The Auburn Plainsman 04.25.2019

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SPECIAL ISSUE INSIDE: Celebrating the 2019 graduates

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THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID • NEWS SINCE 1893

VOL. 126 • ISSUE 29 • FIRST COPY FREE THEN 50¢

SPORTS

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

CONTRIBUTED BY WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

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

Senior Ashton Alexander wins her point in fences.

National champions Equestrian wins sixth national title, gymnastics triumph on vault

By NATHAN KING

By JAKE WEESE

Sports Editor

Sports Writer

sports@theplainsman.com

sports@theplainsman.com

Legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant once referred to Auburn University as “cow college.” He may have meant to say “horse school.”

For the sixth time in program history, No. 1 Auburn equestrian has won the NCEA national title with its come-from-behind victory over No. 6 Georgia on Saturday afternoon in Waco, Texas.

“This was different territory for us this year with it being so close,” said Auburn head coach Greg Williams. “Georgia has had a strong week so it was so unbelievable to see our team regroup, stay focused and pull off this win. Some of the biggest rides of the year happened today and I can’t be more proud.”

Tied 7-7, Auburn senior Ashton Alexander scored a 255 on fences to cap off Auburn’s undefeated 2018-19 campaign, the first such season in NCEA equestrian history.

“To be completely honest, I’m not a very emotional person, and I was bawling,” Alexander said. “Once the scores came in and I realized I had the points, tears just came to my eyes... I was just so excited that I was able to do it for them.”

The national title is Auburn’s second straight, third in the last four years and fifth this decade.

“This has never happened in the sport, so it shows how hard it is to go undefeated,” Williams said. “This is not only a tribute to the talent on this team, but also how they bought into being one team and developing the leadership.”

Derrian Gobourne did something no Auburn gymnast had done before last Friday night.

The freshman finished in a tie for first on vault with a 9.95 at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics National Championship to win the program’s first national title in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Sarasota, Florida, native has had success on vault before.

In high school, she competed and practiced at Lakewood Ranch Gymnastics and was a level 10 state champion in the event.

Gobourne didn’t stop there.

She won state championships in uneven bars, floor and all-around.

“We are so proud of Derrian,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “This meet is extremely tough to be your best at with the intense pressure and not having a team here to vocally support you. To perform at her highest in this meet says volumes about Derrian’s competitive spirit. She deserves this national recognition, and we are so happy for her.”

With the performance, Gobourne became the third Tiger in program history to be named All-American in the event.

The 9.95 tied a career high for Gobourne, who set that career high two weeks ago at the Baton Rouge Regional.

That first 9.95 advanced Gobourne to the national meet.

“It still hasn’t hit me yet,” Gobourne said. “I can’t wait to bring this championship back to my team and can’t wait to be here next year with all of them.”

CAMPUS

Jason Isbell to headline for Gogue Performing Arts Center

By GABBY DANCE

Assistant Campus Editor campus@theplainsman.com

The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center will host a concert featuring Grammy award-winning artists Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at the Amphitheatre at the City of Auburn Lawn and Porch on Friday, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m.

The concert is part of a four-day Grand Opening Festival for the new performing arts center.

The event is sponsored by the Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau.

Tickets for the concert will be available online for $20 starting Friday, April 26.

“Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will provide a high-energy performance for patrons of all ages to attend,” said Amy Miller, director of programming and education for the Gogue Performing Arts Center. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the University and the community to celebrate a highly accomplished Alabama artist — together, under the stars, in our incredible outdoor venue.”

Isbell, an Alabama native, combines Southern rock, punk, country, blues and folk sound in his music to produce an au-

thentically Americana sound.

His latest album, “The Nashville Sound,” won a Grammy for Best Americana Album.

His song “If We Were Vampires” won a Grammy for Best Americana Roots Song.

“In opening the Gogue Center, it was important to make sure we presented artists from Alabama,” said Christopher Heacox, executive director of the Gogue Performing Arts Center. “Jason’s music is heavily influenced by his early life in Alabama, his family and his personal experiences and the music from Muscle Shoals.”

The concert will be Isbell’s first Auburn appearance since his September 2013 solo show at Standard Deluxe.

He also performed with the 400 Unit in 2007 at the War Eagle Supper Club.

Country folk and bluegrass singer Molly Tuttle will also join Isbell and the 400 Unit as the night’s opening act.

The Grand Opening Festival will headline a different musical act each day.

Other events include a free outdoor concert for Auburn University students sponsored by University Program Council.

There will also be a black-tie event and a free community concert featuring local artists.

CAMPUS SGA urges state Legislature to increase funding for Auburn Auburn would receive a 5 percent increase, the lowest of any university in the state Page 4

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VIA GOGUE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Exterior rendering of the Gogue Performing Arts Center.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

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NEWS

LIFESTYLE

New York police officer helps others on 9/11

By ABIGAIL MURPHY Lifestyle Writer lifestyle@theplainsman.com

It looked like something out of a horror movie. Will Jimeno, a retired Port Authority police officer, was shocked when he first arrived at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

“There were papers flying everywhere. There was debris everywhere. There was smoke everywhere,” he said.

Jimeno, whose daughter attends Auburn, said he began that morning at his post by the bus terminal on the corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, a block down from Times Square, when he got a call for all officers to go back to the station. A rare request, especially during rush hour in the morning when people from New Jersey and upstate New York are coming in, he said.

When he got there, he said he could see the distress on everyone’s faces. They went into the reserve room where a TV set showed the first tower had been hit.

As a Port Authority police officer, Jimeno said the force owns and operates all the major transportation in New York and New Jersey, including the World Trade Center. He said they teach in the academy to protect target-rich environments like airports, bridges and tunnels.

These environments are targeted by terrorists, he said.

“As soon as I saw the TV set, right away in my heart, I knew what they were — they were terrorists,” Jimeno said.

After he saw it, Jimeno said he immediately went to the payphone to call his wife Allison to let her know he was all right and to check on her.

Jimeno then got word a bus was coming to take them down to the World Trade Center, where, when he arrived, he saw people jumping from the tower — some alone, others holding hands.

Each time he saw someone fall, Jimeno said he would think that it was someone’s mother or that it was someone’s child and realize the weight that each life has.

“I just remember feeling very, very small,” he said. “Because here we are, as cops — we have our uniforms on, our shields on, we got our gun belts on, but you realize what 9/11 really taught you is that we are all very small.”

He said we are all just one piece in a vast world and universe.

“But together we can be big,” Jimeno said.

He said he remembered wanting to get up there and help those people.

“That’s why we swore the oath to serve and protect, and you live by that oath,” Jimeno said. “It’s like the creed from Auburn.

You believe in that and you’re going to live that, and that’s what

we were doing that day.”

Jimeno remembered a police Suburban pulling up with Police Sgt. John McLoughlin asking if anyone knew how to use a Scott Air Pak, the breathing equipment firefighters use.

Jimeno said as a Port Authority officer, they were trained as first responders and firefighters so himself, Dominick Pezzulo and Antonio Rodrigues, who had all recently graduated the academy together, volunteered.

Along with McLoughlin, they became a team of four, and as they were running toward the tower, he said he could see debris and human remains in it.

“Courage comes from overcoming your fears, and I got to tell you — I was in fear,” he said.

McLoughlin told Jimeno to put the extra equipment in the Suburban and meet them in the E-room, a place set up for first responders with any equipment they may need for an emergency.

Once he met back up with his team in the E-room, Jimeno said they promised they would not leave each other no matter what.

Jimeno said he remembers Christopher Amoroso, another officer who had been injured from a piece of concrete falling on his face.

That officer had saved four other people and joined their team of five.

They got more equipment and put it all into a mail cart, which Jimeno pushed, and they went back up to the mall level.

They did not yet know tower two was in distress, he said.

McLoughlin told him to stay with the cart while the rest of them got more equipment from tower two’s E-room.

“It was a very scary thing,” Jimeno said. “Especially the sounds because there were sounds of concrete falling from the sky, and then there was a different sound, and that was a sound of a human being, of a body hitting the ground.”

Jimeno listened to these sounds as he waited with the cart.

As they were going to tower one, Jimeno said they heard a boom and looked back at tower two. He saw a wall of fire.

“I was in the military, but I don’t think anything or any seasoned veteran was prepared for what we saw on 9/11,” he said.

Jimeno said McLoughlin told them to run to the elevator to protect them with the debris coming down.

While traveling down the hall, Jimeno recalled Pezzulo, one of the other officers on the team, started to turn left. Jimeno turned and followed him, remembering their promise not to leave each other when a wall came down.

He said he started yelling “A13,” which means officer down, into his radio, but communication was down.

As the debris was falling, something hit his hand, causing

CONTRIBUTED BY WILL JIMENO

Will Jimeno poses with Spirit in Auburn, Ala.

him to lose his radio. Jimeno said he then started holding his helmet for dear life when something also tore his helmet off. He then covered his head the best he could, he said.

Once the debris stopped coming down, Jimeno said they could see they were in a little cavern of debris with a little hole around 30 feet up letting in some light. With the light, he said he could see Pezzulo buried in debris to his left and McLoughlin also covered in debris a few feet behind him.

» See OFFICER 12

CAMPUS

CIA Director Gina Haspel interrupted by protester

By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Editor campus@theplainsman.com

Though there were a pair of protestors at the event, CIA Director Gina Haspel told a crowd of Auburn students and community members about the current state of national security in the U.S. and the future of the agency.

Auburn hosted Haspel for a national security forum at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center on Thursday, April 18, 2019, at 9 a.m.

Gen. Ronald Burgess, former Defense Intelligence Agency director and Auburn University’s chief operating officer, moderated the forum.

A man interrupted the event a few minutes into Haspel’s talk, yelling about her involvement with torture and the evidence he alleged she destroyed.

When President Donald Trump named Haspel to the position, a New York Times report detailed how Haspel oversaw the torture of a terrorism suspect in 2002 as a clandestine officer and later took part in an order to destroy videotapes documenting the brutal interrogations at a secret prison in Thailand. CIA officials have disavowed the interrogation methods, but Trump has repeatedly said he believes torture works.

“Tell these young children,” the protestor yelled. “Tell them who you tortured. You know their names. They’re still in Guantanamo Bay. You’re a decrepit human being, and the only people you should be talking to is a prison guard in a jail cell.”

The man was immediately escorted out, and the talk continued.

Burgess addressed the protestor about 12 minutes later when the Q&A portion of the event started. Burgess said intelligence professionals work hard every day in a difficult job.

He also said we are a nation of law and civil liberties.

He directly addressed the protestor’s remark about Guantanamo Bay. A few books have referred to him as the father of Guantanamo Bay because he was the intelligence professional who stood up to the interrogation at the detention site. He said they did the best they could to follow the law.

