The Auburn Plainsman 2.2.17

Special Black History Month section and SGA Election coverage inside

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

Thursday, February 2, 2017 Vol. 124, Issue 19, 16 Pages

First copy is free. Additional copies 50 cents per issue.

CAMPUS

DAKOTA SUMPTER / MANAGING EDITOR

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

VIA WIKIPEDIA

CONTRIBUTED BY AMANY ELMOGAHZY

Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara, an Iranian graduate student in industrial systems and engineering, moved to the U.S. in 2012.

Sahar Moghadam, senior in microbial biology, was born in Iran. Moghadam was raised in the U.S., but her grandparents are still overseas.

A student from Iran has asked The Plainsman not to disclose any information that might reveal his identity. He is worried about his and his loved ones’ safety.

Amany Elmogahzy, graduate student in communications, is Egyptian. Egypt is not one of the countries affected by the order, but Elmogahzy is concerned her home country could be next.

Close to home

International students reflect on how Trump’s executive order has affected them Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, Jan. 27, that restricts immigration from seven Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — suspends all refugee admission for 120 days and bars all Syrian refugees indefinitely. On Monday, Jan. 29, University President Jay Gogue and Provost Timothy Boosinger released a statement to students recommending that students, faculty, staff or dependents who might be affected by Trump’s order refrain from travel outside the U.S. until further notice as “you may be denied reentry into the country.”

“Auburn is an international university,” the statement reads. “Students, faculty and staff from all backgrounds strengthen our campus, and we remain committed to fostering an environment that upholds our values of inclusion and diversity.”

Auburn currently has 49 students from the affected countries.

“We are not aware of any students who are currently traveling and/or being detained or denied re-entry,” said Jennifer Mason, director of international initiatives for the Office of International Programs. “Our immigration advisors are closely monitoring the situation and are a student’s best resource for up-to-date information on any immigration-related question.”

The Plainsman spoke to four students whose lives have been changed by the order.

Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara wasn’t surprised when President Trump announced his executive order on immigration this week. He was saddened, sure, but not surprised.

“I expected it,” Dolatsara, graduate student in industrial systems and engineering, said.

“He said he was going to do it, and he did it.”

Dolatsara moved to Michigan from Iran in 2012. There, he completed his master’s degree in civil engineering.

He moved to Auburn two years later for “the sweet tea and the Ph.D program” – in no particular order.

His parents, sisters and brothers live in Iran. Until last week, they were toying with the idea of visiting their son in the U.S. “They had a plan, but I’m not sure they do anymore,” Dolatsara said with a laugh.

There’s not long before he graduates, so there’s not much time for Dolatsara to focus on politics.

It gets lonely sometimes, with just his research, and he’d like a visit from his family.

He knows that’s impossible now.

“I don’t want them to worry,” Dolatsara

said. “I tell them I’m very busy, so it’s probably best if they don’t come anyway.”

Through it all, Dolatsara is hopeful.

“I know we will soon see a day where America will be great again – by hard work, by innovation and by kindness. Not by breaking people’s hearts.”

Sahar Moghadam Sahar Moghadam and her mother left Iran for the U.S. when she was five years old.

Her grandparents were planning to visit Auburn soon, Moghadam said. They want to see the University their granddaughter loves so much.

“That’s been the hardest thing to grapple with,” Moghadam said. “I haven’t seen them in years, and now I don’t know when I’m going to be able to see them again.”

Moghadam, senior in microbiology, said it took her a few days to fully grasp the severity of the executive order.

“You know how you’re used to hearing so many news stories a day? Most of them are somewhere else in the world and don’t affect you,” Moghadam said. “After a few days

SPORTS

$28 million facility planned for Jordan-Hare

SPORTS EDITOR

Auburn University is planning to build a new $28 million facility that will renovate the home locker room and recruiting space in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The new 44,000-square-foot facility will be built in tthe southwest corner of the stadium, where the new video board is located.

Anonymous student He got to know his fiancé the way many people do – online. They flirted a bit through social media, but their relationship quickly became serious.

Soon, they were deeply in love. The couple decided to marry after their families met and approved of the union.

The wedding plans were set in motion:

» See HOME, 2

CAMPUS

RENDERING VIA AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Jack Winchester

I thought, ‘This affects me.’ Then I realized, ‘Wait a minute – this is about me.”

Moghadam is in a strange spot: she’s Iranian but was raised as an American. In some ways, she’s stuck between two worlds.

“Because I was raised in America, I don’t really feel like an outsider,” Moghadam said.

“I know I don’t feel the way students coming directly from Iran feel. I still feel some tension, especially when I hear people talk about certain policies. They talk about these things like they don’t apply to anybody they know.

It affects me, though. That’s what I wish people knew.”

The new facility will also include a recruiting space for Olympic sports including football, a new club space for fans and a new press box for media members.

The project will begin in May, if it's approved by Auburn’s board of trustees at a Feb. 3 meeting. The cost of the project will be paid for by Auburn University Athletics Department funds.

$100K in one day DAKOTA SUMPTER / MANAGING EDITOR

Students dance during AUDM’s event last year. The organization raised $424,617.01in 2016.

Claire Tully CAMPUS EDITOR

During Auburn University Dance Marathon’s “Fundraise the Roof” event on Jan. 27, the organization pushed to try and raise $100,000 in one day.

When the 24 hours ended, they reached and exceeded their

goal by raising $100,635.49.

AUDM took to their Facebook to announce the success of “Fundraise the Roof” and thank those who donated.

“WOW. We are absolutely blown away by everyone’s passion and support for our cause during Fundraise the Roof! A

special thank you to Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores sponsoring this incredible fundraising push. Thank you for your donations and constant encouragement! We got this. #1Day100k #LoveForTheKids.”

» See AUDM, 2

News 2

HOME » From 1

he would resume his studies in Alabama and she would fly to the U.S. a few weeks later. They were going to wed in Auburn.

The president’s executive order brought their upcoming nuptials to a screeching halt.

“My love is somewhere, and I am here,” he said through a translator. “I am very depressed. She is very depressed.”

Time will tell what’s next for the couple.

They might move back to Iran. Or, they could pack up and head to Canada.

Canadians are welcoming Iranians with open arms, he said.

For now, all they can do is wait.

Amany Elmogahzy Amany Elmogahzy, graduate student in

“

I know we will soon see a day where America will be great again — by hard work, by innovation and by kindness. Not by breaking people’s hearts.”

—Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara

GRADUATE STUDENT

communications, is Egyptian. Egypt is not one of the seven countries affected by the order, but Elmogahzy fears her home country could be targeted next.

“Whether or not you have a green card status, a visa or if you are a citi-

zen, there is a fear that’s starting to appear in the Muslim community,” Elmogahzy said. “It’s only those seven countries right now, but who knows, tomorrow Egypt could be added to that list. That could affect me being able to see my family.”

She’s most concerned, however, about the ban’s possible repercussions right here on U.S. soil.

“After you see these executive orders get passed, there are retaliations against Muslim-Americans,” Elmogahzy said.

“In Texas, a mosque was just set on fire.”

Elmogahzy also pointed out the recent terror attack at a mosque in Quebec – a Trump supporter is suspected of killing six people and injuring eight.

“This affects us,” Elmogahzy said.

“I could be killed in my place of worship.”

*Editor’s note: The Plainsman adheres to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. We believe the public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability. However, considering the current contentious political climate in the U.S., this student fears for his safety and that of his fiance. Because of his concerns, we honored his request.

AUDM » From 1

AUDM President Sydney Nicholas said people doubted AUDM would be able to reach their goal of raising $100,000 in a single day.

“Many times we were told that $100,000 in the course of a single day was impossible, but we truly knew that the Auburn Family would rise to the challenge in order to serve our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital,” Nicholas said. “I am so incredibly

proud of our staff and participants for all of their passion and that they are one step closer to raising the $2 million that we have pledged to our hospital over the next five years for a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”

This year the organization has decided to raise their overall fundraising goal, Nicholas said.

“AUDM works year-round to raise funds to make the lives of our miracle kids and thousands of other kids we may never meet a little bit happier and healthier,” Nicholas said.

“This year, we have had the goal of raising half a million dollars by AUDM 2017.”

Nicholas said AUDM is excited for the main event later this month.

“We are truly looking forward to Feb. 11 when we will reveal our final total,” Nicholas said.

Last year the organization raised $424,617. 01 and, according to their website, they have a goal of reaching $500,000 this year.

AUDM’s main event this year will be on Saturday, Feb. 11.

CAMPUS

College of Engineering to break ground on $40 million achievement center Staff report

The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will break ground on a $40 million student achievement center on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m.

The Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center will be made to ensure "the highest level of hands-on experiences and academic support" for University engineering students, according to a release from the college.

Site preparation for the project began in December with the demolition of the Engineering Shops and L Building. Construction is anticipated to be completed by spring 2019. This proj-

ect will mark the completion of more than $60 million in new construction and renovation on the engineering campus.

Construction is made possible through a $30 million gift from John and Rosemary Brown, which was announced as part of an overall $57 million gift – the largest in university history – in 2015 at the Because This is Auburn — A Campaign for Auburn University kickoff event, the release states.

“John and Rosemary’s transformational gift will enable the college to construct a facility capable of significantly transforming the personal and professional suc-

cesses of tomorrow’s Auburn engineers by providing students with the highest level of hands-on experiences and academic support throughout their college experience,” said Chris Roberts, dean of engineering. “Redefining engineering education in a changing world and training engineers inside and outside the classroom is a vital part of our vision. This facility will enable the college to build the infrastructure to make this a reality.”

Plans for the first floor of the building include a design and innovation center, consisting of student maker spaces, laboratories, shops, project incuba-

CAMPUS CRIME LOG Date Reported

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

tors, study rooms, flexible classrooms, computer labs and more, while also serving as the home for engineering student organizations.

The second floor will house a tutoring and learning center, academic advising center, student recruitment center, professional development and corporate relations center, the Alabama Power Academic Excellence Program and offices for support staff. The third floor will incorporate spacious student study areas with large- and small-group study rooms, along with boardrooms, conference rooms and auditoriums all outfitted with the latest smart technologies.

This week in review Your weekly roundup for state, national and international news State • (AL.com) Lawmakers this week heard broad goals for improvement from K-12 and community college officials at budget hearings in Montgomery, but little about how much money it would take to reach those goals.

Alabama K-12 superintendent Michael Sentance told lawmakers “we’re very far from where we need to be,” and acknowledged no strategic plan exists to improve student achievement.

• (AL.com) The number of reported black bear sightings in Alabama doubled from 2014 to 2015 and then increased by another 50 percent in 2016, with about 150 sightings reported to the department that year, said Thomas Harms, a wildlife biologist who coordinates the ADCNR’s large carnivore efforts dealing with bears and cougars.

• (ABC 33/40) The Birmingham City Council has unanimously passed a sanctuary city resolution. The council’s resolution is a policy position, not a law, and does not compel Birmingham police to disobey state or federal law.

National • (Associated Press) President Donald Trump on Monday fired Sally Yates, the acting attorney general and a Democratic appointee, after she refused to defend in court his controversial refugee and immigration ban. In a statement, Trump said Yates had “betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States.”

He named longtime federal prosecutor Dana Boente as Yates’ replacement.

• (NPR) President Trump has selected federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill a Supreme Court seat that has sat vacant for nearly a year, setting up a blockbuster confirmation hearing that could put the new White House’s domestic political agenda on trial in the U.S. Senate.

• (CNN) Trump told executives from companies such as Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson that they have done a “terrific job over the years” but that prices for drugs must come down.

“So you have to get your companies back here. We have to make products ... We have to get rid of a tremendous number of regulations,” Trump said.

International • (CNN) Iran has conducted its first missile test since US President Donald Trump took office, giving the nascent administration an early opportunity to show the world how they plan to deal with a key U.S. adversary.

• (TIME) Six people were killed and eight were injured in Quebec mosque shooting this week. Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, is the suspect. Bissonnette was known as an Internet “troll” who frequently voiced his support for President Donald Trump online.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Type of Incident

General Location

01/30/2017

Suspicious Incident

600 Block of Biggio Dr

01/28/2017

Harassing Communications

100 Block of E Thach Av

01/28/2017

Driving Under the Influence -Any Substance

S College St @ S Donahue Dr

01/27/2017

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

900 Block of W Thach

01/27/2017

Possession of Marijuana Second Degree

900 Block of W Thach

01/27/2017

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

900 Block of W Thach

01/26/2017

Drug Related Call

200 Block of Wire Road

01/26/2017

Giving False Identification to Law Enforcement

100 Block of N College Street

01/26/2017

Public Intoxication

100 Block of N College Street

01/26/2017

Criminal Mischief Third Degree

100 Block of Hemlock Drive

01/26/2017

Medical Call

300 Block of PO Davis Dr

01/25/2017

Drug Related Call

300 Block of Quad Dr

01/25/2017

Drug Related Call

300 Block of PO Davis Dr

01/25/2017

Suspicious Incident

300 Block of Quad Dr

01/25/2017

Theft of Property Fourth Degree

600 Block of Heisman Dr

CATHERINE WOFFORD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Austin Wiley (50) shows his wingspan during a basketball game against Tennessee on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 in Auburn,Ala.

Page 4

Get to know the SGA candidates

Page 6

Legislators consider higher education funding changes

Page 9

National signing day coverage

Page 13

A day in the life of a gymnast

INDEX Campus

3

Community

5

Sports

7

Opinion

11

Lifestyle

13

Campus

3

Thursday, February 2, 2017

ThePlainsman.com

TECHNOLOGY

Campus

DIVERSITY

Global students reflect on first weeks of semester Loren Kimmel CAMPUS WRITER

CLAIRE TULLY / CAMPUS EDITOR

A sidewalk advertisement for MidTrade’s App written in chalk outside Cater Hall.

CONTRIBUTED BY RILEY TART

Riley Tart shows off the homepage of the app he created.

Architecture student helps design app to address ‘student needs’ Kressie Kornis CAMPUS WRITER

Riley Tart is a thesis architecture student at Auburn. He and his business partner Andy Bonn, who is currently at the Naval Academy, developed and released a new app called MidTrade, designed for college students.

