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The Auburn Plainsman THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Students to vote on postseason ticket policy

By ELIZABETH HURLEY Campus Reporter campus@theplainsman.com

Auburn Student Senate voted Monday evening to put a referendum on the spring SGA elections ballot that will give students the chance to decide how post-season student tickets are distributed.

The referendum will appear on the election day ballot on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

The referendum includes four options for students including a random lottery system, a credit-hour priority system, loyalty-based priority system and a credit-hour, loyalty-based priority system.

College of Liberal Arts Sen. Jordan Kramer sponsored a bill to authorize the student body vote.

“One of the goals of SGA this year has been to improve the gameday experience and student satisfaction with that experience,” Kramer said.

“After the post-season this year, on social media and throughout campus, there was some disagreement on how tickets were distributed. Because we’ll be going to the championship again next year, we’d like to amend that system.”

A random lottery is the current system used to distribute the 2017 SEC Championship and Peach Bowl tickets. A credit-hour priority system would give students with the highest number of Auburn University credit hours ticket distribution priority.

The loyalty-based priority system would provide priority ticket distribution to students who have the least number of penalty points for that football season, giving students who attend the most games the best chance at getting a postseason student ticket.

The final system, a credit hour and loyaltybased priority, will combine the previous two systems awarding students with the least number of penalty points and the highest number of credit hours top priority in ticket distribution.

The details of the referendum were amended several times on the floor. The credit-hour priority and loyalty-based priority distribution systems were both amended to include language that specifies how ties in credit hours will be handled.

Tickets will be distributed to students in order of decreasing credit hour. If a certain credit hour level is reached and there are more students at that level than available tickets those students will be entered in a random lottery.

In the loyalty-based priority system, students who have the least number of penalty points for that current season will receive priority for tick-

VOL. 125 • ISSUE 17 • FIRST COPY FREE THEN 50¢

Auburn hires University of Buffalo athletic director Allen Greene as Jay Jacobs’ replacement

‘WE WILL BE CHAMPIONS’

TODD VAN EMST / AUBURN ATHLETICS

By NATHAN KING

GREENE’S HISTORY

Assistant Sports Editor sports@theplainsman.com

1996-98 Notre Dame Baseball, 9th Rd Draft Pick in 1998 MLB Draft (New York Yankees)

A

llen Greene, Auburn University’s 15th athletic director, has made it known that he isn’t going to act his age. At 40 years old, one of the youngest athletic directors in the nation, Greene consistently referred to himself as a 22 year old in his introductory press conference last week.

Despite his age, Greene has been in the athletic director business since 2009 when he served as assistant AD for Ole Miss. According to Auburn’s new head man, there are “no disadvantages” to being on the younger side.

“I’m young enough to be able to relate to the student-athletes,” Greene said. “But I’m old enough to be able to relate to the staff and coaches and, of course, the fans. You work your way through the industry and develop some skills along the way. It’s all

2003-08 Compliance/Athletic Advancement at Notre Dame Athletics Front Office

good; it’s all advantages.”

The new leader of Auburn Athletics hails from the University of Buffalo, where he made major strides for the school’s athletic program, including raising funds for an $18 million indoor football practice facility.

To improve upon that, Greene formulated a three-headed trifecta for success.

“When I met with the search committee, I talked about three over-arching princi-

» See ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, 2

2009-12 Ole Miss Assistant Athletic Director 2012-15 University of Buffalo Deputy Athletic Director 2012-15 University of Buffalo Athletic Director Above Auburn athletic director Allen Greene intro on Friday, Jan. 19, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.

» See STUDENT TICKETING, 2

ATHLETICS

AD Allen Greene, Gus Malzahn excited to get to work The pair hope to dramatically improve Auburn’s football, sports facilities

By WILL SAHLIE Sports Editor sports@theplainsman.com

Newly-hired Auburn athletic director Allen Greene improved the University of Buffalo’s football facilities with a $18 million facility.

Now, at his new university, he may be looking to dramatically im-

prove facilities at Auburn.

In his opening press conference on The Plains, Greene said Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn had already mentioned an idea for a standalone football facility. Greene, to Malzahn’s excitement, said that facility may become a reality in the near future.

“Coach (Gus) Malzahn already hit

me up for a stand-alone football facility, so I think that’s going to be on the docket,” Greene said. “Football, certainly, is the driving engine of it all. This is an enterprise, and it’s really, really important that football be successful.”

It comes as no surprise that Malzahn does want a new, stand-alone football facility. Clemson, Tex-

CAMPUS Miss Auburn campaign managers share their strategies for upcoming elections Campaigns run without philanthropic platforms for the first time Page 4

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as A&M and other top programs around the country have recently built state-of-the-art facilities that have placed Auburn’s facility, which was built in 1989, far behind.

“We’ll sit down and we’ll talk about it — everything as far as football is concerned and all that, in due time,” Malzahn said. “We’ll talk about that. That was a joke we brought up

as we were getting to know each other and all that…I’m really excited to have Allen here. He’s going to do a super job.

“He’s got a dynamic personality.

He’s got a dynamic vision for not just football but Auburn athletics. I really feel like our students are going to be

» See GREENE, 8

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ATHLETIC DIRECTOR » From 1

ples,” Green said. “Number one: It will be the student-athlete’s, not only their [athletic] experience, but their educational experience. (Auburn) is a place of higher-learning, a very quality higher-education institution. We want our young people to get a meaningful degree, and to graduate.

“Athletically, we want [student-athletes] to be very successful. Our mission is to provide our student-athletes and coaches every opportunity to win conference and national championships. We will invest ourselves to do so.

“Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, Auburn will stand for creating productive members of society. It’s incredibly important, particularly in today’s time, that we make sure (student-athletes) are well-equipped for the rigors and intensity of the real world. There is no greater time than right now, when you have so many people who are heavily invested and heavily involved in your success. The real world is a little bit different, and we want to make sure you are prepared for that.”

Before the New Yorker can invest himself in his athletes, he’ll have to take some time acclimating himself to the timehonored heritage of The Plains.

“There are tremendous traditions here at Auburn University,” Greene said. “The Tiger Walk. The eagle flight. Toomer’s Corner. I can’t wait to roll it. Can I roll Toomer’s? I want to.”

While recognizing Auburn’s past, Greene said that Auburn Athletics needs to look forward and be innovative. According to Greene, calculated risks will be a part of his teaching methods with the thought process that failure breeds passion for the game and will teach Auburn’s athletes how to succeed for the future.

Auburn’s history in athletics shifted Wednesday evening with the official hiring of Greene, the Tigers’ first AfricanAmerican to hold the position in the program’s history and only the third in SEC history.

The chief of sports on The Plains will use his position of leadership to encourage and invigorate diversity at his new university, breeding “a culture of diversity inclusion.”

“We don’t all look alike, we don’t all act alike, we don’t all talk alike,” Greene said. “We don’t all believe in the same things, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be teammates. That doesn’t mean we can’t be partners, brothers or sisters. So we will embrace a culture of diversity. We will embrace different beliefs. We will challenge one another to think differently, all to make Auburn a better University.”

A graduate of Notre Dame and Indiana University, Greene understands that Auburn Athletics brings “lofty expectations.”

Greene said that he will embrace those expectations wholeheartedly because “without these expectations, how can we expect to better ourselves?”

Auburn fans are primarily expecting answers to the men’s basketball team’s NCAA investigation as well as the cessation of the scandals that occurred under Jacobs in a system that, inside and outside, has appeared broken with legal, Title IX and salary issues.

At the forefront of those monetary conundrums: the plans for former AD Jay Jacobs’ retirements funds.

The 40-year-old has big shoes to fill: those of longtime AD Jacobs, who raised annual revenues from $46 million to $145 million and brought home 12 national titles and 25 conference titles to The Plains in his 12 years.

When Jacobs announced his plan for retirement, he noted that he would give up the athletic director role on or before

INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn’s newest athletic director, Allen Greene, sits at the sidelines during the Auburn vs. Georgia men’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

June 1, 2018, depending on the status of the University’s hiring of a new AD. In his new position of athletic director emeritus, Jacobs will not be paid by the university, but is expected to make a hefty sum once retired -- an annual income that could be the largest in the history of the state for a retiree.

According to a report from Times Daily in December, the former athletic director is expected to earn over $540,000 or more annually, which is “unequivocally” the largest retirement ever, a Retirement Systems of Alabama official said.

Jacobs “retirement package” is so out of the ordinary, RSA Deputy Director Don Yancey wouldn’t even consider it an outlier.

“Maybe a super-outlier,” Yancey said in the report.

The Times Daily report noted a retirement benefits rule change in 1996, which set the cap for post-employed benefits at $270,000, half of what Jacobs’ is reportedly expected to receive.

Jacobs is exempt, however. He was already employed at Auburn University in 1996, he grandfathered into the rule as an exception.

According to Yancey, the 1996 alteration means that “very

NATIONAL

Special counsel questioned Jeff Sessions in Russia probe

By CHRIS MEGERIAN AND JOSH TANFANI Tribune News Service

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who played a key role in several controversies shadowing President Donald Trump, was questioned for several hours last week by the special counsel's office investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Sessions is the first known member of Trump's Cabinet to be interviewed in the criminal inquiry, which is seeking to determine whether Trump or any of his aides assisted the Russian campaign effort or were involved in alleged obstruction of justice during the subsequent FBI investigation.

The attorney general could provide an eyewitness account to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about several key episodes under scrutiny, including Trump's interactions with campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos, who offered to arrange meetings with senior Kremlin officials, and Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey.

"Sessions is kind of everywhere," said Susan Hennessy, a national security and governance fellow at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution. "If you are conducting a thorough investigation, who are the people you absolutely need to talk to? Trump is one of those people.

Sessions is another."

The sit-down with Sessions is the latest evidence that Mueller's high-stakes investigation is reaching an advanced stage, although its final outcome is unclear.

Mueller already has arranged to

question Stephen K. Bannon, who was Trump's campaign manager and later chief strategist at the White House until he was fired in August. Mueller also is expected to seek an interview with Trump in the coming weeks.

Papadopolous and former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and are cooperating with prosecutors. Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his deputy have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.

A Justice Department spokesman confirmed that Sessions met with Mueller's team last week but declined to say what was discussed. The special counsel's office declined to comment.

Trump downplayed news of the interview, which first appeared in The New York Times, while talking with reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office.

"I'm not at all concerned. Not at all," he said, adding he had not spoken to Sessions about the interview.

