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CAMPUS
Artist behind Bramblett mural finds beauty through pain By BRYCE JOHNSON Sports Writer sports@theplainsman.com
Sydney Harrington sits alone, tucked away into a corner at Ross House Coffee. On the wall is her shadow, a dark outline void of all color, a shape that she says holds in all her pain and rarely sees the light. It lurks behind her but is always there. It’s where her art lies. “You have to do something with the negative emotions that you
SPORTS
feel,” said Harrington, the 21-year-old Auburn senior in art. “You can’t just bottle it up, and I don’t like talking about it, so I like to paint, but I love color, too. There’s an irony in the painting. It’s dark, but it’s also bright and beautiful.” In August, Harrington brought darkness and beauty together in her first mural. On a brick wall in Birmingham, Alabama, prominently placed for all to see, she painted a vibrant tribute to her late soccer coach, Ken Headley, who passed away in early 2019 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
A clash of blues, reds and yellows come together to form a stage that reveals what her coach did best: inspire youth on the soccer field. There, on the painted luscious green pitch, ripping out of the colored backdrop is coach Headley with a smile on his face surrounded by young players. In the bottom left corner, the quote, “Coach me and I will learn. Challenge me, and I will grow. Believe in me, and I will win,” proudly shines in white, » See MURAL, 2
CAMPUS
AU back in The Swamp By MATT JOHNSON Sports Writer sports@theplainsman.com
Auburn and Florida are renewing their rivalry this week as the No. 7 Tigers travel to Gainesville, Florida, to face the Gators. Auburn will be facing one of the most intimidating atmospheres in college football in The Swamp — and it’s a stadium that has stifled the Tigers before. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was built in 1930 and has since been renovated to hold over 90,000 fans, making it one of the loudest stadiums in the country. Florida has an impressive record against the Tigers at home, boasting a 22-9 advantage at The Swamp. Auburn and Florida played an annual rivalry game from 19452002, where, usually, the home team came out on top. The rivalry was disrupted in 2002 because of the division between the SEC » See THE SWAMP, 2
VIA PARKING SERVICES
A diagram of the proposed lot-based parking system that could be introduced in August 2020. Each color coordinates to a different part of campus.
Parking overhaul coming By TIM NAIL
CAMPUS
Campus Reporter
UPC comedy show ends up a no-go By NATALIE BECKERINK Lifestyle Editor lifestyle@theplainsman.com
Auburn’s University Program Council announced that comedians Cody Ko and Noel Miller will no longer be making an appearance on Auburn’s campus. UPC originally planned to have Ko and Miller come to Auburn on Oct. 3, 2019. They were notified a few days ago by Ko’s agent that there was a conflicting obligation that made him unable to be on campus, said Scott Murphy, senior in biomedical science. “It was something that was a contract » See UPC, 2
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In response to heightened concerns about campus parking, the University is seeking to shift its parking system from the long-standing zonal format to a lot-based system. The still-developing changes were discussed at a University Senate meeting on Sept. 17 and are expected to be rolled out in August 2020, in time for the beginning of next fall semester. A parking task force was recently created to determine the potential revisions to parking based on assessments from all member bodies of the University, according to Ronald Burgess, chief operating officer at Auburn. “The task force was established with representation from faculty, staff and students to supplement the feedback that was received last spring semester when [Don Andrae, director of parking services, Dan King, associate vice president for facilities and I] visited with each of the University governance groups,” he said. Among the task force’s objectives is the elimination of the “hunting license” system, which is the name given to how students and faculty locate parking spaces in zones throughout campus. The rate at which parking registrations are sold
versus the number of total zone spaces available is a 4:1 ratio, according to Burgess. In this sense, people “hunt” for parking spots in a zone designated on their permit, but they are not guaranteed to end up in the same zone lot each day. Someone might park in the B zone behind the Village dorms one day but have to move to the B zone in front of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum the next day because of a full lot. “Our goal is to eliminate the ‘hunting license’ and more closely align the number of registrations in a given area to the number of parking places in that same area,” Burgess said. The task force believes this change in permit assignments should alleviate the stress that comes with finding a spot in a person’s designated zone. Instead of being granted access to a certain zone, people would be allowed to purchase a permit for a specific area on campus. The majority of lots would not be oversold, according to a University Senate presentation. The initiative is intended to help students find parking in spaces close to their major classes. For example, business students would be able to park closer to Lowder Hall, and human sciences students would be able to park closer to Spidle Hall. “I do not believe we can ever totally assure an individual that a parking place will be in a given area, but we can certainly increase the odds,” Bur-
gess said. A select number of lots will be oversold by a small percentage, which would lower their prices compared to the average fees for most areas, according to Kelsey Prather, communication and marketing specialist for Auburn University Auxilary Services. The cost for parking on campus is expected to go up following the launch of the new lot-based system, though no new parking spaces will be added to campus property, according to Burgess. The University was unable to provide a statement on how much costs will rise after the planned system is introduced. “We are not at a point where we can give an estimate,” Burgess said. “It is safe to assume that parking fees will increase next August, but we want that to come with increased opportunities for parking.” The parking task force is still in its evaluation stages of on-campus parking and will draw up a completed report with recommendations by Dec. 1. A decision of whether the suggestions should be approved will be made no later than Jan. 31, 2020. “The task force will gain direct input from each of the constituent areas and provide that input to the group as a whole,” Burgess said. If accepted, the recommendations will be published later in the spring before their full implementation in August.
SPORTS
Top-10 tilt: Tigers, Gators clash in crucial SEC battle in Gainesville By JAKE WEESE Sports Reporter sports@theplainsman.com
A majority of the early conversation around the SEC this season has been on Alabama’s continued dominance, LSU’s offense and the surprise
start for Auburn. Seemingly lost in the shuffle this season has been Florida. The No. 10 Gators are 5-0 this season and led by a capable backup quarterback in Kyle Trask. Trask stepped in for Feleipe Franks after Franks dislocated his ankle in Florida’s win over
Kentucky. Trask went on to lead Florida to a comeback win over the Wildcats after coming in to start the fourth quarter after the Franks injury. The redshirt junior made his first career start the following week against Tennessee.
CAMPUS Faculty, students reflect on work of disabilities activist Scott Renner, who died last year, was an activist for the AU disabled community. Page 5
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Since taking over as the starter, Trask has shown his ability to make accurate throws. He is fourth nationally in completion percentage with 77.3%, or 51-of-66 passing, in his two starts. The redshirt junior also broke the school record for consecutive com-
pletions with his last three completions against Tennessee and his first 15 passes against Towson. Senior defensive back Jeremiah Dinson is used to facing off against talented quarterbacks like Trask and » See FLORIDA GAME, 2
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MURAL » From 1
encapsulating everything Headley did in his 15 years with the soccer club. Headley was Harrington’s first club soccer coach when she was 14. She recalled being “overwhelmed with gratitude” when she was contacted to do the mural. Immediately, all her feelings toward Headley rushed back to her. “He was such a great man,” Harrington said. “Every day he’d come to practice with a smile on his face. If it was a tough day, he’d explain how it wouldn’t ruin his day.” Here, encompassing half of a brick wall in her hometown, her art was able to memorialize a man that made an impact on her life. It is an expression of grief that is entirely her own, but for everyone to share. This is how Harrington got into painting in the first place. Between sips of black coffee, Harrington recounted her time as a high school freshman who used art as an outlet for the new tumultuous feelings that began to weigh on her. Shadows riddled her works as she explored the depths of darkness to find beauty. “She didn’t tiptoe around delivering her message,” said Nicole Mckinney, Harrington’s freshman art teacher at Oak Mountain High School, calling her “a little bit [confrontational], but not in an ugly way, or aggressive in a way that she wanted to hurt anyone.” Harrington, who isn’t the type of person to talk openly about all of her emotions, uses her painting as a self-exploration. Every stroke is a plunge deep into her self-conscious, leaving the canvas as a visual representation of her feelings. So when a high school classmate of hers tragically died in a car crash, she did what she always did; she painted and explored the depths of her emotions. Once she finished, she left the painting on the grieving parents’ doorstep, and she witnessed how much comfort her art could bring. “It’s a way to build a relationship with people that are hurting,” Harrington said. “Instead of holding them and asking if they’re ‘OK’ it’s like ‘I’m going to make this for the person you love.’” Three years later, tribute paintings have become Harrington’s calling card. She said people felt how emotional her works were and began commissioning her to memorialize their loved ones. In September, Auburn University fraternity Sigma Chi called on her to paint a mural of Rod and Paula Bramblett, who died earlier this year in a car accident.
