The Auburn Plainsman 8.31.2017

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

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SOFTBALL

Devastation in Houston Jessica Ballard STANDARDS EDITOR

A mother and father swam away from their home with two children with Down syndrome, a dog with only three legs and their pet pig. The family was rescued and then dropped off at a gas station.

Auburn student Jordan Trammell told this story of family friends back in her hometown, Houston. Trammell is a senior in human development and family studies and is from the Memorial area of Houston, west of downtown.

Trammell’s mom and dad stayed in their family home and even still had electricity throughout the storm. While the road their house is on was not flooded, the surrounding areas were, making it impossible for her parents to venture from their street. Other Auburn families based in Houston, however, had a different experience.

Spring, Texas, where Auburn interior design sophomore, Erin Sutter, is from, was almost completely under water. As Sutter attended the second week of classes in Auburn, her parents and younger brother braved the storm. Since their house stands on the highest ground in the area, they felt the best option was to stay.

Sutter said she kept in steady contact with her parents, who opened up their home to family friends who lost everything. As her parents helped people in the community using a friend’s boat to navigate the rising water, her younger brother’s school was used as a shelter where anyone in need could take shelter.

Schools, places of worship and convention centers in Houston, most notably the George R. Brown Convention Center, opened their doors for people displaced from their homes as the flood waters rose and entered their homes. Some evacuees left when water began to trickle in, and some left before they could see how their house would be affected.

“I’ve never been more proud to be an American,” Sutter said in response to the storm and people’s reactions. “I know it sounds cheesy, but seeing millions of people come together to help has been crazy.”

Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, set a record for the most rainfall in the continental U.S. from a single tropical storm at over 40 inches in most places and over 50 in some, according to The National Weather Service. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbot, called Harvey one of the largest disasters America has ever faced and said the region would not recover anytime soon.

The National Weather Service tweeted Sunday morning, “This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced.”

» See HURRICANE, 2

FILE PHOTO

Who knew what, when?

Then-assistant coach Corey Myers talks with then-head coach Clint Myers during a timeout during Auburn vs Georgia State on Sunday, March 6, 2017.

Players met with Athletics administrators for relief

Chip Brownlee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Several former and current Auburn softball players and some parents met repeatedly with University administrators in the spring and summer in an attempt to get relief from what they characterized as deliberate physical and mental abuse and inappropriate relationships between coaches and players.

The players and parents, including former walk-on relief pitcher Alexa Nemeth, met with administrators and laid out their concerns, only to receive responses that ranged from apathetic to “dismissive” and even threatening, Nemeth told The Plainsman in an exclusive interview.

“How the administration handled it is probably the worst part because if they were doing their job in the first place, really making sure their departments were being run by the Auburn Creed, these problems would not have to be faced by 18- to 23-year-old girls,” said Nemeth, in her only sit-down interview since ESPN first detailed her accusations.

Auburn Athletics officials were made aware of accusations against then-head

coach Clint Myers and his son, former associate head coach Corey Myers, at least as early as September 2016, when several team members filed anonymous ethics complaints against the younger Myers.

Those accusations and a subsequent investigation launched by the University accelerated when Nemeth filed a Title IX discrimination complaint with a University Title IX coordinator, Kelley Taylor, on May 31, which claimed that Clint Myers “knowingly let his son Corey Myers have relations and pursue relations” with at least three different members of the team.

In meetings with administrators since then, ranging from executive associate athletic director Meredith Jenkins to a sit-down with athletic director Jay Jacobs, Nemeth felt ignored. Jacobs was aware of the complaint but was almost totally “absent” after Nemeth went to him for help May 8, she said.

Since that first meeting, he has refused to meet with her again, Nemeth said.

Several meetings with Jenkins — who is also the senior women’s administrator and a deputy Title IX coordinator — were no better, Nemeth said. Nemeth met with Jenkins

on May 8, too, but since then their few interactions were rude and dismissive, as Nemeth characterized them.

Auburn’s softball program is now undergoing a comprehensive review as part of the lingering Title IX investigation into the alleged physical abuse, mental abuse and inappropriate sexual relationships.

In a statement issued to The Plainsman Tuesday, the University said the investigation has mostly concluded and “appropriate actions were taken” but officials are still deciding if “any unresolved issues remain.”

Efforts to reach the Myers, Jacobs and Jenkins for comment have been unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, Auburn President Steven Leath told ESPN that the University has hired Lightfoot, Franklin & White, a Birmingham-based high powered law firm, as outside counsel to get a third-party opinion on the allegations.

The news of the complaint came just days after Clint Myers abruptly retired, effective immediately. The quick end to his four-year career at Auburn and more than 40 years

» See SOFTBALL, 2

FOOTBALL

‘Healthy but fragile’: Fans asked not to roll Oaks Lily Jackson MANAGING EDITOR

The scorched earth around the new Toomer’s Oaks is coming back to life after a fire killed one of the trees last fall. Despite the healthy progress, the University has asked that Auburn fans refrain from rolling the two Auburn Oaks and several descendent trees this season.

University Planner Ben Burmeister said the team is very confident in the tree’s chances of being permanent, reliable installments.

To ensure the tree’s viability, Burmeister said, rolling will be postponed for an unknown amount of time.

After the fire overcame the tree on Sept. 25, 2016, members of the Auburn community and fans flooded the trees, stomping the flames out as swiftly as they could.

Jochen Wiest, a native to Germany, was accused of setting the tree ablaze and was released on bond and let go from his local job. He has since pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree criminal mischief.

The new tree was installed in February and if the public were to roll the newly placed Toomer’s Oaks and the descendant trees that line the sidewalk along Samford Lawn, the damage could result

FILE PHOTO

Aubie and members of the equestrian team throw toilet paper on a tree next to Biggin Hall as part of their National Championship celebration at Toomer’s Corner on April 26, 2016.

in stunted growth, Burmeister said.

The trunks of the trees that took the spots were 10-12 inches in width and came from a “well-respected” nursery in Florida. Burmeister said Florida provided a better variety of live Oaks than Georgia or Alabama.

Keeping the tradition and bringing two of the same kind of trees that were present before the poisoning was very important to the team, Burmeister said.

University arborist Alex Hedgepath said there has been a significant amount of leaf-drop, specifi-

cally on the College Street Oak because of too much rain and an inadequate amount of drainage time.

“We have had a higher than normal rain fall this season and that kind of takes away some of the control we have,” Hedgepath said.

The team has installed drip irri-

gation around both trees for when there is not enough water to sustain desirable health. Most of the time spent with the trees now is water management.

Hedgepath said there are mois-

» See OAKS, 2

news

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMPETITION

NEWS

HURRICANE » From 1

RACHEL ALLAIN / PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

A student looks out over Jordan-Hare Stadium from the Haley Center Eagle’s Nest on Friday, Aug. 2017, during The Plainsman’s “News With a View” event. Allain won The Plainsman’s photo competition with this photo.

SOFTBALL » From 1

coaching was a welcome development for Nemeth.

“I do not think that any man who turns a blind eye to sexual relations or anyone who is okay with mentally harassing anyone, especially young women, should be in a position of authority to do so,” Nemeth said.

Some reports suggested that Clint Myers had been offered a three-year contract extension until 2023.

The Athletics Department confirmed to The Plainsman Tuesday that he had not been given an extension.

The complaint, which has been obtained by The Plainsman, not only referred to Corey Myers’ relationships with several players, it also laid out a pattern of rampant mistreatment of players by their coaches, including physical punishment, harassment and mental abuse that “pushed players to the brink,” caused many players to leave the program and “crossed the line of acceptable coaching behavior.”

“Everyone that has left, for the most part, has been because of the coaching staff and the decisions that they made,” Nemeth said.

Some players were forced to return to practice just days after surgery before being appropriately released by a physician, according to the complaint; others were directed to use untreated hot and cold tubs that caused several players to develop pus-filled bumps the size of spider bites that later required medical treatment.

On top of alleging the coaches prided themselves on “making girls cry,” the complaint also highlights a culture of secrecy and punishment within the softball program that prevented other players from coming forward with similar complaints for fear of being ostracized.

“We know that there are many student-athletes that are fearful of coming forward because they believe they may lose their scholarship, place on the team or be retaliated against by the coaching staff,” Nemeth’s attorney, Martin Greenberg, wrote in the complaint.

Then-President Jay Gogue was more receptive of the complaints during a meeting on May

TOOMER’S » From 1

ture sensors in the soil that monitor the drainage.

Hedgepath said they are monitoring the nutrient levels and supplementing where certain nutrients are lacking. The management is done via Hedgepath’s computer.

By looking at a spreadsheet of data calculated by the sensors in the soil, Hedgepath knows which nutrient is needed and whether a slight water drip is necessary on a dry day.

Aside from the unexpected rain, root development has exceeded expectations, Hedgepath said. He said the roots that are forming at the moment are fibrous and can be damaged easily by people stepping around the bed of the tree.

“When I say fibrous, I mean they are millimeters in diameter — they’re tiny,” Hedgepath said. “There are lots of them, and if you impact those in the slightest you could break them.”

The trees are smaller than the original tree transplants that were installed after Harvey Updyke’s poisoning but are still very large live Oaks to be transported. Hedgepath said trees can go through what is called, “transplant shock,” and keeping external forces away from growth areas is wise.

“The trees are going to go through years of establishment,” Hedgepath said. “It’s gonna take a lot of time to get these trees comfortable and established.”

The decision to stay clear of the Toomer’s Oaks this season was not completely based upon the condition of the trees, but rather the future of

30 with Nemeth, her father and senior associate athletic director Bernard Hill, who was sent as a representative from the Athletics Department.

Nemeth said she “at least felt heard” but their concerns were directed back to the Athletics Department, where nothing was done about it.

Email exchanges provided to The Plainsman show Nemeth has set up meetings with Gogue, Jenkins and Jacobs.

Over the summer when Leath’s tenure began as president, Nemeth and her family began corresponding with him, too, and they believe that, thus far, he has been more proactive. But when Nemeth attempted to meet with him, a University lawyer shut it down, she said.

Nemeth said the University’s Title IX coordinator, Kelley Taylor, was more willing to listen and even seemed to be helping, but she was never told about or was excluded from several interactions with the team about the alleged abuse and harassment.

The concerns within the softball program rose to a fever pitch on the night of March 30 ahead of a road series that weekend against Georgia, when Jenkins “quarantined” the softball team for more than three hours over the allegations and talks that were making waves through the softball team, according to the complaint and the interview with Nemeth.

Some players were refusing to board the bus to the road series after discovering what they said was proof of misconduct.

The team was informed that Corey Myers would be resigning that day. In the press release from the Athletics Department that night, the younger Myers cited prioritizing his family as the main reason for stepping down from his position. He had previously taken a leave of absence in the fall, and, according to University records, was making over $100,000 a year by that point.

