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“Cabaret” is set in 1931 in Berlin, just as the Nazi Party is rising to power. In order to escape the turmoil of the outside world, patrons and performers seek haven in the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy hangout run by the Master of Ceremonies.

Rachel Pair, a sophomore in musical theater, is excited for audiences to see the show.

“This is something the department has wanted to do for several years now so it’s very exciting to be a part of it,” said Pair.

Pair, no stranger to the Auburn stage, has previously appeared in “Light in the Piazza” and “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”

“In ‘Cabaret’, I play Fräulein Kost, who I would consider the villain of the show. She lets a few secrets slip that ends up being the demise of several characters,” said Pair.

In order to be ready for a February opening, auditions were held in November. Director Chase Bringardner had to fill seven principle roles, plus Kit Kat girls and boys and an energetic ensemble.

“The audition process was very intense. This is a heavy dance show so we had a lot of dancers come out to audition,” said Pair.

With opening night a little less than a month away, Pair said the cast is already working on complete run-throughs without their scripts. This comes as no surprise since the cast has rehearsals every night and Sunday afternoons.

In order to get people to connect with their roles, Dr.Bringardner made the cast develop background stories for their characters to help them better understand the parts they would be playing.

“When I developed Fräulein Kost’s background, it made me feel bad for her. Even though she is the villain she really has a sad story to tell,” said Pair.

The show is set in two locations, the Kit Kat Klub and Fräulein Schneider’s boarding house. Audiences may be surprised by the pace of the show and should expect to be on the edge of their seats by the end of the first act.

“The song ‘Tomorrow Belongs To Me’ at the end of Act 1 is a turning point with several characters in the show,” said Pair. “The second act is only about 25 minutes long, so everything starts spiraling down after that.”

Audiences should not expect a happy musical the whole time, because this show is different from many of the play Auburn has done in the past.

“There is excitement and romance, but there is also tragedy that matches the time period the show is set," said Pair.

Cabaret runs Feb. 23-25 & Feb. 28-March 3 at 7:30 p.m. and
Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m. at the AU Theatre. For ticket information visit http://www.cla.auburn.edu/theatre/.

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art hosted Saturday art club this past Saturday as part of their promises of freedom exhibit. Children ages K-12 toured the museum’s gallery and then made their own clay sculptures.



Andrew Henley, education curator for the museum, said the Saturday art club program has been going on since he began working at the museum in 2007.



“Today we looked at promises of freedom, which is our exhibition that is open right now,” Henley said. “Then we had the kids think about what freedom means and what sort of symbols they would use to express freedom.”



Henley said having the children view the museum’s artwork gives them an educational experience they may not get otherwise in the classroom.



“We try to bring in interesting things, artworks and ideas that engage the children and encourage dialogue,” Henley said. “After viewing what artworks are on display, we usually bring them in to the main gallery where they can do a hands-on project that relates t o the exhibit.”



The program began as an initiative to bring an educational resource to the community, Henley said. The club meets every few weeks during the school year and more during the summer months.



“I hope to expand the program not only with the content, but with the number of visitors,” Henley said.



In past sessions, children have worked with jewelry making, glass, sculpture and computer casting.

“Part of the mission of the museum is to foster the transformative experience of art,” Henley said. “There’s a big push for us to have community outreach and I’m passionate about the idea that kids need this.”



One of the most rewarding aspects of the program, Henley said, is seeing children return each Saturday and apply what they’ve learned.



“When I first came here, there were a couple of days where we would only have one or two students,” Henley said. “But now, seeing the program change and grow and seeing students come back with more knowledge and understanding, it’s really a wonderful thing.”



The next Saturday art club will meet Feb. 4 at 10 am. Children will look at floral prints of John James Audubon and then make some flowers of our own. For more information about the program, call (334) 844-3486.

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This year’s theme, “Pretty and Pink,” will include endless amounts of pink. Dana Stewart, Special Programs Coordinator for the City of Auburn says there will be flowers, heart-shaped balloons, a fountain of cakes by GiGi’s Cupcakes and pink decorations everywhere.

Something new to look forward to is an appearance from the new Chick-fil-A baby cow dressed in pink for the Date Night.

Other features to expect include a dance contest, an electric slide dance by the dads and goodie bags to take home.

Brock Parker, Multimedia Specialist for the Office of Communications and Marketing at Auburn University is attending this year’s event for the third time with his daughter Alyssa.

“Alyssa is a bright energetic girl who loves Disney Princesses, the Fresh Beat Band and dressing up. She’s definitely a frilly girl, but she’s a daddy’s girl,” Parker said.