THE SWAMP » From 1
East and West. Auburn and Florida don’t compete against each other as often as they did in the past, but there is still history shared between the two squads who always seem to give fans an exciting game. The last time the Tigers played in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was in 2007 where Auburn upset the No. 4 Gators led by Tim Tebow. Wes Byrum made the game-winning field goal for Auburn as time expired, giving the Tigers a 20-17 win. One of the more popular stories in Florida’s history came in 1966 when the Tigers traveled to Gainesville. Eventual Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier convinced Florida’s head coach Ray Graves to let him attempt the game-winning field goal instead of the Gators’ starting kicker. Spurrier made the field goal to defeat the Tigers, and it became the highlight of his career as a Florida quarterback. Spurrier was also the first person to call Ben Hill Griffin Stadium “The Swamp,” once telling a reporter, “The Swamp is a place where only Gators get out alive.” Whenever a team goes into an atmosphere like Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, one of the keys to victory is making sure the quarterback main-
FLORIDA GAME » From 1
knows Auburn’s defense will be prepared and ready to face Trask even if he originally was not the starter. “He can run and throw the ball, really efficient quarterback, he’s got some weapons around him,” Dinson said. “We’ve seen that type of player before, quarterback that can run and pass. I know Coach Steele will have a good game plan this week but he’s a really good player.” When Auburn heads to Gainesville this Saturday,
Rod Bramblett was the announcer for the Auburn Tigers and over the years became a pillar of the community. Students and residents alike mourned his death. Harrington was able to channel this citywide grief into her painting and came away with what she saw as a fitting tribute. The work, which features the faces of both the Brambletts surrounded by Rod’s most famous calls, was prominently displayed in between the pillars of the Sigma Chi house. Every tribute is “special,” said the up-andcoming painter. She has spent hours alone in the studio trying to get all the details perfect for paying her respects properly. Sometimes, she’d wonder if those that she painted looked down on her, assessing the choices she’s made. “When you paint a face, you have a connection to that face that no one else has because you’re seeing every outline, where their bone meets, everything,” Harrington said. “You’re studying it intensely for hours, so you feel this bond with that person.” No matter the piece, Harrington has always thrown herself into the painting. That’s what Mckinney saw in her even when she first started painting. She was always ready to complete the task in front of her and ready to completely buy in. Harrington’s hazel eyes sparkled when she talked about her process of getting lost in paintings, describing the feeling as “like a trance.” Regularly, she’d be in the studio working on three paintings at a time, letting her feelings dictate what to touch up next. There’s no thought involved, just her exploring every emotion. When continually dealing with death though, that emotion is often grief. Sometimes that means lighting up the omnipresent shadow of grief with color and letting the viewer see the subject as happy as ever, as she did with her tribute to Headley. Other times it’s keeping the tone dark and finding beauty in the resolution of life. According to Harrington, channeling the pain she feels makes it easier to paint, but each time it takes a toll. That struggle is always present in her works. “She sees a lot of pain in the world. She’s able to illustrate it in a really beautiful way,” said Julie Anne Doris, a close friend of Harrington’s. “A lot of times, it can alleviate the pain when you can see the darkness in such a cool way that she paints.” Pain is always lurking around Harrington. She carries it with her every day and every-
tains control of the offense in such a loud environment. If Bo Nix needs advice on how to handle The Swamp, he should reach out to his dad Patrick Nix, who led Auburn to a win in Gainesville in 1994. The Tigers entered the matchup as 17-point underdogs before winning a shootout that ended 36-33. Auburn and Florida have been competing on the field for years, but they also compete for the talented high school recruits they hope to fill their rosters with. Auburn has 17 players on the team who played high school football in Florida. Jeremiah Dinson, who is from Miami, knows this game will be personal for him and many of his teammates. “We’re from Florida, so it means a little bit more, just going back to our home state,” he said. The Gators were one of the teams that recruited Dinson heavily before he decided to enroll at Auburn. Florida is an elite program, which is exciting for Auburn’s players, but many of the players are fired up because Florida scheduled Auburn as its homecoming opponent. “Words can’t even explain it,” said senior defensive end Marlon Davidson when asked about how he felt about being the Gators’ homecoming opponent. Davidson felt disrespected, but it
the offensive line of the Tigers will take on Florida’s defensive line, which is a “great front,” according to right tackle Jack Driscoll. The stats back up both of these claims by Driscoll. Auburn’s offensive line is allowing on average 1.20 sacks a game. That average of 1.20 sacks per game ranks Auburn tied for 21st in the nation. Auburn’s offensive line has helped spark the running game this season helping the Tigers rank second in the SEC in rushing offense with an average of 251 yards per game. Meanwhile, the Florida defensive line is no slouch
NEWS
CONTRIBUTED BY SYDNEY HARRINGTON
Harrington in front of the Rod and Paula Bramblett mural that hangs in between the pillars of the Sigma Chi House.
where she goes. It follows her always. As she sits in the coffee shop, her shadow flickering on the wall to the right, the tattoo on her left wrist is visible, an unfinished circle. It’s a reminder that everything around her is unfinished, including the people.
Her art and feelings are ever-evolving. This is what she wants to give to the world. “I’m just figuring myself out like everyone else is,” Harrington said. “These are some of the things I feel. I want people to look at it, and maybe they don’t know exactly what it’s about, but they feel it in their own way.”
UPC
» From 1
KATHERINE MILLER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Kam Martin (10) runs the ball during Auburn vs. Mississippi State, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
just adds to the excitement he already feels about getting to suit up in his home state: “I wanted to go down and play in The Swamp. Growing up as a kid, just the history down there, and playing Florida, period.”
itself. The Gators have 24 sacks on the season, tied for second in the FBS. While Auburn’s rushing offense may be second in the SEC, Florida’s run defense is ranked second in the SEC with an average allowance of 86.8 yards a game. The Swamp will be hosting a fierce battle in the trenches this weekend. Head coach Gus Malzahn believes that this is the best defensive line Auburn has faced up to this point in the season. “I think so, they’ve got some real guys rushing the passer,” Malzahn said. “Not that the guys we played before didn’t, but they’re very
It will be approximately 90 degrees at kickoff on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST. The heat will add to the difficulty for the Tigers, as they will try to stay undefeated on the road and write their own chapter in a renewed rivalry.
aggressive, they get up the field, they pin their ears back. It’s pretty impressive to watch on film.” Jonathan Greenard leads Florida’s aggressive defensive line with an SEC-leading 6.5 tackles for a loss and is tied for first in the SEC with 4.0 sacks. Driscoll believes that Auburn’s offensive line can match up against the Gator’s defensive line when they meet in the trenches Saturday. “I have no doubt that if we execute our technique and what-not that we can be successful,” Driscoll said. “They are a great front, but we are a good O-line too.”
obligation from their side,” Murphy said. “They reached out and said that they would no longer be able to come during that day. Unfortunately, the way our contract process works, we don’t have any way to take action against them.” Students in UPC had been working on booking Ko and Miller for months, said Alison Moore, senior in biomedical sciences. “We have agents that we have worked with in the past that work for a lot of larger companies,” Moore said. “You can literally google who his agent is and find the company, then we can just reach out to someone we know at that team, then they would refer us to a more personal agent.” Looking toward the spring semester, UPC will be trying to keep in contact with Ko and Miller, Murphy said. “We’re not giving up on them, so we want to try and see them come because we know that would be a big hit on campus.”
KATHERINE MILLER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Seth Williams (18) scores a touchdown during Auburn vs. Mississippi State, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
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OPINION
EDITORIAL
Turning controversy into conversation What we can learn from an Auburn alumna who advocated tolerance and was silenced By EDITORIAL BOARD Fall 2019
On Sept. 11, 2019, the sky over Auburn got a little darker. One of our stars, Anne Rivers Siddons, a bestselling author and Auburn alumna whose work is an outstanding example of the power held in bitingly candid writing, passed away that day. Siddons wrote columns and editorials for The Plainsman before graduating from Auburn in 1958, and her dismissal from The Plainsman’s staff during the height of segregation should serve as a lesson for the intentions, importance and consequences — good and bad — of journalistic opinion writing. The column that Siddons got the most backlash for was published in October 1957, seven years before a student of color would enroll at Auburn, and was titled, “Death Of A Columnist.” Siddons described the piece as being about “tolerance in general and racial tolerance in particular.” Knowing her audience, she then invited people who didn’t want to read her article to “go read the football writeups.” Siddons derided the people opposing integration by saying they gather “in howling mobs like animals and throw stones and wreck automobiles and beat helpless individuals.” She called on the “regional snobs,” who insisted on maintaining the South’s traditions of injustice and segregation to quit “worrying about our own moral petticoats. Let ‘em drag in the mud. It’s good old Southern mud.” Her words were brutal, they were honest and they were controversial. At a time when inclusion and equali-
ty were deemed radical in the South, Siddons wrote columns proudly supporting racial tolerance and criticized the racist mobs fighting integration. And it cost her. Initially, an administrator from the University attempted to suppress the columns, but when that proved futile, Siddons was fired from the newspaper’s staff. Despite — or perhaps because of — this attempted silencing, Siddons’ column garnered national attention. Her call for justice and explanation of tolerance resonated with readers across the country and started a conversation on campus. The next three issues of The Plainsman had either letters to the editor or columns debating Siddons’ piece and the larger topic of integration in the South. Many of the responses published during that time were staunch refusals of Siddons’ call for integration — one called her a frustrated old maid — but a select few supported her. “Many of us agree with Miss Rivers and hope that her thinking has had some effect on students at Auburn,” a student wrote anonymously. Some writers, like Frederick B. Benson, disagreed with Siddons but still supported her right to write her opinions and publish them. Benson said her column was “thought provoking, and whether you agree or not with their views makes no difference. You are at least stimulated which is much better than being subjected to the inane trivia which usually appears in print.” Siddons knew her opinions would be controversial, but she wrote in a way that made
them conversational. Now, 62 years after “Death of A Columnist” was published, the legacy of the conversation Siddons started should be a reminder of why independent and open-minded opinion pages are vital. The goal of journalism is to uncover interesting, pertinent or critical information and then present it in a way that is understandable and impactful. It’s about honesty, clarity, accuracy and relevancy. We report the facts and tell the stories that we think our readers need or want to know. That hasn’t always been the goal of journalists — many of the earliest newspapers were organized and run directly by political parties — but the formalization of journalistic standards at the start of the 20th century saw newspapers pride themselves on being independent and unbiased. At that time, opinion pieces and letters to the editor were relegated to their own pages. For the next 100 years, even as new media were created, existing media were altered and outdated media were abandoned, most of the major American news outlets kept a boundary line between reporting and editorializing. But some of that has begun to change. The development of 24-hour news channels, online publishing and social media has eroded much of that boundary line. Pundits now dominate the airwaves and the host of the most watched show on the most watched news channel has openly campaigned for a political figure who calls the media “the enemy of the people.” The news will always be inherently political, but we are in a situation where some of the most prominent journalists in the coun-
try are acting politically. This degradation has created mistrust and given voters an excuse to defame journalistic bastions for publishing an article that is critical of their favorite candidate. By keeping reporting and editorializing wholly separate from each other, news outlets can start to rebuild trust among the large swaths of the public where they have lost it. Clear distinctions between reporting and opinion give legitimacy to organizations and allow for the public, en masse, to at least agree on a set of facts. Then, with agreed upon facts as a basis, columnists and contributing writers can make arguments for the societal, moral and political implications of a situation — they can start a conversation. They can ask questions about why something happened, rather than if it happened at all. Independent and clearly defined opinions sections produce and thrive off of controversial writing. In turn, well-written editorials and columns invite readers to respond with letters to the editor. It becomes a feedback loop where we all can debate moral and political issues without hurling phrases like “fake news,” around. Looking back to 1957, plenty of readers disagreed with Siddons, but none of them accused her of lying. They thought she was wrong, but they supported her right to speak and believed her opinions to be honestly held. Conversations like the one started by “Death of A Columnist” are vital to our democratic and journalistic process, and it shouldn’t take the actual death of the columnist to remind us that.