“While I defend, and I will defend, his right to make the statement he made because we are a free country, there’s a time and place for that discussion, and that was not the time and

place,” Burgess said.

Another protestor immediately interjected.

“So is that how you justify crimes against humanity?” he asked.

Burgess told him that attendees could submit questions on cards that were given out upon entry.

“I’m just saying if you won’t ever answer it, then when should we expect you to?” the protestor responded.

The man was then escorted out.

“Welcome to Auburn University,” Burgess said, which incited laughs from the crowd.

According to Lorenza Dorsey, Auburn Police Division captain, Auburn police escorted the protestors out of the hotel. The individuals cooperated and no arrests were made.

Dorsey said one of the protestors is a 20-year-old Auburn student from Dothan, Alabama, and the other is a 19-year-old non-Auburn student from Auburn.

There were no other protestors, and neither Haspel nor Burgess addressed the protestors again.

Prior to the forum, Burgess talked to some of her and Haspel’s mutual friends because he finds it interesting to get a sense of who a person is behind the scenes. He said her peers describe her as a quiet professional.

“She cares deeply about her people,” Burgess said. “She’s thoughtful. She’s resolute. And I can’t tell you how much, in her position in Washington D.C., how much that last word really means.”

Haspel is nearing her first anniversary on the job as she was sworn in on May 18, 2018. She manages the agency’s intelligence collection, analysis and covert action, counterintelligence and liaison relationships with foreign services.

She is the first ever woman to be CIA director.

Haspel talked about the current state of intelligence affairs and threats the U.S. faces, including Iran and social media presence from Russia.

Haspel also mentioned a few times that she has met Auburn alumni in her field, speaking volumes to the passion they have for the University.

In her first assignment in Africa, Haspel said she met a proud Auburn alum who was a Baptist missionary in the area. Because her boss at the time was also an Auburn alum, she knew the Auburn Family is extremely passionate about its University.

» See HASPEL 5

CONGRATS!

Dear Students, Congratulations on making it through another great semester. You all should be proud of your accomplishments, whether it be completing finals or securing an internship. For those of you graduating and entering the workforce, remember that you will always be part of the Auburn Family.

Your summer break is well-deserved.

Have fun and be safe.

War Eagle!

Bobby R. Woodard, Ph.D. Senior Vice President for Student Affairs

From Auburn Student Affairs @AuburnStudents

StudentAffairs.auburn.edu

opinion

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THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

OPINION

OUR VIEW

Haspel’s visit shows need for discussion EDITORIAL BOARD Spring 2019

Earlier this month, CIA Director Gina Haspel made a rare public appearance and speech at Auburn University. Protesters in the crowd yelled at Hapsel during her speech, urging her to discuss her controversial role in the CIA torturing programs under former president George W. Bush’s administration.

Haspel’s speech was followed by a Q&A session, which one would have assumed allayed the hecklers need to harass Haspel and delayed any controversial topics until at least the start of the Q&A session.

Heckling from a crowd is almost never an adequate response to a controversial speaker.

It is not a good way to protest, to share ideas or get one’s opinion across.

Instead, it’s a good way to infuriate the fellow members of the crowd, get kicked out of the venue and ensure your opinions are dismissed by the speaker as an unnecessary interruption.

The format of this Q&A session, however, didn’t do much to relieve any aggravations from the crowd. Anyone who wished to ask a question pre-submitted a notecard, those were screened and selected to be answered by

Haspel.

This discussion format is not unusual for speakers hosted by Auburn for a variety of reasons: increase speed and ease of question taking, allowing the speaker to formulate indepth responses and refrain from answering any uncomfortable questions. But, Auburn has to know when they invite a controversial figure to speak, controversial opinions are bound to bubble to the surface in some way.

Auburn University, like any other institution of higher learning, is a place where uncomfortable questions demand to be answered, where students seek the truth and differing opinions are shared and discussed in a format that allows for both sides to be heard.

In the fall of 2017, Auburn started the Critical Conversations series. This series was initiated in response to white supremacist Richard Spencer’s appearance and speech on campus. Spencer’s speech was met with incredible protests and controversy.

In its initial semesters, the conversations hosted multiple speakers at once who shared differing views and shared their perspectives in a moderated format.

These speakers allowed prevailing thoughts to be challenged and differing ideas to be discussed in meaningful ways.

These discussions allowed students to engage in a productive way with speakers, without unnecessary protests or uncomfortable heckling.

It’s time to reinvigorate the Critical Conversation series and use speakers like Haspel to drive diversity of thought in an open forum.

Auburn cannot let Critical Conversations fade, and Haspel’s hecklers — although they protested in poor form — illustrated Auburn students’ desire to discuss difficult topics with controversial speakers.

Questions should not be screened to allow speakers to evade difficult topics. Heckling is not conducive to constructive conversation, but may not occur if Auburn allowed students and speakers to express their First Amendment rights in a more open format.

Speakers should be invited for the purpose of engaging diverse thought and topics that may be considered controversial.

Auburn needs to host more discussions welcoming differing ideas in order to allow more productive conversations to be held.

JOSIE WITEK / CARTOONIST

HIS VIEW

Farewell Auburn: A message from the editor-in-chief

By CHIP BROWNLEE Editor-in-Chief

From crime and sexual assault to racism and hate, journalists are often tasked with confronting these issues head-on.

Over the past four years, I’ve seen first-hand the destruction left in the wake of an EF4 tornado. I’ve confronted white supremacists and covered trials with testimony so gruesome and disturbing that it wasn’t fit to print.

But through all of that, my love for Auburn and my love for this community has never wavered. That’s because I’ve seen far more good than bad.

Residents so passionate about their community that they sit through hours-long City Council meetings twice a month. Organizations committed to making Auburn a better place. Students fighting through hardship to accomplish their goals. The people of Auburn picking up their neighbors after a horrendous tragedy.

While everything else can look bleak, the goodness of people is what you see the most.

That’s what I will remember about Auburn —

a community made up of good people, people with flaws, but good people nonetheless.

This issue marks my last at The Auburn Plainsman. Typing those words brings a tear to my eye because this has been an experience that taught me as much about people as it did about journalism.

If you ever decide to walk down the newspaper-lined hallway in the windowless bowels of the Student Center into the newsroom of The Plainsman, you’ll notice a few things.

The first is all of the newspapers. Shocking right? The next thing that might stick out to you is the clutter or the awards. But after that, you’re bound to notice all of the people.

Reporters, writers, photographers, graphic designers, videographers, editors.

One will probably perk up if you walk through the door.

If you happen to be a student interested in working for the newspaper, one of the first things the folks at The Plainsman will tell you is something along these lines: “This isn’t a club.

This is a real newspaper.”

I still remember hearing something like that when I walked into this same office as an awk-

ward freshman majoring in wireless software engineering.

Throughout these past four years, that sentiment — one not meant to diss other clubs but instead meant to highlight the intense commitment the student-journalists at The Plainsman have to Auburn — is what has stuck with me.

The Plainsman, though, is much more than a newspaper or a student organization. It’s a breeding ground for journalists, writers, historians and the occasional doctor.

It’s a support group. It’s an embodiment of the First Amendment. And perhaps most importantly, it’s a family.

When I walked into this office approximately 120 issues ago, I could have never imagined what The Plainsman would do for me. I was a naive teenager with no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

The Plainsman fixed all of that, and so much more. It brought me out of my shell. It introduced me to ideas that I would have never encountered had I not stuck around. It introduced me to the best friends I may ever have.

By the spring semester of my freshman year, I’d changed my major. I wanted to be a journal-

ist. I saw the work done at The Plainsman, and I knew it’s what I wanted to do with my life.

The past four years have not always been easy though. Working at a newspaper every week is a tiresome and often thankless job.

I’ve taken more angry calls than I have kind ones. These past two years as editor, I’ve stared down massive budget problems that could have ended this 125-year-old tradition.

I’ve spent far more sleepless nights worrying about the words going into the 12 pages of this broadsheet than I have worried about my classes.

But it’s all been worth it.

It’s been worth it because I know that when I walk out this door for the last time, this paper will live on.

It’ll continue telling the stories of this complicated and beautiful university, city and community. It’ll continue bringing up good journalists who care about people.

Here’s to 125 years and 125 years more. War Eagle!

Chip Brownlee, senior in journalism and political science, has served as editor-in-chief of The Plainsman since May 2017. He graduates in August.

LETTER

While safer than smoking cigarettes, vaping still isn’t safe

By SHELBY FLORES Letter to the Editor

Vaping is a trend that is sweeping through many college towns, including Auburn. A wave of concern has accompanied the Juul’s rise in popularity, a dynamic that is illustrated by an article in this year’s Glomerata.

A haze continues to exist around what the science says about the effects of Juuling.

Is Juuling better than smoking traditional cigarettes? What about second-hand smoke from Juuls?

Vaping is defined as the use of a battery-powered device to heat a liquid or plant material that releases chemicals in an inhalable aerosol.

Some individuals choose to use va-

ping devices with flavoring or marijuana. Juuling is a nicotine-based form of vaping that uses nicotine salts from leaf tobacco in single-use cartridges.

The compact size and user-friendly nature of the Juul has contributed to its popularity, particularly among adolescents.

Auburn faculty members examined the prevalence of e-cigarettes in college-aged students and reported that 43 percent of Auburn students surveyed used electronic nicotine delivery systems, including Juuls, in the last month.

So why all the fuss about Juuling?

Juuling is often seen as the “safer” option because it delivers the desired effects of nicotine without the effects

of other harmful chemicals, which exist in traditional cigarettes.

But “safer” doesn’t mean safe.

Research has found that one Juul pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.

Nicotine levels vary across substances and liquids, and some devices may require manual refilling.

This means, in some cases, individuals may be taking in more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes.

It should also be noted that although the aerosol released from Juuls and other ENDS generally contains fewer toxicants than combustible tobacco products, it is not harmless “water vapor.”

Despite these facts, the majority, 45 percent , of Auburn students

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

different with Juuling. Thiry-four percent of Auburn students surveyed reported they decided to smoke e-cigarettes for the first time because their friends were smoking.

You may be surprised to know that relieving stress was found to be the second most common reason Auburn students vaped for the first time. Only 9 percent of Auburn students surveyed responded that they smoked e-cigarettes for the first time to look cool.

So is it actually cool to Juul in Auburn? Or is it indicative of bigger problems worth discussing.

Shelby Flores is the coordinator of alcohol and drug prevention in the Oice of Health Promotion and Wellness Services.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

CONTACT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

surveyed responded that they believe ENDS are less harmful than cigarettes.

In Health Promotion & Wellness Services, I often find myself talking about finances with students. The students I meet with are usually quick to recognize the financial impacts of alcohol and substance use.

