The Auburn Plainsman 8.25.16

Greek Life special edition inside

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

Thursday, August 25, 2016 Vol. 124, Issue 2, 12 Pages

First copy is free. Additional copies 50 cents

CAMPUS

Rolling returns

FILE PHOTO

Thousands gathered to roll the orginal Toomer’s Corner Oaks one last time after the 2013 A-Day game

Fans will be allowed to roll Toomer’s Oaks for the first time in three years Emmy Leberte CAMPUS REPORTER

Auburn Football fans can once again roll the Auburn Oaks on Toomer’s Corner.

The University announced fans can resume one of college athletics’ best-known traditions after the original trees were poisoned in 2011.

Ben Burmester, campus planner, said this has been a multiple-year process.

“It’s been a long process,” said Burmester. “The work began the summer of 2013, where we remediated the site and built the circular plaza. That is what really set the stage for

the planting of the two trees in February of 2014.”

“The rolling itself is not going to hurt the tree,” said Keever. “Fans need to stay outside the fence. If they go inside they are likely to compact the soil and possibly damage the roots.

We certainly do not want fans climbing and pulling on the branches because that can damage the trees.”

The University is asking fans to refrain from rolling any other trees in Samford Park.

The 10 small oak trees lining the walkway from Samford Hall to Toomer’s Corner are descendants of the original oaks and were planted in the spring.

They are not yet fully established in the ground, Keev-

er said.

Keever said there will be security in the area and webcams monitoring the trees 24/7 to prevent any damage.

Mike Clardy, director for Communications and Marketing at Auburn University, said the first rolling will be a big day for the Auburn family.

“It is great that the tradition is back because the rolling of the corner, kind of like the way the eagle is that flies on Saturday, is the fabric of what Auburn is all about,” Clardy said.

This wraps up a five-year saga, Clardy said.

“We look forward to celebrating again on the corner,” Clardy said.

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COMMUNITY

Grand jury rules fatal shooting by APD justified

Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

A Macon County Grand Jury late last week ruled a police-involved shooting by the Auburn Police Division justified.

The grand jury refused to charge the Auburn police officers involved in the April 3 shooting death of Melissa Boarts.

Police officials announced the grand jury's decision in press release.

"The Auburn Police Division stands firmly in support of the officers involved, their necessity to make a split second decision in this situation, and their families who have had to endure pain, hurt, threatening comments caused by false allegations and misinformation that have been proven to be unsupported by the facts of this incident," the release read. "We, again, extend sympathy to the Boarts family for their loss."

The office of Macon County District Attorney E. Paul Jones led the grand jury hearings.

The Boarts family, and their attorney Julian McPhillips, were not surprised by the grand jury’s decision not to indict the officers.

“We really expected that,” McPhillips said. “It’s the fox guarding the hen house. The district attorney gave a white wash. ... The district attorney is just looking out for people who have worked for him in making cases every day.”

Melissa was shot on a Sunday afternoon, April 3, after her parents called police when she got in her car, left and began driving erratically on Interstate 85.

Melissa’s mother told police Melissa was suicidal

and carrying a knife.

Police said they received a call reporting a bipolar, suicidal motorist. Police also said they received the parents' report of the knife. Officers were dispatched to the call. After following Boarts for several miles along Interstate 85, police stopped the car on a rural road in Macon County to "check her welfare."

Melissa was shot and killed on Red Creek Road in Macon County after police said she charged the responding officers with a lock blade knife. Two officers fired at her, with one shot hitting her in the chest and killing her, the autopsy reported.

She knocked one of the responding officers to the ground, according to police, and his weapon was lost in the altercation.

According to the news release, toxicology screenings of Melissa after her death showed she was intoxicated "beyond the legal limit" when she was operating her vehicle. Police also said she had ingested six medications, and some of them were not prescribed to her.

“They knew when they rolled up on her exactly what the situation was,” Michael Boarts, Melissa’s father, told The Auburn Plainsman earlier this year. “We told them what her mental state was. We told them the weapon she had. She had a pocket knife.

They still haven’t said outright that it was a knife that she had. They keep saying a weapon. For a lot of people, (a weapon) is a gun.”

Melissa’s death was the first time Auburn police have used deadly force in nearly 40 years, according to the APD. Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said he called

in the State Bureau of Investigations as soon as he arrived on the scene of the shooting, and they led the entire investigation independent from the APD and the Macon County Sheriff.

Her family immediately began asking the division to release any footage of her death at regular protests at the police’s Ross Street headquarters.

More recently, an online petition asking for the release of body- and dash-camera footage begun by the family reached more than 71,000 signatures by the time of the publication of this article.

The Boarts family said the police should have been able to handle the situation without using deadly force. Melissa was a petite woman, weighing approximately 135 pounds, her family said.

Her family has questioned why police didn’t use tazers or another means of stopping her when police said she rushed officers.

Since the shooting in April, the Boarts family — Melissa’s mother Terry, her father and her sister Melinda Boarts, among others — has led several protests against the Auburn Police Division and city government.

The Boarts family also recently filed a lawsuit against the city and its police department with the help of their attorney.

If the district attorney wanted an indictment, he could have gotten one, McPhillips said.

“Grand juries 99.9 percent of the time go with what a district attorney tells them,” he said. “A district attorney can indict a ham sandwhich is true. But conversely, the district attorney can cause great crime to be overlooked.”

Alumna shares Rio experience

A6

Humane Society adopts new foster program

A10

TJ Neal steps up on defense

INDEX Campus A3 Opinion A5 Community A6 Sports A8 Intrigue A11

News 2

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, August 25, 2016

LOCAL ELECTIONS

Republican candidates for House District 79 talk trust Kris Martins

COMMUNITY REPORTER

After former Speaker Mike Hubbard was removed from office when he was convicted of 12 felony ethics violations in June, the Republican candidates now running for his vacant seat in the Alabama House of Representatives District 79 were asked at a forum Monday how they would comply with ethics laws if elected.

“Because of my life history of how I have operated and been asked to operate for the last 25 years living overseas and living here, it’s just not in my nature,” said Sandy Toomer of violating ethics laws, adding that his business affairs as owner of Toomer’s Coffee Roasters do not present any conflicts of interest.

Several candidates agreed that ethics issues are linked to prolonged terms in office, and both Toomer and candidate Brett Smith said they support a two-term limit.

“I think we have too many people making a career politician job out of the elected position, and it creates an opening for too much corruption,” said candidate Joe Lovvorn.

Smith said being an elected official means representing everyone in the district.

“And what that means is we’ve got to have more transparency, a stronger open meetings law,” Smith said.

Jay Conner pointed to his role as a real estate broker and representing others against regulations and issues as an example of his character.

“And it’ll be no different when I get to Montgomery,” he said.

At a moderated forum in the Auburn City Council chambers, the four candidates discussed the district’s need for restored faith and trust in its representative, answering policy questions as well.

After Hubbard was removed from office, Gov. Robert Bentley called the special election to replace him.

“I tell people the main thing I’m trying to do for this office is bring back honesty and integrity to your representative position,” Toomer, who ran against Hubbard in the 2014 Republican primary, said.

Lovvorn, a real estate broker, businessman and former firefighter, acknowledged the need for “political healing” and restored faith in government and even city officials.

“I’m trying to come in as a person that can apply some common sense that they apply to their own businesses, that they apply to their family, and apply those to fixing some of the issues we have in this state,” Lovvorn said.

Conner said his reason for running in the election is because the state has a “broken system.”

“We keep sending the same people that we think might fix the system,” he said. “What happens at the state level affects us greatly, and people don’t realize that until they start to thinking.”

Smith, attorney and businessman, said he was tired of politics of the past.

“We wanted to present a new generation of leadership that unified us, that brought us together and that makes us better,” Smith said.

His first focus, if elected, would be to fully fund education, he said.

“Education is the cornerstone. It’s the bedrock of our future,” Smith said.

Lovvorn too said he would make enhancing the educational budget a top priority.

“I would look deep into education to make sure that we’re not in a K-12 business here,” Lovvorn said. “We’re through the K-16 in this community. We’ve got Auburn University.”

Conner said he couldn’t pinpoint one piece of legislation he’d make his first priority, but would make efforts to get citizens’ opinions on issues before taking action.

In an interview with The Plainsman earlier this year, Conner said a state-run lottery would be his first priority, noting he would push for a lottery bill in his first 100 days in office.

Aside from restoring integrity to the office, Toomer said the most important issue to tackle is fixing the state budget.

“Once that’s corrected, the next thing is we need to get Medicaid, educational funding — all these things — under control and funded properly,” Toomer added.

Last week, the Alabama Senate approved Bentley's lottery bill intended to pull revenue into the General Fund, but amend-

TECHNOLOGY

ELLEN JACKSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

FROM TOP: Joe Lovvorn, Jay Conner, Brett Smith and Sandy Toomer participate in a candidates forum Monday, Aug. 22.

ed it to direct a portion of the funds toward the Education Fund and Medicaid.

The bill needed to be approved by the House Wednesday, Aug. 24 in order for the lottery to be presented to voters for approval on the Nov. 8 ballot. But it wasn’t, and it’s future is unclear.

In contrast to the other candidates, Smith said he does not support the lottery, calling it a “blank check.” In an interview with The Plainsman, he said he doesn't support “gambling” on the state's healthcare.

“And the thing is, today’s lottery proceedings are not going to cover tomorrow’s budgetary shortfalls,” he said, adding that the lottery funds fluctuate with the state of the economy. “So what we’re going to do is say … we’re going to gamble with health care and education.”

Toomer said the lottery should be something the voters decide to support or reject, though he said he would allow it. And both Lovvorn and Conner said they would prefer the lottery be directed toward education funding.

“Now that’s probably not what’s going to come out, but I’d still vote for it,” Conner said.

Though each candidate would be a newcomer to the Legislature, many pointed to building relationships as an avenue to exert influence.

CAMPUS

SGA makes plans for the year Emmy Leberte CAMPUS REPORTER

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

A Tiger Printing Kiosk on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016 in Auburn, Ala.

Free printing through next month announced Staff Report

“I’m only going to have 24 months, but I would do my best to get in, totally immerse myself in what’s going on in Montgomery, learn the system, but spend more time relationshipbuilding with other legislatures and other committees,” Toomer said.

The candidates also expressed willingness to work those within their party and outside it.

“Now, we have received a huge, terrible black eye from what happened here, and so I don’t think anybody elected to this post is going to be able to step right in and make some miraculous change, but working with people wherever they are, on whatever political spectrum in Montgomery, to try to find a solution, I’m willing to do that,” Conner said. “And I have no problem working with a Democrat or Republican or whoever to get the job done, and that’s what I intend to do.”

