iron bowl THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
2 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
IRON BOWL
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Auburn fans celebrate by rushing the field following Auburn football vs Alabama, on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Tigers win dramatic Iron Bowl, 48-45 By SUMNER MARTIN Assistant Sports Editor sports@theplainsman.com
Auburn continued to respond, again and again. The Tiger defense picked off Mac Jones twice, scoring two touchdowns, one of which went for 100 yards, and the offense, led by JaTarvious Whitlow, ran for 181 yards en route to a 48-45 upset victory over No. 5 Alabama inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night. Shaun Shivers scored on an 11-yard sweep, knocking off defenders and a helmet in his way, with 8:08 left to give Auburn its fifth and final lead of the game. Alabama then failed to convert on a late field goal that would have tied the game, when Joseph Bulovas knocked the attempt off the left upright, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. “Obviously, a big win for us. So proud of our team,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “When you look at this whole season, we knew it was going to be a gauntlet. We played the toughest schedule in college football. Our guys
hung in there. At times it was tough, they never flinched. Going into this game, we felt like we had the better team. Give them credit, they’re a big-time team. Our guys hung in there.” On its final possession of the game, Auburn failed to get a first down, but the Crimson Tide was called for an illegal substitution, gifting Malzahn’s offense a game-clenching first down after the Tigers lined up for a punt on fourth down. Just as they did in 2013 and 2017, the Jordan-Hare faithful rushed the field when freshman quarterback Bo Nix took the final knee of the game, successfully eliminating Nick Saban and No. 5 Alabama from any more College Football Playoff discussions. The script was flipped for the 84th edition of the Iron Bowl. It was Auburn’s offense and Gus Malzahn’s play calling, not the defense, that came up big and won the game after not getting it done against Georgia just two weeks ago. Nix finished the game 15 of 30 for 173 yards passing and accounted for two touchdowns, one through the air to Sal Cannella and one with his feet for the first Auburn touchdown of the game. Whitlow led the team on the ground with 114 yards on 16 carries, but failed to find
the end zone. Eight different receivers caught a pass Saturday, and Seth Williams led the way with 66 yards receiving on three catches. “Our game plan was really good tonight,” Nix said. “When we’ve lost in the past, we’ve sputtered early in the game and found our way towards the end, but couldn’t finish. I feel that tonight, every drive we had led to an important field goal or touchdown, and it was huge.” Although the Auburn defense allowed 515 yards of total offense, it showed up when it needed to and turned those crucial turnovers into points. Smoke Monday and Zakoby McClain were responsible for the two interceptions returned for touchdowns. “Our defense had two touchdowns,” Malzahn said. “I mean huge touchdowns, momentum swings. I think Smoke Monday and then [Zakoby McClain] returned the one 100 yards. It was really unbelievable. The swings — it went back and forth. But just proud of our staff, proud of our players. We’re going to enjoy this win. We beat an excellent team, with excellent players and a really good coach.” Anders Carlson also had his best game of the season, hitting all four of his field-goal at-
tempts, one of which was from beyond 50 yards out just before halftime. “I have always been the same,” Carlson said of recent struggles and if he made any changes. “I did make minor adjustments, but I am confident in what I do. Sometimes it doesn’t go my way, but it’s a lesson I learn. I have to bounce back and keep going. Today paid off, but I am going to keep doing the same stuff.” Jones, who was starting in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa, was 26 of 39 for 335 yards and four touchdowns, but his two mistakes were big ones. Tide tailback Najee Harris ran for 146 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown. Alabama had made the first five College Football Playoff fields but is all but eliminated now with two losses to Auburn and LSU, which beat them in Bryant-Denny earlier this season. Auburn (9-3, 5-3 SEC) now has a chance to end the season with double digits in the win column for just the third time in the Gus Malzahn era. “First,” Britt said on where this win lands on his list. “We own the state now for 365 days. There is nothing better than that.”
opinion
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
OPINION
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
To those students who are Black at Auburn:
You are not alone Tigers have to protect their family By JOHN KOO Auburn Student
As AU Alert messages of missing people pop up on my phone, I sometimes don’t even know what to think. There was an international student, ChihKai Lai, and Aniah Blanchard. Events and tragedies like these simply do not happen in Auburn, Alabama. However, kidnappings and matters of sex trafficking seem to be plaguing college campuses all across the country. It’s sad to think that we live in a society this dangerous and filled with people who are capable of committing the most heinous crimes. But we also need to realize that reality instead of sweeping it aside. We say, “It won’t happen to me,” until it does. We said, “It won’t happen to us,” until it did. Just like anything on college campuses, one incident can very well start a domino effect for others. As a community, we cannot let that happen. Auburn, hold yourself and others accountable. As cliche as it sounds, do not go places alone. Share your location with close friends and make sure that your phone is always charged. Set up the numerous emergency features on your phones, smartwatches and apps. Inform others about where you are going. Hold and monitor your drinks downtown. Beyond all that, watch out for others. We are a campus of almost 30,000 people. Be aware of your surroundings, not only for yourself, but for the sake of helping others. Stand up against suspicious activity, especially if it means helping someone escape from a difficult situation. If a friend needs a ride or if someone is lost, spend ten minutes to help them out. Do the little things for people because if we don’t, no one else will. A small act of kindness could be the difference between you seeing them or not the next day. Through any adversity and any hardship, Tigers always protect family. My heart aches for the families of ChihKai and Aniah. I know that Auburn gave it their all in the searches for our missing Family members. I know that our University and our community are not the same without them. Auburn Family, the greatest weakness to individual evil is the positivity and love of a collective. For as long as I’ve known and been at Auburn, the Plains are not a place for evil. It is up to us to continue to fight against it. John Koo is a junior in business administration at Auburn University.
Dr. Ernest L. Gibson III Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of Africana Studies Dr. Martina P. McGhee Assistant Clinical Professor of Elementary Education Dr. Bridgett A. King Master of Public Administration Program Director Dr. Evelyn A. Hunter Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology Dr. Stacey C. Nickson Director, Center for Educational Outreach and Engagement Dr. Kimberly Mulligan COSAM, Assistant Dean of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Dawn Morgan Coordinator, Emerge at Auburn Leadership Programs Tajuan Sellars Coordinator, Admissions College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Melody Russell Assistant Department Head Curriculum and Teaching Dr. Cheryl D. Seals Professor of Computer Science & Software Engineering
act to be justifiable in a court of law and forgivable in the court of public opinion. This is how you execute this ritual, and how you execute blackness. They will tell you that since there was no body attached to that noose, there was no victim. But I know differently. And you know differently. ‘Cause we feel differently. They will forget that the object of the rope was never to just lynch the body, was never just to steal the life, but also to break the spirit of those who were to remain, to train them to move cautiously, to tiptoe in the day and to not move at all at night. They will tell you that they abhor such demonstrations of racism, all while saying this might not actually be related to race. And truthfully, while it might not be motivated by race, it is always related. But they will forget that you do not have the privilege of possibility. They will forget how vulnerable Black flesh and psyche and heart and humanity are to the touch or prospect of hate. They will forget how terror is inherited and reproduced, and how Black people do not have the luxury of waiting until they discover the intention or motive or person behind the act. They will forget how you might be hurting or bleeding or suffering at just the thought of it. They will forget the power of such a symbol, and how its power moves beyond its intention. They will forget that time is never on the side of Black folks, so even the thought of lynching must be taken seriously and immediately. They will forget the tenderness of your humanity. They will forget to tend to you — but I will not. I know this week might have stolen your joy and replaced it with terror. I know that you might be angry and afraid, enraged and broken. I know you might be struggling to be seen or heard or felt,
Guy Emerson Mount Assistant Professor of African American History Dr. Jakita O. Thomas Associate Professor of Computer Science & Software Engineering Dr. Julia S. Charles Assistant Professor of English Dr. Joan R. Harrell Diversity Coordinator; School of Communication and Journalism Dr. Nicole D. Linen Clinical Psychologist Auburn Athletics Austin McCoy Assistant Professor of History Dr. Adrienne Duke Associate Professor Extension Specialist Dr. Felicia Tuggle Assistant Professor of Social Work Sherrie Gilbert Lecturer; School of Communication and Journalism Stephanie Morawo, M.Ed Academic Advisor III
Garry Morgan, M.Ed Special Assistant for Inclusion and Diversity Education Dr. Jocelyn Vickers Director for Inclusion and Diversity Education Dr. Viviane Koua Senior Lecturer of French Co-director of Africana Studies Erin Hutchins Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator Office of Alumni Affairs Onikia Brown, PhD, RD Associate Professor Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management
FILE PHOTO
As a university in the American South, Auburn has a well-documented history of racial prejudice, injustice and segregation.