With 19 percent of Auburn students reporting that they use their electronic vaping device over 20 times a day, it is easy to see how the costs of Juuling can quickly add up.

Auburn students’ reasons for using e-cigarettes for the first time is eye opening and concerning.

We know through public health theories the effects of social groups on individual behaviors, and it is no

CHIP BROWNLEE

MIKAYLA BURNS

JESSICA BALLARD

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor, Operations

Managing Editor, Standards

ELIZABETH HURLEY

EDUARDO MEDINA

MADISON OGLETREE

Community Editor

Enterprise Editor

Photo Editor

SCOTT BERSON

BRYTNI EMISON

JENNIFER FARNER

Assistant Community

Opinion Editor

Video Editor

STEPHEN LANZI

NATHAN KING

LOREN KIMMEL

Campus Editor

Sports Editor

Lifestyle Editor

GABBY DANCE

TYLER ROUSH

ABBY SCHMIDT

Assistant Campus

Assistant Sports

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CAMPUS

INVOLVEMENT

CONTRIBUTED BY THE WAR EAGLE FLYING TEAM

CONTRIBUTED BY THE WAR EAGLE FLYING TEAM

War Eagle Flying Team qualifies for nationals

By ABBY CUNNINGHAM Campus Writer

The War Eagle Flying Team is soaring to its fourth-consecutive national championship appearance.

Last year, the team placed second in the national championship, its best finish in 36 years, and the team hopes to top that this. year.

“We went into our regional competition in Jacksonville, Florida, feeling really confident in where we stood as a team,” said Adam Shaffer, president of the team. “We really put stuff together and did really well at regionals. The top three finishers from each regional competition qualified for nationals, and we came within 100 points from first place at regionals.”

Shaffer, senior in professional flight management, has been a part of the flight team since he was a freshman. He has gone to nationals with the flight team for all four years and looks forward to their upcoming competition.

The War Eagle Flying Team is one of the only completely student-led flight teams in the nation, and Shaffer believes it gives

them an advantage in the competition.

“I see it as a luxury to be completely student run because what we put in is what we get out,” he said. “For the past four years, we have finished in the top 15 in the nation, so to be able to put these results together while being completely student led, not having any paid advisor to herd the sheep is a testament to our team to be able to put everything together.”

Nationals will be held over the course of 10 days, and the team will fly to Madison, Wisconsin, on May 9. They plan to practice until Monday, which is the opening day. The team will compete on different days throughout the week, and the closing ceremony will be on May 18.

The flight team will compete in similar events at nationals as they did in regionals a couple of months ago. There are two main events: flying and ground.

Flying events include precision landings, which are also called power-on and power-off landings, message drops and navigation.

The ground events include working through flight computer tests, aircraft recognition and simulations.

“Our biggest goal on the War Eagle Flying Team is to refine our skills as pilots,” said Justin Locke, junior in professional flight.

Locke joined the flying team last fall and has been a member ever since.

“I joined because it looked like a really fun opportunity, taking additional flying knowledge as well as flight hours,” he said.

“Also, it looked like a good opportunity to find a friend group.”

Overall, the flying team is excited about nationals coming up and is confident in its chances.

“It’s really exciting,” Locke said. “The team this year has really done an astonishing job, especially considering the history of the team, and it’s a great opportunity for us.”

Shaffer believes the team has created strong bonds throughout the year, practicing and competing together.

“It’s been a fantastic year,” Shaffer said. “We have a fantastic team. We have bonded together really well and we are all looking forward to it. I really enjoy the camaraderie and the family-like environment that we have, and we always make everlasting memories as a team.”

INVOLVEMENT

Emerge makes changes to administrative structure

By DREW DAWS Campus Writer

Emerge, Auburn University’s largest leadership program, will no longer have a president as the organization undergoes significant changes.

“We are moving from a structure where we had a president to now having several executive vice presidents because the administration felt like that was the best way for us to move forward,” said Jediael Fraser, sophomore in software engineering and executive vice president of curriculum for Emerge.

Not having a president will provide more

opportunities for students to participate in the decision-making process, he added.

“There is more of a collaborative feel to the movement,” he said. “It was not necessary for a student to hold an advisory position, rather a lot of students who are in charge of different things, sharing that next-level leadership role.”

Emerge is a three-phase program that fosters an environment of diversity and inclusion to prepare students to take on leadership positions not just for Auburn, but for years down the line.

“Students learn things like the stages of good development and about developing personal leadership philosophies — visioning,

service, social justice, understanding social identities, things like that,” Fraser said.

The three phases of Emerge are Explore Self, Spark Change and Transform Leaders.

“Explore is the introductory stage, then Spark gets more into personal leadership and then Transform gives members exposure in their specific industries,” he said. “It is basically about leadership development and inclusive leadership and service.”

Fraser said he believes Emerge has done a good job of identifying ways the group and other organizations can better serve both the University and student body.

“Emerge has been able to test a lot of things

and see the needs that Auburn has in terms of leadership development,” Fraser said. “It has also been able to set itself up to become more of a standard for other organizations to have a strong foot going forward in terms of leadership.”

Emerge has partnered with various organizations on campus and held speaker series, something Fraser said the group hopes to continue. “[Emerge] hosted a speaker series with the Black Student Union for Black History Month, and we also held panels with industry leaders,” he said. “We are very open to partnering with other organizations in the future, as well.”

SPOTLIGHT

Junior places second in national singing competition

By KAYLA KELLY Campus Writer

The competition was over. Now, there were the butterfly inducing results.

“I remember the people reading off the results and thinking maybe, just maybe, I have made top two,” said Claudia Affan, junior in vocal performance. “When they read off my name, I was so happy. I was not planning on getting second place. I was just there to have a good time.”

Affan placed second in the Music Teachers National Association’s National Young Artist Competition in Spokane, Washington.

An Alabama native, Affan is from Dothan, Alabama, and has high aspirations to attend a graduate program in a bigger city or metropolitan area. She is planning on auditioning to several programs, including The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music and Indiana University.

The annual competition brings together young artists across the nation to compete in their distinguished musical talents. The competition ranges from singers to piano, strings, bass and woodwinds.

Affan, a professional singer herself, found out about the competition from a former Auburn student who had competed in 2017 and had won at the state level. Affan’s teacher Matthew Hoch, associate professor of voice, then told her it would be an outstanding experience for her to participate in.

During the summer of 2018, Affan began practicing her music for the upcoming state-level competition.

Held at Birmingham State College, Affan returned to a familiar place where she performed and later advanced to the regional level of the competition. Before this competition, Affan had sung in a competition held at the same college just two years prior.

“I had never done the MTNA competition at all,” Affan said. “Even though I was in a familiar setting, it was really weird and wonderful to be auditioning in front of only one judge by myself. It was a really cool connection to have for my first time.”

The regional audition was then held online, through submissions of video links.

“I was sending in these videos for fun and reading the comments that people can make about my singing, which was really helpful,”

Affan said. “Then, I had gotten an email from the director of the competition and was so surprised to have been the winner of the Southern Region.”

Affan, her teacher and her pianist all bought tickets and flew to Spokane for four-day competition at the national level.

For the competition, Affan was dedicated to practicing and perfecting her 30-minute-long recital program.

The recital, by competition rules, have each competitor prepare a memorized mini recital, which includes vocalists singing art songs and opera arias in English, German, French and Italian.

“This competition in particular tests the endurance part of singing, which not all competitions do,” Affan said. “This one is just — you singing for 30 minutes. You do have to prepare the music, but also prepare yourself to sing for that long. It is a bit intense but just so much fun.”

Aside from an astonishing accomplishment, Affan enjoyed being surrounded by other artists from around the country.

“In my life, I have always felt that I am different and have been on a journey and mission to seek out those that are similar to me,” Affan

said. “So being around other professional singers was a priceless opportunity. To have conversation with them and be on the same wavelength was refreshing.”

CONTRIBUTED BY CLAUDIA AFFAN

Claudia Affan poses with her award at the Music Teachers National Association’s National Young Artist competition in Spokane, Washington.

SGA

SGA urges state Legislature to increase Auburn’s funding

By TRICE BROWN Campus Reporter

In the last Student Government Association Senate meeting of the semester, senators passed a resolution urging the Alabama state Legislature to increase Auburn’s share of a proposed increase to the education trust fund.

In Gov. Kay Ivey’s recently proposed state budget for the 2020 fiscal year, all colleges and universi-

ties in the state would receive an increase in funding. Auburn would receive a 5 percent increase, the lowest increase of any college or university in the state.

“Auburn is facing the decision to potentially raise tuition again,” said Landon Kramer, college of engineering senator. “And obviously administrators want that as little as students do, but that is reliant on our state funding.”

Kramer said the resolution was

presented and passed because of SGA’s belief that Auburn deserves a larger portion of the fund because of the economic impact that the University has on the state.

“We believe that Auburn is doing a good job of putting that money back into the state, essentially,” Kramer said. “And so we are hoping to stimulate, further stimulate the economy with funding from the state.”

Kramer said the percentage in-

crease in funding was determined by the total funding that the colleges and universities already receive.

Mady Taylor, College of Science and Mathematics senator, said she was shocked that Auburn was receiving the smallest percentage increase of any university in the state.

The resolution stated that Auburn University educates more Alabamians than any other public university or land-grant institution in the state and has a direct economic impact on

every county through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The University directly supplements the Alabama economy through research and innovation in the fields of poultry science, culinary arts, additive manufacturing and aerospace and aviation.

Before the resolution was adopted, Taylor urged senators to consider the impact Auburn has on their hometown, not just the Auburn campuses, when voting on the resolution.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

PAGE 5

GREEK LIFE

Fraternity works to change narrative about Greek life

By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Editor

An Auburn fraternity is looking to change the narrative on fraternity culture and promote the good that Auburn fraternities produce.

Launched by Phi Gamma Delta, commonly known as Fiji, Making Better Men is a social media campaign that highlights the parts of fraternity culture that fosters philanthropy and social impact.

“In light of the news surrounding fraternities, we thought this was a critical message to share because fraternities do receive a lot of negative news, and a lot of times that’s deserved,” said Jack Albert, Fiji’s president. “We truly believe that Auburn fraternity system is different with the fact that it’s not just a bunch of guys just trying to have fun all the time. It’s truly men getting better by their community, by their fellow brothers.”

Albert said it has been disheartening to see some of the bad fraternity experiences at other schools, but he believes the Auburn fraternity experience is set apart and goes beyond parties.

HASPEL » From 2

Haspel learned of a scare the missionary’s wife had on their trip.

The man was clutching his chest and gasping for air when his wife walked into the room, scared because they were hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital.

At last, the alum jumped up from bed yelling “touchdown Auburn, touchdown Auburn,” as he was listening to a radio broadcast of an Auburn victory in the Iron Bowl.

