The Auburn Plainsman — 01.17.2019

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

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CAMPUS

University could see impacts if shutdown continues  Though the Department of Education is funded, partnerships with other federal agencies affected by the shutdown could cause delays in grant applications and awards, impacting research.  University, land grant association have called for a quick end to the shutdown.  Shutdown will soon enter its fifth week if a compromise isn’t reached. It’s already the longest in U.S. history.

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

As the partial federal government shutdown — now the longest in American history — continues, Auburn University could soon begin feeling effects if a compromise between congressional Democrats and the president isn’t reached.

Grant proposals won’t be processed.

New awards will be delayed. Funds may

run out. And the University won’t be able to invoice for some federal projects.

Negotiations between President Donald Trump and Congress have been at an impasse for three weeks, leaving about a quarter of the federal government closed.

More than 800,000 federal workers are either furloughed or working without pay as the president attempts to convince Democrats to provide $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Auburn Interim Vice President for Research Jennifer Kerpelman said the Uni-

versity hasn’t faced major issues with grants or awards yet, but problems could soon arise.

“We’re currently seeing little impact so far on delays with federal grant proposals, new awards or administration of ongoing grants and contracts,” Kerpelman said. “However, if the shutdown continues much longer, we will likely see more problems. In the meantime, we remain committed to Auburn excellence, so

» See SHUTDOWN, 2

STATE

CAMPUS

Amendment could change the way students vote

“As your governor, I am first and foremost a public servant, accountable to the nearly five million people who call Alabama home. I work for those who voted for me as well as those who didn’t.”

GOV. KAY IVEY

The Student Senate is considering a measure that would implement ranked-choice voting

By TRICE BROWN Campus Reporter campus@theplainsman.com

During its first meeting of the new semester, the Student Senate discussed a potential amendment to the SGA Constitution that would change the way students vote in elections.

Max Zinner, graduate school senator, introduced the bill.

Zinner said the amendment would make elections decided by an instant runoff system, where voters can rank each candidate, eliminating the need for runoff elections if candidates do not receive 40 percent of the vote.

According to Zinner, this system, which is already in use at Texas A&M, would better represent the student body if a candidate cannot receive 40 percent of the vote, as turnout for runoff elections is generally lower than the general election.

“This is, I believe, a much better way of getting what the students want,” Zinner said.

If approved in the SGA Senate, students would vote on this amendment during SGA spring elections on Feb. 5.

The system essentially allows voters to rank the candidates from their favorite to their least favorite all on one ballot.

The new system would require a single candidate receive 50 percent of the vote to win in the first round. After the first round, if no winner is declared, things get interesting.

If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the candidate who had the least number of first-place votes will be eliminated from the second round.

Once the candidate has been eliminated, the second choice of that candidate’s voters will get their redistributed votes in the second round. The process continues until a candidate reaches 50 percent of the vote or there are only two candidates left.

Essentially, the process replaces subsequent runoff elections, which, as Zinner pointed out, often draw less turn out.

» See VOTING, 2

VIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

Gov. Kay Ivey waves to a crowd in Montgomery, Alabama, after her swearing in as Alabama’s 54th governor on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019.

AUBURN ALUMNA KAY IVEY SWORN IN AS 54TH GOVERNOR Ivey is the first Republican woman elected governor

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

A

uburn alumna Kay Ivey has been sworn in for her first full term as the 54th governor of the state of Alabama.

Ivey and other state constitutional officers, including Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who is also an Auburn graduate, took the oath of office Monday on the steps of the Alabama Capitol.

Their swearing in followed a day of celebration including a parade through downtown Montgomery.

VIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

Gov. Kay Ivey takes the oath of office on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019.

Ivey is the first woman Republican duly elected to the post and only the second woman to ever hold the position.

Gov. Lurleen Wallace, to whom Ivey alluded in her inaugural speech on Monday, held the position as a Democrat briefly from 1967 until she died of cancer in 1968. Ivey had an empty chair

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placed on the platform in Wallace’s memory.

“In her inaugural address, Gov. Wallace called on the Alabama Legislature to, among other things, provide greater funding to build and improve our roads,” Ivey said.

Ivey did the same on Monday, throwing her weight as a high-

ly popular governor behind a Republican-led plan to increase the gas tax to fund infrastructure investments.

“Improving our infrastructure is more than an investment in our roads and bridges,” Ivey said. “It’s an investment in economic development, public safety and local communities.”

Though Ivey didn’t say the word “tax” in her inaugural address, she did reference that the funding mechanism hasn’t been updated in nearly three decades.

Alabama hasn’t increased its gasoline tax since 1992, when it added a nickel. Alabama now has the lowest gasoline tax in the Southeast and will soon be surpassed by South Carolina, which recently raised its motor fuels tax, in terms of revenue, to become the state with the lowest revenues from a gas tax, too.

Funds collected from a gasoline

» See KAY IVEY, 2

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

NEWS

SHUTDOWN » From 1

Auburn researchers, scientists and experts continue their focus on developing solutions to real-world problems.”

Kerpelman’s office is monitoring the shutdown and its impact on University research projects.

Among the affected government entities are the departments of agriculture, commerce, homeland security, housing and urban development, transportation, interior and several others.

NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration and the National Science Foundation are also shut down.

In a statement, Auburn President Steven Leath urged leaders to find a quick solution to the shutdown and its subsequent delays in funding for University projects.

“Auburn is a top-tier Carnegie R1 research university, so we’re concerned about any roadblock to our partnerships with key federal agencies,” Leath said. “Those partnerships advance critical national priorities such as cyber security, advanced manufacturing, sustainable resources and affordable housing. As part of our higher education association, we and other universities have called for a quick end to the partial government shutdown, and we’re hopeful it will be resolved soon.”

But there is no end in sight. Congressional Democrats and the president haven’t resumed negotiations since Trump walked out of their most recent meeting last week.

Edward Thomas, the associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, is worried that if the shutdown continues, it will cause issues with future grants that would typically be reviewed and awarded in the spring.

“In short, COSAM has not seen a direct impact on any of our currently funded awards,” Thomas told The Plainsman. “But, while agencies like the NSF and NASA are still accepting proposals from faculty members, none of those proposals are being reviewed.”

In a normal year, the period from January to March is when most reviews happen. That allows new awards to be funded by the summer.

“So, the actual impact of this shutdown may not be seen for several more months,” Thomas said.

College of Agriculture Associate Dean for Research Henry Fadamiro said the College of Agriculture, which receives a large degree of its funding from the USDA, has been affected in similar ways.

“Our faculty are able to continue to submit grant proposals to USDA and other affected agencies via the electronic submission portals,” Fadamiro said. “However, those proposals may not be reviewed until the shutdown has ceased.”

Issuance of new awards and requests for rebudgeting, no-cost extensions, award continuations and other administrative actions are also being delayed, Fadamiro said.

“Drawdowns of funds for approved grants [and] projects are on hold until the shutdown is resolved,” Fadamiro said. “This places a financial burden on the University, since expenditures are still be-

KAY IVEY » From 1

tax are used solely for infrastructure development.

Ivey has been in lockstep with Republican leadership in the Alabama Legislature, where the GOP has a supermajority in both chambers. Ivey, Speaker Mac McCutcheon and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh have called for a “modest” increase.

Despite their supermajority, the Republican leadership may have problems within their own caucus.

Divisions between more moderate Republicans, the party’s leadership and more anti-tax conservative Republicans killed efforts in recent years to raise the tax.

Ivey signaled she may need help from Democrats to pass the plan, which she has said is one of her top priorities going into the 2019 legislative session that begins in March.

“The challenges we confront today did not just arrive on our doorstep,” Ivey said. “Likewise, they will not go away in weeks or even months. But if we work on them together — Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals — then today’s challenges can be looked upon as tomorrow’s accomplishments.”

Ivey also used her inaugural address to speak about another issue that could be divisive during the upcoming session — prison construction.

The state Legislature twice failed to pass a plan pushed by former Gov. Robert Bentley that would have built four massive prisons — dubbed “mega-prisons” by some lawmakers.

The new prisons would have replaced aging, dilapidated and overcrowded facilities in use today that were built decades ago.

Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jeff

VOTING » From 1

And voters don’t necessarily have to rank all the candidates.

The system has been put into use in state electoral systems.

Maine became the first state in the nation to utilize ranked-choice voting or an instant runoff voting system in a statewide election. Supporters of the voting method view it as a move toward a more democratic system while opponents say it can be too complicated or logistically confusing to be effective.

Advocates say the system is particularly useful when there are a number of candidates running for the same position, effectively eliminating the so-called “spoiler effect” of voting for a less popular candidate even though that decision could negatively affect a more popular

CHIP BROWNLEE / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A partial shutdown of the federal government has begun to affect research at universities like Auburn.

ing incurred on these projects.”

Fadamiro, who oversees research in the college, said the college is finding ways to work around the issues for the time being, though.

Auburn is not the only university being affected by the government shutdown. The University of Arizona issued similarly grim advisories to its professors. Emory University has said more than 100 of its active grants have been affected, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.

The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, a national group of public research universities of which Auburn is a member, said the effects range from agencies not picking up their phones or checking email to effects on researchers income and funding.

“Congress and the White House must come together and fund the government without further delay,” the association said.

Karen McNeal, an associate professor in geosciences, said she is worried that research will really be affected when grants that are disbursed on a quarterly, semiannual or annual basis begin to run out.

“There’s no one there to say, ‘Here is your next allocation,’” said McNeal, who does her own research in the department of geosciences and serves as a research adviser for graduate students in the department. “They have to spend money without actually having it or being able to bill it.”

The shutdown could end up affecting faculty salaries and graduate student salaries — even for grants and projects that have already begun — in addition to the more fundamental issue of getting research done.

“If it becomes longer term — especially into the summer — is when we begin to see those impacts becoming real,” McNeal said.

The delay in grant and project reviews by federal agencies could cause a similar hiccup, shortening the amount of time University researchers have to respond to requests for proposals.

“It’s not just federal employees that get affected,” McNeal said.

“There’s lots of non-federal employees that are affected by gov-

Dunn and the governor have argued new facilities are needed to improve conditions for inmates — conditions a federal judge last year called “horrendously inadequate.”

But again, divisions within the GOP caucus killed the proposal.

Ivey hinted that a new plan might be released soon.

“The status of our corrections system is an Alabama problem that must be solved by an Alabama solution,” Ivey said. “As your governor, I plan to do so. We are revitalizing our statewide corrections system by replacing costly, at-risk prison facilities. This effort will ensure that Alabama stays committed to statewide prison reform, and we will be announcing more detailed plans in the coming days.”