The development emerged the day after Sessions said the Justice Department was investigating why five months of text messages between Peter Strzok, a senior FBI agent, and Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer, had disappeared.

The pair, who reportedly were in a romantic relationship, initially worked on the special counsel's team. But Strzok was reassigned last summer after an inspector general's investigation discovered that other texts between them included some critical of Trump, as well as of Democrats. Page had already left the team.

» See SESSIONS, 7

few high-earning employees” will get to slide by and get the same deal as Jacobs.

Greene will get to all that. But he’s has only known about his new responsibilities for less than a week.

“I’ve got to first get here and learn,” Greene said. “I’ve got to see with my own two eyes what the landscape is. We’ll make adjustments accordingly ... it’s going to be part art and part science.”

Moving ahead from the controversies that will soon become commitments and obligations, Greene recognized that, at the end of the day, there is one place where fans’ eyes should look at the end of a game, and it will be a place that Auburn will continue to find success.

“I think Auburn is one of the most cutting-edge athletic departments with brand new technology,” Greene joked. “You see it in Jordan-Hare Stadium, you see it in the baseball stadium. They call it a scoreboard. And on that scoreboard, they keep score. Revolutionary.”

The leader of Auburn Athletics then changed his tone from humorous to one of conviction.

“We will, at the end of every game, be winners,” Greene said. “We will be champions.”

Rundown for the ticketing Random Lottery System It’s the current system and distributes tickets randomly to students without any other considerations.

Credit-Hour System Students with the most credit hours would receive priority in the release of tickets.

Loyalty-Based System Students with the least amount of penalty points would get priority over those who missed games in the 2017-2018.

Credit Hour and Loyalty-Based Combo Students with the highest amount of credit hours and the least amount of penalty points would gain priority over students that missed games in the 2017-18 season or are newer to Auburn University.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

STUDENT TICKETING » From 1

ets. Similarly, if the number of eligible students exceeds the number of available tickets, all students with the least number of penalty points will be entered into a random lottery.

The final option, a combined credit-hour and loyalty priority system, was added through amendments as a new option on the referendum. It was added after questions were raised regarding the large need for a random lottery in both the credit hour priority system and loyalty based priority system.

After SGA received backlash for changes to the student ticketing policy over the last two years, senators decided a referendum was the best way to ensure student satisfaction with the change to the student ticketing policy.

“That includes direct student input, and the best way to do that is to use a referendum, and we’d like that up by spring elections, which is why we advanced it,” Kramer said.e The change to the student ticket distribution policy does not come as a shock to most as 2017 SEC Championship student ticket distribution was a highly controversial and talked-about topic among students on social media.

A petition calling for post-season tickets to be distributed first to upper-classmen received more than 1,470 signatures.

Comments on the petition included critiques that en-

couraged the Auburn Football Ticket Office to make all playoff, bowl and SEC Championship game tickets based on credit-hour priority rather than a random drawing.

The petition cites other SEC schools — including Alabama and Georgia — that use a credit-hour priority student ticket distribution system. The petition’s author said freshman students come in understanding they will need to wait their turn.

Upperclassmen “have certainly earned the right to the first of the tickets,” the petition read. “Auburn freshmen still have three more years of Auburn football to enjoy.”

This is one of many changes made to the student ticketing policies in the last three years. The most recent changes occurred before the beginning of the 2017 season with the replacement of the student-to-student ticket exchange with a ticket pool as well as the addition of penalty points.

The 2016 season included significant changes to the student ticketing system including the way first-year students receive tickets. The change made it where first-year students apply for a random lottery to determine which ticket package they would be able to purchase.

First-year ticket packages change with each season. In the 2017 season, first-year students could get one of two ticket packages. The first of which included all games excluding Alabama and the other which included all games excluding Georgia.

To participate in the referendum on the postseason football student ticket distribution, Auburn students can vote in the upcoming election on AU Access.

opinion

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OPINION

OUR VIEW

Attention turns again to affirmative consent

By EDITORIAL BOARD Spring 2018

The end of 2017 saw the rise of a movement denouncing a culture of sexual abuse and harassment in workplaces.

The #MeToo movement brought an end to the careers of many prominent figures accused of serial sexual assault, some of whom had set up networks of enablers and complicit staff to assist their grotesque abuse of power.

The scope has since expanded.

In the early weeks of 2018, the #MeToo movement’s focus shifted from blatant sexual offenses to persistent and pervasive questions of consent — a discussion that is far more nuanced, but for many, more relevant.

This is a focus with great significance for dating life and hook-up culture, both of which are commonplace in college life.

Conversations about consent are not new but salient enough that we believe a discussion on consent is warranted and encouraged whenever stories like that circulate throughout the media.

Firmly, it is our view that lessons on consent cannot be reiterated enough.

Affirmative consent means a verbal and affirmative yes is required from a prospective sexual partner before sexual acts are started. Not only is verbal consent important, respecting a “no” after seeking that consent is as well.

Coercion simply has no place in the bedroom — or anywhere for that matter. Ask for consent, get the answer and accept whatever that answer is the first time it’s given.

If someone changes their mind from a “no” to a “yes,” they’ll tell you. Persistence is often portrayed as some type of romantic gesture in romantic comedies. But, being unrelenting can often undermine a person’s ability to make a decision on their own.

To say it simpler, if someone does not explicitly — and of their own accord — say yes to sex, you can not have sex with that person.

As easy as this seems, our culture has regarded it as foggy at best. In the heat of a moment, one can find they feel justified in accepting a nonverbal action or expression as an implicit invitation for sex.

But that is, quite simply, wrong.

It takes little research to find stories of romantic encounters that have gone awry because of misinterpreted signals.

Often, a partner may find it hard to explicitly say no to an eager date and give in to an unwanted sexual experience.

Sometimes, they may fear violence from their partner if they were to turn them down, and so they stay silent.

These stories can disseminate through the national me-

GARRETT JOHNSON

dia or emerge from someone within your inner circle. This commonality speaks to the prevalence and the gravity of the issue.

An unwanted sexual experience is unacceptable. Fear of violent retribution from a possible sexual partner is unacceptable. Both are completely avoidable.

An out-loud and earnest yes to the question, “Do you want to have sex?” is needed for sex.

It may seem awkward to stop an advancing moment and ask, “Do you want to have sex?” But, five seconds of awkwardness is minor sacrifice for safer, more respectful, better sexual relationships.

Affirmative consent is not just pertinent in hookup culture, but has implications for relationships, at least in early stages. Without a fervent and deep connection between a couple, it is wrong to assume you know the wishes of your partner. Communication is needed to cut out ambiguity.

In recent years, our culture — both collegiate and societal — has made strides in redefining healthy sexual relationships.

But we have ways to go until erroneous presumptions

on sex are eradicated from our zeitgeist. Changes in our approach to sex need to occur.

We are not advocating less sex, or for an end to hookup culture. We are advocating for consensual sex. We are advocating for more respectful sex. We are advocating for better sex.

While laws and university policies have given a framework for changing attitudes and actions, complete change can only come from discussions.

It is important to seek out information on and fully understand affirmative consent. It is important to initiate conversations with your friends and with your organizations.

It is important to hold your friends accountable, as well.

Nuanced discussions on sexual misconduct and on issues of consent are not easy, nor should they be. They can be uncomfortable, passions may run high, and personal experiences may be more pertinent than we’d prefer. But they are necessary to bettering our society, and that’s a task that starts by reaching out to those closest to you.

Our longing for better relationships rests on affirmative consent. It should be discussed, and it needs to be practiced.

HER VIEW

The John and Tommy Morning Show is sexist, must get a clue

By LILY JACKSON Managing Editor

The presets on a car radio’s controls are coveted spots for radio stations. It’s key revenue, and it symbolizes trust between the listener and producer.

Y102 is no longer a pre-set in my car after the John and Tommy Morning Show released a sexist, degrading and unnecessary segment about women.

On Jan. 22 at about 7:20 a.m., John Garrett and Tommy Fields went on the air to talk about the nationally-broadcasted Women’s March. Talking about the March, however, was simply a mechanism to dive into a comedy segment about cleaning.

VIA PIXABAY

This segment, “News for Women: A Look At News Affecting Women Only,” started with a guide to mopping – because to John Garrett and Tommy Fields, that’s the only thing women care about.

“Didn’t you say that women do a great job at vacuuming?” Garrett asked. “You just wished they’d vacuum before the game started?”

Sadly, this segment is not the only example of poorly written, sexist content.

“The John and Tommy Show is brought to you by ‘SOS Soap Pads,”’ a voice resounds during the segment. “Help her clean your oven faster with SOS Soap Pads.”

On the website, the segment is labeled “Sexist News Sponsors.” This is one of many fake advertisements used as a comedy feature.

The “News for Women” segment was aired out of Montgomery on WHHY-FM two days after women in Montgomery took to the streets for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s march.

Those women marching for their rights and recognition could have been listeners.

Those women see themselves as much more than maids or jokes to be made.

Garrett and Fields are an example of a larger problem. They are part of a section of men who still believe that women are placed on this planet to serve the needs of those with more obtrusive genitals.

A shift in history has made it clear that women are no longer the housekeepers, but instead, they are the breadwinners and the do-gooders and the wave-makers. Ideals like those that Garrett and Fields spouted for all to hear are now archaic, unwanted and will not be accepted.

A career in media is a career in working for the public, working to ensure that they are aware of what is transpiring around them.

Talk-show comedians may not have the same standards or ethics as journalists, but they are at the mercy of someone’s ability to change the station.

Listeners will choose between quality content or two men using women’s aspirations as a segue into a punch line. Between the poorly written lines of “comedy,” it was clear that Garrett, the ringleader of the bit, knew how his words would come off — how they would sting.

Garrett knows he is being offensive, and he wants to be exactly that. He touches on battles women have been fighting for years — the “stay in the kitchen and out of the way of my television” mentality and the “your sole purpose is to comfort and please me” job description.

And this — his awareness — is what cuts deeper. He is fully aware that some women will take offense to the segment, and he revels in it.

He is tailoring his words to a certain de-

OPINION PAGE POLICIES COLUMNS AND EDITORIALS

The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students, as well as faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University.

The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages.

Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on Monday for publication.

Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length. Please submit no more than 400 words.

This editorial is the majority opinion of the Editorial Board and is the official opinion of the newspaper.

The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors.

These opinions do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.