However, Smith said the strength of the district lies in its citizens, to whom the legislature should remain accessible.

“He’s the direct link to Montgomery, but he stands and represents everyone,” Smith said.

The next forum is set for Sept. 7 at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center at 6 p.m.

The primary is scheduled for Sept. 13, and the general election is set for Nov. 29, unless there is a need for a run-off. In that case, the general election would be moved to Feb. 7, 2017.

During the first week of classes this semester, Auburn students were without a place to print files on campus.

On Friday, Aug. 19, Bliss Bailey, interim chief information officer, released a statement via email explaining the situation, saying a new printing system, Ricoh, was the subject of technical problems.

In the email, Bailey said printing and copying will be free on Ricoh's Tiger-

Print devices through Sept.

30 once all the issues are resolved.

"As we transition to the new Ricoh printing system with exciting new options, we have encountered some technical problems that will be resolved soon," Bailey said. "In appreciation of your patience and to give you adequate time to learn the new system, we will provide free printing and copying on Ricoh's TigerPrint devices through Sept. 30."

This week, SGA met for the first time this semester to begin planning for the new school year.

Emma Grace Laird, SGA chief of staff, said the first meeting for the student Cabinet and Senate was held Monday, Aug. 22.

“The meeting on Monday is meant to catch everyone up on what happened over the summer with SGA and what is going to happen this fall,” Laird said.

“We also have our retreat this weekend, and that is where we will start setting goals for this year.”

Jesse Westerhouse, SGA president, said over the summer they tackled a lot of their executive team building and also accomplished much on the academic side.

“The construction has been completed for the Auburn Memorial and as of Thursday, Uber came to Auburn,” Westerhouse said.

A major task SGA wants to tackle is partnering up with eight different student organizations to continue to move forward with diversity inclusion, Westerhouse said.

“We are going to partner up with VSU, ISO, the Muslim Student Organization, the Latina Student Organization, Spectrum, IFC, Panhellenic and NPHC with SGA to all come togeth-

er,” Westerhouse said. “What we are going to do is crowd fund through Tiger Giving Day to bring a speaker series to campus.”

Westerhouse said SGA hopes to reintroduce the Student Act Project as well as tackle academic goals with the dead day policy and implementing a syllabus bank.

“The Student Act Project is one that I really want to see accomplished by the time we leave office,” Westerhouse said. “We want to see that be put in to action.”

Westerhouse said many of the committees have already started working hard for the semester and athletics is working with the game-day ticketing changes to film a video that will be sent out to the student body.

Westerhouse said the External Affairs team will be doing multiple voter registration drives through out the semester because it is election season.

“One cool thing they’re doing right now, that we are hoping to do, is with Uber,” Westerhouse said. “On game day some of the roads are shut down, so we are going to be working close with the city and the Office of Transportation to figure out where we can have certain drop-off points.”

Westerhouse said they will be monitoring the safety of the new North Parking deck where the Village residences

will be parking.

“We will be monitoring the safety to see if there is anything more to do as far as cameras, lighting and having actual security guards over there,” Westerhouse said. “We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable parking there and walking to the Village.”

Another project SGA hopes to start is making plans for the future space that will be available after the CDV dorms are finished being demolished, Westerhouse said.

Since Harlan Bailey, the executive vice president of outreach, recently resigned those duties have been shifted among SGA members, according to Westerhouse.

“We are relying a lot on our outreach team and our executive team,” Westerhouse said. “We feel everyone is completely capable of taking over that role and those responsibilities.”

Westerhouse said the most important thing for SGA to accomplish this year is hearing the students voice and addressing student concerns on a daily basis.

“It is not an individual goal or an individual project, we got a lot of those, but if we are hearing out student concerns on a daily basis, whether it be a incoming freshmen or graduating senior, we want to do all we can to make the Auburn experience better,” Westerhouse said.

Campus

3

Thursday, August 25, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Campus

OLYMPICS

Auburn alumna shares her Rio experience Claire Tully CAMPUS EDITOR

Shanna Lockwood, Auburn alumna and USA Today Sports Images digital media manager of special projects, took her past experience from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

Lockwood said her favorite part about being in Rio was getting to see other colleagues.

“There are some people I only ever see at the big-name events like Final Fours and Super Bowls, and they’re a lot of the same ones who work the Olympics,” Lockwood said. “It’s fun because we all have a passion for this industry that inspires us to work the crazy hours we do, and I think the shared lunacy in choosing this career path makes for a strong bond.”

Lockwood said she loved the feeling of covering the Olympics, again.

“Coming back to the Olympics for a second time has felt like getting back on campus after a long summer, feeling stoked to see friends again and excited to learn new things,” Lockwood said.

Michael Millford, interim director and associate professor to the School of Communication and Journalism, said that Lockwood’s experiences put what she learned at Auburn to the test.

“International environments are excellent testing grounds for the things you learn here at Auburn,” Millford said. “If we’re only teaching you concepts and skills that work on the Plains then we’re not adequately preparing you for the variety of contexts you’ll encounter.”

The quantity and quality of work hours were the greatest challenges during her time in Rio, according to Lockwood.

“It’s not just working from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.,” Lockwood said. “It’s also balancing several events at once and trying to get the finished-product photos out faster than everybody else.”

Lockwood said she received a constant stream of photos directly from photographers’ cameras during the events.

From there she would choose the best, most relevant images to edit, caption and transmit, according to Lockwood.

“Identifying athletes can be a challenge in some sports when numbers and names are in hard-to-see places; I’m looking at you, water polo,” Lockwood said. “So most days, it feels like a challenging mental balance beam routine that goes on for hours.”

Lockwood said though she met notable athletes during her time in Rio, she’s also star struck by famous journalists.

“Admittedly, I’m more excited about running into journalists I admire,” Lockwood said.

Lockwood said her time on the Glomerata photo staff gave her hands on experience to learn from photography professionals on the sidelines.

“I can’t emphasize enough the direct correlation between my involvement on Auburn’s campus and my career,” Lockwood said. “I was on the Glomerata photo staff for three years, and without that experience, I quite literally wouldn’t be in Rio right now.”

CONTRIBUTED BY SHANNA LOCKWOOD

Shanna Lockwood in Sochi during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Lockwood said she credits her work on the yearbook and maintenance of a high GPA during her years at Auburn as the reason she’s been able to cover the Olympics.

So my first takeaway is simple: leverage opportunity to its full extent,” Lockwood said. “My second takeaway is to be proactive about doing the things you want to do while doing the things you have to do.”

Lockwood said being able to say she loves her job is her “gold medal” that she gladly trains for daily.

“In Rio, it has been a lot of behind-the-scenes, intense work, but it took much of the same at Auburn in order to arrive at this career,” Lockwood said. “Sure, the nights on the fifth floor of the MPC in Rio feel a lot like nights on the fourth floor of RBD, but I consider it all worth it.”

RECREATION & WELLNESS

The Rec expands schedule with new programs Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS WRITER

The Recreation and Wellness Center has a full schedule of new activities, classes and programs this semester.

One of the Rec Center’s incoming programs is called Destination Recreation: Around the Rec in 84 Days.

It’s a 12-week program and it costs $50 to enroll.

They will tour a different part of the Rec Center each week and have the opportunity to participate in exclusive activities and games, such as Knockerball and Aqua Battleship, according to Nicholas Head, Rec Center marketing coordinator.

Head said students participating in Destination Recreation will also receive a Class Pass for the semester, giving them unlimited access to classes and activities at the Rec. The Rec Center is also arranging Move, a series of three outdoor classes to be held on the campus green, including Yoga on Sept. 20, Butts and Guts on Oct.18 and Athletic Conditioning Nov. 15, Head said.

Each session will be approximately an hour and sessions will increase in intensity, according to Head.

Head said the Rec Center plans to use Move as an opportunity to promote upcoming spring programs and classes, such as the annual Yoga Rave in the spring.

Another upcoming program for students is Explore More, a free, do-it-yourself backpacking tour, according to Head.

Head said students who participate in Explore More go to the pre-trip meeting for their chosen session, get the gear they need, take a picture of themselves on their adventure and show it to the Rec Center staff to win a free “I Explored More” T-shirt.

“Each semester, we’re planning on doing sort of a running theme or idea for Explore More,” Head said. “This semester it’s going to be backpacking. Next semester it’ll probably something aquatic, like whitewater rafting.”

New classes are coming to the Rec this semester as well, according to Head.

Fresh off the heels of the Rec’s Get Rec’d summer program, small group training classes

will take place Aug. 22-26.

Head said each small group session will be one hour long, with two sessions for the week.

Options for small group sessions include Strength Essentials at 7 a.m. on Monday and Wednesday, Heart Rate Circuit Training at 4:15 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) at 8 a.m. on Tuesday

and Thursday, according to Head.

There will also be circuits at 5:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday that are exclusive to faculty and staff, Head said.

The Rec Center will host various activities this semester, including Kayak Pool Sessions, where students will learn how to kayak in the Rec Center activity pool, Head said.

STUDENT AFFAIRS S P OT L I G H T Health Promotion and Wellness Services

CONSTRUCTION

Ongoing RBD construction is said to not disrupt students Kressie Kornis CAMPUS WRITER

Construction on Mell Street is still under way but according to Jayson Hill, Auburn Libraries marketing and communications administrator, it shouldn’t be a burden to students during their day-to-day.

“Really the only thing that will effect students is that there are less study rooms open,” Hill said.

Bonnie McEwan, Dean of Libraries, said the new building will host 26 active learning classrooms for courses requiring high tech resources and 2 lecture halls.

“The classrooms are designed for professors who teach with iPads or with a lot of interactive technology,” McEwan said.

McEwan said Caribou Coffee will be demolished and replaced with a full-service Panera Bread, and the Study ER will remain in its original location.

The Panera will

WE.auburn is part of the national Green Dot movement aimed at empowering bystanders to intervene and reduce incidents of power-based personal violence including sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking/harassment. Imagine

CONTRIBUTED BY JAYSON HILL

Mell Street Classroom blueprints.

also include a feature that allows students to use a walk-up window for students to order Panera from the outside, McEwan said.

Until Panera construction is competed, the library will have a temporary location for coffee after Caribou is demolished, according to McEwan.

“The temporary location will most likely be bare bones and making espressos only,” McEwan said.

Caribou was originally planned to be replaced with Einstein

Bros. Bagels, but students ultimately chose Panera instead when asked in a poll sent out

by SGA last spring.

