The Auburn Plainsman 8.24.2017

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The Auburn Plainsman THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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NO HATE WELCOME HERE

President, SGA and diversity officer speak out against racism, bigotry Chip Brownlee EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Lily Jackson MANAGING EDITOR

College campuses across the United States have become the focal points of a growing trend of altright and white nationalist propaganda, hate speech and recruitment efforts — and Auburn is no different.

In a series of interviews, University leaders — including President Steven Leath, Student Government President Jacqueline Keck and Associate Provost Taffye Clayton, the University’s diversity and inclusion officer — spoke out against what they labeled as “hate and bigotry.”

“I think we’ve made a commitment and made it clear that these are not beliefs of ours, and it’s not a reflection of who we are,” Keck said. “I always think we should just take a stand against it.”

Since last fall, Auburn has become a target for alt-right action. Former Breitbart News tech editor Milo Yiannopolous, known for his blatantly sexist and Islamaphobic rhetoric, spoke on campus in October 2016. In the spring, white nationalist leader Richard Spencer fought the University in court over a speech in Foy Hall ­­— a speech that ended up being filled with themes and thoughts that were overt-

ly racist.

While most of the events on Auburn’s campus have lacked any serious violence, they haven’t been isolated or infrequent.

In the month before Spencer’s speech, a new “Auburn White Student Union” popped up online and distributed dozens of anti-Semitic fliers on campus. One of the “resources” listed on their website is a 4-hour YouTube video highlighting the “Case for White Nationalism.”

A similar trend has spread across other campuses. Controversial white nationalist speakers come to speak, and instances of leafleting and other attempts at recruitment precede or follow, attempting to take advantage of the controversy.

Clayton and Keck said hate and violence do not belong at Auburn and are being propagated by outside actors.

“I think that there are important and challenging and, unfortunately, violent things happening around the nation that are not specific to Auburn in particular,” Clayton told The Plainsman. “Auburn University is a family, a University that is guided by a set of core values. Among those values is diversity. We will continue to be wedded to our enduring values, and that’s what we represent.”

Leath agreed that Auburn is just one of many plac-

es experiencing these incidents.

“Auburn is a wonderful place with wonderful people, but we’re not immune from what’s happening throughout society,” Leath said. “Our goal is to deal with it responsibly and in a way that contributes to better understanding and intellectual growth.”

The University issued several statements affirming their commitment to diversity and inclusion during the Spencer events, as well, and went as far as to attempt to block the event because of administrator and police concerns over students’ safety.

The University also forced the White Student Union to remove University trademarks, and the group still hasn’t obtained official student organization status.

The conversation has continued over how to respond to these instances of racism, particularly after the Unite The Right white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which ended in violence and the death of one 32-year-old anti-racism demonstrator who was run over by a car allegedly driven by a neoNazi sympathizer.

And over the weekend, a rising leader in youth alt-right circles, 19-year-old Nicholas Fuentes, who attended that rally, said he would be transferring to

» See NO HATE, 2

CAMPUS

Rising alt-right leader was previously admitted to Auburn 19-year-old Nicholas Fuentes was admitted for the fall but will need to re-apply for the spring Chip Brownlee

factor in his final decision to transfer.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Nicholas Fuentes, a rising figure in alt-right circles, was previously admitted to Auburn, despite reports that he had not been offered admittance and had not even applied, documents obtained by The Auburn Plainsman show.

Fuentes, now 19, was offered admittance to Auburn for the fall 2017 academic semester. He applied in the late spring and was admitted in June on a transfer basis, the documents obtained show.

He decided not to accept the admission offer for the fall semester, instead choosing to wait for the spring semester.

In accordance with standard admission policy, Fuentes will need to re-apply for the spring semester as admission is valid solely for the semester for which it is offered, according to a University spokesperson.

The current Boston University student told The Plainsman Saturday that recent death threats he received in Boston made him feel unsafe and were a drivi n g

He began receiving the death threats after attending the white nationalist Unite The Right rally in Charlot-

tesville, Virginia.

Other reports said Monday that Fuentes had not applied for the spring semester, nor had he been admitted, citing a statement from the University. The reports didn’t include that Fuentes had been previously accepted for a different term.

Fuentes said those reports were “deliberately misleading” and that he would reapply for the spring semester.

Fuentes told The Plainsman on Saturday that he had been admitted and plans to transfer in the spring.

For the past year, Fuentes has amassed a growing group of followers in far-right and alt-right circles by hosting a rightwing show on the Auburn-based Right Side Broadcasting Network, which has a YouTube following that rivals major broadcast networks. He attended the Charlottesville rally on Aug. 12, which was

Fuentes via YouTube

dominated largely by white nationalists, white supremacists, Klansmen and neo-Nazi sympathizers.

The University issued a statement Monday night distancing itself from Fuentes’ rhetoric and views.

“As a public university, Auburn does not consider political views as a criterion for admission,” the University said. “However, we seek students, faculty and staff who uphold the fundamental values of fairness, individual worth, character and aca-

“

I want to rally the troops in terms of this new right-wing movement.”

— Nicholas Fuentes demic excellence. We stand strongly against those who advocate hatred, bigotry, racism or violence.”

Fuentes told The Plainsman on Aug. 19 that he believed Auburn would be more accepting of his controversial viewpoints.

“It (Auburn) has better weather and better people,” Fuentes said.

“And ultimately I think it will be friendlier territory.”

Fuentes has repeatedly espoused racist, violent and Isla-

maphobic views on his Right Side Broadcasting Network show, which began streaming in February. In one segment, he said the First Amendment wasn’t written for “barbaric” Muslims. Later, in the same show, he said it was “time to kill the globalists” who he believes run the media.

“I don’t want CNN to be more honest,” he said in an April 19 on-air tirade, which streamed two months before he was accepted to Auburn. “I want people that run CNN to be arrested and deported or hanged because this is deliberate.”

“Globalists” is a term that has often been used with anti-Semitic overtones. Jewish groups consider it offensive and say it alludes to an attack that is commonly labeled against Jewish people — that they somehow secretly control the world.

When we asked about those comments directed at CNN, Fuentes said he “regrets nothing.”

What he plans to do in Auburn isn’t clear, but he is now launching a new podcast and said he plans to press forward with his right-wing views in Auburn.

“I want to rally the troops in terms of this new right-wing movement,” Fuentes said.

In the midst of a nationwide debate over Confederate monuments

» See FUENTES, 2

CAMPUS

Students swarm Mell on opening day Chris Heaney CAMPUS REPORTER

All day Monday, students attending their first classes of the fall semester were looking up, mouth agape at something they’d never seen before. And, no, that isn’t in reference to the eclipse.

The Mell Classroom building, after nearly seven years of planning, design and construction, finally opened in front of (and connected to) RBD Library, creating a large atrium filled with natural light from the ceiling-to-floor windows that illuminate the open-air, to the three-story staircase in front of the original building’s facade.

This $35 million building offers

students 26 new classrooms and two lecture halls and several “Engaged and Active Student Learning,” or EASL, rooms that feature state-of-the-art equipment, according to Learning Spaces and Faculty Development Coordinator Wiebke Kuhn. “[These rooms] are going to put an emphasis on practice and application of the content we are learning in class with the resources and the faculty members close by,” Kuhn said. “I think what we are seeing here at Auburn is a fundamental shift in how we are teaching and how we are learning.”

» See MELL BUILDING, 2

GARRETT JOHNSON / PHOTOGRAPHER

A student texts inside Mell Street Classroom Building in Auburn, Alabama, on Aug. 21, 2017, the first day of 2017 fall classes.

news

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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NATIONAL

NEWS

NO HATE » From 1

CHERISS MAY/SIPA USA/TNS Gen. James Mattis, U.S. Secretary of Defense, was present for the joint press conference of President Trump and President Moon of the Republic of Korea, in the Rose Garden of the White House, on Friday, June 30, 2017.

Mattis says he hasn’t decided troop levels W.J. H ennigan

Trump disclosed few details about his plan to again deepen U.S. involvement in the nearly 16-year-old U.S. war against an array of Islamist insurgents who have gained ground against the central government in Kabul.

The Taliban now controls or contests more than 40 percent of Afghan territory _ more ground than at any point since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the militants from power, according to recent United Nations estimates.

Trump said he won’t provide a “blank check” for U.S. support to the Afghan government, but added he didn’t want to be hemmed in by timelines.

Mattis also refused to provide specifics on the military’s strategy, which has been deliberated for months by top U.S. military and government officials, or say how Pakistan figures in.

“There is a broader approach to this and it all comes down to the execution and we will have to stand and deliver on this,” Mattis said. “You’ll just have to watch it unfold to really get the answer to it.”

TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU

IRBIL, Iraq (TNS) — U.S. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said Tuesday that the new strategy for Afghanistan will try to replicate “a lot” of the tactics that have successfully pushed Islamic State from large parts of Iraq and Syria since 2014.

Key to those campaigns has been a willingness to embed U.S. advisers closer to the front lines to help ground assaults by Iraqi security forces and Syrian militias. The advisers help on battlefield strategy and coordinate airstrikes on enemy targets.

But Mattis said he is still awaiting a detailed plan from Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for how to implement the strategy that President Donald Trump announced Monday night.

Trump has given Mattis authority to send about 4,000 more troops, adding to 8,400 U.S. forces already deployed to Afghanistan. But during a previously unannounced visit to Baghdad, Mattis said he won’t decide a precise figure until he gets Dunford’s plan.

