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A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID • NEWS SINCE 1893
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
VOL. 125 • ISSUE 22 • FIRST COPY FREE THEN 50¢
GANNON PADGETT / VIDEO EDITOR
Scott Roney preaches to Auburn University students on the Thach Concourse on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
A street preacher’s echo and his fight against stereotypes By LILY JACKSON Managing Editor managing.editor@theplainsman.com
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man living in Guatemala wishing for his wife’s visa papers. A Nigerian professor from Tuskegee who just received the job offer of a lifetime. Their names along with others are etched in years of dust on a Fox Body Ford Mustang stranded in a white barn off a county road.
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Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”
Scott Roney, a 60-year-old self-proclaimed disciple, sits on the tattered, baby blue sheet that covers a lawn chair, lifting their names in prayer with the sun in the early morning. With eyes on the rusty Ford and hands on a claycolored, leather Bible, Roney prepares for a day of street preaching with his tabby cat in a dark, musky prayer room. His face is well known on Auburn’s campus, but his pastime is controversial. If students don’t recognize his voice from their walk to class, they may know him from his day job as a maintenance man. Some of the names on the aged Mustang belong to those who stopped to contest his faith-driven efforts.
Others stopped to ask for prayer, their requests are made physical in his dimly lit barn. Roney often takes his whispered prayers to Auburn University’s free-speech zone where he fittingly stands between two pillars marking an entrance to the campus. He works to be the man standing in the gap — standing firm where he felt others had not. Testimony and interpretations of biblical passages flow up from Roney’s gut and roll down the open concourse. Indifferent students scurry past him as he stands like Samson holding up the walls, wanting to keep his faith alive.
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I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”
His passion was born from what he said were days of sin and from his desire to be unlike other street preachers. In his younger years, he would walk past as their fire-and-brimstone messages attempted to penetrate his covered ears, rushing away from them and further from the God he said speaks through him now. “We are all white sheep that have gone astray,” Roney said as a woman walked past, her eyes glancing toward his booming presence and her head pointed down. He never had any motive of his own to be a fool for God, he explained to students. He worshiped un-
CAMPUS
White Student Union listed as hate group By CHIP BROWNLEE Editor-in-chief editor@theplainsman.com
The Auburn White Student Union — a white supremacist, anti-semitic group that has attempted to attach itself with Auburn University — has been listed as a hate group on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate Map, an annual report of hate groups operating in the U.S. The Auburn WSU is the only white student union group attached to a university or using a university’s name listed on the Hate Map this year. Since its appearance on campus in spring 2017, just weeks before a visit by white nationalist speaker Richard Spencer, the group has been recruiting students through instances of leafleting and flyering. Those flyers often include racist and xenophobic themes. “The fact that they continue to have a presence, continue to recruit students and continue to have the attention of at
least some students is frightening,” said Lecia Brooks, an SPLC spokeswoman. The SPLC, a Montgomery-based civil rights group, has tracked a steady rise in hate groups since 2014. In 2017, 954 hate groups were listed on the Hate Map — an increase of 37 hate groups or 4 percent over 2016 when 917 groups were listed. “As we’ve seen over the last year, extremists on the far right and white nationalists, in particular, have become emboldened to say whatever racist or bigoted thing that can come from their mouth,” Brooks said. The SPLC began tracking hate groups and their locations in 1990. White supremacist, neo-Nazi and anti-Muslim groups saw the most intense growth this year. Neo-Nazi groups, in particular, rose by 22 percent. Brooks said the persistence of the Auburn White Student Union sets it apart from other white student groups across the country. In 2015, the Washington
Post reported that more than 30 purported white student unions popped up in the U.S. Surfacing at schools like the University of Missouri, Berkeley and New York University where students were faced with diversity issues and prominent national controversies, those groups were short-lived. Most only activated a Facebook page before shutting down months later. Students on those campuses reported most of the white student unions that popped up in 2015 were fake, according to The Post. Auburn’s, however, is not. “Typically, they don’t make it,” Brooks said. “They can’t get official sanction. They are marginalized in some way. It just turns out to be a couple of folks and they go away. But that’s not what happened here. And they’re bold too.” Auburn’s WSU launched in April 2017, creating a website under the name
» See WSU, 2
der stadium lights like everyone else. His only concern was sports — the fame and fortune that comes with it. Roney was indifferent toward his sin through high school and college. Rolling with a group that christened themselves “The Hellraisers” at Auburn High, he found satisfaction in his secular lifestyle. “I was drinkin’ and druggin’ and partyin’ and chasing women,” Roney said. He wasn’t always a hellraiser, though. As a younger boy, he was fascinated by the Gospel and those who sowed its wisdom in other’s lives. Roney sat in a stuffy church hall listening to his small group leader read through biblical passages. Talk of disciples — the followers of Jesus — excited young Roney. With a hand in the air and curiosity running through his impressionable mind, he asked the teacher what he had to give to be a disciple. “Disciples like those don’t exist anymore,” the teacher said. Roney slammed his Bible shut and swore he was done. He saw no point in faith without radical dedication. His hope for more than a life stuck between strangers on red velvet pews was crushed. Then he saw a man standing outside of the Haley Center — screaming about hell and drawing a crowd. He knew what the man was saying was wrong, but he said it struck a chord in him. As he ran away from the threatening voice, he thought about the preacher’s weekends.
» See PREACHER, 2
CAMPUS
JESSICA SULLIVAN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Ilyasah Shabazz speaks for The Cross Culture Center for Excellence on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
Malcolm X’s daughter implores students to make change By LILY JACKSON Managing Editor managing.editor@theplainsman.com
Ilyasha Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and motivational speaker, came to Auburn to make one thing known: black history is American history. While telling her father’s story, her mother’s impact on Sha-
» See SHABAZZ, 2
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PREACHER » From 1
“When I saw that man I thought, ‘Now, he isn’t lighting candles on Sunday morning and getting drunk on Saturday night like most of the people I know around here,’” Roney said. As he walked away, he wondered whether there might be disciples after all. Maybe people did love radically enough to devote a life to God, he thought. That man didn’t help save him, though. Roney was saved in 1986 when what he considered his life flipped on its side. The shame from the memories of his time in Auburn — a place he said resembled Gomorrah, a city of sin referenced in the Bible — drove him further from sinful acts and closer to being “a fool for Christ.” He feared the city where he lost his footing, and he feared the campus that pulled him away from God. Nevertheless, he returned to Auburn. Holed up with his wife in a motel, Roney began looking for work while planning a future of discipleship. The phone rang one day. An old friend called to invite him to a class reunion at the Supper Club — an iconic spot for drinking, partying and a past Roney didn’t want to remember. “It reminded me of that hypocrisy,” Roney said. “I am going to go to that reunion and talk about all the things I used to do while telling them about how I have changed. I struggled with that thought.” He said the Lord told him go downtown and stand on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and College Street preaching the Gospel. He invited all who called about the reunion. They all promised they would come. The night of the reunion, he parked his father’s pickup truck in front of Toomer’s Drugs and hopped into the bed. “I was nervous as can be, and I thought all of these people were going to come,” Roney said. He raised his voice into the dark of the night surrounded by intoxicated college students stumbling to their next venture. He preached the graphic truth of his past life — a life of drinks and bright stage lights on that very strip. He kept waiting for people to come — waiting and waiting as the lists of sins he had to confess to the world decreased. After an hour, he knew they weren’t coming. The friends he had taken on the world with as a student left him standing on the streets they used to walk together. “I started winding down my message, and I looked up, and stragglin’ across the street was a classmate of mine that was unpopular and wasn’t invited to the reunion. He knew nothing about the reunion. He was an outcast,” Roney said. Roney choked back tears as he remembered seeing that first
GANNON PADGETT / VIDEO EDITOR
Scott Roney preaches to Auburn University students.
SHABAZZ » From 1
bazz’s life and the time period in which they lived and fought for basic rights, Shabazz encouraged students to come together to create change. “Sometimes we complain that we no longer have effective leaders, but ladies and gentlemen, we are those leaders that you seek,” Shabazz said. “You are the leaders. You have to look in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Are you being effective?’” Quoting Nike, Shabazz repeatedly addressed audience members and said, “Just do it.” She looked to students asking questions about how to confront systemic racism and said their reasons for not acting or shying away were excuses. “Just do it,” she said. Shabazz said students must have
WSU » From 1
“Whites of the Alt-Right Educating Auburn Gentiles for Liberation and Empowerment,” or WAR EAGLE, connecting itself with Auburn’s trademarked battle cry. After being disavowed by the University, the group changed its name to Auburn White Student Union, removing any mention of War Eagle from its website and adding a disclaimer noting that they are not officially affiliated or sanctioned by the University. Auburn’s White Student
GANNON PADGETT / VIDEO EDITOR
An old Ford Mustang sits stranded in Scott Roney’s prayer barn. The names he lifts in prayer are etched in years of dust.
face he remembered, a face he used to shun. The man walked up to the edge of the truck bed and looked up into the preacher’s eyes. “Scott, everybody around here thinks you are crazy, but I think you are doing the right thing. Tell me how I can know the Lord,” the man said. Roney ministered to him that night.
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What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?”
