The Auburn Plainsman 01.11.2018

Special involvement issue inside

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID • NEWS SINCE 1893

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

VOL. 125 • ISSUE 15 • FIRST COPY FREE THEN 50¢

SPORTS

Basketball school?

Tigers ranked for the first time since 2003 amid 13-game streak

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Head coach Bruce Pearl after Auburn’s win against Ole Miss on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.

By WILL SAHLIE Sports Editor sports@theplainsman.com

Since he was hired as Auburn’s men’s basketball coach in March 2014, Bruce Pearl has constantly talked about bringing credibility and national exposure to the Tigers’ program.

In his fourth season on The Plains, Pearl has his Auburn team off to its best start in nearly 20 years. The national recognition Pearl has worked toward arrived Monday morning.

For the first time since January 2003, the Auburn Tigers are ranked in the AP Top 25.

Auburn entered this week’s poll at No. 22. After knocking

off back-to-back nationally-ranked opponents last week, the Tigers are the second highest-ranked team in the SEC this week behind Kentucky, who sits at No. 21.

“We’re playing good basketball right now,” Pearl said following Auburn’s 88-77 victory over Arkansas on Saturday.

“We have nine guys that are playing really well together, so we’re in a good place. We have to take advantage of it when we get these opportunities. Our team is pleased, but our focus is to continue to get better.”

Although excited about the recognition, Pearl said his team is looking for a lot more than being ranked this season.

“It puts a bigger target on our head,” Pearl said. “A win over Auburn is worth way more to the opponent. But our goals

are bigger than being nationally ranked sometime in January.

This team’s goals are bigger. We’re going to focus on that. I don’t think there is any chance that we become too confident.

No chance in that.”

Auburn, who has not lost a game since Nov. 17 versus Temple in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic, has won 13 straight games, which is the Tigers’ sixth-longest longest winning streak in program history and their longest streak since winning 14 straight from Dec. 1, 1999–Jan. 19, 2000.

The winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the country behind No. 2 West Virginia, who has won 14 consec-

» See BASKETBALL, 2

POLITICS

Governor lays out vision in annual address Ahead of legislative session, Gov. Kay Ivey reflects on her first nine months in State of the State address

By CHIP BROWNLEE Editor-in-chief editor@theplainsman.com

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Kay Ivey, less than a year into her job as Alabama’s 54th governor, declared the state of the state strong and the future bright in her first annual address since taking office, reflecting on a year of tumult that both eroded confidence in Alabama’s government and began to re-

store it.

Ivey took office in April after then-Gov. Robert Bentley, entangled in a spiraling sex scandal, stepped down from his post under pressure of impeachment in the Legislature.

Bentley announced his resignation in the same room Ivey delivered her address Tuesday.

In the months leading to Ivey’s succession, then-Chief Justice Roy Moore was effectively removed from atop the Supreme Court, and

House Speaker Mike Hubbard was convicted on 12 felony ethics charges. The changes marked a total turnover in the top three positions in Alabama’s government.

When Ivey took office in April, she promised to “steady the ship of state” — a promise she says she kept.

“Over the past nine months, together, we have proven Alabamians seek progress, not stagnation,” Ivey said to a crowd of legislators, officials and citizens gathered in the Capitol Tuesday night. “I declare that the state of the state is strong, and our future is as bright as the sun over the Gulf.”

Ivey’s speech before a joint session of the Alabama Legislature served as an opportunity not

CAMPUS International students share struggles of moving to the US Auburn University has been increasing international enrollment and recruitment since 2011 Page 4

www.theplainsman.com

go online

only for Ivey to review the last year but to highlight her agenda for the remainder of her term, which will end next year. She laid out a broad agenda that focuses on education, pay raises for state employees, prison improvements and economic development.

The agenda, while broad, is not particularly ambitious. Most of it focuses around her general fund and education budgets, the Legislature’s only constitutional duty. Legislators in Montgomery this year are expected to focus mainly on the budgets as they head into an election year.

The Alabama Legislature, which opened

» See GOVERNOR, 2

News 24/7 on our website Go online to theplainsman.com SCAN ME!

@TheAUPlainsman

@TheAuburnPlainsman

@TheAuburnPlainsman

news

2

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

NEWS

BASKETBALL » From 1

utive games.

“We are just playing as a unit right now and we look to keep that up the whole season, playing together, playing hard, playing for each other,” said Mustapha Heron, Auburn’s leading scorer. “We just want to go play hard for each other. We are just having a lot of fun right now.

That’s the easiest part of the game — just to continue having fun.”

The Tigers have played the entire season without two of their top returning players from last season, Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy.

The two sophomores were suspended indefinitely prior to the start of the season due to involvement with former associate head coach Chuck Person, who was suspended without pay after federal prosecutors announced that he is being charged in a wide-ranging corruption and bribery investigation surrounding four top-tier NCAA basketball coaches across the country.

It remains unclear whether Wiley or Purifoy will be cleared by the NCAA this season.

“We’re still in the process of trying to get Austin and Danjel eligible,” Pearl said last week.

Auburn, which is 15-1 this season, is 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 2003. The Tigers have won 11 straight games inside Auburn Arena, which is the longest streak in the eight-year history of the facility.

“The crowd made an enormous difference tonight,” Pearl said following Auburn’s 85-70 victory over Ole Miss Tuesday. “There were over 3,400 students. It was a record student crowd for this building.

It was a sellout. It’s what we came here for. It’s what we dreamed of. I looked up before the game and couldn’t believe how full the seats were.

They’re excited for this team. “ The Tigers will return to action Saturday afternoon as they travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, who take on Florida Wednesday night, are 13-2 on the season. Tip-off between the Tigers and Bulldogs is set for 2:30 CST, and can be seen on the SEC Network.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Bryce Brown (2) loses the ball during Auburn Men’s Basketball vs. Arkansas on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Gov. Kay Ivey waves to the audience during the annual State of the State address at the Capitol in Montgomery, Ala. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018.

GOVERNOR » From 1

their 2018 Legislative Session Tuesday morning across the street in the State House, will face several challenges this session including uncertainty about federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the dilapidated, overcrowded state of Alabama’s prison system.

But Ivey remained positive, noting that the state budget, commonly cash-strapped, is expected to see an increase in revenue this year while the state Medicaid Agency, the largest recipient of appropriations, is believed to need less money than expected this year as fewer Alabamians are eligible for benefits.

“Our improved economy allows us to not just fund state programs, but to expand the ones making a positive difference,” Ivey said. “It is tempting, when times aren’t as tight as before, to spend generously. We must resist that temptation.”

Ivey’s proposed General Fund budget, which must be approved by the Legislature, calls for some modest increases, though, including a cost-of-living raise for state employees — the first since 2008. Her education budget also calls for a raise for teachers.

“Every day, we depend on state employees,” Ivey said. “Whether it’s a state trooper patrolling our high-

ways, a teacher staying late to help a struggling student or a social worker rescuing an abused child, quality state employees are essential to good government. It is long-past time for us to honor their service with better pay.”

Ivey said her budget will also allow for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to put more troopers on the roads.

ALEA has repeatedly said it does not have enough troopers to keep drivers safe.

“We will put more state troopers on our roads and add more corrections officers, all in an effort to serve and protect Alabama families,” Ivey said.

Over the late summer, the new governor embarked on a Listen, Learn, Help and Lead tour, in which she visited communities, including Auburn, to hold round-table discussions and visit local businesses in school. Ivey said she wanted to listen to everyday people.

After the tour, Ivey announced her Strong Start, Strong Finish initiative, which would increase funding to the state pre-K program by $23 million, increase funding for higher education by $50 million and provide funding for a graduates’ jobs program and scholarships for math and science teachers.

“These additional dollars are investments in our children and young people, and thus are investments in our future,” Ivey said.

She also announced the creation of the Alabama School of Cyber-Technology and Engineering, which will be based in Huntsville. The school will join the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science in Mobile and the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham as special-focus schools.

“With this budget, we will improve educational opportunities for all Alabamians,” Ivey said.

The education budget Ivey submitted, which is funded largely by sales and income tax revenue that grows relatively continuously as the economy grows, will be the largest investment in the state education budget in 10 years, Ivey said.

Alabama’s prison system, made up largely of decades-old prisons built to hold far less than their current occupation, has struggled in recent years as federal investigations and court lit-

igation have forced the state’s hand.

Last year in his address, Bentley pushed his Prison Transformation Initiative, a plan that would have led to the construction of four megaprisons to reduce Alabama’s overcrowding issues and crumbling infrastructure.

That legislation ultimately died in the final days of the session.

» See GOVERNOR, 7

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Audience members applaud during the annual State of the State address at the Capitol in Montgomery, Ala. on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

opinion THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

3 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

OPINION

OUR VIEW

Miss Auburn: fix it or get rid of it

While an Auburn tradition, the position needs serious reforms if it’s to stay around

By EDITORIAL BOARD Spring 2018

Auburn students will soon elect a new SGA president, vice president and treasurer.

At the same time, they’ll elect a new Miss Auburn, which is problematic.

The overlap of SGA elections and Miss Auburn elections forces a choice between running for a position of power or a position steeped in tradition. This choice can be a disincentive for women aspiring to serve the student body in its top elected position.

The Miss Auburn election should be moved to a more convenient time to allow women to run for both Miss Auburn or a higher position within SGA — or it should be eliminated altogether.

While most Miss Auburn candidates might not have wanted to run for SGA, some surely would have considered it if they didn’t have to choose between the two.

The implications of Miss Auburn as the feminine position in springs elections may draw hopefuls who feel they have a better shot as Miss Auburn rather than a higher position.

She has to choose.

Should she take the traditionally feminine role of Miss Auburn or try her hand at running Auburn’s student government?

Miss Auburn was conceived to give women a voice. Today, thankfully, that voice can be heard from almost all positions of power in society. Women are taking more leadership positions, and relegating women to roles created only for women is not the right message to send.

Miss Auburn began in 1934 as the “official hostess of Auburn University” — a female foil to the nearly all-male student government executive council at that time.

That was fine more than 80 years ago, but now it’s antiquated, as evidenced by the office of SGA president being currently held by a woman.

There is no doubt that Miss Auburn is a beloved tradition, and the officeholder, who acts as the hostess of the University and as an honorary War Eagle Girl, is admired throughout the Auburn Family.

Miss Auburns have for decades been effective and outspoken spokeswomen for their platforms, advocating for positive change on our campus and in our community.

That being said, as the campaigns for Miss Auburn are changing from passiondriven platforms to selecting a favorite line from the Auburn Creed, the role and power of the position diminishes. The platforms were perhaps one of the position’s only redeeming features, and throwing them to

HIS VIEW

the trash heap was the wrong move, even though the change was well-intentioned and intended to better define the role of Miss Auburn.

The role of Miss Auburn should change with the times, but it’s the timing of her selection that is a greater concern. A strong and influential woman who could be both a strong SGA president and Miss Auburn cannot realistically run for both.

