Opinion

Student Safety During the Holiday Season

Student Safety During the Holiday Season

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, “the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday periods are among the busiest long-distance travel periods of the year.” Just within the week of Thanksgiving, “the number of long-distance trips increases by 54 percent and by 23 percent between Christmas and the New Year.” Auburn University at Montgomery wants to ensure students are safe over the upcoming holiday breaks whether they are on campus or traveling during that time. Tips provided by both the AUM Student Affairs office and the Personal Safety page on the AUM website are condensed…
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History Experienced Through Film: “A Taxi Driver”

History Experienced Through Film: “A Taxi Driver”

There has long been a debate as to whether history can or should be taught through film because of conflicts with historical accuracy and truthfulness. Though it seems that even with such issues, there is always something that a person can learn about history through films. Such films could introduce people to aspects of the past that can be best expressed through a visual medium and it can evoke further inquiry into the subject matter. This is the experience that I had watching a film earlier this fall. Like several other recent South Korean Films, A Taxi Driver, is a…
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A Review of Theatre AUM’s “Woyzeck”

A Review of Theatre AUM’s “Woyzeck”

This production comes from the mind of the director Val Winkelman, professor of theater at AUM. Her style in this production takes a deeply scarred character and adds whimsical illusions that cast a broken, steely light onto the strange scene. Each night’s order was determined by the audience. What should’ve been a chaotic mess of narrative pieces hurled into the audience’s lap instead fell together like sharp-edged puzzle pieces onto a black stage. Each scene presented itself on the edge of Woyzeck’s scattered mind, ready to fall into nothingness if done wrong. Additionally, Woyzeck’s character is juxtaposed between the ridiculously…
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Q&A With an International Graduate Student

Q&A With an International Graduate Student

Pursuing graduate studies is a grueling process on anyone. It is invasive, personal, detailed and demands of the applicant and in-depth introspective consideration of intellectual understandings. Stefanie Soller-Lamm is an international student from Germany who graduated from AUM in December of 2016. She studied psychology and knew that the only thing that could bring her what she wanted, her own counseling practice, was graduate studies. I spoke with her about her experiences as an international student in American university, what was the hardest part, how her expectation and experiences differed, what the grad school process was like, and what advice…
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Riverwalk Stadium to Host “Food Truck Mash-Up”

Riverwalk Stadium to Host “Food Truck Mash-Up”

On Friday, November 24, Riverwalk Stadium in downtown will host the inaugural “Food Truck Mash-up.” Presented by the Montgomery Advertiser and the Montgomery Wind Creek Casino & Hotel, this event will feature over a dozen food trucks with food options including Cajun dishes, barbecue, doughnuts, Italian ice, and more. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, the event will also feature 20-foot inflatable slides, giveaway prizes, music, and hot air balloon rides. The dugouts in the stadiums will be transformed into bars, for an atmosphere that reflects college football culture. People are encouraged to wear team jerseys, and to vote for their…
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Life Told Through Podcasts: Top Five Podcasts to Consider

Life Told Through Podcasts: Top Five Podcasts to Consider

  Podcasts are what I would call the radio of the millennium. The platform is, in many ways, much like public radio. Some are actual public radio shows that are also on the podcast platform. The difference is that, unlike radio, podcasts are far more accessible, since there are so many ways to listen to them. Some of the podcasts that I listen to are often some of the “lesser known” shows to those aren’t familiar with the hosts beforehand. Many of these shows have a similar theme, which in my opinion, is why they are the top podcasts to…
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Get Connected with the AUM Common Reading Program

Get Connected with the AUM Common Reading Program

About five years ago, the AUM Connected: Common Reading Program began at Auburn University at Montgomery. It was initially housed under the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching where the founder of the Warhawk Academic Success Center pushed for the program to implement the common reading program. As of this year, the program is officially under the WASC. Dr. Virginia Lacy, the Director of the WASC, says that the common reading program “exposes students to a book that they might not otherwise read and it gives a common theme or element for everybody to come around.” This semester’s common…
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AUM Actor Spotlight: Olivia Crutchfield

AUM Actor Spotlight: Olivia Crutchfield

Theatre AUM's humble projection onto campus life hides the eclectic and imaginative soul of its participants. To fully immerse oneself into any form of art, takes courage, originality, and talent that only few have. I interviewed communication student and budding actress, Olivia Crutchfield, and asked her what her journey has brought to her and what her art means to her. Crutchfield is originally from Odenville, Alabama where she played soccer and focused on school and classmates. She says she played soccer for 16 years and that her high school did not offer any theatrical channels, so she was unable to pursue…
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Woyzeck: Theatre AUM’s Twist on Tradgegy

Woyzeck: Theatre AUM’s Twist on Tradgegy

I spoke with Kodi Robertson about Theater AUM’s upcoming production of Georg Buchner’s tragic story about the heavy effects of war and military life on a man. This unique rendition comes from the mind of director Val Winkelman, who is also a professor in the communication department. Robertson and I communicated via email where he answered a series of questions regarding the modern take on this story, the director’s vision, and what the audience can expect. As confusing and ambiguous as online communication can be, Robertson seemed eager and enthusiastic in his responses, preluding to a play audiences will marvel…
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Registration Advice from an Upperclassman

Registration Advice from an Upperclassman

Every semester there comes a time for students to register for classes. This week, registration will open on Friday, November 3 for seniors, Monday, November 6 for juniors, and Tuesday, November 7 for sophomores and freshman. Registration occurs online through myAUM in the Webster Registration System. There is a process that every student must undergo to complete registration. For those who are in their first semester here at AUM, this process may be unfamiliar and even daunting. If you haven’t met with your advisor, that is the very first step in the process. Each department will assign you a faculty…
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Survivors, Parents Gather in Vigil for Survivors of Sexual Assault