Very few people mute the music in their ears when they see Roney positioned in the campus free-speech zone. Overcoming the reputation of being a condemning fire-and-brimstone preacher is the biggest challenge. He leaned forward in the living room where he hosts small groups and picked up one of four Bibles. A little less tattered than the others, that particular Bible holds the names of those who have stopped to chat. “You are the reason I hate Christianity,” Roney recalled a student telling him. “You are always judging people.” He said they may not have listened to a single word he had spoken, but as they approach him they have assumed he believes they are hell’s next guest. “This is one of the most offensive people I have ever met,” said Streetninja909 on a video of Roney preaching. “The man is not a Christian, but a mentally deficient human who yells at people for seemingly no reason. He has no respect for any person.” With radical churches like Westboro Baptist Church making news and enemies, Roney said he is not surprised by the assumptions and anger cast toward him while in his makeshift pulpit. He said the motive behind hateful speech and fire-and-brimstone preaching is often not to save. It is for crowd drawing. “Sometimes we can say something right in the wrong spirit, and it has no effect, but if you have the right spirit, then people will receive the message,” Roney said. Roney found that Jesus preached about hell more than anyone in the Bible. “It was and is a real place, and Jesus wanted nothing more than to keep his children from falling into sin,” Roney said with the voice of a passionate father. His vulnerability — the tears that fall from his eyes — come from a place of compassion. Roney said he thinks of his daughter
a measurable goal — a well thought out plan for achieving success. She stressed change takes time, knowledge, education and passion. “I think it is also important to understand that just because one has tweeted a social hashtag, it does not make you an activist or a social change agent,” Shabazz said to a crowd that returned her statement with snaps and cheers. Shabazz said students can look back to the Civil Rights Movement to see how hoards of people came together, combining their voices and creating conversation. She said her father worked toward checkpoints and counseled against false moves and the folly of running in place. In his 20s, Malcolm X threw his voice into the mix and quickly became a driving force for social
Union is run by a student, The Plainsman has confirmed. While the group’s president would not reveal his name, The Plainsman has reviewed identification that confirms his enrollment. Since then, the group has on several occasions dropped flyers and posters across campus covered with racist, antiMuslim and anti-semitic epithets. “This group isn’t an Auburn student organization, and we find the views expressed in their materials reprehensible and unrepresentative of those of the university,” the Uni-
change, calling for the rights of all men to be honored. Shabazz said he was driven by his faith and pushed by his care for mankind. She said having been raised by two educated, passionate leaders, she learned the importance of education, history, humanity, leadership and that she must remember she is her brother’s keeper. While she was writing her first book, “Growing Up X,” Shabazz was able to reflect on her parents’ lives and their willingness to stand for those around them. “My books, to me, are extremely important,” Shabazz said. “It’s important that the reader is empowered, and they see themselves in the pages, and they learn something, and there is nothing downtrodden in these books.” Shabazz said she believes children
versity said in a statement last year about the group. The Anti-Defamation League, which also tracks hate groups and hate activity, reported a 200 percent spike in white supremacist recruitment efforts on colleges campuses in 2017. In the fall of 2017, after white supremacists held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the death of an anti-white nationalist protestor Heather Heyer, the ADL tracked a 258 percent increase in reports of white supremacist groups flyering college campuses. Unlike Auburn, Brooks said
as young adults pass him — a fear of losing one more soul to sin. He said he sees himself as a substitute father for those who pass him. With tears in his eyes, he said their Father in heaven cares just as much about them as Roney cares about his. He does not purposely offend those who hear him. “The Gospel itself is offensive; it is a stumbling block to people,” Roney said. “We don’t have to offend people or condemn people when they are already under condemnation.”
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If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Roney took note of Christ’s drastic measures and said they resembled what misread preachers on the steps of Haley believed was radical discipleship with a worldly variation. “[Christ] always spoke with gracious lips, and I have had a hard time doing that because usually, when we talk about hard subjects, you get mean about it,” Roney said. The stereotype is hard to fight, and there is no formula for ensuring his words don’t repel. When thoughts of doubt creep into his mind, he thinks of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed to his Father, begging Him to take the sin away before Judas, the Pharisees and their soldiers came and captured him. Roney said God has placed a mission in his heart. He believes in the power of the Lord’s words but understands that it may be rejected. “I have to become a vessel and not let it personally distract me,” Roney said. Roney is a maintenance man. He fixes leaky sinks, rusty doorknobs and toilets that refuse to flush when he isn’t bellowing his testimony on street corners. Before being welcomed in as a handyman, he tried to be welcomed through door-to-door evangelism. Roney began to expect a slammed door or an excuse pulled out of a place of stereotypical wariness for those practices. “Something is burning in the oven.” “I am sick and terribly contagious.” “I don’t want to hear what you have to say.” Door-to-door evangelism wasn’t effective. While radical and
» See PREACHER, 4
should be given the skills and tools they need to fight the obstacles lie in their way. Students should know they are worthy of self-love and a quality education. Shabazz said the only way to make a change and continue what was started by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., whom Shabazz said supported each other in each other’s endeavors, is to look to history for guidance — much of the rich history having taken place in Alabama. “Is it noble to turn a blind eye and pretend that injustice does not exist in our communities or noble to use our individual power and leadership to stand for the various movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo?” Shabazz asked. “These are organizations started by young people.” Shabazz said she takes her work as
the SPLC has found that most instances of flyering on college campuses are conducted by outside, non-student groups, particularly Vanguard America or Identity Evropa, two prominent white nationalist groups that have popped up in recent years. The groups oppose multiculturalism and believe America should be an exclusively white nation, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Identity Evropa, founded in 2016, accounted for about half of all of the white nationalist activity on college campuses. If Auburn’s WSU persists,
a professor, leading and mentoring students, seriously because intellect and morality are key. She said with truth and a cohesive value system, both of which her parents impressed upon her, she prays that the knowledge of historical happenings will lead to being a betterinformed and open-minded public. Intellect and education instill strength, warrant respect for others and give people the ability to see right from wrong, she said. Shabazz believes in planning and strategy. “As the future leaders of this new world, sitting back and waiting for someone else to do for us is no longer an option,” Shabazz said. “With all of our talents, skills and access we must rely on ourselves to get the job done. Right here on your campus, you can come together in small groups, clubs and organizations.”
Brooks said it could be a rallying cry for other white nationalists on other college campuses. “If they’re successful in maintaining a presence as an actual group without being affiliated with the University then it could influence the creation of these white student unions across other campuses,” Brooks said. Aside from flyering, Auburn’s WSU has attempted to infiltrate groups they perceive to be liberal, progressive or embracing of diversity. Their application for membership lists a question asking appli-
cants whether they are members of SGA, SPLC on Campus, The Plainsman, War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen or other “powerful groups.” “They try to get their people to infiltrate their groups so they can disrupt them,” Brooks said. “They’re pretty dangerous.” Brooks said it is important to keep track of white nationalist groups and disavow them. “If we don’t pay attention to it, you just validate it and you run the risk of normalizing the behavior of these group memberships,” Brooks said.
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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
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OPINION
OUR VIEW
A better approach to a healthy life By EDITORIAL BOARD Spring 2018
With spring break almost a week away, many students are focused on achieving an “ideal beach body.” Unfortunately, this focus can often be unhealthy. Some students gravitate toward fad diets that preach ill-informed keys on dieting such as juice cleanses that require fasting and other hyper-fitness regiments. These tend to do more harm than good. As we come to the end of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we feel it’s important to advocate for healthier approaches to dieting and fitness. We advocate for a lifestyle that doesn’t require slaving away to achieve society’s perception of beauty. Many fad diets promote dangerously low daily caloric intake. They often require focusing on a specific food and eating cut-back meals for breakfast and lunch while eating a normal dinner. Often, these diets don’t in-
clude enough calories to be healthy. Others may opt to dedicate an enormous amount of time in the gym, overextending themselves by taking on too much weight to lift or practicing poor and dangerous exercise form to make up for lost time. Students don’t go through these diets and exercise as part of a long-term campaign toward bettering their health. They are undertaken because they’re seen as a quick fix to achieve an idolized figure. This idolized figure has its own flaws. Our conception of perfect beach bodies and ideal fitness has been influenced by years of advertising from the modeling and beauty industry. Marketing campaigns have sought to overwhelm the market with promises of vanity and veneration toward a new, sculpted body. This has shifted our conception of healthy to be synonymous with skinny, which is not always true. Health can take many forms, and a perfect
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body is not one size fits all. Eating healthy and staying active should be a goal for all students and all people, but it should not be all consuming. The goal should be healthy, not necessarily skinny. Fad diets are not the path toward better health. Everybody is different, and the proper way to fast-track fitness is to talk to a doctor and find out what diet regiments and exercise schedule is right for you as an individual. Auburn also provides resources that help
students reach health goals, such as group fitness classes and nutrition teams. Consulting with these resources can help set up a proper way to achieve fitness. But it isn’t imperative that someone sets out the time and money to meet with a doctor or sign up for group fitness. We can all focus on being healthy, but we should also focus on being comfortable being ourselves. We shouldn’t be distracted by trying to achieve what we’re told is an idolized spring break body.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
DACA: A dream we should strive to protect By AMY CAROLINA PEREIRA Junior, social work
There is a dream that is at stake of being eliminated in our country. That dream is DACA. 80,000 of the people around us are living in fear of leaving the only place they call home, they are called the DREAMers. It is up to us, citizens with legal documentation, to stand up for these people whose voices aren’t being heard. DREAMers are the recipients of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). They are your fellow peers, people you’ve grown up with, who’ve served at our schools, payed our taxes, and lived their lives alongside us. In fact, they are American in every single way, but they lack the legal documentation. These people fall between the ages of 1635. For most of them, the United States is the only home they know. They speak this nation’s language
and they contribute to this society. They were brought to the United States at a very young age by their undocumented parents and remained in the country. They have a dream that is being stripped away from them that we must strive to protect. Their dream is simply to stay and serve in the country they call their home. DACA is a program that was introduced in 2012 under the Obama Administration that would serve as a shield for undocumented people who were brought into the States as children. This status does not provide a pathway to citizenship, instead serving to protect these people, allowing them permission to stay in the United States as they pursue higher education, serve in the military, or decide to go straight into the workforce. This status also provides the DREAMers with many other benefits that they would otherwise not be able to receive. Unfortunately, the Trump administration ended DACA in Sep-
tember, and Trump has asked both parties in congress to come up with a new replacement before March, when the termination of DACA will be executed. (Romo, 2017). If congress does not come to a consensus about the DREAMers then their future in this country is at stake and they face a very real fear of deportation back to countries many of them have little to no knowledge of. They are like us. Nothing separates native-born Americans with undocumented Americans except the legal documentation. For most of these people English is the only language they speak. I have met families who have tried to come into the country legally and have failed time and time again. Legal documentation does not separate me from others who lack it. This is their home as much as it is mine, some of them even contribute more than other citizens like myself. Their dream is the same as ours- to make America lovely, diverse, and
a place where one can have a fruitful future. One of my dear friends is 20 years old. She attends Texas A&M and is pursuing her degree in engineering. She moved to the States from Nicaragua when she was 5. She has volunteered countless hours in her community, served at camps, held jobs that serve others, all because of DACA. Her desire is to be able to serve this country, and DACA has allowed her to do that thus far. However, as the March date gets closer, her fear increases, and her dreams become dimmer. Some of our government leaders believe that these people are rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, or people who allegedly steal our jobs, and that DACA allows these people free ride towards citizenship. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. DACA does not protect criminals from deportation and there are limits to the benefits of DACA that include convictions of felonies and other misdemeanors.