The views expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Auburn Plainsman

THE EDITORIAL BOARD CHIP BROWNLEE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LOREN KIMMEL CAMPUS EDITOR

ALEX HOSEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR

LILY JACKSON MANAGING EDITOR

SAM WILLOUGHBY COMMUNITY EDITOR

JEREMY NEWMAN OPINION EDITOR

JESSICA BALLARD STANDARDS EDITOR

WILL SAHLIE SPORTS EDITOR

INGRID SCHNADER PHOTO EDITOR

ANNE DAWSON ONLINE EDITOR

NATHAN KING ASSISTANT SPORTS

GANNON PADGETT VIDEO EDITOR

CONTACT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

mographic of men who have chosen, while surrounded with a new world of empowered women, that women will remain stagnant. There is no creativity in the bit. There is only a sad history of pulling women along and dragging them under.

They cling to their antiquated views of women and spew their demeaning comments on their platforms — ­ in this case, radio — in a desperate attempt to maintain the control over women that men have had for centuries.

Garrett, your humor is not smart, and it is not clever. It wouldn’t win awards, and you won’t make it further than where you are right now. It represents a sad history and an even sicker future of men who refuse to admit that their words are bigoted, sexist and unwelcome.

For someone who relies on the public’s trust as a form of livelihood, be careful who you choose to willingly alienate. It’s clear to everyone that women are finished being the punching bags, the floor mats and the jokes.

Garrett and Fields, do anything else. Tell knock-knock jokes. Do spit-takes. Read real news for a change. What you have going on right now will make your careers fade with time, and do you really want to be remembered this way?

Newsroom: news@theplainsman.com Sports: sports@theplainsman.com Opinion: opinion@theplainsman.com Editor: editor@theplainsman.com Advertising: admanager@theplainsman.com

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CAMPUS

ELECTIONS

‘RUNNING ON PASSION’

Miss Auburn candidates run without philanthropic platforms for the first time

By ELIZABETH HURLEY Campus Reporter

Miss Auburn has been a staple of Auburn University since the position’s creation in 1936. This year’s election will serve to be different from previous elections as candidates will no longer run on a philanthropic platform.

This year brings the first time candidates for Miss Auburn will run based on their favorite line in the Auburn Creed.

“There are a lot of changes,” said Mary Holland, campaign manager for Miss Auburn candidate Bailey Sullivan. “We’re having to get creative with how we look (at) the week and how we look at how we’re going to be on the Concourse and by getting the word out, especially with voting day changes.”

One of the most noticeable changes will be the new restriction on the number of campaign supporters. The modification includes 25 zones throughout campus where supporters may campaign with 10 members or fewer at a given time.

“We received our map of where 10 or less people can be so I’m going to sit down and make a plan of attack of how we’re going to have people scattered throughout campus,” said Maddy Hickman, campaign manager for Miss Auburn candidate Bria Randal.

While the on-campus changes have had a significant impact Hickman said the offcampus changes had little effect on her campaign strategy.

“I always thought that was kind of taking advantage of Auburn students, so I wasn’t really planning on doing that with this campaign,” Hickman said. “Voting day is going to be a little bit different because it is all on campus so I just plan on having as many bodies in as many places as possible.”

The change to how many campaign members are able to campaign at a certain time is meant to limit the number of people on the concourses, a common topic among students.

Many think this change will allow campaigns to reach more students as there are many Auburn students that don’t come near the Haley Concourse on a daily basis.

“I think our main goal is to spread our campaigning to not just the Haley Concourse and to reach more and a wider variety of students,” said Jodee Flurry, campaign manager for Miss Auburn candidate Kathryn Kennedy.

Flurry said in previous years the same students were reached and the 25 zones throughout campus will allow a wider range of students to be reached.

“I think it’s going to be less aggressive on the Concourse and more so informing students about voting,” Flurry said.

It is common for Auburn students to avoid the Concourse, especially during campaign week, and Kathryn Grace Faulk, campaign manager for Miss Auburn candidate Mary Spencer Veazey, said she thinks these new campaign rules will help combat that stigma.

“We’re not going to say too much about it because we want it to be a surprise, but we have some really cool things in store

INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR

Mary Spencer Veazy poses with her friends outside of Cater Hall after being called out as one of the too 20 candidates for Miss Auburn.

INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR

Bria Randal talks amongst the other candidates by Cater Hall after learning that she is one of the top 20 candidates for Miss Auburn.

INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR

Students stand in front of the Cater Hall steps after the callouts for the top 20 Miss Auburn candidates ended.

that are just really going to kind of cultivate people more during concourse hours,” Faulk said.

Faulk said she wants it to be an experience people enjoy rather than dread and try to avoid the Concourse.

Marking the first year candidates do not run on philanthropic platforms, candidates chose their favorite line in the first round

of Miss Auburn interviews, long before the top five candidates were chosen. “(Bailey Sullivan chose) a line that’s very special to her and important to her and has shaped her Auburn experience,” Holland said.

The change was made in an effort to recenter Miss Auburn back to Auburn and make the campaigns more about being an

Auburn student and living the Creed every day.

“And so with her platform, we’re using it to basically just encounter any person we see on the Concourse and say, ‘Hey, how have you been affected by the human touch?’” Faulk said. “Every single person in the world has been affected by the human touch in some way, and so we’re using that just as a way to connect to other people and get to know them.”

Faulk said her strategy is to use it as a way to bond with others in the manner it has impacted them and share stories.

As many students may remember from Camp War Eagle, camp counselors give each camper a Creed card and encourage them to read through it often and always keep it close by. Hickman’s candidate has done just that.

“I was a Camp War Eagle counselor this summer, and I gave her [Bria] a creed card as a gift a few months ago, and she has that line underlined,” Hickman said. “I think it’s just always been very near and dear to her heart.”

The Creed-centered campaigns refocus campaign week on what it means to be an Auburn student and the Auburn student experience.

“Kathryn actually decided before she interviewed on her line in the Creed,” Flurry said. “She was a Camp War Eagle counselor and a COSAM peer advisor, so all the things she really loved about Auburn was that family atmosphere and family environment, and so that’s what she wanted to focus in on.”

Creed-centered campaigns cultivate campaigns that are more candidate-centered rather than focused on the candidate’s chosen philanthropy. Candidates will now showcase during campaign week why they love Auburn.

“The biggest goal of our campaign is to focus in on what makes Kathryn passionate about Auburn and gearing it more towards her qualifications and her experiences at Auburn,” Flurry said. “I think it’s a good shift this year to being a less philanthropic platform and more about her, I feel like that is what the role of Miss Auburn is – to show what you’re passionate about.”

Candidate campaigns will also focus on what qualifications the candidate has based on experiences at Auburn.

“Miss Auburn is running on her passion for the University and her experience and involvement at the University,” Holland said. “I think that it’s going to be a positive change because we’re getting to see her passion for the University through the whole campaign week.”

This change has been well received by campaign managers as most of their feedback toward the change has been positive.

“I think it’s really powerful that women get to run on their own credentials and credibility rather than a platform to back them up,” Hickman said. “I think that it was a really good change, and I think that once SGA was able to communicate this with the general population of Auburn that it was taken very well.”

» See CAMPAIGNS, 5

POLITICS

Students ‘march for life’ in D.C.

By NATALIE BECKERINK Campus Writer Members of Auburn University’s Students for Life organization made the drive to Washington D.C. once again to participate in the 45th annual March for Life.

The first-ever March for Life happened on Jan. 22, 1974, where thousands of pro-life supporters rallied together and marched around the Capitol. After realizing that Roe v. Wade would not be overturned anytime soon, leaders of the movement vowed they would continue to march every year until they accomplished this goal.

This past weekend the 45th march took place. Along with the march, there were several speeches that occurred including an address from President Donald Trump, the first sitting president to ever address the march, and Vice President Mike Pence .

A few Auburn students volunteered to share their experience at this nationwide event. Elise Sheldrick, sophomore in pre-nursing science, described the

powerful emotions she felt as she participated in the walk for the fifth year.

“Faithful individuals surrounded me on the March for Life,” Sheldrick said.

“There were so many prayers being said for those struggling in the difficult decision to have an abortion and for the unborn. As we walked to the Supreme Court, I felt so much love, respect and energy from all those who walked with us.”

For some students, this was their first time participating in the march. Karla Padierna-Garcia, junior in pre-chemical engineering, described how it felt to participate in this march alongside other Auburn students.

“Being surrounded by my fellow students and friends was the best thing ever,” Padierna-Garcia said. “It’s important to have people that share the same values as you in your life. I’m glad I’ve found such extraordinary people to not only look up to, but to also be by my side here at Auburn.”

Rietta Bolus, junior in English language arts education, has an even deeper connection to the pro-life movement.

She was born in the 28th week of her mother’s pregnancy. Though several weeks premature, doctors never gave up on Bolus’ possibility for survival.

In the United States, the legal cutoff date for abortions in many states is 24-28 weeks. Bolus proves that even at this very early age, life can be sustained, which is why she was so excited to finally attend the March for Life.

“I wanted to go on the March for Life to advocate not only for my own personal connection to this movement but also for the millions of infants who were not given a chance to live,” Bolus said.

Sheldrick, Padierna-Garcia, Bolus and many more students came back to Auburn very inspired by what they witnessed during the march. Padierna-Garcia summed up what caused feelings to stir in all the participants.

“It’s such an inspiring thing to see others be a part of something that causes so much conviction in their heart, and it’s not hard to want to be a part of something like that as well,” she said.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY RIETTA BOLUS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 5

ORGANIZATION

‘Auburn for Bees’: Speaking on behalf of the bees

By HANNAH LESTER Campus Writer Auburn For Bees is an organization of students on campus that speak for the bees.

Kressie Kornis, junior in English literature, is the president and founder of Auburn for Bees. She said the organizations’ main goal is to raise awareness and education about bees.

“Especially since we aren’t science or biology majors, simply beginning a conversation is the most important thing that we do,” Kornis said.

Auburn for Bees began in the fall of 2016 with an idea, and by spring of 2017, there was a group of people interested. The organization now has a total of 83 members, but applications will open soon, and the group hopes to increase their numbers.

Kornis said she started the organization after watching youtube videos about bees. She realized there should be an organization representing bees on campus, and the idea was born.

“So then that’s when I started planning and getting together people with similar interests because I had no idea either just how im-

portant they are,” Kornis said.

Auburn for Bees is under provisional status but hopes to become a full-fledged club by the end of the semester.

One current goal of the group is their new program, Beeducation.

