The Auburn Plainsman 3.9.17

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

Thursday, March 9, 2017 Vol. 124, Issue 24, 12 Pages

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CAMPUS

STATE

Bentley impeachment effort remains stalled Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

The concert is usually funded through the $45 Student Activity Fee students pay each semester. SGA proposed a referendum that would increase the fee to $54 next semester, and it would gradually rise to $69 per semester by 2022.

However, on election day last month, students voted “no” to increasing the fee. Haley Horn, UPC’s director of major entertainment, said the decision not to host the concert was made before the election took place and was unrelated to the referendum.

MONTGOMERY — An impeachment probe into Gov. Robert Bentley’s relationship with his former top staffer remains stalled in the Alabama House of Representatives, even as some legislators push for its revival.

The House Judiciary Committee, charged with investigating Bentley for possible impeachment, voted Tuesday to continue a pause that began in the fall following a request from thenAttorney General Luther Strange.

The meeting was called to discuss a procedural issue that arose from a letter from Special Attorney General Ellen Brooks, the special prosecutor appointed to oversee a separate criminal investigation of the governor.

In late February, Brooks sent the committee a letter asking them to review a 1933 court case, which, according to her, raised a possible conflict between the two separate investigations.

The Alabama Supreme Court, hearing the case more than 80 years ago, ruled at the time that some impeachments conducted in alignment with one portion of the Alabama Constitution could be considered criminal proceedings.

Since they could be considered criminal in nature, there could be the possibility of triggering double jeopardy. If the governor was acquitted in a Senate trial, then the Attorney General’s Office could be prevented from prosecuting him again in a criminal court.

Most of the committee did not seem too concerned with the case’s possible implications, though.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Jones, R-Andalusia, said he had reviewed the case when conducting research and did not believe it would apply to the impeachment of constitutional officers such as the governor. Gubernatorial impeachments are covered under a different portion of the constitution that had not been reviewed in the 1933 State v. deGaffenried case, Jones said.

The 1933 impeachment case involved a Tuscaloosa County solicitor and was held in a circuit court — not held in the Legislature against a constitutional officer. The solicitor had previously been acquitted on insurance fraud charges, according to Othni Lathram, a legal expert with the Alabama Law Institute.

» See AIRWAVES, 2

» See BENTLEY, 7

DAKOTA SUMPTER / MANAGING EDITOR

Auburn Airwaves concert at the Agriculture Heritage Park on Thursday, March 31, 2016 in Auburn,Ala.

Airwaves a no-go

UPC will not host its annual spring concert Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

University Programs Council will not host its annual spring concert, Auburn Airwaves, this year.

“UPC decided to take a step back this year by evaluating their concert and how the generous portion of the Student Activity Fee allocated to the program is used,” a representative said in a statement this week. “To learn how to be better stewards of the money UPC receives, they began a benchmarking process to find the most efficient planning procedures and to improve concert execution.”

Delivering hope

CAMPUS STORIES

Campus UPS driver pens book about life after foster care Kris Martins

ENTERPRISE EDITOR

When Richard Oden was a child being shuffled from one foster home to the next, he overheard a group of adults talking about their foster children.

“That kid is not going to amount to anything,” Richard remembered hearing about himself. “His momma was a prostitute, and she was on drugs. He doesn’t have a chance.”

But he had heard similar words said about another boy.

“David knew he had a chance [against Goliath] because he had God on his side, but his people didn’t know, didn’t believe that he had a shot,” Richard said.

He reasoned that he, too, could be a productive member of society because he had what David had.

“The rest of my life was my giant, and I was determined to succeed because I knew that God was on my side,” he said.

Richard, an Opelika resident and senior airman, has come “full circle” after a being a foster child and adopted son and 18 years later becoming a foster parent and adopting children. With the November 2016 release of his first book about his experience, Richard plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to foster care, adoption and military charities.

The Department of Human Resources took Richard from his mother, who he later learned

Page 4

was a prostitute, when he was about 6 years old.

Usually he and his siblings would sleep in the back of cars, but on the night DHR found his siblings in Birmingham, they were spending the night in a hotel — a rare luxury.

A neighboring visitor complained that children were being too loud, and the police found the four of them in the room without parental supervision.

Richard spent six years in the Alabama foster care system, moving 11 times. Along the way, he and one of his sisters were separated from their other two siblings. Though the situation was far from ideal for him, he had a bed and food, two items he didn’t have all the time with his mother.

Richard stayed in a couple of homes that took him to church and showed him two things: who God was and what love was — concepts he said he didn’t know when he lived with his biological parents.

Foster children carry baggage with them throughout their life, Richard explained. Often times, he would settle in with a new family and make new friends just to be greeted by a social worker who told him to pack up his things.

Like other foster children, Richard had a black garbage bag that held a few personal items — like a light-up robot and clothes — a symbol of impermanence and baggage.

Page 7

CONTRIBUTED BY BRITTANY ODEN

Brittany and Richard Oden sit with their children.The couple have three adopted children, a foster child and a biological child.

“A lot of times in foster care, you feel like you’re other people’s baggage, you’re other people’s belongings that they just toss out,” he said. Without a reason and upon command, he packed up, moved, unpacked somewhere else and packed up all over again. “So you kind of just feel like a suitcase just passed from one house to another.”

Growing up in foster care, Richard said he was forced to grow up faster than most people.

He questioned God often, asking why he couldn’t live a “normal” life like other children around him with parents of his own.

Page 8

But Richard and his sister did finally get a home and parents. Gerry and Debbie Oden, of Huntsville, adopted them into their family of four after Richard moved from Huntsville to Gardendale right before he turned 13. He would write letters to their son, Wes, who was Richard’s best friend. When they read the letters, they were heartbroken.

“I was just telling them how unhappy I was,” Richard said. “So my best friend did indeed become my brother, and it was pret-

Page 11

» See DELIVERING, 11 INDEX Campus

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Opinion

5

Community 6

ISA celebrates Festival of Holi

Tiger Rags is relocating

Jacobs named AD of the year

Get to know Blackberry Breeze

Sports

8

Lifestyle

11

News 2

AIRWAVES » From 1

Instead, Horn said, the organization decided to start a “benchmarking process” to evaluate how Auburn Airwaves compares to other university concerts.

“All of our funding comes from the Student Activity Fee,” Horn said. “That’s not something we take lightly.”

The concert faced criticism from the Auburn community in recent years. Residents took to the Auburn City Council to voice their displeasure after Kesha’s divisive performance at Toomer’s Corner two years ago.

Airwaves has traditionally been free to only

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman Auburn students, but UPC opted to host the concert at Toomer’s Corner in 2015.

Some council members, like Tommy Dawson, pledged to personally review the city’s approval process for downtown events.

UPC has surveyed students online to determine the best artists for the fall concert, Horn said. Members will further gauge students’ opinions on the Haley Concourse later this semester.

“We are hoping students will understand why we did this,” Horn said. “It was really a bummer not to have an Airwaves concert this spring. We really think revamping Auburn Airwaves and doing it in the fall will be the best concert UPC’s ever put on.”

CAMPUS

CAMPUS CRIME LOG Date Reported

LILY JACKSON / LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Correction: An online version of the article “Student meets with administration following immigration ban letter” stated Woodard and Boosinger would be meeting with state legislature, not the University Senate. It also stated an incorrectly named Woodard “associate vice president for student affairs.” Woodard is associate provost. He is also vice president for Student Affairs.We regret the errors.

General Location

03/06/2017 03/06/2017 03/06/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/05/2017 03/04/2017 03/03/2017 03/03/2017 03/03/2017 03/03/2017 03/03/2017 03/03/2017 03/02/2017 03/02/2017 03/02/2017 03/02/2017 03/01/2017 03/01/2017 03/01/2017 03/01/2017 03/01/2017 02/28/2017 02/28/2017 02/27/2017 02/27/2017

Leaving Scene ofAccident Theft of Property Fourth Degree AssaultThird Degree Failing toAppear-Traffic Public Intoxication Possession of a Forged Instrument Fleeing/Attempting to Elude Officer Disorderly Conduct Public Intoxication Disorderly Conduct Possession of a Forged Instrument Police Investigation/Unlawful Conduct SimpleAssaultThird Degree CriminalTrespass Possession of Marijuana Second Degree Public Intoxication Suspicious Incident Duty Upon Striking an UnoccupiedVehicle Harassment (SimpleAssault) Stalking Harassing Communications Theft of Property Fourth Degree Criminal MischiefThird Degree Leaving Scene ofAccident Criminal MischiefThird Degree Possession of Marijuana Second Degree Drug Paraphernalia Theft of Property Second Degree BurglaryThird Degree CriminalTrespass Second Degree Leaving Scene ofAccident Failing toAppear-Traffic

200 Block of Wire Rd 300 Block of Roosevelt Conc Hemlock Dr at W Thach Av Hemlock Dr at W Glenn Av 100 Block of W Magnolia Av 100 Block of W Magnolia Av 100 Block of W Magnolia Av 100 Block of W Magnolia Av Wright St @ W Magnolia Av Wright St @ W Magnolia Av Wright St @ W Magnolia Av Wright St @ W Magnolia Av 1200 Block of S College St 200 Block of S Donahue Dr 900 Block of S Donahue Dr S College St @ W Samford Av 300 Block of S Donahue Dr 400 Block of Heisman Dr 100 Block of W Magnolia Av 1100 Block of Wire Rd 200 Block of Beard Eaves Ct 200 Block of Wire Rd 1000 Block of Wire Rd 300 Block of W Magnolia Av 700 Block of W Magnolia Av 300 Block of S Donahue Dr 300 Block of S Donahue Dr 1100 Block of Wire Rd 300 Block of P O Davis Dr 100 Block of Hemlock Dr 1600 Block of S College St 1500 Block of Wire Rd

02/27/2017

Theft of Property Fourth Degree

600 Block of Heisman Dr

P Students and faculty protest for equal pay for women at Toomer’s Corner on International Women’s Day on Wednesday, March 8.