In reality, more than 75% of DACA recipients are employed. They attend our college and universities and serve in our military. If these recipients were to get deported, the United States would lose $460 billion in the span of a decade. (Shear, 2017). These people are making notable contributions to our country, and they are not only wanted here, they are needed. We must protect their dream, because it is also our dream. If we lose these individuals we don’t only lose talented people who make positive impacts to the American society, but we lose our neighbors and friends. Today’s Dreamers deserve the same chance I got. Congress must strive to protect this act, for the sake of preserving the life of tens of thousands young immigrants who are valuable to our society.
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Auburn Plainsman.
HER VIEW
It’s not that difficult. Racism, hate shouldn’t be welcome By inviting the White Student Union to speak, the Honors College is normalizing racism By EMILY HALE Contributing Columnist
I am having a difficult time trying to explain what seems to be so simple. I don’t know how to explain to the Auburn University Honors College that equating the platforms of the Auburn White Student Union and Black Student Union is, at best, a tone deaf response to a series of poor decisions. I need to make clear that this column is a response to my current understanding of unfolding events. I am open to any evolution of opinion in response to new facts
or context being brought to light, but, I digress. The Honors College recently sponsored a showing of the film “Skinheads USA.” This is not inherently problematic and is not why I am writing. The Honors College invited members of the Auburn White Student Union to speak and answer questions prior to the film — an organization with quite the reputation — giving a hate group a legitimate platform to speak from. The Honors College doubled down on their decision by responding that they plan to invite the University-recognized and
sanctioned Black Student Union in the future. This effectively conflates them with a Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League designated hate group that spews racism and xenophobia, not to mention their lack of any actual university presence or faculty sponsorship. In fact, the University has issued a statement openly rejecting the principles of the Auburn White Student Union. Those that argue it does not normalize their hatred: the Auburn White Student Union Twitter account quote-tweeted the Honors College announcement of
the event involving WSU members with the statement: “We /establishment/ now, fam.” It’s absurd to think that highly intelligent and qualified professionals within the Honors College did not feel compelled to conduct the simplest of Google searches from their phone to realize they had invited a hate group onto our campus — our collective home. You see, the difference between the WSU and BSU is that the WSU desires and advocates for a world absent of POC, LGBTQ, among a myriad of identities that don’t represent them; and the BSU desires and advocates for a world where
OPINION PAGE POLICIES COLUMNS AND EDITORIALS
The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students, as well as faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University.
The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages.
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This editorial is the majority opinion of the Editorial Board and is the official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors. These opinions do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.
The views expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Auburn Plainsman.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD CHIP BROWNLEE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LOREN KIMMEL CAMPUS EDITOR
ALEX HOSEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR
LILY JACKSON MANAGING EDITOR
SAM WILLOUGHBY COMMUNITY EDITOR
JEREMY NEWMAN OPINION EDITOR
JESSICA BALLARD STANDARDS EDITOR
WILL SAHLIE SPORTS EDITOR
INGRID SCHNADER PHOTO EDITOR
ANNE DAWSON ONLINE EDITOR
NATHAN KING ASSISTANT SPORTS
GANNON PADGETT VIDEO EDITOR
CONTACT
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their immutable characteristics allow them to stand on equal footing as citizens. It is one thing to “respect” another’s opinion, but I would argue it’s fairly difficult to be friends with and sustain dialogue with groups of individuals organized around the idea that you shouldn’t exist. I can no longer remain silent simply because marginalization does not occur at my expense. None of us can.
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EDUCATION
Leveling the playing field
Female enrollment grows within male-dominated fields By HANNAH LESTER Campus Writer
Auburn’s campus is home to hundreds of opportunities for students to find their passions, careers and majors. However, two fields see a significantly larger amount of males than females. Engineering has a high discrepancy between male and female students. Incoming freshman who enter the College of Engineering only have a 21 percent rate of being female, and of those who enter as a graduate students, only 23 percent are female, according to the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Fact Sheet. In mechanical engineering there is a discrepancy as large as 673 male students and only 103 female students for undergraduates, according to the Auburn University Enrollment Statistics in 2016 for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The engineering department for 2016 saw a total enrollment of 3,994 male and 969 female students, according to the Auburn University Enrollment Statistics in 2016 for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. A gap this large encourages the University to work toward integrating programs for females. One of these programs is the 100 Women Strong Engineering program. “The program has a mission to recruit, retain and reward Auburn University women in engineering,” said Myra Girard, development coordinator for 100 Women Strong. “We are looking for results with any of that, seeing our numbers go up with female students and having them remain in engineering.” Girard said there are events in place to encourage women in the field, such as a welcome event. “During that event the dean speaks and some professors, and we have a really good keynote typically, and the students are given a chance to network with each other and get to know other people that are going to be studying what they’re studying so it creates a sense of community,” Girard said. There is also a mentor program through 100 Women Strong, which encourages the female students to connect with women who can aid them. In addition, 100 Women Strong is able to give scholarships to students.
100 Women Strong hopes to encourage female high school students to consider engineering. E-day is one of the ways the program aims to speak with high school students. “There is a summer engineering camp for female students, and these are high school students, and we sponsor a luncheon one day at the camp, and we have our members come in … and they have a panel and the students can ask them questions,” Girard said. Leslie DeVoe, senior in mechanical engineering, has benefitted directly from the 100 Women Strong program through scholarship. “That program is actually a group of women alumni who have graduated from Auburn, and they’ve come together [and have] donated to the college,” DeVoe said. “Their whole mission is to try to encourage engineering for women coming in as freshmen and then seeing them all the way through.” DeVoe was one of the students who became interested in engineering after attending a summer camp and meeting some women from 100 Women Strong. “Since I’ve co-oped, since I’ve worked, I was primarily the only woman in some of my different jobs, and I was scared going into those, but once I got through those rotations, I realized it really isn’t that bad,” DeVoe said. “Times have changed a lot over the past 20 years. Companies are a lot more accepting at least of women and minorities and whatnot. And it really is a level playing field.” DeVoe said she has used engineering to narrow down her job goals. “Through this job search, I’ve been basically looking at outside ideas,” DeVoe said. “Something that’s non-traditional engineering because what I want right now is not fitting a cookiecutter job.” The first female engineering student to graduate from Auburn was Maria Rogan Whitson, electrical engineering, in 1923, according to the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering about history page. Women like Whitson paved the way for DeVoe to pursue her dream of mechanical engineering. Discrepancies at Auburn can be found outside of engineering,
however, and are present in the College of Business. The pre-business program saw 1,481 male undergraduate students and only 843 female undergraduate students in 2016 while finance saw 294 undergraduate male students and 94 undergraduate female students in 2016, according to the Auburn University Enrollment Statistics in 2016 for the Harbert College of Business. As a whole, business saw a total of 2,780 male undergraduate students and 1,594 female undergraduate students in 2016 according to the Auburn University Enrollment Statistics in 2016 for the Harbert College of Business. Jan Moppert, director of the office of professional and career development in the Harbert College of Business, said each semester they hold a legends and leaders program at Auburn. “[Legends and leaders] has a different topic every night, and sometimes it has a theme for all the nights in that series for the semester,” Moppert said. “The second night was information on how to break through the glass ceiling.” Moppert has had the opportunity to work with student organizations to present projects on women also. “One is on women and communication and how we communicate differently and how people perceive us due to that difference in communication,” Moppert said. “So we talk about ways to be a more powerful speaker, and the other one is just on empowering women in general.” Moppert said it is important to encourage younger girls in business. “We need to expose young women, young girls even, get to them early,” Moppert said. “We need to be doing things in the high schools and the junior highs to support how girls learn and to help them want to continue to do that.” A new program is being implemented within the college by Melanie Roehm, vice president for development in the College of Business called Women in Business, Moppert said. “It’s one that is being started and supported by alumni and their goal is to get it working really well and then bring it down to the student level to help encourage more students, more female students to not only pursue business but to optimize their business degrees,” Moppert said.
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PREACHER » From 2
bold, it had no grip. His role as a maintenance man, however, was effective. “They invited me in, and there are no defenses because they know I am supposed to be there,” Roney said. “They welcome me because they know I am going to fix a problem.” Roney lies on the floor looking up into the bottom of a rusty sink and ends up having a conversation about Jesus. He said his whole life is about spreading the Gospel, and those conversations are not held under a steeple. The “sitting in a pew” lifestyle is not for Roney. It’s easy to fall into a rhythm of singing one thing with a choir and doing the exact opposite on weekdays. “I think there is a problem with American Christianity,” Roney said. “It divides time. I can be who I want to be, and sometimes I can serve the Lord Jesus Christ.” Roney looked down at the Bible in his lap and paused for thought. “I believe that there’s more power in living the Gospel than preaching the Gospel,” Roney said with a deep exhale. A member of Roney’s small group, Arlene Hadley, agrees and said they believe in total commitment to the Lord. When Hadley and her husband were saved, it was a total turn around from a worldly lifestyle to being “on fire for God.”
GANNON PADGETT / VIDEO EDITOR
Scott Roney and his wife stand in front of their house in Opelika, Ala.
