Auburn vs. Vanderbilt GAME DAY SECTION INSIDE
The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID
Thursday, November 3, 2016 Vol. 124, Issue 12, 16 Pages
First copy is free. Additional copies 50 cents per issue.
CAMPUS
Expanding
Amendment One seeks to add two AU trustees Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTOS VIA AUBURN UNIVERSITY
TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: B.T. Roberts, Clark Sahlie, James W. Rane, Bob Dumas SECOND ROW: Jimmy Sanford, Gaines Lanier, Elizabeth Huntley, Sarah B. Newton THIRD ROW: Michael A. DeMaioribus, James Pratt,Wayne T. Smith, Raymond J. Harbert BOTTOM ROW: Charles D. McCrary, Gov. Robert Bentley
ACADEMICS
An amendment that proposes expanding and adjusting the University’s board of trustees will be the first measure on voters' ballots Nov. 8. If passed, it will add two at-large members to the board. The amendment will create "the opportunity for more in the Auburn Family with different backgrounds to serve as trustees," wrote Charles McCrary, Board of Trustees president pro tempore, and Beau Byrd, Alumni Association board of directors president, in a joint letter to AL.com. The amendment "points us toward a better reflection of the students and state we serve," McCrary and Byrd wrote. The 14-member board is made up of trustees from Alabama’s congressional districts as they were in 1961 with one trustee from Lee County, three at-large trustees and the governor, who serves as a non-voting member. Twelve of the 14 members are white men — Sarah B. Newton and Elizabeth Huntley are the only women who hold positions on the board. Huntley, a civil litigation attorney with Lightfoot, Franklin & White in Birmingham, is the only person of color. "By adding two at-large seats, it would allow more members of the Auburn Family with different experiences and perspectives to serve," said Brian Keeter, director of pub-
» See AMENDMENT, 2
SPORTS
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
Jeffrey Katz in his office on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Psychology in art
Professors use class to study drawing’s impact on the brain
No. 9
Jessica Ballard LIFESTYLE WRITER
Barb Bondy, a professor in the department of art and art history, is working with Jeffry Katz and Ph.D student Martha Forloines in the department of psychology on a project they call “Drawing and Cognitive Neuroscience.” The project focuses on the effect learning drawing skills has on the brain. The colleagues are working together to each bring their own expertise to the project. Bondy is contributing her years of experience in the art field while Katz and Forloines are contributing their knowledge of psychology and neuroscience. Ultimately, their goal is to find evidence of brain plasticity from the beginning to the end of a Drawing I course. For Bondy her interest in the relation between visual arts and cognitive processes goes back to graduate school. “I had been doing photography and drawing and I was trying to integrate them and I realized, oh you know, the commonality is the way of thinking about them,” Bondy said. Through this realization, Bondy became increasingly fascinated by the connection between the eye, the brain and where a drawing actually occurs. The project has been in the works for years now. “I met wonderful colleagues on campus in psychology who
» See PSYCHOLOGY, 2 Page 4
WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS
Auburn cracks Top 10 in College Football Playoff rankings Sam Butler
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Auburn is a Top 10 team, at least in the rankings that will end up mattering the most. The Tigers were ranked No. 9 in the first
Page 5
set of College Football Playoff rankings, which were released Tuesday night. The two losses the Tigers have suffered this season have come to No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 2 Clemson, and they have a win over No. 13 LSU.
Page 7
Page 13
After beginning the season 1-2, Auburn has rattled off five consecutive wins, the latest a 40-29 victory at Ole Miss last Saturday. In the AP Poll, the Tigers are slotted at No. 11, and they're ranked No. 12 in the Amway Coaches' Poll. INDEX Campus
3
Community 5
BraveHearts trick-or-treat
Pipeline explosion in Alabama
Soccer competes in SEC tournament
One-stop coffee shop review
Sports
7
Opinion
11
Lifestyle
13
News 2
The Auburn Plainsman
AMENDMENT » From 1
lic affairs for the University, in an email to The Plainsman. The amendment will also prevent more than three trustees’ terms from expiring in the same year. Nine of the 14 trustees' terms expire in 2019, Keeter said.
PSYCHOLOGY » From 1
are very interested in listening to ideas and collaborating, bringing their interests and your interests together to find something new,” Bondy said. Katz and Bondy have been meeting for about two years now sharing their own personal expertise with one another. They also applied for and received a grant that will go towards paying for the fMRI scanning. The colleagues have
"The State Constitution spells out the way in which Trustees are selected," Keeter said. "A five-person committee reviews nominees and makes an appointment. The committee is comprised of the Governor or the Governor’s designee, two current members of the Auburn Board and two members of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Appointments from the commit-
tee must be confirmed by the State Senate. In previous years, the State Senate hasn’t always confirmed Trustee appointments when the vacancy occurred. As a result, terms for nine of the 14 Trustees will expire in 2019. If the constitutional amendment passes, no more than three trustee terms would expire in a calendar year, which ensures continuity in governance."
compiled piloting data in preparation for the 2017 spring semester in which the fMRI tests will occur. “One of the important things for when you design imaging tests that are novel and new, that people haven’t done before, is you need to pilot out the psychological and behavioral experiments before you go to the scanner,” Katz said, on the process that has been required before testing can occur. The Drawing I students involved in the project will have an fMRI test and be giv-
en various forms to arrange and draw in both the first and last weeks of the drawing course in order to record any differences in the two brain scans or two drawings. “There are certain areas of the brain involved in drawing, and studies have shown that there is a strengthening of connections between those areas,” Katz said. “In this particular drawing class those connections are going to be there already, but the question is do they change?”
NATIONAL POLITICS
Rep. Mike Rogers campaigns to keep his seat Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR
On Nov. 8, East Alabama voters will be able to choose between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump for the presidency. But they will also decide whether to send Rep. Mike Rogers back to Washington for two more years or elect Democrat Jesse Smith instead. When Rogers ran for U.S. Congress for the first time more than 14 years ago, he had the same main goal he said he still holds today: being the best public servant he can. “I’ve always felt led for a career in public service, going back to when I was an adolescent,” Rogers said. “Most people kind of know what they’re supposed to be doing with their lives, and it became obvious to me early on that I was supposed to be in public service. I dedicated my life to trying to be the best public servant I can for my state as well as my country.” Rogers was the youngest Republican ever elected to the Calhoun County Commission when he won that seat 30 years ago. In 1994, he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, where he served for two terms. In 2003, he took the oath of office and became a member of the 108th United States Congress.
Now, he’s seeking reelection for the eighth time. If he wins, he will serve from 2017–19. But to get there, he has to get through Smith, who also ran against him in 2014 but lost when Rogers took more than 60 percent of the vote. Smith said he ran again this year because Rogers has proven himself ineffective. “I decided to run again because I want to remove a do-nothing incumbent from Congress,” Smith said. “The congressman graduated from college and never held a job. He went right into politics. He learned early on in his career how to ignore people. He thinks that he’s the best at it, but I think we have something coming for him on Nov. 8.” Rogers said his experience in local, state and national government is an asset, not a burden. “I’m a big believer that experience matters,” Rogers said. “I’m proven. I’m not an unknown quantity. I’ve got a skill set that can get things done. No one knows what kind of legislator [Smith] would be because he’s never been in public office. He’s never even been a city council member or a board member.” For Rogers, the Supreme Court and national security are the top two issues fac-
CAMPUS CRIME LOG
ing the country in the general election coming up November. “We have seen our military and our national security infrastructure atrophy under (the Obama) administration,” Rogers said. “We’ve been at war for right at 13 years. We have worn our equipment and our man power out. We have got to reinvest in our military infrastructure if we want to remain free, safe and alive.” Smith said he believes the American military is the most powerful in the world and that isn’t going to change, but Rogers and others who have no military experience don’t know how to meet the needs of veterans, he said. “It’s just a matter of having the people who represent our military support our troops when they come home,” Smith said. “I know for a fact he doesn’t have the experience that he needed to be able to make those tough decisions to advocate on behalf of the veterans.” The Supreme Court and national defense are also the two reasons Rogers has continued his support for Trump, despite revelations about Trump’s possible tax evasion and the release of lewd hot-mic recordings from 2005.
» See REELECTION, 5
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Week in review Your weekly roundup for state, national and international news State • A gasoline pipeline exploded in Shelby County on Monday and killed one pipeline worker and severely burned at least five others. The explosion happened on the same line where a gasoline leak in September raised gas prices in several states. Read more on page 5. • There’s no end in sight for Alabama’s record-breaking drought. More than 98 percent of the state is now affected, with parts of the northeast and east-central Alabama enduring “exceptional drought,” or the worst possible kind of drought. • Gov. Robert Bentley said Tuesday he still wants to meet with lawmakers considering bringing impeachment charges against him. “I have really never had a chance to tell my story,” Bentley said during a stop in Huntsville this week at the grand opening of the Polaris manufacturing facility. “I want to be able to do that.” National • Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton are in a tight race, according to the ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll. Forty-six percent of likely voters said they would support Trump in the Nov. 8 General Election compared to 45 percent who support Clinton. The difference between the two candidates is still within the margin of error. • Demonstrators aiming to raise awareness of the ongoing pipeline protest in North Dakota disrupted the commute at New York’s Grand Central Terminal on Tuesday before marching on the offices of major U.S. banks to question their decision to fund the pipeline. International • ROME - An earthquake, believed to be the strongest to hit Italy since 1980, struck the center of the country on Sunday, four days after two back-to-back quakes severely damaged buildings and left thousands homeless in the area. • REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Iceland’s prime minister announced he will resign, as the anti-establishment Pirate Party capitalized on a wave of anger over corruption to come in second place in the country’s general election. • LONDON — Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews from being killed by Nazis, was formally declared dead this week, 71 years after he disappeared in the closing months of World War II.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Date Reported
Type of Incident
General Location
10/30
Possession of Forged Instrument Third Degree
300 Block of Roosevelt Conc.
10/30
Unlawful Breaking and Entering a Vehicle
1200 Block of S College St.
10/30
Minor in Possession of Alcohol
W Magnolia Av @ N College St.
10/29
Possession of Marijuana Second Degree
300 Block of P O Davis Dr.
10/29
Drug Paraphernalia
300 Block of P O Davis Dr.
10/29
Medical Call
800 Block of W Magnolia Ave.
10/29
Medical Call
400 Block of Duncan Dr.
10/28
Simple Assault
200 Block of Mell St.
10/28
Driving Under the Influence - Alcohol
N College St @ W Magnolia Ave.
10/27
Leaving Scene of Accident
1100 Block of Wire Rd.
10/27
Leaving Scene of Accident
E Samford Av @ S College St.
10/27
Miscellaneous Theft
600 Block of Biggio Dr.
10/27
Criminal Trespass Second Degree
200 Block of Mell St.
10/27
Domestic Violence Third Degree
700 Block of W Magnolia Ave.
10/27
Driving Under the Influence - Alcohol
1100 Block of S College St.
10/26
Criminal Trespass Third Degree
300 Block of P O Davis Dr.
10/26
Leaving Scene of Accident
900 Block of W Thach Ave.
10/26
Harassment
400 Block of Duncan Dr.
10/26
Criminal Littering
W Magnoloia Av @ Wire Rd.
10/25
Criminal Trespass
900 Block of Linden Dr.
10/25
Stalking
200 Block of Wire Rd.
10/25
Criminal Trespass Third Degree
300 Block of W Magnolia Ave.
10/24
Theft - Miscellaneous
300 Block of P O Davis Dr.
10/24
Domestic Violence - Harassment
E Magnolia Av @ N Ross St.
10/24
Criminal Littering
1000 Block of S Donahue Dr.
10/24
Criminal Trespass Second Degree
20 Block of Mell St.
10/23
Fraudulent Use of Credit Card
200 Block of Wire Rd.
CATHERINE WOFFORD / PHOTOGRAPHER
The view from Toomer’s Corner during Auburn’s 16th Annual Downtown Trick or Treat on Monday, Oct. 31.
Check out The Plainsman’s updated Opinion and Lifestyle sections, pages 11-16. New weekly features include political, fashion and music columns. A comprehensive calendar is on page 14.
Campus
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
ThePlainsman.com
Campus
POLITICS
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
LEFT: Daniel Bond, debater for the Young Americans for Liberty, speaks during the debate. MIDDLE: Emily Hale responds to questions during the debate on behalf of the College Democrats. RIGHT: Debaters for the College Republicans, Branden Belser and Jake Baker, respond to debate moderators’ questions.
Organizations debate sexual assault, concealed carry
Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS WRITER
The College Democrats, the College Republicans and the Young Americans for Liberty held “The Great Debate” to discuss the organizations’ different stances on topics relevent to college students and campuses nation-wide. The event was held on Wednesday, Oct. 26 in Foy Auditorium at 7 p.m., where debaters, moderators and spectators gathered. Each group had two representatives and submitted six questions covering three different policy topics: college affordability, sexual assault on campus and concealed carry on campus. Student media also submitted questions of their own. The Republicans were represented by Jake Baker and Branden Belser; the Youn Americans for Liberty by Troy Beckham and Daniel Bond; and the Democrats by Neema Ashou and Emily Hale. The first topic of the evening was students’ right to carry concealed weapons on campus and Bond spoke for YAL. “It is against your fundamental right not to be able to carry a gun on campus, especially if you have a concealed permit,” Bond said. “The whole point of being able to go through the concealed permit process is to make you a
“
Complacency is one of the biggest things that has been fueling sexual assault and rape culture. I do believe that Greek organizations should be doing more, and it would not be difficult for them to do more.”
