The Auburn Plainsman 04.21.16 issue

Equestrian wins National Championship Page 9

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

Thursday, April 21, 2016 Vol. 123, Issue 28, 12 Pages

First copy is free. Additional copies 50 cents per issue.

POLITICS

Fired ALEA chief sues Bentley, among others Maria McIlwain COMMUNITY EDITOR

Gov. Robert Bentley is being sued by the former employee who accused him of having an affair.

Spencer Collier, former secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, is suing the governor, his former top aide Rebekah Mason and ALEA Secretary Stan Stabler, according to court documents filed Tuesday, April 19, in theMontgomery County Circuit Court. Collier accused Bentley of having an affair with Mason after being fired in February for allegedly misusing state funds. Collier said he was fired as ALEA chief for signing an affidavit that stated there was no misconduct by the attorney general’s office in Alabama Speaker Mike Hubbard’s ethics case, according to the filing. Hubbard’s trial is scheduled to begin in May. Collier is suing for a variety of civil charg-

es, including wrongful termination, invasion of privacy, defamation and intentional interference with a business relation.

In counts two and three of the documents, Collier states Bentley, Mason and Stabler invaded his privacy by putting him in a false light. Count two references Collier ignoring Bentley’s order not to submit an affidavit to the attorney general regarding the Hubbard case, while count three states Collier was put in a false light when Bentley and Stabler said he misused state funds. Collier argued that Stabler was motivated to see Collier fired so he could take the job as ALEA secretary.

“The statements implied to the public that Collier was insubordinate and had done something wrong, when in fact he was lawfully required to cooperate with and tell the truth to the attorney general in all ongoing criminal cases,” count two of the document reads.

DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR

Gov. Robert Bentley delivers the State of the State address in the state Capitol building on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016.

Collier is also suing for defamation, stating Mason, Bentley and Stabler knowingly damaged his reputation. Collier is suing Bentley and Mason for wrongful termination, alleging he did not misuse funds.

“The termination of Collier on the grounds of ‘possible misuse of state dollars’ was just a pretext to cover up for Bentley and Mason’s anger for Collier cooperating with the Attorney General’s Office,” the document reads.

CAMPUS

Culture, STEM fields contribute to international student gender gap Kris Martins COPY EDITOR

Viraja Khollam, graduate student in aerospace engineering, was the first in her family to leave India to study abroad, an opportunity she said only 2 percent of Indian women ever get.

When she came to Auburn in 2014, she was the only international female aerospace engineer.

Now there are four.

For her, the United States was a nation with more opportunity than her home country, and she credits Auburn for making her more than just another engineering major.

“If I would have stayed in India, as a person I don’t know how much I would have grown,” Khollam said.

Khollam is a graduate assistant at Auburn Global and president of the Indian Student Association.

“Before coming to Auburn, I was always known as an engineer, and I was very proud of it,” Khollam said. “But after coming here, I’m just not known as an engineer, but as a part of the Auburn Family, as … a leader.”

Though Auburn University women are outnumbered by only 129 men, international women are outnumbered by men 2-to1, a ratio likely linked to cultural customs and gender issues rooted in women’s home countries.

Last fall, the University founded Auburn Global, an office tasked with bringing more undergraduate international students to campus.

Before Auburn Global, the main way international students came to Auburn was through graduate programs, athletics and other campus departments that

AUBURN UNIVERSITY

President Jay Gogue unveils the study in a YouTube video.

Climate study shows willingness for more diversity Corey Williams CAMPUS EDITOR

enrolling more students from around the world, some cultural aspects may make recruiting international women challenging.

“In China, parents worry more about girls’ safety than boys’. … I think parents are not willing to let girls study abroad far away from them because they worry about their safety,” said Dan Xu, graduate student in civil engineering.

And in Chinese culture, there’s a unique pressure and weight placed on a woman’s age, Xu said.

“In China, some people keep the thought like if the girl doesn’t get married before 30 years old, it’s a shame,” Xu said. “So if a single female comes here to pur-

The number of students who believe the University is putting too much emphasis on diversity is almost half what it was in 2003, according to the newly released results of the University’s Climate Study on Inclusion, Equity and Diversity.

President Jay Gogue encouraged students to discuss the report and their experiences online using #AUTogether in a video posted on the University’s website.

Unity and diversity are important at all institutions, but “particularly so at Auburn University,” Gogue said.

“Almost half of you told us we need to do a better job with black/African-American student recruitment and retention,” the report states. “Talking about uncomfortable issues and having a more diverse administration and staff were other topics that don’t work as well as you would like.”

Approximately 84 percent of undergraduate students identify as white, according to the Office of Institutional Research’s Factbook. Seven percent of students are African-American, 2.5 percent are Hispanic, 2.3 percent are Asian and 0.7 percent are American Indian/Pacific Islander.

The report includes three overall goals and 17 recommendations for increasing diversity and inclusion: Engage all members of the Auburn Family in promoting and supporting a united and inclusive community by redefining inclusion and diversity as core institutional values.

» See GENDER, 2

» See DIVERSITY, 2

STERLING WAITS / GRAPHIC DESIGNER

recruited their own international students, according to Associate Provost J. Emmett Winn.

Previously, there wasn’t one program specifically dedicated to global recruitment.

“The difference between now and a year ago is Auburn Global has an international recruiting system, and Auburn prior to that did not have a fully established recruiting system,” Winn said.

Auburn Global established a plan to increase the total number of undergraduate international students from 317 in 2015 to 1,000 students by 2020, Winn said last year.

With an newly founded centralized recruiting effort, data to act on the gender gap is not available yet, Winn said last week,

though he said it’s certainly important.

“I had not been aware of the gap, but I think it’s fair to say we’re at the very beginning of things,” Winn said.

From last spring’s 1,384 total international students, Auburn has increased its international population by 19.8 percent, or just shy of 300 more international students, according to the University Office of Institutional Research.

However, along with the increase of students came a slight jump in gender disparity too, with 540 more males than females this year, as opposed to least year’s imbalance of 353 more men.

And though the University has set a strategic plan that includes

COURTS

Mike Hubbard defense team asks for trial delay until August Maria McIlwain COMMUNITY EDITOR

Mike Hubbard’s defense team wants the trial to be delayed again, this time until August.

Bill Baxley, one of Hubbard’s attorneys, said they are still receiving evidence from the prosecution, some of it as recently as Friday, and they should have gotten some of it a while ago.

“We just can’t be ready for this May

9 day,” Baxley said.

Lance Bell, another one of Hubbard’s attorneys, said the prosecution has submitted approximately 2 million documents as possible evidence, and there is no way to be ready in May. He said he has dedicated an entire conference room to the case.

“To effectively represent Speaker Hubbard, I’ve got to go through all of (the documents),” Bell said. “I’ve got

no choice.”

Judge Jacob A. Walker gave the defense until noon Friday, April 22, to file a written motion to delay the trial.

The prosecution opposed the continuance.

“We’ve had a long pretrial slog to get here,” said prosecutor Matt Hart.

However, they asked for the trial to begin May 16 to make travel arrangements easier for out-of-state witnesses.

The two tentative dates for the trial to begin are May 9 and May 16.

Walker didn’t rule on the request to push the trial back, or any of the other motions set before him.

The defense also argued against the prosecution’s 404(b) motion, which would provide evidence of Hubbard’s actions that are not necessarily illegal, but show proof of motive. Baxley said the filing has “no merit.”

“They’re filing stuff not under seal,” Baxley said. “Some of them are frivolous ... it’s aimed at tarnishing the jury pool and damaging Speaker Hubbard.”

The prosecution also asked the court to exclude anything related to the defense’s motions to dismiss because of prosecutorial misconduct that

» See HUBBARD, 2

The Auburn Plainsman’s social media

INDEX

Campus...............3

Opinion...............5

Intrigue..............11

Community.......6

Sports..................8

ThePlainsman.com

TheAuburnPlainsman on Instagram

@TheAUPlainsman on Twitter

Visit our Facebook page

News 2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Chick-N-Grill slated to close

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

DUI REPORTS The following were arrested and charged with driving under the influence by the Auburn Police Division from April 12–18: April 14 - Brandy Michelle Mayhand, 34 South College Street at 5:29 a.m.

Claire Tulley CAMPUS WRITER

- Austin Cole Wilson, 21 North Gay Street at 11:17 p.m.

SGA has spoken about several dining changes in the last couple of weeks with talk of Einstein Bagel’s to be put in the Haley Center and Panera Bread to be brought to the new Mell Classroom Building.

However, they are now discussing more changes to be made to dining in the Student Center.

Trey Fields, executive vice president of initiatives, said dining in the Student Center will be rearranged.

“Chick-N-Grill is not going to be here anymore … and then Go Greek is going to change a bit,” Fields said. “And then this

April 16 - 26-year-old from Opelika at 3:45 a.m.

APD witheld name

DIVERSITY

April 15 - Joseph Gregory Gilbert, 26 South College Street at 1:35 a.m.

- Shea Lyn Garby, 23 West Glenn Avenue at 2:21 a.m.

- Lexis Rae Rodgers, 22 West Longleaf Drive at 3:19 a.m.

April 17 - Danielle Yvette Charlnoes, 23 Oak Meadow Lane at 3:10 a.m.

- Layne Talbot Taylor, 19 Opelika Road at 4:16 a.m.

A full crime report provided by the Auburn Department of Public Safety is available online at ThePlainsman. com.

–Reports provided by the Auburn Department of Public Safety

(334) 329-7777 2059 S College St, Auburn

CORRECTION “‘Music and Miracles’ First Jordan-Hare concert is legacy for late Chicken Salad Chick Founder” which ran in the April 14 issue incorrectly said the Music and Miracles concert would be the first concert held in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

There have been at least three concerts in the stadium, as reported in the War Eagle Reader from old issues of The Auburn Plainsman: the Beach Boys in 2001, James Brown in 1965 and The Lettermans in 1964.

We regret the error.

DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR

Mike Hubbard walks beside attorney Lance Bell to the T.K. Davis Justice Center on Wednesday,April 20.

HUBBARD » From 1

Walker dismissed March 29.

“We’re not wanting to convince the jury that we’re not criminals,” Hart said. “We spent a year convincing the court that.”

The prosecution said accusations of prosecutorial misconduct won’t be relevant at trial because it has no bearing on Hubbard’s guilt or innocence.

However, Bell said they in-

tend to call Hart as a witness at trial.

Walker said the prosecution’s motions seemed to be anticipating what the defense will bring up, and he doesn’t want to cut off possible defense arguments. He said he would prefer to rule on what can and can’t be brought up at trial in the moment.

Hubbard was indicted on 23 counts of felony ethics violations in October 2014.

There will be another pretrial hearing at 9 a.m. on April 29.

Latin American-Caribbean restaurant will go in where Go Greek is.”

Sarah Grace Mitchell, college of engineering senator, shared notable comments from the dining survey. SGA received over 3,000 responses, Mitchell said.

“There was a lot of concern that Panera and ABP could be considered redundant on campus, but we feel that this won't be a problem because by the time Panera would open, ABP’s contract would be up,” Mitchell said. “So we would have the option to replace that with a different dining option.”

Mitchell also said SGA is working with Tiger Dining to create appropriate hours for new dining venues.

“Another notable response we got was that a lot of students were concerned about the hours and wanted it to be opened late like the coffee shop in the library,” Mitchell said.