The Hadleys are originally from Canada and lived in China and Indiana for a time. Hadley said Roney had an integral part in their move to Alabama. “We are free to discuss things [at Roney’s],” Hadley said. “We don’t get preached at. Yes, Scott shares the word, but we don’t all sit there. We comment, and we enter in, and we interact. It’s a group. We are a part of each others’ lives all week.” Praise for God — limited to one day a week — catches no one off guard, Roney said. He said it creates a stale understanding of what living a life for God truly means. Roney’s wife stopped her husband mid-sentence and said the dedication and the thought he puts into his sermons is far more than he thinks it is. She looked into his eyes with love and awe of his passion. She said the bar’s lights were gleaming on
a Saturday night, and the sound of Bible passages rivaled the bass drum from the nearby bar. Roney stood under the lights, praying for those who passed him and reciting verses from memory. “Hey, that’s my maintenance guy! He’s cool, guys. He’s real cool,” the intoxicated passerby reassured his friends.
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For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”
The maintenance guy treats preaching on campus like any other day, but his wife sees the preparation. Standing behind the hand-made lectern given to him by a young boy in the small group he leads, Roney asks for prayer. He wakes up with the sun and walks from the back door of his little white house, past the
hanging plaque that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” He’s followed by a spunky golden retriever to a chain-link fence. Through the fence and toward a white barn, he walked into his prayer room. Roney said the Devil starts fighting him with tasks and responsibilities to derail his train of thought. He moves further into prayer, fighting back with the words of God and his heart for the students. He said his controversial approach to radical religion is not a special act to him. Standing in the gap is the least he can do. “We think that we have to turn it on or put on a superhero suit. It’s just me, preaching until it’s time to go back to work, and then I go back to work.” Gannon Padgett contributed to the research and reporting for this story.
ORGANIZATION
Students unite Auburn Family with Chipotle By PAUL BROCK Campus Writer
The Chipotle on Magnolia is a popular place for students to grab a quick meal off campus, and now, the Mexican food chain is going to have its own club. “What officially started it was our passion and love for [Chipotle],” said Ashley Johnson, president of the newly formed club. “But when we were thinking more about it, we were like, ‘How can we tie in Chipotle with helping others and encouraging other people to do good?” The Chipotle Club organized on Jan. 23, and 53 students have already joined. The club will meet at Chipotle biweekly at 6:30 p.m. with its first meeting held on Feb. 22. “I am a fan of Chipotle,” said Whit-
ney Say, sophomore in biomedical sciences. “It’s definitely one of my favorite places to go eat off campus, and all of my friends were joining.” Say said she thought Chipotle Club seemed like a fun thing to do. “Eating Chipotle would be a great way to bring people together,” Johnson said. “I feel like there is a divide in Auburn kind of, but whether we like it or not, there is a divide between Greeks and athletes and a divide between international students, and why not tie them all together through our passion for Chipotle?” The club also has a philanthropic goal in mind. The club is planning to cater Chipotle to high school and middle school students who qualify for the reduced and free meal program once a semester.
“It’s a really simple kind of project overall, but we think we can really make it work,” said Connor Jones, director of public relations for the club. Jones said the goal of the club is to promote inclusion and diversity among Auburn students through Chipotle. “Essentially, we’d like to bring the whole Auburn Family together through just the simple act of eating Chipotle because you know everyone loves Chipotle,” Jones said. Johnson said if the club becomes big enough, she is hoping to organize food or school-supply drives to help the Auburn community. “I mean who doesn’t love Chipotle,” Say said. “Any club that celebrates a fabulous restaurant is well worth joining, especially when their goal is to provide Chipotle to middle school students.”
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
PAGE 5
SGA
Keck reflects on her term as Auburn SGA president By LILY JACKSON Managing Editor
Student Government President Jacqueline Keck is approaching a bittersweet end to her historic term as Auburn’s third woman president. Promises were made when she campaigned for the position, and changes have come to campus since Keck was elected. Here’s what Keck and her cabinet said they would make happen for students and what actually came to be. Dining Carrying on with former President Jesse Westerhouse’s goal, Keck worked with her cabinet and Tiger Dining to change the overall experience of dining. The Dining Task Force, championed by Westerhouse in 2015–2016, focused on the needs and wants of students. The research was presented to Director of Dining Services Glenn Loughridge and the rest of the dining coalition. Just a week ago, a new contract with Aramark, internationally known food provider, rolled out. Keck said the main goal of the task force was to provide students with a dining hall experience, rather than a retail-based system. Their goal will be accomplished with the renovation of Foy Union and other food halls around campus. “Everything happened that we wanted to happen, and that is unheard of,” Keck said. “I can’t attribute that all to [SGA] but also to our campus partners.” With the new contract, Keck said there will be more options for those with dietary needs or restrictions, a variety of meal plans including swipes for meals and more affordable options. Keck said Aramark will be providing more options for game-day eating for students and will publish their nutrition facts, which were two highly requested changes in the Dining Task Force research. “I think overall this is going to be a massive change and students are going to come back in the fall and say, ‘Holy cow, this is so different,’” Keck said. “They will say it in a great way.” Auburn Intern Initiative Mentioned in her first interview with The Auburn Plainsman, Keck’s work with the Auburn Intern Initiative has progressed from being under the College of Liberal Arts to the Career Center taking it on. Keck said this seems like a small step, but the program is now open to all majors. The Auburn Intern Initiative is a program that places students with a host family in Washington, D.C., usually Auburn alumni, to relieve the costly prices of interning in a bustling city. “In the future years, you will see it expand to more cities,” Keck said. “It’s a gradual progress.” Keck said she believes and hopes SGA will continue to sup-
MADISON OLGETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER
Jacqueline Keck smiles for a photo on Oct. 17, 2017. in Auburn, Ala.
port it after her time comes to an end. Rebranding of SGA Keck said it was crucial for SGA to create a look that went hand-in-hand with their mission and made students want to attend events, get involved and stay up-to-date on what was changing on campus. Keck said thanks to Jennings Bowden, executive vice president of communications and marketing, SGA has a branding guide that has helped generate more views on the SGA pages. “When we share what we have done on social media it looks as if it is something you want to be a part of and it’s exciting to be there,” Keck said. “Our promotion has become not something we have to do, but something we are really excited to do.” Through rebranding, Keck said SGA became more approachable to students. Student Ticketing The student ticketing changes at the start of Keck’s term included a penalty system, a ticket pool and the inability to transfer tickets to other students. All of the changes and the pool can be reached through the ticketing system set up during Keck’s term. The penalty points system became a hot-button issue for de-
bate. The process awards points to students who miss football games without giving their tickets to the student pool to be used by those who may not have a ticket. In response to the grievances, The Student Ticketing Appeals Committee was formed to determine if appeals to have these points revoked are valid. Keck said once there were more grievances toward the allotment of tickets, her team put the decision to a vote. Students voted for the credit hour and loyalty-based ticketing system. Those with the least penalty points and the most credit hours will receive their tickets first and so on. “That’s been our way of thinking, you tell us what your grievances are and we will put it to a vote,” Keck said. “We have nothing to hide.” Parking Keck said they are unable to build a parking deck at the moment, but Parking Services with the help of her executive team has been working to make small things happen along the way. Parking Services rolled out a new parking app that lets students know where there are parking spaces on campus, which was an initiative of the SGA. “We see changes made in little areas that are helping the overall system get better gradually,” Keck said.
AWARENESS
Discussions surrounding eating disorders arise during week of awareness By JESSICA BALLARD Standards Editor
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In 2015, Auburn resident Reeder Dulaney, 57, went to Wickenburg, Arizona, in order to begin a healing process at a treatment center. After years of anorexia, one day she collapsed in her home. It was then that she and her family knew it was time for a change; it was time to face the eating disorder. In the U.S., 13 million people binge eat, and 10 million women battle anorexia or bulimia. The National Eating Disorders Association also reports that 80 percent of American 10-yearolds are afraid of being fat, and 42 percent of girls in first through third grades want to be thinner. This week, Feb. 26–March 4, is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week — a week in which NEDA encourages people to “raise awareness, bust myths, get people screened and start journeys to healing.” Dulaney said she’d always been aware of her weight as a taller, slim woman. She would step on the scale every day and would categorize her day as good or bad based on the number staring back at her. In college, she said, the big things were laxatives, but as she got older and when stresses were high, she simply wouldn’t eat. Whether she didn’t eat because she had no appetite due to stress or she didn’t want to eat in order to lose weight, it was a problem nonetheless, she said. The decision to go to the treatment center in Arizona wasn’t a super easy one, Dulaney said, but she’s glad collapsing in her house pushed her further down the path to recovery. “If I don’t go now, right now while this happened, I’ll forget how bad it was, and I won’t go,” she told her psychiatrist after fainting in her home and being taken to the emergency room. Melissa Scott, a clinical psychologist based in Birmingham, has done extensive work with patients with eating disorders. She said based on her experience, eating disorders have changed in recent years. “When I first started practicing it was more of a classic anorexia or exercise addiction, restrictive type,” Scott said. “What I’m seeing more, and I think the national trends and the numbers show this as well, is a more complex eating disorder. What we’re seeing more now
are clients that will restrict and then go through binge and purge cycles, and then go through orthorexia cycles. I really think the direction we’re going to see next is more of that orthorexia— hyper focused on healthy foods, healthy exercise, quote on quote, and there are so many cultural reasons for that.” Scott said she believes many cultural aspects have contributed to these changes including the rise in fitness culture and fad diets. “Everybody has an opinion; everybody thinks they have the right answer, and what we know from a scientific perspective is that every body is different,” Scott said regarding diets. “We have different body types; we have different blood types; we have different rates of metabolism; we have different protein and carbohydrate needs. It’s not one size fits all.” Noelle Posner, junior in marketing, came to Auburn in the midst of recovery from multiple eating disorders she struggled with throughout her eighth grade year and high school. “I’ve always been a big advocate of, if you struggled with something and are willing to talk about it, it’s always helpful for other people to hear it firsthand,” Posner said. It was this mentality that encouraged her to get involved with the Body Image Education and Eating Disorders Awareness organization on Auburn’s campus. Now, three years later, she serves as the organization’s president. The organization participates in Love Your Body Week, hosted on Auburn’s campus during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The week promotes body positivity and awareness of various outlets on campus that can help students who may be struggling with body image issues or eating disorders. Scott suggested that if anyone in your life has questioned whether it’s a problem, then it’s worth looking into. “I think the motivations for eating well and exercising should be on how you feel as opposed to how you look,” Scott said. “I think the minute we make that switch to manipulating appearance, it’s not necessarily that it is a problem, it’s that we open the door to it becoming a problem.” Dulaney went to the treatment center two separate times, and said she is infinitely grateful for the experience. But she emphasized the ongoing nature of recovery; there isn’t a onestop fix.
community THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
COMMUNITY
SECURITY
Mothers worry for safety at Auburn High School By EDUARDO MEDINA Community Writer
Sounds began haunting Christine Shumock after Feb. 14. The day was full of school-day familiarities like the rich smell of pancakes, her daughter getting up to practice piano and her son browsing for T-shirts and jeans. As daylight evaporated dew and the first bell of Auburn High School rang, Shumock’s children sat in class taking notes and jotting down the night’s homework. The first frightening sound came around 4 p.m. Her radio broadcasted news of a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The staticfizzled voice reported 17 people dead, and profound despair overtook Schumock. When her children came back from school she embraced them like one would a returning soldier. Reflecting on the recent sprawl of mass shootings, Shumock said she does not think Auburn High School is doing enough to ensure comprehensive safety. A prominent problem is the structure of the actual building, she said. Huge panels of glass construct the building’s exterior, and the same openness is exhibited inside with full-width glass corridors making up the classroom wall. “A lot of parents and children have been concerned about the design of our high school from the very beginning,” Shumock told The Plainsman. The building was completed in May 2017, and students and teachers moved in this school year. Construction of the $71.6 million high school was done by Rabren General Contractors of Auburn. Shumock and other parents do not think the large sum of money was put to practical use. “It’s beautiful, but it’s a giant aquarium shooting gallery,” Shumock said. “There’s nowhere to be safe.” Debates regarding gun control have begun branching off into discussions on school structures and how places of learning can be built to emphasize both engaging and safe academic environments. Schumock wants students to at least have a chance in the case of a shooter emergency because, right now, the glass wall inhibits opaque cover. Other parents have equally disdainful thoughts on the glass walls.
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I want the politicians to look up at the moms who have had enough. — Amanda Vaughan
Amanda Vaughan has a son attending AHS and has been in many schools herself since her mother was once a superintendent. Vaughan sees kids from the high school regularly at church and has asked for their thoughts on the new academic building. The overwhelming response, she said, was negative because the students feel self-conscious walking down the hallway with everyone looking at them from classrooms, and students in classrooms feel distracted by people strolling the hallway. Vaughan and Shumock said many parents support putting up walls where glass is situated and have suggested that even a wall 75 percent covered could provide ample protection and natural sunlight. “The school system responded (to community members concerned about glass) by noting that the glass creates transparency and unobstructed sightlines to building entrances, schoolyards, parking lots and interior common space, offering surveillance to
INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR
Auburn High School on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
outside threats,” the Opelika-Auburn News reported last week. “While the glass is not bulletproof, it is shatterproof.” When asked to comment on this statement, Vaughan said that no difference can be made if a dangerous person can be seen running in from the outside, and by then, it’s too late. Last week, Ward 8 Councilman Tommy Dawson called for increased officer presence at Auburn City Schools, including a minimum of six officers at AHS. The heart of the problem, however, was in the conversation she had with her son about the Parkland mass shooting and the guninfested world he’s inherited. “Columbine occurred when my second child was 4 months old, so he has never lived in a world without that, and I will never forget it,” Vaughan said. Vaughan spoke about her 16-year-old son showing rare vulnerability while discussing the possibility of a shooting in his high school. It was Thursday, Feb. 15, one day after 17 people lost their lives in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and Vaughan’s son had just seen a video of the shooting with his friends during lunch. “My son said, ‘You know, me and my buddies talked about it. If there was a shooting here at Auburn High School, we’d all be dead with those stupid glass classrooms.’ That was a lunch conversation between boys,” Vaughan said. “Well, what would you do if you were in the courtyard? Are there any trees or bushes so you can hide?” Vaughan asked her son. “No mom, we would just run,” her son said. “We looked out to the woods and guessed how long it would take.” AHS Principal Shannon Pignato declined to comment for this story. Representatives from the school system did not return requests for comment. Vaughan happened to be in Montgomery for a statewide Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day on the afternoon of the Parkland school shooting.
They were against a proposal put forth to remove permit requirements for concealed carry in Alabama. The same dreadful broadcast heard by Shumock now plagued the psyche of Vaughan on the 50-mile journey back to Auburn. While Vaughan and Shumock uphold the importance of improving the school’s structure, their fundamental belief in solving the root of the problem lies in their total support of a complete ban on assault weapons in Alabama, they said. “No one is serious about solving this until they’re serious about an assault weapon ban,” Vaughan said. Vaughan said she plans on being in Washington D.C. on March 14 alongside the nation’s students planning a school walkout. “I want the politicians to look up at the moms who have had enough,” Vaughan said. Shumock also sees hope in the students fighting for the banning of rapid-fire weapons. “I completely support young people taking a stand,” Shumock said. “It is the young people who are on the front line, and we have to support them.” Nineteen years since Columbine, six years since Sandy Hook and two days after Parkland, Shumock sat at the kitchen table when she heard the screeching echo of a fire truck’s siren outside her home. She wondered if it headed toward her children’s high school, and she wondered why such thoughts now invaded her consciousness. The sound swirled around her kitchen as the faint hums of emergencies carried throughout her neighborhood. The sounds did not cease, and the haunting continued. At night, however, another sense takes oversight. Shumock can see her children, and it brings relief. Algebra homework, ACT prep tests and flyers advertising graduation rings bring reassurance. When whimsical vibrations from a piano chime at 7 a.m., the sound does not haunt Shumock — it helps.
EDUCATION
KAILEY BETH SMITH / COMMUNITY REPORTER
State Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, at Higher Education Day on Feb. 22, 2018, in Montgomery, Ala.
KAILEY BETH SMITH / COMMUNITY REPORTER
Auburn representatives visit with Aubie at Higher Education Day on Feb. 22, 2018, in Montgomery, Ala.
Auburn SGA heads to the Capitol for Higher Education Day By KAILEY BETH SMITH Community Reporter
Signs boasting a better future for education in the state of Alabama scattered the Capitol lawn last Thursday morning as the sound of cheering students and a blast of trumpets could be heard from the statehouse steps. The annual Higher Education Day took place in Montgomery on Feb. 22 and included students from the 14 public colleges and universities from around the state. Auburn University SGA’s Lobby Board was a big presence at the event with around 30 students representing the school. Schyler Burney, incoming SGA vice president, said that Higher Education Day was an important part of what SGA Lobby Board does. “It’s something that is really special to us,” Burney, junior in economics, said. “Throughout the year, our lobby board comes together and really forms relationships with the legislators. So to be able to come out today with the other universities and form relationships with those other universities is incredibly important.”
Burney said the day is an opportunity to form relationships with the other higher education institutions within the state. “It’s so easy to do on an individual university level, but when you come together as a state, it makes a bigger impact,” she said. “It’s really fun to be out here with Alabama, AUM and Athens State as well as others.” Alabama Sen. Tom Whatley was pleased to see the representatives from Auburn University in front of the state house chanting cheers like Bodda Getta and touting signs that displayed support for the state Legislature. “It means a lot when Auburn University students come down for Higher Education Day because I want to make the distinction between what Auburn offers and what other institutions offer,” the Auburn senator said. Auburn boasts a student body comprised of nearly 60 percent in-state students and 40 percent out-of-state students and is the premier research institution in the state, according to Whatley. “Jobs come out of Auburn University, development comes out of Auburn University and industry comes out of Auburn University,” What-
ley said. “That’s what these guys stress to legislators when they are up here talking about funding for higher education.” Auburn student Michael Bennett, freshman in political science, was optimistic about attending his first Higher Education Day. “We are out here today advocating for all of the 14 four-year state universities across Alabama, specifically for Auburn University,” Bennett said. “We are talking about getting more funding for education in the Education Trust Fund, which has recently passed. Not only that but also all of the bills that have recently been passed to make Auburn a better place to work and for people to make a living and for faculty.” Lee County Rep. Joe Lovvorn joked that he wouldn’t talk Auburn basketball with all of the other schools that were in attendance, but he said he was proud of Auburn for showing up and showing such great support for the initiatives in the state House and Senate. Alabama President Pro Temp Del Marsh encouraged students to go speak with their representatives and to make their voices heard among the crowd.
“You’re standing on the statehouse lawn, it’s your lawn,” Marsh said. “This is your state. ... We can invest in solutions, or we can invest in problems. Investing in education is investing in a solution.” Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon echoed the sentiments of many in attendance. “When it comes to the higher education priorities, we took time to make sure that we looked at the funding for higher education in a fair and equitable way,” McCutcheon said. “We made sure that all universities had a voice. These universities produce good folks for the state of Alabama so we can keep this state moving forward.” SGA’s lobby board will return to the statehouse on March 6 for their Lobby Day, where the 36 member students will meet with legislators to discuss big ideas for the funding and future of Auburn University specifically. “I really think it shows the power that the students make on the Legislature,” said Ashley Satterfield, a representative for the lobby board. “These legislators are elected officials, so they work for us — it’s very important to remember that.”
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
The Auburn Plainsman
PAGE 7
POLITICS
OLIVIA WILKES / COMMUNITY WRITER
Congressional candidate Mallory Hagan talks with students about diversity, the environment and education in the Student Center at Auburn University on Feb. 21, 2018.