—Emily Hale College Democrats representative
legitimate citizen that can carry a firearm and to just totally block that process is just against constitutional rights.” Ashou responded on behalf of the Democrats and said he believed providing a gun free zone wouldn’t fringe Second Amendment rights. “What the Second Amendment gives you the right to do is the right to own a gun,” Ashou said. “It doesn’t give you the right to carry a gun wherever you please.” The second topic of the evening was college affordability. The College Republicans responded first to a question about whether affirmative action is fair. “Affirmative action is in no way, shape or form fair,” Baker said. “As a matter of fact, I would argue that it’s racist because it is allow-
ing certain students to get a college degree over other students, simply because of their race, and that’s not fair at all.” Baker said everyone should be able to compete for degree. “Frankly, I think that no matter anyone’s gender, no matter anyone’s skin color, they should be able to compete for that degree,” Baker said. The Democrats were the first to respond to the Republicans’ comments on affirmative action. Hale said she agreed with some of the Republicans’ stance. “I think the Republicans said our stance best, when they said there should be an equal opportunity, despite how you’re born,” Hale said. Though the organizations shared similar be-
liefs, Hale highlighted the differences in their stance. “What we’re saying is that when you don’t have affirmative action, you’re ignoring the historical disadvantages that put certain groups of people with lesser access and we agree that how hard you work should translate to the opportunities that you have,” Hale said. The final topic of the evening was sexual assault on campus. The Democrats answered a question about whether Greek organizations should do more to prevent the sexual assault often associated with them. “Complacency is one of the biggest things that has been fueling sexual assault and rape culture,” Hale said. “I do believe that Greek organizations should be doing more, and it would not be difficult for them to do more.” The Republicans gave their own response to this question. “Here’s the issue with this question: we’re pointing the finger at the Greek organizations,” Belser said. “This is a societal issue. Rape and sexual assault do not strictly happen in Greek organizations on college campuses. They happen around the world, everywhere.” Editor’s note: Emily Hale is a columnist for The Auburn Plainsman.
SAFETY
ELLEN JACKSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Auburn Police Substation located outside the Student Center.
Police precinct stationed on campus Kressie Kornis CAMPUS WRITER
The Auburn police are stationing a new precinct location on campus as a resource to students and faculty. Assistant Chief of Police Will Mathews said about every four years, the city of Auburn and Auburn University reevaluates the contract for police services. “During our most recent evaluation of the contract, we decided that it would be a good idea to stand up a precinct on campus to increase visibility and to give the students, faculty and staff a better sense of a local place to go on campus to seek police assistance or file a report or to reach out to if they needed any police services,”
Mathews said. The main goal was to increase visibility and to have one central location on campus for everyone to recognize, Matthews said. Mathews said some changes have already been implemented, but they’re still in the middle of the process. “We have a temporary facility next to the campus safety and security building on Magnolia,” Matthews said. “We have some temporary offices that are in place while the building is being renovated.” The pre-existing substation in the Student Center is still in operatios, Matthews said. “We also have the substation in the Student Senter that we’ve had for years that’s still
operational,” Matthews said. Officers assigned to the University precinct will be working out of those temporary offices, Mathews said. “There’s signage up to direct people to the facility if they need police assistance,” Matthews said. “The officers are actively working out of those offices and patrolling Auburn University campus 24/7.” Mathews said students can contact police services on a day-to-day basis by calling their non-emergency number, and in the event of an urgent emergency he urges students to call 911. “The Auburn police division is here to serve both the city and the university,” Mathews said.
#14
NATIONALLY FOR TRIAL ADVOCACY —U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, 2017
#9
NATIONALLY FOR BEST QUALITY OF LIFE —THE PRINCETON REVIEW, 2017
8,600+ ACCOMPLISHED ALUMNI IN 48 STATES AND ABROAD
8 JOINT DEGREE PROGRAMS INCLUDING J.D./M.B.A.
SENATE
SGA discusses plus/minus grading system Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS WRITER
SGA’s weekly meeting included discussion of new programs coming to the College of Business as well as some upcoming outreach events.
During executive announcements, EVP of Initiatives Trey Fields said there were concerns over a recent survey regarding the possibility of an upcoming “plus/minus” grading system. “A lot of students are think-
ing that this plus/minus grading system survey that’s going out is from SGA,” Fields said. “It is not from SGA, we’re solely asking questions about it,
» See SENATE, 4
SAMFORD.EDU/LAW
Campus 4
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
ORGANIZATIONS
CONTRIBUTED BY ANGIE COLVIN BURQUE
LEFT: BraveHearts Center for Place and Purpose members trick-or-treat at various campus locations. RIGHT: BCPP used decorative wagons to help collect food for the Beat ‘Bama Food Drive.
BraveHearts creates new program for young adults Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER
The BraveHearts organization has been developing programs since 2010, and recently they’ve developed the BraveHearts Center for Place and Purpose to create programs beneficial to young adults with developmental disabilities who’ve aged out of traditional schooling. Danilea Werner, BraveHearts director and associate professor of social work, said there are currently two BraveHearts programs. “The first is Expressions of a BraveHeart, which is a fine arts program for teens who have developmental disabilities and that’s been going on since 2010 and we do that every semester,” Werner said. “Our new program, BraveHearts Center for Place and Purpose, is a health and wellness program for young adults who have moderate to severe life challenges that have aged out of traditional school programs.” An individual with developmental disabilities can no longer attend traditional school when he or she turns 21, and Werner said she’s seen teenagers in the Expressions of a BraveHeart program who had nowhere to turn when they aged out. “During the day their parents were trying to piece together things for them to do that would resemble a program that would keep them healthy and well and academically in-
volved and work on life skill development because there was nothing in the Auburn area,” Werner said. “Right now, we are it.” Werner said the BCPP has been a beneficial supplement to these young adults who could only rely on singular events put together for them before, such as the Special Olympics. “They have special Olympics bowling and tennis and basketball,” Werner said. “You can piece together those things, but there was nothing comprehensive that was a daily program for these young adults.” Werner said she and Angela Burque, associate clinical professor and social work field coordinator, came together to create the BraveHearts program in partnership with the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn. They now have 12 people working for the program Tuesdays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. “The idea is to keep these young adults engaged and keep them in the community and included in the University community,” Werner said. “They’re walking on Auburn’s campus. You will see them every day if you are looking.” Werner said part of these young adults’ routine with the Center is walking around campus, usually twice a day, and participating in different outdoor activities. While volunteers are an important part of the day-to-day functions of BraveHearts,
Werner said they also have a community sponsorship program. “Community sponsorships are when an organization will commit at least two people once a week for an hour minimum to volunteer,” Werner said. “The AU women’s soccer team sent a lot of people and they would come work with us on Wednesday mornings and play soccer and hangout with all of the young adults.” Alpha Psi Omega’s Delta chapter participated as an October sponsor as well, Werner said. “We’re constantly looking for sponsors because part of our goal goes with the Auburn University mission to increase diversity and inclusion and truly becoming an inclusive environment,” Werner said. Werner said BCPP promotes and helps develop life structure, self-esteem and community participation. “We do yoga every day and the walking,” Werner said. “We have a step-counter that we use to count steps. There’s academic lessons and those could be stretched out over a week.” BCPP is currently working on a lesson plan about the life cycle of a pumpkin including dissections and seed studies. “We try to make it theme-specific,” Werner said. BCPP has non-academic lessons as well in music, sports, fine arts and topics their volun-
INCLUSION
University hosts women’s leadership conference Kressie Kornis CAMPUS WRITER
The College of Veterinary Medicine hosted a women’s leadership conference for students, graduate students and faculty from Tuskegee, Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine and students enrolled in medical curriculums. The keynote speaker was Dr. Stacy Pritt, vice president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Markike Visser, Auburn alumna and conference coordinator, said Dr. Pritt has been a great mentor to her. “She has a lot of experience with not only giving these talks about leadership, but then being able to understand what leadership encompasses,” Visser said. The process of planning the conference began after she spoke with people at the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative,” Visser said. “Even though female veterinarians make up over 50 percent of the vet professional organization, there seemed to be a pipeline problem in that the leadership did not reflect the makeup of the group in general,” Visser said. Visser said this issue isn’t exclusive to women in the veterinary field.
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
Veterinary and medical students collaborating at the conference.
“Unfortunately, Auburn is behind in female leadership compared to other schools,” Visser said. “If you go to the Women’s Leadership Center on Auburn’s campus, through their website, they actually have graphics that show compared to Michigan and other schools where we are compared to them, and we are very far behind.” The conference also focused the importance of mentors and networking. “I wished something like this was offered while I was a vet student,” Viss-
er said. “This workshop wanted to recognize the challenges and starting to develop these skills to be able to fill the needs.” Visser said reading about the gap between male and female veterinarians inspired her to create the conference. “Coming straight out of vet school you already have this gap,” Visser said. “The gap just continues to grow even though when we come out of med school, we come out with the same amount of debt, but it’s going to take us twice as long to pay everything back.”
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teers can help with, Werner said. “We do a combination of health, academic and the structure so that we create a community within our community and we include everyone,” Werner said. “We also foster friendships and relationships.” Werner said while volunteering benefits students, especially those in social work, it also helps the young adults in BCPP develop skills and friendships. “To get them out of isolation and get them away from home is rewarding,” Werner said. “Their parents have to work, so they were watching five movies a day and had no interaction. Now we see them out and making friendships, and their families have such relief to have a place where their young adult can go. That’s rewarding.” BCPP’s greatest challenge is “always funding,” Werner said. “We are constantly writing grants and taking grants, so that’s the most challenging because we feel like we’re doing something so important and we want to keep our doors open long-term,” Werner said. Werner said the Auburn community has been very inviting, and students from every major have shown interest. “We as a university have such a heart for service,” Werner said. “It is in our creed where we talk about the importance of human touch. That is what we do.”
SENATE » From 3
curious what students think about it, so that’s a university assessment, not an SGA assessment. Someone said it’s us overreaching. It’s not us.” Fields said SGA would be appearing at outreach programs on Tuesday, Nov. 1. “Tomorrow night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., we’ll be doing an outreach and O-day event at three of the ‘neighborhoods’ on campus,” Fields said. “Terrell, the Village and the Quad.” College of Business Senator Frank McEwen gave a report on the College of Business’s recent outreach efforts and poten-
ital changes. “Last week, like we said, we went out to the College of Business and talked to our constituents, taking the iPads, getting some feedback on the athletics,” McEwen said. “We’re currently working on something that my ticket ran on, which is a freshman leadership type of program within the business school to help students get more from the business school earlier.” McEwan said the temporary name for the school is “Lowder-ship.” “That’s in the works right now and we’re really excited to see that hopefully get working in the Spring,” McEwan said.
SUSTAINABILITY
University featured as ‘Green College’ in ‘The Princeton Review’ Claire Tully CAMPUS EDITOR
The University was recognized for its dedication to campus-wide sustainability in “The Princeton Review’s 2016 Guide to 361 Green Colleges,” making it the only University in Alabama to receive such recognition. Mike Kensler, office of sustainability director, said the recognition “validates and affirms” the University’s belief that sustainability is important to both the present and future. “We are very gratified to be included again this year,” Kensler said. “It inspires us to keep moving forward.” Kensler said there are several factors contributing to the University’s success in creating a sustainable campus. “The list is long and a lot of different campus units are involved,” Kensler said. “Auburn’s sustainability initiatives started in 2004 and over the past eight years or so the momentum has accelerated with the opening of the Sustainability Office and creation of Academic Sustainability Pro-
grams.” The Sustainability Office is developing new ideas and projects, Kensler said, and a peer to peer program is an upcoming one. “The Sustainability Office is developing a peer to peer program so students and employees can partner with us to further infuse sustainability practices around campus,” Kensler said. “We are looking at ways to further enhance our green building and stormwater management practices. Expect to see more happening with campus dining. New diversity and inclusion initiatives are under way.” There are always opportunities for progress, Kensler said. “We can feel gratified, but not satisfied,” Kensler said. “There is so much more to do. As the Sustainability Policy states, ‘Auburn University considers sustainability a core value and strives for excellence in sustainability through continuous assessment and improvement.’ We should all be proud and do our part to keep the momentum going.”