“We’re all educated the same and we all work just as hard as anyone else, so we should get paid the same,” Sarah Mitchell (left), senior in interior design, said. “It’s not fair that most white men get paid 22 percent more than the rest of world.”

Read about the protest at ThePlainsman.com.

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Thursday, March 9, 2017

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Campus

ORGANIZATIONS

Various groups come together for International Friendship Picnic Loren Kimmel CAMPUS WRITER

The University’s graduate schools, the Muslim Student Association and the Church of the Highlands came together to host the International Friendship Picnic.

The picnic was held in the Davis Arboretum on Saturday, March 4.

Guests signed in by creating a name tag consisting of their name and home country. Those attending were then encouraged to participate in a scavenger hunt before getting to know each other over pizza, refreshments and corn hole.

Thamer Alqurashi, Muslim Student Association president, said the scavenger hunt asked people to go around and converse with others of different background.

“We are doing this event to bring people together,” Alqurashi said.

The two games within the scavenger hunt were the Four Faith Feast and Four Continent Coffee. Both of these games were comprised of finding three additional people of differing faiths or home continents and coordinating a time that agrees with everybody in the group to meet for coffee or lunch. If this is successfully completed, the meal or coffee will be sponsored.

Asim Ali, Muslim Student Association advisor, said these are just two creative ways for people to keep in contact past this event.

“The purpose behind today’s event is to encourage people from different backgrounds to have shared experiences because meaningful shared experiences strengthen communities,” Ali said. “Any time we have strong communities and when we have friends that are from different backgrounds, we know that that helps us curb the spread of ignorance.”

Ali said this is the main idea behind the event to give people an excuse to get together and create these shared meaningful experiences.

This event began as a result of recent events in the U.S. and around the world making inter-

“

This is just one way to express our appreciation for all the students that come to Auburn for an education.

We want everybody to feel safe and for people to be a part of our community. It’s just a great place to live.”

—Timothy Boosinger UNIVERSITY PROVOST AND VP OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

FILE PHOTO

The Davis Arboretum Pavilion overlooking a pond.

national students feel more uncomfortable and unwelcome.

Of the 49 graduate students affected by the travel ban from seven countries, 44 of them were from Iran.

Len Vining, coordinator for International Social Programs and Iranian Student Association advisor, met with Iranian Student Association President Mohamad Menati to discuss what actions were possible to help the students feel more welcome.

“Regardless of what happens at a macro level, at a community level, if you know somebody and they are your friend, you have a bond,” Vining said. “We want to strengthen the bond and cross-cultural bonds within our community and in the Auburn Family.”

University Provost Timothy Boosinger said he wants everyone at Auburn to feel welcome.

“This is just one way to express our appreciation for all the students that come to Auburn for

an education,” Boosinger said. “We want everybody to feel safe and for people to be a part of our community, not just the academic community, but be a part of the city of Auburn, which my wife and I have lived here for 30 years. It’s just a great place to live.”

Boosinger said he hopes there are more events similar to the picnic.

“I and other administrators have spent a bit of time with different student groups, reassuring them because we know there is some anxiety,” Boosinger said. “We are trying to do everything we can to help.”

Alqurashi said he hopes to celebrate crosscultural relationships and international friendships through more events like the picnic.

“I’m glad the first event has been held by a church and the Islamic Student Center,” Alqurashi said. “I hope this is the beginning of future friendship between churches and mosques.”

ORGANIZATIONS

Campus Pastor for Church of the Highlands Wren Aaron said the event is an incredible opportunity to unite the University and community.

“It’s been a great day, great event,” Aaron said.

When asked about her take on the event, President of International Student Relations Shamim Naigaga said Auburn is a community.

“That is the main thing about it,” Naigaga said. “It is to like each other because when you look at the games, they’re showing that you can have things in common rather than have different denominations and different races.”

Turnout exceeded Menati’s expectations, leaving event contributors both happy and surprised.

“People are different and can get along not caring about what religion they are, nationality they have,” Menati said. “This turned out to be a great, great event.”

ACADEMICS

Research scholar spotlight: Benjamin King

Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS REPORTER

ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER

TOP LEFT: Caroline Jackson sings on night two of UPC’s Red Barn Series.

TOP RIGHT: Alex Wilkerson kicks off the series on night one. Alex Wilkerson is a Plainsman staff member.

BOTTOM LEFT: The Brook and the Bluff perform during night one following Alex Wilkerson.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Unit 10 take the stage on night two after Caroline Jackson.

UPC hosts two-day Red Barn concert series

Dylan McGlamry CAMPUS WRITER

The Red Barn Series kicked off this year with performances from Alex Wilkerson and The Brook and The Bluff.

The first concert of the two-night series took place at Auburn’s Red Barn on Thursday, March 2.

In its third year, The Red Barn Series is a series of concerts featuring local musicians from the indie and alternative genre.

Both the band and Wilkerson played songs they wrote themselves as well as covers of popular artists including Drake and Childish Gambino.

Among The Brook and The Bluff’s set were “Masks” and “Straws,” two of their self-written songs.

Everyone who performed was an Auburn graduate or current student.

Josh Ebalo, senior in nursing and roommate of the band’s bassist, said he was at the event to support his roommate “and best friend of ten years.”

“I’ve heard about [The Red Barn Series] before but this is my first time coming out,” Ebalo said.

Ebalo described the night as “awe-

some.”

“I’ve seen The Brook and the Bluff before in Nashville and they always put on a super good show,” Ebalo said.

Reilly Shaw, sophomore in visual media, said she “went last year and really liked it” so she decided to come again this year.

Shaw said she found out about the event by word of mouth.

“My friend was the opening act, and I have a friend that’s playing in the next band,” Shaw said. “They told me about it.”

Emma Kate Shaw, sophomore in horticulture said she enjoyed the evening’s events and she enjoyed the performances.

“I like the music, I haven’t heard The Brook and the Bluff before but this is the same kind of music I usually listen to,” Emma Kate said.

UPC’s Red Barn concert series concluded with performances from Caroline Jackson and Unit 10.

The concert was at Auburn’s Red Barn on Friday, March 3.

Jackson’s performance continued Thursday night’s indie and alternative

style, while Unit 10 performed rock music.

Sarah Fowler, freshman in rehabilitation, disability and counselling studies, said she enjoyed the event.

“My favorite artist was Caroline Jackson because I liked her style of music,” Fowler said. “I heard about the event from a friend, and I’m really glad I came.”

Brandon Morris, junior in software engineering, was at the concert to support his friend who’s playing in Unit 10.

“I was wanting to come see them play,” Morris said. “This is the first I’ve heard about [Red Barn] but it’s been pretty cool.”

Morris said while it wasn’t the kind of music he’d usually listen to, he liked the live feel and acoustic vibe.

Olivia Zuvanich, junior in civil engineering, said she attended the series last year.

“It was pretty cool, there’s not many things like this,” Zuvanich said. “We really just came to see James [from Unit 10], but it’s been good to hear other people play as well. I like the live feel.”

Benjamin King, senior in biosystems engineering, is working on an undergraduate research fellowship project comparing the hydrology of a restored floodplain with that of an undisturbed floodplain.

“Basically, we had a stream that was restored on one half and we had a sewer line exposed, so we restored one side, but the other side was left untouched,” King said.

King said he looked at different things in his research.

“We wanted to look at the difference between the restored side and the unrestored side, putting in groundwater wells, looking at the flow of groundwater and infiltration rates,” King said. “That type of thing.”

King said the goal of his project, and his degree program, is to find ways to imitate natural phenomena through man-made engineering.

“We think we know what’s best, but largely what we know is look and see how nature engineered itself, and then we try to replicate that,” King said.

King said he worked over the summer on his research project, interacting with the different bodies of water.

“With this research, basically I spent all summer digging wells, and I put some level loggers in there, which is a device that measures pressure, and from that pressure you can get the depth of water…then comparing the two sides,” King said. “So far, it looks like it infiltrates much quicker on the restored side, meaning that the soil profiles have not stratified yet.”

King said his project is not with the engineering department, but the agriculture department.

He said he got the idea for his research project during volunteer work with the college of agriculture.

“I answered an email to help…restore some vegetation, it was just a volunteer

KING

thing, and I met some professors along the way, and they said there were some research opportunities, so it seemed like something that was in my field that would help me distinguish between what an ecological engineer does and what an environmental science or horticulture type person [does],” King said. “This research project in itself is not really engineering, but it does help me understand and quantify the effects of engineering design.”

King’s mentor for the project is agricultural department professor Dr. Thorsten Knappenberger.

“I met Dr. Knappenberger, who’s in soils-a completely different college than what I’m in. So they kind of helped drive what research needed to be done,” King said. “I’ve never taken a class with Dr. Knappenberger, I just met him out on the field.”

King’s research has already helped him to find a career in his field.

“I just accepted a position at Hydro Engineering, which is a consulting civil engineering firm which has worked with Dr. Knappenberger...they don’t have a website or anything, it’s a local firm, it’s twelve or thirteen guys,” King said. “But they’re highly regarded in the industry.”

This is the first installment of a four-part series on research fellowship scholar spotlights.

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Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

ORGANIZATIONS

FILE PHOTOS

LEFT: Students attending the Holi Festival collect dye in their hands.