“Now, that just goes to show that you can find an Auburn football fan anywhere, even in the most remote corners of the globe,” Haspel said.

Haspel started off the forum by thanking Burgess for moderating and said she was glad to see all the young faces in the crowd.

“I also want to thank all of you for being here today,” Haspel said. “It’s really encouraging to see so many young people taking an interest in our nation’s security and the role the CIA plays in protecting our country.”

Haspel also congratulated Auburn for the men’s basketball team recently making it to the first Final Four in program history.

The mention elicited cheers and “War Eagles” from the crowd.

She said, as a Kentucky native and Wildcats fan, it was difficult to watch the two teams

Ben Conry, Fiji’s former president, came up with the idea for the campaign when he attended a national conference and heard about other fraternities’ efforts to promote the good that they do.

He passed the idea along to Albert, and the campaign began in the fall of 2018. Then, the social media push came earlier this semester.

Fiji partnered with other Auburn fraternities, and the threemonth social media campaign under #MakingBetterMen has spotlighted various fraternity success stories.

Each month has had its own theme of how fraternities have positively impacted the lives of its members.

The first theme was how individuals make a difference philanthropically.

“The real purpose of it was to show how fraternities encourage young men to get involved philanthropically, and without fraternities, a lot of these college students wouldn’t,” Albert said.

The other themes have been campus involvement and life after college.

“Making Better Men sounded like a good name for a cam-

matchup in the Elite Eight, but she rooted for the Tigers after the game.

In reference to the mission of the CIA, Haspel said it is tasked with the difficult jobs, and its officers carry out those jobs with courage and ingenuity.

“I could not be more proud of them,” Haspel said. “Over the past year, our leadership team has taken steps to improve CIA’s challenges we face, and our efforts are beginning to pay off.”

Haspel praised Trump’s leadership over the past year, especially his relationship with North Korea.

For the students in the audience, Haspel said there are many niches they could find in the agency.

It’s just a matter of seeking them out, she said.

“You’re at a very exciting point in your life, and you’re on the cusp of what could be a greater venture,” Haspel said. “I encourage you to think about what you’re interested in and whether there’s a place for you in the intelligence community or CIA.” As the first woman ever as CIA director, Haspel encouraged women to shoot high and do their best.

“I think my advice to young women at CIA would be exactly the same I would give young men coming through the door, and that is work hard,” Haspel said. “The other piece of advice I like to give young officers is raise your hand for the tough jobs. Don’t stand on the sidelines.”

paign because that’s what we truly believe fraternities do,” Albert said. “Fraternities make Auburn men better through the job search, getting people involved on campus philanthropically.”

Albert said he hopes to continue to develop the campaign with more physical structure and additional partnerships with other fraternities and possibly Interfraternity Council.

“A big difference in this campaign and a lot of things is that this is a grass-roots fraternity initiative,” Albert said. “No person or position from IFC or administration is telling us to do this. This is spear headed by fraternity men just examining the environment around us and saying, ‘We need this for fraternities. We need to show that fraternities are doing good.’”

Albert also said the campaign is intended to show current fraternity members, who aren’t as involved as they could be, how their fraternity can provide avenues to develop them as people.

“We really have received a lot of positive feedback from Greek life and from IFC,” Albert said. “We really just want to reach the whole student body and the whole administration.

And that’s the next step.”

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community THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

BUSINESS

Local family to open professional women’s boutique

By ELIZABETH HURLEY Community Editor

Clothes shopping can be a daunting task. Whether browsing through racks of clothes or scrolling through pictures online, finding the perfect professional outfit can take some patience.

Laura and Brooke Kirkpatrick are looking to make that process a little easier.

“This isn’t going to be a college girl boutique,” Laura said. “It’s going to be an upscale women’s boutique.”

The mother-daughter team will open Magnolia James Boutique in on Glenn Avenue in Auburn on Aug. 2.

The store will feature professional women’s clothing such as blouses, skirts, dress pants, blazers and other professional attire.

Small trinkets like candles and jewelry will also be available.

With a price point between $50 to $200, the Kirkpatricks are looking to appeal to professional women, they said.

“I saw a huge need [for a women’s professional boutique],” Laura said. “There are no nicer clothing store options for a grown woman that has events to go to.”

The two got the idea for the store after years of poking at the idea. After graduating from Auburn in 1987, Laura was a buyer and manager for retail stores like Parisian before taking a pause to raise her daughter. She had always wondered what it would be like to own her own shop.

Brooke took on her mother’s dream of owning a boutique while she was attending Auburn. When she graduated in 2018, she decided to make that dream a reality.

She created a business plan and presented it to her parents.

They agreed to help her start her dream project.

“It’s something you’ve always wanted to do,” Brooke said to her mom. “It became something I wanted to do when I was in

college.”

The duo worked tirelessly to secure a space across the street from the Church of the Highlands, while also creating their set of professional women’s clothes.

They attended conventions where they found the brands they wanted to carry, Laura said.

“We’re trying to come up with things that everybody else just doesn’t sell,” Brooke said.

The store will be open weekdays and non-home football gamedays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Home football gameday hours will depend on game time. The store will be open Sundays by appointment only.

Shoppers can make appoints to have a one-on-one shopping experience or schedule a private shopping event for a small group. Their purpose is to give women a personalized shopping experience.

The women plan to create customer profiles for every customer, which will include information like their sizes and favorite types of clothing. The profile will also come with a gift registry.

“If it’s your birthday or anniversary or what have you, your boyfriend or your husband can come in and say, ‘I have no idea what to get her. She says there’s a list,’” Brooke said. “Then, we can help him and pull all the ones she liked but hasn’t bought.”

Working together has been a breeze for the mother-daughter team. Once the store opens, Brooke will move into a more managerial roll, while Laura will continue to be a buyer. The plan is for Laura to help Brooke get the store up and running, then let her take the reins on everything.

“We understand what the vision is, and we both respect that,” Brooke said. “We both see the quality in working together, and not everybody gets to do this. We’re super grateful.”

CONTRIBUTED BY LAURA KIRKPATRICK

Brooke and Laura Kirkpatrick, owners of Magnolia James Boutique.

EDUCATION

Q&A with Jared Harper Q: What does playing for Auburn mean to you?

A: Playing for Auburn is great. Being able to represent the entire family of the Auburn community is amazing, and I’m glad to have been a part of it.

Q: Does knowing that young people look up to you affect the way you carry yourself on and off the court?

A: Knowing that people are looking up to me means a lot. I think about that with everything I do because I never want to set a bad example for people that learn stuff from me.

CONTRIBUTED BY LAURA KIRKPATRICK

Drake Middle School students speak with Bryce Brown.

AU basketball players teach more than plays

By DRAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL PANTHER STUDENTS Contributed

Breakfast Club members at Drake Middle School were fortunate to have Auburn University basketball players visit during their historic season. Sixth graders Linnea Cox, Claudia Hamberlin, Margie Grace Wilder, Itamar Sorek, Graham Giles, Gabi Reyes, Collin McInnish, Ethan Fligel and Jackson Lovvorn chose to capture the experience with the following words: Breakfast Club is where kids at Drake Middle School come to receive inspirational advice from guest speakers. Auburn University basketball players Anfernee McLemore, Jared Harper and Bryce Brown spoke at Breakfast Club this year and gave advice that proved they are more than incredible athletes.

McLemore spoke about goal setting, the importance of schoolwork and prioritizing time wisely. He considered Ivy League schools such as Brown and Yale but chose Auburn. Having an education to fall back on was one of McLemore’s most important words of wisdom. Additionally, he spoke about doing small things to make a difference for the future.

In February, Harper made an impression on DMS students with his sound advice. His motto was, “Don’t let your highs get

too high and don’t let your lows get too low.” The humble answers to questions about his basketball IQ fascinated DMS students.

“I enjoyed being able to answer questions and be of assistance to young men and women,” Harper said. “I had questions when I was growing up about the whole process of growing up, which included school and sports, so being able to give back and share my memories and knowledge is great because I’m able to help others.”

After being introduced by Auburn University Athletic Director Allen Greene, Brown spoke at Breakfast Club during March Madness, where he shared his four biggest pieces of advice: be respectful, make good grades, be a good teammate and practice your craft. He also emphasized the importance of playing good defense. Brown stayed more than 30 minutes to sign autographs and take pictures with students.

Students were fortunate to continue their relationship with the players into the postseason. Jared Harper answered the students’ interview questions following the harrowing defeat in Minneapolis at the hands of Virginia Cavilers.

Editor’s note: The Plainsman partnered with Drake Middle School to publish this article by DMS students.

Q: You said, “Don’t let the highs get too high and the lows get too low.” How did you use that advice you gave us this season?

A: I think this season was a true testament to that saying. After the Kentucky loss, we were able to lock in and play our best basketball and not get too high. Being able to make it to the Final Four was a great experience knowing how far we’ve come as a basketball program.

Q: People across the country are talking about how classy Auburn was after the heartbreaking and controversial loss to UVA. How did you and your teammates carry yourselves with such grace?

A: Even though the loss hurt a lot, we had to understand all the great things (we accomplished) throughout the whole year. We realized quickly that getting to that point could not have happened without one another. Losing Chuma gave us extra motivation, and we willingly put it all on the line for him. As a team, we don’t have any regrets about the game because we put our 110 percent into it.

P

Q: How do you want to be remembered at Auburn?

A: I want to be remembered as a hardworking individual who used his platform to encourage others that anything is possible with working hard and believing in yourself.

SHOPPING

Auburn Mall undergoes renovations replacing J. C. Penney storefront

By EVAN MEALINS Community Writer

The Auburn Mall is going to have a different look in the coming months.

Hull Property Group, which owns the Auburn Mall, has made a deal with the City of Auburn to transform the building formerly occupied by J. C. Penney. This includes building a new mall entrance, additional exterior-facing retail storefronts and outparcel opportunities.

Work has already begun to prepare for the demolition of the 35,000 square feet of anchor space facing East University Drive. Once demolition is complete, a new 16,500-square-foot shopping space will be created to hold multiple tenants, according to a release from Hull Property Group.

As large department stores continue to close, smaller stores are

generating more revenue and keeping malls viable, said Megan McGowen Crouch, Auburn Development Services executive director.

These smaller retail spaces are easier to lease to local, regional and national tenants, she said.

“The last thing we would want is for the mall to be anything but viable,” Crouch said.

The new entrance will allow easier access to Dillard’s and the popular Ole Times Country Buffet, which Crouch said is a significant revenue generator for the city.

Full demolition is set to take place in early summer, and construction will continue throughout the year. Construction will not impact the day-to-day mall operations and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2019.

