The Auburn Plainsman 10.17.2019

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SGA to fund sexual assault nurses

By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Editor campus@theplainsman.com

levels.

Inside Auburn Urgent Care, Watson said, was around 90 people — way too many for the sole physician working that day, she added.

Auburn Urgent Care declined to comment for this story.

It was the physician’s first day, according to the court file, and he was instructed by the medical director to “see patients without any access to the current or past medical records

SGA is in the fundraising stage to bring a team of sexual assault nurse examiners to campus for at least the next three years.

After extensive discussions with the Auburn University medical clinic, SGA got the green light to start the completely student-driven fundraising process.

And SGA President Mary Margaret Turton said the team of nurses will be made available to students beginning in early January.

Under the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, the medical clinic would have six nurses certified to perform forensic exams and provide treatment and medication. A private exam room will also be added to the medical clinic.

“Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs are critical components of the recovery process for victims and survivors of sexual assault,” Turton said. “The main purpose of having a SANE program on campus is to provide treatment in the form of forensic exams and necessary medications in a familiar and accessible environment to victims and survivors.”

Currently, the East Alabama Medical Center is the closest place where Auburn students can receive forensic exams. Turton said this poses concerns for transportation, timing and accessibility for victims.

Every 73 seconds, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

One of the six nurses at the medical clinic is already going through the necessary training to perform forensic exams, but they will not be able to perform exams at Auburn’s med clinic until the program is officially implemented in January.

Nurses will be available during normal hours of operation at the med clinic, but patients will have to come a few hours before the end of the day because

» See JOHNSON, 2

» See NURSES, 2

MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR

New AU logo ‘postponed’ Discussion looms over University’s new ‘visual identity system’

By TIM NAIL Campus Reporter campus@theplainsman.com

To change the logo or not to change the logo.

That seems to be the question of the week at Auburn, with the Student Government Association saying the logo won’t be changed and a spokesperson for the University saying that hasn’t yet been decided.

“We have temporarily postponed implementation of the AU logo within the new system to allow opportunity for continued dialogue with stakeholders,” Preston Sparks, director of university communications services, said in an email statement Tuesday to The Auburn Plainsman. “The recommendations are not yet mandated.”

That statement followed a Monday meeting of

the SGA, in which SGA president Mary Margaret Turton announced that Ronald Burgess, Auburn University’s chief operating officer, told her that the University will not be changing its classic logo.

“Because we’ve had conversations regarding the visual identity system for the past few weeks in here, I do want to share an update that I got this morning,” Turton said. ”General Burgess announced that we will not be moving forward with the new logo this morning. We have plans from that directive to continue using the traditional Auburn logo, so I just wanted to share that.”

The initial logo change, which was first reported by Brandon Marcello of Auburn Undercover in early August, was one aspect of an update that the University proposed to its ”visual identity system,” a term that describes elements such as fonts and design that make up Auburn branding.

SGA passed a resolution last week requesting clarification about the University’s visual identity system. Some SGA members had met with the administration regarding the logo in December 2018 and hadn’t heard anything since, according to SGA senators.

Senators contested the purpose of the resolution for two hours to determine how to approach University administration. The resolution initially requested that the University’s Office of Communication and Marketing halt its adoption of the new logo. It was rewritten to ask for an update on where the University stood in implementing the logo.

“During the open forum at last week’s senate, some students shared that they preferred the old » See LOGO, 2

COMMUNITY

Family awarded $9 million in lawsuit settlement

By EDUARDO MEDINA Editor-in-chief editor@theplainsman.com

A $9 million verdict has been reached for the family of a former Auburn University student who died in a medical malpractice case, according to a press release from Cory Watson attorneys.

Hope Johnson was a 20-year-old junior at Auburn majoring in computer science when she walked into Auburn Urgent Care on Dec. 11,

2014, after experiencing sharp chest pains. She died two days later from blood clots, according to Leila Watson, one of the Johnson family’s attorneys.

Johnson had visited Auburn Urgent Care two days earlier with similar complaints of chest pain, and the doctor prescribed her an antibiotic and told Johnson to return if she got worse, according to the complaint filed by Johnson’s family.

Watson said that Johnson wasn’t able to ride her bike to class anymore;

she had to take the bus in what used to be a short walk home.

Johnson had class finals coming up, Watson said. She was a college student nervous about her grades, yearning to be in good health so she could get closer to graduation, just like everyone else, she said.

Johnson returned to Auburn Urgent Care two days after her initial visit feeling “worsening chest pain and shortness of breath,” according to the court file. Watson said that Johnson’s vital signs were at panic

CAMPUS

AU staff member can recall every day with memory ability

By DREW DAWS Campus Writer campus@theplainsman.com

Markie Pasternak was volunteering at a middle school dance on

Dec. 11, 2009. A sophomore in high school, she had just spent the day at the mall with her then-boyfriend.

On July 5, 2008, a Saturday, she was at her family’s cabin in northern Wisconsin. Her aunt was 20 days

away from giving birth.

Nearly 10 years later, Pasternak, coordinator of outreach and peer education in the office of Health Promotion & Wellness Services, still recalls these events as if they were yes-

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terday.

Pasternak was confirmed to have Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory after taking a cognitive psychology class at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“[My professor] mentioned HSAM,” she said. “After class, I went up to her and said, ‘Hey, so you know that thing you were talking about » See PASTERNAK, 2

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NEWS

LOGO » From 1

logo due to tradition, the impacts of implementation, financial costs, replacement timeline and how the overall process occurred,” Turton said.

After the senate resolution passed, SGA leaders conferred with University officials to evaluate the status of the visual identity system. ”The decision [to keep using the classic logo] was announced in a regularly scheduled meeting with various University administrators and department heads,” Turton said.

Burgess referred The Plainsman to the Office of Communication and Marketing. In response to multiple requests for a phone interview, Preston Sparks, director of university communications services, sent the following statement from the University: ”Auburn is constantly looking for ways to elevate the University’s instruction, research and outreach missions in the eyes of the Auburn Family and those unfamiliar with Auburn. As part of our efforts, we sought the best branding and design firm in the world to develop recommendations to help us raise Auburn’s profile and optimize the way we communicate our brand across all mediums, especially digital.”

Questions that were sent to the University on Tuesday afternoon from The Plainsman regarding which firm redesigned the identity system and how much was paid have not been answered as of Wednesday afternoon.

The firm also made other revisions to the visual identity system, including “a refreshed wordmark, new font pairings and improved guidelines for using the AU mark across all colleges, schools and units,” according to the statement Sparks sent.

The revised logo appears in signage and architecture inside the Brown-Kopel Student Achievement Center, which is part

JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

An Auburn Flag waves during A-Day 2019, on Saturday, April 13, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, and Horton-Hardgrave Hall, the University’s newest facilities that opened at the start of the fall semester.

It’s unclear whether the revised logo will continue to be implemented.

“We were asked to use that as those buildings came online, but we’ve not received any official word from the University that it’s going to be scrapped,” said Austin Phillips, interim director of the engineering’s office of communications and mar-

keting. “It would be premature to say if we were to replace those or anything along those lines. It was a request made by University officials and we followed their lead, just like the College of Business did, per their request.”

The University said in an August press release that the change was necessary to make the “AU” more usable in “digital forms.”

The “U” is larger than the “A” in the traditional logo, and in the proposed new logo the “A” is equal in size to the “U,” according to the University’s Office of Communication & Marketing.

PASTERNAK » From 1

where people can remember every day of their lives? I can do that.’”

Fewer than 100 people have been confirmed to have HSAM. However, Pasternak said that she has embraced this aspect of her life.

“Just because something is different doesn’t mean it’s bad,” she said. “I hate when people treat HSAM like a mental health diagnosis because it’s not. It’s an ability. I can do something that a lot of people can’t do.”

Pasternak said that she has used this experience to help promote mental health awareness, and she strives to empower those who still struggle with mental health issues.

“I knew I had this ability, but I didn’t know it was useful or would be useful in any way,” she said. “I can use what I’ve learned about stigma and, you know, defining yourself as the person first with different mental health abilities or conditions or what have you — whether they’re positive or negative.”

Since coming to Auburn in 2015, Pasternak said she has had the opportunity to work in multiple facets of her field.

“This job opened here at Auburn, and it was the perfect mix of what I wanted to do on a college campus — mental health, mental wellness advocacy,” she said.

After creating a mental health task force, Pasternak said the University has narrowed its

MADDIE EDWARDS / PHOTOGRAPHER

Markie Pasternak in Auburn, Ala. on Oct. 16, 2019.

focus in ways to improve the campus’ mental health services.

“They created this whole thing and have put the resources, the effort, the time into achieving the goals that task force recommended,” she said. “I think the things that need to be improved upon, we’re working on, which is kind of great.”

Health Promotion & Wellness Services, which falls under the Division of Student Affairs, recently created a website called “A Sound

Mind.” “[The website] is an all-encompassing onestop-shop for mental health on campus,” she said. “You can go on this website, and you have all the resources for mental health on Auburn’s campus.”

The name comes from a portion of the Auburn Creed — “I believe in a sound mind, a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid” — and Pasternak said she hopes students, both current and incoming, will take advantage of the site’s

JOHNSON

NURSES

of any patient,” according to the press release.

Johnson’s medical history made it evident that she was at risk for blood clots because Johnson’s mother experienced multiple blood clots in her medical history, according to the court file.

Johnson’s condition was critical, and an ambulance should have been called to take her to East Alabama Medical Center, Watson said.

The physician at Auburn Urgent Care briefly met with Johnson, gave her an inhaler and sent her home, according to the press release.

Johnson died the next day with blood clots in her lungs, according to Watson.