Trey Fields, executive vice president of initiatives, said Panera first approached the University with interest in having a presence on campus.

“You spend so much time on Auburn’s campus, so you should have access to food that’s really going to make you happy,” Fields said.

Fields said Panera Bread in the Mell

Street Classroom will have a full menu to be available for lunch and dinner.

“Hopefully, we will look and see if Panera could have a late night option with small foods such as grab-and -go items and also coffee, which is most important,” Fields said.

Einstein Bros. Bagels is now scheduled to be put in the Haley Center where Freshens previously was and will be available to students sometime this school year, according to Fields.

a map with red dots. Each red dot represents a moment in time when someone's words, choices, or behaviors resulted in violence. On this map, there are also green dots. Each green dot represents the moment a bystander’s action prevented a potential red dot from occurring. By intervening, you—the bystander—can help send a message that no violent behavior of any kind is tolerated on the Auburn campus. As part of the Auburn Family, we believe everyone needs to do their part.

BE THE DOT, BE THE DIFFERENCE.

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Auburn Students

Campus 4

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The Auburn Plainsman

OMBUDS OFFICE

Tips from the University Ombudsperson to ensure students begin a successful semester Whitney Zeigler CAMPUS WRITER

The college experience can be challenging in general and adding tense situations among professors, roommates or coworkers can only exacerbate stress. C. Kevin Coonrod, Auburn University Ombudsperson, said his job is to try and eliminate conflicts between people that come to him, as well as offer advice to individuals seeking guidance.

“The AU Ombuds office is in place to advance constructive strategies of conflict management in the Auburn community,” Coonrod said.

Conflict can also be internal meaning that students are often the source of their own stress because it is a product of themselves, according to Coonrod.

“Procrastination causes a lot of stress,” Coonrod said. “Sometimes you come up with brilliant things, other times, not.”

Beating procrastination requires that you, “get a jump on your assignments” and eventually consistent work will, “become routine and habit and save stress,” according to Coonrod.

The more you practice good study habits and work to create a regular day-to-day routine, the harder it is for procrastination to hinder you,

Coonrod said.

Find a way to distract yourself, take a break and go for a walk if stress finds its way into your mind, Coonrod said.

“Going for a walk helps thoughts come to me,” Coonrod said. “It clears my head and ideas start coming.”

Walking can be used in many situations, according to Coonrod.

Walking will give you time to think about what was said and why you felt wronged, Coonrod said.

Coonrod said he recommends being empathetic towards anyone you are in conflict with, because showing empathy can prove you care about solving the problem at hand.

“Many reasons for conflict is caused by disrespect or a violation of dignity,” Coonrod said. “I work to find the similarities and not focus on the issue on the table.”

Complaints of disrespect and conflict resolution between students and professors is popular in the Ombuds office, Coonrod said.

Students often feel as if professors aren’t invested in their success, but despite beliefs to the contrary, professors want to see you succeed, according to Coonrod.

FINE ARTS

“Ask your teachers for help, go to them and ask for a favor,” Coonrod said. “That shows vulnerability and gets the professor invested.”

Coonrod said the Ombuds office also works hands-on with conflict resolution among any Auburn affiliates. Both parties have to agree to talking to an Ombudsperson, no one can be forced to contact the office, Coonrod said.

He has been involved with students filing formal complaints, cases of academic dishonesty and student conduct issues, according to Coonrod.

Coonrod said he also recommends that students make sure to look out for themselves.

“Make sure that you are getting enough sleep, eating the right food and taking care of yourself,” Coonrod said.

He and the Ombuds Office work not only to solve specific issues, they want to teach tips that can be used in many other situations, according to Coonrod.

“In our office, I am not here to solve issues for you,” Coonrod said. “I will help you solve issues yourself, I can be a guidepost.”

It’s up to students to move forward and use the tools and skills he teaches them in their everyday lives, according to Coonrod.

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Students studying on Samford lawn.

“When people go through this process, they really empower themselves and they begin to learn, once they are taught the tools, they go off and grow,” Coonrod said.

ACADEMICS

Roman core-curriculum program introduced Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS WRITER

ELLEN JACKSON / PHOTOGRAPHER

Stephen Nowlin, guest speaker, reads his poem to the audience.

Auburn’s Rose McLarney reads at Third Thursday Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS WRITER

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Arts held the first Third Thursday, a poetry event held on the third Thursday of each month, on Aug. 18.

Both students and Auburn citizens attended, and a jazz trio entertained guests who arrived early.

The event was primarily a showcase for Rose McLarney, National Poetry Series winner and assistant creative writing professor at Auburn.

Before McLarney took the stage, seven guest speakers were invited to share their work at the open mic segment to kick off Third Thursday.

Once the open mic portion of the event ended, McLarney took the stage for her reading.

Between poems, she discussed her upbringing, as well as some of the themes she liked to work with in her poetry.

McLarney said there were a few different themes in her second book.

“Its Day Being Gone heavily focuses on memory, folklore and the stories we make up for ourselves,” McLarney said.

Her poetry employs imagery of nature, especially landscapes and animals, McLarney said She attributes this quality of her writing to her upbringing in the Southern Appalachians, an area she is very fond of and has a strong nos-

“I feel like it helps me to have some idea to organize [my poetry] around, so I’m not just staring terrified at a blank page not knowing what to write about.”

This summer, the Auburn Abroad offices launched a new study abroad program in Rome.

Deborah Weiss, Auburn Abroad program coordinator and director, said the Rome program was a test run of a new approach to study abroad.

“The purpose of [this program] is core classes in both liberal arts and sciences, and to give students a taste of being abroad,” Weiss said. “One of our goals is to really encourage students to go ahead and take their core hours—get themselves out of college faster.”

Weiss said the constant change in location throughout the trip is what makes the program unique.

“Instead of taking an amphitheater class here in an auditorium, you’re taking it in a palace,” Weiss said. “Instead of discussing global politics in a classroom, you’re doing it over coffee.”

Jill Crystal, global politics professor, said the program offers four classes, and each student enrolled chooses to take two.

“In a way, study abroad, while it has all kinds of advantages on its own, is an excellent way to incorporate active learning into the classroom, and not only do you incorporate it into the classroom, but the classroom is the entire city and beyond,” Crystal said.

The program also offers students and professors many opportunities to break away from the

traditional classroom environment, Crystal said.

“We went to a mosque, and while we were waiting on our tour, I taught my class about the history of Islam,” Crystal said. “We went on a food tour—that was excellent.”

Crystal said the physical learning environment evolved throughout their time abroad.

“We did meet up as a classroom four times a week, but we did so many excursions that it quickly became clear that we were going to have to hinge the program around that,” Crystal said.

“For my coursework, that’s easier, because global politics really translates into just about everything we see in everyday life.”

Crystal said she enjoyed having her apartment near several historial sites and iconic places in Rome.

“We lived near a residential area, so we had many opportunities to see people walking their pets and things like that; just getting a sense of how Italians lead their lives,” Crystal said.

Weiss said the success of the Rome core curriculum program may bring new changes and ideas to the Auburn Abroad offices in the near future.

“We’re going to start much earlier next year— May 15 through June 15,” Weiss said. “So students can potentially finish their study abroad program early in the summer and still have the time to consider doing more summer courses back at home-they can double dip, in a way.”

Rose McLarney

NATIONAL POETRY SERIES WINNER & ASSISTANT CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSOR

talgic connection to, according to McLarney.

McLarney also shared some of her more recent poems, one of which she said was “probably the most personal I’m willing to share.”

McLarney said her next collection deals largely with the theme of the passage of time.

“I feel like it helps me to have some idea to organize [my poetry] around, so I’m not just staring terrified at a blank page not knowing what to write about,” McLarney said.

For more information about Rose McLarney, turn to page 11 in the Intrigue section.

CONTRIBUTED LANE GOWER

Auburn Abroad students pose together in Rome.

SENATE

SGA reacts to new ticketing system responses Romy Iannuzzi CAMPUS WRITER

SGA senators gathered for their first meeting of the semester on Monday, Aug. 22., where they discussed the new tuition calculator, responses to Jordan-Hare’s updated ticketing system and upcoming Organization Days on the Haley concourse.

James Beauchine, SGA treasurer, introduced the new tuition calculator that can be found on the University website to fellow senators and explained it’s purpose.

“You can write down whether you’re a resident or a nonresident, classifications, whether or not you’re in honors college and adjust by the number of hours to give you your total for the semester,” Beauchine said. “There’s even a link to a page where it breaks down your tuition fees and expenses, hour by individual hour.”

Hunter Gibson, SGA executive vice president of programs, shared student responses to this year’s new football ticketin system; he gave a presention where he displayed an in-

depth poll.

Gibson said initial responses proved overwhelmingly negative, spurring him to have prepared responses for the most common complaints among students regarding the change.

He supports the changes, according to Gibson.

“By far the biggest portion of the disagreement was with the new system making it harder for students to bring family, friends and alumni to games,” Gibson said. “We welcome all alumni and loved ones as members of the Auburn family, but

“We may not have season passes anymore, but with this new system, everyone who wins a lottery package gets more games.”

Hunter Gibson

SGA EVP OF PROGRAMS

we really do think the students section should be especially for current Auburn students.”

The new system is meant to improve the quality and quanitity of football games each student attends, according to Gibson.

“We also had a number of people complain that the new system would make it harder for freshmen to get into more games,” Gibson said. “No, we may not have season passes anymore, but with this new system, everyone who wins a lottery package gets more games,

including at least two SEC games.”

Taylor Wood, SGA executive vice president of Marketing and Management, said SGA members would have a greater presence at future Organization Days.

“This week, we’ll be out there pushing Uber,” Wood said. “For the students who wonder what the SGA really does for the students, for example, Jesse [Westerhouse, SGA President] was really instrumental in bringing Uber to Auburn.”

Opinion

5

Thursday, August 18, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Opinion

OUR VIEW

Transgender people should be able to choose

STERLING WAITS / GRAPHICS EDITOR

Fall Editorial Board 2016

On March 23, North Carolina signed into law HB2, a bill that mandates people only use restrooms that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate.

The bill drew strong criticism.

Many companies, such as Apple, PayPal, IBM, American Airlines and many others, have denounced the law. Boycotts and protests have ensued.

Supporters of the bill point out people can get their sex changed on their birth certificate to lawfully use the restroom that corresponds with their identity, but this isn’t as easy as it seems.

North Carolina requires proof of sex reassignment operations to qualify for such a change.

Such procedures may be impossible to afford for those with a lower income.