COLUMN
It’s time to let college athletes own themselves By HARRISON TARR Sports Writer
As children, we saw them as role models. As students, we see them as icons for our University. As adults, we see them as the next generation to bring glory to our alma mater. The life of a collegiate athlete must be so fulfilling, right? They receive a free education and free room and board. Jerseys with their numbers fly off the shelves of bookstores, and they are often seen and celebrated on television. What could anyone possibly not enjoy about that? Let’s take a minute to put ourselves in the shoes of these athletes. From the time you wake up at 5 a.m. until the end of your end-ofthe-day homework grind at 12 a.m., you have a plethora of responsibilities that constantly demand your attention. But it’s what you have to do to give your team the best chance of making your school’s fans and alumni proud when you hit the field, court or pitch. It makes sense; this is an intense and competitive level of play, and you want to get better. Not to mention, the University provides nearly everything you need, and what it
does not provide, you can just purchase with money you earn from your job. But wait — you don’t have a job. The NCAA only allows you to work in the two-month span where your sport is considered, by them, to be out of season. Of course, you wouldn’t have time to work during the season anyway. Back to your weekly routine. Game day rolls around, and you enter the playing field. When you look at the stands and see fans wearing jerseys with your number on them, you begin to wonder why the University can be the sole profiter of merchandise which is clearly designed to support you. Also, how come ESPN is using your photo on their for-profit broadcast, yet you don’t receive a dollar for it? Let’s bring it back again, and readdress our initial question. What could possibly make being a college athlete any less enjoyable? Probably the fact that everyone around them benefits from their talent, while they have empty pockets and no way to fill them. Universities should not place their student athletes on payroll; however, the fact that the NCAA forbids players from receiving endorsements and profiting off their
own names and likenesses is not only unfair — it’s offensive. What is there to gain by not allowing players to make money off of merchandise, attention-grabbing broadcast graphics or inclusion in a multi-million dollar video game franchise? This conversation is not about making colleges pay their athletes anymore; this is about their individual profitability. Are we trying to keep the marketplace fair? I hope not. The whole purpose behind a free market system is that supply and demand actually work. What good does it do to not teach college students, who are supposed to be receiving a free education, how a real-world economy works? I see none. If student-athletes received financial compensation for the use of their names and likenesses, the market would be driven by supply and demand. Does this create an equal income for each player? No. However, there is no level of competitive sport or entertainment-based industry where every player or performer receives equal payment. The traditional ideal of not pay-
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take note of how many people are dressed just like you. Take a minute to watch the insane amount of media pour through the media-only gates. Maybe then you’ll understand how much these players are missing out on. Harrison Tarr is a sophomore in pre-journalism.
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ing collegiate athletes has grown outdated as the market surrounding NCAA-affiliated sports has grown into a massive industry. And don’t think for a minute the players haven’t taken notice. Next time you and your gameday buddies show up to the tailgate wearing your new jerseys with your team’s quarterback’s number on it,
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SENATE
SGA adopts $1.5 million budget for next fiscal year By TIM NAIL Campus Reporter
The Student Government Association Senate adopted a little over $1.5 million in budgeting with stipends at its Monday night meeting, covering funding for several major divisions of on-campus groups for the upcoming fiscal year. The University Program Council, Student Involvement, Emerge, Student Media and SGA were among those funded for the year starting Oct. 1, 2019, and ending Sept. 30, 2020. “This is an active process that we have been working on extensively since about April of this year,” said James Sadie, Budget and Finance Committee chair of SGA. “What we’ve done is that due diligence of finding out what these organizations need.” Following a quick resolution that provided Student Involvement with $15,000 last week after it ran out of money, SGA was able to secure a higher overall budget for 2019 – 2020 in cooper-
ation with University administration, according to Sadie. “The University was helpful in getting us some funding that they believe should be student funding through the Student Activity Portfolio,” Sadie said. “We have more money allocated to us this year and did not have to make any cuts.” Student Involvement was able to successfully use the $15,000 granted recently to finish out the fiscal year. In the upcoming year, they will have $150,000 total to last them until next September. With the adopted funding, Emerge is looking to add more programs to its lineup, Sadie said. “Leadership is really pushing a few of their programs and honing in on the best ways to get every student involved,” he said. “If students want to be a leader, they have that opportunity because of the things Emerge provides.” Sadie said the Black Student Union and the International Student Organization were two driving forces in determining how
the $1.5 million would be distributed. BSU plans to celebrate Black History Month with a series of events in February 2020, while ISO intends to host its annual Peace Dinner, two occasions that will demand high expenses. “They came to us in April with their plans and thoughts,” Sadie said. “Tonight, I’m proud to say the [Student Senate] gets to make those dreams a reality to elevate the student experience.” The Glomerata was one other organization that saw benefits from the adopted bills, having been affected by the end of leases for its computers in August. It will now be under the Student Involvement administration budget, according to Sadie, which all withstanding leases and costs for required hardware were factored into. “Everyone should be covered on their computer needs within the Office of Student Involvement,” Sadie said. “There are ongoing leases; however, we expect them to expire within this fiscal year, and those are being funded for as well.”
ORGANIZATION
Beekeepers sell local honey By JORDAN BURKES Campus Writer
Comer Hall was buzzing with excitement on Friday. The Auburn University Bees had a honey sale on the lawn of Comer Hall on Sept. 27. The event was scheduled to take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, the lawn was crowded with people waiting to get in line by 11 a.m. The organization had to put out enrollment sheets where people could place their order beforehand so that the front of the building wouldn’t be blocked with such a long line. Even with this countermeasure, the two separate lines both stretched all the way to the street when the scheduled start time rolled around. The proceeds from the event will go back to the University’s Bee Lab, helping them buy more equipment and fund scientific meetings on campus. Joshua Campbell, a research associate in the entomology department at Auburn University, helped coordinate the honey sale. According to Campbell, they harvest the honey about twice a year, usually in June and then late summer. The honey being sold at the event was an accumulation of both harvests.
“A good beekeeper checks on their bees every few weeks during the summer, and with having nearly 100 hives, we have a lot of people staffed and volunteering to help manage the bees,” Campbell said. AU Bees is the organization on campus associated with the Auburn Univeristy Bee Lab, and they helped run and put on the event. Carter Giles, junior in organismal biology, conservation and biodiversity, was volunteering at the sale. “I wanted to get involved, and it’s something to do that’s positive,” Giles said. “There’s also an educational aspect to the club that I love. We get to go to the local elementary schools, and we get to educate little kids on bee populations and what they do for our environment.” At the sale on Friday, a booth was set up for educational functions, which showed off a beehive. Jessica Moore, senior in animal sciences, was excited to attend the event and get a feel for how the honey is produced. “Even though honey is still food, it’s so different from my major,” Moore said. “It’s so cool that I got to go ask ... about how the bees live, how do they harvest the honey or any other questions I want to ask. But I mainly came here to buy honey.”
ALLISSA STANLEY / PHOTOGRAPHER
ACADEMICS
University to offer new HDFS graduate degrees in fall 2020 By MALLORY NICHOLS Campus Writer
Auburn University’s Board of Trustees approved a motion two weeks ago to implement graduate programs in hospitality management and child life. These programs are waiting for final approval from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education and are expected to be implemented in the fall of 2020. They will include a Master’s of Science in child life and a Master’s of Science and doctorate in hospitality management. Currently, if a student wants a graduate degree in hospitality management, they have to pursue a graduate degree in nutrition with a concentration in hotel and restaurant management. Dr. Baker Ayoun, the hospitality graduate program coordinator for the Department of Hospitality Management, said that these graduate degrees were created to better reflect what these students were working towards and to make it easier for them to find jobs after graduation. The Department of Hospitality Management has been working towards this transition for years. What started years ago as a set of
courses soon became a concentration under nutrition and is now becoming its own program. “We have been making changes to this program for years,” Ayoun said. “It makes sense for the next step to make it its own degree programs.” The curriculum will focus on offering more refined courses that will be geared towards any student who wants to have a graduate degree in hospitality management. Students will be expected to complete a three-hour internship by the time they graduate, giving them experience in hospitality management for jobs. There are currently 11 students in the Ph.D. program and two in the M.S. program. The nutrition program is known for being competitive and, in the most recent published ranking, the Master’s of Science degree was ranked No. 15 and the Ph.D. program was ranked No. 6. Once the graduate programs are implemented, Auburn will be the only school that offers graduate degrees in hospitality management. “When we put these programs into place, we expect our rankings to go up,” Ayoun said. Dr. Angela Wiley, the head of Human Development and Family
MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
Spidle Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Studies, said that in the next 5–10 years, the National Association for Child Life Professionals will require everyone who wants to be a child life specialist to have a graduate degree in child life. Auburn will be the only prestanding program in Alabama. To obtain this degree, students will have to complete a total of 33
credit hours, a practicum of 100 hours, an internship of 600 hours and a capstone. The Department of Human Development and Family Studies works with companies around Auburn, such as the East Alabama Medical Center, to place students into practicums and internships. “Through all of these require-
ments, students will be prepared to join the workforce with the experience needed to help children and their families,” Wiley said. The program is expected to have 12–15 students in it when it is implemented. These students are expected to have an undergraduate degree in anything related to child life.