The family chose to take legal action immediately because “they wanted to make sure that this would never happen again to another family,” Watson said.

The Johnson family said the following statement in a press release: “We are very pleased with the jury decision in the wrongful death case of our precious daughter Hope,” said a statement from the Johnson family. “We continue to feel her absence every day and pray this decision brings about much-needed change.

“Our chief desire is that this case will set a precedent that will prevent this from happening to another family or college student, not just in Lee County, but in Alabama as a whole.”

The verdict is the largest in a Lee County medical-malpractice case, according to the press release, and it was announced on Oct. 11.

examinations can take a couple hours.

With the implementation of the program, all six nurses at the med clinic will be certified to perform exams.

“That’s going to be a really big additional value, because at any point, if a patient calls, someone

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CONTRIBUTED BY CORY WATSON ATTORNEYS

Hope Johnson was an Auburn student who passed away in 2014.

resources.

“I was a first-generation college student, so I didn’t really have any context for how to get help in college in the first place,” she said.

“I knew that also ... when I went to college, I did need help with some mental stuff … if this would have existed, it would have been really great.”

Pasternak added that the site can also be used as a resource for friends and family that may be concerned about someone they know.

“It lays out step-by-step what you should do when you’re talking to a friend and gives you tips on how to act when you are talking to that person to make them comfortable enough to disclose things but also draw that boundary of like, ‘We need to tell somebody,’” she said.

She said that reaching out for help has been invaluable asset in her life, allowing her an opportunity to work through things she had dealt with in the past.

“I got help and that was like the bravest thing that I think I’ve ever done,” Pasternak said.

“And if I wouldn’t have gotten help, I wouldn’t have known how to cope with some of the anxiety that my memory could give me.

Pasternak added that she wanted to be able to enjoy the good parts and discover who she was.

“I wanted to be able to enjoy the good parts and discover who I was. Getting help opened a lot of doors for me, and I hope students know that it will open a lot of doors for them too in their lives.”

» From 1

should be able to step out of their typical day-to-day duty,” Turton said. “There’s not just one nurse who can do it.”

Turton added that throughout the process, all parties involved are taking necessary steps to ensure confidentiality.

“We don’t want the survivor to be known if they don’t want to be known,” Turton said. “This needs to be anonymous — this will always be anonymous.”

ALLISSA STANLEY / PHOTOGRAPHER

The Auburn University Medcal Clinic in Auburn, Ala.

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OPINION

EDITORIAL

It’s not about who’s right; it’s about being involved

By EDITORIAL BOARD Fall 2019

American colleges, especially since the 1960s, have a reputation for being centers of political action.

In the last five decades, students, young and indestructible, have taken to the streets to protest everything from the Vietnam War to the war in Iraq.

Auburn has certainly had these loud forms of political action — many protested when Richard Spencer spoke on campus in 2017 — but none of them have been massive or have lasted for an extended amount of time.

There is certainly a time and place for large-scale protests, but when dealing with political issues on a national scale, Auburn has done a good job of having civil, moderated debates instead of loud screaming matches.

For the past few years, this has taken shape as the annual Great Debate.

This year’s Great Debate, which took place last Tuesday, included four on-campus groups: College Republicans, College Democrats, Young Americans for Liberty and Young Democratic Socialists of America.

Questions for the debaters covered many of the largest political issues being discussed nationwide, including immigration policy, tariffs, healthcare and international relations.

As political voices continually trade jabs and soundbites on so-

cial media, in-person debates such as the one on Tuesday night, are essential to having a thoughtful and involved public.

These kinds of events encourage the debaters, moderators and audience to be knowledgeable of — and excited about — the political issues being discussed on the national level.

They have to be excited because it’s difficult for someone to be in front of an audience for two hours and talk openly about her or his political opinions.

It’s even harder to do that when that person has to express those opinions in two-minute-long answers to intentionally open-ended questions.

Not to mention, every other person on stage is patiently waiting to refute, expose, dispute and oppose every aspect of that person’s opinion.

To debate in public like this requires people to be brave, reasonable, self-aware and well-prepared.

Of course, like any form of public communication, there are inherent flaws with this kind of debate system.

There is a temptation to resort to zingers and punchlines rather than logical arguments. Some of the most important questions to debate have answers that can’t — and shouldn’t — be chopped down to fit into two minute time slots.

And oftentimes an argument is only as strong as the public speaking ability of the person giving it.

For instance, even though someone may have a well-researched and factually-correct argument, if she or he cannot plain-

ly articulate that opinion, they may come off as ignorant or wrong.

This can be particularly present in college-aged debates because there is often a noticeable disparity between the amount of debate experience various participants have had.

Regardless, well-moderated and civil debate remains the best way for many organizations and individuals to define themselves to a broader public.

Furthermore, which ideas are represented at debates can, by themselves, give hints to larger narratives taking place in the country.

For instance, this is the first year that the Young Democratic Socialists of America have been in the Great Debate.

The existence of this club, which only founded its Auburn University chapter this year, shows a growing split between traditional neo-liberalism and more progressive — occasionally socialist — ideas.

That in turn can serve as a hint for how liberals and Democrats have reacted to a less traditional Republican president.

Overall, collegiate debates like the Great Debate are great opportunities for students to engage and challenge each other with large-scale issues.

And they’re certainly better than screaming matches on the concourse.

Collegiate debates are chances for people with questions to get answers and for the people who think they have the answers to be thoroughly questioned.

THE GREAT DEBATE

College Democrats

By CARSTEN GROVE President of College Democrats at Auburn University

I feel like the Great Debate was a resounding success for everyone, including the College Democrats.

We were able to make our case heard, and everyone was generally very civil.

It was intimidating, of course, being in a predominantly conservative room, but I never felt like we couldn’t state our opinions freely — they were being heavily challenged.

From a more personal point of view, debates like this are also important to show that Democrats have a strong presence on Auburn’s campus, and I feel like we showed a good side of ourselves throughout the debate.

The main takeaway that we tried to emphasize is ignoring sensationalized information about political issues — specifically ones like immigration or foreign policy.

Major news outlets will try to make flashy headlines to reel you in, but that’s only telling a very small portion of the story and can very easily distort what’s really happening.

It’s important to look at the numbers and the greater picture, and then decide.

Overall, the Great Debate was a unique opportunity to hear the opinions of Auburn’s political organizations and see what each of these sides have to say about issues affecting Americans today.

There aren’t very many times when Democrats, Republicans, Democratic socialists, and Libertarians are all in the same room debating each other.

Using times like this to ensure that people hear more than just one side of the dialogue about these topics is incredibly important.

For anyone interested in our meetings, College Democrats meets every other Wednesday in Student Center 2310 at 5 p.m.

Young Democratic Socialists of America

By MASON SMITH Chair of Young Democratic Socialists of America at Auburn University

The Young Democratic Socialists of America at Auburn University believe that we upheld the ideas of everyone having the right to healthcare, anti-interventionism in foreign countries in terms of physical/economic warfare and a humane immigration policy.

Our mission is to educate and organize students, and to play a helpful and principled role in the movement for social justice.

There is no need for working people to go into a lifetime of debt for simple medical procedures.

To go forward, we must join the rest of the developed world and implement a universal healthcare system.

The decision for the U.S. to back out of the Iran nuclear deal which had opened up the diplomatic process between the two countries only serves to escalate tensions in the

Middle East.

Any confrontation between the U.S. and Iran will be devastating to everyone involved, so it is imperative that we renegotiate a treaty and lift sanctions.

It is immoral to enforce tariffs against states that the U.S. wants to manipulate because it extends human suffering to the civilians of that country.

In addition, we must stop destabilizing countries, specifically in South America, so that immigrants are not forced to seek a better life in the U.S. The U.S. must also accept the responsibility of repairing the damage that we have done.

This involves accepting refugees from these destabilized regions into the U.S. if they so wish to be a part of it.

Overall, we are happy to have voiced our stance on these issues and listened to what other groups had to say.

For anyone interested in our meetings, YDSA meets every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Student Center 2310.

College Republicans

By SETH INGRAM Chairman of College Republicans at Auburn University

The Great Debate is one of the greatest events held on Auburn’s campus annually.

It’s an incredible opportunity for students to hear from those who share their views as well as to be challenged by opposing viewpoints.

Witnessing the leaders of the primary political organizations on campus come together for this event to engage in civil discussion on the issues facing our country and state provides us with hope for the future of politics during this challenging time of political polarization.

We’re grateful that political leaders on our campus are willing to have these critical conversations.

During the debate, College Republicans delineated our position on a number of important current issues.

It is our belief that life begins at conception, and we will always advocate for the right to life of the unborn. We applaud the recent efforts of

Young Americans for Liberty

By JASON KINGRY President of Young Americans for Liberty at Auburn University

Our modern political climate offers very little in the way of unscripted, honest dialogue between different ends of the political spectrum.

As proponents of true liberty, the Young Americans for Liberty at Auburn University believe in the value of the open marketplace of ideas, and we are grateful to the College Democrats, College Republicans, and Young Democratic Socialists for coming together and being willing to aver their beliefs on public policy, economics, and culture in front of their peers.

One of the functions of the Great Debate is to serve as a hub for students who might not yet be associated with any political clubs to attend and become more informed on current topics that they might not otherwise receive exposure to.

At the Great Debate, the participating clubs

COLUMNS & EDITORIALS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

were asked a series of questions on topics which we were able to choose from beforehand — this allowed students who spoke to prepare for questions on topics which they could somewhat anticipate — then the floor was opened for questions from the audience.

This was seemingly the best part of the debate. because it allowed the audience to convey their concerns through questions directly presented to the political clubs involved.