In April, the Oxford, Alabama, City Coun-

COLUMN

Ask Alex anything Alex Wilkerson OPINIONS COLUMNIST

Hello, my name is Alex Wilkerson.

I am a junior who just switched his major (for the third time) to public relations.

I grew up in Prattville, Alabama, a town about an hour from Auburn.

My greatest passion is music. I recently started playing local acoustic shows in my hometown and the Montgomery area.

I have been writing for The Auburn Plainsman for about a year, and this fall I moved from the community page to opinions.

I’m telling you all this because I had an idea to try something different.

I think it’s easy to get caught up in Auburn.

Between classes, social clubs, fraternities, sororities, etc. It can be easy to lose yourself.

I graduated from high school with big dreams, high hopes and a big ego.

Coming to Auburn, many things changed. I grew weary. I grew tired. With every failed Auburn friendship and every failed friend group, I became more and more lost.

I began to second guess myself. I couldn’t decide if life in Auburn or life in general would

ever be good. If anything could ever get better.

My first two years at Auburn broke me, and only recently have I begun to heal.

I’ve finally found good friend groups, a major I like, and I’ve finally begun to address my truest passion, music.

When I originally pitched the idea of an ask me column to my editor, I intended to write a weekly column where I essentially just cracked jokes — a column that could feature me.

But as I began to write the first column entry, I realized I had to be true to myself.

As long as I’ve been writing music, my best songs have come from my heart.

And so I decided it was time to get serious.

I may not be the best when it comes to giving advice, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but I know if I can help just one person avoid what I’ve gone through, this whole column will be worth it.

So with that I say, if you have a problem and you don’t know who to turn to, who you can trust and you just need an honest answer, feel free to email me at opinions@theplainsman. com. I will keep you anonymous, and I will try my best to help.

Best of wishes to you in this school year and every year after.

Alex is an opinions columnist and is currently a junior in public relations.

The Editorial Board Corey Williams EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dakota Sumpter MANAGING EDITOR Shannon Powell COPY Weston Sims OPINION

Claire Tully CAMPUS Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY Emily Shoffit SPORTS

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

Submissions

Policy

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

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

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

Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length. Please submit no more than 400 words.

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

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

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

cil passed an ordinance punishing people who choose a restroom that doesn’t correspond to their biological sex at birth with a fine of $500 or six months in jail.

About a week later, the same City Council rescinded the ordinance, fearing the law would conflict with Title IX provisions.

In response to laws such as these, the Obama Administration issued a letter that contains guidelines directing federally funded schools to allow transgender students to use the restroom of the gender they identify themselves with.

“This guidance gives administrators, teachers and parents the tools they need to protect transgender students from peer harassment and to identify and address unjust school policies,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

We believe the Obama Administration guidance should be followed so the lives of transgender people aren’t dehumanized by antiquated conceptions of gender.

Though it only applies to schools receiving federal funding, it is still an important step to take in this latest frontier of civil rights advocacy.

The White House argues that laws like the ones passed in Oxford and North Carolina threaten to discriminate against people on the basis of their sex, which is expressly prohibited by Title IX. It states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Some opponents of the guidance argue a person’s sex can be defined based solely on the presence of certain genitalia, allowing people to be neatly categorized into traditional concep-

tions of male and female.

Apart from the obvious holes in this line of thinking, such as the existence of people with genitalia associated with male and female or neither, this paradigm is not well established by anything other than tradition itself.

The physical presence of male or female genitalia should be considered a component of sex, not the defining factor.

A similar position is argued in the suit filed by the Justice Department against North Carolina, “An individual’s ‘sex’ consists of multiple factors ... among those factors are hormones, external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, chromosomes and gender identity.”

Some people are worried about grown men being able to use the same restroom as young girls.

Prohibiting trans people from using the restroom of their choice does not alleviate this issue because with such laws, already sexually reassigned people with changed birth certificates would be forced to use the restroom of their birth sex.

This essentially means transgender men, with male genitalia, would be forced to use the same restroom as women.

Transgender people already deal with a mountain of social stigma. Students have been bullied and harassed, leading sometimes to depression and even suicide.

Allowing students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity is a matter of respect to their humanity.

It protects their ability to live their life regardless of the arbitrary designations other people may try to impose on them.

It grants them the common humanity we all expect.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The aim of bureaucracy Bravo to Dannial Budhwani for his eloquent complaint in the Aug. 18 Plainsman.

For those who didn’t read the article, it seems that he applied for and was awarded a scholarship of $3,000 per semester for two semesters.

Upon receiving the grant, he noticed that the funds were to be disbursed in two very particular semesters. Apparently he had committed to plans that made it necessary to postpone the disbursement during one of those semesters to a later semester.

After a long and frustrating hike through several offices, he was at last informed that the postponement was beyond the powers of the administration, and he would just have to lose half of the grant if he couldn’t take it during the semester to which it had been assigned.

If the binding of the scholarship to particular semesters was the wish of the donor, then that constraint should have been made clear in the call for applications.

If that was not the case, how could it be impossible to arrange to postpone a disbursement for a few months?

Postponing payments is generally thought to be to the advantage of the payer.

Mr. Budhwani’s misadventure reminded me of difficulties I have experienced from time to time, over the years, in extracting grant money from Auburn University for expenses that seemed to me to be eminently reimbursable under the terms of hard-won external grants.

My current conjecture is that parts of the Auburn bureaucracy are suffering, not from the proverbial sclerosis of a mature, complacent, smug, bullying bureaucracy, but from rather the opposite: the adolescent fumbling of a well-intentioned but immature bureaucracy that isn’t sure what it is supposed to do, or whose interests it is supposed to serve.

It bravely but unwisely deals with its uncertainty by making up policies and procedures that it then endows with the force of law, ensuring inflexibility and unfortunate incidents such as Mr. Budhwani’s.

To those of us on the wrong end of such transactions it seems that the bureaucracy sees itself as defending the money it is supposed to disburse from misuse by those to whom it should be paid.

There is such a thing as misuse — but spending scholarship money for tuition in a semester just after the semester at which the money was originally aimed is not misuse. Scholarships and grants are conferred for a purpose.

It is the primary job of the offices administering these funds to smooth the way to the application of these funds for the purpose for which they are intended.

That means that the administrators of the funds should think of themselves as making things easy for the recipients. They should be on our side.

Pete Johnson is an Alumni Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Community Thursday, August 25, 2016

6 ThePlainsman.com

Community

ELECTIONS

Sandy Toomer hopes the second time’s the charm Chip Brownlee COMMUNITY EDITOR

Auburn entrepreneur Sandy Toomer said it wasn’t a hard decision to leave corporate life for missionary work because, for him, wealth has never been a top priority. Enough to pay the bills and enough to support the family has always been enough for him.

Now, Toomer is asking Auburn Republicans again to give him their nomination to run for Auburn’s District 79 House Seat for a second time.

After working in corporate sales and rising through the ranks in his company, at the age of 35, Toomer decided there was more to life than making money. That’s when he decided to become a missionary pilot.

“It was like a whole new world to me,” Toomer said. “This flight school’s typical first-year flight student was 22 years old. I’m 35 at the time. I was the oldest guy. My head instructor was younger than me.”

His age didn’t stop him.

For nearly seven years, Toomer flew missionaries back and forth in the Central American country of Ecuador for the Mission Aviation Fellowship. But missionaries weren’t his only passengers, he said.

The majority of his flights were medevacs, flying the injured out of the jungle.

“We’re not church planters,” he said. “We’re not pastors. I’m not a pastor. I was a pilot. ... Because of my flying, a lot of people’s lives were saved. Medevacs were about 80 percent of what I did.”

Toomer found his adventures in the jungle so interesting, he said, that he began a website called “The Jungle Pilot.” The organization began using his website as a recruiting tool.

One summer, Toomer said he came home for a

CHIP BROWNLEE / COMMUNITY EDITOR

Sandy Toomer is a candidate for House District 79.

furlough. While he was home, executives in the fellowship asked him if he would like to become the webmaster for recruiting. He accepted the offer.

His new job also let him choose his new home.

That new home was Auburn.

It was close to all of the flight schools he would need to visit for work, and he had friends in town, but Toomer said he chose Auburn for no other reason than he just plain liked it. The popular last name — though there’s no relation — didn’t hurt, either.

He continued working as the recruiting webmaster for MAF until 2009, but while he was still with

EDUCATION

the company, he decided to bring another of his passions, coffee, home to the Auburn-Opelika area. The first Toomer’s Coffee Company opened in 2004 in downtown Opelika.

While in Central America, Toomer learned much about coffee, and he said that why he wanted to start one of the first coffee shops in the Loveliest Village.

He thought the town could use a caffeine infusion.

“At that time, there wasn’t a coffee shop in Auburn,” he said. “There wasn’t one in Opelika, and there wasn’t one in Auburn. ... There wasn’t even a Starbucks then.”

In 2013, he sold Toomer’s Coffee Company, and the name, to a new owner, but he and his family still own Toomer’s Coffee Roasters, which roasts artisan coffee for shops and brewers across the Southeast.

He said he became involved and interested in politics during the 2013 Auburn school property tax referendum.

“It wasn’t realistic,” he said. “When I found out what it was, I got so passionate about it. ... It would have meant [students’] rent was going to go up.”

After the tax referendum, which failed 54-46 that year, Toomer said his friends in the anti-increase movement began pushing him to run for City Council, then mayor, and then the seat against then-incumbent House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

At the time, investigations into Hubbard’s handing of his position as ALGOP chairman and House speaker were just heating up. He was later indicted in October 2014.

“They saw something in me, and asked me if I would consider running,” he said. “They said, ‘You would be a good voice for the people.’”

This isn’t Toomer’s first go around, and Toomer said he ran against Hubbard “before it was popular.”

Toomer lost in the 2014 primary to Hubbard, though. In this year’s primary, Toomer is hoping the second time is the charm.

But to get to Montgomery, Toomer will have to face off against three others — Jay Conner, Brett Smith and Joe Lovvorn — in the Republican primary to be held Sept. 13. Then, he’ll have to beat Auburn student and Libertarian candidate Gage Fenwick.

Visit ThePlainsman.com for an extended article including a discussion with Toomer on the issues.

PETS

‘Paws-on learning’

Humane society Books and Barks! program to help students and dogs Kris Martins

COMMUNITY REPORTER

Young elementary students will soon be able to practice their reading to a different audience through a new reading program created by the local library and animal shelter.

Books and Barks!, hosted by the Auburn Public Library and Lee County Humane Society, will allow children ages 6–12 to read to dogs at the shelter once a month from September to May. Reading sessions take place at the shelter on the first Monday of each month, with readings lasting from 3–4 p.m. All students must be accompanied by a parent.

