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A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID • NEWS SINCE 1893
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
VOL. 127 • ISSUE 10 • FIRST COPY FREE THEN 50¢
‘Undercurrent of fear’ Professor’s online posts disturb LGBTQ students
By EDUARDO MEDINA Editor-in-chief editor@theplainsman.com
I. Lost Heather Mann sat in her calculus class at Auburn and heard the boys ridicule “those homosexuals,” those people who would burn in hell, they said, who would feel the wrath of the world if they ever dared to love beyond the confines of a man and a woman. Mann, a junior in mechanical engineering, was wearing a rainbow pin on her shirt. She had been wearing it all year. “I’d have to listen to them making horrible jokes about gay people, transgender people, saying slurs as if they were like any other word you can throw around,” Mann said. She heard them every week. Either they had not noticed her rainbow pin, or they had and they were still spewing slurs, she said. “Either way, I have to choose whether I want to sit quietly and listen or say something and have to deal with the aftermath for the rest of the semester,” Mann said. She was silent all year and never said a word to them, because to be a bisexual woman in Alabama, she said, is “to be lost,” as if she were wad-
ing through swampy waters, knowing the next slur will jump out from mouths eager to tell her she’s abnormal, eager to spit insults that stick to her mind like wild rye grass, “‘cause this is the way it is,” she said — because this is Auburn. “If you try to tell someone who doesn’t know anything about [the LGBTQ community] they’re just like, ‘Well, it’s just words. What’s the worst that could happen?’” Mann said. “But there’s this undercurrent of fear where you actually don’t know what’s going to happen, and so you just stay quiet to keep yourself safe.” Those slurs were just coming from students. If they were coming from someone controlling her grades, Mann said, she doesn’t know what she would’ve done.
II. Bruce Murray Bruce Murray, an associate professor in the College of Education, has been working at the University since 1996. Murray specializes in reading education and has tenure. A number of students, including some who have been in his class, have come to The Plainsman and said that they’re troubled by Murray’s posts on his once-public Facebook account, which was made private in the middle of the reporting of this » See LGBTQ, 2
BRANTLI DENNIS / GRAPHICS EDITOR
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
Aniah Blanchard: What we know By ELIZABETH HURLEY Community Editor community@theplainsman.com
In the latest update from the Auburn Police Division about a missing Auburn teen, police have released a surveillance video from a convenience store on South College Street. Aniah Blanchard, 19, was reported missing last week after last communicating with a friend just before midnight on Oct. 23. She is described as a light-complexioned black female, 5-feet-sixinches tall and weighs about 125 pounds, according to police. She
has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black dress, tan duck boots and black stockings, according to police. Over the course of a week, the Auburn Police Division has released several statements regarding the on-going investigation. Here is a compilation of the information released. After Blanchard and her vehicle were reported missing Oct. 24, police began searching for the teen while her stepfather, UFC fighter Walt Harris, and other family and friends began posting her photos on social media. On Oct. 24, Auburn Campus
Ron Anders discusses the City’s future By CORY BLACKMON Community Reporter community@theplainsman.com
Bookstore owners thought it had been too long since the Auburn had a private bookstore. Page 6
» See BLANCHARD, 7
» See ANDERS, 7
Aniah Blanchard was reported missing Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Safety tweeted Blanchard is a student as Southern Union State Community College. Two days later on Friday, Oct. 26, police located her car in Montgomery, Alabama. It was found at an apartment complex on Board-
COMMUNITY New local bookstore opens its doors on the Plains
walk Boulevard after police received a notification from a citizen. The vehicle was damaged between the last time it was seen just before midnight on Oct. 23, in Au-
Mayor Ron Anders said in the darkness of tragedy, the Auburn community has come together to light the path toward a bright future. Standing in the recently completed Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center, Anders spoke of growth, tragedy, progress and change during the inaugural State of the City Ad-
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LGBTQ » From 1
story. Murray confirmed to The Plainsman that the posts that are troubling to some students belong to his Facebook account. The dozens of posts consist of memes that some students said are offensive and hurtful toward the LGBTQ community, articles from Breitbart — a far-right digital publisher — and general musings on homosexuality. In one post published on Aug. 28, 2019, at 2:25 p.m., Murray posted a meme of a transgender woman with the caption “Today’s liberals are so dumb they think men can change into women. And so evil they will punish you for telling the truth.” Murray writes in the post that “The XY chromosomes in 37 trillion cells say that this guy is male. Who cares? Say the science deniers.” In another post from two days earlier, Murray shared an article about Maebe Girl, a drag queen running for Congress in California, and called her a “gender-confused crossdresser.” Over the summer, Murray said that all of President Donald Trump’s “bad tweets” wouldn’t be morally equivalent to the “single firing or non-hire of a person for being critical of the ‘LGBT’ agenda or a single obscene ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ corrupting the minds of little children.” On July 14, Murray posted a picture of a rainbow and said that it was “not a symbol we should cede to the homosexuals.” He goes on to state in the post that “God designed [the rainbow.] It has a meaning exactly the opposite of homosexualism.” In letters to the editor published in the Opelika-Auburn News from 2003 to 2014, Murray has written that “calling homosexual commitment ceremonies ‘marriage’ is fraudulent and counterfactual,” and that when “jubilant homosexuals celebrated the decision” of same-sex marriage equality in New York, they were “losers.” Murray states in another Facebook post that “rainbow doesn’t mean inclusion. It means shut up.” Lucas Copeland, who is the longest-serving member of Spectrum, Auburn’s gay-straight alliance organization, said he is repulsed that a professor at Auburn has such views. “It’s homophobic. It’s transphobic. It’s simply despicable,” Copeland said. “For a college so adamant about praising diversity and claiming to be welcoming, this certainly contradicts that.” Outside of Murray’s office in the Haley Center is a sheet of paper taped to the wall that reads, “I support viewpoint diversity.” He told The Plainsman that calling a transgender woman a “gender-confused crossdresser” is not transphobic or hateful because “stating facts is not hateful.” “Facts don’t threaten. Facts are just something you have to deal with,” he said. Murray said he’s a Christian and that he believes being gay “is not a good choice,” because of his faith in Jesus. He said he stands behind every post he’s made and that he will not apologize to those who are offended because he expects people to tolerate his views — just as he said he tolerates those who are gay. When asked why his Facebook was recently made private, he said the following: “One of the questions is that I’m up for promotion in tenure. And so I didn’t want it to be public that I maybe have some views that are not right in the mainstream right now.” Murray was told that some students at Auburn found his remarks on Facebook to be extremely homophobic. Murray, however, said he doesn’t believe homophobia exists. “Homophobia would be an irrational fear and hatred of homosexuality. I haven’t seen it,” Murray said. He also said it’s “normal” to oppose the gay community because “we should dislike the things that destroy us, the things that injure us. Homosexuality, for example, injures by spreading a whole lot of sexual diseases.” “We are designed as a species for sexual mating. Other kinds of mating relationships aren’t healthy,” Murray said. He added that his point of view is grounded in “natural law.” Racist views shouldn’t be upheld as being diverse, but his views on the LGBTQ community should be seen as just another diverse viewpoint, he said. Murray said he keeps his views out of the classroom, adding that if students feel threatened by his views, he hopes they wouldn’t have any retaliation against him. Murray is adamant that he “tolerates” students’ “sexual immorality.” “I’m being diverse,” Murray said.
III. Mask of Tolerance Mann said she doesn’t care if Murray believes his views don’t infiltrate the classroom. “He claims that his beliefs don’t bleed over into the classroom, but if I knew that my professor believed such things, I wouldn’t want to participate. I wouldn’t want to draw attention to myself,” Mann said. “I’d hide and stay silent and have as little interaction with him as possible.” She posed a hypothetical: If she was taking his class, and it was difficult, she wouldn’t feel comfortable going to his office hours, which would seriously hurt her grade, she said. Copeland said he feels the same way. “You could make the accusation, ‘This is his personal life, there’s no way this is going to affect him in the classroom,’ but I’m pretty sure we all have an inclination on where the opinion of our professors
2 THEPLAINSMAN.COM lie just in the language they use,” Copeland said. “I think I’m safe in assuming that this person is not putting up a mask of tolerance in the classroom when they are so vocal online.” Amber Nicole, a junior and a member of Spectrum, said it’s especially painful to know the College of Education is employing a man who’s mentoring America’s future teachers. “He’s excluding an entire community, which in itself is hindering ... several generations of teachers who have been taught underneath him,” Nicole said. Copeland said he doesn’t understand how a college that places a significance on diversity, a college that is supposed to be welcoming of all types of people, accepting of all students, could allow a professor with “hateful rhetoric” to teach on the Plains. “[Murray’s rhetoric regarding homosexuality] is hurtful because it denies the humanity of people who experience love differently than this man,” Copeland said. “It implies a pathology to people’s experiences and says ‘You’re sick, you’re wrong and I’m right.’” Sara Rodrick, a senior in English literature who plans on working in higher education, said that as a queer student at Auburn, she is alarmed to know a professor with those views is in such close proximity to future educators. “My thoughts on this are also complex because I want to say that the personal views of a teacher, at least in America, are often seen as something that should be separate from the classroom, but in my
NEWS
ment in time for publication, but Theresa McCormick, the associate dean of the College of Education, said she had never seen Murray’s Facebook page prior to being contacted by The Plainsman. “These are disturbing. I would be offended by them,” McCormick said, looking at printed sheets with screenshots of Murray’s posts. “But he has the freedom of speech. I’m also a believer in our rights, and if he’s bringing this into the classroom, then that’s where I would come in as the person over academic affairs.” McCormick said no student has ever come to her and filed a complaint against Murray. “His personal beliefs are really no concern of mine, as they are any other faculty member,” McCormick said. Last year, Auburn received the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s highest rating for free speech. Auburn is one of 38 universities — 28 of which are in the South — nationwide to receive the rating. Murray said he’s done nothing to warrant any sort of reprimand. “I have not violated any policy. I haven’t harassed anyone,” Murray said. “I’ve stated points of views that may be contrary to some of the prevailing views in the University.” Copeland said he contends that Murray’s view on the LGBTQ community is one that should be of concern to everyone in the University. In Auburn University’s policy that regards prohibited harassment of students, it states that “Any
“Facts don’t threaten. Facts are just something you have to deal with.” - Bruce Murray
She must be loud, she must intimidate; not to cause a scene, but because it is a defense mechanism, because she cannot succumb to their stares and let them win control over her body. “That’s just because of the climate on campus,” she said. “It’s work that I shouldn’t have to do.” If she had a professor like Murray, the effort to protect herself would double, she said, because of Murray’s forthright objection to the transgender community, forthright objection to her. Shanquella Jones, a graduate student in the College of Education, said that though she’s never had Murray as a professor, she’s “disappointed and upset” about his rhetoric regarding the LGBTQ community. “We can’t control what comes out of his mouth, but still, the students he has or will have from that community won’t feel comfortable asking him questions or meeting with him for assignments,” Jones said. Paige Coll, who graduated from Auburn University’s College of Education last year, currently works in the Atlanta public school system. She never had Murray as a professor, but she said the professors she did have were “inclusive and welcoming.” “The College of Education still has ways to go before they are truly a place for 21st-century educators to practice 21st-century pedagogy. If Auburn wants to accomplish this, they need to remove the bad apples from the curriculum and teaching department,” she said in a statement. “In an environment where students feel unwelcome or oppressed, they are more likely to become disengaged in the content and/or skip class. Coll said the modern-day public school system deserves professors who are engaged and enthusiastic — not prejudiced. “No student should have to lose their passion for teaching because of feeling prejudiced by their professor,” she said. “I am also concerned that the [College of Education] would preach inclusivity, but continue to employ someone who is supposed to influence students. An influence fueled by homophobia and misogyny could continue to contribute to Alabama educators’ lack of progressive values in education, especially in rural school districts.” If Alabama’s education system wants to move out of the dark ages, Coll said, its universities need to ensure they are employing professors “who practice and encourage 21st-century thinking.” Murray said Coll is being “remarkably intolerant.”