“I like doing it because I get to be with my daddy,” said 6-year-old Alyssa Parker.

She explained that all of her best friends go, too.

Parker looks forward to every part of the night. “The dinner, the professional photos and the dancing, it’s a night where I don’t have to worry about work or any other problems," he said. "I can just be with my daughter, and that’s worth everything to me.”

This year more than 1,200 tickets have been sold. The event used to only be one night, but over the years they have expanded it to three nights because of the huge turnout and demand for tickets.

For first time attendees, “Expect a large crowd, but expect a lot of fun. Expect to dress up, too. So many girls wear pretty evening gowns or nice dresses, and most of the dads wear suits,” said Parker.

Everyone has their favorite part whether it’s the dance contest, getting dressed up or even watching the girls enjoy themselves.

“One of my all time favorite nights at the event was last year when a little girl whose father was in Iraq. She came with her uncle, but she had a cut out of her dad that she danced with the whole night and it was adorable,” said Stewart.

The night is sure to be full of music, memories and fun. As Parker says, “It’s definitely a night on the town.”

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They flew more than 15,000 sorties, completing over 1,500 missions during the war. They never lost an escorted bomber to enemy fighters. No other escort unit could claim such a record.

Though these were amazing pilots, credit should also be given to their flight instructors. During a racially divided time, Joseph Wren Allen took on the responsibility of being the first flight instructor for the Tuskegee Airmen.

Vintage photo of the Tuskegee Airmen. c. 1940 Source: Tuskegee Airmen

On Nov. 18, 1939, “The Pittsburgh Courier” wrote an article about Allen and the impact he was making.

“One of the finest gestures of inter-racial cooperation, the officials of the Alabama metropolis agreed to allow the Tuskegee students to use their port for flight training and instruction.

Commercial pilot Joseph Allen willingly offered his services as an instructor in flying.”

Allen’s daughter Judy Chase is an Auburn local who sings her father’s praises and is proud to tell his story.

“It was back in 1939, and at that time they did not have any airports in Tuskegee, but they had a municipal airport in Montgomery.

My father was the only flight instructor in the central Alabama area. He also owned and operated Alabama Air Service so President Patterson of Tuskegee University contacted him and asked if he would be willing to train the Tuskegee Airmen,” said Chase.

“He graciously said he would, and the young men began coming to him for their flight training. The men would take their classes at Tuskegee in the morning and then they would drive an hour to Montgomery in the afternoon to get their flight lesson,” said Chase.

“My father started with 20 men from Tuskegee. After he trained these airmen, he would let them become the leaders because of how well they did. They began to train the other pilots, and the Tuskegee Airmen’s numbers grew to the 1000s.

Flight instructors do not always receive credit, but I am very proud of my daddy for training the Tuskegee Airmen because during 1939 that was a very brave and courageous thing for him to do,” said Chase.

In Robert Jakeman’s “Undivided Sky” Allen says, “But the basic thing that I did, if I did anything up there, was to be sure they got a good start and then they could go from there. I did the best that I could, and I hope I did a good job.”

According to the “Red Tails” website, when the war ended, the Tuskegee Airmen returned home with 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, Legions of Merit and the Red Star of Yugoslavia. It is safe to assume the modest flight instructor succeeded in giving these men a good start.

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The Educational Achievement Gap Awareness Panel hopes to bring this problem to light and make students realize what a pressing issue it is, not only across America, but also in this community. The event takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center Auditorium. Panel members include: Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice; Dr. Cynthia Reed, professor and director of the Truman Pierce Institute; Dr. Marilyn Strutchens from the Department of Curriculum; Lauren Hayes, Teaching Advocacy Director at Tennessee Charter Schools; and Alisha Walker, Teach for America core member.

“The panel hopes to expose Auburn students to the extreme gap in educational opportunities and show the need for reform,” senior elementary education major Emily Crane said. Crane has observed several schools as an education major and knows firsthand the effect the education achievement gap has on students.

“It breaks my heart to know that some students fail because they were never truly given the same opportunities as their counterparts living a few miles away,” she said. “I believe all children deserve equal opportunities for an excellent education.”

Education majors and others who work directly in local schools see the result of the education achievement gap every day, but most people are not exposed to it and are unaware of how it could affect them one day as well. Every person has either been in the school system at one time, will raise kids that will go through the system, or has come to contact with those who are part of the system. “No one can avoid the effects of public education,” Crane said.

Senior early childhood education major Natalie Brock believes if people are informed of the achievement gap, there’s a chance that something could be done to combat it.

The panel’s goal is to do just that.