Community Thursday, November 3, 2016
CRIME
5 ThePlainsman.com
Community
GAS PRICES
Man confesses to placing cameras in bathrooms Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR
Russell County officials on Monday found the third, and presumably final, camera placed by an Opelika man arrested last week. Police in Lee County charged the man with illegally placing cameras in men’s bathroom stalls in Auburn and Opelika. The Opelika Police Department arrested Kirston Jermine Dowdell, 31, for aggravated criminal surveillance and production of pornography with minors. He later confessed to placing the cameras and downloading child pornography, according to an affidavit obtained Oct. 27 by The Auburn Plainsman. The investigation began after a spectator at an Oct. 13 Opelika High School football game approached an Opelika police officer and said he found a hidden camera in a men’s bathroom, according to the affidavit charging Dowdell. The spectator gave the officer one hidden camera he found in his stall, wand then he took the officer to the men’s restroom, where they discovered a second camera on the wall behind a men’s toilet in a stall. “Both cameras were placed in a position to capture images of people using the restroom,” the affidavit reads. Opelika detectives reviewed the cameras, SD cards and their content, on which they found nude images of male children and adults using the restroom in different locations across several dates. Opelika High School surveillance video, police said, showed Dowdell entering and exiting the bathroom, and video contained on the hidden cameras showed Dowdell mounting the devices in the stalls, the affidavit said. After the initial investigation, police obtained a search warrant for Dowdell’s home, where officers found an Acer laptop, according to the affidavit. During an interview with police, Dowdell waived his miranda rights and provided a written confession. Dowdell confessed to placing the cameras and downloading pornographic images of children from the internet. On his laptop, police found several videos of children using the restroom and at least three other pornographic pictures of children that appeared to be sent to Dowdell by an unknown person over the internet, according to the affidavit. Police believe all of the hidden cameras have been collected, according to Opelika Police Chief John McEachern. Dowdell placed secret cameras, McEachern said Oct. 27, which were designed to look like coat hooks, in public men’s restroom stalls at the Opelika High School football stadium and Auburn’s Shug Jordan Soccer Field. McEachern said Dowdell placed one additional camera unkown at the time. Russell County law enforcement identified the additional location at a Russell County facility. It is also believed to be a men’s restroom. “We are confident that no threat to the public exists at this time,” McEachern said. “The preliminary examination found no indication that the videos have been uploaded to the internet or shared with others.” Auburn City Schools said Oct. 28 through a social media statement that there was no evidence the school system facilities were involved. ACS said Auburn police were in communication with with school and Parks and Recreation officials to ensure no devices were at either of their venues. All of the investigatory materials have now been handed over to the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. “An initial investigation by the FBI has revealed fewer than two dozen child victims whom the FBI, the Auburn Police Department and the Opelika Police Department are working diligently to positively identify,” McEachern said. The FBI is now leading the investigation. A Lee County District Judge denied Dowdell bond at his initial appearance Oct. 19. The Court said bond would not ensure Dowdell’s appearance at trial, and he would be a danger to the safety of the community if he were released. He is being held at the Lee County jail. Kris Martins, community reporter, contributed to this report.
CONTRIBUTED BY OPELIKA POLICE
Police arrested Kirston J. Dowdell.
VIA THE ALABAMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
A segment of the Colonial Pipeline exploded in Shelby County Monday, causing one death and at least five injuries.
Major gas pipeline explodes in Alabama
Gas prices expected to rise, governor declares state of emergency Chip Brownlee
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Gov. Robert Bentley on Tuesday issued a state of emergency intended to ease regulations on fuel transportation in the state as gasoline shortages are expected. His move follows an explosion in Shelby County on Monday along a main arterial gasoline pipline. The explosion killed one person and injured at least five others. The State of Emergency will last until Dec. 1 unless Bentley lifts it before then. The gasoline pipeline, Line 1, remains closed and gas prices in Auburn, Alabama and across the Southeast are expected to rise with the extended closure of the pipeline for the second time in the last two months. Gasoline futures, according to the Wall Street Journal, rose as much as 15 percent Tuesday on trading in New York. However, the full impact of the explosion won’t be clear until the prices filter through to the pump. Line 2, which transports diesel, jet fuel and other fuels, began running again Monday night and was not affected during the explosion. The pipeline, which carries fuel from Texas up the East Coast to New York harbour, caught fire when the trackhoe that a nine-man contract crew was using to work on the pipeline “hit the line,” Colonial said. Gasoline ignited during the incident and caused a wildfire, which continued to burn late Monday night, according to an update from Co-
Colonial Pipeline delivers as much as a third of the gasoline used on the East Coast and the Southeast. lonial at 10:45 p.m. Monday. Five people were transported to Birminghamarea hospitals after the explosion, but one person was killed, Colonial said. “Our deepest condolences go out tonight to the family and friends of the person who was lost today, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who were injured,” Colonial said in a statement Monday. Officials evacuated a 3-mile radius around the explosion zone in an area in Shelby County near Helena, Alabama, Bentley said Monday night. The governor said officials would have to let the fuel burn until the fire can be extinguished. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire continued to burn. Firemen and other first responders from across the state rushed to the scene to assist in extinguishing the large fires, which burned nearly 32 acres, according to the governor’s office. The Alabama Forestry Commission, which has battled to contain more than a thousand wildfires during the major drought over the past month, continues to work the scene. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were injured,” Bentley said. “We have a real drought in this state. ... Our resources have been
stretched thin, but we will have enough resources in place. We will put enough resources in place to take care of this and protect the people in that area.” Crews built an 8-foot-tall dirt dam that is nearly 80 feet long to contain the burning fuel. The EMA also placed a temporary flight restriction in effect over the area of the pipeline explosion. Only relief aircraft were authorized in the airspace until the thick smoke dissipated. Immediately after the explosion, Colonial Pipeline company shut down its two mainlines, which cross the state of Alabama. The location of the explosion was several miles, according to Colonial, from the site of a separate spill on the same pipeline that occurred on Sept. 9 in Shelby County. Gas prices rose juristically across the state, and stations in Auburn ran dry or raised their prices nearly 20 cents per gallon over several days following the detection of the leak last month. The September leak also prompted the governor to issue a state of emergency. The pipeline subject to both the spill and Monday’s explosion is a main artery responsible for delivering gasoline to the Southeast and the East Coast, providing as much as 30 percent of the region’s gasoline. Colonial Pipeline, the owner, has estimated that as much as 8,000 barrels of fuel leaked before the pipeline was closed down in September. A reroute was built and the pipeline went back into service later that month.
REELECTION » From 2
Rogers also said Hillary’s probable continuation of Obamaera economic policy was another driving force behind his support of Trump. “I think Hillary Clinton would be a continuation of the policies from the Obama administration, which have been a disaster for the country economically, “ Rogers said. On the other hand, Smith — who was an avid supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont — said he doesn’t care who is elected president of the United States. He’s focused on his race in the 3rd District and that’s it, he said. If Rogers is reelected, he said he will continue to push for the repeal of the Dodd-Frank economic regulations and would work to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, two of the Democrat’s crowning policy reforms following the Great Recession. “While we’re technically not in a recession anymore, it still feels like one,” Rogers said. “The growth has been so sluggish, and we’re not going to get out of it as long as those policies remain in place. Those things have to be eliminated or significantly modified if we’re going to ever get out of these economic doldrums.” Repealing burdensome regulations, Rogers said, would continue to be on the top of his priority list in congress. Dodd-Frank needs to be modified, he said, to raise the caps so that small community banks and regional banks — which Rogers believes are the life blood of small business — won’t be covered by the strict
FILE PHOTO
Rep. Mike Rogers visits Opelika, Ala., during a meeting with constituents.
regulations intended to prevent another Great Recession. “That frees up our community and regional banks, none of which caused the financial crash and none of which would ever get relief because they’re not big enough to matter,” Rogers said. “We need to give them the freedom to start lending again, to jump start our economy.” Smith said Rogers wants to throw out all of the regulations passed in the wake of the economic crisis because he’s beholden to corporate interests. “When we think about corruption, a person can be bought and they can be sold,” Smith said. “We have jobs that have left this area. We have 53 percent of single parents living below the poverty line. We have nearly 20 percent of senior citizens living below the poverty line. We have nearly 80,000 veterans in this district, and we’re exposed to some of the worst veteran healthcare facil-
ities in the United States of America.” Smith would work to improve funding for Alabama’s VA hospitals, he said. And instead of trying to repeal the regulations Rogers believes are burdensome, Smith said he would rather focus on infrastructure spending on America’s highways, bridges, railways and renewable energy. “We need to rebuild our infrastructure,” Smith said. “Putting people back to work will not happen if we have a representative that will not support legislation to rebuild our infrastructure. We spend all these billions of dollars overseas, but we won’t support rebuilding our roads and bridges here at home.” Smith also criticized Rogers for voting for the 2013 government shutdown and pushing for the abolishment of the federal Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency, all of which will hurt Americans or harm the econo-
my, Smith said. “The congressman has, for all accounts, talked about how he’s going to bring jobs but he hasn’t done anything about it,” Smith said. “It’s not only good to challenge the incumbent, but we need a solution with someone who is going to stand up regardless of political party, regardless of lobbyists or special interest groups.” Even with all the hot rhetoric from the presidential candidates, Rogers said Americans still live in the best country on the planet. “There are a lot of bad things going on, but we’re still a very blessed country,” Rogers said. “There is not another citizenry in the world that wouldn’t swap places with us, swap problems with us, if they had the choice. While we’ve got a lot of tough things to deal with as a nation, we’re still better off than any other nation on Earth and we need to always keep that in perspective.”
Community 6
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
STATE POLITICS
Special Supreme Court selected to hear Moore’s appeal Chip Brownlee
Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended in September for the remainder of his term for violating Alabama’s Canons of Judicial Ethics in a January administrative order.
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Gov. Robert Bentley on Monday announced the seven members of the Special Supreme Court that will be empaneled to hear Chief Justice Roy Moore’s ethics appeal. The Court of the Judiciary suspended Moore in September without pay for the remainder of his term, which ends in 2019. Bentley announced the following judges will sit on the panel: H. Edward McFerrin, Robert G. Cahill, William R. Kind, James H Reid Jr., Lynn Clardy Bright, Ralph A. Ferguson Jr. and John D. Coggin. McFerrin is a retired circuit judge from Lowdnes, Butler and Crenshaw counties. Cahill and Ferguson are retired Jefferson County district and circuit judges, respectively. King, Bright and Coggin are retired district judges from Crenshaw, Montgomery and Cherokee counties, respectively. Reid is a retired circuit judge from Baldwin County. The Alabama Supreme Court drew 50 names from a pool of retired appellate, circuit and district court judges Oct. 27. The names were placed on a list in the order they were drawn. The first seven judges who were willing and able to serve were those selected. Moore and his attorney said after the lottery that they would review the names of the seven judges selected and make a decision about “whether there are names that raise conflict of inter-
MICKEY WELSH / THE MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER
Roy Moore walks out of the Supreme Court Chamber, in Montgomery, Ala., on Thursday Oct. 27, 2016 before the lottery is held to pick the judges who will hear his appeal.
est concerns.” “Chief Justice Moore is merely asking for the same thing any citizen is entitled to receive: equal justice under the law,” said Moore’s lead attorney Mat Staver. “He is not wanting judges that have a bias for or against him. He wants judges who will follow the rule of law. Politics and ideology have no place in the final outcome of this case.” With his suspension, Moore has kept his title, but he lost his authority, his office and his employees. The Court of the Judiciary, which heard the case, said in its ruling that Moore violated the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics by disregarding federal law in a January 2016 administrative order to the state’s 67 probate judges.
Moore became famous first in 2003 for refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a 2-ton Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building. He was removed completely from his post by a unanimous verdict. In his Jan. 6 order, Moore said the state’s probate judges had a “ministerial duty” to follow the state’s same-sex marriage ban, not the federal judiciary’s order in Obergefell v. Hodges that effectively legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Moore’s attorneys said the Jan. 6 administrative order was simply a “status update” on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell, an Alabama Supreme Court order in 2014 concerning same-sex marriage and U.S. Dis-
CONSTRUCTION
trict Judge Callie Granade’s order that ruled the state’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. It was meant to clarify the conflicting orders, Moore’s attorneys said. Moore and his attorneys at the Liberty Counsel filed an appeal with the Alabama Supreme Court in early October. At the time, Moore said the court’s judges would have to recuse themselves and a new court would need to be empaneled to hear the case. The eight remaining associate justices of the Alabama Supreme Court recused themselves on Oct. 24 in an opinion. They also decided the method that was used to pick the new judges. Three associate justices dissented from the opinion and said they felt the pool should have been gathered from active elected judges in the state instead of retired judges. They believed active judges could be held accountable to the people. “The people of Alabama have increasingly called upon their judges to be accountable,” Staver, who is also the founder of the Liberty Counsel, said. “At every turn, this case presents new twists and turns that have never occurred in the history of Alabama.” If Moore’s suspension is upheld by
the Special Supreme Court, his judicial career will be effectively over. He will not be allowed to run again for a Supreme Court seat because state statute prohibits anyone over 70 years old from running for election for a judicial position. Moore and his attorneys have contended that the chief justice did nothing wrong and did not violate judicial ethics. They believe his suspension was politically motiviated. “Chief Justice Moore’s legal order was in no way illegal, immoral or unethical and his prosecution was political, not legal, in nature,” said Kayla Moore, the chief justice’s wife who also runs the Foundation for Moral Law. The foundation provides legal counsel to individuals in religous liberty cases. Kayla and her husband have lost more than 75 percent of their income because of Moore’s suspension without pay, she said. “They are trying to bankrupt us,” she said. “We also lost our insurance. They would like nothing more than to ruin him and our family. The chief justice is appealing his suspension because he “owes it to the people,” Kayla said.