Mallory Hagan addresses College Dems on the issues By OLIVIA WILKES Community Writer
Mallory Hagan, former Miss America and Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District Democratic candidate, met with Auburn students and College Democrats Feb. 21, in the Auburn University Student Center to listen to their concerns about Alabama’s political and cultural state and to talk about her stance on education, the environment, and elevation of the political conversation. “We’re just talking about some of the things that we would like to see change in order for people to be more attracted to the state of Alabama,” Hagan said. “Whether that’s a certain type of industry [we’d] like to see come here or the common thread among everyone has been culture change.” Although it is still early in her campaign, she will be focusing on education, healthcare, jobs and technical training, Hagan said. “Because those are the things that, first of all, everyone cares about, it doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on,” she said. “We all have different opinions on how to move forward, but everyone cares about their family having healthcare and their kids getting a good education, and so I think that those things are important.” Criminal justice reform and institutional
racism are important issues to her, Hagan said. “I also care very much about anti-discrimination laws, specifically as it pertains to the LGBTQ community, and that is something that I have been an advocate for for many years now,” Hagan said. “I care also very much about the environment and what we’re doing to live more sustainably and how that impacts our kids’ future.” Several attendees at the meeting voiced concerns about a lack of affordable, high-quality education, a toxic political culture, limited rural internet access in parts of the state and a lack of diversity in Auburn and throughout Alabama. “I often say politics are like football down here — you pick your team and you don’t budge,” one student said. “We saw that a lot with the Jones/Moore election. People just didn’t budge. No one was willing to listen to the other side. No one was willing to admit that they were right or wrong. I can live in an environment where I’m a minority, but I can’t live in an environment where no one listens to the minority.” Hagan echoed the attendees’ sentiments on cultural change. A huge part of her campaign over the coming months will include rising above negative political culture. “It’s almost like if one side of us doesn’t come to the conversation and continually el-
evate it, then are we ever going to have an elevated conversation?” Hagan said. “I think that over the course of this election cycle we can be really adamant proponents of keeping it to the issues, remaining positive, always trying our very best to remain kind in those conversations, then we collectively elevate each other through the process and hopefully elevate our political climate and our policymakers. … I have no doubt that this campaign will be very ugly on my end, not from me but toward me because of who I’m dealing with.” Hagan’s competition for the 3rd District’s Democratic nod is slim, with only one other candidate, Adia McClellan Winfrey of Talladega, in the race. Whoever wins the party’s nomination in June will face the 16-year Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Rogers of Saks. Hagan asked the meeting attendees what concerned them about her running for Congress. One attendee said he thought Hagan might receive attacks concerning her lack of experience and political background. “Just be ready to have some kind of counterpoint to say, ‘I am more than qualified, I can compete with Mike on this issue,’” the attendee said. “Just be able to deflect those concerns because I think that’s probably going to be the first area people will try to target.” Hagan asked attendees what issues people
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would like to see her discuss in future events. Important issues to attendees were women’s rights, abortion, access to birth control, gun control, prison reform and economic development. “I genuinely feel that our democracy is under attack in a lot of different ways from an ideology standpoint, possibly from an actual standpoint,” Hagan said. “I want to be a part of a movement that combats that and puts us back on track.” Hagan said she is currently focused on building the right team to give her the best shot at winning the election. Lindsay Hanner, Hagan’s campaign manager, was also in attendance. “I know a lot of you probably have friends that are conservative, and we’re going to need some cross-over votes,” Hanner said. “I think it’s important that we let people know that she’s listening to both sides.” Hanner told attendees that in one of their first meetings together, Hagan said that regardless of the election’s outcome, she wins either way because her goal is to encourage young people, especially young women, to use their voices and get involved in politics. “And so that’s what she’s doing here tonight,” Hanner said. “So if you guys feel inspired to get involved in politics, well we just won today.”
sports
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SPORTS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Skid continues as Tigers fall in Fayetteville
ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Head coach Bruce Pearl reacts to a call during Auburn Basketball vs. Florida on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, in Gainesville, Fla.
By WILL SAHLIE Sports Editor
Auburn has made a habit of digging itself a hole early in games and finding a way out in the second half with a barrage of 3-point shots. The 14th-ranked Tigers tried to pull off another comeback Tuesday night in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but the Hogs would not be outdone on Senior Night in Bud Walton Arena. After building as big of a lead as 19 in the second half, Arkansas kept Auburn at arms’ length as it took down the Tigers 9182 Tuesday night. “We didn’t get as good of shots as we should’ve,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “We should have executed a little bit better. We were in such foul trouble. Having to play Mustapha at a lot of four, it was really difficult. “Our kids played hard, and they really battled. To be a little discombobulated and still in the game was encouraging. Losing here, look, they’re 15-2 at home so it’s not an embarrassment by
any stretch of the imagination.” The Tigers used a 7-0 run midway through the first half to close an Arkansas lead to just two, but as they did all night, the Razorbacks had an answer. Arkansas responded with a 17-6 run to push its lead out to 13 and never gave the Tigers much of a chance the rest of the way. Opening the second half with a 10-point lead, Arkansas used a 9-0 run out of the locker room to put the Tigers away early. Arkansas shot 53 percent from the floor (31-of-59) as well as 53 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-19) as it used its hot shooting from the outset to light up the scoreboard on Senior Night. The Hogs’ bench outscored Auburn’s bench 40-15. Arkansas also outscored the Tigers with 17 fast-break points compared to Auburn’s seven. Auburn shot just 34 percent (22-of-64) from the field and 25 percent (7-of-28) from 3-point range. The Tigers finished 31of-34 (91 percent) from the free throw line. Mustapha Heron led all scorers with 28 points on 8-of-21
shooting. The former five-star recruit finished 9-of-11 from the free-throw line and grabbed eight rebounds. “Mustapha Heron is playing great,” Pearl said. “He’s really playing well on both ends of the floor.” Jared Harper scored 20 points for the Tigers but finished just 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Harper went a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. Bryce Brown’s struggles continued on Tuesday as the junior finished with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting. For the first time since Auburn’s second game of the season on Nov. 16, Brown finished without a made 3-point shot. Daniel Gafford led Arkansas (21-9, 10-7) with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, while Jaylen Barford finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Hogs. Daryl Macon poured in 16 points for Arkansas on 6-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. With the loss, Auburn’s lead in the SEC standings has
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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
PAGE 9
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Auburn ends regular season with Senior Day win By ZACH TANTILLO Sports Writer
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Daisa Alexander (0) vs. Ole Miss. on Sunday, Feb. 25 in Auburn, Ala.
Auburn’s regular season wrapped up Sunday afternoon with a nail-biting win over the Ole Miss Rebels, 60-55. In the first quarter, Auburn’s defense didn’t make it easy for Ole Miss, forcing the Rebels to only hit two of their first 11 shots to start the game. With the defense setting the tone, Auburn struggled to capitalize and turn missed baskets by Ole Miss into points on the other end. The second quarter was a different story for the offense, with Auburn going on a 14-2 run to close out the half and outscoring the Rebels 19-4 in the period to take a 34-22 lead into the break. Auburn’s defense stayed on pace, holding Ole Miss to 25 percent shooting in the first half and forcing 11 turnovers. Both teams came out of the half ice cold. Auburn missed its first nine shots and Ole Miss failed to score a field goal until 3:40 left in the third. Even after the scoring drought for Ole Miss, the Rebels would go on an 8-0 run over the last 1:31 including a buzzer-beating layup to trim Auburn’s lead to five.
BASEBALL
With the lead down to five to start the fourth, Auburn relied on its “Big 3,” consisting of Daisa Alexander, Unique Thompson and Janiah McKay for offense in the fourth as they scored all the Tigers’ points to end the game. The trio would combine for 48 of the 60 points scored for the Auburn offense. Lackluster ball handling and stingy defense from both teams caused trouble during the game with a total of 46 turnovers combined, 19 from Auburn and 25 from Ole Miss. “Sometimes we just got a little too careless with the ball,” Auburn senior forward Jessica Jones said. “Sometimes we tried to force it or just not make the right pass. We just have to work on that every single day, and it will get better.” With the SEC Tournament looming, Auburn locked up the 10 seed and now has momentum on their side after getting back into the win column. “The only way to build momentum is to win,” Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. Auburn’s first SEC tournament game will be against 7-seed Tennessee on Thursday, March 1 at 6 p.m. CST.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Tigers rally to defeat No. 21 South Alabama Tigers slide two spots in By WILL SCHUETTE Sports Writer
Facing its toughest test thus far on the season, the ability to pitch out of difficult situations and more late-inning heroics at the plate gave No. 25 Auburn a 7-6 victory over No. 21 South Alabama on Tuesday night in Mobile, Alabama. After losing an early threerun lead, the Tigers sparked an eighth-inning rally that featured a three-run go-ahead home run by leadoff hitter Luke Jarvis. The senior crushed a firstpitch curveball over the wall in left field to give Auburn a 7-4 lead. “I was guessing curveball – I just about never do that – and he happened to put one right where I could hit it,” Jarvis said. “I put a good swing on it and thank goodness it carried
final regular season poll
out. That was an awesome win tonight.” The cushion given by Jarvis’ first home run of the season did not last long, as the Jaguars came back with two quick runs to begin the bottom of the frame. Like last Tuesday in a onerun win over Georgia State, the Tigers turned to freshman phenom Cody Greenhill get crucial outs late in the game. Although Greenhill surrendered a two-run double on the first pitch he threw, he followed by working around the most dangerous part of the Jaguars’ order without allowing any further damage. The reliever preserved Auburn’s one-run lead by stranding two men on base and came back in for the ninth inning to earn the first save of his career.
» See BASEBALL, 10
By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Luke Jarvis (9) swings for the ball during Auburn vs. Longwood.