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
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HEALTH
Grad program tackles environmental health issues STAFF REPORT One Health is a graduate certification program offered by the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. The program is a joint partnership with the College of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health. “Our One Health Graduate Certificate provides students with an understanding of the nexus among human, environmental and animal health, which forms the basis of planetary health,” said Graeme Lockaby, associate dean for research for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. “Presently, health issues are very complex and often involve interactions among life cycles of pathogens and arbovirus vectors, human risk factors and envi-
ronmental drivers.” Lockaby said that awareness of the interactions between these links is especially important when facing increasingly volatile factors like population growth, climate change, changes in disease vector ecology and land use. The certification program requires 15 credit hours of online coursework that involve examining public health threats like infectious diseases and assessing strategies for creating sustainable ecosystems. Sarah Zhody, assistant professor of disease ecology, said students seeking certification through the One Health program will face issues that are complex and extraordinarily time-sensitive. “The human population is rapidly growing, and our reliance on natural resources is stronger than ever, although the resources themselves are finite,” Zohdy said. “The most prev-
alent health problems humans face in modern times are heavily linked to environmental conditions and ecosystem health.” The certification program is essential to providing professionals with the tools needed to tackle environmental health threats, said Janaki Alavalapati, dean of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. “The Auburn University One Health online graduate program clearly represents an area of crucial need and importance within our state as well as nationally and globally,” he said. It’s estimated that 60% of human infectious diseases and 70% of emerging human diseases come from wild or domesticated animals. Examples of this include rabies, Rift Valley fever, West Nile virus and brucellosis. Lockaby said the health of animals can act as a warning for transmission of diseases in humans. The risk of West Nile virus is partial-
ly determined by environmental factors that encourage reproduction of Culex mosquitoes. He said these determinants, when grouped with socioeconomic factors, call for an urgent, wide-scale endeavor. “It is crucial that people engaged in many types of activities—such as health specialists, city managers, stormwater managers and urban planners—understand the complexity and degree to which causal factors may be interrelated and act accordingly,” Lockaby said. He said the program will likely expand as environmental threats worsen. “The need for training from the One Health perspective will become even more acute in the future, as climates shift and diseases emerge in new locations,” Lockaby said. “Our goal is to provide a starting point for the One Health conversation that must continue indefinitely.”
MEMORIUM
Faculty, students reflect on late disabilities activist By DREW DAWS Campus Writer
Oct. 7 marks one year since the death of Scott Renner — a man who played a critical role in the Office of Accessibility and gave strength and hope to members of the disabled community both on campus and throughout the state. A 1992 diving accident left Renner paralyzed from the neck down. Through the years, he used this tragedy to embolden the disabled community and to help students dealing with similar situations on campus. “There were a couple of students who were kind of in a similar situation as him, as far as being quadriplegic or using a wheelchair,” said Barclay Bentley, assistant director of the Office of Accessibility. “[Renner] was really good about working with those students and letting them know about, well, ‘here’s some things that I’ve done in the past. You can try this out.’” Bentley said that students found hope in Renner, who did not let his disability stop him from pursuing his dreams. He received his doctorate from the University in 2015. Prior to joining the Office of Accessibility, Renner served as an instructor in the College of Education, where he taught independent living and assistive technology classes. “One thing that Scott was really big on was trying to make everything as independent as possible,” Bentley said. “I think that’s the part the students were really more inspired by, [the idea] that, ‘There’s a way for me to still be independent. The career stuff is awesome, but practically day-to-day, here’s some stuff that I can still do, and I don’t have to rely on other people to help me out.’” Bentley said Renner oversaw the office’s technology lab, evaluating software and converting textbooks to an electronic format for students to use. “He hosted a technology conference on campus for several years called ALATEC,” Bentley said, referring to the Alabama Assistive Technology Expo and Conference. “It was basically a disability technology conference, and it would be some of the newest bells-and-whistles gadgets that people would have.” Tracy Donald, director of the Office of
MARY ELIZABETH LANE / PHOTOGRAPHER
Automatic door opener in Auburn, Ala.
Accessibility, said that Renner was wellknown in Alabama for his work promoting the needs of the disabled community. “There’s not anybody, probably, in the field of rehabilitation who did not know Scott Renner,” Donald said. Renner previously served as chairman of the Alabama State Rehabilitation Council, chairman of the Alabama State Independent Living Council and served on the advisory committee for the Alabama Governor’s Office on Disability, among others. Anna Wilson, a master’s student in engineering management, said she first met Renner in 2014. “I first met Dr. Scott during the Youth Leadership Forum that was being held at
Troy University during my senior year of high school,” she said. “He was there promoting advanced technologies for people with different disabilities, especially people who have quadriplegia.” Wilson added that Renner served as an inspiration to her throughout her undergraduate years at Auburn. “He was like a mentor to me,” she said. “He confirmed my belief that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t do great things and impact so many people — both able-bodied people and people with disabilities.” Since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, in 1990, the Office of Accessibility has worked to accommodate the needs of students, fac-
ulty and staff. “With every new building that’s built, they’re going to follow the latest ADA standards to implement wider doorways, path of travels, talking elevators and things like that,” Donald said. However, the office has run into trouble with bringing some of the older buildings up to code. “Where we still struggle as a University is with these buildings that are very old. The doors are smaller. The restrooms are smaller,” Donald said. “Those have been the most challenging.” One of the reasons Renner played such a critical role in the Office was that he experienced these issues firsthand, Bentley said. “It’s certainly different to walk in another person’s shoes that’s already been in that experience,” he said. “That goes back to what I was saying earlier about, you know, some of those students he could connect to on a more personal level because he knew what they were going through.” Donald said he believes that Renner has left a lasting impact on campus, notably his openness and willingness to help students. “If he could help somebody become more independent and succeed in whatever their goals were, I think that was really what made his day,” he said. “You could ask him anything, and he would share his own personal experience of how he overcame whatever was a challenge to him.” Bentley echoed these statements, saying Renner always looked for ways to make things more accessible for the disabled community. “He definitely liked to solve problems, especially if it was disability related,” Bentley said. “If he could come up with an app or a computer program that would make the class more accessible or impact the student and allow them to show their best work, he went to bed happy at night knowing that he made a change like that.” Wilson agreed, adding that Renner truly cared and was constantly looking for ways to give back. “He was always so generous, willing to help anyone and everyone with anything. [He] always had a smile on his face, and he had a great sense of humor,” she said.
ACADEMICS
Physics professor wants new Leach Center to serve the students By JORDAN BURKES Campus Writer
MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
The Leach Science Center sits on the corner of 380 Duncan Drive on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
The physics department and faculty were consolidated in the Leach Science Center, and one Auburn lecturer is looking to make the transition smoother. The physics department was consolidated from Parker Hall and Allison Laboratory, as the buildings are being demolished to prepare for the new classroom and laboratory complex. Over the summer the Leach Science Center opened the doors to its $24 million extension, and this fall semester, the building is being used in its official capacity. The building contains group study areas, nine new labs and a rooftop that can hold up to 18 different telescopes. The 62,500 square-foot addition was designed to be more student-centric, allowing the
students to have more places to study, hang out and work collaboratively. Ameya Kolarkar, senior lecturer in the physics department, is in charge of improving the student experience at the Leach Science Center and making the building more student-centric. “The mission of the Leach Science Center is student education,” Kolarkar said. “We don’t only have labs for research here, but also student-centered objectives. There have been a few small issues with the building concerning foot traffic and the functionality of certain aspects, Kolarkar said. One of the stairways was built with the intent of being more of a showcase, but has ended up being a high traffic area for the building. The stairwell doesn’t reach the top floor, causing staff and faculty with offices on the top floor of the building to take unconven-
tional routes. Regardless, the Leach Science Center isn’t stopping at just the addition. Kolarkar said there are several plans to help foster the student centered atmosphere the addition has helped create. Sometime in the near future, the lobby of the new building is going to be used as an activity space to hold different types of events. There are plans for physics experiments that students can come and observe and toys to be put out for students to play with that help with the physics learning process. “We want it to be a hangout point,” Kolarkar said. “We want to bring in other students from different educations.” Kolarkar said he hopes by holding all of these events, the physics department can remove the fear students have around physics.
community THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
COMMUNITY
BUSINESS
Auburn’s mobile flower bed Local flower truck hopes to spread joy by selling flowers on Auburn’s streets By CORY BLACKMON Community Reporter
Flowers have the ability to add a bit of joy and light to anyone’s day, with their bright colors and lively presence — at least that was the mindset of Lauryn Rodgers when she turned the idea of owning a small flower truck into a reality. Several years ago, Lauryn Rodgers was talking to her husband about the idea of running a small truck to sell flowers. Her husband, Brandon Rodgers, found a truck on eBay in Tampa. He arranged to pick up the truck to start the project. “I had tossed the idea around, and two years ago he found this old truck,” Rodgers said. “I had been doing arrangements for people and fun little projects for a long time, so this became another avenue for me to share these with new people and let them have fun.” The couple fixed a green 1940 Chevy three-quarter ton stake bed truck named The Flower Bed to hold different buckets. Flowers are displayed in each of the buckets for customers to pick and craft their own personal bouquets. “I wanted to make a place that was good and happy,” Lauryn Rodgers said. “I feel like bad moods disappear when they walk up to the truck. I think flowers bring a smile to anybody’s face, so I love to bring that to people.” She isn’t trying to compete with local florists or flower shops. She just wanted to give people a fun and unique avenue to pick out their own flowers, Lauryn Rodgers said. “All varieties of people come to the truck, not just
VIA @THEFLOWERBED ON INSTAGRAM
girls, but guys who want to buy their wife flowers or take home a bouquet for their mom,” Lauryn Rodgers said. “I wanted to create something different from the grocery store or a florist, where I can pick my flowers and say, ‘I just want to spend this much.’” The Flower Bed has made about a dozen outings since April 2019. The couple has parked the truck in downtown Auburn to meet with people and sell flowers. “I am a very behind-the-scenes kind of person,” Lauryn Rodgers said. “I normally don’t like to be
EDUCATION
out in front of people, but this has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and learn about myself. And people make it so easy because everyone is so happy to come by and see us.” Rodgers tries to get her flowers from local growers. She specifically noted Opelika, Montgomery and LaGrange growers, but also mentioned buying flowers from as far away as California and Miami. “In my heart, I would love to buy from local growers in different varieties,” Lauryn Rodgers said. “But it can be hard because you need to find people
MEMORIAL
Community honors children lost in tornado By ELIZABETH HURLEY Community Editor
CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN CITY SCHOOLS
Literary vending machine encourages reading habits By TARAH YEAGER Community Writer
Young students at Yarbrough Elementary School have a new way to get their reading materials. The school installed a book vending machine over the summer, and students will be given the opportunity to select and keep a book from this machine over the course of the year. The machine can hold up to 200 books at one time. These books range from third- to fifth-grade reading levels, said Daniel Chesser, Auburn City Schools public relations specialist. To get a book from the vending machine, students need to insert a token. These books will be given away as part of a school rewards-based character education program, which is where they get the tokens from. The Parent Teacher Organization will continue to fund this initiative to keep the machine stocked with new books, Chesser said. The school’s goal is to have each student use the book vending machine at least twice during the year, said Principal of Yarbrough Elementary School Pete Forster. “Students receive a token for being selected as Leader of the Month in their classroom or from our Positivity
who are willing to tend to the project.” Her long-term dream is to be able to incorporate a way to teach children how to grow and tend to their own flowers. In the near future, she will be involved with the Auburn City Market on Saturdays this month, Lauryn Rodgers said. “I have been humbled by this whole process and the kindness of everyone,” Lauryn Rodgers said. “I am excited when I get the opportunity to go out — and a ball of nerves too — but everyone has been so happy that it is all worth it.”
Project character cards,” Forster said. A running record of students who have selected a book from the vending machine will be kept to ensure each student has a chance to access it. Students will also have the opportunity to choose a book as a result of strong performance in the classroom and perfect attendance, Chesser said. Chesser said the goal of this book vending machine is to develop a stronger reading culture among students. “We want to continue the excitement around reading, not just at school, but at home and with family members,” Chesser said. This vending machine offers a different way of achieving this, Chesser said. “For me, I want kids to see the machine lit up with enticing covers, peek inside and talk about the books with their friends,” Forster said. “As long as books are getting into the hands of our students, we are making a difference.” This idea has been a hit among faculty and students at Yarbrough. Several members of the education community have also expressed their excitement for the idea. “The idea has caught the attention of many, and it is possible to see more pop up within Auburn City Schools,” Chesser said.
When an EF-4 tornado came through Beauregard, Alabama, in March, members of the community found themselves in a new world. Twenty-three lives were lost, and countless others were impacted. That impact is still felt throughout the community, especially with young people. Seven-year-old Mattie Ashworth was a classmate and friend of one of the four children lost in the storm. In the months following the storm, her grandmother and mother were helping her work through the loss of her friend. Her grandmother would take her to a local library where one day Mattie Ashworth drew a picture. The drawing gave her grandmother an idea. “From that picture I came up with the idea to open a children’s library in honor of the children who were taken during the storm,” said Robin Ashworth, founder of the Four Childrens Library and Mattie Ashworth’s grandmother. “It just kind of went from an idea to being a blessing.” Robin Ashworth went to her daughter — Mattie’s mom — with the idea to build a children’s library to honor the children lost in the storm while giving other children a place to remember them. “A memorial library will be good out here, for the children,” Robin Ashworth said. “The reason I wanted to do it was not to capitalize on the death of the children but to make their lives be celebrated every day.” From there the three generations of women got to work. They recruited other community members, including other young people and children, to serve on their board and help bring their vision to
life. Since then, the group started a Facebook page named for the library. There, head librarian Kay Atchinson posts children’s book suggestions while she and the rest of the board work to secure a brickand-mortar library location. The group already has many books to put into a library between daily donations and Atchinson’s stash from her teaching days. “We’re running by the skin of our teeth and a wish and a prayer,” Atchinson said. “We have really come a long way. We’ve gotten everything legally set up, and we’re ready to go.” The team is working with local churches and municipalities to get their non-profit status and set up a location for children and families to visit in person. Atchinson hopes to give children a place where they can fall in love with reading. She said she hopes the children learn that reading doesn’t have to just be for school; it can be for fun too. Robin Ashworth wants to give children a place where they can learn, play and grow with each other. “I’d just like for it to be a place to go that’s relaxing, educational and fun,” Robin Ashworth said. “I don’t want a library that’s traditional. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just don’t want the traditional hush-hush.” Robin Ashworth and her daughter Stacie Ashworth aren’t sure how the children have been impacted by the library yet. They do think the parents in the community have found a new sense of hope. “Everybody has been through such a hard time lately, this has been kind of a ray of sunshine,” Stacie Ashworth said. “It’s something good that came out of the situation.”
GOVERNMENT
Auburn receives good credit score By CORY BLACKMON Community Reporter
The City of Auburn has proven its financial maturity in receiving two high bond ratings. Standard & Poor awarded Auburn an AA+ rating, and Mody’s Bond Agency gave Auburn an AA2 rating. Auburn City Manager Jim Buston said that bond rating agencies look at a company’s or city’s financial position to determine if they can afford more debt. The agencies then evaluate the ability of the company to repay the debt and rate the bonds based on that evaluation. “These are very high ratings indicating that the City of Au-
burn is in a good financial position with an excellent credit rating,” Buston said. Selling bonds is like getting a loan in some ways. The City needs to be evaluated based on financial history, creditworthiness and the likelihood of being able to pay back the loan, Buston said. “In order for the City of Auburn to get the high ratings that we get, we have to manage our finances conservatively, stay within our set budgets and meet certain benchmarks which we have set for ourselves,” Buston said. One of the ways the City works to achieve this status is by keeping the personnel expenses at 50% of the general fund budget. This is achieved by main-
taining a well-trained staff who can keep up with the demands of the City while not hiring more personnel than necessary. “Most cities’ budgets are 70% or more in personnel costs,” Busto said. “We hire well qualified people, we pay adequately and we provide the tools and training necessary for our employees to excel. We expect a lot from our employees and they deliver.” Buston also said that the City tries to keep at least 25% of the general fund budget in reserve. “We are only required to keep a 6% reserve, but it is fiscally prudent to keep enough of a reserve to have a cushion,” Buston said. » See BONDS, 7
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
The Auburn Plainsman
PAGE 7
BUSINESS
Local business offers alternative therapy By FIELDER HAGAN Community Writer
Harmony in 3D is a local business on East University Drive that offers musical therapy sessions meant to find unison in mind, body and spirit. Through the use of Bio-Energetic Transduction-Aided Resonance, owner Sue Bradley and assistant MaryAynne Miller said they hope to tap into feelings of child-like nostalgia that have been blocked off by years of anxiety and tension. Concertos by Chopin and symphonies by Haydn are just a few of the captivating classical works meant to help patrons detach from the outside world and find relaxation. “When they come in, we gather as much personal information [as possible] so that we can get to know them and their preferences, then select or build a playlist for that person,” Miller said. “We understand we are a business, but we are more a service meant to help people relax.” Miller is Bradley’s granddaughter and an Auburn University senior in vocal performance. She works alongside her grandmother helping with daily office operations. Growing up in a musically driven family, Bradley was taught musical notes that had been scribbled into her old nursery rhyme books. She soon developed a passion for music, specifically for the piano, and dedicated her life to the teaching and appreciation of music. Bradley graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in piano performance. Shortly after, Bradley graduated from Auburn University with a Master’s in music education. Bradley has given piano lessons since her college days in Athens, Georgia, but she began teaching music appreciation at Southern Union Community College and Auburn University, where she worked until she retired in 2010. She then shifted her
VIA HARMONY IN 3D’S FACEBOOK
focus to her grandchildren and travelling. After a spiritual moment using her BETAR machine in the mountains of northern Georgia, Bradley decided to start administering music therapy to others 30 years ago. “I taught piano for 45 years, and learned how therapeutic it was for every student from 3-year-olds to 80-year-olds,” Bradley said. “My mantra was always, ‘Don’t turn them off from music by your demands or expectations,’ so I didn’t teach any music I didn’t like.” Bradley’s ultimate goal is to help people in her community learn how to relax, she said.