The partnership between Hull and the city includes a sales tax rebate. When sales tax is collected at the mall, some of that mon-

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN MALL

Rendering of Auburn Mall renovations.

ey will be returned to Hull Property Group. The amount of money that is rebated each year is capped to protect the city’s tax base. This means that the risk of the project lies with Hull, rather than the city, Crouch said.

Hull Property Group is located out of Atlanta and is heavily invested in the Auburn community, according to Crouch.

“The City of Auburn has been at the forefront of supporting efforts to attract new restaurants and re-

tailers to the community,” said Jim Hull, managing principal of Hull Property Group. “This is one more step in the right direction of creating a successful shopping and dining destination for the people of Auburn.”

Official Auburn Ring Recipients SPRING 2019 ASHLEY ABNER ALEX ADAMS SALLY ADLER ISA AJLAN THOMAS ALBER KAREY ALLEN RANDI ALLEN MOHAMED ALMANNAEI RORY ALSTON LANE ANDERS DAVID ANDERSON FAITH ANDERSON HAYLEY ANDERSON SEAN ANDERSON SHELBY ANDREWS CAITLYN ASARCH ANDIE ATTIA ALEC AVERY EMMA BAGWELL MONICA BAHLMANN CATHERINE BAILEY WILLIAM BAKER JARRETT BARNES KRISTINA BASS SYDNEY BASSETT MORGAN BATEMON SYDNEY BAYER CHRISTOPHER BEAMON KAILEY BECKETT NICOLAS BERENGUER JOSEPH BERSSON KENDRA BETTIS AUTUMN BISHOP DUNCAN BLACKWELL AUSTIN BLANKENSHIP SPENCER BOUNPHOUANSY-LU OLIVIA BRAHMS ANDREW BRAINER REBECCA BRANNAN BRIAN BREWSTER MEREDITH BRITO SCOTT BRITTON LESLEE BROCK LUCAS BRYANT ASHLEY BUCHER ALISSA BUKVIC ALEXIS BURGOS RAYNA BURKARD SCHYLER BURNEY WHITNEY BURNHAM WESLEY BURNS AMBER BUTTS ALEXIS CAHALAN ALEXA CAIN ABIGAIL CAMPBELL IZACK CANALES JAVIER CANALES ARIANA CARLOS-LEE MAZY CARMAN MADISON CARRENS BROOKE CARROLL JOSEPH CASSADY HEATHER CATE LOGAN CAUDLE MIRANDA CHAMBLISS TIFFANY CHANEY KARIN CHAPPELLE ANNA CHOI DYLAN CLARK COURTNEY CLAY SARAH CLAYTON CARRINGTON CLEVENGER CARRINGTON COLE NICHOLAS COLLIER RYAN COLLUM RACHEL COOK RYAN COPELAN ABBIE COSSO SHELBY COST SHANE CRISTIANO MCKENZIE CRYSEL PATRICK CUMPTON JOVAN CUTLER GRAYSON DABBS MARNA DANIEL KATELYN DAY MYLES DAY DARCI DEBRUNNER MARCELA DELEON RACHEL DELGADO RACHAEL DESCHAINE CARLY DICK JAMES DIMMETTE BARBARA DISMUKES BREANNA DOBYNS CAROLINE DORAN HALEY DORN JESSICA DOUGLAS REBECCA DREW JORDAN DUKE SUMMER DULEY AMY DUNLAP SAVANNA DURAN BENJAMIN DURASKI MARGARET ELLIOTT KAYLA ELROD JORDAN ENGLE CHARLESTON EVANS DARCIE EVANS

NATALIE FAILLA HANNAH FAIN KARSON FAIR HAYDEN FAITH DUSTIN FARROW GENESEE FERNANDEZ HANNAH FINDLEY JESICA FLAHERTY TAYLOR FONDREN KATHERINE FORD HANNAH FOSTER BENJAMIN FOWLER KATIE FULLER HALEY FULLMAN DANIELLE GALGANO LORI GARRISON RAYMOND GARZA SUMMER GAVIN CARSON GIBBS CALLIE GILBERT LOGAN GLOVER DALLAS GODSHALL BRIAN GONZALEZ TANNER GOSSETT EDWARD GOZDZ HANNAH GRADY ASHLEY GREENWOOD ZACHARY GRIFFIN MIRANDA GRIGAS BREANNA GROSS ANDREW GROVE JARED GUSH EMMA HALE JORDAN HALL LAURA HAMILTON JERI BETH HARDY JESSICA HART CHLOE HAVERKAMP EMMA HAYWOOD MARGARET HEATH SAMANTHA HEILHECKER HALEY HENDRIXSON KAYLIN HENTSCHEL EMILY HILDEBRAND NATALIE HILL KACIE HINES ETHAN HIX TIFFANY HNETYNKA CHRISTIAN HOLLY VERONICA HOLMES BROOKLYN HOLT JARELLE HOOKS REBECCA HOPKINS KEVIN HOSECLOTH ISABEL HUBBARD GRACE HUDSON PETER HUTCHINGS KELLY HUTCHINSON ANNA ICKES CAROLINE JACKSON JORDAN JACKSON MALAN JACKSON CAROLINE JACOB MEGAN JACOBI JOHN JAMES OLIVIA JAMES MADDUX JEFFREYS LINDSEY JINRIGHT BROOKE JOHNSON CHANDLER JOHNSON HALEY JOHNSON JOSEPH JOHNSON NATALIE JOHNSON LEEANN JOHNSTON REILLY JONES BROOKE KATLIN BAILEY KAVANAUGH JOHN KEHN MADISON KEITH TRENT KELLEY ERIN KELLY MATTHEW KENDALL ADAM KING SAVANNAH KING ANA KIPP ERIK KLIMASZEWSKI JONATHAN KOSKI TAYLOR KRIPPNER ELIZABETH KRISTA KATHRYN KRISTA REESE LAMBERT MYLES LANDERS KARLY LAPROCINA CHARLES LAWRENCE NATHAN LAWSON TIMOTHY LEATHERY AMBER LEE HANNAH LESTER CHRISTOPHER LEWIS LAUREN LEWIS KATHERINE LINDSEY MARGARET LITTLE PEYTON LOCKWOOD JONATHAN LOFTIN PAULA LOPEZ CHANDLER LOWRANCE KHENDRA LUCAS WILLIAM MABREY

MORGAN MABRY KATIE MACK ARLENE MAHEU MADISON MANN ALEX MAVRAKOS MICAHLYN MCBRIDE AUSTIN MCCAIN AUTUMN MCCARLEY MARY MCCARTHY KATHERINE MCCLEARY JESSICA MCCLUSKEY MADISON MCCOWN CAYLA MCCOY ROBERT MCCULLOUGH KAYLEE MCCUTCHEON LUKE MCFARLAND LAUREN MCGLON KYLEIGH MCGRAIL KENDRA MCGUIRE SAVANNAH MCKENZIE MADISON MCVEIGH JUSTIN MEEHAN JONATHAN MELTON KRISTEN MEONI AMY MILLER AMBER MILLER JOHN MILLER JORDAN MILLS JAKE MIMS JOHN MITCHELL DANIELLE MOHLHENRICH TERESSA MONTALVO SOOMIN MOON EMILY MOORE JOHN MOORE VICTORIA MOOREHEAD LAUREN MOORER KELLY MORDECAI WILSON MORGAN WILLIAM MORGAN JAMES MORRIS HANNA MORRISON KYRA MOYER HUNTER MURPHY SEAN MURPHY MELODY NELSON JEREMY NEWMAN CHRISTOPHER NISHI EMMA NIX MADISON NOAKS ARIEL NONEAKER KATLYNN NONEAKER MILES NORCOM WILLIAM NORTON HAYLEY NORWOOD LIAM O’DANIEL ELIZABETH OAKLEY VICTORIA OLINGER ARMANDO ORTIZ ANDREA OWENS KARLA PADIERNA ALEXANDER PATRICK MICHAEL PATTERSON CHRISTOPHER PAUL KIMBERLY PAYNE ASHLEY PEACOCK MORGAN PENTECOST HANNAH PEREZ ZACHARY PHILLIPS MAVERICK PIERCE TAYLOR PIGG JUDSON PITTMAN JULIA POMILLA CAITLYN POTRIDGE KEELEY POWNALL RICHIE PRICE HARRISON PRIDE MADISON PRINCE BRADLEY PROBERT SOFIA PROPHET TRAVIS PURSER BENJAMIN PUTNAM SPENCER RABB MATTHEW RAGAN MARY RAILEY AUTUMN RAMEY MATTHEW RASSDALE BENJAMIN RATLIFF JORDAN RECKMACK OLIVIA REID LIESL REINERS GRACE REYNOLDS HANNAH RICHARD BRANDON RICHARDSON CASSANDRA RICHMOND THATCHER RICKERTSEN MAGGIE RICKS NOAH RIDDLE ALEXANDER RIEHL SHANE ROBACK CAMILLE RODRICK GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ CHRISTINA ROLGUIN SYDNEY ROSS DAVID RUSSELL ELI RUSSELL FRANK RUSSELL HANNAH RUSSELL

KATHLEEN RUSSELL KHALED SAEED BENJAMIN SANDSTROM JULIE SARASUA ASHLEY SATTERFIELD AILSA SAVERSE JUSTIN SAWYER WHITNEY SAY MEGAN SCHILLING JACOB SCHIRMER LEAH SCHMOHL TREVOR SCHNELL MARINA SCHROEDER KAITLYN SCHWENKE CLARA SCOTT CAROLINE SCOTT BATSON SEALES OLIVIA SEGARS TIMOTHY SEIGAL BENJAMIN SEXTON CAROLINE SHEA MICHAEL SHEEHAN ALEXANDER SHELL AUTUMN SHERARD CECILLYNN SHIELDS TAYLOR SHIVERS HANNAH SHOULTS HANNAH SIEGEL RIAN SILVESTRI CHRISTIN SIMPKINS HANNAH SISSON MADISON SKIPPER XALICIA SLATER ZACH SLEMMONS SHELTON SMITH ANNA SMITH MARGARET SMITH HARRISON SMITH KATHARINA SMITH AUSTIN SMITH CODY SOMMERS PATRICK STARR HEATHER STEPHENS MARY STEWART ZACHARY STONE SAM STOREY EDMOND STRICKLAND JR EMMA STRONG ELAINA STROTHER LACEY SULLINS HANNAH SYKES HANNAH SZARENSKI BRANDIE TALLEY BENJAMIN TANOUS DYLAN TAUNTON CAMERON TAYLOR SAMUEL THOMAS SARAH THOMPSON MORGAN THORN EMILY THORNTON MIKALYI THREATT AARIYAN TOOLEY VICTORIA TUCKER MARY MARGARET TURTON ANNA UNDERWOOD SETH VANGORDER KYLE VENABLE ANTHONY VENTIMIGLIA ANNA VESCIO SAVANNAH VICKERY RYAN WADKINS LILLIAN WAGNER RACHEL WAGNON MEGAN WAGUESPACK COURTNEY WALKER MACKENZIE WALKER SHELBY WALKER KENDALL WALL WILLIAM WALLACE ERIN WALSH REID WATERS TAYLOR WATSON DYAMANTE WEBB MICHAEL WEBER HOLLY WEBSTER AMANDA WEISS GINA WHATLEY EMILY WHITTAKER DANIEL WILES WINSTON WILKERSON COURTNEY WILLETT ELIZABETH WILLIAMS CAITLIN WILLIAMS MORGAN WILLIAMSON BRANDON WILLIAMSON COURTNEY WILLIS GARRETT WILSON MARIGRACE WILSON ERIN WISE SARAH WISNESKI PEYTON WOOD CHASE WOODY BRADIS WORTHINGTON SAMANTHA WRIGHT JENNIFER YATES DYLAN YOUNG QINHAO ZHU

sports THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

8 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Chuma Okeke declares for NBA Draft Auburn sophomore testing NBA waters, projected as second-round pick

By NATHAN KING Sports Editor

Auburn sophomore forward Chuma Okeke has entered his name in the 2019 NBA Draft, he announced on his Instagram on Saturday afternoon. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported the news earlier in the day.