that you might grapple with whether you mean something to this place, which is still learning how best to hold your humanity. I know these types of situations are not easy, and I know you might feel alone. I want you to know that you are not alone in this world, on this campus or in this place. I want you to know that we, the under-signed Black faculty and staff at Auburn, see you in all of the beauty and complexity of your young human selves. I want you to know we ache with you in the same ways; we wrestle with the same horrors and fears and terrors; we are fighting alongside you to be seen and heard and felt. And more than anything else, I want you to know that we are here, we are here with and for you. If any of you need to talk, or need a space to process or vent or cry or laugh, please know you can reach out to any or all of us. Please know we are here for you beyond the classroom and the quads, beyond the academic and social spaces. We are a part of your community; we want you to come to us when you need us; we want you to know that we love you in all of the light and through all of the darkness here at Auburn University. With love and community,
Tiffany McBride Instructor; School of Communication and Journalism
Eric J. Hall Program Coordinator | Academic Excellence Program
Dr. Megan-Brette Hamilton Assistant Professor Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Dr. LaKami Baker Interim Executive Director and Associate Professor
Edward Reynolds Development Officer Office of Development Dr. Michael Brown Professor School of Kinesiology Dr. Bruce Mutsvairo Professor School of Communication and Journalism Dr. Venus Hewing Center for Educational Outreach Engagement
Duante Stanton Director of Development College of Education
Dr. Geoffrey Silvera Assistant Professor of Health Services Administration
Dr. Leonard Taylor, Jr. Assistant Professor Educational Foundations
Ellori White Area Coordinator University Housing
Benard Goins, M. Ed Coordinator of Greek Life
Dr. Lucretia Octavia Tripp Associate Professor Elementary Science Education Curriculum & Teaching
Angie Colvin Burque, Associate Clinical Professor Social Work
Jasmine Prince, M.Ed Assistant Director for Inclusive Excellence Initiatives
Robert Royston Associate Auditor Office of Audit, Compliance & Privacy
COLUMN
Dr. Christopher Wilburn Clinical Assistant Professor School of Kinesiology Dr. Cordelia M. Brown Director of Engineering Academic Excellence Program Dr. Chenetra Buchannon Instructor, Counseling Psychology Julian Oliver Program Coordinator, Office of Inclusion, Equity, & Diversity Dr. Gheni N. Platenburg Assistant Professor School of Communication and Journalism Dr. Marisha Speights Atkins Assistant Professor Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Dr. Garry Adams Associate Professor of Strategic Management Department of Management
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JACK WEST \ OPINION EDITOR
The Auburn Family has been rocked by multiple cases of missing persons in the last few months.
Something resembling a noose was found on the evening of Nov 20., in a public space, here at Auburn University. Campus Safety responded quickly, denounced racial intolerance/insensitivity and started an investigation. The suspect was found. But there are people who will not see you, your hurt or your humanity in this moment. They will tell you lynchings were isolated, somewhat random acts of vigilante justice. They will not tell you that lynchings were ritual — rituals so woven into the American fabric that they would be remembered, passed down and echoed in different iterations. This will be heavy … but there is history, and there is order to these rituals: Find a rope strong enough to hold the heaviest of Black bodies. Locate a place that is as hidden as it is public, and make sure it is spacious enough to cradle an excessive amount of hate. Find a tree unwilling to bow under the weight of Black humanity; one that can bear the pain of repetition. Gather a community. Round up both the distinguished and nondescript people of the town. Tell them their presence is requested to witness the staging of anti-blackness. Tell them to bring their children, for violence must be learned early if it hopes to have a legacy. Choose a victim, but mislabel him or her as a criminal first. Perfect a knot. Tie it tight enough that it won’t allow air to pass through human flesh, tight enough to steal life from a person fighting to still breathe or love or pray. Keep the body suspended or on fire for an extended period of time. The goal of the lynching is not to break the body — it is to kill the spirit. Make memorabilia of this violence and hate, and create a narrative which allows the
She Burns it down: an editor’s farewell to Auburn By MIKAYLA BURNS Managing Editor
I had no intention to come to Auburn, and I certainly didn’t intend to truly love it. I didn’t have that spark for Auburn. My first year here, I felt like I was just observing others find their place while I coasted, switched majors and desperately tried to keep my grades up. It wasn’t until I found The Auburn Plainsman that I truly felt like I had a home on the Plains. Auburn is about finding a family — even when it’s one that you may not want or think you need at first. But
eventually, you find a nook. You may find it at football games, a club or Greek life. And now I know there is nothing I would change about my time at Auburn, thanks to The Plainsman. This paper allowed me to see the University and City in a way I hadn’t before. Even though I’ve experienced the good and the ugly that comes with being a journalist in a college town, I know there is nothing that this community can’t do. The writers and editors I have worked under, with and for are the best and continue to push me to do better. My skills as an editor wouldn’t be
the same without you all. Each special section and broadsheet I designed only got better because I was supported and challenged by people I care about. The only advice I have for my friends and coworkers is to challenge yourselves like you challenged me. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for The Plainsman. Our weekly stress to publish always ended with a pride I had never felt before. When I look back at my time at Auburn, I will always think of this paper. I will think of the faces of editors as we finally published each week. I will see the stacks of papers lining the newsroom walls and editors’ heads popping
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When I look back at my time at Auburn, I will always think of this paper.
up when they’ve been called. I will remember the excitement of being in print for the first time, being on the front for the first time and eventually seeing my designs printed. Thank you to The Plainsman staff – you’re all amazing. Thank you for loving this paper as much as I do.
Thank you to the Plainsman alumni for getting us to this point. Thank you to future staff for continuing our legacy. I believe in The Auburn Plainsman, and I sure as hell love it. Mikayla Burns is a graduating senior in journalism and Spanish (and we love her).
campus
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
CAMPUS
ADMINISTRATION
TRANSPORTATION
Parking lots implement license plate recognition system By JORDAN BURKES Campus Writer
FILE PHOTO
A member on Auburn’s Board of Trustees suggested removing the word “interim” from Interim President Jay Gogue’s title.
Faculty discusses changing Gogue’s title By TIM NAIL Campus Reporter
Former University President Steven Leath’s resignation in June continues to be cloudy in its rationale to this day. Now it’s up in the air whether his replacement, Jay Gogue, is “interim” president or a former president who happens to be “interim” — a talking point that has some faculty scratching their heads. An Auburn University Senate Open Forum was hosted on Dec. 3 to address Gogue’s status following a proposal raised at a Nov. 22 Board of Trustees meeting to drop the word “interim” from his title. Charles McCrary, chair of the trustees’ executive committee, suggested the removal of the designation, which would lead to Gogue becoming both 18th and 20th president of the University. According to an email by the University Senate Executive Committee, Gogue was “amenable” to the idea, but wanted faculty support before the decision to revise the title was made. Approval from those in attendance at the forum was mixed, with many uncertain as to what the change would mean for determining a future president. “We are positive about our communication with the Board of Trustees [and are] very optimistic we will perform a good search,” said Nedret Billor, who serves as chair of the University Senate. Reasons behind the potential move came from Wayne Smith, president pro tempore of the Board of Trustees, and were outlined in a
presentation shown to faculty. Among them were factors such as the hope that the position change would lead to “stronger communication with the Alabama legislature” as well as Gogue’s “wisdom and selfless service well documented as an advocate for the University community.” Some fully backed the idea, such as employees of the School of Kinesiology, where a 22-0 vote favored the proposal. Another supportive group was the Auburn chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “During Gogue’s previous tenure as University president, we believe that he served with the utmost professionalism,” a chapter member said, speaking on the association’s behalf. “The president of the Auburn chapter of AAUP overwhelmingly supports the proposal.” Nevertheless, other faculty senators expressed aversion to the concept. Michael Fogle, an associate professor in physics who represents the department, believes the idea is unwise despite some of the justifications given. “If you take a poll in here, probably very few people know who signed their diploma,” he said, arguing against one motive that declared students wouldn’t want an “interim” president signing theirs. “I don’t believe this is in the best interest of the University given our strategic plan.” Some questioned the nature of the idea — “Is this standard procedure?” “Does taking ‘interim’ out change how long Gogue will be with us?” They received answers of “no.” Per Conner Bailey, alumni professor of rural sociology, McCrary provided Gogue both five-year and threeyear contract offers to be president, which he re-
jected in favor of a new hire in that time. Other members of the senate and forum expressed curiosity at the circumstances surrounding Gogue’s place as president. Michael Baginski, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and former chair of the University Senate, asked that the Board specify how long Gogue’s contract as interim president will last in its next meeting. “I don’t know one person who didn’t welcome [Gogue] with open arms,” Baginski said, who was not as opposed to the designation proposal. “He was sort of the great peacemaker.” A few senators brought forth opinions about periods when a new president might be hired, such as Karley Riffe, assistant professor in the College of Education, who suggested fall 2022 to fall 2023. Some weren’t as lenient, like James Hanson, professor and chair of the physics department. “The Board needs to recognize that we need to move forward,” Hanson said to participants in the forum. “It’s time to move on; the Board should make plans to hire a new president by fall 2020.” The search for a new president would be at least a 12-month process, and as such, the Board of Trustees intends to conduct a “full and open presidential search with 12-months’ notice to the University community,” Billor said. Input from the faculty and other stakeholders of the University will be passed on to the Board of Trustees to be discussed at its Feb. 7, 2020 meeting, according to the email promoting the forum.