Parents can sign their students up for one of the 10 slots on those Mondays at the program’s kickoff event Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. or at the humane society’s website.

At the end of the reading, the student will receive a certificate to bring to the library in exchange for a free book.

“What people have found are dogs are such a nonjudgmental audience,” said Ashley Brown, engagement and outreach librarian at the Auburn Public Library. “Usually around third grade … is when kids decide if they’re going to be a reader for life or not, so we really want to encourage that.”

The exercise helps build confidence for new readers and decreases performance anxiety, Brown added.

“When your performance anxiety goes down, you’re able to do a better job,” she said.

But the readings have also been shown to reduce dogs’ stress and improve their behavior, said Ausu Anaraki, fundraising and events coordinator at the shelter.

The humane society’s goal for the program is to facilitate an environment dogs would likely experience after they are adopted, such as hearing a child speak, Anaraki said.

“We don’t know the history of the majority of the animals that come into our shelter, so for many of these dogs, they may have never seen a child or heard a child talk,” Anaraki said. “It makes it easier for them to be adopted out if they’ve had that type of experience.”

Books and Barks! was fashioned after a similar reading program in another state and will be the first time the shelter has hosted a program dedicated to children, Anaraki said.

“We’re hoping we can connect kids with dogs through books,” Brown said.

If all slots fill up quickly, the shelter will add more dates, Anaraki said. The first session will be in September.

A Great Place to Live

CATHERINE WOFFORD / PHOTOGRAPHER

Red, an unadopted dog, is housed at Lee County Humane Society on Wednesday, Aug. 17, in Auburn, Ala.

Humane society launches new foster program Megan Gill

COMMUNITY WRITER

After a summer that saw an increase in the intake of rescue animals, the Lee County Humane Society is kicking off the school year with a new way for students and community members to serve as fosters through its Animal Ambassador Program.

The Animal Ambassador Program will be the first of its kind at the humane society and was made possible by a grant from the America Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ASPCA is a national organization that provides support and leadership in the areas of caring for pet parents and pets, providing positive outcomes for at-risk

animals and serving victims of animal cruelty.

Ausu Anaraki, fundraising manager for the LCHS, said she is hopeful the program will be successful in leading to more adoptions for the LCHS. According to research done

by ASPCA, this ambassador program has been successful in targeting those who would not have otherwise adopted an animal from a shelter.

“A lot of people don’t think of going to a shelter to adopt.

They’re thinking of going to a breeder or they’re not even thinking to adopt,” Anaraki said.

The program boasts benefits for foster participants as well as animals by mak-

ing the fostering process easier. Corey Barr, one of the first to take part in the Animal Ambassador Program, said this was one reason why she chose to be a part of the program.

“Sometimes adopting from a foster can be a complicated process with the foster and potential adopter going back and forth to the shelter, and this program eliminates that and makes the whole process much more simple,” Barr said.

Anaraki said the program differs from the existing foster program at the LCHS because it allows foster participants to be 100 percent involved in the process.

“I love getting to know my fosters and learning their personalities, which helps so

much in finding the families that will love them forever,” said Jill Gilbert, another early participant in the program.

The ambassador program is hoping to reach out to students in particular.

“We are hoping a lot of students will be able to get involved with this,” Anaraki said. “It’s a great way to have students have a pet in their home but not actually have to keep one.”

To become an animal ambassador, those interested can fill out a foster application on the LCHS website.

Once placed on the foster list, participants will receive an adoptable cat or adoptable dog, which will stay with them until it gets adopted.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Neighborhoods may soon see new internet infrastructure Ariel Cochran

COMMUNITY WRITER

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Pe t Fr i e n d ly On-site Management T i g e r Tra n s i t Water & Garbage Included 4 B l o c k s f ro m C a m p u s We Rent Apartments, N o t B e d ro o m s

w w w . l e m a n s s q u a re . c o m

Auburn residents in northern and southern neighborhoods may finally break away from the internet Stone Age with progress toward implementing new internet infrastructure under way.

Auburn City Council members met with cable companies Charter Communications, WOW! Business and AT&T to discuss adding better service to underserved neighborhoods.

Council members Ron Anders and Beth Witten, Assistant City Manager Jim Buston and Mayor Bill Ham Jr. hope that

neighborhoods such as Tuscany Hills, Tivoli Subdivision, Plainsman Hills, Shadow Wood Estates, Autumn Ridge and The Preserve will receive better infrastructure in the near future.

Witten said many neighborhoods in the northern perimeter have seen an increase in density but infrastructure updates have been seldom.

“We had several neighborhoods in the outskirts of town that for whatever reason … the internet or cable companies did not service,” she said. “[The City Council] asked the top three cable companies, AT&T, WOW! and Charter … to have

a meeting about the north side and other areas...”

The three cable companies now have the neighborhoods “on the radar,” Witten said.

There are plans to implement cable and internet. According to Witten, WOW! indicated that there will be an investment put into the city to service the target areas without cable or internet.

But it won’t be an overnight fix. “[The service providers] have to seek approval from within their own organizations, do research of how many homes need service, what they

must do to put in the service or if they can service,” Witten said. “We hope to keep lines of communication between the city and the service providers open.”

Witten said the goal of maintaining open communication between the city and companies is to keep the process going, notifying about the growth of certain communities and the necessity of plans to accommodate.

“We have people who work from home.” Witten said. “We require students from public and private school to utilize internet.”

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Community 7

The Auburn Plainsman

COMMUNITY ARTS

Center stage: Auburn Area Community Theatre style Lily Jackson INTRIGUE EDITOR

After a long day of sitting at a desk or slaving through a lecture, some people just want to relax. For those at the Auburn Area Community Theatre, their day has just begun as they step on to the stage for rehearsal in the evening.

“An Evening of Summer Shorts,” a casual production, ran Aug. 18–21 at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center.

The group has been rehearsing since the end of May. Audience members packed food for the show, and drinks were served throughout the production. The venue was set up to reinforce the causality of the performance, with round tables and group seating.

There were two acts, eight scenes and four directors.

Chris Alonzo, director, said the production was unique because of the multiple directors. The directors collaborated and decided on a theme, then split up to work on their individual shorts.

“We developed [the shorts] on our own, and to me that’s the most interesting part,” Alonzo said. “The pieces all reflect our own tastes and personalities, so you get a really wide range of types of theatre.”

Alonzo is a single working father who enjoys his time in the theatre, despite the

exhaustion that sinks in after a long day of work and directing.

According to Alonzo, both of his shorts are modern and contemporary, which reflects his personality, interests and directing style. Alonzo chose a piece written by a Hispanic female playwright.

Alonzo said white male writers are featured far too often and choosing the shorts he did was intentional and meaningful to him.

Overall, there were more than 20 actors on stage.

Among those 20 actors were Addison Peacock, an 11th-grade student, Erin Reynolds Peacock, Addison’s mother and Berkley Peacock, Addison’s younger sister.

For the Peacocks, acting has recently become a family engagement. According to Erin, “Picnic,” the short segment she and her daughters are featured in does not particularly relate to their life, but was enjoyable to perform.

It was Erin’s first acting experience.

Addison has been acting since 2008 and has found her true passion in theatrical arts.

“Being a family and acting together is definitely different,” Addison said. “You already have a relationship with them and even though the story doesn’t really fit us, it is really interesting.

Addison said theatre is a story that

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn Area Community Theatre presents Summer Shorts at Jan Dempsey Arts Center in Auburn, Ala. on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016.

“gets you out of your head.”

“Theatre is magical,” Addison said.

“Just by being a member of the audience you become a critical part in a great show.”

Rich Perkins, director and radio DJ, was a newcomer to directing for the Auburn Area Community Theatre.

Perkins has been acting with the community theatre for 10 years after taking a

lengthy sabbatical from the stage. When the opportunity came up, Perkins said he couldn’t resist it.

“Theatre is both informative and escapism,” Perkins said. “It should not only take you to another world, but it also should captivate something inside you and leave you with a feeling you didn’t have before.”

Perkins said he hopes that the audi-

ence will be able to take their minds off football games, elections and work.

“I hope each person takes home what I call ‘little moments of truth,”’ Perkins said. “I think all of these directors have honed in on “little moments of truth” in each of the scenes. The farce and the slapstick is great, but those moments that actually resonate with the audience are what we are all about.”

DEVELOPMENT

New Stein Mart is the next step for Auburn Mall redevelopment Kris Martins

COMMUNITY REPORTER

Just a few months after the grand opening of Krispy Kreme, Auburn Mall owners announced that Stein Mart will become the next addition to its list of stores.

Scheduled to be completed no later than fall 2017, Stein Mart will take up a portion of the former Sears building, with interior demolition expected to begin this week, according the city officials.

The 32,000-square-foot Stein Mart will follow the construction of a new Krispy Kreme, which opened in May. Both stores are part of

phase one of the Auburn Mall redevelopment plan by Hull Property Group of Augusta, Georgia.

“I’ve worked for the city almost 20 years, and people have been asking for Stein Mart ever since I started here, so we’re glad to finally have them in the market,” said Megan McGowen Crouch, deputy economic development director with the City of Auburn.

Previously Stein Mart had not been interested in the Auburn market, Crouch said, but the increase in population and income over the years helped bring the store to the area.

Though the city doesn’t have exact figures for

how many jobs the store will produce, it will bring a large amount of sales taxes into the city, Crouch said.

“Auburn’s No. 1 source of revenue is sales taxes,” she said. “We believe Stein Mart will draw more people to the area in connection with Krispy Kreme and the other uses that the mall is going to put in.”

Both the doughnut franchise and Stein Mart have been high on citizens’ list of desired stores, Crouch said.

Krispy Kreme general manager Lyndsey Wilson said she hopes the upcoming Stein Mart will draw more customers to the store, just as the

other mall stores have already done.

“We love the [mall] location,” Wilson said.

“It’ll be good for us all the way around.”

The mall site, she said, drives “impulse decisions” rather than scheduled outings to the shop.

“It triggers sales,” Wilson said.

Aside from the Stein Mart and Krispy Kreme, there are still five other available parcels remaining in the redevelopment area outlined in the project.

“There’s active tenant interest,” Crouch said.

“It’s a matter of getting business deals finished.”

Hull Property Group was not available for comment before deadline for publication.