During the “quarantine” in the team room, neither Jenkins nor the head coach took the players’ concerns seriously, Nemeth said. Instead, Jenkins began threatening the players with possible arrest for illegally obtaining copies of text messages that were proof of an inappropriate relationship between Corey Myers and a member of the softball team.

their health.

Hedgepath said if rolling were to occur the chances of fans jumping the fence, stepping on the fibrous roots and possibly damaging the growth is too prominent of a risk.

The main Auburn Oaks will be surrounded with fencing and signage to inform fans of the new rolling procedures.

The 10 descendant trees, which were planted from acorns from the original 130-year-old oaks, will have signage as well.

“If those little six inch trees are still getting comfortable you can imagine the big oaks are going to need some time to get comfortable,” Hedgepath said.

In the spring, Hedgepath and his team performed a vertical mulching operation to reverse urban soil packing.

Using an Air Spade, the team pushed air into spaces around the roots to form pockets where water and nutrients can gather. Hedgepath said they responded very well to the treatment.

The trees that have been selected for rolling are structurally sound and will be ready for Saturday — if the Auburn Tigers are ready for them.

“I am not saying we would encourage abuse to [the rolling trees], but we believe the trees are tough enough to withstand rollings one quarter of the year,” Hedgepath said.

Hedgepath said rolling depends on a lot of different factors that are unpredictable at the moment, which is why the team is unable to say when rolling of the Toomer’s Oaks will resume.

Several members of the team broke down into tears, Nemeth said, and felt so scared that they deleted the picture of the text messages, which might not have been admissible in court but could have been used in Title IX hearings at the University where generally is no determination of legality of evidence.

“She (Jenkins) made all of us feel extremely bad about what happened even if we weren’t involved,” Nemeth said. “She almost made it out to be our problem that this happened and not the adults in charge.”

On top of the relationships Corey Myers was having with some members of the team, other players felt pressured to have “relations” with Corey Myers in order to get practice and playing time, the complaint alleges.

Nemeth, a former Auburn High School MVP who was invited to walk on in the summer by Corey Myers after attending a camp where he was coaching, said she was never sexually harassed by Corey Myers.

But when he left in the spring, nearly all of the coaches stopped talking to her and she still doesn’t know her status on the team. Clint Myers told her in May that she did not have a spot on the team this year.

She was told recently that she would need to try out again for the team even after being retroactively redshirted in July. She was removed from the team roster in early July.

Nemeth didn’t say if she would like to see more leadership changes in the Athletics Department, but said she would like the University to provide special mental-health and sexual-harassment counseling for the players on the team to “repair some of the bridges that have been burned.”

“I would like the outcome that would benefit all student athletes because, to me, it’s just very sad,” Nemeth said.

When Clint Myers retired on Aug. 23, Jacobs issued a glowing statement about him and his winning record.

“The foundation for ongoing success is here because of Coach Myers’ love of Auburn and his desire to see this program reach a level of success that it had never seen before,” Jacobs said at the time in a statement.

As of Wednesday Aug. 30, Texas officials had reported about 30 Harvey-related deaths, according to The New York Times.

Chika Asomugha, War Eagle Girl and senior in rehab services, said almost her entire family is back in Sugar Land, a suburb southwest of Houston.

“My home specifically is okay, but the area around it isn’t,” Asomugha said. “We have lakes in our neighborhood that are overflowed, so you can’t tell the difference between the street and the lake anymore.”

Asomugha’s family was well prepared for a fullon hurricane, so when Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm they were somewhat relieved, she said. Her family still has electricity and food, but a couple of days ago they didn’t.

“The actual hurricane wasn’t bad, it was what came after,” Asomugha said. “There was a tornado the next day that touched down maybe 10 or 15 minutes from my house, and then that came with the heavy rains. There are 26-ish inches of rain around my house. They’re okay, but last night a couple of people had to evacuate literally 10 minutes away from us, but my house didn’t have to.”

Regarding President Donald Trump’s reaction to the storm, Asomugha said it’s easy to point fingers in times of devastation but he may not be grasping the severity of the situation.

“I don’t think (Trump) understands the magnitude of what is going on, especially Houston being a very large city,” Asomugha said. “It’s really big, and it’s affecting all parts of Houston. ... I think he needs to do something soon or there are going to be a lot of people upset. Houston is home to a lot of oil and gas and agriculture.”

Trump signed a federal disaster proclamation over the weekend and visited Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, as the storm continued. During his time there, people gathered to hear him talk about the storm and relief efforts. The New York Times, reported that during his closing statement to the Texans he said, “What a crowd! what a turnout!”

Another Auburn student, Amanda Diamond, sophomore in public relations, is from a suburb northeast of Houston called Kingwood. Her parents, who evacuated to their lake house Tuesday, Aug. 28, don’t know the state of their house or her fathers law firm. Diamond, however, maintained a positive outlook.

“Houston is devastated right now, but Trump and the government have been awesome with the relief,” Diamond said. “I just think it’s awesome that they’re so giving to Houston while we’re hurting right now.”

As water from the lake they primarily live on rose, her parents made the decision to leave when electricity went out and running water was about to go out.

“We think the water will be by our house by tomorrow morning,” she said. “We have insurance, and my family is safe. That’s all that matters.”

Diamond said her parents even got to save the tortoise that lived in their back yard.

For Auburn students looking to help in a specific way, Auburn’s chapter of Lambda Sigma is collecting slightly used and clean t-shirts for the people in shelters in Texas.

“We are being coordinated by efforts with JJ Watts,” said Kay McClain, whose working with Lambda Sigma. “We will be collecting t-shirts on and off campus starting next week. We are currently identifying drop off locations for the t-shirts.”

Students can also donate to the Red Cross by texting HARVEY to 90999 to donate $10.

WHAT CAN AND CAN’T YOU ROLL?

Biggin Hall

Hargis Hall

Langdon Hall

Don’t roll Roll away CHIP BROWNLEE / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

opinion

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OPINION

OUR VIEW

Free speech isn’t enough on its own EDITORIAL STAFF FALL 2017

On Friday, the Office of Inclusion and Diversity will be kicking off its Critical Conversations speaker series, which will feature Cornel West and Robert George as the first speakers.

Their discussion, which will center on ideological differences and free speech on campuses, represents an active effort to come together — if not in ideology, then at least in the spirit we should debate our differences candidly.

Two conditions must be met to actualize this ideal: free speech and a respect toward dialogue.

Free speech on campuses has been scrutinized by many, with some arguing speech should end when someone’s emotional pain begins, others disregarding the emotional realm as if non-physical pain were wholly inconsequential and many stances scattered in between.

Debating what free speech means and whether it’s an ideal we should strive toward shouldn’t be condemned; nothing is too sacred to be shielded from evaluation.

We believe free speech is incredibly important and remains a vital element of our campus, but it’s paralyzed without a healthy respect for hearing out ideas that conflict with our own.

That shouldn’t be conflated with respecting people who advocate genocide or any other sort of horror; it only means we respect the reality we may be mistaken in our beliefs.

DARRELL NANCE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ROANOKE COLLEGE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

CORNEL WEST

ROBERT GEORGE

Moreover, it means we obey the imperative that flows from that reality — to seek out ways to prove ourselves wrong.

With all the sources of disagreement and mutual hostility we encounter in life, it’s important to find ways to engage with wellmeaning people who disagree with you.

In creating this series, Auburn University is fulfilling some of its most important duties as an institution of higher learning: promoting intellectual self-criticism and the expansion of our comfort zones.

Throughout the years, Auburn has hosted a range of speakers — ­­ comedians have made us laugh, provocateurs have angered us, authors have enlightened us.

But seldom have we had a University-facilitated engagement of opposing ideas.

The University should continue this type of series in the years to come.

Additionally, the University must make sure it accommodates students’ busy schedules when deciding when and where these events take place.

We encourage all students to attend as many of these talks as possible, even you have to put aside some other things.

HER VIEW

From a Plainswoman: 125 years is no stopping point Lily Jackson MANAGING EDITOR

With talk of “Family” around every street corner and hallway, it’s easy to forget that just 125 years ago women were welcomed to campus for the first time but asked to refrain from speaking in their co-ed lectures.

It’s time to remember, ladies and gents.

It’s easy to forget the three young women who marched up the steps of Samford Hall on Sept. 13, 1892, on their way to take entry exams that changed the course of Auburn history.

Despite their high marks, the women followed rules refraining from activities on campus aside from classes.

Once again, it’s time to remember.

Their triumphs are just that — triumphs.

They were huge steps, followed by egg-shell walking and settling for less than the greatest of all time.

It’s easy to forget Julia Tutwiler, the woman who stood before the University of Alabama board of trustees and spoke on behalf of women’s rights to higher education.

Her words exactly, painted beautifully in “Blossoms Amid The Deep Verdure: A Century of Women at Auburn 1892-1992” by Leah

Rawls Atkins, say it better than any. “...Big brother ‘grabbed the whole apple, and the little sister did not even get a bite,’” Tutwiler wrote in a letter to Auburn President William Broun. The letter was sent to the men she faced on the board as well.

Because of Kate Conway Broun, Willie Gertrude Little and Margaret Kate Teague, women are here.

Their persistence and effort got them a secluded study room in Samford Hall where they could stay between classes, but they paved the way for Jacqueline Keck to be president of Student Government Association, Elizabeth Huntley and Sarah Newton to be University trustees and Constance Rehlihan to be associate provost.

These women owe their successes to Kate Broun who looked up at Samford with “straight-forward gray eyes” and didn’t turn away for fear of failing or not being accepted.

These stories and more will be told this fall as the 125th Anniversary of Auburn Women sweeps over Auburn like a shadow of memory and hope for even more changes to come.

This anniversary isn’t a ribbon cutting for another overwhelming athletics purchase or

another engineering building.

It’s the celebration of an entire gender being given the right to a future in the working world.

It’s a celebration of the past but, more importantly, the future.

Those women didn’t wear raincoats for fear of skin showing and abide by restraining curfews for Auburn women to settle for two women on the Board of Trustees.

This anniversary should be an active reminder of the power women could have and should grasp firmly by the collar.

Events, speakers and strong, encouraging rhetoric will be thrown around in the next semester.

Ensuring that Auburn women, whether freshmen or fifth-years, harvest the natural gravity and strength is the goal.

Attending the events, meeting women and boosting them up is how Auburn women will become “Auburn Fast” and a “Family” we can really lean on.

Those in our history said we couldn’t do what we have done.

Our present continues to question us. An anniversary of this magnitude is nothing to

shrug at.

It’s proof that we did the impossible, and it’s ammunition to keep Auburn women moving upward.

“The Southern woman was expected to be quiet, self denying, and soft-spoken, a paragon of virtue who was protected by her man, be it father, brother, husband, or son,” wrote Atkins.