Despite the difficulties that may face Ivey’s legislative agenda in the upcoming session, she struck a positive tone in her speech.

“After all, these matters can be seen either as a challenge or an opportunity,” Ivey said. “I prefer to believe they are opportunities worthy of a state whose good people are fortunate to call Alabama their home.”

In contrast to Ivey, Ainsworth chose to focus on less controversial issues in his inaugural speech. He spoke largely about education and economic development.

Ainsworth, a former first-term state legislator, will oversee the state Senate as lieutenant governor.

“Let us work to be known as the state that leads the U.S. in job creation and economic development because our citizens possess a work ethic second to none, and our workforce development efforts provide an army of job-ready applicants,” Ainsworth said. “Let us work to be known as a state that demands excellence in the classroom and is willing to take the steps necessary to provide a world-class public education system.” candidate with whom a voter might also align.

Three candidates are running for SGA president. Five are running for Miss Auburn.

Local elections in Maine have used the system before, too, and a mayoral election in 2011 went for 14 runoff rounds.

Other cities are also beginning to use the system, including San Fransisco, Minneapolis and Oakland, California. New York City is also reportedly considering the method.

Maine began using the system when their governor, Paul LePage, won the office with less than a majority of the vote. They put the system into use during primary elections in June, and it was used again on congressional ballots in November.

For at least the past two years, SGA elections for president have gone to a runoff.

Zinner said, if passed, the system would hopefully be ready in time for Miss Homecoming elections in fall 2019.

ernmental shutdowns or could be affected if it becomes longer term.”

McNeal said researchers in her department are on hold, waiting for some projects submitted since September to be reviewed.

“The process for those submitted grants are halted,” McNeal said. “There is nothing happening.”

The government’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. More grants will pile up, waiting for review, the longer the shutdown lasts, and if it lasts long enough, the agencies may not be able to catch up.

“They’re going to become more and more backed against a wall to process all of that and to get it going by the new fiscal year,” McNeal said.

McNeal said she is personally waiting on a call for proposals that was already supposed to be announced, but the agency has closed and there is no one there to release the call or process applications.

When they do open back up, they’re already going to be a month behind, if not more, where they planned to be in putting the request out.

“So, to spend their fiscal year dollars they’re going to have to put it out, and instead of giving us 60 days to respond, they’re required to give us 30, so that’s probably all we’re going to get,” McNeal said. “That’s going to mean that we’ll have to write proposals in a very, very short period of time. And that’s the best case scenario. They may not decide to spend the money at all.”

The reality is that the shutdown will have a long-term effect on research. While things are frozen now, it could cause a chaotic flurry of action when the government does reopen.

“There’s always a domino effect,” McNeal said.

And the research funded by the federal government is important, and it runs the gambit, from cancer treatments to cyber security.

“The government funds a good portion of the science that happens in this country,” McNeal said. “Many of the things that people enjoy using every day have had their initial beginnings at a university somewhere with someone doing research.”

PLACE WEDNESDAY

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INVOLVEMENT

With more than 500 student-run organizations, Student Involvement makes it easy to find your path. Log on to AUinvolve to get connected today!

Head over to auburn.edu/auinvolve to see how you can get involved.

From Auburn Student Affairs @AuburnStudents

auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

opinion

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

OPINION

OUR VIEW

Performing Arts Center next great thing for Auburn

By EDITORIAL BOARD Spring 2019

It’s been said before, “Auburn is a football school.” Some even said this year, “Auburn is a basketball school.” Pretty soon, however, people may say, “Auburn is a performing arts school.”

With the addition of the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center, the University is opening possibilities to the arts world. The center will be able to seat 1,200 people for a variety of performances. From concerts to plays, the University plans to keep the center’s schedule busy with 27 acts already scheduled in its first season.

But this is not just an exciting moment for the University. The performing arts center is also a means of community outreach.

With performances scheduled that are geared toward children, the University is furthering its ties to the city of Auburn.

Having programming for children is extremely important as there are limited opportunities for children around the state to experience theater and even more limited opportunities to experience professional, traveling theater performances like the Broadway performances the center has scheduled.

This gives many children opportunities they have never gotten before and will allow the University to increasingly foster better relations with the future generations of this state.

The Gogue Performing Arts Center will undoubtedly be a cultural hub for Auburn, hopefully not just attracting members of the Auburn community to come see performances but also Alabamians from around the state.

Through the performing arts center, the University will help spur a new cultural wave through the region, bringing theater to all ages of Alabamians.

Only a few other cities in Alabama have places for citizens to see celebrity concerts and Broadway plays.

But with this performing arts center’s cultural benefit also comes other, less obvious benefits — not just in outreach and performances, but in fostering a greater sense of community.

VIA GOGUE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

This center will allow for Alabamians to share in the upcoming performances, share a taste of the arts together and allow the community to become more connected through this shared sense of cultural experiences.

The grand opening of the theater will start with a four-day arts festival that will attract students and community members alike, allowing them to connect and have a shared experience, serving only to strengthen the ties between the community, the University and its students.

But the Gogue Performing Arts Center will not merely bring cultural or community benefit to the state, but something more tangible — an economic benefit.

Attracting people from around the state means that not only will they watch performances in Auburn, but they will spend their money in Auburn.

Perhaps they will wander downtown to Toomer’s after a mati-

nee, or maybe they will grab some dinner before a concert.

Whatever it is, those who buy tickets to performances at the center will undoubtedly be bringing their wallets and spending their money at local businesses.

This performing arts center is an opportunity for Auburn’s local businesses to grow and cater to events and shows held at the center.

This performing arts center has long been missing from Auburn’s campus; it will bring notoriety to the school and allow for the theater and music departments to grow, as well.

It allows for students to be exposed to performances and shows that they otherwise would not have had access to.

It provides an opportunity for much larger performances and shows and gives students the added benefit of experiencing professional shows regularly — something they can learn from and allow them to grow in their own talents.

HER VIEW

Auburn Family needs to take better care of those with autism

By MAKAYLA SMITH Contributing Columnist

Autism — a word we often hear or see, and yet many people still do not grasp the full concept of it. I was in this category myself, that is until I had the opportunity this summer to nanny my younger cousin who happens to be diagnosed with autism.

When my aunt and uncle asked me to temporarily watch my 6-year-old cousin this summer until they could find a program to care for him while they were at work. I agreed to help.

I began with the understanding that it was only temporary because I can admit, I was a little nervous.

I have heard the campaigns year after year — Autism Awareness, Autism Speaks and so forth — but I still was not entirely sure what it

was or how it affected those diagnosed with it.

I was able to witness firsthand this summer the difficulties of raising a child in such unaccommodating communities.

My uncle contacted several summer programs about my cousin, none of which were willing to watch him because they insisted they “would not be able to give him the individual attention he needs.”

This obstacle my uncle was faced with baffled me because I thought to myself, “What would he have done if I hadn’t agreed to help, and what do other families do that do not have family members that can help?”

The point of my uncle moving to Auburn was not only for the convenience of being closer to work, but because they were under the impression that Auburn would have more resources and accommodations with the University programs for special education majors.

It was a significant disappointment to find out this was not to be the case.

It is outrageous that many communities do not have programs in place for children with autism and other social disorders.

What happens to the children whose parents cannot afford those exorbitant programs? Are they left to be neglected due to an economic standing they have no control over?

All families cannot afford to have an inhouse parent or afford to pay the costs of hiring a nanny. But, that does not make them any less deserving of help and resources.

What happened to the idea that it takes a village to raise a child?

Especially in a small town like Auburn, I expected more of the community camaraderie that encourages helping your neighbor because it’s the right thing to do, not because of alternative, monetary motives.

I would like to see the community of Auburn working together on creating more opportunities for families that do not have the time or money to spend on steep programs and babysitters.

It is not enough to just have the teachers at school and the special education bus send the child home and be done with the situation.

Just because school ends at 2:35 p.m. does not mean the parents get off work at that time, and the children do not stop needing assistance after school hours.

We need to step up as a community and not just become aware, but be active in raising children of all backgrounds and abilities, including those who have autism and other special needs.

This is Auburn — let’s be a real family.

MaKayla Smith is a senior in communications at Auburn.

HER VIEW

Americans cannot continue to be deceived by Trump’s divisive rhetoric

By BRYTNI EMISON Opinion Editor

The American public is routinely misled by partisan sources. From members of Congress to state senators, Americans are being misled in order to collect votes and garner support.

Rarely, however, do these politicians outright lie, and when they do, they are often called out by the media.

However, Americans are most egregiously and, quite frankly, regularly lied to by President Donald Trump.

This is particularly apparent as pressure mounts for the government shutdown to come to an end and Trump attempts to garner support through his already fallacious logic.

While it has been apparent for some time that politicians often favor the facts that support their own cause, Trump does not seem to favor facts at all.

Instead, he twists the truth in a purposeful effort to mislead his citizenry.

Even one of the president’s largest proponents, Fox News anchor Shep Smith, was quick to fact check Trump after his last address on immigration, which was rife with statements intended to demean immigrants and exaggerate the need for a border wall.

Trump seems to believe that by discrediting news sources he can make himself seem more honest and therefore, more trustworthy. Trump wants Americans to fall for his hateful, de-

ceptive and divisive rhetoric.

He wants to pit the left against the right so that when something happens, such as a government shutdown, he can blame the left and further divide the nation’s voters.

Many American news sources are working hard to combat this divisive rhetoric and blatant conservative sway.

Most news outlets are trustworthy and honest sources; they fact check our politicians and ensure the American public receives the truth.

While some news sources may seem biased or obviously favor the political right or left — much of this partisanship is only displayed for television, and when it comes to online or print

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

Letters must be submitted to editor@theplainsman.com before 4:30 p.m. on Friday for publication.

Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification.

Submission may be edited for grammar, style and length. Please submit no more than 600 words.

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

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

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.

mentators on TV decide for them.

Americans cannot let a president who so willingly and frequently lies to the public decide for them.

Politifact.com is a non-partisan fact-checking website that fact-checks politicians and allows you to quickly decipher manipulation from the truth.

Allsides.com is a website that tells you which news sources lean which way — left, center or right — and provides articles from all sides on the same topic, allowing you to easily see which facts are presented in what way based on partisan bias and which are pure fact.

Brytni Emison is a senior in political science and global studies at Auburn and is The Plainsman opinion editor.

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CONTACT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

news, their biases fade.

