, music performances for the night, shopping venues, and cheap events if you want to be thrifty.
This app works well for anyone who wants to stay up-to-date with the news without having to look through 10 different news sources until they find the information that they like.
They cater to all different types of newsreaders, from musicians to artists and food-lovers.
Similar to Instagram and Twitter, Flipboard allows users to follow other users, and has the option to make their profiles private or public.
You can post videos on Flipboard, and it provides an easy way to browse information from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other popular sites all at once while throwing in a mixture of widely read news sources such as USA Today and Rolling Stone.
Because of the way I organized my magazines for my profile, with just a few clicks, I can read about the Pope and then switch to an article about my favorite television show.
It provides a wide spectrum of topics with just a few flicks of my thumb. Flipboard is one app I can use every day.
Instead of distracting me for 30 minutes at a time such as Candy Crush, I can actually learn something by using Flipboard.
(09/26/13 4:15am)
The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is celebrating 10 years of collecting by presenting a new exhibit, the JCSM@10.
The works on display were acquired by the museum between 2003 and today.
"The turning point happened in the '90s," said Charlotte Hendrix, print and digital media producer at JCSM. "The supplemental gift was made by a man, Albert Smith Jr., and (he) named the museum for his wife, Jule Collins, for their 50th wedding anniversary, and so with his gift to Auburn, and his love of Auburn, we were able to make headway in building a museum."
The museum originally opened Oct. 3, 2003.
For the past 10 years, the museum built on its permanent collection of art.
Andy Tennant, assistant director of the museum, has been there from the start.
"I'm really the only person who has been here the 10 years the museum has been open," Tennant said. "When I applied for the job, my interview was actually in a trailer out behind the concrete structure of the building."
Tennant watched the collection grow, and said it contains a wide variety of works.
JCSM@10 fills two rooms in the museum and includes paintings, sculptures, pottery, photographs and more.
"It's a research resource because we have examples from different periods and different artists," Hendrix said. "It really is a visual reference of art history."
Hendrix said admission to the exhibit is free, courtesy of the JCSM business partners.
Hendrix also said the museum was accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, which is a good-housekeeping seal of approval, indicating JCSM is taking care of the art, from the research to the preservation and the display.
"They have looked at our operations and procedures here, and deemed us to be in the same league with top museums across the country," Hendrix said. "There's something like nearly 18,000 museums in the U.S., and a little more than 1,000 of them hold the same distinction of professional accreditation."
Tennant said the exhibit includes some of the largest paintings the museum holds, including paintings more than 6-feet-tall and 10-feet-wide.
The museum also features a room with smaller pieces Tennant described as the real gems of the collection.
None of the pieces in the exhibit will be for sale.
"An art museum collects art and it's part of our job to protect it, conserve it, interpret it, teach with it, but leave it in prosperity," said Scott Bishop, curator of education and liaison to the University. "It would be a very, very bad thing for us to sell our art."
Hendrix said the JCSM@10 exhibit looks for the types of work a university art museum is collecting. The exhibit opened Aug. 31 and will be open for viewing through Jan. 4, 2014.
"What I like about this exhibition is that it is so stunningly beautiful, and it reminds me when I walk in there of just how much we've accomplished in the last 10 years," Bishop said. "It's a very deep, rich, broad show."
(09/19/13 2:50am)
Auburn students are crossing borders and using their skills to make a difference for hundreds of families.
"Engineers Without Borders is a service outreach group with the College [of Engineering]," said Jourdan Beaumont, president of Engineers Without Borders. "It's a way for students to volunteer their time to help out the community somewhere in the world."
This year, they took a trip to Quesimpuco, Bolivia, located in the Andes Mountains.
Beaumont said their partnership focused on water security, and any type of project to help them secure more water for farming, eating, drinking, irrigation, hydroponics and showers.
The trip took place in August, and lasted 10 days.
"In previous years, [the team] installed a tank on the side of the mountain and what we've been doing with it is building an irrigation system off of it," said Carson Smith, junior in civil engineering. "It's a series of pipelines and sprinklers that they use during their dry season to secure their crop production."
Smith said they also had a hydroponics team working in the greenhouse, where they used recycled and fertilized water to grow plants.
To get to Quesimpuco, the group landed in La Paz, Bolivia, and drove 12 hours to the community.