YAL isn’t necessarily the Libertarian club on campus — we don’t support any particular political party.

Instead, we are a non-partisan organization that welcomes ideas of true individual liberty for all people.

We also believe those ideas to have certain attributes, like economic freedom, free speech, free markets, private property ownership and non-coercion against peaceful people.

For anyone interested in attending our meetings, I openly welcome you, and we meet every Thursday in Shelby 1120 at 5:30 p.m.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

OPINION PAGE POLICIES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

the Alabama legislature to protect human life in our state.

Our nation is a nation of immigrants, and we need hard working immigrants to continue to enter our country through legal pathways to contribute to our economy and help the United States be the best that it can be. However, we are a nation of laws, and we must have a secure border to prevent those who seek to do harm to our country and its citizens from entering.

A free market system is the best way to provide quality healthcare to the greatest amount of Americans. Forcing tens of millions of Americans off of their health insurance plans and mandating government controlled Medicare-for-All is not a viable solution and would be a reckless decision.

We enjoy every opportunity where we are allowed to share our conservative views with our peers on campus.

All are welcome to join us at our weekly Tuesday meetings in Dudley B6 at 5:45 p.m.to continue the dialogue we had at the debate and learn more about the Best Party On Campus!

EDUARDO MEDINA

MIKAYLA BURNS

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POLITICS

JACK WEST / OPINION EDITOR

All eight debaters and two moderators pose for a group picture after the Great Debate on Oct. 15, 2019.

Political organizations take stage for debate

By SAM STRUNK Campus Writer Two representatives from each of four on-campus political organizations took the stage together Tuesday night to contribute their opinions in the annual Great Debate.

The Great Debate, hosted this year by the College Democrats, is a chance for students of differing political perspectives to share their thoughts on pre-selected issues and answer audience questions.

The four represented groups included the College Democrats, College Republicans, Young Americans for Liberty and Young Democratic Socialists of America. It was the Young Democratic Socialists of America’s first year to participate.

FOREIGN POLICY WITH IRAN The Young Americans for Liberty representatives began the discussion and advocated for minimal intervention.

“Diplomacy doesn’t mean we need troops and war for negotiation,” said Troy Beckham, senior in materials engineering.

The College Republicans representatives said that isolationism was a “failed policy” and believe that President Trump has taken a healthy approach.

“Radical regimes only respond to strength and

to force,” said Noah Riddle, senior in political science and history.

The representatives for the College Democrats and Young Democratic Socialists of America shared similar sentiments in that Iran would respond better to softer negotiations and diplomacy.

“We don’t want Iran to feel like they need to have nuclear weapons,” said Carsten Grove, junior in industrial and systems engineering.

HEALTHCARE The Young Democratic Socialists of America said that healthcare is a basic human right and they support universal healthcare.

The College Democrats said Medicaid should be expanded and Alabama’s decision to not accept federal funding for Medicaid expansion during former President Barack Obama’s administration was purely political.

The College Republicans said Medicaid is not fiscally responsible, limits people’s choices in private health insurance and provides equal access to lower quality care than options available under private health insurance.

The Young Americans for Liberty said people do not have the right to hold someone else responsible for administering healthcare, favoring instead an open market for healthcare.

ORGANIZATION

IMMIGRATION The Young Democratic Socialists of America said immigrants help build a better America and people looking to find a better life in America and contribute to the country’s economy should not be turned away.

“They should not suffer in countries we helped destabilize,” said Ben Lattner, senior in aerospace engineering.

The College Republicans said the Republican party values immigrants and wants to maintain fair and legal immigration practices. They said carelessly granting amnesty provides incentive for an increasing rate of illegal immigration and the southern border is too lax.

The College Democrats said the immigration system in place needs to be changed because it limits immigration availability to only the most elite of applicants.

They said immigration pathways that are too limiting, not amnesty, is what incentivizes illegal immigration.

The Young Americans for Liberty said the right exaggerates the number of illegal immigrants committing crimes and the left exaggerates the numbers of illegal immigrants getting jobs.

“No productive member of society should be deported,” Beckham said.

TRADE WITH CHINA The Young Americans for Liberty said they believe tariffs should be eliminated because they result in a decrease in consumption.

The College Republicans said they believe in a free market, but tariffs are necessary to adjust China’s communist practices. They believe President Donald Trump’s current practices are working.

The College Democrats said that tariffs are a political tax levied on the American people. They believe there are ways to challenge the Chinese government that don’t hurt financially American citizens.

The Young Democratic Socialists of America said America uses tariffs as a means of imposing its will on countries, and the American government needs to be cognizant of how it uses tariffs.

Audience questions dealt with impeaching President Trump and the related investigation into Ukraine, recruiting centrist voters, the May 2019 Alabama abortion bill, police shootings and system reform and primary news sources the representatives read.

College Republicans member Jane Anne Stewart, senior in public relations, said she thought the College Republicans representatives were well-spoken and made effective arguments.

“I feel like they answered everything really well and their rebuttals were awesome,” Stewart said.

ENTERTAINMENT

Food drive hopes to beat donation record

By JORDAN BURKES Campus Writer

Auburn University’s annual food drive competition against the school to the west is officially underway and will run until Nov. 21.

Beat Bama Food Drive has taken place for 26 years, and Auburn has won 13 times. However, the University of Alabama has won the past three competitions.

“There are no real losers though, because we are helping feed thousands of people and serving our community,” said Ashlyn Payne, president of Beat Bama Food Drive.

Last year, the two schools collected a record-breaking 565,110 pounds of food between them.

Auburn University brought in 255,916 pounds for the Food Bank of East Alabama, and the University of Alabama brought in 309,194 pounds for the Food Bank of West Alabama.

The campaigns also factor how much money was raised into the final results. Each dollar is equivalent to about two pounds of food.

The mission of the Food Bank of East Alabama is to alleviate hunger by providing an efficient, coordinated system for collecting and distributing food. They also want to reduce food waste and to increase public awareness regarding hunger and food insecurity issues in east central Alabama.

The Beat Bama Food Drive has an array of events being held over the next month. Events range from neighborhood food drives

to different benefits at several restaurants where a percentage of money raised that night is donated back to the cause.

For neighboorhood food drives, volunteers for the Beat Bama Food Drive leave paper bags on people’s doorsteps in the local community. On the bag is a note explaining what they do and encouraging people to clean out their pantries of any canned goods they don’t need.

A week later they go back and collect all of the bags.

“The neighborhood food drive is really special,” Payne said. “Sometimes it’s hard to get the community involved when we are students and are so campus-centered, so this is a way to reach out into the community.”

The Beat Bama Food Drive is implementing some new tactics to raise as many donations and pounds of food as possible. Normally, it has the same T-shirts every year, but this year, it has revamped them, hoping to sell more and raise more money.

The biggest goal of the Beat Bama Food Drive this year is to get their Round Up Campaign off the ground. The Round Up Campaign is a partnership with Campus Dining, where students can round up the prices of their meals on campus and donate that money to the Feed the Family Fund.

Feed the Family Fund is a meal assistance program for students who can’t afford campus dining. The students who qualify are granted 58 meal swipes per semester.

CONTRIBUTED BY UPC

David Dobrik will perform Nov. 12 on campus in Auburn, Ala.

David Dobrik coming to campus

By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Editor

The University Program Council’s fall schedule traded one YouTube personality for another.

After UPC announced Cody Ko and Noel Miller would not be able to make their scheduled appearance for UPC’s fall comedian event, UPC moved quickly to find a replacement.

UPC announced that YouTube personality David Dobrik will be featured in the Student Activities Center on Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. Admission is free, and seating is first come, first served. No RSVP is required; students only have to show the mobile event pass found on AUinvolve or a valid Auburn ID. Alison Moore, UPC’s director of major entertainment, said she had been in touch with Dobrik’s agent for the past few months because she was

thinking about potentially bringing him to campus in the spring.

“As soon as Cody cancelled, it was kind of a free semester to have an event, so we checked with his schedule, and he had an opening,” Moore said. “We also wanted to make sure we could have an event this semester that could open up the Student Activities Center well.”

The Student Activities Center was recently renovated to be able to hold more students. Moore hopes this space will be used for more programming and events going forward, and she hopes having a big name like Dobrik will help.

Originally gaining notoriety on Vine, Dobrik began his own personal YouTube channel in 2015, which currently has over 14 million subscribers. De facto leader of the self-titled “Vlog Squad,” an ensemble of celebrities and other YouTube per-

sonalities, Dobrik’s videos feature pranks, challenges and other comedy bits.

Dobrik has been noted as having an innovative approach to YouTube with a high-energy style and quick cuts, similar to that of Vine. He has also become known for incorporating sponsors into videos through challenges with his friends.

Moore said UPC will be looking into the possibility of bringing another big name to campus now that Dobrik will not appear in the spring.

“We’re always in contact with agents with different talent and just making sure who has an opening in their schedule, what would fit with our budget and what would best serve Auburn’s students,” she said.

UPC may entertain the idea of rescheduling Ko and Miller for later in the spring. It just depends on how their tour lines up, Moore added.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 5

FEATURE

Student competes in world’s longest horse race

By SARAH GIBSON Campus Writer

Sam Franklin, senior in supply chain management, got the opportunity to participate in the Guinness World Records’ longest horse race in July 2019. It is approximately a 620-mile horse race in Mongolia that takes place over 10 days.

“After day three, I had hit a wall in the race,” Franklin said.

“At the time it was not very fun. Looking back on it though, I am really glad I pushed through and completed what I set out to do.”

If not completed in time, participants will not be able to continue. The race is very selective: out of about 2,200 applicants, only 45 are chosen to participate in the race.