“There are a lot of big apps out there that are ignoring the immediate needs of students. For instance, last summer I got a job and needed to sublease my apartment, but it had to be another student, and I couldn’t find another student on Airbnb or Craigslist,” Tart said.

Tart and Bonn started to develop an app that was pulling these students needs from major platforms into one student-run platform. In order to join MidTrade, a person must have a .edu email address, which pushes you away from the shadiness and spam from other sites, Tart said.

“If you sign up with an .edu email address, you’ll be directed to that school,” Tart said. “If you went to Alabama, that .edu would reroute you to an Alabama/Tuscaloosa page.”

Tart said since MidTrade is new, it’s only launched at Auburn and at the Naval Academy.

“We launched it at the Naval Academy and

beat Facebook’s initial numbers in the first week. We had over 1,000 people sign up on the first day.”

Tart and Bonn have been working on MidTrade for two years and the app for one year. Tart said they’ve received a round of angel investors for MidTrade.

“We have ideas for every different avenue that applies to students, but, as of now, it has a trading post which is buying and selling for Auburn students,” Tart said.

The app also has a page for local food and drink specials around Auburn and a social feed which serves as a student news outlet.

MidTrade’s subleasing page will be released in the next two weeks, Tart said.

“We have a total of over 6,000 users that have signed up through the website,” Tart said. “We launched about two and a half days ago [January 23] and have had over 200 downloads now, within those two and a half days.”

The process was a headache, Tart said.

“It has a trading post for buying and selling, special for local food and drink deals, student subleasing and a student feed. We look to expand to more fields in the near future.”

For Kiran Bhelay and Suryansh Soni, this past week marks their first week attending the University.

Continuing the growth of the program, Auburn Global welcomed the newest members of the Auburn family from India.

Kiran Bhelay, freshman in interior design, said she joined the University this semester for its architectural program.

“It is a well-known university in its architectural program” Bhelay said. “To be a successful person, Auburn is a great start.”

Suryansh Soni, freshman in mechanical engineering, said the engineering program was appealing.

“Back in India…I chose to study in [the] USA but didn’t know about the University,” Soni said. “Then I got to know about Auburn University. I scrolled down through the pages and got to know that Auburn University is one of the best universities for engineering in the USA.” Both students said they discovered Auburn for its strong presence in the academic world, however, after responding to questions regarding their favorite part about Auburn or the selling factor allowing them to leave their home country and study abroad, came down to it: Auburn pride.

Soni discovered just a glimpse of the Auburn family online.

“The most exciting thing for me was when I saw the Auburn hype video,” Soni said. “People told me that Auburn football is something at a different level, and the level of craziness and fun among people is something which I couldn’t have imagined in India.”

Bhelay said her first week on campus has been one of her favorite memories thus far.

“The most exciting thing that happened here is my meeting with [the] people of Auburn. Meeting with people of different cultures is the best,” Bhelay said. “I enjoyed my first week a lot. Honestly, for me it was

“

When I first came here I was so anxious and nervous, but the people here are so friendly that my anxiety was gone within a couple of hours after getting here.”

—Suryansh Soni

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING FRESHMAN

one of the best memories of my life.”

Soni said orientation week presented a good chance to meet new friends.

“When I first came here I was so anxious and nervous, but the people here are so friendly that my anxiety was gone within [a] couple of hours after getting here,” Soni said.

Though Bhelay and Soni are living in a foreign country and attednding a new school without many familiar faces, they both agree they feel very much a part of the Auburn family.

“Yes, I am a part of the Auburn family,” Bhelay said. “I am so excited for [the] future, and I really think that Auburn can help me to make my future bright.”

Bhelay said Auburn Global members played a huge role in making her feel included by providing an orientation that is the “best start for every international student.”

“Sometimes I start feeling homesick when I have a lot of things and work to do, but then I talk to my friends and get relaxed,” Soni said. “This is what makes me feel like a part of the Auburn family.”

Bhelay and Soni said coming here and studying with professors and joining an academic community and its various traditions makes each student part of the Auburn family. Both Bhelay and Soni ended their interviews with a “War Eagle.”

STUDENT AFFAIRS S P OT L I G H T Student Affairs Outreach

NEED HOUSING?

SENATE

SGA okays referendum on increase to Student Activity Fees Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS REPORTER

The Auburn Student Senate on Monday approved a bill authorizing a student body referendum to determine whether Student Activity Fees should be increased.

Treasurer James Beauchaine gave a presentation on last week’s proposal to include a referendum on student activity fee increases on the next SGA election ballot, citing inflation and increases in university salaries as a reason to pass the resolution.

“The last fee increase was in 2006,” Beauchaine said. “The fee was increased [from $26] over a series of nine years, to the current fee that we pay of $45. Since that time, we’ve seen salaries and benefits rise by about six percent a year

over that span of nine years.”

The bill authorizes a referendum on next week’s SGA election ballot. Students will be able to vote “yes” or “no” on whether to increase the Student Activity Fee from $45 to $54 next fall and then by $3 per semester until 2023. The fee increase will also need approval from University administrators and the Board of Trustees.

“The main thing to point out is that voting on this bill is giving students the opportunity to vote yes or no to passing a Student Activity Fee increase,” Beauchaine said. “We’re putting in the hands of the students to hear their voice.”

The bill passed with a unanimous voice vote.

The Student Activity Fee supports the University’s five Student Activity Portfolios —

Leadership and Service, Student Governance, Student Media, Student Programming and Student Organizations. SGA, UPC, BSU, the Organizations Board, EagleEye and the Glomerata, among others, receive money from the Student Activity Fees.

The $45 Student Activity Fee fee makes up a portion of the total $880 semesterly Student Services Fee. Other parts of the fee go to fund dining, transportation, student health and other initiatives on campus.

Beauchaine said the increase is needed to continue operating the SAPs, including the 500 student organizations that receive funding from the Organizations Board, and to continue paying the staff working in the Student Involvement Office.

O F F - C A M P U S H O U S I N G FA I R FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH 11 AM — 2 PM AU STUDENT CENTER Great information and Giveaways from area property management companies all in one place! offcampushousing.auburn.edu

auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

@AuburnStudents

facebook.com/AuburnStudents

@AuburnStudents

Auburn Students

Campus 4

The Auburn Plains-

ELECTIONS

SGA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

CONTRIBUTED

LEFT TO RIGHT: David Facteau, Brock Hendon, Jacqueline Keck and Caleb Marshall

David Facteau

Brock Hendon

Jacqueline Keck

Caleb Marshall

“I am excited to have the opportunity to be a candidate and potentially serve as your next SGA President.

Over the last three years, I have found a love and passion for Auburn University, the student body and the Student Government Association.

I am excited to share that love and passion, along with my vision for this University with the student body.

We will be on the concourse all week, and I would love to meet each and every student and discuss how we can collectively make Auburn a better place for every member of the Auburn Family.”

“I’m so humbled and honored to be running to be your next SGA President. This is such a unique opportunity to share my vision for Auburn but also a unique opportunity to continue to hear from you throughout this week. Each student at Auburn has a story, and I look forward to hearing yours. I chose to run for three main reasons: my passion to serve, my experience and my vision. As your SGA president, I want to give you a Brock Solid experience at Auburn. I’ve learned how to advocate for students, and I have truly developed a vision to build a solid foundation for our future. My vision is simple - enhance student success and student access.”

“I am overjoyed to share my vision for Auburn, to get to meet you guys, hear your concerns this week. At Auburn, my character has been developed by a deepened love for this campus and its family, which strengthened my desire to serve. Because of all the things Auburn is to me, I want to leave the campus better than I found it for current and future students. Becoming your SGA President is the most tangible way for me to do that. I designed an inclusive and innovative campaign with the understanding that it takes a “we” to create change. If you say “We Can with Keck” you are saying we can improve student life and ensure student success for all.”

“Bold, practical leadership is the hallmark of every great individual, and Caleb Marshall is no exception. Throughout his distinguished academic career, he has redefined what it means to be a leader of great character. His many unique qualities put him in a league of his own when it comes to being qualified to lead the SGA. He has bold plans for improvements that will imprint his legacy on the Student Government Association as “Greatest of All Time.” Whether it involves innovative solutions or making the tough choices, Caleb Marshall refuses to be known as anything less than the greatest leader to ever set foot on the Auburn University campus.”

JUNIOR IN PSYCHOLOGY

JUNIOR IN FINANCE

JUNIOR IN ECONOMICS

VICE PRESIDENT

JUNIOR IN MATHEMATICS

TREASURER

Sarah Beth Cape

Frank McEwen

“I believe the role of SGA Vice President requires inspiring this initiative in others. Often students feel that their ideas are only dreams or that their issues will never be fixed. I hope to inspire others to communicate frequently with their senator so that any issue, whether little or large is addressed. As one of the smallest student legislative bodies in the SEC, I believe we may have room to expand representation in new ways. Auburn students have more power than they often realize; count on Cape.”

“I grew up on a farm in Chelsea, Ala., where we have 2,000 free range chickens and sell eggs to some of the top restaurants in the Birmingham area. My faith is very important to me, and I proudly attend First Baptist Opelika. I came to my first Auburn football game when I was three so Auburn runs through my blood. Auburn has had such a powerful impact on me, and I am passionate about giving back to it and serving the Auburn family as a form of gratitude.”

JUNIOR IN FINANCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Griffin Osborne

JUNIOR IN FINANCE

Alex Patrick

SOPHOMORE IN ECONOMICS

SOPHOMORE IN FINANCE

“During my time at Auburn I have had many ideas and concerns but felt there was no easy way to voice them. Because of that, I want to make transparency and communication a priority during my term. I want to meet with organizations weekly, allowing them to be heard while also communicating to them the current issues SGA is dealing with. Two of my biggest concerns deal with pedestrian safety and registration...I would love the opportunity to serve the student body and believe my passion for Auburn will make me a great leader.”

Justin Smith

JUNIOR IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

“I am so excited to be running as a vice presidential candidate for our student government.

This position requires exceptional, experienced leadership and someone who is committed to serving Auburn students.

I believe I exemplify these qualities, and I will do my best to help us all work toward a better Auburn University.”

Patrick currently serves in the Student Government Association as a senator for the College of Liberal Arts. In the senate, he serves on the student affairs committee. In addition to these positions held, Patrick is a cabinet member. From Scottsboro, Ala., Patrick said his favorite part of CLA is “how diverse, wellrounded and politically motivated CLA students are,” because they “promote several outreach events throughout the fall and spring semesters.”

Gabrielle Pollard

JUNIOR IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

“I would be a great Treasurer because I have had experience with responsibilities of treasurer in an organization. I understand budgeting, keeping records and making sure payments are on time. I am a transfer student, so I also have experience with transition. My goals are are to maintain the general responsibilities as treasurer, help Freshmen and Transfer students learn how to transition well financially, maintain and increase the student financial literacy and find more efficient ways to use the money brought into the school.”

MISS AUBURN TOP 5

CONTRIBUTED

LEFT TO RIGHT:Abby Agnew,Ashley Moates, Sarah Patrick, Katelyn Simpkins and Faith Webb.

FAB FINDS at

Look for a new find each week!

Unique

New Truckload from Pennsylvania You wont believe what just came in.

Finds for College 900 COLUMBUS PKWY. • OPELIKA, AL 36801 Dorms!

334-745-3221 www.angelsantiqueandfleamall.com

Abby Agnew Junior in business analytics “I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety when I was 17 and did not personally accept my diagnosis until I was 19. A fundamental part of my healing was others understanding and supporting my condition. I didn’t want my name to be associated with words such as ‘depression’ and ‘anxiety.’

That is the root of the problem.

I want to run on a platform of transparency. The door to transparency is the door to healing. I believe that if the Auburn family vocalized their struggles and allowed others to see through us to our core, we can create an environment of understanding and support for all.”

Ashley Moates Junior in communication disorders “My platform, AUsome

Dreams, focuses on making uniquely Auburn dreams come true for people with disabilities. I’ve had a passion for people with disabilities since my younger sister, Anna, was born with Down Syndrome, which has drastically impacted my life in the best way. I invite you to dream big with me.”

Sarah Patrick Junior in accountancy “Only 35% of students have reported being educated on money management in school.

I am raising awareness for Financial Literacy. The Auburn creed states, ‘I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.’ I hope we as Auburn students can fulfill these ideals of George Petrie to use the knowledge we’ve been so lucky to receive to educate

others and build up this community.”

Katelyn Simpkins Junior in biomedical science “I am so proud to be able to continue my efforts by partnering with the Food Bank of East Alabama to raise funds and educate the Auburn student body on the Backpack Program. The Backpack Program aims to meet the needs of chronically hungry children, by providing easy-to-prepare meals and snacks for weekends and school breaks. These food packs cost only $3.50 to make are packed with ‘kid-approved snacks’ and everyday necessities like toothbrushes. My goal is to create a future for our young students by equipping them with consistent nutritious food in order to increase their concentration, improve their test scores, and decrease absences. These

small improvements open the door for the children to be able to graduate and attend wonderful schools like Auburn University, where they can be the next leaders, athletes and scholars.”

Faith Webb Junior in public relations “My platform is ‘Finding Balance with Faith.’ With my platform, I hope to give students the opportunity to have 3 visits to our university dietician for free. My hope is that students who have misused performance enhancing drugs to gain muscle, students who have gained the infamous ‘freshman 15’ or for students like me who have struggled with an eating disorder, will know how to eat to properly nourish their bodies.”

SGA and Miss Auburn voting takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 7 via AU Access.

Community

5

Thursday, February 2, 2017

NATION

Rep. Mike Rogers supports Trump immigration ban

ThePlainsman.com

Community

CITY

Sam Willoughby COMMUNITY REPORTER

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, on Monday issued a strong statement of support for President Donald Trump’s travel and immigration ban, describing it as prioritizing the “the security of American citizens first.”

Rogers, who represents Auburn in Congress, has spoken to officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, who have admitted there is a “crisis of confidence” in the vetting process of refugees, the statement read.