On paper, it is much harder to exaggerate or finagle a fact to fit your side.

The media’s first duty is to provide the facts and secondarily to provide commentary on those facts.

Online and print media are limited in the commentary they can provide and thus, must display the facts without room for spin.

The public must realize that to get all sides of the story Americans must pay attention — pay attention to what long-standing news sources are reporting so that we can receive the entire story and decide for ourselves what policy is most beneficial to this country and the citizens within it.

Americans cannot let political com-

CHIP BROWNLEE

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CAMPUS

CULTURE

CONTRIBUTED BY CASSIDEE JONES

Cassidee Jones is a senior in history and political science.

‘Everything is meant to be overcome’ Student fights her way to health, looks to give back by helping others abroad

By ABBY CUNNINGHAM Campus Writer

Some college students have an exact plan about their future, such as when they will get a job, be married and have kids. However, other students, such as senior Cassidee Jones, believe that they need to make themselves available and make it through life with all of its many turns.

“I think that we get so caught up in planning ahead that we don’t realize that roads turn when we least expect it,” Jones said. “I want to make myself available for whatever there is to come. I want to make those decisions as they come, not years in advance because I never know where my heart is going to be. You never know if you’re going to get so caught up in the whirlwind that you need to take a break to find where you were coming from once before.”

Jones is double majoring in history and political science while minoring in sustainability. She is a part of the History Honor Society, is the president of the Political Science Honor Society and was involved in the Student Imminent Society for the past two years at Auburn.

However, before Auburn, at the age of 15, Jones was diagnosed with acinic cell carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. The malignant tumor does not spread but stays where it is and slowly grows.

“This shaped my experience because it made me want to seek the story of others because there was so much more depth to people after my experience of being surrounded by kids — that wary look, but their eyes were so alive,” Jones said. “You look into a person’s eyes and it’s a pathway into their soul. These kids refused to let that tiredness let them down.”

The cancer grew between her major facial nerves and removing it resulted in partial paralysis of the left side of her face. Jones is currently alright, but she won’t know when it will come back until it starts to hurt again.

“There came a new outlook on life after that. You’re given things that we take for granted, and its small stuff too. It pushed me to do and be better. That’s when I decided to apply for the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile, Alabama.”

Jones was diagnosed nine days after her birthday in December and applied for the prestigious boarding school a month later, attending the next fall.

“It was a horrible and amazing experience,” Jones said. “It pushed me in ways I have never been pushed before. I’ve always been used to pushing my physical limitations, but I

learned how to be mentally challenged. Coming into college, I was so well equipped with handling the burden of college because of ASMS.” While in college, Jones discovered her love for taking care of the environment after taking a class on environmental policy. In her sophomore year, she took her first Early African History class and fell in love with the course as well.

“I recognized I had a knack for it, it was something that the teacher said that I understood,” Jones said. “He would explain something and I could grasp the concept a lot easier than I should have. I could visualize where things were happening or what was happening by the end of the course.”

Her professor suggested that she should travel to Africa if she wanted to pursue a degree in African studies. However, Jones was struggling with the hospitalization of her father during her first semester at Auburn.

“It was a reawakening because, at that moment, my dad had stopped paying for anything,” Jones said. “He stopped being able to pay for anything because he couldn’t work. He stopped helping me out not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t. I ended up carrying a lot of that weight, and it was hard.”

In the summer of 2017, Jones finally traveled to Morocco after pulling out a loan and using her entire savings.

Jones stated that once she came back from Morocco, she realized her life was more than what was offered in the United States. She believes that the United States is too comfortable and that she is surrounded by waste.

“At one point, I realized that the lifestyle I experienced at Morocco is a lifestyle that I appreciated more than the supermarkets that we have here,” Jones said. “Coming home was hard because I judged everyone. I recognize that everyone has a right to the money that they make, and can spend it how they wish. But, at the same time, witnessing a shop owner having to sleep on a cot outside his own store, witnessing someone give up the quality of life to even be able to afford to live — I knew I wanted to do something about it.”

When she came back to Auburn, Jones continued in her African studies and added a sustainability minor. She also applied for a Fulbright to Kenya for the next academic semester.

Her trip to Kenya will consist of researching how developmental policy incorporates environmental policy into the development plans created by the first two presidents post-colonialism. Jones stated that she is really excited about it, especially since the United Nations Environment Program is stationed in Nairobi, which is the capital of Kenya.

Jones is currently interested in a Peace Corps position in Senegal, where she will work with local communities on implementing sustainable forms of agriculture in ways that combat erosion issues. She will also get to help empower girls and young women.

“I will help them learn to live in a Muslim country and still be Muslim and follow religious conditions, but adhere to your own form of feminism and women’s empowerment,” Jones said. “I think that we think of what that means in the Western context that we forget that it varies culture to culture, and that is the same with human rights. It’s not to say it’s a form of political correctness, but really who are we to say that we are the superior way?”

During the summer of 2018, Jones was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This condition is more common in older women. However, Jones was diagnosed at the age of 21. It causes daily, chronic pain at 16 central points in the body, chronic fatigue, fibro fog and affects short term memory.

“I feel as if I have to invest in myself more than I have ever had to in my entire life,” Jones said. “I did Crossfit for two and a half years, but now I am doing yoga because I need to be able to work out without tearing my body up. Before, working out was a haven for me. So, I lost the thing that gave me control.”

Jones believes that this is the biggest obstacle she has had to overcome in her entire life because there is no cure for it.

“Everything is meant to be overcome,” Jones said. “If you don’t fight your battles head-on, you lose a part of who you could be.”

Fibromyalgia has caused her jaw to be out of place, and to be in the Peace Corps, she can’t have jaw surgery or braces because the time frame doesn’t line up.

“The Peace Corps is worth it,” Jones said. “It’s something I think about and my heart swells. It’s as if that there’s this moment, every time I think about it, where I think ‘This is it; this is what you are working for. Don’t let something that you can’t control feel like you didn’t earn it.’”

Jones is hoping that through her upcoming ventures she will gain experience, continue with her passion and meet new people.

“I hope by taking these opportunities and sticking my neck out for scholarships that are really prestigious that I’m making myself available for something more,” Jones said. “I’m hoping that there is a path that will open that is right for me and right for other people as well, because so often just because something is good for you it doesn’t mean it’s good for the others. ‘Life Unexpected’, that’s what I live by.”

ATHLETICS

Masters Swimming club builds a community of athletes

By JORDAN WINDHAM Campus Writer

Masters Swimming is a club for swimmers ages 18 and up who come together six days a week to build a community of athletes. While the club has many members who train in order to compete, many swimmers are there to enjoy swimming with like-minded teammates or to stay in shape. “[Swimming] keeps me sane,” said Bennett Paradis, a member of the club. “I liked to swim when I was in undergrad, and I just wanted to keep it going. Pretty much from day one, I started here with Masters Swimming.“ Although a team, the club is very individualized,with coaches giving workouts and advice tailored to each member’s individual goals and skill level.

“I appreciate the coaches, too,” Paradis said. “They give a lot of feedback to help us improve in whatever we want to improve.”

While basic swimming capabilities are required, Masters Swimming presents an opportunity for people without a background in competitive swimming

to discover the culture and experiences of swimming on a team.

“Generally, if we need to make exceptions or tailor specific workouts to specific people, we do that,” said Coach William Mckinley.

Swimmers have many opportunities to measure their progress because they have the opportunity to attend meets, including a competition that Auburn will host Feb. 16-17.

Masters Swimming isn’t just about the swimmers. Coaching the Masters team has brought new meaning to the sport for Mckinley, former Auburn University swimmer.

“If you’d have asked me a year ago if I was gonna do any kind of swim coaching ever, I probably would have told you no,” Mckinley said.

After burning out on the sport and then graduating from Auburn and her swim team, Mckinley fell into the job of Masters coach.

“And then, when I got into this, it was just kind of refreshing to see people that have goals that are so different from where my goals were in the sport, and that’s actually really cool,” Mckinley said.

He especially appreciates the variety of challenges that he encounters in meeting swimmers’ needs.

“This goes back to each person’s individual goals,” Mckinley said. “Outside of these workouts, there is not much I can do. There are some people who are like ‘Hey what can I do outside of the water to benefit my swimming?’ I’ve written weight programs for them and suggested people who are better at that sort of thing. I’ve suggested those sources for them to improve their weight training.”

For swimmers who are out of practice and are unsure about the commitment, Mckinley urges anyone who is remotely interested to come down to the pool and try Masters Swimming.

“It kind of builds that feeling of having a team that I think we lose when we go on to do other things and we’re not, you know, exercising with a team, we’re not working out with a team, we’re not competing with a team,” Mckinley said. “It’s very different from when you’re like in the office with people. You can build that camaraderie and stuff, but it’s just different, so I think it’s pretty good. I would recommend it.”

PHOTO BY JORDAN WINDHAM

Auburn Masters Swimming program member and equipment during practice on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

The Auburn Plainsman

GREEK LIFE

PAGE 5 SPOTLIGHT

‘ The future is so open now’

63-year-old graduates in women’s studies

By KAYLA KELLY Campus Writer

CONTRIBUTED BY JOSH ELLIS

The 2019 Interfraternity Council poses for a photo.

Meet the new IFC executive board

By MEGAN FERINGA Campus Writer

As the new year rings in, the Auburn Interfraternity Council rings anew with it, accompanied by a new executive board taking a fresh approach to the prior board’s unitive endeavors.

According to Josh Ellis, incoming IFC president and last year’s vice president, the council intends to advance the previous executive board’s focus on transparency and inclusion by encouraging a stronger collaboration with both Greek and non-Greek organizations within the community through larger programming with other Greek councils and increasing partnership with other organizations on and off campus.

“IFC plans on maintaining last years’ work and building off of it so that we as fraternities can further engage and welcome all students at Auburn University,” Ellis said.

One such partnership comes with aiding the Auburn National Pan-Hellenic Council in the construction of the NPHC Legacy Plaza, which would be the first architectural indication of NPHC’s presence on campus if erected. IFC joins other organizations backing the NPHC in its endeavor, including the SGA Senate, which stated its support in its final Senate meeting in December.

“We recognize that diversity and inclusion play an integral role to any educational experience and strongly believe that the legacy garden is a special opportunity for Greeks to work together for the betterment of the entire Auburn Family and student experience,” Ellis said.

