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SAA encourages renewal of memberships

By Jessica Shaddix / WRITER | April 22

The Student Alumni Association will begin membership renewal for the 2010-2011 school year in May, giving students another chance to participate in one of the campus's largest organizations or to renew the membership they already have.Mallory Mims, accounting major and SAA membership chair, said SAA is working on establishing more efficient ways of bringing students in contact with alumni and preparing senior students to make the leap from student to alumni.Because SAA is trying to make this leap, Samantha Boyd, sophomore in communication and SAA vice-chairman of membership, said they have made the process simple so that any student can sign up."You can walk right in (the SAA building), ask for an application and get it done right then and there," Boyd said.Membership costs $20 for a year and can be paid via check, cash or credit card.

Athletic 'Just Run' to Prevent Obesity

By Drew Thompson / WRITER | April 22

For children facing serious obesity, one organization has the best advice: Just Run.Just Run, a national non-profit organization, held a 5K fundraiser Saturday, benefitting the fight against childhood obesity."The $15 (registration fee) will cover the cost of the T-shirts, and the rest will go to the Just Run organization," said Anne Houk, senior in communication, former Miss Auburn and the first-year director of the event.A total of 108 runners signed up to compete in the event.Dave Matthew, senior in finance, finished the race in first place with a time of 22:50.Matthew said he has done approximately 10 5K races before."I used to be on the triathlon team," Matthew said.

Audiology Hosts A-Day Auction

By Laura Maxwell / ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | April 22

As many may have heard, members of the Student Academy of Audiology had a silent auction Saturday to raise money for their organization and outreach program.The auction was purposefully held on A-Day because many people would be in town."We've tried a lot of different types of fundraisers before," said Laura Bradley, fundraiser chair of SAA and doctoral student in audiology.Bradley said she came up with the idea for the auction because her sister's ballet group had used it as a fundraiser, and it was a play on the word "silent."Almost $6,000 of merchandise was donated.SAA raised $2,214 during the auction.A weeklong vacation at a beach house at St.

Hibbett Sports, Converse Hold Texting Contest

By Patrick Dever / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | April 22

Converse and Hibbett Sports have teamed up to make text messages worth while.The shoe company and sporting goods store are sponsoring the "Sneakers are Money Sweepstakes.""It's a really easy sweepstakes to enter," said Kevin Lynch, integrated publicist for AMP Agency.

Steel Band Makes Cuban M usic with Sticks, Trash Cans

By Maxwell Newfield / ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR | April 22

In Goodwin Music Hall, there are students who receive class credit for banging trash cans with mallets.Those students are the members of professor Doug Rosener's, the director of percussion studies and associate director of bands, steel band class.Rosener said a steel instrument is basically exactly what the name indicates."(A steel instrument is) a 55 gallon drum that has been shaped into an instrument," Rosener said.

Student Employees Honored

By David Norwood / ASSISTNAT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR | April 20

Members of the Auburn community celebrated the 2010 Student Employee of the Year Awards Thursday afternoon, part of National Student Employment Week. The annual awards program was sponsored by Career Development Services and held at the Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

Hart Brings Jokes, Family Stories to Auburn

By Maxwell Newfield / ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR | April 16

Actor and comedian Kevin Hart stepped up to the stage to deliver one hour of stand-up comedy for Auburn students Wednesday night.The 30-year-old comedian burst into the national spotlight in the early 2000s with his roles in Scary Movie 3 (2003) and Soul Plane (2004).Despite his recent success in film, Hart said his first love was stand-up comedy.

Local Filmmaker Premiers 'Chernobyl' Film

By Jennifer Beckett / WRITER | April 16

The small bell hanging from the dark blue door if the Gnu's Room jingled quietly as friends, students, parents and other Auburn residents gathered Friday night to watch local filmmaker Alessio Summerfield's short film "Chernobyl."

