News

Budget Cuts Will Not Affect Classes at Auburn

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | November 12

An article by the Associated Press claims universities are facing budget reductions that ultimately cause courses to be cut and teachers to be laid off, making it harder for students to graduate.However, University officials assert this is not a problem at Auburn."I would like to give credit to our budgeting office to make sure that we are physically sound," said Mike Reynolds, director of student financial services.

Study Predicts PACT May Run Out in 10 Years

By Adam Smith / STAFF WRITER | November 12

An August 2009 study by the Retirement Systems of Alabama concluded if people with Prepaid Affordable College Tuition accounts were paid full benefits, the funds would be depleted by 2016 if the economy continues as predicted.However, the study said the funds could be depleted as early as 2014.Established in 1990, the PACT program promised benefits to all account holders through 2032.There are currently more than 45,000 account holders, and almost 20,000 are eligible to use the benefits.The most recent actuarial study showed the liabilities for the program are $917 million, and the assets are only $571 million, which leaves a $345 million deficit.Liabilities refer to how much money PACT needs to operate."An actuarial report is a snapshot of a situation where you are measuring assets and liabilities on a given day," said Alabama State Treasurer Kay Ivey.Ivey said on any given day the fund could pay for only 62 percent of students with its current assets."There will never be enough money in this moment to provide for tuition for all of those students without some kind of funding mechanism to pay the tuition over the short time until the corpus of $571 million can grow when the market grows," Ivey said.PACT was pioneered in 1990 by Lt.

REMEMBERING THE BERLIN WALL: Relations Between the U.S., and U.S.S.R., Almost Escalated to a Nuclear Exchange

By Samuel Solomon/ Associate News Editor | November 12

"People don't really understand, but we came within hours, we came within hours of a full nuclear exchange with the Russians," said Paul Harris, who was in the 3rd U.S.

Plainsman Names Jack Smith New General Manager

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | November 12

After three separate searches and a number of applicants, The Auburn Plainsman has a new general manager.Jack Smith started work Monday, Nov.

WWII book author visits Auburn

By Aubrie Davis/ Staff Writer | November 12

Thursday afternoon, Pulitzer Prize nominated author Jack Sacco spoke at the Auburn Public Library. Sacco spoke to promote his book, "Where the Birds Never Sing."Sacco, a native of Birmingham, has traveled around the world to endorse his book. He said he was invited to Vienna to speak in front of the royal family."Where the Birds Never Sing" tells the true story of an American liberator in World War II. The story told through the eyes of his father, Joe Sacco, who spent his time at the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. Sacco served his country and is responsible for the freeing of Holocaust prisoners. Sacco said his friends encouraged him to write the book.

University student struck on Magnolia Avenue

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | November 9

Drunken driving was behind the car accident that sent a University student to Columbus Regional Medical Center Friday night, according to police officials.Shouju Chen, 35, one of the University's visiting exchange scholars, received life-threatening injuries after she was struck by Thomas Latham, a pre-business sophomore.

UPDATE: Woman struck by SUV in front of Arby's

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | November 7

A woman was struck by a green Toyota 4runner with an Alabama license plate in front of Arby's on Magnolia Avenue Friday night.

Auburn Fails in Sex Health, Places 119 out of 141 Schools

By Joey Clark / STAFF WRITER | November 5

Auburn University ranked 119 out of 141 colleges and universities across the nation in Trojan's annual Sexual Health Report Card.

Barbie Receives Ethnic Makeover

By Lindsey Rogers / STAFF WRITER | November 5

Mattel has launched a new black Barbie doll line in an attempt to make the doll's appearance a more realistic representation of a black woman.The "So In Style" dolls were made to celebrate the diversity of black girls and send a positive message, according to a Barbie Media press release.Although the new doll's aesthetics have roused some controversy, there are those who agree the new line is a positive change for the Barbie Industry.The dolls feature fuller lips, a wider nose, more distinctive cheek bones and curlier hair than the previous "Christie" doll."The 'So In Style' line features 'Grace,' 'Kara' and 'Trichelle' dolls," according to the Barbie Media press release.

High Schools to Serve Healthier Food

By Aubrie Davis/ Staff Writer | November 5

The results of a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2002 through 2008 said more schools in the U.S.

Alabama MADD Chapter Gets Help

By Samuel Solomon/ Associate News Editor | November 5

Alabama Mothers Against Drunk Driving received a $27,645 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to aid victims of drunken drivers in Alabama."We're just excited that we have received funding to keep our services at no charge to victims," said Peggy Batey, executive director for Alabama MADD.An estimated 11,773 people died in vehicle crashes involving intoxicated drivers in 2008, according to MADD's Web site.That represents 31.6 percent of all driving-related fatalities over that period."(The grant) is strictly used to provide services at no cost to victims of drunk driving crashes," Batey said.More specifically, the funds will go to services such as payment for parole hearings, access to important resources, travel for MADD representatives and the organizations 24-hour hotline, 1-877-MADD-HELP."Victims of drunken drivers and the families of victims often face a long and hard recovery," Gov.