Ellis, senior in mechanical engineering, ran on a presiden-

tial platform advocating for a more active and visible IFC presence on Auburn’s campus and within the community. According to Ellis, IFC accepts the responsibility for connecting fraternities to the University and local community, allowing both the Greek experience and the Auburn experience to work in an emboldening harmony through the upheld values of the Auburn Creed. In this way, Ellis said IFC offers a platform for personal improvement that the incoming board intends to sustain.

“My experience at Auburn University, specifically in the fraternity community, has had a major impact on my life,” Ellis said. “Through my fraternity experience, I’ve made lifelong friendships, found mentors who have challenged me and have grown in more ways than I could ever have imagined while here at Auburn. I wanted to serve as IFC president, so that I could improve the Auburn fraternity community just as it has improved me and ensure that every incoming new member has the same opportunities that I had when I was a freshman.”

As the year begins, IFC has three major goals in mind concentrated on bettering collaborative efforts with other Greek councils, improving risk management policies and judicial processes and developing a stronger relationship with all members of the Auburn Family, regardless of whether they are a part of Greek life or not.

Joining Ellis on the 2019 executive board is Walker McCrary as executive vice president; Mason Blevins, vice president of risk management; Connor Jones, vice president of administration and Luke Anderson, vice president of recruitment.

EVENTS

University to host MLK Celebration Week Schedule includes free events, speakers and service opportunities

By HANNAH LESTER Campus Writer

Auburn University will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week with multiple events from Jan. 2126 of 2019.

Events will kick off on Jan. 21 with the MLK Jr. breakfast that occurs each year in The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. Quinton Ross, Alabama State University president, will be the keynote speaker for this staple event.

Ross has served on the Alabama senate for 15 years, which included serving as the first Senate minority leader, and he has received a number of professional awards.

Registration for the breakfast is $35 per person.

Students can also participate in a day of service in Selma, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 21, with the Black Student Union and Alternative Student Breaks after registering on AUinvolve.

Monday’s final event will be a visit to the Legacy Museum in the state capital at 2:30 p.m. This trip requires registration and a $20 fee.

Also a part of celebration week, on Tuesday, Jan. 22, the Auburn community and students can participate in a candlelight vigil at 5 p.m. on Thach Concourse.

Following the vigil will be the spring’s first installation of the Critical Conversation Speaker Series, featuring Bryan Stevenson. That event will also be at the hotel.

Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, authored New York Times Bestseller “Just Mercy,” which was also Auburn’s Common Book for 2016-2017.

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, students can join in a Lunch and Learn: The Criminizilation of Poverty, a discussion over lunch in the Student Center Room 2222 at 11:30 p.m. The discussion will be led

by Sara Wood, senior outreach paralegal for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

A film screening of “Barry” will play

Wednesday evening in the Alumni Center at 6 p.m. to look at the life of Barack Obama.

On Thursday, Jan. 24, Lunch and Learn Panel: The Problem of the Color Line in the 21st Century: Reflections on the Race Relations in American History will be held in Student Center Room 2222 at noon. The event will be led by David Carter, Kelly Kennington, Austin McCoy and Guy Mount.

On Friday, Jan. 25, participants can join in a more interactive exercise in the Student Center Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation Training will be led by Ronald Smith. The event is intended to give participants the opportunity to work on building a better community.

The final day of the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week will be a day of service kicking off in Foy Auditorium at 8 a.m. Service will be put on in both Auburn and Opelika. Participants can register to ensure breakfast and a free T-shirt.

ORGANIZATIONS

Esports brings competitive gaming to campus

By TRICE BROWN Campus Writer

Auburn Esports is a student organization that hosts teams for competitive video games, including League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League. It is also a community for people to connect with other Auburn students who play video games.

Perry Bunn, president of Auburn Esports and junior in computer science, grew up playing video games after school or soccer practice.

When he came to Auburn, he made a Discord server to connect with people from different gaming-related clubs at Auburn.

Bunn said Auburn Esports began at the beginning of his sophomore year when he spoke to an Esports team on campus.

He said no other student organizations wanted to host Esports teams, so he seized the opportunity, and his server evolved to house Auburn Esports.

The organization handles almost everything for its five teams; they make team jerseys, help with travel costs and manage servers.

Bunn said the organization does whatever it can to make things easier for the team so they can focus on the game.

“Esports is still becoming a bigger thing, and new games are coming out often,”

said Neal Siegfried, vice president of Auburn Esports and junior in computer science.

“So, you have to be willing to expand and try out different things because you never really know what’s going to be the biggest hit.”

Bunn said, in the longterm, he could see Esports becoming a varsity sport, but it comes down to Esports being recognized by more colleges in the Southeastern Conference, not just by Auburn.

According to Siegfried, other schools on the west coast are already taking Esports seriously. He said he agrees that Esports, to a degree, are different than traditional sports, but they are

still very competitive, and it is possible to play them professionally.

“I think [Esports] is a sport because it is competitive, and it requires the same … almost the same amount of learning and game knowledge that football or soccer or baseball requires,” Bunn said. “It requires practice and time and a commitment and for team games, it requires communication, just like any other team game.”

According to Bunn, the organization isn’t just for competitive teams. They also host social events and welcome anyone looking for people to play video games with to join their Discord server.

From the moment Tommy Pinkard took his first trip as a little boy to Toomer’s Corner with his father, he knew he wanted to attend Auburn University.

At 63 years old Pinkard, more commonly referred to by his family and friends as “Pink,” graduated this past December from the school he had his eyes on for decades but with a degree in something that he had never really considered until coming to Auburn.

After a 33-year career in Jacksonville, Alabama, working for at-risk juveniles, Pinkard decided it was time to retire.

He sat down, and when he made a bucket list of things to do in retirement, he decided that the first thing he wanted to do was to get an Auburn University student ID card. He figured he could take a semester of classes to challenge himself and see if he could fulfill the lifelong dream. Without a concrete plan set in stone, he had no idea he was actually going to graduate.

During a night out at dinner with his friends, Pinkard began telling them about his bucket list and his idea of attending school again. They followed him up with a simple, logical question.

“Well, what are you going to study?”

Pinkard had no idea and no response. Left speechless, one of the friends at the table told him he knew of someone teaching a women’s studies class. Pinkard had no idea that a course like that was even offered, but the idea of taking that course of study stuck with him.

Pinkard then decided it was time. He was going to attend Auburn and get the ID he had always wanted.

After registering for classes and sitting in front of his advisor, Pinkard decided to take the initiative to jump into women’s studies.

“Once I got into the program, I thoroughly loved it,” he said.

“I grew completely into a feminist.”

Before beginning his first semester, Pinkard was able to transfer a lot of his credits from his past education at Jacksonville State University, where he earned a degree in business and economics upon graduation in 1977.

“Before, I was young and only going with the flow, but sitting in class and having the full college experience again was just like the feeling of when I first did in 1973,” Pinkard said.

Because he was an off-campus student with many more responsibilities, Pinkard averaged taking six credits per semester.

“This process was absolutely long, but I enjoyed it for the purpose that I was there to be more focused on actually learning something,” he said.

During the four years that he spent at Auburn, Pinkard was able to study abroad in Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape of South Africa at Stenden University.

“It was one of my most favorite things I have done throughout my four years,” Pinkard said. “It was a lot of fun for me to create bonds with the other students from Auburn and the other students from universities from all different countries. I got to really appreciate everyone there from all over the world, and I felt so welcomed.”

Now, with a second degree and a checkmark next to a lifelong bucket-list item, Pinkard isn’t sure what the future will hold, but he knows it is bright.

“I don’t know what I am going to do, but the future is so open now.”

FILE PHOTO

Pinkard said at the age of 59, it was time to start doing the things he had always wanted to do. So, he made a bucket list.

community THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

SPIRIT

ROARING PRIDE Behind the scenes with the War Wagon’s loud and proud crew

By ELIZABETH HURLEY Community Editor

For many tailgating fans, the roaring of a truck engine and the sweet tune of the Auburn fight song can only mean one thing: it’s gameday.

For Terrell Glover and Randy Hamann, that truck is their gameday. They drive the War Wagon, a military-style truck decked out in its Auburn best.

“When we’re in that thing I always feel like we’re tailgating with everybody,” Hamann said.

Glover and Hamann feel the War Wagon is embedded in the culture of Auburn. Children will come barreling toward the truck with their parents in tow while students give a thumbs up and a cheer.

They try to portray a friendly environment with the truck because they want everyone to be able to enjoy the Auburn spirit.

“We’ve done everything we can to protect that family atmosphere,” Glover said. “We have the Christian crosses on the truck; they’re on the front fenders. We do patriotic music.

Mostly we play the Auburn band marching music fight songs.”

The truck didn’t always feature music. When Glover brought it to Auburn in 2012, he said many fans were apprehensive of the truck without music, Glover said.

“The first year I brought the truck up here I was very discouraged,” Glover said. “People just didn’t seem to take to it.”

Police even pulled Glover over as he was driving the massive truck through town. So once that first football season ended, Glover was questioning if he should bring the truck back the next year.

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

Terrell Glover and Randy Hamann shake hands in front of the War Wagon parked at Anders Bookstore in Auburn, Ala. on Dec. 9, 2018.

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

The War Wagon sits in front of Anders Bookstore after the Auburn Christmas parade for fans to visit it on Dec. 9, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

He decided to add music that he could blare as he drove because music has been a big part of his life and was the reason Glover and Hamann met.

In 1976 Glover began a band in which he played the trumpet. Hamann heard about the band and ended up joining. The two became good friends, so when Glover decided to add music, Hamann was ready to help.

“That next year music was on there, man it was a totally different thing,” Hamann said.

Glover and Hamann credit the music for most of their success with the truck, and like to pay homage to the creators of the music they use, the Auburn University Marching Band.

When the two men from Dothan, Alabama, come to Auburn each Friday before a home football game, they get the truck from University Station, where they store it, and drive to the J.W. and Nell Birchfield Marching Band Practice Field to watch the band practice.

The War Wagon is back bright and early the next morning for the band’s gameday practice and even gives the band students a musical salute with the truck. Then Glover and Hamann are off to spread the Auburn spirit throughout the town as he continues to play the band’s music.

The musical selections of the truck include typical Auburn songs such as the fight song and “Eye of the Tiger” as well as many patriotic songs.

Glover tries to honor veterans through the music, some design aspects of the truck and now with their partnership with Gameday for Heroes, an organization that provides collegiate gameday experiences for active duty military and veterans.

“I like the feeling I get when I’m driving it,” Glover said. “We play some of that patriotic music and the fans are waiving, it’s a great feeling. It’s worth all the hard work and what we put into it to have people appreciate it.”