MIDDLE: Tendooro Chicken was served at the event on Cater Lawn.

RIGHT: Students organize the organic dye before distributing it throughout the lawn.

Indian Students Association celebrates the Festival of Holi on Cater Lawn Loren Kimmel CAMPUS WRITER

The Indian Students Association (ISA) teamed with the India Cultural Association of East Alabama (ICAEA) to host this year’s Holi.

Auburn Global and the University CrossCultural Center for Excellence also sponsored the event.

This year’s Holi took place on Cater Lawn on Sunday, March 5, from noon to 3 p.m.

Sunday’s event attracted a turnout of 370 people, according to former president of the

Indian Students Association Viraja Khollam.

“As the tensions are high due to many political reasons, it is a great escape for everyone to forget that and enjoy the child in oneself,” Khollam said.

The Festival of Holi is in celebration of the welcoming of spring. In parts of India, the summer and winter seasons can be harsh and the festival embarks the start of a new season.

“Festival is about to forgive and forget all the evil thoughts and things around us,” Khollam said.

The use of colors during the festival comes

from the original use of flowers.

“During spring, people use colors made from flowers to adapt or acclimate their skin for summer,” Khollam said. “In other parts of India, everyone is getting ready to face harsh summer by using these herbal colors to avoid sunburns.”

For color representation during this year’s festival, seven different organic colors from Oklahoma were used.

“Before that they used to have chemicaltreated colors, so we are happy that no one will have any skin trouble,” Khollam said.

The ISA decided on event dates in the fall and began preparation in January. Both the ISA and ICAEA work alongside one another to celebrate this event on campus.

Fast-beat Indian music played throughout the festival, accompanied by Zumba-certified instructors from the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center to lead the dancing.

Authentic Indian food was given out at the event as well.

“It’s pure fun, food and freebies, like Tshirts,” Khollam said. “The weather is beautiful, so it was the perfect day to have the event.”

SENATE

SGA prepares for new policy initiatives, suggest additional dining Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS REPORTER

The Student Government Association met on Monday to discuss upcoming public appearances as well as formulate potential policy initiatives between individual colleges.

During executive reports, EVP of Outreach Bri Thomas said the new administration’s first concourse hours will be next week on Wednesday, March 15.

Thomas said senators have the option to sign up for concourse hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The purpose of this is to publicize our cabinet applications that are due March 17, which is the Friday of Spring Break, and to just answer any general

questions,” Thomas said.

In lieu of formal college reports, SGA Vice President Justin Smith allotted senators a few minutes to congregate with other senators in their college to come up with potential initiatives for the coming year.

At-Large Senator Hannah Clarke said at-large plans to make students more aware of electronic options for Tiger Card usage, as well as make those options available at all restaurants across campus.

College of Agriculture Senator Emily Stone said her college hopes to bring new dining options to agriculture buildings on campus.

“What [the Agriculture council] talked about the most from this semester is getting an on-cam-

ORGANIZATIONS

CALEB HOOD / PHOTOGRAPHER

Volunteers rake leaves in a backyard during the Big Event.

Fourth annual Big Event attracts 1,800 volunteers The Big Event had approximately 1,800 volunteers across 180 job sites in the AuburnOpelika community, according to Ben Ratliffe, Big Event computer analyst.

The Big Event began at Auburn in 2003 as an opportunity for students to give back to the community by providing basic community service tasks for households, businesses, churches and organizations.

Paige Thompson, sophomore in professional flight management and a committee member of Big Event, started her day at 6:30 a.m. Exec began at 6:15 a.m., while volunteers began at 8 a.m.

“I was on operations committee, so after kickoff I went to the tool shed. So for the first half of the day I was running around giving tools to any job site that needed them, like more rakes or certain garden tools,” Thompson said.

Big Event volunteer Sarah Castanada, sophomore in public relations, said she participated because her friends encouraged her to do it with them.

“We were assigned to work at a church,” Castanada said.

—Emily Stone

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE SENATOR

pus food option on Ag hill,” Stone said. “If you’ve ever had a class in Funchess or any one of those Ag buildings, they’re very far removed from campus.”

University reacts to President Trump’s travel ban revision CAMPUS EDITOR

CAMPUS WRITER

If you’ve ever had a class in Funchess or any one of those Ag buildings...you have to take a hike if you want to get food on campus.”

ADMINISTRATION

Claire Tully

Kressie Kornis

“

“When we were there we cleaned up the landscape in the front. We trimmed hedges, washed windows and pulled weeds. It was hard work but surprisingly super fun.”

Mayor Gary Fuller spoke before volunteers left for their job sites and volunteers finished around 11:45 a.m., according to Thompson.

“A couple of the [job sites] I had were raking,” Thompson said. “Some people had tiny trees they wanted taken down or trees and bushes they wanted trimmed and hedged. I had two job sites that asked to take down a chain-link fence, and another couple wanted the side of their house to be sanded in preparation for it to be painted.

A couple of people wanted their decks pressure washed. It was mostly yard work and cleaning up.”

Julia Wright, sophomore in biomedical science, volunteered and said she participated because she wanted to give back to the community.

“It felt really great to give back to this community,” Wright said. “Especially as a college student, it is awesome to see the direct impact you can have on some people.

University President Jay Gogue and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Timothy Boosinger released a statement on behalf of the University in response to President Trump’s travel ban revisions.

Read the full statement below.

“President Trump has revised his previous executive order that banned travel from seven countries.

We’re providing this update to the campus community so those directly impacted have the information they need and so the many others who have expressed concern are informed of the latest developments.

As we said in our previous message on this topic, Auburn is an international university.

While we are diverse, we are one community and we stand with members of the Auburn family who are impacted.

The President’s previous executive order banned entry into the U.S. for anyone traveling from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. As a result, Auburn students legally studying here were unable to return to the U.S. if they chose to go home for any reason.

The revision drops Iraq from the list of countries. It also makes clear that the travel ban applies only to those without a visa and who have not previously entered the U.S. In other words, it doesn’t impact Auburn students already in the U.S. Under this revised executive order, Auburn students from the countries listed in the executive order aren’t automatically banned from returning to campus after traveling outside the U.S. The Association of Public

Stone said the buildings’ location makes getting food difficult on campus.

“If you have all your classes in there and you’re hanging out there all day you have to take a hike if you want to get food on campus,” Stone said. “We thought about having a food truck on campus.”

College of Liberal Arts Senator Ken Ward said he and other CLA senators will be continuing a project started last summer by former Liberal Arts senators Jacqueline Keck (now SGA President) and Cody Bass.

The goal of the project is to find housing for liberal arts interns in far-away cities with fellow Auburn alumni in hopes of potentially saving them money on living costs.

& Land Grant Universities, of which Auburn is a member, is an advocacy organization in Washington, DC. Please click here for its statement issued earlier today.

The Office of International Programs stands ready to provide assistance and answer questions. The telephone number is 334-844-5001, and you are welcome to walk in at any time in 228 Foy Hall.”

The Association of Public & Land Grant Universities released a statement form President Peter McPherson about the executive order.

The part of the statement, mentioned in Gogue and Boosinger’s statement can be read below.

“Our nation must be careful to send the right messages about our values or risk endangering much of what makes this country so special. Every president’s most solemn responsibility is to protect the American people, but the United States -for its own future -- can and must remain welcoming to those who will strengthen our nation while pursuing their dreams of a better life. There will be much public discussion about this new order. As the administration continues to review its policies, it must keep in mind that this order will be seen abroad as adding additional uncertainty about how welcoming the United States is to foreign students and scholars.”

This statement from the University came shortly after a meeting held between Sarah Pitts, senior in english literature and spanish with a minor in political science, Vice President for Student Affairs Bobby Woodard and Boosinger.

Pitts urged administrators to take a stronger stance against Trump’s executive orders.

RECREATION

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn students and faculty participate in the Yoga Rave at the Rec.

Rec Center hosts fourth annual Yoga Rave Kressie Kornis CAMPUS WRITER

Campus Recreation held its fourth annual Yoga Rave in the MAC gym at the Rec Center.

This year, the Yoga Rave asked participants to bring two canned goods for the oncampus food pantry to support the Auburn community.

“We’re trying to give back to the community since giving back is one of our mantras this year that we’re going to focus on,” Holly Clark, junior in pre-pharmacy, said.

When asked if it’s different to teach a large audience rather than a small class, Clark said, “Definitely.”

“With our newer instructors, we told them there might be a little bit of stage fright,” Clark said. “We have high stages this year so everyone can see us, and you definitely have to focus more. You don’t want anyone to get hurt since you can’t see everyone obviously. It’s definitely different, but it’s a great feel. It feels more like a party and less like a class.”

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Opinion Thursday, March 9, 2017

5 ThePlainsman.com

Opinion

OUR VIEW

Open events are good for our community

DAKOTA SUMPTER / MANAGING EDITOR

Spring 2017 Editorial Board

A couple weeks ago, citizens in Auburn went downtown to see the first Mardi Gras parade hosted there since 2012.

It was fun, simple and ran well.

We would love for more events to be hosted in downtown Auburn because they give our community a sense of unity, promote economic activity and provide great entertainment for students and nonstudents alike.

Auburn Cityfest provides a great example of the fun events our city can put on.

It’s a free, annual event that features arts and crafts, food and music.

It’s easy for a student to go through four years here at Auburn without becoming immersed in the culture of the city and its happenings.

For many communities, open events are a great way to sow together individuals, many of whom come from faraway places and

feel isolated, into a cohesive unit marked by warmth and familiarity.

Auburn University’s presence certainly already permeates through the city, and vice versa, but further connecting the two through open events is a great opportunity to promote unity in Auburn.