VI. Control Your Poison, Babe, Roses Have Thorns, They Say
CAMERON BRASHER / VIDEO EDITOR
view, I think that’s impossible,” Rodrick said. “The professor’s, the teacher’s personal views are integral to how they treat their students.” To have a professor that supports the LGBTQ community, not simply tolerates it, as Murray put it, matters, Rodrick said. “If the ... College of Education is explicitly saying that they value diversity, I think that can often be a really empty and capacious word,” Rodrick said. “One that gets advertised, but doesn’t necessarily get reinforced.”
IV. Work To Be Done In chapter 3, section 1 of the Auburn University Faculty Handbook, the academic freedom and responsibility of a professor is derived from the Statements of Principle from the American Association of University Professors, an organization dedicated to “academic freedom and shared governance.” The AAUP states that “Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no relation to their subject.” The Plainsman tried to reach AAUP for an interview, but the organization said it does not comment on individual cases. The AAUP goes on to explain that when professors “speak or write on matters of public interest as well as matters related to professional duties and the functioning of the university, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline.” David Virtue, a professor and department head of the College of Education, referred The Plainsman to the previously mentioned section of the Faculty Handbook when asked if he was disturbed by what some students said are homophobic and transphobic remarks by Murray on his Facebook page and in letters to the Opelika-Auburn News. “I won’t comment on personal matters related to my faculty,” Virtue said. Virtue said the College of Education “needs to be a place where we can come together and talk about what it means to be supportive of students wherever they come from, whatever identities they bring to the classroom.” “If we’re coming at it from very different perspectives, [I hope] that we can feel safe getting those ideas and debating those ideas and not people or parties, but rather ideas,” Virtue said. “There’s a lot of work to be done.” The dean of the College of Education was on sick leave last week and could not be reached for com-
form of discrimination or harassment related to a student’s race, color, sex (which includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression), religion, national origin, age or disability (protected classes) is a violation of University policy.” “What [Murray’s] saying is his political identity should be protected — but his political identity is one that marginalizes and denies people’s innate identities, and I think that’s where it’s hateful,” Copeland said. Auburn University sent the following statement after reviewing screenshots of Murray’s posts sent by The Plainsman: “Auburn supports the constitutional right and institutional value of free speech. At the same time, we don’t condone speech that is exclusionary or disrespectful to specific individuals or groups as we strive to prepare students for life and leadership in a global economy and multicultural world.” Murray’s view on homosexual immorality, McCormick said, “doesn’t support the appreciation of diversity,” but that’s not enough to remove a tenured professor. Students would have to file a grievance with Title IX, she said. “I’m sorry that we have faculty members that would post inappropriate, offensive things,” McCormick said. “I doubt he’s the only one.”
V. 21 Dead On Jan. 6, 2019, 31-year-old Dana Martin, a black transgender woman, was shot and killed beside a roadside ditch while she was in her car, according to The Montgomery Advertiser. The first alleged transgender homicide of 2019 in the U.S. happened around 50 miles from Auburn in Montgomery, Alabama. In 2018, Human Rights Campaign tracked 26 transgender deaths in the United States, the majority being black transgender women. Copeland said that when he sees these statistics, when he hears how transphobia has buried another body, killed another person for daring to be who they are, he thinks that the pain of that fact should rest heavy on those who propagate hate. Human Rights Campaign has thus far tracked 21 transgender or gender non-conforming people who were “fatally shot or killed by other violent means.” Lyra Burke, a transgender student at Auburn, said it is a constant fight to protect herself from hate on campus. “I haven’t had any personal bad experiences with teachers or students on campus, but I’ve had to put a whole lot of effort to do that,” Burke said.
Unlike Birmingham and Montevallo, the City of Auburn does not include sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class within its non-discrimination ordinances. This means that right now, in Auburn, a person can be kicked out of their residence for being gay, can be fired for being transgender, can be denied a promotion for being lesbian. According to a 2017 study from the UCLA School of Law, approximately 73,400 workers in Alabama are LGBT. The study found that 24% of LGBT workers in the state reported workplace discrimination and that 38% experienced harassment. The study also found that 71% of the public supports LGBT workplace protections. In Auburn, however, no such protection exists, leaving the City of Auburn and the University on lists comprised of the worst places to live in the country for LGBTQ people and students. It’s ironic, Copeland said, that someone who’s lesbian can be fired one day in Alabama for loving a woman, and yet Murray can have homophobic views and still teach at a public university. “It makes you think, doesn’t it?” Copeland said. At a recent Spectrum meeting in the Student Center, Lady Gaga blared through speakers intended for classroom discussions and meetings with monotone lecturers. There were around two dozen students, all swaying and laughing at friends’ dance moves. Mann, the student who once wore her rainbow pin in fear when she was in calculus class, was now complimenting someone else’s rainbow socks. “Just dance, gonna be okay … Control your poison, babe, roses have thorns, they say.” They talked about first dates, about how the fall was bringing romance in the air and tests on the desks. They talked about their struggles, but only for a little bit, because for an hour, a tiny little hour of the week, it was time to catch up, time to dance before the meeting and compliment cute pink hats and listen to how a friend felt dizzy with nerves when he talked to this cute guy. “And dance, gonna be okay … Just dance, spin that record babe.” Copeland led the meeting, and at the end, they all went to Mellow Mushroom and brought the music downtown. “It’s pretty great, these meetings,” Copeland said. “It’s all love.” Rodrick said she’d like to see Murray’s removal from the University. “The professor is directing the curriculum and shaping it,” Rodrick said. “Their views matter and those views go to inform how they will treat you in the classroom … how your students will talk to each other and talk to you as a professor.” Copeland said Murray serves as a case study for the University. “It’s not a coincidence, I think, that this individual works at Auburn. I think they were attracted to the politics and the culture of this school,” Copeland said. “This man is not a coincidence. He is a symptom of Auburn culture — of the Auburn Family.”