Auburn basketball fell from No. 12 to No. 14 Monday morning in what will be the final AP Top 25 of the 2017-18 regular season. Last week, the Tigers plastered rival Alabama at home Wednesday and fell on the road at Florida Saturday and again Tuesday at Arkansas. It was the first week in which Auburn (24-6, 12-5 SEC) played without its starting center Anfernee McLemore, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the loss at South Carolina on Feb. 17. The team’s second-leading scorer, Mustapha Heron, also sat out the Alabama game with an illness, but returned against the Gators to score 22 points and 28 against the Hogs. Auburn has one game remaining before the SEC Tournament: a home date vs. South Carolina on Saturday. Auburn is tied atop the SEC standings with Tennessee, who has drawn even with the Tigers with three consecutive wins. The Tigers and Volunteers will each play for a SEC championship on Saturday, with Tennessee hosting Georgia. If both teams win, both teams will be declared SEC regular season co-champions.
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The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018 EQUESTRIAN
PAGE 10
TRACK AND FIELD
No. 2 Auburn continues win streak vs. No. 9 South Carolina By SPORTS STAFF The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team extended its winning streak to four Saturday, defeating No. 9 South Carolina, 12-7, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The Tigers improved to 7-3 overall and finished the Southeastern Conference regular season with a 4-2 record. “The team had to keep working all day and they came away with a great win,” head coach Greg Williams said. “I’m very proud of this group. They are extremely talented and working very hard. They are so together as a team and I’m loving where they are right now.” The Western corps put together a dominant showing for the squad, going 7-2 against the Gamecocks. Auburn went 4-1 in Horsemanship to kick off the meet. Sophomore Kara Kaufmann opened up the team points with a 75-72.5 win over Quinn Brandt. Redshirt junior Kelsey Jung and freshman Deanna Green each earned their eighth win of the year as Jung topped Madison Thiel, 72-70.5, and Green bested Megan Overberg, 75.5-72. Green, of Pilot Point, Texas, was awarded her fifth Most Outstanding Performer honor of the season for her ride. Freshman Taylor Searles finished out the event with a 74.5-72 victory over Paige Stop-
perich. Auburn edged the Gamecocks in Equitation on the Flat with a 3-2 record. Junior Hayley Iannotti earned her ninth Flat win of 2017-18, besting Lizzie van der Walde, 5646. Senior Caitlin Creel edged Lauren Fabiano, 66-65, and freshman Taylor St. Jacques remained undefeated in the event with a 6757 victory over Louisa Brackett. The Gamecocks closed in on Auburn’s 7-3 intermission lead, besting the Tigers in Equitation Over Fences with a 3-2 edge. St. Jacques rode to an 87-84 win over Lizzie van der Walde, and junior Alex Ladove capped the event with 86 points in her victory. The Reining corps put together another solid performance for the squad to close out the full day, besting the Gamecocks, 3-1. After SC captured the first match up, junior Blair McFarlin rode to a 67-67 tie vs. her opponent. Senior Alexa Rivard gave Auburn its 10th point with her 68.5 points, and junior Betsy Brown extended her winning streak to five as she topped Bridgett White, 70.5-69.5. Freshman Terri-June Granger led all student-athletes with 71 points in her win to seal the 12-7 team victory. The Tigers remain on the Plains, hosting No. 5 SMU this weekend. Auburn and the Mustangs will face off at 11 a.m. CT, March 3, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center.
FILE PHOTO
Noah Igbinoghene (4) is a dual-sport athlete for Auburn.
Igbinoghene turns in historic performance By ZACH TANTILLO Sports Writer
INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR
Auburn equestrian defeated South Carolina, 12-7, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
Freshman Noah Igbinoghene finished seventh in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 15.24m/50-0 in only his second appearance of the season Sunday, Feb. 25, achieving the best performance in the SEC indoors for an Auburn freshman in the last two decades. A dual-athlete for football and track and field, the freshman was primarily a return specialist for the Tigers during the 2017 season. Igbinoghene was fourth in the SEC with 24 kicks returned for 571 yards, averaging
23.8 yards a return, good for sixth-best in the SEC for yards per return. He also contributed in a minimum capacity outside of special teams, with six catches for 24 yards and one rush for 11. Auburn will have another crowded receiving corps next season. Along with Igbinoghene, all key receiving contributors will be returning from the SEC West division championship team. Newcomers Anthony Schwartz, Matthew Hill and Seth Williams will also make the competition tough come spring practice on Thursday. Once enrolled at Auburn, Schwartz will join Igbinoghene on the track team.
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Dylan Ingram (27) hits the ball during Auburn vs. Longwood on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018.
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“(Greenhill’s) first pitch basically turns it back into a one-run game, but he does know how to compete, how to battle,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “Our team does have a good feeling, especially late.” The Tigers’ pitching staff was able to work its way out of trouble in almost every inning.
Auburn starter Andrew Mitchell managed to throw four scoreless innings despite allowing a runner to reach second base in all of them. The left-hander has yet to allow an earned run in nine and one-third innings to begin the season. The Tigers win on Tuesday ended a threegame losing skid to South Alabama. Auburn (9-0) will take the field again on Friday with Casey Mize on the mound against BYU (5-3) at 5 p.m. CT from Plainsman Park.
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Jared Harper (1) listens to head coach Bruce Pearl during a timeout during Auburn vs. Florida.
» From 8
evaporated as it is now deadlocked with Tennessee in the top spot. The Tigers own the tiebreaker over the Volunteers, but the teams would share the title of SEC champions with a tie. Auburn (24-6, 12-5) will host South Car-
olina on Saturday with an opportunity to clinch a share of the SEC title with a win. The Gamecocks defeated Auburn 94-85 on Feb. 17. “We’re tied with Tennessee right now,” Pearl said. “We hold the tiebreaker and we’ve got to go home and beat South Carolina on Saturday to win the league and the No. 1 seed.”
lifestyle
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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
LIFESTYLE
SPOTLIGHT
New record label is searching for ‘big ideas’ By JACK WEST LIFESTYLE WRITER
Canon Hyche and Jacob Lovejoy are local musicians who are changing the Auburn music scene. The two men met in a University philosophy class and have been playing in bands around Auburn for a few years now, but recently decided that there was something missing here on The Plains. Realizing that there wasn’t a place for local musicians to record themselves, they decided to start their own record label: Sonic Sons. “We saw people recording out of their own house,” Hyche said, “and we realized we could just do that ourselves.” According to Lovejoy, after they opened this label, they really started to see how big the Auburn music scene is. “Musicians popped up everywhere with original music,” Lovejoy said, “We saw the opportunity and wanted to give them a platform.” In fact, giving a platform to these young musicians seems to be what this record label is all about. The label’s Instagram profile describes them as “curators of expression.” For them, this means finding local musicians who have ideas and talent, but who are looking for a little help in fully developing their sound. According to Hyche, they are looking for musicians who “have ideas for big songs,” and musicians who have written a song that just needs a little bit more to be great. Since the duo plays nearly every instrument that would normally be on a record, Hyche and Lovejoy believe that they are the people who can help these musicians “sound big.” Even if an artist doesn’t want to release an EP or an album, Hyche and Lovejoy encourage them to still record with the label. “When you hear yourself, you find mistakes and get better,” Lovejoy said. Of course, record labels need more than just musicians, and that is where Emily Stevenson steps in. Stevenson, an employee at Stamp in downtown Auburn, also does the graphic design for the Son-
ic Sons’ label and merchandise. Lovejoy said that he and Hyche give their ideas for what they want to Stevenson, who has a lot of visionary ideas of her own. Looking broadly at the music scene around Auburn, Hyche says the best way to describe it is “cohesive.” When talking to any musician in Auburn, this description becomes very apparent. Most of Auburn’s local musicians play in multiple bands, play at parties with one another, and “everybody knows each other,” Hyche said. According to Lovejoy, this is partly because “Auburn is fortunate to always have people to look up to.” Aware that they are now the ones being looked up to, Hyche said that the goal of this label is to show people that “if you practice your songs and can play them, it’s fun.” That’s a pretty simple message but an effective one. Lovejoy’s was even simpler: “Don’t do drugs and be who you are.” Looking to the future, both men want this to be something that is passed on and remains in Auburn. They want Sonic Sons to “be a great community for Southeast Alabama,” Hyche said. Lovejoy added that they are trying to “hold the art important in young people’s lives” and to show them that “it’s ok to spend time on music.” Sonic Sons record label currently has several bands signed including Hyche’s band Leroy Gold, the solo works of Lovejoy under the name Dream Market and The West Chewacla Rhythm Section, a group of nine musicians all currently residing and playing in the Auburn area. Demos, singles and full-length albums of the artists are currently available on Sonic Sons’ website. Sonic Sons also works to bring more attention to other local musicians by promoting events where musicians will play around town as well as producing video interviews with artists such as Alex Wilkerson from the band Wilk, Anna Porter from the band Solar Fleur and solo artist Daniel Lee Webster.
CONTRIBUTED BY CANNON HYCHE (LEFT) AND JACOB LOVEJOY (RIGHT).