“When he brings that to me, I will determine how many more we need to send in,” Mattis said. “It may or may not the number that is bandied about.”

© 2017 Los Angeles Times. Visit Los Angeles Times at www. latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Auburn in the spring to “rally the troops.”

Fuentes has repeatedly said Islamaphobic and violent statements and espoused his desire for a white ethnostate on his Right Side Broadcasting Network show, “America First.”

The network is based in Auburn.

While Fuentes was accepted for the fall semester, he will have to re-apply for the spring because he didn’t accept that offer.

The University hasn’t directly responded to Fuentes’ plans to transfer, which is commonplace.

Leath — now just three months into his new job as the University’s 19th president — will undoubtedly be faced with more issues like these in his time at Auburn.

On Tuesday, Leath told The Plainsman that the University will stand for “free speech and robust exploration of ideas,” but condemned racism and hate.

“The best thing we can do is make clear that we stand for respect, civility, integrity and equality and to do so in a thoughtful, peaceful manner,” Leath said. “The Auburn Creed is clear. Hate, racism and bigotry are not a part of Auburn.”

More generally, none of the three campus leaders directly named white nationalism or white supremacy as the culprit of the increased activity at Auburn or nationwide, which could be a mistake, said Lecia Brooks, outreach director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC is a Montgomery-based civil rights nonprofit that tracks hate groups.

“Stand strongly against it and talk about everything that has happened, acknowledge everything that has happened,” Brooks told The Plainsman.

“The students already know what has happened.”

MELL BUILDING » From 1

GARRETT JOHNSON / PHOTOGRAPHER

Student talk inside Mell Street Classroom Building on the first day of classes, Aug. 21, 2017, in Auburn, Alabama.

FUENTES » From 1

being placed in places of prominence, the Charlottesville rally was originally billed as a protest against the removal of a city memorial dedicated to Robert E. Lee. But it quickly morphed into a white nationalist rally — in both planning and execution.

The gathering ended in violence when 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who was protesting the white nationalists, died after being hit by a car allegedly driven by a neo-Na-

zi sympathizer, James Alex Fields, in an attack labeled a domestic terror incident.

In an interview with The Boston Globe, Fuentes called Heyer’s death a “tragedy.” But in an obstinate Facebook post just hours after the attacks, he called the white nationalist gathering an “incredible rally.”

In his interview with The Plainsman, he doubled down on that remark, saying it was incredible “in the same way that someone would say that World War II was a great victory or winning the Cold War was a victory.”

“I think it was a victory in a

sense that we brought light to an issue that would have gone unnoticed, would have continued silently,” Fuentes said of the push to remove Confederate monuments from places of prominence across the country — ignoring reports that the rally was mostly a white power rally that used the Confederate monuments issue as a spring board.

In the same Facebook post, Fuentes went further, saying a “tidal wave of white identity is coming,” echoing a common refrain among alt-right and white nationalist leaders, including white nationalist lead-

Kuhn sat on one of the many wooden benches in the ground-floor common study area of the new building as she greeted wideeyed students, pointed faculty in the right direction and made sure everything was happening according to schedule throughout the inaugural day of the Mell classrooms.

She said that the day went smoothly and the reaction from students and faculty alike were only positive.

“I think they are in awe,” Kuhn said. “I overheard a conversation where one student said, ‘I’m so jealous, I wish I had a class in here.’ I mean, how often do you hear that about a classroom building?”

English professor Douglas O’Keefe is teaching English composition and British Literature this fall in an “EASL Lite” room, a smaller EASL space with the same glass-boards and modular, moveable furniture as its larger counterpart but substituting a mobile-deviceconnectable projector for the 12 wall-mounted screens.

O’Keefe said that the biggest difference between the new Mell classrooms and the traditional ones found in other buildings on campus is the ability to change the room to a class’s needs.

“By far the biggest difference is the geography — the chairs on wheels and tables on wheels and the flexibility of the room design,” O’Keefe said. “That’s something you always want to be able to do easily but can be very difficult to do in Haley or Lowder.”

O’Keefe and other professors with classes in the new building took faculty development courses over the summer that helped them shape their classes to the new, more functioner Richard Spencer, who chose Auburn as a target for a white nationalist gathering in April.

An Illinois-native, Fuentes denies being a white nationalist, a white supremacist, a neoNazi or a member of the Klan, despite using rhetoric that’s nearly identical with that used by those groups, including the proclamation that the powers at be are propagating a “white genocide” and a Eurocentric ethnostate would be preferable over pluralism and diversity.

“I see this, and I think a lot of people in the South see this as a cultural genocide,” Fuen-

Leaving the movement simmering underground won’t work, Brooks said.

“It just runs the chance of letting the bad guys think they can get away with it,” Brooks said.

In addition to issuing the statements on diversity, the University has chosen to support student-organized attempts to counter the white nationalist speeches and incidents on campus with events featuring messages of inclusivity.

The NFL’s first openly gay player, Michael Sam, spoke on campus about his experience being a gay professional athlete only two days before Yiannopoulos came. Students organized a music festival on the Green Space, Auburn Unites, to counter Spencer’s event. Black student organizations led a peaceful march in protest.

“It is not a place that is unwelcoming,” Clayon said, “It is a place that gives purpose to getting better. There are indicators that we are serious about the mission.”

Clayton is also overseeing a new speaker series called “Critical Conversations” that seeks to highlight different viewpoints with frank, open and respectful debates.

As part of the “Critical Conversation” series, prominent figures from across the political spectrum will deliver lectures on free speech and intellectual diversity in public education. The first lectures will be with Cornel West, a liberal scholar, and conservative Princeton professor Robert George.

“It is vitally important, in the spirit of free speech, that our students come and expect that they may encounter individuals with views that are different from their own,” Clayton said.

“Those that are more hate-riddled and violent are certainly things we are not talking about, and I think that it is important to make that distinction.”

al spaces.

“I made new plans for comp especially, which was the one I kind of focused on during that training, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” O’Keefe said. “It’s always an experiment.”

Faculty still having trouble with the classrooms this fall have nothing to fear, Kuhn said, as a team of 12 undergraduate students called “learning consultants” will be available from 7 a.m.– 7 p.m. every day to live chat with professors if they are having any issues.

Learning Consultants will also be tasked with checking equipment every day to make sure any IT problems are due to user error rather than a technical error, Kuhn said.

New classrooms aren’t the only things offered in the new Mell Building, however, as there are 30 new private study rooms that students can reserve online, full-size classrooms open to reservations after classes end every day and common study spaces scattered around all three floors.

A new Panera Bread is also slated to open in November in the area of the library renovated as part of the Mell Building project.

“You have this amazing combination of innovative formal learning spaces in the classrooms, then you have lots of informal study spaces that students can check out online,” Kuhn said. “Any time the library is open, this building is open.”

Students took advantage of these new study spaces immediately and could be seen doing homework, studying with a group or just marveling at the open design of the Mell Classroom Building.

“I was just amazed,” said Ryan Conner, senior in history, about his first step into the building. “I walked in here, and it felt almost like a fancy corporate office.”

tes said. “I think if it was any other people and any other country in the world, the United Nations, the United States, the liberal press would call this cultural genocide. But because it’s a certain group of people, the removal of our monuments and our history has gone unnoticed without media attention.”

Fuentes identifies as a “paleoconservative” and said he is not a white supremacist or neo-Nazi “by any stretch of the imagination.” He said he likely wouldn’t be welcomed in those groups because of his Mexican ancestry and his

membership in the Catholic church.

In addition to the common claim that there is some sort of a “white genocide,” paleoconservatives seek to transform the immigration system in a way to prevent white people and western culture from losing their majority status, a sentiment Fuentes also espouses.

“Paleoconservatism” has always been associated with neo-Confederate, white nationalist and anti-Semitic ideologies, according to Rutgers professor David Greenberg.

The deadline for transfer applications is Oct. 1.

opinion THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

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OPINION

OUR VIEW

Auburn and how we should deal with the alt-right EDITORIAL STAFF FALL 2017

There’s a chance Auburn University will be accepting Nicholas Fuentes into our family, a young alt-right personality who has called for “the people who run CNN to be arrested and deported or hanged” — among other violent, racist and vitriolic statements.

Fleeing from what he said were death threats in Boston, 19-year-old Fuentes has decided Auburn University will be a safer place than Boston University to espouse his desire for a white ethnostate — a country where uncomfortable white people like him live only among people who share his skin color or cultural “values.”

Individuals like Fuentes have seen the growing tide of inclusivity in Western societies over the past decades, and fear a loss in stature of white culture, or put in their terms, cultural genocide.

They decry multiculturalism, often saying it leads to violence, haplessly unaware that the very violence they predict isn’t a product of multiculturalism, per se, but is instead manifested in the reactions of the culturally insecure alt-righters.

The inability to live among varying cultures isn’t new, but the disease’s attempt to spread to Auburn so openly is. In the past year, we’ve experienced a few instances of this germination: speakers like Milo Yiannopoulos and Richard Spencer, racist and anti-Semitic pamphlets being distributed all around campus, Foy Hall being rebranded as “Goy Hall.”

As members of a community whose mission statement includes, “We believe that the contributions of diverse cultures, ideas and life experiences combine to create an enriched and engaged campus community for the Auburn Family,” we have to critically examine why the alt-right movement has recently tried

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

to latch itself to our community.