opinion
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
OPINION
EDITORIAL
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SGA’s nurse program calls for action By EDITORIAL BOARD Fall 2019
On average, one in five female students will be sexually assaulted while in college. For men, it’s one in 16. In the last five years, sexual assault has become the second most reported crime on college campuses behind only burglarly. As too many Auburn students know, sexual assault is a prevalent threat on campus, and the subsequent trauma from an assault can ruin families, lives and futures. The women and men of the Me Too Movement brought these cultures of repression and violence to the forefront of the American cultural debate, but too often these allegations of sexual assault get stuck as just that — debates. Instead of believing survivors, many people try to find inconsistencies in their stories or use a lack of witnesses to discount their claims entirely. This is not to say that every accusation of rape should be treated as a jury’s final verdict, but it seems that the focus of these investigations is usually on discrediting the survivors’ claims rather than finding facts. This problem is often made worse by the lack of physical evidence left behind by these kinds of assaults. When someone is accused of murder, there is usually a body which can be used as evidence. No one doubts the severity or reality of the trial because it is hard to be skeptical that a crime was committed when there is a physical body to serve as proof. Sexual assault doesn’t leave a body be-
hind — it leaves a person. Sexual assault leaves behind a person who has to live with the memory and potential trauma of that assault, and who will often be attacked or criticisized for speaking out about it. Repeatedly, when allegations of sexual assault have been made public, the ensuing investigations have not been about who committed the crime, but whether a crime was committed at all. Because of that, as well as the confidentiality, confusion and social stigma which surrounds these kinds of assaults, it can be difficult for victims to seek treatment and even harder for them to report the crime to authorities. According to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly two-thirds of sexual assaults aren’t even reported to authorities. Which, in a way, makes sense. To accurately document these kinds of sexual crimes, a survivor often has to subject her or himself to a detailed and personal exam. These exams are usually conducted by strangers and can require the survivor to disclose intimate and potentially distressing information. On top of that, anyone in Auburn looking for this kind of exam and treatment can currently only receive it at the East Alabama Medical Clinic in Opelika. That stigma and the subsequent lack of survivors who feel comfortable reporting these crimes is, in part, what allows people in positions of power — such as Jerry Sandusky or Larry Nassar — to continue abusing people for decades. Not only do those stigmas and lack of resources allow individuals to abuse peo-
ple, they also allow cultures which promote or excuse sexual assault to perpetuate even when evidence has begun to mount against them. The same DOJ study concluded that female students who attend fraternity parties are 40% more likely to be sexually assaulted while incapacitated. Over a quarter of the assailants in cases of incapacitated sexual assault are also members of a fraternity at the time of the assault. This has been an observable and studied fact for more than two decades now. With all of that in mind, SGA’s newest initiative, a fundraising campaign to train and certify a team of six sexual assault nurse examiners, is an absolutely positive development for Auburn. This fundraising campaign, which comes after extensive discussions between SGA and the Auburn University medical clinic, aims to give survivors of sexual assault a place where they can go to receive immediate medical and psychological treatment as well as the kinds of forensic exams which can provide reliable scientific evidence in a court of law. Hopefully, having six nurses in Auburn, near campus, who are trained to administer these exams and console survivors will encourage more people who have been sexually assaulted to go receive treatment or possibly report the crime to authorities. Hopefully, this program will be a respected resource that is open to those who need it in the Auburn community. The keyword here is “hopefully” because while this program would be an unquestionably good asset for the Auburn community, it has not been fully fund-
ed yet. The University has said that due to their budget constraints, they will not fund the program for the first three years, so SGA is hoping to fund those three years themselves. That’s called gumption. Multiple SGA and Miss Auburn candidates have run on platforms of protecting survivors of sexual assault and improving the current treatment and investigation process, but now they are doing something about it. Not only is SGA taking action, they are doing so even after being told to wait. Instead of waiting for the University to fund the program in three years, SGA decided that Auburn students needed this SANE program now. According to SGA, they are hoping to have the SANE nurses certified and the program operational by the time students return to Auburn in January 2020, but they need help. They have opened up a page for donations at aub.ie/sane and are hoping to raise a minimum of $36,000 to fully fund the program for the first three years. Anyone who claims that there is an easy fix to sexual assault is lying to themselves or the world around them. This is a difficult and complex issue that deals with violence, trauma, privacy, alcohol, toxic masculinity, privilege, gender, societal stigmas and power dynamics. But just because it’s a difficult problem doesn’t mean we can’t try to fix it. SGA’s SANE program certainly won’t stop sexual assault, but hopefully it will give survivors a place to be treated, believed, respected and protected.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Auburn needs to remain a free speech campus By BRUCE MURRAY Associate Professor
In January 2018, Auburn University earned the highest rating for free speech from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, becoming the first university in Alabama — and one of only 38 universities nationwide — with written policies affirming the rights of students and faculty under the First Amendment. The First Amendment was specifically written to protect political speech, without which a self-governing people cannot make well-informed judgments. Auburn’s “green light” rating in-
dicates that our policies protect student and faculty speech. Auburn has been justly celebrated as a safe campus for free speech. Given Auburn’s explicit protection of free speech, I was surprised when Plainsman Editor Eduardo Medina appeared at my office without an appointment, asking me to answer accusations of “homophobia” and “hate speech” based on my political posts on Facebook and in the Opelika-Auburn News, and not in my teaching or interaction with students at Auburn University. My posts on Facebook are addressed to a private community of like-minded conservatives concerned about the right to life and
marriage. I view the family as the basic building block of society. Children are only conceived in the mating union of a man and woman. Unlike other species, humans are born helpless; they require decades to learn the complex skills and attitudes needed to thrive in the complex human economy. A mating couple’s pledge of lifelong sexual fidelity is essential for the family stability needed to sustain children’s long-term care and education. Until recently, these views were not even controversial. As recently as 2008, Barack Obama said, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.”
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.
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tigation and dialogue. On the more basic issue, my political arguments external to the University are outside of the purview of The Plainsman. The work of The Plainsman depends on the same First Amendment guarantees that protect my political free speech. Students, faculty and journalists all have good reason to be proud of AU’s “green light” protecting the rights of those with divergent views to express their views publicly without fear of reprisal. Bruce Murray is an Asssociate Professor of Reading Education at Auburn University.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
OPINION PAGE POLICIES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Public opinion shifted dramatically with the 5-4 Obergefell decision of the Supreme Court. However, our design as human persons, conceived in the mating union of one man and one woman, has not changed. Given my advocacy of a political point of view, I recognize an obligation to practice tolerance toward those who disagree with me. I would never dream of organizing reprisals against those who hold contrary views, and I expect the tolerance I practice to be reciprocated. Our best hope of advancing public knowledge in a university depends on dispassionate advocacy supported by evidence, which allows inves-
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War Eagle, fly down the road: AU musical street
MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
Auburn installed a musical road on South College street playing the fight song as cars drove over on Oct. 29, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
By TIM NAIL Campus Reporter
One of the main features in Auburn football is the distant sound of the University’s marching band performing “War Eagle” with every field goal and touchdown. The anthem has been exclusive to the band for decades, but now Auburn commuters have the chance to play it themselves on South Donahue Drive. A temporary installation on the section of the road between Lem Morrison Drive and West Samford Avenue allows for vehicles that drive over it to play a low, rumbling version of the first verse of “War Eagle.” The strip of song is a concept known as a “musical road,” and it was added to the street by Auburn University alumnus Tim Arnold in association with the University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. “I’d seen them before and was sort of fascinated by the science-meets-art aspect of it,” Arnold said. “President Jay Gogue had this idea ten years ago because he had heard about [other musical roads] unbeknownst to me when I started this out.” Musical roads make use of rumble strips — the ridges on the edge of a road that alert drivers of danger — to produce a sound based on the vibration of vehicles. The original was created in Sweden as an art experiment. “The science of sound is vibrations per second, or what they call kilohertz,” Arnold said. “We’ve all
agreed upon that an A [note] is 440 kHz ... so we really kinda reverse engineered it.” In “War Eagle,” the first note of the song is an F note, and a car needs to go over the road at 35 mph to travel over it for half a second and produce the right pitch and speed, he said. “We made the traffic changes over the summer to reduce the speed limit on South Donahue, so this plays into helping those traffic calming measures,” said Benjamin Burmester, campus planner of the Office of the University Architect within Facilities Management. “That was one of our pieces in looking for the location.” The project has been in the works for two years after Arnold took inspiration from other similar installations around the world. He was originally exposed to the concept after seeing one designed by Honda in 2008 in Lancaster, California, that plays “William Tell Overture.” “They created it for a commercial, and I remember seeing that and thinking how remarkable it was that you could drive over these bumps mathematically laid out to hum the song,” he said. “At some point years ago, I was thinking Auburn should have one and, originally, I thought it should be on Exit 51 when you’re pulling into town [to say], ‘You’re here in Auburn, here’s the fight song.’” Arnold also worked with the National Center for Asphalt Technology, which is based in Auburn, and Facilities Management to see the idea become a reality. “We were approached by the College of Engi-
neering, who asked if there was a place on campus [for a test run],” Burmester said. The musical road was tested in May on the NCAT’s Test Track in Lee County in cooperation with director Randy West. While musical roads of the last 20 years have been grooved cuts into the asphalt that are more permanent in their application, Burmester said Arnold’s version virtually lies even on the road. Burmester said it is a Department of Transportation approved surface application that isn’t invasive on the actual road, which he said is more affordable. Arnold did not disclose his methods or the cost of fabricating the surface application, but he set out to “build a better mousetrap,” he said. The first rendition of the Lancaster road suffered from miscalculations in notes, and local residents expressed frustration at the time about it being disruptive. “We wanted to make something that nobody’s done before, so this surface application pavement marking tape is a game-changer,” he said. “The way we’ve engineered it is hopefully something innovative and new.” Burmester estimates the material used for the strip should last up to six years and said it has been approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation for highways. Texas A&M University features a similar art piece on its campus, which plays a verse from the “Aggie War Hymn,” but Arnold said it does not
TECHNOLOGY
Lights guide students to open parking By JORDAN BURKES Campus Writer
Technology is casting a broader shadow over on-campus parking. Lights indicating which spots in the stadium parking deck are open were recently added to make finding a spot more efficient. The total cost of implementing the system in the stadium deck was about $181,277, according to Don Andrae, director of Transportation Services. That includes cameras, signage and installation costs. When a light is red, it indicates there aren’t any spots available in that local area, and when it shines green, it signals there are open parking spots. Blue lights indicate that handicap accessible parking areas are located nearby. Andrae said each light represents about four to six parking spots. The lights and cameras alone cost approximately $60,000. As part of the project, there will be two signs at the entrances of the deck that will indicate how many open spots are in the deck. The stadium deck is the only deck to have the lights system implemented as of now, but
Parking Services will next be implementing a light system in the athletic deck and the north parking deck. Eventually, all decks will have the system. Implementing the system will cost approximately the same as it did to implement the lights inthe stadium deck. The north parking deck, however, will cost more because it has 300 more spots than the stadium deck. “That one is even more important,” Andrae said. “You can imagine with 900 spaces and six floors, it would be very helpful to know where the spaces are.” Andrae also mentioned that they are currently moving into another phase of updates that will move all of the lots located off Donahue to their parking app. The AU Parking app shows the user, once they have selected their parking permit locations, what parking locations they are entitled to park at and how many parking spaces are available in those lots at a given moment. “It lets the user know that there’s 1% availability in this lot, but there’s 60% availability in this lot,” Andrae said. “It gives you a recommendation of where to park, and
sound like his strip. “Their fight song rumble strip that they have is purely percussive, it’s all monotone,” he said. “Ours really sings the fight song.” Though he collaborated with various parties in each step of the project, Arnold supported the musical road’s design and development with his own funds, except for a roadside sign that the College of Engineering created. He attributed the Department of Aerospace Engineering for its assistance in the manufacturing of the strip. Arnold would like to bring more musical roads to Auburn with the positive reception the South Donahue strip has seen on social media. He already has his sights on his next project — a musical road which would play the namesake line from “Glory to Ole Auburn.” “It’d be fun to have a scavenger hunt with different ones at different places around town,” he said. “The college model is a perfect place where culture, tradition and municipality meet. We’d love to do it in other places.” As for now, Arnold said he’s pleased to bring the art piece to the college and the surrounding community. “My wife works for the University, we live here,” Arnold said. “This is the only place it was going to start.” The musical road will remain in place on South Donahue for the remainder of the fall football season, according to Burmester.