In other SGA news: Jesse Westerhouse, SGA president, encouraged senators to attend AU Together to help promote diversity and inclusion on Auburn’s campus.

“Wednesday at 11 o’clock in this room, most of the provost in conjunction with the office of the president and some other departments are hosting AU Together,” Westerhouse said. “They’re going to be unveiling the diversity climate study.”

» From 1

The 17 full recommendations: “1.

Adopt a revised Auburn University inclusion and diversity statement, such as “Auburn University will have an open, diverse and inclusive academic and social environment,” that articulates a core institutional expectation for the development of current and future initiatives and refocuses the University’s emphasis on unity and diversity.

2. A l l Colleges, Schools, support units, and campus organizations should develop (or, where existing, revise), assess, and fully implement an inclusion and diversity plan. Plans should articulate individual unit needs, goals and objectives, and should be clearly visible and effectively communicated to all stakeholders.

Common constructs addressed across all plans should include (1) an assessment of how inclusion and diversity efforts are defined and perceived, and (2) identification of barriers to the implementation of inclusion and diversity efforts within and outside of the unit and (3) diversity benchmarks with national and peer institutions.

Annual plan updates should include a comprehensive report on actions and efforts to support inclusion and diversity strategies.

3. A l l Colleges, Schools, and support units should identify and implement comprehensive academic and professional development opportunities designed to emphasize the value of equity, inclusion, and diversity for all students, faculty, and staff. Programs should emphasize the academic and cultural benefits of these values for both the unit and institution.

GENDER » From 1

single female comes here to pursue a Ph.D. degree and needs at least five years to graduate, some parents will really worry about their daughter’s age after graduation and when they go back home.”

Xu hails from Nanchang, China, where she saw a similar disparity between men and women in her field.

In a class of 40, only about five were women, Xu said.

But in the United States, Xu said she feels more freedom to study and learn, and the friendly people in Auburn make it feel like a “sweet world.”

But just southwest of China’s border lies a country with a similar tone.

Gender disparity also exists in India, where the developing country poses several obstacles in the path of opportunity for women, according to Khollam.

In 2013, the gender parity index for gross enrollment in tertiary schools in India rested at 0.94, indicating a slight favor of men, according to the World Bank.

And few women ever study abroad, Khollam said.

“Most of the women, even if they are smart and intelligent, they don’t get this type of opportunity because of their different family backgrounds,” Khollam said.

This could include parents’

SOURCE: AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Implement programs, policies and practices that support a culture of unity, with an emphasis on the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff.

4. E a c h C o l l e g e , School, and Unit should articulate, implement, and assess clear recruitment and retention strategies to increase the diversity of students and faculty.

5.

Develop, adjust, and refine institutional recruitment strategies designed to attract and build a more diverse student body. Increased engagement with middle and high schools, as well as two-year colleges and HBCUs should be a priority.

6.

Redirect university financial support to provide increased, need-based scholarship opportunities.

7.

Strategically increase the number of women and underrepresented faculty across all levels, with an emphasis on transitioning to administrative levels.

8.

Incorporate the diversity history of Auburn University into new student, faculty, and employee orientations and strengthen institutional themes of diversity and equity.

9.

Require all Search Firms and Search Committees to include diversity (physical, cognitive, attitudinal) in top qualified candidate pools.

10. Implement the recommendations of the mental health task force, including hirconcern for their daughters’ safety, lack of income or societal reservations about women studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields.

China, India and Saudi Arabia are the top three countries enrolling students at Auburn, respectively — all sending more men than women — according to data provided by Karen Battye, senior institutional research analyst with the University Office of Institutional Research.

International students tend to choose STEM fields, which have gender gaps of their own — and not just in international students — according to Jessica Holley, director of International Student and Scholar Services.

The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the College of Sciences and Mathematics and the College of Agriculture are the top three colleges for international student enrollment, respectively.

In each of the three colleges, fewer than half of the international students are women.

The top three majors of international students are all engineering majors: mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering and computer science and software engineering.

Nevertheless, the college of engineering’s international women comprise only 23 percent of total international engi-

ing diverse counselors and enabling “walk-in” based scheduling.

Review existing policies, practices, and organizational structures to ensure the culture is inclusive.

11.

Place a strategic emphasis on increasing awareness of bias-related issues through professional development and educational opportunities, highlighting individual behaviors and unit policies/ procedures that imply bias. Enhance methods for reporting, responding to and preventing bias-related incidents (including microagressions) at individual, unit, and institutional levels.

12. Establish expectations and implement performance evaluation tools for supervisors and departmental leaders related to harassment and discrimination, and include these metrics in annual employee performance reviews. Implement programs for all employees with supervisory or administrator positions.

13. Publicly acknowledge exemplary practices, programs, and policies in departments and colleges that prove to be effective in recruiting and retention or underrepresented students and faculty via newly created Inclusion Excellence Awards.

14. Establish Campus Climate Grants to support programs or activities with a focus on creating and sustaining

“

a healthy campus climate at Auburn University by assisting student organizations with programming efforts that speak to campus climate, where issues of ability status, age, ethnicity, gender, national origin, native language, race, religion, sexual orientation, globalization, and socioeconomic background may have caused students, staff, or faculty to not feel welcomed, supported, included, and/or valued by the campus community. The goal is to encourage cross cultural collaboration by supporting organizations, departments, or units that work with someone that is not considered an established partner.

15. Enhance the services for students with disabilities assuring that all buildings on campus are accessible and contain the necessary technology and learning needs assistance, access doors, ramps & parking.

16. Increase dedicated and shared physical spaces where diverse and inclusive activities, meetings, conversations and experiences are facilitated and encouraged.

17.

Encourage organizations and individual students, faculty, and staff to consider how existing practices and physical spaces, such as offices and meeting locations, communicate openness and inclusivity.”

Check ThePlainsman.com for more coverage of the Climate Study.

In China, parents worry more about girls’ safety than boys’. ... I think parents are not willing to let girls study abroad far away from them because they worry about their safety. ”

—Dan Xu

GRADUATE STUDENT IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

neering students.

Whether international or not, women make up less than 32 percent of the students in those three engineering majors.

“These gaps are closing, but there are still big gaps,” Holley said. “Most of our international students are graduate level, and most of them are going for a STEM field. So I’m thinking that might be one of the reasons why there’s the gap there.”

When admitting international students, Auburn Global does not consider gender as a decision-making factor, according to Sean Busenlener, assistant managing director of Auburn Global.

Rather, candidates are admitted according to their merit.

“We’re really first cohort, so it’s hard for us to see any patterns of students that are coming in — whether it’s male, female or things of that nature — because we’re so new,” Busenlener said. “It’s definitely something that we’re inter-

ested in. We want to continue to closely monitor as we bring in more and more cohorts and classes of students.”

That is the first step: growth.

And whether international gender trends should or will reflect the University’s nearly equal divide overall is yet to be fully evaluated.

“We want to increase our diversity, and we want to bring in a larger applicant pool, which could reflect (the overall gender demographic of Auburn), but I don’t know what that’s going to reflect,” Busenlener said.

For Khollam and her home country, the concept of family could go a long way, because in Asian culture, family holds heavy significance.

“If Auburn, or Auburn Global, could promote Auburn as a family,” Khollam said. “Most of us Auburn students say we are family. So if we are able to use that sentence … and be able to promote an international market, it might have a good impact.”

Campus

Thursday, April 21, 2016

3 ThePlainsman.com

CONSTRUCTION

CDV dorms slated for demolition

Staff Report

The Caroline Draughon Village Extension residence halls, located at the west end of campus near the resident overflow parking lot, are set to be demolished this year.

The CDV Extension includes seven buildings — six former residence halls and one related service building. The 146,791 square feet could provide an estimated 900 parking spaces for event parking, according to the Facilities Management’s Master Plan.

The buildings, which originally served as married student housing, were named for Caroline Draughon, wife of the University’s 10th president, Ralph Brown

Draughon.

As Auburn’s enrollment increased following World War II, Caroline began to notice an increase in married students.

She also realized many male students had working wives helping them pay their way through school. Caroline founded the Dame’s Club to provide a way for those spouses to be involved in college life. Before each graduation, she held a special ceremony, where she presented each graduate’s wife with a “PHT,” or Pushing Hubby Through degree.

The buildings have not been used for housing since 2010.

Other buildings slated for demolition this year include the Food Service Build-

ing on Donahue Drive, Beard Courts in between Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum and Martin Aquatics Center and the Castillian Apartments on Thach Avenue, which the University purchased in January.

The Food Service Building is 21,518 square feet on approximately a 1-acre site.

Built in 1950, its most recent use has been as a storage warehouse.

The G. W. “Jeff” Beard Courts were once available for racquetball and handball. Built on approximately a 1/3 acre site in 1974, it has not been used since 2010.

The Castillian Apartment Complex was built in 1936, and it still houses tenants today.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Potential drugging at fraternity reported Staff Report

The Auburn University Department of Public Safety and Security sent a public safety notice to students about a potential date-rape drugging at a fraternity party Saturday, April 9.

The report came from a third party who believed a friend was involuntarily drugged, according to the public safety notice.

The report said the victim tested positive for GHB, also known as the daterape drug.

Full notice below: A third-party report was received today from someone who believes a friend was involuntarily given a drug at a fraternity on Saturday night. The friend reported that the victim required medical treatment and tested positive for GHB (commonly known as the date rape drug).

If you believe you have been drugged:

Immediately get medical attention.

Some date rape drugs can only be detected in urine from 3–12 hours after they are consumed.

• Call 911 or have a trusted friend take you to the East Alabama Medical Center emergency room. During daytime hours, you can go to the Auburn University Medical Clinic.

• Do not urinate before going to the hospital or medical clinic, if at all possible. If you cannot wait, collect your urine in a clean container and bring it with you for testing.

Report the incident to police at 911 or 334-501-3100.

Please be reminded of the following: Giving someone a drug without their permission is considered aggravated assault and is a felony.

This type of crime can occur anywhere and to anyone. You should not leave drinks unattended, accept drinks

from others or drink from common, open containers.

At Auburn University, violence is not tolerated and everyone is expected to do their part. Bystanders may be able to help reduce power-based personal violence incidents. Always consider your own safety and consider what would be the most realistic option for you. Intervention options include: • Causing a distraction; • Delegating to someone else who can help, such as calling police; or • Directly intervening.

Resources On and Off Campus Safe Harbor (on campus; 24 hours a day): 334-844-7233 or safeharbor@auburn.edu Rape Counselors of East Alabama (community; 24 hours a day): 334-7050510 Resources for Survivors: www.auburn.edu/titleix

ORGANIZATIONS

Living the Creed fights for employee living wages Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER

Living the Creed is a campus organization formed by students to help students with the desire to truly live by the Auburn Creed come together, said Anna Phasavath, member and junior in global studies and human sciences.

The goal, Phasavath said, is to ensure that University employees are guaranteed a “living wage,” or a wage that would allow them to live without government assistance.

“The purpose of Living the Creed is to create a forum for Auburn students, faculty and staff to explore the true meaning of the Auburn Creed and ensure that as a community we are embodying and fulfilling the Creed’s words,” Phasavath said.

Auburn employees are very much a part of the Auburn Family, according to Phasavath.

“Auburn has a number of full-time employees and contracted employees who do not make a living wage,” Phasavath said. “We believe that, as vital components of the Auburn Family, these employees deserve fair wages for

the labor they perform for Auburn University and the students.”