Institutional initiatives toward promoting diversity are necessary, but they are not sufficient. We have to assume responsibility as individuals to make our institution friendly to diversity of culture and thought.

It isn’t enough to tell ourselves we support the abstract notion of diversity; we have to put it to practice for it to amount to anything.

We should make attempts to befriend or at least speak with people who don’t look or think like us. Too many people have never attended a religious service that doesn’t coincide with their standing beliefs, and that’s illustrative of who we are.

We don’t challenge ourselves by nature; we are inclined toward tribalism. But being inclined toward a certain way of living

HIS VIEW

does not mean that’s the best way to live.

As rational creatures, we have the opportunity to live against terrible inclinations, like drawing up arbitrary lines between humans that result in people being marginalized and sometimes killed.

Through understanding our nature, and actively working against it at times, we can create a better campus and world.

A central mark of being an Auburn man or woman should be a willingness to engage with varying opinions and cultures.

The idea we should form our own cultural bubbles, and therefore must try to eradicate competing cultures, should be acknowledged as the emotionally insecure and intellectually bankrupt worldview that drove Nazis into the grave, and it shouldn’t be repeated.

HER VIEW

Cautious commemoration Erasure of our Confederate monuments must come to an end Emily Hale

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

Cole Davis CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

Monuments dedicated to Confederate soldiers and statesmen began popping up in the South around the turn of the 20th century.

Yet, it was not until the rise of efforts to take them down that we experienced anything like what happened at Lee Park last week.

While many attest that it is the mere existence of Confederate monuments that is provoking calamity, a careful examination will reveal that it is not the monuments themselves that provoked a rally that ended in violence and death, but the agitators who advocated for its removal.

Without anti-white racist Wes Bellamy’s push to remove the statue, there would have been no rally or violence in the first place.

There would have been no clash, no death and no turmoil. So, who are the real provocateurs here?

These monuments never actually bothered anyone until people were told that they should be bothered.

Those who advocate eradication should first attempt to understand just what the monuments mean to those who admire them rather than virulently yelling ideological abstractions like “racism” and “bigotry” at pieces of stone and metal.

To many Southerners, these monuments represent ancestors who fought defending their homes from invasion and statesmen who defended Jeffersonian principles of self-government.

THEY WERE TRAITORS!: Those who say monuments should be removed because Confederates were treasonous should consider the notion that those Southern leaders in 18601861 were actually more loyal to the Constitution than Northern leaders.

History can accurately account for this.

Lincoln’s Sec. of State William Seward said in a statement: “A written constitution is dangerous to us in the North. The South is using it as a shield.”

The states were never the creation but the CREATORS of the general government.

According to the compact theory, this means that the states, having given up some of their sovereignty to the pact, have the right to exit the compact when they feel their rights to selfgovern as sovereign states has been usurped.

This sentiment can be traced back to writings of Southern political progenitors such as Jefferson, Madison and Randolph.

Politically, these monuments represent an old fight for the Jeffersonian political tradition at a time when one section was cannibalizing the other.

We must understand — through their writings — that Southerners considered themselves combatants in the second American War of Independence.

If Robert E. Lee, the most recent target in the purge, was a traitor then how can we reconcile his words, “All that the South ever desired was that the Union as established by our forefathers should be preserved, and that the government as originally organized should be

administered in purity and truth ... I yet believe that the maintenance of the rights and authority reserved to the states and to the people, not only essential to the adjustment and balance of the general system, but the safeguard to the continuance of a free government. I consider it as the chief source of stability to our political system, whereas the consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded it.”

These are not the words of a traitor to the constitution. These are the words of someone defending it from usurpation.

THEY WERE RACISTS!: The charge that Confederate monuments should be removed specifically because they are racist has no bearing at all.

Generally, Confederates were no more “racist” by today’s standards than anyone in the North at the time.

Many Northern states had laws barring any entry of black people into their states at all. For example, the free state of Oregon adopted a constitution in 1857 that banned black people from the state entirely.

This hardly fits the revisionist narrative that the monuments of the Southern people should be removed because they were morally inferior to “saints” in the North.

As for Lincoln himself?

Well, let’s just say that his words more closely resemble those of a KKK leader than those of an NAACP representative.

Concerning race, Lincoln proclaimed, “I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”

If we are tearing down monuments due to racism, we must be fair and equal and eliminate even the Lincoln Memorial, shouldn’t we?

If the intention behind Confederate monument removal is to alleviate racism, then this notion would seem like a no-brainer to the iconoclasts.

This begs the question: Where does it end?

Efforts are underway to remove anything that can be subjectively construed as “racist” like images of the Founders and even people like Teddy Roosevelt who are largely unassociated with all of this.

This is not simply the removal of historical figures from the public eye; this is the erasure of the culture of a distinct people.

Yet, it has never been about Confederate monuments only.

These are just the easiest targets.

Cole Davis is a contributing columnist at The Auburn Plainsman. The views expressed in columns do not reflect the opinion of The Plainsman.

Some may say it began with Charlottesville.

Or with Baltimore. Or possibly New Orleans, Gainesville or Durham.

The removal of Confederate statues and monuments from public spaces is racking our moral psyche as a nation.

In Charlottesville, Virginia on Aug. 12, the nation watched as white supremacists chanted racist epithets and carried Confederate flags and tiki torches proudly, evoking distinct images of fervent displays of racism during the civil rights era.

Public spaces are shared spaces. Shared spaces are to represent what is best among all of us, what unites us, what brings a community and a nation of people together.

It is true that we ought not forget our troubled history concerning slavery and the various forms of institutional racism that have lived on as a result of slavery.

However, statues glorifying an individual who represents oppression do not represent the best characteristics we claim as Americans.

Where we choose to direct our money and efforts helps tell the story of who we are and who holds power.

It is commonly argued and has been further framed by President Trump that removal of Confederate statues “erases” history and, therefore, that those who defend them simply want to preserve history.

We typically don’t commemorate the oppressors of history in public spaces. Instead, we do it in museums, if we do at all.

History is not primarily taught through the medium of statues in parks. It happens through interacting with books and within classrooms, and is fueled by sheer curiosity.

Adolf Hitler is an infamous name. Virtually everyone understands who the man was at least at a basic level - understanding he was a

Nazi fueled by hatred and pseudoscience.

To my knowledge, there are no statues of Hitler funded by federal, state or local governments in America.

I certainly know that I did not learn of Hitler and his atrocities by visiting monuments of him.

Honestly, the most intimate and informative experiences I have had concerning Hitler were in the Smithsonian Holocaust Museum where I did not see any tall metal statues of him.

The Southern Poverty Law Center released a report that chronicles the establishment of the roughly 1,000 Confederate monuments.

It would be reasonable to assume that if these monuments were built with the intention of commemorating the history behind these men and events, they would have been built during and after the end of the Civil War. There are two notable spikes in the building of confederate monuments: the Jim Crow era and the civil rights movement. The uniting theme between these two time periods were when white Southerners were actively working to disenfranchise black Southerners.

These monuments were built to remind the public who held the political, financial and societal power.

They were an attempt to remain on top and dominant —­much like white supremacy groups are today and were in Charlottesville.

So, I agree we need to remember this dark, brutal history in the aim of learning from it, lessening the inevitable consequences and becoming better from it.

Let’s start doing it in a fair and honest way, starting by moving Confederate monuments and statues to museums where they belong: in our past.

Emily Hale is a contributing columnist at The Auburn Plainsman. The views expressed in columns do not reflect the opinion of The Plainsman.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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CAMPUS

EVENTS

ROWLAND SAULS / PHOTOGRAPHER

R.J. Harris, senior in architecture, takes a look at the “Great American Eclipse” on Aug. 21, 2017, in Auburn, Ala.

Students gather to see the solar eclipse The total solar eclipse, ‘Great American Eclipse,’ sweeps the nation

Cole McCauley CAMPUS WRITER

An unaware bystander would probably be in shock to see hundreds of Auburn students and residents sitting and lying on the Green Space, looking up at the sky like they did Monday, Aug. 21.

The mass of people, mostly students, were huddled in groups, relaxing with friends, socializing and seemingly enjoying the experience. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a music festival.

With the Auburn sun still as hot as ever, beaming down on spectators, the time for the total eclipse proceeded on.

The time lapsing took visible slivers of the sun gradually away from the many onlookers.

As the sun became eclipsed, the temperature dropped and the people of Auburn got to truly experience the first full solar eclipse in the United States since 1979.

In Auburn, about 93 percent of the sun was eclipsed.

Most students had their own protective glasses, but Manie Vongdara, sophomore at Auburn, had a different idea.

Getting the idea from YouTube, Vongdara fashioned her own eclipse viewing apparatus out of a cereal box.

The idea was also publicized by NASA and the National Weather Service when the supply of approved eclipse glasses dwindled across the U.S. in the week ahead of the eclipse.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get glasses, so I just made this before I went to class,” Vongdara said.

Charles Edmonds, a former finance professor at Auburn, enjoyed the view with his wife and recalls the previous total eclipse in 1979.

“It’s much more of an experience now than it was then,” Edmonds said.

Although he enjoyed the eclipse, Ed-

monds admitted one thing.

“Watching the students enjoy the eclipse is more fun than the eclipse itself,” Edmonds said.

Since the event hasn’t happened in nearly four decades, it was to be expected that the event, sponsored by the Auburn COSAM department, would draw a large crowd.