Beeducation is a program in which Auburn students will be going into Auburn City schools and teaching children about bees.

Hannah Burke, senior in elementary education, is the director of education for the organization and has been in charge of the new program.

“I’d like to create some lasting relationships with the schools in the county and potentially expand to higher education, like high-schools and colleges,” Burke said.

The program will have four subtopics which can be broken into mini lessons, Burke said.

Some example topics would include what bees are and what they do, as well as how they are important for pollination.

“If we didn’t have bees then we wouldn’t have stuff like cotton, we wouldn’t have blue jeans, we wouldn’t have many of our favorite fruits and nuts and vegetables, and it would just completely change the way we live today,” Burke said.

CONTRIBUTED BY KRESSIE KORNIS

Kornis and Burke stand on the Haley Concourse holding a signs and stickers for Auburn for Bees.

CAMPAIGNS

The students in Auburn City Schools will have opportunities for hands-on projects to help them learn. The program will include a simulation teaching about what would happen without bees as well as crafts for the children.

Assistant professor Geoffrey Williams, with the entomology department, is the club’s advisor.

Through Williams and the entomology department, the group has plans to work in the lab this semester.

They hope to be able to don suits and actually see the bees close up, Kornis said.

“I’m hoping that it will help the members who aren’t in necessarily a science major learn more … and I think that will really help us with our Beeducation to actually share what we’ve seen,” Kornis said.

The group has several long-term and short-term goals.

“We do want to have a plot in Auburn’s community garden and plant flowers that attract bees,” Kornis said. “That’s something we’re going to start planning together as a group this semester.”

At least once a month “Auburn for Bees” can be found on the concourse advocating for bees. They will hand out promotional items and spark a conversation to keep people informed.

“Just talking to complete strangers about bees,” Kornis said. “That’s really rewarding to me to talk to someone who maybe is afraid of bees, or they have an allergy so they’ve never really been around bees.

It’s been fun to have conversations with these people.”

Many students and people are not aware of the benefits of bees, Kornis said. Once they are informed, however, they realize the importance of the organism.

Burke referred to the bee as the “super-organism.”

Kornis recently brought attention to her organization when a tweet she sent out went viral.

In her profile picture, Kornis stands holding a sign that reads, “Ask me about bees,” and she is next to Burke who is holding a sticker that says, “Sit Down, Bee Humble.”

People began asking her where they could receive a sticker, and she replied that they were free and could send them to anyone who sent her an address.

“Thousands came in, and I realized we can’t send all of these people stickers because stamps are like 50 cents each, so I asked for a donation of any amount, and now we are sending stickers to those people who donated,” Kornis said.

“It’s definitely been exciting to see our stickers on random people’s laptops, people who aren’t in our club, because that means they actually went up to us and had a discussion with us about bees,” Kornis said.

Kornis wants students to be aware that bees on campus will not harm or sting them.

“I would like students to know especially since the spring season is approaching, that if a bee lands on you when you’re walking to class, don’t freak out, it’s fine, they just like the way you smell or the color that you’re wearing,” Kornis said. “Bees are really smart, they will figure out that you’re not a flower, and they will fly away.”

Overall, the organization is about raising awareness for the bees and hoping people will spread the information they learn with their friends, Kornis said.

“I believe that often times bees are kind of vilified, they’re lumped in with wasps and other scary things,” Burke said. “People think all they do is sting, where in fact they are responsible for many of our modern conveniences.”

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

» From 4

This is a major revamp of the Miss Auburn campaigns as it has led to the complete restructuring of how Miss Auburn platforms are established.

“It’s really cool the way she’s setting up her platform because she’s just shared all her experiences through Auburn and the opportunities she’s had whether it being on SGA (or) whether it being involved in her sorority,” Faulk said.

Faulk said after Miss Auburn is elected she will be more focused on Auburn and being its hostess rather than her philanthropy. Faulk said she thinks this will be more relatable to students on campus.

Students will notice a significant change from the last election in terms of the number of campaign supporters out campaigning around campus on a daily basis during campaign week.

“It’s going to be less people this go around for campaigning,” said Faulk. “We’re kind of excited that it’s less people because we think we can have more energy and be more intentional with our conversations now that we have less people rather than a larger group.”

As for the ease of creating these new style campaigns, Faulk said the changes made it a lot easier.

“I think it has made it something that a lot more students are going to enjoy,” Faulk said. “I think it’s going to bring a lot less stress to everyone else that is not actually on campaigns during campaign week.”

Campaign week begins Wednesday, Jan. 31 and runs through election day on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Zuri Foster did not respond to email for comment.

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Meet Schyler, a liberal arts student

By HANNAH LESTER Campus Writer Schyler Burney is a junior in the College of Liberal Arts whose interest in politics has taken her across the state and nation to meet with state legislators and Auburn Alumni.

Burney, an economics major on a qualitative track, started her Auburn experience with the Freshman Leadership Program and help from Jacquelin Keck, SGA president.

“My senior year, a few things just led me to look into Auburn, and I came and visited the spring of my senior year,” Burney said.

“The offer I was given, talking about scholarship wise, was too good to refuse with Auburn being the place that it is. Looking into what I wanted to go into, that initially being physics, I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”

Although Burney originally was in physics, she decided to change her track after speaking with Keck about her physics experience.

“I looked into it, I took some econ classes and realized you could find that balance,” Burney said. “You could find a major with liberal arts learning but also that analytical side of things. So I was hooked.”

Outside of Freshman Leadership Program, Burney was also involved with the Freshman Forum under SGA. Burney has always found interest in politics, math and sciences as well as economics. Her plan is to take her economics major and attend law school.

“My family, my dad and my uncle and grand-dad, they have a firm, and so it’s all just been a family business I’ve grown up around,” Burney said. “I think as I’ve gotten older, I just see myself doing the work they do.”

Burney also worked with Lobby Board, which allows students to work with state legislators to learn and improve government relations.

“I think it’s been really neat to form those relationships with our legislators and people that are having the voice on issues that affect us,” Burney said.

In part with Lobby Board is Lobby Day and Higher Education Day. Lobby Day allows all students involved to take a trip to Montgomery to the State House to build connections with legislators.

“Around the same time we do Higher Education Day, and it’s when all of the public institutions in the state gather in Montgomery to express our opinions on higher ed funding,” Burney said.

In addition, Burney is a senator for the College of Liberal Arts.

She works to represent Auburn students and their needs and desires.

“Just because I love the college itself, and so then being able to work on that side of things has been really rewarding to see that even as a student we can make a difference,” Burney said. “While we may not necessarily see these differences now and the changes now, I can be confident in knowing the kind of precedent we may have set or the initiative we’ve taken will play out in years to come, for auburn liberal arts students down the road.”

On behalf of Liberal Arts, Burney took a trip to DC to work on a newly initiated program for liberal arts students.

This program places current liberal arts Auburn students with alumni in the DC area for internships and other opportunities.

The program helps save students rent and is especially helpful for unpaid interns, Burney said.

“I got to go up there and meet those families and assess the program in its first year, and I think that was really a unique experience,” Burney said.

Last year, three interns were placed in the DC area. Burney said they hope to expand this program across other Auburn departments in the future.

“We were really excited to see that especially with unpaid internships … but with an experience like that, it was neat to see,” Burney said. “Not only the convenience of it for students but the relationships that were formed across that Auburn Family still even through alumni and students.”

Although Burney represents the College of Liberal Arts, she said she has also been influenced through her school as well.

“Liberal Arts has a way of shaping the way that you look at the world and the way that you think,” Burney said. “It teaches you to think critically about the world around you and to really assess things.”

Burnley said one of her favorite parts of being an Auburn student is the relationships she’s formed. She said she believes the Auburn Family is a very real thing.

“I just think in every aspect of my Auburn experience, I find people that are pushing me to be the best version of myself, and if that’s all I got out of college, apart from the other things I think I have gotten, then I would be content to find those people that I think are going to be there for me,” Burney said.

community THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

POLITICS

Organizing through storytelling

A progressive group of Auburn alumni see the South as the blueprint for change

By SAM WILLOUGHBY Community Editor

Activist Mia Raven, baker Monique Williams and fashion designer Jordan Jemison aren’t household names, or even famous, but one group of progressive Auburn University alumni is telling the stories of them and people like them: regular Southerners.

Foreward South launched in April 2017 with the goal of giving a platform to the various community members that founders Megan Skipper, Dillon Nettles and Ashley Edwards come in contact with while working across the state.

Childhood friends Skipper and Nettles met Edwards while at Auburn, where they envisioned themselves starting careers helping people elsewhere.

“When we were at Auburn, each of the three of us on our own right had these big dreams because we wanted to be helpers and changemakers and do great community work, and we felt like clearly the South was not a place to do that, especially not Alabama,” Skipper said.

After they graduated – Nettles and Edwards in 2015 and Skipper in 2016 – the three all separately moved to Montgomery. While living in the capital city, they found it wasn’t the nightmare they thought it would be.

“We kept talking to each other about these really cool community people that we’d met who are artists and social workers and entrepreneurs, and we were amazed by them,” Skipper said. “[W]e kept saying, ‘Why aren’t these the stories that are told to people when it’s time to talk about the

South?’”

Foreward South has published detailed, long-form pieces on people like Charles Lee, owner of Montgomery hot dog restaurant That’s My Dog, who came to Alabama from Chicago after surviving a shooting at age 13.

In 2012, Lee started a nonprofit to mentor the city’s youth “through arts and entrepreneurship.”

“We consider ourselves storytellers,” Edwards said. “We weave in … the private stories that we hear of the people that we’ve met in the community every day.”

Montgomery, a city entrenched with a history of civil rights struggles and triumphs, has proved to be the perfect place for Foreward South’s mission, Nettles said.

“Really all the work the folks are doing now, even the work the three of us are doing, is all only able to happen because of what our forebears did when they laid the groundwork,” he said. “So while our stories may not be focused on history and those people of the past, we do really try to weave in those legacies into the work that we put out on our platform.”

Foreward South is attempting to cover the lives of ordinary Southerners in a way national political reporters don’t.

Alabama was swamped by national media members during the lead up to last year’s Senate special election, but after Doug Jones’ upset victory on Dec. 12, not many stuck around.

But it was on that Tuesday night in December when the three felt reaffirmed about their work thus far.

“I think the Doug Jones win was a moment and a mes-

sage that for so many communities who have been disenfranchised,” Edwards said. “[W]e can rally together to get out the vote, to educate the electorate, to make sure that people whose votes have been suppressed … can rally together and make sure that everyone gets to the polls to send a message.”