“Americans’ safety is at stake if we continue to allow people in from countries with known terror activity,” Rogers said. “Until there is a new and effective refugee vetting process in place, this executive order is necessary.”

The ban, put into place by an executive order signed by Trump on Friday, suspended refugee arrivals for 120 days and restricted citizens ROGERS of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days.

It banned refugees from Syria indefinitely.

The executive order inspired protests at airports around the country Sunday, including one at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that reportedly drew thousands. Another protest was held at the Montgomery Regional Airport on Monday evening. It drew several hundred.

On Monday, Auburn University President Jay Gouge released a statement recommending that University students, faculty, staff and dependents potentially affected by the executive order refrain from traveling outside the U.S., as they face the risk of being denied re-entry into the country.

Rogers reintroduced the American Sovereignty Restoration Act for the new session in the House of Representatives earlier this month. The bill proposes a withdrawal of the U.S. from the United Nations.

In a separate statement released last week, Rogers described the U.N. as a “wasteful bureaucracy that actively works against American values and does not deserve to be subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer.”

Rogers’ previous submissions of the bill failed to gather strong support, but Trump’s public criticisms of the U.N. has led to wider publicity of this year’s version.

MATTHEW BISHOP / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Ward 7 City Councilman Gene Dulaney has worked in banking for 25 years.

Banking and running the bases

Councilman Gene Dulaney finds reward in volunteer work Lily Jackson

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Gene Dulaney, Ward 7 city councilman, grew up in the small, southern town of Prattville, knowing he had a mind for business and a heart for people.

He spent the majority of his time as a boy playing basketball, baseball and football. His love for sports has not diminished, as he and his family have been season-ticket holders for Auburn baseball for a good while.

Dulaney proudly shares stories of his son’s collection of foul balls from Plainsman Park that he scavenged by slipping through the wrought iron bars of the stadium and into the coliseum lot where the treasures would land. His daughter still enjoys sitting alongside her father, carefully filling out score cards.

Dulaney said he was beyond happy to return to Auburn, his alma mater and his wife’s home, to start a family after a brief cruise around the state.

“Having been here as a student and then coming back as a working person, you see things from a different perspective,” Dulaney said. “That was eye-opening.”

The two moved around for Dulaney’s work in banking and lived in Montgomery for two years and Birmingham for four.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in business,” Dulaney said.

Dulaney started in accounting, and after changing his major to finance, he found the idea of banking much more

appealing and a viable option for his future. At this time, banking wasn’t an ideal profession to go into, as the economy was on a steep decline.

This didn’t stop Dulaney, and after 25 years in the industry, he is happy he didn’t shy away.

Dulaney met while at Auburn University. While in school, Dulaney found himself involved in a fraternity and other academic groups through the business school. Dulaney had proposed to and married his wife before her graduation, taking them to Birmingham where she continued schooling at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The Dulaneys returned to Auburn in 1987.

“We weren’t necessarily looking to come back, not that we were opposed to it, but in banking, you go where the opportunity is,” Dulaney said. “We got an opportunity to come to (Auburn) and run a branch of a bank, and we did that.”

Even though the family wasn’t searching for a way to return to Auburn, Dulaney sees it as a blessing.

“Auburn is such a great place to raise a family,” Dulaney said. “I would like to tell you we did plan it that way, so we could get back and raise a family here, but God just allowed that to happen.”

Once in Auburn, Dulaney began to find involvement opportunities in United Way, the Auburn Chamber of

» See COUNCIL, 6

DEVELOPMENT

Proposal would change height restrictions in downtown Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

The Auburn Planning Commission will consider an amendment to the Auburn Zoning Ordinance that would change height requirements for some structures on building rooftops.

The proposed change would delete portions of the city’s zoning ordinance that pertain to nonhabitable structures on the roofs of buildings, including clock towers, bell towers, elevator enclosures, ventilators and solar panels, among other structures.

The portion of the ordinance currently limits nonhabitable and nonstorage structures to “less than 65 feet.” City officials said this portion of the zoning ordinance, which was passed as part of the 2016 Downtown Master Plan, was passed in error and was an oversight during transcription.

In most cities, nonhabitable and nonstorage structures are allowed to exceed the maximum building height so that developers will be incentivized to put them on the roof, out of

sight, according to Jim Buston, assistant city manager.

The current height limitation in downtown Auburn is 75 feet in the Urban Core, which includes most of the downtown area, and 65 feet for most parcels fronting College Street and Magnolia Avenue in the downtown area.

That limitation was set by the 2016 Downtown Master Plan.

The proposed change to the ordinance would allow the nonhabitable structures to exceed the 75- or 65-foot height maximum. Most of the time, those structures are about 5–10 feet tall and are not visible from street level, Buston said.

Several developments, including 191 College, a planned 75-foot building on the corner of Glenn Avenue and College Street, and Evolve Auburn, another 75-foot building to front Glenn Avenue and Wright Street, were approved for construction before the Downtown Master Plan was approved.

The error makes putting mechanical devices like elevator enclosures and air conditioning

units on the roof difficult, Buston said. And, with buildings like Evolve Auburn and 191 College, it makes putting them on the roof impossible because it would limit them to under 65 feet when the building is topped out at 75 feet.

“Nationwide, you always put mechanical on the roof,” Buston said. “That’s where you want it. You don’t want them to put it down around the building. You want it to go on the roof. So there has always been a provision to allow, not a lot, but maybe the 5 feet that those structures stick up.”

The problem with the zoning ordinance surfaced when the developer of 191 College asked for a zoning variance to add 11 feet in height to the downtown apartment complex.

The addition would allow space for elevators, stairs and amenities including a pool.

That variance was set to go before the Board of Zoning Adjustments on Wednesday, but the developer recently pulled the request after feedback from city staff indicated that the variance requesting the additional 11 feet in height wouldn’t pass. However, the Board

would have likely granted the variance request for the nonhabitable mechanical structures on the roof, according to Buston.

Instead of making the developers get a variance for those mechanical structures, the city decided to correct the ordinance for the future.

Buston said this change to the ordinance would not automatically permit the 11-foot height increase requested by the 191 College developers, but would allow structures like the elevator shaft and the stairwell to exceed the maximum building height of 75 feet.

“They pointed out our error, but they were also asking for an additional 11 feet,” Buston said. “We said that they couldn’t have that.

This change coming before the commission has nothing to do with the developer wanting extra room.”

The Auburn Planning Commission will consider the proposed amendment Feb. 9. If the commission approves the amendment, it will head to the Auburn City Council for final approval.

PLANNING

City staff pushes back northwest Auburn neighborhood redevelopment plan Sam Willoughby COMMUNITY REPORTER

During the third, and what was supposed to be the final, public meeting about the city’s Northwest Auburn Plan, residents again brought concerns over the city’s planning process. With their feedback, the plan will head into additional months of planning and possibly more public meetings.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the city’s Planning Department presented two options for the 1.4-square-mile area based on prior community input from two public meetings that were held in August and October.

After the feedback from the public meetings and information sessions, the process will now come to what Planning Director Forrest Cotten called a “bit of a timeout” so the

city and the northwest Auburn community can coordinate what steps to take next.

City Council Member Clemon Byrd, Ward 1, said he had explored the idea of neighborhood community leaders putting together a small task force to act as a liaison to the City Council.

Byrd said there will be more public meetings in the future and that he hopes they can put together smaller, more personal meetings where each person could learn how the proposals would affect their home.

“We’re going to break this down further,” Byrd said. “This is not the end at all, by any means.”

In both proposals presented by the Planning Department areas surrounding MLK and Donahue Drives and Bragg Avenue would be rezoned

to make it easier for commercial properties to be developed.

The current zoning in place in the area allows for many conditional commercial and entertainment uses, but the proposals aim to rezone with a new type that makes construction of most types of businesses permitted without a conditional use waiver from the city’s Planning Commission and City Council.

In another new type of zoning proposed in the area, developers of residential property could construct almost any type of housing, provided it was a single family unit, without city approval. Previously, only single family detached units, which doesn’t include townhouses or duplexes, could be constructed without a waiver.

The main objective in rezoning

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Residents of northwest Auburn gather at a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

these areas, according to Cotten, is to prevent college students from moving further into the area, something meeting attendees said they wanted to be addressed.

The department’s proposals also

included altering future land revisions in the neighborhood, with some areas being designated for mixed usage, allowing for retail, commercial and office uses alongside residences.

Community 6

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

LEGISLATURE

Lawmakers consider changes to higher education funding Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

The regular legislative session of the Alabama Legislature is set to convene in less than two weeks, but legislators are already considering changes to the higher education funding model.

Those changes could change Auburn’s state funding in the future.

On Tuesday, members of the House and Senate General Fund and Education Trust Fund budget committees met in Montgomery to hear from education experts from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Lumina Foundation’s Strategy Labs.

The topic of conversation: implementing an outcome-based budgeting model in Alabama — a form of budgeting that rewards performance results like degree attainment instead of student enrollment.

Mike Krause, executive director of THEC, said Tennessee was able to become the first state in the country that provides free community college for both adults and recent high school graduates.

“We made a decision to fund our colleges solely based on the number of Tennesseans that succeed, not the number of students who show up,” Krause said.

In Tennessee, students are covered to attend any of the state’s 13 community colleges or 27 technical colleges without paying any tuition. Krause said the state’s ability to provide that funding was based on saving from outcomebased budgeting.

In 2015, Tennessee began implementing its “Drive to 55” initiative, with the goal of equipping 55 percent of Tennesseans with a college degree or secondary certification by 2025.

Drive to 55 encompasses the Tennessee Promise, a scholarship program that provides the free community college tuition for high school graduates, and the Tennessee Reconnect, a grant program that allows any adult to attend and earn a diploma at any of the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology.

COUNCIL » From 5

Commerce and Miracle League, a baseball program for children and adults with special needs.

Miracle League has been a large part of Dulaney’s life, and he enjoys time on the field and the interaction with children and adults from the community. He has been volunteering with the program since 2008.

“I’d been involved with United Way and other organizations, so I had the opportunity to see what the community’s needs were and that there are a lot of people in this community that are less fortunate,” Dulaney said. “Our community is still small enough that people take an interest in helping out their neighbors.”

Alongside caring for the individuals of the Auburn community, Dulaney spent time working with the Auburn Chamber of Commerce where he is grateful to have learned about Auburn’s small businesses. Dulaney said both of these experiences led him to consider running for office after many of his close friends pushed him in that direction.

Dulaney said his experience in banking and knowledge of finance help him bring a different, much-needed skill base to the Auburn City Council. Dulaney is always curious to see what helps small businesses grow over time and works to continue making positive changes.

Dulaney has been serving on the council for 14 years and has grown to know the town and his district well. Dulaney said he and the other representatives are working to assess concerns over growth in Auburn and work toward a solution.

“When I started in 2002, the economy was good and the city was in an uptick in growth. In 2008 and 2009 that cycle turned and went the other way,” Dulaney said. “Things slowed down, the economy wasn’t as good, and now we’ve cycled back again. We are in a period of unprecedented growth for our city in terms of population and our economy. That brings challenges with it to make sure we manage it properly.”

Dulaney said steps toward infrastructure changes and advancements are on the table for the upcoming months in order to address the growth.

“If you’re not inspired by this, I don’t know what will do it,” said Sen. Arthur Orr, chairman of the Senate education finance and taxation committee. “We can do much better in our state ... at how we approach education and higher ed for our students.”

Alabama currently sits fourth from the bottom in terms of secondary education attainment across the U.S. About 36.7 percent of Alabamians have some type of post-secondary educations.

On the other hand, about 23 percent of Alabamians have “some college, but no degree,” indicating that they dropped out of college and they likely incurred some debt in the process.

The outcome-based budget process, Krause said, is intended to make universities focus on success instead of enrollment.

Implementing the performance-based budgeting formulas would reward universities based on different formulas that take into account graduation rates, retainment and other indicators of academic success.

Previously, schools in Tennessee, like Alabama’s, were awarded state funding depending on how many students they had enrolled on the 14th day of class, among other parameters.

Twenty-five states across the U.S. have begun implementing some type of outcome-based budgeting model, and eight others are in development.

With the new program, each student that hits credit-hour-based benchmarks triggers new funding for their school. In addition, the funding design, Klause said, has also led to more mandatory advising, one-stop guidance shops and early warning systems that trigger counseling for students who stop attending classes.

The plan would likely take several years and several million dollars to fully implement and would require cooperation from the state’s fouryear and community college systems.

Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, raised concern that students would veer away from more expensive four-year colleges in favor of the tuition-free community colleges if a plan like

CHIP BROWNLEE / COMMUNITY EDITOR

The Alabama State House is home to the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate.

Promise was introduced in Alabama. Krause, who is the head of the higher education authority of his state, said they haven’t seen that problem.

“If you were one of the students trying to decide between the University of Tennesee and Tennessee Tech University, you were probably not [who we’re we trying to reach],” Krause said. “I’m trying to reach the student who’s trying to decide between going straight to work at a construction site or doing something else in the college sector.”

Tennessee has seen only a 3 percent shift from its public four-year universities to its community colleges over the years of implementation, Krause said. Additionally, the state has seen a decrease in student debt and a 4.6 percent increase to the college attendance rate over a one-year period.

Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, was also concerned that some universities, like the regional fouryear schools and HBCUs, would be deterred from taking low-income or at-risk students who may not perform at a high level.

Krause said the system in Tennessee allows universities to weight their formula in a way that provides more funding for at-risk students and adults, resulting in nearly two-thirds more funding for those populations.

One problem will likely prevent legislators

from implementing a plan like Promise or Reconnect in Alabama: the lack of an education lottery. During Krause’s presentation, Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, asked how Tennessee paid for the programs, other than the savings from performance-based budgeting.

More than $1.4 million in money raised from Tennessee’s education lottery helped the state cover the 5,000 adults who have signed up for tuition-free community college. The rest was paid for through federal pell grants.

Tennessee’s lottery, like Georgia’s and Florida’s, also funds the HOPE scholarship, a statesupported merit-based scholarship that gives students the funds to attend any of the state’s four-year universities.