Moreover, it could help foreign students feel a little more at home here in Auburn, which is an increasingly important duty we must commit to as nativism creeps forward in our country.

In doing this, Auburn students would become more acquainted with people they normally wouldn’t associate with — namely, people who aren’t on Auburn’s campus much or at all.

This unity could entail students learning more about the lives of Auburn’s citizens outside of the University, and therefore may lead to students becoming more involved in the

community.

Open events also provide a great venue for local musicians, food vendors and various other forms of entertainment, which all promote economic activity.

One event Auburn’s downtown could hold is an Oktoberfest. There is already an Oktoberfest at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, but it would be great to expand it to downtown.

Like Oktoberfests around the world, it would attract people from all around the city to fellowship, listen to music and have beer.

Apart from the direct positive economic effects open events like this would have, having more open events would make Auburn into a place where people are more inclined to live.

Parents and prospective parents will take note if there are lots of free or cheap events to take their kids to.

Additionally, the economic ripple extends to business owners as they look for reasons to place their businesses in Auburn.

Having a vibrant and cohesive community certainly makes Auburn a more competitive city in that regard.

In the end, people are drawn toward entertainment.

Depending on its form, it can help us escape from drudgery, unite people or help us think about our lives.

The German philosopher Friedrich Nitezsche once wrote, “Is not life a hundred times too short for us — to bore ourselves?”

Having more open events to occupy our short time here will go a long way in generally bettering the lives of people who live here.

Putting on more open events would help Auburn get through the inevitable trials its people face and provide an outlet of fun for everyone.

HER VIEW

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not a joke Anne Dawson ONLINE EDITOR

We’ve all heard someone say, “I’m OCD,” and then describe a situation that may or may not be a symptom of the disorder.

When people do this, it bothers me for two reasons — the first is obvious.

One can’t be OCD. You can have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; you can’t be it.

By saying you are a disease, you’re taking away the validity of the disorder and insulting those who suffer from it.

The second reason this bothers me is because

some situations described don’t sound like one someone with OCD would experience.

I know because I was actually diagnosed.

I was told I had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder when I was in the fifth grade.

It started off small — I would have to do everything in groups of five (itch my arm five times, eat five goldfish at a time, etc.) or flicker the lights an even number of times before I left a room.

It prohibited me mildly, causing me to only focus on this until these goals were met, but it didn’t affect me too much.

As I got older, it became a little more intense.

In middle school, I went through a phase where I couldn’t be the last to go to sleep.

If my dad would fall asleep before I did I would have an absolute meltdown, crying and breathing heavily.

Some nights I did not sleep at all.

As a college student, I still deal with it.

It’s mostly sparked by messes or areas of my life that feel cluttered.

Sometimes I have to put off writing a paper or getting a full eight hours of sleep so that I can clean the tiles in my bathroom or wash my sheets that I washed just a week ago.

It might sound ridiculous, but it’s not something I can control.

OCD is not just a quirk some people acquire that makes them like things a particular way. To me, it is a roadblock.

It prevents me from hanging out with friends, studying and even sleeping without thinking about the pillow that isn’t in the right place on the couch.

The burning feeling I get in my hands and feet when a sheet of paper is crooked on my

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The Auburn Plainsman

The Editorial Board Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

desk is not something that just goes away.

OCD affects a lot of college students, but those who aren’t affected by it should understand the severity.

If someone you know has OCD, do your best to meet their accommodations.

If you know they like something a particular way, do your best to keep things in that order so that you don’t trigger them.

And most importantly, don’t mock them by saying you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder if you don’t actually feel your heart speed up when things aren’t in the order you prefer them.

OCD is an actual disorder that affects people mentally and physically, and those who have it want you to treat it as such.

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Community Thursday, March 9, 2017

6 ThePlainsman.com

Community

GROUPS

Group encourages locals to get involved in civic life S am Willoughby COMMUNITY REPORTER

A local group is hoping to mend what they see as an ailment of the political system — citizens’ attitudes toward their government.

The Lee County Spirit of Democracy is a nonpartisan grassroots group with the goal of encouraging Lee County citizens to get involved in civic life.

On March 4, SOD held its first Civic Saturday in Opelika, a public event that SOD cofounder Thomas Penton described as a “patriotic church service.”

SOD started to form two years ago when Gerald Johnson, now SOD’s president, and Penton, now SOD’s treasurer, began to meet monthly to discuss problems they saw arising in the political climate of the day.

“There was so much complaining about politics and government, but no one was of-

COUNCIL

fering a solution,” Johnson said. “We came up with this idea of ‘what can be done’ is to restore the basic values of democracy based on the office of citizen.”

The office of citizen, according to SOD, is the highest office in a democracy. SOD aims to strengthen the office of the citizen through education by hosting public forums like Civic Saturday, providing resources and supporting programs and actions for the citizens of Lee County.

“We feel that democracy right now in Alabama is not in a particularly healthy state,” said Christy Dittrick, who serves as secretary for SOD. “It’s become very polarized, and for a true proper democracy to function well, we need to have common ground, and we need to lead from the center, rather than from the extremes.”

While one of SOD’s objectives is to de-

mand accountability of elected officials and government, they stress “politics” and “politicians” shouldn’t be considered dirty words.

“We need good people to run for office,” Johnson said.

“And to get good people to run for office, you’ve got to respect the office. You’ve got to believe that politicians are good ones, not the bad ones — quit demonizing the whole process, and then we’ll get good ones.”

At SOD’s coming-out party on Saturday, speakers read excerpts on democracy from famous American figures, including Thomas Jefferson, Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. In between the readings, the crowd sang renditions of “America the Beautiful,” “My Country ‘tis of Thee” and “Alabama,” the official state song.

At the end of the event, the presenters turned to the crowd to hear their feelings

about the role of democracy in America.

Attendees spoke about the importance of compromise and fact-based discussion in democracy, the importance of freedom of expression and of the press in democracy and the opportunity of immigrating to the U.S. “See, this country, you want to be here,” Edgar Thomae, who spoke at the event and is a native of Guatemala who became a naturalized U.S. citizen 10 years ago, told The Plainsman.

“It’s like you win the lottery. You can vote.

You have rights. It’s just a good feeling to be part of a great nation.”

Dittrick said they hope to grow to encourage more people to get involved with civic duty and will continue talking to different civic groups, hosting forums on specific issues and hosting more Civic Saturdays in the Lee County community in the future.

SPOTLIGHT

City looking into new loop road Alex Hosey

COMMUNITY WRITER

The Auburn City Council approved a resolution to conduct a feasibility study to construct a bypass road connecting I-85 to US-280 at its meeting Tuesday evening.

The resolution allows Mayor Bill Ham and City Manager Jim Buston to make an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to perform the study, which will be the first step needed in order to build the road.

“We have to look at the route and what would be the optimum route that we would want to alleviate the most traffic congestion that we can,” Buston said. “As ALDOT does its study, they’re going to look at all that and come up with the best route for the road.”

The study alone could last anywhere from six months to a year depending on the number of complications found.

Assuming there are no complications found in the study, the City would need confirmation from the Metropolitan Planning Organization that the promised federal funding will be available for construction of the road.

The total cost of the feasibility study is estimated at $276,451.29. If federal funding is available, 80 percent of the total cost, or $221,161.03, would be covered by the federal government while the City of Auburn would pay for 20 percent, or $55,290.26.

“If we are fortunate enough to get some funding, it’d be a mighty good thing,” Ham said.

If the study goes well and federal funding is available, construction of the outer-loop road would begin from I-85 at Beehive Road.

Meet Auburn Fire Division Chief John Lankford

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Tori Linehan

COMMUNITY WRITER

When John Lankford came to Auburn in 1991 to study agricultural business and economics, he was not planning on building his career within the Auburn Fire Division.

“I went to school here,” Lankford said. “I loved it and never wanted to leave. I’ve just wanted to continue to make Auburn a better place.”

Before coming to Auburn to receive his bachelor’s degree, Lankford had his fair share of moving up and down the East and West coasts.

Lankford lived in eight or nine different cities before he reached the age of 15, spending many of those years on the coast in California.

While growing up, he was always interested in fire service, which led him to begin volunteering at the Southwest Lee County Fire De-

partment when he came to Auburn, he said.

“Volunteering really piqued my interest in joining the Auburn fire department as a student in 1994,” Lankford said.

Since he first began his fire career as a student, Lankford has taught as an instructor at the Alabama State Fire College, worked with Columbus Fire and EMS, and he served as Auburn Fire Division’s deputy chief for a year before taking the position of Fire Division chief.

On weekends, Lankford enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters and uses any chance he can get to go fishing or hunting.

Auburn Mayor Bill Ham said that he has known Lankford since he first became a student fire fighter at the Auburn Fire Department.

“John is a very dedicated public servant,” Ham said. “He’s a hands-on kind of guy who is very involved. It is easy to tell that he is wellliked by everyone in the Fire Division.”

As chief, Lankford deals with administrative duties throughout the day.

“I typically look at new buildings and construction plans for projects happening downtown and on campus,” Lankford said.

Lankford is not only responsible for the fire safety throughout the City of Auburn, but he is responsible for fire safety on Auburn’s campus as well.

The best safety advice the chief would give to Auburn citizens and students is to “be aware of your surroundings, know where the fire exits are, and never hesitate to call 911 if there is an emergency.”

“There have been many times when people assume someone has already called for help and no one actually has yet,” Lankford said.

Lankford plans on remaining active in the Auburn Fire Division and wants to continue to serve and protect the Auburn community.