That ends up weakening both roles.

Some women who run for Miss Auburn would make fine SGA presidential candidates, while women who might give Miss Auburn a real platform and purpose might opt to run for SGA. Women shouldn’t have to choose.

In Auburn’s history, out of more than 90 student body presidents, only three have been women. One has to wonder just how many Miss Auburn candidates would have chosen instead to run for SGA if the traditional role of Miss Auburn wasn’t on the table.

Jacqueline Keck, the current SGA president, has done an outstanding job fighting for student initiatives and serves as an inspiration for both Auburn women and men. She represents student interests.

While she is no hostess, she is definitely and deservedly the face of our student body.

All of this isn’t to say that Miss Auburn

can’t be effective.

Our current Miss Auburn, Ashley Moates, has accomplished much in her tenure. Her platform, AUsome Dreams, has been successful in helping realize Auburnrelated dreams for those with disabilities.

Her work as Miss Auburn should serve as the standard for all who hold the office.

But changes should be made to ensure Miss Auburn can continually serve as an inspiration to our changing campus and not as an echo of bygone times.

The election of Miss Auburn should be held separate from SGA elections so women are not forced to choose between aspirations of higher office and Auburn tradition. And the two positions should not be equated by having candidates run at the same time.

The office of Miss Auburn should be empowered through money and resources from SGA and the University to accomplish positive goals along with serving as a hostess of the University, if as a hostess at all.

The student body’s expectations of Miss Auburn should also adapt, as we should expect a holistic impact from all holders of public office on campus.

Yes, Miss Auburn is a cherished tradition. But absent these reforms, we wonder if there should be a Miss Auburn at all.

HER VIEW

President Oprah is promising, but not the answer

By JEREMY NEWMAN Opinion Editor

The chaos of current American politics can fog our assessment of how far from normal our country has strayed. And while issues ranging from children’s healthcare to our leader’s mental capacity rightly take the forefront in coverage and concern, it is important to remember an outlier in the craziness of the late 2010s.

A reality TV star is our president. And that is not normal.

A reality TV pedigree was not a sufficient qualification for president in the last election, and it won’t be in the next.

The anticipation of Oprah Winfrey as our next possible president is concerning.

While accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes last Sunday, Oprah delivered a speech that reverberated with viewers everywhere. It captured the feelings of the ongoing #MeToo movement and was a call to action to fight against sexual harassment and unequal treatment. It was astute, inspiring and one of the best speeches of the past few years.

Many saw the speech as Oprah announcing her candidacy for the presidency, and others were quick to celebrate as such.

Oprah herself has seemed increasingly interested in seeking the office. Back in September, she retweeted a column titled “Democrats’ Best Hope for 2020: Oprah.”

Sources close to Oprah say she is actively considering running, CNN reported.

For many, a Winfrey administration would be a vast improvement over our current White House inhabitants. Oprah does not share the unsavory traits of President Donald Trump. For all we know, she carries a better respect for the norms and the function of our democracy.

But the responsibility of the presidency demands more than common decency and a

knack for talking to people.

The president should hold a thorough knowledge of domestic and foreign issues, influenced by personal experience both in life and in office. They must be able to negotiate with leaders from within their party, across the aisle and from nations both friendly and adversarial.

The turmoil of the Trump administration is evidence that handing the keys to the world’s only superpower to a political newbie is a bad idea. Handing them to Oprah would be no better. It would be America remaking the same mistake.

The excitement of a possible Oprah presidency speaks to an exhaustion among the left following a troubling year.

Yearning for the celebrity factor that Trump has with his base — and that the Democratic Party has not found to fill the void left

by Obama — it has become easy for the left to latch onto what seems like the first viable and exciting option for retaking the White House.

But salvation does not lie within celebrity.

A reality TV star from the left will not bring back the normalcy disrupted by a reality TV star from the right.

Relying on Oprah as an ideal presidential candidate ignores many bright, young, liberal prospects already working within politics. Senators Kamala Harris and Kristen Gillibrand have made names for themselves this past year, as has former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander.

There is not so much of a talent deficiency in the Democratic Party that warrants borrowing leaders from cable.

The left should continue to fight against the Trump administration but should seek out a return to normalcy as well. An Oprah presidency would further disrupt our democracy and delay our healing.

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

VIA FLICKR / CROSA

Is Alexa listenin’ in?

By SARAH GALLAIRD Contributing Columnist

The Amazon Echo was one of the best-selling gifts of 2017 and is now in many homes across the United States, answering commands and playing music. It sells at a price of $99.99 and now comes in different fabrics or finishes.

This voice-enabled technology can obey commands as simple as telling the weather, checking traffic or playing a song; or it can complete more intricate ones like turning lights on and off in the home - and it is only getting smarter.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “The all-new Echo is the smart-speaker sweet spot.”

This new and continually evolving technology has captured the eye of many and continues to amaze people with what it can accomplish, but as intriguing and helpful as Alexa can seem, some are skeptical about how well she listens and who is listening into the conversations.

Is it possible that the government can hear conversations overheard by this device?

The idea of conversations overheard by

OPINION PAGE POLICIES COLUMNS AND EDITORIALS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE EDITORIAL BOARD CHIP BROWNLEE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LOREN KIMMEL CAMPUS EDITOR

ALEX HOSEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR

LILY JACKSON MANAGING EDITOR

SAM WILLOUGHBY COMMUNITY EDITOR

JEREMY NEWMAN OPINION EDITOR

JESSICA BALLARD STANDARDS EDITOR

WILL SAHLIE SPORTS EDITOR

INGRID SCHNADER PHOTO EDITOR

ANNE DAWSON ONLINE EDITOR

NATHAN KING ASSISTANT SPORTS

GANNON PADGETT VIDEO EDITOR

CONTACT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

the Amazon Echo being received by the government has been a topic of discussion lately, whether people are just amusing themselves with conspiracies or voicing serious concerns.

Whether you believe it or not, you have heard someone bring up fact that Alexa may be listening to more than we assume. This could have been brought up over the holiday by family members or even in memes on the internet.

Even if the conversations we are having with one another are frivolous or pointless, it can still bring some uneasy feelings knowing Alexa could be collecting more information than just the “wake word” and the commands. There have been several accounts posted by people online of Alexa forcing herself into conversations and lighting up without directions.

Should we be more concerned or play the whole thing over as a hoax? Whether the Amazon Echo is listening or not, it is a lot to think about and even more concerning with how much technology is expanding.

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

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

334-844-9108

344-844-9101

campus THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

4 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

CAMPUS

TECHNOLOGY

New app released to show parking availability

By ELIZABTH HURLEY Campus Reporter While there will be no parking spaces added this semester, Auburn University Parking Services believes it will be much easier to find a spot despite having the same number of spaces as last semester. Starting this spring, parking services is launching the War Eagle Park app.

Director of Parking Services Don Andre described it best when he said, “It is a way finding [app] for determining where parking is available.”

This project is a huge undertaking for any one department, which is why parking services hired an outside engineering group to create the app. Focus Engineering was the company chosen to undertake this massive project. They are a company based in Auburn and this particular project was run by two Auburn graduates Sakthi Kandaswaamy and Parker Roan.

The process for creating this app began about three years ago when parking services began plans for what they would like the app to include. Then the process of selecting a group to make such an app began.

“There are a lot of schools and, of course, cities that have apps like this now, that tell you where parking is available. So we started two and a half years ago looking at what we wanted to do and we were approached by the Focus Engineering group as well as other groups about them doing a system for us,” said Andre.

“So we had them do a pilot project, to make sure their products worked, and then we went out for bid and both of them [the two piloted projects], as well as several other outside enti-

ties, and based on the price and what we had seen in the poultry science lot [where they piloted their project], we selected Fopark [the app presented by Focus Engineering].”

Many parking apps today that show parking availability use ground sensors powered by batteries to determine if a space is occupied, Focus Engineering’s app Fopark, called War Eagle Park for Auburn’s campus, functions completely different Roan said, “We put cameras up in the light bulbs and so they look at the parking spaces and then we use computer vision and machine learning to determine the occupancy of those spaces that the cameras see.”

The technology behind the app designed by Focus Engineering is unlike any other parking availability app available for other college campuses and cities around the globe because of its unique use of cameras. It is because of these special cameras that Andre and his team at parking services selected Focus Engineering to create a Fopark app specifically for Auburn entitled War Eagle Park.

“The reason we did [selected Fopark] was because of the fact they used cameras. Most of the other technology at that time, two years ago, was using the sensors in the ground,” Andre said. “Which of course then if your parking lot became a building tomorrow, you lost the sensor. And they were run by batteries, that usually went dead after a certain period of time and you had to dig them up and put another one in.”

While the technology Focus Engineering uses can be used anywhere in the world, they have custom designed technology for Auburn communication specialist for auxiliary services

Kelsey Prather said, “They’re going to do it specifically for Auburn, and it’s [the app] going to be known as War Eagle parking.”

The app is designed for users to input the type of parking they have, such as A zone or PC1, and then the app will tell them all the parking lots on campus they may park in and give a percentage based on how many occupied spaces there are in a lot compared to the total number of spaces. Then the user can select a parking lot to see which exact spaces are occupied and which are not.

The zone input feature will help students to determine which lots they can use, and can also help direct students to easily forgotten or lots they never even knew about Roan said, “So that they [students] don’t have to memorize all of the lots with their zone in Auburn. The app can memorize it for them, all they have to know are the buildings on their schedule and type that in” The former students from Focus Engineering think this will be a great time saver for students Roan said, “I had a few instances where this could have really helped me when I was in a hurry. I had time to get the building but I didn’t have time to park. And if I had this app to say there’s a parking lot that is 70 percent full that’s only .2 miles away from the building.

I could have much better spent my time walking to class, that five minute walk, as opposed to driving around looking for a parking spot that wasn’t there [in a closer lot].

Meanwhile, the app will be just as effective for faculty Prather said, “We actually had set it up about a year ago, the proprietary equipment and everything, in the poultry science parking

lot. We tested it in that environment because it was a smaller parking lot and it was just faculty and staff, and they have loved it. It is just A and B parking [zones] over there so it’s not as challenging as a massive parking lot.”

“The feedback we have seen from the faculty and staff, they love it and we are clearly excited to roll out to the student body as well. This is something that we’ve heard complaints about at Camp War Eagle, SOS and from upper classman,” Prather said. “Surprisingly, this the first and new kind of technology on a college campus. We’ve done research to see what other larger institutions have and not many schools have something like this for their students.”

The final feature of the app is the incorporation of other apps already available to students.

Once students select a lot, they will be able to see additional transportation information Andre said, “We tied it [the app] in with our Tiger Transit and War Eagle Bike Share so that once you get to that lot, you’ll be able to say I’m still probably a little bit further from campus so when is the next bus coming by, it will tell you that, and where does the bus pick me up.