“Previous members of the organization calculated that 162 full-time employees do not even make poverty wages, meaning that the University fails to provide an annual salary amounting to enough money to place these employees above the federal poverty line for Lee County, Alabama.” Phasavath said.

Estimated calculations for a family of four in Lee County prove 435 fulltime employees don’t make a living wage.

Living the Creed’s aims to reach the student body and get their message out, according to Phasavath.

“Through this, we are trying to educate the student body by advocating on the concourse, holding informational events and releasing a PR video,” Phasavath said. “We have also held interviews with current Auburn University students and faculty, asking questions on what it means to be inclusive of those in the Auburn Family.”

Phasavath said as vital members to the Auburn Family, employees should be protected by the beliefs set forth in

2016

Check out our Graduation Special Section in next week’s issue!

The Auburn Plainsman

the Creed.

“Individuals who dedicate their time to better the University should be able to support their family without government or private assistance,” Phasavath said.

Michael Magan, 2013 Auburn graduate and former president of the Young Americans for Liberty, said he doesn’t agree with Living the Creed’s message.

According to Magan, raising minimum wage would reduce total employment, leads to discrimination and it is not a “well-meaning” piece of legislation.

“The reality is that there are many other ways that we could improve wage inequalities that may actually work; Improving education might be the most obvious one,” Magan said. “However, what might better serve those Americans working for the minimum wage might be subsidizing more training, helping them move from being unskilled or low-skilled workers to higher skilled jobs.”

Phasavath said these employees work at least 40 hours a week and deserve to be rewarded for their commitment.

Campus

ALUMNI

​ eace Corps recruiter P returns to The Plains Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER

Amanda Denney, 2008 Auburn graduate in secondary English language arts, served in the Peace Corps in 2012 for two years in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and is now dedicating her time to being a recruiter for Alabama’s international development program.

Denney will be stationed in Auburn, but will be a resource to people throughout the state of Alabama for those interested in entering the Peace Corps.

“This is a totally new program for the state of Alabama,” Denney said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting with people who are interested and demystifying it a little bit.”

During her time in the Peace Corps, Denney said she spent three months training to be an informal girls’ education volunteer so she could be an elementary school tutor.

“When I got to the village … tutoring isn’t really a thing they do there, so I think the people in the elementary school that I was paired with didn’t really know what to do with me, so we just did a girls’ club after school,” Denney said.

“Then the high school principal noticed I had all this time on my hands and that I taught English, so he asked me to teach a few hours of English a week.”

Denney said aside from her tutoring, she was also a part of a community health and AIDS task force to raise awareness on HIV and AIDS, malaria and other health factors, such as teaching children the importance of washing their hands.

“One of the things I found really rewarding when I was there was we had a youth camp called camp GLOW,” Denney said. “It stands for Guys and Girls Leading Our World, and it’s actually a camp that they do in a lot of Peace Corps countries.”

These camps are sometimes designed solely for girls, but hers was for both boys and girls, according to Denney.

“That was definitely challenging because it was weeklong, and it’s a sleepaway camp, so you had to coordinate all these kids getting out there from all these tiny villages,” Denney said. “A lot of them

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN UNIVERSITY

never traveled before.”

Denney said at the camp she focused on feeding the children and holding sessions about health, violence avoidance, gender and sex and reproductive health.

“That was definitely challenging, but a lot of fun,” Denney said.

Denney said when she was living in Auburn she had misconceptions about the Peace Corps.

“I had all of these ideas of what I would be doing and all of these ideas in mind of what a Peace Corps volunteer looks like, how a Peace Corps volunteer behaves and all that kind of stuff,” Denney said. “Then once you get out to your village and you start working, it’s nothing like you expect.”

Denney said she thinks anyone, within reason, can join the Peace Corps without being the “supercrunchy granola type.”

“Now that I’m home, I get so many people telling me, ‘Oh, it’s so amazing that you did that. I could never do anything like that,’” Denney said. “But I think probably the biggest piece of advice I could give is that if you have the desire to be a good volunteer, you definitely have it within you.”

Denney said she looks forward to speaking with people interested in the Peace Corps.

“I really want to empower people to see that they can absolutely take something like this on and do a really good job if you put forth the effort,” Denney said. “It’s not a joke. It’s hard, but I think Auburn graduates in particular have a lot to offer as far as being a Peace Corps volunteer.”

Campus 4

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Auburn Plainsman

ORGANIZATIONS

War Eagle Flying Team heads to nationals Andria Moore CAMPUS WRITER

The War Eagle Flying Team has qualified for a national competition. SAFECON, the National Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference, is an opportunity for collegiate flying teams around the country to test their skills against one another.

SAFECON is hosted by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association and will be held in Columbus, Ohio May 9–14.

Aside from the regional competition, nationals is the War Eagle Flying Team’s primary goal each year. A flying team can only compete in SAFECON if it placed in the top three at regionals.

“We practice year-round,” said Spencer Dulac, War Eagle Flying Team treasurer. “This past regionals we placed third overall and second in flying and second in ground events.”

Some teams have their own planes that they take to competitions, but Dulac said the War Eagle Flying Team uses only University planes.

“We are given flight time based on how much work we do, like washing and cleaning,” Dulac said. “So for nationals, we saved up almost 90 hours to be able to go.”

SAFECON tests teams on different events such as landing, safety, ground work, flight planning and of course, flying.

Hampton McDonald, junior in business and

safety officer for the team, said everyone has worked hard this year on their field work.

“Historically we are stronger in flying than we have been in the field,” McDonald said.

“We have been putting sweat and tears into getting the field part better.”

Davis Sander, sophomore in professional flight management, will compete in both landing events at nationals.

“I do landing practice every Sunday to try and get as close as possible to the target,” Sander said. “You have to be within 20 feet of the target to be competitive.”

Landing events are one of the most difficult events to compete in, according to Sander, because the judges are extremely particular about approach, pattern and the actual landing.

“If you fly too small or too fast, or if you fly in too big of a pattern, you can get points off,” Sander said.

Dulac will pilot for the landing events and will also compete in Message Drop: an event that forces teams to drop an object on a target from the air. He said he feels the War Eagle Flying Team isn’t as strong as other teams in certain ground events because Auburn is not an aviation school.

“We will compete with 20 other schools in the nation,” Dulac said. “But basically it shows we are a good program that we are even going.”

ARMAND DE LAUREAL / PHOTOGRAPHER

Auburn University Flying Team pilot practicing landing at the Auburn University Regional Airport in Auburn Ala. on Sunday Feb. 28.

Sander said Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the War Eagle Flying Team’s biggest rival.

“We kind of butt heads with them because each regional competition we are head-to-

HISTORY

head with them in scores,” Sander said.

Auburn usually places well at nationals every year except last SAFECON. However, last year, the team won top pilot and was awarded top safety.

TIGER DINING

Students pick Panera Bread Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER

FILE PHOTO

Tuskegee High School was the first Alabama public high school to integrate.

Tuskegee High integration performance stirs emotion Rachel Sprouse CAMPUS WRITER

Several audience members wiped away tears during the performance of “The Integration of Tuskegee High School” at the Telfair Peet Theatre. Receiving a standing ovation from a soldout crowd, this performance re-enacted the events that occurred during the 1963 integration of Tuskegee High School, the first public high school to integrate in Alabama.

Although rehearsals for this performance have been daily since Feb. 22, this performance has been two years in the making. Written and directed by Tessa Carr, this collage of different interviews from those who experienced the events firsthand gives new life and perspective to that moment in history.

Several audience members were students at Tuskegee High School that year or were one of the 13 to be integrated. Anthony Lee was among the 13 and shared his feedback with the cast after the performance.

“These are some very talented young

people who are learning a very valuable lesson, and I hope that they will take this with them wherever they go,” Lee said.

“And that will lessen a need for things we went through 50 years ago.”

Lee shared with the audience that he was the first African-American student at Auburn University to attend for a full four years.

Fred Gray, civil rights lawyer, said he thought it was an excellent performance by the actors and that the writer of the play did a good job trying to recapture the people’s actions and emotions.

“This has taken our society, as I said in my remarks, 50 years to get to a point where we can even sit down and talk about it,” Gray said.

Rebecca Sickles, who was portrayed in the performance, said her heart was pounding from the emotions generated by the performance.

“When you grow up and live through this and get away, you kind of think it was just your experience, and it was something I wanted to put away because it was hurtful,” Sickles said. “But when

it all started coming back out again, it’s been a healing process, and so I want to thank everybody who was a part of that.”

Gray said he hopes audiences will come away from the performance with the understanding that former Gov. George Wallace interfered with “what would have been an orderly procedure.”

Gray said as the result of Lee v. Macon County Board of Education, “we were able to solve a problem of getting rid of segregation in all of our educational system.”

Mark Wilson said he was left speechless after the performance. According to Wilson, the last performance will be live streamed so “anyone, anywhere” can watch online.

Gray said he thinks the most important thing our society needs to realize is that the struggle for equal justice continues.

“We still have a lot of problems,” Gray said. “We need to work on them and not take 50 more years to solve them.”

Performances will continue from now until April 24. See the Department of Theatre’s website for more details.

Almost 90 percent of student voters wanted Einstein Bro’s. Bagels in the Haley Center and Panera Bread in the Mell Classroom Building, according to Trey Fields, SGA executive vice president of initiatives.

“Really big shout out to you guys … we got 3,299 responses, and then we had 2,953 say that they wanted Einstein’s in the Haley Center and have Panera followed up at Mell Street,” Fields said. “So 2,953, which is about 89.5 percent of the vote.”

Fields said the majority wanted this arrangement, but there were other responses as well.

“Then 227 wanted it in Mell and there was 119 others, which became very interesting with a lot of colorful responses,” Fields said.

The desire for an Einstein’s in the Haley Center and a Panera Bread in the Mell Classroom Building was overwhelming, according to Fields.

“That’s kind of the process and what students want,” Fields said. “We’re going to proceed with the resolution, and a couple of you as senators are working on that, and we’ll have that coming through soon.”

Brandon Honeywell, SGA vice president, said the survey is a good experience for senators to learn how to keep things short and engaging, as well as a chance to make sure they’re double checking their work.

“It is smart to go ahead and talk with other people about something you’re thinking about writing before you send it through the committee,” Honeywell said.

Jesse Westerhouse, SGA president, then encouraged senators to come forward to the executive board if they had any goals they were passionate about for the coming year in SGA. “Earlier in cabinet we had the chance to share all of our SGA goals for the year … just five big goals and a few subpoints under each,” Westerhouse said. “Feel free to make your own goals as well. We aren’t bound by those.”

VIA FLICKR

EVENTS

Music and Miracles concert:What you need to know Andria Moore CAMPUS REPORTER

The Music and Miracles concert is set for Saturday, April 23, in Jordan-Hare Stadium. A crowd of more than 55,000 is expected . The proceeds from the Music and Miracles concert featuring Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion and Sam Hunt will go to the Chicken Salad Chick Foundation, which aims to raise money for fighting cancer and hunger.

There will be alcohol Alcohol will be sold in the stadium, said Chicken Salad Chick Foundation Director Barclay Smith. Alcohol is usually prohibited inside the stadium, regardless of age or seat section, according to the Athletic Event Alcohol Policy section of the student handbook.