FASHION
Top trends for students from New York Fashion Week By EMMA RYGIEL LIFESTYLE WRITER
Braving the cold winter months in New York City, thousands of fashion icons, eager reporters, celebrities, designer hopefuls and more flocked the streets for the most awaited week of the dreary months— New York Fashion Week. Spanning from Feb. 8-16, this jam-packed week set the tone for the featured season. As the fashion world is always 10 steps ahead, the week showcased collections for Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear. Although NYFW may see some reworking in future seasons as they are finding the millennial tech-savvy consumer to be better reached in other ways. The trends, concepts and styling still have a tight grip over what is put out in the industry. As a fellow college student aiming to create a fashionable style without breaking the bank, here are some takeaway trends from the concrete jungle to interpret in your own, affordable way next fall. Animal Print Yes, you read it right. The cat is out of the bag, and the print has hit the runway this season. One of those things you either love or hate, animal print seemed to be a love from the fashion elite this time around. From tiger print to cheetah, traditional to bold-color renders, animal print was an unexpected feature. Design houses such as Bottega Veneta, Adam Selman, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors all included versions of
the trend. Although it may be intimidating, look out for a surplus of animal print in the “new arrivals” section. It’s a sure way to incorporate fun into your fall wardrobe. Oversized Coats Although the trend of oversized apparel has been present the past few years, this season designers pushed it further. Surely channeling the ‘80s with this trend, big shoulders and boxy silhouettes were revamped this season and turned modern. Featured in looks from Tom Ford, Alexander Wang and the groundbreaking collection from Marc Jacobs, this is one trend that you are sure to see at your favorite retail stores. Iridescent Fabrics Emulating a “working girl robot,” said magazine house Harper’s Bazaar, fabrics with a shiny, foil-like finish were common in this season’s ready-to-wear collections. The seemingly unconventional took the spotlight and hinted at the robotic, technological society we live in today. The trend was often the fabric choice for rare interpretations of business-wear looks. Calvin Klein, Brandon Maxwell, Christina Siriano and more all presented oversized jackets paired with mini skirts in this material. Designers communicated a distortion to the female figure in order to reflect a more robotic nature. This trend is easily scaled down from that presented on the runways, making it a great addition to fall wardrobes. Hot Pink As designers continued with their trip back
to the ‘80s, it was only fitting they included bright accent colors in their cold-weather looks. Bright pink took the trophy home this time for a color to watch. Powerful, feminine and elegant all at the same time, millennial hot pink has seeped its way into the fashion world. Featured in shows by Alexander Wang,
Anna Sui, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs and Prabal Gurung, the shade made its mark on the runway. Veer away from the black and neutrals and take a risk on this cheery, yet chic, color this fall. Keep your eyes peeled for these trends as they make their way off the runway and into the stores of your favorite retailers.
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COLUMN
Ramen Noodle recipes to make it through college on a budget By MOLLY STEWART LIFESTYLE WRITER
Ramen noodles are definitely a favorite among college students. They are easy to cook while being somewhat tasty, but let’s be honest — Ramen noodles could be so much better if we just knew how to add a little flavor. Ramen Noodle Pot Pie What’s needed: Four packs of Ramen Noodles, two cans Campbell’s cream of chicken soup, 1 1/2 cups of water, one rotisserie chicken, one Pillsbury crescent dough sheet (orig-
inal), one can English peas and salt and pepper to taste. Chicken pot pie just got a lot easier and tastier. Cooking time for this dish is approximately 25 minutes. First, heat the cream of chicken soup with water on a stove top. Then, spread the peas and chicken in a 14” by 9” casserole dish while boiling the Ramen Noodles. After draining the noodles, mix it all together in the casserole dish. Then spread the dough sheet over the top and stick it in the oven for 20 minutes.
Ramen Stir-Fry What’s needed: Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, one small yellow onion (diced), 8 ounces sugar snap peas, four carrots, two packs of Ramen Noodles, 2 cups chicken broth, two green onions (diced), one rotisserie chicken and salt and pepper to taste. This easy recipe only takes 30 minutes. First, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. While adding onions and carrots, sauté them for about four minutes. Next, add the snap peas until ten-
der, then continue to add chicken, noodles and chicken broth. Then, bring it all to a boil. Cook and stir until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Then it’s done. Taco Ramen What’s needed: One pack of Ramen Noodles (beef flavor), one can of fire diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tablespoons Old El Paso hot and spicy taco seasoning mix, 1/2 cup of sweet corn, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, browned hamburger meat. This option is for the person who
loves spicy food. First, boil the noodles with seasoning, tomatoes and water. Then, brown the hamburger meat and heat the corn. Mix it all adding cheese, and it’s finished. You can also add shredded lettuce to make it more like a taco salad or cilantro and salsa for a more spicy taste. It only takes about 15 minutes to make. The next time you look in your pantry and see the boring, but easyto-make Ramen Noodles, consider mixing it up with one of these yummy recipes.
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018
PAGE 12
FEATURE
Auburn grad founds brewing company By ALEX HOSEY Lifestyle Editor
As a kid growing up in the northeast suburbs of Atlanta, Nick Purdy had a couple of friends go to school at Auburn University after they graduated. When he ended up visiting, he was struck by the quality of the people who lived here. “When you come from somewhere else and you come to Auburn, the way people are to each other is not like other places on Earth,” Purdy said. “People here are genuinely warmer, friendlier and more hospitable ... In some ways, I learned what the South was by coming here.” It was then that Purdy decided to enroll at Auburn after graduating high school. During his time at the University, Purdy lived at an apartment in Shady Glenn, was a member of Campus Crusade and almost never drank alcohol. After graduating with a degree in marketing in 1993, he went on a Christian mission trip to Croatia during its war for independence from Yugoslavia, moved back to the States and founded a music magazine known as Paste, started drinking craft beer and eventually began his own brewing company out of Georgia with Brewmaster Eric Johnson called Wild Heaven. Whether it led him to Auburn, to God, to music or to beer, Purdy said that his motivation for all of what he’s done has been an enthusiasm for something he believed in. “My natural bent is enthusiasm, like if I’m excited about something, then you’ll know, and I’m not able to hide that,” Purdy said. “What it’s turned into more than once is that I end up starting a company.” For the founding of Paste Magazine, Purdy said it started when he was working in Seattle, Washington, after his missionary trip in Croatia. It was the indie rock music scene and the musicians behind it in the late ‘90s and early 2000s that inspired Purdy to found a music magazine with his friend Josh Jackson. “We were excited for a lot of what was just independent music, and these artists had this vision to do their own thing. The music industry didn’t know how to work
with them, and I felt like I had some ideas to help them reach their fans,” Purdy said. “It was really fun. To me, I sort of took my marketing energy and natural way of thinking to help build this structure and help give these artists a better chance of making a living.” To Purdy, approaching beer was similar. After working in Seattle and with Paste Magazine, Purdy had begun to drink more beer and realized that there was a lot of great craft beer out there in the world that wasn’t getting the attention it deserved when compared to bigger companies like Anheuser-Busch, similar to indie musicians struggling in the face of more wellknown artists. Purdy said that in 1997, he realized he could no longer just be a fan of beer and decided to act. “It was the same as the music. I got to know a few bands that were doing a certain thing, and I felt like, ‘I can’t just watch, I’ve gotta get involved,’” Purdy said. “It was the exact same impulse all over again.” After a few years, Purdy decided to start Wild Heaven Beer with his friend Eric Johnson, a native of Athens, Georgia, as well as the host of the PBS show “Garden Smart.” “Our humble approach is that if we can’t offer something new to the conversation, something unique, something different, we probably shouldn’t bother,” Purdy said of Wild Heaven. “Eric’s mission as a brewer is to make something that is really easy to enjoy yet that is actually unique.” Wild Heaven has brewed a wide array of beers since its creation including IPAs, Belgians and barrel-aged fruited sours. Wild Heaven’s most popular beer, however, is called “Emergency Drinking Beer.” It’s lighter than most in Wild Heaven’s repertoire and contained in a can that looks like it belongs in an MRE or a firstaid kit. It’s currently sold in cans at Avondale in downtown Auburn and on draft at the original Momma Goldberg’s. The brewery, located in Avondale Estates, Georgia, is continuing to expand its product westward into Alabama this spring including being a part of a tap takeover at The Hound on March 8.
PHOTOS BY RANK STUDIOS, CONTRIBUTED BY WILD HEAVEN BEER
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EXPERIENCED Auburn Spring 2/19/18 SOLUTION TO SATURDAY’S PUZZLE 2018 PET CAREGIVER Complete the grid so each row, NEEDED TO BASKETBALL column and box START WORK LAST(in3-by-3 HOME bold borders) IMMEDIATELY contains every GAME digit, 1 to 9. FOR A DOG. For strategies
on how to solve FROM MONDAY Sudoku, visit THROUGH FRIDAY www.sudoku.org.uk 4HOURS DAILY. VS SOUTH CAROLINA © 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved. 19$ PER HR ALL APPLICATIONS SHOULD EMAIL
MARCH 3!
DIRECTLY AT “ALVAGK9@GMAIL.COM”
War Eagle!
ACROSS 1 Tell target 6 Look for 10 Letting in some air 14 Dakota natives 15 Lyft alternative 16 Record, in a way 17 *Man Booker Prize winner for “Life of Pi” 19 Put out 20 When the fewest pieces are on the chess board 21 Detoxification diet 23 Lean-__: sheds 24 [Boring!] 26 “Letters From Iwo __”: Eastwood film 27 *Star of ’70s TV’s “Good Times” 29 “Thwack!” 32 Less ingenuous 35 __ window 36 Through 37 Scuttlebutt 40 Souvenir shop display 42 Farm sound 43 Farm animal 45 Watering hole 46 Brimless hat 47 *Actor in two “Jurassic Park” films 50 Steamboat fuel 52 Inflates, as expenses 53 Significant time 56 Eurasian plains 59 ADHD medication 61 Fuzzy fruit or fuzzy bird 62 Whole new person who can literally be found in the answers to starred clues 64 OPEC member 65 2-point G, e.g. 66 Dreadlocks wearer 67 Island goose 68 Zipped 69 Sp. titles DOWN 1 Up to now 2 Composer John Cage’s “Suite for Toy __”
3 Cold cream name 4 Organ with alveoli 5 Richard M. Daley and Ed Koch 6 Scattered 7 Put down a hero 8 Corp. head 9 Party poopers 10 Elite squad 11 *Gomer Pyle portrayer 12 Driving company that sounds more like a flying company 13 “Thy love did read by __, that could not spell”: “Romeo and Juliet” 18 Eastern nurse 22 Frozen Wasser 25 Capture 27 __ chicken: Jamaican dish 28 Floor covering 30 Start to trust? 31 Fool (with) 32 Worn out 33 “The Last Jedi” general
34 *“Atonement” novelist 36 First antibacterial soap 38 Confucian text, with “The” 39 November tuber 41 Oater belt attachments 44 Economic fig. 47 Plant juice 48 Made 49 “With ya so far”
51 State one’s views 53 Slasher film setting: Abbr. 54 Western prop 55 Actresses Gunn and Kendrick 56 Hide 57 Wear out 58 Armada unit 60 Purim month 63 Full Sail Amber __
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Craig Stowe ©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/01/18
03/01/18