Survivors, Parents Gather in Vigil for Survivors of Sexual Assault

WASHINGTON—​Over 650 people will gather outside the Department of Education on the evening of Thursday, October 19th, in a vigil for survivors and victims of campus sexual assault. The vigil will honor survivors and victims of sexual violence and rally against the Department of Education’s rollbacks of protections for survivors. Survivors and parents of survivors and victims will tell their stories, followed by a moment of silence for all who lost their lives due to sexual or domestic violence. This powerful event for the movement against sexual assault comes just a few days after more than twelve million people speaking…
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Montgomery Education Foundation to Host “Brain Brawl” in Taylor Center

Montgomery Education Foundation to Host “Brain Brawl” in Taylor Center

Want to test your knowledge? Gather a team of five, and head to the “Brain Brawl”! Photo by MEF. This benefit event for the Montgomery Education Foundation will feature a trivia competition, consisting of three nine-question rounds. Trivia Topics will include arts and culture, sports, math, science, geography and history. The competition is open to all schools, churches, and individuals. The entrance fee to participate is $150. There will be gifts and other prizes presented to the teams who raise the most money, the teams with the most creative names, and to the teams with the best uniforms. The three…
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What’s Happening at the AUM Early Learning Center

What’s Happening at the AUM Early Learning Center

Auburn University at Montgomery has a childcare center for AUM staff and students. The Early Learning center is located behind the Education Building on campus. According to the AUM website, at the Early Learning Center, “we strive to develop self-directed, self-disciplined, self-responsible children who have a passion for life and a concern for others. The AUM Early Learning Center is nationally accredited through the National Association of the Education of Young Children. We strive to maintain a pupil-teacher ratio of 6:1, which affords all children individualized attention. All staff members are highly qualified to care for and provide an exemplary education…
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SPLC on Campus Visits the Montgomery Civil Rights Memorial

SPLC on Campus Visits the Montgomery Civil Rights Memorial

When we think of the civil rights movement, we usually think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. Rarely do we think of the ones who may have been overlooked or died in the process of fighting for basic human rights. The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery is dedicated to telling the stories of the several hundred activists who died fighting for human rights. The center highlights 40 martyrs (including children) who died due to racially-motivated hate crimes in the civil rights movement. I went to the Memorial for the first time with 17…
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A College Memoir: Where Has She Gone?

A College Memoir: Where Has She Gone?

When I started college in 2004, I was 18 years old and ready for the world. I just knew I would graduate in four years and find a good paying job, get married and start a family. Well, it’s 2017, I’m 30 and just now about to graduate. I’m not married and I have a four month old son, Robert, by my boyfriend, Mike, who now has ten kids. The 18 year old Lindsay would’ve told you this situation is one that she would never be in. She was too smart for that. She was too ambitious for that. She…
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A College Memoir: I’m Almost Out

A College Memoir: I’m Almost Out

Five years ago, I embarked on a journey that I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish. The night before I was scheduled to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language, I almost talked myself out of it. I struggled with the idea of committing half a decade to an institution 6,000 miles away from my home in Moldova. But somehow, I found the nerve to go into this unexplored territory. Today, reflecting back on the hundreds of times I have wanted to quit, the dozens of homework assignments that made no sense, the exams that felt…
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Behind the Screen at Alabama News Network

Behind the Screen at Alabama News Network

In April, students in Larry Moore’s Video Production course had the opportunity to take a tour of Alabama News Network with weather reporter Ryan Stinnett as our tour guide. The tour started with Ryan explaining the different channels that the station works for, ABC and CBS, and how the work shifts, which are not your typical first, second and third shift. The second shift starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. One thing that caught my attention was the hair and make-up room. I expected to see a lavish vanity area with multiple high-stool chairs, instead it was…
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O’Reilly Out

O’Reilly Out

Though “The O’Reilly Factor,” lasted for 20 seasons with more than ten years on air, it took but a matter of weeks for an expose’ by The New York Times to be the missile that sunk the number one program in cable news. The Times found that Bill O’Reilly and Fox had paid out a total of $13 million to five women in exchange for them to not seek legal action or speak out about their accusations. Fox is certainly no stranger to losing employees to sexual harassment, just last year Roger Ailes, the founder and former CEO of Fox…
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Exploring Alabama via Atlas Obscura

Exploring Alabama via Atlas Obscura

Most students leaving campus for spring and summer breaks are bound for the bikini-clad, beer-chugging throngs of the Gulf Coast. But I’ve discovered there are far less hot, smelly and overcrowded destinations to visit in our state and in the South. Thanks to the Atlas Obscura—an online, definitive guide to the world’s most curious roadside attractions—I’ve spent many school breaks exploring amazing, hidden spots all on a few dollars and a couple tanks of gas. Over spring break, I travelled to Cullman, Alabama to see Ave Maria Grotto—a four-acre, folk art complex with more than 125 miniature replicas of historical…
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Richard Herd Gets Real With AUM Students

Richard Herd Gets Real With AUM Students

During his AUM Lecture Series address, famous actor Richard Herd shared many words of wisdom with students preparing to enter the workforce. “You can’t have anything unless you work your ass off for it," said Herd, who is best known for his portrayal of Mr. Wilhelm in “Seinfeld” and Adm. Owen Paris in “Star Trek.” The now 84-year-old superstar has worked for six decades to earn his place in more than 500 television, movie and theater spotlights. After seeing his first play as a teenager, Herd knew he wanted to build a career in the performing arts. He encouraged students…
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