Glover, an Army Reserves veteran, has seen many older veterans stand and salute the American flag flying on the truck, and it means a lot to him to see that display of respect and pride for the country.

The rest of their gameday consists of Glover and Hamann driving throughout Auburn and stopping at their base camp at Anders Bookstore where they allow fans to take pictures with the truck and take a look inside.

CONSTRUCTION

BUSINESS

Cheap eats: ALDI coming to Opelika

Corner construction nearing completion

By ELLIE FALCONER Community Writer

By TIM NAIL Community Writer

Since spring 2018, the site of the Thomas Building at the intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue — home of BBVA Compass Bank — has been home to beams and scaffolding.

The construction of a new building, which began in April, is in its final months and is proceeding as scheduled.

Rabren General Contractors intends to finish the majority of its work by the end of the winter season, said Rabrem project manager Sean Woodley.

Rabren is responsible for the exterior and third floor of the project.

Situated in one of the busiest sections of Auburn, the undertaking has had its fair share of difficulties. Woodley said the confined location was one such hardship.

“The toughest challenge to date is a compact job site as we are up against South College Street and East Magnolia Avenue, and the rear portion of the project is a functional parking lot for Wares Jewelers and J&M Bookstore,” Woodley said. This dense space has left workers with limited room to put their tools aside.

Though the love from the fans is what keeps them coming back each football season, it was Glover’s love for his son that brought him here in the first place.

His son attended Auburn and Glover was looking for a way to spend more time with his college student. When he saw a group of men that were showing off their trucks in Auburn he got the idea to create a truck that was larger and had more spirit.

“They thought their trucks were pretty bad,” Glover said. “So I thought, well I’ll just go home and I’ll build something real bad and come back up here.”

He took an old truck that he and his son had used for mud bogging and repurposed it into the War Wagon, adding many custom parts. One was a flame thrower rigged to shoot 6-to-7foot flames toward the sky.

Glover was able to spend three of his son’s five and a half years at Auburn with him and the truck. Since then it’s been just Glover and Hamann.

Both men agree they love coming to Auburn and would love to come more because it’s fun for them. But they only attend football gamedays and occasionally events such as fan day or A day.

“That’s about all we do because nobody else will let us be in anything,” Glover said.

They often find themselves on the outside of gameday. They drive-by tailgates and visit fans at Anders but remain a distance from Jordan-Hare.

Though they have done some events in the past, such as a wedding where they drove the bride and groom away, Glover said they were willing to do anything with or related to Auburn, such as a sorority or fraternity events, but have never been asked.

He and Hamann want to do more types of gamedays, such as basketball or softball games or playoff celebrations, but they don’t know anyone they could work something out with.

Though for many fans it’s not the men behind the wheel, but the truck that completes their gameday. Glover and Hamann plan to continue to foster the Auburn team spirit and spread patriotic cheer during home football games.

“It’s that truck,” Hamann said. “You could put anybody in it and people go ape.”

DUBRAY MCNEAL / PHOTOGRAPHER

Bank construction continues on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and South College Street in Auburn, Ala.on Jan.16, 2019

Despite the challenge, the outside and third floor of the building are set to be finalized in February. Following their completion, the sidewalk covering will come down, and the brick paving underneath will be reinstalled.

Woodley, a 2002 alumnus of Auburn University in building science, has served as an employee of Rabren for 10 years. He specializes in work within college towns and has been involved in construction on the campuses of Alabama State, Tuskegee and the University of Alabama.

His previous assignment as a manager was the renovation of the President’s House as well as its new Garden Pavilion, so he is aware of the value of historical structures throughout Auburn.

The new Thomas Building is being overseen by a four-man contractor crew as well as a supervisor, with much of the labor being carried out by subcontractors for Rabren.

Rabren has no involvement on the first and second floors, but Woodley estimated that the company’s share of the work would continue at its current pace, assuming no change of ownership or inclement weather arises.

When asked about what qualities the new building will bring to the heart of town, Woodley said, “[It] will serve the same purpose as [Compass Bank] but will also have three apartments on the third level. The new building will be a vast improvement aesthetically.”

A popular grocery store known for its cost-effective shopping is coming to Opelika this year and will be located near Tiger Town.

ALDI is being built on Frederick Road, close to the popular shopping center, and is set to open in the first quarter of 2019.

The grocery store is similar to other stores, featuring the usual fresh produce, meats and baked goods, but ALDI has some unique shopping quirks that set the store apart from competitors.

Customers are encouraged to bring their own shopping bags and can rent shopping carts by providing a quarter and receiving the coin back upon return of the cart.

ALDI does this to keep shopping carts organized and out of parking lots, according to the ALDI website.

“Hopefully it will have a positive effect by bringing devout ALDI shoppers to the Tiger Town area,” said Lori Huguley, Opelika director

of economic development.

“While they (shoppers) are here, they could possibly have other dining or shopping needs to be met in the adjacent Tiger Town development.”

Huguley said the full economic impact ALDI will bring to Opelika is yet to be determined since she does not have their sales projections.

Huguley said she has shopped at ALDI before and believes it will be well received in Opelika.

“I think the selection of Opelika by ALDI indicates their desire to be close to the region’s largest outdoor shopping destination, and they want to take advantage of the high volume of shoppers,” Huguley said. “It also works in reverse, that the people that may come specifically to shop at ALDI will find ample opportunities for further shopping or dining needs.”

Currently, the nearest ALDI is located in Columbus, Georgia, 39 miles away from Auburn University.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 7

FOOD

An Inside Look What it takes to be a sous chef at two of Auburn’s most well-known restaurants

By ELIZABETH HURLEY Community Editor

The Hound and The Depot are two well-known Auburn restaurants that often see high wait times and packed dining rooms throughout the year.

Their executive chefs are the faces of these restaurants and often can be seen visiting with guests during slower times.

But when they step out of the kitchen, someone else has to take the lead. This is where the sous chef step in.

Sous chefs are the second-in-command at these restaurants. They lead the kitchen while the executive chef is busy and sometimes teach other staffers different tricks of the trade or manage other aspects of the restaurant.

These sous chefs at The Hound and The Depot, both owned by Matt and Jana Poirier, have worked at several restaurants, and risen through the ranks to their current positions.

THE HOUND Running a restaurant requires many people working in different positions. Christopher Billinghurst, sous chef of The Hound, works as a jack-ofall-trades, filling in where necessary and helping out with whatever is needed.

Billinghurst performs many tasks at the restaurant, such as ordering supplies and cooking orders.

He does whatever the executive chef needs him to do.

“Being a sous chef, to me, is learning how to be the best chef that you can while making your chef’s life easier,” Billinghurst said. “If you can make everyone’s

life easier by doing your job the best you can, that’s my goal every day.”

His job isn’t just about helping the executive chef; it’s about helping other restaurant staffers. He enjoys the teaching aspect of his job, too.

On days when the restaurant is closed, Billinghurst hosts classes on different cooking techniques, how to cook a certain dish or anything else the staff is looking to learn.

“Teaching a better way to do something so that way when they can leave this job, they’re the best out there,” Billinghurst said.

Billinghurst attended culinary school in South Carolina, where he gained a lot of knowledge about cooking. But experience is often better than schooling, he said.

His first job was at Taco Bell while he was in culinary school.

From there, he worked under several chefs at various restaurants before moving to Auburn to work at The Hound, where he now works under Executive Chef Robbie Nicolaisen.

“Chef Robbie has come on board and he is a very good teacher and I’m glad to be his sous chef,” Billinghurst said.

Cooking complicated food that requires many steps, ingredients or that must be cooked in an uncommon way keeps Billinghurst interested. He said those are his favorite dishes to cook.

“I like being able to filet a fish, or break down a pig or do 8-piece chicken,” Billinghurst said. “I like using different parts of animals to make different things.”

Though these aren’t common items on The Hound’s menu, there are still many items he enjoys cooking. His favorite item on the current fall and winter menu is shrimp and grits because he likes the

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

From left to right: The Depot Sous Chef Jake Morgan, Executive Chef Scott Simpson, Sous Chef Adam Beckel, The Hound Sous Chef Chris Billinghurst, Executive Chef Robbie Nicolaisen.

process of making it.

“I like making grits and shrimp, and seafood is one of my favorite things to cook,” Billinghurst said. “So just adding all of these different components together to create an item that you can have for breakfast, lunch or dinner is amazing.”

THE DEPOT The daily tasks of the sous chefs at The Hound and The Depot are similar. Jake Morgan and Adam Beckel, the sous chefs at The Depot, often lend a hand in creating the lunch and dinner specials each day.

They work together to figure out what ingredients the restaurant has in stock, since The Depot mostly uses fresh ingredients and flies fish in multiple times a week.

“It depends on what we have,” Beckel said. “But anywhere from, you know, five to seven items here (appetizers), five to seven items there (entrees), changing daily. That’s what I start with.”

The sous chefs alternate who is working. Typically, one will work the lunch shift while the other takes the dinner shift. They cook orders and help in areas of the kitchen where problems have arisen.

They overlap for a time during the lunch and dinner hours, where they float around the kitchen helping restaurant staffers and each other.

Morgan and Beckel are not Auburn natives but found their way to Auburn after working at other restaurants. Beckel was even the head chef at another restaurant.

“Being a head chef, it’s all on you,” Beckel said. “Especially in the types of restaurants that I worked on.

Whereas being like a sous chef in a place like this, it’s more of like a team supporting effort, working together type of thing.”

They use this system to make their kitchen run smoothly and to allow Simpson to spend more time focusing on the flavors of each of the dishes on the menu.

“We’re his hand basically,” Morgan said. “We’re his feet, hands walking around taking care of everything he wants.”

This system, along with the fact they create multiple dishes a day, allows for a creative environment in the kitchen with lots of camaraderie, Beckel said.

Ensuring the kitchen runs smoothly so the executive chef can do what he needs remains the most important part of the job, Morgan and Beckel agreed.

“We have a purpose here, which is to put out food, have a great service and to be profitable,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes the executive chef has to take care of. ... Having a sous chef, they’re able to be more hands on to where he’s not stretched to a limit where he can’t run his business.”

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

ELIZABETH HURLEY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

Wood fire grilled Costa Rican swordfish served at The Depot in Auburn, Ala. on Dec. 7, 2018.

Grilled spanish baby octopus Crostini served at The Depot in Auburn, Ala. on Dec. 7, 2018.

Wood fire grilled Costa Rican swordfish set on a table at The Depot in Auburn, Ala. on Dec. 7, 2018.