Last year, Gov. Robert Bentley proposed a lottery bill to the state Legislature, but it failed during a special session over the summer. His bill, however, was not intended to supply more funding for education.

Instead, it was designed to prop up the state’s beleaguered General Fund, which has faced shortfalls for years caused mainly by increasing costs in the Department of Corrections and the state Medicaid Agency.

Legislators will consider this approach as the Legislature nears the start of its regular session on Feb. 7.

DEVELOPMENT

Some still concerned as Evolve Auburn nears completion Alex Hosey

COMMUNITY WRITER

The Evolve apartment project on the corner of Glenn Avenue and Wright Street is reaching the final stages of construction and is scheduled to be ready in time for fall 2017.

CA Student Living, an asset of Chicago-based development company CA Ventures, is leading the $32 million construction of the six-story apartment building.

“Evolve will be home to 456 residents and is already 96 percent preleased for next Fall,” said CA Student Living President JJ Smith.

When asked what separated Evolve from other student apartments in the Auburn area, Smith said, “Evolve’s proximity to campus, Toomer’s Corner and College Street is certainly a main draw, but the uniqueness will be experienced in a quality of design, attention to detail, amenity package and attentive management onsite.”

However, at 75 feet in height, the downtown apartment building has raised concerns within the Auburn community about the city’s growth toward the sky.

Auburn City Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine said she is against the height allowance that the ordinance has passed.

“I just think that anything 75 feet is entirely out of scale and too large for our small downtown area,” she said.

“I’m all for Auburn growing, but we just need to do it responsibly. When you go downtown around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, you can see what we’re getting with the traffic, and it’s just going to get worse.”

Smith said he could empathize with the concerns of those who are afraid of downtown development, but said that CA Student Living’s goal is to “draw students as close to campus as possible which helps avoid sprawl into neighborhoods, reduces traffic congestion from student living in locations outside of town that would drive into campus and brings an economic vibrancy to downtown retail, shops and restaurants by providing a consumer base that is around 24/7.”

As Evolve’s construction finishes, another 75-foot construction project will begin on the corner of Glenn Avenue and College Street, across the street

ALEX HOSEY / COMMUNITY WRITER

Evolve Auburn is located on the southwest corner of Gleen Avenue and Wright Street.

from Evolve.

191 College Street is a construction project developed by ACC OP (College Street) LLC, a company based in Austin, Texas. The seven-story apartment and retail building will have a capacity of 465 beds and will replace the Uni-

versity Chevron gas station.

While 191 College Street is under construction, part of Wright Street and its adjacent sidewalk will close to allow the delivery of construction materials.

The project will also require narrowing Glenn Avenue from 11 feet to 10 feet.

LEGISLATURE

Rep. Joe Lovvorn to be on education budget committee Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn, will be the next member of the Alabama House Education Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for allocating about $6 billion in funding to Alabama’s public K-12 schools, two-year and four-year public universities.

Lovvorn was elected in September in a special election for House District 79, which includes Auburn and portions of Opelika.

With his district including Auburn University, Lovvorn has said since the election that he would ask to be on the education budget committee in the House. With the speaker’s appointment,

Lovvorn will now get to help write the state’s education budgets.

“As the state’s greatest and most respected institution of higher learning, Auburn University deserves every dime of education funding that it can receive from the Legislature, and I will be the loudest voice and strongest advocate pushing for that needed funding

throughout my service in the House,” Lovvorn said. “At the same time, the citizens of my district devote more local dollars to our children’s K-12 schools than most other areas of the state, so I will work to obtain the state funding that is necessary to supplement those contributions and ensure Auburn’s public schools remain the best in Alabama.”

CRIME

Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s ethics conviction appeal delayed again Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard, who represented Auburn for nearly two decades in the Alabama Legislature, may have a few more months before he has to head back to court on his felony ethics charges.

The Lee County Circuit Court on Monday asked for a time extension of 28 days to allow the Court Circuit Clerk to file the Court Record of Ap-

peal, which includes all of the motions, orders and transcripts from the June 2016 trial.

Judge Samuel Henry Welch of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals granted the extension Tuesday, giving the Lee County Circuit Court until March 1 of this year to submit the record.

Hubbard’s case involves twelve felony ethics guilty charges, and, according to the court documents, consists of “well over 550 filings.” Lee

County Circuit Clerk Mary Roberson said the filing will be “voluminous.”

“While this number of filings alone are rare in a criminal case and would warrant an extension of time, many of these filings are Under Seal, which will make the preparation of the Clerk’s Record even more complex,” she wrote in her motion to the court.

In addition to the case’s complex filings, Roberson also said the Circuit Clerk’s Office

in Lee County is currently understaffed and has been for years. Only one court specialist is assigned to handle all appeals in Lee County, she said.

The appeal record filing deadline was extended at least once before last November. At the time, the Court of Criminal Appeals gave the Lee County Circuit Court until Dec. 28 to complete and certify the court reporter’s transcript.

Hubbard first filed his notice of appeal on Nov. 5.

The former House Speaker’s lead defense attorney Bill Baxley said at the time that juror and prosecutorial misconduct would be at the forefront of Hubbard’s arguments during his appeal.

“I think juror misconduct was the heart of it,” Baxley said. “[But], that’s just part of it. There’s so much there, that’s only part of it.”

Hubbard will remain out on appeal bond until the completion of his appeal.

Sports

7

Thursday, February 2, 2017 ThePlainsman.com

Sports

FOOTBALL

Malzahn signs over 20 recruits

Tigers earn top 10 spot nationally with 2017 class

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR Gus Malzahn greets fans during Tiger Walk before Auburn Football vs.Alabama A&M on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 in Auburn,Ala.

Nathan King

SPORTS REPORTER

Auburn began its 2017 edition of National Signing Day expecting a relatively average turn of events.

Having already picked up a commitment from junior college tight-end John Samuel Shenker on Sunday and with plenty of confidence in their verbal commits, all signs pointed to a moderately peaceful day for the Tigers.

The nature of Auburn football, however, knows no such tranquility.

Kicking off the morning was the commitment of three-star defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell to the Tigers.

Truesdell’s recruitment was reportedly neck and neck between Auburn and Jim McElwain’s Florida Gators. The 6-foot-3 defensive line anchor cemented the afternoon’s theme of bolstering and reloading on the defensive end.

Four-star linebacker Tyler Taylor headlined Auburn’s expected notable announcements, paired with the declaration of four-star defensive end Markaviest Bryant.

Taylor’s choices had been narrowed to Auburn, LSU and Oklahoma.

LSU was considered the overwhelming front-runner and, not surprisingly, Ed Orgeron’s Tigers were able to secure the Buford,

MARKAVIEST BRYANT ( VIA 247SPORTS)

Georgia native.

Bryant’s recruiting story, on the other hand, was far more fascinating. Auburn became a contender for “Big Cat” Bryant late in the recruiting game, as the defensive end more heavily embraced the courting of Georgia and LSU for most of the recruiting season.

Bryant’s last minute visit to The Plains just a weekend ago must have done the trick.

A huge get for Kevin Steele’s defense, Bryant’s athletic ability looks to eventually replace defensive-standout Carl Lawson, who led the Tigers in sacks last season.

Just minutes before Markaviest Bryant’s big decision, Gus Malzahn was gifted another unexpected luxury.

Local all-around athlete JaTarvious Whitlow announced he would be signing with the Tigers. Whitlow, a three-star athlete from Lafayette High School, was apparently persuaded by the deadly Kevin Steele-Chip Lindsey tandem.

“I was about to sign with Tulane,” Whitlow said. “I asked God to show me a sign. All of a sudden, I got a phone call from Coach Steele. He told me ‘the new OC wants you.’ I knew, that’s got to be it.”

Lindsey reportedly expressed interest in the three-star athlete’s playmaking ability on both sides of the ball. “He [Lindsey] said he watched film,” Whitlow said. “He wanted me, so I knew this was

KENNEY BRITT (VIA 247SPORTS)

the place for me.”

Following Bryant’s signing, Auburn announced the commitment of three-star defensive back Carlito Gonzalez, the 13th and last of Auburn’s expected signees.

Approximately two hours after Bryant’s big decision, Auburn assistant coach Scott Fountain tweeted that Bryant’s choice was a “great way to finish signing day at Auburn,” suggesting that any further signings would be of monumental astonishment to the coaching staff.

Insert Jarez Parks to spice things up. The four-star defensive end’s commitment to Alabama was publicized in a video released

by Bleacher Report around 11 a.m. CST, after rumors had swirled that Parks was considering a flip to either Auburn or Georgia.

The narrative thickened as sources close to Alabama claimed that Parks had not officially signed with the Crimson Tide, and was, in fact still uncommitted.

It remains to be seen if the possibility of Parks flipping to in-state rival Auburn is factual or simply fool’s gold.

Gus Malzahn’s official Signing Day press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST at the Auburn Athletics Complex.

Per 247Sports, Auburn’s current 2017 class ranks 9th in the nation and 4th in the SEC, behind conference rivals Alabama, Georgia and LSU.

JARRETT STIDHAM (VIA AU ATHLETICS)

MALCOLM ASKEW (VIA 247SPORTS)

SOCCER

Hoppa inks nine recruits on National Signing Day Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

Karen Hoppa and the Auburn soccer team grew larger on Wednesday as nine women officially signed to carry out their collegiate careers with the Tigers. The nine signees come from eight different states and add depth to a talented roster that made a historic run just one season ago.

“We’re really excited to sign this class today and welcome them into the Auburn family,” said head coach Karen Hoppa. “First and foremost, it’s a group of great, young ladies. Their character fits perfectly in with our team and with the Auburn family. They’re great academically, so we know they’re going to get it done in the classroom.

“On the field, this is one of the best classes I think we’ve ever signed. We fill depth in every position. We especially focused on the attacking side of the ball as we knew we were losing a big class in 2016 with those seniors. This is a group that we think they’re going to have a really fun four years.”

Auburn has signed Jaelyn Gadson (Hilton Head, S.C.), Sarah Houchin (Dallas, Texas), Kori Locksley (Silver Spring, Md.), Alyssa Malonson (Houston, Texas), Silvana Poulter (Cedar Knolls, N.J.), Morgan Ramby (Springboro, Ohio), Cami Rogers (Prattville, Ala.), Rocio Sanders (Orlando, Fla.) and Emily Wise (Charlotte, N.C.) Gadson, a forward, is a four-year letterwinner at Bluffton High

School. She’s netted a total of 62 goals, including a career-best 25 during her sophomore season. Gadson also added nearly 30 assists in high school.

During her freshman season, Gadson was awarded the team MVP. She’s also a member of the national honor society and has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school.

Houchin has served as the leader of the defense at Coppell High School the past four seasons. The defender is a three-time AllAmerican.

She has also shown the ability to score as well as play defense.

Houchin has netted 32 goals through 58 shots and has racked up 16 assists through her career.

Houchin is the daughter of Kerry and Melanie Houchin. She has one sibling, Chad.

Locksley, a forward, will be an offensive threat for the Tigers. In just three seasons she’s secured 122 points by way of 39 goals and 44 assists up top.

During Locksley’s high school career, her team totaled 35 wins and suffered defeat just four times. She is the daughter of Michael and Kia Locksley. Michael currently serves as an assistant coach for the Alabama football team.

Malonson, a forward and midfielder, has rattled home 42 career goals and has also been a distributor with 20 assists and a prep season still ahead.

She has been awarded as the district MVP and a three-time all-

district honoree.

Poulter, coming in from Whippany Park High School, recently broke the school’s all-time record for goals with 76 and tied it in assists with 39. She served as the team captain and was honored as the Morris County Player of the Year.

Ramby, a goalkeeper, has been brilliant in her time at Springboro High School. Across her final three seasons of play, she’s allowed only 17 goals through 35 matches played. Ramby has also been part of over 15 shutouts. She has led her team to a 25-5-5 record, highlighted by a state runner-up finish in 2016.

Rogers makes the short trip to The Plains after playing at Prattville High School. The forward netted an astounding 86 goals, including a school-record 32 in just 14 games, and was the team’s leading goal-scorer for her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

Sanders, a product of Cocoa Beach High School, has already enrolled at Auburn and has been a part of spring workouts.

She notched 22 points by way of eight goals and six assists in 13 matches played last season.

Wise, a standout defender, enters her senior season at Charlotte Latin School already having won back-to-back state championships the past two seasons. She has netted 29 goals and 11 assists, mostly playing as a center defender or in a deeper midfield role.

The Auburn soccer team will kick off the season on March 4 at home against Mississippi State.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Sports 8

The Auburn Plainsman

MEN’S BASKETBALL

GYMNASTICS

Auburn falls to No. 17 Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

After a tough week on the road where the Tigers fell to Florida and Alabama, the Auburn gymnastics team dropped one spot to No. 17 in the recent RoadToNationals.com poll with a 195.645 average.

“Last week was a roller coaster week for this team,” head coach Jeff Graba said.

“We lost two gymnasts that included our team leader and anchor on three events. We handled the adversity and scored our season high. However, our young team couldn’t seal the deal. We are all frustrated with the beam performance against Alabama and are going to be hard at work to address it.”

Oklahoma, LSU and Flor-

ida held on to the top three spots, while Utah and UCLA followed at four and five.

Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky also remained in the top ten.

Two impressive performances on bars last week moved the Tigers up to No. 9 in the event nationally with a 49.070 average.

Auburn also moved to the No. 14 on floor, averaging 49.005.

The Tigers return to action on Feb. 3 for another SEC match up as they welcome No. 24 Arkansas.

Auburn and the Razorbacks will square off at 7 p.m.

CST in Auburn Arena and action can be seen on SEC Network+.

CATHERINE WOFFORD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Abby Milliet during a meet on Friday, Jan 13, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Tigers advance to Indoor Championships

No match for Vols

CATHERINE WOFFORD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Horace Spencer (0) walks off the court during the second half against Tennessee with a injury on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 in Auburn,Ala.

Will Sahlie

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Coming off arguably its most impressive win of the season at TCU, Auburn returned home looking to build on the momentum started in Fort Worth. That momentum stopped at tip-off for the Tigers.