Traffic will be rerouted Jeremy Roberts, assistant athletics director, said the preparation and planning for parking and traffic have been going on for six months.

“Portions of the arena lot and stadium will be closed as the stadium is set up for the concert,” Roberts said. “On the day of the concert, the parking lots around campus will be closed similar to how they are on a game day.”

The entire event will be organized similar to traffic organization for home football games, Smith said.

“The same roads will be barricaded, so for Auburn fans it will be a very similar setup,” Smith said. “But there will be a lot of people coming from out of town that aren’t recreational Auburn fans.”

Vendors and tailgating will be set up along the Student Center Greenspace. Parking tickets can be purchased for $35–50 for designated lots on campus, and RVs can park in the Community Garden or at the pond beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, according to the Music and Miracles website.

“The plan is to limit noise during the day and have any sound checks and rehearsals occur in the evening,” Roberts said. “Traffic around the stadium will be slower during the days of setup and then the day before and day of the concert.”

Smith said the rehearsals will also have a curfew so as not to disrupt people’s sleep.

“Communication, coordination and efficient operations are being stressed to minimize the

impact of bringing a large-scale concert into the middle of campus,” Roberts said.

The stage is set The stage area inside the stadium underwent construction on Friday.

“It is quite a process of getting and building the equipment,” Smith said.

Along with the vendors on the greenspace, Smith said fun zones, VIP areas, giveaways and music will also be set up from 12–5 p.m.

Many people are working together to make sure this event is a success, according to Smith.

“We expect people to be there early,” Smith said. “We are just so excited to be able to carry out Kevin’s [Chicken Salad Chick co-founder who died after a battle with cancer] wishes and continue that work for him.”

Opinion

5

Thursday, April 21, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Opinion

It’s a family affair, Auburn OUR VIEW

SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PLAINS

Spring Editorial Board 2016

As inflation continues to devalue the dollar, the eternal struggle toward higher minimum wages trudges on.

Specifically, it has made traction here at Auburn University. Auburn’s “Living the Creed” movement, led by students and professors, aims to persuade the University to raise the wages earned by University faculty members.

It’s an initiative that’s already been completed at universities such as Stanford, Harvard and Georgetown, where wages have been raised for faculty and contract workers.

“No one who works full time should be poor,” said professor Diana Eidson, one of the leaders of Living the Creed. “People have the right to a wage that fulfills basic needs and that gives them dignity and a way to provide for their families.”

Currently, Auburn employs 162 full-time workers whose earnings don’t reach the federal poverty line for Lee County.

As of January 2016, there are 473 fulltime Auburn University employees making below the living wage as put forth by Economic Policy Institute for Lee County.

The movement’s goal is to raise the University minimum wage to $13.98, the base hourly rate deemed to provide workers with a wage that not only exceeds the poverty line, but reaches the threshold of a living wage, according to the EPI. It would cost the University $1,909,687.40 a year to bring all full-time employees up to a living wage, according to the EPI calculations.

To do this, tuition could be raised by about $70 per student.

We believe this effort is noble and hope it becomes actualized.

The Auburn Family needs to make sure

Response to “No. 2 Softball blasts Arkansas 21-0 for largest SEC win ever” Ben Bazemore “Lucky number 17 I guess, war damn eagle!”

Response to “City Council set to discuss Chevron redevelopment” Daniel Ballard “I don’t live in Auburn anymore but one of the most appealing things was that a lot of buildings were not multiple stories. Seems like all the new buildings are several stories tall. Just my opinion but build out in opelika not up in auburn.”

Jamie Culver “Need business downtown, not housing”

STERLING WAITS / GRAPHICS DESIGNER

it looks out not only for its most obvious members — students, professors, administrators — but also for those members who live on the fringes of Auburn University — people whose livelihoods center on making our lives go more smoothly.

If a man who works as a security monitor at Auburn can’t keep his house warm in the winter for himself and his family, that makes our lives poorer.

If a mother who works as a groundskeeper has to decide between feeding her children healthy foods or buying them new clothes, that makes our lives more frustrating.

The Auburn Creed calls us to recognize that we live in a practical world in which we should only expect to earn what we work for.

It calls us to cultivate the human touch to aid our fellow man.

Providing living wages for our workers is paramount to respecting our creed.

These workers provide support for students and faculty alike. They feed us when we are hungry; they clean up our messes.

If raising the University minimum wage doesn’t have an adverse effect on employment, this measure could be of great benefit to the Auburn Family.

Response to “Prosecution asks court to exclude anything related to prosecutorial misconduct in Mike Hubbard case” Cody Davis “Another day without heart failure...”

Response to “Cakeitecture Bakery combines architecture with baking’” Peggy Schilling Domning “I have to go by there next time I’m in Auburn!!”

Response to “Public Safety issues notice of attempted date-rape drugging at fraternity party” Kaila Henderson “Because this is a surprise...?”

HIS VIEW

Alabama, stop electing people based on religion Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY REPORTER

Alabamians, like myself, like to believe we are a good people. And most of us are.

The politicians whom we select to represent us, on the other hand, are of a different breed.

Gov. Robert Bentley is not the first embarrassing elected official in Alabama, and he won’t be the last. Despite our conservative family values and high rates of pew occupation, we have a consistent track record of choosing unethical representatives.

But Bentley ran on Republican family values. He was a deacon at his church. He taught Sunday school.

He also spent thousands on burner cellphones and ordered the state’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer not to cooperate with the investigation into Speaker Mike Hubbard.

We have a state government more accustomed to controversy than stability because we insist on electing our officials based on racially and religiously motivated stereotypes and party affiliation.

Former Gov. George Wallace — whom Alabamians selected to serve a record four terms as governor — spent his entire life literally

standing in the doorway blocking progress, but he was a good ‘ole boy, devout Methodist and family man.

He was also a white supremacist and segregationist.

Wallace’s successor after his fourth term, former Gov. Guy Hunt was not much better.

Hunt, a Primitive Baptist preacher, was elected governor after painting Democrats as dirty politicians in 1986. He portrayed his Democratic challenger as pro-gay during his re-election campaign in 1990.

Hunt could be seen as a predecessor to today’s “family values” candidates.

Pastor Hunt was forced to pay back thousands of dollars to the state after it was discovered that he used state aircraft to travel to religious conferences while in office.

He was later convicted of a felony during his second term in office for stealing $200,000 from his inaugural fund.

We sure know how to pick ‘em.

Gov. Fob James — who had served a first term several years before from 1979–83 between two of Wallace’s terms — was re-elected in 1994.

In a case of uncanny foreshadowing, Roy Moore — when he was serving as Etowah County circuit judge during James’ term — rose to prominence after he refused to remove a Ten Commandments plaque from his courtroom after a federal judge ordered him to.

James supported him, even threatening to mobilize the national guard if the federal gov-

ernment tried to remove the plaque.

It’s not just governors we can’t seem to pick.

Moore’s plaque in Etowah County was wooden and much smaller than the granite one he had commissioned for the state judicial building after he was elected Alabama Supreme Court chief justice in 2000.

Moore’s 5,000-pound granite monument got him removed from office Nov. 13, 2003, after he defied federal court orders to remove the monument.

It was removed the next day.

Alabamians resoundingly re-elected him in 2012 to the same position from which he was removed in 2003.

Moore has only gone on to further embarrass the state, leading a Supreme Court that has been a mockery, even by his own established standards.

We just really, really can’t seem to pick them.

To complete the triangle of governmental embarrassment, Auburn’s own Hubbard will soon head to trial for 23 counts of felony counts of violating Alabama’s ethics law.

Maybe we should start electing people based on accomplishment, intellect and vision, instead of deciding based on the color of their skin, which church they attend and to which political party they belong.

Chip can be reached at community@ThePlainsman.com

Emily Esleck MANAGING EDITOR Kris Martins COPY Weston SimS OPINION

Corey Williams CAMPUS Maria McIlwain COMMUNITY Sam Butler SPORTS

Dakota Sumpter PHOTO

Anne Dawson INTRIGUE

Submissions

Policy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Response to “Apparel design students to host annual fashion show” Bobbie Meacham “Can’t wait to see the Fasiin Show!”

Response to “George Petrie: the man behind the Creed” Faye Jones “Thanks go to George Petrie for SO many things AUBURN!!! Rest In Peace!!!”

Response to “Lt. Gov Kay Ivey ‘disappointed’ in Gov. Robert Bentley” Brody Roberts “They all need to go. Alabama is the laughing stock of the country barely in front of Mississippi. We cannot move forward as a state and be respected nationally with the type of behavior of our state leaders.”

255 Heisman Drive, Suite 1111, AU Student Center Auburn, AL 36849 Newsroom - (334) 844-9108 Advertising - (334) 844-9101

Kristen Keeter SOCIAL MEDIA Kris Sims MULTIMEDIA

SueAnne Griffith “Are they pro life or just pro birth? It’s one thing to have a baby be born, but another to provide health, nourishment, and education to that child. That’s life. Additionally, are they advocating for better health/sex education? Better accessibility to women’s clinics? Or is this just meant to shame women who have had to make this difficult choice every day in America, for any number of reasons? There’s so much more to the abortion discussion than an eyecatching display, and I’m genuinely curious the intentions behind it.”

The Auburn Plainsman

The Editorial Board Jim Little EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Response to “Auburn Students for Life recognizes ‘Prolife Week’ with Cater display”

Editor-in-Chief - Jim Little

Managing Editor - Emily Esleck

NEWSROOM

ADVERTISING

CAMPUS

OPINION

Editor - Corey Williams Reporter - Andria Moore Writer - Claire Tully Writer - Ameera Steward Writer - Rachel Sprouse Writer - Jake LeGrone Writer - Eric Pereira

Editor - Weston Sims

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ADVISER

COPY DESK

Elizabeth Snider advertising@auburn.edu

COMMUNITY Editor - Maria McIlwain Reporter - Chip Brownlee Writer - Liz Maddux Writer - Lily Jackson

SPORTS Editor - Sam Butler Reporter - Emily Shoffit Reporter - C.J. Holmes Writer - Nathan Deal Writer - Bailey Rogers Writer - Andrew Monson Writer - Jonathan Hefner

INTRIGUE Editor - Anne Dawson Writer - Marissa Luckie Writer - Amanda Myles Writer - Ben Ruffin Writer- Rachel Williams Writer - Grayson Temple

Editor - Kris Martins

PHOTO AND GRAPHICS

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Photo Editor - Dakota Sumpter Staff Photographer - Adam Sparks Staff Photographer - Ellen Jackson Staff Photographer - Jordan Hays Photographer - Megan Endt Photographer - Armand de Laureal Photographer - Matthew Bishop Photographer - Madison Ogletree Graphics Designer - Sterling Waits

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

SOCIAL MEDIA

DESIGNERS

Editor - Kristen Keeter

Caitlin Griffith admanager@ThePlainsman.com

Lacey Gossett Lauren Bagby

Grant Peterson Montana Cole

MULTIMEDIA Editor - Kris Sims Reporter - Parker Aultman Reporter - John Lee

EDITORIAL ADVISER Alec Harvey adviser@ThePlainsman.com

DISTRIBUTION Dakota Sumpter Jordan Hays Zack Clark

Community Thursday, April 21, 2016

6 ThePlainsman.com

Community

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

‘Boom it, Skip! Boom it!’

Bookstore owner takes lessons from the football field to family business Lily Jackson

COMMUNITY WRITER

There are families that live and breathe Auburn.