SCIENCE
CONTRIBUTED BY MARIA GEBHARDT
A telescope on the rooftop terrace of the Leach Science Center in Auburn Ala.
TRICE BROWN / ASSISTANT CAMPUS EDITOR
Parking occupancy light in the stadium parking deck in Auburn, Ala.
then when you get to that lot, the app will show you exactly where the available spaces are.” Andrae said the idea is to have people look at the app before they leave, so they know which lot or deck has availability. Then, once the driver has gotten to the deck or lot, they will be able to look at the sign to know where the open spots are. “We’re hoping it’s going to make it more efficient,” he said. “If somebody calls and says, ‘I can’t find a place to park
in the stadium deck,’ we can say, ‘If you go to the third level on the right-hand side, there’s one right there.” Parking spots will still be first come, first served, but Parking Services is looking into having a few spaces in each lot that can be reserved ahead of time. “If you oversleep or you have a big exam, and you think ‘there is no way I can park in C Zone and get to my exam on time,’” Andrae said. “That’s what we have in mind for the use of these parking spots.”
Leach Center adds telescopes to rooftop By COLLINS KEITH Campus Writer
For most, the first image that comes to mind when thinking of a telescope is a long, gold tube with a lens at one end and a viewing piece at the other. The new technology on the allnew astronomy terrace of the Leach Science Centercouldn’t be further from that idea. Sitting squarely on the terrace is a squat metal cylinder mounted on a large base, equipped with a heavy
counterweight and a second, smaller viewing telescope that is used to track smaller objects across the sky. Melissa Halford, physics lecturer, picks up a controller and punches in the location of Jupiter. The telescope promptly begins to move, whirring quietly as it responds to Halford’s request, stopping at the rough coordinates of the gas giant in the sky, a much more precise process for students than the telescopes of old. » See TELESCOPE, 5
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
The Auburn Plainsman
PAGE 5
TRAVEL
Student starts international group travel company By DREW DAWS Campus Writer
As a college student, Jonny Bradford thought traveling to Europe was out of the question. Like many students, he believed that the cost of travel was too high and that he wouldn’t have enough time off from school. Two years after his initial trip to Europe, Bradford, a fifth-year senior in industrial engineering, has traveled to 64 countries in Europe, covering the entire continent. “I thought you needed thousands of dollars and multiple weeks of vacation to even consider going that far away for that long of a time,” Bradford said. On his first trip, he spent four days traveling through Scotland, returning to class on a Tuesday. “I found a $71 flight to go to Scotland from Atlanta,” Bradford said. “I’d never thought that traveling that far was that accessible or affordable.” This first glimpse of Europe inspired Bradford to pursue his passion for traveling. He now plans to use his experiences to help others achieve their dreams of seeing the world. “[This] is more of a business that helps connect people to places and [to] people in those places through affordable group travel,” he said. The company, Jonny Trvl, works with people to take care of flights, finances and lodging. He said it also provides a host to accompany the groups on their excursions. Bradford added that the online business will be based out of Croatia. He said that he hopes to provide others with the same immersive experience he has been afforded. “I’ll be hosting group travel experiences for probably eight months of the year,” he said.
CONTRIBUTED BY JONNY BRADFORD
Jonny Bradford has been traveling the world since his days at Auburn.
“For me, it’s connecting to people and figuring out the local way of life.” When he travels to a new country, Bradford said he spends time with locals to see what a typical day is like for the average person in that region. “The first day there, [I] start my morn-
ing by having coffee or breakfast with them and figuring out how they see their city and how they want to show people their city and showcase it to the world,” he said. Bradford said that traveling has allowed him to grow as a person, learning from different cultures and different perspectives of
people from around the world. “When we travel, although it’s an exterior journey of us physically going somewhere, we’re also kind of on an inward journey, finding different parts of the world that resonate with us and can maybe make us a better person,” he said. A native of Birmingham, he said his travels have also shifted his idea of what hospitality means. “The definition of the experience and the commitment of family in Morocco, or the ability to kind of let life come to you and let things work out that people of Greece and Italy embody … all of those have redefined how I approach hospitality,” he said. While he has not done much promoting, Bradford said a key aspect of raising awareness of his company is word of mouth, specifically from those who have traveled with him before. “Thirty-three people have traveled with me before,” he said. “A huge part of it is having those 33 people say, ‘This guy is trustworthy. We had a great time with him. We had a safe experience.’” Bradford said, in part, it was Auburn’s international student body, which represents more than 100 countries, that piqued his interest in traveling. “It started as being in the living rooms of people here,” he said. “Instead of having them in my living room, let’s go to their living room and their country.” Although he is an industrial engineering major, Bradford said his life experiences have shaped his vision of a long-term career. “A college major is a few things … it’s more of a way to reframe how you think and how you approach life so that when opportunities come up down the road, you can take them,” he said.
TELESCOPE » From 4
“In the past, the students would have to pull them out of the astronomy resource room, set them up on the lawn, align them and do all of that,” Halford said of the more traditional telescopes. Over the summer, the physics department was consolidated in the Leach Science Center and its $24 million extension. The extension included a group study area, nine new labs and the 18 telescopes on the terrace. These brand new 10-inch telescopes can be stored outside on the terrace under a weatherproof covering, thereby eliminating the long and tedious set-up process that students in an astronomy course had to go through in the past. Eighteen of these telescopes were purchased for the astronomy terrace, and each telescope is linked to a desktop computer in a classroom on the third floor of the Leach Science Center, where students can autonomously process and analyze images coming in from the telescopes on the terrace. The telescopes also have an adjustable camera attached that can take both color and monochrome images of distant celestial objects. The monochrome images can quantitatively determine the color of the celestial objects, allowing Halford and her students to take rough estimates of the temperature or age of the stars. At the moment, there is only one
CONTRIBUTED BY MARIA GEBHARDT
The telescopes also have an adjustable camera attached that can take both color and monochrome images of distant celestial objects.
astronomy class offered at Auburn, PHYS 1150, but the faculty hopes that the new terrace can bring more excitement and attention to astronomy at Auburn and hopefully attract more students. “Right now, [there] is only about 30 students a semester who are tak-
ing the class, but we definitely have the capacity to do more and to maybe offer other courses in the future,” Halford said. For instructors in the physics department, the astronomy course offers students tangible, real-world knowledge that can be taken with
them after the conclusion of the course, and the new telescopes are necessary tools. “It is critical that students who take an astronomy class have access to high-quality equipment that is capable of imaging distant objects in high resolution,” said Trevor Olson,
WHERE THE AUBURN FAMILY EATS. WE ARE CAMPUS DINING. WE ARE AUBURN STUDENT AFFAIRS.
a graduate student at Auburn and a teaching assistant for the laboratory section of the astronomy class. Halford and her team are hopeful that the terrace will be open to the public soon, as she thinks it could be a great place to host gatherings or viewing parties for celestial events.
community
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
COMMUNITY
BUSINESS
Private bookstore opens downtown By MY LY Community Writer
The City of Auburn is now home to a privately owned bookstore, Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers. The bookstore, located on Magnolia Avenue, is owned by a couple from Greenville, Alabama. The bookstore opened its doors to the public on Saturday, Oct. 26. June Wilcox, an owner of the bookstore, said she and her husband have always loved Auburn and come back to visit frequently. The couple was quick to lease a space in downtown Auburn when one opened. “This has been a year-long journey,” Wilcox said. “The hardest part was finding a place. There is a lot of growth happening in this area, and it is great real estate. I think there are a lot of people who want in.” The City knew the couple wanted the space and called them as soon as it was freed up, Wilcox said. The couple also owns a store in Greenville, South Carolina, named M. Judson Booksellers and Storytellers. “We are going into our fifth year, but it’s really been a collaboration of a lot of women exclusively who have built this really great
MY LY / COMMUNITY WRITER
Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers opened on Sat., Oct. 26, 2019.
bookstore in Greenville,” Wilcox said. “We have always been back and forth between Auburn and Greenville.” The bookstore in Auburn features items other than books such as coffee, T-shirts, can-
vas bags, towels, buttons and pins. Wilcox said she thinks there is a need in Auburn for a private, independent bookstore that does not sell textbooks. The University bookstore is a great re-
source, she said, but they are more focused on selling textbooks and University merchandise. “We are very general — independent and general bookstore,” Wilcox said. “So we won’t be selling textbooks or other school supplies.” There has not been a traditional bookstore in downtown Auburn in years, and the couple feels as though Auburn has been starving for one. “It’s been an incredibly supportive community,” Wilcox said. “People sure seem to be excited about the opening of our store. We’ve really felt like there is a heart for this here.” Several community members have praised the book store, especially students. Emily Makosky, freshman in apparel design and production management, said she is excited for the new store. “I’m really excited about the opening of the bookstore,” Makosky said. “I’ve only been at Auburn for a few months, but I think that it will be a really great addition to the downtown area.” The bookstore also offers customers to choose a book via a “blind date.” Short descriptions of things within the book are written on parcel paper covering the book and customers select the book that interests them the most.