The participants are selected through an interview and application process. Franklin found out about the competition because he knew someone that completed the race the year before he did.

Franklin said that he started riding horses when he was 10 years old. He also ran the horseback program at Camp Mac in Munford, Alabama, for five years.

“Two years ago in July I had a rappelling accident,” Franklin said. “I broke my back, sternum and arm. I tore some soft tissue in my leg, too. I was 10% permanently disabled with limited mobility in my wrist and some disabilities in my back, and I wanted to do this race to see if I was recovered or not. That was my motivation to do it.”

Franklin said half of the participants don’t finish. He mentioned how many participants were injured during the race.

He said someone punctured a lung, many participants broke a bone, two people got hypothermia and someone got heat stroke. Franklin said he also was susceptible to the conditions after having to sit out one day due to an infection.

“I had been training for the race for four or five months and was not going to let one trip to the hospital stop me from competing,” Franklin said. “I came to race, and I was not going to let anything stop me.”

Franklin said his favorite part of the trip was his experience with the Mongolian culture and getting to meet the other riders, who were from all over the world.

“Getting to see the difference between trained horses and the horses we rode was very interesting, because these horses were semi-wild,” Franklin said. “They are not trained the same way we train horses in the West. So, when you would ride the horse, it would take off and not stop running for 10 miles. It was a pretty exhilarating experience.”

Franklin said he proved to himself he was indeed ready to take on one of his dreams, even after being injured.

“I think it proved to me that my injury does not hold me back from anything,” Franklin said. “It was a self affirmation that I can do anything that I want to do.”

CONTRIBUTED BY SAM FRANKLIN

Franklin competed in the race in Mongolia in July 2019.

CONTRIBUTED BY SAM FRANKLIN

The 620-mile race features 45 particpants who have 10 days to complete it.

SCHOLARSHIP

Miss Auburn University focuses on arts in education

By JORDAN BURKES Campus Writer

Collins McMurray was recently crowned Miss Auburn University, and she’s only a freshman.

McMurray first started competing in pageants as a junior in high school. Miss America is one of the leading scholarship providers for women in the United States. When McMurray realized this, it immediately caught her eye.

What really sold McMurray and convinced her to compete in her first pageant was when she discovered that she would get to have a platform. A platform is a community service project that contestants get involved with and endorse as they go through the different stages of competitions.

“Once I realized I could serve my community and compete for scholarship money, it was a no-brainer for me to try,” McMurray said.

McMurray’s platform is the importance of arts in education. McMurray said she’s been involved in the arts from a very young age from a community and school standpoint.

She’s worked in outreach programs with her community theater program. She noticed where there was a lack of funding for different arts programs across the state.

She grew up seeing firsthand what a lack of funding could do to a community. Her middle school theater program got cut because of a lack of funds. She saw the effects it had on

not only her fellow classmates, but on herself as well.

“It’s a subject I’m very passionate about and have always wanted to work towards,” McMurray said. “Pageants have given me the platform and support I needed to create a foundation I can work with.”

After little debate, McMurray decided to enter into a pageant, and she ended up winning the first pageant she ever competed in, advancing to win Miss Alabama Outstanding Teen, and then advancing to place high in Miss America’s Outstanding Teen.

She competed in her first pageant outside of the teen division and won the Miss Auburn University title on Oct. 6.

“I’m beyond myself; I still can’t believe it’s real,” McMurray said.

She’s not done yet, though. This coming summer, she will be competing for Miss Alabama, but right now she’s focused on performing her role as Miss Auburn University and serving her community as well as she can.

After the announcement of her big win she immediately went backstage to sign all of the paperwork involved in getting her ready to compete for Miss Alabama. And to celebrate, her and her family visited Mellow Mushroom for a well-deserved dinner.

She never took her crown off. She almost slept in it but decided that, considering she had class the next morning, she had better get a good night’s sleep.

CONTRIBUTED BY COLLINS MCMURRAY

McMurray was crowned Miss Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.

CONSTRUCTION

Auburn to be second SEC school with NPHC Legacy Plaza

By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Editor

Auburn’s National Pan-Hellenic Council President Madison Riggins believes the recently approved NPHC Legacy Plaza will affect recruitment, representation and retention of black students at Auburn.

With approval from the Board of Trustees, the plaza will be the first architectural indication of NPHC’s presence on campus. Planned to be located adjacent to the campus greenspace, the legacy plaza will be a place for programming and commemoration of the nine historically black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities, commonly referred to as the “Divine Nine.”

Currently, five of the fraternities and sororities are active on Auburn’s campus.

The plaza will include panels dedicated to

each of the nine sororities and fraternities, and a 10th will be dedicated to telling the history of the black-student experience at Auburn. Riggins said the 10th panel is important because not every black student is a part of a Greek organization.

“If students feel like they have a safe place on campus, I think that’ll give them the opportunity to say, ‘Okay, even if school gets hard at times, I feel like I have a place where I can come and get supported at all times,’” Riggins said.

Auburn will become the second among the 14 SEC schools with a plaza of its kind, joining Ole Miss, and it will be the second in the state along with the University of North Alabama.

Riggins said the plaza should help with the recruitment of more minority students, which has recently become a goal of administrators.

Auburn’s black enrollment has gradually declined over the past decade, and fewer than 200

black students were a part of Auburn’s most recent freshmen class, which exceeded 5,000.

“We want to make sure this is a place that can be utilized for minority recruitment, as well,” Riggins said. “A lot of times, when students come here, they don’t see people who look like them in tours.”

The cost of the plaza will be in the neighborhood of $250,000. Some of the costs will be shouldered under the construction costs for the multi-million dollar Academic Classroom and Laboratory Complex.

NPHC set an original goal of contributing $10,000 itself, but it raised nearly $8,000 at the Tiger Stomp Show during Auburn’s Black Alumni Weekend on Sept. 27, so Riggins is considering raising NPHC’s contribution goal to $15,000.

“We want to make sure this is a project that we feel like is a part of us, not just something

people gave to us,” Riggins said.

Auburn’s Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council have agreed to contribute to the fundraising as well. Riggins said Aramark, Auburn’s campus dining partner, also agreed to contribute, and NPHC is looking for additional corporate sponsors.

However, Riggins said there is no set deadline on when the money needs to be raised because construction of the plaza won’t be able to begin until the ACLC is built. Right now, a joint bank account is set up for all contributing parties to accumulate as much of the $250,000 as early on as possible.

The ACLC is scheduled to be finished by fall 2021, so the NPHC Legacy Plaza should be completed by 2022, according to Riggins.

Riggins is excited about the construction of the plaza, but there is still a lot to be done, and it’s not going to happen overnight, she said.

community THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

RELIGION

Opelika High School ends pregame, coach-led prayer

By CHARLIE RAMO Community Writer

It has been a long-standing tradition to pray over the loudspeaker before home football games at Opelika High School. As the season continues, students are taking the prayer into their own hands.

This football season began the same way others had — with a loudspeaker prayer. But that practice soon changed.

After Opelika’s first home game on Aug. 22, a person identified as a concerned parent contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that works to protect the separation of church and state as written in the Constitution, according to their mission statement.

The group then sent a letter addressed to Opelika City School Superintendent Mark Neighbors. In the letter, which a stamp indicates was received on Sept. 3, the group explains the concerned parent contacted them to report feeling alienated at the game because of the loudspeaker prayer that was predominantly Christian in nature.

“Our complainant reported feeling alienated because of this prayer and noted that it made them want to move their chil-

dren out of the district,” reads the letter signed by Christopher Line, staff attorney at FFRF. “Our complainant also reported that they have seen coaches praying with students during practices and games.”

The letter requested the school district discontinue the pregame prayer and no longer schedule prayers before school events.

In a statement released to media, the school said it did just that.

At the next home football game on Sept. 13, Opelika High School settled the issue by stopping the loudspeaker prayer, instead opting for a moment of silence before the start of the game. Students, however, prayed the Lord’s Prayer during this time.

“Students are of course free to pray as much as they want,” Line said. “The problem here is the school endorsing that prayer and broadcasting it over the loudspeaker. There is no problem with students choosing on their own to pray.”

The letter went on to cite several Supreme Court cases where school prayer was involved.

Each case’s ruling explained school-endorsed prayer and staff participation is not allowed

“We recognize that the United States of America is a nation of laws, and we will abide by the current law,” said Opelika City Schools Superintendent Mark Neighbors in the school’s statement. “Our students are allowed to pray, but our coaches are not allowed to participate.”

According to the statement, Opelika City Schools’ board attorney is reviewing the letter and current laws to confirm what is permissible for students. The school system said it’s currently not granting interviews on the subject and referred reporters to the statement.

Many parents and students told The Plainsman that they supported the prayer before the game, calling it a school tradition.

Other students and parents agreed with the change. Another high school parent said that the moment of silence allows students of all religions to pray as they choose before the game.

Similar events have occurred in other Alabama schools in recent years. Smith Station High School went through the same events in 2017.

“In Alabama, we get various school districts to stop broadcasting prayer over the loudspeaker,” Line said. “We don’t go out looking for violations. We receive more than 5,000 complaints every year from people all across the country.”

CULTURE

Local church grows through its search for truth, meaning

By MY LY Community Writer

Auburn is home to many different churches. The Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship finds itself among that mix, but as a more liberal church.

Unitarian Universalists describe themselves as a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

The denomination was established in 1961, and the Auburn branch was founded that same year.

The church is growing rapidly in the South.

Nearly 100 members actively participate in the Auburn church, said the Rev. Chris Rothbauer.