CITY

Planning Commission to consider a city height ordinance change Alex Hosey

COMMUNITY WRITER

A revision to Auburn’s height ordinance will go before the City of Auburn’s Planning Commission on March 9.

Changes to the height ordinance were originally scheduled to be debated by the Planning Commission at its meeting Feb. 9, but because of some citizen’s concerns over certain points, it was tabled for further revision.

According to City Manager Jim Buston, most of the changes address the wording of the ordinance and aren’t major.

“Some citizens felt that the language originally proposed for the Planning Commission

was not strong enough,” Buston said. “Our planning folks went back and, based on the feedback they got, made some wording changes.”

Among the changes are clarifications of the term “habitable space,” which is defined in the ordinance as “a space in a building for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces and similar areas are not considered habitable spaces.”

Accessory rooftop structures like chimneys, flag poles, elevator enclosures and stairway enclosures will be able to exceed the height limit by no more than 12 feet, while parapet walls may only

exceed the limit by 4 feet.

Ornamental or architectural features of a building, such as church steeples or clock towers, may exceed the building height limit by 25 percent of that limit.

Certain structural amenities used for recreation like an unenclosed pool or jogging track are not allowed to exceed the height requirements of the building’s respective zone.

To put this all into perspective, consider an upcoming apartment complex like 191 College Street. It will be built on the corner of Glenn Avenue and College Street, which is on the dividing line of the Urban Core zone and the College Edge Overlay zone. The corresponding height limits of those zones are 75 feet tall and 65 feet tall, respectively.

According to Principal Planner Thomas Weintraut Jr.,

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effect, they must be agreed upon by the Planning Commission at its meeting March 9 and then go before the Auburn City Council to be approved.

The meeting Thursday and the next City Council meeting will be open to the public.

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the developers of 191 College Street requested a variance to the height regulations so they might build a swimming pool on top of what would already meet the height limit.

“They have withdrawn that variance,” Weintraut said. “If they have a swimming pool that doesn’t exceed the maximum height of the zoning district they’re in, then they could have that facility.”

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Thursday, March 9, 2017

Community 7

The Auburn Plainsman

EVENTS

BUSINESS

Organizers prepare for April Auburn CityFest Kailey Beth Smith COMMUNITY WRITER

The Auburn Parks and Recreation Department is preparing for this year’s Auburn CityFest.

“It takes about a year to plan CityFest,” said Ann Bergman, Auburn Parks and Recreation’s public relations specialist. “It is, at heart, an arts and crafts festival. We are really trying to promote a love for the arts and parks.”

The one-day festival takes place at Kiesel Park, Auburn’s largest park, on the last Saturday in April. This year it will be on April 29 from 9 a.m.– 4 p.m.

The theme for this year is “Peace, Love and CityFest.”

“We are taking it back to the 1960s, so get out your Go Go boots,” Bergman joked.

On the Thursday afternoon before to the event, there will be an art preview at the Nunn-Winton house on Kiesel’s property.

CityFest began in 2000 as a project of a then Parks and Recreation employee, Allison Hall.

“They wanted to do a citywide festival that anybody could come to with an emphasis on arts and crafts vendors,” Bergman said. CityFest is now approaching its 17th celebration, and over the years, it has grown significantly. More than 10,000 locals attended the event in 2016.

Bergman has been working with Co-co-

BENTLEY » From 1

Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, said he didn’t believe the committee should be worried about triggering double jeopardy just yet.

“I don’t think we need to lose sight of the fact that this is a political process,” England said. “There is nothing this committee will do that would impact double jeopardy.

Nothing.”

Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, presented a motion at the committee hearing that would have continued the pause on public impeachment hearings on a month-to-month basis.

The pause would have given the committee chairman and special

ordinator Sara Hand Custer on plans for this year.

The Juried Art Exhibition Preview and Reception, is hosted by the Auburn CityFest committee, Auburn Arts Association and Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau. Local artists enter their personal work, and winners are rewarded with cash prizes.

The exhibition is free and open to the public, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27.

There will be refreshments, awards and acoustic guitar performances in the NunnWinston house. All art will stay on display until the end of CityFest on Saturday.

On Saturday, the park will be filled with art, food and entertainment. Taking the stage this year are The Wannabeatles, from Nashville. They are a cover band who will be playing at the entertainment pavilion.

Other entertainment includes Louie the Clown and the Georgia Irish Frisbee Dogs.

The Children’s Imagination Station, another integral part of the festival, will have inflatables, pony rides and a rock climbing wall, in addition to live characters such as Disney princesses and Storm Troopers from Star Wars.

CityFest will also have a children’s entertainment stage that will showcase Steve Trash, “The Rockin’ Eco Hero.”

Trash “uses magic to be an environmental educator, but he is also a comedian and

counsel Jack Sharman time to investigate the case and coordinate with Brooks on the possible overlap between the two investigations.

The motion would have also given Sharman, who is providing legal aid to the committee, the go-ahead to continue investigating Bentley in private. The motion failed with a tied vote of the committee.

Several legislators didn’t like the idea of continuing a pause, no matter what reason, and resuming a private investigation didn’t cut it.

“We have been empaneled as members of the Legislature to decide on an impeachment resolution, to determine whether the governor should be removed,” said Allen Farley, R-McCalla, who voted against

illusionist,” Bergman said.

New to the Imagination Station this year is the Korean Fest, hosted by the University Office of International Programs.

It is about Korean tradition, and it will be an area where children can make crafts, play drums and learn Korean calligraphy.

The festival is free to the public, and there is no charge for parking or admission; attendees can spend what they wish on the vendors for food or art.

CityFest is hosted by the Auburn Parks and Recreation, and it takes hundreds of volunteers.

“Currently, we are trying to recruit volunteers,” Bergman said. “If you work two shifts, you get a free T-shirt and lunch. We rely on our volunteers and our sponsors to continue to make this a free event.”

This year’s fest will include a wide array of vendors, such as those who will be selling woodwork, ceramics, soap, jewelry, monogramming, leather goods, etc. All products are handcrafted.

“It is a wonderful event that is fun,” Bergman said. “It is important to the whole city, and it is a collaborative effort. Everyone from Environmental Services to the parks staff who paint the lines for the vendors. The entire Parks and Recreation fulltime and part-time staff pitch in. It takes a village to do CityFest. It truly is a CityFest.

The whole city comes together.”

the motion.

Farley wanted hearings to resume and the two investigations to be conducted on separate tracks.

The House Judiciary Committee began investigating Bentley in 2016 after several members of the House introduced a resolution calling for articles of impeachment. The committee met several times last year and even went so far as to subpoena the governor, Mason and others close to them.

But in November, Strange asked the committee to suspend its investigation because he was afraid it would overlap with “necessary related work” within his office. Last month, newly appointed Attorney General Steve Marshall appointed a

ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER

Tiger Rags, a downtown T-shirt shop, will be relocating Friday.

Tiger Rags relocating

Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

Tiger Rags, a staple T-shirt shop in downtown Auburn, is moving from its Gay Street location to a new location outside of downtown.

The T-shirt shop closed down its downtown location on Sunday afternoon and will reopen at a new location on Friday at 8:30 a.m.

The new location will be at 1625 East University Drive on the corner of Glenn Avenue and East University Drive.

The location change, Tiger Rags said on its Facebook page, is to better meet the needs of their customers.

“We are moving ... to increase accessibility, provide abundant parking and offer an updated retail experience,” its Facebook post read. “With the changing landscape of downtown Auburn, parking has become a greater challenge each year.”

The Tiger Rags’ production and art departments are moving to 480 North Dean Road Building A to increase printing capabilities to meet the “growing demand for Tiger Rags apparel as well as custom designs.”

special prosecutor to oversee an active investigation into Bentley.

With Tuesday’s vote, Jones said the committee would continue in a holding pattern.

“We’re pretty much where we were before this meeting started,” Jones said. “The last instructions from the Attorney General’s Office, before this letter on Feb. 24, were for us to pause. That’s still in place at this point.”

Jones said he had no timeline now, but he wants to have a status meeting with Brooks.

Bentley, who was accused last year of maintaining an extramarital affair with Mason, and using State funds to do so, has denied any legal wrongdoing and said his affair with

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Mason wasn’t physical.

He has called the House effort to impeach him “political grandstanding.”

Attorneys from the governor have criticized the impeachment hearings in the past.

If the House votes to deliver impeachment articles, the governor will be suspended immediately and will remain suspended unless he is acquitted in a Senate trial.

“In other words, impeachment would immediately throw out the votes of Alabama citizens,” said Ross Garber, an attorney for Bentley’s office. “This is not something that can be done without due process and very substantial evidence of serious wrongdoing.”

Sports

8

Thursday, March 9, 2017

ThePlainsman.com

Sports

SOCCER

Spring season is underway

Eli Hiskey SPORTS WRITER

The Auburn Tigers kicked off their spring season Saturday afternoon against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Auburn, coming off of a historic tournament run last season, fell by a score of 2-0.

For much of the first half, the two teams took turns controlling possession and creating chances.

Auburn saw their first goal-scoring opportunity in the 10th minute, as junior Kristen Dodson rifled a shot that flew just over the bar.

Five minutes later, it was State who was pressing, but Auburn goal keeper Sarah Le Beau was able to make an excellent save, one of her five on the day.

Mississippi State finally broke through in

the 38th minute. After an Auburn attempt to clear the ball took a deflection, the Tigers were caught out of position and the Bulldogs found themselves in a 2 versus 1 situation.

State was able to capitalize on that situation as Mallory Eubanks tucked the ball away into the bottom left corner of the net.

The first half ended shortly after and the Tigers headed to the locker room trailing 1-0.