ECONOMY
First Chase Bank in the state to open in Auburn By JAMES BERRYHILL Community Writer
Many students will now have a w Chase Bank plans to open its first location in Alabama at 191 College by the end of 2019. Pavan Reddy, the owner of 191 College, said he thinks the bank is a great addition to the area. “We’re excited for it to get opened up and very excited about the tenants that are going in there,” Reddy said. “We think it will be great for the student community and the Auburn community as a whole.” Reddy said he’s excited for what the opening of the branch means for students from other states.
“I know so many students that come to Auburn that bank with Chase across the country,” Reddy said. “They don’t have anywhere to go locally and have to pay ATM fees, and it’s hard to deposit checks with no place to do it.” Reddy said he felt Chase’s decision to open a branch in Auburn speaks to the growth of the City. “With it being the first location in the state of Alabama, I think it says a lot about the trajectory of Auburn,” Reddy said. “For such a large, national company to identify Auburn as its first branch in the entire state, it just shows you how much Auburn has grown and developed over the years.” There are over 20 banks in the
Auburn area. The City has also developed a large community of local financial institutions, and Mayor Ron Anders said they have played an active role in the development of the City. “I would say any institution that wants to come into our market has a lot to compete with,” Anders said. While Chase’s role in the local bank market is still unknown, Reddy said he thinks it has potential. “With such a strong national brand and reputation, Chase will definitely serve a role here,” Reddy said. “I think, while Chase will do a lot of good here, we also have a lot of local banks who are doing their part, too. I think they will work well together.”
MADDIE EDWARDS / PHOTOGRAPHER
The new Chase Bank will be located in the lobby of 191 College.
AGROTOURISM
INFRASTRUCTURE
Point Broadband to expand to Auburn By CHARLIE RAMO Community Writer
IRELAND DODD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cloudy skies hang over Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch on Oct.29, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
No offseason for pumpkin patches By FIELDER HAGAN Community Writer
As pumpkin patch pictures fill Instagram feeds and jack-o’-lanterns light paths to houses, pumpkin patches throughout the community fill with visitors. During the rest of the year, these patches are not as popular among locals and tourists. Some local pumpkin patch owners are working to change that. Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch is a pumpkin patch located off Wire Road that offers multiple activities for patrons of all ages to celebrate fall. This patch gives patrons the ability to catch a hayride, walk through the sunflowers, get lost in a crop maze and interact with their barnyard animals. Marie and Wheeler Foshee both own the property and
maintain its integrity day-today. Wheeler Foshee is an Auburn professor who teaches vegetable production and insect management. Going into their 12th year at the pumpkin patch, the Foshees are experienced agriculturalists. They said they spend the 11 months of the year outside of October caring for the land the patch sits on. Marie Foshee said all money made in October will be put towards offseason maintenance. “We need the tractors because you can only imagine the toll a pumpkin patch has on the land,” Marie Foshee said. “If you want to make money, don’t get into pumpkin patches.” While running the pumpkin patch in the fall, the Foshees also grow peaches in their newly planted orchard. They grow tomatoes and corn
during the summer for extra revenue. Rocky Top Pumpkin Patch, another pumpkin patch in the area, is open every day in the month of October to give locals an opportunity to be in the field. Although a good amount of their revenue comes from the pumpkins, Rocky Top also has a barn that is used as a venue for weddings, corporate events or celebrations. Jan Lawrence, owner of Rocky Top, now cares for the property her father bought in the 1970s to raise cattle on. “We’ve had cattle on this land from 1973 through 2009, when we built the wedding barn,” Lawrence said. “Now we’re raising fences, clearing trees and growing hay to get some cattle back to this land.” Rocky Top is also beginning an event called Christmas at Rocky Top, where
they will offer pony rides and other holiday activities. The Jack O Lantern Lane pumpkin patch is celebrating serving the community for 15 years by bringing “a fun place for the entire family” to Lafayette, Alabama. In the month of October, families brought their kids to enjoy hayrides, train rides, face painting and gem mining. Tammy Morgan and her husband own Jack O Lantern Lane. In addition to a venue for weddings, reunions and corporate events, Jack O Lantern Lane also offers a skeet shooting course year-round to allow locals and visitors to test their skills. “We have something going on year-round, but now it’s the pumpkin patch,” Morgan said. “We also grow some hay when the pumpkins are not growing.”
Point Broadband will soon expand its service area to include parts of Auburn and other parts of Lee County. The City of Opelika sold the original fiber network in November 2018. “At this time, we’re still evaluating what areas [to cover],” said Taylor Nipper, vice president of marketing and sales for Point Broadband. “A lot of it’s going to depend on where our existing network is in Opelika, where it borders Auburn’s city limits, also where we’ve been seeing demand.” Point Broadband’s main product is their fiber internet, offering speeds of up to one gigabyte per second, which is faster than what traditional cable companies can offer, Nipper said. The original system was limited to the Opelika city limits since it was owned by the City, so their company will take advantage of their ability to expand, Nipper said. At the Oct. 15 Auburn City Council meeting, the Council approved an eight-year franchise agreement between the City and Point Broadband. “Our goal is to reach areas that are underserved today,” Nipper said. “It’s safe to say that if there are parts of Auburn that are underserved currently, those will be the places we’re going to first.” Auburn Ward 2 Council member Kelley Griswold said his Ward has a lack of com-
petition in the internet market, with some areas having a lack of coverage altogether. Some constituents in his Ward therefore rely on satellite internet. Auburn Ward 3 Council member Beth Witten said that her Ward lacks coverage in its northern regions, specifically north of Highway 280 and along Highway 147. “Our fiber network will be the technology we use to expand into the most dense areas,” Nipper said. “We currently serve customers in Lee County, the Beauregard area and Gold Hill with our fiber wireless technology. We envision expanding both of those services.” Point Broadband currently serves multiple medical offices and plans to use this expansion to cover their counterparts in Auburn, Nipper said. Nipper recommends the prospective customers visit their website and fill out their information under the “check availability” section. The more people who go to the website and fill out the form, the more likely it is that those respondents’ areas get coverage. “We are already underway with the evaluation and engineering studies,” Nipper said. “It will help drive where we go based on customer demands.” Nipper said Point Broadband is planning to announce the first areas to be covered in Auburn in the first quarter of 2020. Pricing and product information will follow what is available for Opelika.
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
PAGE 7
RECREATION
Community center and pool coming to Auburn By MY LY Campus Writer
The Lake Wilmore Community Center, an upcoming project for Auburn’s Parks and Recreation Department, is expected to cost over $7 million. The community center, located in Lake Wilmore Park along Ogletree Road, will feature many amenities such as gymnasiums and a pool, said City of Auburn Parks and Recreation director Becky Richardson. “The community center will be multipurpose with two gymnasiums that can be used for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and other activities,” Richardson said. “There will also be some space for fitness equipment and fitness classroom and an indoor walking track above the gym area. Also two additional classrooms will be added to available program space.” The Lake Wilmore Community Center will add another community pool to Auburn. This will be the City’s second pool. “The pool will be a neighborhood type pool that can be used for lessons as well as for rec-
reational swimming,“ Richardson said. “The pool will help with swim lessons and because there is a pool on site, the center will be a good place for another day camp during the summer and these are very much in demand with long waiting lists.” The community center will also feature oudoor recreational amenities. Richardson said there is a need for an expansive center such as Lake Wilmore and expects it to have an impact on the community. “The Community Center will help to alleviate the need for additional program space,” Richardson said. “Last season we had to turn some children away from playing basketball, so the two gyms will help to solve that problem.” Community members have been working with City staff to put together the plans for this community center. They have hosted meetings with community members to discuss the plans for the center and leave their input or make comments for review. The Lakewilmore Community Center is part of the Parks and Recreation Plan, which
CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN PARKS AND RECREATION
A map of Lake Wilmore Park, where the Lake Wilmore Community Center will be located.
includes a $40 million revamp of Auburn’s parks and recreation facilities. It is just one of the many projects the Parks and Recreation department is planning. Other
projects that are included in the departments plans are the Dinius Park, Wire Road Soccer Complex, The Society Hill Park and renovations toTown Creek Park.
DEVELOPMENT
New business park to bring companies to Opelika By SYDNEY SIMS Community Writer
A new business park is coming to Opelika in a qualified opportunity zone. The Hi Pack Business Park, which will feature 10 buildings varying from 7,000 to 45,000-square feet in size, offers potential tax advantages and savings to companies locating to the park. With clearing beginning at the site, which will be located next to Packing Corporation of America at 3000 Hi Pack Drive, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller said he is excited for the new addition to a fast-growing business economy in the town.
“Opelika is fortunate to have great partners who believe in bringing good businesses to town.” said Fuller. “That, in turn, means jobs for our citizens. This helps keep our local economy prosperous and strong.” Opelika’s growing business economy and location played a major role in selecting the city as the site for the Hi Pack Business Park, which is marketing to recent investments in the region. Proximity to Auburn University and Airport, rail service, Highway 280 and Interstate-85 makes the new business park a convenient site for tenants who need access to these industries and transportation modes.
Buildings within the park can be multitenant or single-tenant and will also feature showrooms, flex space, warehousing and light industrial uses. Clearing for the 13-acre development has begun and is being overseen by Hillstone Advantage Partners, LLC., a company whose mission is to acquire and develop income-based commercial and industrial real estate in “opportunity zones”. Hi Pack Business Park will be one of the first business parks in Alabama that is being developed in an opportunity zone, said Jake Hill, principal at Hillstone Advantage. Opelika Economic Development Director,
Lori Hughley, expressed the city’s gratitude for the investment into it’s rapidly growing economy. “We are thrilled that Hillstone Advantage Partners has the confidence in Opelika to make this investment.” said Hughley. “It will bring much needed space for projects that would like to take advantage of the opportunity zone designation.” Marketing for the park is being collaborated on by John Eyster of Pointe Commercial Real Estate and Rush Denson of The Denson Group. The expected opening of the first building is scheduled for the second quarter of 2020.