The Student Government Association has partnered with the Division of Student Affairs and the College of Education to host the panel discussion to increase knowledge of the gap so something may be done to keep any more students from being negatively affected.

Auburn alums Lauren Hayes and Alisha Walker possess personal experience in school systems suffering the effects of the educational achievement gap and can relate to current Auburn students in a unique way. The distinguished politicians on the panel offer a wealth of knowledge of the school systems, down to the root of the problems it faces. “I look forward to the diverse panel that comprises recent Auburn graduates involved in educational reform up to well-known politicians of our area,” Crane said.

All students, faculty, staff and community leaders are invited to attend the panel discussion and reception following. A large turnout to this event could lead to a major change in the local school systems, and in time could lead to a change across the country.

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Sound risky? Yes, except for one major factor: the dress will be custom-made by Sieu Tang Wood. And that, folks, is the game changer.

Wood, 69, is reaching celebrity status not far behind her client list. She has designed clothing for the former Alabama First Lady Patsy Riley, a lieutenant governor and a former Miss America.

To further her popularity, she was named the featured speaker at the Women’s Philanthropy Board 2012 Winter Workshop held Jan. 31at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

“I feel honored and very humbled that I can be a part of the Auburn program,” Wood said. “I’m happy to help, but I have a responsibility. This dress will be a representation of Auburn, so I’ve got to do it right.”

Three designs have been created by Auburn students in the College of Human Sciences, and one will be chosen by voters. Wood’s position will be to oversee fabric choices, dress structure and to hand-make the dress.

“I feel like the wedding dress has to match the personality of the girl. Different personalities require different types of dresses,” Wood explained. “When clothes fit the right person, that makes [a dress] beautiful.”

Her talent expands from not only being a gifted designer, but also a successful business woman as she has expanded her company, Tang Alterations, to six locations throughout the Southeast. Both of these accomplishments, along with a powerful testimony, contribute to her rising demand in Auburn.

After leaving Vietnam, her country of birth, Wood, then 30, found herself in a new country, speaking a new language and starting a new company. But this single parent of three with little money had a determination for success that outweighed her obstacles.

Now looking back on 39 years of hard work Wood says, “I feel that my dream has come true. My family and I have come to this country, we all became citizens and we’ve been able to make a good living. Now it’s my job to help someone else’s dream come true.”

And so her passion has become charity work, a path motivated by the passing of her son to lung cancer. Meals on Wheels, the American Cancer Society and Kid One Transport are organizations she has been involved in.

“When you do charity work you can’t wait. You can’t say, ‘I’ll do it later,’ because we don’t know how long we are going to live,” Wood said. “We learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow.”

And she continues to make an impact with everyone she comes in contact with. For client John Toney who recently faced unemployment, she told him, “If nobody hires you, then hire yourself.” Her words led to the startup of his business.

“She has a wonderful story, and she continues to be an inspiration to me,” Toney said.

Wood is no stranger to the Loveliest Village. Her husband of 21 years, Bill Wood, daughter and stepson all graduated from Auburn University or its affiliate.

“We are the War Eagle family,” Wood said. “Anything Auburn does, if I can be a part of that, I feel honored. I should be retiring, but it looks like I’m just starting.”

One thing is certain: Katie Oliver can rest easy in good hands.

“I’ve always loved to cook and make things,” said Harris. “I consider myself a pretty creative person and baking is just an extension of that.”

Housed in Opelika, customers can enjoy the simple pleasure of a budget-friendly miniature cupcake to placing a cake order for a wedding, birthday or shower event.

“It’s hard to go into Venable’s and not want to try everything that she has in the window,” said student Erika Bruno.

The fresh smell of baked cookies and the quaint setup of a home kitchen greets its’ customers at the door where the variety of Venable’s sweets are created.

“Customers can expect to come in and find a variety of cupcakes,” said Harris. “I try to do something different every week, but still keep some of the classics that people really enjoy and also like to experiment with new flavors.”

Along with bakery items in the store, Venable’s can customize customer’s baking needs to match themes for special events and holidays.

“I am hosting an engagement shower for my sister and am looking forward to seeing what Venable’s comes up with,” said future customer Kathryn Bryan.

Venable’s can customize deserts by the design of a napkin, plate or invitation to match the overall theme of the event.

“Most often we do birthday parties,” said Harris. “It can be something simple or elaborate and we also do a lot of wedding cakes, baby showers, petifores and sugar cookies that can match your theme.”

With Valentines Day approaching, Venable’s will create a desert menu featuring Valentine’s Day themed deserts.