Stephen Smart, senior in civil engineering, said they stayed in bunkhouses that had a kitchen and a meeting area. There were gates surrounding the houses.
"The gates are there because people are so excited about visitors when we're trying to have meetings, you'll have 100 little third graders running in," Beaumont said. "They'll be climbing on the windows watching you cook, everyone's super excited to see you."
Beaumont described the Bolivian people as friendly, with a welcoming culture.
"It's like you're just part of the family right away," Beaumont said.
While the people were welcoming, the difference in native languages was a challenge for the team.
"The language barrier made it difficult," Smith said. "Sometimes, they would have to use two different translators before they could understand each other."
However, the language barrier was part of the learning process.
"The idea is, that this group lets students become better engineers, become better business people, marketers, cross-cultural communications," Beaumont said. "Just a unique way to develop a lot of different skills."
Smith said his best memory from the trip was on the last day of work when they turned on the sprinkler system the group had been working on.
"I was with one of the community leaders, up by the tank, and he just started absolutely crying because he knew that the difference just from one sprinkler... the difference that that would make in the crop production and in the lives of all the people that live in that area," Smith said. "It was beautiful."
Engineers Without Borders is not exclusively for engineering students. Any student may become involved with the group and help in some way.
"There's a lot of students in the group who are really dedicated to doing something more with their time than just playing Nintendo and watching TV," Beaumont said. "That's inspiring that you want to be a part of that... it's really rewarding as an engineering student, and it's also really rewarding as a person helping other people."
Engineers Without Borders meets once a week, and invites guest speakers to talk about topics, such as sustainability and other topics relevant to the work they are doing, in Quesimpuco.
For more information, visit Eng.Auburn.edu/organizations/EWB.
(09/18/13 8:59pm)
All the way from Oakland, Calif., the Tumbleweed Wanderers will be taking over Bourbon Street Bar Thursday, Sept. 19.
The five-man band is touring all over the South, from New Orleans to Virginia.
The Tumbleweed Wanderers consists of vocalist and bass guitar player Zak Mandel-Romann; Rob Fidel on vocals, guitar and banjo; Jeremy Lyon performing vocals and guitar; Patrick Glynn on keys and the mandolin and Daniel Blum performing on the drums.
Fidel said their music is soulful rock 'n' roll.
The group has three extended plays, or EPs, and one full album.
"It's been a pretty productive two years," Fidel said.
Lyon said last time the group was in Auburn, they played at The Hound Bar and Restaurant.
"I love the South," Lyon said. "I'm stoked to be back in Auburn, it's beautiful."
Lyon said the Tumbleweed Wanderers don't have a set list planned for Bourbon yet, but they will be playing songs that are cornerstones of their album.
The group said they plan on playing some fresh material along with their classics.
"We've been writing a lot of new material, so people can definitely expect a handful of songs that we haven't yet recorded," Lyon said.
Lyon, originally from Oakland, Calif., said that when they aren't touring he uses the time to write songs and catch up with his family and friends.
Blum met Lyon a year before the band was formed, and then joined as the drummer only two weeks before they had a gig.
"Before the band was a band, and before they had a name, they had already booked a show," Blum said. "I get to play the music that I want, I get to do it every single night."
Touring the country has made busy men out of the crew.
"Being in a touring band, one of the hardest parts is that your life is very tumultuous," Blum said. "You have these amazing highs where everything is absolutely, everything lines up, and then two days later you have to spend $2,000 on repairs and everybody's bickering about some little thing because you've been stuck in a van with five other guys for a month straight."
Blum said he hopes in the long run, the ups outweigh the downs. The band has had some adventures while on the road, including having a brand-new van stolen.
"We bought a brand-new, 12-passenger van and a trailer, and then a week later, the day before tour, the van went missing," Fidel said. "We'd never dealt with anything remotely close to that."
Fidel also said the band works collaboratively to write their songs.
The lyrics focus on the next step for the band, missing home and people, and love.
"When you play in a band, you get to have creative input in everything that you do," Blum said. "Then you get to work on that creative input every single night."
Stolen vans pending, the band will be playing at Bourbon Street Bar Thursday, Sept. 19.
For more information on the band and to purchase tickets for the concert, visit TumbleweedWanderers.com.