“Antebellum society was male-dominated, fathers were the heads of their households, and a wife’s duty was to obey.”

Women of Auburn and elsewhere, obey this: Stand with your fellow women as we celebrate the accomplishments made and the feats to come.

Listen to fellow women as they tell you to keep climbing and never get too comfortable.

The man pining for the job you deserve, won’t.

Join Auburn women as we look to the past and plan for our future together — stronger than ever before.

Lily Jackson is a part of the Women’s Leadership Institute and will be involved in the 125 Years of Auburn Women Celebration.

HIS VIEW

Alabama must expand its Community Corrections Program Weston Sims OPINIONS EDITOR

If Alabama were considered a country, it would have the fifth-highest incarceration rate in the world, according to a 2016 study by the Prison Policy Initiative.

Mandatory minimum sentencing laws, a lack of funding for noninstitutionalized care and draconian drug laws have pushed Alabama past countries like Syria, Iran and Cuba, cementing our position as a state of rampant servitude.

Minorities have been disproportionately affected, with African-Americans being imprisoned at a rate three times greater than whites despite only being 26 percent of the state’s population.

Alabama’s prisons are operating at 173 percent capacity — overcrowding that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of several inmates and guards in the past few years.

The situation has developed into an economic and moral disaster.

Change must be wrought, and quickly. One way to mitigate Alabama’s incarceration crisis is to invest in the Community Corrections Pro-

gram (CCP), a program designed to rehabilitate and reconnect convicted adults and adjudicated juveniles, all the while holding them accountable in the community through supervision.

Last summer, I interned in Randolph County and met Rebecca Farmer, Randolph County’s director of CCP. Having never heard of CCP, I sat down with her to discuss the program and the change in criminal justice philosophy it represents — how it’s slowly transforming the dominant and largely ineffective criminal justice philosophy of “Tough on Crime” into the more morally and economically sound “Smart on Crime.”

CCP first came to Alabama in 1991. To be eligible for the program, the convicted person must be a nonviolent offender; many participants have been convicted of crimes like DUIs and minor drug offenses.

Too often, people fall into drug abuse because of a lack of connection in their lives.

A pillar of CCP is to help participants build a life that isn’t worth losing to drug addiction, to build connections in the community.

To do this, the program helps participants by

THE EDITORIAL BOARD CHIP BROWNLEE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LILY JACKSON MANAGING EDITOR JESSICA BALLARD STANDARDS EDITOR WESTON SIMS OPINION EDITOR

LOREN KIMMEL CAMPUS EDITOR SAM WILLOUGHBY COMMUNITY EDITOR WILL SAHLIE SPORTS EDITOR

NATHAN KING ASSISTANT SPORTS MADISON OGLETREE PHOTO ANNE DAWSON LIFESTYLE GANNON PADGETT VIDEO

utilizing evidence-based programs that include helping participants earn a GED, helping them get a driver’s license, offering classes in financial literacy and more.

Instead of expecting formerly incarcerated individuals to immediately become reconnected to their communities upon release, the program offers continued opportunities to reconnect throughout their sentence.

Many inmates find themselves imprisoned because of a foundational lack of purpose.

Tethering them to their communities is an excellent way to fill that void.

By giving participants a chance to reconstruct their lives in their communities, the program opens up prison beds for violent and repeat offenders, and in doing so, it saves taxpayers money.

On average, the cost per inmate in CCP is only slightly more than $10 a day, which is significantly lower than the nearly $48 a day cost for offenders in an Alabama Department of Corrections facility.

Moreover, a meta-analysis that involved 53,614 subjects found that including treatment

and rehabilitation in alternative sentencing reduces recidivism by 10 percent, which is an investment that benefits everyone.

I encourage all of you, whether your county doesn’t have a CCP like mine or if it already has one, to promote the program to your local leaders and state representatives.

It’s one of the ways a college student can effect real, tangible change on the ground.

Currently, only 21 counties in Alabama have an active CCP. But through grassroots organizing, college students can put the necessary pressure on their local and state governments to expand this vital program.

The economic reasons for investing in CCP beckon us.

But even more important than smart economics, we need to invest in CCP because of the single, fundamental reason that we are morally obligated to do so.

This column was adapted from one written by Sims for SPLC On Campus. The views expressed in columns do not reflect the opinion the The Auburn Plainsman.

Submissions

Policy

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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CAMPUS

SPOTLIGHT

CONTRIBUTED BY JABARI LATEEF

Jabari Lateef (second from the left) performing on stage with Solange.

CONTRIBUTED BY JABARI LATEEF

Lateef at his internship at SurveryMonkey over the summer.

Auburn student performs at LA festival Mikayla Burns CAMPUS WRITER

Lights blinded Jabari Lateef as he grasped his saxophone and danced on cue behind a well-known name in the music industry.

Twenty thousand pairs of eyes looked his way.

Earlier in the year, Lateef was scanning LinkedIn for possible internship opportunities with tech companies in Silicon Valley. Little did he know, after messaging someone at SurveyMonkey, he would experience so much more than he expected as a quality assurance engineering intern.

Lateef, senior in computer science at Auburn, was enjoying one of the best summers of his life when he received a message on a coworker communication app called “Slack.”

In a channel specifically for SurveyMonkey employees entitled “Diversity,” someone posted an inquiry, looking for a young, black horn player in the Los Angeles area.

Solange needed someone to add to her band for the FYF Fest.

Lateef, a self-proclaimed jokester, replied to the company-wide channel with a video of himself playing the saxophone and captioned

it, “Look no further,” hoping to give his coworkers a good laugh.

“It just caught on fire,” Lateef said, describing reception to the video. “We were in the Bay Area, so that’s like five hours away from the LA area.”

In the wave of kudos he received from the 300 coworkers on the channel, one person told Lateef to send them his Venmo account, saying they wanted to raise money to send him to Los Angeles.

“I was at my desk, looking around me, wondering if anyone was seeing what was happening in the diversity channel,” Lateef said. “Altogether, they raised about $500 to get me to LA. My trip was basically paid for.”

SurveyMonkey employees from all offices, from Seattle to Dublin, Ireland, were donating money to get Lateef to Solange.

“I kept telling them that they were making a dream come true,” Lateef said.

Still shocked by what happened earlier in the day, Lateef did not realize until he got home to his apartment in San Francisco that he was getting on a plane the next day.

“I was so in the moment that I wasn’t able

TRANSPORTATION

Uber taking Tiger Club Cole McCauley

to step back and actually realize what was going on,” Lateef said describing his time packing and getting to Los Angeles.

As for working in the studio prior to the festival with Solange he said, “She was the sweetest person in the world.”

On the day of the festival, Lateef said he felt like a true celebrity.

He was in downtown Los Angeles, rehearsing in the Ace Hotel and getting ready to leave for the stadium. As they walked to their rides, everyone stared at Lateef and the rest of the band, trying to figure out who they were.

“I met Denzel Curry. I met Raphael Saadiq, an R&B artist. I met Kelly Rowland. And the craziest thing of all was that Beyoncé and Jay-Z were 20 feet away from me,” Lateef said.

Everything from his experience on stage and working with Solange made his time in California special, but Lateef wanted people to be inspired by his story.

Being from Birmingham, Alabama, Lateef knows that some do not believe that there is more to life outside of Alabama.

His message to the Auburn Family is to dream big and go for it. It can happen, he said.

“Realize that you deserve just as much as the other people applying,” he said.

“The entire time, I realized how blessed I am,” Lateef said. “I’m a very spiritual person and staying humble is important, and being a positive being is my thing.”

Lateef wanted others to realize how important networking is and how much your life can change from having a good attitude and reaching out to people in fields that interest you.

Make connections, he said.

“Those people in Seattle and Ireland didn’t know me, but if you give off a positive vibe, people are attracted to that.”

Lateef hopes to start playing music locally in Auburn before he graduates, his love for music catching flame again since his performance with Solange.

“I would even play on the concourse sometimes for people,” he said in hopes of getting his music out there for people to enjoy.

After graduation, Lateef plans to apply to different tech companies, from SurveyMonkey to Facebook. His end goal is to become a data scientist, but he realizes it takes a lot of experience and is ready for the journey.

REACTING TO THE PAST

A new approach to teaching history

CAMPUS WRITER

Students now have another way to pay for their Ubers.

Auburn Auxiliary Services has approved the use of Tiger Club funds as Uber payment after CBORD, the company that does the software for Auburn Tiger Cards, approached the department.

CBORD has a partnership with Uber and, as a result, thought it would be a good idea to give Auburn students more accessibility when it comes to the ultra popular ride-hailing service.

The City of Auburn has had a complicated relationship with Uber for some time as the company has been approved, opposed and then accepted again in and around campus.

However, it seems that Uber now has the complete backing of the city and the University as they implement Tiger Club payment.

Auxiliary Services has let it be known that they are not choosing sides with transportation companies like Uber and its competitors Lyft, as well as traditional taxi services like Tiger Taxi.

It was CBORD and Uber that approached Auxiliary Services, but that does not mean that they wouldn't be open to adding Tiger Club payment for companies such as Lyft.

Students can add money to their Tiger Club account and spend that money at a variety of stores on and around campus. To add Tiger Club as an option, students only need to add a "college card" within the settings on the Uber mobile app.

Regular TigerCard dining dollars, which are added automatically at the beginning of each semester, can't be used for Uber or any other Tiger Club locations.

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Stephen Lanzi CAMPUS WRITER

Auburn’s history department integrates live action play and student leadership into its newly adopted approach to teaching.

“Reacting to the Past” or RTTP made its debut on Auburn’s campus in spring 2016 by professor Sarah Hamilton. Hamilton incorporated the technique within her American environmental history course and after raving to her colleagues, she began its integration into the department.

“After I ranted and raved about how awesome it was, Dr. Craig and Dr. McLean incorporated it the very next semester,” Hamilton said.

“They heard my students coming by constantly and [noticed] how excited they seemed about class, which went a long way towards convincing them.”

The RTTP technique takes a singular moment in history and assigns roles

from that period to students.

The intention for the method is class sessions led entirely by students that are guided by their instructors.

The method puts a focus on promoting engagement as students bounce from characters with predetermined opinions to those with flexible and interpretive roles.

“To me, one of its greatest features is that it puts students in control of their own educational experience, so that they study and learn not in order to pass a test but because they want to,” Hamilton said. “They are genuinely interested in the material and remember it long after the class is over.”

Assistant professor Kate Craig, one of Hamilton’s colleagues, was among the others in the history department to choose to incorporate RTTP in their own classes.

“A lot of history professors are catching the bug, and I think many more

games will be written going forward,” Craig said. Craig has written her own game since adopting RTTP in additional efforts for engaging students in instruction.

Anna Riehl Bertolet, an english professor at Auburn, has also been able to implement RTTP into some of her courses.