Or I don’t mind riding a bike, how many bikes are available nearby and how do I get to where the bikes are.”

This parking spot availability feature will only be available for the Coliseum, Village West, Magnolia/Donahue, Lowder, Poultry Science (front and back) and the McWhorter lots at the launch of the app.

Andre and his team hope to have the Arena, Stadium Deck and the West 1&2 off of Thach lots ready to show spot availability by the end of 2018.

PHILANTHROPY

AUDM staffer gets colorful to show her passion

By MEGAN FERINGA Campus Writer campus@theplainsman.com

Passion runs deep within the staff of Auburn University’s Dance Marathon.

With their seventh Main Event just a month away, the AUDM staff have high hopes to reach their fundraising goal of $658,000 to honor the 658 children who receive surgery at the hospital yearly.

Staff and volunteers for AUDM feel such passion towards the children benefitted that they’ll do just about anything to raise their fundraising goals.

Condra Lea Carter, sophomore in premedia studies serving on the morale staff, exhibited such passion this year.

Carter’s Dance Marathon involvement began her freshman year when she saw a friend of her older sister post about it on social media. When she signed up, Carter said she thought she’d show up for a few hours then leave.

“I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Carter said. “I walked in with only forty dollars for my fundraising.”

However, Dance Marathon moved Carter, who ultimately raised $400 during the 14-hour Main Event.

“All you want to do is stay longer and be with the kids you’re helping,” Carter said.

“You get to meet them, hear their stories, meet their families.”

When reflecting on her experience with AUDM, Carter said her favorite part was hearing the stories.

“We play the Olympic theme song and have them come down one by one to share their stories,” Carter said. “You hear what they were, what they’ve come to be, and what they want to be thanks to all that we do with our fundraising, that changed me.”

This year, Carter serves on staff and had a fundraising goal of $1,000, which she raised to $2,000 after hitting her goal in the month of November during her 48-hour push.

In order to reach her fundraising goal,

Carter said she did a list of crazy endeavors, including rapping the song “Ice Ice Baby” in front of her largest class, a polar plunge in a neighbor’s pool after finals week, attempting to ask Jarrett Stidham to her formal and dying her hair dark blue for Main Event.

“Originally I wanted to dye my hair as bright blue as I could, but I realized it wouldn’t come out easily and blue hair is not very receptive for internships.” Carter said.

After deciding dark blue as her choice, Carter added she will use different products to make her ends brighter for the Main Event.

“Everyone does something different,” Carter said. “Some do letter campaigns, others do social media campaigns, but it’s fun and we have fun with all of these because we know that it’s going to the kids.”

This year’s goal is over $100,000 more than last year’s total. AUDM is a year-long fundraising effort benefitting the Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center at Columbus Regional Health.

The year-long event culminates in a 14-hour dance marathon known as Main Event on Feb. 10.

The Auburn Dance Marathon hosts an hour-long “Iron Bowl” against the University of Alabama to see who can raise the most money. Last year, Auburn won and rolled the entire room.

Carter said the passion and dedication of college students on a national level prove that this generation is one that fights for the next.

She said AUDM and all Dance Marathon chapters want to show that college kids care about others, especially the generation below them.

Due to the large national growth, Auburn Dance Marathon hopes to push its way to become one of the top fundraising chapters.

“That’s what it’s all about, the kids,” Carter said. “We’ll do anything to help them.”

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 5

INTERNATIONAL

A flight to a whole new life

International students share their struggles with moving to the States

By CHRIS HEANEY Lifestyle Writer In a country inhabited by people of all backgrounds and demographics, it has become a mission of the collegiate world to open their doors to more and more international students.

Auburn University, which had a total enrollment of almost 30,000 students both undergraduate and graduate in 2017, started increasing international recruitment at the undergraduate level in 2011, according to the University’s Office of International Programs.

Thanks to the Auburn Global program and its more specialized International Accelerator Program, Auburn has raised its number of international students by almost 200 percent in the last five years.

The numbers reflect how the University is improving in enrollment of people from other countries, but it is the impressions of the students themselves, their thoughts on campus and their overall take on life at Auburn that defines what life is truly like for an international student.

“When I got here it was very different from what I was expecting,” said Arjit Singh, senior in industrial design. “The campus looked familiar because I had seen pictures of it online, but then, with the city, I kind of had the idea that it was a small city but it was still very different from what I expected.”

Originally from New Delhi, India, Singh came to Auburn because of its rank as the third-best industrial design school in the country.

Singh started Auburn as a freshman in 2015 with Auburn Global. He said the program made the transition to American academic life easy and the only challenge came when interacting with Americans from the South.

“It’s an old town and not a lot of people know about other religions,” Singh said. “They kind of just want to stay in their own thing, which is of course not bad, but creates a kind of barrier between them and the rest of the world.”

Besides religion, Singh reports enjoying his time as a student at Auburn and says he felt as welcome as any other student.

His sentiments were shared by Jude Abu Musallam, a third-year civil engineering student who came to Auburn from Jordan because of the school’s reputation.

“I originally wanted to study architecture,

GRAPHIC BY CHRIS HEANEY

and Auburn has one of the top programs in the nation,” Musallam said. “I had visited the campus and had really, really liked it; at first it was kind of weird, like I was on a vacation or something, but after a bit it started feeling like home.”

She said the transition to life as an American student was challenging at first.

“At first it was really hard, I did not know what was going on because I was so overwhelmed,” Mussalam said. “I don’t have any family near me, and it was hard not being able to see my friends or my family or anyone from home.”

Thanks to the University, however, she quickly fell into place as a student.

“Auburn Global was such a big help in allowing us to feel more at home,” she said. “The people here are wonderful people, the campus is beautiful and there is a lot to do. It is actually hard to leave Auburn now and go back home.”

Making Auburn feel like a “home-awayfrom-home” seems to be the driving force in the University’s international programs, as evident in the recently elected Miss Homecoming’s platform.

Morgan Gaston, 2017’s recipient of the University-wide award, based her platform on international students and better acclimating them to American life.

“I had the opportunity to go to China last year, and when I was there, I got to experience what it’s like to be fully welcomed into a community and culture where I did not feel at

HOLIDAY

ASB, BSU to serve in Selma

By HANNAH WHITE Campus Writer Less than one week into the new semester, students can spend their day off from classes on Martin Luther King Jr. day giving back. Alternative Student Breaks and the Black Student Union will join in service.

The two campus organizations will be heading to Selma, Alabama, to honor the legacy of King through volunteer work. ASB President Sydney Bayer said the event is quickly on its way to becoming an annual tradition at Auburn.The trip, now in its second year, and the collaboration between the two organizations is intended to unite students.

The group will serve at the Selma Food Bank, CrossPoint Church, SABRA Sanctuary and the Selma Community Center. The group will assist local Selma resident Dave Fulford with completing a housing project.While in Selma, students will be able to see the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute and they will end the day by walking across the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, a bridge King, himself, walked across. “[The goal is] how to incorporate what they’re learning at Auburn and how to become better Auburn men and women by giving back,” Bayer said.

The cost of the trip is $20 and will include three meals, a tshirt and transportation. The application is available on AUInvolve.

& FLEA MALL

New Year Means New Arrivals!

Look for a new find each week!

334-745-3221 | angelsantiqueandfleamall.com 900 columbus pkwy • opelika 36801 open everyday 10-7 • Sun 1-5

home,” Gaston said in an interview with The Auburn Plainsman. “They made me feel very at home and at ease and took me everywhere and showed me their culture. I realized I hadn’t done that back [in Auburn], and it was very humbling.”

Gaston’s plan is to better equip the international student organizations of Auburn University to prepare the incoming students for life at Auburn.

Her involvement with China was relevant to Auburn’s international programs, as Chinese students made up over half of all enrolled international students in 2017.

Another program that helps students adapt to life at the university is Auburn’s International Student Organization.

The president of the International Student Organization, Mingyu Zhao, is originally from Beijing, China. Zhao originally came to Auburn in 2015 with Auburn Global and now studies chemistry on the pre-dentistry track.

“Auburn Global had prepared an orientation; in those orientations, they have people called Global Guides which kind of lead you through and lots of them are higher level students,” Zhao said. “With their help, I felt really welcome, I could ask whatever questions I had to them and they would explain everything to me. It was really nice.”

Coming from a metropolis like Beijing, Auburn was quite the culture shock to Zhao, but in a positive way.

“At first I wasn’t really familiar with this

small town life,” she said. “Everything is slow and you don’t have to rush. Especially when I was living at the Hub, I had neighbors who didn’t even know me but they would still say ‘Hi’. That would never happen in big cities … over here it is really friendly.”

Zhao said she is glad to be so involved with the University and a part of the Auburn Family as a whole.

“When I wear my Auburn shirt, even when I went to Florida or Las Vegas, when someone yells at me ‘War Eagle’ I ‘War Eagle’ back and that really feels nice.”

Although it seems a majority of international students who go through the Auburn Global program have positive experiences, coming to Auburn can pose quite a challenge.

“The biggest obstacle that I have is trying to pay for my education,” said Rodrigo Carvalhedo, an Auburn student originally from Brazil. “I got a scholarship, but it’s just for the first year, so I have to work hard to find ways to pay for my education. There are a lot of opportunities that are only available to US citizens, so I am looking for ones I can get.”

Carvalhedo is pursuing a graphic design major, his second college degree.

He said while finding ways to pay for college may be tough, coming to America for school has been more positive than negative.

“It was an adventure in some sort of way, but I was not intimidated by it, I enjoyed it,” he said. “I wanted to come and I knew I would go through this so instead of like complaining and focusing on the bad side of it all I went with it and tried to do the best that I could with it.”

Carvalhedo said the biggest challenge in America is finding food that resembles Brazilian cuisine.

“One thing I struggled with was names for ingredients,” Carvalhedo said. “It’s such a specific thing, like parsely or basil or something like that, so I kind of had to Google translate them all and go to Walmart and try to find them. One thing I have struggled with is trying to find natural juices, I don’t quite like sugary things and you guys have a lot of sugary things here.”

As Auburn University continues to recruit more students from around the world, it seems as though the ones already here are enjoying their time.

With their steadily increasing international enrollment rates, it appears Auburn is truly working on becoming global.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Carter, an Honors College student

By HANNAH WHITE Campus Writer Motivated by the Lord, junior Carter Williams, balances majoring in industrial and systems engineering with his various responsibilities at Auburn, exemplifying just one student’s background within the Honors College.

It was at an Auburn reception in Mobile when Williams developed an interest in the school. A student recruiter discussed Williams’ ACT with him and suggested he look into the Honors College.

“The first time we came to visit Auburn, you know I wasn’t a VIT student or anything,” Williams said. “I was just up here on a normal campus visit before war eagle day, but I made it a point to stop in the Honors College, talk [to Kathie] Mattox and see what all the Honors College offered.”