Rothbauer leads services each Sunday where they mainly discuss spirituality or issues relating to social justice.

Along with their Sunday services, the church also holds religious education for young children every Sunday, Rothbauer said.

“We also hold children’s RE every Sunday,” Rothbauer said. “It starts in the middle of the services where we send the children to their classes.”

Children attend classes starting as newborns and until they are out of highschool, Rothbauer said.

“It allows them to go away and have classes where they learn values such as social justice and [allows

PHILANTHROPY

us] to send them away with an ability to make their own educated decisions,” Rothbauer said. “We have a lot of parents who want a more liberal upbringing for their children.”

Members of the church joined for many different reasons, such as seeking an escape from the deep religion in the South or discovering spirituality within themselves in a time of need, Rothbauer said.

Rothbauer said the birth of the church was an adjustment in Alabama.

“We were founded in 1961 by a group of mostly humanists who were looking for an alternative to the existing religious groups around here,” Rothbauer said. “And it just so happened to coincide with a time when the American Unitarian Association was pushing for growth in cities that didn’t already have Unitarianism.”

The church building held a historical significance within the community before it served as a home for the AUUF. “It was the first location for the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church,” Rothbauer said.

EMBC was the first church in town for freed slaves following the Civil War. The AUUF bought the building in the early 1980s and EMBC has since moved locations.

Auburn named Purple Heart City Community Reporter

MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR

Nicole Akers and Chrissy Reves on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

Cancer patients receive free home cleanings Community Editor

Going though cancer treatment is often difficult for a patient and their family. Nicole Akers knows this firsthand. She underwent treatment 23 years ago for Stage 3 breast cancer.

She is now a breast cancer survivor and wants to help other women going through the same thing she did.

Akers and her husband opened an Auburn location of Two Maids and a Mop just shy of two years ago. When

“We are really proud to be associated with that, to the point where I think if we ever had to move, it would be devastating,” Rothbauer said. “Their building is wrapped up in their history.”

Most branches of Unitarianism and Unitarianism Universalism are symbolized by a flaming chalice.

Rothbauer said the symbol came about during World War II with the Unitarian Service Committee.

A branch of Unitarians went abroad to aid those in need, helping Jews and other persecuted people escape Nazi Germany, Rothbauer said. They needed a symbol to let people know which locations were safe and inconspicuous to the Nazis.

“So they came up with putting a chalice in the window of the safe houses,” he explained. “It has caught on from there and it has become an international symbol.”

The church involves itself in multiple social justice movements, including climate issues, Black Lives Matter and transgender rights.

“We are really proud of the justice we deal with here,” Rothbauer said. “We were very involved with the climate march, and a lot of our members are traveling to Montgomery in order to participate in the trans visibility march.”

GOVERNMENT

By CORY BLACKMON

By ELIZABETH HURLEY

COLE TANGYE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on 450 Thach Ave, in Auburn, Ala.

they opened their franchise, they felt called to partner with Cleaning for a Reason, just like many franchises in the company do.

Cleaning for a Reason is a nonprofit organization that partners with home cleaning businesses to provide free home cleanings to cancer patients.

“You can feel helpless when you’re not the one going through it as far as what to do or what you can do,” Akers said. “This is, in some small part, » See CANCER, 7

The Auburn City Council formally declared the City a Purple Heart City Tuesday night in honor and recognition of veterans who have been wounded or killed in service of their country.

Van Daughtry, a recipient of the Purple Heart, presented the City with a Purple Heart City sign in recognition of the decision. He also brought a statement from the Purple Heart Department of Alabama.

The statement recognized Auburn’s decision to become a Purple Heart City and expressed the department’s gratitude toward the City for their action to advance the Purple Heart distinction.

“Being a Purple Heart recipient, I never intended to be one but I am,” Daughtry said. “There are a lot of us here who have made that walk and can talk that talk, but I do appreciate the City of Auburn having us here tonight.”

During the meeting, the City also approved a tax abatement of approximately $57,000 for ID Plastics LP Property.

The company manufactures a variety of technical plastic products

and plans to invest $9.8 million to open its first U.S. operation in Auburn.

“ID Plastics ultimately will be hiring up to 50 of our citizens and investing almost $10 million in our community,” Mayor Ron Anders said. “It’s been a great year and our economic development team has done a great job this year.”

There were a number of split votes during the meeting as well, one regarding a zoning change and the other involving student housing.

The first issue was a proposal to rezone a property at 2826 Cox Road from Rural to Comprehensive Development District. Doing this would allow the owner to change the property from a residential zone to a zone that supports commercial use.

Those against the rezoning opposed the proposal because of the potential effects that a commercial property in a predominantly residential area would have on the residents of that area.

“Normally, I am big on property owners’ rights, but knowing these people like I do, knowing the area and the neighborhood, I really can’t support the rezoning of this prop-

erty right now,” said Ward 8 Council member Tommy Dawson.

According to Council members, the request for rezoning was brought before the Council two years ago and denied.

Council member Beth Witten said the Council decided that it wasn’t the right time for the rezoning then, but now it is.

“When we had this in front of us two years ago, we stated it wasn’t the time,” Witten said. “We are here and this is a zoning request, and we have already demonstrated that we support the future land use plan by rezoning the adjacent property to the applicant’s property to CDD.” The vote was 5 to 3 in favor of rezoning, with Ward 4 Council member Brett Smith abstaining from the vote.

The other issue brought up was the conditional use approval of two Academic Detached Dwelling Units, 5-bedroom houses meant for student living, in a Neighborhood Redevelopment District.

The request for approval of the two units on a property located at Canton Avenue was ultimately tabled until Nov. 5 for further discussion.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 7

POLICE

Opelika Police Department opens new headquarters

By CHARLIE RAMO Community Writer

Ribbons have been cut and doors are open to the new Opelika Police Department and Municipal Court building.

The project began in August 2018 and cost roughly $18 million. Seay, Seay and Litchfield was the architecture firm responsible, having previously designed buildings in Auburn.

“From a historical perspective, our old building was constructed in 1967, and an additional floor was added in 1977,” said Opelika Police Chief John McEachern. “That’s where we’ve been since that time, and we’re very fortunate that we were able to remain in the old building during construction of the new facility.”

The move to this new building has upgraded the department from 2,100 square feet to 3,800 square feet, McEachern said. The department was using every available square inch of the old building, he said.

The old building also had issues with upkeep and with wear and tear.

“When this was in the planning stages, myself and some of my staff spent numerous days work-

ing with the architects going through portions of our old building and explaining to them what we were looking for,” McEachern said. “They addressed all of our needs and concerns, so we have ample space now for continuing growth.”

The patrol meeting room has increased in size at the new facility. McEachern said the room in the old building could accommodate 15 to 20 people, while the new one can hold well over 100.

The new building also added space for break rooms, more offices, a squad operator’s room and a large evidence retention room. The Police Department now has the room to invite members of other departments to their facility.

The new facility separates the Municipal Court from the Police Department, giving each a designated front entrance. The old building had both departments using the same front entrance, combining the clienteles of both offices. The new facility will have two separate addresses as well, with the police at 501 S. 10th St. and the court at 300 Martin Luther King Blvd.

“In separating the entities [there is no] cold mingling of the two,” McEachern said. “[The new building has] much more working space and

JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

The new Opelika Police building on South 10th St., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, in Opelika, Ala.

is more accommodating for the general public.”

The old building will be torn down within the next few weeks to make room for police parking and new K-9 facilities.

“We will have indoor-outdoor runs for our six

EDUCATION

K-9s,” McEachern said. “That will be a state-ofthe-art facility in itself.”

There will be new kennels that allow officers to leave their service dogs at the facility on their off days.

DEVELOPMENT

Shinhwa to invest $42 million in Auburn

By SYDNEY SIMS Community Writer

FIELDER HAGAN / COMMUNITY WRITER

The Little Free Library located outside the Loachapoka Post Office on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 in Auburn, Ala.

Little local libraries spark learning

By FIELDER HAGAN Community Writer

Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that focuses on creating free-exchange book sites. These small boxes have been popping up around Auburn and surrounding towns thanks to this group.

These libraries only follow one rule — take a book, give a book.

The goal of the Little Free Library is to inspire a love of reading, build community and spark creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges, according to the Little Free Library website.

Wherever there are readers, young and old, there are libraries. Little Free Libraries have emerged in more than 90 countries, and have fostered millions of book exchanges each year, according to the website.

There are several locations around Auburn, in front of neighborhoods,

churches, schools and homes.

The diversity of books offered is at the mercy of the exchangers.

Anyone can contribute to the collection as long as there is a space to fill in the library. To donate, all one must do is visit a little library and put in a book.

Library caretakers, called stewards, maintain the appearance of the libraries to ensure they stay open and well-maintained, according to the website.

The Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship uses its Little Free Library to help with Sunday school classes that deal with literacy.

By Our Love is a nonprofit organization focused on local mission outreach in the Ridgecrest Apartments, Auburn’s largest public housing community. The ministry purchased a home adjacent to Ridgecrest, called Our House.

A Little Free Library is stationed on the side of Our House, and is designed

for students in kindergarten through third grade to bring and take books, helping improve literacy rates in the area.

“We invite children from the neighborhood over after school to enjoy a healthy snack and get help with their homework,” said René Waldrop, Our House director. “Some of the mothers of our students also enjoy choosing books from the library.”

Waldrop said she sees the impact having a little library has on the children in their community.

“This is a small part of our ministry, but [it] has a big impact on our students and their families,” Waldrop said.

The Little Free Library has impacted more than children and their families.

Waldrop said she knows of one resident that uses it to honor her late sister.