Skipper said she thinks human connection can be a healing experience and telling the stories of people working in the South can foster a sense of community.

“Either people like them exist or people different from them exist, and both of those things are equally valuable when you’re talking about creating community and building trust,” she said.

“That’s a beautiful thing about storytelling. I think it’s equally an art and also political activism.”

On Saturday, Foreward South will host its first live show at the Goat Haus in Montgomery. Eventually, the group hopes to venture into more mediums, like podcasting, and open satellite offices around the South – in cities more like Savannah rather than those like Atlanta – but for now it has two contributors based in New Orleans.

Though the group of 20-something Alabamians originally thought they would move away from home, they all said they’re dedicated to sticking around the South, at least for now.

“I truly have figured out who I am in Montgomery and think I got so much more clarity around where I see my career path and trajectory in life,” Nettles said. “It’s hard to ever think about leaving a place that’s been such a big a part of me.”

PHOTOS AND LOGO VIA FOREWORD SOUTH

Ashley Edwards, Dillon Nettles and Megan Skipper launched Forward South in 2017.

HEALTH

ACCIDENT

Auburn man dies in car wreck after hitting ice

Flu season in full swing in Auburn, statewide

By OLIVIA WILKES Community Writer

Along with the rest of Alabama, Auburn is currently in the thick of the flu season, according to local doctors, as people across the entire country are contracting the viral infection in exceptionally high numbers this season.

Dr. Jeremy White teaches at the Auburn Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in addition to working in emergency care at three different hospitals in Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

“At all three facilities we’re seeing a significant increase in the number of patients that arrive with confirmed flu or flu-like illness,” White said.

Dr. Johnny Stackhouse, DO, also teaches at Auburn-VCOM and works in an outpatient clinic.

“I’d say in the practice I’m at, for the last several weeks, we haven’t had probably a day go by where we haven’t had at least a couple people that test positive for the flu,” Stackhouse said. “Most of the reports I’ve read from some of the experts believe we’re … probably at the kind of top of the arch of how bad we’re going to see it. … It probably will start to improve over the next little while, but we’re probably right at the worst part of the season.”

The Alabama Department of Public Health has an online Influenza Surveillance Map that tracks reported outbreaks of the virus throughout the state. The current statewide flu spread level is categorized as widespread, and every county in the state except for Mobile is marked as having, “Significant Influenza Activity Detected.”

Dr. Viengxay Malavong, DO, who practices at Auburn Urgent Care Inc., said they’ve also seen a lot of cases of both flu types A and B, but especially A. “It looks like it’s still here, and it looks like it’s on the downslope,” Malavong said. “Only time can tell.”

The large number of flu cases can be attributed to the flu vaccine’s lack of effectiveness during this particular flu season.

“When the flu shots are made, there’s a guess made at which strains are going to be around this year, and if the guess is not exactly right, then it’s not going to be as effective,” Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse also said that the particular strain going around this season is likely extra contagious compared to past strains.

“I think two things happened,” White said as he scanned the ADPH website for information. “They’re seeing strains that might not have been included in the vaccine itself that are becoming a little more predominant and that the number of people that have been vaccinated or should have been vaccinated is lower than they would’ve liked.”

By CHIP BROWNLEE Editor-in-Chief

FILE PHOTO

Edward Morgan is given his first ever flu shot by pharmacy student, Devon Burhoe.

Despite the vaccine missing the strain target, doctors still generally recommend that people get the flu shot.

“It still seems to be helping some people, so it’s still a good thing to get your flu shot because even with it not being quite as effective, sometimes just even some cross-reactivity or just some immunization that is not exactly the same might help your body fight off the current strain a little bit easier,” Stackhouse said. “The flu season actually goes into April, so we still have several more months of possibly having the flu, and what strains come from between now and the end of flu season could still vary.”

Malavong also said that other strains could come into play later in the season.

“As providers we always recommend the vaccination, but this year it might not work as well compared to most years,” Malavong said.

All three doctors stressed the importance of preventive actions – hand washing, not sharing foods or beverages with other people, shielding coughs and sneezes and cleaning surfaces such as desks, food prep areas and phones.

“And then if people just stay home when they’re sick, not try to push it – just to keep the workplace safe,” White said. “Most of the stuff that we’ve known about forever still applies. It’s a common sense kind of when we’re all sick, but the actual practice of it is what everyone needs to be reminded of from time to time.”

An Auburn man moving to retire with family in South Alabama died Friday morning after hitting a patch of ice, causing his truck and a U-Haul trailer to careen off the roadway.

John Paul Vitruk, 64, formerly from Auburn, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident near the intersection of Alabama Highway 169 and Lee Road 175 in Salem, Alabama, about 20 miles from Auburn.

The Lee County Coroner said that Alabama State Troopers, the Salem Fire Department and EMS responded to the onevehicle accident Friday morning at about 10:30 a.m.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Vitruk trapped in his vehicle with no signs of life.

No alcohol, other vehicles nor injuries were involved in the accident.

Authorities say Vitruk was traveling on Highway 169 with a loaded U-Haul trailer when he approached the intersection at Lee 175 and hit a patch of ice in the road, causing his trailer to jack-knife. The vehicle overturned, leaving Vitruk trapped in the vehicle.

The coroner said he was killed instantly from blunt-force trauma.

The accident on Friday was the only weather-related fatality in Lee County due to the snow and ice and was the first traffic fatality for Lee County in 2018.

Lee County Coroner’s Office and the Alabama State Troopers are still investigating the accident.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

PAGE 7

BUSINESS

CRIME

Second man charged with rape of 13-year-old

By STAFF REPORT OLIVIA WILKES / COMMUNITY WRITER

​Local farmers offer winter haul at January’s Monthly Market

By OLIVIA WILKES Community Writer

Despite the slow business of the offseason, three vendors assembled at the Monthly Market on Tuesday night to sell their locally produced vegetables, breads, granola and other edible goods.

The Monthly Market is a relatively new farmers market, started by Auburn Parks and Recreation in September 2017.

It is held at the Harris Center off of Drake Avenue on the fourth

Tuesday of each month.

Farmers markets are busiest during the growing season of summer, but farmers can still make an income during the cold months of the year by focusing their sales on winter crops and year-round products.

George Rogers of Pecan Point Farm sells granola, yogurt, beef and eggs, among other products.

“A lot of these products we can sell year round,” Rogers said. “And that’s why we’re at the few winter markets we’re

SESSIONS » From 2

Sessions said Monday that investigators would "use every technology available" to recover the missing phone texts. The FBI blamed a technical problem but Republicans suggested the possibility of a cover-up.

"One of the biggest stories in a long time," Trump tweeted.

Ironically, Strzok apparently was not enthusiastic about the Russia investigation. Sen. Ron Johnson,

at.”

Julia Knappenberger of Artisan Bread Boutique was selling baked goods at her table at the market.

“I can bake seasonal things,” she said, adding that in November and December she offered pumpkin bread and cookies, respectively.

For Beth Hornsby of Hornsby Farms, winter crops include lettuces, carrots, winter squash, broccoli and cauliflower. Hornsby Farms also sells canned goods such as jams, pickles and

R-Wis., released some of the couple's other texts on Tuesday, including one in which the FBI agent wrote he was hesitant to join Mueller's team in part because of his own "gut sense and concern that there's no big there there."

Sessions was an early and impassioned Trump supporter and surrogate during the presidential campaign. He was the first U.S. senator to support the flamboyant New York business mogul, vouching for Trump's credentials as a conservative hard-liner on immigration, a core part of his message.

pepper jellies year round, which Hornsby said definitely helps their winter business.

“We don’t grow as much this time of year as we do like spring and summer, so it really helps us to bridge that gap and make it work in kind of the offseasons,” Hornsby said. “Just having something that’s stable and that people … know they can always come back and get it.”

For these farmers and crafters, fresh and local isn’t restricted to the summer months, but is a year-round business.

After his upset win, Trump nominated Sessions to serve as attorney general, making him the country's top law enforcement official.

But Trump bitterly criticized Sessions after he abruptly recused himself in March from supervising the Russia investigation, without first telling the president. Sessions withdrew after news reports revealed he had failed to notify Congress about his own meetings with Russia's ambassador.

His position and proximity to the president during the campaign, the

Over the weekend, the Auburn Police Division arrested Corey B. Heard, 36, in connection to the rape and kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl in October and charged Brian D. Askew, 37, with first-degree human trafficking.

Heard was charged with first-degree rape after being arrested on an unrelated charge of breaking and entering into a car on Sunday.

At around 2:30 a.m on Sunday, Heard was allegedly breaking into a truck at a home on Lee Road 17 when the vehicle’s owner confronted him. Police said Heard approached the owner and after firing warning shots with his firearm, the owner shot at Heard and struck him in the foot.

He was transported to the East Alabama Medical Center Emergency Room and was treated for his injuries.

APD said Heard was developed as a suspect during the course of its investigation into the October incident and was allegedly involved in the sexual assault of the victim with Askew.

He is being held at the Lee County Detention Center on a $103,000 bond for both charges.

The arrest warrant on Askew for human trafficking was executed on Friday while he was in custody in the Lee County jail. He remains there on a $250,000 bond.

Askew was arrested and charged on Jan. 5 with the kidnapping and rape of a young girl who ran away from the Lee County Youth Development Center in October.

The 13-year-old girl left the facility and was picked up by “several unknown males” in a vehicle, police said. They allegedly took her to a residence in Auburn, held her against her will and sexually assaulted her.

Police said on Monday that they anticipate additional arrests.

transition and Comey's firing could make him a crucial witness.

On the day before he fired Comey in May, Trump summoned Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to the White House and asked their opinions about whether to fire Comey. They said Comey had mishandled the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails during the campaign, and the White House initially cited letters from them to justify Comey's dismissal.

Two days later, Trump undercut them by telling a TV interviewer

that he already had decided to fire Comey before the meeting and that "this Russia thing" was on his mind when he made the decision. In the uproar that followed, Rosenstein appointed Mueller to lead the investigation in an effort to protect it from political interference.

In recent months, Rosenstein has publicly defended the special counsel despite Republican criticisms that the investigation is fueled by a political agenda. Rosenstein, who also talked to Mueller's team last summer, continues to supervise Mueller's investigation.

sports THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

8 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

WOMEN’S TENNIS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 14 Auburn knocks off Oklahoma

By SPORTS STAFF

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Bryce Brown (2) celebrates making a 3-point shot during Auburn Men’s Basketball vs. Alabama at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

2018.