LOCAL POLITICS
German company to bring new jobs to Auburn Kris Martins
COMMUNITY REPORTER
CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF AUBURN
A three-story event space is planned to fill in a gap in the Magnolia Avenue streetscape, sitting in the parking lot between Moe’s Southwest Grill and Pielogy.
3-story event space planned for downtown Kris Martins
COMMUNITY REPORTER
Newly engaged couples and formal dates will have a new venue option for their special events next year. A three-story event space is planned to fill in a gap in the Magnolia Avenue streetscape, sitting in the parking lot between the building that houses Moe’s Southwest Grill and the Pieology patio. “We wanted this event space right centrally located to be another option and to be a great option for people that love Auburn, love the downtown, want to be kind of near downtown as well as right there across from campus,” said Chris Godbold of Oak Tree Corner LLC, the property owner. The project will go before the Planning Commission for conditional-use approval recommendation Nov. 10. The approximately 40-foot building will include a 5,805-square-foot top level that includes a main indoor event space along with a patio over-
looking the Toomer’s Oaks and offering a view of Samford Hall. “We’re hoping to have a lot of weddings and formals at the building,” Godbold, who owns the adjacent Pieology and Toomer’s Palace buildings, said. “But we’re also going to set it up so it can have some smaller business meetings, and we hope that we’ll get a good response from the business community.” The other two levels of the building will house food and entertainment handled by a tenant soon to be announced, Godbold said. The official name of the venue will also be unveiled soon, he added. Plans shows a 8,827-square-foot first floor with lounge areas and main bar with a dance floor in the back of the building. The space will also have a 3,697-square-foot mezzanine level— with juliette balconies — that overlooks the first floor. SR&F Architects, which designed Hamilton’s and Acre restaurants, de-
signed the building for Oak Tree Corner LLC. The project will begin construction as classes wind down this semester, Godbold said. “We wanted to make sure that we were sensitive to our neighbors and sensitive to football season, and so that’s why we’re not going to break ground until the Christmas break,” he said. The goal is to complete the building by fall 2017, Godbold said, but people may be able to book the event space as soon as the next few weeks. Price ranges for the venue are not yet finalized. The parking spaces displaced by the project will be shifted to a new parking lot behind Quixotes on College Street. “Because we’re able to work with neighboring property owners and get this other parking lot opened up behind Quixotes, it will actually help parking around downtown,” Goldbold said.
A German company establishing its first U.S. manufacturing location in Auburn will bring new jobs and a multimillion-dollar capital investment to the city beginning next year. The Auburn City Council granted Berghoff Precision Machining L.P. a tax abatement for equipment for its new facility at Tuesday’s council meeting. The company, which will join Auburn Technology Park West, is set to bring 51 full-time jobs over the next two years with a total capital investment of nearly $12 million, according to city documents. “Those [job] numbers are little bit high there,” said Phillip Dunlap, director of Economic Development. “They will be probably around 20-something in those first years, but the employee that put that together put probably a three-year, 2 1/2-year number in there. … But the first year, we anticipate probably 12-15 as they ramp up.” The company’s building is under construction, and it will most likely begin to ship product in spring 2017, Dunlap said. The Berghoff Group said it would create parts in Auburn for customers in the equipment manufacturing, semiconductor and aerospace industries. It will generally promote trade and commerce in the city and state of Alabama, according to city documents. The group mechanically processes complex work pieces such as five-axis and high-speed machining. It also machines different high-performance metals in the high-mix, low-volume and high-complexity fields, according to the company. The University and its engineering
program played an major role in opening the location in Auburn, the company said earlier in the year. The Auburn location will be the company’s fifth location. “I think they were very interested in the University because in Europe they’re very involved in additive manufacturing, and so the University has started an additive engineering program here … and so they thought this was a good fit for them from a machining, from a technology standpoint,” Dunlap said. In recent years, the city has worked to recruit high-end, technology-based, value-added manufacturing, he added. Having the company come to Auburn gives engineering graduates from Auburn an option to find a job locally, Mayor Bill Ham said, whereas people often move away for their first job but return to Auburn after a few years. “Twenty-five years ago, it was very unlikely that someone would graduate in the school of engineering from Auburn and find a job locally,” Ham said. In April, when Berghoff announced its plans to join Auburn, it said it planned to invest about $30 million and create about 100 precision machining jobs in the city over the next five years. The total direct annual tax impact for the city is estimated at about $77,700 with a combined total estimated 10year tax impact sitting at over $1 million. The estimated abatement is twofold. The company would receive about $42,600 annually for 10 years for noneducational property taxes. And a one-time noneducational sales and use taxes abatement adds about $371,000 for a total abatement of about $797,000.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
City leaders, planning officials continue to accept input on Northwest Auburn Neighborhood Plan Sam Willoughby COMMUNITY WRITER
The Auburn Planning Department is continuing to accept public input on its Northwest Auburn Neighborhood Plan. City planner Katie Robison presented their current proposal at an Oct. 25 meeting in the Boykin Center. It includes zoning changes in the 1.5-squaremile area to allow for commercial developments, offices and more variety of residences where they aren’t currently allowed without City Council approval. The department’s recommendations come from residents’ input from the first meeting and surveys that have been sent out.
Respondents identified parks and recreation facilities as the the top priority for the neighborhoods. Residents said they want safe parks for children to play in and requested a satellite library in the neighborhood. They also said they want the neighborhood’s character to remain intact by keeping student housing out of the area. Housing for up to five nonrelated individuals is only allowed in a small part of the neighborhood, but Auburn Planning Director Forrest Cotten said they could implement regulations to further discourage housing for students. Public Works projects such as sidewalks, lighting and safer
roads were also issues residents want addressed in the plan. Many participants expressed concerns with the planning process. Participants said they are worried about the availability of affordable housing, especially in the form of single-family detached homes. Multifamily developments, like apartment complexes or condominiums, typically have the lowest price tags, Cotten said. Current zoning regulations make the construction of multifamily developments difficult in some parts of the area. Still, many said they wanted only cheaper single-family detached homes. “I think creating affordable
homes for [people living in public housing] will give them the opportunity to get out and own their own homes,” said Anthony Brock, a resident of the area. One attendee suggested demolishing the housing projects all together, though not all in attendance were in favor of the idea. “How am I going to support myself on minimum wage and try to purchase a house? I’ve got to have a starting point,” said one attendee. “The projects are my starting point.” Sharon Tolbert, head of the city’s housing authority, said it isn’t feasible to get rid of public housing in the area. Tolbert also said it still remains their mission
to help citizens move out of subsidized housing. Fifty-eight percent of single-family residences in the area are owner-occupied. Some residents said the whole process was confusing, and they weren’t interested in learning the jargon involved in planning. Others said three meetings isn’t enough to shape the community for years to come. Clemon Byrd, Ward 1 councilman, said if residents feel the planning timeline is too short, the city will consider pushing it back until everyone is comfortable. Byrd also said if residents didn’t understand all of the language used, they could direct
any questions they might have to him. “We have the resources here,” Byrd said. “I can be one as well, so if [residents] want to ask me [a question], I can find out the answer.” At the end of the meeting, attendees participated in exercises similar to in the first meeting, where they used markers to indicate on maps what types of buildings they would like to see in certain areas. The city will take the results from the exercise and input from the meeting to continue the planning process. It will present their final proposal at a third public meeting in either December or January.
Sports
Thursday, November 3, 2016
7 ThePlainsman.com
Sports
Soccer defeats Tennessee 3-1 to open SEC Tournament Emily Shoffit SPORTS EDITOR
Just days after closing out the regular season against Tennessee at home, the Auburn soccer team opened up the SEC Tournament against the Volunteers in Orange Beach, Alabama, defeating them once again with a 3-1 deficit.
» See SOCCER, 9
VIA AUBURN ATHLETICS
Casie Ramsier (24) goes for a pass against Tenneessee at the Auburn Soccer Complex on Oct. 27, 2016.
RECRUITMENT
Memorable commitment improves 2017 class
Nathan King SPORTS WRITER
Auburn’s season continued its upward trend on Monday when four star 2017 Linebacker K.J. Britt of Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama, made his official commitment to the Tigers. Britt had narrowed his choices down to Auburn, Georgia, Stanford and Ole Miss. The commitment over a SEC West foe and rival Georgia was huge for the Tigers, and the way that Britt made his selection will go down as one of the most memorable by a high school recruit.
Britt announced that he would be playing for Auburn come 2017 in a Halloweenthemed video, first released by Bleacher Report. In the video, Britt appears to be having a Halloween party at his house, and is greeted by some familiar trick-or-treaters. The Florida Gators are represented by a boy dressed in an alligator costume, to whom Britt gives an encouraging “chomp chomp.” Next is a boy dressed as a Georgia Bulldog, and Britt recognizes this costume immediately. However, after giving him candy, the linebacker sends him on
his way. The last guest is a boy dressed in garb that Auburn faithful are all too accustomed to. A visor, long-sleeve undershirt and navy sweater vest aid in revealing that this visitor is pretending to be Gus Malzahn. Upon recognizing this, Britt says to the boy, “I’ve got something special for you.” He hands the tiny Gus a massive Hershey’s chocolate bar that reads “Official Commitment.” Little Coach Malzahn thanks K.J. as he struggles to carry the enormous candy bar, and Britt ends the video by turning to
the camera and saying “Happy Halloween, and War Eagle.” Britt’s declaration bolstered an already promising 2017 class. Both 247 Sports and ESPN have Auburn ranked as the 12th best class nationally. This position is sixth in the SEC, behind Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Auburn’s top recruit in the class is five-star, 6-foot-7 offensive tackle Calvin Ashley from Washington, D.C. During Malzahn’s tenure as head coach, each of Auburn’s recruiting classes have been in the top 10, per 247 Sports rank-
2017 AUBURN FOOTBALL COMMITS Calvin Ashley (5 Star) – Offensive Tackle Austin Troxell (4 Star) – Offensive Tackle Nick Brahms (4 Star) – Offensive Guard Malcolm Askew (4 Star) – Athlete Alaric Williams (4 Star) – Athlete Tray Bishop (4 Star) – Athlete Devan Barrett (4 Star) – Runningback Tadarian Moultry (4 Star) – Inside Linebacker Kenney Britt (4 Star) – Inside Linebacker Octavius Matthews (3 Star) – Athlete Carlito Gonzalez (3 Star) – Safety Jordyn Peters (3 Star) - Safety Chandler Wooten (3 Star) – Outside Linebacker Anders Carlson (3 Star) – Kicker Bill Taylor (2 Star) – Long Snapper
Sports 8
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
This week in Auburn sports
ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Above: Gus Malzahn greets fans during Tiger Walk. Below:The team takes a moment during pregame.
ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Above left:Aubie leads the team onto the field before the start of the game. Above right: Kamryn Pettway (36) slips the tackle of Ole Miss’ Myles Hartfield (15) during the second half.
ADAMS SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Above: Montravius Adams (1), Dontavius Russell (95) and Marlon Davidson (3) attempt to block an Ole Miss field goal during the first half. Left: Joshua Holsey (15) celebrates Auburn’s 40-29 victory over Ole Miss.
CATHERINE WOFFORD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Left: Bri Folds (4) moves into position to score during Auburn’s match against Tennessee.The Tigers would defeat the Volunteers 3-1. Bottom left: Bri Folds (4) hugs teammate Brooke Ramsier (23) after scoring against Tennessee. Above left: Emily Spain (7) throws to first base for the out during Auburn’s fall game against Northwest Florida State. Above Right: Morgan Podany (17) hits a home run during the seventh inning against Northwest Florida State.
Football Auburn pulled out a 40-29 win over Ole Miss on Oct. 29, extending the Tigers win streak to five games and getting Auburn bowl-eligible with four games still to play. The offense racked up 554 total yards, but Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly carved up the Auburn secondary for 465 yards through the air. He made a mistake, though, throwing an interception to Josh Holsey halfway through the final quarter as Ole Miss was driving to try and take the lead. Kamryn Pettway scorched the Ole Miss defense for 236 yards on the ground, which are a career high for the redshirt sophomore. It’s the 10th-most rushing yards in Auburn history. He had his way with the Rebels, who couldn’t find an answer for Pettway the entire game. This came even with the return of Kerryon Johnson from injury, who added 42 yards of his own. Tight end Jalen Harris recorded his first career catch, a 15-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. It came out of a play called “Fight Song,” where Auburn lined up in a funky formation
with H-back Chandler Cox behind the center. They all ran to different places on the line of scrimmage and quick-snapped it before Ole Miss had a chance to adjust, which left Harris wide open down the middle. Three Auburn players registered career-highs in tackles Saturday night. Tray Matthews had 11, Deshaun Davis notched 10, and Stephen Roberts added nine of his own. That’s due mostly to being forced to drag down the myriad of receivers Kelly was throwing to, but it’s still impressive. Daniel Carlson wasn’t forced to do much the past few games, but he got some work in Saturday. He’s now converted 130 PATs in a row, a program record. He kicked three field goals as well, making him 17-18 on the year. He’s now 58-69 in his time at Auburn, the second-most field goals in Auburn history. The Tigers second to final home match comes against Vanderbilt, as Auburn takes on the Commodores at Jordan-Hare on Saturday, Nov. 5. Kick off is set for 11 a.m. CST and will air on ESPN.