Skip Johnston, former Auburn University punter and co-owner of J&M Bookstore, was raised in one of those families.

Skip was born and raised in Auburn. Skip’s mother was Miss Auburn in 1949 and met Skip’s father while attending Auburn University.

Skip is married to Glenda Johnston and has three children. Their two daughters are currently attending Auburn, and their son is attending Auburn High School.

After graduating from Auburn High School, Skip was offered positions on college baseball teams and football teams.

He signed with Auburn football in 1975, coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan’s last year, as a punter. Skip lettered 1977–79, under coach Doug Barfield.

“There’s nothing like game days, and there is definitely nothing like running out of the tunnel in Jordan-Hare,” Skip said. “It’s just hard to explain to people that haven’t experienced it.”

Skip said he still keeps in touch with some of the team from his time as a punter. At the time, Auburn had a talented offensive team, Skip said.

“I’m still close with a lot of my old teammates,” Skip said. “Some of them stopped by the store on A-Day to catch up.”

After graduating from Auburn in 1981 with a degree in education, he moved away to play professional football for the Seattle Seahawks, Min-

nesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Houston Oilers.

“It was an interesting experience for an Auburn grad to take on the pros,” Skip said.

According to Skip, his time with the Seattle Seahawks stood out to him because of the team members.

During his time in Houston, there were many changes because of Oail Andrew Phillips, commonly known as Bum Phillips, leaving the Oilers.

“I was good enough to make it into the pros, but I was basically the guy they brought in to kinda push the veterans,” Skip said. “Nonetheless, it was a great experience; I met a lot of great guys.”

Skip said being given the opportunity to play professional football is an amazing experience.

After years of playing football on many levels, Skip found teamwork was necessary in every element of his life, whether on the field or behind a counter selling Auburn bumper stickers.

Skip said leaving football to come back and work for the family business, J&M Bookstore, was a difficult adjustment in the beginning. J&M has been around since 1953.

He said over the years he has come to realize what a great town Auburn is and how crucial the University is to the community. Hard work is another lesson Skip took from his time on the field that played a part in his role with the business.

“In 1984, I came back to J&M and was blessed to be able to come back to the job and my family,” Skip said.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Skip Johnston, co-owner of J&M Bookstore, stands in the store on Friday, April 15.

Skip and his brother Trey Johnston are now the owners of J&M. They manage the two Auburn locations.

Trey took on the business before Skip, but loves the opportunity he has to work with his brother now.

“It is wonderful to work with (Skip),” Trey

said. “We have trust, we both think a lot alike, we were raised alike and I can’t think of working with anyone else.”

According to Trey, “Skip’s biggest fan,” the Auburn “Boom it!” cheer was first heard in Jordan-Hare with Skip’s name stuck smack-dab in the middle of it.

CONSTRUCTION

HEALTH

Auburn employees finish Scale Back Lily Jackson

COMMUNITY WRITER

After four months, Scale Back Alabama, a statewide weight-loss program, has come to a close, but the scales are not being shelved.

Beginning Jan. 25, Auburn employees from a multitude of departments committed to losing 10 pounds in 10 weeks with the help and encouragement of a team partner.

Employees were excited to start the program and were thankful for the University’s support at the beginning. The weigh-ins started in the Walker Building in January and finished in the Walker Building this month.

Tammy Hollis, Healthy Tigers Wellness Initiative coordinator, said those who participated have accomplished much over the 10 weeks.

“We’ve told the competitors to not think of this as the end, but to keep going,” Hollis said. “Even if they didn’t reach their goals, we have encouraged them to keep going and keep trying.”

Hollis said weight loss takes different amounts of time for different people, and the process can be frustrating at moments, but to really see a difference one has to keep striving to excel.

“It’s a journey, not a destination,” Hollis said.

This motto, repeatedly said by Hollis, has been an encouragement to partners Ruthie Spiers, director of University advising, and Michael Lee, academic adviser for exploratory advising. Spiers and Lee work in the same department, which has made accountability throughout the competition more convenient.

“The University has been great with putting on healthy luncheons and weightloss events,” Lee said. “They are very supportive of our health.”

Spiers appreciated the availability of scales at campus buildings. This allowed the team to meet up and weigh in every

JORDAN HAYS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Medians will be added to South College Street near the Heart of Auburn shopping center as part of infrastructure improvements.

Improvements coming to South College Street

Chip Brownlee

COMMUNITY REPORTER

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Tammy Hollis, Healthy Tigers Wellness Initiative coordinator, and Kris Garner, a participant, talk during the final weigh-in of Scale Back Alabama.

Friday to keep up with their pound count.

Lee said the most successful strategy was avoiding high-calorie breakfasts.

Before Scale Back, he chose Hardee’s or Chick-fil-A. Now he chooses healthier alternatives.

Spiers helped connect Lee to a group of men who play basketball every morning at 6 a.m. Lee said that has been a competitive and enjoyable way to lose weight.

“As long as you are even or losing when you weigh in, you’re doing good,” Lee said.

Spiers found the best way to lose weight and succeed in the challenge was

to avoid snacking.

According to the team, the office where they both work has also begun to work toward healthier lifestyles.

“Our whole office has tried to be a little more fit,” Spiers said. “We all got Fitbits, and we do competitions. We got ellipticals under our desks and have started to meet to walk during meetings instead of sitting in the office.”

The team said Scale Back Alabama is not the end for them, and they plan to continue weighing in every Friday, exercising instead of sitting around and watching what they eat.

JOBS

Alabama unemployment holds steady Chip Brownlee

COMMUNITY REPORTER

The Alabama Department of Labor released labor statistics for the month of March on Friday, April 15.

The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.2 percent for the third month in a row.

“Alabama’s unemployment rate continues to hold steady, all the while showing labor force and employment growth,” said Gov. Robert Bentley in a press release. “The growth is very encouraging, as we continue to see higher numbers of people working than we

have in nearly eight years. Employers are hiring in Alabama, and we have a workforce ready for a job. Our efforts will continue to put Alabamians back to work.”

Out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, Alabama has the sixth-highest unemployment rate, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The national unemployment rate for March measured in at 5 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from February’s rate of 4.9 percent.

Civilian labor force participation — the measurement of how many people

are working or actively seeking work — increased to 2,176,457 in March.

Participation is up 9,123 from last month’s total of 2,167,334.

The total number of individuals counted as employed has increased by 21,848 since January.

“The number of jobs our economy is currently supporting is extremely encouraging — we’re less than 8,000 jobs away from meeting economists’ predictions for job growth in 2016, and we’re only three months into the year,” said Alabama Department of Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald Washington.

The City of Auburn Public Works Department is planning yet another infrastructure improvement project for the city.

The department plans to begin a major project in January 2017 to improve aesthetics and traffic flow along South College Street between Roosevelt Avenue and Garden Drive.

Nearly 2,000 feet of South College Street will see major upgrades as part of the project, as well as portions of Samford Avenue and Gay Street.

“We have two lanes of traffic headed southbound, but one drops into a left-turn lane,” said Auburn Public Works Director Jeffery Ramsey. “So really you only get effective use of just one lane. So we’re going to add another lane for left-turn movement.”

Ramsey said the upgrades in the project will include widening South College Street with an additional lane of through traffic. Once the project is completed, there will be two lanes of through traffic, as well as the left- and right-turn lanes.

There will be improvements for those who often get stuck in the mornings headed northbound along South College Street as well.

“We’re going to add a rightturn lane on College Street as you turn onto Samford [Avenue], right there by the parking lot right across from the President’s Mansion,” Ramsey said.

After improvements to the northbound lanes of the street

are completed, there will be two through lanes, as well as a left- and right-turn lane onto Samford Avenue.

The department will also add sidewalks to improve access from downtown to the Donald E. Davis Arboretum and the President’s Mansion.

The nearly 1,000-foot-long sidewalk will be close to 8 feet wide.

Pedestrian street lights will be added to improve visibility and safety, Ramsey said.

The main purpose of the project is to improve traffic flow, but Ramsey said his department will also take the opportunity to improve the aesthetics of the area.

New decorative traffic-signal poles will replace existing poles at both the South College Street and Samford Avenue and the South Gay Street and East Samford Avenue intersections.

A median will also be added along the stretch of South College Street between Samford and Roosevelt avenues. The median will serve as a midway refuge for crosswalks between the University’s campus and the Heart of Auburn retail center, home to BurgerFi and CVS Pharmacy.

“We’re putting in a midwalk crosswalk there so that people can actually cross to the median, have a safe refuge and then cross on over,” Ramsey said.

Construction is expected to take six months. Ramsey said commuters should expect some detours.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Community 7

The Auburn Plainsman

LANDMARKS

Abandoned mill gives meaning to its location Emily Esleck

MANAGING EDITOR

Broken bricks lie scattered on the ground, remnants of silver metal air vents screech, sending a chill down the spine, and shards of glass fill the once-used path leading to a place that is now burned rubble and memories.

One can almost feel the loss and emotion of the abandoned place. It’s the certain kind of place that exudes feeling.

Gazing through the rubble, there’s a building in the back, or what’s left of it, approximately half a mile from the start of the concrete staircase, which leads to the first building that welcomes the visitor to what used to be.

From first glance, the first building seems to be normal, some shattered windows and warped vents from the heat of the fire. When walking to the side, one can see this building is cut in half, a distinct scar of the damage done. This place was once filled with the hustle and bustle of people, and it was a place that even some called home.

Born Christmas Day of 1939, Jane Worthington lived in the Pepperell Mill Village for the first 19 years of her life. She even wrote a 79page book about it — “A Village Not Forgotten: Pepperell Mill Village, Pepperell Manufacturing Company, Opelika, Alabama: Mill History, 19261960.”

The Pepperell Mill was a cotton gin constructed back in the ‘20s, according to Worthington.

She said the 400-acre land was approximately 2 miles from Opelika and bordered between the

main lines of the Central of Georgia Railway to the north and the Western Railway of Alabama to the south.

“During the years that I went to Pepperell School, the nine years, I didn’t know anybody outside of the village,” Worthington said.

In 2005, she took over a historic website of the mill, which included first-hand accounts of memories shared in the village.

This place wasn’t just a mill. It was a place where people grew up.

According to the website, there was a school, town shops and the old mill recreation department, where the two most popular activities were square dancing and football.

Worthington said there was also a community center up the road at what they called the “old mill,” so most social activities of the village were held in the school building. A post office, drug store and beauty parlor were also in the village, according to Worthington. The mill stopped running in 2007. “(1926–60) was the golden years of the mill,” Worthington said. “And then when it was changed, it was just never the same again.”

These memories still live on, but the mill does not. It was Tuesday night, March 12, 2013, when Reid Pope and his wife were shopping in Tiger Town.

On the way home, they saw a big ball of black smoke billowing up from the mill area. At first, Pope said he didn’t know what it was.

When they arrived there, Pope said they pulled

EMILY ESLECK / MANAGING EDITOR

Wreckage from Pepperell Mill, which burned down March 12, 2013, remains on-site.

into a parking lot near Pepperell Baptist Church and watched as the flames licked all the way up the building, enveloping them in a fiery haze.

Pope said they arrived after the Opelika Fire Department, and they weren’t the only ones. He said there were many curious people gathered to see what was happening to the mill, including Worthington.

She said she received a call at 8 p.m., and she immediately came to stand outside and watch it burn for two to three hours.