After visiting with two advisors in the Honors College, Williams was convinced. Williams said it was getting to hear about some of the benefits of the college including its senior year experience that made him decide to participate.

One of Williams first experiences with the Honors College was through the k(no)w poverty week of service, a program offered to incoming freshman through the Honors College to get to know one another, volunteer and help the community before their first week of school.

“The week of service has probably been my largest honors involvement,” Williams said. “It was that first week of college, I was really kinda overwhelmed being at this big university...it was kinda intimidating, just coming up here and meeting people that I didn’t know.”

Williams said although he felt he didn’t make the most of his week of service, he has grown since he was a college freshman. Describing his entry to college as a learning curve, Williams said there are a lot of responsibilities and experiences as

a freshman.

“I got to campus and I met so many students, and in particular the honors students because they were who I was in classes with, who were making the most of their time here at Auburn,” Williams said.

Since coming in, Williams has picked up a minor in statistics and become a student recruiter as well as an honors ambassador.

Being an ambassador for the Honors College involves welcoming new students and preparing them for what the Honors College will involve.

“My favorite part is the prospective students and their families that come in,” Williams said. “Sometimes they have a meeting and then sometimes they just show up, and if advisors are full I get to be that face of the honors college…I get to hand them the info sheet, explain some of the curricula to them and then tell them my experience with it.”

Williams said although the Honors College does have extra responsibilities and work, it has encouraged him.

“Professors respect the honors at the end of your title and grad schools definitely respect students who chose to take that extra step and make that honors a part of their education,” Williams said.

Williams said his main goal since coming into Auburn has been to make the most of his time at school.

Outside of honors and academics, Williams found a number of interests at Auburn.

His first call out experience, football games and getting to rush the field at the Iron Bowl are among some of Williams’ favorite Auburn memories.

Williams faith and childhood make him into who he is today. Though William’s father committed suicide when he was four, his stepdad was a father to him.

“In sixth grade, he fell off the roof of our house and had a lifethreatening brain injury,” Williams said. “I struggled so much with what’s it mean to be a man, what’s it mean to glorify the Lord through my work.”

Through these struggles, Williams’ mom was his role model and rock.

“She’s really a rock, so having her example, even though she wasn’t the man of the house, couldn’t do everything, to be that dad for us,” Williams said. “She set a great example of how to work hard and to persevere.”

Williams’ drive to succeed in life and make the most of his experiences and become who he’s supposed to be is motivated by his faith in the Lord.

“I want to do everything to the glory of the Lord,” Williams said. “That’s really the driving force behind all that. Just working hard. Whatever I do I want to give it my best. I just want to glorify him through it all.”

community THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

FITNESS

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council approves ‘Brunch Bill’ to go before state

By ALEX HOSEY Lifestyle Editor

FILE PHOTO

Auburn students participate in a spin class at the University rec.

Is the January crowd real?: Local gym owners and managers weigh in

By OLIVIA WILKES Community Writer

Gyms everywhere are supposedly packed to the brim at the start of the year.

Regular gymgoers groan about the slew of new members resolving to chase their fitness goals down once and for all this year. But are gyms really busier in January than at any other time of the year? For Auburn area fitness centers, it turns out that while there is some truth to this assertion, the answer is more complicated than a straightforward “yes.”

Being in a college town, Auburn gyms are heavily affected by the academic schedule. Fitness centers see a lot of activity at the beginning of semesters, which contributes to January’s popularity. Nicole Agostino, owner of Yogafly Studio, says that January is definitely busiest for her.

“We have a lot of students who are on the academic schedule, as are teachers and administrators of the University,” Agostino said. “So it seems like January’s the very beginning of a new semester, and it’s kind of a time before everything gets super crazy.”

However, the academic influence means that the start of the fall semester also competes for the most-packed gym award.

Dalton Ard, owner of CrossFit on the Plains, said his CrossFit business is often

busier at the beginning of the school year than at the start of the calendar year.

“This last year, we were busier in the fall — like in August, September and October — than we were in January, February, March,” Ard said. “For us, it’s more about the beginning of semesters with school. So the beginning of the spring semester, we get really busy. At the beginning of the fall semester, we get really busy. But at the beginning of the fall semester, we have a lot of incoming students that are about to start college. …

That kind of can compete with the first of the year crowd too.”

Tray Wright, Manager at Tiger Iron Gym, said that while he’s not sure if January is the busiest month of the year, it’s definitely in the top three, adding that August, September and the beginning of summer are busy as well.

“Theoretically speaking, let’s say if a normal month we have 200 sign-ups in a month, then I’d say in January we’d probably easily do 350, maybe more in a month,” Wright said.

Agostino estimates that she sees an increase of 30 percent in the number of students in January.

For most gyms, those increases turn into decreases as the year progresses and people get busy or lose motivation. Agostino says that people tend to slow down around the middle of February, though she does have students who stick with it

all year.

Wright said that the crowd at Tiger Iron Gym would probably be biggest from Jan. 8 until the beginning of February.

Ard sees a different situation at CrossFit on the Plains.

“Honestly, we get the busiest in February,” he said. “January is like slowly adding people into the fold. And then February, March, April is everybody’s coming in and working out and that’s when it’s really busy.

Ard says people stick around longer at CrossFit on the Plains, as members have to sign up for an extended time.

“We make them commit to three months,” he said. “So if someone comes in, they can’t just … join for January and then quit.”

Ard said after the initial three months, probably two out of three people continue with the program for an extended time.

Wright estimated that 33 percent of people stayed for a longer time at Tiger Iron Gym. “Generally one out of every three people that signs up in January, I’ll say maybe one of them will stick with their plan of trying to get in shape and they’ll come in here for maybe three months or two months at a … regular pace,” Wright

» See GYMS, 7

The Auburn City Council voted 6-3 at their regular meeting on Jan. 2 in favor of a resolution requesting consideration from the Alabama Legislature to allow the city to implement what is commonly referred to as the “Brunch Bill,” a change that will allow local restaurants to begin serving alcohol at 10 a.m. on Sundays as opposed to noon.

Director of Public Affairs David Dorton said the council’s vote will allow the Alabama Legislature to vote on the bill’s implementation in Auburn at its next session, which began on Tuesday and is scheduled to end in April.

If approved by the state, the decision will come back to the City Council for a final vote before restaurants can begin selling alcohol earlier on Sundays.

Matt Poirier, owner of The Hound and The Depot, expressed his support for the bill to council members during the meeting.

“I think it’s a great thing for this town, I think it’s a great thing for tourism and it is a constant question we are asked Sunday mornings as soon as we are open until the magic bell at noon,” Poirier said. “I have yet to talk to somebody who is opposed … I think it’s a good thing for the city and a good thing for business.”

Ward 1 Councilwoman Verlinda White and Ward 7 Councilman Gene Dulaney said their constituents had reached out to them expressing opposition to the bill.

“One of the things that I have heard from some people who were concerned about it, their main concern is they felt like that we just have a continued erosion of Sunday and what Sunday means,” Dulaney said. “Just personally, I’m going to have to vote against this.”

Ward 3 Councilwoman Beth Witten expressed her support of the bill.

“I think it just comes down to adding another opportunity for someone who, if they choose that that’s their lifestyle and they wish to have an adult beverage, that the option is there,” Witten said. “I respect the religious aspect of a Sunday, but, to me, if you’re religious then you’re practicing that seven days a week and not just on a Sunday.”

City Manager Jim Buston said his office has received no complaints about the bill.

At last week’s meeting, the council also approved postponing a vote to raise the price of metered parking in Auburn’s downtown until the beginning of Auburn University’s fall semester on Aug. 20, 2018.

The council passed amendments to the city code last August to change the city’s downtown parking policies.

All metered parking will be extended to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, from the current 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

In addition, all metered parking will max out at two hours, from the current four hours .

The meter rate will rise from 25 cents an hour to a dollar an hour for surface parking lots and a dollar for the first hour and $2 for the second hour for street parking.

Originally scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, those changes will now hit The Plains in August.

POLITICS

Auburn grads start org to engage millennials in state government

The conservative Young Alabama, with a podcast and blog, bills itself as a ‘think tank for the young at heart.’

By SAM WILLOUGHBY Community Editor

With Roy Moore’s attempt at the U.S. Senate and a gubernatorial sex scandal that ended in Robert Bentley’s resignation, Alabama politics has become something of a national spectacle.

Led by three Auburn University alumni, Young Alabama is a conservative group with a podcast and blog that intends to amplify the youthful voices of a state with a tumultuous recent past.

“I think this past election showed that young people maybe have a slightly different idea of how politics should look stepping forward,” said 26-year-old law student and Young Alabama President David Wisdom. “Stepping away from the Roy Moore type candidates, we want more pragmatic candidates that can win elections.”

In the 2017 special election, Democrat Sen. Doug Jones captured 60 percent of voters aged 18 to 29, according to exit polls from The Washington Post.

Though the leadership team are all conservative and affiliated with local Republican organizations, Wisdom said Young Alabama isn’t necessarily going to toe the Alabama Republican Party’s line.

“We do want to work with all Alabamians, and we do want to work to push policy that’s for the betterment of the whole state, not just highlight what

CONTRIBUTED BY YOUNG ALABAMA

David Wisdom, Collier Tynes and Michael Bullington head Young Alabama.

Republicans are doing,” he said. “Just because an idea came from the other side, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.”

While an undergraduate student at Auburn, Wisdom met fellow conservative Michael Bullington, who is now Young Alabama’s executive director, through the University’s student government. “(Wisdom and I) became really good friends and got to know a lot of other people, particularly Auburn grads, who were kind of fed up with the ineptitude that seemed to surround certain areas of state politics and state government,” the 23-year-old Bullington said. “A couple of years ago, we started talking about how we ought to do something to get young people more involved because we would constantly hear these sort of patronizing tones and attitudes about

how we’re young.”

One of those Auburn grads was another SGA veteran, Collier Tynes, 27, who witnessed a recent Alabama political scandal from a unique perspective. Tynes was the chief of staff to former Alabama First Lady Dianne Bentley when she filed for divorce from the governor after discovering his affair with a staffer.

Collier said she’s used the skills she learned working in SGA during her four years at Auburn to navigate through Alabama politics and her subsequent career at a nonprofit in Birmingham and as vice president of Young Alabama.

“I have really seen some disheartening situations over the past four years,” Collier said. “There needed to be some sort of platform for the policy wonks

who want to talk about solutions to actual problems.”

A few months ago, Wisdom and Bullington started recording a podcast akin to a local conservative version of “Pod Save America,” a liberal political podcast hosted by young former Obama staffers.

Guests on the Young Alabama podcast include Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and former Alabama GOP chairman Bill Armistead.

Bullington said he views the Republican Party as a “big tent” — a phrase often used to describe the more demographically diverse Democratic Party — with room to grow if it is able to get past the “overly nostalgic” views held by some, often older, leaders.

