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The State Press

Coat Campaign Lends Helping Hand to Needy

With weather reaching cooler temperatures, coats are a must for everyone, even in south Alabama.This season, Auburn University Medical Clinic and East Alabama Medical Center have begun the first "One Coat Campaign" to receive coat and jacket donations for those in need around the Auburn-Opelika community.Since beginning Nov.


The State Press

Shelby, Coliseum Still on Schedule to Open Late 2010

With the semester winding down, construction is moving full speed ahead on the new basketball arena and phase II of the Shelby Center construction.The new arena will have an approximate capacity of 9,600 fans and will include more than 29,000 square feet of space with features including a two-court practice facility, coaches offices, the Auburn University Athletic Ticket Office, an AU Team Store and two food courts."Some of the new features the project will have are a dedicated weight room, separate men's and women's training rooms, 12 tailgate suites, the relocated new and interactive Lovelace Hall of Honor, on-site food prep facility and meeting/conference space for after hours functions," said Brain Hale, project manager for Robins & Morton and construction manager for the project.The Lovelace Hall of Honor will open up with the arena and will be a showplace highlighting the history, accomplishments and current happenings in all the Auburn sports programs.Randy Byars, project coordinator for the Auburn Arena and director of Athletic Facilities, said the project is contracted to be completed in July 2010.He said they are currently ahead of schedule and the arena is approximately 82 percent complete.The seating configuration will offer better sight lines for fans and move them closer to the court, Byars said.The furthest seat will be 43 feet in elevation from courtside compared to 60 feet away at Beard-Eaves."The new arena is radically different from Beard-Eaves," Byars said.


The Auburn Plainsman

Students Find Best Places to Cram

College students can often find themselves asking a multitude of questions each final exam period.Questions such as, "How many energy drinks should I buy?," "Why do I always seem to be scheduled for the last final of the term?" and "Why didn't I go to this class more often?" are always among the most commonly asked questions.The one question every college student must answer is, "Where will I study for this final?"Whether gathered around a table with classmates in the library or locked away in the dark recess of a silent bedroom, (almost) every student must settle in for at least a couple hours at the end of each semester to cram for impending finals.So, The Plainsman decided to do an informal survey of Auburn students and residents to find out where students like to study.The Library.With resources such as individual and group study rooms, study partners and the Internet cafe available, one might think the library would be the best place around town to study.

The Auburn Plainsman

Langdon Hall Gets Renovations

To some students, Langdon Hall's locked doors are a mystery."The auditorium is not currently in use and is not planned for use in the near future," said Jann Swaim, an Auburn Facilities Division administrator.The building's history extends back to the middle of the 19th century.Langdon was built in 1853 and rebuilt in 1883, said Boyd Childress, Ralph Brown Draughon Library's architecture specialist."Charles Langdon was an Alabama politician, mayor of Mobile, state legislator, secretary of state from 1885 to 1889 and an Auburn trustee for many years," Childress said.

The Auburn Plainsman

Discovering Dining around Campus

Sprouting up on campus are new buildings, and in those buildings are a new variety of dining places for students, faculty and visitors to enjoy.When the new Student Center on campus opened in August 2008, students got the opportunity to experience new food on campus.

The Auburn Plainsman

Discover Auburn lecture focuses on evolution

The Discover Auburn series, a yearlong series featuring programs on research, history and other topics of interest, held its last lecture of 2009 Wednesday afternoon, titled "Evolution Proven: The Curious Development of American Anti-Evolution."The talk was given by Charles Israel, chair of Auburn's Department of History, in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Draughon Library.A special exhibit commemorating the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the first publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species" is in the Special Collections and Archives Department as well.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn Students Compete in Costume Contest During Screening of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.At least that was the case Tuesday night when Harry Potter fans dressed like their favorite characters to attend the screening of the year six film, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince."In this installment, Voldemort has returned in full force while Harry, Ron and Hermione return to new troubles at Hogwarts.Harry begins taking private lessons from Dumbledore, while Ron dabbles in a new relationship creating a rift with Hermione.Harry becomes suspicious of his school rival, Draco Malfoy, who Harry believes is up to something with the help of Snape."I have been a fan since the beginning of the novel and film series," said Mitchell Kilpatrick, sophomore in social science secondary education and costume constest winner.

The Auburn Plainsman

Four Auburn Grads Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Four Auburn graduates who went on to be movers and shakers will find recognition from the Auburn Alumni Association as its Lifetime Achievement Award is distributed next March.The 2010 recipients will be Robert Kenneth Johns '57, Smith Lanier '49, Gerald Smith '61 and Kathryn Thorton '74."Numerous individuals are nominated each year who have had significant careers and made outstanding contributions over their life times," said Debbie Shaw, vice president for alumni affairs and executive director of the Auburn Alumni Association.