Right out of the gates to start the second half, Auburn nearly found an equalizer.

Dani Solaru found herself with some space and laced a shot that went just inches over the crossbar.

Mississippi State responded with some pressure of their own, almost finding a second goal on their very next attack. After an initial shot, the ball was bouncing around near the

goal line before Karli Gutsche was able to clear the lines and relieve the pressure.

Auburn was only able to generate a few more solid chances, with their best coming in the 70th minute. Bri Folds found herself one on one with the State keeper, who made an excellent diving save to preserve the clean sheet.

Mississippi State goalkeeper Rhylee DeCrane picked up a yellow card in the 75th minute for wasting time on a goal kick.

On the ensuing attack, the Bulldogs sealed the deal with the second goal of the game.

Mississippi State was able to head the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0 after a perfect cross from the left wing.

Auburn will return to action Thursday as they travel to Samford. The Tigers and Bulldogs will square off at 7:30 p.m. CST.

DAKOTA SUMPTER / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Brooke Ramsier (23) during a match against South Alabama.

FILE PHOTO

Jacobs named Athletics Director of the Year

Jay Jacobs watches the North Carolina vs South Carolina game on the new video board at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

Auburn’s Jay Jacobs has been named a 2016-17 Athletics Director of the Year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics announced Thursday.

“I’m humbled by this honor, and I deeply appreciate NACDA and the distinguished selection committee for recognizing Auburn Athletics,” Jacobs said in a statement released by the University.

“This award is a credit to the entire University, the Auburn Athletics Department staff, our coaches and student athletes. I share it with each of them.”

Auburn University President Jay Gogue nominated Jacobs for the award.

“Under Jay’s leadership, our student athletes are excelling in the

classroom and in competition,” Gogue said. “Auburn Athletics is in a strong position financially. Our gameday experience was voted best in the SEC and Auburn has not had a major NCAA violation during Jay’s tenure. I’ve always said a great athletics department excels in each of these areas, and we are doing that thanks to Jay and his staff.”

Auburn athletics earned $9 million in 2015 and $15.2 million in 2016.

There was also great success in Tiger Athletics on the field this year.

Softball finished second in the Women’s College World Series in softball, equestrian won a fourth national championship and a firstever Elite Eight appearance was made from soccer.

The Tiger football team finished 8-5 and reached the Sugar

Bowl, while the men’s basketball team secured a winning record for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.

“I want to congratulate Jay on being named the NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year,” Malzahn said in a statement. “I’ve worked with Jay for seven years, and what stands out to me is his love and passion for Auburn and his care and interest in our student athletes. Jay takes the time to get to know each of them on a personal basis and really values their well-being on and off the playing field.”

“Auburn is a special place that means so much to my family and me,” Jacobs said. “The greatest honor of all is serving my alma mater and having the chance each day to impact the lives of our incredible student athletes. They make me proud to be an Auburn man.

TRACK AND FIELD

Six Tigers named to All-conference Indoor Track and Field Team Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

Six members of the Auburn track and field team were recognized as the Southeastern Conference announced the 2017 indoor track and field postseason awards on Monday.

Five Tiger athletes earned All-SEC Second Team honors and two were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

For the Auburn women, Jasmine Manigault earned All-SEC Second Team honors after recording an Auburn record throw of 70-9.75/21.58m to finish second in the women’s weight throw.

Manigault is Auburn’s only qualifier in the women’s weight throw this year, and is the first NCAA qualifier in the women’s weight throw since Ronda Gullatte in 2006.

Tiger star Veronica Eder finished second in the 5,000 me-

ters and third in the 3,000 meters to earn second-team honors in both events. Eder holds the school record in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:19.91 and ranks second in Auburn history with a 16:07.74 in the 5,000 meters.

Three Auburn men were named second team All-SEC after earning silver medals at SEC Indoors in Nashville.

Senior Wellington Zaza placed second in the 60m hurdles in 7.72, which ranks seventh nationally and fourth in Auburn history.

Junior Odean Skeen earned second team honors after he finished second in the 60m in 6.60 and moved into fourth all-time in program history and ninth nationally.

Freshman Akeem Bloomfield ran a program record 45.43 and finished second in the finals of the 400 meters at the SEC

Indoors, which secured second team and SEC All-Freshman honors.

Freshman Raheem Chambers also earned All-Freshman honors.

The All-SEC First Team consists of the event winner in each event at the SEC Indoor Championships, while the All-SEC Second Team includes the second and third-place finishers in each event.

The SEC All-Freshman Team is comprised of the top freshman finisher in each event.

Six members of the Tiger track and field team will now travel to College Station, Texas for the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10-11.

Action from both days can be seen on ESPN3.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Sports 9

The Auburn Plainsman

MEN’S BASKETBALL

COLUMN

Heron named to All-SEC There’s work to be done Freshman team Sumner Martin

Will Sahlie

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Auburn freshman Mustapha Heron made more Auburn history Tuesday, as the SEC announced Heron was named to the All-SEC Freshman team.

Heron ranked ninth in the SEC with a teamhigh 15.2 points per game. He also led the Tigers with 5.8 rebounds per game, which was good for 18th in the SEC. The Waterbury, Connecticut native has scored at least 10 points in 30 of 31 games this season.

Heron broke the Auburn freshman record by scoring in double figures in the first 25 games of his career. He has led Auburn in scoring nine times this season to go along with six 20-point performancves.

Heron, the only Auburn player to start every game this season, scored 20 points three times in SEC play against Ole Miss, at Texas A&M and in the season finale vs. Missouri. He also recorded two double-doubles in his freshman campaign with a season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds vs.

Eastern Kentucky and 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. Oklahoma.

Heron, the first five-star in Auburn history, is the Tigers’ first SEC All-Freshman selection since DeWayne Reed in 2007.

Heron was also named to the SEC Community Service Team, which was announced last week.

Auburn opens the SEC Tournament Wednesday night at approximately 8:30 p.m. vs. Missouri. The game can be seen on the SEC Network.

Pearl, Tigers look to secure postseason berth Will Sahlie

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

With their first postseason appearance since 2009 within reach, Bruce Pearl and his Auburn team will travel to Nashville this week for the 2017 SEC Tournament.

Eleventh seeded Auburn enters the tournament 18-13 overall and 7-11 in the SEC. The Tigers will take on No. 14 seed Missouri (7-23, 2-16) for the second time in five days Wednesday night.

Auburn defeated Missouri twice in the regular season.

“We’re excited about going up to Nashville and playing what’s going to be a very competitive SEC Tournament,” Pearl said. “I think the league has demonstrated how competitive it is, especially in the middle of the league.”

The SEC could have up to five teams in the NCAA Tournament and up to six teams in the National Invitational Tournament.

Pearl is hoping his team can secure a NIT bid with a tournament run in Nashville.

“I think it would take a couple [of wins], and

so that’s a number that gives me a little bit of flexibility, Pearl said. But that’s what I think it would take [to get into the NIT],” Pearl said.

Auburn is no stranger to a tournament run in Nashville. Just two years ago in Pearl’s first season at Auburn, the Tigers rode K.T. Harrell’s back to three wins in three days and a semifinal berth in the 2015 SEC Tournament.

The Tigers are looking to create some similar magic inside Bridgestone Arena this season.

“We’re going to take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and we’ve got to focus all of our attention on Missouri,” Pearl said. “It’s hard to beat a good team three times. We played very well at home on Senior Night with a lot of emotion, and it was just a 10-point win, so, obviously, Missouri has got a lot to play for.”

Tip-off between Auburn and Missouri is scheduled for approximately 8:30 p.m. CST Wednesday. The winner will play the 6th-seeded Ole Miss Rebels Thursday night.

This issue was published on March 8, 2017.

Check ThePlainsman.com for game results.

SPORTS WRITER SPORTS@THEPLAINSMAN. COM

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has named Auburn’s Jay Jacobs, the longest-tenured AD in the SEC West, as one of its Athletic Director of the Year Award winners.

“I’m humbled by this honor, and I deeply appreciate NACDAv and the distinguished selection committee for recognizing Auburn Athletics,” Jacobs said in a statement released by the University. “This award is a credit to the entire university, the Auburn Athletics Department staff, our coaches and student-athletes. I share it with each of them.”

Jacobs, who has been working on the Plains since the 1980s, and as the athletic director since 2004, was nominated by Auburn University President Jay Gogue, and was the only SEC AD to be honored this year.

There is no denying the progress that has been made in Jacobs’ time here at Auburn.

Auburn Athletics have seen great success in multiple sports.

The football team won a National Championship in 2010 and was runner-up in 2013.

The softball team is a consistent powerhouse that is coming off a second-place finish in the Women’s College World Series.

The equestrian team has won four straight national championships, and the women’s soccer team reached its first ever Elite Eight.

In all honesty, if you are grading his performance so far, no red flags jump out.

Jacobs has done everything you want to see on paper.

He has gone out and made big-name hires in his time like Gus Malzahn, Bruce Pearl and even Butch Thompson to energize their respective programs.

Auburn Athletics has seen substantial growth in terms of departmental income under Jacobs, bringing in $9 million in 2015 and $15.2 million in 2016.

The athletic department has not had a major NCAA violation during Jacobs’ tenure, which is more than some other SEC schools can say for themselves.

And student-athletes are excelling in the classroom, not just in competition, while GPAs

are as high as they have ever been. Jacobs checks off all of the boxes.

However, major questions still loom over the basketball, baseball and football programs, which have, of late, not been at their best to say the least.

Since Malzahn’s first year in 2013, the football team has quickly become a disappointment year in and year out.

Auburn baseball has not been nationally relevant in what seems like an eternity.