The Lowder parking lot and the library parking deck will be implementing new technology to help monitor where people are parking. A license plate recognition system will be put at the entrances of the two lots. It will record license plates as vehicles enter the two locations and as they exit. It will then send a notification to parking services when someone who doesn’t have a pass for that particular area enters it. Parking Services can then write up tickets from their offices and send them electronically. “The advantage of the Fixed License Plate Recognition is that we don’t have to be there,” said Don Andrae, director of transportation services. “We don’t have enough people enforcing (parking violations). Contrary to popular belief, we only have six people out enforcing. It’s very difficult to enforce parking for the entire campus with only six people.” The infrastructure of this new system has already been started, and hopes are that it will be finished by the spring semester of 2020, though Andrae said it will still need to be tested. According to Andrae, the new system should be in full use by fall 2020. Andrae said the new system costs about $73,000 total, with the four cameras, connection and software costing $43,000 and the setup and utilities costing around $30,000. The cameras and system will be placed inside metal poles so that they can’t be tampered with or disturbed. According to Andrae, parking services is handing out about 175 tickets every day. With the new system, he believes they will be distributing between 225 to 250 a day. This means that the system will pay for itself in about ten days. “What we hope happens is that the License Plate Recognition increases student compliance and that the number of tickets we write goes down,” Andrae said. “The goal is never to write more tickets. The goal is to write less tickets because people are doing what they are supposed to be doing.”
SGA
Senate considers reducing number of concourse campaigners By TIM NAIL Campus Reporter
The question “Have you voted?” is an often-heard phrase as election seasons roll around at the University, whether it’s from campaign staff for Student Government Association candidates, Miss Homecoming hopefuls or aspiring Miss Auburns. Yet for some, it’s also a source of annoyance walking down concourses during these times and a concern SGA looks to address at the start of the spring semester. A bill was discussed at the final SGA Senate meeting of the fall semester on Dec. 2, that would set guidelines on how many staff can occupy concourse campaign locations during elections. According to the legislation, up to 10 people per candidate can promote their campaign in a given area, but, if passed, the bill would see this number reduced to eight. The legislation was introduced to the floor by Hope Ward, senior in public relations, the current senator for the College of Liberal Arts and SGA code of laws chair. “Lauren Urban, [SGA executive] director of elections, came to me, and we’re really working on being mindful of people on the concourse that don’t feel so passionately about
campaigns,” Ward said. “Clearly, the people involved want to be out there and get their name out, but we also understand that there’s some students who don’t particularly mind not being as involved.” Ward said that while not all students are uninterested in voting in elections, for some, enthusiastic campaign staff can prove to be interrupting or distracting to fellow students trying to get to classes. “[We want to] make sure that it is an opening and welcoming environment and that that week is not stressful for people,” she said. “We don’t want them to feel like they have to avoid normal walks to class or feel like they’re being bombarded or feel like they have to answer to these people that are out there.” Monday night’s draft of the bill pertained specifically to Haley Concourse, which Ward said can see some of the highest activity during election weeks. While senators were in support of its passing, there was division on whether it should be tabled until the next senate because of how it might suit other walkways not considered in Ward and Urban’s writing of the initial version. “[On] the points that were brought up about the other concourses, me and Lauren would have to work on making sure that there is a place to
FILE PHOTO
A bill from SGA could limit the number of promoters each campaign can have in one area to 8.
clearly mark off a line that you can’t cross over,” Ward said. “I know a lot of bikes go down Thach Concourse very quickly.” In the past, Ward says campaign staff have been notified that they are not to cross onto the red bricks on concourses as not to obstruct the path. This is not a rule that exists in the current form of SGA’s campaign packet outlining election rules, however.
As such, SGA cannot file violations for this, which is something Ward and Urban intend to change should the bill be passed next semester. One other policy the bill will seek to adjust is the time at which campaign staff begin their post on concourse locations. At present, campaigners are required to show up at 5 a.m., but the legislation would move it to a more reasonable 6:30
a.m., when more students arrive on campus and facilities like the Student Center open. “Some of the campaign staff would spend the night before voting day out there,” Ward said. “We wanted to ensure safety for those people and didn’t want them hanging out so long.” Ward and Urban’s bill will be brought to the floor again at the next SGA senate meeting on Jan. 13, 2020.
Official Auburn Ring Recipients FALL 2019 JAMES ACORD SAMANTHA ADAMS AVERY AGOSTINELLI ARI ALEXANDER MORGAN ALEXANDER CHRISTINA ALIBOZEK ASHLEIGH ALLISON JOSHUA ALLSUP MICHELLE ALLSUP GUNNAR ALMQUIST ERIKA ALONZO NATALIE ALVAREZ KENYA ANDREWS MATTHEW ARCARA NICK ARCARA BLAKE ARMSTRONG SARAH ASBERRY MORGAN AUTERY RACHEL BAILEY ANDERSON BAKER CLAIRE BAKER NANCY BAKER AMANDA BALLOUK KEVIN BANGERT DALTON BARBER JULIA BARROSO MICAH BARTLETT MICHAEL BAUER EMILY BAUMSTARK DAVID BEAL RAVEN BEASLEY HUDSON BEATY BETHANY BECK BRAYAN BELLO KATHERINE BENSON AMY BENTON SAVANNAH BETHANE ANTHONY BISHOP DYLAN BISHOP KAYLA BLACK ALEXANDRA BLAKLEY BAILEY BLAZE CORA BLUE ERIN BLYTHE BENJAMIN BOEHLE MORGAN BOES CAMERON BOLAND OLIVIA BOLTON KAYLA BOND LAKEN BOONE LAUREN BOONE SIERRA BOSTICK CATHERINE BOSWELL DARREN BOWDEN CATHERINE BOWMAN KRISTIN BRADFORD CONNOR BRANTLEY RACHEL BREECE WILL BRETT KARSTIN BREWIS AUSTIN BRIDGES FLEMMING BROOKS CHANDLER BROWN DERRICK BROWN MARY BROWN MEREDITH BRYANT KATHERINE BUCHANAN LUCAS BUCHANAN CHRISTOPHER BURGER ALEX BURNETT MEREDITH BURNS TAYLOR BURNS CHRISTINA BUSH MORGANNE CAMPBELL SALVATORE CANNELLA BETHANY CARLSON KRIS CARNAHAN AMANDA CARPENTER BRIDGET CASEY THOMAS CASEY MOLLY CASSIDY BROOK CAUDILL MURPHY CHAMBLISS DANIEL CHAMPION ELLA CHANCELLOR TERRENCE CHANDLER LINDA CHHOR ROBERT CHILDERS KRISTINE CHIN-LAI TANNER CHISARI AMY CLARK EMILY CLARK JAMIE CLARK CHRISTOPHER CLEMONS DRAKE CLEVELAND JOSEPH CLEVELAND JACK COATES KRISTEN COLE JAYLA COLEMAN MARISSA COLEMAN LAUREN COLVERT CAROLINE COLVIN LONA CONNER CALEB COOK CAITLYN COOPER WELLSLEY COPELAN NATHAN CORNUTT CHRISTOPHER CORY SELENA COTTLE