Shrimp and grits served at The Hound in Auburn, Ala. on Dec. 7, 2018.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Tigers unable to slow No. 7 MSU in home loss

By WILLIAM FINNEY Sports Writer

Auburn was swept out of Auburn Arena with a 26-point loss on Monday night.

After a double-digit win over Alabama, the Tigers returned home to an 85-59 loss to No. 7 Mississippi State. Behind the leading scoring team in the conference, the Bulldogs moved quickly against the Auburn defense.

“Mississippi State is a very good team, there’s a reason that they are No. 6 in the country,” said Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy. “I thought that we did a very good job [in the first half], we were only down by 10 at the half. It’s just a very tough game to continue to play that way.”

Behind 20 turnovers and 20 fast-break points, Auburn posted three players in double-digit scoring: Daisa Alexander, Brooke Moore and Crystal Primm. Alexander led the Tigers with 18 while Primm added 14 with a game-high seven steals.

Despite the defensive effort, Mississippi State’s 6-foot-7 center Teaira McCowan would continue with her double-double streak with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds.

“I think the game just came down to defense,” Primm said. “In the second quarter, when we went on our runs. We had a lot of energy on defense and we were making our rotations the way that we were supposed to.”

Both teams came out playing physically, combining for 42 fouls.

Williams-Flournoy added that having Unique Thompson on the bench early with foul trouble “hurt [Auburn’s] defense a lot.”

These fouls led to Mississippi State scoring 23 points off of 30 trips to the line.

“After the game I told my team to just let it go,” Williams-Flournoy said. “Mississippi State is a very good team. We have to learn from this game and move on.”

Following the home loss, the Tigers (14-3, 2-2) will take a trip to Nashville and square off against Vanderbilt (5-12, 0-4) on Thursday at 7 p.m.

CAT WOFFORD / AUBURN ATHLETICS

CAT WOFFORD / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Will Macoy (22) during Auburn basketball vs. North Florida on Dec. 29, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

Cole Blackstock (41) during Auburn basketball vs. North Florida on Dec. 29, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

‘DIDN’T DO IT FOR THE GLORY’ Walk-ons Macoy, Blackstock earn scholarships

By JAKE WEESE Sports Writer

For senior forward Cole Blackstock and junior guard Will Macoy, their hard work has paid off.

Both Auburn basketball walk-ons have received scholarships following Auburn’s 93-78 win against Georgia on Saturday evening.

Both Blackstock and Macoy have been with the Tigers since their freshmen years, and last season, both made limited appearances in Auburn’s postseason games.

Coach Bruce Pearl was happy to announce postgame that both players had been put on scholarship.

“We were able to put Cole Blackstock and Will Macoy on scholarship, two walk-ons that have been here four and three year,” Pearl said. “They’re great kids, great student-athletes, hard workers, great students, great families and they didn’t do it for the reward. They came into practice everyday. Cole has to go against all of our big guys over the years, battle, make them better. Will actually came and ran a little track, threw the javelin a little bit, pretty good athlete. Will Macoy’s got a chance to play for us a little bit, maybe someday, maybe this year, maybe next.”

Macoy was a two-star recruit coming out of high school and won the Birmingham Fall League MVP as a senior in high school. He walked on prior to the 2016-2017 season at Auburn.

He also was a member of the Italy tour prior to the 2017-2018 season.

Blackstock was a two-star recruit coming out of high school. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds a game. He walked on before the 2015-2016 season at Auburn.

Blackstock, like Macoy was a member of the Italy tour before the 2017-2018 season.

“They didn’t do it for the glory, they didn’t do it on scholarship, they didn’t do it for what was in it for them,” Pearl said. “Sometimes you do the right thing just because it’s the right thing, and every now and then you have an opportunity to reward that. So I’m really happy that Auburn was able to reward a couple of really terrific Auburn men.

“The best part about the whole thing, go take a look at the Auburn Tigers and you’ll see the celebration in the locker room. By far the greatest thing about the whole thing. Hugging on those families and the way our players responded to their teammates getting on scholarship.”

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Crystal Primm (23) lays up the ball during Auburn Women’s Basketball vs.

Mississippi State on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

FOOTBALL

Deshaun Davis accepts NFL Combine invite

FOOTBALL

By NATHAN KING Sports Editor

NFL teams are going to get an up-close look at one of Auburn’s former leaders soon.

Former Tigers linebacker Deshaun Davis has accepted an invite to the NFL Combine on Feb. 26, he announced on his Twitter on Sunday evening.

The 5-foot-11, 233-pound linebacker was named first

BO NIX VIA UNDER AMOUR FOOTBALL

QB Bo Nix named state’s Mr. Football

By LOGAN GLOVER Sports Writer

Bo Nix started his first semester at Auburn University this month after a spectacular senior season — and career — at Pinson Valley High.

But Nix had one last achievement to claim his own before leaving Pinson Valley behind and looking ahead to Auburn.

Nix was crowned Alabama’s Mr. Football on Tuesday while also winning the Back of the Year Award among Class 6A players.

Nix led Pinson Valley to two straight Class 6A titles, and broke records while doing so. Those include the Alabama state record in to-

tal offense in a career (12,505 yards) and touchdowns(161).

During his senior season, Nix racked up 3,807 yards and 50 touchdowns. He also rushed for 417 yards and seven scores, leadingPinson Valley to a 13-1 overall record.

Nix looks to be a strong competitor for the starting QB job and will start competing against Malik Willis, Joey Gatewood and Cord Sandberg for it in the spring.

Nix became the fifth Mr. Football from Alabama in the past seven years to sign with Auburn, joining Jeremy Johnson (2012), Roc Thomas (2013), Kerryon Johnson (2014) and Asa Martin (2017).

» See NIX, 9

FILE PHOTO

team All-SEC this past season after leading Auburn in tackles with 116. Last month, he accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama.

“If you ask him right now, he’d tell you that you aren’t talking to the defensive coordinator, he’s the defensive coordinator,” Auburn DC Kevin Steele said of Davis last year.

“That’s just his personality.”

FILE PHOTO

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

The Auburn Plainsman

FOOTBALL

PAGE 9

GYMNASTICS

Oklahoma QB visits Auburn

By NATHAN KING Sports Editor

Gus Malzahn is apparently in the market for another transfer quarterback.

Oklahoma’s Austin Kendall, who entered his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal last week, visited Auburn on Monday, according to a picture posted on his Instagram story.

According to a report from Rivals’s Schuyler Callihan, Kendall visited West Virginia this morning as well.

A fourth-year junior, Kendall would be immediately eligible for two years as a graduate transfer. Rated as the No. 9 pro-style QB in the nation in the 2015 class, Kendall sat behind Heisman trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray for the past three seasons.

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley and the Sooners will be bringing in the nation’s No. 1 pro-style quarterback, Spencer Rattler, in the summer. Alabama transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts could also join the roster as the former SEC Offensive Player of the Year visited OU over the weekend.

With four-star 2019 prospect Bo Nix already on campus, Auburn’s current quarterback room consists of Nix, rising junior Malik Willis, and rising sophomores Joey Gatewood and Cord Sandberg. The returning Tigers have no combined starts between them.

Kendall would be the second transfer quarterback pursued by Malzahn and staff recently as Clemson transfer Kelly Bryant had Auburn as his No. 2 choice when he chose to sign with Missouri last month.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Abby Milliet on the beam during Auburn Gymnastics vs. Iowa on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Derrian Gobourne during Auburn Gymnastics vs. Iowa on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

SEC recognizes 2 Auburn gymnasts

By JAKE WEESE Sports Writer

COURTESY OF CAITLYN EPES / THE OU DAILY

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Kendall warms up before the game against Baylor Sept. 29.

Abby Milliet and Derrian Gobourne were significant figures in Auburn’s win over LSU on Friday night, and were recognized by the SEC on Monday as a part of the league’s weekly awards.

“It’s truly an h onor to be selected as Freshman/Specialist of the Week in this conference,” Auburn head coach Jeff Graba said. “What this means is that Derrian and Abby have been selected as having the best performances in the best conference in the country. I’m so proud of Abby and Derrian because they deserve to be recognized for all their hard work.”

Milliet was named the SEC Specialist of the Week after posting a 9.900 or better on bars, beams and floor. Milliet also won individual event titles on the bar and beam. The anchor on bars, she finished with a team-high score of 9.925 along with earning Auburn; it’s second-highest team

BASEBALL

score in program history a 49.500 on the bar. This score is also currently the second highest team score in the country so far.

Milliet won the previously mentioned individual title on beam after scoring a 9.900 and capping her night off with a 9.900 on the floor to secure the victory over LSU. Gobourne was named SEC Freshmen of the Week after scoring a 39.475 in the allaround and sharing the AA title with the current SEC Gymnast of the Year, Sarah Finnegan. The meet was Gobourne’s second at the collegiate level and the first time competing in all four events. Gobourne earned individual event titles in two of her four events with a 9.900 on vault and a 9.950 on floor. She also scored a 9.875 on bars and a 9.750 on beam.

Auburn moved up to No.13 in the Top 25 following the win over LSU and returns to competition Saturday at Missouri. The meet is at 1 p.m. CST and will air on SEC Network plus.

NIX

» From 8 Jeremy Johnson didn’t live up to the 2015 preseason hype. Both Roc Thomas and Asa Martin transferred from the team after their freshman seasons, with Thomas transferring to Jacksonville State and Martin going to Miami last.

Kerryon Johnson created a name for himself on The Plains, however. After struggling with injuries earlier in his career, he led

Auburn to an SEC West crown and an SEC Championship berth in the 2017 season. Johnson also took home SEC Offensive Player of the Year that season.

Before the past seven years, Auburn only had six win Mr. Football over a span of thirty years.

The other Auburn signees to be crowned the state’s top player are Freddy Weygand (1983), Lectron Williams (1988), DeMarco McNeil (1998), Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (2000), Brandon Cox (2001) and Clint Moseley (2008).

& Flea Mall FILE PHOTO

Will Holland (17) runs to third base during Auburn baseball vs. Missouri at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. on Friday, March 30, 2018.

Tigers tabbed No. 22 in preseason D1 poll

By ZACH TANTILLO Sports Reporter

Auburn baseball came in at No. 22 in D1 Baseball’s Preseason Top 25 on Monday morning.

The top-25 ranking comes a season after the team went 43-23 and advanced to the program’s second Super

Regional in school history and its first since 1999.

Auburn joins seven other SEC teams ranked inside the top 25 — the most out of any other conference.