In its infancy and without specific policy stances finalized, Young Alabama

is gearing up for the 2018 Alabama Legislature session that began on Tuesday with ideas more moderate than what the Republican Party in one of the nation’s most conservative state holds.

“We’ve been talking about things like mental health training for teachers,” Bullington said. “One thing I really care about is municipal consolidation in the metro [Birmingham] area. These aren’t big, sexy issues or anything, but it’s the small incremental pragmatic steps that can make a huge difference in the long run.”

The leaders of Young Alabama haven’t fled the state with a political leadership they think so poorly of — Bullington said he thinks Auburn’s SGA could run the state as well as the Legislature — even in the wake of the Senate election, when Moore, a man who made bigoted comments about numerous minority groups, still received over 48 percent of the vote.

Instead, they have doubled down and see the recent political climate as an opportunity to reform their home state.

“When people say disparaging things about my home, I know there are great people who live here; I know there are great things about Alabama, that I love — I never want to leave, I love this state,” Wisdom said. “When people say bad things about my state, I don’t think of it as, ‘Oh, we have a sucky place to live,’ I think of it as, ‘We’ve got work to do.’”

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

PAGE 7

POLICE BLOTTER

Police activity you missed over winter break

By STAFF REPORT

Auburn man charged with rape of 13-year-old runaway Jan. 5 Brian Dernard Askew, 37, of Auburn is being held at the Lee County Detention Facility on two felony charges of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree rape of a 13-year-old girl.

Auburn police arrested Askew on Friday, Jan. 5, on warrants charging him with the kidnapping and rape of a 13-year-old girl, police said Monday.

According to police, Askew’s arrest came after the girl fled the Lee County Youth Development Center in October. The 13-yearold girl left the facility and was picked up by “several unknown males” in a vehicle.

They took her to a residence in Auburn, where police said she was held against her will and sexually assaulted.

Askew was identified by police as one of the offenders who assaulted the victim, police said.

APD and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force later located him at his residence and took him into custody on the two felony warrants, according to a police release.

The case remains under investigation and no other information

GOVERNOR » From 2

Ivey is taking a different path, proposing budget increases for the Alabama Department of Correc-

GYMS » From 6

said. The other two or three will probably work out maybe that first month, and then they’ll drop back off or they’ll lose their motivation so to speak.”

Agostino said that as people’s schedules pick up and they get busier, they no lon-

was provided. The Lee County Department of Human Resources is assisting APD in investigating the incident, and additional arrests are anticipated, police said.

Askew was charged with an additional count of contempt of court on Monday and is being held on a $150,000 bond.

Suspected arrested with over 400 THC vape pens Jan. 3 Cameron Tucker Peavy, 22, of Dadeville, Alabama, was arrested by the APD on Wednesday, Jan. 3, for the possession of over 400 vape pens filled with THC oil, a narcotic concentrate derived from marijuana.

Peavy was contacted by undercover police officers in a parking lot located in the 300 block of North Dean Road while in possession of the pens, police said.

He was then arrested and taken to the Lee County Detention Facility where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance. He posted his $3,000 bond and is no longer being held at the jail, according to the detention facility’s records.

Peavy’s arrest resulted from an investigation by the APD, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, The Lee County Sher-

tions that she says will allow the department and its commissioner, Jeff Dunn, to hire more corrections officers and make court-ordered changes to the way ADOC handles health care and mental health care, while also developing a prison in-

ger prioritize going to the gym or fitness class.

“I think people allow other things to get in the way,” she said. “And it’s easy to fall off.

Once you say even a couple of times, ‘Well, I’ve got this other project happening. I’ll pick it up again next week.’

Well, that often doesn’t happen next week. Something else always comes up.”

Finding time to work out

frastructure master plan to improve the system.

Only nine months into her term, Ivey already faces the prospect of re-election. She qualified Monday to run for her first full term at the head of the state executive branch.

is a factor that influences people staying with their fitness goal at Tiger Iron Gym as well.

“A lot of people will convince themselves they can’t lose enough weight or it’s taking too long or it’s too hard,” Wright said. “Most people that stick with it, they usually find a comfortable schedule that they can work around with the gym,

riff’s Office and the Eufaula Police Department. Police said the case remains under investigation and additional arrests are possible.

Man charged with capital murder after shooting Jan. 4 Jeremy Maurice Dowdell, 31, of Auburn was charged with the murder of Marquavious Willdarious Boler, 27, on Thursday, Jan. 4.

Police received a call reporting shots fired the night of Jan. 3 at an apartment complex in the 800 block of North Gay Street, about a mile north of downtown.

When they arrived at the complex, police discovered the deceased body of Boler in the parking lot with gunshot wounds.

According to police, Dowdell was an acquaintance of Boler. Police said their investigation led them to identify Dowdell as a passenger in a vehicle that was seen fleeing the scene after Boler was shot. Police claim the shooting stemmed from a confrontation between the two in the parking lot.

Police arrested Dowdell at a residence in Auburn and took him into custody. He was transported to the Lee County Detention Facility where he remains without bond.

The legislature, which will return to session Thursday, also faces election.

Ivey challenged lawmakers to consider a higher power as they navigate through this year’s session.

“Why do you serve? Why did you

and they’ll really stick with what they want to accomplish at the gym.”

Ard and Agostino both said that accountability, or lack thereof, affects whether or not students keep going.

“People that come to our gym, they work out in classes with other people, they form relationships and they keep each other accountable and that kind of thing,” Ard

swear an oath to support this nation and our great state at all costs?”

Ivey asked.

“I say we can make our state better, if our purpose is the same – to serve for the glory of God and the good of mankind,” she said.

said. “If someone’s going to a conventional gym, then they may have a workout partner or a friend that they go with.”

Agostino recommends people focus on the results of their workout as well.

“Try to remember how good you feel after yoga,” she said. “When you go to class, it’s like going to the gym. There’s a lot of work

ahead of you, but if you can remember how good it feels once you’ve done it, that is the thing that keeps bringing you back, I think.”

While it’s true that the January gym crowd is real, in Auburn, the August and September crowd is a close competitor and even bigger in some cases. Regular fitness buffs can blame the new school year resolutions.

sports

8

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

‘Unfinished business’

FOOTBALL

QB Jarrett Stidham returning to Auburn in 2018 over NFL Draft

By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO

Stidham (8) led Auburn to its first SEC West title since 2013.

Auburn’s QB1 is just getting started.

Tigers redshirt sophomore quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who turned in just the second 3,000 passing yard season in program history, will return to The Plains.

“Made the decision to stay at Auburn,” Stidham said in a tweet. “We have unfinished business and I’m excited for what the 2018 season holds! War Eagle, Auburn Family!”

Stidham passed for 3,158 yards this season with a 66.5 completion percentage. The Baylor transfer racked up 18 passing scores to six interceptions.

Stidham, who beat out 2016 starter Sean White in preseason camp for the No. 1 spot, began to find his niche in the offense after a poor showing in the first two games of the year. Midseason, Stidham led the SEC in completion percentage, and was named second team All-SEC at year’s end.

The 2017 SEC Newcomer of the Year Award winner showed NFL-caliber mobility as the year went on as well, to-

taling four rushing scores over the 14 games played.

“I feel like there is a lot of unfinished business for me,” Stidham said. “This year, we were really close to being where we wanted to be as a team. I didn’t like that taste in my mouth. I want to come back and finish what we started.”

The 21-year-old signal-caller made up his mind on an elk hunt in his home state of Texas just days after the Peach Bowl.

“I went on the elk hunt to get away from everything,” Stidham said. “It’s been a long five months since we started fall camp. I wanted to reflect on everything and figure out what was best for me and my future.

“I’ve got to raise my level in all areas for the betterment of the team, for the betterment of myself. And hopefully it feeds off to everybody else, and we can continue to get better and win a lot of football games.”

His 2018 leaders will be consistent, as head coach Gus Malzahn parried Arkansas rumors with a new contract, and offensive coordinator

» See STIDHAM, 9

BASEBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Mize tabbed All-American

Tigers continue nation’s second-longest win streak, beat Ole Miss for best SEC start since 2002-03

By NATHAN KING

‘CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM’

Assistant Sports Editor

A month out from the start of baseball season, Auburn ace pitcher Casey Mize was named preseason First Team All-American

by Perfect Game/Rawlings.

The accolades keep rolling in for the junior, who was tabbed a Second Team AllAmerican in early December by Collegiate baseball.

Mize spearheaded Auburn’s surprise 2017 campaign with an 8-2 record and a 2.04 ERA. Despite missing out on a trio of starts with an injury, the Springville product turned in 109 strikeouts.

The 2.04 ERA ranked third in the SEC at the conclusion of the year, and 25th in Division-I baseball. His strikeout total last season is the most by a Tiger on the mound since 1999.

Mize led the nation in strikeout-to-walk percentage, and was 15th in the NCAA in strikeouts per inning at 11.73.

In half of his 10 starts, the right-hander registered double-digit strikeouts and kept earned runs off the board.

This summer, Mize became the eighth player in program history to compete for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

Mize didn’t allow a run for the team, striking out eight batters in seven innings.

FILE PHOTO

Mize was third in the SEC with an ERA of 2.04 in 2017.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Mustapha Heron (5) prepares to shoot the ball during Auburn Men’s Basketball vs. Ole Miss on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.

By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor

Auburn fans couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect start to the 201718 basketball season.

Sans an exhibition blemish against D-II Barry, Auburn came out of the gates with guns blazing. Without its two stars – Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy – the Tigers found offense and rebounding as a group en route to a 14-1 start, their best since a 16-1 jolt in 1999-2000.

Insert the team’s first back-to-back wins over SEC ranked opponents since 1958. Insert Auburn being ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2003.

To attempt to crash Bruce Pearl’s party, also insert the Ole Miss Rebels.

Andy Kennedy’s 9-6 Mississippians had won 10 straight over Auburn heading into Tuesday night’s conference showdown in Auburn Arena.

Auburn was searching for its first 3-0 SEC start since the 2002-03 season against the recently cursed Rebels.

After a half of play, it looked as though that curse would endure.

Auburn shot 3-of-17 from 3-point range, was out-rebounded 2421 and committed nine turnovers to Ole Miss’ four. All categories that Pearl’s squad had thrived on through 15 games.

At the break, Pearl preached aggressiveness and patience.

“We were forcing things, too many jumpshots,” Pearl said. “This is the

first time we’ve won an SEC game in my time at Auburn where we didn’t play particularly well. I mean, we’ll take it.”

The No. 22 Tigers outscored Ole Miss 50 to 25 in the second to snap their 10-game skid in the series and win Tuesday’s conference clash, 8570.

Auburn (15-1, 3-0) received an all-around offensive effort, with Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Mustapha Heron, Desean Murray, Horace Spencer and Anfernee McLemore all turning in double-digit performances in the scoring department.