And, yes, the basketball program is moving in the right direction, but Pearl has been here three years now, and the Tigers have yet to finish at or above .500 in conference play.

Softball, equestrian and soccer dominance are all great, but the bottom line is this: If you are an athletic director in a Power 5 conference like the SEC, then you will be most heavily judged on the performance of the football, basketball and baseball programs, especially in Alabama.

Based on that reality, have the athletics really been up to par? As of now, Auburn faithful aren’t so sure.

Historically, the SEC is arguably one of the best conferences in college athletics with millions of unforgiving fans, and Tiger fans are no exception.

They expect greatness, and lately it just has not been there.

Thompson is only in his second year so it’s not his fault, but overall the baseball team has been underwhelming, failing to reach an NCAA regional for the past seven years.

Malzahn, as I alluded to earlier, won the SEC championship and fell short in the national championship in his first year, but since then has been 11-13 in SEC play.

Pearl has made great strides and brought much needed excitement to a program that hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2003, but has gone 15-38 in the league, and the Tigers have finished in the bottom four in all three of his years at the helm.

The question everyone is asking is, when will these coaches get over the hump?

Jacobs has done a fine job, but the final judgement is yet to come.

One thing is for sure, the perception of the Auburn AD will depend on what Malzahn, Pearl and Thompson can accomplish in the years to come.

The award is nice, but there is work that still needs to be done.

BASEBALL

Thompson named SEC Pitcher of the Week Will Sahlie

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Auburn ace Keegan Thompson was named co-SEC Pitcher of the Week following his dominant outing versus Lipscomb, the SEC office announced Monday.

LSU’s Jared Poche was also recognized by the conference.

Thompson improved to 3-0 on Friday, firing seven shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out five. He has yet to give up a run this season over 21 innings in three starts.

His scoreless streak of 21 innings equals the modern-era program mark set by Joe Beckwith in 1976.

In those 21 innings, Thompson has allowed just six hits and has struck out 11 batters. Opposing hitters are hitting .091 against the junior right-hander.

Thompson is now 10-2 in his career at Plainsman Park, and 9-1 versus non-conference opponents.

Auburn will return to action Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. as they host South Alabama at Plainsman Park.

S T UD E NT A F FA I R S

SPOTLIGHT

Student Counseling Services

M E N TA L W E A LT H W E E K

Monday, March 27 — Friday, March 31 Free and open to everyone Mental Wealth Week is a weeklong event created by students to promote mental health. Learn more on the concourse, through bystander trainings, speakers and more. For more information, please call Student Counseling Services at 334-844-5123.

auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

@AuburnStudents

facebook.com/AuburnStudents

@AuburnStudents

Auburn Students

MATTHEW BISHOP / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Auburn pitcher Keegan Thompson (7) throws a pitch during Auburn vs George Washington baseball

Sports 10

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

This week in Auburn sports

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Danjel Purifoy (3) makes a lay-up during Auburn’s game against Missouri on Saturday, March 4, 2017, in Auburn,Ala. Auburn won 89-78.

Mustapha Heron (5) drives the ball into Mizzou defensive territory. Heron led the team with 20 points.

T.J. Dunans (4) makes a shot during the first half. Dunans had 16 points in his final home game.

ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER

ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER

ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER

Alyssa Rivera (21) jogs after hitting a home run during Auburn’s 14-0 win against College of Charleston on Saturday, March 4, 2017. Rivera scored two runs for the Tigers.

Justus Perry (18) falls against the opposing team dug out to catch a fly ball during Auburn’s 14-0 win against College of Charleston.

Kasey Cooper (13) during the Auburn vs Texas State game on Sunday, March 5.

Tigers win big in Texas, ready for SEC Championships Jack Winchester SPORTS EDITOR

The Auburn equestrian team moved up to No. 1 in the latest National Collegiate Equestrian Association rankings released Tuesday following a successful weekend on the road last week.

“The team is starting to run much more in sync now and riding much more on the level we see in practices,” Head Coach Greg Williams said. “I’m very proud of the team and coaches and love how we continue to get better weekly. We will be hitting full stride perfectly in the postseason.”

The Tigers were brilliant in Texas this past weekend, opening with a tiebreak win over then-No. 1 Baylor Friday afternoon. The two teams rode to a 9-9 tie and the Tigers came away victorious with a 1495-1481 raw score win.

On Saturday, the Tigers faced No. 2 Texas A&M in the regular season final. Auburn picked up a 12-7 victory over the Aggies following stellar showings from Equitation on the Flat and Horsemanship.

Caitlin Boyle earned back-to-back MOP honors in Equitation Over Fences on the weekend, while junior Alexa Rivard picked up her first MOP nod of the season in Reining on Friday afternoon. Ashton Alexander (Flat) and Lauren Diaz (Horsemanship) were also recognized for their performances against Texas A&M. Auburn will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SEC Championships. The two-day tournament will be held at the Auburn University Equestrian Center, March 24-25. Georgia will be the No. 1 seed, while Texas A&M and South Carolina come in at Nos. 3 and 4.

Lifestyle Thursday, March 9, 2017

11 ThePlainsman.com

Lifestyle

ENTERTAINMENT

KRIS MARTINS / ENTERPRISE EDITOR

Richard Oden stands in a UPS truck at the Haley Center loading dock on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

CONTRIBUTED BY HIGH FIVE PRODUCTIONS

Blackberry Breeze performs regurally at SkyBar Cafe.

Breezing through life

Blackberry Breeze works toward original sound Lily Jackson LIFESTYLE EDITOR

To many, Blackberry Breeze may sound like a “fruity alcoholic drink” or a southern slogan, but for college students down South, it sounds like a good show. Trey Foshee, vocalist and lead guitarist, thought the name had just the right ring to it.

Blackberry Breeze has made many stops in Auburn as well as other SEC college towns.

The band majors in rock, pop, hip-hop and cover songs. Or as the band summed it up, anything that’s fun and can get the crowd going.

From Dadeville, Alabama, the band came together in 2012. Today’s Blackberry Breeze consists of only two of the original members, making the team Foshee, Paul Blankenship on vocals and bass guitar, Jake Rodgers on vocals and drums, Jonas Schultz on saxophone, keyboard and vocals and Michael Keyes on sound system and lights.

“We came together wanting to play music we listened to growing up,” Foshee said. “The music that took us back when we were having fun — having a good time. We started mixing a bunch of music together, and it became ours.”

Rodgers said the band has a unique sound that comes from the medleys the band puts together. By taking the best parts of multiple songs and arranging them to complement each other, the band reaches a larger demographic, Rodgers said.

Their demographic predominately stretches the Southeast, where they play for colleges, weddings and some bars. Their start came when Foshee won a local singing competition and drew the attention of a bar owner looking for a band to book. At this time, the Blackberry Breeze many of us know today wasn’t who showed up for that gig. It wasn’t until the sec-

ond time she booked them that Foshee gathered the founding members of the band to perform together.

“We all had our own thing to bring to the table, so it wasn’t just me building this band,” Foshee said. “We got together and brought all of our strengths to the table and made a pretty fun band out of it.”

Blankenship and Foshee are the only two founding members are actively involved. Despite a few of the members leaving, the band has stayed true to the original party sound, Foshee said.

One of the former members currently works for SpaceX, and the other is an emergency room doctor. The band joked about Rodgers’ possible career in space travel. Rodgers laughed and said he’ll be sticking around for a while.

Those that have stuck to the music have made it their main priority, as the band members do not have second jobs. Foshee and Rodgers said they regard Blackberry Breeze as their day job and Curse of the Webelo as their side job.

Curse of the Webelo, a working title, is a new project for the Blackberry Breeze gang. Foshee said the new band is specifically for the creative, original side of the group.

“We have decided to split our ventures and keep Blackberry Breeze a cover band, because that is what people expect when they come to see us,” Foshee said. “We built a whole new band to showcase our new stuff.”

Curse of the Webelo’s first performance is this Saturday, March 11 at Derailed Bar & Grill.

Foshee said they have a reggae, funk and rock sound.

In terms of creation, both Foshee and Rodgers concurred that writing is a conjoined effort for the band. Everyone contributes equally, Rodgers said.

The name of their new band came from Schultz’s experience in Boy Scouts, as webelo is a rank in the program. Rodgers said it started as a joke, and it stuck. The band laughed and said in their minds, the webelo is the deadliest animal.

The band is excited to try something new and share it’s original sound, while still sticking with Blackberry Breeze, Rodgers said.

Blackberry Breeze will always be high-energy, get on your feet music, Rodgers said. With playing the crowds favorites, there is little standing around silent happening.

“You can tell if a crowd is there to get wild or if they are a more conservative crowd that goes with just being in a band and knowing what to play in certain situations,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers enjoys playing “Mr. Bright Side” and Foshee said he can get down to anything with a “reggae vibe.” The band plays what they listen to and what they like as a way to be true to their sound.

Foshee said musicians have to be real on stage. If you’re pretending to have fun while performing, the crowd will pick up on that, Foshee said. The band has gotten so “real” at times it sent Blankenship right through the floor boards while performing at Georgia Tech. While jumping, dancing and singing on stage, Blankenship came down from a leap and landed waist-deep in the stage.

Rodgers said Blankenship continued to play while stuck in the floor.

The group hopes to continue forward this year, having even more fun while jamming out and making music.

As the band, or bands move forward they have goals set for themselves, including a selffunded 21-day tour. Foshee said he hopes Blackberry Breeze will get on the road and have a successful tour throughout the Southeast in 2017.

CONTRIBUTED BY HIGH FIVE PRODUCTIONS

Blackberry Breeze performs regurally at SkyBar Cafe.