However, it is rare to see this kind of crowd of Auburn men and women in any event that does not involve sports.

“It shows that you can get a crowd in Auburn without football,” Sylvia Norris, a bystander at the event said.

Luckily, for those who enjoyed the eclipse and the whole experience, the wait is not another 38 years. The next total solar eclipse will occur on April, 8 2024, less than seven years away.

Auburn can look forward to another gathering like the one on the first day of fall classes in only seven years.

ROWLAND SAULS / PHOTOGRAPHER

R.J. Harris, senior in architecture, takes a look at the eclipse

GAMEDAY

University announces gameday experience changes for fall Nathan King ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

FILE PHOTO

Auburn fans stripe the stadium during the Auburn Vs. Texas A&M football game at JordanHare Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016.

The Auburn gameday experience will be altered this coming season, the University announced on Monday evening.

Tiger fans will experience a multitude of changes in and around Jordan-Hare, most of which are expected to enhance the atmosphere of campus on Saturdays.

Inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, concourse amenities have been expanded and additional tailgating items, such as grills and tents, will be subsequently added. The Tiger Transit system will also add routes, including pre-game to downtown Auburn and post-

game to War Eagle Way. To continue along Auburn’s path of top-of-the-line video entertainment, the jumbotron will feature a first down marker during plays, and 45 flat-screen televisions have been added to concourses.

The Athletic Department will honor the 125 years of women at Auburn University during the homecoming weekend of Sept. 16, when the Tigers are set to take on the Mercer Bears. Following the homecoming game, fans will be allowed to roam PatDye Field for a fixed period.

The student section will now feature a DJ. In addition, fans will be able to collect three souvenir cups and seven gameday

SPOTLIGHT

COSAM dean begins rounding out his ‘senior year’ Allison Beason CAMPUS WRITER

Nicholas Giordano, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, is approaching his fifth year at Auburn. The Plainsman interviewed him to find out what these last four years, the time it takes the average student to graduate, have consisted of.

Giordano has been a professor of physics for a number of years, but at Auburn, he not only serves as a physics professor but as a dean as well. “[I] had to realize what was already being done well and what needed to be strengthened early on and then continue with that in mind,” Giordano said of his early work in the department.

One of Giordano’s main accomplishments during his time in COSAM is doubling the academic advising staff. Giordano stresses

wanting students to finish in four years, and he believes advising is key.

“We want to give students as much time as possible to meet with academic advisors because we, as a college, understand its importance,” Giordano said.

Since math and science classes are required for almost every major, Giordano wants COSAM to be a place where not only its students feel at home, but also students of other colleges. COSAM’s facilities have been updated with new classrooms and modern technology due in part to Giordano’s efforts to provide students the best resources for their education.

“We are competing quite well among other very good schools in recruiting faculty,” Giordano said.

Hiring the best possible faculty is what Giordano believes to be “one of the most im-

portant things he does” to help students succeed.

“College can take six months or even a full year to adjust to,” Giordano said to incoming freshman. “Give it all a shot. Keep an open mind to after-class activities, but make sure you can keep up with your studies.”

He encourages students to start going to tutoring, supplemental instruction, Study Partners and anything else available. He notes a common problem of waiting until the first bad grade and then playing catch-up all semester.

“Auburn has some of the most devoted alumni. Auburn graduates are so supportive of all of the programs at Auburn, not just sports like at other universities,” Giordano said when comparing Auburn to past institutions where he has been employed. “The Auburn Family is very real.”

programs. The programs can be opened to reveal a pull-out poster and, when combined at the end of the season, will form an image.

Tiger fans’ color palettes will be directed toward a theme on multiple gamedays. The season opener against Georgia Southern on Sept. 2 will be the OrangeOut game, Nov. 11 against Georgia will be the True Blue game and Sept. 30 against Mississippi State is set to be the annual Stripe the Stadium game.

The University will honor service men and women with the sixth annual Military Appreciation Game on Oct. 7, when Auburn takes on the Ole Miss Rebels.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

PAGE 5

The revival of swing dance in Auburn Paul Brock CAMPUS WRITER

If you have ever been to a formal party on Auburn’s campus, you have probably seen some variation of swing dancing.

In fact, this year’s Camp War Eagle had optional swing dancing lessons to prepare freshman, but this unique dancing style hasn’t always been so popular.

The revival of swing dancing in Auburn can be traced back to 1997 when six people decided to learn the dance after watching a Gap commercial. These six showed others what they had learned, and soon, many were interested in this “new” dance.

The number of swing dancers continued to grow, and lessons were taught at a variety of locations including the Haley Center.

In 2002, the Auburn Swing Dance Association, or AUSDA, became an official student organization. It continues to teach students and Auburn residents how to swing dance.

“Few people actually know what it’s like now to dance with another person … to music and being rhythmic, … and we offer a step by step process to learn that,” said AUSDA President Matthew Stinson.

Lessons on basic swing dancing are held most

PHOTO VIA FACEBOOK

Fridays year-round from 6-7 p.m. and are followed by social dancing. AUSDA teaches the styles known as Lindy Hop, Blues and Charleston, which are remarkably different from other swing styles.

In addition to weekly dances, AUSDA hosts a variety of other events. As a part of this year’s Welcome Week, AUSDA held a free Great Gatsbythemed dance in the Student Center. The dance included a lesson for beginners, and Steel City popsicles were given out as a treat.

AUSDA’s biggest event each year is Lindy Hop on The Plains, which takes place on Sept. 22-24.

This event is a weekendlong workshop with different levels of classes for anyone who wants to learn Lindy hop dancing or improve on what they already know.

“We bring in professional dancers … from all over the county [along with] a band from Nashville,” Stinson said.

Swing dancing has clearly become, over the past decade, a steadfast tradition that is likely to remain on campus for decades to come. With efforts from AUSDA, students have an opportunity to learn and improve on their swing dancing skills before they carry out this tradition.

For those ready for another year of swing dancing on The Plains, AUSDA is planning on beginning weekly dances this semester for a charge.

DINING

Classy dining in a chill setting: Amsterdam Cafe debuts new food truck

Paul B rock CAMPUS WRITER

Auburn welcomed a new food truck to campus none other than from the local Amsterdam Cafe.

Now, the once inconveniently located dishes are brought to a closer location on campus with a variety of options for lunch.

Amsterdam Cafe, a popular place for Auburn residents to eat lunch or dinner, is located on South Gay Street about a mile or two from campus.

This distance often kept oncampus residents or students without cars from enjoying the meals of

one of Auburn’s hot spots.

“There’s a lot of students that like our food [at Amsterdam Café], but they don’t have to time to walk over here,” food truck manager Blake Cleveland said. “It seemed like a really good idea to expand our brand.”

Though the food truck’s menu is, of course, not as diverse as the restaurant’s, it does offer some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes.

These dishes include the famous crab cake & avocado sandwich, which was voted one of the “100 Dishes To Eat In Alabama Before

You Die” according to AL.com The gal of the food truck is to serve up “staple sandwiches and salads and dishes, just on the go,” Cleveland said.

As a healthier option, the food truck will offer the rum salmon salad, which includes a salmon fillet added to a salad filled with pecans and mangos and drizzled with rum vinaigrette.

Like the crab cake sandwich, this could seem like an odd combination but has continuous positive feedback and agreements with the pairing of flavors, Cleveland said.

For those with a sweet tooth or

AUDM highly awarded at leadership conference Patrick Dunning CAMPUS WRITER

Competing against 183 universities in the conference, Auburn University Dance Marathon brought home two top awards at this year’s Dance Marathon Leadership Conference at the University of Maryland.

Dance Marathon raised $541,832.06 in 2017, providing newborns with improved treatment and upscaling the neonatal intensive care unit.

In response, Morgan Maddox, sophomore in histroy, serves on the AUDM Sponsorship Committee, received the Delta Air Lines Keep Climbing Award for being the top individual fundraiser. Maddox collected over $37 ,000.

The organization also received the Best Digital Media award for its effective utilization of its websites, local television news stations, online publications and graphics at this year’s conference.

Christian Davis, sophomore in mechanical engineering, raised $150 toward AUDM. “It’s so great to be giving back to the kids who are less fortunate than me and can’t live out a normal life. My Heart hurts for them,” Davis said. “Being able to sow into these kids’ lives means so much.”

The 14-hour non-stop party is the grand finale after the club’s yearlong fundraising effort to pay homage to the children fight-

ing for their lives daily. AUDM vows to dance every year until there are no more sick children.

AUDM is one of Auburn’s philanthropic campus organizations and spends the duration of the year fundraising to raise money for kids.

All funds raised by AUDM go directly to the Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center of Columbus Regional Health as a part of the local Children’s Miracle Network.

a craving for caloric food, the food truck offers chocolate chip cookie dough egg rolls.

This roll is packed tight with a combination of cookie dough and dark chocolate.

Finally, for those who want to grab a deli classic, there is the popular Amsterdam turkey wrap.

The Amsterdam Cafe food Truck is new and likely to change its menu options to adapt to demand, but it will undoubtedly keep these famous and well-liked meals.

The prices of the mobile truck are less than the actual restaurant, but, like many food trucks, still

costs more than other fast-food options.

The food truck has seen limited action in its time thus far on campus, which has been attributed to a longer than average wait time.

Fortunately for those caught in line, the speaker set up beside the truck has a selection of music playing for waiting customers to nod along to.