CHERI COUCH SHELBY COX THOMAS COX LAURA CRAFT SCOTT CRAIG VICTORIA CRAWFORD DYLAN CREAMER BENJAMIN CREEL JESSICA CRIM LOUANN CROSBY TRAVIS CROWELL MATTHEW CUMELLA ANNA CUMMINGS HANNAH CURRIE SARAH CZAICKI LISA DANLEY ALLISON DAVIS CHRISTOPHER DAVIS JON DAVIS LYNDSEY DAVIS REBEKAH DAVIS ADRIAN DAY GRACIE DAY MACKENZIE DEAL SARAH DEFALCO TRISTAN DELGADO ERICA DEMPSEY OLIVIA DICHIARA AUSTIN DIEMONT ALLISON DIXON ASHLEY DODSON VICTORIA DONTEN LAUREN DRAKE MALLORY DRUASH DARBY DUBOSE LONG DUONG JOHN DUSSLING KAREITH DYCE LOGAN EASTERLING WILLIAM EASTERWOOD SYDNEY EDMUNDSON MARY EDWARDS NATALIE EICHORN PEYTON ELLIOTT ALLISON ELROD LEA ETHERIDGE SARAH ETHERTON LESLIE EVANS CONNOR EWING MICHAEL EZELL BROOK FARRELL ANNABELLE FARROW KELLY FAULKNER LAUREN FAULKNER DAHLIN FIELDS AUSTIN FINLEY RAEANN FOLDS HANNA FORD MEGAN FOSHEE SAVANAH FOWLER LINDSEY FRANKLIN BENJAMIN FRANTZ ETHAN FREEMAN JESSICA FREEMAN CATHERINE FRUIN MELISSA FULLER KELSEY FUTRAL ALEXANDRA GACHMAN PATRICK GARNER MATTHEW GARNETT SHELBY GAUDETTE ALEXANDER GERBEL ASHTON GIBSON HANNAH GILBERT ARIN GILSON ADAM GLOVER MEREDITH GOERGEN DOLAN GOLDEN DYLAN GOLDHAGEN COREY GOOD KENNEDY GOODEN LAURA GRAHAM NOAH GREEN SEAN GRIFFIN ANDREW GUAZZERATTI MADISON GUERRA ROBERT GULLEDGE GRACIE HAAS HANNAH HAIDERER HOLLAN HALL WILLIAM HALL III IVY HAMILTON MORGAN HAMLER GREYSON HAMMOCK HERBERT HAND MADISON HANEY KATHERINE HANSON SADIE HARDCASTLE DAVID HARDENBERGH SIERRA HARDWICK AMANDA HARMON MADISON HARRELSON WILSON HARRIS TORI HEALEY GRACE HEFLIN WILLIMAM HEIDT NICHOLAS HEMBREE WILLIAM HENDRIX
SARAH HENRY MIA HERRERA MARLIS HERRICK HALEY HICKMAN SARAH HICKS RYAN HIGHTOWER LEAH HILDRETH ANNA HILL DANIEL HILSON ZACHARY HOCK TAYLOR HOFF LINDSEY HOGAN RACHEL HOLLINGSWORTH EMMA HOLMES CARRIE HOLT HANNAH HORNSBY OLIVIA HORNSBY TAYLOR HOTTEL ADDISON HOWE HOPE HUDGINS MADISON HUGHES WILLIAM HUGHES KATHERINE INMAR RACHEL JACKSON EVONNE JAECKLE MADELYN JAMES MEGAN JETER AMANDA JOHNSON AMANDA JOHNSON BLAKE JOHNSON CAITLIN JOHNSON ISAAC JOHNSON KENDALL JOHNSON CONNOR JONES DYLAN JONES HOUSTON JONES ZACHARY JONES MADELINE JORY SHELBY JULIEN AISLYN JUSTICE WILLIAM KEISER MEGAN KILGORE KYLEE KIMBROUGH ALLISON KING JADA KING BRENDAN KNAPP CARLIE KNUTH DANIEL KOIFMAN JORDAN KRAMER TIMOTHY KRING MEAGAN KYNARD ANITA LAGREE PRESTON LAMB STETSON LAMB ALLISON LAMBERT ANNE LANDAU LAUREN LANEY MARIAH LANGAN EMILY LAWSON CHRISTINA LECROY ASHTON LEDDON ROBERT LEE EISA LEONARD SARAH LEVINE ANDREW LEWIS HALEY LEYENDECKER ZHENAN LI SAMANTHA LIGHTLE SARA LINTON YIXUAN LIU SARAH LOGAN KELLY LONG SAMANTHA LONG HALEY LORIMER HANNAH LOUIK KATIE LOVE POWERS LUCAS ALEXIS LUGO JULIANNE LYN KATHERINE LYNN MAIA MACDONALD MORGAN MADDOX CAROLINE MALONE RYAN MALONEY ANTHONY MARINO HANNAH MARLETTE DEIDRA MARQUES LANEY MARTIN CAMERON MARTINEZ MARISSA MARTINEZ STEPHEN MARTORE HEATHER MASHBURN MADISON MATTHEWS PATRISHA MATTHEWS KELSEY MAZE RAMSEY MCATEE RUSLAN MCCAIN CLAIRE MCCARTHY SAMANTHA MCCURDY BILLY MCDONALD MATTHEW MCGAHEE MARY MCLAUGHLIN RACHEAL MCLEAN LYDIA MCMULLEN WES MEGGINSON KRISTIE MEISSNER KASSANDRA MENTLICK DAVID MERRITT
SHELBY MEYER JON MILANOWSKI KATIE MILBRANDT ALEXANDRIA MILLER ANNA MILLER MARIA MILLER RACHEL MILLER WILL MILLER AMANDA MILNER COURTNEY MITCHELL KAYLEN MITCHELL RYLEIGH MITRIONE BRENDAN MOHLER JOHN MONROE CALEB MONTGOMERY CONNOR MOORE DARBY MOORE TATOM MOORE EMMA MORRIS BAILEY MORTON NORMA MOTT CHLOE MULHEARNE REBECCA MULHOLLAND SIENA MUNZ JUDE MUSALLAM EMILY MUSSELMAN JENSAN NAPPER DALTON NELSON COLLEEN NEMES HANNAH NESMITH JAKE NETTIE BRITTANY NETTLES ELIJAH NEWCOMB ALYSSA NIBLETT MERISA NILES KARLEE NIPPER VIRGINIA NISBET MALLORY NYLEN CLAIRE O’BRIEN ASHLYNN ODOM CATHERINE ODOM KAM OLIN BAILLIE PADDEN JOSEPH PALMER SARAH PAPPAS ISHAN PATEL MADISON PATRICK ASHLEIGH PAYNE JAMES PEARSON JUSTUS PERRY HALEY PETERS JANE PHILLIPS MADELINE PHILLIPS SAMANTHA PHILLIPS SHELBY PHILLIPS SUZANNA PICKERING ZAC PIKE EMMA PINCHEON JONATHAN PINKAS TAYLOR PITKUS CAROLINE POWELL MALONE POWELL SARAH POWELL EMILY POWERS BETHANY PRESLEY ANNA PRESSLEY PAIGE PRUET ANNA PUGH LOGAN RADCLIFF HALEY RADFORD ADDISON RAINS SAVANNA RANDLE VEDICA RANKIN KYLE RAY ABBEY REDDICK ABBY REDMON ELIZABETH REDMON BRIANNA REELS KYLEE REID SHELBY REID AURA REYNA EMMA RHONEMUS LAUREN RICH LOGAN RIDGEWAY MADISON RIGGINS GABRIELLE RIPA JORDAN RIPPELMEYER GRANT ROBERTSON HUNTER ROGERS SARAH ROLAND RACHEL ROSS MAGGIE ROWELL BENJAMIN RUSH CURTIS RUSSELL II EMMA RYGIEL KATHERINE SALVATORE KYLE SANDERS KYLIE SARGENT EMILY SASSANO PATTON SCALES ELLEN SCARBOROUGH SAMUEL SCARBOROUGH MEGAN SCHABERG TAYLOR SCHWARZ GAVIN SELF-POOLE ROBERT SETTLEMYER RACHEL SEWELL XIN SHA SARA SHECKELLS
MATTHEW SHEERIN SYDNEY SIMS HAYLEE SINGLETON LAUREN SISTRUNK AVERY SKINNER KATELYN SLEAR NATALIE SLONEKER STEVEN SMELLEY ABIGAIL SMITH AUSTIN SMITH BONNIE SMITH DEAN SMITH JORDAN SMITH KARLEE SMITH PAUL SMITH SARAH SMITH WILLIAM SMITH CONNOR SORRELLS TUCKER SPARKS DANIELLE SPIKER ALEXANDRA STEEGE SARAH STEPHENS SHELBY STEPHENS DAVID STEWART ANNA STINSON ELLIE STRAIT KATRINA STRAND JOSH STRICKLAND MONICA SUERO TRENT SUTTON HARRISON SVRCEK ASHLEY SWINDLE CATHERINE TALKINGTON JACOB TALLEY ALEXANDRA TAYLOR AUSTIN TAYLOR JILLIAN TAYLOR MADYSON TAYLOR SARA TAYLOR AMANDA TEIXEIRA SHENANDOAH TERRY HELAINA THEOS BAILEY THOMAS CHRISTOPHER THOMAS RUSSELL THOMAS HANNAH THOMPSON MARANDA THOMPSON TYLER THOMPSON MADISON THORNTON NOAH TODD SARA TODD MCKENNA TRAMMELL EDWARD TRAVELSTEAD REBEKAH TRAYLOR MICHELLE TUGGLE LAUREN TURNER ADRIAN TURRISI TAYLOR TYSON INGA TYTLER HANNA UHLFELDER JAYDEN VALDERRAMA HAYDEN VANDERHEIDEN GRAYDON VANDEVER CALI VAUGHN REAGAN VERDI ALEC VICK MARY VINSON SARAH WALDREP DANIEL WALLER DARDEN WALTON STACEY WALTON BOYONG WANG HOPE WARD MEGAN WARD MALLIE WARDRUP ROBERT WARRICK MEGAN WATERS JACOB WATFORD MEREDITH WATHEN SIERRA WATSON LAURA WEAVER MAGGIE WEBB HANNAH WELLBAUM EMMA WELLS AMANDA WENZEL CASEY WHITE REBEKAH WIECZOREK REAGAN WIGINTON EMILY WILBER HOPE WILKEN HANNAH WILKERSON GRANT WILLIAMS HANNAH WILLIAMS RACHEL WILLIAMS KALEIGH WILLIAMSON WILL WILSON MASON WOODARD ANNA WOODHOUSE CIDNEY WOODSON MARY WOOLEY ABIGAIL WRIGHT ANNA WRIGHT PRESTON WRIGHT BAILEY YAMSHAK ANDREW YARBROUGH LEANNA YEVAK SOPHIA ZAVALETA
community THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
COMMUNITY
ATHLETICS
MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
Diversified Maintenance is the company in charge of cleaning up Toomer’s Corner and Samford Lawn after gameday victories.