“It was just kind of unreal,” Worthington said.

“There was absolutely no smoke in the village.

Smoke was blowing the other way, and there was no smoke at all in the village. And, believe me,

there was a lot of smoke from that thing. It was really weird the way (the fire) just kind of crept across the top of the building away from one end to the other.”

Three years later, bulldozers, trucks and mounds of dirt are slightly visible to the far right of the mill property. Pope said there were plans to renovate the mill before its smoke-choking demise.

Lori Huguley, director of economic development with the city of Opelika, said a farmers market and doctor’s office will fill the area.

Huguley said the property is privately owned, and there hasn’t been any new updates on the books.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

City Council addresses concerns with proposed development Lily Jackson

COMMUNITY WRITER

The planning of new developments and future construction was once again a main priority for the City Council at the April 19 meeting.

During Committee of the Whole, council members discussed 191 College, a development set to shoot up on the southwestern corner of North College Street and West Glenn Avenue. There will be another entrance on Wright Street.

The 75-foot development will bor-

der downtown, providing housing for students and leased retail space on the ground floor.

Underground parking will be provided for residents, said Forrest Cotten, planning director.

191 College will house 127 units, providing students with 465 more beds to consider while apartment shopping.

City Manager Charles Duggan prefaced the conversation outlining what was being proposed by the development company.

“What we are looking at is, this is requested of the developer and the things that we think just cannot be done, we say no,” Duggan said. “But, things that we could maybe massage and make work, they then end up in the development agreement.”

Problematic elements of the current plan included the closure of sidewalks on Wright Street and Glenn Avenue, 1-foot lane decreases on Glenn and the time length of these closures.

After extensive conversation between council members, the decision-

was made to re-evaluate the business plan and their concerns before going forward.

The council will reconvene May 17 to address the revised plan.

Beth Witten, Ward 3 councilwoman, reiterated her support for the new development while expressing her concerns with added construction in a high-traffic area.

“Let me first say that this is a great project, and I’m excited to see it come,” Witten said. “However, this isn’t being done in a silo. There’s a lot

of things happening in a short proximity of a very busy section of town.”

The development is private and shouldn’t hinder citizens from their daily commute and lives, Witten said.

Council members discussed the possibility of providing scaffolding to ensure the accessibility of sidewalks for students and citizens throughout the construction process.

Miles Hill, 191 College developer, was present and said some of the time estimations cited at the meeting will be re-evaluated.

Sports Thursday, April 21, 2016

SCOREBOARD BASEBALL (17-19, 5-10)

8 ThePlainsman.com

Sports

FOOTBALL

Bringing in a helping Hand

Old friends Malzahn, Hand join forces once again at Auburn Nathan Deal SPORTS WRITER

AUBURN ATHLETICS

LAST WEEK at Kennesaw State (L, 6-5) vs. Tennessee (L, 13-4; W, 2-0; W, 7-6) vs. Alabama State (W, 11-2) THIS WEEK April 22-24 at Ole Miss (6:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 1 p.m.)

SOFTBALL (41-4, 12-3)

FILE PHOTO

LAST WEEK at UAB (W, 8-1) at Arkansas (W, 21-0 (5); W, 23-0 (5); W, 10-0 (5)) THIS WEEK April 20 vs. Florida State (4 p.m./6:30 p.m.)

April 22-24 vs. Georgia (6 p.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m.)

WOMEN’S TENNIS (21-6, 9-4)

AUBURN ATHLETICS

LAST WEEK at Vanderbilt (L, 4-3) at Kentucky (W, 4-3) THIS WEEK SEC Championships In Baton Rouge, Louisiana

EQUESTRIAN (16-1, 5-1)

A quick glance at Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and new offensive line coach Herb Hand would lead one to believe that, outside of them being football coaches, they’re polar opposites.

Even in the business of college football, however, opposites attract.

Malzahn is reserved and collected while Hand is humorous and charismatic, making for quite the unlikely pair.

But the two coaches have a history together, which Auburn hopes will result in a match made in heaven.

Hand and Malzahn first met at Tulsa in what Hand describes as a “perfect storm of circumstances.” They served as co-offensive coordinators in 2007 and 2008.

“We were co-coordinators, and we were cut from the same cloth from a philosophy standpoint and from a process standpoint,” Hand said. “From a scheme standpoint, we were coming from two different areas, and we checked our egos at the door and said, ‘What do we have to do to put this offense together to give Tulsa the best opportunity for success?’”

The result was the top-ranked offense in college football for two consecutive years, as the Golden Hurricane went 21-7 while averaging approximately 557 yards of total offense and 44 points per game.

In 2009, Malzahn was hired as the offensive coordinator at Auburn, which led to Hand becoming Tulsa's sole offensive coordinator that season before being hired by James Franklin as Vanderbilt’s offensive line coach.

He took the same job at Penn State when Franklin was hired as the Nittany Lions’ head coach in 2014.

Even after Hand and Malzahn went their separate ways in 2009, the two remained close as friends and as professionals.

That’s why Malzahn's job offer was one Hand couldn't refuse.

“I was in a great situation at Penn State,” Hand said. “We were in the process of building that program back. But to have the opportunity to get back up with Gus [is good]. I like coaching in the SEC as well. ... If you coach on the line of scrimmage in the SEC, it’s like a badge of honor, because this is the truest line-of-scrimmage league there is.”

Auburn’s prestigious football history was one of the selling points for Hand.

“The football here speaks for itself,” Hand said.

“You’re talking about one of the greatest programs since they started lacing up footballs.”

However, the main motivation for Hand to return was to reunite with the hurry-up-no-huddle enthusiast.

“This has been a refreshing deal for me personally

and professionally, coming here and getting back with Gus,” Hand said. “He’s one of my very good friends, but also the opportunity to work for him and with him has been awesome. I’m excited about this.”

Malzahn echoed Hand’s sentiments about the excitement that comes with their reunion.

“He’s an energy guy,” Malzahn said. “He’s a positive guy.

Just the first two days brought back a lot of memories from Tulsa. Sounds — I can hear the same voices. He’s got the same sayings and everything, but he’s doing a great job so far. The offensive line has really connected with him,

AUBURN ATHLETICS

LAST WEEK NCEA Championships vs. Kansas State (W, 15-1) vs. Texas A&M (W, 10-6) National Championship vs. TCU (W, 8-7)

SHOE ROOM

have fun and do your job as well, you probably ought to think about changing your profession, because life’s too short to not enjoy yourself. Gus enjoys himself.

He has a funny way of showing it at times.”

The playful joking between the two has toned down thanks partially to the new professional dynamic they now share, but Hand isn't shy about revealing some of his past nicknames for Malzahn, including “Jimmy Neutron.”

“There was the ‘Boy Genius,’ there was ‘Inspector Gadget,’ and then, at the end of our time at Tulsa, I just started calling him ‘G-Unit,’” Hand said with a laugh. “He’s coach Malzahn now. He’s the head guy. You’ve got to keep that level of… what’s the word I’m looking for?

Professionalism.”

Hand admits that he and Malzahn have “contrasting personalities,” but he considers that far from a bad thing.

“At the end of the day, he’s a really good guy,” Hand said. “I’ve got nothing but love for the guy. He kind of has a nerdy cool about him that I AUBURN COACH GUS MALZAHN love. I like working with him, and I which I think is really like working for him.” important. We’ll see While Hand and Malzahn might have differwhat happens as ent personalities, they are definitely like-minded spring goes, but when it comes to football, to an almost telepathI like the energy ic degree. from him and “He sees the big picture,” Hand said. “It’s althe offensive most uncanny, really. There will be times when I line.” feel like my office is bugged because I’ll be talkW h a t ing about something and next thing I know, he’ll makes Hand come in, and he’ll say, ‘Hey, I was thinking about a n d M a l - this,’ and it’s the same thing that [offensive coorzahn so dif- dinator] Rhett [Lashlee] and I were just talking ferent is their about, so I think I've got to get my office traced a p p r o a c h e s for bugs or something.” to expressing Hand has a certain trust in Malzahn that he their personali- doesn’t have in many other coaches. ties. Hand seems Malzahn isn't letting last season's 7-6 campaign as giddy on the dictate the tone of his coaching or his program, job as a child on while Hand didn't let such a disappointing season Christmas morn- affect his decision to take the job. ing, which con“As coaches, we are all driven,” Hand said. “If trasts with Mal- you aren’t driven, you’re not lasting in this prozahn’s straight- fession. Do you have a little more of a chip on faced, schemati- your shoulder? Sure. I get that. I know the way cal approach.

I’m wired, and I know Gus is wired the same way, “I like to have that it doesn’t matter if you’re coming off of a nafun,” Hand said. tional championship year or if you’re coming off “I like life, of a mediocre — for lack of a better word — year. you know “You’re still going to be driven to compete and what I win every game. Every practice we go out there, I m e a n ? want to win every rep.”

If you While Hand has plenty of praise for Malzahn can’t as a coach, he respects Malzahn even more as a person.

“I’ve always said that Gus is a special person in that his greatest ability is that he brings out the best in people,” Hand said. “He’s brought out the best in me as a coach and as a person, and that’s what he has an uncanny ability to do.”

NEW AUBURN OFFENSIVE LINE COACH HERB HAND MALZAHN: FILE PHOTO

HAND: LINSEY FAGAN / DAILY COLLEGIAN

Voted #1 Great Brands & Best Prices Hundreds of Brands Thousands of Shoes $19.99 or Less Save 35% - 80% off of Dept Store Prices 941 Opelika Road, Auburn, AL 334.821.5367 w w w. t h e s h o e r o o m . c o m M-F 10-7 :: Sat 9-6 :: Sun 1-5

You’re Going to Love our New Shoe Brands

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Sports 9

The Auburn Plainsman

Equestrian caps off 2015-16 with fourth national title Sam Butler SPORTS EDITOR

For the fourth time in program history, the Auburn equestrian team finished at the top.

By beating No. 6 TCU, 8-7, the No. 1-ranked Tigers claimed their first national championship since 2013, capping a season full of dominance.

“It was a dramatic finish to a great season,” said coach Greg Williams. “I’m so proud of this team and the great coaching staff. This staff had everyone ready to play, and it’s been an awesome weekend. I give so much credit to TCU for having a fantastic championship.

They proved they're here to compete and are going to be successful in the future.

“We had a lot of business to settle, and the focus we had all the way to the end really paid off. I’m so proud and am thankful to have one of the greatest groups of seniors I’ve ever had.

And they’ll turn around and say that the underclassmen bought in 100 percent to the program. This is one of the most unified teams I’ve ever coached at Auburn.”

Auburn got out to a 7-5 lead heading into the final event of the match, Reining, where

freshman Blair McFarlin claimed a point for the Tigers over Hunter De Jane, 138-137.5.

However, the Horned Frogs clawed back to within 2 points after the next match. Senior Hailey Munger tied TCU rider Brooke Boyle in her ride, 142-142, to ensure the Tigers took home the title.

“We’ve been working up to this moment all year,” Munger said. “I felt a lot of pressure going into that last ride, but I wasn’t nervous.

I knew my teammates trusted me, and I knew I could do it.”

The Tigers grabbed 2 points in Equitation over Fences, as freshmen Caitlin Boyle and Ashton Alexander picked up a pair of wins.

Hannah Loseke topped Marah Houston in Horsemanship to finish the weekend without a loss.