‘One of the best guards in the league’

The SEC’s leading three-point shooter has led the Tigers to their best start this decade

By TYLER ROUSH Sports Reporter

Before first stepping onto the floor at Auburn Arena, Bryce Brown had meant to play in Charlotte.

The Stone Mountain, Georgia, native averaged 25 points, six rebounds and four assists while playing for Tucker High School. As a three-star recruit, Brown was only offered by two in-state programs: Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern.

Prior to official visits at Florida International and Charlotte, Brown attended the Auburn Tigers Elite Basketball Camp.

It was there that Auburn’s first-year head coach Bruce Pearl had an opportunity to view the shooting guard. Brown had impressed by displaying his abilities as a combo guard.

“I really liked him,” Pearl said. “ I liked him a lot.”

Pearl had initially offered Jacob Evans, now the leading scorer for Cincinnati, and told Brown that if Evans did not accept the offer he would offer Brown instead.

During late September, Evans chose Cincinnati over Auburn.

“Of course, we contacted [Brown] and said [the scholarship is] yours if you want it,” Pearl said. “At that point, he had already verbally committed to Charlotte.”

Pearl waited until Brown reopened his recruitment, and on Nov. 14, 2014, Brown signed his letter of intent to return to The Plains.

Since then, Brown has consistently stationed

himself beyond the three-point arc while maintaining a menacing presence on defense.

During the 2015-2016 season, Brown became Auburn’s first freshman to average double-digit scoring since Rasheem Barrett in 2005.

Brown averaged 10.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 rebounds per game while averaging 24.7 minutes. He finished the year 33.9 percent from the floor while shooting 37 percent from threepoint range.

And then Brown faced a sophomore slump.

Averaging 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists, Brown lost playing time with the emergence of newcomers Danjel Purifoy and Mustapha Heron.

Despite falling behind early with inefficient shooting, Brown finished the season shooting 48.3 percent (43-of-89) from beyond the arc.

Quickly, Brown had shifted into becoming a three-point specialist while launching nearly double his previous season’s three-point attempts.

Entering his junior season, alongside the absence of Wiley, Purifoy and T.J. Lang, Brown was given the green light to shoot even more.

Through 19 games this season, Brown has already shot 167 times from three -- 27 more attempts than he had his entire sophomore season -- while leading the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game.

Those attempts have come on a career and team-high 31.6 minutes per game, nearly 10 minutes more than his sophomore average.

While trailing Georgia at halftime by 14, Brown had just three points on 1-of-4 shooting

SOFTBALL

GREENE

Carlson, Rivera named preseason All-SEC

By ZACHARY PIKE Sports Writer

Auburn pitcher Kaylee Carlson and outfielder Alyssa Rivera were selected to the Preseason All-SEC Team, the league office announced on Wednesday morning.

Auburn is one of five teams with multiple players on the list. The All-SEC squad consists of 10 seniors, six juniors and Rivera, the lone sophomore.

Carlson, a senior, is coming off a huge 2017 season that included a program-record 27 wins and 1.36 ERA, the second-lowest in school history. Carlson earned All-SEC First Team and Defensive Team honors last season. Carlson had 21 complete games in 2017, good for fourth in school history and was part of eight shutouts, including six solo efforts.

“I couldn’t be prouder for Kaylee, being a senior and putting herself in that position,” Auburn head coach Mickey Dean said. “She’s earned it and I think she’s excited about her senior year.”

from three. The same player that had struggled during his second season had returned to Auburn Arena.

And then the new Brown emerged into national consciousness, leading Auburn to a 53-point second half and a 14-point victory with 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three.

“Speechless,” Heron said. “I’m speechless, just like you guys. … They couldn’t do nothing with him. It was fun watching him.”

Brown currently ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring while first in three-pointers made. He also boasts the fourth-best three-point field-goal percentage at 48.1 percent against in-conference opponents.

“I started feeling [more confident] ever since after the summer,” Brown said. “I know I put in the work and my teammates always talked as a team how we were as a team, how we played together. Just playing with these guys gives me the confidence and ability to do a lot on the court.”

Though the pair might not have come together had Evans not chosen Cincinnati, Pearl has high praise for his first-year pickup. “[Brown] has gone from being one of the best defensive guards in the league to being one of the best guards in the league,” he said. It’s a strong statement, and I wouldn’t make it unless I thought he was getting there.”

He’s becoming one of the best guards in the league. He can shoot at all levels. We already know how great of a defender he is. He’s a great guard. He’s not afraid. I’m very proud of the way he’s developed.”

Rivera, a sophomore, was named to both the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team after an impressive freshman campaign that included a team-leading .371 batting average with 28 RBI. The outfielder was the only freshman in the SEC to record at least 20 hits in league play and held a .396 OBP in SEC games.

“Alyssa worked hard in the offseason playing for the junior national team, getting that experience and exposure,” Dean said. “I think it’s going to be a big year for her.”

The preseason All-SEC Softball Team is voted on by the league’s head coaches and consist of a minimum of 14 players. Each SEC head coach voted for five infielders, four outfielders, three pitchers, one catcher and one designated player/utility.

Auburn will open the season Feb. 8 as it hosts Marshall, Wichita State, Tennessee Tech and Furman in the Plainsman Invite at Jane B. Moore Field.

The Tigers will play seven games in the tournament that spans Feb. 8–Feb.11.

» From 1

excited, our student-athletes are going to be excited. It’s a great fit right now.”

Greene said his relationship with Malzahn will be hands-on and will help lead to success on the field.

“Something that I appreciate with this opportunity is having the chance to sit down with Coach Malzahn,” Greene said. “I think the world of him - incredibly humble, wants to win, wants to win the right way,

No. 14 Auburn women’s tennis defeated Oklahoma 4-0 Saturday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center to complete an openingweekend sweep over the Sooners, ULM and Georgia State and begin the season 3-0.

“It was really, really good to be able to see everyone play this weekend,” Auburn head coach Lauren Spencer said. “We are injury free now, knock on wood, and I’m just very pleased with the overall weekend. I feel confident now going to the ITA Kickoff because we played some really good teams. I think that will give us the confidence and experience going into kickoff that we need.”

The Tigers earned the doubles point against Oklahoma behind a 6-0 win by Alannah Griffin and Georgie Axon and a 6-4 win

by Taylor Russo and Madeline Meredith.

Russo and Meredith picked up two doubles wins over two days of play, as did the pairing of senior Alizee Michaud and freshman Jaeda Daniel.

Michaud and Daniel also picked up singles wins against Oklahoma with Michaud defeating Camila Romero 6-1, 6-3 and Daniel defeating Christiana Brigante 6-0, 6-1.

Caroline Turner had the match-clinching win on court six, defeating Nina Jabrzemski 6-2, 6-2.

The trio of Michaud, Daniel and Turner each finished the weekend with two wins.

The Tigers will welcome Miami, Tulane and UC Santa Barbara to The Plains next weekend as part of the 2018 ITA Kickoff Weekend held at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.

FILE PHOTO

Alizee Michaud at the ITA Indoor Championship.

and I’m really looking forward, Gus, I’m looking forward to working with you and supporting you to the best of my ability.”

Auburn’s fifth-year head coach will be busy on the recruiting trail for the first few weeks of Greene’s tenure at Auburn, but he said he is excited to get to work with Greene.

“I’m just excited about that, developing that relationship. We’ll do this thing together. I think he’s a great leader for Auburn athletics right now. I think he’s ready to take us to that next level.”

AUBURN ATHLETICS

Allen Greene speaks at his opening press conference.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

PAGE 9

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Daisa Alexander (0) looks to make a pass during Auburn Women’s Basketball vs. Texas A&M on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.

Auburn drops two road games as losing streak hits six

By SPORTS STAFF Auburn’s rough start in SEC play continued last week, as the Tigers dropped back-to-back road contests to extend their losing streak to six.

Sophomore Daisa Alexander scored 20 points in her first career start, but Auburn could not hold a second-half lead in a 5956 loss at LSU Thursday night.

Auburn led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but a season-high 27 turnovers – eight in the fourth quarter – proved the difference in a tough road loss.

“We did not do a very good job of taking care of the basketball,” Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “We just didn’t handle the pressure. … The foul trouble really hurt us

down the stretch, having both of your point guards in foul trouble takes your leaders off the floor to run the offense.”

Alexander’s 20 points led three Tigers in double figures.

Unique Thompson scored 10 points in the second half to finish with 11, and Janiah McKay finished with 10.

McKay and Alexander both battled foul trouble and played most of the fourth quarter with four fouls. Thompson led Auburn with seven rebounds.

Auburn led 22-20 at halftime after an opening 20 minutes that featured a combined 27 turnovers and 15 made field goals. Alexander had 11 points in the opening half that saw Auburn lead by as many as seven points when LSU went scoreless for nearly eight minutes.

After LSU scored the initial bucket of the third quarter to tie

the game at 22-22, Auburn went on an 11-0 run over the next 4:15. LSU would cut the lead to seven by the end of the quarter at 42-35.

The teams traded buckets for most of the fourth quarter, and Auburn had a 54-49 lead after an Alexander jumper with 3:21 to play. But Auburn made just one field goal over the final three minutes and turned the ball over on five of its last eight possessions as LSU finished the game on a 10-2 run.

Thompson made a layup with exactly a minute to play to tie the game at 56-56, but LSU’s Ayana Mitchell drove straight to the basket to put LSU back ahead 58-56. A missed LSU free throw with :03 to play gave Auburn hope, but McKay’s halfcourt heave hit the front of the rim.

» See BASKETBALL, 10

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Tigers slide to No. 19, remain highest-ranked SEC team

By TYLER ROUSH Sports Reporter

Auburn has moved down two spots in the poll.

The Tigers move to No. 19 after a loss to Alabama and a second-half surge against

Georgia. Auburn remains the SEC’s highestranked team, one spot ahead of Florida.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest tournament projections earlier Monday morning, with Auburn still controlling both the No. 4 seed and the SEC’s highest ranking. Florida is the next highest with a No.

5 seed.

Despite its edge over Florida in both the polls and Lunardi’s bracket, Auburn is onehalf game behind the Gators in the SEC standings.The pair will meet for the first time this season on Feb. 24 in Gainesville.