Softball The Auburn softball team’s annual fall schedule concluded after a double-header at Jane B. Moore Field on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Tigers notched two victories over Columbus State and Northwest Florida State to close out a perfect fall on The Plains. “I saw some good things,” Auburn head coach Clint Myers said. “We finally got movement in the right direction with our youngsters. We’re moving in the right direction. We’re starting to understand what the terms mean. It was a good day for us.” KK Crocker and Carlee Wallace led the offense as the two combined to reach base safely in all 13 plate appearances. Crocker finished the day going 4-for-4 with five runs, three walks, one double and an RBI. Wallace also went 4-for-4, but added two home runs and have five RBI. Kendall Veach followed suit as she popped four hits, including one home run and
contributed five RBI. On the basepaths, Brittany Maresette scored five runs and Casey McCrackin crossed the plate three times in the two contests. Auburn had all five of its pitchers see action in the circle. Makayla Martin led the staff and tossed five innings with three strikeouts, while Kaylee Carlson, who started both tilts, worked four frames, allowing three hits and only three strikeouts. “It’s a great way to end the fall with people really starting to understand the process,” Myers said. “When we come back [for the spring season], we’ll be processoriented and we’re going to get after it. This has the makings of a good ball club. They’re working hard to make that happen. They want to win.” The Tigers end the fall season with a perfect 8-0 record. With play reaching the end, Auburn has finished its open practice sessions until the spring season begins in 2017, with the regular season beginning in February.
Page design by Dakota Sumpter / Managing Editor Emily Shoffit and Sam Butler contributed to this article.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Sports 9
The Auburn Plainsman
COLUMN
SOCCER » From 7
“I thought Tennessee came out really on fire and pressed us hard in the beginning of the game and I thought we grew into the game,” Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa said. “We started to solve the pressure and certainly Tennessee was tournament ready and we weren’t quite. I was really happy with the way our team grew into that first half and then second half we just exploded. What a tremendous performance by Casie Ramsier.” It was Auburn’s 21st appearance in the postseason and marks the 16th straight. The Tigers were notched as the No. 2 seed after going 9-2-0 in SEC play during the regular season, matching a program record for conference wins in a single season. Casie Ramsier, recently named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and All-SEC First Team, led the way offensively for the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. The senior notched three second half goals to give Auburn the advantage over the Vols. The Tigers held a 15-3 shot advantage over their opponent heading into the half, where both teams were deadlocked at zero. Casie Ramsier found the back of the net in the 48th minute to give Auburn the advantage and added to the margin in the 54th minute with some help from teammate Kristen Dodson. “Second half we came out with a lot of energy,” Casie Ramsier said. “First half, we had some chances but didn’t put them away
and the second half we were ready to take control and came out fast and were able to get the goal.” Tennessee responded in the 56th minute to cut the score in half, but that would be the only noise made from the opposing Orange. Casie Ramsier topped of the day with a hat trick, the first of her career, in the 73rd minute put Auburn up over the Vols. The goal made her the first player to score three goals in one half since Tammy Waine against Alabama A&M in 2000. It wouldn’t have been possible without solid passing from her teammates, according to Ramsier, she “was just happy to see them go into the back of the net.” “That’s Casie,” Hoppa said. “She turns up in big games and it’s tournament time. She’s our leader on the field and off the field and boy she took care of business today.” Auburn outshot Tennessee 23-6 with nine shots on target. Kristen Dodson led the Tigers with 7 shots, while Brooke and Casie Ramsier followed with five each. The Tigers and Volunteers have met 23 times, dating back to 1997. Auburn has notched 31 goals during that span and has held Tennessee to one goal or fewer 15 times, including in the last seven matchups. Auburn will move on to face the winner of Wednesday’s Vanderbilt and Arkansas matchup on Friday, Nov. 4 with first kick slated for 6 p.m. CST. The match can be viewed on the SEC Net-
ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Don’t count Auburn out of the SEC West race
Kamryn Pettway (36) slips the tackle of Ole Miss Myles Hartsfield (15) on a run in the second half on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Oxford, Miss.
Jack Winchester SPORTS@ THEPLAINSMAN.COM
When SEC West foe LSU visited The Plains on Sept. 24, there was more than uncertainty surrounding Auburn and head coach Gus Malzahn. A narrow victory that included 18 points from field goals alone has launched Auburn to five straight victories and the ability to make the race to Atlanta interesting. The Tigers from Baton Rouge were entering the weekend with one loss to Wisconsin and Auburn had already suffered two defeats to top 10 opponents in Clemson and Texas A&M. Many believed that Les Miles and Malzahn were coaching to keep their jobs that night. At least for one side, that proved to be true. While things looked bright for Auburn and bleak for LSU, both sets of Tigers in the west now look to compete with
the top of the conference. As we head into November, Alabama is the obvious top dog. While they continue to impress, and have shown no signs of weakness thus far, their remaining schedule has become more interesting than once expected. The tests for the Tide begin this weekend in Death Valley as Nick Saban and his team take on LSU. While Auburn must take care of its own business this weekend as they play host to Vanderbilt, they can also hope to see a Tiger victory on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium (just because). In order for LSU to keep their hopes alive they must win out, and Auburn must lose once more. For Auburn, an Alabama loss on Saturday is not crucial, but will prove that the Tide are beatable. However, winning out and a Texas A&M loss are musts for the Tigers. Both are very possible because of the way Auburn is playing and the remaining Texas A&M schedule that includes visits from Ole Miss and LSU. Expect to see the same from Auburn in the upcoming weeks before the Iron Bowl.
Kamryn Pettway will likely reach the 1,000 yard mark this Saturday, and a healthy Kerryon Johnson will add to the strong rushing attack that the Tigers have maintained in recent weeks. Vanderbilt and head coach Derek Mason, who have already knocked off Georgia on the road, will bring one of the top running backs in the conference in Ralph Webb to The Plains this weekend. A well coached Commodore squad will play tough, but with less than stellar quarterback and defensive play, should be no match for the Tiger defense specifically. Auburn fans may be spoiled by the 53 point beat down that occurred last time the Tigers were at home,but this one should not be close. If the Vanderbilt and Georgia games are closer than many would like, it will not be because of a struggling Auburn team, but because of “vanilla” play calling leading into a potential top ten showdown in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Trips to Athens, Georgia, and Tuscaloosa will be tall tasks, but do not count this Tiger team out.
Sports 10
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
FOOTBALL
SWIM AND DIVE
Menard earns SEC honors Emily Shoffit SPORTS EDITOR
After notching two victories in No. 10 Auburn’s dual meet win over LSU on Oct. 28, diver Alison Maillard has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Nov. 1. A Houston, Texas native, Maillard swept the springboard events for her first event wins of the dual meet season, collecting two Zone qualifying scores in the process. Maillard scored a personal-best 302.85 on the 3-meter to claim the top spot by 16.12 points while on the 1-meter she scored a personal-best 272.33 to take top honors by 8.55 points. Maillard joins Julie Meynen as the second woman on the swimming and div-
CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN ATHLETICS
Allison Maillard earns SEC freshman of the week honors.
ing team to earn Freshman of the Week honors this season. Auburn continues dual meet competition Nov. 4 at
3 p.m. CST when the Tigers host rival Alabama at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Duo set for indoor championships Emily Shoffit SPORTS EDITOR
ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kerryon Johnson (21) celebrates with Darius James (78) after scoring a touchdown in the first half. Auburn vs Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Oxford, Miss.
Offense showing similar success to 2013 season
Will Sahlie SPORTS WRITER
As the calendar flips to November, the feeling on The Plains is different than a year ago. Last season, Auburn was licking its wounds from a tough defeat on Halloween – a 27-19 loss to Ole Miss. The Tigers were 4-4 entering last season’s final month and finished the campaign 6-6 with losses to five of their six SEC West rivals. This season, however, Auburn is firing on all cylinders as matchups against rivals Georgia and Alabama loom on the horizon. Gus Malzahn’s team is 6-2 after rattling off five straight wins following a disappointing 26-10 home loss to Texas A&M. [Unlike last year, teams now fear Auburn, who jumped to No. 11 in this week’s AP rankings.] For the first time since his first season at Auburn, Malzahn can say with certainty his team is getting better each week. The 2013 season was unforgettable for any Auburn player, coach, or fan. The 2013 offense, led by quarterback Nick Marshall and running back Tre Mason, put up staggering numbers against SEC defenses. That offense, particularly the rushing offense, was regarded as one of the best, if not the best in the country. The 2016 Auburn offense started so slowly this season that Malzahn’s time at Auburn looked as if it was nearing its end. Following the loss to the now ranked No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies, Malzahn turned over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Since then, the offense has taken off, led by the gutsiness and clutch play ability of sophomore quarterback Sean White and the pounding run game that Auburn was known for during the 2013 season.
This year’s offense, without the big names of the 2013 team, is putting up nearly identical numbers as the 2013 offense through the first eight games. Through the first eight games of the 2013 season, the Tigers had scored 296 points, averaging 37 points per game. This season, Auburn has scored 290 points, averaging 36.3 points per game. The 2013 team had gained 4090 yards through the first two months of their season, averaging 511.2 yards per game. Lashlee’s offense this season has gained 4061 yards, good for an average of 507.6 yards per game. The unstoppable rushing attack in 2013 led the Tigers to a SEC Championship. That season, through eight games, Auburn averaged 315.6 rushing yards per game, totaling 2525 yards on 393 attempts. This season, Kamryn Pettway and company have ground out 2427 rushing yards on 437 carries, averaging 303.4 per contest. This year’s Tigers hold the slight advantage in the air, but the numbers remain nearly the same. The 2016 Tigers have thrown for 1634 yards, completing 124 of their 182 attempts. The 2013 SEC Champion Tigers struck for 1565 yards through the air through eight games, completing 112 of their 188 attempts. The rushing and passing numbers are nearly copies of each other, but the similarities do not stop there. The 2013 offense averaged 23.1 first downs per game in their first eight games, which was good for a total of 185 first downs. This year, the offense has racked up 203 first downs, averaging an astounding 25 per game. The Sean White led offense has converted 57 of their 117 third down attempts this season, good for 48.7 percent. The Nick Marshall led Tigers were 44 of
107 on third down at this point in their season, good for 44.8 percent. The numbers continue to be nearly identical once the Tigers enter the red-zone. In 2013, Auburn scored on 27 of their 31 red-zone visits, good for 87 percent. This season, the Tigers have scored on 34 of their 40 drives that ended inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. Both offenses scored 21 touchdowns in the redzone through their first eight games. At this point in the 2013 campaign, Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason had yet to take off. The junior had totaled 753 yards on 129 carries. Mason had nine touchdowns through his first eight games. This season, sophomore running back Kamryn Pettway has carried 148 times for 936 yards and seven touchdowns. The Montgomery, Alabama native leads the SEC in rushing, and is sitting at No. 11 in the nation. Tre Mason finished the 2013 season as the leader in the SEC and fifth in the country. Pettway is poised to become a 1,000 yard rusher, which would be the eighth consecutive season an Auburn back has accomplished the feat. Auburn has turned their full attention to Vanderbilt this weekend, but it is hard to not look ahead a bit to what could be a de facto SEC West Championship game in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 26. Auburn enters the weekend as a 25 point favorite against the Commodores, and will likely be a double digit favorite in Athens next weekend against Georgia. Auburn is hoping to finish this season as it did the 2013 season with victories over Georgia and Alabama. The 2013 offense got better as the season wore on. If this year’s offense can continue to follow suit, the sky is the limit for the Tigers.
Juniors Andie Dikosavljevic and Allie Michaud will travel to Flushing, New York, for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, which begin Nov. 3. Hosted by Columbia University, the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships with feature a 32-player singles draw and a 20-team doubles draw. The SEC will be represented by nine singles players and four doubles teams. “We are very proud to have two players representing Auburn in the National Indoor singles champion-
ships,” Auburn head coach Lauren Spencer said. “Both Andie and Allie have done an incredible job positioning themselves to compete at the highest level of college tennis. This is a very prestigious tournament and we look forward to having a good run into the draw.” Michaud, ranked No. 25 in the preseason Oracle/ITA singles polls, captured a bid by defeating teammate Dikosavljevic in the USTA/ITA Southern Regional on Oct. 17. The Florida native has a 9-2 record this fall, with five of those wins coming against ranked opponents. Dikosavljevic earned an
at-large bid and will make her second-straight appearance at the National Indoors. The junior is 4-1 on the fall, including a 6-2, 6-3, win over Alabama’s No. 18 Erin Routliffe. Michaud will face off against Valeria Salazar of Syracuse, while No. 13 Dikosavljevic will open up against No. 31 Jessie Aney (North Carolina). Both matches will begin at 8 a.m. CST. FloTennis will provide exclusive online live streaming coverage of the entire championships, with at least one camera positioned on all nine competition courts. Live scoring will be available online at itatennis.com.