‘It’s going to take us more than one day’ The multi-day cleanup at Toomer’s Corner puts Saturday’s win in perspective By EVAN MEALINS Assistant Community Editor
The kick is up. It tails left, and — doink — bangs off the upright. Fans in downtown bars jump and yell and high five each other. Auburn has the ball. Now it’s fourth down: illegal substitution, Alabama. Doors downtown burst open like a broken-down dam and fans stream onto the street toward Toomer’s Corner. Auburn is in victory formation. The ball is snapped to Nix, and he takes a knee. One fan looks up at the towering oaks, and the first roll of toilet paper is thrown. This was the scene Saturday night in downtown Auburn. Thousands of other fans would heave rolls of toilet paper until early the next morning, maybe more than any other time this season. And Sunday morning, someone had to clean it up. “It’s going to take us more than one day to get [all the toilet paper],” said Nevous Gibbs, district manager for Diversified Mainte-
nance, on Sunday afternoon, looking around at all the paper that still had to be picked up. Auburn University contracts Diversified Maintenance to clean up Samford Lawn and Toomer’s Corner following an Auburn win. “On a regular game in the regular schedule, when they win, we’ll get it all done on that day,” Gibbs said. This is the first time in a while that the crew has had to come back a second day to finish picking up the paper. And if toilet paper cleanup time is used as a metric for the significance of a victory, Saturday’s win stands pretty tall, Gibbs said. The multi-day cleanup following the 2019 Iron Bowl win places it in a pantheon of other recent exceptional Auburn wins; Gibbs, who has worked for Diversified Maintenance for six years, recalled that the 2013 Iron Bowl — the one that featured the famous “Kick Six” — took multiple days, and the crew had to stay until Wednesday cleaning up the toilet paper. The only other time he remembered having to come back for multiple days to clean
up toilet paper was after the men’s basketball team’s victory over Kentucky to advance to the Final Four last season. Diversified Maintenance also cleans up the toilet paper following wins in other sports. The company sent a crew to Toomer’s Corner following the equestrian team’s national championship win in April 2019, Gibbs said. Even after a football or basketball loss, Gibbs said they’ll send someone to drive by and see if the trees have been rolled to decide if they may need to send a crew to tidy up. Work begins early for the cleanup crew. They normally show up at about 5 a.m. on the Sunday after a Saturday football game, and, depending on the amount of paper there is, will leave sometime that evening or night. Sunday afternoon, the crew was using trash grabbers and rakes to gather the toilet paper that was on the ground. The toilet paper in the trees was sprayed down with a hose. “We’re just overseeing this whole area,” Gibbs said, motioning to Samford Lawn. “Anything over back toward [the rest of cam-
pus] or back by the McDonald’s, we’re not over that.” The crew finished the majority of cleanup by about 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, only raking up the last bits of toilet paper that lie on Samford Lawn. While the amount of toilet paper thrown lengthened the cleanup time, the rain that came early Sunday morning didn’t do them any favors. “It really made it harder when it rained,” Gibbs said. “Some of it’s trying to dry up at the moment, so hopefully we can pull out the blowers and blow it all into one little pile.” Gibbs is from Montgomery, Alabama. He’s a graduate of Alabama State University, and now he calls himself an Auburn fan. But he’s conflicted. “Every time I watch it, it’s not even about the game anymore,” Gibbs said. “It’s about, if they win, I’ve got to be out here in the morning; if they lose, I don’t.” But he said he’s still happy for the team. “It’s a good thing though,” Gibbs said. “They’re winning. They won.”
GOVERNMENT
Student housing top focus at Tuesday’s City Council meeting By CORY BLACKMON Community Reporter
Student housing was a recurring theme at this week’s City Council meeting, as Council members made several decisions based on the Student Housing Task Force’s findings from their yearlong inquiry. “Last November of ‘18, not long after that, we established the Student Housing Task Force that has been evaluating, discussing and debating the subject of student housing in our community,” said Mayor Ron Anders. During that time, City staff worked on a comprehensive inventory to discover how many housing units and, more specifically, beds, were being utilized in the City, Anders said. “What we learned through this is that we have a large number of beds ... We believe that number can be anywhere around 37,000 beds for students,” Anders said. “There are some in this room who would argue that that number is even greater than that, but we believe that it is at least that.”
During the Committee of the Whole, Anders said that with the results of the study and the news of Auburn University’s plans to cap enrollment at about 25,000 undergraduate students and 5,000 graduate students, it is time for the City to make some determinations. “All in all, it is my opinion that we are over-subscribed for student-housing beds in our community,” Anders said. “And it’s time for the Council, after a year of study, debate, discussion, that we determine whether this is something that we should make a change in.” Anders proposed that the Council ask City Manager Jim Buston and other City staff to write up a new ordinance that would put a temporary halt to the building and development of all student-housing projects to give the City time to determine how to move forward. “There is an overabundance of student beds in our market, or soon will be,” Buston said. “So for a short period of time, a 90-day window, we would ask that no additional student beds be built to give us and the Council time to come up with potential remedies.” The City is still building at a rate that as-
sumed the University would continue to grow at a rate of 500 students per year. This ordinance would allow the City to re-evaluate how student housing should be handled with the new enrollment cap in mind, Buston said. City staff have been discussing many of the issues that the mayor noted for some time now, and they have already come up with some ideas about new policies the City could create to fit this growth, Buston said. Ultimately, the Council agreed to submit the request to City services to write up the new ordinance, though some Council members expressed concerns. Specifics of the ordinance have not yet been determined. However, City staff indicated developments already underway, like Uncommon Auburn and 320 West Mag, will likely be grandfathered in, so the development halt would not apply. Council member Tommy Dawson asked that the City keep legal professionals involved to ensure that everything would be written up following correct legal procedures. Council member Brett Smith said he wanted
to make sure that the final document would be clear to ensure the stability of the Auburn community and its economy. During the Council’s regular meeting, the Council also voted on the conditional use approval of a private dormitory on Armstrong Street in the Urban Neighborhood South zoning district. Planning Director Forrest Cotten said the property residentially allows for “just about anything but a private dorm” to be constructed in that zone. This resolution was tabled at the Council’s Nov. 5, meeting to give City staff and developers more time to talk to residents and try to find a plan everyone liked. The Council denied the conditional use request. The developer of this property is allowed to resubmit a request after a waiting period to build another private dormitory. “There were some discussions on what it would take to be deemed townhouses,” Cotten said. “If they turned around tomorrow with the townhouse plan that meets the requirements for a townhouse, it’s permitted by right.”