“The concept at the heart of RTTP games does not limit one to a history course.

In the humanities, various fields of knowledge are interconnected and I see literature and history as natural sister subjects,” Bertolet said.

“This particular game was a natural fit for my Shakespeare class,” Bertolet said.

“It was ‘Stages of Power: Marlowe and Shakespeare, 1592.’ We played it in my Shakespeare class in fall 2016, and it was a hit.”

Board member for RTTP and professor at Troy Universiy Elizabeth Blum compliments Hamilton’s initiative at Auburn, showcased

at last year’s conference in Montgomery.

“I was so impressed with the Auburn students at the conference – they were engaged, excited and making these fantastic big picture connections that professors yearn for,” Blum said.

Since Hamilton’s incorporation of RTTP back in spring 2016, the method has expanded into the courses of various other Auburn faculty including those of Kate Craig, Eden McLean, Malcolm McLean, Mellissa Blair, Bertolet and Matthew Sparacio.

“As the College of Liberal Arts continues to promote the ‘Authentic Liberal Arts’ experience with smaller classes and an emphasis on engaged, active learning experiences, I suspect the games will continue to gain popularity,” Hamilton said.

Talk and plans of RTTP spreading to other departments on campus outside of history have begun.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

PAGE 5

AGRICULTURE

New agriculture school teaching garden plans finalize Chris Heaney CAMPUS REPORTER

Several members of Auburn’s College of Agriculture are finalizing the master design for an 11.3-acre teaching garden to be located next to the Old Rotation on Lem Morrison Drive.

As part of the University’s master plan, the “Field Lab No. 1” will enhance the Old Rotation by growing crops, trees, turf grasses and ornamentals that agriculture students will tend to and cultivate.

“This is an area that several departments in the college have used for various instructional activities,” said Dave Williams, professor of horticulture and garden steering committee chair. “What we want to do is just give it more organization, give it a little bit more functionality, make it look good and make it an element that, yes, while still using it as a teaching space, we can share with the community.”

Willams said that the first step in the process will be relocating plants from other parts of campus to the footprint of the new garden.

The medicinal plant garden from the old agronomy farm on Woodfield Drive, which includes plants such as coneflowers, chamomile, and lemongrass, is expected to be the first of the

plants migrating to Field Lab No. 1 in late fall or winter of this year.

When the new garden is fully completed, the workable land will be divided into field plots including teaching orchards, field crops, an ornamentals maze and shade garden, fruit and vegetable crops and turfgrass.

There will also be permanent structures built including teaching pavilions and greenhouses that will provide crops for tiger dining, according to Williams.

Williams hopes that in the end the garden, open to the public when not being used for classes, will be a part of a “bridge of activity” that stretches throughout Auburn.

“The dream is to create an experience that goes from the arboretum, through this garden, down to the performing arts center, over to Jule Collins Smith museum and down to Town Creek Park,” Williams said.

Field Lab No. 1 will have well-defined pathways marked with informational signage throughout the garden that will add to the community education about the Old Rotation.

These paths will eventually become part of a walking/bike trail system that extends from the arboretum.

VIA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Williams said he is excited for what this new garden will provide to students from all majors, giving them an opportunity to physically experience where their major crops come from.

“This is carrying on that [Old Rotation] legacy, which is really pushing the envelope of

knowledge, that helps us to understand soils in general and crop rotation practices,” Williams said. “Even though it’s been done forever and it’s old stuff, it seems there’s more things we learn as the soil and plant ecosystems change over time.

SGA

COLUMN

Welcome Week: ‘A success’ Samantha Strunk CAMPUS WRITER

ARMAND DE LAUREAL / PHOTOGRAPHER

New War Eagle Bike Share in front of the Village Dining Hall.

The phrase “Welcome to Auburn!” echoed across campus as Auburn greeted both new and returning students the first week of classes through the annual Welcome Week program.

Discussing SGA’s participation in the week, SGA President Jacqueline Keck named a few of their events including ‘Breakfast for You’, providing breakfast for students on the Haley Concourse, ‘ASK ME’ helping students find their classes and ‘Hamburgers with Ham’ serving free hamburgers and offering the chance to meet city officials.

“The foundation of each of

these events was rooted in SGA’s mission statement: Serving and promoting the individual student; unifying all that is Auburn.

SGA was excited to serve the students in each of the capacities listed above and unify the Auburn family,” Keck said.

Freshman Pennsylvania-native Kait Mitchell brought up the pizza party held for out-of-state students. “On a campus full of students who have known each other for years, the out-of-state pizza party showed me exactly how many kids are in the exact same situation as me in adjusting and let me connect to people with a similar story,” Mitchell said. “[Honors Freshman Frenzy]

made me feel like there were a lot of opportunities to meet new people,” said freshman Sophie Poling.

Freshman Alex Honbarrier met people he now calls friends through Screen on the Green, an event at which students were treated to pizza and the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie on the Greenspace. “I was really excited to go to Screen on the Green because it was a really convenient way to meet new people while enjoying an excellent movie,” Honbarrier said.

“Overall, Welcome Week was a huge success and a great way to welcome everyone back to the Plains,” Keck said.

Auburn, a thriving biking community for everyone Paul B rock CAMPUS WRITER

Are you tired of walking or looking for a new fitness regimen, or maybe you simply want a new and exciting hobby? Perhaps you should consider biking because the Auburn area has trails for both the serious and casual biker.

Whether you are looking for a calm ride around campus or to jump some dirt ramps, Auburn has it all as well as a large biking community that is ready for you to join in on the fun.

Maybe you have already given up any hope of biking since you left your bike at home, or you do not want to deal with the hassle of maintaining and storing a bike on campus. Whatever the reason, not having your own bike is no problem, thanks to the War Eagle bike share.

Introduced to campus in Feb. 2016, the War Eagle Bike Share is operated by Gotcha Bikes and has become one of the most successful bike shares in the country. Whether you want to borrow a bike once or twice each month for a cruise around campus and downtown or you need a faster way to move from class to class, the War Eagle Bike Share can serve either purpose and, even better can be done for no more than a dollar.

With 150 bikes and 20 hubs to drop off them off, students can rely on bikes being readily available. For even more assurance, students can reserve bikes with the Social Bikes app and find out how many bikes are available at each hub.

The bike share runs 24/7 except for home game Saturdays, and details on how to join can be found on The Office of Sustainability’s webpage or on gotchabike.com.

Another resource for student cyclers is the bike shop in the Auburn Outdoors Center.

The shop is located in the walkway that goes under the Recreation and Wellness Center and can serve students in a variety of ways.

For those who did not bring a bike to Auburn or need a different type bike, there are both high-performance mountain and road bikes available in a variety of sizes. Rent fees start at $9 a day.

For students who brought bikes, the bike shop loans out bike tools and sells particular parts. While the shop will not repair bikes, there are usually bike experts available who will help students repair their bikes and provide biking advice in general.

If you prefer not to bike alone and want the additional safety of biking with others,

Auburn offers its very own biking club, the Auburn Flyers. Though the Flyers compete, casual bikers are encouraged to join the club and come along on the weekly rides.

“Anyone who wants to join can join,” said Sarah Carrico, an officer of the club.

The club meets regularly Mondays at 7 a.m., and more bike runs are organized each week including the “coffee ride” to Opelika for a latte stop. You can find others who prefer your style of biking as the club rides and competes on both road and trail.

“It’s really nice to have a cycling community that you can go to and have people that you can ride with at the drop of a hat,” Carrico said. “There’s always someone down to ride.”

The club placed first in the team in the 2016 season and second in the team last season.

If you are planning on mountain biking during the school year, you will almost inevitably find yourself on the trails in either Chewacla State Park or the Tuskegee National Forest. Most of the trails would not be there nor in as good condition if the Central Alabama Mountain Pedlers didn’t exist..

CAMP has been building trails since Nov. 2011 and, so far, has added 30 miles of trails to Chewacla State Park. Besides the trails, CAMP has built numerous technical challenges that are scattered throughout the park such as ramps to jump and rocky obstacles to climb over.

There is a $4 fee to enter Chewacla or you can purchase a $100 year-long pass. CAMP meets on the first Saturday of each month to work on trails, and whether you can handle a chainsaw or want to pick up some limbs, the help will be appreciated, said CAMP’s President Philip Darden.

Volunteering to work is a great way for mountain bikers to “help give back to the trails which they ride.” Darden said.

The group also meets for night rides on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. as well as all day long on the last Saturday of each month.

Auburn has the availability for different biking. With a plethora of biking lanes, natural forests and a large campus, there is a course for each and every biker. You could complain about the hills that have to be climbed or you could argue they add excitement to the ride. What adds to this biking environment is having a biking community full of groups like CAMP and the Auburn Flyers, where every one of them is ready for you to hop on a bike and join in.

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CAMPUS

POLITICS

Gov. Kay Ivey visits Opelika ribbon cutting Kailey Beth Smith COMMUNITY WRITER

“Alabama is open for business,” said Rosalyn Rivera-Valentin, the director of the Opelika Baxter International facility, as she introduced Gov. Kay Ivey at the facility’s expansion celebration on Tuesday morning.

Ivey, who travelled from the capital to attend the expansion and ribbon-cutting ceremony, said she was immensely proud of the efforts put forth by the Baxter team in bringing jobs to the state of Alabama and, more specifically, to the Opelika community.

“It speaks volumes about our business climate ... No firm is going to thrive, much less come to Alabama and expand, without a positive business climate in which to operate,” Ivey said.

She praised local leaders for their hard work and willingness to partner with educational initiatives to both “identify and train the workforce of our future.”

The $270 million investment made by Baxter helped bring more than 130 new jobs to the facility. The expansion itself, in terms of size, grew the facility from a square footage of 230,000 to more than 400,000.

“We are thrilled to have her here ... celebrating with us,” Rivera-Valentin said of Ivey. “Our individual efforts have significant impact on our patients through our day to day work. We are proud to do it here in Opelika.”

Baxter, a hospital products business manufacturer that specializes in dialyzers, has been present in Opelika since 2008, and it announced its plans for expansion in 2014. Employees and guests attended the culmination of that expansion this morning.

Ivey was joined by Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller and Opelika Chamber of Commerce Director Ronnie Wilson, among Baxter officials.

“This is a proud moment for Baxter because in our efforts to save and sustain lives, there is nothing more important than clinical medicine and addressing the needs of the millions of people who have chronic kidney disease,” said James R. Gavin III, a member of the Baxter Board of Directors.

“This plant plays a huge role in addressing that need globally, and we are just as proud as we can be of the quality of work that comes out of this plant. The faith in Opelika that is demonstrat-

KAILEY BETH SMITH / COMMUNITY WRITER

Gov. Kay Ivey and Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller cut the ribbon at the Baxter Expansion ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.

ed by this expanded investment – it means a lot to Baxter, and it certainly means a lot to the people of this community, but most importantly, it means the world to people with chronic kidney disease who are benefitting from what is being done here.”