“We are going to have some beautiful chocolate-covered strawberries and cakes enough for two people in red velvet and chocolate flavors,” said Harris. “We will also have cupcakes that are Valentine’s themed and cookies to be Valentine’s Day themed as well.”

A new addition to Harris’ baking creativity features cookies that a customer can create a message for their special someone using stamped letters.

Venable’s is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“I hope that we can cement ourselves in the community and be that go to bakery for everyone and all their desert needs,” said Harris.

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Because of the significant amount of student deaths within recent years, the SGA decided to sponsor the memorial to give students a place to gather together to mourn the loss of their peers.

Chris Osterlund, executive vice president of the SGA, said that the idea developed over a series of events, but one event in particular opened his eyes to the importance of a memorial.

While Osterlund was in Nicaragua during spring break, fellow student Mary Beth Goodner passed away. Many of Osterlund’s friends on the trip were close with Goodner, and they grieved the loss together.

“The fellowship that blossomed following the news of Mary Beth’s death was incredible,” said Osterlund. “I’m certain that those friends of mine would have found the loss more difficult had they not had the ability to gather as a body.”

Osterlund began gathering research to support the need for the structure. He also contacted Auburn’s psychology department for further case studies, which led him to the realization that no death should be held in a higher regard to another.

To create the memorial, the SGA is seeking the help of industrial and graphic design students to produce a collaborative design. A group of landscape architecture students will also work on the project and serve as a consultant to the design students.

The students will create a design to meet the needs of their client, a team of students appointed by the SGA. The students’ published work will then be used as a means of generating external funding from private donors.

“The current status of the project is very much in its initial stages,” said Vanessa Tarpos, vice president of the SGA.

Recently, the SGA student senate passed a resolution in support of the project, as well as an approved $3,000 of student funding to pay for its initial building materials. Osterlund estimated the total expense of the project to be around $800,000.

“There are many more stages underway to get this project started, including more funding that is not to come from student fees,” said Tarpos.

The location of the memorial is yet to be determined. However, the SGA is hopeful that it will be located in Ross Square.

Osterlund claims that the project will be more than a structure or a garden memorial. Rather, the SGA is looking to create a large environment by using the entire square.

Though the idea of a memorial has previously been introduced twice before in different fashions, neither project was finished with its intended purpose. Osterlund hopes the student memorial will be completed by the spring of 2013.

“It surprises me that a memorial doesn’t already exist,” said Emily Roberson, the SGA senate’s director of final lecture. “We are constantly being referred to as the Auburn family, and it’s important to have a place on campus where we can go to grieve as a family.”

Brittany Rose, a waitress at Halftime, explains that Halftime started doing trivia about a month after they opened. They noticed a lack of out-of-the-box trivia in Auburn and wanted to fill the void. So they came up with the idea to host regular trivia at 7:30 p.m. and adult trivia at 9:30 p.m. every Thursday. 

Sarah usually attends with her roommates, sorority sisters and friends. She says that the regular trivia is fun because it tests her knowledge on all topics.  She went on to elaborate that the adult trivia at 9:30 p.m. is just as fun, if not more, because the questions are so crazy and it’s fun to come up with an answer as a team. 

Sarah says that what she enjoys about trivia, in addition to the company of her friends, is that they can all eat dinner together and grab a beer. By Thursday night she says there’s no better way to end the week than with 100 ounces of beer and her best friends. 

Brittany loves trivia nights as well. 
“There are so many eccentric people that come out for it! The first half of trivia is so much fun just to test my own general knowledge, but dirty trivia is really the highlight of my week. I love how the crowd is so reactive once they've had a few beers,” says Brittany. 

Sarah’s group of friends have made Thursday night trivia part of their routine, and she says they will be there this week too.  So if you haven’t thought of anything to do, and it’s a Thursday night head on over to Halftime and test your trivia skills.

The Miss Auburn University Cookbook includes around 200 recipes submitted by students from Auburn University. The cookbook contains recipes ranging from steak entrees to French doughnuts. This cookbook is a great source of recipes for college students because it contains simple and quick recipes for beginners and more difficult recipes for those students who want to try a challenge.

The East Alabama Food Bank is a distribution center that gathers together donated foods and makes that available to local churches and non-profit organizations that have some kind of outreach to the community and the needy.

“Food banking is really an odd thing,” said Henk. “It’s somewhat unpredictable, and you never know exactly what it is you will always be doing. But there is always more work than we can manage without volunteers, so they really do provide tremendous support.”

Through endeavors like Williams’ cookbook, our community can make an impact on the local needs of families and citizens. Volunteering and donating are so important to making a difference for ending domestic hunger in our society.