In its recent win over Georgia, Auburn

outscored the Bulldogs 53-25 in the second half for a 79-65 victory. Bryce Brown led all scorers with 28, including 25 in the second half, on 9-of-15 shooting.

Auburn will square off against two other ‘Tigers’ this week as it travels to Missouri on Wednesday and hosts LSU on Saturday.

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The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

PAGE 10

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Allen Greene’s stamp of success at Buffalo spread across all sports

By JAKE WRIGHT Sports Writer

INGRID SCHANDER

Auburn Arena welcomes Auburn’s new athletic director, Allen Greene, and his wife during the Auburn vs. Georgia men’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

New Auburn athletic director Allen Greene had a successful tenure in all aspects of his job description at the University of Buffalo, which catapulted the 40-year-old into his opportunity on The Plains. Greene has given his athletes the facilities and coaches to be successful on the field.

Under his leadership, Buffalo enjoyed several individual and conference championships. Greene has the reputation of an ace fundraiser, but his athletic teams at Buffalo had much success on the scoreboard as well.

Buffalo’s football team turned the corner in 2017 and finished 6-6, even though they were one of three .500 teams to not receive a bowl invite. Buffalo was the last team to beat Sun Belt conference champion Florida Atlantic this season.

They suffered a tough loss to the best Army team in decades and also played Minnesota tough in the season opener. The Bulls finished the season on a three-game winning streak to reach .500.

Greene also was able to set Buffalo athletics up for long-term success in football and other sports with helping fundraise the

money and break ground on an $18 million field-house that the school desperately needed.

Shortly after Greene was hired as athletic director at Buffalo, the men’s basketball team won the Mid-American Conference championship and punched their ticket to the 2016 NCAA tournament. Last year, Buffalo finished with a record above .500 overall and in conference play.

This season, the men’s team is 15-5 overall and 7-0 in the MAC – good for first in the Eastern division and the entire conference. They beat UAB, just like Auburn did, and a tournament team from last year in Jacksonville State. The Bulls played Syracuse and Texas A&M tough earlier in the season as well.

The Bulls women’s basketball team enjoyed unprecedented success under Greene’s leadership. They won the MAC tournament in 2016 and received their first NCAA Tournament bid in school history.

The team would finish 22-10 last season, and this season they are 15-3 overall and 6-1 in the MAC. Like the men, the Lady Bulls sit atop the Eastern division.

On the green court, the Buffalo men’s and women’s tennis team took home the MAC championship in 2017.

FOOTBALL FILE PHOTO

BASKETBALL

HEISMAN ON THE HORIZON?

By IAN BOVINA Sports Writer

While the 2017 college football season may have ended three weeks ago for the Auburn Tigers, all eyes are already looking toward awards for the 2018 season, including the coveted Heisman Trophy.

Bovada Official released early odds for the Heisman, awarded to the best player in college football, and Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham is currently listed at 12/1 odds to win the award, tied with three others for fifth on the list.

Stidham is tied with Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins and quarterbacks Jake Fromm from Georgia and West Virginia’s Will Gri-

er. Ahead of the pack are Stanford’s Bryce Love (7/1), Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (8/1), Arizona’s Khalil Tate (9/1) and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa (10/1).

Stidham, a sophomore transfer from Baylor University, started all 14 games for the Tigers this past season, leading the team to a 10-4 record with impressive wins over Georgia and Alabama, the teams who both just played for the national title two weeks ago.

To add to his resume, Stidham co-won the SEC Newcomer of the Year, Second Team All SEC Quarterback and was named as a finalist for both the Manning and Earl Campbell awards.

Stidham announced Jan. 5 that he would remain at Auburn for the next season.

FOOTBALL

FILE PHOTO

Auburn wide receivers coach Kodi Burns throws passes during warm-ups. Auburn vs Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 2 in Atlanta, Ga.

Wide receivers coach Burns agrees to contract extension

By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor

Auburn and its wide receivers coach Kodi Burns have settled on terms for a new contract, first reported by SEC Country’s Justin Ferguson.

“He’s going to be at Auburn for

a long time,” head coach Gus Malzahn confirmed at Tuesday’s Senior Bowl practice.

Burns, whose initial 2-year contract worth $350,000 annually was set to expire Jan. 31, was hired by Malzahn in February of 2015.

The logistics of Burns’ new

contract have yet to be released by his alma mater. Under Burns’ command in 2017, Auburn finished the season with three receivers boasting 500-plus receiving yards for the first time since 2010, including Ryan Davis’ record-setting year, in which the junior broke the program record

for receptions in a single season.

Burns’ recruiting prowess helped the team land a quartet of talented wideouts for the 2018 class, including four-stars Shedrick Jackson, nephew of Auburn legend Bo Jackson; Seth Williams; Matthew Hill and Anthony Schwartz.

» From 9

Auburn had a higher shooting percentage at 39.2 percent (20-51), just ahead of LSU’s 38.6 percent (2257). The two worst 3-point shooting teams in the SEC were strong in limited attempts from beyond the arc; Auburn was 4-of-6 (66.7%) while LSU was 5-of-10 (50%). LSU had 37 rebounds, two more than Auburn’s 35.

Alexander and freshman Abigayle Jackson made their first career starts as Auburn made its first lineup changes since the ULM game on Nov. 29.

Jackson had four points and four rebounds in 19 minutes of action.

LSU’s Chloe Jackson led all scorers with 26 points. Raigyne Louis added 11.

Auburn followed its heartbreaking loss in Baton Rogue with a 60-48 loss at No. 24 Georgia on Sunday in Athens.

Alexander scored a game-high 22 points, but Auburn faltered in the second half.

The Tigers (10-9, 1-6 SEC) led by as many as eight points in the third quarter, but went cold for several stretches that included multiple turnovers, allowing Georgia (17-2, 5-1) to pull ahead and pull away late.

“That third quarter really hurt us,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We came out great, but it’s a game of runs. We made our run, then their run hurt us more. We just didn’t score. Even though they were making their run, we were coming down and getting empty possessions. And we missed a couple of layups.

That took the energy out of our defense, and then we didn’t have that defensive pressure that we came out with.”

Alexander’s 22 points marked her second straight game to lead the Tigers offensively, but she was the Tigers’ only player in double figures. She also had a team-leading four steals.

Thompson led the Tigers with 12 rebounds, and Jazmine Jones added nine points and five rebounds.

The Tigers out-rebounded Georgia 37-35, their first time since the Florida game to pull down more boards against an SEC opponent. But Auburn shot 32.7 percent for the game compared to Georgia’s 40.8 percent and made just 1-of-10 3-pointers on the day.

Auburn committed 24 turnovers while forcing Georgia into 20; the Tigers scored 19 points off UGA’s turnovers.

Auburn led 25-22 after an ugly first half that saw the teams combine for 29 turnovers. The Tigers took advantage, scoring 13 points off 14 Georgia giveaways. Thompson had 10 rebounds in the opening half, and Alexander had 11 points. Both had three steals as well.

The Tigers jumped out to an eightpoint lead at 31-23 less than two minutes into the third quarter, but Georgia chipped away, eventually moving back ahead on a Que Morrison threepointer with 1:24 to play to make it 38-35. That would turn into a 9-0 Georgia run to end the quarter and give the Bulldogs a 42-35 lead.

Auburn would get as close as seven points late in the fourth quarter, but Georgia pulled away at the free-throw line late to secure the victory.

Mackenzie Engram led Georgia with 22 points and eight rebounds, and Taja Cole added 10 points and seven boards.

Auburn returns home to host archrival Alabama on Sunday at 4 p.m. CST.

lifestyle

11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

VALENTINE’S DAY

Cakeitecture bakery prepares for Valentine’s Day

By COURTNEY SCHELL Lifestyle Writer

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, local bakeries are getting ready to fill their shops with heart-shaped cookies covered in pink and red frosting.

Cakeitecture, an Auburn bakery located in the heart of downtown near Skybar Cafe, is preparing for this love-filled holiday in an unusual way.

Cakeitecture not only offers the usual heart cookies and lovethemed items, they are also offering classes leading up to the holiday and one on Valentine’s Day. “People can come and learn how we do things specifically to try and replicate at home,” said Carie Tindill, owner and lead Cakeitect. “We’re going to give them a couple tools. It’s a threehour class, so it will be pretty intensive.”

The classes offered by Cakeitecture were so popular that they sold out in less than a week and are completely booked as of now.

Cakeitecture works closely with their dearest neighbor, Toomer’s Drugs, for Valentine’s Day. “They normally get our big Aubie face cookies, but during Valentine’s, we do the ‘I heart Aubie’ ones for them,” Tindill said. “Our business doesn’t go up, but it does tend to be very Valentine’s Day focused.”

With the bakery being a small local business and only a total of four employees working

there, there is only so much Cakeitecture can offer. Despite their size, they do not let it hinder their business – instead creating an intimate feel for the customers.

“There’s a point where you have to cut it off because you start sacrificing quality,” Tindill said. “Quality is always going to be better than quantity. We are not known for being cheap, so we want to make sure everything is done exactly right.”

It is completely up to the customer to decide how many cookies they would like. Everything is done from scratch so it is all customizable.

Customer’s orders vary from small orders with two cookies all the way to orders that consist of over a hundred cookies.

“We are the only licensed bakery and have a 3-D printer inhouse, so we are the only people who have the capacity to do the Aubie face cookies, and we make our own cutters as well,” Tindill said.

Because Cakeitecture is so specialized, each client must call ahead to place an order.

Customers cannot walk in and buy items on the spot.

On top of their impressive bakery in Auburn, Tindill and Cookie Executive Officer Kelly Oslick were featured on Food Network’s “Cake Wars” that aired in August 2016.

“It was really stressful and really fun,” Oslick said. “It was in a real studio in Hollywood, so it was exciting in that way and very stressful to be filmed while you

TRAVEL

FILE PHOTO

Carie Tindill, owner of Cakeitecture, works on decorating Aubie cake pops in Auburn, Ala. on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.

are working and to be timed.

Tindill and Oslick did not win but enjoyed their experience on “Cake Wars.” Cakeitecture is always showing off their skills and abilities in the Auburn community, but “Cake Wars” allowed them to broaden their network and display their artwork to the world.

“I love how I have the ability to be creative here,” Oslick said. “A lot of orders are different, and I have an art degree, so I can use that here. It is different from work that you know what exactly you what you are going to be doing every day.”