After the first 20 minutes, the 3-point attempts stopped coming from the Tigers, replaced by drives to the basket, backdoor cuts and free throw line jumpers. Desolate possessions in which all five Tigers finished standing on the 3-point line were replaced by aggressive, all-out commitments to the rack.

A 3-for-17 clip from deep faded into an efficient, 3-for-5 mark in the second half.

“We were settling in the first half,” Pearl said. “We talked about shot selection. Did we shoot the shots we wanted to shoot or the shots they wanted us to shoot?”

The junior forward Murray, who has been Pearl’s Swiss Army knife this season, showcased his versatile game yet again, leading the team in scoring with 16.

Even without his impressive 16 and eight stat-sheet, Murray would still have been Auburn’s MVP of the night. » See OLE MISS, 10

FOOTBALL

Running back Kerryon Johnson declares for NFL Draft

By WILL SAHLIE Sports Editor

Kerryon Johnson’s career at Auburn has come to a close.

The SEC Offensive Player of the Year has elected to forgo his senior season at Auburn and enter the 2018 NFL Draft. Johnson announced the news on Twitter.

“There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am of the opportunity Auburn University has given me,” Johnson wrote. “This is truly an amazing school with an amazing fan base.

“With that being said...I have decided to enter the NFL Draft. Thank you all for the endless support that has not always been deserved. I love Auburn and The Auburn Family.

War Eagle!”

Johnson finished the season with 1,391 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

He put up those numbers despite missing several games due to injury and battling through more in a loss to Georgia in the SEC Champion-

ship game.

“I would like to thank KJ for all he has done for our program over the last three years,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “Kerryon has made this team better both on and off the field with his great character, competitiveness and leadership. He will be very successful at the next level and more importantly in life. We wish KJ nothing but the best.”

Johnson finishes his Auburn career with 2,494 yards on 519 carries. He scored 34 total touchdowns in his three seasons on The Plains.

Johnson is the seventh-ranked tailback in April’s draft, according to ESPN’s Todd McShay. The Madison, Alabama native is currently projected as a late-second to earlythird round selection.

Veterans in the Auburn backfield include sophomores Kam Martin Devan Barrett, and freshman Devan Barrett.

Malzahn has picked up two tailbacks on the recruiting trail in fourstars Asa Martin and Shaun Shivers.

FILE PHOTO

Johnson (21) was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year by AP.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 9

FOOTBALL

Malzahn inks 15 commits during early signing period

By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor

Fifteen of Auburn’s 20 commits signed with the Tigers on Wednesday, Dec. 20. There are six commits yet to sign – wide receiver Matthew Hill, defensive tackle Coynis Miller, safety Kolbi Fuqua, linebacker Richard Jibunor, wideout Anthony Schwartz and punter Arryn Siposs From earliest to latest signing time, here are the 15 recruits that sent their letters of intent Gus Malzahn’s way.

ASA MARTIN | 4-star | Running back | Decatur, Ala. Malzahn was able to pull Martin, the No.1 tailback in the state, away from Nick Saban and Alabama back in August, serving as Auburn’s 13th recruit in the class. Martin is ranked in the Top 10 of running backs nationally by both ESPN and 247 Sports.

Malzahn: “He’s very versatile. Reminds us a lot of Kerryon Johnson.”

JOEY GATEWOOD | 4-star | Quarterback (Dual-threat) | Jacksonville, Ala. Gatewood, who verbally committed all the way back in December 2015, has already drawn numerous comparisons to former Auburn Tiger and Heisman winner Cam Newton. Gatewood’s raw athletic frame of 6-foot-5-inch, 235 pounds will do that. Fans can expect a QB battle between the Floridian and Malik Willis in the post-Jarrett Stidham era.

“If he walked into the room, he’d look like Cam Newton.”

QUINDARIOUS “SMOKE” MONDAY | 4-star | Safety | Atlanta, Ga. Monday will look to replace graduating safeties Tray Matthews and Stephen Roberts. Monday brings a similar playing style to the defensive backs room: hard-hitting, fast and a ballhawk mentality.

“Tall, rangy guy, really plays with an edge. Plays safety and corner.”

JOSH MARSH | 3-star | Safety/Linebacker | Decatur, Ala. The Tigers’ second commit from the Decatur area was listed in high school as an outside linebacker and played all over the defensive side of the ball. Marsh, a lifelong Auburn fan (he committed on the same day he was offered), will likely fill the backend safety void at Auburn.

“I think he ran a 4.48 at our camp.”

DAQUAN NEWKIRK | 4-star | Defensive end | Orlando, Fla. Auburn’s lone JUCO commit in the 2018 class actually committed to Malzahn back in 2016. Two years later, after a pit stop at a community college in Mississippi, Newkirk is on his way to The Plains. The 6-foot-3-inch, 285-pound pass rusher will add to Auburn’s already dominant defensive front.

“Just an athletic guy, really excited about him.”

JAMIEN SHERWOOD | 4-star | Safety | Jensen Beach, Fla. Another defensive back addition for Auburn, Sherwood earned his fourth star during his senior year. Sherwood has been committed to Kevin Steele and the Auburn defense since he was a 3-star prospect.

“I know a lot of schools were recruiting him to play offense, he’s got that ability.”

CHRISTIAN TUTT | 4-star | Cornerback | Thomson, Ga. Tutt’s midseason visit to The Plains made Auburn his favorite over Ohio State, and the corner’s time on the sidelines during Auburn’s 40-17 win over Georgia in November sealed the deal. An all-around athlete, Tutt should see playing time his true freshman season in the likely depleted secondary.

“He’s got very good ball skills, and he’s a very good returner.

What stands out to me is his competitiveness.”

MICHAEL HARRIS | 4-star | Linebacker | Tucker, Ga. Like Tutt, Harris was swayed from Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes by the eccentric recruiting efforts from Larry Porter and Travis Williams. The summer 2017 commit’s explosive

play-making ability off the edge adds to Auburn’s plethora of quarterback nightmare fuel.

“He can play all the positions, he can rush the passer.”

SHAUN SHIVERS | 4-star | Running back | Hollywood, Fla. Shivers embodies the stereotype of freakish Florida athletes: small and nimble, but lightning-quick. The 5-foot-6 all-around back produced 27 touchdowns in his senior season, along with a 216-yard showing in Chaminade-Madonna Prep’s State Championship victory. However, with Martin’s presence as a more capable every-down back, we likely won’t see Shivers on the field for a while.

“He’s really one of the leaders of this class that helped with recruiting. Plays a lot bigger than he is, reminds me of Onterio Mccalebb.”

KAMERON STUTTS | 3-star | Guard | Killen, Ala. Herb Hand’s 2018 recruiting got its first prospect early Wednesday in the 6-foot-5-inch, 320-pound, in-state Stutts.

“Really competitive, we think his best days are ahead of him.”

JALIL IRVIN | 4-star | Guard | Stone Mountain, Ga. Irvin was told by Hand that he will likely make the move from guard to center in order to work into Auburn’s fly wheel of an offensive line. A versatile interior guard, like Irvin, should fit well into an ever-changing group that was a finalist for the 2017 Joe Moore Award for the nation’s top offensive line.

“He’ll play center for us. He’s got a good upside, very athletic.”

ZAKOBY MCCLAIN | 4-star | Linebacker | Valdosta, Ga. McClain’s Iron Bowl visit closed the door on his recruiting process, as the 6-foot defender committed on the following Monday.

“Very physical, he’s like a heat-seeking missile going to the ball.”

SETH WILLIAMS | 4-star | Wide receiver | Cottondale, Ala. » See RECRUITING, 10

STIDHAM » From 8

FILE PHOTO

Jarrett Stidham (8) drops back to make a pass during the 2017 SEC Championship Game.

Chip Lindsey elected to remain on The Plains in favor of a deal with the South Alabama Jaguars, a rumor that Lindsey quickly denied. Stidham credited his success in 2017, and going forward, to his two offensive gurus.

“They’ve been great,” Stidham said. “I’ve learned a lot of football in my time at Auburn. I learned a lot from both of them. Now that I’ve gotten to be with them for a year and they’ve been with me for a year and we understand each other really well, I think it’s only going to help.”

Despite a sour two-game losing streak at the conclu-

sion of this past season, Stidham’s aspirations for next year remains the same: bringing home a championship for the Auburn Family.

“The Auburn fans, the Auburn Family, they’re about as good as it can get,” Stidham said. “I’m excited to play in front of them and give them everything that I have.

It’s all about the fans and giving back to them. I’m excited about it. My family is excited about it. We’re all in and we’re ready to do this thing even bigger next year.”

After stating that he “had a lot of work to do” in the offseason after the Peach Bowl loss to UCF, Gus Malzahn’s leading gunslinger will have to work in 2018 without his top two running backs in Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway, who both declared for the draft.

Stidham has two years of eligibility remaining.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

PAGE 10

TIGERS TURNING PRO

FOOTBALL

Auburn juniors elect to skip final collegiate seasons in pursuit of NFL careers

FILE PHOTO

Carlton Davis (6) will leave the Tigers for the NFL Draft.

FILE PHOTO

Jeff Holland (4) entered the NFL Draft at the start of 2018.

FILE PHOTO

Kamryn Pettway (36) will leave the Tigers for the NFL Draft.

By NATHAN KING

By WILL SAHLIE

By NATHAN KING

Assistant Sports Editor

Sports Editor

Assistant Sports Editor

Auburn junior cornerback Carlton Davis will forgo his final season on The Plains and enter the NFL Draft.

“I would first like to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play the game of football and ultimately blessing me to be in my current position,” Davis said in a statement released by the team. “Secondly, I’d like to say thank you for all the unbelievable fall Saturday afternoons you enabled me to experience.

“I will be forever grateful to the university and the city of Auburn for accepting me as one of your own.

“With that being said, I have decided to forgo my senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft. I would like to thank my parents, my brothers, my family, coaches, teammates for the love and support. I’d also like to say thank you to anyone and everything that has ever supported me throughout my journey.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to be able to put on the orange and blue and represent all of the great players that came before me and those that will share that honor after me. I look forward to seeing you all soon, as I plan to finish pursuing that valuable Auburn degree.”

Davis was named a 2017 All-SEC player and a second-team All-American. The junior had 36 tackles this season and a team-high 11 pass breakups.

Defensive lineman Jeff Holland became the fourth Auburn player to forego their senior season on The Plains to enter the 2018 NFL Draft. Holland announced is decision on Twitter.

“After an unforgettable season, I have decided to pursue my lifelong dream and enter the 2018 NFL Draft,” Holland said in his statement. “I want to thank my teammates, my coaches, the entire AU athletic department and the AU fans for the tremendous support over the last three years. I am forever a Tiger. War Eagle!”

Holland had 10 sacks this season, becoming the first Auburn player to post double-digits in that category since Dee Ford in 2013.

Holland earned First Team All-SEC honors for his breakout junior season.

“Jeff Holland had an outstanding junior year and was one of our most improved players,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said.