The Tigers will replace a number of positions from last year’s squad with the addition of 18 newcomers onto the 2019 team.

The Tigers will be led by Davis Daniel, Will Holland and four returning freshmen — All-American Tanner Burns, Cody Greenhill, Edouard Julien and Steven Williams.

Auburn will begin its 2019 season with a three-game series against Georgia Southern.

That’s from Feb. 15 to 17.

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The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

PAGE 10

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Hughley brings ‘wealth of basketball knowledge’ to Auburn

By JAKE WEESE Sports Writer

AUBURN ATHLETICS

Otis Hughley working the Nigerian women’s team.

Auburn women’s basketball staff is hoping its recent hiring of former NBA assistant coach Otis Hughley can take the Tigers to the next level.

Hughley joins head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy’s staff as a special assistant to the head coach.

“Otis brings a wealth of basketball knowledge to our staff,” Williams-Flournoy said.

“Having coached at so many levels, his expertise will be very valuable to me as my special assistant.”

Hughley is an Atlanta native and graduated from the University of West Alabama in 1987.

Hughley and his wife, Valerie, have four kids — Jeremiah, Trinitee, Heavyn and Joshua.

His basketball roots run incredibly deep, and he brings a unique perspective to the game as he has coached at all levels of the game.

Hughley got his start working at the collegiate level as an assistant coach at Wright State, Liberty and Southern. His first head coaching gig was at Wallace State-Selma from 19931997.

Hughley then spent seven years as the boys’ basketball head coach at LeFlore High School in Mobile from 2004-2010, where he guided the team to six state finals appearances and the Class 6A state title in 2007. While at LeFlore, Hughley coached former Kentucky and current NBA star DeMarcus Cousins from 200709. The team finished 59-6 during Cousins’

two years.

During Hughley’s success at LeFlore, he also worked as a coach of the NBA China program and worked over 10 years at Pete Newell’s “Big Man Camp.”

Hughley was hired by the Sacramento Kings in 2010 and was an assistant coach for the Kings from 2010-12. While with the Kings, he was reunited with Cousins.

Most recently, Hughley has coached on the global scale. He was the head coach of the Women’s Chinese Taipei National Team in 2015 and led them to a fourth-place finish in the FIBA Asia Women’s championship.

In the fall of 2018, Hughley served as the head coach of the Nigeria Women’s team for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. He led the team to a historic result as the D’Tigress not only became the first African team to reach the quarterfinals in tournament history, but also won their first game in tournament history.

Hughley and the D’Tigress got a special shoutout following the tournament from Hughley’s former pupil Cousins.

“Big congrats to my high school coach Otis Hughley on Nigeria Women’s National Team’s run during the FIBA World Cup,” Cousins wrote on Twitter. “1st time in history an African team won a game in the World Cup let alone making it to the quarterfinals! Started ranked #42 and finished 8th in world!”

“I am very excited to be here at Auburn and to be working for COACH Terri Williams-Flournoy,” Hughley said. “War Eagle!”

SOFTBALL

AU picked to finish 9th in SEC

By ANNAGAIL HOLTON Sports Writer

Auburn will look to prove itself against SEC competition after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll.

In Mickey Dean’s first season on The Plains, the Tiger’s record slipped from their past dominant performances; in conference play, Auburn fell to 11-12.

The Tigers return Makayla Martin on the mound, as well as starting outfielders Morgan Podany and Alyssa Rivera. The infield returns

corner players Kendall Veach, Tannon Snow and Makenna Dowell, along with middle infielders Taylon Snow and Casey McCrackin.

Auburn will need to rely on Martin heavily on the mound after losing Kaylee Carlson.

Her 1.36 ERA from her junior season is the second lowest in program history.

The past three years, Auburn had made the Super Regionals, and in two of those three years, had advanced to the College World Series in Oklahoma City. Auburn also won back-to-back SEC Tournament titles from 2015-16.

FILE PHOTO

Morgan Podany throws the ball from left field during Auburn softball vs. Western Illinois on Sunday, Mar. 4, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

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lifestyle

11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

AGRICULTURE

‘We do it because we love it’: AU Beef Unit

By LOREN KIMMEL and LAINEY MORRIS Lifestyle Editor and Lifestyle Writer

Auburn University has served locally grown meat on its campus for five years; however, the University’s Beef Unit may be feeling the weight of the effects from the University’s growth.

George Richburg, manager of Auburn University’s Beef Teaching Center for the past 13 years, began his career at Auburn as a student where he worked in the beef unit. Shortly after graduating, Richburg came back to Auburn to be the manager of the Beef Center in 2006.

Richburg said he has been around cows since he was a young boy when his father purchased some for the family, recalling his father grew up on a farm.

Located beyond Shug Jordan Parkway is a glimpse at some of the roughly 160 cattle at Auburn.

The announcement and constuction of the University’s new intramural fields has reallocated 30 of these acres.

While the University has purchased an additional 30 acres of land in return, the land was forested upon purchase and is in the process of being cleared.

Construction for the new fields on the former agricultural pasture land began this past fall.

“I now have 30 acres less land for about the next year to year and a half to try to maintain my whole cow herd on,” Richburg said.

He said while he will receive the number of acres he lost, the exchange has posed a challenge for him during this time between the University starting construction and when the new land is ready.

“It’s a challenge in the sense that our goal here is for [the cows] to eat grass; so when you take some of our available grass away, it’s going to make it a challenge,” Richburg said. “Our

» See CATTLE, 12 MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

FOOD

SOCIAL MEDIA

Opelika Hot Head Burritos serves last meal

By CARRIE JOHNSON Lifestyle Writer

Hot Head Burritos closes down less than a year after its grand opening due to low sales. Barberitos Southwestern Grille & Cantina will soon fill its place.

The Mexican restaurant Hot Head Burritos, located on Opelika Road in front of the Auburn Mall, sold its last burrito on Dec. 30, just months after its grand opening on March 21, 2018.

Hot Head Burritos made the announcement on Dec. 31 on its Facebook page, saying how sorry it was to announce the store’s closing and expressing gratitude for the support of its customers.

Greg Ames, former general manag-

er at the Auburn Hot Head Burritos, said they were sad to have to close the place down, but they did not have another choice.

“The store just didn’t bring in enough money to keep operating,” Ames said.

“The brand has a lot of good product, and we tried everything we could to make it work, but we just didn’t have a lot of support.”

Z.A. Hughes, one of the local co-owners of the restaurant, is currently building a Hot Head Burritos in Gadsden, Alabama, on the corner of East Broad Street and George Wallace Drive. The date of its grand opening has not yet been released.

As of now, Hot Head Burritos is permanently closed for the Auburn area.

Ames said it is highly unlikely that the restaurant will return to Auburn. In response, Hot Head Burritos lovers have expressed their disappointment on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Barberitos Southwestern Grille & Cantina will be taking over the Hot Head Burritos location and opening its doors on Feb. 4. Kelley Painting Services was already inside the store on Jan. 11, painting and prepping the area for the new business.

Barberitos will serve food from a menu similar to Hot Head Burritos. Barberitos will serve burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, salads, nachos and quesadillas. It will also cater for events, which can be picked up at a local Barberitos location or delivered by Barberitos team members.

MUSIC

Liz Longley to perform music at Pebble Hill

By LAUREN PIEPER Lifestyle Writer

Liz Longley will be singing at Pebble Hill on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. The singer-songwriter will be doing the concert for free to all who attend.

From Nashville, Longley has found success within the music industry. She has signed with a record label, been on television, won competitions and had

acclaimed sources, such as the HuffPost and Dallas Morning News, express their admiration for her album, Weightless.

She writes her own music and touches on personal topics in her life with her songs.

She will be singing songs from her current five albums that were produced from 2007–2016. However, Longley has begun working on another album to be released in 2019.

Her passionate voice and guitar playing is said to draw those who enjoy singer-songwriter performances, and her website describes her voice to be one that would “stop you in your tracks.”

Auburn is just one of the many stops she is making on her tour. Anyone interested can RSVP at aub.ie/concert.

The venue is located at at 101 S. Debardeleben St.

NUTRITION

Frozen yogurt bar offers vegan, organic yogurt

By SAMANTHA STRUNK Campus Writer

One of the newest bars in downtown Auburn happens to not serve alcohol.

Freeze, a frozen yogurt bar, opened its doors in July 2018, welcoming people strolling along the downtown strip in for a cup of organic yogurt.

“Our yogurt is special because all of our flavors are fat-free, gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, no high fructose corn syrup, no GMOs and no preservatives,” said Lydia Pass, Freeze employee. “And our toppings are all organic, as well.”

Sydney Wilkerson, Freeze employee, said these qualities have a number of benefits besides healthier eating.

“Looking at toppings, all of our gummies are from an organic company, so there’s no preservatives or artificial colors

or flavors,” Wilkerson said.

She shared that some kids may be allergic to ingredients in most frozen yogurts, but at Freeze, they do not have to worry about that.

Pass said a number of flavors on the Freeze menu change weekly. Chocolate, vanilla and classic tart are constants, but other flavors vary.

“A lot of times we’ll change for seasonal flavors, too,” Pass added. “So in the fall, we had pumpkin and pumpkin spice, and in the winter, we had peppermint.”

Pass said one of the most interesting flavors she has seen served was root beer float.

“That one was really good,” Wilkerson said. “Especially mixed with vanilla.”

Freeze also consistently serves two vegan frozen yogurt options.

Vegan frozen yogurt is made from coconut milk rather than

dairy products, Wilkerson said.

“This makes [vegan frozen yogurt] good for people with a lactose intolerance, too,” Pass said.

Owners Christina and Lance Francis, both Auburn alumni, originally opened Freeze in Cincinnati when they lived in there.

“They opened it because they didn’t want to give their children all the artificial stuff,” Pass said.

When the couple and their children moved to Auburn a few years ago, frozen yogurt machines and other Freeze materials sat in their basement for two or three years, Pass said.

The duo decided to give Freeze in downtown Auburn a go.

Pass said both owners have full-time jobs, and Wilkerson said the shop is more of a hobby for them.

“They realized Freeze was going to be more successful in

Auburn,” Pass said. “In Cincinnati they were within a mile of around three other frozen yogurt shops. Here it’s warmer and downtown brings a lot of foot traffic.”

Pass and Wilkerson said they still see a strong customer flow despite the colder weather.

“It’s kind of like ice cream,” Wilkerson said. “I mean I still go get ice cream when it’s cold. We also still have our regulars and curious people walking through downtown come in” According to Pass, it is never too cold for dessert.