“None of us can really eradicate hunger by ourselves,” said Henk, “but when we work together and collaborate it really is amazing what can be done.”

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Summerfield is not shy about his views on SOPA and PIPA. The Auburn University junior majoring in radio, television and film is an independent film director, videographer for the College of Liberal Arts, president of the Auburn University New Media Club and an outgoing activist against SOPA and PIPA.

“I first heard about SOPA and PIPA last fall through entertainment blogs, gaming websites and independent film websites,” said Summerfield. “SOPA is the House of Representatives version and PIPA the Senate version. The consensus is the two working together would take away liberties American’s have on the Internet.”

The vague wording of SOPA and PIPA causes the majority of the backlash, according to Summerfield. Although he believes that piracy is an issue, SOPA and PIPA do not properly handle anti-piracy while still protecting Internet freedom. Summerfield said that a major corporation could take down any Facebook post, Tweet, video, blog or website without due process if the corporation merely believes the content infringes on its copyright.

Not only did Summerfield participate in the Jan. 18 boycott of the Internet, he blacked out his personal website, www.acsummerfield.com, and the Auburn University New Media Club website. He also changed his Facebook profile pictures to a stop SOPA link.

“I did this not only to see for myself what a day without the Internet could be like, but also to show support by removing my professional Internet presence,” Summerfield said.

Summerfield is most worried about the two acts snowballing into more Internet censorship and ultimately the US Internet would resemble China’s vast restrictions, rather than a freedom of information.

Although Summerfield and other independent filmmakers, journalists and bloggers are exceptionally concerned about SOPA and PIPA, every person’s liberties can be affected by the act.

“The Internet is an amazing resource because unlike CNN, FOX or syndicated radio news, you can get hundreds of different perspectives all at once when it comes to news, products, personal opinions and basically everything,” said Summerfield. “People like me and other students self-teach themselves through Google and eHow. You can learn everything from how to play the guitar, write a paper or even cook dinner. I think it is extremely important that the Internet remain a free state that people can discuss what they want.”

The blackouts were successful. More than 18 million complaints were reported to politicians. For now, the acts are on hiatus.

“PIPA got slammed down completely and SOPA is being rewritten,” said Summerfield. He hopes college-aged citizens continue to realize the importance of remaining educated and contacting politicians.

“Too often I hear people say, ‘What can one person do?’” said Summerfield. “If everyone said that, obviously nothing. But if everyone does something, we can have 18 million people contact their senators and have their voice be heard like we did on Jan. 18.”

For now, the Internet is still free. The Jan. 18 blackout proves the United States is still a democracy and its citizen’s voices can still be heard. For now, Summerfield and all Internet users can freely Google and blog, Tweet and Facebook. For now these freedoms remain, but Summerfield is prepared to fight again if his liberties are in jeopardy.

Many clubs and organizations do not know what to do when it comes to promoting events, membership and fundraising.

For this reason alone, Auburn University’s Public Relations Student Society of America and the student’s of Public Relations Council of Alabama will be hosting PR for Dummies.

PR for Dummies will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Anyone can sign up.  The cost is $10 and lunch is included. The event will be in Tichenor Hall on Auburn University’s campus. Registration will start at the beginning of February.

This event is for everyone.  It will be three full hours of fun workshops and hands-on experience with PR. Clubs and organizations can send one or two members to gain knowledge on how to recruit members, support fundraising and publicize events.

“PR for Dummies is to help organizations and clubs to know what to do when it comes to PR,” said Stephanie Kearns, Event Coordinator for PR for Dummies.

Workshops from multiple fields of the PR world will be offered.  Attendees will go to four workshops including social media, fundraising, media relations and event planning.

“It’s pretty much everything PR does all mixed into one day,” said Kearns.

In the social media workshop, attendees will learn how to use social media to promote their club or organization online. They will learn about RSS feeds, the pros and cons of social media use and how to get followers. This workshop will also discuss positive and negative aspects of social media.

Publicizing a club or organization can be tricky when you don’t know what to do or who to contact. The media relations workshop will teach how to gain contacts and advertise clubs and events. Writing media lists, tip sheets and news releases will be the main focus of this workshop.

Creating a fundraiser is hard to do. Where to start, how to get events approved on Auburn’s campus and developing creative ideas to use in fundraising events will be covered in the fundraising workshop.

Last, but not least is the event planning workshop. This workshop will show attendees how to promote and plan an event, how to generate ideas and show timelines for publicizing and advertising. This workshop will be informative and useful for organizations.

“Any club or organization can benefit from coming to PR for Dummies, because it’s going to give you a really good insight to what the PR world does,” said Kearns.