“Jeff’s love and passion for the game of football is contagious and it will carry over to the next level. I appreciate his time at Auburn and wish him the best.”

He also had a career-high 45 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. The Jacksonville, Florida native forced four fumbles at Auburn’s Buck pass rusher position, which he took over after Carl Lawson entered the NFL Draft in the spring of 2017.

The consistently talented Auburn backfield will be down its top two rushers next season.

A day after 2017 SEC leading rusher Kerryon Johnson announced his intent to go pro, junior tailback Kamryn Pettway has made a similar announcement.

“It had always been my dream to play big time college football,” Pettway wrote on Instagram.

“After taking the time to think about the future and what’s best for my family, it’s now time for me to fulfill another dream in playing in the NFL. I’m humbled and excited for this opportunity for my family.”

After sitting out the season opener against Georgia Southern due to suspension, Pettway racked up 76 carries for 305 yards and six scores in five games played.

Pettway was ruled out for the bowl game vs. UCF weeks ago, after a three-touchdown performance against Arkansas proved to be bitter sweet -- the Prattville, Alabama native suffered a fractured shoulder blade late against the Razorbacks, and hadn’t seen the field since.

The junior did not make the trip to the Peach Bowl with the team.

Gus Malzahn said in Atlanta that Pettway was allowed to “stay back with his family.”

“When healthy, he was a dominant running back,” Malzahn said.

“We’ll be rooting for him moving forward.”

SOFTBALL

Greenwood to miss 2018 season

By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor

Auburn sophomore Carmyn Greenwood will miss all of the 2018 season after a season-ending shoulder surgery.

On Dec. 14, 2017, the Birmingham product had surgery on her right shoulder, which separated during a hitting practice in mid-October.

James Crepea of AL.com was the first to report the news.

She rehabbed until the surgery was performed in Florida by Dr. James Andrews, according to Crepea.

Auburn returns its left field starter in Morgan Podany, who will compete with Bree Fornis, KK Crocker and freshman Jenna Olszewski for playing time.

Greenwood appeared in 40 outings for Auburn in 2017, starting in 24. Her rookie year brought 14 hits, including four doubles and a trio of RBI. Her first career hit came on Feb. 2, 2017 in Auburn’s home opener against SIUE. Greenwood smacked a walk-off single in extra innings, opening up Auburn’s 18-1 start at home.

RECRUITING » From 9

"Very physical, he's like a heat-seeking missile going to the ball."

SETH WILLIAMS | 4-star | Wide receiver | Cottondale, Ala. Arguably the top skill position player in the state, Williams' verbal commitment to Auburn was no sure thing, as the Paul W. Bryant receiver was still to be heavily courted by the Crimson Tide. However, the early signing day inking from the 6-foot-3 possession receiver affirmed one of Auburn's most important offensive weapons for the future.

"Big-time athlete from Tuscaloosa, we haven't got very many guys from there in the past."

SHEDRICK JACKSON | 3-star | Wide receiver | Hoover, Ala.

Nephew of Auburn legend Bo Jackson, Shedrick will likely be asked to play a multitude of skill positions as a Tiger. Like his uncle, Jackson is wicked fast off the snap. The receiver recorded touchdowns at Hoover in all phases of the game.

"He's so polished. Came to our camp, did a great job with route running. Ran a 4.4."

KAYODE OLADELE | 4-star | Defensive end | Miami, Fla. Auburn's 20th commit of the 2018 class, Oladele was formerly committed to play for Jimbo Fisher at Florida State. Whether it was Fisher's move to Texas A&M or not, the Nigerian's signing continued to add to Auburn's athletic ability on the defensive line.

"We think he's going to be an excellent pass rusher. We really like his personality."

FILE PHOTO

Greenwood (10) was expected to compete for playing time in left field.

AUBURN ATHLETICS

Gus Malzahn has 21 commitments in the class of 2018.

OLE MISS » From 8

The junior transfer pestered Ole Miss all game, and the Rebels couldn’t shake him.

Murray saw the victory as a turning point in the Tigers’ season.

"That's big to come back like that," Murray said. "That's what makes a championship team different than a regular team. You might be down sometimes, but you're going to have to go in that locker room and you're going to have to all come together and know this game's not over, and we got 20 more minutes we got to go out there and play.”

McLemore, Auburn’s resident rim protector, “block three shots, but altered five or six more,” according to Pearl. McLemore didn’t miss a shot, leading to a 13-point performance.

After wins over ranked Tennessee and Arkansas, Ole Miss’ athletic wings posed problems for Auburn early, even without leading scorer Deandre Burnett, who head coach Andy Kennedy said woke up in the morning with an illness.

Burnett’s replacement, sophomore guard Breein Tyree, led all scorers with 24 points.

“Definitely, they [Auburn] are a Top 25 team,” Tyree said. “They came out with energy and enthusiasm in the second half. I felt my team did as well, but they just made plays and we didn’t.

Over 3,400 students in the “Auburn Jungle”

set a record for attendance by Auburn students in the arena, a feat that Pearl says he’s been dreaming of since day one.

The 57-year-old coaching veteran wasn’t surprised, however. Pearl claims that from the beginning, he’s seen the support of Auburn fans remain one step ahead of the on-the-court output from his ball-club.

“The results have been coming, the support has been great,” Pearl said. “And it continues to get better. We’re going to take a bus of students to Mississippi State. How about that? If we sell one bus, we might take two buses. They’re all in.”

Monday afternoon brought big news to The Plains: the team’s first appearance in the polls in 15 years. For Pearl, it’s all been part of a methodical process.

“I looked at the Top 25 the other day,” Pearl said. “I saw TCU. We beat them last year.

There’s Texas Tech. We beat them last year.

There’s Xavier. Well we beat them a couple of years ago. There’s Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky. We’ve won those games. It’s not just a this-year thing. The past has put us in this position.”

No. 22 Auburn will head to Starkville, Mississippi to take on the Bulldogs this Saturday, Nov. 13. Ole Miss (9-7, 2-2 SEC) will play host to the Florida Gators on the same day.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Horace Spencer (0) goes in for a lay up during Auburn vs. Ole Miss on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018.

lifestyle

11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COLUMN

LIFESTYLE

FILM

Lights, Camera, Film Club!

By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Writer

IMAGE VIA PIXABAY

Expectations vs. realities of a new semester

By MOLLY STEWART Lifestyle Writer

A new semester has begun. That means the expectations are again set high, but the reality is that those expectations are probably going to be thrown out the window in a few short weeks.

The stress, late nights, procrastination, naps and other unfortunate realities are like a storm cloud just waiting to rain down on students.

“This semester I am going to study,” says every college student.

Everyone is striving for that 4.0, so they promise to go to every SI session, rewrite the notes after every class and say goodbye to procrastination forever.

The reality is that whenever they log on their Alex assignments or start their next paper they will end up binge watching Netflix for three hours.

“This semester I am going to work out,” says every college student.

Auburn has one of the nicest rec centers in the country, so it would be crazy to not take advantage of it.

The reality is that when any college student has three tests and a paper due, workouts get put on the back burner and studying becomes an excuse not to go.

“This semester I am going to stop eating out,” says every college student.

The belief is out there is that if a workout is skipped, then a healthy meal will make up for it. This is probably not the most scientifi-

cally proven fact, but the reality is that Chickfil-A is too conveniently located to give up fast food.

“This semester I am going to get organized,” says every college student.

They get a planner to write out every assignment due and plaster “SPRING BREAK” across March 11-15 but quickly forget about it when they remember Canvas will notify them of assignments.

They probably even make a promise to themselves to keep their room clean, but everyone knows how that turns out.

“This semester I am actually going to look presentable for class,” says every college student.

This works fine for the first week, then they will realize sleeping 30 extra minutes is a better way to spend that valuable time.

So, it will result in wearing the same shirt they wore two days ago and never touching a hairbrush.

“This semester I am not going to go out as much,” says every college student.

Doing this will improve grades, sleep schedule and it will be beneficial for their health, but the reality is that college kids tend not to care about those things.

They will cave the minute a friend begs them to go.

So, set the expectations high, but know reality will kick in. It is okay though, everyone caves at some point.

Just keep telling yourself that there’s always next semester.

The Auburn Film Club has gone under structural changes to further form an enjoyable environment for film fanatics.

Members of the film club get together on a weekly basis to watch a movie, usually in Tichenor Hall. The members typically go to Little Italy’s afterward to discuss the film, movies in general and get to know one another.

The Film Club watches movies in twoweek intervals. The second film of the interval is related to the first film in some way.

For example, during the previous semester, the club got together to watch the Swedish production of the film “Let the Right One In.” The following week, the group watched the American version of the film.

According to Parker Aultman, vice president of the Auburn Film Club, these two movies had drastically different styles even though they shared the same storyline.

Aultman says this approach of watching movies in two week intervals gives the members the opportunity to get a closer look at comparing and contrasting the movies because they get to understand the director’s approach better.

The first two film selections for the upcoming semester are “The Room” and “The Disaster Artist,” which is based on “The Room.”

“The purpose of the Film Club is to share movies and explore their themes,” said Gannon Padgett, the president of Film Club. “We try to choose films that are both entertaining and thought provoking,” The genres of the selected films can vary and are diverse in nature. The genres include foreign language films, sometimes blockbusters, artsy films, romantic comedies and documentaries.

The club is not particularly large with roughly five to 15 members able to make it to each film screening and pizza.

“We all know each other decently well,” Aultman said. “So, it’s just kind of like a group of friends who get together hanging

out, watching movies and eating pizza basically.”

Padgett took over as president of the organization three semesters ago. Before Padgett, the club met once weekly to discuss movies for an hour or so in a classroom.

“I wanted to change the Film Club to make it more inclusive and bring in different types of people,” Padgett said. “The screenings and pizza offer a more relaxed environment, I think.”

Along with structural changes, the group changed its name as well.

“The club used to be called The Auburn Film Society, but I really disliked that name because it sounds exclusive and pretentious,” Padgett said. “The Auburn Film Club is open for everyone to come watch a movie that they may not have heard of before.”

Aultman learned about the Film Club during the second semester of his freshman year and immediately joined as he has always been passionate about filmmaking. He thinks anyone who enjoys filmmaking as much as him should join as well.

“I guess my thinking is that if you have an interest in film, regardless of how knowledgeable you are about it, you’ll definitely have a chance to see some things that you haven’t seen before, be exposed to some foreign films, some lower budget Indie films,” Aultman said. “Also, you’ll kind of learn more about film, you’ll see how other people interpret the movie.”

VIA AUBURN FILM CLUB

ART

STUDENT AFFAIRS S P OT L I G H T Student Counseling Services

Dr. Moose, Animal Assisted Therapy

The 901 Collective at Jule Collins

By CAROLINE KRUZA Lifestyle Writer

It is no secret that Auburn University is a school that thrives off of the reputation and success of its STEM programs. However, a new group of students is pushing for Auburn’s art programs and museum, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, to finally have a seat at the table through a new student organization: the 901 Collective.