In addition to frozen yogurt, Freeze mixes fruits and yogurts together to make smoothies, has ‘wag bites’ for dogs and serves acai bowls.

“We also have Freeze-to-go, or frozen yogurt in to-go packaging,” Pass said. “And so, if you don’t like a flavor we currently have available, they’re always here, too.”

PHOTO BY THOUGHT CATALOG ON UNSPLASH

Snapchat’s impact on relationships

By CARMEN MCCRACKIN Lifestyle Writer

With the high number of people using social media, there are some problems that have risen. Snapchat, the third most popular app following Instagram and Facebook, has raised some concerns since its creation.

One issue Snapchat users face is based on how private interactions through the app can impact interpersonal relationships.

“I feel like it encourages suspicion for some,” said Micaela Dufour, ex-Snapchat user. “And maybe even promotes secretive habits.”

“I also didn’t appreciate being sent random, inappropriate pictures,” Dufour said.

Snapchat features photos or videos that disappear after an allotted time, leaving some users to experience reduced self-censorship.

In 2017, Snapchat released “Snap Map,” which allows users to see the location of their “friends” on a map if those people have allowed their tracking location to be shared. There is an option called “Ghost Mode” where other users cannot see your location. The app also features “Snapchat score,” which is the sum of all snaps received or sent.

These features have only increased some user’s suspicion around the app and its users’ intentions.

“I have seen how [Snapchat] has affected other people, mostly females,” said Snapchat user Zyreshia Jackson. “I’ve seen girls check their boyfriends’ Snapchat score to see if it went up, as well as checking the Snapchat maps.”

“Social media is all about accessibility,” said George Plasketes, Auburn professor of media studies. “We have that opportunity to check up on people or follow people, or we have that ability to call them on the phone or talk to them in person or meet them.”

Plasketes said while those things are always there, they have become disproportionate.

“It is a lot more convenient to use social media,” Plasketes said.

“That’s where we’re at culturally and socially.”

Social media has become a present factor in everyday life for many. According to data from Pew Research Center, 69 percent of U.S. adults are social media users, with 86 percent of those adults aged 18-29.

Plasketes said oversharing has always accompanied media.

“For many years B.C., before cable or in the cable era, people were concerned about children watching too much television,” Plasketes said. “There is always that cultural, social and parental panic about how we spend our time. These same concerns accompany social media.”

Social media has become the breathe in and breathe out of our culture and our experience, he said.

“There’s a certain convenience with it like there’s certain convenience with shopping on Amazon,” Plasketes said. “Those things inherently happen. Naturally, for better or worse, ultimately, we still are human, and we make choices.”

Snapchat and other forms of social media provide people the opportunity to form connections from their fingertips. However, this development turns some individuals on edge against the purpose of social media, Plasketes said.

“It’s like anything — eating, drinking, drugs, media — just the things that we use. Do we control them, or do they control us?” Plasketes said. “You never hear people complain about how much kids are watching television anymore.”

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2019

CATTLE » From 11

input costs are high, so it’s probably going to drive those up for the next year or two as we have less available land space.”

Richburg said in the next two years it will be a lot harder to turn a profit.

He assured he will try to maintain the current conditions for the cows during the transition.

While Richburg believes he will do whatever it takes to maintain these conditions, he notes it will come at a higher cost.

“Less land to graze on probably will lead to having to give them a grain supplement or extra hay supplement, which again, will drive our input costs up,” Richburg said.

Richburg said this kind of situation is not rare and something all farmers who do not own the land face.

“It’s just a struggle for any of our producers — our costs are very high, it’s labor intensive. Like here, we’re still on campus, campus grows so they look at nice open pasture land,” Richburg said. “It’s not just Auburn’s campus. But as populations grow, cities grow, you are expanding and encroaching on what has been utilized as agriculture in terms of farm production.”

Richburg said this is a counterproductive struggle for producers.

“We’re being kind of pushed and trying to produce a good healthy wholesome product for people to eat in our population that is growing, so we are trying to produce more food for more people.

Yet, we are having to fight the battle [of less land],” Richburg said.

He said cattle producers in general attain small profit margins due to high input costs. He noted that increased costs for the consumer do not translate to profit return for the producer, saying a lot of producers struggle to be profitable on a yearly basis.

“We put in a lot of time and effort,” Richburg said. “I have 15 to 18 months of taking care of [the steer] and raising it, feeding it and in the end our net is going to be a few hundred dollars.”

Independent producers can feel these same effects but heightened without accessibility to the necessary equipment.

“Typically, the hardest part with that is finding a facility to have them harvest it and process,” Richburg said. “There are just not a lot of facilities.”

If Richburg was an independent cattle producer, he would have to drive to a facility hours away and be responsible for marketing his product to consumers on his own.

“Here it is part of the University,” Richburg said.

“We have the facility here, [and] we have the store here where we sell meat.”

As manager of the herd, Richburg communicates with the manager of the Meat Lab, Barney Wilborn, to decide upon the treatment of the an-

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imals. The two are responsible for agreeing on the handling of the animals’ diet, vaccinations and regulations such as whether to follow organic or grass-fed restrictions.

“I have the unique situation where right next door is our actual harvest facility, and that’s not the case for most people throughout the state,” Richburg said. “Most people are going to have to drive some amount of distance to take their animals to be harvested and processed.”

The Meat Lab is responsible for the harvesting and processing of the animals and the selling of the meat. Richburg said he frequently meets with Wilborn to discuss enhancing the quality of the meat or the marketability of the product.

“We’re not trying to promote organic or all natural,” Richburg said. “We’re just trying to produce a good, healthy product.”

The University’s cattle are born during either the fall or spring season and remain with their mothers for six months, Richburg said. The calves are then separated by gender with steers , castrated bulls, grouped with heifers.

At around three to four months, the calves receive their first vaccination to help prevent against respiratory diseases. After a month, the calves will receive a booster to optimize their immunity, Richburg said.

“Outside of that, we really don’t give them anything else, unless they were to get sick, and then we treat them with some antibiotic that a vet would prescribe,” Richburg said. “We give them the vaccination as a prevention to keep them healthy.”

Richburg said animals will follow the course of treatment provided by the veterinarian and upon recovery will be processed for meat if not specified otherwise.

The steers, used as the primary source for meat, spend six months to a year grazing grass. After that year, feed or supplement will be added to their diet.

“Most of the time, our [supplement] is soy hull pellets and corn gluten pellets,” Richburg said. “Soy hulls are a byproduct of the soybean, and corn gluten is a byproduct of when they’re processing corn.”

Richburg said the corn provides fat for the animal that helps with marbling in the meat, which determines how flavorful and juicy it will be.

The steers will spend an additional year grazing grass until they are harvested at about 18 months old, Richburg said.

He said the cattle are not subjected to any chemicals directly. He noted usage of Roundup or other store-bought herbicides on the fence line of the grazing fields to prevent grasses and plants from growing and interfering with the electric fencing.

Richburg said he follows the guidelines and recommended usage on the labels of the products that denote any necessary length of time before processing.

Denying any effects on the humans who will later eat the meet, Richburg repeated that the herbicides are not in a protected class and could be

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FILE PHOTO

FILE PHOTO

purchased by anyone.

“The only time we would utilize giving a hormone would be when we’re trying to breed the cows,” Richburg said. “It’s not like we’re giving them a bunch of hormones or growth promotions.”

If the cow has difficulty with fertility, he said they will give her a shot of progesterone or another naturally occurring hormone to increase her chances of getting pregnant.

Richburg said he has around 60 mature cows and, on a yearly basis, has to give nearly half of them hormones to aid with their fertility.

Richburg denied these hormones cause any harmful effects on the humans who will eat the meat.

“My job here, first and foremost, is care of the animals, the cow herd,” Richburg said. “Second is to educate and teach the students about cow production and producing cattle.”

Richburg said the number of students choosing to study agriculture has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years. He noticed there

is a growing trend of students with a non-farm background and female students pursuing the field.

“There are limited resources,” Richburg said.

“As we’ve seen an increase in students does not necessarily mean we’ve seen a change in terms of resources available. That is a struggle here for us so that is a challenge the animal units, not just the beef unit.”

Richburg said while the University was founded as an agricultural University, it can feel that there are people who do not see the value in agriculture and its contributions to both the University and society.

“From the producer’s side, we’re producing this product, and we want it to be the best product we can possibly make for people,” Richburg said. “We would like to help feed our neighbors and people in our community.”

As a person in agriculture, Richburg said he tries to voice, stand up and fight for the field as he believes it is vital to society as a whole.

“We do it because we love it,” Richburg said.

JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

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Abbigail Hickey, Auburn Universitys campusPrint dietitian speaks with The PlainsDeadline: man on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 in Auburn, NoonAla. three business days

prior to publication.

Release Date: Thursday, January 10, 2019

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

ACROSS 1 Online shopping units 7 8 Series automaker 10 Comics possum 14 Eagerly accept 15 Dinner table boors 17 Pinch pennies 18 Strictly religious 19 __ out a living 20 “My bad” 22 “Kidding!”

23 Toklas’ life partner 24 Cupid cohort 28 “The Hunger Games” president Coriolanus __ 30 Flaps 32 “A Little Nightmare Music” composer P.D.Q. __ 33 Hot under the collar 36 Canadian coin 38 Lowbrow stuff 40 58-Across type meaning “black dragon” 41 Disney’s Montana 42 Lamb’s lament 43 See 27-Down 44 Whole lot 46 Hamburger’s home 50 Hallowed 52 Starters 55 Durham sch.

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8 Sheep prized for its wool 9 Power unit 10 Kiosk with a camera 11 Ref. work whose 2018 Word of the Year is “toxic” 12 Miracle-__ 13 Mac platform 16 In vogue 21 First word in titles by Arthur Miller and Agatha Christie 25 Flutist Herbie 26 Vaper’s need, informally 27 With 43-Across, feeling often fought 29 British courtroom fixture 31 Blackthorn plum 34 Bloemfontein’s land: Abbr.

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53 “Hasta mañana” 54 “The Beat with Ari Melber” network 57 Avant-garde sorts 59 Hiddleston who plays Loki in Marvel films 60 Santa __ 61 Boomer’s kid 63 RR stop

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

DOWN 1 Mary-Kate, Ashley and Elizabeth 2 S’pose 3 “Do I __ eat a peach?”: Eliot 4 Prefix with graph or gram 5 “Groundhog Day” director Harold 6 Mid-Mar. honoree By David Poole ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 7 Trite saying

01/10/19

01/10/19