Squirt Gun Shenanigans

By Maxwell Newfield / ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR | April 15

More than 100 Auburn students have spent the last two weeks systematically hunting and shooting friends and classmates.Fortunately for the Auburn Police Department, the weapons of choice were squirt guns and a part of Campus Ministry Shenanigans, hosted by Reform University Fellowship."It's a game we play once a year," said Scott Morrison, junior in biomedical sciences and one of the organizers of Campus Ministry Shenanigans. "It's pretty much like Assassins, but I don't think we're allowed to call it that."

JS Film Festival

By Laura Maxwell / ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | April 15

The Jay Sanders Film Festival will be taking place this evening at 7 p.m. at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center."The Jay Sanders Film Festival is a festival that brings together student films from across the country to compete in the Movie Gallery Student Film Competition," said Deron Overpeck, assistant professor of radio, television and film.There are categories for both high school and college students.

SGA Senate Meeting

By Laura Maxwell / ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | April 15

Perspectives on the Plains will be bringing Mayor Rudy Giuliani to speak at the coliseum May 3. The event will begin at 7 p.m.

IFC Helps Protect Auburn's Hearts

By Maxwell Newfield / ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR | April 15

Members of Auburn's Interfraternity Council shocked the Auburn Police Department when they presented the department with eight emergency defibrillators, April 7."Until now, no police cars were equipped with AEDs," said Tyler Sample, senior in building science and president of IFC.

Omega Tau Sigma Revives Dogpatch

By Maxwell Newfield / ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR | April 15

Dogpatch may be the only animal-related event the students and alumni of the veterinary school are not entirely educated about."That's just the name we started with," said Sharon Bailey, the Zeta Club manager for Omega Tau Sigma.

Auburn Returns To Launchpad Finals

By Ben Bartley / COPY EDITOR | April 15

Tomorrow, a team of Auburn students will join eight other teams from colleges around Alabama in Huntsville to participate in a competition awarding innovative business plans.The Alabama Launchpad Governor's Business Plan Competition will award $175,000 to the top three teams, $100,000 of which will go to the winning team."(The competition) helps to stimulate new business development and job creation and helps to get our technologies that are developing out of the University and in the private sector up and running," said John Weete, assistant vice president for technology transfer.Auburn's teams, including this year's team, Construction Solutions, have made the finals all four years of the competition's history.Steve Williams, professor in building science, said Construction Solutions is an entrepreneur in conjunction with Auburn University and has proposed a business which will take ideas generated by students, make the product and sell it."(Construction Solutions) submitted to (the competition) and focused on our efforts to create a business plan and to also win and get some seed money and the momentum to form a company to bring some of these products to market," said Brian Wright, associate director for commercialization in the office of technology transfer.The annual Auburn team is organized around an interdisciplinary class started in fall 2006.Wright said the basic plan is to use the class as an R&D engine to create new products to keep Construction Solutions maintained."(The class) is a collaboration between building science students and industrial design students," said Williams, one of the founders of the class.

Search For College of Business Dean Officially Over

By Alison McFerrin / WRITER | April 15

Bill Hardgrave has been named the new dean of the Auburn University College of Business.Hardgrave, who has a doctorate in philosophy, comes to Auburn from the University of Arkansas, where he has been working with the Sam W.

Gamers Find Their Paradise At TigerLAN

By Eric Austin / WRITER | April 15

Scores of gamers huddle around screens trading tips and subtle trash talk. The intense stares on faces is the common theme of the room.

Writing Center To Benefit Undergraduates

By Jillian Clair / STAFF REPORTER | April 15

In the fall, the new writing center in Auburn's library will be open to all undergraduate students who need help with writing in any course offered at Auburn."The goal is eventually to be anybody in the whole Auburn community--staff, faculty, graduate students--but we're going to start in the fall with just undergraduates," said Margaret Marshall, director of the University Writing Program.Marshall said many other universities offer this service to their students."Universities around the country work this way, so this is not creating something all that new; it's just implementing something that hasn't been done here," Marshall said.

Earthfest Encourages Recycling

By Drew Thompson / WRITER | April 15

The times of Woodstock may have come and gone, but that will not stop college-aged individuals from sitting in a field all day and listening to music.Auburn's Environmental Awareness Organization hosted Earthfest Saturday at the Donald E.