The food truck will be a part of the wider Tiger Dinning system, and information about hours and location can be easily accessed on Tiger Dining’s web page. TigerCards are also accepted.

S T UD E NT A F F A I R S S P OT L I G H T Campus Recreation

REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR INTRAMURAL SPORTS! The Intramural Sports program is free and open to all Auburn students, faculty, and staff members.

This fall the events offered are: flag football, co-rec basketball, sand volleyball, indoor volleyball, and outdoor soccer. Some special events for the fall are tennis singles, racquetball and table tennis.

For more information or to register, visit campusrec.auburn.edu/intramural-sports

auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

@AuburnStudents

facebook.com/AuburnStudents

@AuburnStudents

Auburn Students

community THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

CAMPUS

SCHOOLS

Parents launch petitions over pride flag in classroom Counter-petition to keep LGBT flag in Auburn High classroom receives thousands of signatures

Sam Willoughby COMMUNITY EDITOR

In a petition passed around Auburn High School Friday, Aug. 18, to be sent to Principal Shannon Pignato, students and parents of students requested that a rainbow LGBTQ pride flag flying in a teacher’s classroom be removed from the school.

The signers of the petition claim the flag “creates a hostile and provocative learning environment for students not comfortable to openly supporting the LGBTQ+ community in a public school where students come from diverse political and social views.” “[W]e believe it is unprofessional and distracting for a teacher to be so openly displaying their political views in an unbiased and socially neutral public setting,” the petition went on to say.

“While the signers of this petition do not feel it is an issue for [the teacher] to support the LGBTQ+ community, we do feel it creates a less than ideal learning environment when a teacher subjects their students to their personal political views in a public school system.”

The petition also compares the pride flag to a Confederate flag and a “heterosexual” flag, saying if the teacher was flying those, there would likely be protests and threats of lawsuits.

The teacher in question

VIA UNSPLASH

has, for years, been the sponsor of Auburn High’s EDUCATE club, the school’s gaystraight alliance group dedicated to “promoting inclusivity and unity for all,” according to Auburn High student and EDUCATE President Barbara Allen.

Pignato has not yet been presented with the petition, Auburn City Schools Superintendent Karen DeLano said in a prepared statement on Saturday, Aug. 19.

“She is aware of the situation and is working with staff and students to address the concerns,” DeLano said.

Friday morning, Auburn High student Brandon Sinniger posted a counter-petition to the website Change. org in defense of the teacher. As of publication, the counter-petition has over 6,400 signatures.

“The signers of this petition not only refute the points of the original complaint, but stand by [the teacher’s] decision and right to display the pride flag, especially as the sponsor of the AHS Educate club,” the counter-petition states. “[T]he pride flag and the AHS Educate club has

(sic) served to provide a healthy environment for our LGBT+ peers to feel comfortable being who they truly are.”

In response to the posting of the counter-petition, supporters of the original petition also posted their petition to Change.org, where it has over 750 signatures as of publication.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 percent of surveyed LGB students had been threatened or injured with a weapon at school and 34 percent had been bullied

ARTS

at school.

“For youth to thrive in schools and communities, they need to feel socially, emotionally and physically safe and supported,” the CDC states on its website.

“A positive school climate has been associated with decreased depression, suicidal feelings, substance use and unexcused school absences among LGB students.”

Sinniger first saw the original petition Friday morning in a group chat he’s a part of with friends.

“It was really shocking to me to see a group of stu-

dents put their signatures down approving this and wanting to take the flag down,” he said.

Sinniger said on Friday, that the flag is still hanging in the room and that he believes the signers of the original petition to be a small number of students and parents and not representative of the entire student body.

“Of course, we do live in the South and the stigma, unfortunately, is still present,” he said. “I’m sure there is a larger number who stand with [the signers of the original petition], just silently, but it really is true that EDUCATE and the LGBTQ+ community in our school is a really big part and is widely accepted.”

Allen said EDUCATE does not officially support the counter-petition but said she doesn’t think it has caused any harm.

She also said Auburn High’s administration has been generally supportive of the group, both since its inception and throughout this incident.

“I talked to my school principal Friday morning when I saw the petition and she was understanding and willing to work with me, she was willing to contact me again during the school day, she was talking to my sponsors,” Allen said.

» See PRIDE FLAG, 7

PARKING

Second annual Concourse/south takes Opelika Alex Hosey COMMUNITY REPORTER

Faded brick, chipped eggshell paint and eroding asphalt surrounded the courtyard of the Southside Center for the Arts in Opelika Sunday night, where tiki torches had been lit to ward off mosquitoes and grayed pressuretreated pine picnic tables with patio umbrellas were set up for guests to sit and listen to local duo Martha’s Trouble play.

The second annual Concourse/south, Opelika’s downtown arts and music festival, began last night with Supper & Songs at the Center for the Arts.

For $60, ticket holders enjoyed a four-course meal provided by Zazu Gastropub, live music from the band, wine and craft beer.

Proceeds from the gathering went to benefit O Grows, a program partnered with Auburn University, Opelika City Schools and the Food Bank of East Alabama that seeks to encourage school reform and hunger relief through communal gardening and an emphasis on localized produce.

“Two neighborhoods [in the area] are two of the five most food insecure areas in Lee County,” said Sean Forbes, executive director of O Grows. “Everybody intuitively knows the relationship between being hungry and doing well in school and staying out of trouble.”

The courtyard overlooked one of the gardens O Grows maintains and operates, which had rows of flowers and vegetables with signs personalized by workers and an adjacent yard with several ducks, chickens and goats.

Eight round dinner tables were set up inside the main hall of the building with the low-light of candles and cen-

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Cars fill parking spaces in Resident Overflow parking lot at Auburn University on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

City takes steps to ease parking woes

ALEX HOSEY / COMMUNITY REPORTER

Members of the Auburn-Opelika community gather for the Supper & Songs event on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, in Opelika, Ala.

ter pieces made with flowers from the garden outside.

A long table near the door was adorned with a wide array of local merchandise for the raffle and silent auction, which included coffee from the Hornady Coffee Company, Gypsy Girl jewelry, Artisan Bread Boutique gift cards and weeklong passes to Concourse/south.

A menu detailing the food for the night was written on a dry erase board by the door, which included scallop ceviche, red ranger chicken roulade, wood-grilled Alabama oysters and a chipotle-rubbed local venison loin.

Graham Hage, owner of Zazu, said he gets his vegetables locally from O Grows to use in his restaurant and realizes the importance of events like these for local businesses.

“We’ve only been in downtown Opelika for just under two years, so it’s important for us to get our name out there, support the local economy with the vegetables they

grow for us and to get everybody that supports downtown Opelika together,” Hage said.

Concourse/south will continue Thursday night at the Center for the Arts at 6 p.m. with a speech from special guest Kyes Stevens, founder and director of the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project and an exhbit by local artists at 8 p.m. at Side Track Coffee.

The JB Roberts Trio, Sawyer and The Brook & The Bluff will play at 712 North Railroad Ave. beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Concourse/south’s main event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 26, with the Maker’s Market opening at 11 a.m. and a long list of musical guests, including local bands Captain Kudzu, Cherry Motel, Bobby Rock ‘N’ Roll, Lady Legs and Dogwood Lung, that will play from 11:45 a.m.–2 a.m. the next morning.

Co-founder of Concourse/ south Richard Patton said

that the event was lengthened from one day to almost a week in order to show more of what Opelika has to offer. He anticipates having to lengthen the festival even more for next year.

“There’s so many people, makers and artists we want to give exposure to,” Patton said.

“We don’t have a film component, we don’t have anything showcasing any University talent, we don’t have anything showcasing the school system’s artists, so there are a lot more things we’d like to get into, but this is what we felt was a good way to start.”

Festival-goers can purchase tickets for the event each night for $10 except the main event on Saturday, which is $30.

“It’s about really making our community as great, interesting and cool as possible,” Patton said. “It’s going to be a fun and easy event, and we hope lots of people show up and take advantage of this.”

Staff Report The City of Auburn has recently taken numerous steps to alleviate the problems of downtown parking.

The City Council approved amendments to Auburn’s city code at their regular meeting last week concerning downtown parking meters that will go into effect next January.

The amendments will decrease all metered parking to a maximum of two hours from four, and for spots utilizing kiosks, raise the meter rate to a dollar an hour for surface parking lots, a dollar for the first hour and $2 for the second hour for street parking from the current 25 cents an hour.

The hours of operation for metered parking will be extended to 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, as opposed to the current 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Friday time period.

The amendments will also eliminate free parking during Auburn University breaks like spring break, graduation days and the Thanksgiving break with the exception of Thursday and Friday. Parking meters will remain unenforced on

home football gamedays.

The city has also begun a yearlong “extended test” to determine whether a downtown valet parking service will help after conducting two test runs this summer.

Drivers can leave their car with an attendant at a stand near the southeast entrance of the Gay Street parking deck, who will park their cars on the third level of the deck.

Valet parking will be available Monday from 5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m.– 2 p.m. and 5–11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–11 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m.– 2 p.m., except for University breaks, holidays or home football gamedays.

As a part of their new website, the city included a map that, using tracking sensors, gives real-time updates for 158 spaces of their downtown parking.

The map outlines all city parking spaces downtown, and in the city’s “smart lots”—for now the GayS treet parking deck and adjacent lot—highlights them either

» See PARKING, 7

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 7

MUSIC

KAE HENDERSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Young guitarist Will Sanderson performs at Make Music Day on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

KAE HENDERSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Tim Spicer conducts musicians at Make Music Day.