EDUCATION
STEM school and museum use creative educational methods By FIELDER HAGAN Community Writer
A new learning experience for children and families in the Auburn-Opelika community is on its way. AO Discover! is a nonprofit children’s museum and science center that will offer numerous interactive exhibits meant to help children explore and understand the STEM and art fields. In connection with AO Discover! is the new Auburn Day School, a school that focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. AO Discover! introduces children to many scientific concepts like
building structures, solving problems, exploring force through simple machines, programming a robot and identifying constellations, said Katie Murrah, CEO and director of AO Discover! and Auburn Day School. AO Discover! plans to partner with Auburn University and other educational institutions in the area to have a far-reaching positive impact on the community. “The AO Discover! team is looking forward to partnering with area schools to offer field trip experiences that support pacing for math and science in kindergarten through fifth grade,” Murrah said. AO Discover! also introduc-
es young brains to ideas like making art, creating a 3D landscape, acting on stage and entering a virtual world. Many pop-up events and community days will be held to help families make connections, explore STEM topics and view the science behind specific businesses or fields. At Auburn Day School, classes will be taught using problem-based instruction, which encourages students to think critically, use precise language, make connections and persist after failure, Murrah said. “Early childhood is the perfect time to introduce children to scientific thinking and to encourage them to use STEM skills to un-
derstand the world around them,” Murrah said. The curriculum will be designed around broad, month-long concepts such as perspectives, change, patterns and cause and effect, which will help students develop connections using different fields of study. During an average day at Auburn Day School, children will receive instruction about science, technology, engineering, mathematics, language and arts — all in a hands-on learning environment, Murrah said. “Auburn Day School is creating an unmatched STEM learning environment for our youngest students,” Murrah said. All students at the day school will
also have access to AO Discover! for STEM lessons that further explain the concepts taught in class. STEM camps will be held during holiday and summer school breaks to enhance learning abilities in students ranging from 3 to 6 years old, elementary school students and middle school students, Murrah said. “We wanted to bring AO Discover!, East Alabama’s first children’s museum and science center, and the state’s first STEM preschool, Auburn Day School, to Auburn because the people of Auburn value high-quality education and learning opportunities for children and families,” Murrah said.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
The Auburn Plainsman
PAGE 7
ATHLETICS
The rise and fall of the Burn City Rollers By MY LY Community Writer
Although the contact sport known as roller derby has been around for decades, Auburn has not had an official team since 2013, following the sudden and unexpected ending of the Burn City Rollers. The Burn City Rollers were an Auburnbased roller derby team started by Carrie Wallis Holzmeister in 2009. Holzmeister was teaching English at Auburn University at the time. Holzmeister, known as Cho Cold to her team, was inspired by other roller derby teams to start a league in Auburn. Roller derby is a contact sport played between two teams of five players on roller skates. “I first became interested in roller derby while reading an article in USA Today about the resurgence in its popularity in the U.S.,” Holzmeister said. At the time, others seemed to think the idea was far-fetched. “It was kind of a whim, but I told my boss, my coworkers and my husband that I was going to start a roller derby league so I could play,” Holzmeister said. “They all kind of laughed at me, but I actually made it happen.” In Auburn, there was not an obvious demand for a female-based sports team, especially for such a hands-on sport. So she had to implement some creative marketing techniques. “I founded the league in September of 2008 by sticking a bunch of flyers that I drew myself in bathroom stalls in Auburn bars,” Holzmeister said. “I can’t recall exactly how many people showed up to that first interest meeting, but it was more than I expected, and I instantly found a community that I didn’t realize I was lacking in Auburn.” The Rollers played against teams from
across the Southeast and practiced at the Skate Center in Auburn. The Rollers taught team member Zipporah Bonney, known to her teammates as the Voluptuous Vixen, a lot about herself. “My Burn City Rollers experience was one of my favorite and best memories of my derby career,” Bonney said. “It was the first time I had been a part of a team that taught me so much about myself and my skills. The teamwork and respect from my teammates was unmatched by any other team I’ve been on in the last ten years.” Over time, the team was no longer able to pay their rent at the skating rink where they practiced. The Burn City Rollers officially came to an end when they played their final match on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. “I don’t know the ins and outs of what went down that lead to the league dissolving,” Holzmeister said. “But I do know that when I was the sole name on the league’s LLC, I was not doing a very good job of running the business side of the league.” Holzmeister didn’t want to be the person responsible for the business, but she did it so she could continue to play roller derby, she said. “There were months when we couldn’t have paid our rent to the roller rink if I hadn’t put a bunch of my own money into the league’s bank account,” Holzmeister said. “So it really was a labor of love, and I didn’t do it any favors to make it sustainable. So, even though it made me really sad to hear that such a huge part of my life was ending forever, I completely understood. It was not easy to have a weird, niche sport trying to survive financially in a small college town where football is king.” Holzmeister was an active member in the league for two seasons until she became pregnant with her first child and officially retired in 2012.
HOUSING
COLE TANGYE / PHOTOGRAPHER
Auburn residents post signs in their yards to speak out against short-term rental properties.
Planning Commission needs more time to discuss rentals By ELIZABETH HURLEY Community Editor
After a year’s worth of work from the Short-Term Rental Task Force, an ordinance to regulate them now sits with the Planning Commission, though a vote is not possible until February at the earliest. Tuesday afternoon, the commission held a public work session where City staff presented the proposed short-term rental ordinance, which was created by the task force and City staff. This ordinance looks to regulate shortterm housing stays like Airbnb and VRBO. After an hour and a half of discussion among City staff and commission members, the group concluded they needed more time to discuss short-term rentals. Another workshop session was tentatively scheduled for Jan. 14, 2020, at 4 p.m. “There are some major points to ponder,” said Planning Director Forrest Cotten to the Planning Commission during the meeting. The proposed ordinance, as it stands now, defines three types of residencies in Auburn, including a homestay, permanent residence and short term non-primary rental. The task force and City staff defined these types. A permanent residence is defined as a dwelling unit occupied by the same individuals for more than 180 consecutive days and is the usual place of return for housing. It is also the individuals’ documented housing address as noted in things like vehicle and voting registration. A homestay is where short-term rentals come into play. Homestays are defined as a type of home occupation where an individual that owns the dwelling and uses it as their permanent residence can hire out all or part of that residence for lodging. In the proposed ordinance, homestays would be allowed in all zones. However, the length of time the owner is not in residence is limited based on whether the zone uses the family definition. The family definition is written into the City’s zoning ordinance and establishes whether two or five unrelated occupants
are allowed to stay in a residence. In those zones allowing two unrelated occupants, there would be a limit of 60 days a year when the owner is not in residence. All other zones that allow up to five unrelated occupants are allowed up to 120 days, about 4 months, when the owner is not in residence. “If you’re in one of the family-restricted districts, you could rent it up to 60 days a year when you’re not present,” Cotten told The Plainsman after the meeting. “The other 300 days a year, you could still rent it. You would have to be present.” A short term non-primary rental is a residence that is not permanent. As the ordinance stands, these are only permitted in urban neighborhood, urban core and corridor redevelopment zones, which are all zones closest to Auburn University’s campus. The entire property is leased to one party for periods of less than 30 days in a short term non-primary rental. These are permitted for 240 days, or about 8 months, each year. “There is no magic number [of days] for these,” Cotten said to the Planning Commission. “It’s really just based on what the particular author thinks is appropriate in increment or degree of reasonableness.” Though no changes or decisions were made about the ordinance as it stands, the commission can still make changes at their next workshop. Several commission members noted there are still things in the ordinance they would like to discuss. Since the family definition is used several times in the short-term rentals ordinance, some commission members expressed interest in revisiting the City’s definition of a family in the zoning ordinance. Because the next work session is tentatively scheduled for the second full week of January, the earliest the ordinance could come before the commission to vote on would be at their Feb. 13, meeting. The next step for this ordinance, if the commission approves any version, is a vote from the City Council.
CONTRIBUTED BY CARRIE WALLIS HOLZMEISTER
The Burn City Rollers competed in various competitions around the Southeast.
A former member of the Burn City Rollers, Kristin Cobb, known by her derby name Rojo Wrecksy, played in the league for about two years. She said the league offically disbanded becasue they couldn’t afford to pay the roller rink for private practice space. “We tried to play in Columbus a few times and then move to Columbus,” Cobb said. “But then another group started their own league in there, and they eventually turned into a seperate team. A few Burn City Rollers ended up joining that team or moved away.” Despite the bittersweet ending of the Burn City Rollers, many past members still speak highly of their time playing for the team and the lifelong friendships they made during that time.
Holzmeister still practices roller derby and considers herself a lifelong member, regardless of the end of her team. She now teaches English in Maryland at Goucher College. Bonney is still involved in roller derby and plays with a new team known as the Tragic City Rollers. Cobb no longer participates in roller derby but still considers herself a lifelong member. Holzmeister said she hopes someone will bring roller derby back to Auburn. Many of the other former members have all expressed interest in roller derby returning to Auburn and spoke about the importance of a sport that empowers women of all shapes and sizes.
lifestyle
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
LIFESTYLE
FOOD
COLE TANGYE / PHOTOGRAPHER
Dumps Like a Truck moves from location on North Donahue Drive to downtown Auburn.
Dumps Like a Truck moves to downtown location By CAROLINE RICE Lifestyle Writer
The popular storefront of the local food truck Dumps Like A Truck is set to move locations in early 2020. They are currently located on North Donahue Drive beside Goal Post and Insomnia and are relocating to downtown Auburn. Whitley Dykes, the owner of Dumps Like a Truck and Irritable Bao, said he hope to relocate in January. Because the architecture of the store has to be redone to fit a resturaunt, it could be as late as April. The location that Dumps Like A Truck will be in is what used to be the men’s clothing store called The Locker Room. “When this space opened in downtown Auburn, we felt like it was a gift from God,” Dykes said.
Dumps Like A Truck has been in their current location for one year. Within this time, the business quickly outgrew their space, he said. “A bigger space will allow me to be more connected with my customers,” Dykes said. “Here, I have to be behind the counter. In the new space, I will be able to fellowship with my customers better.” This new location will foster around 30 seats, inviting customers to linger and enjoy their food. Dykes also said that he wants students to feel like they can come to study in this new location as well. Because Dykes vision for this business has always been “very community driven,” he said this new location will better suit the open and welcoming environment that this unique restaurant has always wanted to attain.