Christmas Comes Early to Auburn

By Amber McDonnell / STAFF WRITER | November 5

Auburn Arts Association is planning an exhibition called "ArTrees" in December.The exhibition will feature Christmas trees decorated by Auburn residents and artists.The Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center on Drake Avenue is making artificial trees approximately 2-feet tall available for free now to those who want to decorate the trees."We are hoping to make this an annual event that will become one of our more popular shows," said Sara Hand, cultural arts director for the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department.

Violence Against Women Increases on TV

By Adam Smith / STAFF WRITER | November 5

A study by the Parents Television Council found that TV violence against women has increased by 120 percent since 2004, while TV violence in general has only increased 2 percent during the same time period.PTC analysts reviewed hundreds of hours of videotapes, observing trends in prime-time television from February 2004 to May 2009.Most major networks, such as CBS, NBC and Fox, showed dramatic increase in violence against women, 92 percent of which was graphically depicted instead of described or implied.ABC was the only network that did not show a significant increase in violence against women during the last five years.Although most female victims were adults, the depiction of teen girls as victims increased 400 percent on all networks.Melissa Henson, PTC's senior director of programs, said she thinks these findings were unsurprising."We did a study from 1998 to 2006 that showed there had already been a huge jump in violence on TV," Henson said.Henson said she thinks the sudden increase in violence could be the result of a general migration of TV programs away from the traditional 30-minute shows toward longer-lasting, higher-intensity reality shows and dramas.Advances in technology and special effects make it more appealing to implement violence into TV shows, Henson said."They are including more violence because they're able to take advantage of these technologies," Henson said.

SenseCam Records Daily Life

By Michael Hansberry/ Staff Writer | November 5

Those for whom MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr are not sufficient to divulge the minutiae of their lives to the world, there is now the Microsoft SenseCam.A device developed by the Microsoft lab in Cambridge, England, the SenseCam takes pictures documenting one's life throughout the day."You can in fact, recall your whole day," said Gordon Bell, principle researcher for Microsoft.

Auburn Students Consider 'Enjoyable' Classes

By Brian Desarro/ Staff Writer | November 5

For students looking to take a break from sitting through boring class after boring class, Auburn offers several courses that, gasp, may be considered fun.Classes such as vegetable production, bowling and self-defense have become popular electives that students take in order to have variety in their schedule."There's just so many classes that people are required to take that you have to sit through and suck it up," said Katie Britt, senior in history.

Gov. Bob Riley Cracks Down on Pork

By Emily Beckett/ Staff Writer | November 5

The effects of abused state funding hit close to home recently when Auburn University President Jay Gogue received a memorandum from Gov.

Netflix Begins Streaming on PS3

By Emily Beckett/ Staff Writer | November 5

Gamers will never need to leave their dens to go to the mailbox again now that Netflix and PlayStation 3 have partnered to allow Netflix to be streamed to TVs through the gaming system.As long as they are Netflix members, all owners of PlayStation 3 gaming systems will be able to instantly stream movies and TV episodes to their TVs and computers through their PS3s starting in November.Seth Paskert, freshman in computer and electrical engineering, and Trent Carroll, sophomore in aerospace engineering, said they both have friends who have used the new streaming capabilities of the PS3 systems."(My friend) said it worked well," Paskert said.

Local organizations take donations at Ninth Annual Trick-or-Treat Downtown event.

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | November 2

On one of Auburn's spookiest nights, an assortment of ghosts, goblins and princesses lined the streets of downtown Auburn with their moms and dads Thursday, Oct. 29, for the city's Ninth Annual Trick-or-Treat Downtown event.The Trick-or-Treat festivities were available for children ages 12 and younger and included entertainment form Auburn University's steel drum band who also dressed in their ghoulish fare.Parents and trick-or-treaters walked along the shops and restaurants in the downtown area as participating merchants handed out candy from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Syrup Sopping Day and the Lee County Historical Society Fair Stick to Visitors in Loachapoka

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | October 29

The smell of sausage biscuits smothered in sugarcane syrup and sweet and salty kettle corn exploding in a cauldron saturated the air at the Loachapoka Syrup Sopping Day Saturday.Scarlet candied apples contrasted the overcast morning as parents took their turns paying $2 for their youngsters to sit atop a mule as it plodded in a circle to power a sugarcane mill.

SGA Proposes Textbook Checkout

By Jordan Dailey/ Assistant Campus Editor | October 29

Textbooks may soon become more affordable for students.SGA and the Library Student Advisory Council are partnering to establish a textbook checkout program."The plan is to place the books on reserve so students can check a book out for a limited time," said Bonnie MacEwan, dean of Auburn University Libraries.