HEALTH
Lee County DA’s office hosts Drug Take Back Day By CORY BLACKMON Community Reporter
Oc. 26 is National Drug Take Back Day, a day set aside to raise awareness of how to safely and legally dispose of over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Several pharmacies in Auburn and the surrounding area participated in the Lee County District Attorney’s Office’s public health initiative. Auburn District Attorney Brandon Hughes bought kiosks for the Auburn-Opelika area and the sur-
BLANCHARD » From 1
burn and its recovery in Montgomery, according to a release from police. Police are asking that anyone with information on where the vehicle was between Oct. 23 to Oct. 25, or what happened to the vehicle to contact the police division. On Monday, Oct. 28, Auburn and Montgomery police released a clip of a
ANDERS » From 1
dress Monday evening. “I’m standing before you in an amazing arts and entertainment facility that wasn’t even here a year ago,” Anders said. “The Gogue Performing Arts Center represents the reward that can come with Auburn’s growth and change.” In the late ‘90s, a group of over 200 Auburn residents worked together to determine what they believed the future of Auburn would be, and created a 161-page plan for the City’s growth, according to Anders. By 2020, Anders said Auburn will have reached almost all of its 22 goals regarding public safety, public transportation, economic development, education, utilities and technology. Anders said as the City approaches 2040, it will be celebrating 200 years of growth, development and community. Some of the plans the City hopes to accomplish by 2040
rounding areas where people could drop off their unwanted drugs. “What I did starting last year, is I bought a drug-drop-box kiosk to put in our home pharmacy in Auburn,” Hughes said. He has bought kiosks for Bubba’s Medicine shop in Opelika, Crossroads Pharmacy in Smiths Station and Beauregard Pharmacy in Beauregard. “Anyone has access any day that the pharmacy is open,” Hughes said. Hughes said Drug Take Back day is a great opportunity to show people how to dispose of their old pre-
scription drugs. “If you have Oxycodone and don’t need it anymore, you can’t take it to the pharmacy because it is actually against the law for them to take it,” Hughes said. “And we don’t want you flushing it down the toilet because it gets in the water system.” Hughes said it is a big deal because many people who abuse prescription drugs are getting the drugs from family and friends. “People just have these pills in their medicine cabinets that they don’t think of and they don’t know what to do with,” Hughes said. “We
actually had a lady, on Monday, come in with two kitchen bags full of pill bottles, that she said was 10 years worth of pills that she didn’t know what to do with.” Monday, Oct. 21 was Check Your Meds Day, part of the prescription drugs initiative to be responsible with over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Hughes said about $180,000 to $200,000 worth of drugs were brought in on Monday. “We estimate we took in around 110 to 120 pounds of pills, including Fentanyl patches,” Hughes said. “I’m told the sheriff’s office collects
about 30 pounds a month from its kiosks, so close to four months’ worth in one day.” Hughes said days like Drug Take Back day are a great way to teach people how to take care of their medicine and help prevent prescription pills from falling into the wrong hands. “When I talk to pharmacists they say there is almost a constant stream of people bringing in their drugs,” Hughes said. “That’s why this is so important, to let people know that there is an option to safely dispose of their old drugs.”
video of Blanchard making a purchase at a convenience store on South College Street in Auburn. The video was captured just before her vehicle was seen traveling southbound on South College Street. Several federal, state and local agencies and departments are working together in the search for Blanchard. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Lee County District Attorney’s Office,
the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Fusion Center and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences are some of the agencies the Auburn Police Division has said it is working with. Though that is the latest information from police, various news outlets have reported that Blanchard told friends she was going out with someone she met on a dating app. Auburn students held a gather-
ing Saturday morning to pray for Blanchard and her family. Anyone with information on Blanchard’s whereabouts are asked to contact the Auburn Police Division at 334-501-3140, the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391 or the 24-hour non-emergency number at 334-5013100. Gov. Kay Ivey announced via Twitter Wednesday, Oct. 30 that she is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpe-
trator of a missing Auburn teen. “We are following this case closely, and I am remaining engaged with law enforcement on the state and local levels,” Ivey said. “I am issuing this reward to help encourage those with information to come forward.” Officials released a video Monday capturing missing Auburn teen Aniah Haley Blanchard making a purchase at a convenience store located on South College Street, on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
include the construction of an “outer loop road,” according to Anders. He said this will provide more ways to travel through Auburn and alleviate traffic. Anders also discussed the relocation of the Environmental Services and Public Works departments to allow room for more growth and free up space for an expanded Boykin Community Center. Anders said the Boykin Community Center has become a true hub of the City’s community service efforts, and the expanded campus will include a black history museum and a new branch of the Auburn Public library. The City has plans to invest another $1.5 million in the center to finance a new technology resource center among other updates, he said. Communication and transparency were components of Anders’ mayoral campaign platform. “In my first year as mayor we have hit the ground running to listen and provide the transpar-
ency that you asked for,” he said. “This Council has made that already transparent process even more with live-streamed and live-captioned Council meetings on YouTube, Facebook, auburnalabama.org and on the radio.” Anders also started a weekly video series titled “Mayor’s Minutes.” In each short video, the mayor summarizes the details and results of Council meetings and other city workings. In an effort to further increase open communication, the City is also developing a mobile app. “The new Auburn Fix-It app will allow you to request city services and report non-emergency concerns directly from your phone or other electronic device(s),” Anders said. Anders said the app will be available in the Apple and Android app store within the next few weeks. “As with Auburn 2020, it will take hundreds of residents to help us form this vision of our
CORY BLACKMON / COMMUNITY REPORTER
Mayor Ron Anders delivers his State of the City Address on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 in Auburn Ala.
community in Auburn 2040,” Anders said. He said he looks forward to working with Council, staff and as much of the community willing to participate as possible. Anders created the Mayor’s Lamplighter Award to recognize citizens who represent the spirit of Auburn, bring the community together and light the way for their city.
The Mayor recognized Alvin Willis, Cynthia Boyd, Donna Young, Eron Smith and Renee Waldrop. Anders also awarded George Echols, who passed away last month. Anders described these citizens as “residents who go above and beyond in serving their community, who represent the Auburn community in a way that make us all proud, who help
bring us all together.” Moving forward, the Auburn community will continue to shine for each other and promote change and growth for the whole city, he said. “The Auburn Spirit, the Loveliest Village isn’t found in Toomer’s Corner or by the size of our population or corporate limits, but within us,” Anders said.
sports
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
THEPLAINSMAN.COM
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
Gatewood leaves the team Auburn backup QB Joey Gatewood exits AU program By SUMNER MARTIN Assistant Sports Editor
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Joey Gatewood (1) keeps for a touchdown during Auburn vs. Kent State on Sept. 14, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
FOOTBALL
Auburn backup quarterback Joey Gatewood has left the program, Gus Malzahn confirmed Wednesday. It was first reported by Auburn Undercover’s Brandon Marcello. The news of Gatewood’s decision to transfer comes just a day after it was reported by Marcello and others that he didn’t attend practice Tuesday and was contemplating his future with Auburn football. The former 4-star prospect played in just one snap in Auburn’s 23-20 loss at LSU this weekend and had no touches at Florida. His role behind starting quarterback Bo Nix had been diminishing the past few weeks of the season, after being effective in certain packages earlier in the year. “I really appreciated Joey,” Malzahn said. “When you think about it, when he didn’t win the job earlier, he chose to stick around. Most quarterbacks this day and time wouldn’t do that. He’s just
at a point now where he wants to be a starting quarterback and just feels like he needs to start looking for schools now so he can find the right spot — and I respect that.” Nix, who won the quarterback competition in fall camp, has struggled this season, especially in the losses at Florida and LSU where he threw just two touchdowns and four interceptions. This season, Gatewood was 5-for-7 for 54 yards and two touchdowns, with the touchdown passes coming at Texas A&M and at Arkansas. Gatewood was the nation’s No. 1 athlete in the class of 2018 out of Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, Florida, according to 247Sports Composite, and was committed to Auburn for three years up until signing his letter of intent. He redshirted the 2018 season and will have to sit out if he transfers to an FBS program. With Gatewood gone and depth at a premium, Cord Sandberg is expected to be next in line to serve as Nix’s backup quarterback but he is yet to play a snap this season.
FOOTBALL
AU suddenly thin at QB By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE Sports Writer
MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
D.J. Williams (3) carries the ball during Auburn at LSU on Oct. 26, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La.
Freshman D.J. Williams breaks out against LSU By JONATHAN HART Sports Writer
Boobee Whitlow had one message for D.J. Williams before Auburn’s trip to Baton Rouge: “Just do your thing.” From Auburn’s second drive of the intense showdown against now-No. 1 LSU, the true freshman Williams did exactly that. Averaging 10 yards per carry, Williams had 130 yards on 13 carries and two receptions for 21 yards. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for his production in the loss. On his first three drives, Williams accounted for four carries and 13 yards on the ground, and through the air had one reception for eight yards. After a recovered fumble on a kickoff return at LSU’s 22-yard line, Williams helped push quarterback Bo Nix into the end zone to put Auburn up 10-7 with 3:06 left in the first half. Then, Williams turned it up a notch. With the game tied at 1010 and only 26 seconds left in the first half, Williams took the handoff from Nix, exploding through a hole in the offensive line and coming out the other side like a bullet. Williams carried the ball into LSU territory, barreling into LSU cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. and continuing to push through to LSU’s 32-yard line. “They just opened it up. Our line did a good job by opening it up and it just happened,” Williams said of the draw play before the half. However, the 41-yard run would not be his most impressive feat of the day.