“Auburn Family, after talking with my family, Coach Pearl, and the entire staff at Auburn, I have decided to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft,” Okeke wrote.

Okeke is the second Tiger to declare for the 2019 draft this offseason after three-year starting point guard Jared Harper announced his decision earlier this month.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and Chuma is one of the most versatile players I’ve ever coached and impacts the game on both ends of the court,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “I’m so proud of how hard he’s worked and how much fun he is to coach. When he recovers from this injury he will be better than ever.”

A product of Westlake in Atlanta, Okeke started at power forward this season after succeeding as a role player in 2017-18. The 6-foot8, 230-pound Okeke was considered the Tigers’ best player this past season due to his NBA skillset and versatility.

“I want to thank God, my family, my coaches and teammates, and the entire Auburn family for their continued support these past two seasons,” Okeke wrote. “I’m grateful for all that we have accomplished the past two seasons. Together, we’ve won championships and made history at Auburn.”

Through 38 games this past season — all starts — Okeke averaged 12 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from deep.

He recorded 69 steals last season, good for the third-best single-season mark in Auburn history. Okeke also led the team in double-

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

» See OKEKE, 9

Chuma Okeke (5) talks to coach Bruce Pearl during Auburn Men’s Basketball vs. Mississippi State on March 2, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

BASEBALL

BASEBALL

‘He’ll be better than he’s ever been’ Pitcher Davis Daniel undergoes Tommy John surgery

By NATHAN KING Sports Editor

After being pulled from Auburn’s season opener against Georgia Southern with an apparent forearm injury, junior righty Davis Daniel is set to undergo Tommy John surgery this week, head coach Butch Thompson told reporters Monday. Rivals and 247Sports were the first to report the news earlier in the day.

A product of St. James in Montgomery, Daniel was projected as a weekend starter for the Tigers this season. Since the injury, Daniel had been dealing with forearm tightness. Last month, Thompson said Daniel, the team and doctors were all happy with Daniel’s progress.

However, a medical ruling deemed it necessary Daniel undergo ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, commonly referred to as Tommy John, a surgery in which a healthy tendon from elsewhere in the body is used to replace a torn ligament in the arm. The surgery is to be performed

by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Florida, on Thursday, Thompson told reporters.

“We’d been working from Opening Day till last week trying to get him restored, repaired and back active to help our team here down the stretch,” Thompson said.

“We feel like we’re back to square one once we got throwing back on the mound. So, we’ve basically declared the season for Davis.”

Thompson said Daniel felt confident in a return to the mound in practice a few weeks ago. After he threw “12 to 13” pitches, Daniel began to feel the pain again in his arm.

“He was really emotional and devastated,” Thompson said.

Given the delicate nature of the surgery’s rehabbing process, Daniel is sure to miss the rest of the 2019 season and possibly the 2020 season, as well.

“Davis has such an amazing future as a pitcher,” Thompson said. “His work ethic is unbelievable. I think he’ll be better than he’s ever been. ... I think we’ve made every correct decision to this point with him.”

Drafted in the 11th round last year by the Milwaukee Brewers organization, Daniel began the 2018 season as a starter before being moved to the bullpen, finishing the season with a 3-4 record and 4.86 ERA, including a 3.70 ERA as a reliever.

His most notable performance came in the Gainesville Super Regional finals against top-seeded Florida. In the decisive Game 3, he allowed just one hit over 5.1 scoreless inning while fanning six batters in Auburn’s extra-innings loss.

“He has a such a bright future in the game of baseball that I think this is the right decision in this point in time,” Thompson said.

After a series win over No. 17 Ole Miss over the weekend with a starting rotation of freshman Garrett Wade, sophomore Tanner Burns and freshman Brooks Fuller, Auburn hopes sophomore southpaw Jack Owen can return for next weekend’s series at No. 4 Vanderbilt. Owen returned from his shoulder injury against Ole Miss, pitching 2.1 scoreless frames in Game 3.

Game 1 against the Commodores is set for 6:30 p.m. CST in Nashville.

WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Butch Thompson. Auburn vs Northeastern during the NCAA Baseball Regionals on Friday, June 1, 2018, in Raleigh, NC.

Tigers grab midweek win

By HENRY ZIMMER Sports Writer

FILE PHOTO

Davis Daniel (13) pitches during Auburn Baseball vs. Longwood on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala.

REMAINING SCHEDULE 4/25 — @ Vanderbilt 4/26 — @ Vanderbilt 4/27 — @ Vanderbilt 5/3 — vs. Alabama 5/4 — vs. Alabama 5/5 — vs. Alabama 5/7 — vs. UAB

5/10 — vs. Georgia 5/11 — vs. Georgia 5/12 — vs. Georgia 5/14 — vs. UNA 5/16 — @ LSU 5/17 — @ LSU 5/18 — @ LSU

P

The No. 21 Auburn Tigers traveled to Jacksonville State on Tuesday and came out on top, tallying 14 runs and 16 hits for their highest offensive output in a month, beating the Gamecocks 14-2.

The 14 run and 16 hit outburst was the team’s third-highest total for the season, and its 12-run margin of victory was its highest of the year.

All down the lineup, Tiger batters were putting balls into play. Conor Davis and Devin Warner got a hold of three each and combined for seven RBIs. Judd Ward, Edouard Julien and Brady Moore each got two hits, with Moore’s hit snagged while pinch hitting. Nine different Tigers ultimately recorded a hit in the outing, and eight Tigers drove a run home.

“A ton of guys contributed tonight,” said Auburn head coach Butch Thompson. “I thought that was the key.”

Even with the explosive outing the Tigers had, the team found itself down 1-0 in the bottom of the first. The next inning Auburn (27-14) took the lead after a three-run frame. The bat of Julien drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at one all, and Davis smacked a single to left field that drew two home.

Warner had himself a day in his first career start. He recorded his first career hit when he hit a single to start off the fourth inning.

The Gamecocks scored another on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth, but the Tiger bats did not back down and the team notched a six-run frame to top off the seventh inning. Warner collected his second career hit and drove in two runs to start the scoring barrage, followed

by Ryan Bliss lifting a two-RBI double to left center. Chase Hall and Ward also got in on the scoring and both hit RBI singles.

“I was just trying to stay calm,” Warner said. “Kind of go back to when I was playing little league and make it easy. I’ve been doing this for forever and just tried to do that.”

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 BASEBALL

PAGE 9

OKEKE » From 8

doubles with seven.

Okeke averaged 15 points and seven boards during the NCAA Tournament before he tore his ACL on a gruesome knee injury in the second half of the Tigers’ Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina.

As Auburn upset Kentucky in the Elite Eight and advanced to its first Final Four ever, players, coaches and fans rallied around the humble star Okeke with the mantra, “Do it for Chuma.”

Okeke underwent successful surgery April 2 by Dr. James Andrews in Florida.

Even though he’s reportedly hired an agent, new NCAA rules allow Okeke to return to school if he so chooses. The deadline for that decision is May 29.

Okeke is currently the No. 41 overall prospect for the draft according to ESPN.

MEREDITH KRAMER / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Edouard Julien (10) jogs home during Auburn baseball vs. Ole Miss on April 18, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

‘Unbelievable opportunity’ Previewing Auburn’s three-game series at No. 4 Vanderbilt

By OLIVIA HUSKEY Sports Writer

After winning its first series of the month against Ole Miss this past weekend and a midweek game against Jacksonville State, No. 21 Auburn heads into Nashville, Tennessee, looking to keep up that momentum. The Tigers will face their highest ranked opponent of the season in No. 4 Vanderbilt.

The Commodores have lost only nine games this season and are second in the SEC East with a 12-6 conference record.

They are 21-4 at home this season.

“If we really wanna get some momentum back that we had like the first 15 games, then we go through a slow stretch,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “If we have settled ourselves and we really wanna create some momentum, going to Vanderbilt, a great, great program playing as good as arguably anybody in America. If you want some respect you can go earn it this week.”

The Tigers are going into Nashville after a mix of good and bad news this week on the pitching front. It was announced that Davis Daniel will have Tommy John surgery that will end his season, but Thompson also said that Jack Owen is in the clear and is expected to pitch this weekend.

Owen pitched 2.1 innings of relief against Ole Miss after having been out since March 16. Before Owen got injured, he was having an excellent start to the season. The sophomore left-handed pitcher was 3-0 in five appearances, three of which were starts. He had a 0.31 ERA and allowed only two runs, one of which was unearned, in 29 innings pitched. He allowed 16 hits and two walks while striking out 33.

“I think we’re good,” Thompson said. “I think he really wants to start this week, and we’re trying to figure out if that’s what we should do… He really wants the ball. Its good for me to see, that’s always a good sign if a player is like, ‘Give me the ball.’”

Thompson said they are trying to figure out if it is best to use Owen in an opener type position or have him work relief again. He does plan to limit Owen to around 50 to 55 pitches.

The plan as of Monday is to move Tanner Burns up for the Thursday start, and then it’s more of a question mark about the

other two games of the three-game series.

“We’ll move Tanner up,” Thompson said. “I think there is three guys. I think it’s Jack, Fitts and Fuller that you’re trying to figure out.”

The Commodores have scored 321 runs this season. They have scored 10 runs or more in 16 games, with their highest run total in a game at 24 against Davidson. Auburn (27-14, 10-8 SEC) has scored 246 runs thus far this year.

“Now we’re playing the best (offense in the league),” Thompson said. “Ole Miss swung with intentions. They hit some home runs. We hung in there and kept battling. Vanderbilt definitely has that potential, top to bottom of their line up.”