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Sports

8

Thursday, August 25, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Sports

FOOTBALL

SCOREBOARD SOCCER (1-1-0)

FILE PHOTO

LAST WEEK vs Clemson (L, 2-0) at South Alabama (W, 1-0) THIS WEEK Aug. 26 vs Cal State Fullerton Auburn Soccer Complex 7 p.m. CST UPCOMING Aug. 28 at Samford 6 p.m. CST

UPCOMING VOLLEYBALL

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY WADE RACKLEY / AUBURN ATHLETICS

Defensive lineman Carl Lawson prepares for fall camp at the Auburn Athletic Complex.

FILE PHOTO

Eyes on the Tigers

THIS WEEK

Auburn focuses only on Clemson from here on out Nathan Deal SPORTS REPORTER

After three vigorous weeks of fall camp and learning fundamentals, schemes and plays, Auburn’s football team is turning its attention toward its opening week opponent, second-ranked Clemson. While Auburn’s still trying to solidify its depth chart and find starters at key positions, including quarterback, the team will largely use the last two weeks of the preseason to prepare for Dabo Swinney’s Tigers.

“I think everybody knows they’re one of the better teams in the country,” head coach Gus Malzahn said. “They played for the whole thing last year. They’ve got a lot of guys coming back.

They’re a good team. There’s no doubt. We understand we’re going to have to play well.”

Clemson returns eight starters on an offense that scored 38.5 points and gained 515 yards per game last season en route to a 14-1 season.

Among those returning starters is Heisman can-

didate Deshaun Watson, who accounted for 5,209 yards of total offense and 47 touchdowns in 2015. The defense loses a lot of experience but still boasts talent galore.

The purple-and-orange Tigers success did not go unnoticed by Malzahn, who has been studying Clemson for much of the offseason.

“Each year, when you look at your schedule, after spring ball or sometimes even before spring, you look at your early opponents,” Malzahn said. “I think everyone in the country does that. You try to get as early a jump on it as possible.”

While Clemson enters the game with arguably the best quarterback in college football, Auburn’s quarterback situation remains unclear, as Jeremy Johnson, Sean White and John Franklin III are all still competing for the job. The competition is still wide open a couple of Saturdays away from the opener and Malzahn would prefer to name a starter before opening night arrives.

“That will more than likely be what we do,” Malzahn said. “It’s what we’ve been shooting for.

Right now, it is what it is.”

While opening with a team of Clemson’s caliber is daunting, Auburn’s players are embracing the challenge.

“Coming into week one, I think it’s good to play a team as good as Clemson because you need to be ready,” senior offensive guard Alex Kozan said. “Everybody has that urgency about them. We have three weeks to prepare for them.

We’re able to really study them and get a good look at them. It gives us more time. I like going up against top competition in week one because it really tells you where your team’s at.”

Kozan says he’s watched six or seven Clemson games so far in preparation for the season opener. “Their whole defense is really good,” Kozan said. “We’re taking them very seriously.”

Auburn faces Clemson on Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. CST in Jordan-Hare.

WAR EAGLE INVITATIONAL Aug. 26 vs Georgia Tech Auburn Arena 6 p.m. CST Aug. 27 vs Furman Auburn Arena 12 p.m. CST Aug. 27 vs Pacific Auburn Arena 7:30 p.m. CST Aug. 30 vs Kennsesaw State Auburn Arena 7 p.m. CST

RECRUITING Auburn adds three-star safety to 2017 recruiting class

THRILLER

Soccer bounces back in overtime Emily Shoffit SPORTS EDITOR

After a season-opening 2-0 loss to No. 14 Clemson at home Friday night, Auburn pushed back when visiting South Alabama to force a thrilling double overtime 1-0 victory over the Jaguars.

The Sunday night victory was a shining moment for Courtney Schell, who fired into the top-right corner of the net to give the Tigers an even team record for the season.

The winning goal was set up by sisters Brooke Ramsier and Casie Ramsier, who combined to find Schell in the middle of the box from a free kick and a pass.

The Tigers (1-1-0) netted their first goal of the season in the 107th minute in the second overtime of a tightlycontested match against the Jaguars (0-1-1).

“It’s always a battle with an in-state rival and it felt good to win,” Schell said.

Auburn and South Alabama were toe-to-toe for the full match. The Tigers held a 22-17 advantage in shots and a drew 16 fouls compared to just 11 committed.

“For us, this is a massive win,” said Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa. “I’m just really proud of our girls and the effort they showed to just find a way to get out of here with a victory.”

Auburn goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau made a pair of 1-on-1 saves at the net to keep the match even in the first half. The best chance of the opening 45 minutes came when Bri Folds played through Kristen Dodson

for a chance at goal, but the opposing goalie made the save to keep it scoreless.

Auburn came out of the break placing three shots on frame in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

The turning point of the match came when Kiana Clarke held off an attacker before being brought down on a slide tackle by an opposing attacker who was already on a yellow card. She was then sent off on a red card in the 81st minute and forced the Jaguars to play down one player for the rest of the match.

The attacking Tigers were unsuccessful at their attempts to break the tie in regulation and went in to overtime at 0-0.

A scoreless opening overtime period lead to a dramatic last 10 minutes of play.

Samantha Solaru made an advanced run in the 104th minute and drew a foul 25 yards away from goal. Brooke lined up the free kick and found Casie, who flicked it onto Schell, who buried it into the back of the net to erupt a jubilant Tiger team.

“It was the greatest feeling,” said Haley Gerken after watching the ball fly into the top corner. “Last year we had a couple wins in overtime and we call overtime ‘Auburn Time’ and we just manned up and went at it.”

Auburn returns home Friday when it hosts Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m. CST at the Auburn Soccer Complex.

PHOTO VIA JORDYN PETERS TWITTER

Sam Butler ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

KENNY MOSS / PHOTOGRAPHER COURTNEY SCHELL PASSES THE BALL TO A TEAMMATE.

Auburn added its 14th commitment of the 2017 recruiting class Friday, as 3-star safety Jordyn Peters of Muscle Shoals announced his college destination via a video.

Peters had narrowed down his choices to Auburn, Virginia Tech and Ole Miss.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back earned an Auburn offer after a strong performance at a camp on the Plains in July. Afterwards, he called Auburn a “dream school,” according to al.com.

With Peters’ commitment, Auburn’s recruiting class sits at fifth in the SEC and 12th in the nation, just behind Clemson, who the Tigers face in two weeks.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Sports 9

The Auburn Plainsman

BASKETBALL

Predict success for Tigers this season Jack Winchester SPORTS REPORTER

Matt Barrentine SPORTS WRITER

In late August the only thing on the mind of Auburn students and fans is the quickly approaching college football season. College football is king for most in this part of the country and while the football season never fails to usher in excitement, the upcoming basketball season will soon capture the attention of many on the Plains and around the nation.

Here is a (way too early) look at why Bruce Pearl’s 2016-2017 Tigers will be one of the better teams in the conference:

the Plains. The Columbus State Community College transfer appeared in 16 games for the Tigers last season, averaging 11.6 points and 2.5 rebounds. The nations top ranked JUCO player in 20142015 is one of two seniors on the team and looks to be a major fac-

depth needed Horace Spencer and Bryce Brown on the floor early and often. Brown, a four-star recruit out of Stone Mountain, Georgia, averaged 10.1 points per game while shooting 37 percent from behind the arc last season. The 6-foot-3 guard looks to improve in

bigger guards joining him in the Auburn backcourt.

“I’ve been working on all aspects of my game you know. Ball handling, sharpening my shooting skills,” Brown said. The sophomore stressed that he is really trying to be “more of a playmaker.”

Mustapha Heron has arrived Mustapha Heron’s commitment to Auburn gave Pearl his biggest recruiting gem since he’s been at Auburn. The incoming freshman guard was a highly touted recruit out of high school and expects to make an impact on the floor for the Tigers immediately. Heron, a Waterbury, Connecticut native, averaged 30 points and eight rebounds in his senior season at Sacred Heart High School and scored 79 points in his final two high school appearances. The 6-foot-5 five-star is the 19th ranked overall recruit in the 2016 class and committed to Auburn over St. John’s, Mississippi State, Marquette and Alabama.

When asked about his decision in choosing to play for Pearl, Heron told The Auburn Plainsman, “Just comfort level – I just really had a comfort level with the whole coaching staff when I committed and it drove me all the way through.”

Heron believes that he has “gotten better since I’ve been here” and that he has been improving specifically in his offensive abilities.

“Just improving on trying to score the ball and I think that’s going to be a big thing that I can bring to the team, being able to put the ball in the basket,” Heron said.

T.J. Dunans is healthy After missing 15.5 games last season due to a left knee injury suffered in the Diamond Head Classic, TJ Dunans is healthy heading into his senior season on

I think that has made me a more comfortable and physical player.

I’ve become more physical and stronger. That’s what a full year in the SEC has done for me.”

Spencer, a 6-foot-9 225 pounder out of Findlay Prep averaged 5.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and appeared in all 31 games for the Tigers in 2015. Spencer recorded 65 blocks, leading all SEC freshman in that category. Spencer’s experience as a freshman will be valuable to the center as he looks to be more of an offensive threat for the Tiger offense. The Tigers lack of height will force Pearl to rely on the sophomore center as the Tigers primary defensive anchor.

“I’ve been working on my offense a lot more, because defense to me is natural so it’s going to come,” Spencer said.

“I’ve been working on my offense trying to get a nice mid range jump shot, work on my free throw percentage.”

Danjel Purifoy (finally) eligible

DAKOTA SUMPTER / MANAGING EDITOR HORACE SPENCER (0) GOES OVER THE TOP OF GEORGIA SOUTHERN PLAYERS IKE SMITH (3) AND TOOKIE BROWN (4) DURING THE SECOND PERIOD OF AUBURN’S NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL GAME AGAINST GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT THE AUBURN ARENA ON FRIDAY, NOV. 20. AUBURN WON 92-62.

tor in the Tigers success in 2016.

Spencer and Brown gain experience A 2015 Tiger team that lacked

his playmaking skill set and setting up the half-court offense for the Tigers this season. With the dismissal of a 5-foot-9 Kareem Canty last season, Brown was called upon to be a more prominent role as a ball handler and will look forward to

Brown also believes that the minutes he received as a freshman will give him an advantage heading into this season.

“It makes it more comfortable.

I bring my experience from that one year of playing in the SEC and

The days of Danjel Purifoy watching from the bench are over in Auburn Arena. The 6-foot-7 forward was forced to sit out the last season in its entirety due to questions surrounding his ACT scores, but has now been cleared to play by the NCAA. Due to a lack of height on the Tiger front court, Purifoy will most likely be playing a stretch four and try to provide scoring in bunches. Purifoy’s 6-foot-7 frame will force Pearl to rely on sophomore center Spencer as the Tigers primary defensive anchor.