“To be more relaxed and to learn to relax through music,” Bradley said, describing the end goal of every session she administers. Customers schedule appointments for a variety of reasons, ranging from depression, anxiety and stress to just wanting to have a good time, Bradley said. “This is a very unique experience for any musician too,” Miller said. “It’s a different way you can hear any of your music. It helps with all kinds of patients, not just those with mental health issues but people with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer — helping them deal with pain.”
BONDS
RANKINGS
» From 6
FILE PHOTO
Cars line the streets of downtown Auburn.
Auburn among best places to live in America By EVAN MEALINS Assistant Community Editor
MONEY Magazine recently listed Auburn as one of the 100 best places to live in America, and Auburn was the highest ranked Alabama city on the list. Auburn came in at No. 66 while Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham, was listed as the No. 84 best place to live in America. To be considered, a city had to have a population of at least 50,000 people. Cities with over double the national crime rate, less than 85% of its state’s median household income or a lack of ethnic diversity were not considered. The magazine then considered each city’s economic health, cost of living, ethnic and economic diversity, public education, income, health and safety, ease of living and amenities, based on data points provided by research partner Witlytic.
Mayor Ron Anders spoke with The Plainsman about the City receiving the award. “I certainly want the citizens to rejoice and to take ownership of their participation in making Auburn great, because they certainly have,” Anders said. Anders also said he hopes the ranking assures residents that the City is using their tax dollars appropriately and efficiently. Those tax dollars allow the City to provide the services that make Auburn a great place to live, Anders said. “The more our City can grow economically, the more resources we have to provide fantastic services for our community,” Anders said. While growth in business is necessary to continue to improve, the City is scrupulous on just what types of businesses are allowed to open in Auburn, Anders said. Businesses that Anders thinks are right for
the City are high-tech and often have a partnership with the University, while also offering great-paying jobs. Value-added engineering and light manufacturing — when the total assembly of a product occurs in one place — were of particular interest to Anders. Looking to the future, Anders said he feels there are always ways to improve the City, and he specifically mentioned resident safety, City infrastructure and the growth of parks and recreation facilities as things the City is currently working to improve. “We’ve got areas of our town, such as Northwest Auburn, that, until we can totally improve and provide lighting and sidewalks and hope for every one of those residents, there’s always a place for us to improve,” Anders said. Auburn was included in a similar Livability ranking in 2018 and was named the best place to live in Alabama by MONEY in 2018.
“Should the economy downturn or should there be some catastrophic event like a tornado that would disrupt our local economy and put a burden on our financial resources.” During the first City Council meeting of October, Bob Young from Frazer Lanier Company Inc. said there was an excellent sale of the general obligation bonds in 2019. “It is a 30-year maturity bond with an interest rate of 3.21% and that is fixed,” Young said. “Standard & Poor said that they thoroughly enjoyed their time here.” Young said that the two bond agencies made a “site visit” by coming to Auburn and touring the City to see all of the developments. The representatives even got to go out onto the field in Jordan-Hare Stadium to finish their tour. “It was critical to maintaining these ratings, and they got to see now what we’ve been talking about for a number of years,” Young said. “We are very, very pleased with the ratings.” Young said that the bonds can be sold in three different ways: premium rates, par and at discount. The City bonds were sold at premium rates that created a surplus of $4 million dollars, which will be used for the improvement of public schools and equipment. Buston attributes the financial success to the hard work of the City and the council-manager form of government. “That form of government combines the strong political leadership of elected officials with the strong managerial experience of a professional staff,” Buston said. “The form establishes a representative system where all power is concentrated in the elected council as a body and where the council hires a professionally trained manager to oversee the delivery of public services and to hire staff.”
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sports
8
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
SPORTS
vs.
No. 7 Tigers No. 10 Gators 2:30 p.m. CST CBS The Swamp P KATHERINE MILLER / PHOTOGRAPHER
FOOTBALL
UF ATHLETICS
FOOTBALL
Horton, Nix pick up SEC honors By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE
By ALEX HUSTING
Sports Writer
Sports Writer
Football games are typically decided at the line of scrimmage. Senior Auburn offensive guard Mike Horton was dominant at the line of scrimmage this weekend, collecting career-high numbers and earning SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Horton recorded a career-high 12 knockdown blocks in Auburn’s 56-23 victory against Mississippi State. Horton also earned a grade of 91% from the Auburn coaches after reviewing film. Horton was a major factor in the Tigers most dominant offensive game of the season as they for more than 200 yards and passed for more than 300. Horton along with quarterback Bo Nix marked the sixth and seventh SEC player of the week honors Auburn has received this season. The Tigers offensive line prepares for their toughest task yet against Florida’s stout defensive line. Currently the Gators are tied for first in the country in sacks (20) while leading the SEC in tackles for loss (33) and interceptions (7).
For the second time is his young career, freshman quarterback Bo Nix was named SEC Freshman of the Week following a career day against Mississippi State in Auburn’s SEC home opener. Nix was also named one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week. Nix has been named SEC Freshman of the Week once before, following his late-game heroics that led to a comeback win over Oregon in the season opener. In a dominating 56-23 victory, Nix went 16-21 and finished with 335 yards and two scores through the air as well as an additional 56 on the ground and another score. Nix became the first Auburn quarterback since Cam Newton to throw for 300 yards and run for 50 more. The Tigers will certainly look to their young quarterback for more great performances like that as they travel to Gainesville this Saturday to take on Florida — one of the better defenses Nix will face this season.
KATHERINE MILLER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Bo Nix (10) stands in the pocket during Auburn vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 28, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Bo Nix matures, fixes mistakes By SUMNER MARTIN Assistant Sports Editor
Questions were swirling on the Plains at halftime of Auburn’s season opener against Oregon. Auburn trailed 14-6, was without a touchdown and its true freshman quarterback Bo Nix had thrown two interceptions. Since then, the freshman has thrown seven consecutive touchdown passes in five games without turning the ball over, leading the Tigers to a 5-0 record. This past weekend, against Mississippi State, Nix had the best game of his young career. The Alabama native led No. 7 Auburn to a 56-23 victory, throwing for 335 yards on 16-of-21 passing and two touchdowns. And, once again, the freshman was without a blemish in the turnover department. “That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “We were at A&M a few weeks ago and we had pretty good protection, but they had pretty good coverage and he took a sack. Another quarterback probably would have thrown it up, thrown it up for grabs. He didn’t do that. I think that shows a lot of maturity for a young guy that he’s conscious of protecting the football, No. 1.” The one complaint from Nix has been ball security off the snap, not through the air, and holding on to the ball when he scrambles. To this point in the season, Auburn’s signal caller hasn’t lost a fumble, but he has had trouble holding on to the ball at times when in the shotgun formation, and almost lost possession Saturday against Mississippi State after a 30-yard run but the ball rolled out of bounds. “What I told him — really it’s a little bit of reality that in our league, when he breaks, somebody is going to catch him. It’s not like high school. They’re going to come and they’re going to go for the ball,” Malzahn said. “I really expect next time when he does break, he’ll be more aware and have it a little bit tighter and have that off-hand on the ball as he comes. It was a teaching moment. We were very fortunate the ball went out of bounds. It was a good teaching moment, and I expect him to correct that the next time he’s in a similar situation.” Heading into this weekend, Nix is 26th in the country in Total Quarterback Rating at 74.4 with 980 yards and seven touchdowns. On the season, he is 72-of-125 on pass attempts for a completion percentage of 57.6. Malzahn has harped on trusting the process with a freshman quarterback in the SEC, and focusing on improvement one week at a time. In five games, Nix has improved in completion percentage every week but one (Texas A&M). Nix completed over 76% of his passes at home versus Mississippi State, which is his new season best. The second highest was against Kent State when he completed 75% of his passes for 161 yards and one touchdown. “Every week, you can sense it,” Malzahn said. “You can sense it in practice; it’s not just the game. In practice you can sense the awareness. We’re trying to do a lot of carry-over. We’re trying to build upon things. Each week he feels more comfortable, and you can add a few things to that. We’re to a point now where he really feels more comfortable, and each week, each snap he’ll feel more comfortable.”
TODD VAN EMST / AUBURN ATHLETICS
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Mike Horton (64) blocks during Auburn at Texas A&M on Sept. 21, 2019, in College Station, Texas.
Bo Nix (10) takes off running during Auburn football vs. Kent State on Sept. 14, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
FOOTBALL
Malzahn, Mullen share deep respect By HARRISON TARR Sports Writer
This Saturday, the Auburn Tigers will travel to Gainesville to take on No. 10 Florida, a team they have not played on the road since 2012. The midseason battle with the Gators marks Auburn’s seventh-year head coach Gus Malzahn’s first trip to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, better known as The Swamp. However, despite having never played in the notorious hostile environment, the matchup will bring to Malzahn a familiar face: second-year Florida head coach Dan Mullen. Mullen and Malzahn are far from strangers with one another. Prior to Mullen taking of the head
coaching job at Florida, the two coaches were accustomed to playing one another. While coaching the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Mullen often gave Malzahn’s Tigers a run for their money, and earned the respect of Auburn’s head coach while doing so. This Tuesday, Malzahn spoke highly of Mullen and his Gators. “A typical Dan Mullen offense,” Malzahn said. “Running the ball effectively. Their quarterback has one of the best completion percentages in all of college football. Just a very solid team.” Malzahn continued to praise Mullen, while noting that the two have known each other for a substantial amount of time. “I really enjoyed getting to know
him,” Malzahn said. “Like I said, our paths crossed. We faced each other numerous times.” Before redirecting his comments to strictly Auburn football, Malzahn concluded his conversation regarding Mullen by saying by complimenting his coaching style. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Dan — the way he goes about it,” Malzahn said. “I think he’s one of the good guys and does things right. His teams are always well prepared, and he’s a very good football coach.” Despite knowing each other since 2005, Malzahn and Mullen have only faced off as head coaches a total of five times — all during Mullen’s tenure at Mississippi State. Malzahn leads in the series, 3-2.