Tennessee, coming off three consecutive home victories over Mississippi State, No. 8 Kentucky and Kansas State, jumped on Auburn quickly and never looked back en route to an 87-77 victory inside Auburn Arena Tuesday night. The Volunteers never trailed in the contest.

The Vols led 13-4 just five minutes into the game and used a 15-0 run midway through the first half to extend its lead to 31-14 in the blink of an eye. Auburn never got closer than nine points the remainder of the game.

“We talked before the game about (how) this was one of the most pivotal games for us this season,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “We did not have good preparation, we did not have good practices of the two games prior and I think the result was that Tennessee played with greater en-

ergy, greater purpose.”

“They started well, they typically start very well, so we knew that coming in, and we turned the ball over a lot early.

We didn’t get any stops at all in the first half and Tennessee had their way with us, so we knew that it was going to be a big swing. We’re very disappointed.”

Point guard Jared Harper was Auburn’s lone bright spot in the first half, scoring 18 of his game-high 21 points before halftime. Harper knocked down 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half.

No other Auburn player had more than five points before the half, as the Tigers trailed 46-30 at the break.

“It’s all on me,” Pearl said about his team’s slow start.

“I’m the head coach; I’m responsible. It’s my responsibility to get the kids to play hard.”

Auburn came out of the break looking to cut into the Tennessee lead, but the Vols had other ideas. Tennessee used an 8-2 run to extend its lead to 22 points, its biggest lead of the game just 2:15 into the second half. The Volunteers cruised to the finish line, knocking down 16 of its 21 at-

tempts from the free-throw line to keep the Tigers at bay.

“They just did a good job running their offense,” Harper said. “They beat us to a lot of 50/50 balls, they out-rebounded us, and that is just something we have to fix on our end. That’s something we can control.”

“Tennessee and South Carolina are the two hardest playing teams in the league,” Pearl said. “They play harder than everybody and they played harder than us tonight.”

Mustapha Heron, Auburn’s leading scorer and rebounder, struggled throughout the contest, going just 3-of-12 from the field. The Waterbury, Connecticut native tallied just 12 points to go along with only one rebound.

T.J. Dunans and Danjel Purifoy finished a combined 4-of-19 from the field, scoring just 10 points. Freshman sensation Austin Wiley had just two field goal attempts, finishing with five points and seven rebounds.

Auburn finished 25-of-66 (37.9 percent) from the floor and 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) from three-point range. Tennessee out-rebounded the Tigers 43-35. Fifth-year senior

Ronnie Johnson finished with 15 points in just 15 minutes for Auburn, 13 of which came in the second half. Anfernee McLemore continued his recent surge, scoring nine points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds.

Tennessee (13-9, 5-4) was led by Admiral Schofield who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. The 6-foot4 sophomore finished 3-of4 from three-point range and 6-of-9 from the field. Freshman Grant Williams scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Vols.

The loss dropped Auburn to 14-8, 3-6 in the SEC. The Tigers will head to Tuscaloosa Saturday to take on Alabama. After knocking off the Crimson Tide 84-64 earlier in the season, the Tigers know they’re going to get Alabama’s best shot.

“We just have to rebound from this one, pay attention to the scouting and learn from this one,” McLemore said.

“We need to pay more attention to defensive rebounding like always, make it a learning process.”

Tip-off from Coleman Coliseum is set for 7:30 CST on the SEC Network.

CATHERINE WOFFORD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Alannah Griffin and Andie Dikosavljevic during a match against USC at the ITA National Indoor Championship on Sunday, Jan. 29.

Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

Auburn women’s tennis punched it’s ticket to the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships with a 4-1 victory over Southern California at Yarbrough Tennis Center on Sunday.

The No. 15 Tigers will now prepare for the National Indoor Championships, hosted by Yale University, on Feb. 10-12 in New Haven, Connecticut.

“Clinching a spot at National Indoors for the first time is a very special milestone for our program,” Auburn head coach Lauren Spencer said. “Even though we had such a good year last year, we wanted to continue to build and grow as a program, so this was a big goal for us. We are excited for this opportunity.”

Auburn took the doubles point and jumped out to a 1-0 lead on USC. No. 25 Alizee Michaud and Taylor Russo improved to 8-3, defeating No. 18 Zoe Katz and Gabby Smith.

Alannah Griffin and Andie Dikosavljevic clinched the doubles point for the secondstraight day, defeating Jessica Failla and Rianna Valdes 7-6 on court two.

“I was extremely proud of our doubles today,” Spencer said. “Allie and Taylor are playing high level tennis right now and beat a very good doubles team.”

No. 13 Michaud was the first of the court in singles, winning her 15th singles match of the season to defeat the Trojans No. 56 Zoe Katz.

Michaud now has 61 singles victories for her career.

Roos van der Zwaan kept things rolling for the Tigers, upsetting No. 52 Madison Westby 6-3. The junior improved to 3-0 in singles on the season.

Griffin clinched the match for Auburn with a, 6-2, 7-6 (4) upset over USC’s Madison Westby.

The Tigers will be back in action on Friday Feb. 3 in Illinois.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Sports 9

The Auburn Plainsman

COLUMN

It’s On Us: Tearing down the immortality of college athletics Nathan King SPORTS@THEPLAINSMAN. COM

On Thursday, May 26, 2016, the Baylor University Athletic Department announced the suspension of head coach Art Briles, with the “intention to terminate” the coach and expel him from the Waco, Texas-based school. This statement came amidst the disclosures of the sickening sexual assault allegations against Baylor football players, allegations that were not met with penalizing action by the athletic department.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, the Auburn University Athletic Department announced that offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee would be leaving the program in favor of the same position at the University of Connecticut. With that departure came the daunting possibility of Briles coming to Auburn to step in for Lashlee.

The opportunity for Briles to become an Auburn man stirred assorted reactions among Tiger faithful. We’d all like to think that second chances should be reserved for every man and every woman. Some members of the Auburn family stuck to this notion and were willing to expense some controversy to make Auburn a better football team.

Some members of the Auburn family felt their hearts writhe when reading Briles’ name on Auburn’s short list of OC candidates. Lifting that pressure was Auburn’s hiring of Arizona State offensive coordinator and former Auburn offensive analyst Chip Lindsey to fill the void left by Lashlee.

Let us, for prospective moral purposes, imagine a universe in which Auburn had elected to hire Art or Kendal Briles, Art’s son and offensive coordinator at Baylor from 2015 to 2016. We find ourselves relentlessly approaching spring practices and, even more pressing, National Signing Day. The day he is hired, Briles addresses his demons and proclaims the denouncement of them in his press conference. All is well, as the protection and comfort of a university’s female population has been swept under the rug in favor of a “bettered” athletic program.

On Friday, Jan. 27, the Dallas Morning News releases a horrifying story that furthers the narrative in Waco. A Baylor grad cloaked under the alias of Elizabeth Doe has sued the school, her lawsuit claims that 31 Baylor football players had committed at least 52 acts of rape in a four-year period. Doe reports that she was gang raped by a pair of Baylor football players and notes that four other gang rapes are included in that tally of 52.

What becomes of Briles on The Plains? It would unquestionably be a troubling and trying time for our school’s culture.

Does the Auburn family riot, protesting outside football complexes until the University confirms his termination? Is he peacefully dismissed, or does the 61-year-old coach resign? Or does he slide under these allegations unscathed, claiming in rabid pressers that Doe’s claims are “in his past?”

Thank Lindsey we never have to find out.

Let’s assume from here on out that these accusations by Doe and her Colorado lawyer, John Clune, are true. Addressing the longevity of the allegations, Clune was quoted in a chilling statement as saying “as hard as the events at Baylor have been for people to hear, what went on there

was much worse than has been reported.”

Much worse than a university rooted in Christian beliefs failing to responsibly address allegations of rape and sexual violence by six female students from 2009 to 2016.

Appallingly, it can get worse. Doe’s lawyer’s inquiries not only claimed numbers that conflicted with those originally stated by Baylor University officials but also identified two of the gang rapes as having been committed by 10 or more players at a time. The lawsuit also defines a culture that is desensitized and open to offering sexual crimes as rewards to athletes, noting the athletic program’s “show ‘em a good time” strategy. Kendal Briles is disgustingly quoted having asked a Dallas-area recruit, “Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at Baylor and they love football players.”

We find ourselves at the point where these allegations are so warped and twisted that several large media outlets have since called for Baylor’s football program to receive the “death penalty,” meaning that all functions pertaining to Baylor football would be terminated for a year.

The halo placed atop the everyday student athlete has crumpled. Gone are the days of it being a common stance to subliminally instruct a young child to look up to his or her favorite college athlete. These athletes have lost their credibility and healthy relationship with their fans. From a rhetoric standpoint, their ethos has completely deteriorated.

It’s been decades in the making, but allegations such as these and the likes of Louisville’s prostitution scandal seem to be putting the finishing touches on the destruction of innocence in the world of the NCAA. In the wake of the first allegations, Baylor

blew up its staff. On the same day as Briles’ firing, university president Ken Starr was demoted to Chancellor and Athletic Director Ian McCaw was placed on probation. McCaw has since been named the athletic director at Liberty University, further confirming the notion that those in athletic power are untouchable, even those that are forced to resign from their previous position due to spearheading a sexual scandal.

Changing out staff is plain imprudent and futile. It places a temporary Band-Aid on the symptoms of the illness instead of digging out the roots of the disease.

It’s not the staff. It’s the entrenched culture.

The subconscious endorsement of the phrase “boys will be boys,” which has unspeakably evolved into “show ‘em a good time.” Football has evolved. College athletics have evolved; it’s impossible to deny. It’s not harmless anymore.

It’s repulsive that we’ve found ourselves in a culture where multiple players on multiple teams at a single university are arrested yearly.

As members of the Auburn family, we’re fortunate that we don’t have to deal with the nightmarish scenario of culturing a member of Baylor’s defunct staff.

However, Ian McCaw has already been hired within a year of leaving Baylor. There will come a time when the Briles father and son combo will be given coaching jobs.

When that time comes, what are we, as students and fans, to do? Is it worth protesting? Or does everyone deserve a clean slate? Perhaps the operative thing to do is to follow the example of Elizabeth Doe. Go forward and confront. Be without fear. Our widespread rallying call should reflect that of the campaign signs plastered across the campus of Baylor University: “It’s On Us.”

SOFTBALL

Tigers to open 2017 ranked No.2 in nation Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

FILE PHOTO

After the greatest season in program history, the Auburn softball team will begin the 2017 campaign at No. 2, according to the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday morning.

Auburn’s No. 2 ranking is their highest preseason ranking in history and is the same position in which they closed the 2016 season.

The back-to-back conference Tournament champions and WCWS participants have a trying schedule this upcoming season. Auburn is set to face 10 opponents in the annual preseason poll, including three in the top five.

No. 2 Auburn matches up with No. 1 Oklahoma to kick off the 2017 season in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 9.

The battle between the top teams is set for 1 p.m. CST and can be seen on ESPNU. The Tigers then face off with No. 13 Washington later that evening at 7 p.m. CST. Last season ended on a disappointing note, with a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in game 3 of the Women’s College World Series championship game. The best two of three series had it all. Dominant pitching, a comeback for the ages and a walk-off grand slam that will continue to zoom outfield through Auburn athletic history.

The only thing that Auburn didn’t experience in their first ever trip to the title game was a victory.

Revenge is obviously the looming theme for this year’s squad, as it jolts ahead with a chance for reclamation against the Sooners.

If Auburn is to return to the WCWS this season, it starts with taking down Oklahoma, which would solidify the Tigers as a national power once again.

Auburn welcomes three ranked teams to the Plains as No. 14 James Madison (Feb. 25-26), No. 4 LSU (March 10-12) and No. 17 Missouri (April 14-16) are set to make their way to Jane B. Moore Field.

The Tigers will be tested early and often as they hit the road for tilts with No. 15 Tennessee (March 14), No. 25 USF (March 17), No. 4 Florida (March 25-27), No. 12 Georgia (March 31-April 2) and No. 7 Alabama (May 5-7).

Auburn will open the season in Mexico but then will remain at home for 21 consecutive games beginning with SIU-Edwardsville, Feb. 16.

TRACK AND FIELD

Veronica Eder sets school record at Razorback Invitational Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

On Saturday, Jan. 28, Auburn’s Veronica Eder set the school record in the women’s 3000-meter with a time of 9:19.91 to lead Auburn track and field on the final day of the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Multiple Tigers shined at the invitational as nine personal bests were set.

Eder’s time breaks Holly Knight’s previous record of 9:20.56.

Eder’s mark also ranks as the ninth-best in the nation and second in the SEC heading into the weekend.

“I was very pleased with our overall effort this weekend, but I am extremely proud of Veronica Eder,” Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said. “This was an extremely tough meet, but Veronica’s school record was definitely the highlight. We also had a lot of personal bests and I can really see a ton of growth in our team so far this season. We just have to continue to build and compete to the best of our ability.”

Mark Rubalcaba had a personal best jump of 50-2.75/15.31m.

The Las Vegas native finished fifth for Auburn in the event.

Sophomore Xavier Coakley posted a personal best with a 7.90 in the men’s 60-meter hurdles to finish fifth behind senior Wellington Zaza, who finished in 7.89.

Raheem Chambers finished fourth in the men’s 60m with a time of 6.68 seconds.

VIA COLIN ABBEY

Sports 10

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

This week in Auburn sports

WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Above: Auburn baseball head coach Butch Thompson gives instruction to pitcher Gabe Klobosits during practice on Friday, Jan. 27.

Left: Pitcher Keegan Thompson throws a pitch during practice.

MICHAEL CLEMENTS / TCU MEDIA RELATIONS

Bruce Pearl flashes a signal to his team during Auburn’s game against Texas Christian University in Fort Worth,Texas on Saturday, Jan. 28.

CATHERINE WOFFORD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Roos van der Zwaan during a match against USC at the Auburn Tennis Center on Sunday, Jan. 29.

WADE RACKELY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Kelsey Kopec cheers after her routine on the bars during a meet against Alabama in Tuscaloosa,Ala.Alabama defeated Auburn 195.850-194.675.