“This friend keeps her sister’s memory and love of books alive by keeping our Little Free Library stocked with books of all kinds,” Waldrop said.

A $42 million dollar development is coming to Auburn, Mayor Ron Anders announced at the Oct. 1 City Council meeting.

The Shinhwa Group, an automotive parts manufacturer based in Changwon, South Korea, is putting its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Auburn.

The City received a confirmed AA+ rating from Standard Employers Corporation and an AA+ rating from Mooney Investment Group.

These ratings played an instrumental role in Auburn landing the bid for the manufacturing operation.

“Each of the rating agencies came to Auburn and made a site visit,” said Rob Young of Montgomery Investment Bankers. “The mayor’s office and its employees did a great job in welcoming both groups and showcasing what Auburn has to offer.”

Shinhwa, founded in Changwon, South Korea in 1995, has begun construction of its new facility in the Auburn Technology Park West. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in summer 2020, according to a press release from the City of Auburn.

“Companies like Shinhwa

CANCER

HISTORY

» From 6

ALLISSA STANLEY / PHOTOGRAPHER

Rain falls on Pine Hill Cemetery in Auburn, Ala on Monday, Oct. 15, 2019.

Tours aim to bring life to the cemetery

By CHARLIE RAMO Community Writer

Important and amusing figures of Auburn’s history will come to life during the Auburn Heritage Association’s Pine Hill Cemetery Lantern Tour on Oct. 17 and 18. Characters range from the founder of the City of Auburn to unknown Confederate soldiers, with various previous Auburn residents in between.

These tours have been offered yearly since 1996. Highlighted historical characters vary year to year, but the tours have always been given at Pine Hill Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Auburn.

“We focus on people who have very interesting stories, … on people who helped

to found Auburn, on different townspeople,” said Mary Norman, president of the Auburn Heritage Association. “We’ve got professors, we’ve got doctors, we’ve got mayors, we’ve got a little bit of everybody buried in this cemetery.”

Being the original cemetery to Auburn, it contains many notable and interesting people from the founding of the City and the University. The cemetery includes five previous University presidents, the Cullars family, 98 unidentified Confederate soldiers and roughly 1,600 unidentified slaves.

The Auburn Heritage Association paid for the fencing and cleaning of the cemetery using special events such as this lantern tour to fund their projects.

“We want to bring in a lot of humor,” Norman said. “We want to bring in good historical facts, but [mainly] fun. It’s not about ghosts or anything like that; it’s about people and what they did when they were here at Auburn.”

Tours will run between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. on Oct. 17 and 18. Groups will be guided through the cemetery by their guide and by 12 characters who will tell their stories.

Tour guides and characters will all be in period dress.

Parking will be available at the East Samford School. A trolley will bring people to and from the cemetery.

Tickets are $10 at the gate, with the exception of $5 for students.

a way that we can give back and just offer some sort of support for those facing it.”

Its about giving back to a community they hold close to their hearts. For Akers and her husband, it was a no-brainer to partner with the nonprofit.

“It’s just knowing firsthand what you go through,” Akers said. “This was something that was so simple and easy that we could do that would mean a lot to somebody.”

Going through treatment takes a toll on everyone. When Akers was undergoing treatment, she said she lacked energy to do many normal tasks. On top of that, her immune system was weakened.

It’s an exhausting process. Often times she would want to do things but just didn’t have the energy.

Two Maids and a Mop in Auburn is hoping to fill that gap and do something a cancer patient may not have the energy to do.

“It’s nice to have something like that done, because who doesn’t want to have somebody come in and clean their house and you not have to worry about it,” Akers said. “But it’s kind of really important from a

are assets to our community, ensuring that our larger region benefits from the high-tech manufacturing happening here in Auburn,” Anders said in the press release.

Anders expressed gratitude to Shinhwa for the confidence they placed in the City and said he looks forward to the economic impact of the new plant.

Jacqueline Chandler, director of industrial development for the City of Auburn’s Economic Development Department, agreed with the importance of industries like Shinhwa taking notice of Auburn.

“This development represents the desirability of industry to do business in Auburn,” Chandler said. “Thanks to a strong city government, a great quality of life and a business-friendly community, Auburn is the place to be.”

This development is expected to create 95 new jobs in the area and bring a new level of commerce to east Alabama, Chandler stated.

Initially, Shinhwa will produce drive shafts for vehicles made by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing in Montgomery, Alabama and Kia Motor Manufacturing in West Point, Georgia, according to the press release.

Shinhwa plans to expand its production in Auburn in the future. health standpoint.”

Though Cleaning for a Reason was not yet established when Akers was undergoing treatment, she said it was certainly something she would have participated in.

Friends and community members often brought her meals. Those meals provided her a sense of relief and she said she hopes the home cleanings do the same.

“Just knowing there are people out there that just want to do any little thing that they can, that support meant a lot to me,” Akers said.

The Two Maids and a Mop Auburn franchise performed their first cleaning with Cleaning for a Reason the first week of October.

The franchise provided a free general home cleaning to a local cancer patient. Two Maids and a Mop Auburn Operations Manager Chrissy Reeves said the cancer patient was excited and relieved when she learned about the free cleaning.

The franchise hopes to provide more free home cleanings to cancer patients. They see it as a way to show patients they are not alone in their fight, Reeves said.

“It takes a huge weight off their shoulders knowing it’s one less thing they have to worry about,” Reeves said.

sports

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

FOOTBALL

SPORTS

BASKETBALL

Without Whitlow Auburn confident in backup RB options

By JAKE WEESE Sports Reporter

A week ago the news broke that Boobee Whitlow would miss four-to-six weeks after sustaining a knee injury against Florida and undergoing surgery. Whitlow’s earliest return date would be against Georgia on Nov. 16.

Whitlow this season has been Auburn’s leading rusher with 544 rushing yards on 110 carries.

For now Auburn will have to take on, at the minimum, Arkansas, LSU and Ole Miss without Whitlow, and possibly more depending on his recovery.

Head coach Gus Malzahn understands that it will be tough without Whitlow but knows the rest of the running backs are ready for the opportunities.

“First of all, you gotta be real, we’re not going to Arkansas with one of the best tailbacks in our league,” Malzahn said. “I just think that’s the reality of the thing, but we do have confidence in our other guys, and we got confidence in our offensive line.”

After Whitlow, senior Kam Martin is Auburn’s

leading rusher at tailback with 34 carries for 174 yards. Next is sophomore Shaun Shivers, with 27 rushing attempts for 144 yards.

“Kam Martin, we know a lot about him.” Malzahn said, “Kam Martin has played in a lot of big games and played well. Shivers is a guy that we just talked about. He’s capable of making some plays.”

Freshmen D.J. Williams and Harold Joiner and junior Malik Miller have 15 carries combined.

Malzahn is excited to see what the less-than-featured backs can bring, as well, in the upcoming weeks.

“D.J. Williams we just talked about him, this will be his first time in prime time to see what he can do, in the spring he performed really well.” Malzahn said, “Harold Joiner will have a role, and he has played specifically in the Texas A&M game and did a solid job.

Malik Miller is kind of our specialized guy.”

Auburn’s first game without Whitlow begins this weekend on the road in Arkansas.

Kickoff in Fayetteville is set for 11 a.m. CST — Auburn’s earliest game of the season.

• 2019: 174 yds, 2 TDs • Senior, 1st on team in career carries • “I would say I am ready for the challenge. I did it before.” — Martin

Joshua Fisher / Photographer

SHAUN SHIVERS • 5.3 yards per carry leads RBs • 10 carries in SEC play • “I think he’s capable of making some explosive plays.” — Gus Malzahn on Shivers

Joshua Fisher / Photographer

KAM MARTIN

HAROLD JOINER FILE PHOTO File Photo

• Redshirted 2018 • No. 4 player in Alabama out of HS • “Harold Joiner got a lot of reps and he stepped up. He is going to be special” — Martin on Joiner

J’Von McCormick (12) dribbles during UVA vs. Auburn on Saturday, April 6, 2019, in Minneapolis.

AU picked 4th in SEC

By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE Sports Writer

• Senior, 6 career TDs • Third-down back, blocking specialist • “I pride myself in just being a kind of leader of the group, just knowing the offense in and out.” — Miller

D.J. WILLIAMS • True freshman, 4-star in 2019 class • 7 carries, 32 yards vs. Miss State • “Yeah, he’s special, for sure. The way he runs and the way he can read stuff out, — he’s a special kid.” — Will Hastings on Williams

Katherine Miller / Photographer

File Photo

MALIK MILLER

Auburn is projected to finish fourth in the SEC preseason poll, a year removed from an SEC Tournament championship and a Final Four appearance last season.

This is the third-highest projection for the Tigers in the preseason poll since 2000.

This year they are behind Kentucky, Florida and LSU but just above Alabama and Tennessee, who they beat in the 2019 SEC championship game.

The Tigers didn’t have any players named to the first or second SEC

BASKETBALL

preseason teams. Following the departures of Chuma Okeke, Bryce Brown, Jared Harper, Malik Dunbar and Horace Spencer, Auburn is looking towards veterans Austin Wiley and Samir Doughty to step up and fill key roles. The returning starters will be joined by a group of premier freshmen, including the No. 36 overall player out of high school, Isaac Okoro and several other highly touted recruits.

After an exhibition match on Nov. 1 against Eckerd, the Tigers will officially start their season Nov. 5 against Georgia Southern at 8 p.m.

CT in Auburn. Conference play will begin Jan. 4 at Mississippi State.

FOOTBALL

Former Auburn receiver dead at 52

FILE PHOTO

AUBURN ATHLETICS

Thompson named All-SEC; Tigers picked 7th

Kenny Pollard from the 1985 Auburn football freshmen photo.