Vanderbilt’s JJ Bleday leads the NCAA in home runs with 20 on the year. He is also seventh in the nation with 53 RBI, and tied for eighth with 51 runs this season. Philip Clarke is tied for 22 in the nation with 47 RBI. On NCAA team statistics, which was last updated on April 11, Vanderbilt (31-9, 12-6 SEC) was tied for 20th in the nation in home runs with 31. It was also tied for 13th in the nation in hits with 356.

In Auburn’s last four games, it has started to get its offensive momentum back.

In its midweek game against Jacksonville State before the Tigers head to Nashville, they scored 14 runs on 16 hits, the third-highest output for the offense this year, and the 12-run margin of victory was the largest this season.

Conor Davis has had six hits in his last four games and accounted for seven RBI. He had two home runs in Game 2 of the Tigers’ series against Ole Miss. Edouard Julien has five hits in the last four games, and accounted for seven RBI as well. In the last four games, Auburn has scored a total of 30 runs on 36 hits.

“If we can go to Nashville and win a series, I think we would have respect from everybody in baseball, college baseball right now,” Thompson said. “The way I look at it, I see that as an unbelievable opportunity for our guys.”

The three-game series will start on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

CST at Hawkins Field. Friday’s game is set for a 7 p.m. CST start, and Game 3 on Saturday is slated for a 12 p.m. CST start.

WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Chuma Okeke (5) shoots during Auburn basketball vs. North Carolina on March 29, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Projecting 2019-20 depth chart after NBA declarations

By LOGAN GLOVER Sports Writer

Last Sunday night was the official deadline to enter names into the 2019 NBA Draft. At that time Auburn’s Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke had put both their names into the pool. After the NBA announced the official list, it’s official that Austin Wiley will not be entering the draft and will be staying at Auburn.

The below projections are with the assumption Harper and Okeke will remain in the draft. If they come back, they will obviously start at point guard and power forward, respectively. This depth chart is also without Sharife Cooper, the five-star 2020 point guard who is heavily leaning Auburn’s way and is reportedly considering reclassifying, and shooting guard Rayjon Tucker, the Arkansas Little Rock grad transfer who has Auburn in the mix for his talents.

With that all established, let’s see what next season’s depth chart could look like.

POINT GUARD J’Von McCormick, senior Tyrell “Turbo” Jones, freshman With Harper gone, J’Von McCormick will have to step up as the starter. McCormick has already shown that he has the ability to do so after his impressive performances during the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament.

Behind McCormick should be “Turbo” Jones, who gets his nickname for a good reason. Jones may be the fastest high school guard in the country -- a jet with the basketball, and he also has a good vertical as a lateral athlete. He will

need to work on consistency with his shot but has already shown that he can sink it from behind the arc.

POWER FORWARD Danjel Purifoy, senior Jaylin Williams, freshman

SHOOTING GUARD Samir Doughty, senior Jamal Johnson, sophomore

Danjel Purifoy started to see more gradual playing time as the season after his return. It will be Purifoy’s job to lose this upcoming season with Okeke declaring for the draft. Auburn will need his physicality on defense and his ability to hit 3-pointers.

Jaylin Williams will be an incoming freshman that has the toughness and motor to compete immediately in the SEC. Williams is an excellent rebounder and thrives in the mid-range to the lane part of the court.

Samir Doughty seems like the right guy to move from the small forward position to guard. Doughty came to Auburn as a combo guard so there is plenty of experience to go off of.

Doughty has already shown that he can be consistent with his shot while being a lock-down defender on defense. Jamal Johnson will experience his first playable season at Auburn after transferring from Memphis. As a freshman at Memphis, Johnson averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and one assist a game. Johnson connected on 47 3-point attempts and shot 33 percent from beyond the arc.

SMALL FORWARD Isaac Okoro, freshman Allen Flanigan, freshman Expect this position to be Auburn’s youngest position on the court but not lacking the talent. This seems to be Isaac Okoro’s position to lose. Okoro is effective in transition and plays with a toughness that will be great for the team.

He is a good rebounder who will have to work on his long-range shooting some. Allen Flanigan is the son of current assistant coach Wes Flanigan. Allen Flanigan is known his basketball IQ and his ability to get to the rim. He should see a good amount of playing time next season.

CENTER Anfernee McLemore, senior Austin Wiley, senior Babatunde Akingbola, freshman With both Anfernee McLemore and Austin Wiley returning it should look a lot like last season with how the rotation was.

McLemore has shown that he has the ability to hit shots beyond the arc as last season progressed.

Wiley will be looking to have a monster season where he can raise his draft stock substantially. Wiley dominates the paint on defense but will need to improve some on his rebounding and consistency on making shots.

Babatunde Akingbola is one that might not see a ton of play but he is a fantastic rebounder and shot blocker. Akingbola is currently waiting on his VISA to be approved to attempt to be on campus by the time the season starts.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

J’Von McCormick (12) may replace three-year starter Jared Harper as Auburn’s starting point guard next season.

lifestyle

11

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

FEATURE

Mother continues fighting for her family

By JACK WEST

Community Writer

The 1993 Auburn graduate who ensured that female athletes would receive equal opportunities on campus continues to fight an autoimmune disease that threatens her life. She has outlived all expectations and is continuing to check things off her bucket list.

Last November, The Plainsman published an article about Susan Kiechel and her daughter Sloan Kiechel, senior in computer science at Auburn.

An activist and athlete in high school, Susan Kiechel started her own suicide prevention program. Then, as a college athlete, she brought a Title IX suit against Auburn, won it and then settled out of court.

That settlement required that the University fully fund a women’s soccer team, offer the full number of

NCAA scholarships for women every year and forbade the school from defunding other women’s sports to pay for these additions.

In 2001, as a 30-year-old wife and a mother of three children, Kiechel was diagnosed with CIDP, an autoimmune disease similar to MS. In the three months following her diagnosis, Kiechel said she went from chasing her kids in the backyard to having to use a wheelchair.

For the last 18 years, Kiechel has been receiving a monthly preventative treatment that weakens her immune system, so it won’t attack her. This leaves her extremely vulnerable to infections and often in a hospital bed.

In July 2018, Kiechel was approved for a stem cell treatment that has the potential to cure her. The problem is that the family’s insurance has refused to pay for

the $154,000 treatment.

At the time of The Plainsman’s publication, Kiechel was told she had about three months to live. Six months later, she and her family haven’t given up.

In March, Kiechel was given tickets to a Pink concert, and her daughter tweeted about it. Less than 20 minutes later, Pink answered.

“The past year my mom has been asking to go to a P!nk concert,” Sloan said.

However, because they could never really be sure when their mother was going to be in the hospital, it was difficult for the family to buy tickets in advance.

When a family friend, Amy Wimmer Portis, got a new job, she told her new employers about Kiechel’s

FOOD

» See KIECHAL, 12

WELLNESS

Ways to be fit without running

By MIRANDA SHAFFER Lifestyle Writer

JOSH FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

Sait Akagündüz owner of Royal Döner poses for a picture, on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

Halal comes to Auburn Royal Dönor opens after months, bringing Turkish cuisine to town

By EVAN MEALINS Community Writer

Nestled between Eddie’s Calzones and Bizilia’s Cafe in downtown Auburn, Royal Döner is a cozy Turkish diner serving affordable Turkish cuisine in both traditional and nontraditional ways.

Royal Döner is new to the downtown scene, having opened only eight weeks ago and is the only Turkish restaurant in the downtown area.

The kitchen is directly to the left of the entrance of the Royal Döner, where customers can watch their food be prepared. Large cones of beef and chicken are slowly turned, roasted and shaved by a robotic slicer, drawing looks from newcomers and hungry passersby.

Vegetables and sauces are at the counter where the cook can personalize the customer’s dish.

The döner meat being shaved by the slicer is the focus of most dishes at Royal Döner, like döner kebap, a traditional Turkish wrap;

beyti, a dish of döner meat wrapped in lavash bread and served with tomato sauce and yogurt; as well as the Special Royal Döner Plate, döner meat served with salad and french fries.

Other items include an Auburn-style pizza and a vegetarian wrap called dürüm salat.

“I love food — I love cooking,” said Sait Akagündüz, owner of Royal Döner.

A friendly businessman, Akagündüz was born in Turkey but has lived in Germany for most of his life. He was born into a “restaurant family” as he calls it, and his passion for food has led to a 30-year career in the restaurant business.

Akagündüz splits his time between Auburn and Germany, where he runs another restaurant much larger than the new Royal Döner.

Akagündüz said he hopes to one day move Royal Döner into a larger space like the one in Germany. But for now, he is happy with where it is and plans to keep the restaurant there for at least three more years.

Royal Döner was originally expected to open in the fall, but preparing the restaurant took longer than expected for Akagündüz.

He pointed to extended construction time, lethargic shipping of the different appliances and goods he needed as well as red tape in the industry as causes for the delay.

Royal Döner is open now, however, and Akagündüz seemed happy about the business through the first eight weeks. He said he is not having any problems getting students in the door, but he wants more families to come and try the food.

“Come in one time, and they’ll come in every time,” Akagündüz said.

Akagündüz said a new sign will be up later in April, advertising the restaurant from the street.

Royal Döner opens at 11 a.m. and closes around 1 a.m. to 2 a.m., serving breakfast all day long.

Royal Döner, equipped with its seven fulltime staff members, fresh food and daily specials, celebrated its grand opening only eight weeks ago, and Akagündüz said he is already looking for new locations to open another Royal Döner with his sights set on Columbus, Georgia.

Unless running is simply a person’s passion, it can be difficult for people to build up the motivation to get up each day and force themselves to exercise in the same monotonous way.

Thankfully, there are a number of exercises available for people who want to try something new.

Any workouts that get the heart rate up are great for a cardio-based workout, said Kinley Beshers, freshman in journalism.

Beshers is pursuing a minor in kineosology at Auburn and runs her own fitness Instagram account.

Many people mistakenly think cardio can only be achieved through slow distance activities such as running marathons, but according to the Mayo Clinic, cardio exercise is defined as any aerobic activity that requires you to repeatedly move large muscles in the arms, legs or hip area that leads to a maximization of oxygen in the blood.

“Examples of some options are burpees, pushups, v-ups, toes-to-bar, box jumps, step-ups and squat jumps,” Beshers said.

These are all basic activities that can be done almost anywhere and without the use of advanced equipment.

HIIT circuits, or high intensity interval training, is another option that consists of multiple short intense bursts of action with short recovery periods.

For those wanting to get a taste of nature while doing their cardio, there are options such as hiking, swimming, rock climbing and biking that can be done around Auburn’s campus or at Chewacla State Park.