The expansion allows for more than 350 employees to work within the newly renovated space. Of those new jobs created, 96 of the new, full-time positions have been filled, and 90 more are hoped to be filled in coming weeks.

“We are interested in jobs that support our community. We want people to build careers here... We partner with our community to both identify and train the workforce of our future,” Rivera-Valentin said.

Fuller approached the microphone and said, “We are so glad to have y’all here!”

During his presentation, he told the attendees about the his-

tory of the company’s influence and expansion within the Opelika community and expressed his gratitude for the company’s efforts in the community and in the global market.

Before the ceremony, Ivey hinted at her thoughts of a possible run for re-election.

“We are seriously considering it and are taking steps to be successful,” Ivey said.

When asked what the hold-up was on any announcement, she quickly diverted further questions by responding, “I am busy governing. ... I am trying to be a good governor and attend to the business of state.”

When asked what she thought the next ten years would look like for expansion in the state, after slight elaboration, she laughed and said, “Everyone loves coming home to sweet home Alabama.”

PROFILE

Crepe Myrtle Cafe owner talks passions and inspiration Olivia Wilkes COMMUNITY WRITER

Customers stopping by the Crepe Myrtle Cafe to grab lunch will likely walk through a garden of potted plants, cross paths with a chicken or two and pass bins of fresh produce and homemade edibles for sale before they even make it to the counter to order.

The restaurant is King Braswell’s creation opened in 2008 on the corner of South College Street and South Donahue Drive.

After graduating from Auburn University in 1990 with a degree in horticulture, Braswell first started a wholesale nursery in Auburn.

“I’m entrepreneurial by nature,” he said.

“That’s the spirit in me, and I just wanted to sort of try to do things for myself—make it on my own.”

His business eventually evolved from wholesale to retail, and in 1993, he and his brother opened the plant nursery Blooming Colors.

During the economic downturn of 2008, Braswell said they felt they needed something to help balance out their cash flow. Thus, the Crepe Myrtle Cafe was born, built next to the nursery.

“We felt like people needed to eat, and we felt like this was a good concept for us, and that people would enjoy an experience like our cafe combined with our retail nursery,” Braswell said.

Braswell has since added a market space to the restaurant building, where customers can buy fresh, often locally grown produce, eggs, jams and other edibles. The idea to combine a

OLIVIA WILKES / COMMUNITY WRITER

King Braswell stands next to the sign for the restaurant, located at the corner of South College Street and South Donahue Drive on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in Auburn, Ala.

nursery, restaurant and market environment was uniquely Braswell’s, inspired by his love for horticulture.

“Horticulture really encompasses almost all facets of life in some way, shape or another,” he said.

OUTDOORS

Horticulture is the study of fruits, vegetables, flowers and all plant production, with an emphasis on small-scale gardening and landscaping.

“My goal in my career has always been to center my world around everything horticul-

ture,” Braswell said. “So the restaurant was just a good, natural step toward that.”

Braswell said it feels like he doesn’t really have a job.

“It’s like recreation every day,” he said. “I created a place that is kind of like my playground.

I love seeing everybody come here and play. I felt like if this makes me happy, surely there are like-minded people.”

Braswell’s playground includes not only food and plants, but animals as well. Several chickens roam the property, resting under the outdoor patio tables or digging in the earth around potted shrubs. A few kittens also trot up to visitors, eager to be petted.

“The chickens are just sort of part of who we are,” Braswell said. “The chickens and kittens.

We always have kittens around here.”

Blooming Colors is known for accepting stray kittens that locals find. The staff and customers socialize the kittens, and the nursery finds homes for them in the community.

Although Braswell doesn’t personally cook the cafe’s feature crepes or any other food, he develops the menu and tastes everything himself. Occasionally, an employee will contribute to the restaurant offerings as well. Braswell says they have a great team of workers at the restaurant and nursery.

“We try to hire like-minded people, people that have really giving hearts, people that want to serve others,” he said. “We want to give Ritz-Carlton service with Southern flair, and that’s one of our goals.

» See CAFE, 7

PARKS

Auburn, Opelika in talks for skatepark Sam Willoughby COMMUNITY EDITOR

SYDNEY SMITH / COMMUNITY WRITER

Exterior of O Grows building in Opelika, Ala.

O Grows plants its seeds in Opelika Sydney Smith COMMUNITY WRITER

A farmers market located in Opelika is bringing in vendors with freshly made products from all over the area for our community to take part in. With over 10 local companies at each farmers market, citizens can buy fresh produce, homemade breads and even artisan jewelry.

The farmers market is a seasonal activi-

ty that is powered by O Grows, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the importance of locally grown food and food security.

The organization originally began as a school project that allows children from the different schools in Opelika to learn about where their food comes from by participating in activities such as a community garden.

» See GROWS, 7

Skaters longing for a headquarters in the Auburn-Opelika area may soon find it if the cities pass their respective proposed budgets next month.

If the budgets do pass, the cities will split the cost of a shared skatepark. Auburn and Opelika have each allocated $200,000 in their proposed budgets for the development and construction of one.

While planning is still in the early stages, Opelika Parks and Recreation Director Sam Bailey and Auburn Parks and Recreation Director Becky Richardson said they’ve consulted with multiple large companies that have experience with similar parks.

“She and I were just talking one day … and thought ‘we ought to do this together,’” Bailey said. “If we do this together, each city can pay half the bill, and we’ll get a nicer [park].”

Years ago, Auburn used to house a skatepark, but the directors both said it wasn’t up to par for skaters in the area.

“We had a skatepark for awhile that didn’t go real well, and so we’ve had some requests through the years to do another one,” Richardson said.

Nearby Montgomery had a publicly funded skatepark for years until the land was sold over a year ago for an unrelated development.

The city announced that they will open a new one

sometime this year.

Public input meetings will be held for skaters to suggest ideas for the park. The developers that are eventually chosen to lead the project will take those ideas into account during the design process and present it back to the public before the departments make a final decision.

The directors have scouted out potential locations for the park together but said it’s too early to release a shortlist.

“I don’t think the budget is going to be the problem,” Bailey said. “I think we just got to get together, finalize a few details and then get started.”

Bailey said. “I think we just got to get together, finalize a few details and then get started.”

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

HIGHER ED

PAGE 7

ARTS

Concourse/south wraps up Alex Hosey COMMUNITY REPORTER

FILE PHOTO

Alt-right leader Richard Spencer speaks at Foy Hall on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in Auburn, Ala.

Southern schools deny Richard Spencer visits Gabby Dance COMMUNITY WRITER

Auburn’s SEC neighbors are trying to avoid an incident similar to what the University experienced last spring when white nationalist Richard Spencer spoke on campus.

After a University cancellation, Spencer, president of the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist organization based in Virginia, pushed in court to be permitted to speak on Auburn’s campus.

The University was then ordered by a federal judge to allow Spencer to speak in Foy Hall. The April 18 event was met with protesters and supporters from all over the state and surrounding areas.

Spencer has recently requested to speak at other Southern schools, including LSU, Texas A&M and the University of Florida. They have all turned him down.

Janine Sikes, assistant vice president of public affairs for UF, said the recent protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one woman dead and multiple people injured is the reason schools are denying Spencer from speaking.

“The main difference I see between how things panned out at Auburn with Richard Spencer and how we are handling it is Charlottesville,” Sikes said. “Our decision was solely based on safety concerns, not ideology.”

LSU President F. King Alexander recently made a similar statement to Louisiana newspaper The Advocate, saying that safety was the school’s main concern.

“We will take the necessary precautions to ensure that our campus is safe from violence, that our students and faculty are safe from people trying to stir up troubles,” Alexander told The Advocate.

Spencer supporters online were making it clear that violence at these rallies would not be off the table.

Mitch Emerson, the organizer of a protesting Facebook page at UF called “No Nazis at UF,” said many alt-right groups were mak-

CAFE » From 6

To make people feel great about themselves no matter what walk and what life they’re coming from.”This business and life philosophy of Braswell’s is what gives the café its holistic nature and unique charm.

“Myself as a person, I’m a person that likes to do for others,” Braswell said. “I like to make people’s worlds bright and happy. I love for peo-

GROWS » From 6

Founder of O Grows and professor at Auburn University Sean Forbes started the organization in fall 2012 and began hosting the farmers market last year. He has a great interest in the localization of products.

“We realized that the better we do at connecting all the parts of the local food system, the better off everyone is,” Forbes said.

Through his organization, activities and market, Forbes is connecting hundreds of people throughout the community and opening doors that make way for knowledge and community engagement.

The long term goal of O Grows is to create a commercial kitchen within their facility that’s accessible to people of all ages to help provide their products to others on a larger scale.

They already have a full greenhouse, community garden and farm animals on the property for Opelika children to have hands-on experiences with food.

Many leading local businesses wanted to join in on the fun of O Grows by setting up a booth of their products to sell at the local farmers market. They have been serving products every Tuesday from 3–6 p.m. since May. The market season is officially over, but O Grows will be holding more opportunities for community involvement coming up soon.

The owner of Serenity Farms & Bakery, Mary Freeman, has been a vendor of differ-

ing violent threats on online forums, even calling the state of Florida “the next battleground.”

“There were a lot of postings we were able to show from various white supremacist pages that were saying that because Florida is a ‘stand your ground’ state, that they could get away with shooting somebody over anything,” Emerson said.

A “stand your ground” law is a legal justification that gives defendants the right to protect or defend themselves with force without attempting to retreat from danger. Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas all have similar statutes in place.

At Texas A&M, similar online threats were made. According to The Dallas Morning News, many Spencer supporters were openly discussing bringing weapons to the rally.

Citing Charlottesville and violent threats as a main concern has helped these universities avoid court battles with Spencer so far.

When Spencer took Auburn University to court, he approached the cancellation as a free speech violation. Now, that argument is less valid.

There are no known plans so far by Spencer to bring any of these universities to court, Sikes said.

If he does decide to visit any of these schools, it appears their student bodies are prepared to protest like Auburn University students did. All three schools have active Facebook protest pages.

For the future, Emerson hopes that Americans can come together and strive toward equality. He suggests starting small by combatting racism that may not be in the news headlines.

“We often get engaged with the larger scale events, but the real battle is not just fighting so that white supremacists aren’t holding these speaking events and rallies,” Emerson said. “It’s about fighting the institutional racism in your own community that has fostered their growth for decades.” ple to bask in the beauty of nature in a way that I can provide for them. I feel like when people encounter this, that their world is better for it because all day long they’re in the rat race. So my plight in life really is to try to create an environment where people can take pause and enjoy it and relax and feel good about their space.”

At the Crepe Myrtle Café, that space includes crepes, potted plants, fresh and local food, a flock of chickens, a handful of kittens, and many people to enjoy it all. ent Opelika farmers markets for six years.