In Auburn’s first drive of the second half, Williams again took the handoff from Nix, finding another hole and running from Auburn’s 21-yard line to the end zone, but it was ruled he was pushed out at LSU’s 9-yard line. After the game, Williams was asked about that moment, and whether he thought he had a touchdown: “Oh, yes sir, I did.” With Whitlow benched most of the game, Williams had his chance to take the field in a hostile environment against an elite defense and show the world what he’s made of, but he didn’t come into the game banking on being such a large part of the offense. “Not really,” Williams said of knowing if he was going to have a big role. “We just always did our job in practice and my name was called.” Gus Malzahn was pleased with the freshman Williams’ performance. “D.J. Williams is coming into his own,” Malzahn said. “I think everybody saw that. I really think he’s got a chance to be an outstanding back.” Going forward, Williams will have to compete for field time with an increasingly healthy Whitlow, but that doesn’t bother him. “I don’t really think that matters,” Williams said. “I’m just going to show up every day like we have been, grinding together with my brothers. Just get better.” Malzahn said Whitlow’s role will increase as he gets healthier, but Williams is still expected to be the lead back come this Saturday against Ole Miss in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
With Joey Gatewood electing to leave the team and transfer, Auburn will look toward redshirt freshman Cord Sandberg and walk-on senior Wil Appleton to move up on the depth chart. Sandberg is not like a typical redshirt freshman, though. Currently he is 24 and will turn 25 in January. Coming out of high school Sandberg was recruited and committed to play at Mississippi State, only to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he played in their minor league system for six seasons. Following his departure from baseball, Sandberg was a late addition to the fall of 2018 roster when he committed on July 30. He spent last season as the fourth quarter-
back on the roster behind Jarrett Stidham, Malik Willis and Gatewood, all of whom are no longer with the program. Last season and this season Sandberg has acted as the signal-caller quarterback on the roster while on the sidelines. Sandberg has seen very limited action during his time with Auburn, playing only once last season during the Alabama State game. The lefty completed one pass for 22 yards and ran three times for 35 yards. This season Sandberg has only seen the field briefly during the Kent State game where he ran once for four yards. Head coach Gus Malzahn did not seem concerned about having Sandberg move up the depth chart. “Cord has been here for two years,” Malzahn said Wednesday following the news of Gatewood’s
transfer. “He is an older guy, he’s 24 years old. He played professional baseball for five years (actually six seasons), so he has been with us and understands what we are doing.” The only other backup quarterback on the roster is Appleton. Appleton has not seen any college action during his time with Auburn but as a senior in high school he was named his region’s Most Valuable Player for the Albertville High Aggies. Behind these three quarterbacks most likely lies current starting running back, Boobee Whitlow. Whitlow has ran the Wildcat for Auburn all season and was a quarterback in high school. For the 2020 recruiting class, Auburn currently has a commitment from dual-threat, 3-star quarterback Chayil Garnett.
FILE PHOTO
JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER
Wil Appleton (15) hands the ball to C.J. Tolbert (37) during Auburn’s A-Day game on Saturday, April 7, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
Cord Sandberg (24) winds up to throw downfield during Auburn’s A-Day spring game 2019 on Saturday, April 13, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019 BASKETBALL
PAGE 9
BASKETBALL
Get to know Eckerd, Auburn’s exhibition foe By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE Sports Writer
This Friday, the Auburn Tigers, in their first on-court appearance since playing in the Final Four in Minneapolis last season, will host Eckerd in an exhibition matchup at 7:30 p.m. CST in Auburn Arena. While it’s tempting for fans to write off exhibition games as “snooze fests,” Auburn certainly isn’t. It was just two years ago that Auburn lost to Division-II Barry, 100-95 in overtime. This year, the Tritons carry a similar roster layout to that of the Tigers — a team with five freshmen and four seniors. Auburn has a team with eight freshmen, headlined by the highly-touted Issac Okoro and seven seniors. Since Eckerd created its basketball program in 1963, only two head coaches have been with the program. First was Jim Harley, who coached for 32 years before transitioning to a different role within Eckerd. Then it was Tom Ryan who coached his final season last year and is now the athletic director at Eckerd. The Tritons will be led by former assistant coach Ryan Galuski this season, who graduated from Eckerd in 1998. Galuski was also
an Eckerd basketball player. He led the team in scoring his senior season with 14.7 points per game. Galuski played a big role in the program’s first-ever Sunshine State Conference championship. Galuski had spent the past 14 years as the head men’s basketball coach for Greensboro college. Galuski ended his tenure at Greensboro as the winningest coach in the school’s history. Galuski will be taking over following a 19-10 season for Eckerd that ended with a loss to Barry in the (SSC) championship game. Before working at Greensboro, Galuski was the assistant coach to Ryan from 1998-2005, where he was part of Eckerd’s first run to the Division-II Elite Eight in 2003. The Tritons made five trips to the D-II NCAA Tournament during his tenure as an assistant. Following the departure of leading scorer Drushaun McLaurn, the Tritons will look to senior Myron Hagins, who was second in scoring last season. Eckerd has players on the roster from Bulgaria (Kristiyan Stavev), Canada (O’Shane Taylor-Douglas), Dubai (Leonard Okiti) and Spain (Daniel Gonzalez). Following the exhibition game Friday, Auburn takes on Georgia Southern at home Nov. 5.
FILE PHOTO
Auburn currently utilizes a football complex at the corner of Samford and Donahue Drive.
Football Performance Center takes next step By STEPHEN LANZI Campus Editor
FILE PHOTO
Austin Wiley (50) dunks during Auburn Men’s Basketball vs. Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Nonconference opponents in Auburn Arena
Auburn is moving quickly to get its football-only facility. The Auburn University Board of Trustees held a specially-called meeting via telephone conference call Monday morning to take recommendations for potential architects of a Football Performance Center. Dan King, associate vice president for facilities, presented the resolution to the board. Ten architecture firms threw their hats in the ring to be considered for the project. The selection committee interviewed four firms. The architect selection committee determined Goodwyn, Mills, and Cawood, of Montgomery, Alabama, and HOK Architects, of Kansas City, Missouri, to be most suited to complete the project. “We appreciate the Auburn Board of Trustees approving and authorizing the architect selection phase of the football performance center,” Auburn athletic director Allen Greene said. “We are looking forward to developing a first-class facility for our football program and are excited to partner with nationally renowned architectural firms on this transformational project.” After King’s report, there was no further discussion on the issue, and a vote passed unanimously to authorize Interim President Jay Gogue to engage the firms in discussion for consultation on the development of the facility. The Football Performance Center was
approved for project initiation at the Board of Trustees’ meeting on Sept. 13. Since that meeting, facilities submitted a request for qualifications of design services for the individual architecture firms. The Center is anticipated to include space dedicated to strength and conditioning, recovery and meeting rooms and offices. At the board’s June meeting, head coach Gus Malzahn attended to show his support for the facility, which was projected to cost $60-80 million. Malzahn pledged $2 million of his own money toward the facility. “It is big not just now, currently, but for the future and will allow us to continue to have a good chance to compete for championships, so this is really big,” Malzahn said at the board’s June meeting. The two architecture firms selected have previously worked together on Clemson University’s football project. HOK has also worked on football projects at Georgia, Florida, Ohio State and Penn State. The next steps in the project will include determining the budget, coordinating funding and planning details of the facility — all of which will require approval from the trustees. “The football performance center will be incredibly beneficial to Auburn football and the future of our program,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “Most importantly, it will give our student-athletes the best resources to help reach their maximum potential on and off the field. We are thankful for the Auburn University leadership and their commitment to this facility.”
• Eckerd (exhibition) — Nov. 1 • Georgia Southern — Nov. 5
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
PAGE 10
WEEK 10 PLAINSMAN PICK ‘EM Miss-Auburn
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lifestyle THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
11 THEPLAINSMAN.COM
LIFESTYLE
BUSINESS
Local artist finds inspiration for art through hardship By LYDIA MCMULLEN
when she was bedridden for six weeks after her stomach surgery. “I had to figure out what to do for six weeks without sitting up,” Covin said. Covin was inspired by the Huichol fiber artwork. She said each piece took the Huichols fifty hours to create because they would recite a special phrase over and over. Covin felt encouraged by the beauty she found in their fiber art and decided to find her own method of crafting while she was recovering from surgery. A passion to create and contribute artistic works of her own came to Covin when she discovered the Huichol Indian yarn painters of Mexico, she said. “I had a stick and I had some string and I was like, ‘let me try to put these things together,’” Covin said. Despite the simplistic appearance of her pieces, each one was created in a tumultuousness state of mind. The best art is all about struggle, tension and pain, and while she is creating she is also meditating on these things, she said. “I can look at a piece and know exactly what was going on in my head when I was making it and there is a lot of tension in the knots,” she said. The artist said that working on her pieces is how she provides herself with a mental and emotional break in moments of stress and desperation. “Each piece represents a prayer and a meditation and a very specific mental and emotional growth for me,” Covin said. Covin has enjoyed being able to display her work in the Auburn community because it has opened space on her own walls to make new pieces. The artist said she craves new challenges and opportunities – the bigger the better. “I don’t have plans for the future, I am kind of along for the ride,” Covin said. “I wake up everyday and do everything I can do.” Everyone has an art; they just have to pursue it, she said.