Unique Thompson (20) during Auburn Women’s Basketball vs. Georgia on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

By MATTISON ALLEN Sports Writer

Unique Thompson, a junior forward for the Auburn women’s basketball team, was named to the preseason AllSEC second team, announced Tuesday.

The teams are voted on by a panel of media members.

Thompson averaged 12.2 points and 10.3 rebounds as a sophomore last season. She put up 330 total rebounds in the 2018-19 season, which is the

fourth-highest single-season mark in program history, as well as the most for an individual player for Auburn since the 1992-93 season.

Thompson broke more program records by becoming the first Auburn player since 2009 to average a double-double during her sophomore season. It marked the fifth time in program history a player had done so.

She will enter her junior season with the seventh-most career double-doubles in Auburn history with 20.

Thompson is one of the two top scorers returning for the upcoming season.

Additionally, Auburn was picked to finish No. 7 in the SEC by the media vote after ending last season tied for sixth.

Thompson will represent Auburn at the SEC Tipoff in Birmingham on Thursday, then travel back to Auburn to play in the Tipoff at Toomer’s event for the student body and community that night in the middle of downtown Auburn.

ARCHIVES

By NATHAN KING Sports Editor

Auburn class of ‘85 wide receiver Kenneth “Kenny” Pollard passed away last Saturday, Oct. 15, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus, Mississippi, according to his obituary at Dowdle Funeral Home.

Pollard, 52, was born in Memphis in 1967. He won

two consecutive state titles in high school in Millport, Alabama, before committing to play for Coach Pat Dye and Auburn.

Pollard won back-toback Southeastern Conferences crowns his junior and senior seasons on the Plains.

At Pollard’s funeral on Friday, Oct. 18, in Millport, all attendees were asked to wear orange and blue for “his Auburn Tigers,” according to the obituary.

After his playing career with the Tigers, Pollard was inducted into the Millport Hall of Fame and the Lamar County Hall of Fame.

Pollard met his wife of 27 years, Tina Guy Pollard, through their local softball league following his time at Auburn, the obituary said.

He is survived by his wife; two daughters; one son; three grandchildren, who called him “Pop,” according to the obituary, one sister; one brother; and “multiple” nieces, nephews and in-laws.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

PAGE 9

BASKETBALL

Returning Tigers step up, newcomers impress

By OLIVIA HUSKEY Sports Writer

After its first appearance in the Final Four last season, Auburn’s basketball team looks different heading into the 2019-20 season.

With Bryce Brown, Malik Dunbar and Horace Spencer all graduating, plus Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke choosing to enter the NBA draft, Auburn lost several of its key players from last year.

Now returning players like Samir Doughty, Daniel Purifoy, J’von McCormick, Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy are having to take on bigger roles to lead a team that has eight newcomers on the roster.

Doughty, Purifoy, Wiley, McLemore and McCormick are all seniors this year, and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl expects them to be the leaders for this relatively young team.

“He’s (Doughty) a leader,” Pearl said. “He’s going to get a lot more attention than he did last year. He’s going to get the kind of attention that Jared got and that Bryce got. As you would expect and so how he’s able to handle that, we’ll have to go through and see that. But he’s done great. He’s worked hard and he’s shown good leadership.”

Both Doughty and Purifoy have been working on certain aspects of their game heading into this season so they can better assist their team in its quest for another successful season.

“Just finishing around the basket more,” Doughty said of what he’s focused on. “I’ve been working on my shooting, but I know that’s something I struggled with last year: finishing over the top of bigger people than I’m used to.”

Purifoy lost 12 pounds during the offseason in a bid to help improve

his ability to move on the court.

“I can move better, jump like I used to,” Purifoy said of the effect of losing some weight. “I’m just more comfortable with myself.”

As for McCormick, Doughty said he’s taking on some of the responsibility of leading the younger guys and preparing them for the season.

“He’s taking on a bigger role, more of a leadership role, more of a scoring role,” Doughty said. “He’s also been doing a good job of communicating with the younger guys, helping them be in the spots they need to be. He’s been scoring the ball a lot more, and thats what we’re gonna need from him this upcoming year.”

Pearl also hopes to see Johnson, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, take what he learned from watching the team and help teach the new players while making his own mark on the

team.

“I think with Jamal, he’s got experience,” Pearl said. “He’s got ability. He’s really improved his outside shooting. I want him to take his knowledge and be able to make the other four guys better out there with his ability to communicate.”

While the returning guys are figuring out how to lead this new group, a couple of newcomers are already making an impression.

Isaac Okoro has been talked about a lot during the preseason, and so far he’s exceeding the expectations of his teammates.

“He don’t look like a freshman on the floor,” Doughty said of Okoro.

“He’s talking like he’s been here.

He’s worked on his game, he’s one of our hardest workers. He’s shooting the ball a lot better than people would’ve expected, more than I expected. But that’s come from working hard everyday. So he’s definitely

FILE PHOTO

Samir Doughty (10) drives during Auburn vs. Mississippi State on March 2, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

a standout freshman.”

Another freshman that has been making his mark has been Babatunde Akingbola. The-6 foot-10 center from Nigeria goes by the nickname “Stretch.”

“He is hardworking,” Pearl said.

“He is dedicated. He wants to be coached, and he is a great communicator on the floor. I got eighteen guys on the roster and seventeen are American born. He’s Nigerian born, and he’s the best communicator… He’s motivating, he’s fun to be around, and he’s gonna be a really good player for us someday.”

There are only a couple weeks left for Auburn to prepare for its first games of the 2019-2020 season, and Pearl knows that even though things are progressing, there is still a lot of work left to be done.

“I leave practice every day going, ‘Man we got a lot done, but we have a lot to cover,’” Pearl said.

GREG OSTENDORF / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Isaac Okoro (23) during Auburn basketball practice on Oct. 9, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

FOOTBALL

Auburn counting on Miller’s leadership

By JAKE WEESE Sports Reporter

Junior running back Malik Miller may not fill up the stat sheet on Saturdays, but Miller’s important role with the running backs is “being a kind of leader of the group.”

Now, with a five-person running back room with less than 100 carries combined on the season and needing to replace tailback Boobee Whitlow, Miller will be required more than ever to fulfill his role.

The junior is not only one of the leaders for the running backs, but he is also utilized as a block-

ing specialist and the top thirddown back on the team.

While Miller has seen limited snaps at running back this season with only four attempts for 16 yards, he prides himself on knowing the offense very well as a fourth-year player.

“I pride myself in, one, just being a kind of leader of the group, just knowing the offense in and out, helping others, like, in the room,” Miller said.

On the field, the blocking specialist has been critical in helping Auburn this season come away with a win in some of the closer games.

“As far as on the field, I have

good blocking skills,” Miller said.

“I play hard, I know what to do in crunch-time moments like in two-minute situations and situations like that. I just think the experience really, and just the kind of calm mentality, just knowing what to do.”

Injuries have hampered Miller’s time at Auburn. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2016 during his freshman year and again hurt his knee during 2018’s A-day scrimmage.

As Miller suffered injuries and struggled to find his place on the depth chart, he could have let it get to him, but the junior has kept his head down and kept

working.

Now with Auburn’s running back room facing uncertainty without Whitlow, Miller, who has flown under the radar on the stat sheet, might be one of Auburn’s most significant needs during this upcoming stretch.

“I feel like I’m kind of getting a step back.” Miller said, “It’s been very frustrating with the knee deal. But I don’t let it get me down. I mean circumstances happen. You can’t control. But what you can control is how you react to them. So at the end of the day, I just go hard. I try to get stronger every day and be me.”

WELCOME TO THE AUBURN FAMILY.

WE ARE FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE. WE ARE AUBURN STUDENT AFFAIRS.

CAMERON BRASHER / VIDEO EDITOR

Malik Miller (32) carries during Auburn vs. Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019

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LIFESTYLE

ECONOMY

FILE PHOTOS

Realtors share price differences in Auburn and Opelika

By LYDIA MCMULLEN Lifestyle Writer

The individual cities of Auburn and Opelika are located right next to each other, and as a result, are commonly referenced together as the Auburn-Opelika area.

However, according to several local real estate employees, the two cities appear to have a substantial gap in the price of housing and general cost of living.

According to Ray Huff, a resident of Auburn since 1974 and owner of Auburn Realty, it is considerably more expensive to purchase a house in Auburn than in Opelika.

Huff noted the cost of buying a house in Auburn has been consistently more expensive than in Opelika for many decades. Huff has noticed an estimated 20% gap in the price of houses in Auburn versus Opelika.

Pam Enloe, a realtor in the Auburn-Opelika area for 14 years, has also observed the disparity in housing prices between the two cities.

Houses of identical size and land were consid-

SPOTLIGHT

erably cheaper in Opelika than they were in Auburn, Enloe said.

“You can get more house for your money in Opelika,” she said. “Auburn housing typically sells much quicker than it would in Opelika, even if the housing is virtually the same in size and land.”

Adonijah Stewart, a citizen of Opelika with two and a half years of experience in the local real estate business, said the cost gap is pretty extreme.

In Stewart’s real estate experience, she has observed houses in Auburn that were almost double in price. Stewart said depending on where a house was located in Auburn, the price of it increased substantially — newer developments were especially more expensive.

The question of why it is less expensive to purchase a house in Opelika than Auburn remains.

All three realtors, Huff, Enloe and Stewart, have observed a trend in their customers’ desire to be in proximity to Auburn University.

“The presence of the University is a desiring

factor and thus prompts people to be more willing to pay the extra money,” Huff said. “Opelika is more of an old mill town that is definitely coming around, but it’s been more of an industrial town, whereas Auburn is more of a college town.”