Ronnie Johnson (35) drives the ball into TCU defensive territory. The Tigers defeated the Horned Frogs 88-80.

CATHERINE WOFFORD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Above: Caroline Turner returns a serve during a match against USC. Right: Alizee Michaud serves during a match against USC.

Gymnastics

MJ Rott performs her floor routine during a meet against Alabama on Saturday, Jan. 28 in Tuscaloosa,Ala.

MICHAEL CLEMENTS / TCU MEDIA RELATIONS

MICHAEL CLEMENTS / TCU MEDIA RELATIONS

Horace Spencer (0) looks to make a shot against TCU defense.

The No. 16 Auburn gymnastics team concluded its busy weekend of travel at the thirdannual Elevate the Stage meet Sunday. The Tigers dropped yet another conference matchup, this time to No. 5 Alabama, by a final score of 195.850194.675, in the Legacy Arena at the BJCC. “Three events were pretty good for us today,” head coach Jeff Graba said. “I wanted them to learn how to make a quick turn-around and be aggressive. We started out strong, and I was happy with our first two events. However, we tightened up in our last event, and I think this young team will learn from this.”

The Tigers started the day strong on bars and came away with a season-high score of 49.150. Leading the youthful Auburn squad was redshirt senior Kelsey Kopec, who clinched the event title with a 9.875. A trio of sophomores in Samantha Cerio, Taylor Krippner and Emma Engler added a 9.825 each, while freshman Gracie Day capped things off with a 9.8.

Auburn transitioned to vault in the second rotation and finished with a score of 48.9.

Freshman Katie Becker earned a career high in the event, leading the Tigers with a 9.825. Engler followed with a season

best at 9.8, while Krippner received a 9.775. Day and sophomore A’Miracal Phillips ended the scoring at 9.75.

The third rotation had Auburn on floor, and the team was awarded a 49.025 collectively. Seniors MJ Rott and Kullen Hlawek put together solid performances for a pair of 9.825s, which was a season-best for Hlawek. Becker and senior Lucia Scaglione opened the event with 9.8s and redshirt freshman Emma Slappey picked up a 9.775.

The young Tiger team closed the day on beam and was led by a career-high score from Slappey, who tallied a 9.85.

Hlawek and Cerio each added scores of 9.725 for Auburn.

However, two falls in the final event cost the Tigers who finished with a 47.6.

Baseball The 2017 Auburn baseball team held their second openscrimmage of the season on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park.

The exhibition featured five innings in which pitchers displayed speed and versatility, hitters exhibited power and the defense presented a multitude of athletic, hustle plays, pleasing second-year head coach Butch Thompson.

“We’re trying to play fast and attack everything,” Thomp-

son said. “I actually asked the players to name their attack plays. We had a pitcher that attacked the ball, we had a foul ball where Josh Anthony ran all the way from third base and slid into the wall behind home plate. Those are little things, but I like how we’re playing. I thought we really pushed it on the bases. When our guys get thrown out by stealing a base, we allow them to go back, embracing every bit of it.”

Davis Daniel started the afternoon for the Tigers and threw twelve pitches in the first inning, all fastballs. Daniel made two quick-thinking plays in the first, both tosses to first base, outing outfielders Jonah Todd and Bo Decker. Succeeding Daniel on the mound was 6 foot 7 senior Gabe Kolobosits.

Kolobosits endured improved hitting from the Tigers, as outfielder Jeremy Johnson and infielder Luke Jarvis both rounded home in the second.

Redshirt-junior infielder Dylan Ingram placed his brand on the contest with a pair of grounders between first and second base. Both hits resulted in singles. Sophomore catcher Mike Rojas continued his efficient play from the team’s first scrimmage on Friday with a fair deep shot into left field that brought home Johnson.

Jarvis turned in the most notable offensive effort of the day, smacking a fastball from Kolo-

bosits just under the scoreboard for a solo triple.

The sequences from infielder Josh Anthony, alluded to by coach Thompson, brought the few Hitchcock Field attendees to their feet. Anthony slid for a short foul ball in the fourth inning. The junior missed, slamming into the wall behind home plate. Anthony redeemed himself with an athletic slide-andthrow to first, ending the fourth inning.

Amidst the prominent demonstrations of efficiency for Auburn, the Tigers also curved several errors and general mishaps. Twice a batter was struck by a pitch and twice in the outfield, apparent confusion led to errors on the execution of a throw to second or first.

Auburn enters its second season of the Butch Thompson era after a second-to-last place finish in the SEC a season ago.

The 2016 Tigers recorded a 2333 record overall and tallied only 3 wins on the road for the entire season.

The Tigers start 2017 with 21 straight home games before playing Georgia Tech on the road on March 21. Game one of Auburn’s first 2017 series is Friday, Feb. 17 at Plainsman Park against George Washington.

First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST, broadcasted on the SEC Network+.

Opinion Thursday, February 2, 2017

11 ThePlainsman.com

Opinion

OUR VIEW

Trump’s travel ban is foolish and immoral SPRING EDITORIAL BOARD 2017

Last Friday, alt-righters rejoiced across online havens in their common tongue: cowardly, xenophobic speech sprinkled with broken German.

They owed their victory to President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order barring all refugees from entering the United States for four months and prohibiting nationals from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering for 90 days.

Additionally, and most damningly, it bars Syrian refugees from entering indefinitely.

The order is not only unnecessary, but it also harms America in a practical sense and is a moral disgrace.

Trump’s order was precipitated on the ridiculous claim that the U.S. doesn’t have a strong vetting process.

Before the order, Syrian refugees underwent a vetting process that could last up to two or more years. Not a single Syrian refugee has committed a terrorist attack. Also, among all of the nationals from the seven banned countries who have immigrated here, none have killed any Americans in terrorist attacks.

Living up to its name as the Mother of Exiles, as immortalized in Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colossus,” America has become home to millions of refugees seeking a free and safe life.

The order, ostensibly designed as a practical and necessary effort to prevent terrorists from reaching American shores, will exacerbate the issue of terrorism.

On balance, it will increase the threat of terrorism because of its potential to be leverage as propaganda for organizations like ISIS. ISIS is unable to defeat America militarily, but it has shown surprising deftness with respect to waging a war of ideas; its propaganda machine is powerful, and so it’s able to brainwash some of the impressionable young Muslims who live their lives against a backdrop of cultural isolation.

The Obama administration took great care in crafting a strategy with this fact in mind, and so it helped ensure the situation isn’t framed as America versus Islam by opting for strategic language and posturing to prevent the ISIS brand from

having extra tools in this ideological war.

Upset and unthinking, many complained about Obama’s refusal to throw around phrases like Islamic terror or Muslim terrorists. Many charged that his utterance of those words would signify a stronger strategy.

However, stronger language doesn’t necessarily entail better strategy.

As Obama’s strategy of military domination with an eye toward containing the ISIS brand carried on, ISIS recruitment fell precipitously.

Trump’s order creates room for the ISIS propaganda machine to reframe the situation as a conflict between the current world order and Islam, thus enticing more alienated Muslims to join the terrorist organization.

Additionally, the order alienates some of our allies in the fight against ISIS. It targets Iraqis, who compose the bulk of ground forces combating ISIS. Also, Yemen, a country helping us fight al-Qaeda, released a statement expressing dismay over Trump’s decision to bar its citizens from traveling to the U.S. Without clear diplomatic support from the U.S., our current and future partnerships with the listed countries are at risk.

Decried as a ban on Muslims, the order received severe backlash as swarms of protestors took to airports to show solidarity with those affected.

Lawyers worked pro-bono in airports, offering legal support to travelers and their families.

Some of the less overtly racist defenders of the order maintain it isn’t a ban directed toward Muslims, but rather, it’s a ban made with the single-minded purpose of protecting Americans from terrorists.

The day following the order, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani all but dispelled this notion by admitting that Trump asked him how to establish a ban on Muslim immigration “legally.”

This should come as no surprise to those who remembered, and believed, Trump’s campaign rhetoric.

Moreover, the order’s religious discrimination becomes evident through the language of the order, which grants preference to the minority religions in all of the seven Muslim-majority coun-

STERLING WAITS / GRAPHICS EDITOR

tries.

Seemingly in an attempt to defend this preference, Trump went to twitter Sunday morning to tweet “Christians in the Middle-East have been executed in large numbers. We cannot allow this horror to continue!”

His justification misses that Muslims, by and large, make up the majority of victims of terrorist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaeda.

This tweet serves to give the order’s supporters an imaginary parcel of moral confidence in their detestable position.

Also, it showcases a basic human fault: the human tendency to value one life over another because of arbitrary differences in things like religion, race, skin color or the numerous other ways people are compartmentalized.

It’s a testament to the general good nature

of our country that such a quick and passionate backlash occurred.

But the general good nature of people doesn’t necessarily translate into who holds power in this nation.

Consistent, deliberate and concerted action is much more likely to create the change we need.

The vast majority of Republicans have remained silent on this issue, and some like our very own Rep. Mike Rogers have expressed support for it.

Pressure must be placed on this administration so Trump knows he won’t have as many bargaining chips with Congress if he commits himself to dangerous and immoral ideas such as this.

We implore all of our readers to call their representatives and demand open opposition to the order.

Opinion 12

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Trump, morality and misinformation On Nov. 7, thousands of Alabamians voted in their perceived self-interests and against their real self-interests as they have done so many times before.

This time, they were joined by millions of other Americans.

I respect my friends, neighbors, colleagues, students and fellow citizens, but I do not and cannot respect the vote they cast this time.

Trump voters must be treated as adults and held accountable for what they chose to overlook or failed to verify in order to vote for their candidate.

Here is only a partial list.

Their choice, Donald Trump, mocked a disabled reporter, disrespected women, advocated torture as a tactic against United States enemies, asserted that Sen. John McCain, a survivor of enemy torture, is not a war hero “because he was captured,” feuded with and disrespected the parents of a Bronze Star Medal soldier, appealed to racist and xenophobic tendencies by claiming

falsely that “thousands and thousands” of Arabs cheered as the World Trade Center came down on 9/11, said that an Indiana judge couldn’t judge his case fairly because the judge was of Hispanic heritage, called on Russia to hack into American emails and then was skeptical that they did it and assailed anyone who disagreed with him with ugly schoolyard names.

Trump and his supporters are not necessarily racist, but they are less anti-racist and more mean-spirited than me and the majority of Americans.

Trump’s actions, statements and ethical views are those of an egotistical braggart whose character runs counter to our basic American values, and his election indicates that many of our citizens have lost their moral compass.

An equally disturbing possibility is that perhaps many Trump voters didn’t view these events as factual and/or blindly accepted a false reality.

Perhaps they accepted Facebook posts and reposts and tweets and re-tweets as reality without

bothering to verify them.

Fact checkers during the election campaign found that Donald Trump lied more than 70 percent of the time, but if a voter doesn’t accept facts or else accepts fake facts and lies, it doesn’t matter to him/her.

Now, Mr. Trump’s supporters and advisers are saying that his Twitter feeds shouldn’t be taken literally. Of course, this is nonsense.

Beginning with the fabricated story that Barack Obama was not a citizen, Trump has been a serial liar, and now a Liar-in-Chief has been inaugurated.

If an informed citizenry is essential to the survival of democracy, we are now seeing that a misinformed citizenry is even worse than an uninformed one.

Trump has shown that disregard for the truth and creation of a false reality can get you elected to the highest office in the world, and now he has continued to lie daily since his election. Unfortunately, a price will be paid.

Documented news stories, facts and scientific theories are stubborn things; they don’t care whether you believe them or not.

Whether you accept gravitational theory or not, an apple can fall on your head.

Whether you believe in evolution or not, bacteria evolve and become more antibiotic resistant.

Whether you accept climate change or not, fossil fuels increase atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide does absorb infrared radiation, and the global temperature is increasing.

A significant minority of our voting population has now ignored facts or failed to debunk a false reality and forsaken their morality to their own peril.

Regrettably, they have imperiled the rest of us, the majority, as well.

I implore them to turn back now, to the foundational values of the U.S, before it’s too late.

Bruce Gladden is a professor in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

We must stand for the human rights of all

PHOTO OF RICHARD PENASKOVIC / VIA AUBURN.EDU

We are called the “United States” because all our states are united in the belief that all are created equal and deserve equal treatment under the law regardless of religion, ethnicity or economic advantage.

In a democracy, the title “citizen” is high-

er than that of president, in part, because the president works for us.

Citizens have both the right and duty to mold the future legacy of our country.

Hence we must uphold our principles and stand for human rights within our borders and overseas.

However, on Friday, Jan. 27, Mr. Trump’s executive order banned nationals from seven countries from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days, suspended all refugee admissions for at least 120 days and stated that no Syrian refugees can be admitted until further notice.

This executive order violated international law that requires countries to give refuge to those in critical need.

Mr. Trump’s executive order bans refugees from Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen from coming to the U.S. These seven nations are countries where Trump has no business holdings.

In signing this executive order, President Trump was fulfilling a promise he made in 2015 on the campaign trail to put a temporary ban on Muslims coming to the U.S. What

he has overlooked is the fact that refugees arriving now are coming to our shores after an 18-month vetting process.

After consultation with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump was cautioned by his legal team not to call it a ban based on Muslims (because that would be discriminatory), but one based on “security concerns.”

In issuing this executive order, there was little to no consultation with the Departments of Justice, Defense, State and Homeland Security.

Embassy officials were not told about this, nor were border and immigration agents given advance notice to carry out this executive order expeditiously.

Congress has also been blindsided by this executive order with opposition coming from both sides of the aisle.

Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham notified Mr. Trump of their displeasure with this order that they felt was against human rights and would make the U.S. less secure because it would be used by ISIS against us.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said

this “Muslim ban is against everything we stand for,” and Vice President Mike Pence stated that “calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional.”

This ban affects about 1 million international students (about 5 percent of our nation’s undergraduates) studying in U.S. universities.

It’s estimated that these international students add $30 billion a year to our economy.

Moreover, a significant percentage of our physicians are Muslims, and immigrant physicians are most likely to serve rural areas.

When these international students return to their own country, they can become lifetime ambassadors because of their experience in the U.S. With this ban in place I’m afraid we’ll have a brain drain.