Make Music Day draws 575 participants jessica jernigan COMMUNITY WRITER

Make Music Day gathered musicians of all ages, both professional and amateur, to perform Sister Hazel’s 1997 song “All for You” along with the band members Ken Block and Drew Copeland.

Hosted by Spicer’s Music, the second annual event was located at the Gay Street Municipal Parking Lot downtown with the performance beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Despite hopes to break the Guinness World Record for having the largest performing rock band, set at 953 in China in 2016, 575 participants crowded together with an array of instruments all in the name of music.

“This is just a great event because we literally are bringing people from all walks of life together to collaborate and play music together,” said Lana Spicer, one of the owners of Spicer’s Music.

With tents lining the parking lot, participants signed in with their instruments as early as 4:30 p.m. in anticipation.

Sections of the lot were divided into designated instruments including strings, vocals, brass and woodwinds.

Standing in the woodwind section with her children and friend, Nancy Deshazo waited with her alto saxophone.

“We came out to support Spicer’s,” Deshazo said. “Our kids take lessons there and then we participated last year. It was a lot of fun.”

With 30 years of saxophone playing under her belt, Deshazo decided to recruit her children to play guitar and percussion in the band.

People could be seen carrying ukuleles, tambourines, guitars, banjos, flutes and a variety of other instruments. All were encouraged to perform with or without musical experience.

While waiting for the performance, 16-year-old Ryce Nichols helped her younger brother with his guitar strap.

“My family and I heard about [today], and I play the banjo,” she said. “So my mom signed my brother and me up; he plays the guitar too. I’ve been playing the banjo for about two years now.”

Nichols said the banjo was originally her brother’s, but he didn’t play it very often. So she decided to give it a shot. She

ended up taking to it rather quickly.

“It’s something I enjoy for myself really,” she said.

Waiting in the heat, people enjoyed treats from the Kona Ice truck along with food from Momma Goldberg’s food truck. Ear plugs were also given out in preparation for the loud music.

Throughout the parking lot, strangers could be seen jamming together or helping one another with their instruments.

Father-daughter duo Sean and Madison McDonald were returning musicians from last year’s Make Music Day Alabama.

Madison, who brought her acoustic guitar, has been playing for about a year, she said. Her father participated through vocals.

As the crowd began to grow with more musicians flooding in and the performance nearing, one of the Spicer’s Music staff members threw 50 Shakey’s gift cards into the excited group for them to catch.

At 6:30 p.m., one of the owners of Spicer’s Music, Tim Spicer, addressed the crowd.

“In spite of the world record, music brought all of us here,” Tim Spicer said. “Music breaks all walls to bring people together.”

The band started off the song and then gave the cue for others to join in creating a band of 575 people.

“We got rained out the first time and had 1,300 people sign up in June, but the numbers don’t really matter,” said Tom Spicer, father and owner of the family business. “The whole point is to make music in Alabama and to just have a great time playing music with one another.”

Tom Spicer said the reason they chose to host the event is for the community.

“We know the power of music and how it can bring people together, and this is one of the things we wanted to contribute to the community to help,” he said.

Tom Spicer has been playing music for the past 50 years, he said. Everything from the trumpet in fourth grade to brass and strings. He was also in a band for 35 years.

“The harmonica is my favorite instrument though,” Tom Spicer said. “It’s so small, and I can just throw it in my pock-

EVENTS

Mayor’s 100-Mile Challenge to kick off Saturday Kailey B eth S mith COMMUNITY WRITER

Active Auburn is a new health and wellness campaign launching in August 2017 and presented by Auburn Parks and Recreation. The campaign is designed to provide avenues for Auburn residents to begin the journey to a more active, healthier lifestyle by hosting monthly fitness or recreationthemed activities around the city.

“The Mayor’s 100-Mile Challenge is our flagship event – kicking off the Active Auburn campaign and setting the tone for what we are all about,” said Whitney Morris, Active Auburn’s spokesperson.The Mayor’s 100-Mile Challenge encourages Auburn residents to walk, swim, bike, run or dance their way 100 miles in 100 days.

PARKING » From 6

green for open or red for occupied.

The new website and parking map are both mobile-friendly and can be

PRIDE FLAG » From 6

“I personally have never had a problem with any of the school administrators saying, ‘Hey, you need to tone this down,’” she said. “I overall had a good experience with [the school administration].”

The superintendent presented the petition and ensuing debate as a chance to

The kickoff event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Town Creek Park, beginning at 7 a.m. with sunrise yoga hosted by Active Auburn and local yoga studio Yoga Fly. The morning yoga is a bring-your-own-mat event aimed at community members 16 years and older.

Kickoff activities will be from 8:00 a.m.-noon, with various games and activities throughout the day, including a mini tennis court, demonstrations on how to use the outdoor exercise equipment and field day games. Additionally, there will be food vendors, music, giveaways and walks through park trails led

by Auburn-area celebrity guests.

The Active Auburn website launches this month, providing workout plans, healthy recipes and opportunities for

locals to get involved in events.

“We are very excited for this campaign, and the events that go with it, to launch,” Morris said. “It is a different approach to special events: a melding of sports, fitness and recreation with a reason to come together as a community and that it really what Active Auburn is all about.”

The Active Auburn staff insists that this is not another weight loss program or push. They stand by the idea that the event is a health campaign for Auburn residents, by Auburn residents.

The Mayor’s 100-Mile challenge begins on Saturday, Aug. 26 and ends on Sunday, Dec. 3. Awards will be distributed on Dec. 8, after the conclusion of the challenge.

used effectively with a smartphone.

Last week, City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions to construct a new parking deck on North College Street that includes an estimated 291 new parking spaces.

Auburn Interim IT Director Chris Graff said the new deck will have technology similar to the current smart lots to track available spaces.

Bidding on construction of the North College deck is expected to take place this January, and construction is estimated to last about a year.

work through an issue with civility.

“In our country today people are often seen addressing their objections through violence and hate,” DeLano said.

“It is my sincere desire to assist our students in learning to address their opinions and values in a calm and respectful manner,” DeLano said.

“This differing of opinions related to the EDUCATE club at AHS affords our fac-

ulty and students an opportunity to learn and model a civil manner in which to resolve differences.”

The rainbow flag used as a symbol of LGBT pride has a long history. American artist Gilbert Baker debuted the flag in the late 1970s, and it has undergone various changes since, to add and remove colors with different meanings.

After the Supreme Court

held in 2015 that the Fourteenth Amendment required states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the White House was illuminated with the flag’s six colors.

The Plainsman has reached out to the teacher several times, but has not received a response. In the interest of their privacy, The Plainsman has withheld the name of the teacher.

et and travel anywhere with it. I really do like all instruments, and I’m also learning the accordion right now.”

The success of the event and their music store stems from their sense of community, Tom Spicer said.

“I think what we feel like we’ve done is connect with the people in our area; we’re not just here to sell,” Tom Spicer said. “We know that music is one of those life-long things that you learn. Just like riding a bicycle, you never forget it.”

KAE HENDERSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ken Block, lead vocalist of Sister Hazel performs at Make Music Day.

sports

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

FILE PHOTO Prince Tega Wanogho (98) high-fives fans during Tiger Walk prior to Auburn’s game against Ole Miss at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31 in Auburn, Ala.

Nigeria to Auburn: The story of Prince Tyler Roush SPORTS REPORTER

Three years removed from not knowing how many players were on the field for an American football game, Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. is now a potential starter for Auburn’s offensive line.

The Nigerian-born athlete traveled from Nigeria to Montgomery, Ala. in 2014 with a dream to play in the NBA. He saw movies about a better life in the United States, he said, where everyone came to enjoy their own American Dream.

During basketball’s off-season, the then 6-foot-8-inch, 245-pound talent was asked by his basketball coach if he wanted to give American football a chance. The one movie Wanogho distinctly remembers about American football is 2009’s “The Blind Side.”

“I thought I’d just try to do it before basketball season started,” Wanogho said. “They put pads on me, a helmet and straps and all they told me was to go tackle the quarterback.”

While playing for Edgewood Academy in Elmore, Alabama, Wanogho was more focused on hitting the quarterback than anything else. At this point, Wanogho understood 11 players on the field: five linemen on each side and a quarterback.

As a strongside defensive end, Rivals.com ranked Wanogho as the No. 6 prospect in Alabama as a four-star recruit and No. 9 nationally at his position.

Wanogho visited Auburn University on Jan. 30, 2015, while being recruited by then defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and later signed a letter of intent on Feb. 3.

It wasn’t a mystery that Wanogho was new to American football – he was more accomplished swimming than he was running down offensive tackles just a year prior.

Yet, despite not knowing too much about the game stepping on Auburn’s campus, current defensive coordinator Kevin Steele compared Wanogho to a sponge for his quick learning abilities. Other players described

him as an ox with the speed of a gazelle.

“It’s easy for me to understand,” Wanogho said. “Once I see it, it’s easy for me to go do it.”

After redshirting his freshman season, Wanogho learned exponentially more about the game of American football. He learned how to recognize the offense and how to properly set up a three-point stance – the stance used by all linemen prior to the ball being snapped.

Wanogho compared his accelerated learning process to that of a toddler because “you’re just so curious” and open to interpretation without having any previous knowledge.

During the 2016 off-season, Wanogho transitioned from defensive end to offensive tackle. Having grown up with seven sisters at home, Wanogho said it was easy to get started with a natural instinct to protect.