Auburn is also home to several other options besides the gym to get a cardio workout including Purvelo, Pure Barre and True40.

At Purvelo, people can enjoy cycling to the rhythm of music for an upbeat, fastpaced workout. Pure Barre and True40 offer classes in which instructors guide people through workouts targeting different areas of the body every class.

Auburn University’s Recreation and Wellness Center offers a wide variety of classes on campus for students looking for alternative cardio workouts, as well.

“We have Cardio Blast, which is full cardio, a Butts and Guts class, Cycling, Pilates and a Zumba class,” said Sarah Denton, sophomore in public relations and employee at the Rec.

ORGANIZATIONS

Club unites students, creates community through games

By JORDAN WINDHAM Campus Writer

While tabletop gaming may conjure images of students hunched over tables and lost to fictitious worlds, the reality is the Auburn Tabletop Gaming Club is an organization dedicated to uniting students from all over campus to pursue their interests and spend time with friends.

The club was founded four years ago by Andrew Adkins, the club’s former president and current community representative.

Adkins started the club during his freshman year because he said he couldn’t find any clubs in Auburn for his hobbies and interests.

“I wanted a place for a whole bunch of nerds to get together to paint and play tabletop games and play board games,” Adkins said. “It ended up turning into a giant [Dungeons and Dragons] club, but that’s not bad.”

Adkins’ favorite part of the club is having a community of people who share his interests and want to hang out in a social setting and play games.

“That’s what I enjoy, the ability

to come together to either collaboratively tell a story or have fun and just really enjoy being who we are and what we like to do,” said Brandon Ball, vice president of the club.

There are usually two rooms open for club meetings. One is reserved for role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons and Shadowrun, while the other is reserved for war and board games like Warhammer 40,000.

“My favorite thing is definitely that a lot of these role-playing games are very much a collaborative experience,” Ball said. “It’s working togeth-

er to either tell a story or do a bunch of really, really lame jokes that make us laugh no matter what.”

The Tabletop Gaming Club can be contacted through its AU Involve page, and the club encourages anyone who is curious to attend a meeting.

The club has an open game policy, so if someone finds a game they want to play, the club will play it with them or teach them how to play.

“We’re all about having fun as a group,” Ball said. “If you’re looking for something to spend seven hours late at night on a Saturday to do or

just want to try something that is not mainstream, not as popular as other things, then definitely come and see what we’re all about.”

To those who are unsure about whether the club is the place for them, Adkins said if anyone likes playing cards and games, building models, watching movies or even just sharing memes, this is the place for them. “(If) you find people who share your interests, share your passions and you create memories with them together, then this club as a whole has done its job,” Ball said.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019

PAGE 12

JOSIE WITEK / ILLUSTRATOR

OFFICER » From 2

He said McLoughlin told them to sound off, and all that was heard was “Jimeno” and “Pezzulo,” meaning Rodrigues and Amoroso did not make it.

“That was very difficult for me,” he said. “I mean, I called their names out for about two to three minutes and Dominick said ‘Willy, they’re just in a better place.’”

Jimeno said Pezzulo was able to get out and stayed to try to free him but could not.

Soon, they heard another boom of the second tower coming down and being in the hallway — both towers were now falling on them.

McLoughlin got crushed further, he said, adding he remembered him letting out excruciating yells. Pezzulo got hit on the head with some of the concrete, and when Jimeno looked over, he saw him bleeding out of his mouth. The hit was fatal.

As Pezzulo was dying, he made his last effort to try to signal where they were, taking out his weapon and shooting it straight up in the air.

KIECHEL » From 11

story and her dream of attending Pink’s concert.

Upon hearing her concert request, the company paid for two tickets so that Portis and Kiechel could see Pink two weeks later.

After the concert, Pink, who currently has 32 million followers on Twitter, replied to Sloan’s tweet about her mother’s experience.

“She was so happy that Pink acknowledged that she existed,” Sloan said about her mom.

While a single concert may not seem like such a big deal, every day is import-

Then, just two or three feet from Jimeno, Pezzulo passed away.

A little while later, fireballs started coming down from above. Jimeno said the fire heated up Pezzulo’s gun and caused it to start going off with the remaining rounds, which miraculously missed Jimeno.

At one point he just wanted to die, Jimeno said.

His friends were gone. He made his peace and thanks with God, asking God for two favors: to let him see his daughter being born since his wife was seven months pregnant and a glass of water.

Jimeno remembers having a vision of someone with no face, brown hair and a white glowing robe reaching out with a bottle of water.

“When I snapped out of that vision, again, you can call it whatever you want, I had a fire in my belly that I’m not going to give up, and if I die tonight, I’m going to die fighting,” he said.

At 8 p.m. that night, Jimeno and McLoughlin heard two marine reserves who were with a civilian and called them over. The New York Police Department Emergency Service Unit also showed up.

ant to the Kiechel family. Since her diagnosis with CIDP in 2001, Susan Kiechel has been in and out of hospitals, Sloan said.

Recently, one of those hospital visits was worse than the others.

“She was in the hospital for almost three months straight, so that was really hard,” Sloan said. “It always really feels like it’s it.”

While Susan was able to recover and was released from the hospital, it wasn’t until after that her daughter learned how dire the situation had been.

A blood infection in Susan’s neck was causing her extreme amounts of pain that could not be dulled with any kind of narcotics.

“She told me for several days she was

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Three men dug him out even though it was extremely dangerous, he said. Many times, he remembered their superiors told them to leave them, but they would not. It took them three hours to get Jimeno out.

Once he got out of the World Trade Center, he looked up.

“I didn’t see anything,” he said. “[I] said, ‘Where is everything?’ and that’s when the firefighter said, ‘It’s all gone kid,’ and that was the first time I cried that day.”

Jimeno said he cried because he felt like they failed since so many people who didn’t get brought home to their families.

“The road to recovery was a very long one — not only physically but also mentally,” he said.

McLoughlin and Jimeno were in the hospital for a long time and went through many surgeries.

He said he somehow had no broken bones, but his nerve was severed on his left leg, and he needed a brace to walk.

Jimeno shared he went through post-traumatic stress disorder. Once he realized he needed to talk to somebody, life got better, he said.

wishing to die,” Sloan said through tears.

After her mom’s recovery from the infection, Sloan said what struck her most was how unnecessary the pain was.

“It’s insane to me because if we had raised the money, or if insurance had paid [...] when she got accepted, she wouldn’t have gone through that,” Sloan said.

Nevertheless, the family has continued to look for ways to raise money and spread Susan’s story.

In January 2019, Sloan, the youngest of the three kids, started a website called Life-Saving Loot where she said she sells some of the “nerdy stuff [she’s] been hoarding over the years.”

The inventory includes T-shirts, buttons and other video game collectibles.

Jimeno said to go through something like that, no one gets rid of it — they just learn to get through it.

“I tell everybody we all have our World Trade Centers,” he said. “You might have lost a loved one, you might have been in a car accident, you might have found out you got cancer or it could just be a student who says, ‘I don’t think I can get over this final exam.’ It’s when you’re faced with your own World Trade Center, how you respond and how you overcome that will show you who you are.”

Today, Jimeno lives in Chester, New Jersey, and has been retired since 2004. His oldest daughter will be graduating from Auburn this year.

Jimeno donated a piece of the World Trade Center to the Veterans Resource Center in Foy Hall for anyone to visit.

“On that day, the worst and darkest day in U.S. history, what I saw, personally, is a lot of love,” he said.

He said he remembers total strangers helping each other and really seeing the strength Americans can have together.

All of the money Sloan receives through the website goes to help fund the stem cell treatment.

Some of the Kiechel family’s friends have been donating directly to them, while others have been holdings events like bake sales to help raise money.

As Susan continued to work toward the treatment, she was honored with a Woman of Distinction Award from Auburn’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity.

Since Kiechel was in the hospital on April 15 — the day of the award presentation — Sloan accepted the award on her mother’s behalf.

“It was really cool how nice everyone was,” Sloan said.

Sloan struggles with anxiety and was especially nervous since most of the oth-

TIGERMARKET

er women receiving awards were at least twice her age.

While she was scared and shaking in the line to accept the award, one of the other recipients offered her some consolation.

“She told me, ‘We all did amazing things, and we are all here for a reason,’” Sloan said.

While Susan Kiechel wasn’t physically there, the University and many others agree that she has done amazing things.

In the 1990s, Susan fought for women at Auburn.

Today, she continues to fight for the people in her family.

According to Sloan, the family is expecting good news regarding stem cell treatment at the end of the month.

JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

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

prior to publication.

Release Date: Thursday, April 25, 2019

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

ACROSS 1 Color in a darkroom 6 “May I say something?”

10 Flat for an artist 14 Lake named for a tribe 15 Folk hero Crockett 16 Song for one 17 Olympics infrastructure project 18 One not found on a violin 19 Communist icon 20 Former U.N. leader Annan 21 “Dude, nice triatomic molecule!”

23 “Dude, nice metered text!”

25 Free bakery treat?

26 Letters after T? 27 Get a lode of this 28 Muddy home 30 Scabbers, in the Potterverse 31 Nonprofit URL ending 32 Like 33 Producer of cones and needles 34 “Dude, nice root vegetable!”

37 Oompa-Loompa creator 39 Tear 40 Conan’s network 41 Novelist Umberto 42 Cyclops organ 43 Animal that sounds like a musical note 44 Sports bar fixtures 47 Open, as oysters 49 “Dude, nice riding crop!”

51 “Dude, nice buzzer collection!”

54 Aid in battling blazes 55 Yoda trainee 56 Many millennia 57 “Sesame Street” woman for 44 years 58 Broiling spot 59 Crumb carriers

42 __ out a living 24 Opening on a 43 Playground retort sweater?

44 Insect midsection 28 __-mo replay 45 Redness29 Parlor pictures removing brand 31 Hermes, in the 46 Appeals (to) Potterverse 48 Director 32 Handy program Eastwood 33 NBA stats 34 Place to pull over 49 They’re beside DOWN the point 35 Rare NFL result 1 Salt dispenser 50 Pod member 2 Where Andorra is 36 Genesis 52 Bring in casualty 3 In or out, at times 53 Study, with “up” 37 Office position 4 Jefferson 57 Indy 500 stat Memorial column 38 Accomplish type ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 5 Gasteyer of “Lady Dynamite” 6 Like some subscriptionbased sites 7 Word from Arabic for “sacred, inviolable place” 8 Party times, often 9 Bit of folklore 10 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner Kendrick 11 “Messiah,” e.g.

12 Relief pitcher, in baseball lingo 13 IRS table column 21 Fake 22 Method 04/25/19 60 Yoga pose similar to a push-up 61 “Sesame Street” Muppet 62 Mexican coin 63 Bad spells

By Andrew Linzer (c)2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

04/25/19