Boyle, Alexander, junior Ashley Foster and senior Elizabeth Benson swept TCU in Equitation on the Flat, 4-0.

Earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the match were Benson for Flat, Boyle for Fences and McFarlin for Reining.

Those three, along with Loseke, were named to the NCEA All-Championship Team.

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS

Caitlin Boyle competes in the NCEA National Championship in Waco,Texas, on April 16, 2016.

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS

The Auburn equestrian team celebrates its fourth national title in program history after defeating No. 6 TCU, 8-7, on April 16, 2016.

Three Auburn athletes earn weekly honors after strong performances Liz Devita

Nathan Deal

Emily Shoffit

After a dominant performance against Tennessee on Friday, Auburn right-handed pitcher Justin Camp was named the Southeastern Co-Pitcher of the Week. The league office announced the honor early Monday.

Friday was his first career complete game pitched and was the first shutout by an Auburn pitcher since 2014. Auburn won 2-0.

Auburn coach Butch Thompson was impressed by the performance.

“Justin [Camp] had two unbelieveable outings in a row, and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Thompson said after Friday’s game. “I thought he looked even more fresh in the ninth inning than he did at the start of the game.”

Camp (3-2, 3.30 ERA) allowed just two hits, walking one and striking out seven in nine innings pitched.

The two hits came on a bloop single in the first inning, and a bunt single in the fifth inning that came after retiring 12 consecutive batters.

“Our guys went out today and played arguably their best SEC game of the season,” Thompson said.

The Decatur native extended his personal best to 15 consecutive shutout innings, while helping the Tigers notch their first SEC series win. Camp has not allowed a run in his last 17 innings pitched.

Auburn senior Jade Rhodes’ dominant week for her dominant team didn’t go unnoticed by the SEC. Rhodes was named the SEC Softball Player of the Week on Monday after her performance helped the Tigers go 4-0, including the most lopsided sweep in program history against Arkansas, and increase their win streak to a school-record 16 games.

For the week, Rhodes batted .667 with 10 hits, nine runs, eight RBIs and three home runs.

She was the catalyst for the Tigers during their record 23-0 win on Saturday, setting a school record with five hits, two of which were homers, and tying a career-high for runs with four.

It was her second multi-homer game this season.

After 45 games, Rhodes is tied for the SEC lead with 16 home runs.

Her 18 multi-RBI games are tied for the team lead.

Rhodes now has two SEC Player of the Week awards this season.

Teammate Kasey Cooper has also won the award twice, giving Auburn four POTW honors this season.

Rhodes and the rest of the Tigers will look to continue their 16-game winning streak Wednesday, as No. 2 Auburn will host No. 8 Florida State for a doubleheader at Jane B. Moore Field starting at 4 p.m.

A strong close to the regular season last weekend has earned sophomore women’s tennis player Andie Dikosavljevic her second SEC Player of the Week title this season.

“Andie has established herself as one of the best players in the SEC and in the nation,” said Auburn coach Lauren Spencer. “She has had a tremendous year of growth mentally and tactically, which has elevated her game to a whole new level.”

On Friday, Dikosavljevic had two road wins against No. 6 Vanderbilt.

She paired with Alannah Griffin to defeat Frances Altick and Astra Sharma, 6-2.

With Auburn down 3-2, she tied the match in a straight-set victory over No. 19 Sydney Campbell, 7-6, 6-2.

Sunday marked her 11th victory over a ranked opponent when she defeated No. 69 Justin Mikulskyte of No. 20 Kentucky on the road.

“We are extremely proud of her and excited to see what she has in store for her postseason performance,” Spencer said.

Dikosavljevic and the No. 12 Tigers have clinched the fourth seed in the SEC Tournament, the highest in program history, and will face either Tennessee, Ole Miss or South Carolina Friday in the quarterfinals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The SEC Tournament gets underway Wednesday as Alabama and Missouri square off.

SPORTS WRITER

SPORTS WRITER

2 B R / 1 B O n ly $ 5 1 5 . 0 0 !

[

[

Pet Friendly On-site Management Tiger Transit Water & Garbage Included 4 Blocks from Campus

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS

Justin Camp earned POTW honors for his 2-hit shutout against Tennessee.

We Rent Apartments, Bed Not Bedrooms

Mention this ad & receive a $100 DISCOUNT!

w w w . l e m a n s s q u a re . c o m

SPORTS REPORTER

FAB FINDS at

Stop by and see us this weekend!

ANGEL’S Look for a new find each week!

Open Everyday 10-7 • Sundays 1-5 www.angelsantiqueandfleamall.com

900 COLUMBUS PKWY. • OPELIKA, AL 36801

334-745-3221

Sports 10

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, April 21, 2016

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS

Andie Dikosavljevic returns a volley against Florida. She and the rest of the women’s tennis team set a program record with nine conference wins.

Melvin Gray stares the ball into his glove at second base in Auburn’s midweek win over Alabama State. Gray and the Tigers picked up their first SEC series win over the weekend by taking two out of three from Tennessee, led by Justin Camp’s two-hit shutout on Saturday.

This Week in Auburn Sports Baseball

win, allowing three hits and striking out seven Razorbacks in four innings of action. Kaylee Carlson pitched the fifth inning and struck out two more batters, giving Auburn pitchers nine strikeouts for the game.

The last time Auburn shut out an SEC opponent in a three-game series was against South Carolina in 2007. Arkansas (17-28, 1-14 SEC) only had one player reach third base in the entire series, while eight Auburn players had home runs over the weekend, averaging 3.6 runs per inning.

April 16 vs Tennessee W, 7-6 Auburn defeated Tennessee as it mounted its biggest comeback victory of the season Saturday afternoon, 7-6, to claim its first SEC series win of the season.

Tennessee started hot with a three-run inning courtesy of two consecutive RBI doubles.

The Volunteers continued to score, putting two runs on the board in the second. The score was 5-0, Tennessee.

Auburn turned it around in the third. The top of the lineup — Anfernee Grier, Melvin Gray and Jordan Ebert — quickly loaded the bases. A fielder’s choice by Niko Buentello and a Damon Haecker hit-by-pitch knocked in two runs. Auburn grounded into a double play to end the inning.

After scoring one in the fourth, Auburn meticulously loaded the bases in the fifth via walks, HBPs and Tennessee errors.

Auburn’s Jonathan Foster scored, then Haecker scored on a balk, tying the ballgame at five apiece.

Auburn’s final two runs came in the eighth.

Buentello flashed his defensive skillset in the top half of the inning, knocking down a ball lined down the first base line that had extra-base potential.

Then Buentello led off the inning and served a go-ahead bomb over the right-field fence.

Haecker also had an RBI single in the inning.

Auburn coach Butch Thompson quickly pointed to the team when asked about the comeback.

“I think it was the players themselves,” Thompson said. “I tip my hat to my players. Nick Buentello and coach [Doug] Sisson had early work one-on-one today. I think it made a difference … I want to compliment the players are here before anyone gets to the park.”

Auburn’s Gabe Klobosits was able to pitch out of a jam in the ninth to pick up the win, putting him at 2-2 on the season.

Defense hurt Tennessee, but Thompson thought it was a big part of Auburn’s win.

“Offense is fun, and offense can win a ballgame, but … there’s no question about it. You have to pitch and play defense,” Thompson said.

“Baseball’s always been that way.”

Buentello also thought defense was key in their victory, saying, “If we played defense like this, we’d have a lot more wins on our record right now. It’s going to carry over to help us next week.”

Softball

April 16 at Arkansas W, 23-0 (5 innings) One day after breaking the school record for margin of victory in an SEC game in a 21-0 win over Arkansas, Auburn somehow found a way to

Women’s tennis

April 17 at Kentucky W, 4-3

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS

Michael Johnson and the men’s golf team finished sixth overall at the SEC Championships on Sunday.

top that performance.

The No. 2 Tigers crushed the Razorbacks, 23-0 in five innings, on Saturday, setting a new school record for largest SEC win. Auburn (404, 11-3 SEC) has won 15 consecutive games, tying a school record. Jade Rhodes was the star of the game for the Tigers. She went 5 for 5 at the plate to break the school record for hits in a game, launching two home runs and hitting three singles. Her hits scored six runs for Auburn, and she contributed four runs of her own.

In the first inning, RBI singles by Rhodes and Madi Gipson put Auburn in front, 3-0. That was a tame scoring output compared to the second inning’s, however, as the Tigers scored eight runs, all with two outs on board. Rhodes’ RBI single scored Kasey Cooper before Gipson’s three-run homer made it 7-0. Gipson had the best game of her career so far, going 3 for 4 with four RBIs, both career-highs.

Courtney Shea continued the scoring barrage with her eighth homer of the season. An RBI single by Tiffany Howard extended the lead once again before the scoring blitz concluded with a two-RBI single by Cooper. Cooper went 3 for 3 on the day, including 2 for 2 in an inning that saw Auburn’s lead increase to 11-0.

A solo homer by Rhodes was Auburn’s lone run of the third before a 10-run fourth inning turned a blowout into a rout. After four innings, the Tigers were up 22-0. One more run scored in the top of the fifth before Auburn clinched its 18th run-rule victory and 18th shutout of the sea-

son.

Freshman Makayla Martin (10-0) got the start for Auburn, striking out three Razorbacks and allowing just two hits in four innings. Senior Lexi Davis finished the game with a perfect fifth inning.

April 17 at Arkansas W, 10-0 (5 innings) No. 2 Auburn didn’t break the school record for its largest SEC win ever Sunday, but that’s about as far as complaints about the Tigers’ weekend sweep of Arkansas can go.

Kasey Cooper’s two home runs, including a grand slam, lifted Auburn to a five-inning, 10-0 win over the Razorbacks. The Tigers (41-4, 12-3 SEC) outscored Arkansas 54-0 in the series in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to extend their win streak to a school-record 16 games.

Both of Cooper’s homers came in the first two innings. In the first, her two-run shot gave Auburn a 2-0 lead. It was the 50th homer of her career. Career homer No. 51 came an inning later, as her grand slam extended the lead to 6-0.

The junior from Dothan has 15 homers on the season.

The Tigers received three more runs from homers in the game, as Emily Carosone’s fourthinning two-run shot and Whitney Jordan’s solo homer to lead off the fifth helped seal yet another run-rule win.

Rachael Walters (7-2) got the start and the

A program-record ninth SEC win over No. 20 Kentucky, 4-3, wrapped up the No. 12 Auburn women’s tennis team regular season Sunday.

Pleun Burgmans tied a career-high with her 48th combined win this season after tying the match 1-1. Burgmans is also tied for seventh alltime in single-season singles victories with 26.

Trailing 3-1, freshman Caroline Turner picked up her 17th win of the season, defeating Kentucky’s Kirsten Lewis, 6-2, 6-2. Andie Dikosavljevic tied the match at 3, extending her winning streak in singles to five, defeating No. 69 Justina Mikulskyte, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. With the win, Dikosavljevic now has 11 wins against ranked opponents this season. Freshman Alannah Griffin clinched the match for Auburn with a three-set defeat over Akvile Parazinskaite 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (11-9). She improves to 25-11 (8-2) on the season.

Men’s Golf

SEC Championships 6th overall Matt Gilchrest, a junior and All-SEC team member, finished third overall at the SEC Golf Championships over the weekend by carding a 1-over 71 at the Seaside Course in Sea Island, Georgia, finishing at even par and three strokes behind the lead.