The bakery brings a variety of homemade breads, pies and desserts. She said that having a farmers market located directly in Opelika allows for home based and local businesses to expand their markets and to gain customer appreciation.

Freeman went on to say that one change she would like to see with O Grows farmers market is the involvement of students from Auburn University visiting to gain knowledge on local food production. She would like for students to become a part of the engagement rather than being specific to only everyday Opelika citizens.

Another vendor located at O Grows, owner and operator of Frugal Fruits, said that she believes people are attending O Grows not only for local and homemade products but also for community engagement and being able to meet others from throughout the Opelika and Auburn areas.

“O Grows is all about food,” Forbes said.

He wants to provide Opelika with a community center that allows for activities across all age groups centered directly on food. He said he is excited for what O Grows has in store for its future and hopes for even more educational growth and engagement for the city of Opelika.

He wanted to give credit to the citizens and leadership of the town for helping grow this nonprofit organization from what began as an idea of a school garden to what it is today.

Large white balloons, triangles of orange fabric and dozens of tents were set up on North Railroad Avenue in downtown Opelika for the final day and main event of Concourse/south, the city’s second annual music and art festival, on Saturday.

“It’s been a great week,” said Richard Patton, organizer of Concourse/south. “Every night was a great night, and you always want more people of course. But it’s the first year so we’re excited, and we think we’ll grow on this. For us, the goal was, whoever attended, if they had a great experience, then it was a success and we could keep going for next year.”

Outside of the ticket booth and entrance, the Maker’s Market allowed passerbyers to browse the stands of local vendors freely without having to pay for a ticket.

Handcrafted leather goods from Loyal Stricklin, new and used vinyl records from 10,000 Hz, paintings, bird houses, bowls and coffee mugs, clothes, jams, prints, jewelry and an abundance of other handmade goods were available for purchase as guests chatted with vendors and exchanged cash as they meandered through the rows of tents.

Hannah and Russell Baggett, owners of 10,000 Hz, said their stand got a steady stream of customers throughout the course of the day.

“People are meeting one another while they’re browsing records so it’s space to create more of a community than what already exists … it’s like a ‘support your local business’ type of mentality,” Hannah Baggett said.

Through the main gate, tents were set up by the railroad tracks that were occupied by guests lounging on wooden pallets draped with blankets and pillows.

Though diverse, the crowd’s numbers at any given point left something to be desired for a music festival, with small clusters of parents with strollers and toddlers and groups of hip, young students were scattered about the brick road and sidewalk pavement here and there.

Several food vendors were set up directly in front of Red Clay Brewing Company along with employees of the Lee County Humane Society holding the leashes to sev-

eral dogs available for adoption.

In the courtyard beside John Emerald Distilling Company, lights were strung from the chipped light-green paint of the surrounding buildings’ exterior walls over the pea gravel lot in front of the main stage.

Bands of both local and national popularity performed at Concourse/south, flooding Opelika’s downtown with the sound of live music from 11 a.m. on Saturday to 2 a.m. on Sunday, only to be briefly interrupted by the occasional passing train from the adjacent railroad tracks.

Six speakers hung from the stage’s metal canopy, backdropped by a rusty, old truck from Spicer’s Music.

Rows of amplifiers, sound device boxes, cymbals, drums and guitar cases lined the floor of what used to be a storage warehouse now turned concert backstage where different bands and musicians spoke to each other. They snacked on complimentary chips, fruit, bottled water and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and fiddled with musical equipment, either preparing to go on or packing up after a set.

Jackson Gafford from Captain Kudzu went on at 3 p.m. and said he enjoyed being able to play there and hear other musicians as well.

“I was really into [Devon Gilfillian],” Gafford said. “He was really good. I liked his set a lot, and I liked how his guitar was set up and everything. ... As an attendee, I love all of my friends and got to see them. I thought the sound was good, and I really liked the set-up. I loved it because I don’t live here anymore, so it’s good to come back.”

Some bands drew crowds of listeners to the foot of the stage more effectively than others, with the courtyard sometimes having no more than a few listeners and at other times having up to 50 throughout the day.

Later in the night, blue and yellow lights flooded the stage with the overhead lights casting a warm glow on the audience of Marc Scibilia, a rock musician from Nashville who gave out 50 free records to audience members after the show.

Patton then invited festival-goers inside John Emerald Distillery to listen to bands Wray, The Dirty Lungs and Lady Legs as they played into the late night.

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sports

8

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

KAYAKING

SPORTS

SOCCER

Auburn bounces

back at home Peter Santo SPORTS WRITER

CONTRIBUTED BY BENNETT SMITH

Bennett Smith competes in kayaking junior championships.

Auburn junior to compete for Team USA in kayaking world championships Painter Sharpless SPORTS WRITER

For Bennett Smith, a childhood hobby has evolved into an international opportunity. Smith is a junior at Auburn University who has lived in Vestavia Hills, Alabama since the fourth grade.

At 13 years old he began kayaking recreationally.

After gaining a few years of experience, Smith said he became interested in freestyle kayaking. As he explained freestyle kayaking is comparable to gymnastics, but in a kayak paddling down rapids. As a 16 year old, he qualified for the junior world championships. Following the junior championships he admitted to making a conscious effort to increase the intensity of his training regimen.

In 2016, Smith began spending more time in the water on a daily basis in addition to working outside of the water at minimum three times per week. Having finished third in the junior championships qualifiers in freestyle kayaking, Bennett was awarded one of the top-five spots to compete as a member of Team USA. “Freestyle kayaking is simple to understand,” Smith said.

“Each competitor has 45 seconds to do as many tricks as possible. Like gymnastics, some tricks are harder than others and have a higher point value.”

While kayaking is not currently an Olympic sport, Smith said that there is an eight-year plan that aims to place kayaking on the list of sports in the 2024 Olympics. Since the games do not currently host the sport, the world championships are the high-

est level of kayaking competition in the world. The world championships are hosted bi-annually at different international locations. This year the competition is in San Juan, Argentina.

Smith said he hopes to perform well for the USA and hopes his hard work will pay off. Nonetheless, he added that perhaps the most important aspect of the sport is that it is a fun and safe way to exercise.

“Kayaking isn’t as dangerous as people make it out to be,” Smith said. “It’s a sport you can do throughout your life. In fact, a lot of the people I see kayaking regularly are older than me and have been kayaking for years.”

Smith said that Alabama natives, particularly Auburn students, are fortunate to have multiple rapids nearby. He recommends a trip less than one hour from Auburn along the Coosa River in Wetumpka, Alabama. There are multiple outdoor centers near the Coosa that give training and provide rentals to beginners.

“Try it out yourself,” Smith said. “Drive a short way to the Coosa River. It’s less than an hour away, and there are tons of trips that three different companies run.”

He added that the Chattahoochee and Warrior rivers are excellent rapids to visit in Alabama, too.

In addition to representing Team USA in Argentina, Smith works at the Auburn University Recreation Center and urged anyone interested to visit the Auburn Outdoors Services.

Fans can support Smith beginning Nov. 27 as he helps lead Team USA in the kayaking world championships.

FOOTBALL

Coming off a tough double overtime loss at Clemson on Aug. 25, Auburn soccer got back to their winning ways at Auburn Soccer Complex on Sunday. Kristen Dodson scored both goals as the Tigers defeated the University of North Dakota 2-0.

Auburn controlled possession from the opening whistle, earning scoring chance after scoring chance in the opening half. The Tigers outshot North Dakota 14-0 in the first half, but could not net a goal as Catherine Klein made nine saves for the Fighting Hawks in the opening 45 minutes.

The Tigers wasted no time converting in the second half, however, as Dodson scored on a volley off a perfect pass from Alyssa Malonson just 40 seconds into the second half.

Dodson would net her second of the game eight minutes later as her shot went off the crossbar and in. Malonson had the assist on this goal as well.

“That’s what we need from our senior all-star up top.

[Dodson] took the game into her own hands and got two goals in the first eight minutes [of the second half] and put the game away. Terrific performance by her and two great goals,” Auburn coach Karen Hoppa said.

Auburn’s defense was solid throughout, the Tigers held North Dakota without a shot until the 55th minute and did not allow a shot on goal. Auburn outshot North Dakota 30-1 in all.

“Our defense is playing great. Our defense is getting better every game, I thought Sarah Le Beau was really aggressive coming off her line, which we need her to do, and to give up zero shots on goal is a great performance by our back four,” Hoppa said.

It was a dominant performance from start to finish on Sunday, but it was not perfect, at least not according to Hoppa.

“Overall, I’m happy with the way we played,” Hoppa said.

“Obviously, we came out and we were aggressive, but we’ve got to be better in the final third. We created too many chances to go into halftime 0-0. So that’s going to be a focus for us going forward.”

AUBURN ATHLETICS / DAKOTA SUMPTER

Kristen Dodson (35). Auburn soccer vs. North Dakota on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017.

VOLLEYBALL

Tigers take down ASU John Koo SPORTS WRITER

ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and the Tigers take the field before kickoff. Auburn vs. Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 8 in Starkville, Miss.

Tigers land state’s No. 1 back Nathan King ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Asa Martin, a four-star tailback out of Decatur, has verbally committed to the Tigers.

Martin is Auburn’s first runningback in the class of 2018 and the fifth four-star recruit for the Tigers, joining quarterback Joey Gatewood, wide receiver Matthew Hill, athlete Quindarious Monday and linebacker Michael Harris. Auburn’s current 2018 class holds 13 recruits.

The tailback played all but his junior season at Austin High School in Decatur. His junior year, Martin played at IMG

Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Martin accounted for four touchdowns at IMG, a year after rushing for 1,374 yards and 12 scores amid Austin’s state semifinals run.

“The feeling of playing in front of your home state will be a good thing,” Martin said in an interview with AL.com.

Martin is regarded as the top tailback in the state and No. 7 nationally in his position by Rivals.com.

The 6-foot, 200-pound athlete chose Auburn over the Florida Gators, Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide.

ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

After a successful showing at the Hyatt Regency Invitational last week in Atlanta, with wins over Georgia Tech and Furman, Auburn’s volleyball team returned to Auburn Arena looking to build on their momentum in their homeopener vs. Alabama State.

The Tigers did just that, as they swept Alabama State in a 3-0 victory (25-11, 29-27, 25-19), improving their record to 3-1. In the first set, the Tigers came out strong finishing the set on a 19-7 run. The Tigers only allowed the Hornets to have one kill out of 25 attempts in the set.

In the second set, Alabama State came out with new energy and held a lead for the majority of play. However, Auburn was able to climb back with 4 crucial kills from senior Courtney Crable late into the set, earning a 29-27 second set victory.

“I was trying to do everything I could in my power, to help get us back on track. I wanted to bring the energy and do the little things right,” Crable said.

