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The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID Thursday, November 14, 2013 Vol. 120, Issue 25, 30 Pages
INSIDE
INTRIGUE
Collegiate Readership Program turns page
ONLINE
Maddie Yerant INTRIGUE WRITER
Football vs. UGA See ThePlainsman. com for game updates and photos Saturday, Nov. 16
Martial arts on campus Tai Chi classes offer options to suit a variety of students.
Bosnian prisoner to Auburn boutique Owner of U&I speaks about her past and what motivates her
INTRIGUE
The blue, metal bins dotting the area in and around the Student Center aren’t just for decoration. They’re part of the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program, an initiative by the Student Government Association to bring well-known publications such as The New York Times to Auburn students with the swipe of a Tiger Card. According to Rob Garcia, assistant vice president of auxiliary services, the program costs the University approximately $26,000. “That pays for the cost of 155 New York Times and 180 USA Todays five days a week for the entirety of the academic year, the bins that distribute them and the maintenance of the bins,” Garcia
said. Amy Anne Olsen, senior in finance and SGA vice president, said the program gives Auburn students an opportunity to not only be informed about current events, but also to look more attractive while applying for jobs. “I read some statistics about higher-quality publications really setting you apart in the job search process,” Olsen said. “If you read publications like The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times, you’re 40 percent more likely to get a job, which is a pretty impressive statistic in this job market.” Medora Pepper, sophomore in pre-civil engineering and SGA director of auxiliary services initiatives, said she and Olsen worked to
» See READERSHIP, A2
NEWS ON CAMPUS • Overall budget for the program is $26,000 • Boxes are located inside the Student Center ,Tichenor Hall and at the transit hub outside the Student Center • Collegiate Readership Program is in place in more than 400 college campuses in the US • Auburn’s program recently switched from receiving the Birmingham News several days a week to receiving The New York Times every day • According to the Newspaper Association of America, 59 percent of young adults ages 18 - 24 read print or online newspaper content in a typical week, or access content through mobile devices in a typical month
Ben Hohenstatt CAMPUS REPORTER
The results are in, and Aubie is No.1, so far. Jackie Popper, director of Aubie, said after the mascot video portion of the Universal Cheerleading Association’s 2013-2014 College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship, Aubie is leading the competition. “It’s a two-part competition,” Popper said. “Aubie has come in first place in the video portion for four straight years.” Popper said the other half of the competition is a minuteand-a-half skit. “It’s a lot of effort for a very short performance time,” Pop-
The price of performance Gus Malzahn’s salary near bottom of conference while the team is near the top
A12
Swimming with the sea cows The outdoor adventure club takes a dip with manatees in Florida
INDEX A2 A6 A7 A9 A12
Aubie is in position to win his eighth UCA national championship
Top 5 Mascots
of 2University State Wisconsin 4Michigan of of Tennessee 3University Alabama 5 University per said. The Committee of Aubie, led by three directors of Aubie, creates props for game days, plans the skit Aubie performs at nationals and films events which feature an appearance from Aubie. Taylor Akers, director of Aubie, said there is a large time commitment required to achieve consistent success. “As soon as I got the call and became a director the very next day I was out with Aubie and had that camera,” Akers said. Taylor Prouty, director of Aubie, said there can be anywhere between 10-20 events featuring Aubie a week, and
sometimes there can be as many as 25 events. However, Prouty said the fun of being involved with Aubie makes up for the hard work. This is Prouty’s second year as a director, and she said she felt she had no choice but to come back for year two. “Who wouldn’t want to hang out with Aubie all day?” Prouty said. “It’s a true Auburn experience.” Mascots who finish in the top four in the video portion of the event receive a paid invitation to the Jan. 17-19 skit portion in Orlando, Fla.
» See AUBIE, A2
SPORTS
Staff Report
News Opinion Community Sports Intrigue
KATHERINE MCCAHEY
to be an Auburn Tiger
ZACH BLAND
Gus Malzahn’s turnaround of the Auburn football program has come at a bargain price when compared to the salaries of other SEC coaches, according to USA Today’s database of college coaching salaries. Malzahn is scheduled to earn $2.44 million in his first season as Auburn’s head coach, a figure that ranks 11th among SEC head coaches and 32nd nationally. Fellow first year coaches Bret Bielema (Arkansas) and Butch Jones (Tennessee) rank third and fourth nationally, with the two earning $5.16 million and $4.86 million respectively.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban is ranked first nationally in 2013 earnings. The four-time national champion head coach is scheduled to earn $5.54 million this year. The Auburn head coach’s salary ranks only ahead of Hugh Freeze (Ole Miss), Mark Stoops (Kentucky) and James Franklin (Vanderbilt) among SEC coaches. Malzahn’s salar y has steadily increased in recent seasons as the former Springdale High School head coach has risen up the coaching ladder. Malzahn earned $350,000
» See PRICE A2
SEC Ranking
1. Alabama 2. Auburn 3. Missouri 4. South Carolina 5.Texas A&M 6. Georgia 7. Ole Miss 8. LSU 9. Florida 10.Vanderbilt 11. Mississippi 12. Tennessee 13. Kentucky 14. Arkansas
Coaches’ Salaries Alabama, Nick Saban $5,545,852 Arkansas, Bret Bielema $5,158,863 Tennessee, Butch Jones $4,860,000 LSU Les Miles $4,459,363 South Carolina, Steve Spurrier
$3,322,500 Georgia, Mark Richt $3,314,000 Texas A&M, Kevin Sumlin $3,100,300 Missouri, Gary Pinkel $2,800,200 Florida, Will Muschamp $2,734,500 Mississippi State, Dan Mullen
$2,700,000 Auburn, Gus Malzahn $2,440,000 Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze $2,005,500 Kentucky, Mark Stoops $2,001,250 Vanderbilt, James Franklin $1,842,771