STUDENT AFFAIRS S P OT L I G H T
A C C E P T I N G D O N AT I O N S T H R O U G H N O V. 1 6 ! Help Auburn fight hunger and beat Bama! Donate to the annual Beat Bama Food Drive from now until Nov. 16. This week, join Beat Bama Food Drive and “Break the Bank!" Help raise 100,000 pounds of food for the Food Bank of East Alabama by tomorrow, Nov. 4. BBFD will be on the concourse accepting donations from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more information or to learn how to donate, please visit www.beatbamafooddrive.com.
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Opinion
11
Thursday, November 3, 2016
ThePlainsman.com
Opinion
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The right to ‘selfie’ expression Last week, Justin Timberlake took a selfie in a Memphis polling booth. Under Tennessee law, it was illegal to take that photo. Alabama has a similar rule. According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s website and an opinion issued by the Attorney General in 2000, no photography is permitted inside a polling place. This is because, under Alabama law, “the ballot of every voter shall be kept secret and inviolate.” But if applied to ban “ballot selfies”—photos of the photographer and/or the photographer’s ballot—the rule is unconstitutional. Ballot selfies are a form of political speech. They celebrate and encourage voting, both in general and for particular candidates. And in our social media age, the selfie is a powerful means of self-expression. It makes the message “real,” capturing something that words never could. (Given the popularity of apps like Instagram and Snapchat, this should be an obvious point.) And although the First Amendment protects all speech, political speech should be of special concern. Under the legal “test” that election officials would argue applies, Alabama must demonstrate two things before it can ban ballot selfies. First, it must demonstrate a “significant interest” in the ban. Second, it must establish that the ban is “narrowly tailored” to achieving that interest. Alabama might assert three interests: preserving voter secrecy, preventing voter intimidation, and preventing vote-buying. Abstractly speaking, these are significant concerns. But Alabama cannot simply rattle off interests; it must demonstrate that those interests are actually implicated. It cannot do that here. The interest in secrecy would make sense if people took photos of other voters. It makes no sense when applied to selfies. Likewise, as long as a ballot selfie does not capture another voter’s image, there is no concern about intimidation. Your photograph of your ballot gives me no reason to fear you. There are also no real concerns about vote-buying. Vote-buying rarely happens, but even if it did, the ballot selfie ban probably wouldn’t help prevent it. As Daniel Horwitz noted in the SMU Science and Technology Law Review, ballot selfies do not necessarily depict a submitted ballot; after one snaps the picture, he or she can intentionally “spoil” the ballot and fill out a new one. Even if Alabama can articulate a significant interest in preventing intimidation or vote-buying, a ballot selfie ban is an impermissibly overbroad means of vindicating that interest. Because the state interests are narrow—assuming they exist at all—the rule must also be narrow. The state cannot use a shotgun to kill an ant. There are already laws against voter intimidation and vote-buying, and there is no evidence that those laws are ineffective. Don’t take my word for any of this. In the past year, four federal courts—including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit—have struck down ballot selfie bans. Only one has cast doubt on the ban’s validity, and that court ultimately did not resolve the question and could very well strike down the ban in the future. There is, of course, another side to the argument: voting is different, and laws are rightfully protective of the electoral process. For that reason, one cannot campaign in or near a polling place. But the ballot selfie ban, unlike a ban on electioneering, sweeps in far too much protected conduct to pass muster. The upshot is that ballot selfie bans must go “bye, bye, bye.” The Secretary of State should reflect this on his website and not go after those who take a selfie.
STERLING WAITS / GRAPHICS EDITOR
Vote ‘ yes’ for Amendment One Fall Editorial Board 2016
Auburn University’s Board of Trustees has 14 members. As per the BoT’s By-Laws, “the entire management and control over the activities, affairs, operations, business and property of Auburn University shall be completely and absolutely vested in the Board of Trustees of Auburn University.” Currently, the BoT is composed of 12 white men, one African-American woman and one white woman. The current configuration of Auburn University’s board is not representative of the nation, state or university it’s designed to serve. In Auburn’s BoT’s current form, African-Americans comprise approximately 7 percent of members. In our state, they make up 26 percent of our population and in our nation that number becomes 13 percent. When compared to either of those two measures, our BoT clearly falls far too short in reflecting those it serves. Moreover, there are only two women on the BoT, which amounts to about 14 percent of the members on the BoT representing half of Auburn University, the state of Alabama and the United States’ population. Auburn University is a Land-Grant University, which is a university created to serve our state and nation through instruction, research and extension programs. The Board of Trustees is essentially a council of bosses for a public corporation and instrument of Alabama. The best way to ensure the varying and sundry interests from different groups of
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
It’s not wrong, it’s just different Imagine this: you leave your family, your friends, your home, your country, the food you love and the very culture that raised you to get on a plane and fly across the world to a new country. When you arrive in this new country no one from that country befriends you, invites your over to their house, or shares a meal with you. Isn’t this a sad idea? Unfortunately, this is true for some of the 1,639 international students right here in Auburn, Alabama. These students are lonely; they desire friends and help with English all while learning about American culture. The problem is American students are not taking the time to acknowledge the existence of international students, much less befriend them. International students may not always be culturally aware of what is right or wrong for us, but it is important to realize their actions are not wrong, just different. The number of international students has drastically increased since Auburn Global was first created.
Caleb C. Wolanek is a third-year law student at Harvard Law School and a 2014 graduate of Auburn University.
The Editorial Board Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Claire Tully CAMPUS
Madison Ogletree PHOTO
Dakota Sumpter MANAGING EDITOR
Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY
Anne Dawson SOCIAL MEDIA
Shannon Powell COPY
Emily Shoffit
Parker Aultman MULTIMEDIA
Weston Sims OPINION
Emily Esleck
SPORTS DESIGN
Lily Jackson LIFESTYLE
Submissions
Policy
The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students, as well as faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University.
The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages.
Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on Monday for publication. Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length. Please submit no more than 400 words.
citizens are considered in Auburn University’s management is to let the managers – the board members – accurately reflect the people they are supposed to be serving. Therefore, we support efforts to promote diversity on the Auburn University Board of Trustees. Advancing the interests of our citizens in general is an inherently good thing to do, and specifically, we think furthering diversity on Auburn’s BoT would tend to create more progress with respect to making Auburn a more inclusive campus as a whole, which would attract more diverse students. Having a more diverse student body would lend to greater perspective in classes generally, which would be a net benefit for our students’ minds. One specific way to help create a Board which more accurately reflects the interests its supposed to serve is by passing Amendment One on the upcoming Nov. 8 ballot. This amendment would add two additional at-large members to the board who are intended to enhance diversity. Additionally, the amendment would ensure that no more than three members’ terms could expire in a calendar year, which would prevent large parts of the board from being replaced quickly. We support passing Amendment One on Nov. 8. Furthermore, we implore the BoT’s appointing committee to seriously consider increasing diversity to levels to match the citizens whom the board members are serving.
This editorial is the majority opinion of the Editorial Board and is the official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors. These opinions do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.
Unfortunately, this means the problem of international students not being noticed is increasing. The National Communication Association states that 78 percent of East Asian students have friendship problems because of an internal factor, such as language proficiency or shyness. For example, East Asian students may fear reaching out to Americans because they are afraid their English is not proficient. Additional statistics show that 40 percent of international students have had no close American friends and desire more meaningful interaction with people from America. Research studies continue to confirm the growing disparity of international students looking for inclusion in American culture. We have endless opportunities to impact international students both in the present and future by simply reaching out to them. Surprisingly, statistics suggest that 75 percent of foreign students never set foot inside an American home while in the United States. In other countries hospitality is highly valued, however, we slack in welcoming foreign students
into our own homes. As an Auburn Global Guide, I developed friendships with students from different countries including: Thailand, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, India and many more. I have developed a close friendship with one from Saudi Arabia. One Saturday I had her over to my house and she told me that it was her first time in an American’s home. She could not stop saying thank you and how much it made her day. My friend also shared with me about an experience. She had worn her hijab one day to orientation and the next day she did not have it on. I asked her why? She told me that people downtown had starred at her, so her father allowed her take it off the following day. On the next day she decided not to wear it, she asked a girl for directions to get to campus and a girl offered a ride. My friend said this would not have been the
» See LETTER, 12
Opinion 12
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
CONFLICTING COLUMNISTS
Final thoughts on the 2016 presidential election Emily Hale COLUMNIST
This election is unprecedented and unparalleled to few - if any other - presidential election in American history. One candidate is extremely overqualified to serve as Commander of Chief and the other is overwhelmingly underqualified to step up to the challenges that surround serving as the next president in 2016. It is not an unbreakable rule that one must have prior political or public service experience in order to run for office. Indeed, individuals who have gained experience had to simply just run for the first time at some point. It can be argued that those with more experience are better fitted to serve in their elected role. This is not always the case and depends on perspective, as I initially supported Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton despite Hillary’s list of achievements while in the public sphere being seemingly longer and more note-worthy, and not to mention simply more widely known. There are numerous examples of other characteristics, such as speaking ability, being primary factors in an election rather than a strict resume perspective. I believe that Hillary Clinton not only has more experience but also that her experience has prepared her to serve as one of the best presidents this nation has had. In a literal sense, both candidates are equally qualified to be president: you only must be 35 years of age, a resident of the United States for at least 14 years and a natural born citizen of the United States. The difference lies in, as played out in this election and virtually all of our lifetimes, their life experiences. The Republican Party nominee Donald Trump can speak to several decades living in media spotlight and working in real estate development and various businesses. However, Trump cannot speak to any tangible experience in an elected position or any intimate relation with governmental knowledge and procedures. Hillary served as a U.S. senator from New York, a first lady at the state and federal level, a law professor and also in the federal executive branch as Secretary of State for four years. For instance, she helped champion a bill that
provided health-care for first responders following 9/11 and to secure $21 billion in federal aid for the city. As first lady, she played the primary role in passing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that has insured 8.4 million - many of them low-income - children and garnished widespread bipartisan support. As a secretary of state, she helped negotiate allied support for sanctions on Iran. These cooperative sanctions, enforced by several world powers, are what pressured Iran to negotiate their nuclear weapons capabilities out of existence. SMost notably as a woman, she has pushed for a universal standard of respect for women and the expansion of women’s rights across the globe. However, the focus should not only be on her past. Her current policies provide a progressive and hopeful vision for our government and political climate. Hillary explicitly advocates for minority groups such as people of color in the criminal justice system, those with physical and mental disabilities, veterans, the elderly and women. Campaign finance reform and voting rights are key components of her proposals to keep our voting process fair and accessible. Her support for college affordability is evident in her policies to allow refinancing of student loans and make community college free. A largely ignored but increasingly pertinent issue is the state of our infrastructure; and Hillary plans to repair and expand roads and bridges, connect all Americans to the Internet and expand public transportation. Lastly, overall, Hillary believes in a strong economy that focuses on the wealthiest individuals and entities paying their fair share to operate within and reap the benefits of our governmental and societal institutions and individuals. I support Hillary Clinton for president because of her longstanding and productive three-decade long career in politics and her vision for bring America together and stronger - not further apart. Based on each of these particular examples, Hillary Clinton is qualified and experienced enough to serve as an exceptional American president and has all of the nuanced abilities it calls into use. Not to mention the sheer excitement of electing the first woman president and shattering a major glass ceiling during this process. Emily Hale is the State Federation Chair of the Alabama College Democrats.