In the third and final set, Alabama State, once again, started with an early lead, but the Tigers used their momentum to finish out the game with junior Brenna McIlroy’s hard serve and kill.

“Alabama State did a good job keeping us off balance, and I think we got out of our game, but I thought some people stepped up,” Auburn head coach Rick Nold said.

“We were down, game point, a few times, and I think every player has to be willing to make some plays.”

Sophomores Shaina White and Gwyn Jones led the team in kills with 10 each with freshman Anna Stevenson tallying nine. Senior Alexa Filley had a wide presence with her game-high 38 assists.

The team travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico, this weekend for the SEC vs. ACC Challenge playing No. 16 North Carolina on Sept. 2 and North Carolina State on Sept. 3.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 9

SOFTBALL

ADAM SPARKS

The Auburn Tigers softball team celebrates the Regional championship following their win over Cal. Auburn vs Cal in the NCAA Regional on Sunday, May 21 in Auburn, Ala.

COLUMN: Fiercely protect your Auburn family Nathan King ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Just a few months ago, when Auburn softball was mentioned, a barrage of incredible, program-defining moments would flood the mind of a fan.

The Tigers capturing their first SEC titles in program history in back-to-back seasons, in both instances receiving bids to the Women’s College World Series.

Tiffany Howard’s incredible outfield snare against Oklahoma in the 2016 title game, coupled with Emily Carosone’s walk-off grand slam to erase a seven-run hole. Amid those, Auburn’s first trip to the WCWS National Championship.

More recently, vengeance against No. 1 Oklahoma, when Auburn took down the defending champs on Opening Day in Mexico.

Kaylee Carlson’s perfect game against Ohio State down in South Florida. Carlson’s overall dominance in the circle.

The entirety of the Kasey Cooper era, capped off with a record-shattering 2017 campaign by the Dothan, Ala. native.

The first sweep of Georgia in Athens in the Tigers’ history.

The first series win in Tuscaloosa.

Carlee Wallace’s walk-off grand slam to beat Mississippi State, coming on the heels of a tumultuous few weeks in the program.

Surrounding those memories was the feeling that something was off. Something was very, very wrong.

Unofficially and unfortunately, we now know why. Over the weekend, ESPN released a 14-page report detailing a former Auburn softball player’s accusation of sexual harassment and abuse against the program.

Per ESPN, the young women of Auburn softball were subjected to harassment by assistant coach Corey Myers. Myers “pursued relations with multiple members of the team,” and head coach Clint Myers knowingly allowed such actions to continue.

In the middle of the 2017 season, Corey Myers resigned to “focus on his family.” The tail-end of the season erupted with multiple players leaving the program, including catcher Carlee Wallace, infielder Laney Joyner, shortstop Whitney Jordan and infielder Emily Spain.

Pitcher Alexa Nemeth was cut from the team by Clint Myers

following the conclusion of the season. Nemeth then filed the Title IX to Auburn University, specifying her concerns about the school’s efforts to cover up the scandal.

Disturbing is not nearly a vast enough description to encompass the actions of the accused. The Myers family’s actions alone are enough to disgust any sensible person; however, it is the alleged cover-up by the athletic department that is truly haunting.

According to the report, Auburn associate athletic director Meredith Jenkins quarantined the team prior to its trip to Athens, Ga. for a series with the Bulldogs. In a meeting, Jenkins threatened the players with arrest for exposing their proof of Corey Myers’ relations with a member of the team to Clint Myers. Jenkins ordered the team to delete the evidence.

The details of Corey Myers’ harassment of the players can be described as implausible and scarring. Former shortstop Haley Fagan claims that the athletic department did little to back the team.

“Coach and Corey, the way they were, it was always our fault,” Fagan said.

» See COLUMN, 10

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

PAGE 10

BASKETBALL

Auburn basketball teams release 2017-18 schedules

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Bruce Pearl celebrates a play during Auburn Men’s Basketball vs. North Florida on Nov. 11, 2016.

Terri WIlliams-Flournoy, head coach of Auburn Women’s Basketball.

Will Sahlie

Peter Santo

SPORTS EDITOR

Bruce Pearl is known for creating tough non-conference schedules for his team. His fourth year at Auburn will be no different.

Auburn announced its 2017-18 schedule on Monday, with the Tigers potentially playing 19 postseason teams from a year ago.

“It’s all about challenging your team,” Pearl said in a statement. “Letting them know that you believe in them. Winning and getting better throughout the season. With four neutral site and two road games, half our schedule is away from Auburn Arena, and that is an RPI booster.

“The Charleston field features really good teams with great coaches. Our fans can get there and travel to Dayton, Ohio; Murray, Ky.; and Birmingham to help us win.

UAB is an important series, and it’s truly an honor to host UConn, one of the best programs in the last several decades.

Following an exhibition vs. Div. II Barry University, Auburn plays its season opener on Nov. 10 vs. MEAC runner-up Norfolk State, which has played in five consecutive postseason tournaments.

The Tigers play Indiana State on ESPNU in the opening round of the Charleston Classic on Nov. 16 followed by either Temple or Old Dominion on ESPN2/ESPNU Nov. 17.

Temple has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 10 years and a NIT while Old Dominion has reached the postseason in 11 of the last 13 years, advancing to the NIT semifinals in 2015 and playing in the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments.

Clemson, Dayton, Hofstra or Ohio will be Auburn’s third round opponent Nov. 19.

Auburn returns home on Nov. 24 to face Winthrop, the reigning Big South Conference Champion with a 26-7 record that included a NCAA Tournament first round loss to Butler last year, 76-64.

The Tigers face the first of two true nonconference road games at Dayton on Nov. 29 as a Charleston Classic non-bracketed game at historic UD Arena, site of the NCAA Tourna-

ment First Four.

The Flyers advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2014, third round in 2015 and second round in each of the last two seasons.

The Tigers play five home games in December beginning Dec. 3 with Atlantic 10 Conference George Mason.

Gardner-Webb and head coach Tim Craft, a former assistant under then Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo, return to Auburn on Dec. 6.

The Tigers play the third of a four-game series with UAB on Dec. 9 in Auburn following a pair of thrilling Auburn wins, 75-74 in the 2015-16 season opener in Auburn Arena and 74-70 in Bartow Arena last year.

A week later after final exams, Auburn plays Middle Tennessee, which made back-to-back NCAA Tournament second round appearances, in Birmingham at Legacy Arena on Dec. 16.

The Blue Raiders went 31-4 a year ago en route to the Conference USA title with consecutive NCAA Tournament first round wins over Michigan State in 2016 and Minnesota in 2017. Middle Tennessee also went to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, playing in the Big Dance three of the last five years.

Auburn plays at Murray State on Dec. 19, marking the Tigers’ first visit to Murray, Ky. The Racers, which are 231-42 (.846) in the 19year history of the CFSB Center, have made five postseason appearances in the last eight years, reaching the NCAA Tournament second round in 2010 and 2012 and NIT quarterfinals in 2015.

The jewel of the non-conference schedule takes place when highly-touted UConn makes a return trip to Auburn on Dec. 23 after the Tigers defeated the Huskies 70-67 in overtime in Hartford last year.

UConn is only the fifth non-conference program with a NCAA Championship to play in Auburn. Oklahoma State came to Auburn in 2016, marking twice in the last three years under Pearl a former NCAA Champion played in Auburn Arena.

Auburn closes non-conference play with a matchup vs. Cornell inside Auburn Arena.

Auburn Basketball’s 2017-18 Schedule

SPORTS WRITER

Auburn women’s basketball will play 14 home contests, six non-conference and eight SEC games, as part of its 2017-18 schedule, the school announced Tuesday.

The Tigers will play five Sunday afternoon games at Auburn Arena, including the first three conference games, the annual showdown with Alabama (January 28) and Senior Day vs. Ole Miss (Feb. 25).

Auburn will begin the season with a road contest at Virginia Tech (Nov. 13) before returning home to face North Carolina A&T (Nov. 16) and Louisiana Tech (Nov. 19). The Tigers will travel to Nashville, Tennessee for the Challenge in Music City over Thanksgiving weekend where they will play Georgetown, Northwestern and UT-Chattanooga.

Auburn Women’s Basketball’s 2017-18 Schedule Nov. 13 at Virginia Tech

Jan. 14 Arkansas

Nov. 16 North Carolina A&T

Jan. 18 at LSU.

Nov. 19 Louisiana Tech

Jan. 21 at Georgia

Nov. 24 vs. Georgetown*

Jan. 28 Alabama

Nov. 25 vs. Northwestern*

Feb. 1 at Kentucky

Nov. 26 vs. UT Chattanooga*

Feb. 4 at Texas A&M

Nov. 29 Louisiana-Monroe

Feb. 8 LSU

Dec. 3 at Indiana

Feb. 12 Vanderbilt

Dec. 8 at Louisiana Lafayette

Feb. 15 Missouri

Dec. 9 Southern

Feb. 18 at Alabama

Dec. 19 Southeastern Louisiana

Feb. 22 at Mississippi State

Dec. 28 Xavier (La.)

Feb. 25 Ole Miss

Dec. 31 Florida

Feb. 28 – March 4 SEC Tournament**

Jan. 4 at Tennessee

*Challenge in Music City – Nashville, Tenn. **SEC Tournament – Nashville, Tenn.

Jan. 7 Texas A&M

Nov. 2 Barry University (exh.)

Jan. 24 at Missouri

Nov. 10 Norfolk State

Jan. 27 LSU

Nov. 16 (1) Indiana State (ESPNU)

Jan. 30 at Ole Miss

Nov. 17 (1) Temple/Old Dominion Nov. 19 (1) Clemson/Dayton/ Hofstra/Ohio Nov. 24 Winthrop Nov. 29 (2) at Dayton Dec. 3 George Mason Dec. 6 Gardner-Webb Dec. 9 UAB Dec. 16 (3) Middle Tennessee Dec. 19 at Murray State Dec. 23 UConn

Feb. 3 Vanderbilt Feb. 7 Texas A&M Feb. 10 at Georgia Feb. 14 Kentucky Feb. 17 at South Carolina Feb. 21 Alabama Feb. 24 at Florida Feb. 27 at Arkansas Mar. 3 South Carolina Mar. 7-11 (4) SEC Tournament (1) Charleston Classic (Charleston, SC)

Dec. 30 Cornell

(2) Charleston Classic non-bracketed game (Dayton, OH)

Jan. 2 at Tennessee

(3) Birmingham, AL (Legacy Arena)

Jan. 6 Arkansas

(4) St. Louis, MO (Scottrade Center)

Jan. 9 Ole Miss Jan. 13 at Mississippi State Jan. 17 at Alabama Jan. 20 Georgia

SEC play begins on New Year’s Eve as Auburn will host Florida. The Tigers will also host SEC foes Texas A&M (Jan. 7), Arkansas (Jan. 14), Alabama (Jan. 28), LSU (Feb. 8), Vanderbilt (Feb. 12), Missouri (Feb. 15) and Ole Miss (Feb. 25). Auburn will make road trips to Tennessee (Jan. 4), South Carolina (Jan. 11), LSU (Jan. 18), Georgia (Jan. 21), Kentucky (Feb. 1), Texas A&M (Feb. 4), Alabama (Feb. 18) and Mississippi State (Feb. 22).