The sixth-ranked Auburn men’s golf team finished sixth overall as a whole, 12 strokes behind the champion, No. 4 Georgia.

All-SEC senior Michael Johnson, who was recently named a Ben Hogan Award semifinalist and was named to the Palmer Cup team, finished tied for 32nd. All-American sophomore Ben Schlottman tied for 18th at 8-over, as did freshman Jacob Solomon.

Georgia finished in first place, followed by Texas A&M. Rounding out the top five were No. 18 Florida, No. 23 Arkansas and No. 14 LSU. Compiled by Jonathan Hefner, Nathan Deal, Emily Shoffit and Sam Butler

ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Auburn softball team celebrates its sweep over Longwood.The Tigers set ­— then set again — the record for the biggest SEC win in program history with 21-0 and 23-0 wins over Arkansas last weekend.

Intrigue

Thursday, April 21, 2016

11 ThePlainsman.com

Intrigue

A safer way for women to travel

BUSINESS

Marissa Luckie INTRIGUE WRITER

There has been a recent push to bring Uber to Auburn, but there may be an even safer option now available to Auburn University women.

Chariot For Women, a company founded by an ex-Uber driver, is a ride-hailing program that will be exclusively for women and children.

The company will only employ women drivers and will only accept women and children passengers, with no males above the age of 13 being allowed service.

Chariot For Women was founded by Michael Pelletz, who had spent his time as an Uber driver talking to women passengers about uncomfortable and even dangerous situations they had been in with male drivers.

Michael said his wife, Kelly, who is now the president of Chariot For Women, had wanted to drive for Uber as well because the money is good, but was always too concerned for her safety to actually pursue the job.

Both hearing stories of women passengers being harassed or touched by Uber drivers and Kelly’s desire for a safer working environment were contributing factors to Michael’s decision to start Chariot For Women.

However, it was not until a dangerous passenger got into his car that Michael had his lightbulb moment.

One night, a man who Michael suspects was high entered his vehicle, only to give incoherent directions to a place he would not name before passing out.

The man woke up to give more nonsensical directions about every five minutes.

Michael said after about 20 minutes of this, the man grew increasingly agitated until Michael felt so unsafe that when he spotted a police officer on the side of the road, he pulled over to let the officer extract the man from his vehicle.

Upon getting back in his car, Michael said all the stories he had been told came rushing back to him, along with the worry of his wife being put in a situation like that, and the idea for Chariot For Women was born.

That was nine weeks ago, and what was sup-

CONTRIBUTED BY MICHAEL PELLETZ

Michael and Kelly Pelletz are founders of Chariot For Women. Kelly is the president.

posed to be a launch in Massachusetts on April 19 for a company with about 1,000 drivers has now turned into a nationwide launch with about 9,000 drivers from across the country, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Because of this demand, Michael and his team are pushing their original April 19 launch date back a few months in order to ensure their technology is ready to meet the demand, which Michael expects to be tremendous.

But April 19 is still a special date, as this is the day the company will be renamed by the public,

which Michael said is an effort to give Chariot For Women to the people.

“My wife and I want to give this company to the world because really that’s how tremendous the response has been,” Michael said. “It isn’t our company. It’s the world’s company, and that is what we are really trying to do.”

In another effort to give back, Kelly, who Michael describes as being “all about giving back” and the “most humble person,” has added a feature to Chariot For Women that will donate 2 percent of each fare, 24 hours a day, to charities ded-

icated to helping women around the world.

Passengers can choose which charity, from a list of 10, they would like their 2 percent to help.

Michael also hopes to team up with colleges to start a scholarship in each state, an idea he said Boston College suggested when he went to promote Chariot For Women.

Peyton Putman, sophomore in human development and family studies, said she thinks a ride-hailing company exclusively for women is a good idea.

“A lot of time, girls are hesitant to get in the car with a guy just because of the way that culture is right now,” Putman said. “I think that girls would be more susceptible to accepting a ride from a female driver.”

But not everyone agrees with Putman. In fact, there have been some claims that the service Chariot For Women is offering, one that excludes men, is illegal.

While Michael Miley, junior in biomedical sciences, does think Chariot For Women is a good idea, he can see where the company may get into hot water.

“I don’t really think it’s unfair, but I think it should be offered to everyone,” Miley said.

Michael is not really worried about legal challenges, partly because of his legal team, which he has full confidence in.

He also believes his company is something women need, given that, according to Michael, 90 percent of ride-hailing assaults are men against women.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to really show that we can go in front of the Supreme Court and say, ‘Hey look … we are not trying to discriminate against anybody, but unfortunately, there does need to be a safe way to travel for women, and that is all we are trying to do,’” Michael said.

But despite the possible legal challenges, Michael said he has been overwhelmed by the positive response.

He said he receives calls thanking him from places such as Australia, Africa and Germany.

“I feel very, very humbled and so appreciative of that,” Michael said.

Coming Home to Memphis for Summer Break?

It’s a great time to get extra credit.

Enroll in Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Summer Session.

• Quality Transferable Courses • Classes Begin May 31 • Wide Range of Courses to Choose from • Small Classes • Low Cost

For more information visit southwest.tn.edu/recruitment, or call 901-333-4399.

Another Reason Why Southwest is Your Best Choice

Intrigue 12

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Auburn Plainsman

ARTS

Performing arts prove to be positive Ben Ruffin

INTRIGUE WRITER

With more than seven different choirs students can participate in, it is evident that participating in performing arts is more popular in college than it was in middle school and high school.

One student set out to find the reason behind this and the effects of participating in the performing arts.

For her 12th-grade English class, Hannah O’Brien, freshman in communications disorders, researched and studied boys in the South and their participation in choir. She found that participating in the arts has nearly all positive effects on students.

Before her research, O’Brien thought boys would shy away from choir and the performing arts because of the perception that sports are cooler than choir.

And she was right when it came to middle school-aged boys because of developmental setbacks.

However, she found a change with the high school-aged guys after they had gone through pu-

berty, and the effects were astounding.

O’Brien said the research found that people who participated in the arts often held themselves to a higher standard, while also improving their teamwork ability.

O’Brien also found that typically GPAs go up a substantial amount, and students’ interaction with others improved drastically.

At her high school, just like many others across the country, taking a fine art is a requirement.

O’Brien found the majority of the students in choir were kids who got involved with the program simply because they had to.

However, she said the requirement often ended with success.

O’Brien said two of her friends who would not have been able to afford college were offered the chance to go to community college on a choir scholarship.

“I guess that’s a major benefit they got from it,” O’Brien said. “But through that process, they improved a lot as far as their work ethic in other classes.”

VIA THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

According to Hannah O’Brien’s study, participating in choir can boost a student’s GPA and social skills.

William Powell, director of choral activity, said he can certainly see where O’Brien’s research is accurate because the majority of the Auburn choir members have high GPAs. When it comes to self-accountability, Powell said he certainly believes participating in the performing arts, such as choir, can increase such characteristics as he sees it happen with students

every day.

In the end, O’Brien concluded that participating in choir, a band or in music allows for selfimprovement.

“That spills over into other parts of your life, and you don’t even really notice that you’re just constantly trying to achieve better than you did the last time,” O’Brien said.

TECHNOLOGY

Coding may be all that it’s cracked up to be Rachel Williams INTRIGUE WRITER

There seems to be a whirlwind movement encouraging anyone and everyone to learn how to code.

It is exciting that technology’s inner mysteries are being illuminated.

However, as startups start to focus on coding, elementary schools open up computer science classes and celebrities such as Karlie Kloss and Jimmy Fallon get involved in the movement,.I wonder if code is all it’s cracked up to be.

Even if one is not studying to head down a computer science track, the ar-

gument remains that code is a valuable skill.

Business professionals, graphic designers and anyone who will need to solve problems with critical thinking could benefit by learning to code.

Students can learn coding through courses available here at Auburn, and a computer science minor is offered.

It is easy to get on track at Auburn toward taking hands-on classes to learn various methods of computer programming and problem solving.

A bounty of resources outside of universities exists as well.

Sites such as Codeacademy, Code. org and Skillcrush offer programs to learn coding in a quick, simple manner.

President Barack Obama released a video in 2013 that encouraged every

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

FOR SALE LIKE NEW DORM DECOR FURNITURE!!

BEAUTIFUL SHELVING FOR YOUR DORM ROOM! One DESK Cubby by Dorm Decor SHELVEwhite. Originally paid $304.00 plus $75.00 shipping. Like new, barely used. Will sell for $150.00 or best offer.

One BED Cubby by Dorm Decor SHELVEwhite- Originally paid $444.00 plus $75.00 shipping. Like new, barely used. Will sell for $200.00 or best offer.

Would like to sell as a set or can sell individually. Contact Lisa at 678-773-1999 Email cruisel@bellsouth.net 1993 Kubota L2950 Tractor with Loader $2200 This Tractor is powered by a 3 cylinder 31Hp Diesel Engine, and has an 8 Speed Glide Shift Transmission with MFWD (4WD).Call me 8503295408

American to give computer science a chance.

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, tweeted in 2012 that his New Year’s resolution was to learn to code.

Taking these steps may not be for everyone, though, despite all of the promotion. Code is complex.

Public relations teams related to Bloomberg’s office say he never saw his resolution through.

Code is not for the weak — it requires a decent amount of dedicated time to learn this mathematical-based skill.

Many people don’t understand what code is or its benefits. In many cases, it is being found that the skills coding may teach the average person may be available through a simpler method.

Computer science courses consist of hours of work studying and at a computer to learn the language of the computer and how to manipulate that language to make an electronic device do what you want it to.

Algorithms, engineering, data, theory and methods must all be learned in order for code to even be grasped at the beginning level.

The workers who will shine in the modern world won’t do so because they have taken the time to grasp one specific hard skill, but because they will be able to communicate, present or think clearly — soft skills.

Practicing writing by keeping a journal, taking a moment to analyze or identify problems in your daily life or sharing a cup of coffee with someone who thinks differently from you

Tigermarket

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

334 - 741 - 0808 221 S. 9TH ST. OPELIKA, AL 36801

Wine Night Wednesday 4 pm - Close $2.50 / Glass $8 Bottles

WANTED

HOUSTON, TX ROOMMATE WANTED Moving to HOUSTX? NEED A EMPLOYMENT TON, ROOMMATE? Desirable Houston Heights, Golf Course Grounds Washington Ave. Maintenance location. 2 BR/2 BA, Grand National Golf fully furnished except Course is now accepting for current vacant bedapplications for Sumroom. Inquiries and mer help and possibly references may be sent beyond. Please apply in to charlieanderson1@ person. gmail.com. I am a Email ppierce@rtjgolf. recent college graduate com working in industrial management looking for a credit worthy, nonsmoking male; references required.

Email charlieanderson1@gmail.com NEXT TO LEE COUNT Y COURTHOUSE

are all slightly simpler and less timeintensive ways to push your brain to its limits.

Context is the key of this argument.

The scenarios surrounding the frenzy of code promotion are vague.

Even by identifying there was a flaw in this push for everyone to code, that coding only should apply to certain situations, I was able to exercise my problem-solving skills and sharpen my thinking.

If you’re up for the challenge, I encourage you to utilize the resources around you to learn to code.

However, it will not be the end-all be-all of your employment or future success.

Rachel can be reached at intrigue@ ThePlainsman.com.

Print Deadline Noon three business days prior to publication