Jacob Baker COLUMNIST
Election Day is approaching fast and Donald Trump is shooting up in the polls. Last week polls were showing Trump trailing Hillary Clinton by over 10 percent. However, the latest polls have showed Trump behind by 1 percent or less, with some even showing him leading by up to two points. Trump is now leading in several major battleground states, like Ohio and Florida. This change in polls has been brought about by several different arguments that are currently being popularized on the campaign trial. Many voters are beginning to realize just how corrupt a Clinton administration could really be. With emails coming out showing Clinton hiring people to help her cheat in the debates, her lying about how she let four Americans die at the hands of Islamic terrorists in Benghazi, her ruthless intimidation and suppression of her own husband’s sexual assault victims, and more, nobody can trust Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office. Also, millions have had their minds changed by recent developments in Hillary Clinton’s immense email scandal. For months the Democratic National Committee has tried to quench the fire that was started by the many scandals from Hillary Clinton’s past, and just as that fire seemed to finally be going out, it was reignited by the FBI reopening the investigation into Clinton’s vast email mishap. New emails that are being found from CNN contributor, Donna Brazile, show that Hillary Clinton has cheated in at least two of the three Presidential Debates, by being fed questions ahead of the debate. This level of corruption is convincing many Hillary supporters to vote Trump instead. Trump’s increase in the polls is also from the open enrollment for Obamacare. Many voters are beginning to see that Trump’s plan to ‘repeal and replace’ Obamacare is a very necessary act if the U.S. is going to continue to supply easy access to healthcare. The Affordable Care Act has just seen premiums jump up to rates 22 percent, and even 70
percent in some states. Thousands are complaining that their deductibles have quadrupled, that they’ve lost the doctors they were promised they could keep, and that their prices have increased by almost double. This is the system that Hillary Clinton has vowed to defend. Donald Trump is now using this as a key rallying point in all of his stops on the campaign trail, pointing out that his plan is going to allow access to more insurance companies across state lines, and create healthcare plans tailored to the patient. Trump is also attacking Clinton-supported laws that have created a job loss in the United States. Trump was sure to note that Michigan has had thousands of workers laid off due to the ease of access to cheap labor just south of our border. Trump continues to say that NAFTA alone has resulted in over 120,000 hard working Americans being laid off in Michigan. One of Trump’s main platforms is bringing jobs back to the United States, and his ideas for tariffs are the obvious solution for the problem. Not only does Trump’s plan offer a solution to our loss of jobs, but Hillary’s trade plans have already lead to massive losses in the U.S. economy. Since Hillary became secretary of state, our trade deficit with China has grown by 40 percent. Also, Hillary’s trade deal with South Korea resulted in another 100,000 jobs being lost. The Trump campaign has brought a whole new flavor of politics to the election process. As an outsider, Trump has presented plans that are straight forward and blunt, using fundamental economics and common sense. Millions of people are supporting Trump because they are sick of corrupt government and lying politicians. Many more are starting to support Trump due to the overwhelming evidence that his opposition is not a trustworthy candidate. Dedicated Clinton supporters all over the nation are now second-guessing their presidential nominee, and with game-changing swing states hanging in the balance, the exodus from blue to red just might spell defeat for Hillary Clinton. Jacob Baker is a freshman in fisheries science. He is a member of the College Republicans.
COLUMN
Want to share your thoughts on the election? Send a letter to opinion@theplainsman.com.
Don’t forget to vote Nov. 8! LETTER » From 11
case if she had her hijab on. My friend had to take away part of her religion and culture because she felt like she stood out too much and was embarrassed. She truly wants to be accepted, loved and invited by Americans and more importantly the Auburn Family. However, this problem of mono-culturalism has viable solutions. At Auburn University we have the International Buddy Program (IBP) where American students are paired with international students to become friends and go to events together. It is very easy to get connected by messaging IBP on their Facebook page or on AU Involve. I have made many friendships through this program and I have heard many stories about the
development of friendships through this organization. There are many international events to attend. Learn about cultures and make friends. A few organizations are the International Student Organization, Muslim Student Association, and the Indian Student Association. On Fridays there is an event called International Social Hour where a specific country is the focus. Members from this country come to eat traditional food and share about their culture. I challenge you to get involved with people of different cultures around you. I also challenge you to attend an international event to broaden your perspective. Be interested in the people around you. Amanda Howard is a junior majoring in social work.
Discern for yourself Brytni Emison COLUMNIST
America has the seventh highest literacy rate in the world, but you wouldn’t think so if you logged onto Facebook. With what most people are posting on social media about this election you would think, or at least hope, they aren’t reading any of the articles they are copying and pasting to their timelines. My 12-week-old puppy could stomp on my keyboard for 10 minutes and produce a more articulate argument about why someone’s favorite candidate deserves the presidency. But what is the root cause of this partisan garble? Voters are uninformed. Fair, balanced and world news networks are leaning increasingly partisan. As the presidential campaign buses make their last stops the candidates scramble to pick up any points they can. Spreading lies and conspiracy theories, basing their platforms on defaming one another, and the media takes these lies and spreads them to their mass viewership . The race is getting closer by the hour. Each vote is going to count, which is why an informed vote is of the utmost importance in this presidential election. Both candidates have their fair share of controversy
and shortcomings. But, as a voter it is time for you to step up and realize the importance of discerning truth from conspiracy. Discern what is posed rhetoric fed to the public, carefully worded to appeal to the masses, and what is a candidate’s true stance on an issue. As a voter it is your job to vet these candidates. Who is more qualified to lead this nation? Not just domestically, but in a manner that protects us from foreign enemies. Who is protecting this nation’s values more accurately? Protecting the “great American melting pot” and the freedoms each American enjoys within her borders. Whose economic policy is based on helping the majority of Americans? Helping the nation’s economy, not adding to our national debt. Voting on party lines cannot be the way of this election. Partisanship must be left at home, not brought into your local polling place. Research must be done, and news must be read en masse. You can’t believe every piece of liberally swayed news reports on MSNBC, or the fear-mongering rhetoric propagated by Tomi Lahren. Instead find reputable, non-partisan affiliated fact checking sources. Politifact.com rates the truth of statements made from politicians, news sources and government agencies from around the country. To read the full version of this column, visit ThePlainsman.com.
Lifestyle
13
Thursday, November 3, 2016
ThePlainsman.com
One-stop-shop restaurant review
Intrigue
A review of Auburn’s most popular coffee shops for students and locals tions. A great thing about Coffee Cat is the spacious setting that allows for occasional events to be held in the shop. I’ve attended literary open mic nights as well as an acoustic showcase of local singer/songwriters. Both were successful with a decent turnout of people and a fun environment to drink coffee and enjoy good company. Parking is probably the best of all the coffee shops in Auburn because of its proximity to downtown Auburn. There are spots along Tichenor Avenue, where the shop is located, and there are numerous locations within an easily walked distance such as the parking deck on North Gay Street or the parking spots lining South College Street and West Magnolia Avenue. As a whole, Coffee Cat is a great place to go with a group to get some good coffee and study or to attend an event to support local artists. I give Coffee Cat an 8/10. Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
Jessica Ballard LIFESTYLE WRITER
For most college students and 20 year olds coffee is not only a daily staple but almost as vital as a beating heart. Espresso fueled all-night study sessions are inevitable at some point in the semester. Finals week, for most, would be unbearable without coffee there to revive them. The entrepreneurs of Auburn, certainly noticed this demand and have since supplied. There are four major coffee shops closely surrounding Auburn’s campus: Prevail Union, The Bean, Coffee Cat and Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium. They all have their own personalities and distinct qualities that make them fun environments to go to and get your caffeine fix. Prevail Union Prevail Union is a popular coffee shop option among Auburn students because of its incredibly convenient location. Located right on South College Street directly across from Samford and Langdon halls, Prevail is a great stop for friends while strolling around downtown. Its location is probably Prevail’s biggest advantage
over the other coffee shops in Auburn. The coffee is well made and the selection is relatively vast. The baristas are pleasant. There’s a bar that customers can sit at that surrounds the barista bar where the coffee is made. I’m always perplexed by the foam art on top of my latte, so sometimes it’s fun to sit at the bar and watch them make the drink. The interior of Prevail has a homey vibe. It’s much more rustic looking than any of the other coffee shops. It’s barista bar is lined with wood panels, the furniture is all brown and monochromatic tones and there is even a bull skull as decoration on the wall. There were also paintings by the artist Sarah Pittman throughout the store for sale that added to the visually pleasing component of the store.As for atmosphere, the shop definitely has a cozy feel to it. Although the coziness is nice, the lack of space is a down side. It’s central location and limited seating makes it difficult to ever find a place to sit unless it’s just a slow time of day. This makes it a great place to pop in and get a coffee to go. I give Prevail a 7/10. The Bean The Bean is a medium sized shop on South Gay Street. The atmosphere is much more simple and the decor is vintage. Imagine all the old furniture that your grandmother bought in the ‘70s to match her shag car-
pets and that’s pretty much what The Bean looks like − in the best way possible. If you prefer a quieter setting when studying but don’t want the pressure of the fourth floor of the library and need your coffee fix, The Bean is a great option. It usually isn’t crowded and the people in The Bean are typically much quieter than those that frequent other coffee shops. If I’m being honest the main draw to The Bean is not the coffee or the ambiance; it’s definitely the desserts. They sell a wide variety of desserts including chocolate peanut butter pie, earthquake cake, and my personal favorite, the gelato. The gelato is by far the most rewarding part of the entire Bean experience. I give The Bean a 5/10. I give their gelato a 10/10. Coffee Cat Coffee Cat is a great option for a group study session. It typically has a couple of different groups of people studying or doing a group project. The aesthetic of the shop is interesting with some really well done large spray painted art pieces and some white Christmas lights lining the ceiling. There are some cheesy inspirational quotes written on the windows. Even the floor looks aesthetically pleasing with a mandala type design painted on it. The coffee is certainly above average. It’s in no way sub-par Starbucks coffee. It tastes good and it gets the job done as far as the energy boost that most mornings require. The baristas are friendly and willing to help if you have any ques-
Mama Mocha’s stands out from the other coffee shops in Auburn. It’s laid-back feeling and artistic qualities characterize its atmosphere. Eccentric posters and odd trinkets line the walls. There are small nooks of couches and chairs for groups of people to gather and chat. There are large and small tables to enjoy your coffee alone or to accommodate a bigger group. A huge contributor to the great atmosphere is the noticeable effort the staff makes to make all kinds of people feel welcome. Their coffee is without a doubt the best I have found in Auburn. They offer a large selection including everything from a basic vanilla latte to Ethiopian, Brazilian, and Guatemalan coffee beans. In addition to the coffee, they also sell a variety of other products, some coffee related and some not. They sell small snacks such as muffins and vegan cookies. They occasionally partner with local artists’to help sell their work. I’ve seen candles, mugs, and even a pop-up crystal shop in Mama Mocha’s. The only downside to Mama Mocha’s is the limited parking. There are parking spaces directly in front of the shop but they fill up quickly. There are some additional places on Reese Avenue, which intersects Gay Street on the other side of the church. There’s a parking lot near the shop with a few spots available from 8-11 a.m., but the bulk of the spots are reserved for either the church or Amsterdam Café. However, Mama Mocha’s has announced that they are currently working to figure out more parking for their customers. I give Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium an 8.5/10.
Cooking with Anne: fancy fried rice DIRECTIONS FOR FRIED RICE: Anne Dawson ONLINE EDITOR
One of my favorite things to make after a long, hard day is classic fried rice. The best part about fried rice is that you can do just about anything with it that you want. You can add any veggie, you can take anything out. I’m about to give you a 2-for-1 deal right here and share with you my favorite fried rice recipe, as well as my favorite cauliflower fried rice recipe. Both taste amazing, and can be prepared in less than 20 minutes. The cauliflower rice is fun because there are several ways you can do it. If you’re lazy like me, you can buy pre-made cauliflower rice from your local Trader Joe’s. But, if you want to make your own, you can totally do that too— you just need a food processor with a grater. Both of these recipes feed two (or one hungry college student) so they work great for date nights and meal prepping.
INGREDIENTS FOR FRIED RICE:
2 packs minute white or brown rice 1 large head broccoli 1 cup carrots 3 eggs 1-2 tbsp olive oil 2-3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
INGREDIENTS FOR CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE: 1 package cauliflower rice (sold at Trader Joe’s) OR 1 large head of cauliflower 1 large head broccoli 1 cup carrots 3 eggs 1-2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp sesame oil (optional) 2-3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp salt 2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Stick the packs of rice in a microwave-safe bowl with the appropriate amount of water (the box will tell you) for 5-6 minutes until cooked. While the rice is cooking, heat the oil on high heat. After about 45 seconds add the carrots and broccoli and lower heat to medium. Cook until broccoli is dark and carrots are soft. Push the vegetables to the side and scramble the eggs on the center. Mix vegetables and eggs together on the pan. Turn heat to low, add the rice and mix all together. Evenly pour soy sauce over the rice. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Stir evenly.
DIRECTIONS FOR CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE: If you’re using pre-packaged cauliflower rice, put in a microwave-safe bowl with the appropriate amount of water (the package will tell you) and cook according to directions. If you’re making your own cauliflower rice, take the head of cauliflower and cut the stem off. Chop into florets. One at a time, stick the florets into the food processor and grate until the whole head is processed into small pieces like rice. Cook on the stove for 5-6 minutes with sesame oil (or regular oil). Season with salt and garlic powder. While the cauliflower rice is cooking, heat the oil on a separate pan on high heat. After about 45 seconds add the carrots and broccoli and lower heat to medium. Cook until broccoli is dark and carrots are soft. Push the vegetables to the side and scramble the eggs on the center. Mix vegetables and eggs together on the pan.Turn heat to low, add the cauliflower rice and mix all together. Evenly pour soy sauce over the rice. Sprinkle more salt, more garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Stir evenly. No matter how you cook this meal, I guarantee you’ll love it. Try it my way and then try putting your own spin on it.