I urge all of us to remember that “an assault on Muslims is an assault on the common humanity of us all.”

Richard Penaskovic is a Professor Emeritus at Auburn University.

HER VIEW

Why it’s okay to not have friends in college Anne Dawson ONLINE EDITOR

Every one of us has experienced it — the period of time in college when you think to yourself, “I have no friends.” And while, yes, it sucks for a minute, it may not be the worst thing in the world.

Making friends was never an issue for me in high school. I had a lot of friends. In fact, I met three of my closest friends in life during my high school years. Most weekends I was booked solid, but, more importantly, I almost always had plans to keep me busy.

All of that changed when I came to Auburn.

I was not a part of a sorority, I didn’t join any

clubs, and I didn’t go to fraternity parties. My only friends were my roommates and a few people who I had known from high school.

My roommates joined sororities and eventually made friends of their own. I was happy for them, but as I sat in my dorm bed alone for the first three weekends of college, I realized that for the first time in my life I had no one. Sure, I had family and friends in Birmingham, but in that moment I was alone.

I ended up joining a group of mutual friends that year and enjoyed my second semester of freshman year a lot more than the first, but soon enough my time for loneliness had returned. My group went their separate ways, and I was once again left lying in bed for hours upon hours each weekend with nothing to do. I spent my time crying, feeling sorry for myself and wondering why no one wanted to be my friend.

Luckily my parents reminded me that friends come and go, and just like with the last friend

group, I would soon find another.

Taking that advice, I picked myself up out of the bed and went to a Halloween party I had been invited to. I didn’t want to go because I was tired and thought I had been invited out of pity, but I went hoping it might help me get back out there in the real world.

That party was the first time I met one of my soon-to-be best friends, and through him I ended up meeting the rest of the amazing people who currently make up my friend group. That one decision to attend a Halloween party with my co-workers resulted in me meeting the people who will stand by my side when I say “I do.”

Being alone is terrible. Unfortunately, it is a part of life and an emotion we feel naturally as humans, but sometimes it can lead to the most amazing friendships and relationships.

I can’t stress it enough to those of you who feel like you’re alone: You aren’t. You may feel that way right now, but there are people out

Dakota Sumpter MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Ballard COPY Weston Sims OPINION

Claire Tully CAMPUS

Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY

Kris Martins INVESTIGATIONS Jack Winchester SPORTS

Madison Ogletree PHOTO Anne Dawson SOCIAL MEDIA Parker Aultman MULTIMEDIA Lily Jackson LIFESTYLE

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 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.

255 Heisman Drive, Suite 1111, AU Student Center Auburn, AL 36849 Newsroom - (334) 844-9108 Advertising - (334) 844-9101

Editor-in-Chief - Corey Williams

Managing Editor - Dakota Sumpter

NEWSROOM

ADVERTISING

CAMPUS

OPINION

Editor - Claire Tully Reporter - Romy Iannuzzi Writer - Loren Kimmel Writer - Amanda Ronan Writer - Kressie Kornis

Editor - Weston Sims

COPY DESK Editor - Jessica Ballard

COMMUNITY

Submissions

Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on Monday for publication.

Anne Dawson is the online editor at The Plainsman.

The Auburn Plainsman

The Editorial Board Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

there who feel the exact same way and could use a friend just as much as you.

The best way to find those people is to get out there.

Join a club. Hang out with a peer from class or a friend from your hometown that could introduce you to new people.

Talk to that kid who sits next to you in comp.

Also, don’t decline invitations to hang out with people, and be yourself.

Being alone is fine, and some people prefer it every now and then, but your future best friends could literally be all together at a party down the road, and you might never know.

My time alone taught me that I am in control of my life, and if I really wanted a friend group, it was as easy as saying, “Yeah, I’ll see you there.”

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.

Editor - Chip Brownlee Reporter - Sam Willoughby Writer - Tori Linehan Writer - Alex Hosey Writer - Gabby Dance

ENTERPRISE

PHOTO AND GRAPHICS Photo Editor - Madison Ogletree Staff Photographer - Matthew Bishop Photographer - Catherine Wofford Graphic Designer - Sterling Waits Design Editor - Emily Shoffit

Editor - Kris Martins

SPORTS

ONLINE

Editor - Jack Winchester Assistant - Will Sahlie Reporter - Nathan King Reporter - Nathan Deal Writer - Matt Barrentine

Editor - Anne Dawson Assistant Editor - Carley Prichard Assistant - Su Jin Park

LIFESTYLE

MULTIMEDIA

Editor - Lily Jackson Writer - Lily Hendrix Writer - Alex Wilkerson Writer - Brooks Glover

Editor - Parker Aultman

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ADVISER Elizabeth Snider advertising@auburn.edu

ADVERTISING MANAGER Lacey Gosset admanager@ThePlainsman.com

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Lauren Bagby Katy Knight Kacey Alexander

DESIGNERS Grant Peterson Montana Cole

DISTRIBUTION

EDITORIAL ADVISER Alec Harvey adviser@ThePlainsman.com

Dakota Sumpter Zach Clark Wes Sandlin Lily Jackson

Lifestyle

13

Thursday, February 2, 2017 ThePlainsman.com

Lifestyle

DAY IN THE LIFE

CATHERINE WOFFORD / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

LEFT: Head coach Jeff Graba watches team practice on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

MIDDLE:The Auburn Gymnastics team huddles before their meet against Georgia on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017.

RIGHT: Emma Slappey, redshirt freshman in fitness condition and performance, poses while working on her floor routine on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017.

‘Gymnastics is a lifestyle, not a sport’ Lily Jackson LIFESTYLE EDITOR

At three years old, an energetic Emma Slappey was in need of an outlet for release. Her mother was anxious to find a constructive activity to help Slappey burn some of that steam.

Slappey started in dance and after realizing her heart was actually in the gym, she switched to gymnastics. Slappey, redshirt freshman in fitness condition and performance, has made gymnastics a defining element of her life. When deciding where to train and compete, Auburn stood out for its honesty.

“There’s a family atmosphere and the coaches don’t make the program out to be something that it isn’t,” Slappey said. “They said, ‘This is how it’s going to be, this is how hard you are going to work, this is how you will compete and this is the way we are.’”

Slappey said she was aware that Auburn’s program was not the top program available, but she has faith they are moving toward that level. Being a part of a progressing and changing program is exactly what she wanted.

During recruiting, coaches came to Slappey’s home gym and watched her practice to see exactly what she had to offer. Slappey did the same, touring the Auburn facilities and was thoroughly impressed.

Head coach, Jeff Graba, has enjoyed working with Slappey and vice versa. He remarked on her early success and quick nature when taking leadership on the predominately freshman and sophomore team.

“Emma is a phenomenally talented athlete, she is very smart and has fantastic drive and heart,” Graba said. “She is filling in more as a leader now. We are kind of leaning on her to lead the team.”

Slappey described her coaches as funny, lively, engaging and warm in comparison to other SEC coaches.

Graba is in charge of managing the team, recruiting, budgeting and the technical aspects of training. He said one of the main adjustments for new gymnasts is learning to compete as a team.

Until beginning competition with Auburn, most of the girls have competed individually.

“We joke around and say, ‘Gymnastics is a lifestyle not a sport,’” Graba said. “It’s 24/7. These girls are living, breathing, eating gymnastics everyday till they retire.”

Graba said time off from practice can be extremely detrimental, requiring constant practice and extreme dedication to the sport.

Time is exactly what Slappey gives to the sport she loves.

Starting as early as six in the morning with treatment and rehab.

Beginning with warm-ups as soon as classes are over, the team works until about 5 p.m.

The team has been on the road for the past few weeks, making the balance between school, work and sport tricky. Slappey said it’s simple to balance the two without getting behind if you stay focused and work while traveling.

“It’s the first full week of school we are getting this week since school started,” Slappey said. “It’s difficult missing tests and makeup exams, but being on the road gives you a lot of time to study. You can get ahead, but you can’t slack off if you know you are going to be away.”

Despite the time strain, Slappey said the most taxing element of the sport is the stress on the body.

“I have a million things wrong with me, but you do it for the sport,” Slappey said.

Come th i w e v o l n fall i re!

a u q S s ’ n a Lem

When performing, Slappey said she thinks as if it is just another practice. Staying calm and focused is crucial. Slappy said the coaches have trained them to stray from psyching themselves out.

“The meets are a lot of fun,” Slappey said. “A lot of the engineers dress up and they call them the ‘Gymnasties,’ and they paint their bodies. We’re doing flips and people find it funny even if we fall—it’s just a fun atmosphere.”

Slappey’s favorite event is floor, as tumbling has always been her strong suit. When choosing music, she prefers dark Sci-Fi sounds.

“Floor tells a story, and we all have our own characters that we get into,” Slappey said.

For meets at home, the team arrives at 3 p.m. and begins warmups for the impending meet beginning at 7 p.m. Makeup and hair takes about two hours, requiring much attention to details.

Slappey said her makeup must be seen from the very top seats of the arena. The team spends time together braiding hair and fixing themselves up for the meet.

Slappey lives with one other gymnast and the girls spend time with each other outside of practice as well. The sport is a yearround commitment, and the gym is always open. Slappey said when she heads home for breaks she continues to practice at her home gym.

In the end, the gymnasts are dedicated athletes in love with their sport. Slappey pointed out the rumor that gymnasts don’t eat and personally debunked the claim.

“We are all really weird, we eat a lot and people think we don’t eat at all,” Slappey said. “We eat a lot, and we work out a lot. We can afford one bad thing, it’s not gonna kill us. I’ve always heard that assumption.”

Cooking with Anne: make it gluten-free Anne Dawson ONLINE EDITOR

Come into Quiet Comfort

Pet Friendly • Sparkling Pools • Spacious Floor Plans On-site Management • Tiger Transit Route Water/Garbage included • Only 4 blocks from Auburn University campus

A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE!

(334) 821-9192 560 North Perry St. Auburn, AL www.lemanssquare.com

The whole gluten-free lifestyle trend has become very popular lately. It seems like everyone knows at least five people that all of a sudden have a gluten allergy. While some people find this diet pretentious or just a fad, for some it is crucial.

I was told I was allergic to wheat when I was in the first grade, but didn’t realize the effects it would have on my body until college. I began having severe stomach pains and aches, spending most of my time curled up on the floor in pain. Eventually, I cut most of the gluten in my diet out and began to feel like myself again.

The point being—a lot of people have issues with gluten, and for most it is a valid concern.

If you get stomach aches or feel bloated after you eat, try cutting out gluten for a few weeks and see if that helps your pain.

Eating gluten-free is easy. Here are some of the easiest and best ways to swap your favorite gluten-filled foods for a treat that won’t hurt your stomach.

1. Tortillas

Everyone loves a good taco. However, these bad boys are full of gluten. Try replacing a flour tortilla with a corn tortilla. You’ll barely taste a difference.

2. Chicken Crispy fried chicken, even when made from scratch, is glutenfilled and can cause major stomach pains. When making chicken, substitute regular flour for tapioca flour. It makes your chicken light and crispy without sacrificing taste.

3. Pizza Pizza is one of my favorite foods, however, it causes the biggest stomach ache. I love swapping regular flour used in the crust for coconut and almond flour. Use equal parts of both to make the crust flakey and delicious.

4. Biscuits Making biscuits gluten free is very similar to pizza— however, it involves one more flour. Coconut, tapioca and almond flour provide a perfect medley of flavor in the lightest, fluffiest biscuit you’ll ever eat.

5. Nachos Nachos are a staple for everyone, but those tortilla chips never seem to settle well. Instead of using chips for your nachos, slice up a potato into thin slices and bake them in the oven at 450 degrees for 35 minutes. Add salt and pepper and you’ve got amazing homemade chips.

Lifestyle 14

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

THIS WEEK

Everything you need to know about the next seven days

THURSDAY February 2, 2017

CAMPUS EVENTS

COMMUNITY EVENTS

WHAT: Organic Garden Club Kickoff WHEN: 7-9 p.m.

WHERE: Student Center 2222

WHAT: Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers WHEN: 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

WHAT: Protest for Peace WHEN: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: Haley Concourse

FRIDAY

February 3, 2017

MUSIC WHAT: U.S. Band WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

WHAT: Permagroove WHERE: Bourbon Street Bar

WHAT: Union Road WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

WHAT: Dallas Dorsey & The Rail with Brett McDaniel WHEN: 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Eighth & Rail

WHAT: Thomas Csorba WHEN: 7-10 p.m.

WHERE: Side Track Coffee

SATURDAY February 4, 2017

February 5, 2017

WHAT: $3 Top Shelf Wells, $1.50 Beer, Draft & Daiquiri Specials, No Cover WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

WHERE: SkyBar Cafe WHAT: Pint Night, $1 off Select Beer WHEN: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Draft House

CAMPUS EVENTS `

WHAT: $3 Top Shelf Wells and $1.50 Beer WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

WHERE: SkyBar Cafe WHAT: $3 32OZ Well Drinks WHEN: 4-9 p.m.

WHERE: Moe’s Original

SPORTS

MUSIC

WHAT: Men’s Basketball vs Alabama WHEN: 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

WHAT: Rexton Lee & Union Road WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

WHAT: $2 20oz Wells & $2 Beers WHEN: 6-9 p.m.

WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

SPORTS

WHAT: Blaire Hanks and Sam Grayson WHEN: 10:00 p.m.

WHERE: Bourbon Street Bar

CAMPUS EVENTS

NIGHTLIFE WHAT: $1 Well drinks and $1 beers WHEN: 7-9 p.m.

WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

WHAT: 2017 Spring Festival Gala WHEN: 6:30-10 p.m.

WHERE: Fire Pit Area

COMMUNITY EVENTS

WHAT: Men’s Tennis WHEN: 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Tennis Center

NIGHTLIFE WHAT: $1 Mimosas, $5 Bloody Mary’s WHERE: Auburn Draft House

WHAT: Bridal Expo WHEN: 1-4 p.m.