The 901 Collective, by definition, is a student organization associated with the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. The inspiration for the name comes from the fact that the address for the museum is located on 901 College St. It seeks to not only encourage more student collaboration within the art museum but also to showcase the museum as a place that Auburn students can utilize more than they usually do in their day-to-day lives.

“The students in the 901 Collective work to debunk the stereotype of the quiet, boring atmosphere of museums and show their peers that the museum is a place to relax, to study, to hang out, to eat, to shop and to take in the beauty that surrounds them” said Caroline Stone, Student Assistant for Communications and Marketing at the museum.

It is not so much as what students can do for the 901 Collective, but what the 901 Collective can do for students.

The organization seeks to take the ideas and future hopes of Auburn’s budding artists and help them get to where they need to go. The faculty of Jule Collins wants to help students reach their goals within the art realm and en-

courage students along their journey to becoming an artist.

“The 901 Collective is a new initiative at the art museum to provide Auburn students the opportunity to gain real-world experience within different departments of the museum and develop programs for university students and the Auburn community,” said Xoe Fiss, the K-12 Curator of Education for the museum.

The 901 Collective is by no means the largest student organization on campus, but, with its humbling number of 15 members, it seeks to make a noise that will shake up the status quo in the community.

While arts are respected in Auburn, Stone believes that in comparison to larger cities in the Southeast, Auburn could be doing more to push for the expansion and promotion of its art programs.

“I believe that art doesn’t have to the focal point that it should here in Auburn,” Stone said. “The JCSM is rarely on the forefront of students minds, except in special cases like the bunnies sculpture. Part of what made me want to join the 901 Collective was to help bring more students to the museum.”

In the future Stone sees this club expanding past 15 members and infiltrating the Auburn arts community as a whole.

“I see more students visiting the museum to view the art, but also just to hang out,” Stone said. “There’s wifi at the museum and it’s a fantastic quiet place to go and study. I think the art community is absolutely growing on campus through our fine arts majors and at the museums. Art in Auburn isn’t where it could be, but we’ve made great improvements.”

Student Counseling Services offers individual counseling, group counseling, drop-in groups, crisis intervention, outreach and workshop mental health-related presentations, Zen Den, and Animal Assisted Therapy. Services are personal, professional, confidential, and free. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 334.844.5123.

auburn.edu/scs auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

@AuburnStudents

facebook.com/AuburnStudents

@AuburnStudents

Auburn Students MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art on Thursday, March 9, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018 ART

PAGE 12 MUSIC

Songs to add to your study playlist this spring semester

By EMMA RYGIEL Lifestyle Writer

ILLUSTRATIONS BY GARRETT JOHNSON

Nude modeling for the sake of art

By JESSICA BALLARD Standards Editor Halfway through modeling nude for a figure drawing class, Maddie Richards decided she wanted a tattoo in a place private to her, somewhere usually only she would see – her butt. She got the tattoo, remembered she had to model the following Thursday and braced for the reaction of the artists.

As she got on the stage, the professor told her the first pose would be with her back facing the artists and, incidentally, so would her freshly tattooed skin.

Richards said she always tried to maintain a professional attitude toward her job modeling, but in a lighthearted moment when she heard snickers from behind her, she laughed, turned around and said, “I’m sorry everyone, please ignore my butt tattoo. I apologize.”

As a theater major, Richards decided modeling for a figure drawing class would be beneficial for her stage presence – learning to remain still and composed on a stage in front of an audience. Models posing for drawings are required to stay in the same position anywhere from 20 second intervals to 40 minute intervals.

“At first I went into it like, ‘Oh, this will be easy money, but it actually ended up helping me in my classes,’” Richards said. “I took a lot of hardcore theater classes this past semester, and in one of the classes one of the things we were graded on was to have control and to stand as still as possible, so in my mind I was like, ‘I’ll just pretend I’m back on the platform in the classroom having to be as still as possible.’”

Although the experience modeling for an art class ended up helping her in her chosen field of study, it affected her in more ways than just career and financial areas.

As with most jobs, the position came with positive and negative moments.

The experience helped Richards become more comfortable with her body. Seeing her body from the different perspectives that the artists depicted in their charcoal drawings and getting desensitized to being naked in front of a group of observers instilled a sense of comfort with her bare body.

One instance, though, stands out as a potential pitfall of the gig. One day in class, Richards was talking with one of the guys in the class about his art. Later that day, she decided to go follow him on Instagram to see his art he had posted there and ended up finding a drawing of herself.

Among other comments complimenting his work, was one from another student about her body. According to Richards, the comment said something about the model needing to work on her squats.

“I was floored,” she said. “I was like, ‘You don’t even know me.’ And then I had to sit and tell myself that I bet she never even thought that the model would have read this.”

Regardless, Richards said watching the dozens of drawings that could come from her simply sitting on a stage nude was eye opening. She said being the inspiration for someone’s art was an amazing feeling.

Richards reiterated that the experience was in no way a sexual one; it was professional. She joked that the class was at 8 a.m., and that nothing can really be that sexual that early in the morning.

Richards also stressed how comfortable and welcoming the professor of the class, Jeffrey Lewis, made the three hours every Thursday.

“The first day was definitely a little nerve racking to have to stand in front of a class naked,” Richards said.

“It was different, but, overall, I know it’s a little cliche, but it was liberating.”

BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK $189 for 5-Days. All prices include: Round-trip luxury party cruise.

Accommodations on the island at your choice of ten resorts.

Appalachia Travel. www.BahamaSun.com

800-867-5018

For Rent Male Roommate Needed Address: 509 E. Glenn Ave, Auburn, AL 36830 When: This semester, Spring 2018

CHECK US OUT Contact: ONLINE! 248-982-7298 Email erikfailing@gmail.com

Get the lastest news on Auburn!

Facebook.com/ ThePlainsman

Twitter.com/ TheAUPlainsman

Lord Huron This American indie folk band from Los Angeles has been around since early 2010, with its debut album “Lonesome Dreams” having been released in 2012.

Their sound is perfect for studying as it will keep you awake and energized – unlike other classical music options – to tackle pages of notes and stacks of flashcards.

The songs “Ends of the Earth” and “The Night We Met” are the perfect addition to your study playlist.

Wes Swing From Charlottesville, Virginia, Wes Swing and his band mix classical, indie, pop and alternative tunes to form their unique sound.

Their sound is perfect for a calm night studying or cramming for your next big exam.

A few song suggestions are “Mirrors,” “Lullaby” and “Sleeping Moon.”

Fitting for a coffee shop enthusiast or alternative music junkie, Wes Swing is worth a listen.

Brandi Carlile High school dropout turned Grammy nominee Brandi Carlile creates music that mixes pop, rock and folk.

Her music incorporates many string instruments accompanied by the piano, creating a similar sound to classical music with a modern twist.

Made for Mondays, Brandi Carlile’s music will sure to get you back into studying this semester.

Tracy Chapman Multi-platinum artist Tracy Chapman produced hit after hit in the 80s and her songs remain among the best to date.

Although other versions have been made, nothing beats her original, simple and soulful sound.

“Fast Car” and “Give Me One Reason” are great additions to your studying playlist to mix in some classics.

Tigermarket

To Place an Ad, Call 334-844-9101 or E-mail admanager@theplainsman.com

Spring Break

With the start of a new semester comes the more dreaded element of school: studying.

For most to start the year off strong, studying will need to commence sooner rather than later, and if your studying routine includes listening to music, what better way to start the year than with a few new artists to add to your study playlist?

Here are a few suggestions to help you get back into study mode this semester.

Print Deadline Noon three business days prior to publication

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, January 11, 2018

To advertise email admanager@theplainsman.com For more information

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

ACROSS 1 Splendor 5 Lara Croft targets 10 In that case 14 Jamba Juice berry Level:

By The Mepham Group 15 “Tommy” is one 1 162Chewy Hershey Level: 1 2 3 4 3 4candy 17 Step on it Complete grid 19the Activates, as a so each row, column security system and 3-by-3 box Tossed course (in bold20 borders) contains 21 every digit, Company that 1 to 9. For strategies introduced on how to solve Sudoku, visitStyrofoam www.

22 Spacek of sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION“Bloodline” TO WEDNESDAY’S PUZZLE 23 Things to avoid 25 Foamy pick-meup 27 Defeat decisively 30 Tied in the harbor 33 Flowing garment 36 __ Paulo, Brazil 37 Roman poet who © 2017 The Mepham Group.

Distributed by 11/9/17 coined “carpe Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

Solution to Wednesday’s puzzle diem” 1/11/18 Complete the 38 Creator of grid so each row, Iceland’s Imagine Peace column and Tower 3-by-3 box 39 Sleep on it (in bold borders) B U Y . Scontains ELL . T R A D E 41 “SNL” writer/actor every Michael digit 1 to 9.

42 “Becket” star -Retro Video Games For strategies 44 Auction ending? on how to solve 45 Inert gas -Vinyl Records Sudoku, visit 46 Not very often -Comics,www.sudoku.org.uk.

Collectibles 47 Like some poll questions - Magic Cards 49 Youngsters © 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

51 Hamlet cousins -Posters &Art 54 Put down Start immediately, -Phones, IPads & Laptops 56 Crone 59 Knuckleheads $15 per hr, 3 hours (we buy broken phones/laptops) 61 Wild bunches 62 Count on it per day, flexible 334 - 741 - 0808 64 Lawn pest schedule.

65 “That’s too bad” 221 S. 9TH ST. 66 It might be a OPELIKA, AL whole lot Please send an email to 67 Follow 36801 caregiver4doris@gmail.com instructions 68 Covert agent NEXT TO LEE COUNTY 69 Safari shelter

Sudoku

SEEKING

ALMOST ANYTHING

DOWN 1 Bear feet 2 Aquaman’s realm 3 __ Cup: classic candy in a yellow wrapper 4 Hot and spicy 5 Young SpiderMan portrayer Holland 6 Pundit’s piece 7 Short note 8 Wild fight 9 Suppressed, with “on” 10 False friend 11 Bet on it 12 Shade trees 13 Way too interested 18 Dumpster output 22 Put up with 24 “Well, sorrrr-ry!”

26 Massachusetts college or its town 28 “Holy smokes!”

29 Stir 31 Letter between Delta and Foxtrot 32 “It Ain’t All About the Cookin’” memoirist Paula

33 Pigeon calls 34 Poker stake 35 Bank on it 39 Chap 40 Cause of a buzz 43 Adventurous trip 45 “Another problem?”

48 Forget-me-__: flowers 50 Shoulder warmer

52 Jenna, to Jeb 53 Unsmiling 54 Firing range supply 55 Doofus 57 Pond plant 58 Small valley 60 Editor’s mark 62 You may feel one on your shoulder 63 Even so

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

01/11/18

Caregiver for woman with dementia.

COURTHOUSE

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

01/11/18