The SEC Tournament runs from Feb. 28Mar. 4 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Auburn returns three starters from last year’s team and is coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, who returns for her sixth season.

Jan. 11 at South Carolina

COLUMN » From 9

“It was our fault if the story got out, it was our fault that Corey had to leave. Everybody protected coach. Nobody protected us.”

The Myers should be denounced as members of the Auburn Family. To call them Auburn men would be inaccurate, as the pair does not embody our University’s morals and servant leadership mentality. The higher-ups that worked to throw a blanket over the truth are no different.

These allegations do nothing to affect those memories that Auburn fans hold of their precious softball team, however. Kasey Cooper is still one of the greatest players in NCAA history, Clint Myers still turned the program into a powerhouse and the teams of recent years are still champions.

As explained in the ESPN report, Nemeth now feels vindicated. When Clint Myers retired abruptly, she “started jumping up and down.”

P

If even a portion of the team felt the same despicable stranglehold, they are now free.

The fact that the program continued to accomplish amazing feats on the field is incredible. When the 2018 season begins, no matter who takes over on the coaching staff, the Auburn Softball Tigers are still a team that can attain greatness.

No woman should ever have to endure the treatment that these players did. These are the daughters of the Auburn Family, and should be fiercely protected as such.

Seeing as the ones we rely on to handle such instances are incapable of doing so, it falls on the shoulders of the rest of their family on The Plains.

Of their own accord, the Myers and all involved should never be allowed within a hundred miles of our campus. It is difficult to measure the magnitude of their betrayal, however it is easy to act against it. It’s on us to fight back and protect against malicious intent. It’s on us to shower Tigers softball with love, support and passion that will heal the Auburn Family.

P

STAFF PHOTO

lifestyle THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

11 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

CULTURE

VIA VOLKSWAGEN

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess announced plans for a new update of the 1950s classic model.

Volkswagen announces plan to reinvent Microbus Emma Rygiel LIFESTYLE WRITER

A familiar face in motor vehicles, Volkswagen has captured the attention of the media and car fanatics everywhere with its plan to reinvent the iconic hippie and surfer-style van from the 60s.

The Volkswagen Microbus, also recognized by younger generations as the freespirited hippie bus in Pixar’s movie “Cars,” is being recreated as an environmentfriendly electric vehicle.

The new model, the I.D. Buzz, is being advertised already, starting with the campaign “The Bus Is Back” to ensue nostalgia.

Sparked by consumer interest, the news to bring back the bus, as well as a sneak peak into the vehicle’s design, were announced by CEO Herbert Diess at a press conference held by VW in Pebble Beach, California on Aug. 19.

The location paid homage to the culture

represented by the original model sold in the 1950s-80s.

“The Microbus has long been a part of the California lifestyle,” Diess said during the conference. “Now we’re bringing it back by reinventing it as an electric vehicle.”

Although the exact design details have yet to be released, the new bus is said to include electric drive components, allowing for a surprisingly spacious interior.

“The vehicle looks like a compact commercial van on the outside, even though it offers the generous interior space of a large SUV,” Diess said.

With the I.D. Buzz, VW plans to introduce a new slim chocolate bar-like battery that fits easily into the platform of the vehicle.

Not only does this contribute to its spacious interior, its compact size will allow VW to easily upgrade the battery over-

time. The car is also planning to be autonomous, featuring a rectangular shaped steering wheel that easily retreats into the interior of the car, Diess said.

By recreating the most iconic car in VW history, Diess said the brand is aiming to bring back the emotional connection and feelings represented by the Microbus.

“It was a car, but it was also a home on wheels, it was a mover of families, it was most reliable and unconventional and it was highly emotional, putting a smile on everyone’s face,” Diess said.

The new model is looking to the future with its technological advancements, while also bringing back designs of the past, Diess said.

As the automotive industry becomes more advanced, one factor that deters people from jumping on board is the connotation that new models are losing their personality and becoming too robotic in na-

ture.

“Our industry is changing, it’s changing dramatically as the next generation of cars will be fully electric,” Diess said.

As the foundation of the brand, alongside the Beetle, the Microbus’ journey back into production is a special one for VW, and it has no intention to disappoint, according to Diess.

Driven by determination to hold its place as a forerunner in the industry, VW is committed to creating the best new product available on the market.

“Our goal is clear: we want to make the fully electric, fully connected car a bestseller around the world,” Diess said. “The iconic car of the electric age must be a Volkswagen.”

Although the vehicle’s move to dealerships won’t be until 2022, Volkswagen has created buzz with its release of the plan and advertisement campaign.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

PAGE 12

REVIEW

Games on The Plains: ‘Sonic Mania’ somehow succeeds Christopher Heaney CAMPUS REPORTER

As a kid I was raised on Nintendo and Playstation, meaning my early gaming heroes were Mario and Crash Bandicoot. I’d missed the Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo Era, and no one in their right mind had a Dreamcast, so Sonic the Hedgehog was a character I’d only experienced by box art and the occasional gaming magazine.

It wasn’t until my dad installed the 1996 game “Sonic 3D Blast” on our family PC that I was formally introduced to the character. I loved it and played it almost obsessively, but that came from a combination of me not knowing any better because of never playing the originals and the fact that I was a 5 year old.

Critically, Sonic’s first attempt at 3D – and every attempt after that – was met with little praise.

The fast pace of the games didn’t mesh well with 3D environments, creating frustrating and slowed-down gameplay that couldn’t compare to other 3D platformers like Super Mario 64.

Since then, Sega has tried time and time again to reinvigorate the “blue-blur,” every time landing somewhere between horrendous, ala 2006’s attempted title reboot “Sonic the Hedgehog” and just ok, like the Wii’s surprising “Sonic Colors.”

Fans never gave up on their favorite hedgehog though, and when “Sonic Mania” was announced last summer as a return-to-basics remix of the classic 2D Sonic games they were filled with just as much

excitement as they were familiar trepidation Developed by career Sonic fan Christian Whitehead with help from Headcannon and PagodaWest Games, “Sonic Mania” serves as a proper 25th year celebration of the character, not only because of its emulation of classic Genesis graphics but also because it’s a sur-

prisingly great game.

“Sonic Mania” succeeds because it focuses on what made Sonic fun in the first place: going fast. The branching levels and ever-ticking-timer encourage the player to go through the levels as quickly as possible, only slowing down for the occasional power up or challenging platform.

Players have three options for control. Sonic provides a classic experience, Sonic+Tails adds a helicopter-jump to reach higher up secrets and power-ups, and Knuckles, while moving much slower, can glide, stick to walls and, of course, punch through enemies.

The main game is composed of thirteen zones, five of which being remasters of classic levels, that each have 2 acts. Throughout these zones are hidden Special Stages and Bonus Stages that pay homage to games of old. The whole game really seems like a wellmade homage to the past, combining old ideas with new setpieces, challenges and areas to explore.

And explore you will, as the visuals and sound of “Sonic Mania” are something to behold. All of the zones, old and new, are accompanied by music that can only be described as nostalgic; starting off with a familiar sound in the first act that gets remixed in the second.

Although using the sprite-based art of the classic games, “Mania” adds subtle animations and moving parts that just wouldn’t be possible on old consoles.

Saying that an awesome Sonic the Hedgehog game released in 2017 is strange, but it’s here, and with a $20 price tag it definitely gets the Games on The Plains seal of approval.

FOOD

COLUMN: Why Moe’s Southwest is better than Chipotle

Cole McCauley CAMPUS WRITER

America is in the midst of a war. This isn’t a typical war with soldiers or nuclear weapons, but instead one with delicious burritos and irresistible queso. The debate is older than time itself – which semi-fast burrito serving food chain reigns supreme?

For me, there is no contest. The second I walk into Moe’s Southwest and hear an emphatic “Welcome to Moe’s” from the entire staff, I know I’m in the right place.

Don’t get me wrong, Chipotle is alright, but when you have the option I can’t really see how anyone would prefer it over the obvious higher quality option: Moe’s.

All my fellow college students know the struggle of having $10 in their bank account and trying to survive the week in true college kid fashion.

Well, Moe’s know the struggle is real, and, unlike Chipotle, they’re here to help.

Head over to the Moe’s on West Magnolia and show them your Tiger Card to take advantage of a deal that’s saved me from hunger on countless occasions. For only $6.75, or $7.25 for pork or steak, you can get any junior burrito, a drink, chips and salsa.

Besides awesome deals like the “college combo,” what separates Moe’s from its main competitor? For one, the meat and other ingredients taste fresher at Moe’s. Do you like chips and salsa? Well if you’re a sane and rational person, the answer to that question was yes. In which case, you’re in luck.

With any purchase at Moe’s you can enjoy unlimited chips and salsa – yes, you heard that right.

For a lot of people, Moe’s having queso over the queso-less Chipotle was what set the two apart. As you may have heard, Chipotle has recently rolled

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ever, the Mexican food chain has yet to clean up its act. There was another Salmonella outbreak that resulted in more than 130 customers sick in Sterling, Virginia.

The outbreak of multiple foodborne illnesses in the last couple of years has turned a lot of customers away from Chipotle and allowed Moe’s to pull ahead as America’s favorite Mexican-inspired food brand, according to a 2016 CNBC report.

Apparently, I am not alone in my sentiment.

According to “Hater,” a dating app that, rather than matching people on their mutual interests, matches people based on the things they hate, the state of Alabama’s most commonly hated food is, in fact the subpar Mexican grill known as Chipotle.

If you’re on the fence or you’re tired of Chipotle’s bland atmosphere and lack of free chips then get up, go to your nearest Moe’s and thank me later.

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out their own queso after 24 years of business – how embarrassing. Chipotle’s queso experiment is currently only in their West Coast and Midwest stores with plans to move to the rest of the United States later.

On the other hand, Moe’s has had queso since day one, and it’s delicious. So, why applaud a company like Chipotle for catching up with the times and finally offering such an essential food option? After all, no one remembers the eighth man to walk on the moon; we’re too focused on Neil Armstrong.

Now, let’s address the big, disease-ridden elephant in the room. That’s right, I’m talking about the E. Coli, Norovirus and Salmonella outbreaks of 2015 that forced many Chipotle stores to close down and for Chipotle’s stock to plummet.

The multiple outbreaks affected nearly 500 customers in 10 different states in 2015 alone. How-

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