WHERE: Marriott Hotel & Conference Center Robert Trent Jones

WHAT: Spanish Language Film Club WHEN: 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

MONDAY

NIGHTLIFE 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

February 6, 2017

WHAT: Bingo WHEN: 9:00 p.m.

WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que

TUESDAY February 7, 2017

WHAT: Men’s Basketball WHEN: 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Arena

WHAT: Women’s Basketball vs Mississippi State WHEN: 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Arena

NIGHTLIFE

WHAT: The Beacon Monthly Event WHEN: 4-6 p.m.

WHERE: Fire Pit Area

WHAT: 5 Shot Jack WHEN: 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Eighth & Rail

SPORTS

SPORTS

SPORTS

WHAT: Auburn Gymnastics WHEN: 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Arena

WHAT: Men’s Tennis vs Alabama A&M WHEN: 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Tennis Center

SUNDAY

NIGHTLIFE

CAMPUS EVENTS WHAT: SGA Debate WHEN: 6-7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Student Center Ballroom

NIGHTLIFE WHAT: $5 Bottles of Wine WHEN: 4-9 p.m.

WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que WHAT: Pint Night, $1 off select beer WHEN: 5-9 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Draft House

WEDNESDAY February 8, 2017

NIGHTLIFE WHAT: Ladies Night, $2 Wine WHERE: Fat Daddy’s WHERE: $.50 Natural and Busch Light Cans WHERE: Moe’s Original Bar B Que

All events listed above are subject to change.

WHAT: $3 32oz Well Drinks and $1 Beers WHEN: 7-9 p.m.

WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

COMMUNITY EVENTS WHAT: Daddy-Daughter Date Night WHEN: 5:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Clarion Inn & Suites University Center

MUSIC WHAT: Matt Chase WHEN: 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: SkyBar Cafe

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Lifestyle 15

The Auburn Plainsman

COLUMN

‘The Young Pope’ does not disappoint KARL HACKMILLER LIFESTYLE WRITER

The much-awaited HBO debut of the 2016 political drama “The Young Pope,” stars Jude Law as Lenny Belardo, an American archbishop recently pontificated as Pope Pius XIII. Directed by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, “The Young Pope” tells the story of 47-year-old newly elected Pope Pius XIII as he begins his reign as a pope with a singular, authoritarian vision running contrary to the values held by the traditional Catholic establishment.

Paolo Serrentino’s vision is unique and captivating, relying on disjointed close-ups, seamless transitions and high-key lighting to create a surreal, dream-like atmosphere.

Coupling a storyline involving scheming bishops and ambitious holy men, Serrentino creates a show with all of the suspense and cunning of “House of Cards” but with the intellectual surrealism and symbolism of a David Lynch drama.

The first scene of the first episode offers a captivating hook

that leaves the viewer immediately involved.

A naked child, blond and only a few years old, climbs over a landscape of dark shadows and ambiguous shapes that, as the camera glides upwards, is revealed to be a pile of infant and toddler corpses growing like a gravel pile in the center of St. Peter’s square.

A man in a white robe and adorned in sequined crosses and sashes climbs from the pile and stands in the open square. The dramatic music ceases its climb, interrupted by a cell phone alarm clock. Pope Pius XIII stirs slowly in his bed.

The Catholic Church certainly lends itself to powerful imagery and Serrentino milks it dry, juxtaposing canted angles of weeping Christ and bloodied crosses with cans of Coca-Cola Zero and the iconic Apple iPhone to create a sense of cinematography that is both playful and deadly serious, historical and palpably modern, like the real Catholic Church of today.

The CGI images leave something to be wanted and were not what one would come to expect from an HBO production.

That being said, Sorrentino’s vision is an intellectual one that makes up for this small critique in large ways.

STYLE

This week’s Fashion Ambush Fashionisto of the week Jessie George, freshman in architecture, was seen studying outside of Starbucks in the Student Center with friends.

George said his daily fashion depends on what he has to do that day, and on this particular day, he was observing a fraternity rush requirement to dress nice.

“I typically wear a button down and jeans with nice shoes,” George said.

George said looking nice shows a necessary professionalism that is important to embrace.

“I prefer bowties over ties,” George said. “Normal ties fly all over the place, and I don’t have time for that. Bowties are different.”

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Jessie George is this week’s Fashion Ambushee.

George was strutting in new shoes and mentioned the loudness of the soles on the concourse.

It is hard not to call upon “House of Cards” again and again, as Jude Law’s portrayal of Pope Pius XIII seems Frank Underwoodian to its core.

Behind the Vatican doors, he is a severe ruler. In the first episode, he makes Mother, an old nun who serves as the Vatican’s head chef, cry as he reprimands her for being kind to him.

Familiar relationships, he says, will not be tolerated. Of course on the balcony over St. Peter’s square, Pope Pius oozes charisma and works the adoring crowd with ease.

The Pope’s history is dark. Abandoned by his parents in his childhood, he was raised by Sister Mary, an American nun, played by Diane Keaton, who eventually becomes the Pope’s personal secretary and most important aide.

It’s hard or maybe impossible to fit a review of a series like “The Young Pope” into one, small article.

Season one is filled with nail-biting suspense and characters that are both frightening and endearing. What more can we ask of our anti-heroes?

“The Young Pope” does not disappoint.

Season two has been confirmed, but no production or release date has been decided, so there is no rush. There is plenty of time to watch season one again and again.

ENTERTAIMENT

‘Split’ dominates box office Karl Hackmiller LIFESTYLE WRITER

M. Night Shymalan’s psychological horror, “Split,” grosses $40.2 million in its first weekend, dominating U.S. box offices.

“Split” tells the story of three teenage girls kidnapped and locked in the basement of Dennis, a bald man with bulging eyes and a violent temper.

They learn that “Dennis” is only one of 24 separate personalities in the body of Kevin Wendell Crumb, played by James McAvoy.

The girls soon realize their only chance of escape is getting to know these split personalities and convincing one of them to let them go.

All the while, they learn about Kevin Crumb’s dark history and his childhood of neglect and abuse.

Where M. Night Shymalan goes, incredible twists always follow.

A. O. Scott of The New York Times said,

“Sinister and sentimental,” “Split” is “something of a return to form for its writer and director.”

Peter Debruge of Variety said, “There are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shymalan himself managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires.”

Some critics are condemning the film for its use of mental illness as a frightening plot device, saying the film only stigmatizes mental illness further and going so far as to call the film “exploitative.”

Either way, it certainly appears that Shymalan has once again found his footing as “Split” doubled the profits of box office second-place “xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” which grossed $20 million in its first week.

“Hidden Figures,” starring Auburn University’s own Octavia Spencer, finished in third this week at $16.3 million dollars, grossing in total over $84.2 million.

Lifestyle 16

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

PLAINSMAN PICKS PLAYLIST:

A MONTH IN REVIEW

See ya later, January Loren Kimmel LIFESTYLE WRITER

The month of January has come a long way since we rang in the new year, saying hello to 2017 and putting a final and much appreciated end to 2016.

For any of those who missed it or were lucky enough to hibernate through this month, here follows a review of the month as a whole, a homage to January as we archive this month with many others like it.

New year, new semester, new me. As we begin the year and return to school, New Year’s resolutions flood the brains of many as they tackle the long attainable and yet constantly discontinued notions of eating healthier, exercising more, waking up earlier and procrastinating less.

The elliptical machines at the Rec center much resemble the seats in a large lecture class, filled on the first week and diminish with every day that passes. Not to mention the beginning of the semester marks the start of a part-time job searching for textbooks.

Progressing through the month felt as if we were regressing seasons. On Jan. 11, the temperature rose to a warm 71 degrees and fluctuated in the 70s for a lengthy few days.

This significant rise in temperatures led to the University switching from heat to air conditioning; serving as a blessing until Alabama got a clue.

As the month trailed on, a new addition came to campus. January marked the cease of Burrito Del Mar and the welcoming of Chickin-a-Box, indicating Auburn simply wants its students to eat more chicken. The school took into account the fried chicken depletion on campus and added the third and fourth fried chicken outlets.

On Jan. 14, in a turn of events, our very own beloved Aubie fell second in the National Mascot Competition to the University of Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher.

An unfortunate circumstance until you consider that this bucktooth rodent has won a third of the national mascot competitions. My reaction put simply: first is the worst, second is the best.

Just a few days later, the inauguration of Donald J. Trump took place in the Nation’s capital late Friday morning. If it were not for the grey skies and overall somber attitude in the air, one would think it was every other Friday of the month.

In no way insinuating a correlation in between this and the previous day’s event, the Southeast was hit with severe thunderstorms accompanied by tornados.

Having said that, if you cannot at all detect the irony between the change in power and the weather, it is fair to assume you are a skeptic of mother nature’s wrath, one could even call you a climate change doubter.

Nevertheless, what a better way to wake the town of Auburn on a Saturday morning before the eight o’clock hour than the campus-wide emergency system. 200 of my closest friends piled into the basement to spend some quality time with one another.

Having been caught off guard the first time and stuck in a place with a phone with less than 20-percent battery and no snacks, I made sure to come prepared the next time. For the second tornado, I came down with a phone, laptop, corresponding chargers, snacks, beverages, earbuds and a sense of confidence.

No longer feeling like I was trapped in an old-time Midwest movie. I sat in satisfaction during the second, chomping on some extracheddar goldfish catching up on the last week’s Bachelor.

What better way to end the month than a school-wide flu epidemic?

If you thought waking up for your early morning classes was already hard, it got exponentially worse when it took you an extra hour to fall asleep the night before due to congestion. When you run out of DayQuil it’s time to make the trip to the Med clinic and lose a quarter of your day.

This enchanting tale of being sick at college seems avoidable with enough vitamin C and a good night’s rest, but not the way it is spreading at Auburn.

This sickness is traveling fast and in just enough time to welcome in February.

As we enter the new month and people start searching for their sweet valentine, realize the flu is not sweet and act with caution when around someone coughing; cuffing season may be at a high, but coughing does not have to be.

To Place an Ad, Call 334-844-9101 or E-mail admanager@theplainsman.com

Spring Break BAHAMAS SPRING BREAK $189 for 5-Days. All prices include: Round-trip luxury party cruise.

Accommodations on the island at your choice of ten resorts.

Appalachia Travel. www.BahamaSun.com 800-867-5018 Auburn University Special Collections has agreed to accept the oral histories of Auburn University students, faculty, staff, and alumni who participated in the marches that took place across the nation on Saturday, 21 January 2017. If you marched or protested and would like to participate in Auburn University’s ‘Social Justice and Women’s Rights Oral History Project’ or have any questions about the project itself, please e-mail Heather Haley at hmh0050@auburn. edu.

Accepting Applications

EXPERIENCED CLASS A CDL DRIVERS FOR UHAUL

in the Alexander City, Childersburg, & Opelika areas. *Benefits Package *Sign on Bonus To Apply or for More Information Call 256-794-4800 Evergreen Forest Products, Inc.

this week, the plainsman editors chose their favorite “fight the power” songs. listen to their picks and follow the auburn plainsman at spotify.com/the_auburnplainsman.

“Take The Power Back” by Rage Against The Machine Dakota Sumpter, managing editor “Make America rage again.”

“Re-Education (Through Labor)” by Rise Against Weston Sims, opinion editor “Fight the power.”

“Revolution” by The Beatles Claire Tully, campus editor “We all want to change the world.”

“For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield Corey Willaims, editor-in-chief “Everybody look, it’s going down.”

“Fight For Your Right To Party” by Beastie Boys Jack Winchester, sports editor “My name is Rod, and I like to party.”

Adoptable pet of the week

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Penny, an unadopted puppy at the Lee County Humane Society, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

Tigermarket ALMOST ANYTHING BUY . SELL . TRADE -Retro Video Games -Vinyl Records -Comics, Collectibles - Magic Cards -Posters &Art -Phones, IPads & Laptops (we buy broken phones/laptops)

334 - 741 - 0808 221 S. 9TH ST. OPELIKA, AL 36801 NEXT TO LEE COUNT Y COURTHOUSE

To advertise email admanager@theplainsman.com For more information

Print Deadline Noon three business days prior to publication

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, February 2, 2017

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

ACROSS 1 Brewski 5 Scrubland succulent 10 Skate park protection 14 “__ something I said?”

15 Bounded 16 Settled on the tarmac 17 Headline during an African wildfire season?

19 “¿Qué __?”

20 Peach or orange 21 Snitch 22 Rental duration 24 Former NASCAR Cup sponsor 26 Pass along 27 Go over again 29 Kind of key 33 Bro 36 Tolkien villain 37 “This feels familiar” feeling 38 Corner office fig.

39 Casual parting ... and a hint to this puzzle’s four longest answers 41 Had too much 42 Satisfies, as thirst 44 Reduction 45 Attending 46 Fable teller 47 “Challenge accepted!”

49 West Coast pro 51 Possible reason for an empty seat 55 Picture of health?

58 Profession, casually 59 Hosp. area 60 __ clarinet 61 Collector of some Spanish art?

64 Tactic 65 Barn-raising sect 66 Latin I word 67 County bordering Sonoma 68 Core belief 69 Out of shape DOWN 1 Punjabi monotheists 2 Burn through 3 Eatery often named for its owner

4 Foul spot 5 Seemingly eternal burden 6 Joint ailment 7 Abbr. in car ads 8 Unloaded a burden 9 Old lemon 10 Artist Jasper during his tropical period?

11 Cumming of “The Good Wife” 12 CD part 13 Sit tight 18 “Rule, Britannia” composer 23 License info 25 Farmer’s possible reply to “What beans are you planting this year?”?

26 Pit visitor 28 Before, poetically 30 Green gem 31 Wrapped up 32 Deserving a slap, maybe 33 Badlands landform 34 Shaft with bushings

35 Genteel gatherings 37 Couple’s break from the kids 40 “Delish!”

43 Amazing, in dudespeak 47 Biological map subject 48 Slime 50 Pester 52 Card table request

53 Where some large schools may be found 54 Rathskeller fare 55 Aye-catcher?

56 Trattoria’s “in the style of” 57 Firebird roof option 58 Military center 62 Half a cosmic whole 63 Check

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

By Chuck Deodene ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

02/02/17

02/02/17