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
PAGE 9
FOOTBALL
Schwartz
is ‘just getting started’ By
HENRY ZIMMER Sports Writer
KATHERINE MILLER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Any time world class sprinter Anthony Schwartz touches the football, impact plays tend to follow. Against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the aptly nicknamed “Flash” showed glimpses of just how dangerous his speed is. For the second time this season, the receiver duo of Schwartz and Seth Williams were able to line up on the field, at almost full health, both players starting to feel stronger and stronger after nagging injuries. “It lets him (quarterback Bo Nix)
be more comfortable in the pocket knowing he has some of the best receivers in the country out there,” Schwartz said. “He can just throw it up and we can make the play.” Having the connection between freshman quarterback and speedy wide receivers made an obvious difference in the deep passing attempt, against none other than one of the nation’s top defenses in takeaways with interceptions in 15 of their last 17 games. On the night Nix had eight completions of over 20 yards, with one being a 48-yarder to Schwartz, that set up a score. The team only had 11 such completions through its first four games. “Before every practice we work on the deep ball,” Schwartz said. “Coach just tells him to throw it up and see if I can win. Of course I try to do my best and win.” Schwartz only had two receptions for 68 yards on the night, but both were on scoring drives. His first set up the Tigers for a 3-yard-rush by Boobee Whitlow and the other started a drive that lat-
er ended in a Williams score from 38 yards out. Schwartz didn’t only get action in the receiving game, but also rushing the ball. Early in the first quarter, with the Tigers up 14-0, Schwartz took a jet sweep from Nix around the left edge and into the end-zone on a 13 yard rush, defenders multiple steps behind him. “I know I’m the fastest player in college football,” Schwartz said. Schwartz rushed the ball three times for 25 yards and a score. His score added to Auburn’s total of 17 on the season. This pushes the Tiger’s to third most rushing touchdowns in the FBS. That score was his second rushing TD of the season, and he would have had three if it weren’t for him being speedier than his left tackle, Prince Tega Wanogho, who wasn’t able to seal his block on a defensive back before Schwartz got there. “Honestly, I think I’m just getting started,” Schwartz said. “I feel like I have a lot more to show.”
BASKETBALL
High-profile freshmen brings elite defensive presence By TYLER SIMS Sports Writer
With training camp under way, Auburn’s men’s basketball season is less than a month away from tip off. Head coach Bruce Pearl is ecstatic about his incoming, top-20 recruiting class. After breaking multiple school and conference records in Pearl’s fast-paced, perimeter-heavy offense, there may need to be some reworking to incorporate the group of newcomers along with the veteran rotation returning. Pearl mentioned the team’s biggest challenge for the season would be in adjusting the group of seniors to their new roles. In order to help that process Pearl will look to the freshmen and transfers. “Which one of the newcomers can come in and help out real quickly?” Pearl said.
From this class there are some standout prospects, such as Babatunde Akingbola out of McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. “Getting Stretch on campus — Babatunde Akingbola — it was really very special, because — it was a possibility that he was going to be with us last year, and then we had to wait on some issues with his visa and things like that,” Pearl said. “And so we were prayerful and hopeful that things would work out, and it did, for him to be able to come back and be all good.” Visa issues in his native Nigeria was an ongoing setback that held Akingbola out of basketball for nearly a year. Coach Pearl said Akingbola obviously has “some catching up to do,” but he still raved about the 6-foot-8, 220 pound foward. “He’s got ridiculous length, changing shots,
impacting us on the defense end,” Pearl said. In Akingbola, Auburn gets a player with defensive instinct and size. Although there will be a task of the void left by Auburn’s first-round pick, Chuma Okeke, Akingbola will still have one of the most talented frontcourts in the country to learn from. “With Austin and Daniel and Anferee — those three guys are all going to play,” Pearl said. In terms of how Akingbola will impact the veteran core rotation, Pearl stated that he’ll be a candidate “to be able to step in and complement those guys.” Joining Akingbola is his former teammate at McEachern — Isaac Okoro, who comes into Auburn after attending U19 World Cup Team training camp with USA basketball this summer. Okoro also helped lead McEachern to an
undefeated state championship season with recent 2020 Auburn point guard commit Sharife Cooper. Pearl is notably high on Okoro, as well. “Extremely coachable, high basketball IQ, incredible motor, one of the best athletes I’ve seen,” Pearl said. Okoro has the intangible skills, according to Pearl. All aspects of his game, including his shooting, are impressive for his size, according to Pearl. “He met the hurdle of being able to be so dominant on balancing it in other ways, shape or form and a willingness to just let it go,” Pearl said. It is not a major pressure for Okoro to significantly improve his shot as he already has an established jumper. Most of the attention directed to his game will be on how impactful of a defender he can be as a freshman.
FOOTBALL
Auburn offense growing ‘confident’ under freshman quarterback By JAKE WEESE Sports Reporter
CAT WOFFORD / AUBURN ATHLETICS
Bo Nix (10) loads up and throws during Auburn vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 28, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
In the last few weeks, Bo Nix has been striving for a more “consistent” game. Against Mississippi State, the quarterback starting in his fifth college game was consistently impressive against the Bulldogs. Nix going up against the Bulldogs was not just consistent; he was dominant. The freshman completed 16-of-21 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns in No. 7 Auburn’s 56-23 win over Mississippi State. The offensive showing by Nix and the win got the offense feeling confident, according to Nix. This confidence will be essential for the Tigers heading into a tough October stretch where the Tigers will be on the road for the whole month. “I’d say we’re really confident, because we have a good foundation of running the ball
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and now we’re starting to pass the ball a little better,” Nix said. “So overall, we’ll continue to grow, and each week we’ll get better and better.” Not only did Nix show off the arm this week, but he also continued to show off the wheels, gashing the Bulldogs on the ground with seven rushing attempts for 56 yards and a 9-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. The 335 passing yards rank Nix third in school history for the freshman single game passing yardage record. The three total touchdowns and 335 yards against Mississippi State are both career highs for Nix. “Well, it’s going to be a tough stretch,” Nix said. “The SEC is the hardest league in the country to play in, and we, unfortunately — actually, it’s not unfortunate, but we have a really hard schedule. We’ll be ready to go. We just have to take it one week at a time.”
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
PAGE 10
WEEK 6 PLAINSMAN PICK ‘EM Auburn-UF
Nathan King Sports editor (20-10)
Sumner Martin Asst. sports editor (20-10)
Jake Weese Sports reporter (21-9)
Tyler Sims Sports writer (8-4)
Henry Zimmer Sports writer (15-9)
Ian Bovina (14-10) Sports writer
Carl No. 1 Gators fan (11-19)
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Iowa-Mich
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Arz-Colorado
Pitt-Duke
Baylor-K. St.
lifestyle THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
11 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
LIFESTYLE
CULTURE
ARTS
GPAC is in full swing for fall By LANEY MAYFIELD Lifestyle Writer
FILE PHOTO
Church of the Highlands is one of the churches in the Auburn area classified as a “megachurch.”
Students share impact of churches By CAROLINE RICE Lifestyle Writer
Two churches in the Auburn area – Church of the Highlands and Auburn Community Church – can be classified as “megachurches” because of the amount of students and families drawn to them each week. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as a church with several distinct characteristics, including having at least 2,000 members, a charismatic senior minister and an innovative and contemporary worship format. Its website reads, “This church form is a distinctive organizational response to cultural shifts and changes in societal patterns throughout the industrialized, urban and suburban areas of the world.” These churches’ mission statements share how they attempt to aim for the hearts of people who might have had a negative church experience in the past. Part of Church of the Highland’s “why we exist” statement reads, “Our hope is to give you a place where you experience a fresh, enjoyable connection to God and a community of people.” ACC defines itself on its website as a movement, adapting to society’s increasing appetite for an easy-access lifestyle. “We are people, not a place,” the church states in its vision statement. “We are a movement, not a meeting. Our hope is that people would leave behind not only their sins but also mediocrity, lukewarm living, and half-hearted cul-
tural Christianity.” McKenley Parker, junior in finance, serves on the Student Serve Team at Highlands. Parker grew up attending a medium-sized Methodist church, but immediately felt at home once she attended Church of the Highlands, Parker said. “I would say that larger churches in Auburn have more ministries, programs, and events in place for college students,” she said. “Because these megachurches are in college towns, they put large amounts of time and effort to serve college students, drawing in a largely college church body.” Jake Christner also grew up in a Methodist church and now attends Auburn Community Church. “I like how modern it is,” Christner said. “I went to a traditional Presbyterian church recently, and I just felt like it wasn’t as relatable. I think that bigger churches like ACC are generally more relatable to our generation without doing so in an overbearing way.” People who attend megachurches appreciate their pastors’ passion, Christner said. “Miles is very fired up and very convicting, and it’s so easy to relate to your life and is very powerful speaking compared to traditional preaching,” he said. Kathryn King, junior in Spanish, grew up attending a traditional Episcopalian church and now attends ACC. “I tried out four traditional churches, and I really did like those churches,” King said. “I went to ACC last, and it
was the one church that I felt like I didn’t want to miss a Sunday because I knew that I would encounter God every single week.” ACC brought a new outlook of Christianity into her life, King said. “I felt like it was more real for where I am at right now,” she said. “I appreciated that ACC taught about the relational side of Christianity, not just the informational side.” The sermons of ACC and Highlands are not as formal and strict as a traditional church. The sermons are being presented in everyday language that is more applicable to all kinds of people, King said. Christner, King and Parker agreed that the larger church aspect itself did not draw them to their megachurch. In fact, the size was the only thing that King and Parker didn’t love from the beginning. “I was skeptical of being able to find a community in such a big church, but I’ve found that ACC provides the small church feel if you are willing to go to community groups and get involved,” King said. Students appreciate the accepting atmosphere of these churches, feeling as though they don’t have to come with their lives all together, but can come as they are, King said. “I think the pull is the authenticity and the realness of ACC,” she said. “We don’t have to provide our best selves every Sunday. We come as we are and are accepted for that.”