VIA CAKEITECTURE

VIA AUBURN ABROAD

STUDENT AFFAIRS S P OT L I G H T

Why you should study abroad

By MOLLY STEWART Lifestyle Writer

In class, everyone fantasizes about being on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean, skiing down a mountain in the Swiss Alps or maybe even getting lost in the streets of Barcelona.

Turning those fantasies into reality is easy with Auburn Abroad, which has Study Abroad 101 sessions every Thursday at 3 p.m. and Friday at 11 a.m. in 242 Foy Hall.

Through Auburn Abroad, students have traveled to every continent, including Antarctica. Even though the internet and social globalization have made the world considerably smaller, there are many reasons to leave home.

Auburn University students are greeted with an abundance of opportunities with programs for nearly every major and many minors. Through Auburn’s study abroad opportunities, the world will literally become your classroom.

“Anyone can travel, but being able to completely dive into another culture is something you can only do while studying abroad,” Auburn student Emilee Sprinkle said. “I learned to live like a local, and I loved every minute of it.”

Sprinkle said experiencing another culture can often be overwhelming. You will be abandoning everything you know while embracing the unknown.

“I’m not going to lie. I was scared, but that soon faded when I met my fellow peers and the professor that traveled with us,” Sprinkle said. “I met three of my best friends

by studying abroad, and it is a bond that will never be broken.”

College students are constantly applying for clubs, internships and jobs, but having a cultural experience from another country gives you a vital edge in applications.

“I have applied for multiple clubs here at Auburn and a job,” Auburn student Sally Mankins said. “During each interview, I was asked about my study abroad experience, and I firmly believe that was what set me apart from other students.”

Society is globalized now more than ever, so it is important for students to develop a diverse worldview by studying abroad. An international education helps promote a world where everyone can get along. Whether you are studying medicine, literature or economics, being able to think from a multi-national perspective will help you overcome everyday challenges and think up creative solutions.

“When I got back from Belize, I never saw the world as I did before,” Mankins said. “I was able to get out of my little bubble and realize that the world I live in is not as perfect as I thought it was.”

By studying abroad, students are able to see the world through someone else’s eyes and gain life-changing experiences that will alter the way they see the United States and even the people on Auburn’s campus.

These insights, on top of gaining lifelong friendships, the best memories and an adventure of self-discovery, make study abroad programs an opportunity too good to pass up.

Campus Food Pantry, an initiative to aid Auburn University students struggling with food insecurity, is now open. The food pantry is located in the Auburn University Student Center and provides nonperishable food items and toiletries to any currently enrolled Auburn student. For additional information or to access the Campus Food Pantry, please email auburncares@auburn.edu or call 334-844-1305.

auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

@AuburnStudents

facebook.com/AuburnStudents

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Auburn Students

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

The Auburn Plainsman

COLUMN

PAGE 12 SOCIAL

Finding ‘fur’ ever friends

By MOLLY STEWART Lifestyle Writer

INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR

Selena Gomez has more followers than any other Instagram account, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

Pause before you follow How social media affects us and why were should use it with caution

By CAROLINE KRUZA Lifestyle Writer

How many vacations have you wasted making sure a picture or a post was perfect? Or better yet, how many times have you compared your lifestyle to someone else’s? I’ll let you in on a secret: it is not your fault.

Originally, social media was intended to be a way for people to connect with one another. There was never a challenge to collect “friends” or “followers.” There was never a competition to gain the most likes or reactions.

But these competitions have always existed in the real world.

People portray themselves as people with the most friends and strive for praise from people they want to impress, and most of us are guilty of it. The social issues people have battled with for generations have taken on a new form inside a five-inch screen.

It seems to be human nature to seek out someone to follow or an idea to worship.

“Conformity is a natural and normal part of social interaction that is beneficial to social relationships,” Seth Gitter, a lecturer from Auburn University’s department of psychology, said. “But in the past, you could only conform to those people who were geographically near you. You’d gravitate toward wanting to be like the most popular kids in school or town rather than some celebrity.”

The argument that social media brings with it a more informed community and an easier way to share ideas is also apparent. Social media users have the world at their fingertips and can find information with just a single click.

Rather than this positively charged way of searching, social media users are instead tailoring a message they want to hear, creating what is called an “echo trap.” The concept of editing the message we want to hear can be empowering, but it’s not what we use it for in our day-to-day lives. Instead of simply clicking unfollow, we choose to follow more and more people we do not know to reinforce our ideas and fulfill our wants.

“Social media only worsens this as people further restrict their social networks to only those people that they agree with,” Gitter said. “This relates to a concept in psychology called the confir-

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mation bias in which people seek to confirm their beliefs but are generally very unwilling to question their own beliefs, even when presented with information that clearly shows they are incorrect.”

Every like, reaction and comment contribute to the new normal for an innate following culture that the world has recently defined. While social media was intended to enhance interpersonal connections among friends and communities, the argument stands that it has created a façade of connecting to a world we are not a part of.

For many users of various social media platforms, using social media outlets comes with an unfortunate side effect: Social Media Anxiety Disorder. This disorder is generally related to social anxiety, the third largest psychological disorder – following alcoholism and depression. This unfortunate occurrence can feel debilitating to be a part of and can cause a person to feel inadequate or depressed.

Now the question stands: How should this issue be addressed?

“If you find that you are experiencing a lot of distress as a result of following people on social media, the first thing to do would be to try to reduce the amount of time you spend doing that,” Gitter said. “At first, it will not be easy. It can be very difficult to break strong habits. But as time passes, you will probably start to find other ways to fill up your time and find that you are much the better for it.”

With all the negativity that social media has the potential to bring, we as a whole should see that if we change our ways, we can repurpose it to the good it was intended to bring us.

Facebook was designed to keep the world connected when reality can have us living far apart from the ones we love. Instagram was a way for the world to get the opportunity to share pictures that show special moments in our lives. Messaging friends and sending Snapschats can fulfill a need for those who are isolated to participate in human connection. News can spread faster than it ever has in human history because of how connected we all have the ability to be.

When crossing the street, you are taught to stop, look and listen. Well reader, to make sure that the internet stays a form of positivity in your life, I am going to ask you to stop, pause and then follow.

The “OG Auburn Dogspotting” GroupMe is taking the campus by storm.

The count on the chat is currently 1,630 people. This community of dog lovers has come together to send pictures of their fur babies, ask one another for advice and help other dog owners.

Many students cannot bring their own dog to college, so they satisfy their love of pets through this GroupMe. They cling to the pictures sent because they do not have their own dog to greet them when they get home after a long day.

People do not only join this GroupMe for the uplifting pictures of dogs. They also help local animals find forever homes.

When Ivy Graves was asked if this GroupMe has aided her in finding help for dogs, she said, “100 percent, yes.”

“If we need to find a foster, we always put it in the group chat, and within an hour someone in the chat has found someone who is gracious enough to foster,” Graves said.

Through this GroupMe, members have become fosters, rescued dogs off the side of the road and adopted their best friend.

Friendships also form between these dog lovers. Graves said she met one of her best friends through the GroupMe. “There were a bunch of people in the GroupMe who were trying to rescue a couple animals in the shelter,” Graves said. “We were able to rescue those babies, but after that we stayed in touch through the rescue group and eventually started hanging out as friends.”

Another member of the GroupMe, Gabe Atkinson, had a very successful doggy date that was conducted with a fellow member. Through this, he and his dog, Zydeco, made a new friend.

“We met outside one of the dorms, I can’t remember which one, but it was near the Arboretum and let the dogs play,” Atkinson said. “We then walked around the Arboretum letting our dogs sniff and play. It was 45 minutes to an hour, and it was just chill and fun.”

The creator of the GroupMe, Reign Parker, said she never knew it would grow to what it is now.

“I honestly started it my sophomore year with like 10 of my friends because we wanted a place to send cute pictures of dogs,” Parker said.

Through this GroupMe, members can brag by sending pictures of their fur babies, help rescue dogs in need and make forever friends.

1/16/18

1/16/18

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Apple Store display 5 Centipede developer Level: 10 Farm digs 2 legend for Level: 131Tennis 1 2whom a 3“Courage 4 Award” 3 4is named Complete the grid 14 French upper so each row, Complete the gridcolumn house so eachand row, column boxbar 153-by-3 Hershey and (in 3-by-3 box bold borders) 16 *Tony Hawk (in contains bold borders) every digit, legwear contains 1 to every 9. Fordigit, strategies 18 Helps out 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Unpretentious on Sudoku, how19 to solve visit www.

Sudoku, 20 visitTurned www. it down sudoku.org.uk sudoku.org.uk 22 Nadal’s SOLUTION SOLUTION TO TO birthplace MONDAY’S PUZZLE MONDAY’S 23PUZZLE Snatch, as a toy?

24 Composer Franck 26 Luggage attachments 29 Soak up the sun 32 Blue Grotto resort 34 Boy king 35 “That’s gross!”

36 *Stick in the snow © 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by 38 Premier __: wine Tribune Agency. Group.

All rightsDistributed reserved. by © 2018Content The Mepham designation Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

39 Word before watch or window 40 Signs away 41 Israeli politician Barak 42 Nurses, as a drink 44 Chills out 47 “No harm done” 49 Waited nervously, perhaps 52 Wheat protein 53 Tree with durable wood 55 Fellas 56 *Drawing needs 59 Inauguration words 60 Dairy mascot 61 Canal completed in 1825 62 Belly dance muscles 63 Kennel cries 64 “Hairspray” mom DOWN 1 British side 2 Words on a help desk sign

3 Ring leader?

4 Reversal of fortune 5 Trees of the species Populus tremula 6 “Eat Drink Man Woman” drink 7 Former Texas governor Richards 8 “Midnight Cowboy” con man 9 Delivery room cry 10 *Medicated dermal strip 11 Fuss 12 Cen. components 15 1978 Peace co-Nobelist 17 Tahari of fashion 21 Many a lowbudget flick 23 Decorator’s choice 25 Corrosive liquid 27 Expert 28 Drywall support 29 Spill catchers 30 Smoothie berry 31 *Military chaplains

33 Sit for a snap 36 Hurry along 37 Creator of Randle McMurphy and Chief Bromden 41 Search dogs’ target ... and a phonetic hint to the answers to starred clues 43 Flatten 45 Garage units

46 Dash dial 48 A high-top hides it 50 Hallmark.com choice 51 Bumped off 52 Snatch 54 On the Pacific 55 Showgirl’s accessory 57 Course for intl. students 58 Lead

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By C.C. Burnikel ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

01/25/18

01/25/18