“I remember one day … coach asked me, ‘Do you see yourself playing [offensive line]?’ and I was like, ‘I don’t really care, I don’t real-

ly know what I’m doing,’” he said.

Wanogho played in 10 games during the 2016 season as a reserve offensive tackle.

He spent time with teammates Alex Kozan, Braden Smith and Darius James to properly understand how the offensive line works.

“I remember my transition from defense to offense and I didn’t know what I was doing,” Wanogho said. “Braden and Darius, they took me under their wings and showed me what to do.”

James, the starting left offensive tackle for the 2016-17 season, is suspected to move to offensive guard if Wanogho continues to impress.

Now with a dream to play in the NFL, 305-pound Wanogho has transformed himself into a growing font of American football knowledge and experience.

“It’s been like a dream,” he said. “I remember coming in here as a freshman and not knowing what I was doing. I didn’t expect to be here today.”

FOOTBALL

ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Alex Kozan (63), Sean White (13), Josh Holsey (15) and Deshaun Davis (57) celebrate in the Auburn student section following the Tigers’ 56-3 win over Arkansas. Auburn vs. Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Auburn, Ala.

Tiger football to start season at No. 12 in AP Poll N athan K ing ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Kevin Steele’s proven defense, a potent two-headed rushing attack, efficient special teams and a brand new starting quarterback in Jarrett Stidham will take the field for Auburn on Sept. 2 ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll, announced Monday.

Auburn will begin the season as

the second-highest ranked squad hailing from the SEC, behind the conference’s resident powerhouse, No. 1 Alabama. No. 13 LSU falls closely behind, followed by No. 15 Georgia, No. 17 Florida and No. 25 Tennessee.

The AP Poll will be the most commonly-used method of ranking teams early in the season until

the College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled later in the year by the CFP Committee.

The poll pins the Tigers one spot ahead of their previous national ranking of No. 13 from the Amway Coaches Poll, tallied earlier in the summer.

Following SEC Media Days, Auburn was picked by the media

to finish second in the SEC West behind the Tide and received the second-most SEC Champion votes.

Auburn finished the 2016 season at 8-5 (5-3 SEC), with three of those losses coming in the final four games following a mid-season six-game winning streak. The Tigers ended the year slated at No.

24 in the AP Poll after a 35-19 loss to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.

Ranked opponents from the now-current AP Poll on No. 12 Auburn’s schedule include home games against No. 15 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama. The Tigers will head on the road to face No. 5 Clemson in week two and No. 13 LSU in mid-October.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

FOOTBALL

PAGE 9

FOOTBALL

Franklin transfers to FAU

WILL SAHLIE SPORTS EDITOR

WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele instructs his players during drills at Auburn spring football practice on Saturday, March 5, 2016

John Franklin III is headed for yet another school.

The former Netflix star will play his final season for Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic University.

“John Franklin came to me expressing his desire for the chance to play more and get closer to home,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement. “He has made the decision to play elsewhere this season as a graduate transfer.

“John has been an outstanding young man during his time here and leaves Auburn with a degree. We wish John nothing but the best and

thank him for his time at Auburn.”

Franklin came to Auburn as a quarterback from East Mississippi Community College but lost the quarterback competition to Sean White.

Franklin moved to wide receiver for this final season on The Plains, but found himself lower on the depth chart behind talented young receivers.

Franklin completed 14 of his 26 career passes for 204 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 430 yards on 46 carries and two scores.

He will play for his fourth school since 2013 in his final collegiate season.

Steele expects impact from Tiger newcomers SUMNER MARTIN SPORTS WRITER

The Auburn football team has nine new faces on the defensive side of the ball this season and second-year defensive coordinator Kevin Steele expects to play most of them.

Steele has been working the freshmen in with the veterans during fall camp, even giving a portion of the newcomers first and second team reps.

“We have a lot of young guys that we would like to see help us and so we are actually working them as much as we can,” Steele said. “Sometimes, even sprinkling them in with the first group and the second group and not just playing them together in the third group.

“We’ve done a good bit of that and they’ve responded. I think it helps them to play with older guys to sometimes gain confidence to really see how it’s done. In that regard we’ve done that.”

Steele said all of the freshmen have received opportunities, but some of the main ones that have had greater loads in practice include linebacker T.D. Moultry, defensive end Big Cat Bryant and defensive back Jordyn Peters.

Bryant has received reps at the Buck, while Peters has been working at safety and nickel.

The defensive coaches have been sticking

Moultry in certain packages and situations in order to get him on the field sooner.

The Jackson-Olin, Ala. native has been working at linebacker and also as a pass-rusher on the end.

“We’ve got coaches in our room, Rodney, Travis, Greg, myself, in some point in time we’ve all been around a young guy that had a skill set and how to put that in a box for them and not overload them otherwise,” Steele said. “Obviously, at this point in time we’re working more with him going toward the ball then running away from the ball.”

In Steele’s first year on the job the Tigers defense allowed 17.1 points per game, which was fourthbest in the SEC, while also holding opponents to 3.7 yards per carry.

And although they lose leaders Carl Lawson and Rudy Ford, this young defensive core has the chance to help the defense become even better than last season.

“The biggest thing we’ve got to do is keep working and eliminating mistakes, getting on the same page communication wise, and then we’ve got to keep pressing on our fundamentals,” Steele said.

“But, it still goes back to demanding and commanding that they give great effort, that they play with physical and mental toughness, and that they tackle.”

FILE PHOTO John Franklin III (5) looks to pass during Auburn vs. Vanderbilt football game in Jordan-Hare stadium Nov. 5, 2016.

ON THEIR WAY OUT: TRANSFER SEASON - Antwuan Jackson / DT - Marlon Character / DB - Woody Barrett / QB - John Franklin III / WR - Tyler Queen / QB - Michael Sherwood / DB

P

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

PAGE 10

FOOTBALL

ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Chandler Cox (27) looks for running room on a run in the first half. Auburn vs. Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Auburn, Alabama.

‘The energy guy’: Auburn’s Chandler Cox

Cole McCauley STAFF WRITER

Ever since he was playing for coach Rick Darlington at Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida, Chandler Cox, now a junior H-back for Auburn, has always been known as the “energy guy.”

For those unfamiliar with the term, “energy guy” is a label given to players who bring excitement, hard work and an extra effort to both on the field and off. Energy guys are usually the loudest, most vocal players in practice and have exceptional passion for the game which makes them ideal leaders for their teammates.

Cox’s goal since he set foot on campus in 2015 was to become a leader for the Auburn football team and now, in his junior year, has done just that.

“I’m a junior now, I’ve stepped into that role to become a leader and I’m super excited for that,” Cox said. “For the guys that just came in, some of the younger guys, even the guys at different positions, I’m trying to lead by example.”

While Cox admits he gets a lot of grief from all the yelling and energy he brings to practice he says he won’t change his ways.

“That’s just who I am, I love it when it’s loud out there,” Cox said. “I believe that helps the team out a lot, because in football you can’t be a dead team.”

Being the energy guy on the field can be hard, all that yelling and screaming can be taxing for a player’s voice. Cox confesses he often does lose his voice but says he doesn’t really worry about it.

“I don’t really do anything for it (losing his voice), I go to sleep, wake up the next day and it’s back,” a smiling Cox said.

Being the energy guy has never been hard for the Auburn back. “That just who I’ve always been, that’s how I was raised,” Cox said.

When it comes to bringing energy both on and off the field, Cox’s relationship with Auburn quarterback and roommate, Jarrett Stidham, is the perfect example.

Cox has taken the role into molding Stidham, a sophomore

transfer from Baylor into an “Auburn man.”

“He’s a great guy, I enjoy his presence and I am always with him,” Cox said.

Cox revealed that he and Stidham are often motivating each other to get better and energizing one another off the field.

“Sometimes even in our rooms, he’s laying in his bed and I’m laying in mine and he hears me scream and I scream back, that’s how we get it going.” Cox said.

Cox knows that fullback isn’t typically the position of a leader but admits that his experience as a quarterback in high school has helped him transform into a leader at Auburn.

“My coach told me you can always be a leader and that’s what I’ve tried to be ever since my freshman year,” Cox said.

Cox will look to roll out ahead of tailbacks Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson once Georgia Southern comes to town, spearheading a rushing attack with high expectations. It remains to be seen whether or not the H-back will be taking snaps from the shotgun like last season, or if his roomate will let him give touting the rock a go.

SOCCER

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Gianna Montini (29) prepares to kick the ball during Lipscomb vs. Auburn Soccer on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017.

PLACES TO GO. PEOPLE TO SEE. MEMORIES TO MAKE.

Tiger soccer ties Lipscomb Peter Santo SPORTS WRITER

After opening the season strong with a 3-0 win over South Alabama, the Tigers struggled to maintain that momentum for most of Sunday’s game against Lipscomb. Down 2-0 late in the second half, the Tigers dug deep, scoring twice in the final 20 minutes of regulation and holding on in overtime to salvage a 2-2 draw.

The Tigers controlled the possession for much of the first half, but were unable to capitalize on their scoring chances. Lipscomb converted their first extended scoring chance of the night in the 41st minute, when Riley Henry headed in a perfect corner kick to open the scoring for the Bison. Henry added another in the 49th minute to extend the lead.

With her team needing a second-half spark, Au-

“

We couldn’t have asked for anything more in the second half.”