The Gogue Performing Arts Center, which has been open for a little over a month, is gearing up for the atists and performers slated to come in the fall. Grant Lacky, an actor and box office attendant for the Center, said visitors to the center have left good feedback. ”Though the Center is brand spanking new, it has received a ton of praise from the community, as well as performers,” Lacky said. “The efficiency of the building allows performances to be more in-depth, which we take pride in. We value serving the community through the arts. Children love the center and it is disability friendly.” The 85,000 square foot multipurpose building, which seats approximately 1,200 people, has showcased artists such as singer Reneé Fleming, renowned performer Sutton Foster and musical group Postmodern Jukebox in its first month of operation. “The Gogue center is held near and dear to the hearts of Auburn citizens, considering that it’s named after the former president of Auburn University, Jay Gogue, and his dear wife Susie. This center surely has a ton of respect and support surrounding it,” Lacky said. “We encourage citizens and students of Auburn to come by for a visit.” Performances in October will include Diavolo: Architecture in Motion; Larry Steve and Rudy — The Gatlin Brothers; jazz musician Chris Botti; and acrobatic Cirque Mechanic. The Gogue Center will also be hosting masterclasses with artists who visit the center. Artists will also have the opportunity to interact with and teach students in the theater department. A variety of artists in the spring will be speaking, giving guests the chance to hear from musicians and performers. Matinees, specifically intended for K-12 students, will be coming in the spring, according to staff members at the Gogue Center.
LOGAN ELLISON
The bands COIN takes the stage at the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center.
ENVIRONMENT
Wildlife science experts discuss fire safety By ABIGAIL MURPHY LIfestyle Writer
Drier weather has lead to a higher chance for wildfires to occur, but experts shared that different methods and tools can be used to help lower that risk. John Kush, a research fellow for the school of forestry and wildlife sciences, said that in Lee County, September and October tend to be the driest months. Becky Barlow, an extension specialist and professor for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, said people have sometimes started grass fires on the interstate after they pull off the road onto the dry grass. Prescribed fires, or cont r ol le d , a r e b e n e ficia l with keeping the vegetation healthy and protecting against wildfires. For wildlife, it creates more space, feeding opportunities and cover to protect from preda-
tors, Barlow said. “The more you burn, the less likely you are to have wildfires,” Barlow said. For preventing unwanted fires, she said to use prescribed fire, firebreaks, active forest management with thinning vegetation properly and to check for insects that can weaken trees. The National Safety and Fire Protection Association created a program called Firewise in order to prevent wildfires before they occured, using educational material to teach civilians about the threat of wildfires and how to be prepared. There are more than 1,500 locations across the country that have utilized the training. James Elrod, a graduate research assistant for forestry and wildlife sciences, and president of the Wildland Fire Club, said Firewise is a helpful tool for fire prevention.
“Firewise is a national level program which does a lot towards helping homeowners and landowners make their properties and homes more fire secure,” he said. When it comes to actually putting out a fire, a method known as the fire triangle comes into play, Kush said. “You need heat, fuel and oxygen to start a fire,” Kush said. “If you don’t have all three of those you can’t have a fire, but if you do have a fire to put that fire out you need to break one of those legs of the triangle.” Elrod said a common strategy to do this around Auburn is dozing, which is when a line is bulldozed ahead of the fire from a beginning point where the fire can’t cross, to then wrap around the fire. Elrod, Kush and Barlow all said the southeast naturally recovers quickly from fires. The region recovers quickly because of the
amount of precipitation it receives, the temperature and the productive ground, Barlow said. The type of vegetation plays a role as well, Kush said. “A lot of the native vegetation in the southeast responds very rapidly to fire, and in fact, in many cases needs fire to keep itself there,” he said. For students interested in wildfires, the Wildland Fire Club is a student-led organization to educate and build opportunities such as pursuing national and state certifications. Also, the organization provides an opportunity for students to interact with wildfire in both an operational sense and an ecological sense, he said. “Anyone who has an interest of any kind, they are welcome to come out and see what the club is about,” Elrod said.
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The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2019
PAGE 12
THEATER
FILE PHOTO
Costuming workshop at the Telfair B. Peet Theatre in Auburn, Ala.
Auburn theater program placed among top in the nation STAFF REPORT For the second year, Auburn University’s Department of Theater’s design and technology program ranked in the top 30 in the nation, according to OnStage Blog. OnStage Blog was started in May 2014, by Chris Peterson. Peterson’s original intention for the blog was to be able to cover theater in his hometown, but the platform quickly grew and now extends to an international level. Each year, OnStage Blog announces a list of what they consider to be the best performing arts schools in the country. Every April, a committee of 20 people meet and research the different theatre programs. Their website states that some of the criteria included quality of facilities, performance and production opportunities and post-graduate support. The College of Liberal Arts holds this ranking in high regard, Joseph Aistrup, dean of the College of Liber-
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al Arts, said in a statement. “This ranking is a well-deserved recognition of the tireless dedication of our faculty, staff and students in the Department of Theater,” Aistrup said. For the 2019-2020 year, Auburn was included among schools such as Carnegie Mellon, Boston University and SUNY Purchase College. The reason “why we love it,” noted by the online article, has to do with its second-year courses, including “costume construction.” This course covers multiple topics such as sewing techniques, pattern drafting and fabric dying. The department of theater offers a specific major — a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Design and Technology — that supports the classes recognized by OnStage. Students that want to participate need to apply the spring of their sophomore year. They must submit a portfolio and go through a formal interview in order to be considered. One aspect of the ranking that
changed this year was that OnStage didn’t assign numbers to the schools due to the closeness in the scores. The article stated that the committee just named the best in no particular order. In additon to this change, OnStage included a new category that went into the judgement of the school. On and off campus safety was investigated by the committee when deciding who to include. To determine the safety of the schools, the committee looks at Clery reports and asked the schools how proactive they were in regard to their safety standards. The article described that they constantly change their criteria for the rankings because the industry has been constantly evolving. “The entertainment industry is constantly being impacted by the evolution of technology,” the article stated. “Because of this, college theater design and tech programs have to evolve with it.”
FILE PHOTO
The Auburn Student Dance Ensemble performs during a show at the Telfair B. Peet Theatre.
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Abbigail Hickey, Auburn Universitys campusPrint dietitian speaks with The PlainsDeadline: man on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 in Auburn, NoonAla. three business days
prior to publication.
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THE TV CROSSWORD by Jacqueline E. Mathews
Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews
ACROSS 1 Garfield’s housemate 5 “Murder, __ Wrote” 8 Chops down 9 Actor Ledger 12 Capital of Morocco 13 Washington or Stewart 14 Hockey’s Bobby & his kin 15 “Chicago __” 16 “A Nightmare on __ Street”; Johnny Depp film 18 Sheep’s cry 19 Danny DeVito sitcom 20 Flirt with 21 Lunch or dinner 23 Made cow noises 24 “Resident __”; Milla Jovovich horror movie 25 TV clown 26 Ford flop 28 Ridiculed 29 “Bless This __” 30 “A __ of Two Cities” 32 Shriver or Dawber 35 Prefix for form or cycle
36 “Yours, __ & Ours”; Dennis Quaid film 37 Insulting remark 38 Cartoon beagle 40 Yogi & Boo Boo 41 Actor Richard & his family 42 Peruvian Indian 43 Starr or Panabaker 44 Elegant poems
Solution to Last Week’s Puzzle
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10/6/19
DOWN 1 Actress Maureen 2 “Will & Grace” actress 3 “__ a Male War Bride”; Cary Grant film 4 Suffix for mean or lean 5 Lewis or Belafonte 6 “From __ to Eternity” 7 “Please Don’t __ the Daisies” 10 Ted Danson series 11 Actress Berry 12 Lowe or Estes 13 Recipe verb 15 “The __ Guy”; Lee Majors series 17 “Chicago __” 19 “An American __”; film about Fievel 20 Seep out 22 Arden & Plumb 23 Sulk 25 Actor Christian 26 Large awkward bird 27 Thickheaded 30 Slightly drunk 31 “__ Given Sunday”; Al Pacino film 33 Invisible emanations 34 “__. Doubtfire” 36 “__ Lisa Smile”; movie for Julia Roberts 37 “__ Me No Flowers”; Doris Day/ Rock Hudson film 39 Furniture wood 40 Brief life sketch