The Auburn team understands what Purifoy’s size and skills will bring to the Tiger front court.

“Honestly having Danjel coming back is big, because he can play the three and the four,” Spencer said. “He is a mismatch at every position he plays.”

Pearl and the Tigers will be ready for the tip off of the regular season on Nov. 11, when they take on North Florida in Auburn Arena.

FOOTBALL

QB competition still in full swing Nathan Deal SPORTS REPORTER

As the season opener against No. 2 Clemson looms, Auburn’s search for a starting quarterback continues.

The competition between senior Jeremy Johnson, redshirt sophomore Sean White and transfer John Franklin III still has no definitive leader, according to head coach Gus Malzahn.

“I’m not ready to name a starting quarterback yet,” Malzahn said. “There’s still very good competition. hopefully, we’ll know something in the near future, but not right now. It’s too good a competition. We’re going to let those guys compete for a little longer and see what happens.”

Malzahn doesn’t have a timetable for naming the starting quarterback, nor does he have a decided depth chart at this point in the offseason. He emphasized that all three quarterbacks still have an opportunity to win the job.

“If there was a pecking order, I’d say, ‘Hey, these two right here are battling it out right now.’ I’m not ready to say that yet,” Malzahn said.

Quarterback questions have been lingering since the end of the Tigers’ disappointing 7-6 campaign last season. Au-

burn never found consistency behind center, as Johnson went 95-for-157 for 1,053 yards, 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, while White went 83-for-143 for 1,167 yards, a single touchdown and 4 interceptions.

While Johnson is Auburn’s returning rushing touchdown leader with 6 scores on the ground last season, the lack of a consistent running threat hurt the Tigers frequently in 2015.

Franklin III, who was an explosive runner at East Mississippi Community College, gives Auburn some speed at quarterback, but his passing ability has been under the microscope since he first arrived at fall camp.

Despite his inexperience, Franklin III remains a factor in the quarterback race. “They’re rolling their sleeves up and competing,” Malzahn said. “John’s right in the middle of that.”

While the duration of this competition is worrying to fans, Malzahn believes that it’s a good thing that the battle for the starting job has been so close. “You can tell the intensity as it gets a little bit closer,” he said. “It gets different each day, which I think is good.”

According to Malzahn, this part of the competition is when things will become more clear. “They’re all three fighting for the job and I think that’s a positive,” Malzahn said.

August 27th 2016 ots house 1585 wIRE rOAD 2:00pm-10:00pm live music

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ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE MACON COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY mchs RECEIVEs NO COUNTY OR STATE FUNDING, WE OPERATE 100% ON DONATIONS. JEREMY JOHNSON THROWS A PASS DURING WARMUPS OF A-DAY. KENNY MOSS / PHOTOGRAPHER

Sports 10

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The Auburn Plainsman

Transfer learns to beat the heat

NEW BEGINNINGS

CONTRIBUTED BY THE DAILY ILLINI

T.J. Neal sacks Purdue QB David Blough when the Illini played at Purdue on Saturday, November 7. 2015.

Sam Butler

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

For T.J. Neal, moving from the University of Illinois to Auburn has been a relatively smooth process. Except for one thing.

“The weather,” Neal said. “The weather. But the facilities, the coaches coach you very hard. There’s a lot of great talent here. I think it’s a great place other than being very hot every day.”

The linebacker committed to the Tigers in February after spending three years with Illinois. In his last year with the Illini defense, he registered 109 tackles and 14 tackles for loss, but he elected to transfer elsewhere when the coaching staff decided to change his position.

After spending some time looking

around, Neal decided to head down south and finish his playing career with Auburn, where he will play out his last year of eligibility.

“It was a great opportunity to come here and compete for some playing time, playing in this big-time conference,” Neal said. “It was the right fit.”

That fit involves something more than just getting some playing time.

Neal is expected to anchor the middle of the Auburn defense along with Tre’ Williams, but he’s had to adjust to being the vocal leader of a brand new team.

“I think it’s coming along well, but I’m still getting comfortable with the terminology,” Neal said. “It ain’t so much playing football. It’s the verbiage of communicating to others of what’s going on. Being a linebacker, the quar-

terback of the defense, you’ve got to know everybody’s job. I’m fine with what I have to do, but I’ve got to get more comfortable what the guys got to do around me...I’m slowly doing it.

I still want to gain the respect of others. I don’t want to overstep my boundary since I haven’t been here. I want to slowly continue to work into the leadership role.”

Neal will have some work to do if he hopes to turn around a defense that ranked 71st in the nation in yards allowed per game.

However, that hasn’t deterred him from setting some lofty goals.

“The sky is the limit,” Neal said.

“You know, it’ll be a top 5 defense. We can have fun. We just still working and still everyday making progress to be the best defense we can be...each year, you

want to set the standards high for your defense, for your offense and just for your team in general. You want to set the standards high. We’re striving for it every day to get better, to get there.

That’s just one of the things that I think we can be able to do.”

Multi-year starters Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost left some big shoes to fill, but so far, Neal is up to the task.

He only needs to adjust to that Alabama heat.

“During practice, I get through practice,” Neal said. “I make my plays. I have fun during practice. After practice, I’m very tired. I’m exhausted right now.

I’m ready to lay down and go to sleep.”

VOLLEYBALL

Auburn ‘relentless’ preparing for season opener

Bailey Rogers SPORTS REPORTER

With fall right around the corner the Auburn Volleyball team is gearing up for another long season, hopefully longer than last years. After not making the postseason in 2015 the Tigers have a new mentality for 2016. The theme this offseason has been “relentless.”

“We actually have a motto [this season], ‘relentless’,” senior Breanna Barksdale said. “We are having a relentless mindset proving people wrong, coming into the gym everyday recommitting ourselves to being better and taking a step up from last year.”

The Tigers finished last season 1812 overall and 10-8 in the SEC but there were no moral victories for the Tigers.

“We’re definitely moving forward

because I know we weren’t happy with the way we finished last year,” outside hitter Courtney Crable said.

“That has been fuel to the fire to motivate us to come out strong this season.”

Crable, sophomore Breanna McIlroy and Barksdale look to build on successful 2015 campaigns. Crable tied with McIlroy as team leader in kills with 333 and was the sole leader in kills per set at 2.82. Barksdale was a force in front of the net leading the team in blocks with 94 and McIlroy was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team after starting 30 matches.

She played in all 121 sets on top of tying for team leader in kills.

“We’ve been coming to all of our practices as focused as possible,” McIlroy said. “Coming in early so that way when practice starts we are ready to go.”

2016-2017 Swimming & Diving Schedule

Expectations run high around the program after a taste test of success last season showed the team what they are capable of. The Tigers upset the No.11 Florida Gators last season, breaking a 41 match streak of loses that dates back to 1990.

“Hopefully we learned a lot last season about where we can be,” head coach Rick Nold said. “We felt like we could have been a lot better but we had a number of matches that got away from us and we have to make some improvements so that doesn’t happen again. I think we grew a lot as a team but now it is time to take a step and compete not just getting into the NCAA tournament but being able to play as long as possible.”

Auburn opens the season on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. CST against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech at Auburn Arena.

DAKOTA SUMPTER / MANAGING EDITOR

Brenna McIlroy bumps the ball for a teammate during the Tigers match against Stephen F. Austin at the Auburn Arena

Date

Event

Location

Time

Sept. 23

Orange & Blue Intrasquad

Auburn,Ala.

TBA

Oct. 7-9

War Eagle Invite

Auburn,Ala.

All Day

Oct. 8

Wisconsin

Madison,Wis.

11 a.m.

Oct. 12

Kentucky

Auburn,Ala.

Noon

Oct. 28

LSU

Baton Rouge, La.

3 p.m.

Nov. 4

Alabama

Auburn,Ala.

1 p.m.

Nov. 11

Tennessee

Knoxville,Tenn.

TBA

Nov.17-19

Georgia Tech Invite

Atlanta, Ga.

All Day

Dec. 2-4

Georiga Invite

Athens, Ga.

All Day

Dec.17-19

Auburn Diving Invite

Auburn,Ala.

10:30 a.m. / 4 p.m.

Jan. 3-5

Tennessee Collegiate Diving Invite

Knoxville,Tenn.

All Day

Jan. 7

Texas A&M

Auburn,Ala.

11 a.m.

Jan. 12

Texas

Auburn,Ala.

4 p.m.

Jan. 13-15

Ralph Crocker Invite

Auburn,Ala.

All Day

Jan. 21

Florida

Auburn,Ala.

All Day

Feb. 14-18

SEC Championships

Knoxville,Tenn.

All Day

Intrigue

11

Thursday, August 25, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Intrigue

ARTS

From Appalachia to Alabama: Rose McLarney’s poetic journey

ELLEN JACKSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Featured poet Rose McLarney reads from her books and several other poems during the Third Thursday Poetry series held at the Jule Collins Smith Museum on Aug. 18.

Caroline stone INTRIGUE WRITER

The rugged outdoors, gruesome hunting, Central American cultures and the conveniences of modern city life.

Rose McLarney, 2011 and 2013 National Poetry Series winner, covered all of this and more during the first Third Thursday Poetry reading of the semester at the Jule Collins Smith Museum.

More than 50 patrons listened as McLarney

read poems from her newest book, “It’s Day Being Gone,” along with other miscellaneous poems.

Born in Franklin, North Carolina, McLarney grew up in both the mountains of North Carolina and the tropical climates of Central America.

McLarney’s father is a biologist who was based in Latin America, and when she was younger, she would spend part of the year with him.

“The first [section of the book] is based in folklore and Appalachian ballads,” McLarney said. “Then the

middle section goes abroad.”

McLarney said the poems are about the people, wildlife and cultures of the two areas where she grew up.

The gritty wildlife of the Appalachia flows seamlessly into the exotic culture of Central America, with common themes such as hunting and relationships, McLarney said.

The exact settings of her poems are ambiguous, to preserve a creative license in her work. McLarney hopes the descriptive nature of the poems creates such a vivid picture in the audience’s mind that it is hardly necessary to wonder where precisely the events occurred.

McLarney earned her undergraduate degree from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, but after a short stint in the professional world, she went back to school in the Master of Fine Arts Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.

After teaching at her alma mater, she finally moved out of the Appalachia all the way to Oregon.

“The first place that I moved when I decided to leave the mountains would have been hard, regardless of where it was,” McLarney said.

Oregon was not home to McLarney, who moved there to do a writing fellowship with her husband. In the middle of nowhere, she was surrounded by beautiful nature, but cut off from the real world.