DELIVERING » From 1

ty cool.”

Brittany Oden, 32, met Richard at a Huntsville church and started dating him as a 13-year-old and all throughout high school before marrying him at 19. They agreed to have their own children after 10 years of marriage and in the meantime decided to get a foster care license.

In 2014, Richard was deployed to Afghanistan as a part of the 187th Fighter Wing. There, he watched his daughter’s birth on Nov. 11. He was allowed to go home early from Afghanistan shortly after her birth.

In 2015, the couple ended up adopting their three foster children not long after having their biological daughter.

“We were family from the very beginning almost,” Brittany said of their connection with their now adopted children. “We just loved them from the beginning.”

With that, Richard received the answer to the lifelong question of “Why me?”

“God said, ‘Richard, I want you to be able to relate to your foster children better than 99.9 percent of the population,’ because very rarely do you find that a foster parent was in their foster children’s shoes,” he said. “And I was.”

His experiences also led him to write his book titled “My Full Life Circle, Squared.” He wanted to find a way to use his story to “change somebody’s world.”

“I’m not here to take the credit for my life,” he said. “I think that God has used me as a tool to show his light and his glory. If I don’t do that in the form of a book to show the world his providence, then I would be doing God himself a disservice, and there’s no way that I would do that.”

He wrote the book in Afghanistan, where he wrote about experiencing Taliban attacks in between outlining his life story.

Now 34, Richard weaves around the quadrants of the Haley Center with a dolly full of packages week in and week out. He waits for the elevator, takes signatures before dropping off boxes and bee lines back to his brown UPS truck. He has been with UPS for 15 years, and works as a package delivery driver.

He has five children, including one new foster child, ages 1 to 8. He said when he becomes a millionaire, he will write his second book. But with portions of the sales from his first book, he will give to adoption, foster care and military charities.

Big House Foundation in Opelika already received about $200 from a banquet in which Richard was a speaker, said Micah Melnick, founder of Big House. Those funds, which came from half of the proceeds from his sales at the banquet, will go into the foundation’s general budget, which helps pays for overhead and program costs, Melnick said.

He will give to Together We Rise in California, Agape of North Alabama and United Service Organizations after calculating the total book sales of first quarter since publication, which will be at the end of March.

“We want to take our story to motivate people to get involved,” he said, noting that people can contribute with their time, money or clothing.

“And so we want to shine a light on what people can do even if they’re not foster parents.”

FASHION COLUMN

How to avoid wearing the weather in Alabama Lily Jackson Lifestyle editor Weather-predicting apps have the worst job in Alabama.

Where their performance lacks, our unpreparedness begins. As college students, we run from one meeting to another all day, susceptible to every random shower or heat flash Mother Nature’s wrath has to offer.

Making clothing mistakes freshman year is fine, but once you’ve hit the later years of campus craziness and the business professional life, you must learn the tricks to always looking top notch despite the rain storm you ran through.

Layers are smart and stylish. Despite the season, it doesn’t hurt to carry a cardigan or light jacket around with you. You never know when your next meeting will be held in an icebox or, as many refer to it, Haley. Living in Alabama, we are usually begging for more clothes or stripping down as much as socially acceptable. Wearing multiple layers and figuring out cute ways to take them off is wise. Cardigans can be tied around the waist, hats can be hung on the straps of your bag, and scarves are easy to stuff in a bag.

White is daring but doable. Take it from my experience, if you plan to wear white, bring a cover or jacket of some sort. Getting stuck in the rain exposed to the world in your favorite white dress isn’t as fun as it sounds. Who knows, you might run straight into a boss or professor. Not ideal. Make sure to be wearing all nude undergarments. If you want to be extra

safe, bring a replacement piece.

Shoes can be cute and reliable. Waterproof or water resistant shoes have come back into style.

Gellies, rain boots and faux leather flats will survive the occasional rain and keep you looking slick without feeling too slippery.

When wearing heels, make sure you stuff a light, foldable pair of flats in your bag for the unexpected tornado or sleet storm. Consider keeping an extra pair of socks in the bottom of your go-to bag as well.

Umbrellas and roll-up rain jackets aren’t optional. Living in the work-centered world we do, we are given the never ending list of companies that produce packable rain-resisting clothing and equipment. Investing in such items will help you avoid catastrophe. Assuming it won’t rain is almost always a mistake, so try to always be prepared.

Avoid sweat-stain prone clothing at all costs.

The Alabama sun is guilty of mortifying young ladies everywhere.

If you know what you laid out to wear for the day is guilty of spots, consider slipping a different top into your bag or saving it for later in the day. Another element that goes right along with this is having deodorant with you for those extra sweaty, stressful days.

Hair, hair and more messed up hair. Dry shampoo and a tiny brush should be old-timers in your bag of daily necessities.

Refreshing your hair through the day will add to your confidence and keep you from messing with it. Dry shampoo helps in rain and heat. The brush is pretty self-explanatory.

Don’t wait until you have to walk into a meeting drenched to get prepared for Alabama’s tricky weather.

Lifestyle 12

Thursday, March 9, 2017

The Auburn Plainsman

ARTS

Fraternity dates strive for ‘cooler‘ designs this formal season Jessica Ballard COPY EDITOR

Painting coolers for fraternity formals has been a persistent tradition in the Greek community for years now. Heading to New Orleans, painted cooler in tow, is the status quo when it comes to formal season.

Annie Garner, senior in finance, has participated about as much as anyone can in the cooler painting tradition.

Throughout her college career she’s painted a total of five coolers. She painted one for her date to a formal her freshman year and two for formals with her boyfriend in years following.

Her cooler painting expertise doesn’t stop there though. She has also painted a cooler for her dad and brother.

Garner described the process that goes into painting each individual cooler. “It depends on who it is,” Garner said. “The first formal that I went on, I asked him what he liked, what alcohol he liked, what kind of sports teams he liked and where he’s from. I kind of

just went from there.”

Many cooler-painting formal goers draw inspiration from designs they find online.

Popular cooler designs include alcohol graphics like the Jack Daniels one, the specific fraternity’s Greek letters or sports logos.

“I was really artistic in middle school and high school,” Garner said. “I went to private school and they required us to take art.”

She comes from an artistic family, citing her mom and brother as both being artistic as well.

Garner has let all of the formal dates she’s painted coolers for keep them but said she’s glad her dad and brother have theirs so she can admire her work occasionally.

Garner went on to joke about girls she knows that have spent weeks painting entire coolers only to have them thrown away because formal went badly.

“I really like painting and stuff, but I really haven’t done much in college except paint coolers,” Garner said. “It’s my one chance to be artistic for the year.”

PLAINSMAN PICKS PLAYLIST:

CONTRIBUTED BY ANNIE GARNER

this week, the plainsman editors chose their favorite spring break songs. listen to their picks and follow the auburn plainsman at spotify.com/the_auburnplainsman.

Adoptable pet of the week

"Another Day of Sun” by La La Land Cast Kris Martins, enterprise edior “Every day of Spring Break is another day of sun, unless it’s raining.”

"Santeria” by Sublime Jessica Ballard, copy editor “I don’t practice Santeria, but I like this song. ”

"Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra Lily Jackson, lifestyle editor “Spring Break makes me happy and this song does too. ”

"Comfortable” by K CAMP Claire Tully, campus editor “Nothing is more comfortable than the beach. ”

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Toby, an unadopted dog at Lee County Humane Society on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

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RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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

ACROSS 1 Paper unit 6 “Never Wave at __”: Rosalind Russell film 10 Trash transport 14 Software security update 15 Capitale in which “La Dolce Vita” was filmed 16 Top-rated 17 Lanai hi 18 Soft-spoken painter Bob 19 Macramé feature 20 Period preserved by a district in Williamsburg, Virginia 23 Subj. for many an au pair 24 Ornamental pond fish 25 Denver-toChicago dir.

26 Buf-__: facial sponge brand 29 Title character in a Beatles “White Album” song 32 Treadmill setting 35 Ill. neighbor 36 Doone of fiction and cookies 37 Green subj.

38 Drained of color 41 Spring 42 __ Peachik: flavored vodka 44 Tic-tac-toe loser 45 Glorifying works 46 Snacks with a New England lighthouse on the package 50 Colour ending 51 Bump-log link 52 Mama bear, in Mexico 53 Newscaster Lindström 56 Dip for veggies 60 Fervor 62 Oodles 63 Frugal sort 64 “What’s gotten __ you?”

65 Predecessors of euros 66 Get together in secret?

67 Delight 68 Finish a flight 69 Morning blend DOWN 1 One usually follows a comma 2 Los Angeles Angels, in sportscasts 3 Traveling convenience 4 Reverberate 5 1998 Alanis Morissette hit 6 Calls before a criminal court 7 Knitting supply 8 Dutch beer named for a river 9 Monaco attraction 10 Benefit 11 Partnered in crime 12 Lennon’s widow 13 Just painted 21 Ancient Aegean region 22 Cry softly 27 Arm bones 28 Book jacket parts 29 “Beauty and the Beast” beauty

30 __ committee 31 Ties with clasps 32 “My Cousin Vinny” star 33 Fill in for 34 Play well with others 39 Advised urgently 40 __ pollution 43 Desktop image 47 Readily available, as a doctor 48 Bright bloom

49 Bunch 53 Basketball move 54 Klutzy 55 Say yes 57 Salve additive 58 Michael who played Worf on “Star Trek: T.N.G.” 59 Spanish parlor 60 Sharp turn 61 Shutterfly order: Abbr.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

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By Patricia Moran ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

08/17/16

08/17/16