A bigger space will also allow the business to expand its hours. “We are getting more help and a system is in place to make lines move faster,” he said. “As our team grows, we can make more food, and the hours will increase. We want to be open for dinner and even later for late night dumplings.” Dykes said that though the location of the storefront will be different, the vision doesn’t change. “We just want to spread the word about the need of others in the global community,” he said. “It’s not about the money for us. The more we make, the more we can give. We put all of our heart into giving to others.” There is also a possibility for opening new locations in the future. “We would have the same game plan and have people to work that would also want
to engage with the community,” Dykes said. “For a new location to come to fruition, a team of leaders with the same goal of giving back to others would be required.” Just as it is now, in addition to the permanent location, the food truck will still be running and open around the Auburn area. Some people in the Auburn community expect this new downtown location to be a hit. Virginia McCoy, a sophomore interior design student, is a regular at Dumps Like a Truck. “I definitely think Dumps Like a Truck will do really well in their new location,” McCoy said. “I know they are quickly outgrowing their current space, and I think their new location will better accommodate the thousands of customers who stop by each week. It will be the perfect addition to downtown.”
BUSINESS
Coffee shop donates portion of profits to MS foundation By EMERY LAY Lifestyle Writer
What was once Toomer’s Coffee has now become One Bike Coffee. The new owners have turned what was once a simple, small business into a way to give back to the community through charity organizations and efforts. A family-owned nonprofit located on the corner of Moores Mill Road at Hamilton Place, One Bike Coffee is just a quick 10– minute drive from campus. Townsend Kaak, a freshman in pre-business at Auburn and the daughter of One Bike’s owners, has been working at the coffee shop for two years since it opened in 2017. “It’s very chill, but also really friendly,” Townsend said. “I love everyone that works there- it’s like a little family.” In addition to the welcoming atmosphere, the owners of the shop have also decided to give a portion of their proceeds to a multiple sclerosis foundation, as one of the owners has MS, Kaak said. “One Bike is actually nonprofit. Once we pay our employees every month and pay off all of our stock items, we give everything to our foundation. It’s a foundation for multiple sclerosis”.
In a separate interview, Mrs. Amy Fisher, one of the owners at One Bike, said that a trip with her husband to do the Galveston 7.3, which is a half iron man, is what sent them home with the idea of One Bike in their hearts. The trip was sponsored by Meat Fight, a group using barbecues to buy bikes from people with MS. “When we left there to drive home, he (her husband) said, ‘I want to do something similar,’” she said. “We didn’t know what that looked like, and then the coffee shop came up for sale.” The shop’s goal from the beginning was to put all the proceeds back into the community. This is done through several different avenues, the main one being the One Bike Foundation, whose primary goal is to buy bikes for people living in the state of Alabama that have multiple sclerosis, she said. “For people that have MS, it’s important for them to keep moving, so that they can keep moving,” Fisher said. “In order to maintain their health, their number-one goal is to continually be active and exercising. The One Bike Foundation provides a means for people with multiple sclerosis to do that: a bike.” One Bike Coffee shop has found other ways to give back to the community, aside from their nonprofit business. Just two weekends
FILE PHOTO
Students study at One Bike Coffee shop in Auburn, Ala.
ago, Unity Wellness, an extension of East Alabama Medical Center focused on HIV Care and Counseling, hosted a race at Town Creek Park on World AIDS Awareness Day, where One Bike Coffee went and set up coffee for the participants. In addition to donating their services to
other organizations, the shop also offers a space for students looking for a quiet place to study or do homework, Fisher said. “There’s a room that’s got a table that will seat eight and a dry erase board. We have a lot of groups that will sign up to study back there.”
ALUMNI
Auburn grad works with New Zealand Space Program STAFF REPORT
CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Auburn alumnus Jonathan Mitchell.
After graduating from Auburn in 2013, Jonathon Mitchell left for a job in New Zealand, working as a policy advisor on the Space Policy Team of the New Zealand Space Agency. Working for a smaller government like the one in New Zealand, Mitchell can’t classify his job into one category. Some days he may focus on giving advice toward academic development and workshop policies, other times he works with the public and attempts to answer their questions about the space agency. “Briefing ministers on space issues has been really interesting,” said Mitchell in a response to Auburn University. “As you can imagine, they are very busy people so advice needs to be as clear and to the point as possible,
but without leaving anything out, it can be a tricky balance to get right. Recently, I got to write a briefing for the Prime Minister—it was fairly standard advice about a space related event she was attending and I don’t know if she was even able to read it; but it’s cool to have something you worked on used to inform decision makers at that level.” Growing up in New Zealand, Mitchell found himself applying to universities in America, specifically the Southeast, after visiting several times with his family. “After finishing high school in New Zealand, I looked at colleges in the Southeast where we had the most family connections,” Mitchell said. “On the advice of some family friends, I applied to Auburn and was accepted. The first time I visited campus was for Camp War Eagle.”
While attending Auburn, Mitchell settled on studying international business in order to gain specific skills that could help him later in life, such as critical thinking, public speaking and decisiveness. “Being able to take such varied subjects in history, Spanish, finance, economics and statistics was a lot more fun and turned out to develop a really useful toolbox of skills when it comes to working in public policy,” Mitchell said. Moving to the United States did bring some cultural differences, but Mitchell said there were people in his life that helped him feel more welcome. “Getting involved and making an effort to get to know people helped a lot,” Mitchell said. “I joined a campus ministry, RUF or Reformed University Fellowship, and spent a lot of time with
friends in their hometowns on breaks and long weekends. It was also a great excuse to travel—I got to see a lot of the states and even did a study abroad in Europe for a summer.” When he graduated from Auburn, Mitchell moved to Melbourne, Australia, to get his master’s degree. Afterwards, he moved to Wellington, New Zealand, where he received his job with the space agency. “The New Zealand government is relatively small, especially when compared to the U.S.,” Mitchell said. “This means that you get some pretty significant responsibility early in your career and have to learn fast. It’s one of the biggest challenges but also one of the most rewarding aspects because what you do has the potential to really make a difference.”
lifestyle THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
9 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
LIFESTYLE
ENTERTAINMENT
EDUARDO MEDINA / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Crown of Comedy, located on South College Street near Winn Dixie, becomes first comedy club in Auburn, Ala.
Auburn local creates comedy club to bring community together By ABIGAIL MURPHY Lifestyle Writer
Fagel O’Neal El, the owner of Crown of Comedy, feels everyone needs a good laugh, and Auburn has a new place to find that laughter. O’Neal El said after years of her and her family traveling around to see different comedy clubs, they wanted to set up a club closer to home. O’Neal El said before she opened up Crown of Comedy, she was in real estate and ran a staffing company that always kept her on the road between Auburn and Georgia. She decided opening up a comedy club would give her a break from the moving around and provide something new for the community, she said.
“With all that background and knowledge, you work so hard for other people, and it was just time for us to slow down and now put that same effort into ourselves and bring something to life that we could enjoy and share with others in the community,” O’Neal El said. O’Neal El said she is originally from Illinois, but her husband, Chris O’Neal El, is from Alabama and they raised their two sons in Auburn. Although her sons are in college now, she said she feels her family is connected to Auburn and wanted to give Auburn more variety in evening activities. O’Neal El said that for her, comedy is like a spiritual experience. “I just enjoy it because you feel cleansed after a good laughter,” she said.
O’Neal El said comedy gives people a reboot and brings people together. Even if everyone in the audience is different, they all have at least one thing in common—a smile, she said. O’Neal El said the name Crown of Comedy was something they came up with as a family. O’Neal El said it took a lot of trial and error, but they knew they wanted crown in the name because of the stature comedy can make people feel. After some tweaking, they settled on Crown of Comedy. “We all had the joy of making that selection, and it just seems to roll off the tongue,” she said. O’Neal El said she wants the comedy club to offer a variety of styles and genres. They are beginning their soft opening, she said. On Friday Nov. 29, at 7 p.m., they had four
comedians, Eugene, Charles Winston, Michael Statham and Earnie, performing a show. They also served some food to keep the Iron Bowl feel going while people are waiting and preparing for the game on Saturday. O’Neal El said as they open up the comedy club, they hope to continue making the space a livelier places and for the atmosphere to be enjoyable. She wants it to be a place where people can come in and be loud, be comfortable and have a good laugh. “We have been working very hard to pull this place together and to give it a different look and feel,” O’Neal El said. “We just hope we can welcome, not only the members of our community, but also our guest that seem to frequent here and provide something good for them to do and see.”
sports THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
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SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL
FOOTBALL
SEC fines AU $250K for rushing field By CALEB JONES Sports Writer
Auburn fans rushed the field following a 48-45 victory over instate rival Alabama on Saturday night, and it resulted in a fine of $250,000 to the University for violating the Southeastern Conference’s policy that prohibits fan access to the competition area. The fine will be deposited into the SEC’s Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund, according to a release from the Southeastern Conference regarding the topic.