Many of his customers find the name “Auburn” alone to be a selling point in their housing choice. Huff said his customers generally want to be closer to the University if they can afford to, Huff said.

Additionally, both Enloe and Stewart have observed parents of school-aged children preferring to live in Auburn.

“The Auburn City schools have always had high rankings in the state, so that has something to do with the pricing,” Enloe said.

The reputation of the cities is an underlying factor, Stewart said.

“I was surprised to find that the schools in Opelika were the same and getting more funding than some of the other schools in Auburn,” Stewart said.

Stewart cited the lasting reputation of the cit-

ies to be the real cause of a price disparity, in spite of the more equal funding in recent years.

“School and crime would be the biggest two,” Stewart said, explaining that in addition to school, the reputation of higher crime rates in Opelika results in a higher price tag for housing in Auburn.

In addition to the price of a house, other costs of living climb in closer proximity to the University.

Huff and Enloe have noticed gas to be more expensive in Auburn than it is in Opelika.

“The farther you get away from campus, gas prices can vary from ten cents or more,” Huff said.

Enloe said Opelika typically has cheaper gas prices than Auburn.

According to Huff, the two cities operate rather harmoniously. He said they have “two different identities, but it’s all one big community.”

However, there is still a clear gap in the desirability of real estate and gas prices with Auburn being the more expensive, Huff said.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Matcha truck will open permanent storefront

By LYDIA MCMULLEN Lifestyle Writer

CONTRIBUTED BY ALLISON ELROD

Elrod during her stay in the Taco Bell hotel in Palm Springs, Calif.

Senior visits, stays in Taco Bell Hotel

By MIRANDA SHAFFER Lifestyle Writer

Allison Elrod is a senior at Auburn University in interior design, but something not everyone would guess is how much she loves Taco Bell.

“I eat there multiple times a week and sometimes twice a day,” Elrod said.

When she heard there was going to be an entire hotel centered around her fast food obsession, she knew she had to go.

Elrod is one of the few Taco Bell fanatics who had the opportunity to stay at the first ever pop-up Taco Bell-themed hotel in Palm Springs, California.

Getting a room was no easy feat, Elrod said, as the hotel was only running for four days with around 80 rooms, and reservations booked up almost instantly once the website was live. However, Elrod was determined to get one of the highly coveted spots, she said.

The day the website went live, Elrod was in Italy studying abroad. After a day trip to Rome, Elrod and her friends rushed back to her room to try and reserve a spot, while Elrod’s » See HOTEL, 12

In the summer of 2018, self-proclaimed wellness enthusiasts Victoria McAbee and Jasmine Lee began their mission of bringing natural, holistic beverage options to Auburn in the form of Whimsy, a food truck serving matcha and coffee drinks.

The truck has been operating in various locations around the City, but Whimsy is now scheduled to open a permanent storefront location in downtown Opelika.

Drawing inspiration from the wellness culture of the West Coast, the business duo noticed a lack of availability of local healthy options in Auburn, McAbee said.

“We saw a need in the community and that education was necessary,” she said.

Whimsy has created a platform for McAbee and Lee to equip the community with the tools and knowledge base to integrate wellness into their customers’ daily lives.

Whimsy serves their customers with a menu full of nutrient-dense matcha beverages.

“We have turned a lot of coffee drinkers into matcha drinkers, and we take a lot of pride in that,” McAbee said.

Matcha is the fine powder that results from the stone-grounding of raw green tea leaves.

According to McAbee and Lee, the result of the powder is a delicious beverage that has resulted in their own personal health benefits and the health benefits of their customers.

McAbee said she has not been sick for over a year because of matcha.

The community response to McAbee and Lee’s mission of wellness education and availability, in just a year, has resulted in a storefront opening in addition to the truck.

The pair is excited for the shop’s opening before the impending winter, because they want to offer a place for people to gather.

“People would rather be in a cozy little shop than standing in line at a truck freezing,” McAbee said.

Whimsy has a different vision for their storefront than the traditional model of coffee shops. In place of the order at a bar and wait for your drink system, the Whimsy storefront will be a stark contrast.

“You take a seat wherever you like and you’ll have a server that personally takes care of you,” McAbee said.

The cafe will have an upscale feel to it, McAbee said.

The truck will continue to operate as a grab–and–go system, but the cafe will have ample seating for people to congregate.

“It’s going to be what you would expect on an upscale menu, a little bit more minimal,” McAbee said.

The cafe will continue to serve wellness matcha and coffee beverages with the addition of an array of outsourced baked goods.

The cafe will offer gluten-free and vegan options.

“We focus on serving our customers well,” McAbee said. “The menu is small, but each option was intentionally chosen to cater to the diet and health needs of the community.”

The aim of the cafe is to be accommodat-

ing for all people and to offer a menu that meets all dietary restrictions, she said.

“Our main mission is inclusivity,” McAbee said.

McAbee and Lee are grateful for the opportunities they’ve had in Auburn and aim to continue expanding their brand.

“We are very blessed that people have decided to come to us,” McAbee said.

The truck and storefront are only the beginning. The business pair is optimistic for the future of Whimsy, McAbee said.

“With the growth we’ve experienced this year, I do hope and anticipate Whimsy becoming a national brand by the end of 2020,” she said.

LYDIA MCMULLEN | LIFESTYLE WRITER

Owners stand in front of matcha truck in Auburn, Ala.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 BUSINESS

PAGE 12

HOTEL » From 11

FILE PHOTO

Behind the Glass boutique joins other downtown businesses in holding community events.

Behind the Glass brings local community together this fall

By NATALIE BECKERINK Lifestyle Editor

Local boutique Behind the Glass joins other stores and restaurants in downtown Auburn for several community events in fall 2019.

The Downtown Merchants Association created several events throughout the year in order to bring the community together, including a Halloween BOOtique, said Chloe Floyd, general manager of Behind the Glass.

“The boutique crawl is thrown by the Downtown Merchants Association,” Floyd said. “All the boutiques, or almost all, are participating. We are going to have 25% off shoes, I know a lot of stores will have 20% off their whole store. It’s just a fun, little event for all of us to come together as a community.”

Another big event coming to downtown Auburn is Tipoff at Toomers, which was coordinated by Auburn Athletics and the City of Auburn. Along with a basketball game being

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held on Toomers corner, the businesses will be open longer and offering special deals for customers, Floyd said.

“It’s an entertainment district from 4 to 9 p.m., so you can drink outside with open containers,” she said. “There will also be tables outside in the middle of the road, so you can go to Taco Mama and grab those tacos, and then sit outside at a different table.”

Along with Tipoff at Toomers and the Halloween BOOtique, downtown will also host a Halloween Trick–or–Treat on Halloween and Orchestra at the Oaks on Oct. 18.

Events will slow down for a bit as home football games pick up again, but starting after Thanksgiving, downtown will hold “Blue Friday,” a War Eagle take on Black Friday, and a Christmas parade on Dec. 8, 2019, Floyd said.

“Every quarter they try to have events like this to bring the community together,” she said.

mother and one of her friends back home simultaneously waited with laptops ready to help her chances.

“I have never clicked so fast in my life, and within about 30 seconds, I had picked dates, entered my card info and honestly just clicked a bunch of buttons that I didn’t even know what they did,” Elrod said.

She hit submit, and the screen went blank. After a few minutes she figured the site had crashed and she had lost her spot, but moments later, she saw the request had gone through. Her room was reserved for two nights.

“I was so shocked, and a bunch of the girls with me in Italy started screaming because they were sitting around waiting to see if I got it after I had talked about going all week, and the frozen screen left us all in suspense,” Elrod said.

A few months later Elrod and her mother took their first trip to California to check into “The Bell.”

According to Elrod, the hotel was all she could’ve asked for and more. Upon arrival she re-

ceived a tote bag full of Taco Bell related goodies and a complimentary Baja Blast with a watermelon popsicle inside of it.

Along with room keys and VIP wristbands, they were given a key to the “Freeze Room,” a previous guest room converted into an ice bar with complimentary Baja Blast Freezes for all guests.

The room held a free stocked mini fridge, Taco Bell branded bath robes and even toiletries stamped with the Taco Bell logo.

“Everything from the bedspread to the art hanging on the wall was Taco Bell-themed,” she said.

The complimentary room service at this hotel was no ordinary breakfast in bed; it was something truly original.

Staying true to the Taco Bell theme, breakfast was a tray of ingredients to build your own tacos each morning, Elrod said.

The pool area came with even more free food and drinks, which is where Elrod and her mother spent the majority of their time.

“There was a full bar with the coolest cocktails, and every so often a bell would ring and

waiters would flood the pool deck with trays full of free tacos and other unique menu items,” Elrod said.

Along with unlimited tacos, Elrod got to see multiple famous people who came to experience the hotel for themselves, such as Jeffree Star, Drake Bell and Bruce Vine.

Elrod made several friends during her stay, instantly bonded by their common love for Taco Bell.

One woman she met invited her and her mother for a tour around L.A., and they ended up drinking wine and watching the sunset at her beach house.

For $160 a night, this experience exceeded all of Elrod’s expectations. With so many free drinks, food and merchandise, it was well worth the trip to her, she said.

As a student in interior design, Elrod found the entire design aspect of the hotel to be especially intriguing since she wants to focus on hospitality design and decorating special events.

Elrod said she hopes there will be another pop-up hotel soon, and maybe at that time, she could be the one helping to design it.

CONTRIBUTED BY ALLISON ELROD

Elrod outside “The Bell” in Palm Springs, Calif.

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JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

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

prior to publication.

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