Lifestyle Writer
Intricate woven knots of fabric hanging from rods decorate the walls of Coffee Cat this month after the local coffee shop chose Chloé Covin as the featured artist for October. Covin is an Auburn resident who twists and knots pieces of fiber in macramé wall hangings and stitches embroidery on fabric while meditating to simultaneously create her art and calm her mind. Covin has long held an inclination for being creative and a desire to contribute to her community. As a child, Covin was diagnosed with a brain tumor, but when she was 10 years old, the Make A Wish Foundation gifted her with an art studio where a love for all forms of art was planted and cultivated. “I was just living out there, painting. I had a pottery wheel and a kiln,” Covin said. Her penchant for art grew with her and turned into her making products for her various businesses. Artist is just one of the many hats Covin wears. She is also the owner of LiveWell Juicing Co. and a skin care line, Care by Chloé “I have a lot of things I want to share with people,” Covin said. Having her current artwork recognized by Coffee Cat has been nice to see, Covin said. Covin said she is heavily involved in her local community. The artist moved to Auburn in 2012 after leaving LaGrange College, where she was studying music, because of medical complications. “I needed to step away from my life and Auburn was an easy side step,” she said. Covin has strong roots in Auburn through close friends and a church family. Since her move, she has helped fellow local artists and done branding work. Her community is excited that she is now being recognized as an artist because she has been working hard to grow her other businesses for the past two years, she said. Covin discovered an affinity for fiber art
LYDIA MCMULLEN / LIFESTYLE WRITER
Chloé Covin during her interview on October 26, 2019 in Auburn, Ala.
HOUSING
FILE PHOTO
Village dorm buildings on Auburn University’s campus.
Auburn University RAs impact lives of college freshmen By JAMES BERRYHILL Community Writer
When incoming freshmen are tasked with deciding between living on or off campus, one factor that may be overlooked is the value of resident assistants. Transitioning into college life can be stressful and challenging. One of the benefits of living on campus is having an RA as a mentor and someone to look up to. And when freshmen decide to live off campus, they may not consider what they lose by not having an RA. Deja Gray is a freshman studying marketing that lives at 191 College Apartments. “I didn’t really think about RAs, to be honest,” Gray said. “I didn’t think about what I
would be missing out on. People make connections with their RAs and I feel like that will always be a life-long mentor.“ Gray also said she feels like an RA would be someone she could always talk to. She’s tried asking her roommates, two of which are sophomores, about aspects of college life, but because they haven’t lived on campus, they often can’t answer her questions. Grey explained that some people decide to live off campus to avoid overbearing RAs who excessively check on residents. “Some people just want to do it themselves,” Gray said. In contrast, Ryan Johnson, a freshman studying building science who lives in Lane Hall, said RAs are typically not overbearing. The environment they’ve created is not strict
and allows their residents to be social and enjoy their time, Johnson said. “I would definitely say my RA has made an impact on me,” Johnson said. “If I have questions or need help in calculus I can text her or ask her, and she’s always there to help.” Johnson said he considers his RA a friend now. Elaine Shankute, a sophomore studying psychology, is an RA at Little Hall. “One thing I am really passionate about is being an asset to students, so if I have any experience that I could pass onto other students, I think it’s really important that I am doing my part of being a resource to them,” Shankute said. Shankute’s RAs were super helpful to her during her freshman year, and the impact
they left on her is what made her want to be an RA. She hopes to be to her residents what her RAs were to her, she said. Another crucial role that RAs hold is the development of community in residence halls. Shankute said her hall has a really great feeling of community, and residents are often in the lobby spending time with one another. Shankute also explained that one of the biggest parts of building community in the resident halls is about the relationship between RAs and residents. “Me and my co [RA] are definitely on the same page. We know that if they’re comfortable with us, they’re more likely to come to us about real things, and we don’t want them to ever be afraid of what’s going to happen,” Shankute said.
FASHION
Student shares passion for design and the fashion industry By FIELDER HAGAN Community Writer
CONTRIBUTED BY YETUNDE AYINMIDE
Yetunde Ayinmide poses with her carefully chosen outfit.
As a fashion designer for various groups throughout the University, Yetunde Ayinmide finds inspiration and the passion of storytelling through her wardrobe. Ayinmide is a senior in apparel merchandising at Auburn University. She works as a personal stylist for two organizations on campus: Auburn Modeling Board and the National Society of Black
Engineers. Strength is a cornerstone in her values and her sense of style, Ayinmide said. “My outfits are playful yet serious. I have that one statement piece that really stands out and says, ‘Hey I’m here’,” Ayinmide said. “I could come in the room and speak to you without saying anything because of my outfit,” Ayinmide said. Even in the early morning, when many students find it hard to get out of bed,
she shows up dressed as if she’s getting ready for a fashion show. Every day Ayinmide tries to wear unconventional clothing that turns heads and shows confidence, she said. “Some fall trends right now would be like the female suit, corsets and of course the fake fur,” Ayinmide said. “Now that it’s cold, we can incorporate layers and accessories.” She took her experience and knowledge of
trends to help clients pick out clothes for the upcoming season. For Ayinmide, finding an outfit begins with chosing a “showstopper piece,” or an article of clothing that she wants to stand out among the rest. Once the showstopper piece is chosen, the rest of the outfit is made to either complement or stress aspects of the showstopper. » See YETUNDE, 12
The Auburn Plainsman
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
PAGE 12
YETUNDE
CULTURE
» From 11
“The person I try to portray is a person of many emotions because one thing that inspires my outfits is how I feel.” Ayinmide said. She sees her creativity through her wardrobe as an extension of herself, where she can display her feelings. Architecture, especially old Renaissance architecture, really inspired Ayinmid. Much of her inspiration was purely based off of her environment, like the streets of New York, she said.
Rihanna and Beyoncé are some of Ayinmide’s most influential people in her life because both are prominent and well-respected in her eyes. A lot of her inspiration came from them, Ayinmide said. “Music and sound really affect how I’m feeling which affects my outfits.” she said. Artists like Rico Nasty and SZA were on heavy rotation in Ayinmide’s phone which she said brings out a soft yet grungy side of her.
FILE PHOTO
The view from Toomer’s Corner during Auburn’s 16th Annual Downtown Trick or Treat in Auburn, Ala.
Students discuss cultural appropriation By TRICE BROWN Assistant Campus Editor
Each year, people prepare to dress as their favorite superhero, historical figure or pop culture reference in celebration of Halloween. For some students, however, problems arise when others decide to wear costumes based on caricatures of different cultures. Jayla Coleman, senior in media studies, said cultural appropriation is best defined as using different cultures as a costume or persona — a joke. “You can be a hippie without wearing an afro,” Coleman said. James Kelly, senior in marketing, recalls seeing photos of students his freshman year dressed as professional tennis players Venus and Serena Williams — with black paint smeared on their face and body. However, it is still possible to wear cultural clothing without being insensitive, Coleman said. Both Coleman and Kelly used to term cultural appreciation as an appropriate alternative to cultural ap-
propriation. It’s about understanding and acknowledging the culture and elements of the things you wear, Coleman said. She said one of her friends, who is Nigerian, had an African ceremony for her wedding. Her white bridesmaids wore traditional African clothing, which Coleman said is a positive example of how to show cultural appreciation. “This is appreciating her culture because you are honoring her history and her life, and you are not joking about it,” Coleman said. “You are wearing it with respect.” To Coleman, this is similar to Kate Middleton, member of the British royal family, wearing traditional Pakistani clothing out of respect for their culture during a royal visit to the country. When you make fun of a language or darken your skin for these costumes, that’s when it becomes a problem, Coleman said. In Kelly’s opinion, there’s a lot of gray area on what is cultural appropriation and what isn’t, but it boils
down to being respectful. “If I was … a white person, and I wanted to be Serena Williams, I don’t necessarily have to paint my face black,” Kelly said. Though he acknowledges that his perspective is different than that of a Native American, he said he thinks it would be okay to wear native clothing if the person is coming from a place of appreciation, not just trying to cry war chants while being unaware of that culture. For characters like Black Panther or Mulan, who represent African and Asian culture respectively in American media, Coleman said she thinks it is a different situation and likens it more to cosplay. While Black Panther pays very close attention to African culture, she said it just like other American superhero films. As long as people are darkening their skin for the costume, she doesn’t think it is cultural appropriation. “[If someone is saying] ‘I’m doing this, I’m wearing this because I love the movie’ … I think that’s fine,” Kelly said.
CONTRIBUTED BY YETUNDE AYINMIDE
Yetunde Ayinmide showcases an everyday-outfit
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Spot for a salt scrub 4 Aromatic evergreen 10 Wind with nearly a three-octave range 14 Fresh from the oven 15 Collection of hives 16 Sullen look 17 Track 18 Halloween feeling in a warren? 20 Buffalo lake 22 Like the vb. “go” 23 Belly laugh syllable 24 Halloween feeling near a water supply? 27 Valleys 31 “Take Care” Grammy winner 32 “We’ve waited long enough” 34 Bebe’s “Frasier” role 38 Overlook 39 Halloween feeling in the office? 44 Enjoy privileged status 45 Poise 46 It may get the ball rolling 48 Trio in “To be, or not to be” 53 “Borstal Boy” author Brendan 54 Halloween feeling in the yard? 58 Angel dust, initially 60 “You wish, laddie!” 61 Put out 62 Halloween feeling in the loo? 67 Summer hrs. in Denver 68 Stood 69 Paparazzo’s gear 70 Mature 71 Lumberjacks’ tools 72 Gave it more gas 73 Finch family creator DOWN 1 Astute 2 Bartender, often
10/31/19
By David Alfred Bywaters
3 Fifth-century conqueror 4 Soap unit 5 Two (of) 6 Cuba __ 7 Brand of hummus and guacamole 8 Actor Millen of “Orphan Black” 9 Folk story 10 Wheeler-dealer 11 Feathery neckwear 12 CSNY’s “__ House” 13 Many “Guardians of the Galaxy” characters 19 Latest things 21 Rockies bugler 25 Sandwich source 26 “Same here” 28 Vehicle with a partition 29 Mideast potentate 30 Slowly sinks from the sky 33 Those folks 35 Confident words 36 Suit part sometimes grabbed
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
37 Unhealthy 39 Nursery piece 40 Narrow way 41 Engrave 42 Backslides 43 Hitting stat 47 Advance slowly 49 Big club 50 Koala, for example 51 Game based on whist 52 Living room piece
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55 Japanese art genre 56 Carried on 57 Big name in Indian politics 59 Some GIs 62 Monk’s address 63 Cured salmon 64 Employ 65 31-Across genre 66 Covert information source