Financial penalties were increased by the conference during the 2015 SEC Spring Meetings, and the penalties are as follows: first offense, fine of $50,000; second offense, fine of $100,000; third and subsequent offenses, fine of $250,000. This is the fourth time the University has been fined for rushing the “competition area,” with the last time being after the 2017 Iron Bowl in a 26-14 Auburn victory. Auburn was also fined after the 2013 Iron Bowl and the 2016 men’s basketball win over Kentucky.
FILE PHOTO
Auburn volleyball coach Rick Nold and the Tigers athletic department “mutualy agreed” to part ways Monday.
Nold out after 9 seasons By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE Sports Writer
Coming off a 7-22 season, Auburn and volleyball head coach Rick Nold have mutually agreed to part ways, Auburn athletic director Allen Greene announced Monday. “We are appreciative of Rick and his contributions to Auburn and its volleyball program the past nine years,” Greene said. “He has represented Auburn in a first-class manner and has impacted our student-athletes in a positive way.”
Nold and the Tigers were only able to win one game in the SEC, which came in their second matchup against Alabama where they defeated the Crimson Tide 3-0 on Saturday. The Tigers were swept in 12 of their 18 SEC matchups. Nold was Auburn’s head coach for nine seasons, leading it to an overall 127-139 record, which marks the second-most victories in program history. 2019 was Auburn’s third-worst season in the SEC, going 1-19 in 2008 and 0-16 in 2002 before go-
ing 1-17 this season. “I’ve enjoyed my time as the head coach at Auburn and appreciate the opportunity to lead the program over the last nine years,” Nold said. “Auburn is a very special place, and I will always treasure the relationships with the countless athletes, staff and fans that have been established.” Nold’s replacement hasn’t been announced. Auburn says it will begin the search immediately for a new head coach.
Worst SEC seasons in AU history • 0-16 (2002) • 1-19 (2008) • 1-17 (2019)
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JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Marlon Davidson (3) celebrates with a fan following Auburn Football’s defeat of Alabama, on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
FOOTBALL
5-star DT commits By LOGAN GLOVER Sports Writer
Auburn received good news on the Tuesday morning after its Iron Bowl victory. Five-star defensive tackle Lee Hunter from Blount High School in Eight Mile, Alabama, committed to the Tigers via social media. Hunter chose Auburn over Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Hunter is the No. 4 defen-
sive tackle and No. 28 overall recruit nationally according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Coming in at 6-foot-4 and 292 pounds, Hunter is a big recruiting win for Auburn. This is Auburn’s fourth commitment in the 2021 recruiting class and the first defensive lineman. He joins running back Armoni Goodwin, quarterback Aaron McLaughlin and athlete Brandon Perry.
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iron bowl THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
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IRON BOWL
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Anders Carlson (26) makes a 52-yard field goal with 1 second left on the first-half clock during Auburn vs. Alabama on Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala. Trevon Diggs (7) ran into Carlson after the play.
Behind Anders Carlson’s ‘whistle kick’ By JAKE WEESE Sports Reporter
As Auburn fans say, one second is sometimes all you need. In the 2019 edition of the Iron Bowl, Auburn just needed one second to make another momentum-changing play. This time, the play may not have been as theatrical as Chris Davis’s Kick Six return in 2013 but Anders Carlson’s 52-yard field goal helped Auburn turn the tides of momentum going into halftime. The “whistle kick,” as it was later referred to by Carlson, was the subject of controversy as it occurred on the field. The play was later explained by SEC Network rules analyst Matt Austin. “If there’s only two seconds or less, there’s only going to be one more play no matter what,” Austin said on an SEC Network segment. “You come up, you snap the ball, you’ve got to run a play. If you spike it, the game’s over. So, two seconds or less, we’ve got to run
a play. Three, you can try and spike it and try and get another play.” Auburn being allowed to attempt the 52yard field try was the correct call, according to Austin. “The officials did everything the right way,” Austin continued. “When they saw the receiver was down and it was a first down, they stopped the clock.” Austin did acknowledge that there is a human factor in stopping the clock with the officials and timekeeper needing to work together. This can result in sometimes an additional second or two either being taken off or added. While the officials looked at the replay to see if a second should be added back to the clock, Carlson was facing the prospects of his first 50-plus-yard field goal attempt of the year. During the 2018 season, Carlson struggled on 50-plus-yard field goal attempts, going 2-of-9 from that distance. On Saturday, Carlson’s 52-yard attempt was his first try in a game from that distance in over a year.
The redshirt sophomore was not discouraged by his previous lack of success from 50-plus-yards or the quick nature of the field goal attempt, as it was something that Auburn works on frequently. “I mean that’s something we practice so much,” Carlson said. “We call it whistle kick. We were ready for it, and I’m glad we got a chance.” Carlson was determined to attempt the kick, and while the refs watched the replay to see if the second should be added or not, he got his snapper and holder ready to go as the kick would need to be attempted as soon as the whistle was blown by the referee. “I just noticed the situation: no timeouts,” Carlson said. “I told my holder and snapper, ‘Get ready for whistle kick.’ It happened the way it did, the whole field goal unit was ready and we ran out there. And I don’t know what happened, a timeout or flag or whatever, but turned that we had some time just to talk through it as well and once that whistle was blown we snapped and did what we did.”
The “whistle kick” not only put another score on the board in a game ultimately won by 3 points, but the field goal make tied Auburn’s record for the longest field goal in Iron Bowl history — a record he now shares with his brother Daniel (2016) and Al Del Greco (1980). Following the 52-yard field goal make, Carlson finished the second half with fieldgoal makes from 43 yards and 44 yards. The sophomore kicker finished the game 4-for4 on the day and is the first kicker in college football this season to make four field goals in a single game from a distance of 40 yards or longer. Fans may see Carlson’s kick as a big swing of momentum to help Auburn defeat Alabama 48-45. The humble redshirt sophomore sees it as a small part of a much larger team victory. “I played a small part in this game,” Carlson said. “I did my job and the rest of the guys did their job, and man, it feels incredible coming out with a win.”
FOOTBALL
MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
Bo Nix (10) looks at the video board and gestures during Auburn vs. Alabama on Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Malzahn dupes Saban with ‘unfair’ formation By HARRISON TARR Sports Writer
Auburn’s Iron Bowl win on Saturday was highlighted by the occurrence of a one-second scoring play for the Tigers, and the Auburn faithful have certainly not allowed for Alabama head coach Nick Saban to forget about the incident. However, the one-second field goal drilled by Anders Carlson right before halftime is not what will go down as the game-winning moment for Gus Malzahn’s squad; rather, it will be a mental mistake made by the Alabama coaching staff in a critical moment. After stopping Auburn on third-
and-7, the Tide were in position to regain possession of the ball with under two minutes remaining on the game clock — until Malzahn pulled a play out of his bag of tricks, and caught Saban’s team off guard. The Tigers lined up on fourthand-4 with quarterback Bo Nix in the shotgun formation, giving the illusion that Auburn would either attempt to convert the fourth down, or try to draw the Alabama defensive line offsides. But there was another element of the play that only added to the visible confusion from the Crimson Tide sideline: punter Arryn Siposs lined up as a wide receiver. As Saban frantically attempt-
ed to substitute his players in accordance with the formation, Nix was ready to snap, and Alabama was flagged for a 12-men-on-thefield illegal substitution. It was Alabama’s 13th penalty of the game — a 5-yard flag — that allowed Auburn to gain the first down, which led to the Tigers entering victory formation, chalking up the 84th installment of the Iron Bowl up as a tally in the win column. It was a controversial ending to a high-stakes game that took criticism from Tide fans. Gus Malzahn said the design of the play was not to intentionally force Alabama into a penalty; rather, to keep star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from returning
a punt. “So, that’s how they had 12 guys on the field because we were going to go ahead and shift and we were going to have him punt it,” Malzahn said. “We were just trying to find ways to keep [Waddle] off the field in that moment.” Nick Saban was not reluctant to speak his thoughts on the matter, and the 13th-year head coach was less than happy about it. “I really feel it was an unfair play at the end of the game,” Saban said postgame. “They substituted a punter as a wide receiver, so we put the punt team in. I thought they should’ve given us a little more time to substitute and get Waddle out as a returner.”
Saban did, however, acknowledge that the penalty was the responsibility of the Tide coaching staff. “We’re responsible for that as coaches,” Saban said. “But it was a very unusual circumstance, to say the least. And I think sometimes when you have those, they should be viewed that way.” Despite all opinions, the Iron Bowl has been decided, and Auburn completed its season with a 9-3 record. The Tigers moved up to No. 11 in the College Football Playoff, while Alabama fell to No. 12. Auburn will await the announcement of its bowl placement on Sunday, Dec. 8.
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PATRICK JOSEPH SULLIVAN JANUARY 18, 1950 - DECEMBER 1, 2019
PAT SULLIVAN
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR, AU ATHLETICS, THE GLOMERATA