— Karen Hoppa

burn senior captain Courtney Schell scored on a shot from well outside the box to cut the Lipscomb lead to 2-1. That score stood until the last 30 seconds, when Tigers freshman Rocio Sanders chipped a shot past Lipscomb goalkeeper Kate Mason to send the game to overtime.

“Our senior captain [Schell] scoring that goal was huge. That gave us the confidence to continue to press and go forward. Kristen [Dodson] did the work setting up that goal for Rocio [Sanders],” Hoppa said.

“It’s something we’ve talked to Kristen about because she’s going to be a marked

woman, she was tonight, and the ball she played to Rocio, Rocio did a fantastic job finishing it.”

The Tigers controlled play for much of overtime, but were unable to net another goal in the sudden death period. Auburn outshot Lipscomb 25-7 on the night.

“I thought we were a little bit slow and lacked some energy in that first half,” Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said.

“But just thrilled with the way our team came out in the second half. They responded the way we could’ve asked them. We couldn’t have asked for anything more in the second half.”

AUBURN SOCCER 8/25 - @ Clemson

8/27 - vs. North Dakota

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lifestyle THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

11 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

COLUMN

How to get Lululemon quality for Target prices Emma Rygiel LIFESTYLE WRITER

Like most, I am guilty of some major online shopping anytime, anywhere.

Adding a few items to my cart — okay, maybe more than a few — and crying on the inside when I go to complete the transaction is a common occurrence.

The sight of the numbers following the dollar sign at checkout is the only thing that keeps me from a constant inflow of packages to the mail room.

Although brands like Lululemon, Athleta and Nike are popular, their prices aren’t always friendly to the average college student’s budget.

With the growing popularity of “athleisure,” both on college campuses and designer runways, I thought to myself there must be a better option. There had to be a way to get the Lululemon look without leaving as big of a dent in your wallet.

I took to the internet and social media to find brands that offer more affordable options than what we are all used to seeing that are still both functional and fashionable.

From one college student on a budget to another, here are some of my best finds.

Old Navy Not only does Old Navy have the most affordable flip flops out

SYDNEY YOUNG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Brands like GapFit provide lower-priced alternatives to Lululemon.

there, they also have amazing workout clothes.

With leggings for under $30 and tops under $20, Old Navy is tough to beat. They offer a wide range of quality products for every body type. I highly recommend.

Overstock Yes, they sell clothes. Not only is Overstock a great website to

find things to redecorate your whole house, it has cute athletic wear as well. There’s no better duo.

Overstock offers a wide range of brands such as Bella and Champion for 50 percent or more off the original price. It’s a great find for bargain shoppers everywhere.

Gap In 2014 Gap came out with its own line of athletic clothing called GapFit to fill the need and make Gap a one-stop shop for its customers.

GapFit offers great products that are both functional and fashion forward.

With prices ranging from $24-40 for tanks and shorts, GapFit is one of the least expensive options out there for your workout-chic wardrobe.

Calia by Carrie Underwood Founded by the queen herself, Calia by Carrie Underwood offers amazing products with an empowering message.

With sports bras and tanks for around $30, Calia is a great option to spruce up your wardrobe.

Its supply of unique pieces you won’t see everyone else wearing is what makes Calia a hidden gem.

Alongside the brands listed, some sale sections to refresh every week or so to find a diamond in the rough are Outdoor Voices, Avocado and Mika Yoga Wear. Happy shopping.

Your Guide to the Fall Fraternity Music Scene AUGUST 24th

Who: B.o.B. Where: Alpha Tau Omega Why: If you want to pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, be sure to stop by for this performance.

Who: Cristian Gomez Where: Pi Kappa Phi

Who: MadeinTYO Where: Sigma Pi

OCTOBER 25th

25th

6th Who: The Band Camino Where: Sigma Pi Why: It will make all of your indie dreams come true with tons of original music.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 12

ENTERTAINMENT Marcall B. Polay / HBO

What to know before the ‘Game of Thrones’ season finale C ole Mc C auley CAMPUS WRITER

With only one episode left in the shortened seventh season of HBO’s hit series ‘Game of Thrones,’ fans are anticipating an all-time high in action, heroics and betrayals in the season finale.

But before we recap the finale next week, lets first take a look at the two episodes leading up to it: episode five, “Eastwatch” and episode six, “Beyond the Wall.”

Eastwatch Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Daenerys riding her dragon into battle? No. Arya Stark reuniting with Nymeria?

No. The moment I am talking about is, of course, the return of fan favorite Gendry after he was seemingly rowing that little rowboat since season three.

Gendry, the passionate bastard son of Robert Baratheon reunited with Ser Davos, who was likely hoping to recruit Gentry’s blacksmithing skills for Daenerys and Jon. Ser Davos was accompanied by Tyrion as they snuck into King’s Landing in order to

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try to convince Cersei to lay down her arms and meet with Daenerys.

After coming face to face with Daenerys and her dragons in episode four, Jamie, now back in King’s Landing, tries his best to convince the stubborn Cersei that the war against Khaleesi is a losing effort. However, Cersei, stuck in her ways, and hell bent on vengeance deflects Jamie’s pleads.

At the end of the episode, a sort of Game of Thrones “Dream team” is formed. In order to try to capture a white walker to convince Cersei of their imminent threat, Jon Snow, The Hound, Gendry, Ser Jorah, Tormund, Berric and Thoros travel north beyond the wall.

Beyond the Wall In season seven’s sixth episode we get to see the aforementioned “Dream Team” in action, and it did not disappoint. From the hilarious banter between The Hound and Tormund to the excellently filmed and choreographed battles between the Dream Team and a horde of White Walkers, this was an episode you did not want to miss.

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Game of Thrones Sunday, Aug. 27 8 p.m.

HBO hind in the fray who is saved by his uncle Benjen in all his undead, flame chain wielding awesomeness.

Surely nothing could be more terrifying than a big fire breathing dragon, right?

Wrong. After slaying Viserion, the Night King turns the dragon into a white walker, zombified version of its former self.

So if you think white walkers are the characters biggest problem in the season finale and beyond, you’re absolutely right. If the Night King uses his new dragon against the world, humanity sure is in trouble.

Tigermarket ALMOST ANYTHING

Look to the Plainsman for your guide to football weekends in Auburn!

South of the wall in Dragonstone, Daenerys and Tyrion argue and bicker over Daenerys losing her temper – killing the Tarly men in episode five – and whether Daenerys has a plan of succession after her death in the future.

However, the vast majority of this episode focuses on the Dream Team, and rightfully so. Trapped and surrounded by an army of white walkers the team fights them off until Deanerys and her dragons can come save them.

And come she does. On the back of Drogon Deanerys swoops in to save the day in record time. However, her heroics do not come without a price.

The Night King apparently should’ve considered a career as an NFL quarterback as he is able throw a spear of ice from about a hundred yards away directly into Viserion, one of Deanerys’ three dragons, killing him.

So it turns out dragons aren’t completely invincible, who would’ve thought? The death shocked mother of dragons as well as all viewers at home. Daenerys leaves Jon be-

-Retro Video Games -Vinyl Records -Comics, Collectibles - Magic Cards -Posters &Art -Phones, IPads & Laptops (we buy broken phones/laptops)

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

ACROSS 1 Support financially 5 Hurricane, e.g.

10 Drainpipe section 14 Face cream additive 15 Medicare component 16 Leaping critter 17 Depend (on) 18 Had superior skills in 20 Word on really bright Crayolas 21 Jazz great Montgomery 22 Helen Reddy’s “__ Woman” 23 Commentary page 25 Turned out to be 29 Blew hard 32 Way back when 33 Helped start the pot 34 Comic Johnson 36 Big __ 37 Regret 38 Not alfresco, and what this puzzle is vis-à-vis its border answers 41 Craft built in the 2014 film “Noah” 42 Nile snake 43 Yemeni seaport 44 Speed 46 Become resentful 49 Vampire’s bed?

50 Painter Manet 51 Sketch material 52 Commuter org. in the Loop 53 __ Butterworth 54 “Wild Blue Yonder” mil. group 58 Waterway between the major islands of New Zealand 62 Leg-covering skirt 63 Green Gables heroine 64 Boardroom prop 65 Part of FEMA: Abbr.

66 Caboose place 67 Broadway platform 68 Fries, for instance

8/24/17

By Peg Slay

DOWN 1 Silo neighbor 2 Toward protection, at sea 3 Great Sand Dunes National Park st.

4 Pinnacle of a lecture series 5 Erupted 6 Strained 7 Tolkien henchmen 8 GPS suggestion 9 Feign illness to avoid work 10 Motifs 11 “Far out, dude!”

12 Notre Dame’s Parseghian 13 Kennel guest 19 Put on board 24 Spa treatment 25 Big name in stationery 26 Ornamental fabric 27 Lorre’s “Casablanca” character 28 Pita feature 29 Tech company’s origin, perhaps 30 On the shelf 31 Move in the direction of

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

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34 Threw in 35 Sushi roll topping 39 Tells a story 40 Layered do 45 Takes for granted 47 Lollipop 48 Feed bag feed 49 Once-per-player chess move 51 “Norwegian Dances” composer 53 Tamale dough

8/24/17

55 Scandinavian language 56 Used a hatchet on 57 Cause for alarm 58 Honda or Hyundai 59 Pepsi product that’s also its calorie count 60 Springsteen’s “Working __ Dream” 61 Scoundrel