The Auburn Plainsman

Past Aubies Reflect on Time as Mascot

Aubie stands as one of the official symbols for Auburn University to many Auburn students and fans alike.Julian Holmes created the prototype decades ago, yet the same costume is still worn today.Every five years there is a "Friends of Aubie" reunion at the University and all the alumni come together to celebrate.Debbie Shaw, vice president of alumni affairs, hosts what she calls a geographic reunion in Atlanta during the Auburn-Georgia game, because she said so many past "Friends of Aubie" live in the area.Shaw said the geographic reunion is their chance to go to them, instead of having them come back to Auburn."It has been extremely important to me that we stay connected with these folks," Shaw said, who served as adviser to Aubie for 20 years before handing the position over to Mike Reynolds four years ago.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn Students Build Their Own Degrees

For those who can't find a major that suits them, they can now make their own.One of Auburn's newest academic programs allows for students to build their own degree, creating a personalized discipline that meets their individual interests.The Interdisciplinary University Studies program is currently in its first year at Auburn under the direction of Patricia Duffy, professor in agricultural economics, and Doyle Bickers, the registrar-continuing.

The Auburn Plainsman

Voices Against Hunger

As the weekend concluded, Auburn University's Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs ended Sunday night promoting hunger awareness with the Voices Against Hunger Gospel Fest Fundraiser.The purpose of the fundraiser was to unite communities across Alabama in a spirit of giving as part of a local food drive to replenish food pantries in Lee and Macon counties.The fundraiser was from 5 p.m.

The Auburn Plainsman

Architecture, Design Holds Open House

The College of Architecture, Design and Construction laid a foundation for prospective students to use in building their futures during the second annual college-wide graduate recruiting open house in Dudley Hall, Gorrie Center and Wallace Center, Friday.CADC featured master's programs in landscape architecture, community planning, building construction and industrial design, as well as two new programs, design-build and real estate development."We are excited to have the support of the dean's office to host such an open house," said Joyce Griffin, director of student services for the CADC.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn Media Digital Resource Lab Goes Modern

The Media Digital Resource Lab, or MDRL as students and faculty know it, is the one-stop shop for class projects, especially digital needs, such as editing video and making posters.Students can either use the Mac computers or PCs, which features the entire Adobe Creative Suite, high-end video editing such as Final Cut and the iLife series.There are also two large-format printers that print 36-inch-wide rolls.Students can use the MDRL's resources as long as it's for class."Society as a whole is moving toward a digital world," said Gary Hawkins, information technology specialist, who has worked in the MDRL for the past five years.

The Auburn Plainsman

Beat Bama Food Drive Finishes 15th Program

The Iron Bowl is viewed by many as the biggest rivalry between Auburn and Alabama.But in the weeks preceding the yearly football match-up, another competition is going on.The Beat Bama Food Drive is in its 15th year as an annual installment with both universities."The drive supports the East Alabama Food Bank," said Jahnna Hall, SGA chief of staff.In the past 15 years of the competition, more than 1.5 million pounds of food for people across the state have been gathered, according to the Beat Bama Food Drive Web site."The purpose of the Beat Bama Food Drive is to reach out to the Auburn community and surrounding areas by providing them with nonperishable food items that will help them through the holiday season," said Millie Harrison, assistant director of the food drive.In last year's competition, Auburn lost to Alabama by 58,716 pounds of food."The food drive's goal this year was 250,000 pounds," Harrison said.But, as of Monday night, Auburn's collection bins weren't overflowing with donations."Currently, we have an estimated 44,000 pounds of food, which is way below our goal," Hall said.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn Mariners Hear From General

Retired Gen. Carl Mundy, the 30th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, addressed students and faculty at the Lowder Business building last Thursday.Mundy spoke about the nation's armed forces and national security.The event was hosted by the Auburn University Mariners.The Mariners is a campus organization thats mission is to aid in the advancement of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and support the purposes, traditions and concepts of the U.S.

The Auburn Plainsman

Auburn alum speaks on campus

"Where will you be in 2069 - 60 years from now?"That was the question moderator Mark Wilson, assistant director for the Center of Art and Humanities, asked a room full of Auburn students who had gathered to hear Daniel J. Meador speak Tuesday in the Student Center.In 1949, Meador, a native of Greenville, graduated from Auburn with a B.S. degree in pre-law.Sixty years later, the distinguished alum was back on campus to discuss his life and many accomplishments since graduating from the University.

The Auburn Plainsman

Students showcase talent at open mic night

Students displayed their vocal and instrumental talents as they performed at UPC's second Open Mic night of the semester.The event was held in the Student Center November 9 at 7 p.m., with the sound system and speakers setup along with about 40 people in attendance."I was kind of nervous because I'm not used to singing in front of this kind of crowd," said Sierra Hicks, freshman in sociology, who sung "Save Room" by John Legend. "But my friends were there to support me, and I really like John Legend."