After the fellowship, she taught poetry at Oklahoma State University. According to McLarney, Oklahoma was “a very foreign landscape,” and far from

the mountains where she grew up.

“By the time I got [to Alabama]…even though as I noted the landscape and culture are not the same, in a way it felt more like home than some places that I have been,” McLarney said. “I’m only four hours away from home. There are certainly aspects of Southern culture … that run throughout.”

After her move to Alabama, McLarney wrote a few poems about her new home.

Throughout many of McLarney’s poems is social commentary, whether it be comparing human cultures of different countries, modern day technology or issues such as climate change.

These issues are brought up in the third and final section of McLarney’s book. McLarney said it explores material from the first section, but “approaches it in a more contemporary way.” Some poems are light hearted and funny, while others deal with more serious topics.

“Environmental concerns are something that has been underlying in my writing,” McLarney said.

“But it’s only been in this book that I’ve set myself the challenge of trying to write about those things directly.”

By traveling around the world and moving across the country, McLarney is able to write about the truth of human kind.

Her poems are able to show those who may not have the chance to travel that “people’s stories are similar regardless of where they are,” and perhaps that people are not all as different as they may think.

STYLE

Auburn’s summer, fall fashion collection revealed SARA PARTAIN

INTRIGUE WRITER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Auburn, Alabama — Auburn University’s summer/fall 2016 collection releases this week as the start of classes marks the beginning of yet another smash-success production.

The presentation includes classic styles and ambitious elements, as well as variations to the “Srat-Frat” uniform and typical campus apparel.

The first collection pulls inspiration from where it first garnered extreme popularity, the Southeastern Conference schools. The ever-present Nike shorts, which serves as the nationwide college-female pants of choice, gets a revamp with the appearance of Lululemon micro-shorts. Though they be but little, they are fiercely expensive.

She wore an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka dotpatterned pair of Lululemon shorts, and everybody got in line to buy them.

Creating a juxtapositional feature against the collection’s newest tops, the shorts have the unique ability to completely disappear under any shirt.

The season’s latest fad sweeping university campuses is the tennis skirt.

Though no one on campus knows the exact location of the tennis courts, perfectly-pleated skorts are making an appearance anytime a backpack catches the edge of the season’s T-shirt dress.

The fabric lines blend almost seamlessly into any top, creating an illusion that mimics the Pac-Man ghosts. The racquets have been stowed as the Chacos come out to play; the season’s strappy sandals add a flair of elegance to the pleats flapping in the breeze.

Going to play tennis? On the way to hike through Chewacla? Shopping with friends? Do all three in the must-have item of the fall.

Coming in hot to completely remove the need for pricey britches, oversized T-shirts have become even more oversized.

The motto of the day? Bigger is better. This modest-is-

MUSIC

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR

Two Auburn students wear T-shirts and Nike shorts on the Haley Concourse on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.

hottest staple is turning young women across the country into floating bags of synthetic-cotton, fraternity-branded fabric.

The comfort levels reach an all-time high as these shirts feature enough material to become a blanket in a cold lab, a pillow in a lecture hall or a tent to hide in when the unwanted lover suddenly appears ahead on the concourse.

Not to be mistaken for a stray curtain, pair a shirt with neon green Brooks tennis shoes to get the attention of those blinded by the rainbow of color featured in the laces.

The summer/fall formalwear collection features articles created for those super special occasions on campus.

Whether it be groveling for extra credit, taking committee pictures or simply looking a bit fancier than usual, a grunge sweater layered over the sack-like shirts will change the entire look.

Available with small holes, medium holes and large rips in the seams, as long as the tag reads “Free People” the

PLAINSMAN PICKS PLAYLIST: this week, the plainsman editors chose their favorite workout songs. listen to their picks and follow the auburn plainsman at spotify.com/theplainsman

“Oblivion” by Mastodon

Dakota Sumpter, managing editor “It gets you in the mood for working hard.”

“Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees

Chip Brownlee, community editor “Fun, upbeat and it reminds me to stay alive and keep working.”

“Twerkin” by Kreayshawn

Lily Jackson, intrigue editor “It’s strange and you wouldn’t want your mom to hear it, but it’s got the beat you need.”

“Childs Play” by Drake

Claire Tully, campus editor “This is really upbeat and has fast paced, witty lyrics that keep me going when I’m tired.”

“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen

Corey Williams, editor in chief “It’s a classic workout song, simple as that.”

outerwear is guaranteed to work.

New to the scene is the Adidas superstar, providing a hint of old-school cool to the formalwear. Frequently paired with a plastic choker and Urban Outfitters backpack, colors include black and white, red and white and green and white.

The menswear collection debut show took place on the main concourse. Though a small part of the Auburn summer/fall release, the menswear remains a staple on campus.

The wind blew through the hair of the frat stars swaggin’ across the runway armed with the Signature Attire: New Balance sneaks stained by the remains of a frat house-barn party, khaki shorts untouched by the pockets of cargos and a tucked-in pastel polo.

For casual days, the series includes a line of Comfort Colors T-shirts and tanks available in Srat Function, Date Party, Bass Pro Shop, Athletic Team, Total Frat Move, Hunting Club and Southern Shirt Company collections.

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Intrigue 12

Thursday, August 25, 2016

The Auburn Plainsman

EMPLOYMENT

Applying for jobs in Aubs: what to remember

Catie Sergis

INTRIGUE WRITER

College students constantly find themselves on a tight budget. Many have turned to finding parttime jobs during the school year to bring in something extra.

However, it can sometimes be a challenge in a college town to find the perfect job that meshes with a busy schedule. Some students find luck by applying to jobs on their own others while others need guidance.

The Auburn University Career Center helps undergraduate and graduate students find jobs that fit their majors, interests and schedules. The career center recently launched a website to assist students in their search. Handshake, Auburn’s new employment link, is now up and running.

“All Auburn students have an account with Handshake and it is tied to their AU Access in-

formation,” said Torey Palmer, career counselor.

“Within that system they can search for part-time work on and off campus. At this point there are 21 on-campus jobs on there, and several more off campus.”

According to the Career Center, the website has been growing since its start this semester, and thoughts on how to improve the website are being tossed around.

“In the future, the website will go to more of a LinkedIn-type profile for students to have, so students will want to be sure they are utilizing Handshake to the best they can,” Palmer said. “Handshake allows them to show off there most valuable experiences in a way that someone who hasn’t met that student would know a lot about them.”

Handshake has taken the place of the former Tiger Recruiting Link, which had the same idea behind it.

“I was looking up jobs on Tiger Recruiting Link and easily found my job at the Auburn Call Center,” said Eliza Mason, sophomore in pre-buisness.

Sometimes, students are able to find off-campus jobs on their own. However, these applicants often have the experience to go through the process with little assistance. Senior Chandler Brun, an apparel merchandising major, was able to land a dream job at Behind the Glass, a local boutique.

“I wanted retail experience to put on my resume so I looked around at boutiques in Auburn,” Brun said. “I filled out the application and brought it back to the store along with my resume, and met with the manager. I got an email to set up an interview with the owner, and after a couple of days I got an email from the general manager that I got the job.”

Whether applying through a website such as Handshake, or going through the process alone, the interview portion is often the most difficult part for

some.

Career counselors at the Auburn University Career Center will hold mock interviews for any type of job or organization students want to participate in.

“You can schedule an appointment to come in and we will do our best to replicate the experience you can expect to have in your interview,” Palmer said. “From that you can learn what you’re doing well, because students usually have a good core of what they’re putting out there, and also learn areas of what you need to improve or adapt for the real deal.”

For some, the new semester is a perfect time to start searching for a job or internship. Websites such as Handshake and other online employment services make it convenient to apply for jobs. Try out these new services and interview tips on your next job search.

HOUSING

Finding your home sweet home in Auburn Caroline S tone INTRIGUE WRITER

Move-in day — a stressful day for some. Many hours are spent in the sun, waiting in line for elevators, heaving furniture up stairs and unpacking endless boxes full of back-to-school items.

People may have met their roommate for the first time or perhaps greeted their best friend and roommate for the past three years.

Housing is a crucial part of the Auburn experience for students and for some it can make or break the year.

There are many pros and cons to living on and off campus. Issues and blessings such as stubborn roommates, unexpected best friends, inconvienent class commutes and short walks to campus.

According to Auburn Housing Services, Auburn’s residence halls house 4,800 students. This accounts for about 17 percent of all Auburn students, which leaves the vast majority in apartments and houses across the city.

Brice Messerly, a junior in finance, has lived in an apartment for the past year after spending his first year on campus. Messerly said he prefers the many amenities apartments bring, such as closer parking, a kitchen, a personal washer and dryer and the freedom that comes from living without resident assistants and Auburn Housing employees.

Anna Vail Chancey, senior in rehab services, resonates with Messerly’s new found freedom.

“I like feeling like an adult without actually being an adult,” Chancey said. “I have way more space which means more clothes to buy to fit in that big new closet. I also have my own bathroom and an actual kitchen, though I’m still eating ramen because college.”

While Chancey enjoys living off campus more than her days in the dorms, she said she had many positive memories in her residences in the Quad and the Village.

“I miss living five feet from my best friend,” Chancey said. “Some

may consider this a con, but I loved my freshman year roommate.”

Not everyone is as lucky.

“I didn’t like my freshman year roommates,” Messerly said. “I lived in the Village, so I was lucky in that respect, but I found it hard to enjoy living in a suite with people I wasn’t friends with. Being able to pick my roommate in my apartment was so much better.”

Messerly and Chancey were able to list many similar pros to living on campus. They enjoyed the proximity to friends, location of the dorms and the ease of calling maintenance.

Both listed difficult landlords and high grocery bills as a con to living off campus. They both lived in the Village, and they appreciated the proximity of Village Dining and all of its TigerCard-friendly options.

Chancey lived in the Village sorority dorm her sophomore year, which is a very different experience than the typical freshmen dorm.

Each sorority has their own hall to house 40 of their active members.

The suite-style dorms allow for

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privacy for the older members while still promoting sisterhood through living in close proximity to one another. The same can be said for the house that Chancey currently resides in.

There are many houses in Auburn like Chancey’s that house all women from the same sorority. Due to the lack of sorority houses on campus, many sororities have houses passed down to their members ei-

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ther through coincidence or to keep the house available to smaller gettogethers through the sorority and to promote sisterhood.

Whether it be sisterhood, landlords, location or roommates, both on-and off-campus housing have their pros and cons. College housing is never going to be perfect, but Auburn students can always find a way to make themselves at home in the Loveliest Village on the Plains.

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RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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