Lifestyle 14
Thursday, November 3, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
THIS WEEK
Everything you need to know about the next seven days
MONDAY
TUESDAY
November 7, 2016
November 8, 2016
COMMUNITY EVENTS
NIGHTLIFE WHAT: Barolympics WHERE: Quixote’s
WHAT: $.50 Wings and $1 Budweiser Draft WHEN: 7 p.m. and 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que
WHAT: $2 Wells, 15 percent Off Service Industry WHERE: Auburn Draft House
WHAT: Bingo WHEN: 9 p.m. WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que
CAMPUS EVENTS
WHAT: Shop the Tracks Spirit of Thanksgiving WHEN: 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Bottling Plant Event Center, Opelika
WHAT: Interpretation of Native Americans at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park WHEN: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. WHERE: Student Center 2222 COMMUNITY EVENTS WHAT: Discovery Hike: White-tailed Deer WHEN: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Kreher Preserve & Nature Center NIGHTLIFE WHAT: $5 Wine Night WHEN: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que WHAT: Cornhole Tournament WHEN: 7 p.m. WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que WHAT: Karaoke with “Jen” WHERE: SkyBar Cafe WHEN: Open at 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
November 9, 2016
November 3, 2016
CAMPUS EVENTS
CAMPUS EVENTS
WHAT: Curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi to Present Stern Lecture WHEN: 5 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. WHERE: Biggin Hall 005
WHAT: “Before the Flood” Film Screening WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: Langdon Hall
NIGHTLIFE
WHAT: FILM@JCSM: The Artists of Camera Lucida WHEN: 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Jule Collins Smith Museum
WHAT: $1 Wells, $1 Beer, Trivia with DJ Sophie WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: SkyBar Cafe
WHAT: War Damn Coffee Jam WHEN: 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. WHERE: Haley Center Concourse
WHAT: $.50 Cans of Natural and Busch Light WHEN: All Day WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que WHAT: $5 320z Wells WHERE: Quixote’s MUSIC
WHAT: Southeastern Raptor Tour WHEN: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. WHERE: Southeastern Raptor Center
MUSIC
COMMUNITY EVENTS
WHAT: ELEL. WHERE: Red Clay Brewery
WHAT: Signature Chef’s Auction WHEN: 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Auburn University Hotel & Dixon Conference Center
NIGHTLIFE
WHAT: AUServes Community Partner Training WHEN: 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Auburn Chamber of Commerce
WHAT: Ben Bruud WHERE: Quixote’s
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
November 4, 2016 CAMPUS EVENTS
MUSIC
November 5, 2016
NIGHTLIFE
WHAT: The Park Band WHAT: This Is Auburn Speaker Series: WHERE: On the main stage in SkyBar Cafe Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess WHEN: 3 p.m. WHAT: Tim Tyler WHERE: Auburn Alumni Center Goodwin Room WHERE: In the Skybar at SkyBar Cafe WHAT: Football, Fans and Feathers WHEN: 4 p.m. WHAT: Tokyo Rosenthal in concert at Sundilla WHERE: Southeastern Raptor Center WHEN: 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship WHAT: My Truth Israeli Soldiers WHEN: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. WHAT: Tribute Show - Elvis & Friends WHERE: Student Center 2310 WHEN: 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Clarion Hotel Ballroom WHAT: Nepal Themed Social Hour WHEN: 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. WHERE: Student Center 2222 and 2223
WHAT: $3 Top Shelf Wells, $1.50 Beer, Draft & Daiquiri Specials WHEN: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: SkyBar Cafe WHAT: $3 Bushwhackers WHEN: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que
WHAT: This Is Auburn Speaker Series: Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess WHEN: 3 p.m. WHERE: Auburn Alumni Center Goodwin Room
WHAT: Football vs Vanderbilt WHEN: 11 a.m. WHERE: Jordan-Hare Stadium
WHAT: Football, Fans and Feathers WHEN: 4 p.m. WHERE: Southeastern Raptor Center WHAT: My Truth Israeli Soldiers WHEN: 1-3 p.m. WHERE: Student Center 2310
WHAT: Jobe Fortner WHERE: Bourbon Street Bar WHAT: Trotline WHERE: On the Main Stage at SkyBar Cafe
WHAT: Volleyball vs. Kentucky WHEN: 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Auburn Arena
WHAT: Ty Reynolds WHERE: In the Skybar at SkyBar Cafe
WHAT: Men’s Basketball vs. Montevallo WHEN: 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Auburn Arena
WHAT: Volleyball vs Ole Miss WHEN: 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Auburn Arena
SPORTS
MUSIC
WHAT: Swimming and Diving vs. Alabama WHEN: 1 p.m. WHERE: James E. Martin Aquatic Center
SPORTS
CAMPUS EVENTS
WHAT: Nepal Themed Social Hour WHEN: 4-5 p.m. WHERE: Student Center 2222 and 2223
SPORTS
WHAT: $3 Top Shelf Wells, $1.50 Beer, Draft & Daiquiri Specials, No Cover WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: SkyBar Cafe
WHAT: Ben Bruud WHERE: Quixote’s
SUNDAY November 6, 2016 NIGHTLIFE WHAT: $1 Mimosas, $5 Bloody Mary’s WHERE: Auburn Draft House
Submit events to our online COMMUNITY EVENTS WHAT: 14th Annual 5K Trail Run, Tot Trot and Sunday Stroll WHEN: 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Forest Ecology Preserve
calendar at ThePlainsman.com/calendar
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Lifestyle 15
The Auburn Plainsman
Musician spotlight Q&A: Lady Legs Alex Wilkerson COLUMNIST
ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A game day at Ole Miss Steven Roberts (14) jumps into the stands to celebrate with fans at the Ole Miss game.
Catie Sergis
LIFESTYLE WRITER
Last Saturday, The Grove at Ole Miss definitely lived up to its reputation. This 10-acre lot normally lined with trees, was instead transformed into a social gathering filled with 2,500 tents. This is a weekend affair. While Auburn fans have consistently tailgated throughout the many game days, Ole Miss fans have taken game day to another level, many believe. The weekend begins on Friday night when fans “rush The Grove” to claim their spot for the following day. Sirens blare at 8 p.m. and people run to their preferred spot in The Grove. Some people even make money off of this job, charging 10 dollars per hour to save a spot for tents. Students and fans say they have perfected tailgating by assigning specific tasks to each person. “I’m a member of two tents, and there’s a lot of effort put into them by the parents,” said Gabby Turnbough, a freshman at Ole Miss. “One parent is on food, one’s on drinks, and the others are in charge of making sure the tent looks cute.” While this type of tailgating is also common at Auburn, the decorations at each tent is unlike other schools. Tents are filled with chandeliers and food is served on silver platters. Live bands are hired to entertain fans. “A ton of effort is put in each week, and yet Ole Miss fans still invite everyone and anyone into their tent for a good time, no matter what team you’re
pulling for,” Turnbough said. Just like Toomer’s Oaks, The Grove is cleaned by Sunday morning and is ready to go for the next weekend. There is something to be said about the difference between Auburn and Ole Miss fans. “I think Auburn fans are more interested in the outcome of the game,” said Corrine Darwin, sophomore in journalism. “Ole Miss fans don’t seem as invested in winning.” Turnbough agrees that winning isn’t everything at her school. “No matter if Ole Miss wins or loses everyone still has a great attitude and has a lot of fun,” Turnbough said. “It’s more about the community here than winning or losing.” Though The Grove was a sight to see, Darwin believes Auburn on game day is still the best place to be. “The Grove was a fun place to see, but I still think a game day at Auburn is unlike any other,” Darwin said. The Ole Miss student section is also something Auburn fans were not used to. “Ole Miss fans seem a little less involved in the game,” said a freshman studying pre-interior design. “At Auburn games we stand up the whole time and say lots of cheers, but Ole Miss fans don’t.” In the end, the game day experience is everything it needs to be for those that call that certain school home.
My name is Alex Wilkerson and I just recently begin playing music in the Auburn area. In the last couple of months I have discovered the Opelika and Auburn music scene and I believe the musicians and venues found in the area are truly special and worthy of admiration. My hope is that with this column I can feature artists and bands for readers who may not be aware of the unique sounds coming from The Plains. This week I sat down with Shady Glenn regulars Lady Legs. Lady Legs is a four piece indie rock/surf band formed while the members attended the University back in 2014. The band was recently signed to the Birmingham based record label Communicating Vessels. Band members include John Sims on lead vocals and guitar, Seth Brown on bass guitar and vocals, Grant Galtney on guitar and vocals, and Ellis Bernstein on drums. Here Sims and Brown discuss their experiences performing in the area, how they got their start, and their plans for the future. Q: Where is everyone in the band from originally? B: I’m from Opelika, John, Grant, and Ellis are from Birmingham. Q: How did everyone meet? S: I met Seth at 8th and Rail, at some music event. B: It was a battle of the bands, we were in two different bands. S: Yeah, and then we started playing music together and I decided this was a guy I’d want to work with. And then me and Grant kind of started Lady Legs together, but we needed more sounds so we got Seth to play bass guitar, and Ellis came to Auburn just randomly after going to Indiana. I had played drums with him in high school. It was just the right place at the right time.
Q: And when did the band really start performing publicly in the area? S: It really started at Shady Glenn in Auburn, playing house shows and stuff. Then we started playing a lot of shows as soon as John Emerald and Red Clay opened up. Those were kind of our introduction to the Opelika area. But it really started at Shady Glenn, the house shows, we got a positive reaction, so we kept doing it. Q: Would you say you prefer house shows? S: House shows are great because of the energy and no one [cares], and people crowd surf and stuff. But it’s nice to get paid. And it’s nice to play with professional sound equipment. Q: What would you say is your favorite music venue in the area? B: I would say if we’re going to get paid, if we need to get paid, or if we have someone coming out of town that wants to play at a legitimate venue, and they need to get paid, we definitely recommend John Emerald, it’s a really comfortable environment. S: And Rich [Patton, owner of Cottonseed Studios] is a great guy, he’s got the connections and he’ll treat you right and promote it the right way. Q: Was it always the plan to move to Birmingham or is that a new development? S: Well I had already heard about Communicating Vessels and in the back of my mind I thought that if Lady Legs didn’t work out, I’d want to record there. It just kind of fell in our laps, we did Secret Stages and the owner of Communicating Vessels approached us and said ‘Hey I need to record your album,’ and we were like yes! We were on the verge of breaking up and going our separate ways but I really think that record deal kept the band together. Q: As a band do you guys have a goal of hitting the big time? B: I think it’s kind of discouraging that there isn’t a lot of money in music unless you’re big and I would love to be able to pay my bills playing music, that’s ideal. Obviously money is a necessity but I’m more happy to get my music heard. I don’t get excited every time we get a check, I’m more excited about meeting new people and making music for people in new places, to really experience the more wholesome side of the music scene. S: It’s about doing it for the right reason for sure.
Lifestyle 16
The Auburn Plainsman
The start of something stylish Sarah Partain LIFESTYLE WRITER
My name is Sarah Partain, and I am an artist. I am a student. I am a photographer. I am a creator. To me, fashion is one of the most interesting, expansive and unique art forms. Clothing has the ability to characterize an individual. An outfit has the ability to speak directly to an audience. The right pair of shoes can supposedly change a girl’s (or guy’s) life. With this reocurring column, I hope to bring a bit of the fashion world to Auburn. Online shopping is basically my life and I’m obsessed with the Hadid sisters. Working for Vogue is the #dream. As a public relations major and studio art minor, I am deeply passionate about expressing myself through creative ventures. Clothing is one of my favorite outlets to communicate my moods, emotions and general vibes for the day. I would describe my style as high-fashion meets streetwear meets classy. I’m literally in love with the current ‘90s grunge minimalism mixed with
modern pieces. I believe in a statement shoe and clothing that lets it speak. Because I am a photographer and artist, I see clothing through the work that I know was put into each piece. I see the designer, the sketches and the seamstress. I hope to bring these perspectives to this column and create a panel for the appreciation of fashion. I plan to discuss the latest fads, what trends I absolutely despise and which ones I adore. I’ll give shopping tips and advice on copying runway styles from an everyday wardrobe. I want to write about everything from makeup to men’s fashion. Sometimes in Auburn it feels like we have to dress a specific way to fit a specific mold. I’m here to break those stereotypes: I want to experiment and be adventurous. I want to push the boundaries and leave my comfort zone. Boys can wear outfits other than khaki shorts and polo shirts. School attire can exist outside the realm of Chacos and oversized t-shirts (though I nearly always fall into this category for class). With this column, I want to challenge Auburn to express itself. One of the best ways to do so is through the ever-changing world of fashion.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
PLAINSMAN PICKS PLAYLIST: this week , the plainsman editors chose their favorite drought songs . listen to their picks and follow the auburn plainsman at spotify . com / the _ auburnplainsman .
“Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival Corey Williams, editor-in-chief “I forgot what rain looks like.”
“Raining Blood” by Slayer Dakota Sumpter, managing editor “With this drought I’ll take any kind of rain.”
“Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks Emily Shoffit, sports editor “And the lightning strikes.”
“Harder To Breathe” by Maroon 5 Anne Dawson, social media editor “90 degrees makes it harder to breathe.”
“Monster” by Kanye West Weston Sims, opinion editor “It reminds me of better days.”
Auburn dog of the week
CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH PARTAIN
Sarah Partain, fashion columist, writes, wears and photographs style.
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
Otis Bentley walks down Haley Concourse on Friday, Oct. 28, 2016 in Auburn.